JP7734038B2 - Storage control device and storage control equipment equipped with the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an entry prevention member installed in a parking space in a parking lot and an entry control device equipped with the same.

In recent years, there have been an increasing number of cases where entry prevention devices are installed in parking spaces to prevent illegal parking or entry into parking spaces such as pay parking lots, or to prevent vehicles other than those reserved from parking or entering. These entry prevention devices are configured to be switchable between an upright and a reclined position, and are reclined only when entry is permitted, thereby preventing illegal parking or entry into designated parking spaces, or the parking or entry of vehicles other than those reserved.

However, with devices that are configured to be switchable between an upright and a reclined position, and that only reclined when entry is permitted, if a vehicle accidentally comes into contact with an entry prevention member in the upright position, there is a risk that the vehicle could be scratched or dented, or that the paint could peel off.

Patent Document 1 discloses technology for parking signs that are switchable between an upright and a downright state, where the sign automatically collapses when it comes into contact with a vehicle while in the upright state.

Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 61-198451

In the device disclosed in Patent Document 1, if a vehicle comes into contact with the device while it is in an upright position, the device automatically falls into a lying position. This only happens if the vehicle comes into contact with the device in a direction that would cause it to fall from an upright position. Therefore, if a vehicle comes into contact with the device in a direction that would cause it to fall from an upright position, for example, from an angle to that direction, the device will not automatically fall into a lying position, and there is a risk that the vehicle may be scratched or dented, or the paint may peel off.

The present invention was made in consideration of the problems inherent in conventional technology as described above, and aims to provide an entry-control device and entry-control device equipped with an entry-control element that is switchable between an upright position and a lying position, and that can minimize damage to vehicles caused by contact when a vehicle comes into contact with it from any direction.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides:
A storage inhibiting member that is configured to be switchable between an upright state and a lying state and that is in the lying state when a predetermined condition is met,
At least a portion of the storage inhibiting member has flexibility that allows it to be deformed when an external force is applied.

In the present invention configured as described above, even if a vehicle accidentally comes into contact with the entry inhibitor while in an upright position, the entry inhibitor will deform, avoiding or reducing the risk of the vehicle being scratched, dented, or paint peeling. At least a portion of the entry inhibitor itself is flexible enough to deform when an external force is applied, minimizing damage to the vehicle caused by contact from any direction. Furthermore, in entry control devices equipped with entry inhibitors, the entry inhibitor will deform when a vehicle comes into contact with the entry inhibitor, mitigating the impact on the control unit of the entry control device and preventing major damage. Even if a vehicle makes strong contact with the entry inhibitor, damage to the entry inhibitor will be limited, and repairs and maintenance can be completed by simply replacing the entry inhibitor.

Furthermore, if the entry prevention member is made of a material that has the ability to restore its original shape when an external force is applied and then deformed, the entry prevention member will be able to maintain its original function if the vehicle returns to a non-contact state after coming into contact with the entry prevention member.

Furthermore, if the entry control member is integrally formed by injection molding a thermoplastic elastomer, it has high moldability and a wide range of shapes and thicknesses, allowing for great design freedom. It is also less likely to produce fragments when broken, and manufacturing costs can be kept low. Furthermore, when an entry control device equipped with an entry control member wirelessly communicates with the outside world via radio waves to switch the entry control member between an upright and a collapsed state, radio waves are less likely to be affected.

Furthermore, if the entry prevention member is a U-shaped arm consisting of a pair of pillars and a connecting part connecting the pair of pillars, and the connecting part is less flexible than the pillars, then by intentionally creating a point where the entry prevention member will deform when a vehicle comes into contact with it, the pillars will bend or the entry prevention member will twist when a vehicle comes into contact with it, and the impact caused by the vehicle coming into contact will be absorbed by the deformation of the entry prevention member, further reducing the impact on the vehicle.

For example, the U-shaped arm could have a hollow section with an opening on one side in the direction in which it switches from an upright position to a reclined position, and the hollow section could have multiple horizontal ribs spaced apart that connect the opposing inner wall surfaces of the outer shell that forms the hollow section, with the outer shell or horizontal ribs at the connecting section being thicker than the pillar section, or with a greater number of horizontal ribs.

Furthermore, if the U-shaped arm has a hollow section with one side open in the direction in which it switches from an upright state to a reclined state, and the hollow section has multiple horizontal ribs formed at intervals that connect the opposing inner wall surfaces of the outer shell that forms the hollow section, and the connecting section further has a cross rib where the multiple horizontal ribs cross, then in a configuration in which horizontal ribs are formed within the hollow section, it is possible to easily make the connecting section less flexible than the pillar section while suppressing an increase in weight.

