JP7770955B2 - Parking lot management device and parking lot management method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a parking lot management system and parking lot management method for parking lots that support automated valet parking services.

There is a desire to realize a variety of services in parking lots that support automated valet services, and many services have been proposed to monitor accidents and abnormalities during automated valet driving, as well as accidents and damage while parking.

Patent Document 1 discloses a parking lot management device that includes a first acquisition means for acquiring first information about the vehicle's condition when entering the parking lot, a second acquisition means for acquiring second information about the vehicle's condition when leaving the parking lot, and a determination means for determining that an abnormality has occurred in the vehicle within the parking lot if the difference between the first information and the second information exceeds a predetermined tolerance range, in order to determine whether an abnormality has occurred in the vehicle while parked.

Patent Document 2 discloses a determination device that accurately determines the damage state of an accident vehicle without relying on automated valet parking. The device includes a surface determination unit that determines the surface of the accident vehicle displayed in an image when an image including the accident vehicle is input, using a trained model that has learned training data related to the vehicle's surfaces displayed in the image; a part determination unit that determines the vehicle parts of the accident vehicle in the image, using a trained model that has learned training data related to the vehicle parts for each surface determined by the surface determination unit; and a condition determination unit that determines the damage state of the vehicle parts determined by the part determination unit, using a trained model that has learned training data related to the damage state of the vehicle parts.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-129780 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-114059

The parking lot management device in Patent Document 1 uses cameras and sensors installed in the parking lot to acquire information about the vehicle's exterior, interior, vehicle load, battery level, fuel level, etc. when the vehicle enters and leaves the parking lot, and determines whether there are any abnormalities while the vehicle is parked. However, while the timing of an abnormality can be identified, there is no mention of a method for identifying the cause of the abnormality.

Furthermore, while Patent Document 2 describes how to determine the state of damage to vehicle parts and the cost of repairing the damage, it does not mention a method for identifying the cause of the damage.

In light of the above circumstances, it is desirable to realize a parking lot management system that can identify or estimate the cause of damage to vehicles while they are parked or in motion in parking lots, and that also provides improved convenience for users.
The present invention relates to a parking lot management system that makes it easier to identify the causes of accidents, abnormalities, and damage in parking lots, thereby improving convenience for users.

A parking lot management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes:
a vehicle identification means for identifying a vehicle using the parking lot;
a damage confirmation means for detecting an external damage state of the vehicle and identifying the details of the damage state;
a recording means for recording information on the damage state of the vehicle;
a response means for outputting a response method according to the content of the damage state;
It is equipped with:

the vehicle identification means identifies the vehicle when it enters and exits the parking lot;
The damage confirmation means may detect whether there is a change in the state of damage of the vehicle when it enters the parking lot and when it leaves, and if there is a change, it may determine that damage has occurred within the parking lot.

The damage confirmation means may determine the location within the parking lot where the damage occurred based on the vehicle's driving route within the parking lot.

The damage confirmation means may estimate that the other vehicle is the one to which damage has occurred based on the parking positions and/or driving routes of the vehicle and other vehicles within the parking lot.

The damage confirmation means may detect whether there is a change in the damage state of other vehicles that are at least temporarily present in the parking lot between the time the vehicle enters and the time it exits, and if there is a change, may infer that the other vehicle is the one to which damage has occurred.

The damage confirmation means may detect whether there is a change in the damage state of the vehicle when it last exited the parking lot and when it currently enters the parking lot, and if there is a change, it may determine that damage occurred outside the parking lot between the last time the vehicle exited the parking lot and the time it currently entered the parking lot.

The damage confirmation means may detect the damage state of the vehicle based on images taken by a parking space photographing camera in the parking lot, and identify the details of the damage state.

The damage confirmation means may estimate the timing of the occurrence of the damage based on images captured by the parking space photographing camera within the parking lot.

The information about the damage state of the vehicle recorded in the recording means may include images taken by the parking space photographing camera within the parking lot.

The information on the damage status of the vehicle recorded in the recording means may include historical information including the vehicle's route within the parking lot from the time of entry to the time of exit, as well as the date and time.

The response method is at least one of requesting repairs, estimating costs, notifying an insurance company, reporting to the police, and reporting to the manufacturer;
The response means may output information on the damage state of the vehicle at the time of entry and the damage state at the time of exit, which is recorded in the recording means, together with the response method.

The vehicle may be an autonomous vehicle.

The damage confirmation means detects the damage state of the autonomously driven vehicle based on an image captured by the parking space photographing camera in the parking lot and identifies the details of the damage state;
The parking lot management system may further include an automatic valet control device that specifies a position on the driving route and controls the parking space photographing camera to photograph the automatic vehicle when the automatic vehicle traveling in the parking lot passes by the parking space photographing camera.

The parking lot management system may be a parking lot management system for an automated valet service-enabled parking lot in which the automated vehicle automatically parks in a parking space within the parking lot and then automatically drives from the parking space to a boarding space.

the automatic valet control device determines an automatic driving test operation to be performed by the automatic driving vehicle in the parking lot, and outputs a command to the automatic driving vehicle to perform the automatic driving test operation in the parking lot based on a plan of the automatic driving test operation;
the damage confirmation means detects whether there is a change in the damage state of the automatically driven vehicle at the start of the automatic driving test operation and the damage state at the end of the automatic driving test operation, and if there is a change, determines that damage occurred during the automatic driving test operation;
The response means may output information on the damage state at the start and end of the automatic driving test operation recorded in the recording means, along with the response method.

A parking lot management method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes:
Identify vehicles using the parking lot,
Detecting the external damage state of the vehicle and identifying the content of the damage state;
Recording information about the damage state of the vehicle;
A method of response is output according to the content of the damage state.

The parking lot management system described above makes it easier to identify the causes of accidents, abnormalities, and damage in parking lots, improving convenience for users.

1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an automated valet parking management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a parking lot that supports an automatic valet parking service. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a vehicle having an automatic driving function. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a member DB. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of the functions of a parking lot control device; FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an automatic valet parking operation including a test driving operation. The operation flow of the automated valet parking management system is shown below. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating another example of an automatic valet parking operation including a test driving operation. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle DB; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a parking space camera image. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of an automatic valet parking operation including a difference detection photography operation. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an image DB.

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

1. Automated valet parking management system configuration

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of an automated valet parking management system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The automated valet parking management system 500 can perform various parking-related processes, such as managing reservations made by users of the parking lot, monitoring parking conditions, and calculating various fees related to parking lot use.

The automated valet parking management system 500 includes a parking server 7, a parking management device 5, an automated valet control device 37, a payment server device (not shown) owned by a payment institution 9, and an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection System) management server device (not shown) owned by an ETC management institution 10.
These terminals and devices are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other via a network 1. The network 1 is constructed using, for example, the Internet or a wide area communication network.
Alternatively, any WAN (Wide Area Network) or LAN (Local Area Network) may be used, and the protocol for constructing the network 1 is not limited.

The parking lot management device 5 and the automatic valet control device 37 are installed in each parking lot 11. As will be described later, in this embodiment, the automatic valet parking lot management system according to the present invention is constructed with the parking lot management device 5 and the automatic valet control device 37 at the center.
The parking lot management device 5 is capable of comprehensively controlling the operation of each device installed in the parking lot 11.
In addition, the parking lot management device 5 is capable of aggregating various information from each device installed in the parking lot 11 and transmitting it to the parking lot server 7, the automatic valet control device 37, etc. The parking lot management device 5 is capable of receiving various information from the parking lot server 7, etc. and performing various operations.

