JP7512155B2 - Multi-row, multi-level parking system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a multi-row, multi-level parking system equipped with pallets in multiple rows and multiple levels.

Conventionally, multi-row, multi-level parking devices that move pallets up and down and sideways have been installed in apartment buildings and the like. For example, there is a parking device with three levels, two above ground and one underground, with three rows of storage space on each level (each floor), and the first floor above ground being the entrance and exit area for the pallets. This parking device is equipped with three upper pallets that move up and down between the second floor above ground (upper storage space) and the first floor above ground (middle storage space), two middle pallets that move sideways on the first floor above ground (middle storage space), and three lower pallets that move up and down between the first floor below ground (lower storage space) and the first floor above ground (middle storage space). A liftable fence is installed in front of the first floor above ground.

In this type of parking system, the fence is normally in a lowered position, blocking off the front of all rows of the middle storage space. When a pallet is called for entry or exit, the fence remains in the lowered position and the upper and lower pallets are raised and lowered and the middle pallet is moved sideways as necessary to place the called pallet in the middle storage space. The fence then rises and opens, and the vehicle can enter (enter) or exit (exit) the called pallet.

The top, middle and bottom pallets have the same basic shape, so users cannot easily distinguish between them. When a pallet is brought into storage, users can recognize it by the pallet number attached to it, but usually do not pay much attention to which row the called pallet is located in. Also, when the pallet is in a waiting state, pallets are generally placed in all rows of the middle storage space, which is the entry area, to prevent people from accidentally falling into the pit and to avoid leaving any empty space.

Therefore, in the standby state, two middle pallets and one upper or lower pallet are arranged in the middle storage space of the entrance area. When the user calls the car to enter the parking device, the inside of the parking device is sealed off with a fence, so the user does not know (or even care about) how the pallets are arranged, and the parking device moves each pallet as necessary.

For example, if a parking contract specifies a contract user for each pallet, the contract users of the upper and lower pallets will never change rows and will always enter and exit the parking lot from the same row, so unless there is a major mistake, it is unlikely that they will mistakenly park on someone else's pallet. However, a contract user of the middle pallet is at high risk of mistakenly parking on someone else's pallet because the middle pallet moves sideways. If someone mistakenly parks on someone else's pallet, that person will not be able to park, and this could lead to trouble between contract users.

In addition, some parking devices like the one described above store vehicles of different heights, such as low-height vehicles (sedans, low-height light cars, etc.) and high-height vehicles (high-roof vehicles, mid-roof vehicles, high-height light cars, etc.), in storage spaces on different floors. For example, some have a basement floor that is reserved exclusively for low-height vehicles (high-height vehicles cannot be stored), and high-height vehicles can be stored on the first and second floors above ground.

In such parking devices, for example, a contracted user of a middle pallet (a pallet for high-rise vehicles) may mistakenly park a high-rise vehicle on the lower pallet located in the entrance area. However, at the time of the mistaken parking, the user does not realize that the mistake has occurred and closes the fence. In this case, if the next user operates the lower pallet of the mistakenly parked vehicle to lower and store it on the first basement floor, the roof of the loaded high-rise vehicle will protrude into the entrance area on the first floor above ground. If the middle pallet moves sideways or the upper pallet descends into the open entrance area, the pallet will come into contact with the roof of the protruding high-rise vehicle, resulting in a vehicle damage accident.

In order to prevent this type of erroneous entry, Patent Document 1 provides a vertically movable restriction plate on each row of the drive-in area. In the lowered position, this restriction plate prevents high-height vehicles from entering, and in the raised position, it allows high-height vehicles to enter. When entering the upper or middle pallet for high-height vehicles, when the fence in front of the drive-in area is raised, the restriction plate of the row that allows entry is raised by engaging with the fence, allowing the high-height vehicle to enter.

JP 2003-253904 A

The configuration of Patent Document 1 requires a restriction plate for each row of the entrance area, and a mechanism for moving each restriction plate up and down is also required, which complicates the structure of the parking device. In addition, there is a risk that the restriction plates will get in the way when users of low-height vehicles enter or exit the parking lot.

The present invention was made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a multi-row, multi-level parking device that avoids complicating the structure of the parking device and can prevent erroneous entry.

