JP7837678B2 - Parking device - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a parking device for parking vehicles, such as cars.

Multi-story parking systems are widely used in densely populated residential areas and other locations as parking facilities that can efficiently park a large number of vehicles on land with limited space. Multi-story parking systems are equipped with entrances and exits for vehicle entry and exit, and an operation panel is located outside these entrances and exits. When entering a multi-story parking system, the vehicle is moved to the entrance/exit and parked in the designated position. The driver then exits the system, and the driver or operator operates the control panel to transfer the vehicle to its designated storage location. Conversely, when departing a vehicle, the vehicle is transferred from its storage location to the entrance/exit via the operation of the control panel. The driver then boards the vehicle and exits the multi-story parking system.

When a parking system performs the above-mentioned entry/exit operation, a serious accident could occur if a person enters the entry/exit gate or the vehicle boarding/alighting area. Therefore, to detect intrusion into the boarding/alighting area, the parking system employs a detection device (photoelectric sensor). Patent documents 1 and 2 disclose parking systems equipped with such detection devices.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-46856 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-105084

In conventional detection systems, detection processing is performed only when a user operates the control panel. Therefore, if the detection system malfunctions between operations, the detection function may not work. In this case, the parking system may not be able to operate safely.

In view of the above issues, one of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a parking device that can be monitored stably.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a parking device is provided comprising: a light projector that projects light having a single optical axis; a first light receiver provided in correspondence with the light projector and receiving the light; a second light receiver provided in correspondence with the light projector and adjacent to the first light receiver and receiving the light; and a control unit including a determination unit that determines an abnormality based on information detected by at least one of the first and second light receivers.

In the above-described parking device, the control unit may include a first light-receiving information acquisition unit that acquires first light-receiving information transmitted from the first light-receiving device, and a second light-receiving information acquisition unit that acquires second light-receiving information transmitted from the second light-receiving device.

In the above-described parking device, if the first light reception information and the second light reception information are different, the determination unit may determine that either the first light receiver or the second light receiver is malfunctioning.

In the above-described parking device, the distance between the light source and the first and second light receivers may be 2.5 meters or more.

In the above-described parking device, the first and second light receivers may be positioned within a 100 mm range of the optical axis of the light projected from the light emitter.

By using one embodiment of the present invention, a parking system capable of stable monitoring can be provided.

This is a schematic diagram of a parking device according to one embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the side. This is a schematic plan view of the entrance/exit floor of a parking system according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement configuration of a photoelectric sensor according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a block diagram of a control panel relating to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a block diagram of a control panel relating to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a block diagram of a control unit according to one embodiment of the invention. This is a flowchart of a control method according to one embodiment of the invention. This is a flowchart of a control method relating to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic plan view of a parking device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a block diagram of a control panel relating to one embodiment of the present invention.

The embodiments of the invention disclosed in this application will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its essence, and is not construed to be limited to the embodiments described below.

In the drawings referenced in this embodiment, identical or similar parts with the same function are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals (simply a number followed by A, B, etc.). Furthermore, the dimensional ratios in the drawings may differ from the actual ratios for illustrative purposes, and some components may be omitted from the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
(1-1. Configuration of the parking system)
Figure 1 shows the configuration of a parking device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is a schematic view of the parking device 100 as seen from the side (when the side with the entrance/exit opening 109 is considered the front).

The parking device 100 is constructed using support columns 102, and pallets 104 for placing vehicles 101 are installed within the structure. The pallets 104 can be raised and lowered along the support columns 102 by a transport device 106. Within the structure, the pallets 104 are spaced apart to prevent interference between vehicles when multiple vehicles 101 are stacked vertically. As a result, the structure formed by the support columns 102 creates parking areas P1, P2, P3, and P4 stacked in multiple vertical layers.

The parking system 100 is operated by a control panel 105. The control panel 105 is located on the outside of the parking system 100. For example, the control panel 105 is installed on a support column 102 near the entrance/exit gate 109 of the parking system 100. Users operate the control panel 105 from outside the parking system 100 to move the desired pallet 104 to the entrance/exit gate 109, or to open and close the gate 108. The configuration of the control panel 105 will be described later.

