JPH0140388B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a parking fee adjustment machine, and in particular, a parking fee adjustment machine installed in an unmanned parking lot that reduces or reduces the parking fee when issuing a parking ticket and exiting the parking lot. To provide a parking fee settlement device which has a single card insertion slot for inserting payment value cards such as commuter passes, coupon tickets, and service tickets that are exempted, and which does not specify the order in which these tickets are inserted.

[Conventional technology] Recently, for the purpose of saving labor, a system has been developed that reads the entrance ticket at the exit of the parking lot, calculates the time from entry to exit, prompts the person to insert the fee, and then closes the exit gate when the required fee has been inserted. A parking fee payment machine (hereinafter referred to as the payment machine) for paying fees
So-called unmanned parking lots have appeared that are equipped with parking facilities and automatically collect fees (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 47-40676).
(see publication). Furthermore, upon payment of fees,
It is also known that a payment value card such as a commuter pass can also be used.

FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing an unmanned parking lot in which such a conventional payment machine is installed. In the figure, the unmanned parking lot 1 has, near the entrance,
A vehicle detector 2 is provided. A parking ticket issuing machine 3 is provided at a position past the vehicle detector 2. In front of the parking ticket issuing machine 3 in the direction of movement, an entry gate 4 is provided so as to be openable and closable. A vehicle detector 5 is provided on the advancing direction side of the warehousing gate 4. The area passing through the location of the vehicle detector 5 becomes the parking area P.

A payment machine 6 is provided in the area leading from the parking area P to the exit. Near this payment machine 6,
A vehicle detector 7 is provided to detect payment vehicles. In front of the payment machine 6, that is, on the exit side, an exit gate 8 is provided so as to be openable and closable. Output gate 8
A vehicle detector 9 is provided on the traveling direction side for detecting a vehicle leaving the warehouse.

In such an unmanned parking lot, a series of operations from when a vehicle enters the unmanned parking lot until it leaves the parking lot will be described. When a vehicle enters the warehouse through the entrance, a vehicle detector 2 detects the entering vehicle. In response to the input vehicle detection output from the vehicle detector 2, the parking ticket issuing machine 3 issues a parking ticket recording the parking time. When the user takes out the parking ticket, the parking gate 4 is opened. Then, the vehicle passes through the position of the warehousing gate 4 and proceeds to the parking area P. At this time, the vehicle detector 5 detects the vehicle and closes the warehousing gate 4. After the user stops the vehicle in the vehicle parking area P, the user gets out of the vehicle and exits the parking lot through a person-only exit (not shown).

Next, a case will be described in which the vehicle is parked for a desired time and then left. The user returns to the parking area P where he or she has parked his or her vehicle, drives the vehicle, and advances to the front of the payment machine 6. At this time, the vehicle detector 7 detects the vehicle and provides its output to the payment machine 6. In response to this, the payment machine 6 opens the shutter of the customer service section to present a customer service screen 200 as shown in FIG. 2, and displays guidance in accordance with the order of operations. Based on the information display, if the user has a value card such as a commuter pass that allows the payment of fees to be reduced or waived, the user first inserts it into the card insertion slot 201 on the customer service side. . The user then inserts the parking ticket into the parking ticket card slot 202, or directly if the user does not have a payment value card. The payment machine 6 calculates the parking time based on the entry time and current time (i.e. exit time) recorded at the time of parking the parking ticket, and the information on the face of the payment value card, and calculates the fee according to the parking time. and displayed on the display panel 203. The user sees this parking fee and enters the hardening slot 204 or bill slot 20.
Pay the parking fee via 5. At this time, in the case of a commuter pass, etc., the parking fee is displayed as zero because the parking fee is paid in advance for a long time and there is no need to pay the fee when leaving the parking lot. After the user pays the fee, the exit gate 8 is opened. Therefore, the user drives the vehicle and leaves the unmanned parking lot 1 through the exit. At this time, the vehicle detector 9 detects the leaving vehicle and issues a command to close the leaving gate 8.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in such payment machines used in unmanned parking lots, the card insertion slot for the parking ticket and the card insertion slot for the value card are separate, as shown in Figure 2. or the type of ticket used,
Multiple card slots are provided depending on the size, etc., and users have to match the type of card to each card slot and insert the cards in a predetermined order. If they did not follow these prescribed procedures, they would be deemed to have made a mistake and would be prohibited from paying the fee, or forced to repeat the procedure from the beginning. For this reason,
This causes discomfort to users, causes unnecessary operation, and also causes subsequent users to wait for a long time during times when there are many vehicles leaving the parking lot, such as at the end of business hours. There were some inconveniences.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the problems in the conventional example described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a payment machine that allows payment using a payment value card in addition to a parking ticket, by providing a single card insertion slot, thereby preventing erroneous operation due to incorrect selection of the card insertion slot. In addition, if payment has not been completed, it is determined whether or not additional tickets (cards) have been inserted, and when a new ticket is inserted, all tickets including the information written on the new ticket are checked. By re-calculating charges based on this information, appropriate charges can be settled regardless of the order in which various tickets are inserted.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. In a parking fee adjustment machine that is configured to perform payment using one or more types of payment value cards 706 for which the fee is reduced or waived, the parking fee adjustment machine:
A single card insertion slot 91 for inserting a parking ticket 701 and a payment value card 706, and information that the parking ticket has been inserted into the card insertion slot and information read from the parking ticket by a card reader 23 or the like is transmitted via the CPU 21, for example. storage means for storing the information in the RAM 705, and storage means as many as the types of payment value cards for storing information read from the one or more types of payment value cards inserted into the card insertion slot in the plurality of storage areas of the RAM 705, respectively. and, if the inserted card is a parking ticket, a calculation means that calculates the parking fee based on the information stored in each storage means, and a coin mechanism 26 that calculates the parking fee if the calculated parking fee is zero or the amount of money that is greater than the calculated parking fee. and a search means for repeatedly searching for insertion of the ticket into the card slot when the judgment means determines that the payment has not been completed. recalculation means for recalculating the parking fee based on information on the new ticket and information stored in each storage means when the search means detects insertion of a new ticket after the parking ticket has been inserted; It is characterized by comprising the following.