In order to achieve the above object, a multi-row, multi-level parking device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a multi-row, multi-level parking device that has pallets in a storage space with multiple rows and levels, a predetermined level of the storage space is a drive-in section, the number of pallets in the drive-in section is one less than the number of rows, and the pallets in the drive-in section are moved horizontally, and the pallets in the other levels are raised and lowered in the same row. The device is equipped with a memory unit that stores pallet restriction information in which a number is assigned to each pallet in advance and the pallet number is associated with the restriction conditions for vehicles that can be stored on the pallet, a camera that photographs the license plate of the vehicle when the vehicle to be stored enters the pallet in the drive-in section, a specification data acquisition unit that recognizes the vehicle registration number of the license plate photographed by the camera and acquires the specifications of the vehicle from the vehicle registration number, and a judgment unit that judges whether or not the vehicle can be stored based on the specifications of the vehicle acquired by the specification data acquisition unit and the restriction conditions associated with the pallet that has been entered by the pallet restriction information.

With this configuration, when a vehicle enters the pallet in the entrance area, the judgment unit judges whether the vehicle is allowed to enter, preventing incorrect entry. In addition, since the structure does not require the restriction plate to move up and down as described in the conventional example, damage to the vehicle by the restriction plate and the complication of the parking device structure can be avoided.

The storage unit may further store contract pallet information in which identification information of a contract user is associated with one or more pallet numbers, and the determination unit may be configured to determine that the entry is proper if the number of the entered pallet is the number of the pallet associated with the contract user by the contract pallet information, and to determine that the entry is improper if the number of the entered pallet is not the number of the pallet associated with the contract user by the contract pallet information. The determination unit may also be configured to determine that the entry is proper if the number of the entered pallet is the number of the pallet placed by the control device at the entry section for the entry of the contract user, or if the position of the entry is the position where the control device placed the pallet for the entry of the contract user, and to determine that the entry is improper if not.

With this configuration, when a contract user drives a vehicle into a pallet that is not under contract, it is determined to be improper entry (misent entry), preventing such misentry and avoiding trouble between contract users.

Also, the storage unit may be configured to store vehicle specification information in which the vehicle registration number of the contract user's vehicle is associated with vehicle specifications in advance, and if the vehicle specification information related to the vehicle registration number of the license plate photographed by the camera is stored in the storage unit, the specification data acquisition unit acquires the vehicle specifications associated with the vehicle registration number using the vehicle specification information and sends them to the determination unit, and if the vehicle specification information is not stored in the storage unit, an external server is inquired about the vehicle registration number, and the vehicle specifications corresponding to the vehicle registration number are acquired from the external server and sent to the determination unit, and the determination unit may be configured to determine that the entry is appropriate if the vehicle specifications acquired by the specification data acquisition unit satisfy the restriction conditions associated with the entered pallet using the pallet restriction information, and to determine that the entry is inappropriate if they do not satisfy the restriction conditions.

According to this configuration, when a contract user drives a loan car or other vehicle into a pallet, if the vehicle does not meet the predetermined standards (restrictions) for vehicles that can be stored on the pallet, it is determined to be an inappropriate entry (misent entry). This prevents such erroneous entries and avoids the occurrence of vehicle damage accidents, etc.

The determination unit may also be configured to determine that the entry is improper if the number of the pallet into which the vehicle is entered is not the number of the pallet that is placed at the entry area for the entry of the vehicle in response to a call operation for the pallet contracted by the contract user.

With this configuration, when a contract user calls up a pallet during storage and drives a vehicle into a pallet that is not under contract, it is determined that the storage is improper, which helps to avoid problems between contract users.

The system may further include an alarm that issues an alarm when the determination unit determines that the entry is improper. This makes it possible to notify the contract user that the entry is improper (erroneous entry).

The present invention has the above-described configuration, and has the effect of providing a multi-row, multi-level parking device that avoids complicating the structure of the parking device and can prevent erroneous entry.

FIG. 1 is a schematic overall front view showing an example of a multiple-row, multi-level parking system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view taken along the line AA shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the multiple-row, multi-level parking system shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of an outline of a control method for the parking apparatus shown in FIG. 1 when a vehicle enters a parking space. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a detailed example of the steps of the process of determining whether or not the warehousing is appropriate, as shown in FIG.

Below, preferred embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that, below, identical or corresponding elements will be given the same reference symbols throughout all the drawings, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing an example of a multiple-row, multi-level parking device of this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a plan view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the multiple-row, multi-level parking device shown in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, a pit-storage, three-tier, three-column, lift-and-transverse type multiple-row, multi-level parking device will be used as an example, and an example will be described in which the middle level is the entry area. In addition, in the parking device shown in FIG. 1, the right direction and the left direction are determined when facing the front. In addition, in this parking device, the entrance side is the front side, and the back side is the rear side.