The parking lot management device 5 has hardware necessary for configuring a computer, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and HDD (Hard Disk Drive).
The parking lot management device 5 also has a communication unit for communicating with other devices via the network 1. As the communication unit, for example, a wireless LAN module such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or communication equipment such as a modem or a router is used.
The parking lot management device 5 may be any computer such as a PC (Personal Computer).

The parking lot management device 5 may be capable of communicating with an external device that manages a database of big data. The big data may be, for example, big data from a city-state, experimental municipality, or community that stores a large amount of vehicle data. The parking lot management device 5 may also be capable of communicating with an external device that is accessible by users, manufacturers, etc.

1, gate devices 28 (entrance gate devices 28a and exit gate devices 28b) are installed in each parking lot 11. The gate devices 28 can regulate the entry and exit of vehicles. Instead of the gate devices 28, a flap device (locking device) or the like may be installed to regulate the exit of a parking space without paying.
The present invention can also be applied to so-called gateless/flapless parking lots in which no gate device or flap device is installed.

The user terminal device 6 is a terminal used by users of each parking lot 11. The user terminal device 6 may be any type of computer, such as a smartphone, tablet, or various types of mobile terminals such as PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), or a notebook PC (Personal Computer).

The parking lot server 7 is capable of providing the automated valet parking service according to this embodiment as a web service. In this embodiment, the parking lot server 7 is made up of multiple server devices (not shown) and a database (DB).

Each server device in the parking lot server 7 has the hardware necessary for computer configuration, such as a CPU, ROM, RAM, and HDD. Each server device also has a communication unit for communicating with other devices via network 1. The communication unit may be, for example, a wireless LAN module such as Wi-Fi, or communication equipment such as a modem or router. Any computer, such as a PC, may be used as the server device.

The DB of the parking lot server 7 functions as a memory unit and stores various information related to the automatic valet parking service. For example, various DBs may be constructed within the DB of the parking lot server 7, such as a member DB 101 (Figure 4), a vehicle DB 102 (Figure 9), a reservation information DB, a vehicle presence DB, a parking lot DB, an affiliated store DB, a discount DB, a departure information DB, an owner information DB, various history DBs, a management information DB, and a test result DB (described below). The various DBs are comprehensively managed by a DB server within the parking lot server 7, and are used for, for example, registering and canceling membership for users of the automatic valet parking service, registering, changing, and deleting reservation information received from each user, registering and storing owner information for each parking lot 11, and recording and storing operating income and expenditure information.

Figure 4 shows an example of a member database.

Member DB 101 associates and stores the membership number, membership type, vehicle ID, vehicle information, vehicle name, vehicle color, autonomous driving type, insurance type, email address, credit card information, etc. for each member using the parking lot 11. The vehicle information includes the vehicle identification number and model, allowing detailed vehicle specifications to be determined.

The insurance type may include, for example, coverage for property damage and bodily injury in the event of an accident during autonomous driving, and whether or not vehicle insurance is available. If insurance is available, simultaneous driving with non-autonomous vehicles (possibility of passing each other) may be permitted. The driver's or user's intentions may also be confirmed. The insurance type and insurance information are registered by the user by filling out a list of coverage types. Vehicles that do not have coverage for accidents during autonomous driving may not be able to use automatic valet parking. The insurance expiration date may be checked, and a notification may be sent at the entrance as to whether automatic valet parking is possible.

The parking lot server 7 provides the automated valet parking service according to this embodiment using, for example, a WWW (World Wide Web) system. For example, the web server creates various web pages composed of HTML documents. These web pages contain embedded hyperlinks to other web pages and link information (e.g., executable file names, URLs, etc.) for executing various processes.
In addition, various processes in response to various requests are executed by the Web/API server in the parking lot server 7. For example, the Web/API server collects and outputs information on the vacant and full parking spaces of each parking lot 11.
The web pages generated within the parking lot server 7 are displayed on the screen by the web browser provided in each device shown in Figure 1. For example, a user using the parking lot 11 can view various web pages and use various web applications by operating the user terminal device 6.

The settlement institution 9 is, for example, a bank or credit card company, and settles (settles) parking fees by bank transfer, credit card payment (including transportation card payment and two-dimensional code payment), etc. The parking lot server 7 instructs the settlement server device of the settlement institution 9 to settle parking fees and inquires about settlement information such as whether the payment has been completed.

The ETC management institution 10 is an institution that realizes the ETC system and manages information on users of the ETC system, ETC card information, payment information, vehicle information, etc. For example, an ETC card is inserted into an ETC onboard unit installed in a vehicle. This allows users to use a parking lot 11 that is ETC-compatible (specifically ETC 2.0 compatible) and has an ETC antenna installed, by paying via ETC.

There are multiple vehicle manufacturers 12, and they provide software update information for functions related to autonomous driving in their respective genuine vehicles and parts. Third parties that provide control programs for non-genuine parts and units are also included in the category of vehicle manufacturers 12. Insurance agencies may also be added.

2. Automated valet parking system

The present invention is applicable to parking lots 11 that provide an automatic valet parking service. An automatic valet parking system is a system that can perform automatic valet driving (automatic valet parking, i.e., automatic valet entry and exit) using vehicles with automatic driving functions (autonomous driving functions). A parking lot 11 in which an automatic valet parking system is installed can also be said to be a parking lot 11 that supports automatic valet parking services.

For example, a user operates the user terminal device 6 to access an application that provides the automatic valet parking service. Then, the user can enter the necessary information and register as a member, thereby becoming able to use the automatic valet parking service.
In this embodiment, an automatic valet parking system is constructed as a system included in the automatic valet parking management system 500 shown in Fig. 1. That is, the automatic valet parking service is provided as a service included in the parking lot management service provided by the parking lot server 7. Various databases related to the automatic valet parking system are constructed in the database of the parking lot server 7.
Without being limited to this, an automated valet parking system may be constructed as a system separate from automated valet parking management system 500. For example, an automated valet parking system may be constructed by a separate management device not shown in FIG. 1 , and a separate contract may be concluded with parking lot 11.
There are no other limitations on the configuration or method for constructing the automatic valet parking system.

For example, a user operates the user terminal device 6 to make a reservation for automatic valet parking. Then, at the reserved time, the user manually drives a vehicle with automatic driving capabilities (in manual driving mode) and enters the parking lot 11. Of course, automatic driving is also acceptable.
A user parks their vehicle in a parking space that supports the automatic valet parking service (hereinafter referred to as an automatic valet boarding/exiting space) that is provided at a predetermined location within parking lot 11. Then, the user, having exited their vehicle, issues a command to execute automatic valet parking. The command to execute automatic valet parking is issued, for example, via user terminal device 6. Alternatively, a dedicated terminal or the like installed within parking lot 11 may be operated.
In response to this instruction, the vehicle moves to a designated parking space in the parking lot 11 by unmanned automatic driving (automatic driving mode) and parks the vehicle (automatic valet entry operation). It is also possible to enter the parking lot 11 at any time without making a reservation and have the automatic valet parking performed.
When the user returns to the parking lot, an instruction is input to move the vehicle with autonomous driving capabilities to the automated valet pick-up and drop-off space in the parking lot after a certain number of minutes. In response to the instruction, the vehicle moves from the parking space to the automated valet pick-up and drop-off space in unmanned autonomous driving mode and parks (automated valet exit operation).
Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described using an example of a parking lot 11 that supports an automatic valet parking service.

