Parking guidance method and parking guidance apparatus

Abstract

A controller (100) acquires the waiting order for entry / exit desired by users of a plurality of vehicles (20) waiting to enter into / exit from a parking space, performs subtraction on points held by a user when the user desires a waiting order earlier than a prescribed waiting order, performs addition on the points when the user desires a waiting order later than the prescribed waiting order, sets the order on the basis of the waiting order of the plurality of users, and guides the user for the entry / exit according to the order.

Description

Parking guidance method and parking guidance device

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

[0002] A technology is known in which, when a request for guidance to a parking space is received from a requesting user, other users occupying the parking space are asked to move out of the parking space in exchange for financial compensation, and when the request is accepted, the requesting user is guided to the parking space (Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-212035

[0004] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 is a technology in which economic compensation and parking space are exchanged between a user before parking and a user who is parking, but there is a problem in that the order of entry and exit cannot be adjusted to suit the wishes of multiple users waiting in line to enter and exit a parking lot.

[0005] To provide a parking guidance method and a parking guidance device that can adjust the order of entry and exit of a parking lot among a plurality of users waiting in line to enter and exit a vehicle in accordance with the desires of each user for the order of entry and exit.

[0006] The present invention solves the above problem by obtaining the waiting order for entry and exit desired by each user of a plurality of vehicles waiting to enter and exit a parking space, subtracting points held by the user if the user desires an earlier waiting order than the predetermined waiting order, and adding points if the user desires a later waiting order than the predetermined waiting order, setting an order based on the waiting orders of the plurality of users, and guiding the users to enter and exit the parking space according to the order.

[0007] According to the present invention, the order of entry and exit can be adjusted among a plurality of users waiting in line to enter and exit a parking lot in accordance with their respective desires for the order of entry and exit.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a parking guidance system equipped with a parking guidance device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a scene in which the parking guidance method according to this embodiment is executed. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the waiting order for entry and exit and the order of entry and exit according to this embodiment. Fig. 4 is an example of a flowchart showing the steps of the parking guidance method according to this embodiment.

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a parking guidance system including a parking guidance device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following embodiment, a specific example of the present invention will be described by citing an example in which the parking guidance method and parking guidance device according to the present invention are applied to a parking guidance system. The parking guidance system 1 is a system that manages the entry and exit order of multiple vehicles 20 in a parking lot and provides parking guidance to users of each of the multiple vehicles 20 according to the entry and exit order. The parking guidance is guidance necessary for parking and includes waiting guidance for the vehicle 20 to wait its turn for entry and exit, and entry and exit guidance for the vehicle 20 to leave the waiting line and enter and exit the parking lot. The user of the vehicle 20 is a passenger, such as a driver, aboard the vehicle 20. In this embodiment, the user aboard the vehicle 20 may park (enter or drive into a garage) the vehicle 20 by manual operation, or the vehicle 20 may be parked by autonomous parking control. Autonomous parking control is a type of autonomous driving control, and refers to parking the vehicle 20 through automatic control by an on-board controller, without relying on driving operations by the driver or user.

[0010] The parking guidance system 1 includes a parking guidance device 10 and a plurality of vehicles 20. The parking guidance device 10 is a device located outside the vehicles 20 and at a distance from the vehicles 20. The parking guidance device 10 is installed, for example, in a parking lot. The parking lot is a parking lot that can accommodate a plurality of vehicles 20, and is, for example, a mechanical parking lot such as a tower parking lot. The parking guidance device 10 provides parking guidance to vehicles 20 waiting in the parking lot. Note that the parking guidance system 1 may also include infrastructure equipment (not shown) in the parking lot, separate from the parking guidance device. The infrastructure equipment uses various sensors to acquire information such as the usage status of the parking lot, the number and waiting positions of the vehicles 20, and transmits the information to the parking guidance device 10.

[0011] The parking guidance device 10 is communicatively connected to a plurality of vehicles 20 via a network 30. The network 3 includes, for example, a mobile communication network such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) (registered trademark), UWB, a 4G line, or a 5G line, as well as the Internet. In providing parking guidance, the parking guidance device 10 provides parking guidance via the network 3 to the vehicle 20 that is first in line to enter or exit the parking space, so that the vehicle 20 can enter or exit the parking space. The parking guidance device 10 provides parking guidance to the vehicles 20 that are second or later in line to enter the parking space, so that the vehicles 20 can move forward in the waiting line to wait for their turn to enter the parking space.