As shown in FIG. 1, this multi-row, multi-level parking device 1 is constructed around a framework 5 formed by multiple pillars 2, horizontal beams 3, and vertical beams 4, and has three vertical levels and three horizontal rows of storage spaces 6-8. The upper level is the upper storage space 6 capable of storing high-height vehicles H, the middle level is the middle storage space 7 capable of storing high-height vehicles H, and the lower level is the lower storage space 8 in which high-height vehicles H cannot be stored but low-height vehicles L are stored. Of these storage spaces 6-8, the upper and middle storage spaces 6, 7 are provided above ground, while the lower storage space 8 is provided in a pit 9 excavated underground. Low-height vehicles L include sedans and low-height light vehicles, and high-height vehicles H include high-roof vehicles, mid-roof vehicles, and high-height light vehicles.

Three upper pallets 10 are arranged side by side in the upper storage space 6, three lower pallets 11 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction in the lower storage space 8, and two middle pallets 12, one less than the other, are arranged side by side in the left-right direction in the middle storage space 7. An upper pallet 10 numbered (3) is lowered and placed in an empty space 13 formed at the right end of this middle storage space 7. Each pallet 10-12 is assigned a number (pallet number) as shown by (1)-(8) in Figure 1.

The middle pallet 12 can move laterally in the left-right direction in the middle storage space 7 by the lateral movement drive unit 14 (Figure 2). The upper pallet 10 can be raised and lowered between the upper storage space 6 and the middle storage space 7 by the lifting chain 16 driven by the lifting drive unit 15. The lower pallet 11 can be raised and lowered between the lower storage space 8 and the middle storage space 7 by the lifting chain 17 driven by the lifting drive unit 15. The lateral movement mechanism of the middle pallet 12 and the lifting mechanisms of the upper pallet 10 and lower pallet 11 can use known technology, so detailed explanations will be omitted.

In this example, the three middle storage spaces 7 on the ground floor serve as access points 20, and high-height vehicles H and low-height vehicles L that are entering and leaving the depot are loaded and unloaded from these access points 20 onto each of the empty pallets 10-12 located in the middle storage spaces 7. Note that vehicle stops 27 (Figure 2) are provided at designated positions on each of the pallets 10-12 to stop the vehicles in their designated positions.

In this example, a parking contract is made with a user for each pallet, and when a contracted user enters or leaves the parking lot, if the contracted pallet (called pallet) through which the vehicle is to be entered or removed is not present in the entrance area 20, the called pallet is moved to the entrance area 20 by the operation of the lateral movement drive unit 14 and the lift drive unit 15. For example, when the pallets 10-12 with pallet numbers (1)-(8) are arranged as shown in FIG. 1, if the upper pallet with number (1) is the called pallet, the pallet with number (3) is raised to the upper storage space 6 directly above it, and then the pallets with numbers (4) and (5) are moved one row to the right (lateral movement), and the pallet with number (1) is lowered to the middle storage space 7 (entrance area 20) directly below it. Also, for example, if the lower pallet numbered (7) is a nominal pallet, then pallet numbered (3) is raised to the upper storage space 6 directly above it, then pallet numbered (5) is moved one column to the right (horizontally), and pallet numbered (7) is raised to the middle storage space 7 (drive-in area 20) directly above it. Also, for example, if the lower pallet numbered (8) is a nominal pallet, then pallet numbered (3) is raised to the upper storage space 6 directly above it, and pallet numbered (8) is raised to the middle storage space 7 (drive-in area 20) directly above it. If pallets numbered (2) or (6) are nominal pallets, they can also be moved to the middle storage space 7 (drive-in area 20) in a similar manner.

In addition, a fence 21 is provided in front of the drive-in section 20 so that it can be opened and closed in the vertical direction. The opening and closing action of this fence 21 connects or disconnects the middle storage space 7 to the outside, such as a road. The fence 21 is opened and closed by a balance chain 56 driven by a fence opening and closing drive unit 55 provided at the top of the vertical beam 4. A counterweight 57 is provided at the end of this balance chain 56. Furthermore, an operation panel 30 is provided on the right-hand support 2 on the drive-in section 20 side of the framework 5.

As shown in FIG. 2, the entrance area 20 of the parking device 1 is provided with a front deck 22, left and right side decks 23, and a rear deck 24 around the framework 5 to close the gap with the pit 9. The fence 21 is provided at the front of the parking device 1, and the rear deck 24 has an opening 25 through which the lifting chain 17 passes. In addition, each middle pallet 12 is provided with a traverse drive unit 14.