3. Parking lot configuration example

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a parking lot that supports automated valet parking services.

The parking lot 11 has an entrance 15, an exit 16, an internal walkway 17, multiple parking spaces 18, an automated valet boarding and disembarking space 19 (boarding area), stairs 20, an elevator 21 (elevator hall), a pre-payment machine 22, and an information device (not shown).

An entrance lane is configured from the entrance 15 toward the inside of the parking lot 11. The entrance lane 27 is provided with an entrance loop coil 27a, an entrance gate device 28a, and an entrance camera 29a.
The entry of the vehicle 3 into the entrance lane 27 is detected based on the signal output from the entrance loop coil 27a.
The entrance gate device 28a appropriately restricts the entry of vehicles 3 into the parking lot 11 from the entrance lane 27.
The entrance camera 29 a can capture an image of the vehicle 3 that has entered the entrance lane 27 .
The specific configuration of each device is not limited, and any configuration may be adopted.

An exit lane 29 is configured from inside the parking lot 11 toward the exit gate 16. The exit lane 29 is provided with an exit loop coil 27b, an exit gate device 28b, and an exit camera 29b.
The entry of the vehicle 3 into the exit lane 29 is detected based on the signal output from the exit loop coil 27b.
The exit gate device 28b appropriately restricts the exit of the vehicle 3 from the exit lane 29 to the outside of the parking lot 11.
The exit camera 29b can capture an image of the vehicle 3 that has entered the exit lane 29.
The specific configuration of each device is not limited, and any configuration may be adopted.

Although not shown in Figure 2, entrance lane 27 and exit lane 29 are respectively equipped with entrance ETC antennas 30a and exit ETC antennas 30b (Figure 1) that detect vehicles 3 equipped with ETC onboard units. The entrance ETC antennas 30a and exit ETC antennas 30b are connected to roadside units 34 (Figure 1).

The on-site passage 17 is a passage through which vehicles 3 that enter the parking lot 11 travel.
In addition, in this disclosure, a vehicle 3 with an autonomous driving function that is traveling in an autonomous driving mode is referred to as an autonomously driven vehicle 3a. On the other hand, a vehicle 3 that is manually driven by a driver is referred to as a non-autonomously driven vehicle 3b. For example, a vehicle 3 with an autonomous driving function that is traveling in a manual driving mode is also referred to as a non-autonomously driven vehicle 3b. Note that an autonomously driven vehicle that participates in a test drive, which will be described later, is referred to as a pseudo-non-autonomously driven vehicle.
2, the autonomously driven vehicle 3a and the pseudo non-autonomously driven vehicle are illustrated by a double, approximately rectangular shape, and the non-autonomously driven vehicle 3b is illustrated by a single, approximately rectangular shape.
As shown in Fig. 2, signs (arrows, etc.) that specify the direction of travel of vehicles 3 may be provided for the internal passage 17. In Fig. 2, vehicles keep to the left in the internal passage, and traffic flows in both directions. In addition, passages for pedestrians and the like may be specified.

A plurality of parking spaces 18 are provided within the parking lot 11. In the example shown in Figure 2, a plurality of parking spaces 18 are arranged with space numbers A1 to A6, B1 to B6, C1 to C6, D1 to D6, E1 to E6, F1 to F6, G1 to G6, J1 to J9, and K1 to K18. Of these, A1 to A6 are assigned as test parking spaces.
The parking space 18 is a space that can accommodate both an autonomously driven vehicle 3 a performing automated valet parking and a non-autonomously driven vehicle 3 b. In other words, in this embodiment, both autonomously driven vehicles 3 a (including pseudo-non-autonomously driven vehicles) and non-autonomously driven vehicles 3 b will travel together on the premises passage 17.

The automatic valet boarding/exiting space 19 is a parking space compatible with the automatic valet parking service. That is, the automatic valet boarding/exiting space 19 is a space where the driver and passengers can get in and out of the vehicle 3 that is executing the automatic valet parking service.
2 , two automated valet boarding and disembarking spaces 19, with space numbers V1 and V2, are provided near entrance 15 and exit 16. For example, a user using the automated valet parking service enters parking lot 11 from entrance 15, turns right, and parks vehicle 3 in automated valet boarding and disembarking space 19. The user then gets out of vehicle 3 at automated valet boarding and disembarking space 19 and issues a command to perform automated valet parking. In response to this command, autonomously driven vehicle 3a moves from automated valet boarding and disembarking space 19 to one of the parking spaces 18.
The parking space 18 in which the autonomous vehicle 3 a is parked may be predetermined or may be selected on an ad hoc basis. For example, a parking space 18 that is in the farthest corner of the parking lot 11 and is therefore not very convenient may be preferentially allocated for autonomous valet parking.
When a user of the automated valet parking service returns to parking lot 11, automated vehicle 3a moves from parking space 18 to automated valet boarding and disembarking space 19 at the same time. The user gets into vehicle 3 and manually drives vehicle 3 to exit through exit gate 16.

The prepayment machine 22 is a device that allows a user of the parking lot 11 to perform prepayment before leaving the parking lot 11 with the vehicle 3. For example, a device having a touch panel or the like is installed as the prepayment machine 22.
The guidance device (not shown) is a device for providing various information related to the parking lot 11 and the automated valet parking management system 500 (including the automated valet parking system). For example, a device having a display device or the like and capable of displaying guidance information is used as the guidance device.

As a system for monitoring parking lots and supporting automated valet services, the following devices are installed within the parking lot, as shown in Figure 2.

The on-site camera 32 (white circle in the figure) primarily captures images of the on-site passageway 17, the parking space camera 33 (black circle in the figure) primarily captures images of the parking space 18, the entrance camera 29a, the exit camera 29b, the on-site camera 32, and the parking space camera 33 each function as multiple control cameras (hereinafter, collectively referred to as cameras unless otherwise described individually) in the automated valet parking management system. The various cameras described above in this disclosure may be monocular digital cameras equipped with image sensors such as CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) sensors or CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensors. Other cameras, such as infrared cameras, may also be used.

The automated valet parking management system 500 is capable of outputting monitoring information as the results of monitoring the parking lot 11. In this embodiment, images captured by various cameras and sounds captured by various microphones are output as monitoring information.
In this disclosure, images include both still images and moving images (video).
The on-site cameras 32 and the parking space cameras 33 are positioned so as to cover as much of the entire parking lot 11 as possible. In other words, multiple on-site cameras 32 and multiple parking space cameras 33 are appropriately positioned so as to eliminate blind spots as much as possible.

4. Automated Valet Parking Control System

An example of the configuration of an automated valet parking management system 500 will be described with reference to FIG.
The automated valet parking management system 500 is a system constructed for the parking lot 11.
The automated valet parking management system 500 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a parking management device 5, a prepayment machine 22, an automated valet control device 37, an entrance gate device 28a, an exit gate device 28b, a roadside unit 34, an entrance ETC antenna 30a, an exit ETC antenna 30b, an entrance camera 29a, an exit camera 29b, an on-site camera 32, and a parking space camera 33.
1 are communicably connected to each other, for example, via an on-site LAN (not shown) installed within the premises of the parking lot 11. Alternatively, any other communication technology via wireless or wired lines may be used.