[0012] In a situation where a plurality of vehicles 20 are waiting in a parking lot to enter and exit a parking space, the parking guidance device 10 manages the order in which the plurality of vehicles 20 enter and exit the parking lot, and provides parking guidance to the users of the waiting vehicles 20 by notifying them of parking guidance according to the order. The order is managed separately for the entry order of vehicles 20 waiting to enter the parking lot and the exit order of vehicles 20 waiting to exit the parking lot.

[0013] Here, a scene in which the parking guidance method according to this embodiment is executed will be described using FIG. 2 . FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a scene in which the parking guidance method according to this embodiment is executed. In FIG. 2 , parking lot P is, for example, a mechanical parking lot. The parking lot includes a parking space, a waiting space, and a passageway for vehicles 20 to enter and exit. When the parking lot is a mechanical parking lot, mechanical parking equipment is installed in the parking space for vehicles 20 to enter and exit. The mechanical parking equipment includes a pallet on which the vehicle is placed and a transport mechanism for transporting the vehicle on the pallet. The waiting space includes a waiting queue for multiple vehicles 20 and a waiting queue for users. In FIG. 2 , vehicles of users who wish to enter parking space S must enter in order, so they line up in the waiting queue L1 for entry. Furthermore, users who wish to exit parking lot P must exit in order, so they line up in the waiting queue L2 for exit. In FIG. 2 , vehicle V1 of a user who is first in line to exit is exiting parking space S.

[0014] Each user of a vehicle 20 using the parking lot has different needs regarding the order of entry and exit. For example, some users want to enter their vehicle immediately. Other users are willing to enter later because they need to load and unload luggage. Other users are willing to leave their vehicle later and would prefer to enter their vehicle quickly. However, if the order of entry were determined by the order in which each user's vehicle entered the parking lot, the vehicles of users who are willing to enter later would enter first, and the vehicles of users who are willing to enter earlier would enter last. Therefore, in this embodiment, the parking guidance device 10 sets the order of entry and exit according to the waiting order desired by the users.

[0015] The parking guidance device 10 includes a controller 100 and a communication device 110. The controller 100 is a computer having hardware and software, including a ROM storing a program, a CPU executing the program stored in the ROM, and a RAM functioning as an accessible storage device. The controller 100 includes functional blocks, such as a waiting order acquisition unit 101, an order setting unit 102, a point calculation unit 103, and a parking guidance unit 104, and executes each function through cooperation between the hardware and software for realizing each function or executing each process. In this embodiment, the functions of the controller 100 are divided into four blocks, and the functions of each functional block are described. However, the functions of the controller 100 do not necessarily have to be divided into four blocks; they may be divided into three or fewer functional blocks, or five or more functional blocks.

[0016] The waiting order acquisition unit 101 acquires the waiting order for entry and exit desired by each user of a plurality of vehicles 20 waiting to enter and exit a parking space. First, a situation in which a user enters a vehicle 20 will be described. Assume a situation in which the vehicle 20 enters the parking lot and lines up in a waiting queue for entering the parking space. As an example, the waiting order for entry desired by the user is pre-stored and associated with the waiting position of the vehicle 20 in the actual queue in the waiting area. The user stops and waits the vehicle 20 at the waiting position in the waiting area corresponding to the desired waiting order. Each time the vehicle 20 enters the parking lot, the waiting order acquisition unit 101 acquires, from the infrastructure of the parking lot or the like, the waiting position where the user of the vehicle 20 has waited, and newly acquires the waiting order for entry corresponding to the waiting position. As another example, the user may select the waiting order for entry desired by the user. For example, when entering the parking lot, the user selects the waiting order for entry via the terminal device 210. The selected waiting order for entry is transmitted from the terminal device 210 to the parking guidance device 10. The waiting order acquisition unit 101 acquires a new waiting order for entry transmitted from the terminal device 210 each time the vehicle 20 enters the parking lot. The waiting order acquisition unit 101 then stores the waiting order for entry and the selected user in a table that manages the waiting orders for entry, in association with each other. The table stores, for each waiting order for entry, identification information (such as registered name) of the user who selected the waiting order for entry.

[0017] The waiting order for entry is divided into multiple stages. For example, the waiting order for entry is divided into six stages (P3, P2, P1, P0, P-1, P-2). The waiting order is highest in P3, followed by P2, P1, P0, P-1, and P-2. The waiting order P3 is the earliest for entry, and the waiting order P-2 is the latest for entry. The waiting order may be selected by the user on an application screen displayed on the terminal device 210, or may be acquired based on the waiting position where the user parked the vehicle 20 from among multiple waiting positions. The earlier the waiting order, the closer the waiting position is to the beginning of the waiting area. When the waiting order for entry is divided into six stages (P3, P2, P1, P0, P-1, and P-2), six waiting positions are arranged in the parking lot, corresponding to the waiting orders P3, P2, P1, P0, P-1, and P-2, respectively. For example, if six waiting positions form a waiting queue, the six waiting positions from the beginning to the end of the waiting queue correspond to waiting orders P3, P2, P1, P0, P-1, and P-2, respectively.

