JP2024144843A - Parking lot management system, method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a convenient payment procedure and shopping discount procedure for both ETC and non-ETC vehicles. [Solution] An image capture management unit 150 captures and stores an entry image of a vehicle entering a parking lot. An ETC information management unit 155 attempts to read ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) vehicle information from the vehicle, and if successful, links the ETC vehicle information to the entry image and manages it. When a vehicle number search unit 161 receives vehicle number information input from a selection terminal for parking fee settlement, it searches for the vehicle number information from either the vehicle number included in the entry image or the vehicle number included in the ETC vehicle information. A selection screen is generated on a selection terminal (payment machine 200, user mobile terminal 300, or car navigation system 600) that allows the entry image including the vehicle number information that matches the search to be selected. [Selected Figure] Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a parking lot management system, method, and program.

Conventionally, parking lot management systems have been implemented in paid parking lots that manage the entry and exit of vehicles equipped with an onboard ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) unit and automatically settle parking fees through ETC payment.

In addition, in recent years, parking lots that are ETC-compatible and charge a fee and are located next to commercial facilities have implemented parking management systems that reflect discounts on parking fees according to the amount of shopping done at the commercial facility.

JP 2019-101544 A

In Patent Document 1, in order to provide a parking lot server that allows cashless payment of parking fees reflecting discount information using an ETC system, a data transceiver unit receives ETC information from an entrance ETC roadside unit installed at the entrance of the parking lot, receives code information of the ETC information generated based on a user's selection of one of the images of a vehicle taken at the entrance and discount information corresponding to the code information from a store terminal associated with the store, receives ETC information from an exit ETC roadside unit installed at the exit of the parking lot, and transmits parking fee billing information based on the discount information to a specified server, links the ETC information received from the entrance ETC roadside unit and the discount information received from the store terminal and stores them as entries in a database, searches the database based on the ETC information received from the exit ETC roadside unit, and generates billing information based on the discount information of the searched entry.

However, in the technology of Patent Document 1, the ETC code information generated based on the user's selection of one of the vehicle numbers recognized at the entrance and the corresponding discount information are received from a store terminal associated with the store, so data protection is required by passing the highly confidential ETC information through various store terminals, and there is no denying that the increase in communication volume and slower response times associated with encryption processing will occur.

In addition, in the technology of Patent Document 1, the system that reflects discounts on ETC vehicles is not effectively utilized in non-ETC vehicles that do not use ETC on-board units, and user convenience is not improved.

The present invention aims to provide convenient payment procedures and shopping discount procedures for both ETC and non-ETC vehicles.

1) The first parking lot management system of the present invention is
an image capturing management unit that captures and stores images of vehicles entering a parking lot;
an ETC information management unit that attempts to read ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) vehicle information from the vehicle, and if successful, manages the ETC vehicle information by linking it with the entry image;
a vehicle number search unit that, when receiving vehicle number information consisting of at least a part of a vehicle number input from a selection terminal for payment of a parking fee, searches for the vehicle number information from either the vehicle number included in the entry image or the vehicle number included in the ETC vehicle information;
a selection screen generating unit that generates a selection screen on which the entry image including the vehicle number information matched by the search can be selected on the selection terminal;
a transmission unit that transmits the selection screen to the selection terminal;
Equipped with:

According to the first parking lot management system of the present invention, entering vehicles are managed based on the vehicle number for both ETC and non-ETC vehicles, and the system is integrated, so that users can use ETC and non-ETC vehicles in the same way, which is convenient for them.

2) The second parking lot management system of the present invention is the first parking lot management system,
When the ETC vehicle information is read from the vehicle, the ETC information management unit determines whether or not the vehicle number included in the ETC vehicle information matches the vehicle number included in the entry image of the vehicle, and determines that an abnormality has occurred if they do not match;
When the ETC information management unit judges an abnormality to exist at the time of entry, the vehicle number search unit searches for the vehicle number information input from the selection terminal at the time of exit from among the vehicle numbers included in the image at the time of entry.

According to the second parking lot management system of the present invention, even if the vehicle number included in the ETC vehicle information is incorrect, entering vehicles are managed based on the appropriate vehicle number included in the image.

3) A third parking lot system of the present invention is the first parking lot management system,
The ETC information management unit manages, in association with each other, the vehicle number included in the entry image and the vehicle-mounted unit number, ETC card information, and vehicle-mounted unit number included in the ETC vehicle information read by the ETC information management unit.

According to the third parking lot management system of the present invention, entering and exiting vehicles are appropriately managed based on various information contained in the ETC vehicle information.

4) A fourth parking lot system of the present invention is a third parking lot management system,
a code image generating unit that, when the entrance image is selected on the selection terminal based on the selection screen, encodes a vehicle number included in the selected entrance image to generate a code image that can be read by a device managed by a commercial facility associated with the parking lot in order to link the vehicle number to a purchase amount at the commercial facility,
The transmission unit transmits the generated code image to the selection terminal.

According to the fourth parking management system of the present invention, it is possible to link with a database of shopping discounts without using various ETC information contained in ETC vehicle information, simplifying the system and improving user convenience due to its quick response.