The automated valet control device 37 is a device for constructing an automated valet parking system. In this embodiment, the automated valet control device 37 cooperates with the parking lot server 7 and the parking lot management device 5 to manage automated valet driving and test driving by the automated driving vehicle 3a.
For example, the automatic valet control device 37 controls the automatic driving operation of the automatically driven vehicle 3a. For example, an instruction is given to automatically drive from the automatic valet boarding/alighting space 19 to a predetermined parking space 18. Alternatively, an instruction is given to automatically drive from the predetermined parking space 18 to the automatic valet boarding/alighting space 19. Furthermore, as a test drive, an instruction is given to automatically drive from the automatic valet boarding/alighting space 19 to a test parking space, or to automatically drive from a predetermined test parking space to a predetermined parking space.
In addition, various processes are performed, such as managing reservations for automated valet parking spaces.
The automated valet control device 37 has hardware necessary for configuring a computer, such as a CPU, ROM, RAM, and HDD. The automated valet control device 37 also has a communication unit for communicating with other devices via the network 1. The communication unit may be, for example, a wireless LAN module such as Wi-Fi, or a communication device such as a modem or router.
The automatic valet control device 37 may be, for example, any computer such as a PC.

The database of the parking lot management device 5 stores various data related to the parking lot 11, and any databases such as a vehicle presence database and a history database are constructed. Of course, the data stored in the database of the parking lot server 7 may be shared.
In addition, various information related to automatic valet parking is stored in the DB of the parking lot management device 5. Note that the above-mentioned vehicle information and the like may be stored in the DB of the parking lot server 7 instead of the DB of the parking lot management device 5.

5. Self-driving vehicles

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of a vehicle with autonomous driving capabilities.

Here, the description will be given assuming that the autonomously driven vehicle 3a is in an autonomous driving mode. The autonomously driven vehicle 3a also includes a pseudo non-autonomous vehicle that participates in the test drive.
The autonomously driving vehicle 3a has a communication unit 41, on-board cameras 42, an image processing device 43, an ETC antenna 44, an ETC on-board unit 45, a control unit 46, internal and external sensors 59, a car navigation device 60, and a GPS receiver/beacon receiver 61.
The communication unit 41 is a device for communicating with other devices. In this embodiment, various information including instructions from the automatic valet control device 37 is acquired via the communication unit 41.
The communication unit 41 may be, for example, a communication device such as a dedicated short range communication (DSRC) device. Alternatively, any other communication device conforming to the current connected car standards may be used.

The on-board cameras 42 are capable of capturing images of the surroundings of the autonomously driven vehicle 3 a and occupants inside the autonomously driven vehicle 3 a. The on-board cameras 42 may include a camera of a drive recorder.
A digital camera such as a CCD camera is used as the on-board camera 42. Alternatively, a distance measuring device such as a ToF camera or a stereo camera may be used. Alternatively, an infrared camera or the like may be used.
The image processing device 43 recognizes the situation around the autonomously driven vehicle 3a based on images captured by the on-board cameras 42. The algorithm for situation recognition is not limited.
The ETC antenna 44 and the ETC vehicle unit 45 allow the parking lot 11 to be used by ETC payment.

The control unit 46 has hardware necessary for configuring a computer, such as a CPU, ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. In the example shown in Fig. 3, the control unit 46 realizes, as software blocks, a driving route generation unit 47, a driving control unit 48, a vehicle/person recognition unit 57, an electrical control unit 58, and an update management unit 62.
The driving route generation unit 47 determines a driving route for automatic driving based on instructions from the automatic valet control device 37, the recognition results from the image processing device 43, map information of the parking lot 11, etc.
The driving control unit 48 appropriately controls the drive system (not shown) and other components of the autonomously driven vehicle 3a to achieve autonomous driving along the determined driving route.
3, for example, a driving control unit 48 outputs control signals to an engine/motor control device 49, a brake control device 50, a headlight control device 51, a hazard lamp (blinker) control device 52, a horn control device 53, etc. This enables automatic driving along a driving route, crisis avoidance maneuvers, etc.
In addition, well-known technologies for realizing autonomous driving may be used as appropriate.

As described below, this automated valet parking management system 500 is configured to identify, capture, and track each vehicle passing through the parking lot 11, making it possible to monitor each vehicle's driving position, parking location, etc.

The vehicle and person recognition unit 57 recognizes the faces of occupants and pedestrians from images of occupants inside and outside the autonomously driven vehicle 3a captured by the onboard cameras 42, and also recognizes parked and moving vehicles around the autonomously driven vehicle 3a.

The electrical control unit 58 outputs control signals to the door lock control device 54, window operation control device 55, and air conditioning control device 56.

6. Overview of Parking Lot Management Device Functions

Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an overview of the functions of the parking lot management device and automatic valet control device.

The parking lot management device 5 has a parking space management function 77, a parking lot control function 78, a parking fee management function 79, a parking lot management device communication function 80, an automatic valet parking reception function 81, a vehicle software version confirmation function 71, a vehicle software version update function 72, a reference vehicle selection function 73, a driving route setting function 74, a test setting function 75, a test recording function 76, and a test record output function 82. The parking lot management device 5 further has a vehicle appearance damage confirmation function 83, a vehicle software soundness confirmation function 84, an insurance subscription confirmation function 85, a repair cost estimate function 86, a vehicle software repair function 87, and a confirmation record output function 88.
These blocks are configured by the CPU of the parking lot management device 5 executing a predetermined program and working in cooperation with the hardware resources within the device, thereby realizing the parking lot control method according to this embodiment.
The method for installing the program in the parking lot management device 5 is not limited.

Software updates can be performed while the vehicle is parked at home or while the vehicle is driving. However, testing the contents of a software update may not always be possible at home or on a public road. A software update notification may be displayed on the car navigation system or console screen. After the download is complete, the driver can choose to update or request an update, which will usually occur while the vehicle is parked at home. When guiding the driver to a parking space, the driver (user) may indicate whether they wish to test the update after the update.

The parking lot control function 78 executes various processes related to the control of the parking lot 11 .
For example, it detects vehicle 3, controls gate device 28, controls each device included in monitoring system 24, controls prepayment machine 22, controls guidance devices (not shown), confirms prepayment, communicates with other devices on network 1 shown in Figure 1, writes and reads information to the parking lot database, and performs various other processes related to the control of parking lot 11. Of these functions, automated valet control device 37 controls the operation of automatically driven vehicle 3a, but for simplicity, parking lot management device 5 and automated valet control device 37 are assumed to operate as a single unit.

Note that the automated valet parking lot management system 500 of the present invention may be realized by excluding the parking lot server 7 from the automated valet parking lot management system 500 illustrated in FIG. 1. For example, the automated valet parking lot management system 500 of the present invention may be realized by using only the parking lot management device 5.

7. Automatic valet parking test operation

Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an automated valet parking test operation, including a test driving operation. Figure 7 shows the basic operational flow of an automated valet parking test operation, including a test driving operation.

A vehicle 3a with automatic driving capabilities enters the parking lot 11 by manual driving and parks in the automatic valet boarding and disembarking space 19. Upon entry, the parking lot management device 5 acquires the vehicle ID (number, WCN, etc.) of the entering vehicle from the recognition results of the entrance camera 29a, entrance ETC antenna 30a, etc.