[0018] Here, the relationship between the waiting order and the waiting position when entering the parking lot will be explained using FIG. 3 . FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the waiting order for entering and exiting the parking lot and the order of entering and exiting the parking lot in this embodiment. In FIG. 3 , waiting positions corresponding to waiting orders P3 to P-2 are arranged in the parking lot. Six waiting positions form the waiting line L1. In the example of waiting line L1 at the top of FIG. 3 , when a vehicle 20 is already waiting at the waiting position corresponding to waiting order P3, users of multiple vehicles 20 who newly enter the parking lot each wait their vehicle 20 at any available waiting position (P2 to P-2) in the waiting line L1. In the example of FIG. 3 , each user waits their vehicle 20 at a waiting position corresponding to waiting orders P2, P0, or P-2, respectively. The waiting order acquisition unit 101 acquires information about the position (waiting position) of the vehicle 20 in the waiting line of the parking lot from the vehicle 20 and / or the infrastructure of the parking lot. The waiting order acquisition unit 101 refers to the correspondence between the waiting positions and the waiting order for entry, and acquires the waiting order for entry corresponding to the waiting position of each vehicle 20. Note that, as shown in FIG. 3 , the waiting order may include an empty waiting position among the multiple waiting positions.

[0019] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the waiting queue may include a priority waiting position included at the front of the waiting queue and a normal waiting position included at the rear of the waiting queue. The waiting order corresponding to the priority waiting position is earlier than the waiting order corresponding to the normal waiting position. In the example of FIG. 3, the priority waiting positions are waiting positions corresponding to the waiting orders P3, P2, and P1. The normal waiting positions are waiting positions corresponding to the waiting orders P0, P-1, and P-2. As will be described later, a user who has made the vehicle 20 wait at a priority waiting position has their points subtracted. A user who has made the vehicle 20 wait at a normal waiting position has their points added. The waiting order acquisition unit 101 determines whether the waiting position of the vehicle 20 is a priority waiting position or a normal waiting position.

[0020] Furthermore, when the entry control of the vehicle 20 with the earliest order is completed, the waiting order acquisition unit 101 updates the waiting order for entry for each of the users of the multiple waiting vehicles 20 by moving them up by one. For example, if a user causes a vehicle 20 to wait in a waiting position corresponding to waiting order P1 when entering the parking lot, when the entry control of the vehicle 20 with the earliest order is completed, the waiting order acquisition unit 101 updates the waiting order of the user who caused their vehicle 20 to wait in the waiting position of waiting order P1 from waiting order P1 to P2, thereby moving the waiting order up by one. At this time, the user moves the waiting position of the vehicle 20 from the waiting position corresponding to waiting order P1 to the waiting position corresponding to waiting order P2 as the waiting line moves forward. In other words, the waiting order is also updated in accordance with the change in the waiting position. 3, when the vehicle 20 at the waiting position with waiting order P3 leaves the front of the waiting queue and enters the tower parking lot, the vehicles 20 waiting at the waiting positions with waiting orders P2, P0, and P-2 move to the waiting positions with waiting orders P3, P1, and P-1, respectively, as shown in the lower waiting queue L1. At this time, the waiting order acquisition unit 101 updates the waiting order of each user from the waiting order P2, P0, and P-2 to P3, P1, and P-1, thereby moving up one waiting order.

[0021] Next, a scenario in which a vehicle 20 is to be released will be described. Assume a scenario in which a plurality of vehicles 20 are waiting to leave a parking space when the vehicle 20 leaves the parking lot. When transmitting an exit request to the parking guidance device 10, the user operates the terminal device 210 to select a desired waiting order for leaving. The exit request including the selected waiting order for leaving is transmitted from the terminal device 210 to the parking guidance device 10. The waiting order acquisition unit 101 acquires the exit request including the waiting order for leaving transmitted from the terminal device 210. The waiting order for leaving is divided into multiple stages. For example, the waiting order for leaving is divided into six stages (P3, P2, P1, P0, P-1, P-2), similar to the waiting order for entering. The waiting order for leaving may be set to the same as or different from the waiting order for entering. The waiting order for leaving is selected by the user's selection operation on an application screen displayed on the terminal device 210. 3, the waiting order acquisition unit 101 manages the waiting order for delivery using table T1. Table T1 stores, for each waiting order for delivery, identification information (such as registered name) of the user who selected the waiting order for delivery. For example, if users U1, U2, and U3 select waiting orders P0, P2, and P-2 for delivery, respectively, user U2, user U1, and user U3 are stored in table T1 for waiting orders P2, P0, and P-2 for delivery.