5) A fifth parking lot management system of the present invention is the first parking lot management system,
the selection terminal is a car navigation system of the vehicle or a mobile terminal of a user who is in the vehicle,
the selection screen generation unit generates a parking lot information notification screen that notifies the user that the vehicle has entered the parking lot and allows the user to access the vehicle number information input screen for payment;
The transmission unit transmits the generated parking lot information notification screen to the car navigation system or the mobile terminal.

The fifth parking management system of the present invention is highly convenient as users do not need to access a dedicated website or enter vehicle number information.

6) A sixth parking lot management system of the present invention is the third parking lot management system,
when the vehicle is not detected in an exit area of the parking lot and the information requesting payment is received, the selection screen generation unit generates a screen on which a payment method can be selected from a plurality of payment methods including payment using the ETC card information;
The parking lot further includes a payment reception unit which, when the vehicle is detected in the exit area of the parking lot and ETC radio waves are detected from the vehicle, receives information requesting payment and settles the parking fee using the ETC card information.

According to the sixth parking lot management system of the present invention, even ETC vehicles can choose from a variety of payment methods for parking fees, which is convenient for users.

7) The parking lot management method of the present invention comprises:
A parking lot management method executed by a parking lot management device, comprising:
an image capture management step of capturing and storing images of vehicles entering the parking lot;
an ETC information management step of attempting to read ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) vehicle information from the vehicle, and if successful, linking the ETC vehicle information with the entry image and managing the ETC vehicle information;
a vehicle number search step of, when receiving vehicle number information consisting of at least a part of a vehicle number inputted from a selection terminal for payment of a parking fee, searching for the vehicle number information from either the vehicle number included in the entry image or the vehicle number included in the ETC vehicle information;
a selection screen generating step of generating a selection screen on which the entry image including the vehicle number information matched by the search can be selected on the selection terminal;
a transmission step of transmitting the selection screen to the selection terminal;
Includes.

8) The parking lot management program of the present invention is
A parking lot management program executed by a computer,
an image capture management step of capturing and storing images of vehicles entering the parking lot;
an ETC information management step of attempting to read ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) vehicle information from the vehicle, and if successful, linking the ETC vehicle information with the entry image and managing the ETC vehicle information;
a vehicle number search step of, when receiving vehicle number information consisting of at least a part of a vehicle number inputted from a selection terminal for payment of a parking fee, searching for the vehicle number information from either the vehicle number included in the entry image or the vehicle number included in the ETC vehicle information;
a selection screen generating step of generating a selection screen on which the entry image including the vehicle number information matched by the search can be selected on the selection terminal;
a transmission step of transmitting the selection screen to the selection terminal;
The computer is caused to execute the following.

The present invention can provide convenient payment procedures and shopping discount procedures for both ETC and non-ETC vehicles.

1 is a conceptual diagram of the configuration of a parking lot management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of the configuration of a parking lot according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an electrical block diagram of the settlement machine of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the settlement machine of the present embodiment. 1 is a functional block diagram of a parking lot management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a database according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is an operation flow diagram at the time of entry in this embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of operations when entering the race according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of receiving a discount code in this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of online settlement according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a settlement operation of the mobile terminal of the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a settlement operation of the mobile terminal of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an electrical block diagram of the car navigation system according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a screen of a car navigation system according to the present embodiment.

About ETC (Electronic Toll Collection System)
The unique ID of the ETC on-board unit is called the on-board unit number (WCN: Wireless Call Number), and the on-board unit is detected by a device installed on the roadside. After the on-board unit is installed in the vehicle, the on-board unit is set up. The on-board unit setup is the process of registering vehicle information, etc., required for using ETC services (especially ETC 2.0) and preventing billing mistakes when passing through toll roads with different toll systems depending on the vehicle type, into the on-board unit to make the on-board unit available for use. Specifically, the vehicle information written on the vehicle inspection certificate is registered in the on-board unit. Typically, all the information on the license plate (4-digit serial number, name of the Land Transport Bureau, classification number (3 digits), and use number (kana)), as well as the vehicle number, manufacturer name, weight, dimensions, etc. are registered.

However, because the onboard unit can be installed and removed independently, it is possible to receive an onboard unit from another vehicle and install it in your own vehicle. In this case, it is necessary to set it up properly again, but there are some vehicles that continue to be used without updating the setup. Or, there is a possibility that the registration information is incorrect during setup.

Therefore, when an ETC vehicle enters or exits a parking lot, the number information obtained from the setup information of the ETC onboard unit (referred to as the onboard unit number) may differ from the license plate information installed in the ETC vehicle.

Furthermore, even if a vehicle is equipped with an ETC onboard unit, it is not necessarily the case that the ETC card is inserted in the onboard unit. In addition, there may be cases where the ETC card has expired and has not been updated.

On the other hand, the license plate information of a vehicle captured in an image (referred to as the image number) is read by optically reading each character from the image using an optical character recognition (OCR) process. However, due to factors such as the image resolution, the amount of external light, and dirt on the license plate, it is not always possible to accurately read all of the character information.

In light of the above situation, this disclosure discloses a parking management system that provides convenient payment procedures and shopping discount procedures for both ETC and non-ETC vehicles.