Here, each of the storage means, calculation means, judgment means, search means, and recalculation means is, for example, a CPU 2.
1, RAM 705, ROM 708 and program data stored therein.

[Function] In this configuration, a parking ticket or one or more types of payment value cards are inserted from the card insertion slot in any order, but when a payment value card is inserted, the information is stored, When a parking ticket is inserted, the information is stored and the parking fee is calculated based on the already stored payment value card information. Then, when the calculated parking fee is zero or more money is inserted, the payment is completed. If the condition for completing the payment is not met, the presence or absence of a payment value card is searched for, and if it is present, that information is added to calculate the parking fee again, and the process is repeated until the condition for completing the payment is satisfied.

When the payment is completed, the payment value card is returned, change is released, a receipt is issued, and the exit gate is opened.

Therefore, parking fee calculation starts when a parking ticket is inserted, the information of the card inserted before then is retained, and the payment is continued until the sum of the payment value card information and the input money satisfies the calculated fee. Value cards and money are inserted, so simply insert payment value cards such as parking tickets, commuter passes, service tickets, etc. into one card slot without worrying about the order in which they are inserted, and insert money as needed. Payment is made very easily.

[Examples] Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 3 is a layout diagram of the customer service side of the payment machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The same elements as in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals. In Fig. 1, unlike the conventional example (Fig. 2), the customer service area is 200%
has only one card slot.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic configuration of the payment machine of this embodiment having the customer service area shown in FIG. The same elements as in FIG. 7 are designated by the same reference numerals. The payment machine of this embodiment performs payment using a parking ticket, payment value card, and/or money when exiting the parking lot.

The payment value card herein refers to a card that has a value that is applied to part or all of the fee when paying the fee, and refers to a commuter pass, service ticket, coupon ticket, etc.

A commuter pass is proof that you have paid a fee in advance for a certain period of time, such as daytime or night, so that you do not have to pay a fee when leaving the parking lot within a certain period of time, such as during the day or at night. It is a ticket to do. In this commuter pass, expiration date information is recorded in advance, and information such as the time of use (daytime, nighttime, etc.) is also recorded as necessary. A service ticket is a ticket that allows free parking for a certain period of time, such as 30 minutes or an hour, for the purpose of providing services to customers who have made a purchase, or a ticket that has a value equivalent to a certain amount of money, such as a coupon ticket. There are things that you have. Information such as available parking lots, expiry date, and parking time with one ticket is recorded in advance on this service ticket.

The payment machine of this embodiment includes a microprocessor (CPU) 21, which is an example of an arithmetic processing device. this
The CPU 21 has a ROM in which a program shown in FIG. 5, which will be described later, is preset and stored, and a memory area set to store various information.
A memory 22 including RAM is connected. Each of the storage means, calculation means, judgment means, search means, and recalculation means is configured to include these. Also,
A card reader 23 is connected to the CPU 21 for reading information recorded on parking tickets, commuter passes, and service tickets. This card reader 23
If information is magnetically recorded on a parking ticket or the like, a device that reads the information magnetically is used.
Furthermore, instead of reading information magnetically, it may be possible to read characters or information optically.