[0022] Furthermore, when the release control of the vehicle 20 with the earliest order is completed, the waiting order acquisition unit 101 updates the waiting order for release by one step for each user of the multiple waiting vehicles 20. For example, if a user selects waiting order P1, the waiting order for release is updated from waiting order P1 to P2, thereby raising the waiting order for release by one step. The waiting order acquired or updated by the waiting order acquisition unit 101 is output to the order setting unit 102 and the point calculation unit 103.

[0023] The order setting unit 102 sets the order of entry and exit of the vehicles 20 for each of the multiple users based on the waiting orders of the multiple users. First, the setting of the order in a situation where multiple vehicles 20 are waiting to exit a parking space will be described. When a new exit request including a user's desired waiting order for exit is acquired, the order setting unit 102 sets the order of exit of the vehicles 20 for each of the multiple users based on the waiting orders for exit of the multiple users. The order setting unit 102 references a table managing the waiting order for exit and sets the order of exit so that the exit order of the user's vehicle is the earliest in the order of exit. In the example of FIG. 3 , the vehicle of user U2 in waiting order P2 is set first. Only the first order of exit may be set, or second and subsequent orders may also be set. For example, the vehicle of user U1 in waiting order P0 may be set second, and the vehicle of user U3 in waiting order P-2 may be set third.

[0024] Furthermore, when the exit control of the vehicle 20 with the earliest order is completed, the waiting order acquisition unit 101 updates the waiting order for the exit of the vehicle 20 by moving it up by one for each of the users of the waiting vehicles 20. For example, in the example of Figure 3, when the vehicle 20 of the first user U2 leaves the garage, the waiting order acquisition unit 101 sets the waiting orders of the remaining users U1 and U3 to waiting order P1 and waiting order P-1, respectively.

[0025] Next, the setting of an order in a situation where multiple vehicles 20 are waiting to enter a parking space will be described. When a user newly acquires a waiting order for entry, the order setting unit 102 sets the order for entry of the vehicles 20 for each of the multiple users based on the waiting order for entry of the multiple users. The order setting unit 102 sets the order so that the earlier the user's waiting order for entry, the earlier the order for entry of the vehicle of that user. In the example of the waiting line L1 at the top of FIG. 3 , the vehicle 20 of the user in waiting order P3 is set first. Only the first entry order may be set, or the second and subsequent entries may also be set. For example, the vehicle 20 of the user in waiting order P2 may be set second, the vehicle 20 of the user in waiting order P0 may be set third, and the vehicle 20 of the user in waiting order P-2 may be set fourth.

[0026] Furthermore, when the entry control of the vehicle 20 with the earliest order is completed, the waiting order acquisition unit 101 updates the waiting order for the entry of the vehicle 20 by moving it up by one for each of the users of the multiple waiting vehicles 20. For example, after the first vehicle 20 enters the waiting queue in the upper part of Figure 3, the waiting order acquisition unit 101 sets the waiting orders of the vehicles 20 with waiting orders P2, P0, and P-2 to waiting orders P3, P1, and P-1, respectively, as shown in the example of waiting queue L1 in the lower part of Figure 3. The waiting order set by the waiting order acquisition unit 101 is output to the point calculation unit 103 and the parking guidance unit 104.

[0027] The point calculation unit 103 calculates the points held by each of the multiple users. The points can be used by the user to request an earlier waiting order than the predetermined waiting order. As described below, the number of points used is determined for each earlier waiting order. The point calculation unit 103 increases or decreases the points of each of the multiple users according to the user's order of entry and exit. The number of points to be increased or decreased is not particularly limited and may be one point, or two or more points. For example, when the order setting unit 102 sets an order and there is a change in order among the multiple users, the point calculation unit 103 adds points to the user if the order of the user becomes later than the order before the change. The point calculation unit 103 subtracts points from the user if the order of the user becomes earlier than the order before the change due to the change in order among the multiple users. Specifically, the point calculation unit 103 adds points if the user's order becomes later while waiting for entry and exit. That is, if another user requests a waiting order earlier than that of the user who is waiting his / her turn and cuts in front of the user who is waiting his / her turn, the points of the user who has been cut in front are added. Also, if a new user who has joined the waiting queue requests a waiting order earlier than that of the other user who was previously waiting his / her turn and cuts in front of the other user, thereby lowering the other user's position, the point calculation unit 103 subtracts the points of the user who has cut in front.