<Parking lot management system>
Hereinafter, a parking lot management system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a conceptual diagram of the configuration of the parking lot management system according to the embodiment. Fig. 2 is a conceptual diagram of the configuration of the parking lot according to the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the parking lot management system according to this embodiment includes a parking lot management device 100, a parking lot settlement machine 200, a user mobile terminal 300, a cash register management device 400, and a payment institution server 500.

The parking lot management device 100 is composed of a web server 110, a database server 120, and a database 130. The database 130 is synchronized with some of the data in the internal memory of the payment machine 200. The parking lot management device 100 cooperates with multiple payment machines 200 in multiple parking lots to comprehensively manage them, and here, it shows a state in which ETC payments are possible for ETC vehicles in parking lot 1, and ETC vehicles are treated the same as non-ETC vehicles in parking lot 2.

The payment institution's server 500 is, for example, a payment server managed by a credit card company.

Commercial facilities are adjacent to parking lots, and when parking lot users shop within the commercial facility, the parking fee is discounted or waived according to the amount of purchase. Each store in the commercial facility has at least one cash register, and a cash register management device 400 is installed to integrate these. The cash register management device 400 may be a POS (Point of Sales) server. Note that the cash register management device 400 is not necessarily installed within the commercial facility. The parking lot management device 100 stores the commercial facility and the parking lot in association with each other.

The user mobile terminal 300 is a mobile terminal owned by a user of the parking lot, and is a so-called smart phone. The user mobile terminal 300 can connect to the Internet 10 via a mobile communication network (so-called 4G or 5G) not shown. If the user does not own a mobile terminal, the user can settle the parking fee at the settlement machine 200.

The parking lot is equipped with a camera 252, an ETC antenna 253, and a gate 251 at each of the entrance and exit, and a payment machine 200 is installed inside the parking lot. However, the parking lot is available to both vehicles equipped with an ETC on-board unit (ETC vehicles) and vehicles not equipped with an ETC on-board unit (non-ETC vehicles).
Both the user portable terminal 300 and the settlement machine 200 are examples of a "selection terminal."

As shown in FIG. 2, the parking lot is configured in more detail with an entrance camera 252-1, an entrance ETC antenna 253-1, and an entrance gate 251-1 at the entrance, as well as an entrance loop coil 254-1 underground that detects the presence and passage of vehicles. Similarly, the exit is equipped with an exit camera 252-2, an exit ETC antenna 253-2, and an exit gate 251-2, as well as an exit loop coil 254-2 underground that detects the presence and passage of vehicles.

The settlement machine 200 also functions as a parking lot control device. When the entrance loop coil 254-1 detects the presence of a vehicle, the settlement machine 200 determines that the vehicle has entered the entrance area. Furthermore, a condition may be added so that if an object that appears to be a vehicle is captured by the entrance camera 252-1, it is determined that a vehicle has entered the entrance area. Similarly, for the exit, the settlement machine 200 determines that a vehicle has entered the exit area using the exit loop coil 254-2 and the exit camera 252-2.

The entrance ETC antenna 253-1 attempts to read ETC vehicle information from the vehicle's ETC onboard unit. If the read is successful, it transmits the read information to the settlement machine 200. Similarly, at the exit, the exit ETC antenna 253-2 attempts to read ETC vehicle information from the vehicle's ETC onboard unit. If the read is successful, it transmits the read information to the settlement machine 200.

Figure 3 is an electrical block diagram of the settlement machine of this embodiment. In the settlement machine 200, the memory 221 and CPU (Central Processing Unit) 223 are connected to an interface 221 via a bus 220, and are connected to each unit. The settlement machine 200 has, as each unit, an internal communication unit 224, an external communication unit 225, a human sensor 229, an audio output device 226, a coin handling device 230, a bill handling device 231, a display screen device 227, a receipt printer 228, a card reader 232, and a two-dimensional code reader 233.

The on-site communication unit 224 is connected to a local network within the parking lot. The external communication unit 225 is connected to a network outside the parking lot (Internet 10). The human sensor 229 reacts when a person stands in front of the settlement machine, enabling operation. The audio output device 226 is a speaker or the like that outputs operation guidance. The coin handling device 230 is a coin circulation type coin sorting and coin circulation type dispensing device. The paper money handling device 231 is a paper money reader and paper money dispensing device. The display screen device 227 is a touch panel type liquid crystal display screen. The receipt printer 228 is a so-called receipt printer. The card reader 232 is a card reader that reads credit cards, house cards, etc. The two-dimensional code reader 233 is a bar code reader with a built-in optical scanner.

Figure 4 is a functional block diagram of the settlement machine 200 of this embodiment. By the CPU 223 executing the programs stored in the memory 221, the settlement machine 200 has a vehicle detection unit 210, a gate control unit 211, a member information confirmation unit 212, a number information confirmation unit 213, an ETC information management unit 214, a settlement confirmation unit 215, etc.

Figure 5 is a functional block diagram of the parking lot management device 100 of this embodiment. The hardware of the parking lot management device 100 may be a normal computer configuration. When the parking lot management program is installed and executed on the computer, the parking lot management device 100 is configured to include each of the units shown in Figure 5.