The rear deck 24 is also provided with a control device 26 and a number recognition and determination device 50. Furthermore, on the rear deck 24, cameras 51 for photographing the number plates of entering vehicles and vehicle detectors 52 consisting of object detection sensors or the like for detecting the entry of vehicles (entering the pallets) are installed at appropriate positions for each row of the middle storage space 7, which is the entry area 20.

The access area 20 is also equipped with a photoelectric detector PH1 that detects the entry and exit of people and vehicles in front of the fence 21, a photoelectric detector PH2 that detects the front of a vehicle protruding from the front of the pallets 10-12 arranged in the access area 20, and a photoelectric detector PH3 that detects the rear of a vehicle protruding from the rear of the pallets 10-12 arranged in the access area 20.

As shown in FIG. 3, the operation panel 30 has a power key switch 31 at the bottom for turning the power on and off. This power key switch 31 has a key hole 33 for inserting a key 32 provided to the contract user. In addition, the upper part of the operation panel 30 has a numeric keypad 34 for the contract user to input a PIN or palette number, and above this numeric keypad 34 is a display 35 for displaying the call numbers of palettes 10 to 12 corresponding to the PIN or palette number (1 to 8) input by the contract user.

Below the numeric keypad 34 is a start button 36 for operating the device after the contract user inputs a PIN or palette number and confirms the call number, and below that are a fence open button 37 and a fence close button 38 for opening and closing the fence 21. Near the fence open button 37 and the fence close button 38 are a fence open indicator lamp 39 and a fence close indicator lamp 40, respectively. The indicator lamps 39 and 40 are in the "on", "blinking" or "off" state depending on the state. Below these buttons 37 and 38 is an alarm 42 such as a public address speaker. The alarm 42 outputs an alarm sound. Above the display 35 is an emergency stop button 41 for stopping operation if any abnormality occurs during operation.

The power key switch 31 is structured so that the key 32 inserted into the key hole 33 and turned to the power "on" side cannot be removed until the fence 21 is completely closed after entering or leaving the parking facility. In other words, an interlock mechanism is activated so that the key 32 cannot be removed from the key hole 33 during the entering or leaving work. In this embodiment, when the control device 26 recognizes that the two conditions are met, that is, that each pallet 10 to 12 is stopped reliably at a predetermined position based on the detection information of the position detectors (e.g., limit switches) 19 provided on all pallets 10 to 12, and that the fence 21 is stopped in a completely closed position, the key 32 can be turned to the power "off" side and removed from the key hole 33. In this example, when the contract user inserts the key 32 into the key hole 33 and turns it to the power "on" side, the power key switch 31 is turned ON, and the numeric keypad 34 and start button 36 of the operation panel 30 for operating the parking device 1 can be operated.

The above configuration of the operation panel 30 is an example, and is not limited to the above configuration. For example, instead of the numeric keypad 34, display 35, start button 36, fence open button 37, fence close button 38, and indicator lamps 39 and 40, a touch panel display with a larger screen than the display 35 may be provided, and the functions of each of the above sections (34 to 40) may be realized using this touch panel display.

The operation panel 30 is connected to the control device 26, and signals can be sent and received between them. The control device 26 also receives signals from the pallet position detector 19 and the photoelectric detectors PH1 to PH3, etc. The control device 26 is composed of, for example, a microcontroller, and has an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU, and a storage unit including ROM and RAM, etc., that stores the control program executed by the CPU and various data, etc., and the CPU executes the control program to control the operation panel 30, the traverse drive unit 14, the lift drive unit 15, the fence opening and closing drive unit 55, etc.

Note that although multiple traverse drive units 14, lift drive units 15, and position detectors 19 are provided, FIG. 3 shows only one each for omission. Also, FIG. 3 shows only one camera 51 and one vehicle detector 52 provided corresponding to each row of the entrance section 20 for omission.

The number recognition and determination device 50 is configured, for example, by a microcontroller, and is connected to the control device 26, enabling mutual transmission and reception of information. Note that the number recognition and determination device 50 may be configured such that some or all of its functions are incorporated into the control device 26.