According to the present invention, at least a portion of the entry inhibitor member itself has flexibility that allows it to deform when an external force is applied, thereby minimizing damage to the vehicle caused by contact when the vehicle comes into contact with it from any direction while it is in an upright position. Furthermore, in entry control devices equipped with entry inhibitor members, the entry inhibitor member deforms when a vehicle comes into contact with it, thereby mitigating the impact on the control unit of the entry control device and preventing major damage. Furthermore, even if a vehicle makes strong contact with the entry inhibitor member, damage to the entry inhibitor member can be limited, and repair and maintenance can be completed by simply replacing the entry inhibitor member, significantly reducing the costs and labor required for maintenance and upkeep.

Furthermore, if the entry prevention member is made of a material that has the ability to restore its original shape when an external force is applied and then deformed, the entry prevention member will be able to maintain its original function if it returns to a non-contact state after coming into contact with the entry prevention member.

Furthermore, when the entry control member is integrally formed by injection molding a thermoplastic elastomer, it has high moldability and a wide range of shapes and thicknesses, allowing for a high degree of design freedom. It is also less likely to produce fragments when broken, and manufacturing costs can be kept low. Furthermore, when an entry control device equipped with an entry control member wirelessly communicates with the outside world via radio waves to switch the entry control member between an upright and a lying position, radio waves are less likely to be affected.

In addition, when the entry prevention member is a U-shaped arm consisting of a pair of pillars and a connecting part connecting the pair of pillars, and the connecting part is less flexible than the pillars, by intentionally creating a point where the entry prevention member will deform when a vehicle comes into contact with it, the pillars will bend or the entry prevention member will twist when a vehicle comes into contact with it, and the impact caused by the vehicle coming into contact will be absorbed by the deformation of the entry prevention member, further reducing the impact on the vehicle.

Furthermore, when the U-shaped arm has a hollow section with one side open in the direction in which it switches from an upright state to a reclined state, and the hollow section has multiple horizontal ribs formed at intervals that connect the opposing inner wall surfaces of the outer shell that forms the hollow section, and the connecting section further has a cross rib where the multiple horizontal ribs cross, in a configuration in which the horizontal ribs are formed within the hollow section, it is possible to easily make the connecting section less flexible than the pillar section while suppressing an increase in weight.

1 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment of a storage control device of the present invention. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing the detailed configuration of the U-shaped arm shown in FIG. 1, where (a) is a view from one side in the direction in which it switches from an upright state to a lying state, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A' shown in (a). FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing functions of the base unit shown in FIG. 1 . 4A and 4B are diagrams showing an example of a parking lot in which the entry control device shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is installed, where FIG. 4A shows the overall configuration and FIG. 4B shows the configuration of the parking spaces. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the storage control device shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing the operating states of the storage control device shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in which FIG. 4A shows the upright state and FIG. 4B shows the lying state. 2 is an external perspective view showing a state in which a U-shaped arm is deformed due to contact of a vehicle with the storage control device shown in FIG. 1; FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is an external perspective view showing one embodiment of the storage control device of the present invention.

As shown in Figure 1, this embodiment is a storage control device 1 that is configured with a U-shaped arm 10 and a base portion 20.

The U-shaped arm 10 serves as the storage prevention member in the present invention. The U-shaped arm 10 has a U-shape and is configured to be switchable between an upright position and a reclined position by rotating around an axis connecting both ends of the U-shape.

Figure 2 shows the detailed configuration of the U-shaped arm 10 shown in Figure 1, where (a) is a view from one side in the direction in which it switches from an upright state to a reclined state, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A' shown in (a).

As shown in FIG. 2, the U-shaped arm 10 is U-shaped and is composed of a pair of pillars 11a, 11b and a connecting portion 12 connecting these pillars 11a, 11b. The outer shell 13 defines a hollow portion 14, one of whose faces is open in the direction in which the arm switches from an upright position to a lying position. The hollow portion 14 is formed with multiple horizontal ribs 15 spaced a predetermined distance apart, connecting the opposing inner wall surfaces 13a, 13b of the outer shell 13. The connecting portion 12 also includes a cross rib 16, where two horizontal ribs 15 intersect. The cross rib 16 on the connecting portion 12 makes the connecting portion 12 less flexible than the pillars 11a, 11b. The hollow portion 14 is also provided with multiple protrusions 17 that are tall enough to contact the ground when the U-shaped arm 10 is in a lying position.