The parking lot management device 100 has an imaging management unit 150, a member management unit 151, a store usage information acquisition unit 152, a payment reception unit 153, a selection instruction reception unit 154, an ETC information management unit 155, a selection image generation unit 156, a code image generation unit 157, a transmission unit 158, a parking information notification unit (via the Web) 160, an external payment reception unit 159, a vehicle number search unit 161, and the like.

The imaging management unit 150 captures and stores an image of a vehicle entering a parking lot. The ETC information management unit 155 attempts to read ETC vehicle information from the vehicle, and if it is read, manages the ETC vehicle information by linking it to the entry image. When the vehicle number search unit 161 receives vehicle number information consisting of at least a part of the vehicle number input from a selection terminal (adjustment machine 200 or user mobile terminal 300) for settling parking fees, it searches for the vehicle number information from either the vehicle number included in the entry image or the vehicle number included in the ETC vehicle information. Here, the number information may be any of the elements of the vehicle number on the vehicle's license plate (four-digit serial number, land transport bureau name, classification number (three digits), and application number (kana)), but it is preferable to use a four-digit serial number. The selection screen generation unit 156 generates a selection screen that allows the selection of the entry image including the vehicle number information that matches the search on the selection terminal. The transmission unit 158 transmits the selection screen to the selection terminal. When an entrance image is selected on the selection terminal based on the selection screen, the code image generation unit 157 encodes the vehicle number included in the selected entrance image to generate a code image that can be read by a device managed by the commercial facility associated with the parking lot in order to link the purchase amount at the commercial facility with the vehicle number.

Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram of the database 130 in this embodiment. The database 130 includes a member registration database 131, a vehicle presence database 132, an entrance image database 133, and a history database 134.

After the vehicle has been properly settled and exited, the data in the vehicle database 132 is transferred to the history database 134 while keeping the same management number (serial number). The entry image database 133 is maintained as it is even after the vehicle has been properly settled and exited. A separate exit image database 133 may be configured.
The member registration database 131 registers the necessary information in advance based on the user's declaration, and records the vehicle-mounted unit number and other information as the user uses the system. Payment methods include ETC payment using the ETC card number, payment by other credit cards, various code payments, and other methods that can be selected as appropriate.

<Entry action>
7 is a flow chart showing the operation flow at the time of entry in this embodiment. The flow of operation of the parking lot management device 100 will be mainly described.

The parking lot management device 100 and the settlement machine 200 monitor whether or not a vehicle is detected by the entrance loop coil 254-1 (step S101). If a vehicle is detected, the result is YES and the process proceeds to step S102, where the entrance camera 252-1 captures an image of the front of the vehicle, and the vehicle number is recognized by OCR (Optical Character Recognition) processing (step S102).
The image of the front of the vehicle captured in step S102 is referred to as an “entry image.” The read vehicle number is the vehicle number included in the entry image, and is hereinafter referred to as an “image number.”

Next, in step S103, the parking lot management device 100 and the settlement machine 200 judge whether or not the entrance ETC antenna 253-1 receives ETC radio waves. If received, the answer is YES and the process proceeds to step S104, where the ETC information is read.
The ETC information read includes the vehicle number included in the on-board unit number and setup information, the ETC card number, etc. However, the ETC card number in particular is encrypted before being handled in order to deal with malicious unauthorized access during transmission.
The vehicle number included in the ETC information read in step S104 is hereinafter referred to as the "vehicle-mounted unit number."

In step S105, the image number is compared with the vehicle-mounted unit number, and if they match, the result is YES, and an ETC normal flag is assigned to the data (step S106).On the other hand, if they do not match, the result is NO, and an ETC abnormal flag is assigned (step S107).
Also, in step S103, if the vehicle is a non-ETC vehicle and the entrance ETC antenna 253-1 has not received an ETC radio wave, the result is NO, and the process proceeds directly to step S108.

In step S108, the entrance gate 251-1 is set to the "open" state, and in step S109, the passage through the entrance gate 251-1 is monitored to see if it is detected by the loop coil. If the vehicle has passed through, the result is YES, and the process moves to step S110, where the image at the time of entry taken by the entrance camera 252-1, the ETC information, and the aforementioned flag are sent to the database 130 of the parking lot management device 100. This updates the vehicle presence database 132 in the database 130, and then in step S111, the image DB 133 is updated.

The contents of some of the data (such as prepayment information) are synchronized between the vehicle database 132 of the parking lot management device 100 and the memory 221 of the payment machine 200. The image database 133 is not included in the payment machine 200, but may be stored as a backup. The vehicle database 132 may also be stored entirely in the parking lot management device 100.

<Entering Actions>
8 is a flow chart showing the operation flow when exiting according to this embodiment. As with the entry operation, the flow of operation of the parking lot management device will be mainly described.

In step S201, the exit loop coil 254-2 monitors whether a vehicle is detected, and if so, the result is YES and the process moves to step S202. The exit camera 252-2 captures an image, and the vehicle number (image number) is recognized by OCR processing.

