JP3000906B2 - Parking lot management device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improved parking lot management system which eliminates congestion at entrances where incoming and outgoing vehicles are concentrated.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, when managing the entrance and exit of a parking lot,
For the purpose of unmanned operation, labor saving, and improvement of security, for example, it has been considered to recognize a license plate using an image captured by a television camera. For example, as disclosed in JP-A-2-183366, the number of a vehicle entering a parking lot is recognized and registered by a television camera, and the number of the vehicle is recognized again by the television camera upon leaving the vehicle. A system has been considered in which a vehicle of a registered number is calculated based on the relationship between the entry time and the exit time to calculate a parking time and pay a parking fee.

Also, in a parking lot, the exit vehicles, especially at the exit, may be concentrated and crowded, and in order to cope with such a problem, a pre-payment machine is installed in a place in the parking lot where the driver can easily operate. It is conceivable that a parking fee will be settled before reaching the exit, so that vehicles are prevented from concentrating on the exit and congesting.

However, in a system in which the number of a vehicle is recognized using a television camera, there is substantially no parking card, such as a magnetic card, which records the time of entry, and there is no parking card at the exit. Recognizing the number again and collecting the fee manually, even if you install a pre-payment machine in conjunction with this, there is no parking card that records the entry time, so use the pre-payment machine Cannot settle charges. Therefore, the vehicle is congested due to the manual payment at the exit.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances. For example, a number recognition device using a television camera or the like is effectively used to enable a driver to enter a parking lot at an entrance. It is an object of the present invention to provide a parking lot management device that can save efficiency and save labor by making it possible to avoid human operations including, in particular, congestion of vehicles at an exit.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A parking lot management device according to the present invention recognizes the number of a vehicle installed at the entrance of a parking lot and entering by a number recognizing means, and stores the recognized vehicle number in a database. The entry time is recognized and registered, and a pre-payment means for manually inputting the own vehicle number is installed at a position where the occupant of the exiting vehicle can operate, and the database is searched based on the input vehicle number to search the database. The vehicle number registered in the database is compared, the parking fee is calculated and displayed based on the entry time and the input time, and the parking lot exit is provided with exit number recognition means for recognizing the vehicle number to leave the parking lot, It measures the elapsed time from when the fare is settled by the previous calculation means until the vehicle recognized by the exit number recognition means exits the exit. Pay displayed by said display means, in a state that passed a specific time range in the elapsed time measuring means, goods issue and new settlement is performed in the outlet has to be tolerated.

In this case, the number input by the pre-payment means is a simple four-digit number.
When the vehicle with the digit number is registered in the database, the vehicle number with the same four-digit number is searched and all digits are displayed, so that the user can select his / her vehicle number.

That is, the number of the arriving vehicle is automatically read at the time of warehousing, registered with the warehousing time, and the number of the own vehicle is input at a position distant from the exit, for example, at a pre-payment means which can be installed in a parking area. by doing,
It is possible to settle the parking fee unattended at a location different from the exit. Therefore, the occurrence of traffic congestion particularly at the exit is effectively eliminated, and the parking lot can be operated efficiently with reduced labor.

[0009]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration, in which a number recognition device 12 is provided connected to a network 11 using a data bus.

The number recognition device 12 includes a television (TV) installed at an entrance and an exit of a parking lot, respectively.
Video images captured by the cameras 13 and 14 are input. These TV cameras 13 and 14 are operated in conjunction with, for example, a vehicle detector for detecting a vehicle entering or leaving the vehicle, and take an image of the entire vehicle or a license plate portion. Based on the input video from the TV cameras 13 and 14, the number of the vehicle entering or leaving the vehicle is recognized.

The vehicle number data recognized by the number recognition device 12 and based on the image captured by the TV camera 13 set at the entrance is transmitted to the vehicle number database 15 via the network 11 and stored and registered. You.
The vehicle number recognized by the number recognition device 12 based on the image of the leaving vehicle captured by the TV camera 14 set at the exit is also registered with the vehicle number registered in the vehicle number database 15 via the network 11. To be matched.

A pre-payment device 16 is further connected to the network 11. This front payment machine 16 can be installed at an appropriate place in the parking lot, for example, a driver who tries to get out of the parking lot or a driver who is riding does not approach the exit of this parking lot. What is necessary is just to install in the position which can be operated without affecting the traffic jam at the exit. The front payment machine 16 has, for example, an operation panel as shown in FIG. 2, and can input a four-digit number in a vehicle number using a numeric keypad. in this case,
The operation panel of the pre-payment machine 16 is composed of, for example, a display with a touch panel, and operates a "OK" key after completion of input of a predetermined number and confirmation of the number.

When the vehicle number is input to the pre-payment machine 16 as described above, the number is collated with the vehicle number registered in the vehicle number database 15, and the data of the corresponding number is retrieved and output. This search data includes the warehousing time of the vehicle with this number.
The parking time is calculated by subtracting the input time from the parking time 16 and displayed on the display of the pre-payment machine 16 together with the fee corresponding to the parking time.

Although not shown in detail,
Is configured to also include a deposit system, which allows the input of a parking fee of the indicated amount and issues a receipt as appropriate. The pre-payment time in the pre-payment machine 16 is recorded together with the number data corresponding to the vehicle number database 15.

When the vehicle reaches the exit, an image is taken by the TV camera 14 and the number recognition device is used.
By 12 the vehicle number is read again,
The read vehicle number is searched against the registered number in the database 15 to calculate the elapsed time between the toll payment time of the pre-payment machine 16 and the current time, and the calculated time is within a predetermined time range. If confirmed,
Open the exit gate to allow outgoing goods.