The gate 108, located at the entrance/exit 109 of the parking system 100, can be opened and closed by the control panel 105. The gate 108 remains closed except when opened to allow a vehicle 101 to enter or exit. Therefore, the gate 108 is also closed when the pallet 104 is moving. Because the gate 108 is closed, it is normally impossible for a person to enter the parking system 100. In this example, a control panel 110 is located in the direction of vehicle 101 entry. Signals output from the control panel 105 are sent to the control panel 110, which then outputs control signals to the transport device 106 that moves the pallet 104, the drive device that opens and closes the gate 108, etc. While the above example shows the control panel 110 located in the entry direction, it is not limited to this configuration. The control panel 110 may also be located on the side of the parking system 100. The configuration of the control panel 110 will be described later.

In a parking system 100 that forms a parking area stacked vertically in multiple levels to store and park vehicles 101 three-dimensionally, the pallets 104 are raised and lowered to move the desired pallet 104 to the entrance/exit 109, thereby allowing vehicles 101 to be loaded and unloaded. There are several methods for moving the desired pallet 104 to the entrance/exit 109. For example, a method is employed in which the lower pallet 104 is lowered into an underground pit in order to unload a vehicle 101 parked on an upper pallet 104; a method is employed in which the lower or upper pallet 104 is slid horizontally (in the depth direction of the paper in Figure 1) to lower the upper pallet 104 into a space where the lower pallet 104 does not exist; or a combination of these methods.

The example shown in Figure 1 illustrates a configuration where parking areas P1, P2, P3, and P4 are arranged from the first floor upwards. The number of parking areas is not limited to four; it may be three or fewer, or five or more.

To the left of parking area P1 (towards the back of the page in Figure 1) is parking area P5, and further to the left of that (towards the back of the page in Figure 1) is parking area P9. At this time, in order to lower the pallet 104 in the upper parking area P4 and enter or exit the vehicle 101, the pallets 104 in the lower parking areas P1, P2, and P3 become an obstacle. In this case, by raising the pallet 104 in parking area P5 and sliding the pallets 104 in parking areas P1, P2, and P3 laterally, the obstacles are removed, making it possible to lower the pallet 104 in parking area P4 to the entrance/exit 109.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship of each piece of equipment on the entry/exit floor of the parking system. As shown in Figure 2, the parking system 100 includes a pallet 104, an operation panel 105, and a control panel 110, as well as a local panel 130, photoelectric sensors 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, and 260, and an unmanned confirmation input device 270. The pallet 104, operation panel 105, gate 108, control panel 110, local panel 130, photoelectric sensors 210-260, and unmanned confirmation input device 270 are connected via a communication bus.

(1-2. Photoelectric Sensors)
Photoelectric sensors 210 to 260 are used to detect objects. Photoelectric sensors 210, 220, and 230 are installed on the side of the entrance/exit 109 of the parking device. Photoelectric sensors 240 and 250 are installed on the rear side of the parking device 100. Photoelectric sensor 260 is installed along the side of the pallet 104 (in the entrance/exit direction).

The photoelectric sensor 210 is positioned below the gate 108 at the entrance/exit 109 of the parking system. The photoelectric sensor 210 is positioned in front of the gate 108. The photoelectric sensor 210 detects objects that have entered the entrance/exit 109 (the area near the gate 108). The photoelectric sensor 210 has one light emitter (light emitter 210a) and a pair of light receivers (light receivers 210b1 and 210b2). Light emitter 210a and light receivers 210b1 and 210b2 are arranged correspondingly in the vehicle width direction. Light receivers 210b1 and 210b2 are arranged adjacent to each other. In this example, light receivers 210b1 and 210b2 are arranged side by side in the entrance/exit direction, but they may be arranged adjacent to each other in the height direction. The light projected from the floodlight 210a is either red light or near-infrared light.

Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of the light emitter 210a and the light receivers 210b1 and 210b2. As shown in Figure 3, the light projected from the light emitter 210a forms an optical axis 210c in the vehicle width direction. The distance D1 between the light emitter 210a and the light receivers 210b1 and 210b2 may be 2.5m or more. The light receivers 210b1 (more specifically, the sensing unit provided in the light receiver 210b1 (also called the first light receiving unit)) and 210b2 (more specifically, the sensing unit provided in the light receiver 210b2 (also called the second light receiving unit)) are provided within a distance D2 from the optical axis 210c (specifically, within a range of 100mm, preferably 20mm, more preferably 10mm) to detect the light projected from the light emitter 210a. In other words, this embodiment has a configuration in which two light receivers detect light projected from one light emitter. The sensing sections of light receivers 210b1 and 210b2 are used as light-receiving elements such as CMOS sensors or CCD sensors.