In step S203, it is determined whether or not the exit ETC antenna 253-2 receives ETC radio waves, and if so, the answer is YES and the process proceeds to step S204. In step S204, it is determined whether or not the ETC card is valid. In this case, if the ETC card is inserted and the card is within its expiration date, the answer is YES and the ETC payment is made in step S206. Note that if the fee has already been settled, as described below, no actual ETC payment is made. Alternatively, if the fee has already been settled but time has passed since the exit and a charge has been made again, an ETC payment is made for the additional charge amount.

In step S204, if the ETC card is not inserted or the card has expired, the result is NO, and in step S205 the vehicle-mounted unit number is obtained and the vehicle-located database 132 is consulted to see if the payment has been made in advance. At that time, if the image number and the vehicle-mounted unit number match, the vehicle-located database 132 is searched for the vehicle number, and if they do not match, the vehicle-located database 132 is searched for the vehicle-mounted unit number and it is confirmed whether the payment has been made in advance based on the information in the corresponding vehicle-located database 132 (step S207).

If the payment has been made in step S208, the answer is YES. If the answer is NO, the payment is made by various means in step S209. At that time, if a payment method has been registered in the member registration information, the payment is automatically made using that payment method.

On the other hand, in the case of a non-ETC vehicle that has not yet been settled and is not receiving ETC radio waves, an alarm may be output in step S209 (for example, a separate patrol light may be flashed) and the process may be interrupted without opening the exit gate 251-2 to the "open" state. If the user makes the payment on the spot using the user mobile terminal 300, the process proceeds to step S210 at that point.

If the payment has been made, the exit gate 251-2 is opened in step S210, and in step S211, the passage through the exit gate 251-2 is monitored to see if it has been detected by the loop coil 254-2. If the vehicle has passed through, the result becomes YES, and the process moves to step S212, where the vehicle database 132 is updated.

<Prepayment via fare adjustment machine>
The settlement machine 200 can be installed in the exit area of the parking lot and used by the user to settle the fare when the vehicle exits (step S209 in FIG. 8), but it can also be installed in an area within the parking lot and used for settling the fare before the vehicle exits (so-called advance settlement). FIG. 9 shows the flow of advance settlement.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the case of this advance payment, the user inputs the vehicle number information of the vehicle for which the parking fee and other charges are to be paid into the payment machine 200 using a display screen device 227 such as a touch panel. The payment machine 200 sends a vehicle search request including the input vehicle number information to the parking lot management device 100 (step S301).

The parking lot management device 100 receives the input vehicle number information together with a vehicle search request (step S302). Next, the vehicle number information is searched for among either the "image number" or the "on-board unit number" stored and managed in the vehicle database 132 (step S303). Next, the entry image including the vehicle number that matches the search is read from the entry image database 133 (step S304). Since the vehicle number information is, for example, a four-digit consecutive number, there is a possibility that multiple vehicles have the same vehicle number. Therefore, there is a possibility that there are multiple entry images.

The parking lot management device 100 then generates a "selection screen" including the entry image read from the entry image database 133 so that the user can select the entry image at the payment machine 200 (step S305). The parking lot management device 100 transmits the selection screen to the payment machine 200, and the payment machine 200 displays the received selection screen on the display screen device 227 (step S306).

If there are multiple vehicles with the same four-digit serial number, the user's mobile terminal 300 displays the images in sequence. When the user selects an entry image for his/her vehicle based on the selection screen displayed on the display screen device 227, the settlement machine 200 transmits the selection input to the parking lot management device 100 (step S307). After displaying the selection screen, the settlement machine 200 displays a settlement interface using the coin handling device 230, bill handling device 231, etc. When the user uses this to settle the payment, information indicating that the payment has been completed is transmitted to the parking lot management device 100 together with the selection input information when the selection input is transmitted.

When the parking lot management device 100 receives the selection input, it updates the database 130 (step S308). If the user does not settle, it generates a discount code image and sends it to the settlement machine 200 (step S309). The settlement machine 200 displays the received discount code image on the display screen device 227 (step S310). The discount code image will be described later.

The above describes pre-payment using the settlement machine 200, but in this embodiment, pre-payment using the user's mobile terminal 300 is also possible. Below, pre-payment using the user's mobile terminal 300 is described. Both the settlement machine 200 and the user's mobile terminal 300 are examples of "selection terminals."

<Prepayment operation via user's mobile terminal>
Advance settlement using the user's portable terminal 300 is basically the same as the settlement operation using the settlement machine 200, and proceeds according to the flow in Figure 9. In step S308, where the settlement machine 200 settles in cash (or settles using a credit card, etc.), online settlement is possible using the user's portable terminal 300. A detailed flow of online settlement is shown in Figure 10. Specific examples of the display screen of the user's portable terminal 300 are shown in Figures 11 and 12. Figures 11 and 12 are explanatory diagrams of the settlement operation and discount code receiving operation of the portable terminal in this embodiment.

Figure 11 (1) shows a parking lot entry notification that is pushed to the user's mobile device. This notification is sent automatically if the user has downloaded the app in advance, installed it on their mobile device, and registered the parking lot location information, the user's vehicle license plate number, and payment method. Clicking on "Launch app" in Figure 11 (1) takes the user to a screen for inputting vehicle license plate number information to generate a vehicle search request (Figure 11 (2)).

