Parking garage control device, portable communication terminal, parking garage control method and program

The present invention relates to a parking lot control device, a portable communication terminal, a parking lot control method and a program.

In recent years, the entry and exit of vehicles in parking lots is often managed automatically using machines. Specifically, for example, when a vehicle is put into a parking lot, it is necessary to open a gate provided at the entrance of the parking lot. The user inputs a password on the operation panel that manages the gate installed in the parking lot, or uses a remote controller to instruct the gate to be opened. Then, the machine operates to open the gate, and the user can put the vehicle in the parking lot. The same applies when the vehicle is taken out of the parking lot.

In the mechanization of such parking lots, the development of technology that allows vehicles to smoothly enter and leave the parking lot is being developed. For example, a technology for managing entry and exit in a parking lot using an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) on-board unit that allows toll road users to settle tolls while traveling on the road non-stop is disclosed. (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

<patcit num="1"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-140740</text></patcit><patcit num="2"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-170137</text></patcit>

In these technologies, the wireless function of the ETC on-board unit pre-installed in the vehicle enables transmission and reception with the management system provided in the parking lot to open and close the gate. Therefore, the user does not need to stop the vehicle and input using the operation panel. In particular, the user does not have to perform the troublesome act of having to go out of the vehicle once to input to the operation panel.

Further, in addition to the ETC on-board unit, a technique of using a remote controller for a user to easily open and close a gate when entering and exiting a parking lot is disclosed (Patent Document 3).

<patcit num="3"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-73636</text></patcit>

Since the management device can be operated by the remote controller, the user does not have to go out of the vehicle to operate it like the ETC on-board unit.

<p> By the way, electric power is required to operate the ETC on-board unit. For example, it is necessary to start the engine of the vehicle to supply electric power to the ETC on-board unit. However, in mechanical parking lots (multi-storey car parks), etc., when the vehicle is discharged, a pallet on which the vehicle is placed (in this specification, the word "pallet" includes the "cage" in so-called tower parking). The gate can be opened after activation, and the engine of the vehicle can be started only after boarding the vehicle. Therefore, in a mechanical parking lot, it is impossible to operate the pallet or open the gate by using only the ETC on-board unit when leaving the vehicle.</p><p> On the other hand, in the technology using the remote controller, it is possible to operate the machine and open the gate even if the engine of the vehicle is not running. Therefore, the vehicle can be discharged even in the mechanical parking lot. However, the user must always have a remote controller, and if the remote controller is forgotten or lost, the vehicle cannot be taken in and out.</p><p> The present invention has been made based on such a technical problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a parking lot control device or the like that is highly convenient for the user.</p>