[0028] Furthermore, the point calculation unit 103 increases or decreases points for each of the multiple users according to the waiting order desired by each of the multiple users. When a user uses points to request a waiting order earlier than the predetermined waiting order, the point calculation unit 103 subtracts the points used. When a user requests a waiting order later than the predetermined waiting order, the point calculation unit 103 adds points. The predetermined waiting order is, for example, waiting order P1. In this embodiment, each user's points are added when another user cuts in front of the user, and are subtracted when the user cuts in front of another user. In this manner, by exchanging points and waiting orders for entry and exit between users, each user can efficiently change the order of entry and exit without exchanging monetary compensation, thereby improving the efficiency of parking lot use. Specifically, each user can enter and exit at their desired timing. Furthermore, the predetermined waiting order may initially be the waiting order for entry and exit desired by the user. When a user changes their selection, points can be added or subtracted for each of the multiple users.

[0029] For example, if the waiting queue includes a priority waiting position at the front of the waiting queue and a normal waiting position at the rear of the waiting queue, the point calculation unit 103 subtracts points from the user when the user causes the vehicle 20 to wait at the priority waiting position, and adds points to the user when the user causes the vehicle 20 to wait at the normal waiting position. In the example of FIG. 3 , the priority waiting positions are waiting positions corresponding to waiting orders P3, P2, and P1, so if the user causes the vehicle 20 to wait at a waiting position equal to or higher than P1 in the waiting order, the user's points are subtracted. If the user causes the vehicle 20 to wait at a waiting position (P0, P-1, P-2) lower than P1 in the waiting order, the user's points are added.

[0030] In this embodiment, the point calculation unit 103 adds up the increase or decrease in points based on the waiting order for entry and exit desired by the user and the increase or decrease in points based on changes in the waiting order while waiting for entry and exit from the time the vehicle 20 joins the waiting order for entry and exit until the control of entry and exit is completed, and calculates the final number of points when the control of entry and exit is completed. The point calculation unit 103 stores the calculated points for each user. The points can be used to select the waiting order for the user's next entry and exit from the next time onwards. The point calculation unit 103 transmits the calculated points to the terminal device 210 via the communication device 110 and notifies the user of the points by displaying the points on the screen of the terminal device 210.

[0031] The parking guidance unit 104 provides parking guidance to users of the vehicles 20 according to the order of the multiple vehicles 20. Specifically, the parking guidance unit 104 transmits a parking guidance instruction to the terminal device 210 via the communication device 110 to execute parking guidance. For example, the parking guidance unit 104 provides entry and exit guidance to the user of the vehicle 20 with the earliest order, so that the vehicle 20 can enter and exit a parking space. The parking guidance unit 104 may provide parking guidance to vehicles 20 second or later in the waiting line, so that the vehicles 20 can move forward in the waiting line. The parking guidance unit 104 may also notify each user of the order of each vehicle 20. The parking guidance is displayed on the screen of the terminal device 210.

[0032] The communication device 110 is connected to the communication device 26 and the terminal device 210 of the vehicle 20 via the network 3, and transmits and receives information. In this embodiment, the communication device 110 obtains information on the waiting position of the vehicle 20 or the waiting order for entry and exit selected by the user from the communication device 26 and / or the terminal device 210. The communication device 110 transmits a parking guidance instruction to the terminal device 210 to cause the terminal device 210 to perform parking guidance. The communication device 110 transmits points held by the user to the terminal device 210. The communication device 110 may be communicably connected to infrastructure facilities of the parking lot.

[0033] The vehicle 20 travels under manual driving by a driver or autonomous driving control. Autonomous driving control refers to autonomously controlling the driving operations of the vehicle 20 using a controller of the vehicle 20, and the driving operations include all driving operations such as acceleration, deceleration, starting, stopping, and steering. Furthermore, autonomously controlling driving operations refers to the controller of the vehicle 20 controlling the driving operations using devices of the vehicle 20. The controller controls these driving operations within a predetermined range, and driving operations that are not controlled by the controller are manually operated by the driver. On the other hand, when the driver manually drives the vehicle, the controller does not autonomously control the driving operations, and the driving operations of the vehicle 20 are controlled by the driver's operation. Note that in this embodiment, the specific descriptions of the configuration, functions, etc. of the vehicle 20 can be applied to all vehicles 20 as appropriate.