The light emitter 210a, light receiver 210b1, and light receiver 210b2 are driven by power supplied from an external source (power supply unit 119). Light receivers 210b1 and 210b2 are electrically connected to the control panel 110 (control unit 111). During operation, light receivers 210b1 and 210b2 transmit light reception information to the control panel 110 (control unit 111). The light reception information includes the amount of light received. The light reception information may also include a voltage value corresponding to the amount of light received, or information generated from both the amount of light received and the voltage value.

Receivers 210b1 and 210b2 each have the same detection sensitivity. Therefore, the amount of light received by receivers 210b1 and 210b2 is approximately the same. Receivers 210b1 and 210b2 detect light at the same time.

The photoelectric sensor 220 is positioned above the gate 108 at the entrance/exit 109 of the parking system. Therefore, the optical axis of the photoelectric sensor 220 is also positioned above the upper surface of the gate 108. The photoelectric sensor 220 is provided to detect objects present in the opening and closing portion of the gate 108 of the parking system 100. The photoelectric sensor 220 has a light emitter 220a, a light receiver 220b1, and a light receiver 220b2. The light emitter 220a and the light receivers 220b1 and 220b2 are positioned correspondingly in the vehicle width direction. The light receivers 220b1 and 220b2 are positioned adjacent to each other. The arrangement of the light emitter 220a and the light receivers 220b1 and 220b2 is the same as that of the light emitter 210a and the light receivers 210b1 and 210b2.

The photoelectric sensor 230 is positioned at the same height as the photoelectric sensor 210. The photoelectric sensor 230 is positioned behind the gate 108 such that the optical axis of the photoelectric sensor 230 is at the front of the pallet 104. The photoelectric sensor 230 is provided to detect the front end of the vehicle 101 (the overhang of the vehicle 101). The photoelectric sensor 230 has a light emitter 230a, a light receiver 230b1, and a light receiver 230b2. In this case, each of the light emitter 230a, light receiver 230b1, and light receiver 230b2 of the photoelectric sensor 230 is positioned on the opposite side from each of the light emitter 210a, light receiver 210b1, and light receiver 210b2 of the photoelectric sensor 210 to prevent interference with the photoelectric sensor 210. In this case, the direction of the light projected from the light emitter 230a is opposite to the direction of the light projected from the light emitter 210a. The light emitter 230a and the light receivers 230b1 and 230b2 are installed correspondingly in the vehicle width direction. The light receivers 230b1 and 230b2 are installed side by side. The arrangement of light emitter 230a and light receivers 230b1 and 230b2 is the same as that of light emitter 210a and light receivers 210b1 and 210b2.

The photoelectric sensor 240 is provided to detect the upper rear of the vehicle 101. The photoelectric sensor 240 includes a light emitter 240a, a light receiver 240b1, and a light receiver 240b2. The light emitter 240a and the light receivers 240b1 and 240b2 are arranged correspondingly in the vehicle width direction. The light receivers 240b1 and 240b2 are arranged side-by-side. The arrangement of the light emitter 240a and the light receivers 240b1 and 240b2 is the same as that of the light emitter 210a and the light receivers 210b1 and 210b2.

The photoelectric sensor 250 is provided to detect the lower rear of the vehicle 101. The photoelectric sensor 250 includes a light emitter 250a, a light receiver 250b1, and a light receiver 250b2. The light emitter 250a and the light receivers 250b1 and 250b2 are arranged correspondingly in the vehicle width direction. The light receivers 250b1 and 250b2 are arranged side-by-side. The arrangement of the light emitter 250a and the light receivers 250b1 and 250b2 is the same as that of the light emitter 210a and the light receivers 210b1 and 210b2.

The photoelectric sensor 260 is installed to detect objects present in the vehicle-length direction (entry/exit direction) of each parking area P. The photoelectric sensor 260 has a light emitter 260a, a light receiver 260b1, and a light receiver 260b2. The light emitter 260a and the light receivers 260b1 and 260b2 are installed correspondingly in the vehicle-length direction. Therefore, the optical axis extends in the vehicle-length direction. The light receivers 260b1 and 260b2 are installed side by side. The arrangement of the light emitter 260a and the light receivers 260b1 and 260b2 is the same as that of the light emitter 210a and the light receivers 210b1 and 210b2, except for the direction of the optical axis.