<p> For this purpose, the parking lot control device of the present invention is a parking lot control device that controls the entry and exit of a vehicle, stores user information in a user database, and is carried by the user in a communication unit. Communicates with the portable communication terminal via the communication program installed in the type communication terminal, and the user information processing unit refers to the user database based on the warehousing / delivery request from the mobile communication terminal received by the communication unit. The user is authenticated, and when the user is authenticated, the control unit controls the machine in the mechanical parking lot to enable the entry and exit of the vehicle. With this parking lot control device, the user can perform a vehicle warehousing process in the parking lot using a portable communication terminal in which a communication program dedicated to parking lot warehousing / delivery is installed in advance.</p><p> In the parking lot control device, the mechanical parking lot is provided with a plurality of pallets on which a gate and a vehicle are mounted, and the control unit can open and close the gate based on an entry / exit request sent from a portable communication terminal. Further, the parking lot control device can have a notification information processing unit that performs a process of sending notification information to a user registered in the user database, and a notification information database that stores the notification information.</p><p> Further, the portable communication terminal of the present invention is a portable communication terminal capable of communicating with a parking lot control device in a mechanical parking lot, and can transmit and receive to and from the outside via a network in the transmission / reception unit, and is mechanically controlled by the control unit. The communication program with the device is acquired from the outside via the transmission / reception unit, the acquired communication program is stored in the data storage unit, and when the communication program is executed based on the user's instruction, the machine control device is operated by the short-range communication unit. It is characterized by sending a warehousing / delivery request to. The user can use this portable communication terminal to move the vehicle into and out of the parking lot.</p><p> The control unit of the portable communication terminal can acquire notification information about the parking lot via the transmission / reception unit and / or the short-range communication unit.</p><p> Further, the parking lot control method of the present invention is a method of controlling the entry / exit of a vehicle into a mechanical parking lot, and is a step of acquiring a vehicle entry / exit request from a user and a user who has made the entry / exit request. Steps to determine whether or not the vehicle is pre-registered in the user database, and when it is determined that the user is pre-registered in the user database, a step to process the entry and exit of the vehicle and a request for entry and exit are made. It is characterized by having a step of sending notification information related to the parking lot to the user.</p><p> In the parking lot control method, for example, the entry / exit request is sent from the ETC on-board unit mounted on the user's vehicle, and the notification information is sent to the user's portable communication terminal. Further, in the parking lot control method, the entry / exit request can be sent from the portable communication terminal by executing a communication program with the parking lot control device installed in the user's portable communication terminal.</p><p> In addition, the present invention can be implemented as a program, which is executed on a computer to control the entry and exit of a vehicle in a parking lot, and is used within a predetermined range from the parking lot. A process of receiving a user ID sent from a person's portable communication terminal and a process of determining whether or not the user of the user ID has the right to use the parking lot based on the received user ID. , If it is determined that you have the right to use the parking lot, the process of controlling the opening and closing of the gate in the parking lot, the process of determining whether or not there is notification information to be notified to the user of the user ID, and the notification information When it is determined that there is, the computer is made to execute a process of sending notification information to the portable communication terminal.</p><p> The announcement information in the program can include information that is geographically relevant to the parking lot and / or information that is related to the time when the user enters or leaves the parking lot. In addition, after the process of controlling the opening and closing of the gate of the parking lot, the program records the state of entry and exit of the vehicle in the parking lot in the user database, and determines whether or not there is notification information. In the process, it is possible to perform a process of determining based on the state of warehousing / delivery.</p>

<p> As described above, according to the present invention, when a user enters or leaves a vehicle in a parking lot, the user can remotely use a portable communication terminal or the like in which a communication program dedicated to entering and exiting the parking lot is installed. It is not necessary to have a controller or the like individually, and it is possible to easily enter and leave the warehouse, and high convenience can be obtained. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide the user with information related to the parking lot in a timely manner at the time of entering and leaving the parking lot, and it is possible to provide high convenience.</p>

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system for managing a parking lot in the present embodiment 1. In the system shown in FIG. 1, a parking lot control device (mechanical control device) 10 that controls a mechanical parking lot (multi-story parking lot) 1, a management server 20 used by a parking lot manager, and a user possession It is said that the portable communication terminal 30 and the portable communication terminal 30 can be connected to each other via a network. Further, the parking lot control device 10 and the portable communication terminal 30 can be connected via infrared rays. In the mechanical parking lot 1 shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle wishing to park is placed on a pallet 3 through a shutter-type gate 2 and can be stored in the mechanical parking lot 1, for example. Can store one's vehicle 40.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the parking lot control device 10 shown in FIG. The parking lot control device 10 shown in FIG. 2 has a transmission / reception unit 11 that transmits / receives to / from the outside via a network such as the Internet, and an infrared communication unit (communication) that can transmit / receive to / from a portable communication terminal 30 using infrared rays. Unit, short-distance communication unit) 12, parking lot control unit (control unit) 13 that controls the movement of gate 2 and pallet 3 of mechanical parking lot 1, and user information processing that performs processing to identify the user. Section 14, notification information processing unit 15 that processes notification information to be notified to users, user database (hereinafter referred to as DB) 16 that stores information such as user ID, and notification information that stores notification information. It is configured with DB17.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the portable communication terminal 30 shown in FIG. The portable communication terminal 30 shown in FIG. 3 is, for example, a mobile phone radio, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance), or the like. Display that displays data to the user, consisting of an infrared communication unit (communication unit, short-range communication unit) 32 that can send and receive data, an input unit 33 that receives input from the user, and a liquid crystal screen, etc. It is configured to include a unit 34, a control unit 35 composed of a CPU or the like to control data processing, and a data storage unit 36 composed of a memory or the like to store data. The management server 20 shown in FIG. 1 is a general server device including an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU, a storage unit such as a memory, and a transmission / reception unit that transmits / receives to / from the outside via a network. When the same parking lot manager (management company, management organization) manages a plurality of mechanical parking lots 1, this management server 20 is used for managing a plurality of mechanical parking lots 1 by one management server 20. Also, when a plurality of parking lot managers manage different mechanical parking lots 1, one management server 20 can be shared and used.