The parking lot management device 5 determines the autonomous driving test operation to be performed within the parking lot 11 by the autonomous vehicle 3a entering the parking lot 11, and creates a plan for the autonomous driving test operation. The specific method is as follows:

The parking lot management device 5 queries the vehicle DB 102 (Figure 9) of the parking lot server 7 and reads information about the relevant vehicle 3a, as well as the history of automated driving test operations that have been performed and the automated valet parking history. The vehicle DB 102 stores software update items for each vehicle 3a. If the vehicle 3a is an automated driving vehicle 3a and is registered as a member, the parking lot management device 5 communicates with the vehicle 3a via wireless communication and reads software version information, the history of automated driving test operations that have been performed and the automated valet parking history from the update management unit 62 of the vehicle 3a. The parking lot management device 5 determines the software version of the automated driving vehicle 3a (step S11). The contents of the update items are described in the software update program for the automated driving vehicle 3a.

The parking lot management device 5 extracts unexecuted autonomous driving test operations while appropriately checking the software version information of the vehicle 3a, the history of executed autonomous driving test operations, and the history of automated valet parking (step S12). The parking lot management device 5 extracts unexecuted autonomous driving test operations by the autonomous vehicle 3a from among one or more autonomous driving test operations linked to the software version of the autonomous vehicle 3a.

If there are any autonomous driving test operations that have not yet been performed by the autonomous vehicle 3a, the parking lot management device 5 determines whether the extracted autonomous driving test operations can be performed in the environment within the parking lot 11 (i.e., whether the parking lot 11 is in an environment where testing can be performed) (step S13).

For example, the parking lot DB of the parking lot server 7 stores the test items and test contents for each parking lot 11, for example, in the form of updated test codes assigned by the vehicle manufacturer 12. In other words, parking lots 11 that support a large number of updated test codes can provide a large variety of automated driving test operations. The parking lot management device 5 determines whether an automated driving test operation can be performed in the environment within the parking lot 11 based on the test items and test contents (updated test codes) in the parking lot DB. Furthermore, the parking lot management device 5 may determine whether an automated driving test operation can be performed in the environment within the parking lot 11 based on the current environment within the parking lot 11 (e.g., brightness, time of day, degree of congestion, presence or absence of pedestrians, etc.). Furthermore, the parking lot management device 5 may determine the automated driving test operation to be performed based on the model and/or size of the automated driving vehicle 3a.

The parking lot management device 5 determines which automatic driving test operation(s) to perform from among the automatic driving test operations that have not yet been performed (step S14). For example, if software has been updated to improve the operational stability of automatic parking, and an automatic parking test operation or actual automatic valet parking operation has not yet been performed, the parking lot management device 5 will determine that an automatic valet parking test operation should be performed before the current (actual) automatic valet parking operation.

In detail, the parking lot management device 5 determines an available empty space to be used as the test parking space 90. Preferably, the central space of an empty space for three vehicles, with no vehicles parked on either side, is selected as the test parking space 90. If there are only empty spaces for two vehicles, one of the two spaces is selected as the test parking space 90. In addition, the size and parking condition of the parked vehicle are taken into consideration when selecting a test parking space 90 that will ensure the greatest possible safety distance. That is, when there are three consecutive vacant spaces, the parking lot management device 5 creates a plan to execute an automatic valet parking test operation to park in the central vacant space; when there are no three consecutive vacant spaces but there are two consecutive vacant spaces, one of the vacant spaces; when there are no two consecutive vacant spaces but there is a one-vehicle vacant space and the distance between the vehicle parked in the adjacent vacant space and the one-vehicle vacant space is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the one-vehicle vacant space; and when there are no vacant spaces, once one of the vacant spaces becomes available, the parking lot management device 5 creates a plan to execute an automatic valet parking test operation to park in that vacant space, which is the test parking space 90.

If the parking lot management device 5 selects the center space of a three-vehicle vacant space as the test parking space 90, it creates a plan for driving forward into the test parking space 90 in the shortest distance and reversing to park. If the parking lot management device 5 selects one of a two-vehicle vacant space as the test parking space 90, it creates a plan for driving forward into the space at the back of the two-vehicle space in the direction of travel and reversing to park. If there is only one vacant space for the test parking space 90, the parking lot management device 5 will either not perform the test operation at this time, or will select an vacant space where the vehicles on both sides are relatively small and a safe distance can be maintained as much as possible, and create a plan for driving forward into that space and reversing to park. The parking lot management device 5 also takes into consideration the model and/or size of the autonomously driven vehicle 3a itself that will perform the automatic valet parking test operation when deciding whether to perform the test operation.

The automated valet control device 37 outputs a command to the automated vehicle 3a to execute an automated driving test operation (in this example, automated valet parking test operation 91) within the parking lot 11 based on the plan created by the parking lot management device 5 (step S15).

Based on the command output from the automated valet control device 37, the automated vehicle 3a performs the automated valet parking test operation 91, with the test parking space 90 as the destination.

The parking lot management device 5 records the status of the autonomous driving test operation (autonomous valet parking test operation 91) performed by the autonomous vehicle 3a and generates test results. The test results include images taken by one or more cameras installed in the parking lot 11 (parking space camera 33, on-site camera 32, and other cameras if available) and/or images taken by the on-board cameras 42 of the autonomous vehicle 3a. The test results also include parking position data, steering rotation information, whether or not steering was performed, time required for parking, closest approach distance (distance from the space boundary), etc. The parking lot management device 5 records the test results in a test result database (not shown) in the parking lot server 7.

The parking lot management device 5 outputs the test results to an external device (not shown) (step S16). For example, the parking lot management device 5 notifies the user's mobile terminal device 6 of the test results by email, etc. Alternatively, the test results may be output to an external device for storage in a database as big data. The big data may be, for example, big data from a city-state, experimental municipality, or community in which a large amount of vehicle data is stored. The parking lot management device 5 may output the test results to an external device accessible to users, manufacturers, etc.

After the autonomously driven vehicle 3a has completed execution of the automatic valet parking test operation 91, if the test result is a pass, the parking lot management device 5 causes the autonomously driven vehicle 3a to output a command to the autonomously driven vehicle 3a to park the autonomously driven vehicle 3a in the final parking space 92 within the parking lot 11. The autonomously driven vehicle 3a then outputs a command to execute an automatic valet parking operation 93 for the initially selected final parking space 92. On the other hand, if there is a problem with the test result, the autonomously driven vehicle 3a does not output a command to execute the automatic valet parking operation 93 to the autonomously driven vehicle 3a, and the autonomously driven vehicle 3a continues parking in its current position.

If the test results are not pass and the operation of the autonomous vehicle 3a becomes unstable or its performance deteriorates, the parking lot management device 5 may downgrade the software of the autonomous vehicle 3a.

The test parking space 90 may be variable in size in the width direction and/or the longitudinal direction of the autonomous vehicle 3a. For example, the white lines separating the test parking space 90 may be composed of multiple rows of LED lights arranged consecutively on the floor, and the size of the empty space may be variable by turning on two rows of LED lights of a predetermined width and turning off the other rows of LED lights. The parking lot management device 5 may control the test parking spaces 90 to be multiple different sizes and create a plan for executing the automated valet parking test operation 91 for parking in the multiple test parking spaces 90 of different sizes. This makes it possible to determine whether all of the test operations pass when performed on multiple test parking spaces 90 of different sizes (or, conversely, whether there are any test parking spaces 90 of sizes that are difficult to park in).