In addition, the CPU 21 includes a switch 24 arranged on the customer service surface (Fig. 3) for requesting a receipt, calling an attendant, canceling, etc., an amount display 25 for displaying parking fees and input amounts, a coin mechanism 26, and a building counter. (Banknote) mechanism 27 is connected. This coin mechanism 26 has functions such as detecting the validity of the inserted coin, determining the type of the inserted coin, and discharging change. The bill mechanism 27 includes a function of determining the validity of banknotes and determining the type of banknotes.

Furthermore, a printer 28 for issuing a receipt and a gate drive section 29 for opening and closing the exit gate are connected to the CPU 21.

5. FIGS. 1 to 4 are flowcharts for explaining the operation of the payment machine shown in FIG. 4. Here, steps 34 and 35 are storage means for storing parking ticket information, steps 47, 50, 48, and 57 are storage means for storing payment value card information, and step 36 is a storage means for storing information on the parking ticket.
-42 are calculation means, steps 44, 45, 64,
Reference numeral 65 indicates the determination means, step 32 indicates the retrieval means, and steps 51 to 55 and 59 to 61 indicate the operations in the recalculation means, respectively.

Next, the specific operation of the payment machine of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. The CPU 21 included in the payment machine performs the following operations. That is, in step (hereinafter referred to as ST) 31, it is constantly determined whether the vehicle detector 7 has detected a vehicle. When the vehicle detector 7 detects a vehicle, it is then determined in ST32 based on the signal from the card reader 23 whether a parking ticket, commuter pass, service ticket, etc. have been inserted, and it is determined whether any of the tickets have been inserted. If any ticket is inserted, the process proceeds to ST62, and if any ticket is inserted, the information written on the face of the ticket is read in ST33, and the process proceeds to ST34. In ST34, it is determined whether the inserted ticket is a parking ticket. Assuming that a parking ticket is currently inserted, the process proceeds to ST35 and sets the parking time. Next, in ST36, it is determined whether there is commuter data, and if a commuter pass has been inserted and the commuter data has been read, the commuter pass fee is calculated (ST37), and if there is no commuter data, the general fee is calculated (ST38). Further, proceed to ST39 to determine whether or not a service charge has been set. If a service ticket has been inserted and a service charge has been set, the service charge is subtracted (ST40); if no service charge has been set, the service charge remains unchanged. Proceed to ST41 and display the billed amount. Furthermore, a calculation end flag is set (ST42), the parking tickets are temporarily pooled in a pool (ST43), and the process proceeds to ST44. In ST44, it is determined whether the billed amount is zero or not, and if the billed amount is zero, the delivery operation in ST66 to ST77 is performed. If the billed amount is not zero, the magnitude of the input amount and the billed amount is judged in ST45, and if the input amount is small, ST
Returning to step 32, if the input amount is greater than or equal to the billed amount, the necessary change is released from the building mechanism section 27 and the payment operation is completed (ST46), after which the exit operation from ST66 is performed. If the inserted ticket is not a parking ticket in ST34, it is determined whether it is a commuter pass (ST47), and if it is not a commuter pass, it is further determined whether it is a service ticket (ST48). Even though the ticket has been inserted, if it is not a parking ticket, commuter pass, or service ticket, the wrong ticket has been inserted, so the ticket is returned (ST49) and the process returns to ST32. If it is determined in ST47 that the inserted ticket is a commuter pass, the commuter data is read from the commuter pass and set in a predetermined area of RAM (ST50), and then it is determined whether the calculation end flag is "1" ( ST51). If the calculation end flag is "1", it means that the parking ticket has not been inserted yet, so the commuter pass is returned (ST4
9) Return to ST32 and insert the parking ticket. ST
If the calculation end flag is "1" in ST 51, the parking ticket has already been inserted and the parking time has been set (ST3
5) and the general charge has been calculated (ST38), the regular charge is recalculated based on this parking time (ST52). Next, proceed to ST53, and if a service charge has been set, reduce the service charge (ST54); if no service charge has been set, display the billed amount as is (ST55), return the commuter pass (ST56), and then proceed to ST44. . ST3
If it is determined that a service ticket has been inserted in steps 2 to 34, 47, and 48, the service ticket face information is read and the service fee is set in a predetermined area of the RAM (ST57), and the service ticket is temporarily pooled in a pool (ST58). After that, check the calculation end flag (ST59). If the calculation completion flag is "1", it means that the parking ticket has not been inserted yet, so ST
32 and wait for the parking ticket to be inserted. If the calculation end flag is “1”, it is calculated in ST38.
After subtracting the service charge from the general charge stored in RAM (ST60) and displaying the billed amount again (ST61), proceed to ST44.