In the present embodiment, the user stores the vehicle 40 in the mechanical parking lot 1, but when using the mechanical parking lot 1, the user contracts with the manager of the mechanical parking lot 1, for example, a real estate agent in advance. To do. After concluding a contract with the user, the administrator of the mechanical parking lot 1 notifies the user of the download destination of the predetermined communication program, the user ID, and the personal identification number. Here, the communication program is a program required for the user to communicate with the parking lot control device 10 using infrared rays when moving the vehicle 40 into and out of the mechanical parking lot 1, and is a portable communication terminal 30. It is what is executed above. The user ID and PIN differ depending on the individual user. In addition, the administrator registers the issued user ID and password together with the user information in the user DB 16 of the parking lot control device 10 and the management server 20. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of data registered in the user DB16. As shown in FIG. 4, as user information, for example, a user name, an e-mail address (e-mail address), and contact information are recorded. When the same manager manages a plurality of parking lots, for example, a parking lot ID or the like that specifies a parking lot that can be used by the user can be registered.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a flow in which the portable communication terminal 30 downloads a predetermined communication program from the management server 20. First, the portable communication terminal 30 accesses the download destination of the predetermined communication program notified by the administrator via the network, and sends a download request for the communication program from the transmission / reception unit 31 (step S301). Here, the download destination is the management server 20, and can be set by specifying, for example, a URL on the Internet.

The management server 20 receives the communication program download request (step S201). Then, in order to confirm whether or not the request is a request made by a user registered in advance, the management server 20 sends a request for the user ID to the portable communication terminal 30 (step S202).

The portable communication terminal 30 receives the request for the user ID by the transmission / reception unit 31 (step S302). Then, the portable communication terminal 30 sends the user ID to the management server 20 by the transmission / reception unit 31 (step S303). The user ID that is input by the user and sent from the portable communication terminal 30 to the management server 20 is an ID that the user has been notified in advance by the administrator.

The management server 20 receives the user ID (step S203) and determines whether or not the user ID is a user registered in advance by the administrator (step S204). As described above, the administrator has registered user information in the management server 20 in advance, and here, the management server 20 makes a judgment by referring to the user information. If it is determined that the user is a user, the management server 20 sends a communication program for communicating with the parking lot control device 10 to the portable communication terminal 30 (step S205), and ends this process. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S204 that the user is not a pre-registered user, the management server 20 returns to the process of step S202 again. However, since the parking lot manager tells only the user the URL (Uniform Resource Locators) of the download destination and finally checks the user ID etc. with the parking lot control device 10, in some cases, the above It is also possible to omit the step of confirming the user ID (steps S202, S203, S204, S302, S303) in the process.

The portable communication terminal 30 receives the communication program by the transmission / reception unit 31 (step S304). Then, the portable communication terminal 30 stores the acquired communication program in the data storage unit 36 by the control unit 35 (step S305), and ends this process. As described above, the portable communication terminal 30 acquires a communication program for communicating with the parking lot control device 10 used when the user parks the vehicle 40 in the mechanical parking lot 1.