8. Other examples of test driving operations

Figure 8 illustrates an example of an automated valet parking test operation 96 that includes other test driving operations.

Detailed explanations will be omitted for operations that are the same as those in Figure 6.

The parking lot management device 5 determines the software version of the autonomously driven vehicle 3a (step S11) and extracts autonomous driving test operations that have not yet been performed by the autonomously driven vehicle 3a (step S12). The parking lot management device 5 determines whether the extracted autonomous driving test operations can be performed in the environment within the parking lot 11 (step S13).

The parking lot management device 5 determines which automated driving test operation(s) to execute from among the automated driving test operations that have not yet been executed (step S14). For example, if software has been updated to improve safety assurance operations related to automated driving and a vehicle-facing test operation has not yet been executed, the parking lot management device 5 determines that a vehicle-facing test operation should be executed before or simultaneously with the current automated valet parking test operation 96.

In more detail, the parking lot management device 5 determines the autonomous vehicles (participating vehicles 3c) that are present in the parking lot 11 and will participate in the vehicle-to-vehicle test operation. The parking lot management device 5 determines as participating vehicles 3c any of the following: autonomous vehicles that have already performed vehicle-to-vehicle test operations; autonomous vehicles that have been authorized by the owner of the participating vehicle to participate in the vehicle-to-vehicle test operation; autonomous vehicles used as shared cars or rental cars; and autonomous vehicles with valid vehicle insurance. The owner may be, for example, an individual member, particularly an individual member who has authorized participation and received a reward, a leasing institution, a car-sharing administrator, etc. The parking lot management device 5 also determines the participating vehicles 3c based on the vehicle type. The vehicle type includes the model, size, vehicle manufacturer 12, body color, and/or software update content.

Furthermore, when the autonomous vehicle 3a has previously performed a vehicle-to-vehicle test operation on a participating vehicle of a first type (e.g., small), but has not yet performed a vehicle-to-vehicle test operation on a participating vehicle 3c of a second type (e.g., large) that is different from the first type (small), and the parking lot management device 5 determines that a participating vehicle 3c of the second type (large) is present in the parking lot, the parking lot management device 5 determines that a vehicle-to-vehicle test operation should be performed on the participating vehicle 3c of the second type (large). This makes it possible to determine whether all of the same test operation passed when performed on multiple different types of vehicles (or, conversely, whether there were any vehicle models that were difficult to perform).

The parking lot management device 5 creates a plan for the test target autonomous vehicle 3a to perform an autonomous valet parking test operation 96, first with the final parking space 92 as its destination. The parking lot management device 5 causes the autonomous valet control device 37 to output commands to the autonomous vehicle 3a and participating vehicle 3c to perform a vehicle-to-vehicle test operation within the parking lot 11. The parking lot management device 5 then causes the autonomous valet control device 37 to output commands to the participating vehicle 3c to behave as a pseudo non-autonomous vehicle (step S15). For example, the parking lot management device 5 issues a command to the participating vehicle 3c to drive without stopping even when passing other vehicles. Furthermore, after confirming safety, the parking lot management device 5 may issue commands to the participating vehicle 3c to drive unstably, such as by suddenly accelerating, stopping suddenly, or meandering slightly.

The automated valet control device 37 treats the test participant vehicle 3c as a pseudo non-autonomous vehicle and outputs a notification (false information notification) to the test target automated vehicle 3a that a non-autonomous vehicle is approaching. Based on the command output from the automated valet control device 37, the test participant vehicle 3c travels along the driving route 94 determined by the parking lot management device 5, traveling so as to pass the test target automated vehicle 3a. To ensure safety, the test target automated vehicle 3a moves to the left side 95 of the on-site passage and stops temporarily. Once the test participant vehicle 3c has passed, the test target automated vehicle 3a resumes the automated valet parking test operation 96.

Depending on the software update content, the parking lot management device 5 creates a plan for when to pass the test participant vehicle 3c and controls the test participant vehicle 3c. Immediately after the test is completed, the test participant vehicle 3c automatically drives and parks (automatic valet parking) in its original parking position. The parking lot management device 5 records the test parking situation and outputs the results (step S16).

9. Other additional features and functionality

When the autonomous driving test operation to be performed by the autonomous vehicle 3a is a human-interacting test operation, the parking lot management device 5 may output a command to a humanoid robot (not shown) to perform a walking operation and create a plan for performing the human-interacting test operation within the parking lot.

The parking lot management device 5 may notify the owner of an autonomously driven vehicle 3a for which software rewrites affecting the performance and/or functionality of automated valet parking and automated valet exit operation have not yet been processed, urging them to perform the rewrite and verification process, and may perform the software rewrite process and verification operation (autonomous driving test operation and recording) while the vehicle is parked, depending on the owner's response.

The parking lot management device 5 may perform an autonomous driving test operation for an autonomously driven vehicle 3a that is not automatically valet parked (i.e., an autonomously driven vehicle 3a with automatic parking and pick-up functions that is manually parked in a parking lot). In this case, the parking lot management device 5 may perform an autonomous driving test operation if instructed by the owner.

Owners who participate in testing as pseudo-non-autonomous vehicles 3c may receive rewards such as a reduction or offset of fees for services related to the test operation of their vehicle.

The timing of executing the automated driving test operation may be controlled by the parking lot management device 5 depending on the degree of congestion in the parking lot 11. The automated driving test may first be performed by automated valet parking, followed by the test operation.

10. Visual damage detection operation

Figure 10 shows an explanatory diagram of a parking space camera image 103 in an embodiment of the present invention.

In the operational flow of the damage state detection operation in Figure 7, we will explain the operation when, for example, a difference in the vehicle's appearance is detected.

The parking lot management device 5 queries the vehicle DB 102 (Figure 9), reads information about the vehicle 3 that has entered the parking lot 11, and identifies the vehicle 3 that will be using the parking lot 11. The parking lot management device 5 identifies the vehicle 3 when it enters and exits the parking lot 11 (step S21).

The parking lot management device 5 acquires the external condition of the vehicle 3. Specifically, when entering and exiting, the parking lot management device 5 acquires the external condition of the vehicle 3, focusing on the front of the vehicle 3, using the entrance camera 29a and exit camera 29b. The parking lot management device 5 detects whether there is a change in the damage state of the vehicle 3 at the time of entry and the time of exit, and if there is a change, it determines that damage has occurred within the parking lot 11.

In this embodiment, damage refers to physical damage that is visible from the outside. Furthermore, a damaged state also includes a state in which there is no damage.

In addition, the parking lot management device 5 extracts the side of the vehicle 3 traveling in the parking lot 11's internal passage 17 from the image captured by the parking space camera 33. The parking lot management device 5 extracts and compares the extracted side of the vehicle 3 with previously recorded images taken from the same or similar angle (step S22). From the comparison results, the parking lot management device 5 extracts parts and part names that are detected as being different, thereby detecting the damage state of the vehicle 3 and identifying the details of the damage state (step S23). The parking lot management device 5 analyzes the details and conditions of each difference (step S24).

The parking lot management device 5 detects the damage state of the vehicle 3 based on images taken by the parking space photographing camera 33 in the parking lot 11, identifies the details of the damage state, and further estimates the timing when the damage occurred. The parking lot management device 5 may also estimate the timing when the damage occurred by comparing images taken at the time of entry, images taken at the time of exit, and images taken by the parking space photographing camera 33 from the time of entry to the time of exit.