The storage unit 50m of the number recognition and determination device 50 stores vehicle specification information for each contract user, which associates the vehicle registration number of the vehicle that the contract user parks in the parking device 1 with the vehicle's specifications (vehicle height, length, width, etc.). Furthermore, the storage unit 50m stores pallet restriction information, which is the restriction conditions (maximum vehicle height, maximum vehicle length, maximum vehicle width, etc.) of the vehicle specifications that can be stored (entered) for each pallet, which are predetermined for each pallet.

The license plate number recognition and determination device 50 also has the functions of a specification data acquisition unit and a determination unit. The specification data acquisition unit of the license plate number recognition and determination device 50 is configured to be able to communicate with an external server 101 via an external communication network 100 such as the Internet. This external server 101 is a server of a registration information provider that provides automobile registration information (information listed on the vehicle inspection certificate). In this example, when the specification data acquisition unit transmits the automobile registration number to the external server 101, information on the specifications (vehicle height, vehicle length, vehicle width, etc.) of the vehicle with the above-mentioned automobile registration number (part of the automobile registration information) is transmitted from the external server 101 to the specification data acquisition unit.

When the license plate recognition and determination device 50 receives a vehicle detection signal from each vehicle detector 52, it controls the timing of shooting by each camera 51 and acquires the captured image data of the camera 51. It then performs character recognition processing such as OCR on the acquired captured image data of the camera 51, and is able to recognize the vehicle registration number of the captured license plate. The specification data acquisition unit of the license plate recognition and determination device 50 can then refer to the vehicle specification information in the memory unit 50m and confirm (understand) the specifications associated with the recognized vehicle registration number.

In addition, if the vehicle specification information related to the recognized vehicle registration number is not stored in the memory unit 50m, the specification data acquisition unit of the license plate number recognition determination device 50 can transmit the recognized vehicle registration number to the external server 101 via the external communication network 100, and receive specification information of the vehicle of the transmitted vehicle registration number from the external server 101 via the external communication network 100. In this way, the specification data acquisition unit can inquire of the external server 101 about the vehicle registration number and acquire specification information of the vehicle of that vehicle registration number.

Next, an example of how the parking device 1 is used will be described. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of an outline of a method for controlling the parking device 1 when a vehicle enters the parking device. This control method is executed by the control device 26 and the number recognition determination device 50.

In this example, contract pallet information, which associates the contract user identification information, such as the contract user's PIN number, with the number of one contracted pallet, is stored in advance in the control device 26 for each contract user. This contract pallet information, along with the vehicle specification information and pallet restriction information stored in the memory unit 50m, may be stored separately in a storage device and made accessible to the control device 26 and the number recognition and determination device 50.

The control device 26 also constantly monitors and stores pallet position information, such as the location of each pallet 10-12 (which of the nine storage spaces each pallet number is in), and transmits this pallet position information to the number recognition and determination device 50 as needed.

When parking a vehicle in this parking device 1, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the contract user (hereinafter, simply referred to as "user") inserts the key 32 into the key hole 33 on the operation panel 30, turns it to the power "on" side, and then operates the numeric keypad 34 to input, for example, a PIN number, and presses the start button 36 to perform a pallet call operation. The control device 26 then performs a call process for the pallet (called pallet) with the number associated with the PIN number based on the contracted pallet information (step S1). In this call process, if the called pallet is not located in the drive-in section 20 (one of the three middle storage spaces 7), the lateral drive unit 14 and the lift drive unit 15 are controlled to move the called pallet to the drive-in section 20, and if the called pallet is located in the drive-in section 20, the state is maintained. Note that in the above pallet call operation, if the number of the contracted pallet is input instead of the PIN number, the contracted pallet information is not required.

When the call pallet is placed in the entrance area 20, the control device 26 causes the fence open indicator lamp 39 on the operation panel 30 to flash, informing the user that the fence 21 can be opened and the vehicle can be loaded into the shed. When the user presses the fence open button 37 to open the fence, the control device 26 controls the fence opening/closing drive unit 55 to raise and open the fence 21 (step S2).

When the fence 21 opens, the control device 26 transmits the pallet numbers located in each row of the access section 20 to the license plate recognition and determination device 50, and the user drives the vehicle in reverse to enter the pallet located in the access section 20. When the vehicle enters the pallet, the license plate recognition and determination device 50 performs the process of determining whether entry is appropriate in step S3.

Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the details of step S3 in Figure 4.

When a vehicle enters the pallet of the entry section 20 by reversing as described above, the vehicle is detected by the vehicle detector 52. When this vehicle detection signal is input to the license plate number recognition and determination device 50, the license plate number recognition and determination device 50 determines whether the pallet into which the vehicle has entered (the storage pallet) is the same as the called pallet (the called pallet) (step S10).