(1-3. Operation panel)
Figure 4 is a block diagram of the control panel 105. The control panel 105 includes at least an operation unit 1051, a control unit 1053, a display unit 1055, and a communication unit 1057.

The operation unit 1051 includes an operable component. By performing actions such as moving up, down, left, or right, pressing, or rotating using the operation unit 1051, information based on these actions is input to the control unit 1053. In this example, the operation unit 1051 includes a pressable button 1051a, a key switch 1051b, and a numeric keypad 1051c. Button 1051a includes a safety confirmation button 1051a1 and a start button 1051a2. The safety confirmation button 1051a1 is pressed after safety confirmation has been performed. The start button 1051a2 becomes operable after the safety confirmation button 1051a1 is pressed and, in combination with information input via the numeric keypad 1051c, allows control of the movement of the pallet 104 or gate 108. The key switch 1051b allows for ON/OFF operation of monitoring control. The numeric keypad 1051c allows input of the pallet 104 number information. The number of control units 105 may be increased or decreased as appropriate depending on the function.

The control unit 1053 controls the operation of each part of the parking device 100. The control unit 1053 includes a processor equipped with, for example, a arithmetic processing unit exemplified by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and memory exemplified by ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). In this example, when the key switch 1051b is operated to turn ON, the control unit 1053 generates monitoring request information. When the key switch 1051b is operated to turn OFF, the control unit 1053 generates monitoring termination request information.

The display unit 1055 displays control information (in this example, communication management information) based on the control of the control unit 1053. At this time, the display unit 1055 may display the control information via a GUI (Graphical User Interface), or, if it has the functionality of the operation unit 1051, it may be used as a touch panel.

The communication unit 1057 transmits and receives information with the control panel 110 based on the control of the control unit 111.

(1-4. Control Panel)
Figure 5 is a block diagram of the control panel 110. The control panel 110 includes at least a control unit 111, a storage unit 113, a display unit 115, a communication unit 117, and a power supply unit 119.

The control unit 111 controls the operation of each part of the parking device 100. The control unit 111 includes, for example, a processor equipped with a arithmetic processing unit (exemplified by a CPU) and memory (exemplified by ROM and RAM). For example, the control unit 111 receives signals from the control panel 105 and outputs control signals to the transport device 106 that moves the pallet 104 and the drive device that opens and closes the gate 108, thereby controlling the movement of the pallet 104 and the opening and closing of the gate 108.

The storage unit 113 utilizes semiconductor memory such as memory and SSDs (Solid State Drives), as well as magnetic recording media (magnetic tapes, magnetic disks, etc.), optical recording media, magneto-optical recording media, and memory-capable elements that serve as storage media. The storage unit 113 has the function of storing control programs and various types of information used in those control programs.

The display unit 115 displays control information (in this example, communication management information) based on the control of the control unit 111. In this case, the display unit 115 may also display the control information via a GUI (Graphical User Interface).

The communication unit 117 transmits and receives information with each device based on the control of the control unit 111.

The power supply unit 119 is connected to an external power source and supplies power to each device based on the control of the control unit 111.

Furthermore, the control panel 110 may also be equipped with control devices such as a ground fault circuit interrupter, inverter, and relay, in addition to the control unit 111, storage unit 113, display unit 115, communication unit 117, and power supply unit 119.

Figure 6 is a functional block diagram of the control unit 111. As shown in Figure 6, the control unit 111 includes, as functional units, a monitoring request information acquisition unit 1111, a monitoring control processing unit 1113, a first light reception information acquisition unit 1115, a second light reception information acquisition unit 1116, a determination unit 1117, and an abnormality processing unit 1119.

The monitoring request information acquisition unit 1111 acquires monitoring request information and monitoring request completion information transmitted from the control panel 105.

The monitoring and control processing unit 1113 transmits control instruction information to each device of the parking system based on monitoring request information and monitoring termination request information. In this example, the monitoring and control processing unit 1113 transmits illumination instruction information to each floodlight.

The first light reception information acquisition unit 1115 acquires light reception information transmitted from one of a pair of light receivers. For example, the first light reception information acquisition unit 1115 acquires light reception information (also called first light reception information) transmitted from the light receiver 210b1 in the photoelectric sensor 210.

The second light reception information acquisition unit 1116 acquires light reception information transmitted from the other receiver in a pair of receivers. For example, the second light reception information acquisition unit 1116 acquires light reception information (also called second light reception information) transmitted from the receiver 210b2 in the photoelectric sensor 210.