On the vehicle number information input screen in FIG. 11 (2), the user inputs the four-digit serial number of the vehicle number of the user's vehicle and presses the search key to send a vehicle search request (FIG. 11 (2)). The user's mobile terminal 300 sends a vehicle search request including the input vehicle number information to the parking lot management device 100 (step S301).

The parking lot management device 100 receives the input vehicle number information together with a vehicle search request (step S302). Next, a vehicle number that matches the vehicle number information is searched for among either the "image number" or the "on-board unit number" stored and managed in the vehicle database 132 (step S303). Next, the entry image including the vehicle number that matches the search is read from the entry image database 133 (step S304).

Next, the parking lot management device 100 generates a "selection screen" including the entry image read from the entry image database 133 so that the user can select an entry image on the user mobile terminal 300 (step S305). The parking lot management device 100 transmits the selection screen to the user mobile terminal 300, and the user mobile terminal 300 displays the received selection screen on its display screen (step S306). An example of the selection screen is shown in Figure 11 (3).

If there are multiple vehicles with the same four-digit serial number, the user mobile terminal 300 displays the images in sequence. Once the user has confirmed their own vehicle, they press the decision key to transmit their selection input (step S307).

When the parking lot management device 100 receives the selection input, it updates the database after the online payment (described below) is completed (step S308). If the user does not settle the bill, it generates a discount code image (Figure 11 (4)) and sends it to the user mobile terminal 300 (step S309). The user mobile terminal 300 displays the received discount code image on the display screen (step S310).

<Discount code image>
The discount code image is an image that is generated by encoding the vehicle number included in the entry image selected and input in step S307, and is configured to be readable by the cash register management device 400 of the commercial facility. The information to be encoded may include time information on the date and time when the discount code was issued, in addition to the vehicle number included in the entry image selected and input. One example is a two-dimensional code as shown in FIG. 11 (4).

When a user makes a purchase at a store in a commercial facility and shows the screen of the user's mobile device, on which the discount code image is displayed, to a store clerk or attendant, the discount code image is read at the store's cash register.

The discount code image basically contains not only the four-digit serial number but also all elements of the vehicle number, but does not contain the ETC card number etc. This is to prevent highly confidential information such as ETC card numbers from being leaked.

Based on the vehicle number read from the discount code image presented by the user when shopping, etc., a query is made to the vehicle database 132 of the parking lot management device via the commercial system's cash register management device, and the shopping amount, etc. are recorded in the vehicle database 132 linked to the vehicle number, and are used for discounts when calculating the fee according to a preset fee system.

<Effects of advance payment>
As already described, the prepayment in this embodiment attempts to read ETC vehicle information from the vehicle, and if it is read, the ETC vehicle information is linked to the entry image and managed, and when the vehicle number information input from the selection terminal for parking fee payment is received, the vehicle number information is searched for from either the vehicle number included in the entry image or the vehicle number included in the ETC vehicle information. The user is asked to select the entry self-image with the vehicle number that matches the search (the same vehicle number may be assigned to different vehicles due to the specifications of the vehicle number). As configured in this way, in this embodiment, both ETC and non-ETC vehicles are managed based on the vehicle number, and the system is integrated, so that the user can use ETC and non-ETC vehicles in the same way, which is convenient.

In addition, in this embodiment, it is determined whether the vehicle number included in the ETC vehicle information matches the vehicle number included in the image of the vehicle at the time of entry, and if they do not match, it is determined that there is an abnormality. In that case, when searching for the vehicle number, the vehicle number is searched among the vehicle numbers included in the image at the time of entry. As a result, even if the number information included in the ETC vehicle information is incorrect, the entering vehicle is managed based on the appropriate number information from the number information included in the image.

In addition, in this embodiment, the ETC information management unit 155 manages the vehicle number included in the entry image in association with the on-board unit number, ETC card information, and on-board unit number included in the ETC vehicle information. This allows appropriate management of entering and exiting vehicles based on the various information included in the ETC vehicle information.

In addition, in this embodiment, the vehicle number selected by the user on the selection screen is encoded to generate a code image that can be read to link the vehicle number to the shopping amount at the commercial facility. This allows linking to a shopping discount database without using the various ETC information contained in the ETC vehicle information, simplifies the system, and improves user convenience with good response.

<Online Payment>
This embodiment further includes a payment acceptance unit 153. When the payment acceptance unit 153 receives information requesting payment when the vehicle is not detected in the exit area of the parking lot, it causes the selection screen generation unit 156 to generate a screen that allows the user to select a payment method from among multiple payment methods including payment by ETC card information. That is, it causes the selection terminal to display a screen that allows online payment. On the other hand, when the payment acceptance unit 153 receives information requesting payment when the vehicle is detected in the exit area of the parking lot and an ETC radio wave is detected from the vehicle, it pays the parking fee using the ETC card information. That is, the ETC payment in step S206 of FIG. 8 is executed. Hereinafter, online payment will be described with reference to FIG. 10.

Figure 10 is a flow diagram of online settlement in this embodiment. The process is basically performed on the user's mobile terminal 300 and will be explained based on the flow in Figure 10 and the diagram in Figure 12.