Here, the control device 26 transmits the number of the called pallet to the number recognition and determination device 50 each time a pallet is called for storage. The number recognition and determination device 50 identifies the pallet number arranged in the row where the vehicle is detected at the entrance section 20, and if the pallet number is not the pallet number called by the user, determines that the storage is improper, and transmits this determination result to the control device 26 (step S18). If the pallet number is the pallet number called by the user, the process proceeds to the next step S11. Here, it may be determined that the storage is improper if the pallet number of the pallet arranged in the row where the vehicle is detected is not the user's contracted pallet, or it may be determined that the storage is improper if the row where the vehicle is detected and the row where the pallet called by the user is arranged do not match.

In the next step S11, the camera 51 arranged in the same row as the vehicle detector 52 that detected the vehicle is caused to start photographing the license plate of the entering vehicle, taking one or more still images, and the captured image data is obtained from the camera 51. Here, the camera 51 may serve as a substitute for the vehicle detector 52, for example, by continuing to capture images while the fence is open and detecting the entry of a vehicle from changes in the captured images. Then, the camera 51 may be configured to send one or more still images for license plate recognition to the license plate recognition determination device 50 only when the entry of a vehicle is detected.

Next, the license plate recognition determination device 50 performs character recognition on the captured image data acquired from the camera 51 using processing such as OCR technology, and recognizes the vehicle registration number of the captured license plate (step S12).

Next, the number recognition determination device 50 refers to the vehicle specification information and checks whether or not the vehicle specification information related to the recognized vehicle registration number is stored (exists) in the memory unit 50m (step S13).

If vehicle specification information related to the recognized vehicle registration number is stored, the number recognition determination device 50 determines whether the specifications of the incoming vehicle associated with the recognized vehicle registration number in the vehicle specification information satisfy the restrictive conditions of the pallet into which the vehicle is loaded (the incoming pallet) (step S14).

If the answer to step S14 is Yes, i.e., if the recognized vehicle registration number and the specifications of the incoming vehicle associated with the vehicle specification information satisfy the restriction conditions of the incoming pallet, the number recognition determination device 50 determines that the incoming vehicle is appropriate and transmits this determination result to the control device 26 (step S15).

On the other hand, if the answer to step S14 is No, i.e., if the specifications of the incoming vehicle associated with the recognized vehicle registration number in the vehicle specification information do not satisfy the restrictive conditions for the incoming pallet, it is determined that the incoming vehicle is inappropriate, and this determination result is sent to the control device 26 (step S17).

In addition, in step S13, if the vehicle specification information related to the vehicle registration number recognized in step S12 is not stored in the memory unit 50m, the license plate recognition determination device 50 queries the recognized vehicle registration number via the external communication network 100 to the external server 101, and obtains specification information of the vehicle (stored vehicle) with that vehicle registration number from the external server 101 (step S16). If the vehicle specification information is not stored in the memory unit 50m in this way, the vehicle whose vehicle registration number the contract user declared at the time of the contract has been sent for inspection or repair such as a vehicle inspection (vehicle continuing inspection), and a vehicle other than the declared vehicle is being used.

Then, the control device 26 receives the judgment result of the number recognition judgment device 50 in step S3, and if the judgment result indicates proper entry (Yes in step S4), it flashes the fence close indicator lamp 40 on the operation panel 30 to inform the user that the fence 21 will be closed. When the user presses the fence close button 38 to perform the fence close operation, the control device 26 controls the fence opening/closing drive unit 55 to lower and close the fence 21 (step S5). Thereafter, the user turns the key 32 of the key switch 31 on the operation panel 30 to the "off" side, removes the key 32 (power "off" operation), and exits.

On the other hand, when the number recognition and determination device 50 determines that the entry is improper (No in step S4), the control device 26 performs the improper entry process (step S6). In this improper entry process, the control device 26 causes the alarm 42 to output an alarm notifying the driver of the improper entry (improper entry), and disables the operation of the operation panel 30 unless the vehicle is removed from the pallet on which it has been entered. For example, the fence 21 cannot be closed, and the key 32 cannot be removed from the key hole 33. Here, when the alarm 42 is outputted, not only is an alarm notifying the driver of the improper entry, but if the determination result is step S18, it may also be configured to notify the driver that the vehicle has been entered on a pallet different from the one that was called, or if the determination result is step S17, to notify the driver that the vehicle size is over the standard.