The determination unit 1117 determines whether the received light information is normal. For example, it sets a reference light intensity and determines whether the light intensity detected by the light receiver exceeds the reference value. When light of a predetermined intensity or higher is received, the determination unit 1117 determines it is normal. When light of a predetermined intensity or lower is received, the determination unit 1117 determines it is abnormal. Furthermore, if at least one of the first received light information and the second received light information is abnormal, the determination unit 1117 determines the entire system is abnormal.

The error processing unit 1119 performs processing corresponding to the error when the determination unit 1117 determines that an error has occurred. Specifically, it transmits instruction information to the display unit 115 to indicate that an error has occurred. The error processing unit 1119 also transmits command information to stop the driving of the pallet 104, the transport device 106, and the gate 108.

The local control panel 130 is positioned corresponding to each pallet 104. In this example, in parking area P1, local control panel 130-1 is provided for pallet 104-1. In parking area P5, local control panel 130-2 is provided for pallet 104-2. In parking area P9, local control panel 130-3 is provided for pallet 104-3. The same local control panel 130 may be used for pallets 104 arranged in the vertical direction. Specifically, local control panel 130-1 may be used for pallets 104 in parking areas P1 to P4. The local control panel 130 is positioned between the control panel 110 and the unmanned confirmation input device 270 and the photoelectric sensor 260. The local control panel 130 may also be used as a relay. Furthermore, if the control panel 110 is directly connected to the unmanned confirmation input device 270 and the photoelectric sensor 260, the local control panel 130 may not be required.

The unmanned confirmation input device 270 includes a control unit 271, an operation unit 273, and a display unit 275.

The control unit 271 controls the operation of each part of the unmanned verification input device 270. The control unit 271 includes, for example, a processor equipped with a processing unit (exemplified by a CPU) and memory (exemplified by ROM and RAM). The control unit 271 performs unmanned verification input based on the information input using the operation unit 273.

The operation unit 273 is located on the outside of the unmanned verification input device 270. In this example, a switch is used for the operation unit 273. However, the operation unit 273 is not particularly limited as long as it is a component that can be operated by the user. The user can operate the operation unit 273 after performing unmanned verification with the gate 108 open.

The display unit 275 is provided to indicate that the system is in unattended monitoring mode. In this example, the display unit 275 is equipped with a lamp. The display unit 275 may also be a device that lights up or flashes light (like a lamp), emits sound (like a buzzer), or displays text (like a display screen).

(1-5. Control method for parking system)
Next, we will explain the control of the parking system. Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the control method of the parking system. Since each of the photoelectric sensors 210 to 260 performs the same operation, for the sake of explanation, we will describe the operation of photoelectric sensor 210.

First, the user turns ON the operation unit 1051 (key switch 1051b) of the control panel 105. At this time, based on the signal input by turning ON the key switch 1051b, the control unit 1053 generates monitoring request information. The generated monitoring request information is transmitted to the control unit 111 of the control panel 110. The monitoring request information acquisition unit 1111 of the control unit 111 acquires the monitoring request information (S101).

When the monitoring request information acquisition unit 1111 acquires monitoring request information, the monitoring control processing unit 1113 performs monitoring control processing (S103). At this time, the monitoring control processing unit 1113 transmits light emission instruction information to the light emitter 210a.

When the light emitter 210a receives light emission instruction information, it begins the light emission process. The light emitter 210a projects light toward the light receivers 210b1 and 210b2. At this time, as described above, since the light receivers 210b1 and 210b2 are within a 100 mm range of the optical axis 210c, they can receive the light projected from the light emitter 210a as long as there are no obstructions.

The information received by the light receiver 210b1 (first received information) and the information received by the light receiver 210b2 (second received information) are transmitted to the control unit 111. The first received information acquisition unit 1115 acquires the first received information (S105). The second received information acquisition unit 1116 acquires the second received information (S107).

The determination unit 1117 determines whether the first and second light reception information are normal (S109, S111). At this time, the determination unit 1117 sets a reference value for light intensity and determines whether the light intensity detected by the light receivers 210b1 and 210b2 included in the light reception information exceeds the reference value. If the light intensity in the first and second light reception information is equal to or greater than a predetermined light intensity, the determination unit 1117 determines it to be normal. Furthermore, if at least one of the first and second light reception information is abnormal, the determination unit 1117 determines the overall system to be abnormal.