The U-shaped arm 10 configured as described above is integrally formed by injection molding a thermoplastic elastomer. This gives the U-shaped arm 10 flexibility, allowing it to deform when an external force is applied, and the ability to return to its original shape after being deformed by the application of an external force when the external force is no longer applied.

The base unit 20 serves as a foundation when the storage control device 1 is installed on the ground, and comes into contact with the ground when the storage control device 1 is installed on the ground. The base unit 20 incorporates a rotating support member (not shown) connected to both ends of the U-shape of the U-shaped arm 10, and the base unit 20 supports the U-shaped arm 10 via this rotating support member so that it can be switched between an upright position and a reclined position.

Figure 3 is a functional block diagram showing the functions of the base unit 20 shown in Figure 1.

As shown in Figure 3, the base unit 20 has the following functions: a communication unit 21, a control unit 22, and a motor 23.

The communication unit 21 communicates with the outside world via short-range wireless communication using Bluetooth radio waves. The communication unit 21 uses Bluetooth radio waves to transmit signals that can be received by an onboard device installed in a predetermined vehicle, a gateway installed in a parking lot, or a smartphone carried by a user in the vehicle, and also receives instructions transmitted from the onboard device that has received the signal.

The motor 23 is connected to a rotary support member connected to both ends of the U-shaped arm 10, thereby supporting the U-shaped arm 10 so that it can rotate around an axis connecting both ends of the U-shape.

The control unit 22 drives the motor 23 based on instructions received from the vehicle-mounted device via the communication unit 21, causing the U-shaped arm 10, which is in an upright state, to rotate around the axis connecting both ends of the U-shape, thereby bringing it into a lying state. Furthermore, when the U-shaped arm 10 is in a lying state and certain conditions are met, the control unit 22 drives the motor 23, causing the U-shaped arm 10, which is in a lying state, to rotate around the axis connecting both ends of the U-shape, thereby bringing it into an upright state.

The following explains how to use the storage control device 1 configured as described above.

Figure 4 shows an example of a parking lot in which the entry control device 1 shown in Figures 1 to 3 is installed, with (a) showing the overall configuration and (b) showing the configuration of parking space 3-1. Note that the configuration of parking spaces 3-2 to 3-n shown in Figure 4(a) is the same as the configuration of parking space 3-1 shown in Figure 4(b).

The entry control device 1 shown in Figures 1 to 3 is used, for example, to restrict vehicle parking in a parking lot 2, which has multiple parking stalls 3-1 to 3-n each provided as a parking space, as shown in Figure 4(a). Each of the parking stalls 3-1 to 3-n is equipped with the entry control device 1 shown in Figures 1 to 3, and is also equipped with a car stopper 4, as shown in Figure 4(b). The entry control device 1 is attached to the opposite side of the parking stalls 3-1 to 3-n from the car stopper 4, i.e., on the side from which vehicles enter the parking stalls 3-1 to 3-n, with the U-shaped arm 10 tilted in the direction in which the vehicles enter the parking stalls 3-1 to 3-n, and the base 20 is fixed to the ground of the parking stalls 3-1 to 3-n with anchor bolts, double-sided tape, or the like.

Figure 5 is a flowchart explaining the operation of the storage control device 1 shown in Figures 1 to 3.

The entry control device 1 shown in Figures 1 to 3 transmits a signal via Bluetooth radio waves from the communication unit 21 that can be received by an on-board device installed in a vehicle that has been permitted to park in the parking lot 2.

When a vehicle permitted to park in parking lot 2 attempts to enter a designated parking slot 3-1 to 3-n, the vehicle's onboard device receives a signal transmitted using Bluetooth radio waves from the communication unit 21 of the entry control device 1 (step S1). Alternatively, the signal may be received by a gateway installed in parking lot 2 or a smartphone carried by a user of the vehicle.

The vehicle-mounted device, etc., that receives the signal transmitted from the entry control device 1 using Bluetooth radio waves then establishes communication with the entry control device 1 that transmitted the received signal, and transmits an instruction to place the U-shaped arm 10 of the entry control device 1 in a collapsed state (step S2).

When the communication unit 21 of the warehousing control device 1 receives an instruction to place the U-shaped arm 10 of the warehousing control device 1 in a collapsed state, transmitted from an onboard device or the like (step S3), the control unit 22 of the warehousing control device 1 drives the motor 23 to rotate the shaft connected to the motor 23 by 90 degrees (step S4), thereby switching the U-shaped arm 10 from an upright state to a collapsed state (step S5). At this time, the protrusion 17 provided in the hollow portion 14 abuts against the ground, preventing the outer casing 13 of the U-shaped arm 10 from coming into direct contact with the ground, even if the U-shaped arm 10 rotates more than 90 degrees from the upright state.