FIG. 3 shows the flow of processing of the pre-payment machine 16 in such a parking lot management device. First, in step 101, a user who is a driver of a vehicle that is about to leave the car enters his / her vehicle number as a four-digit number by touching the touch panel display of the pre-payment machine 16. More specifically, the corresponding number on the numeric keypad displayed on the display is touched and input with a fingertip. When it is determined that the input number is correct, the position of "OK" is touched.

Here, the number recognition device that receives the image picked up by the TV camera 13 does not recognize only the four-digit number of the license plate, but all characters of the license plate (for example, Nagoya). 33 or 1234), and all of the recognized characters are registered in the vehicle number database 15. But pre-payment machine
In step 16, only four-digit numbers are input to ensure simplicity of operation, and the database 15 is searched according to the four-digit numbers.

The reason for this is that the user does not remember all the vehicle numbers in some cases.
Since the type of “9999” exists only by the digit number, the vehicle number registered in the vehicle number database 15 is limited to one vehicle in most cases, depending on the size of the parking lot.

In step 102, the vehicle number database 14 is searched according to the input four-digit number, and whether or not the number of registered vehicles (vehicles entering the parking lot) corresponding to the input number is one. Is determined. If it is confirmed that there is only one vehicle corresponding to the four-digit number input in step 102, the process proceeds to step 103 to calculate the parking fee and display it. FIG. 4A shows an example of the display state, in which the entry (entry) time is displayed together with the four-digit number, and the touch operation of the display section of "confirmation" is performed so that the user can confirm. I do.

If it is determined in step 102 that the number of registered vehicles corresponding to the input number is two or more, the process proceeds to step 104 to search and extract all the numbers of vehicles corresponding to the input four-digit number. Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, the display of the pre-payment machine 16 displays all the characters of the searched vehicle. In step 105, the user selects his / her vehicle number from the displayed vehicle number and performs a touch operation.
It will come to.

If the calculation of the fee and the display thereof have been performed in step 103, the process proceeds to step 106, where the fee is settled. In this step 106, the user inputs the displayed fee to the fee input system provided in the pre-adjustment machine 16. When the payment is completed, the vehicle number is added to the vehicle number database together with the adjustment time data. Send to 15 to record.

In a parking lot, the most effective way to alleviate congestion at the entrance is to eliminate human operation at the entrance, but the current method using a parking ticket, the pass card method, and the vehicle In a method of recognizing a number by using a TV camera or the like, it is required that a driver, who is a user, opens the window of the vehicle and operates in some form.

[0023] In this respect, if the parking lot management device as shown in the embodiment is used, there is no need for any manpower at the time of parking, and after paying a fee to the pre-payment machine, there is no special situation. Except in the case where it takes more time than necessary to reach the exit of the parking lot, no further fee settlement is required at the exit, and congestion at the entrance of the parking lot can be avoided.

In the event that a required time or more has passed by the time the vehicle leaves the exit after the payment has been made at the pre-payment machine 16, another payment is made at the exit. It is conceivable to install a machine. The settlement machine at the exit is also connected to the network 11, and the elapsed time from payment of the fee at the pre-settlement machine 16 to the exit is obtained by comparing with the registered data of the vehicle number database 15, and the progress is calculated. When the time exceeds a certain time, an additional fee will be displayed according to the excess time,
This exit allows payment at the checkout machine.

Although not particularly described in the embodiment, the pre-payment machine 16 displays the parking time together with the parking time, and simultaneously displays the image taken by the TV camera 13 to allow the vehicle to enter the parking lot. The storage time may be confirmed together.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram for explaining a parking lot management device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view for explaining an input operation of a display panel in a pre-payment machine constituting the management device.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of an operation of the pre-payment machine.

FIG. 4A is a diagram showing an example of a display screen at the time of an operation at the time of leaving the prepaid machine, and FIG. 4B is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when the same input number is registered. .

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... network, 12 ... number recognition device, 13, 14 ... T
V camera, 15: Vehicle number database, 16: Pre-payment machine.

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A number recognition means installed at the entrance of a parking lot and recognizing the number of a vehicle to enter, a database for recognizing and registering the entry time together with the vehicle number recognized by the number recognition means, A pre-payment means which is installed at a position where the occupant of the vehicle can operate and manually inputs the number of the own vehicle. The database is searched based on the vehicle number inputted to the pre-payment means, and the vehicle registered in this database A parking fee is calculated based on the entry time and the input time by comparing the number with a parking lot number, and a fee calculation and display unit for adjusting the fare by the pre-settlement unit is provided. Exit number recognition means, and the vehicle recognized by the exit number recognition means after the fee has been settled by the previous calculation means Elapse time measurement means for measuring an elapsed time until the payment, the fee displayed on the display means is paid, and a new payment is made at the exit in a state where the time range specified by the elapsed time measurement means has elapsed. A parking lot management device, wherein the parking is performed and the exit is allowed. 2. The parking lot management device according to claim 1, wherein said pre-payment means is installed at a position distant from an exit of said parking lot. 3. The parking lot management device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle number input to said pre-payment means is a four-digit number. 4. The vehicle number input to the pre-payment means is a four-digit number, and the number recognition means recognizes all the digit numbers described on the license plate of the vehicle and stores the number in the database. This is registered, and the search means further determines whether or not the same number as the input four-digit number exists in the database, and confirms the existence of the same number by confirming the existence of the same number. 2. The parking lot management device according to claim 1, further comprising means for retrieving and displaying the number, and selecting one of the display numbers.