When the first light reception information is abnormal (S109; No), or when the second light reception information is abnormal (S111; No), the abnormality processing unit 1119 performs abnormality control processing (S113). In this example, the abnormality processing unit 1119 transmits operation stop instruction information to each part of the parking device 100. The abnormality processing unit 1119 also transmits instruction information to display the abnormal state on the display unit 115.

If the first light reception information is normal (S109; Yes) and the second light reception information is normal (S111; Yes), the determination unit 1117 determines that there is no abnormality. Furthermore, the determination unit 1117 determines whether the monitoring termination request information has been acquired (S115). If the monitoring termination request information has not been acquired (S115; No), the process returns to acquiring the first light reception information (S105), and the loop processing is performed. As a result, during the monitoring and control processing, intruders are constantly detected by the photoelectric sensor 210. If the monitoring termination request information is acquired (S115; Yes), the monitoring and control processing ends.

In this embodiment, each photoelectric sensor includes one pair (two) of light receivers. This allows detection to continue even if one light receiver fails. Therefore, detection processing by the detection device can be performed continuously, not just when a user operates the control panel. Consequently, stable monitoring can be achieved by using this embodiment.

In this embodiment, each photoelectric sensor is equipped with one light emitter. This is because, if the light emitter malfunctions, the system will always detect an abnormality based on the received light information (it will be determined that there is something blocking the light), thus minimizing the impact on safety. Furthermore, if two light emitters are provided, an abnormality will be detected regardless of the state of the light emitter if there is an abnormality on the receiving side. Also, the effectiveness of having two light emitters is low because the two lights interfere with each other. Therefore, it is possible to enhance safety while reducing the manufacturing cost of the parking device (more specifically, the photoelectric sensor).

<Second Embodiment>
In this embodiment, a control method different from that of the first embodiment will be described. Specifically, an example of specifically determining an abnormality in the parking system will be described.

(2-1. Control method for parking system)
The control of the parking system will now be explained. Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating the control method of the parking system. Since each of the photoelectric sensors 210 to 260 performs the same operation, for the sake of explanation, the operation of photoelectric sensor 210 will be described.

First, the user turns ON the operation unit 1051 (key switch 1051b) of the control panel 105. At this time, based on the signal input by turning ON the key switch 1051b, the control unit 1053 generates monitoring request information. The generated monitoring request information is transmitted to the control unit 111 of the control panel 110. The monitoring request information acquisition unit 1111 of the control unit 111 acquires the monitoring request information (S201).

When the monitoring request information acquisition unit 1111 acquires monitoring request information, the monitoring control processing unit 1113 performs monitoring control processing (S203). At this time, the monitoring control processing unit 1113 transmits light emission instruction information to the light emitter 210a.

The information received by the light receiver 210b1 (first received information) and the information received by the light receiver 210b2 (second received information) are transmitted to the control unit 111. The first received information acquisition unit 1115 acquires the first received information (S205). The second received information acquisition unit 1116 acquires the second received information (S207).

The determination unit 1117 determines whether the first light reception information is normal (S209). At this time, the determination unit 1117 sets a reference light intensity and determines whether the light intensity detected by the light receiver 210b1 included in the light reception information exceeds the reference value. If the light intensity in the first light reception information is equal to or greater than a predetermined light intensity, the determination unit 1117 determines it is normal. If the light intensity in the light reception information is less than the predetermined light intensity, the determination unit 1117 determines that the first light reception information is abnormal.

Next, the determination unit 1117 determines whether the second light reception information is normal (S211, S213). The determination method is the same as described above. If the amount of light received in the second light reception information is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount of light, the determination unit 1117 determines that it is normal. If the amount of light received in the light reception information is less than a predetermined amount of light, the determination unit 1117 determines that the second light reception information is abnormal.

When the first light reception information is abnormal (S209; No) and the second light reception information is also abnormal (S213; No), the determination unit 1117 determines that an intrusion has occurred, and the abnormality processing unit 1119 performs the abnormality processing (S215). In this example, the abnormality processing unit 1119 transmits operation stop instruction information to each part of the parking device 100, and also transmits instruction information to display information indicating an intrusion on the display unit 115 of the control panel 110 or the display unit 1055 of the operation panel 105.