Thereafter, when a predetermined condition is met, the control unit 22 drives the motor 23, causing the U-shaped arm 10 to rotate from its lying state to an upright state. For example, if communication using Bluetooth radio waves with an onboard device mounted on a vehicle parked in one of the parking spaces 3-1 to 3-n is interrupted, or if a sensor (e.g., an optical sensor) built into the entry control device 1 no longer detects the vehicle parked in one of the parking spaces 3-1 to 3-n, the U-shaped arm 10 rotates to an upright state. Alternatively, the U-shaped arm 10 may be configured to rotate to an upright state when the communication unit 21 of the entry control device 1 receives an instruction to set the U-shaped arm 10 to an upright state from a gateway installed in the parking space 2 or an app installed on a smartphone carried by a user of a vehicle parked in the parking space 2. The U-shaped arm 10 may also be set to an upright state over time. In this case, it is conceivable that the U-shaped arm 10 will be brought to an upright state when a predetermined time has elapsed since the U-shaped arm 10 was brought to a collapsed state. Note that when a sensor built into the storage control device 1 is used, the U-shaped arm 10 will not be brought to an upright state while a vehicle is detected by the sensor, even if the other conditions described above are met.

Figure 6 shows the operating state of the storage control device 1 shown in Figures 1 to 3, with (a) showing the upright state and (b) showing the lying state.

When the U-shaped arm 10 of the entry control device 1 shown in Figures 1 to 3 is in an upright position, as shown in Figure 6(a), the height of the upright U-shaped arm 10 is higher than the height of the underside of the vehicle 5 from the ground 6. Therefore, when an attempt is made to enter the vehicle 5 into the parking spaces 3-1 to 3-n shown in Figure 4, the vicinity of the underside of the vehicle 5 will come into contact with the U-shaped arm 10. This prevents the vehicle 5 from entering the parking spaces 3-1 to 3-n.

On the other hand, when the U-shaped arm 10 of the entry control device 1 shown in Figures 1 to 3 is in a collapsed state, as shown in Figure 6(b), the U-shaped arm 10 is in a collapsed state, so even when the vehicle 5 is being entered into the parking spaces 3-1 to 3-n shown in Figure 4, the vehicle 5 will not come into contact with the U-shaped arm 10. This allows the vehicle 5 to be entered into the parking spaces 3-1 to 3-n.

In this way, when a vehicle 5 permitted to park in the parking lot 2 shown in Figure 4 attempts to enter one of the parking spaces 3-1 to 3-n, an instruction to lower the U-shaped arm 10 of the entry control device 1 is transmitted from the onboard device installed in the vehicle 5. When this instruction is received by the entry control device 1, the U-shaped arm 10, which is in an upright position, is lowered, thereby restricting the entry of vehicles other than the designated vehicles.

Further effects of the U-shaped arm 10 in this embodiment are explained below.

As described above, the U-shaped arm 10 in this embodiment is integrally formed by injection molding a thermoplastic elastomer, giving it flexibility that allows it to deform when an external force is applied, and the ability to return to its original shape when the external force is no longer applied after being deformed by the external force. Therefore, even if a vehicle accidentally comes into contact with the U-shaped arm 10 in an upright position, deformation of the U-shaped arm 10 prevents or reduces damage to the vehicle, such as scratches, dents, or paint peeling. In particular, damage to the vehicle caused by contact is reduced even if the vehicle comes into contact from any direction. In this case, as described above, even if the entire U-shaped arm 10 is not flexible, the above effect will be achieved if at least a portion of it is flexible.

Furthermore, even in a warehousing control device 1 equipped with a U-shaped arm 10, when a vehicle comes into contact with the U-shaped arm 10, the U-shaped arm 10 deforms, mitigating the impact on the motor 23, control unit 22, etc. of the warehousing control device 1, preventing malfunctions in the warehousing control device 1. Furthermore, even if a vehicle comes into strong contact with the U-shaped arm 10, damage to the U-shaped arm 10 is limited, and repair and maintenance can be completed by simply replacing the U-shaped arm 10.

Furthermore, because the U-shaped arm 10 has restoring properties, if the vehicle returns to a non-contact state after coming into contact with the U-shaped arm 10, the U-shaped arm 10 can maintain its original function.