If no new ticket has been inserted in ST32, check the cancellation key (ST62), and if the cancellation key is pressed and the cancellation switch is turned on, check the cancellation key (ST62).
Perform the settlement cancellation operations in ST81 to ST90. If the cancel key has not been pressed, it is determined in ST63 whether the calculation end flag is set to "1". If the calculation completion flag is not "1", it means that the parking ticket has not been inserted yet, so the process returns to ST32 and waits for the parking ticket to be inserted. If the calculation completion flag is set, the parking ticket has already been inserted and the fee calculation has been completed, so the next step is to confirm the insertion of cash in ST64. ST if no cash is inserted
Return to 32. If cash has been inserted in ST64, the inserted amount is displayed (ST65), and then the process proceeds to ST45, where it is determined whether or not the payment has been completed.

The unloading operation is performed as follows. ST66
, it is determined whether the receipt request button has been pressed, and if the button has been pressed, the receipt is sent to the printer 2.
8 is printed (ST67), and if the button is not pressed, the exit gate is opened (ST68) and the vehicle waits until the vehicle detector 9 detects a vehicle (ST6
9) Furthermore, wait until the vehicle passes over the vehicle detector 9 and this detector 9 turns off (ST70), close the exit gate (ST71), and collect the parking ticket and service ticket (ST72, 73). Next, the commuter pass data, service charge, and calculation end flag set in the RAM are cleared (ST74-76), and the display is further cleared (ST77), and the operation ends.

In addition, if the cancel key is pressed in ST62, once the pooled parking tickets, service tickets, or inserted cash are returned (ST81 to ST86), the display is cleared (ST8
7) Clear the commuter pass data, service charge and calculation end flag (ST88-90) and proceed to ST32
Return to

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of a card reader mechanism used in the payment machine of FIG. 4. In the same figure, 91
and 92 are the card insertion slot and customer service surface shown in FIG. 3, respectively; 93 is a card reader section; 94 is a ticket sorting section; 95, 96, and 97 are temporary pool sections; and 98 is a collection box.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, since there is a single card insertion slot, it is possible to prevent erroneous operations due to incorrect card insertion, and it is possible to repeatedly search for insertion of a new ticket until payment is completed. , When a new ticket is inserted, the parking fee will be recalculated based on all information including the new ticket's face information.
To appropriately settle a parking fee regardless of the order in which parking tickets, commuter passes, service tickets, etc. are inserted.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating an unmanned parking lot system that forms the background of the present invention and to which the present invention is applied;
Figure 2 is a layout diagram of the customer service side of a conventional payment machine.
Fig. 3 is a layout diagram of a payment machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 4 is a block diagram of a payment machine according to an embodiment of the invention, and Figs. 5 1 to 4 are operation of the payment machine of Fig. 4. Flowchart for explaining, Figure 6 is the 4th
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the parking fee adjustment machine of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram thereof. 1...Unmanned parking lot, 2,5,7,9...Vehicle detector, 3...Parking ticket issuing machine, 4...Entering gate, 6...Parking fee adjustment machine, 8...Exit gate, 21...CPU,
22...Memory, 23...Card reader, 24...Customer service operation unit, 25...Amount display, 26...Coin mechanism,
27...Building mechanism, 28...Printer, 29...Gate drive unit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. 1 or 2 installed in a parking lot, where the parking ticket and parking fee are reduced or waived when leaving the parking lot.
a parking fee payment machine which is adapted to be used for payment using more than one type of payment value card; , a storage means for storing information that the parking ticket has been inserted into the card insertion slot and information read from the parking ticket, and information read from the one or more types of payment value cards inserted into the card insertion slot; storage means as many as the types of said payment value cards for storing information, and means for calculating the parking fee based on the information stored in each of said storage means if the inserted card is a parking ticket; A determining means for determining the completion of payment when the calculated parking fee is zero or money exceeding the calculated parking fee has been inserted, and a card insertion slot for repeating when the determining means determines that the payment has not been completed. a search means for searching for insertion of a ticket into a parking ticket, and when the search means detects insertion of a new ticket after a parking ticket has been inserted, information on the new ticket is stored in each of the storage means. and recalculating means for recalculating the parking fee based on the information.