If the first light reception information is normal (S209; Yes) and the second light reception information is abnormal (S211; No), or vice versa, the determination unit 1117 determines that either the light receiver 210b1 or the light receiver 210b2 is faulty, and the abnormality processing unit 1119 performs the abnormality processing (S217). In this example, the abnormality processing unit 1119 transmits operation stop instruction information to each part of the parking device 100, and also transmits instruction information to display information indicating the light receiver's malfunction on the display unit 115 of the control panel 110 or the display unit 1055 of the operation panel 105.

If the first light reception information is normal (S209; Yes) and the second light reception information is normal (S211; Yes), the determination unit 1117 determines that there is no abnormality and determines whether the monitoring termination request information has been acquired (S219). If the monitoring termination request information has not been acquired (S219; No), the process returns to acquiring the first light reception information (S205), and the loop processing is performed. As a result, during the monitoring and control processing, intruders are constantly detected by the photoelectric sensor 210. If the monitoring termination request information is acquired (S219; Yes), the monitoring and control processing ends.

In this embodiment, each photoelectric sensor includes one pair (two) of light receivers. This allows detection to occur even if one light receiver malfunctions, using the other receiver. Therefore, stable unattended monitoring can be performed using this embodiment. Furthermore, when one of the first and second light reception information is normal and the other is abnormal (i.e., when the first and second light reception information differ), the determination unit 1117 can determine that there is a malfunction. In other words, this embodiment can not only detect abnormalities but also identify the nature of the abnormality.

<Third Embodiment>
This embodiment describes a parking device with a different configuration from the first embodiment. Specifically, it describes an example in which a control unit corresponding to each of the two light receivers is provided in the control panel.

Figure 9 is a schematic plan view of the entry/exit floor of the parking system. As shown in Figure 9, the parking system 100A includes a pallet 104, an operation panel 105, a control panel 110A, a local panel 130, photoelectric sensors 210-260, and an unmanned confirmation input device 270.

Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the control panel 110A of the parking system 100. As shown in Figure 10, the control panel 110A includes at least a first control unit 111A-1, a first storage unit 113A-1, a second control unit 111A-2, a second storage unit 113A-2, a display unit 115, a communication unit 117, and a power supply unit 119. The first control unit 111A-1 and the first storage unit 113A-1 are provided on the first circuit board 112-1. The second control unit 111A-2 and the second storage unit 113A-2 are provided on the second circuit board 112-2. Furthermore, the first control unit 111A-1 and the second control unit 111A-2 are connected via a communication bus.

The first control unit 111A-1 is electrically connected to the light emitters 210a, 220a, 230a, 240a, 250a, 260a, light receivers 210b1, 220b1, 230b1, 240b1, 250b1, 260b1, and the unmanned confirmation input device 270. The second control unit 111A-2 is electrically connected to the light receivers 210b2, 220b2, 230b2, 240b2, 250b2, and 260b2.

In this embodiment, the first control unit 111A-1 may be used in the same way as the control unit 111 in the first embodiment. In this case, the second control unit 111A-2 may acquire information acquired by the first control unit 111A-1 as a backup. By using this embodiment, even if one control unit fails, the other control unit can make a decision. Therefore, stable unattended verification can be performed.

Furthermore, the first control unit 111A-1 may be used to acquire first light reception information, and the second control unit 111A-2 may be used to acquire second light reception information. In this case, the first control unit 111A-1 may include a first light reception information acquisition unit 1115 as a functional unit. The second control unit 111A-2 may include a second light reception information acquisition unit 1116 as a functional unit. The first light reception information and the second light reception information can be acquired using separate control circuits. This reduces the load on the control units.

(Variant)
Within the scope of the spirit of the present invention, a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications and alterations, and it is understood that such modifications and alterations also fall within the scope of the present invention. For example, any addition, deletion, or design change of components, or addition, omission, or modification of processing conditions, made by a person skilled in the art to the above-described embodiments, are also included within the scope of the present invention, as long as they retain the gist of the present invention.

Furthermore, any effects or benefits other than those brought about by the embodiments described above, if they are clear from the description herein or easily predictable to those skilled in the art, are naturally understood to be brought about by the present invention.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, an example was shown in which each photoelectric sensor includes two photodetectors, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a photoelectric sensor may include three photodetectors, or three or more photodetectors. Furthermore, multiple control units may be provided accordingly.

Furthermore, while the first embodiment of the present invention shows an example in which photoelectric sensors 210-260 are provided, the present invention is not limited thereto. The effects of the present invention can be obtained by having at least one photoelectric sensor (one light emitter and two corresponding light receivers).