According to this embodiment, the damage to the side of the vehicle 3 is detected based on images captured by the parking space photographing camera 33, making it easier to accurately detect the damage to the vehicle 3. Furthermore, by detecting the damage to the vehicle 3 from multiple directions based on images captured by multiple parking space photographing cameras 33 installed within the parking lot 11, it is easier to accurately detect the damage to the vehicle 3, and it is also easier to identify the location within the parking lot 11 where the damage occurred, the timing of the damage, and the cause of the damage.

In addition, the parking lot management device 5 detects whether there is a change in the damage state between the previous exit and the current entry, and if there is a change, determines that the damage occurred outside the parking lot 11 during the period from the previous exit to the current entry. This makes it possible to prove that the damage occurred outside the parking lot 11, allowing the owner of the parking lot 11 to be exempt from liability.

The parking lot management device 5 may determine the location within the parking lot 11 where the damage occurred based on the vehicle's driving route within the parking lot 11. The parking lot management device 5 may estimate the other vehicle 3 as the party to whom the damage occurred based on the parking positions and/or driving routes of vehicle 3 and the other vehicle 3 within the parking lot 11. The parking lot management device 5 may detect whether there is a change in the damage state of the other vehicle 3 at the time of entry and the damage state of the other vehicle 3 that stays in the parking lot 11 at least temporarily between the time vehicle 3 enters and the time vehicle 3 leaves the parking lot 11 (i.e., whose stay in the parking lot 11 overlaps with vehicle 3's), and if there is a change, may estimate the other vehicle 3 as the party to whom the damage occurred. The parking lot management device 5 may identify the damage state of the other vehicle, the location within the parking lot 11 where the damage occurred, the timing of the damage, and the cause of the damage based on images of the other vehicle taken by the parking space photographing camera 33, and may estimate the other vehicle 3 as the party to whom the damage occurred based on these.

The parking lot management device 5 records information about the damage state of the vehicle 3 in a recording means. The information about the damage state of the vehicle 3 recorded in the recording means may include images taken by a parking space photographing camera 33 within the parking lot 11. The information about the damage state of the vehicle 3 recorded in the recording means may also include historical information including the route the vehicle 3 took from the time of entry to the time of exit, as well as the date and time.

The parking lot management device 5 outputs a response method depending on the damage condition (step S25). For example, if a dent is detected in the right rear sliding door, the parking lot management device 5 outputs the response method of requesting repairs or requesting a quote from the manufacturer. The parking lot management device 5 may notify the owner or user of the vehicle 3 of the detected problem and the extracted response method by email or other means. The response method may be at least one of requesting repairs, estimating costs, notifying an insurance company, reporting to the police, or reporting to the manufacturer. The parking lot management device 5 may also output information (images and history information) on the damage condition at the time of entry and exit recorded in the recording means, along with the response method. The parking lot management device 5 may automatically request repairs or request a repair cost quote from the manufacturer, and may also receive a quote response and a repair response schedule and output the results, according to instructions from the owner or user.

The parking lot management device 5 may output information on the damage status of the vehicle 3 to an external device (not shown). For example, the parking lot management device 5 may output information on the damage status of the vehicle 3 to an external device in order to accumulate it in a database as big data. The big data may be, for example, big data from a city-state, experimental municipality, or community in which a large amount of vehicle data is stored. The parking lot management device 5 may output information on the damage status of the vehicle 3 to an external device that is accessible to users, manufacturers, etc.

11. An example of automated valet parking including differential detection photography.

Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of automatic valet parking operation including difference detection photography operation.

The vehicle 3 in which a damaged state is detected may be an autonomous vehicle 3a.

In step S22, when an image is acquired by the parking space camera 33, as shown in FIG. 10, the parking space camera 33 captures an image of the side of the autonomously driven vehicle 3a while it is in motion, but it is preferable that the autonomously driven vehicle 3a be traveling as far away from the parking space camera 33 as possible. This is to prevent the autonomously driven vehicle 3a from being obscured by the roof of another autonomously driven vehicle 3a while in motion, for example. Therefore, when being photographed by the parking space camera 33, it is desirable that the autonomously driven vehicle 3a be traveling in a premises passage 17 on the far side from the parking space camera 33.

To capture images of both the left and right sides of the autonomous vehicle 3a, it is desirable for the autonomous vehicle 3a to travel in a serpentine pattern along the premises passageway 17 so that it is positioned far away from the two parking space cameras 33, as shown in the figure. The serpentine travel route 97 (travel trajectory) is set by the parking lot management device 5, and instructions are sent to the autonomous vehicle 3a via the automated valet control device 37. That is, the parking lot management device 5 specifies and controls a position on the automated valet parking travel route 98 with the final parking space 92 as the destination, so that the parking space photographing camera 33 records the autonomous vehicle 3a in the photographing and recording means when the autonomous vehicle 3a travels through the parking lot 11 and passes the parking space photographing camera 33. Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an image DB 104, a specific example of a photographing and recording means.

The parking lot management device 5 may detect whether there is a change in the damage state of the autonomously driven vehicle 3a at the start of the autonomous driving test operation (Figures 6 and 8) and at the end of the autonomous driving test operation, and if there is a change, may determine that damage occurred during the autonomous driving test operation. The parking lot management device 5 may output information (images, history, etc.) on the damage state at the start and end of the autonomous driving test operation recorded in the image DB 104, along with response methods.

12. Variations

The parking lot management device 5 may detect tire changes from images of the side of the vehicle 3, and may also detect differences in tire size from the characters printed on the tires, taking into account changes in the minimum turning radius of the vehicle 3, and test turning performance.

The parking lot management device 5 can use the entry image to identify vehicles 3 equipped with chains and not accept automatic valet parking.

The parking lot management device 5 may obtain insurance status (optional insurance) through communication with the vehicle 3 and notify the owner or user if insurance has expired. Furthermore, the parking lot management device 5 may not accept automatic valet parking if it detects that the vehicle does not have insurance. Alternatively, if the vehicle does not have insurance, the parking lot management device 5 may select an automatic valet parking space in a location that is not close to other vehicles 3.

Although various embodiments and variations of the present technology have been described above, the present technology is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can of course be made without departing from the spirit of the present technology.

The present invention is designed to improve convenience for users of parking lots that support automated valet parking services.