In step S401, when making an online payment using the user mobile terminal 300, if the discount code reception process described above has already been performed, the selection input has been completed and the answer is YES. However, if the discount code has not been received, the process follows the flow in FIG. 9 and the flow explained in FIG. 11, and proceeds to step S403 by following flow A.

In step S403, a payment request is sent. Additional discount information may also be entered here. For example, if coded information for the purchase amount is printed on the shopping receipt, or if a separately coded discount coupon has been received, the coded information can be read and added to the discount amount (operated using the coupon reading key in FIG. 11 (4)).

It is also possible to change the payment method on the payment method change screen on the user mobile terminal 300 in FIG. 12 (5). When the user decides on a payment method and sends a settlement request, the parking lot management device 100 receives the settlement request in step S407 and sends the fee calculation result in step S408. The user mobile terminal 300 receives the fee calculation result in step S404 (FIG. 12 (6)) and sends the payment method selection in step S405 (pressing the settlement key). When the parking lot management device 100 receives the payment method selection in step S409, it sends a payment request to the external settlement institution 500 in step S410. The external settlement institution 500 receives the payment request in step S413, performs payment processing, and sends the payment result in step S414. When the parking lot management device 100 receives the payment result in step S411, it transfers the contents to the user mobile terminal 300. The user's mobile terminal 300 receives the payment result in step S406 (Figure 10 (7). In addition, the parking lot management device updates the vehicle database 132 in step S412.

In this embodiment, when a vehicle has not been detected in the exit area of the parking lot and information requesting settlement is received, a screen is displayed on the selection terminal that allows the user to select from a number of payment methods, including payment using ETC card information. On the other hand, when a vehicle is detected in the exit area of the parking lot and ETC radio waves are detected from the vehicle, if it is determined that settlement has not been completed, the parking fee is automatically paid using ETC card information. This allows users to select from a variety of payment methods for parking fees, even for ETC vehicles, which is convenient for users.

<Car navigation system utilization function>
In the above embodiment, the settlement machine 200 and the user portable terminal 300 are shown as the selection terminal, but in addition, for example, a car navigation system (hereinafter referred to as "car navigation") mounted on a vehicle may also be used as the selection terminal. In the following, an embodiment will be disclosed in which a shopping discount method when entering a parking lot is displayed on the car navigation in an ETC vehicle equipped with an on-board unit compatible with ETC 2.0.

Figure 13 is an electrical block diagram of a car navigation system according to another embodiment. Figure 14 is an explanatory diagram of a screen of a car navigation system according to another embodiment. The car navigation system 600 includes an ETC vehicle unit 601, a short-range wireless communication unit 602, a TC/radio receiving unit 603, a DVD/CD playback unit 604, an operation unit 605, a control unit 606, a navigation unit 607, an audio output unit 608, and a display screen device 609.

Immediately after an ETC vehicle enters the parking lot, the car navigation system 600 displays information from the parking lot on the display screen device 609 via the entrance ETC antenna 253-1. With this method, a code that can be read by the user's mobile terminal 300 is displayed on the display screen device 609 of the car navigation system 600 via ETC while the vehicle is in the parking lot. After entering the parking lot, the user can park their vehicle in an appropriate parking space and check the car navigation screen before turning off the ACC, allowing them to safely retain the information without having to operate the user's mobile terminal 300 or the car navigation system 600 while driving.

Figure 14 (1) shows the state when a message is displayed on the car navigation system when entering a parking lot. (2) is the screen transitioned to by tapping "Yes" on the message. The two-dimensional code displayed here can be read by the camera of the user's mobile terminal 300, and vehicle information can be recorded on the user's mobile terminal 300. In addition, if the user does not have a mobile terminal or the like, the user can present a unique number and make a note of this number, allowing the user to accurately show the vehicle information at the cash register, etc.

The information contained in the two-dimensional code displayed in FIG. 14 (2) should basically be the vehicle-mounted unit number. As for the numbers, the WCN (a 19-digit number) may be displayed. Furthermore, if the user is holding the user mobile terminal 300, in addition to reading the image with a camera, the user can also use the short-range wireless communication function (Bluetooth: registered trademark) of the car navigation system 600 to send vehicle information from the car navigation system 600 to the user mobile terminal 300.

As described above, in this embodiment, the selection screen generation unit 156 generates a parking lot information notification screen that notifies the user that the vehicle has entered the parking lot and allows the user to access an input screen for vehicle number information for settlement. The transmission unit 158 also transmits the generated parking lot information notification screen to the car navigation system 600. This eliminates the need for the user to access a dedicated site or input vehicle number information, which is highly convenient. The parking lot information notification screen may be generated for the user mobile terminal 300 and transmitted to the user mobile terminal 300.

Although this embodiment has been described, other embodiments may be those that combine the above embodiments and variations in whole or in part. Furthermore, even in the case of managing a parking lot that does not support ETC vehicles among multiple parking lots, the parking lot management device of this embodiment can comprehensively manage the parking fee payment method and the reflection of shopping discounts at commercial facilities. Furthermore, as a configuration in which no gate is installed, an unsettled flag can be set when exiting without settling, and information from the vehicle database 132 can be transferred to the unsettled vehicle database, making it possible to make online settlement from a mobile terminal at a later date (after leaving the lot).