The U-shaped arm 10 may be made of urethane, silicone, hollow PE material, wood, cardboard, etc., but when considering resilience, cost, moldability, and damage to the surrounding area and environment in the event of breakage, it is preferable to form it as a single unit by injection molding a thermoplastic elastomer. Furthermore, if the U-shaped arm 10 is formed as a single unit by injection molding a thermoplastic elastomer, it has the advantage of being highly moldable and able to accommodate a wide range of shapes and thicknesses, thereby increasing design freedom.

Furthermore, in the case where the warehousing control device 1 having the U-shaped arm 10 switches between an upright position and a reclined position by wirelessly communicating via radio waves with an onboard device mounted on a vehicle as described above, the U-shaped arm 10 is integrally formed by injection molding a thermoplastic elastomer, making it less susceptible to radio wave interference.

Furthermore, by making the connecting portion 12 of the U-shaped arm 10 less flexible than the pillar portions 11a and 11b, a point at which the U-shaped arm 10 deforms when a vehicle comes into contact is intentionally created. When a vehicle comes into contact, the pillar portions 11a and 11b act to bend, or the U-shaped arm 10 acts to twist. As a result, the impact caused by the vehicle coming into contact is absorbed by the deformation of the U-shaped arm 10, further reducing the impact received by the vehicle.

Figure 7 is an external perspective view showing the state in which the U-shaped arm 10 is deformed due to a vehicle coming into contact with the storage control device 1 shown in Figure 1.

As described above, the connecting portion 12 of the U-shaped arm 10 is less flexible than the pillar portions 11a and 11b, so when a vehicle comes into contact with it, the U-shaped arm 10 can be made to twist as shown in Figure 7. By twisting the U-shaped arm 10, the impact caused by the vehicle coming into contact is absorbed by the deformation of the U-shaped arm 10, further reducing the impact received by the vehicle that comes into contact with it.

In addition, making the flexibility of the connecting portion 12 less than that of the pillar portions 11a and 11b is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration in which cross ribs 16 are formed in addition to the cross ribs 15 at the connecting portion 12 of the U-shaped arm 10. For example, the connecting portion 12 may be configured such that the outer shell 13 and cross ribs 15 are thicker than those of the pillar portions 11a and 11b, or such that there are more cross ribs 15. However, if the connecting portion 12 of the U-shaped arm 10 is configured such that cross ribs 16 are formed in addition to the cross ribs 15, it is possible to easily make the flexibility of the connecting portion 12 less than that of the pillar portions 11a and 11b while suppressing an increase in weight in a configuration in which cross ribs 15 are formed within the hollow portion 14 of the U-shaped arm 10.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Entry control device 2 Parking lot 3-1 to 3-n Parking space 4 Car stop 5 Vehicle 6 Ground 10 U-shaped arm 11a, 11b Pillar portion 12 Connecting portion 13 Outer shell 13a, 13b Inner wall surface 14 Hollow portion 15 Horizontal rib 16 Intersecting rib 17 Protrusion 20 Base portion 21 Communication unit 22 Control unit 23 Motor

Claims (6)

A storage inhibiting member that is configured to be switchable between an upright state and a lying state and that is in the lying state when a predetermined condition is met,
At least a portion of the entry prevention member is flexible enough to be deformed by the application of an external force, and is a U-shaped arm including a pair of pillars and a connecting portion connecting the pair of pillars,
The connecting portion has lower flexibility than the column portion . The storage inhibiting member according to claim 1,
The storage entry inhibiting member is made of a material that has the resilience to be deformed by the application of the external force and then return to its original shape when the external force is no longer applied. The storage inhibiting member according to claim 2,
The storage inhibiting member is integrally formed by injection molding a thermoplastic elastomer. The storage inhibiting member according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
the U-shaped arm has a hollow portion with one surface open in a direction in which the upright state is switched to the laid state,
The hollow portion has a plurality of horizontal ribs formed at intervals that connect opposing inner wall surfaces of an outer shell that forms the hollow portion,
An entry restraint member in which the connecting portion has a thicker outer shell or a thicker horizontal rib than the column portion, or has a greater number of horizontal ribs. The storage inhibiting member according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
the U-shaped arm has a hollow portion with one surface open in a direction in which the arm is switched from the upright state to the laid state,
An entry prevention member in which the hollow portion has a plurality of horizontal ribs formed at intervals that connect the opposing inner wall surfaces of the outer shell that forms the hollow portion, and the connecting portion further has a cross rib where the plurality of horizontal ribs cross. A storage control device comprising the storage inhibiting member according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
a communication unit for communicating with the outside;
a control unit that sets the storage inhibiting member to the laid-down state when a predetermined condition is received via the communication unit.