[0034] The vehicle 20 includes an object detection device 21, a state detection device 22, a position detection device 23, a vehicle control device 24, a controller 25, and a communication device 26. These devices are connected by a CAN (Controller Area Network) or other in-vehicle LAN, and can exchange information with each other.

[0035] The object detection device 21 is a device that detects objects around the vehicle 20, and specifically includes an imaging device and a distance measuring device. The imaging device is a device that captures images of objects around the vehicle 20, and examples thereof include a camera equipped with an imaging element such as a CCD, an infrared camera, etc. The distance measuring device is a device that acquires the relative distance between the distance measuring device and the object, and examples thereof include a millimeter-wave radar and a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) unit. The object is an object that exists in the parking lot and its surroundings, and includes boundary lines such as white lines, road markings, signs, road structures, etc. The object also includes obstacles other than the vehicle 20 that may affect the parking of the vehicle 20, such as automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians.

[0036] The state detection device 22 is a sensor that detects the traveling state of the vehicle 20, and includes a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a yaw rate sensor, a steering angle sensor, etc. The position detection device 23 is a positioning system that detects the current position of the vehicle 20, and calculates the current position of the vehicle 20 from, for example, radio waves received from a satellite for the GPS (Global Positioning System). The state detection device 22 may also detect the position of the vehicle 20 in a parking lot. The detected position of the vehicle 20 is the waiting position of the vehicle 20 in the waiting queue. The controller 25 acquires the detection results of the object detection device 21, the state detection device 22, and the position detection device 23 at predetermined time intervals (for example, every 0.1 to 1 millisecond).

[0037] The vehicle control device 24 is an on-board computer such as an electronic control unit, and electronically controls on-board devices that govern the running of the vehicle 20. The vehicle control device 24 autonomously controls the operation of the drive device and steering device of the vehicle 20 in response to control signals output from the controller 25.

[0038] The controller 25 is a device that controls the traveling of the vehicle 20 by controlling and coordinating the various devices of the vehicle 20, and drives the vehicle 20 to a set destination. The controller 25 is, for example, a computer, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that is a processor, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores programs, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that functions as an accessible storage device. The CPU of the controller 25 is an operating circuit that executes the programs stored in the ROM to control the traveling of the vehicle 20.

[0039] The communication device 26 is connected to the communication device 110 of the parking guidance device 10 via the network 3, and transmits and receives information. In this embodiment, various types of detection information detected by the object detection device 21, the state detection device 22, and the position detection device 23, and operation information of the vehicle 20 by the controller 25 are transmitted to the communication device 110 via the communication device 26. The detection information includes the waiting position of the vehicle 20 and the running state of the vehicle 20.

[0040] The terminal device 210 is a computer including a ROM storing a program, a CPU as an operating circuit that executes the program stored in the ROM to perform various functions, and a RAM that functions as an accessible storage device. The terminal device 210 is a terminal device operated by a user of the vehicle 20 and is located inside the vehicle 20. The terminal device 210 may be a terminal device mounted on the vehicle 20, or may be a portable terminal device such as a smartphone that can be operated by a user inside the vehicle. The terminal device 210 is a device that can communicate with the communication device 110 of the parking guidance device 10, and transmits and receives information to and from the parking guidance device 10.

[0041] The terminal device 210 executes an application for managing information for entering and leaving the vehicle and displays an application screen. The application screen includes a selection screen for selecting a waiting order for entering and leaving the vehicle and a confirmation screen for confirming points available for entering and leaving the vehicle. The application screen also displays parking guidance. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , a user of the vehicle 20 selects a desired waiting order for leaving the vehicle from among icons indicating waiting orders for leaving the vehicle while checking screen D displayed on the terminal device 210. Screen D displays points held by the user. The user can select a waiting order earlier than a predetermined waiting order (e.g., waiting order P1) by using the points held by the user. If the user has fewer points than the points required to select an earlier waiting order than the predetermined waiting order, the user cannot select the earlier waiting order. The user cannot select a waiting order occupied by another user. A waiting order already occupied by another user may be displayed as unavailable for selection.

[0042] Next, the procedure by which the controller 100 executes the parking guidance method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is an example of a flowchart showing the procedure of the parking guidance method according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, when the waiting order for entry and exit or the waiting position of the vehicle 20 desired by the user is transmitted to the parking guidance device 10, the controller 100 starts the control flow from step S1.