When an alarm is output from the alarm 42, the user can either redo the entry (loading onto the pallet) or have the entered vehicle exit the premises and close the fence 21 to exit (cancel the entry). If the user redoes the entry (re-entering), the process is repeated from step S3.

In the above, in step S10, the number recognition and determination device 50 determines whether the number of the incoming pallet into which the vehicle is loaded matches the number of the called pallet called based on, for example, the contract pallet information, and if they match, it performs the processing from step S11 onwards. However, if they match, it may be determined that the loading is proper. Note that, as in the above example, by performing the processing from step S11 onwards if they match, it is possible to confirm whether the vehicle that loaded into the pallet is the vehicle declared at the time of the contract.

It is also possible to provide only vehicle detectors 52 in each row of the entry section 20 without providing cameras 51 and number recognition and determination devices 50, input the detection signal of the vehicle detectors 52 to the control device 26, and when the control device 26 detects that an incoming vehicle has entered a pallet by the vehicle detector 52, determine whether the number of the pallet matches the number of the called pallet, and if they match, determine that the entry is proper, and if they do not match (are different), determine that the entry is improper because the entry is entered into a pallet contracted by someone else. However, in this case, if a user uses a vehicle that was not declared at the time of signing the contract, such as a loaner car, it cannot be detected that the vehicle size is over the standard.

In this embodiment, a still image camera 51 and a vehicle detector 52 are provided for each row (each middle storage space 7) of the entrance section 20, but instead, a video camera may be provided for each row. In this case, the number recognition determination device 50, for example, based on a control signal from the control device 26, causes the video camera of each row of the entrance section 20 where no vehicle is stored to start shooting at a predetermined timing (for example, the timing when the photoelectric detectors PH1 and PH2 become in a detection state after the fence 21 is opened) and ends the shooting when the vehicle enters the pallet. The timing to end this shooting may be, for example, the point when the photoelectric detectors PH1 and PH2 change from a detection state to a non-detection state. In this case, the license plate number recognition and determination device 50 may extract still image data from the image data captured by the video camera, and recognize the vehicle registration number of the captured license plate, just as in the case of the still image capture camera 51. Based on the video data captured by the video camera, the license plate number recognition and determination device 50 or the control device 26 may determine which row of the entry area 20 the vehicle has entered.

In this embodiment, when a contract user drives a vehicle onto a pallet that is not contracted for (or a pallet that is different from the pallet that was called), it is determined to be improper entry (erroneous entry) (step S18), so that such erroneous entry can be prevented and trouble between contract users can be avoided. Also, when a contract user drives a vehicle such as a loaner car onto a pallet, if the vehicle does not meet the predetermined vehicle specifications (restriction conditions) for the pallet into which it is driven, it is determined to be improper entry (erroneous entry due to the vehicle size exceeding the specifications) (step S17), so that such erroneous entry can be prevented and the occurrence of vehicle damage accidents, etc. can be avoided.

In addition, in this embodiment, a still image capturing camera 51, a vehicle detector 52, and a license plate recognition and determination device 50 are provided (or a video capturing camera and a license plate recognition and determination device 50 are provided), but since the structure does not move the restriction plate up and down as described in the conventional example, it is possible to avoid complicating the structure of the parking device.

In addition, in this embodiment, the multiple-row, multi-level parking device 1 of this embodiment can be configured by, for example, providing a still image capturing camera 51, a vehicle detector 52, and a license plate recognition determination device 50, or providing a video capturing camera and a license plate recognition determination device 50, in an existing multiple-row, multi-level parking device, so that it is easy to convert an existing multiple-row, multi-level parking device into the multiple-row, multi-level parking device 1 of this embodiment.

In this embodiment, the case where each pallet is contracted individually has been described, but it is also possible that each contract user is contracted for a pallet according to the type of vehicle, such as a pallet for low-height vehicles and a pallet for high-height vehicles. In this case, when a pallet for low-height vehicles (or high-height vehicles) is contracted, the contract pallet information stores contract user identification information, such as the contract user's PIN number, in association with the numbers of multiple pallets for low-height vehicles (or high-height vehicles).

In addition, in this embodiment, a parking device in which the storage space and pallets are divided into those for low-height vehicles and those for high-height vehicles has been described, but a parking device in which they are not divided may also be used. Even in this case, for example, if each pallet is individually contracted, it is possible to prevent erroneous storage and avoid trouble between contract users and the occurrence of vehicle damage accidents, etc.