In addition, in this embodiment, a four-digit serial number is input as the vehicle number information, but this is not limited to this, and the name of the local transport bureau or the use number (kana) may be input, or a combination of at least two types of vehicle number elements may be input. For example, a method of searching for and settling a vehicle with a specific local transport bureau name and a special classification number is useful when settling the fare for an express bus (bus classification number) that has come from far away (a unique local transport bureau name), and improves convenience for a variety of users.

The technology of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be modified, substituted, or altered in various ways without departing from the spirit of the technical idea. Furthermore, if the technical idea can be realized in a different way due to technological advances or other derived technologies, it may be implemented using that method. Therefore, the claims cover all embodiments that may fall within the scope of the technical idea.

As explained above, the technology of the present invention is suitable for use in parking lots located adjacent to large shopping malls, etc.

100...Parking lot management device (Web server)
200...Payment machine (prepayment machine)
252-1: Entrance camera 252-2: Exit camera 253-1: Entrance ETC antenna 253-2: Exit ETC antenna

Claims (8)

an image capturing management unit that captures and stores images of vehicles entering a parking lot;
an ETC information management unit that attempts to read ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) vehicle information from the vehicle, and if successful, manages the ETC vehicle information by linking it with the entry image;
a vehicle number search unit that, when receiving vehicle number information consisting of at least a part of the license plate of the vehicle inputted from a selection terminal for payment of a parking fee, searches for the vehicle number information from either the vehicle number included in the entry image or the vehicle number included in the ETC vehicle information;
a screen generating unit that generates a selection screen on which the entry image including the vehicle number information matched by the search can be selected on the selection terminal;
a transmission unit that transmits the selection screen to the selection terminal;
A parking lot management system comprising: The parking lot management system according to claim 1,
When the ETC vehicle information is read from the vehicle, the ETC information management unit determines whether or not the vehicle number included in the ETC vehicle information matches the vehicle number included in the entry image of the vehicle, and determines that an abnormality has occurred if they do not match;
A parking lot management system in which, if the ETC information management unit determines that there is an abnormality at the time of entry, the number search unit searches for the vehicle number information input from the selection terminal at the time of exit from among the vehicle numbers included in the image at the time of entry. The parking lot management system according to claim 1,
A parking lot management system in which the ETC information management unit links and manages the vehicle number contained in the entry image with the on-board unit number, ETC card information, and on-board unit number contained in the ETC vehicle information read by the ETC information management unit. The parking lot management system according to claim 3,
a code image generating unit that, when the entrance image is selected on the selection terminal based on the selection screen, encodes a vehicle number included in the selected entrance image to generate a code image that can be read by a device managed by a commercial facility associated with the parking lot in order to link the vehicle number to a purchase amount at the commercial facility,
The transmission unit transmits the generated code image to the selection terminal. The parking lot management system according to claim 1,
the selection terminal is a car navigation system of the vehicle or a mobile terminal of a user who is in the vehicle,
the screen generation unit generates a parking lot information notification screen that notifies the user that the vehicle has entered the parking lot and allows the user to access an input screen for the vehicle number information for payment;
The transmission unit transmits the generated parking lot information notification screen to the car navigation system or the mobile terminal. The parking lot management system according to claim 3,
when the vehicle is not detected in an exit area of the parking lot and the information requesting payment is received, the screen generation unit generates a screen that allows the user to select a payment method from among a plurality of payment methods including payment using the ETC card information;
The parking lot management system further comprises a payment acceptance unit that, when the vehicle is detected in the exit area of the parking lot and ETC radio waves are detected from the vehicle, receives information requesting payment and settles the parking fee using the ETC card information. A parking lot management method executed by a parking lot management device, comprising:
an image capture management step of capturing and storing images of vehicles entering the parking lot;
an ETC information management step of attempting to read ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) vehicle information from the vehicle, and if successful, linking the ETC vehicle information with the entry image and managing the ETC vehicle information;
a vehicle number search step of, when receiving vehicle number information consisting of at least a part of a vehicle number inputted from a selection terminal for payment of a parking fee, searching for the vehicle number information from either the vehicle number included in the entry image or the vehicle number included in the ETC vehicle information;
a screen generating step of generating a selection screen on which the entry image including the vehicle number information matched by the search can be selected on the selection terminal;
a transmission step of transmitting the selection screen to the selection terminal;
Includes parking lot management methods. A parking lot management program executed by a computer,
an image capture management step of capturing and storing images of vehicles entering the parking lot;
an ETC information management step of attempting to read ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) vehicle information from the vehicle, and if successful, linking the ETC vehicle information with the entry image and managing the ETC vehicle information;
a vehicle number search step of, when receiving vehicle number information consisting of at least a part of a vehicle number inputted from a selection terminal for payment of a parking fee, searching for the vehicle number information from either the vehicle number included in the entry image or the vehicle number included in the ETC vehicle information;
a screen generating step of generating a selection screen on which the entry image including the vehicle number information matched by the search can be selected on the selection terminal;
a transmission step of transmitting the selection screen to the selection terminal;
A parking lot management program that causes the computer to execute the above.

Images