Autonomous driving vehicle 3a
Non-autonomous vehicle 3b
Parking lot server 7
Parking lot management device 5
Automatic Valley Control Device 37
Automated valet parking management system 500

Claims (14)

A parking lot management device configured by a processor executing a program and cooperating with hardware resources,
a vehicle identification means for identifying a vehicle using the parking lot;
a damage confirmation means for detecting whether there is a change in the external damage state of the vehicle from one time to another based on images taken by a parking space photographing camera in the parking lot, and determining that there is external damage to the vehicle if there is a change, and identifying the details of the damage state;
a recording means for recording information on the damage state of the vehicle;
a response means for outputting a response method according to the content of the damage state;
Equipped with
the vehicle identification means identifies the vehicle when it enters and exits the parking lot;
The damage confirmation means
Detecting whether there is a change in the state of damage of the vehicle when it enters the parking lot and when it leaves, and if there is a change, determining that damage has occurred within the parking lot;
It is detected whether there is a change in the state of damage of other vehicles that are at least temporarily present in the parking lot between the time the vehicle enters and the time it leaves, and if there is a change, it is estimated that the other vehicle is the one that has sustained the damage.
Parking lot management device. The parking lot management device according to claim 1 ,
The damage confirmation means detects whether there is a change in the damage state of the vehicle when it last left the parking lot and when it now enters the parking lot, and if there is a change, determines that damage occurred outside the parking lot during the period from the last time the vehicle left the parking lot to the time it now enters the parking lot . The parking lot management device according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The damage confirmation means estimates the timing when the damage occurred based on an image taken by the parking space photographing camera in the parking lot . The parking lot management device according to claim 3 ,
The parking lot management device, wherein the information on the damage state of the vehicle recorded in the recording means includes an image taken by the parking space photographing camera in the parking lot. A parking lot management device configured by a processor executing a program and cooperating with hardware resources,
a vehicle identification means for identifying a vehicle using the parking lot;
a damage confirmation means for detecting whether there is a change in the external damage state of the vehicle from one time to another based on images taken by a parking space photographing camera in the parking lot, and determining that there is external damage to the vehicle if there is a change, and identifying the details of the damage state;
a recording means for recording information on the damage state of the vehicle;
a response means for outputting a response method according to the content of the damage state;
Equipped with
A parking lot management device in which the information on the damage state of the vehicle recorded in the recording means includes history information including the route the vehicle took within the parking lot from the time of entry to the time of exit, as well as the date and time. A parking lot management device according to claim 1, 2, or 5 ,
The response method is at least one of requesting repairs, estimating costs, notifying an insurance company, reporting to the police, and reporting to the manufacturer;
The response means outputs the information on the damage state of the vehicle at the time of entry and the damage state at the time of exit, which are recorded in the recording means, together with the response method . The parking lot management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
The vehicle is an autonomous vehicle . A parking lot management device configured by a processor executing a program and cooperating with hardware resources,
a vehicle identification means for identifying a vehicle using the parking lot;
a damage confirmation means for detecting whether there is a change in the external damage state of the vehicle from one time to another based on images taken by a parking space photographing camera in the parking lot, and determining that there is external damage to the vehicle if there is a change, and identifying the details of the damage state;
a recording means for recording information on the damage state of the vehicle;
a response means for outputting a response method according to the content of the damage state;
Equipped with
the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle;
The damage confirmation means detects the damage state of the autonomously driven vehicle based on an image captured by the parking space photographing camera in the parking lot and identifies the details of the damage state;
The parking lot management device further comprises an automatic valet control device that specifies a position on the driving route and controls the parking space photographing camera to photograph the automatic vehicle when the automatic vehicle traveling in the parking lot passes by the parking space photographing camera . A parking lot management device configured by a processor executing a program and cooperating with hardware resources,
a vehicle identification means for identifying a vehicle using the parking lot;
a damage confirmation means for detecting whether there is a change in the external damage state of the vehicle from one time to another based on images taken by a parking space photographing camera in the parking lot, and determining that there is external damage to the vehicle if there is a change, and identifying the details of the damage state;
a recording means for recording information on the damage state of the vehicle;
a response means for outputting a response method according to the content of the damage state;
Equipped with
the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle;
The parking lot management device is a parking lot management device for an automatic valet service-compatible parking lot in which the automatically driven vehicle automatically parks into a parking space within the parking lot and automatically drives from the parking space to a boarding space. The parking lot management device according to claim 8 ,
the automatic valet control device determines an automatic driving test operation to be performed by the automatic driving vehicle in the parking lot, and outputs a command to the automatic driving vehicle to perform the automatic driving test operation in the parking lot based on a plan of the automatic driving test operation;
the damage confirmation means detects whether there is a change in the damage state of the automatically driven vehicle at the start of the automatic driving test operation and the damage state at the end of the automatic driving test operation, and if there is a change, determines that damage occurred during the automatic driving test operation;
A parking lot management device, wherein the response means outputs information on the damage state at the start and end of the automatic driving test operation recorded in the recording means, along with the response method. The processor of the parking lot management device executes a program and cooperates with the hardware resources,
a vehicle identification step of identifying a vehicle using the parking lot;
a damage confirmation step of detecting whether there is a change in the external damage state of the vehicle from one time to another based on images taken by a parking space photographing camera in the parking lot, and if there is a change, determining that there is external damage to the vehicle and identifying the details of the damage state;
a recording step of recording information on the damage state of the vehicle;
a response step of outputting a response method according to the content of the damage state;
A parking lot management method comprising:
the vehicle identification step identifies the vehicle upon entry into and exit from the parking lot;
The damage confirmation step includes:
Detecting whether there is a change in the state of damage of the vehicle when it enters the parking lot and when it leaves, and if there is a change, determining that damage has occurred within the parking lot;
It is detected whether there is a change in the state of damage of other vehicles that are at least temporarily present in the parking lot between the time the vehicle enters and the time it leaves, and if there is a change, it is estimated that the other vehicle is the one that has sustained the damage.
Parking lot management methods. The processor of the parking lot management device executes a program and cooperates with the hardware resources,
a vehicle identification step of identifying a vehicle using the parking lot;
a damage confirmation step of detecting whether there is a change in the external damage state of the vehicle from one time to another based on images taken by a parking space photographing camera in the parking lot, and if there is a change, determining that there is external damage to the vehicle and identifying the details of the damage state;
a recording step of recording information on the damage state of the vehicle;
a response step of outputting a response method according to the content of the damage state;
A parking lot management method comprising:
The information on the damage state of the vehicle recorded in the recording step includes history information including the travel route of the vehicle within the parking lot and the date and time from the time of entry to the time of exit.
Parking lot management methods. The processor of the parking lot management device executes a program and cooperates with the hardware resources,
a vehicle identification step of identifying a vehicle using the parking lot;
a damage confirmation step of detecting whether there is a change in the external damage state of the vehicle from one time to another based on images taken by a parking space photographing camera in the parking lot, and if there is a change, determining that there is external damage to the vehicle and identifying the details of the damage state;
a recording step of recording information on the damage state of the vehicle;
a response step of outputting a response method according to the content of the damage state;
A parking lot management method comprising:
the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle;
The damage confirmation step includes detecting the damage state of the autonomously driven vehicle based on an image captured by the parking space photographing camera in the parking lot and identifying the details of the damage state;
The parking lot management method further includes a step of controlling, by an automatic valet control device, a position on a driving route of the automatically-driven vehicle traveling in the parking lot so that the parking space photographing camera photographs the automatically-driven vehicle when the automatically-driven vehicle passes the parking space photographing camera.
Parking lot management methods. The processor of the parking lot management device executes a program and cooperates with the hardware resources,
a vehicle identification step of identifying a vehicle using the parking lot;
a damage confirmation step of detecting whether there is a change in the external damage state of the vehicle from one time to another based on images taken by a parking space photographing camera in the parking lot, and if there is a change, determining that there is external damage to the vehicle and identifying the details of the damage state;
a recording step of recording information on the damage state of the vehicle;
a response step of outputting a response method according to the content of the damage state;
A parking lot management method comprising:
the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle;
The parking lot management device is a parking lot management device for an automatic valet service-compatible parking lot in which the automatic driving vehicle automatically parks in a parking space within the parking lot and automatically drives from the parking space to a boarding space.
Parking lot management methods.