[0043] In step S1, the controller 100 acquires the waiting order for entry and exit desired by each of the multiple users. In step S2, the controller 100 sets the order in which the vehicles 20 will enter and exit the parking lot for each of the multiple users based on the waiting order of the multiple users. In step S3, the controller 100 increases or decreases the points held by each of the multiple users according to the order. In step S4, the controller 100 provides parking guidance to the multiple users according to the order.

[0044] As described above, in the parking guidance method and parking guidance device according to this embodiment, the controller acquires the waiting order for entry and exit desired by each of the users of multiple vehicles waiting to enter and exit a parking space, subtracts points from the user's possession if the user desires an earlier waiting order than the predetermined waiting order, and adds points if the user desires a later waiting order than the predetermined waiting order, sets an order based on the waiting orders of the multiple users, and guides the users to enter and exit according to the order. This allows the order of entry and exit to be adjusted according to the desires of each of the users for the order of entry and exit among the multiple users waiting to enter and exit a parking space.

[0045] In addition, in the parking guidance method and parking guidance device according to this embodiment, when a plurality of vehicles are waiting to leave a parking space, the controller, upon receiving a new exit request including a waiting order for the users to leave, sets the order in which the vehicles will leave the parking lot for each of the plurality of users based on the waiting order for the users to leave. This allows the order in which the vehicles will leave the parking lot to be adjusted in accordance with the users' wishes for leaving the parking lot when the vehicles leave the parking lot.

[0046] Furthermore, in the parking guidance method and parking guidance device according to this embodiment, when multiple vehicles are waiting to leave a parking space, the controller updates the order in which the vehicles will leave the parking space and the waiting order for leaving for each of the users of the multiple waiting vehicles when the user with the earliest order completes leaving the vehicle. This makes it possible to manage the order in which vehicles leave the parking space even if the situation of the vehicles in the parking lot changes.

[0047] Furthermore, in the parking guidance method and parking guidance device according to this embodiment, when a user acquires a new desired waiting order for leaving the parking lot after updating the order of leaving the parking lot and the waiting order for leaving the parking lot, the controller sets the order of leaving the parking lot for each of the multiple users based on the updated waiting order for leaving the parking lot and the newly acquired waiting order for leaving the parking lot. This makes it possible to manage the order of leaving the parking lot even if the situation of the vehicles in the parking lot changes.

[0048] Furthermore, in the parking guidance method and parking guidance device according to this embodiment, when multiple vehicles are waiting to enter a parking space, the controller, upon acquiring a new waiting order for entry desired by the users, sets the order in which the vehicles will enter for each of the multiple users based on the waiting order for entry of the multiple users. This allows the order in which the vehicles will enter to be adjusted in accordance with the users' wishes for entry when the vehicles are entered.

[0049] Furthermore, in the parking guidance method and parking guidance device according to this embodiment, when multiple vehicles are waiting to enter a parking space, the controller updates the order of entry and the waiting order for entry for each of the users of the multiple waiting vehicles by moving them up by one when the user with the earliest order completes entering their vehicle. This makes it possible to manage the order of entry even when the vehicle situation in the parking lot changes.

[0050] Furthermore, in the parking guidance method and parking guidance device according to this embodiment, when a user acquires a new desired waiting order for parking after updating the order for parking and the waiting order for parking, the controller sets the order for parking for each of the multiple users based on the updated waiting order for parking and the newly acquired waiting order for parking. This makes it possible to manage the order for parking even if the situation of the vehicles in the parking lot changes.

[0051] In addition, in the parking guidance method and parking guidance device according to this embodiment, the controller adds points when a user's turn comes later due to a change in order among multiple users, and subtracts points when a user's turn comes earlier due to a change in order among multiple users. This allows users to efficiently exchange priority by exchanging points, thereby improving the efficiency of parking lot use.

[0052] Furthermore, in the parking guidance method and parking guidance device according to this embodiment, when multiple vehicles are lined up to enter a parking space, the entry waiting order is pre-associated with the vehicle's waiting position in the waiting queue, and the controller acquires the waiting position where the user has parked their vehicle and acquires the entry waiting order corresponding to the acquired waiting position as the user's desired entry waiting order. This allows the user to move their vehicle in the desired waiting order without operating a terminal device. Furthermore, because the order in which the vehicles are lined up represents the waiting order, the user can easily understand the waiting order of other vehicles.

[0053] Furthermore, in the parking guidance method and parking guidance device according to this embodiment, the waiting queue includes a priority waiting position included in the area at the front of the waiting queue and a normal waiting position included in the area at the rear of the waiting queue, and the controller subtracts points when the user causes the vehicle to wait in the priority waiting position and adds points when the user causes the vehicle to wait in the normal waiting position, and the waiting order for entry corresponding to the priority waiting position is higher than the waiting order for entry corresponding to the normal waiting position. This allows the user to select the waiting order by moving the vehicle without operating the terminal device.