Also, as described above, in a parking device in which the storage space and pallets are not divided into those for low- and high-height vehicles, if each pallet is not individually contracted, i.e., any pallet can be used, for example, the contract user identification information of each contract user can be considered to be associated with the numbers of all pallets, and contract pallet information can be created, and the entry permission determination process shown in Figure 5 can be performed.

As described above, in a parking device in which the storage space and pallets are not divided into low-height vehicles and high-height vehicles, if each pallet is not individually contracted, the entry permission determination process shown in FIG. 5 may be performed using contract vehicle information consisting only of the vehicle registration number of the declared vehicle of each contract user instead of the vehicle specification information. In this case, in step S13, the contract vehicle information is used instead of the vehicle specification information to determine whether the vehicle registration number recognized in step S12 is stored in the contract vehicle information, and if it is stored, it is determined that the entry is appropriate, and if it is not stored, the process of step S16 is performed. For example, if a loan car is used, it is possible to detect erroneous entry due to the vehicle size exceeding the standard (step S17).

In addition, in this embodiment, a parking device with three rows and three levels of storage space has been described, but it is sufficient if the parking device has a row along which pallets move sideways, which serves as the entry area, and has multiple rows and levels.

From the above description, many improvements and other embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the above description should be construed as illustrative only and is provided for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the present invention. The details of the structure and/or function of the present invention may be substantially changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The present invention is useful as a multi-row, multi-level parking device that can avoid complicating the structure of the parking device and prevent erroneous parking.

1 Multi-row, multi-level parking device 6 Upper storage space 7 Middle storage space 8 Lower storage space 10 to 12 Pallet 20 Entrance area 42 Alarm 50 Number recognition and determination device 50m Memory unit 51 Camera 52 Vehicle detector 101 External server

Claims (5)

A multiple-row, multiple-level parking device comprising a storage space with multiple rows and levels, a pallet provided in a predetermined level of the storage space, a drive-in section having one less pallet than the number of rows, the pallet in the drive-in section being moved laterally, and the pallets in the other levels being raised and lowered in the same row,
a storage unit that stores pallet restriction information in which a number is assigned to each pallet in advance and the pallet number is associated with a restriction condition for a vehicle that can be stored on the pallet;
A camera that photographs a license plate of a vehicle when the vehicle enters the pallet of the entrance section;
a specification data acquisition unit that recognizes the vehicle registration number of the license plate photographed by the camera and acquires the specifications of the vehicle from the vehicle registration number;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle should be stored based on the vehicle specifications acquired by the specification data acquisition unit and the restriction condition associated with the entered pallet based on the pallet restriction information;
A multi-row, multi-level parking device comprising: The storage unit further stores contract pallet information in which identification information of a contract user is associated with one or more pallet numbers,
The determination unit is
If the number of the pallet that was brought in is the number of the pallet that is associated with the contract user by the contract pallet information, it is determined that the warehousing is proper.
and determining that the warehousing is inappropriate if the number of the pallet that is brought in is not the number of the pallet associated with the contract user by the contract pallet information.
2. The multiple-row, multi-level parking system according to claim 1. storing in the storage unit vehicle specification information in which the vehicle registration number of the contract user's vehicle is associated with the vehicle specifications;
The specification data acquisition unit
If the vehicle specification information relating to the vehicle registration number of the license plate photographed by the camera is stored in the storage unit, the vehicle specifications associated with the vehicle registration number using the vehicle specification information are obtained and sent to the determination unit; if the vehicle specification information is not stored in the storage unit, an external server is queried for the vehicle registration number, and the vehicle specifications corresponding to the vehicle registration number are obtained from the external server and sent to the determination unit;
The determination unit is
The vehicle specification data acquisition unit is configured to determine that the vehicle is properly stocked when the vehicle specification data acquired by the vehicle specification data acquisition unit satisfies the restriction condition associated with the entered pallet by the pallet restriction information, and to determine that the vehicle is properly stocked when the vehicle specification data acquired by the vehicle specification data acquisition unit does not satisfy the restriction condition.
3. A multi-row, multi-level parking system according to claim 1 or 2. The determination unit is
The system is configured to determine that the entry is improper when the number of the pallet into which the vehicle is entered is not the number of the pallet that is placed in the entry section for the entry of the vehicle in response to a call operation of the pallet contracted by the contract user.
A multiple-row, multi-level parking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The vehicle further includes an alarm that issues an alarm when the determination unit determines that the vehicle has been improperly stored.
A multiple-row, multi-level parking device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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