In the first embodiment of the present invention, the first and second light reception information are shown as examples that include the amount of detected light, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The first and second light reception information may be binary information. For example, the first and second light reception information may be "1" when light is detected, and the first and second light reception information may be "0" when no light is detected.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, an example was shown in which the photodetectors 210b1 and 210b2 each have the same sensitivity, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a pair of photodetectors may be used alternately as the main photodetector at predetermined time intervals. This can extend the lifespan of the photodetectors.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, an example was shown in which light receivers 210b1 and 210b2 detect light projected from light emitter 210a at the same time. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the timing at which light receiver 210b1 detects light and the timing at which light receiver 210b2 detects light may be different. In this case, when one of the pair of light receivers is detecting light, the other light receiver does not need to detect light. This can extend the lifespan of the light receivers.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, an example was shown in which monitoring and control are performed triggered by the key switch 1051b, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, monitoring and control may be started based on the start of operation of the parking device 100 (specifically, the power of the control panel being turned ON). Furthermore, monitoring and control may be performed based on other monitoring and control initiation methods.

100...Parking device, 101...Vehicle, 102...Support column, 104...Pallet, 105...Operation panel, 106...Transport device, 108...Gate, 109...Inlet/Outlet, 110...Control panel, 111...Control unit, 113...Storage unit, 113A-1...First storage unit, 113A-2...Second storage unit, 115...Display unit, 117...Communication unit, 119...Power supply unit, 130...Local panel, 130-2...Local panel, 130-3...Local panel, 170...Unattended confirmation input device, 210...Photoelectric sensor, 210a...Light emitter, 210b1...Light receiver, 210b2...Light receiver, 210c...Optical axis, 220...Photoelectric sensor, 220a...Light emitter, 220b1...Light receiver, 220b2...Light receiver, 230...Photoelectric sensor, 230a...Light emitter, 230b1...Light receiver, 230 b2... light receiver, 240... photoelectric sensor, 240a... light emitter, 240b1... light receiver, 240b2... light receiver, 250... photoelectric sensor, 250a... light emitter, 250b1... light receiver, 250b2... light receiver, 260... photoelectric sensor, 260a... light emitter, 260b1... light receiver, 260b2... light receiver, 270... unattended confirmation input device, 271... control unit, 273... operation unit, 275...Display unit, 1051...Operation unit, 1051a...Button, 1051b...Key switch, 1051c...Numeric keypad, 1053...Control unit, 1055...Display unit, 1057...Communication unit, 1111...Monitoring request information acquisition unit, 1113...Monitoring control processing unit, 1115...First light reception information acquisition unit, 1116...Second light reception information acquisition unit, 1117...Determination unit, 1119...Anomaly processing unit

Claims (5)

A parking device,
A first light source is positioned in front of the gate at the entrance/exit of the warehouse and projects a first light having a first optical axis,
A first light receiver is provided in correspondence with the first light emitter and receives the first light,
A second light receiver is provided corresponding to the first light emitter and adjacent to the first light receiver, and receives the first light.
A second light projector is positioned behind the gate and on the opposite side of the first light projector, on the same side as the first and second light receivers, and projects second light having a second optical axis,
A third light receiver is provided in correspondence with the second light emitter and receives the second light,
A fourth light receiver is provided corresponding to the second light emitter and adjacent to the third light receiver, and receives the second light.
The system includes a control unit that includes a determination unit that determines an abnormality based on information detected by at least one of the first light receiver and the second light receiver,
The second light is provided so as not to interfere with the first light.
The control unit controls the timing of light reception by the first light receiver and the second light receiver to be different, so that when the first light receiver detects the first light reception information, the second light receiver does not detect the second light reception information , and when the second light receiver detects the second light reception information, the first light receiver does not detect the first light reception information.
Parking device. The control unit,
A first light reception information acquisition unit that acquires first light reception information transmitted from the first light receiver,
Includes a second light reception information acquisition unit that acquires second light reception information transmitted from the second light receiver,
The parking device according to claim 1. When the first light reception information and the second light reception information are different,
The determination unit determines that either the first light receiver or the second light receiver is malfunctioning.
The parking device according to claim 2. The distance between the first light emitter and the first and second light receivers is 2.5 m or more.
The parking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The first light receiver and the second light receiver are provided within a range of 100 mm with respect to the optical axis of the light projected from the first light emitter.
The parking device according to claim 4.