[0054] Furthermore, in the parking guidance method and parking guidance device according to this embodiment, the controller sets the vehicle of the user who is earliest in the waiting order to the earliest position, and guides the user who is earliest in the waiting order to enter and exit the parking lot. This allows the vehicle with the highest priority to enter and exit the parking lot.

[0055] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments have been described to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above-described embodiments is intended to include all design modifications and equivalents that fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0056] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Parking guidance system 10... Parking guidance device 100... Controller 101... Waiting order acquisition unit 102... Order setting unit 103... Point calculation unit 104... Parking guidance unit 110... Communication device 20... Vehicle 210... Terminal device 30... Network

Claims

1. A parking guidance method executed by a controller that sets an entry / exit order for multiple vehicles waiting to enter and exit a parking space, and guides users of the vehicles to enter and exit the parking space in accordance with the order, wherein the controller: obtains the entry / exit waiting order desired by each user; if the user requests a waiting order earlier than the predetermined waiting order, subtracts points held by the user; if the user requests a waiting order later than the predetermined waiting order, adds points; and sets the order based on the waiting orders of the multiple users.

2. A parking guidance method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, when a plurality of vehicles are waiting to leave the parking space, the controller, upon receiving a new exit request including the waiting order for the user to leave, sets the order in which the vehicles will leave for each of the plurality of users based on the waiting order for the users to leave.

3. A parking guidance method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, in a situation where a plurality of vehicles are waiting to leave the parking space, when the user with the earliest order has completed leaving the vehicle, the controller updates the order in which the vehicles will leave the parking space and the waiting order for leaving for each of the users of the plurality of waiting vehicles to move up by one.

4. A parking guidance method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, when the controller acquires a new waiting order for exiting the vehicle desired by the user after updating the order for exiting the vehicle and the waiting order for exiting the vehicle, the controller sets the order for exiting the vehicle for each of the multiple users based on the updated waiting order for exiting the vehicle and the newly acquired waiting order for exiting the vehicle.

5. A parking guidance method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, when a plurality of vehicles are waiting to enter the parking space, the controller, upon acquiring a new waiting order for entry desired by the user, sets the order in which the vehicles will enter for each of the plurality of users based on the waiting order for entry of the plurality of users.

6. A parking guidance method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, in a situation where a plurality of vehicles are waiting to enter the parking space, when the user with the earliest order has completed entering the vehicle, the controller updates the order in which the vehicles will be entered and the waiting order for entry for each of the users of the plurality of waiting vehicles to move up by one.

7. A parking guidance method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, when the user acquires a new waiting order for entry after updating the order for entering the vehicles and the waiting order for entry, the controller sets the order for entering the vehicles for each of the multiple users based on the updated waiting order for entry and the newly acquired waiting order for entry.

8. A parking guidance method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the controller adds the points when the user's turn comes later as a result of the order change among the multiple users, and subtracts the points when the user's turn comes earlier as a result of the order change among the multiple users.

9. A parking guidance method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, in a situation where a plurality of the vehicles are lined up in a waiting queue to enter the parking space, the waiting order for entry is pre-associated with the waiting positions of the vehicles in the waiting queue, and the controller acquires the waiting position where the user has caused the vehicle to wait, and acquires the waiting order for entry corresponding to the acquired waiting position as the waiting order for entry desired by the user.

10. A parking guidance method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the waiting queue includes a priority waiting position included in the area at the front of the waiting queue and a normal waiting position included in the area at the rear of the waiting queue, and the controller subtracts the points when the user causes the vehicle to wait at the priority waiting position, and adds the points when the user causes the vehicle to wait at the normal waiting position, and the waiting order for entries corresponding to the priority waiting position is higher than the waiting order for entries corresponding to the normal waiting position.

11. A parking guidance method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the controller sets the vehicle of the user who is earliest in the waiting order to the earliest position in the order, and guides the user who is earliest in the waiting order to enter and exit the parking lot.

12. A parking guidance device comprising a controller that sets an entry / exit order for multiple vehicles waiting to enter and exit a parking space, and guides users of the vehicles to enter and exit the parking space in accordance with the order, wherein the controller: obtains the entry / exit waiting order desired by each user; if the user requests a waiting order earlier than the predetermined waiting order, subtracts points held by the user; if the user requests a waiting order later than the predetermined waiting order, adds points; and sets the order based on the waiting orders of the multiple users.

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