Next, the processing performed when the vehicle 40 is stored in the mechanical parking lot 1 will be described in detail. When leaving the vehicle 40, the same process as the warehousing is executed. FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a processing flow in the parking lot control device 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the portable communication terminal 30 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. First, the portable communication terminal 30 is more specifically when the infrared communication unit 12 of the parking lot control device 10 and the infrared communication unit 32 of the portable communication terminal 30 are within an area where they can communicate using infrared rays. For example, when the vehicle 40 is located in front of the gate 2 of the mechanical parking lot 1, or when it is moved near the gate 2, for example, within a radius of 10 m from the gate 2, the data storage unit is based on the user's operation input. Start the communication program stored in 36 (step S310). The communication program can be kept activated at all times when the power of the portable communication terminal 30 is turned on. In such a case, the communication program is already activated when a predetermined operation input is made. Call the operation screen based on the existing communication program. Based on the execution of the communication program by the control unit 35, the portable communication terminal 30 sends the user ID to the parking lot control device 10 by the infrared communication unit 32 (step S311). The portable communication terminal 30 retains the user ID entered by the user when the communication program is acquired from the management server 20, so that the user does not have to enter the user ID again in step S311. It has become a thing. However, the user ID may be input by the user via the input unit 33 each time the communication program is executed.

The parking lot control device 10 receives the user ID via the infrared communication unit 12 (step S101). Then, it is determined whether or not the received user ID is a user registered in advance in the user DB 16 by the user information processing unit 14 (step S102). When it is determined that the user is a registered user by confirming the user ID, the parking lot control device 10 sends a password request to the portable communication terminal 30 via the infrared communication unit 12 (step S103). On the other hand, if it is determined that the user is not the registered user in step S102, the parking lot control device 10 starts the process of step S101 again.

The portable communication terminal 30 receives the password request via the infrared communication unit 32 (step S312). Here, the portable communication terminal 30 displays the password request on the display unit 34, and the password input by the user via the input unit 33 is controlled by the user via the infrared communication unit 32 in the parking lot. Send to device 10 (step S313). The password entered by the user at this time is the password obtained from the administrator at the time of contract.

The parking lot control device 10 receives the personal identification number via the infrared communication unit 12 (step S104). Then, it is determined whether or not the received PIN is that of a legitimate user registered in the user DB 16 by the user information processing unit 14 (step S105). By confirming the user using not only the user ID but also the personal identification number in this way, the security in the user authentication is enhanced. When it is determined that the user is a legitimate user based on the correct PIN code, the parking lot control device 10 operates the machine of the mechanical parking lot 1 by the parking lot control unit 13 to perform the warehousing process (step S106). .. Here, the warehousing process is, for example, a process of opening the gate 2 of the mechanical parking lot 1 and moving the empty pallet 3 to a position facing the gate 2 so that the vehicle 40 can warehousing. Then, the parking lot control device 10 confirms that the vehicle 40 has arrived on the pallet 3, and when a request is made to close the gate 2 by the operation input of the user's portable communication terminal 30, the gate 2 is closed and the vehicle 40 is closed. Is stored in the mechanical parking lot 1. If it is determined in step S105 that the user is not a legitimate user, the parking lot control device 10 starts the process of step S101 again.

When the parking lot control device 10 finishes warehousing the vehicle 40 in the mechanical parking lot 1, the user information processing unit 14 records the warehousing information of the vehicle 40 in the user DB 16 (step S107). Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the warehousing / delivery status of the user and the pallet number of the pallet 3 in which the pallet is stored are registered in the user DB16. Subsequently, the parking lot control device 10 refers to the notification information DB 17 by the notification information processing unit 15 and determines whether or not there is notification information to be notified to the user (step S108). When it is determined that there is notification information, the user's e-mail address is extracted from the user DB 16, and the parking lot control device 10 sends the notification information e-mail from the transmission / reception unit 11 to the user's portable communication terminal 30 via the network. Is sent (step S109), and this process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S108 that there is no notification information, the parking lot control device 10 ends this process.

Here, the notification information is notification of equipment inspection of the mechanical parking lot 1. Such notification information is, for example, directly registered in advance in the notification information DB 17 of the parking lot control device 10 by the administrator of the mechanical parking lot 1, or received from the management server 20 via the network, and the parking lot control device 10 It is registered in the notification information DB17. The notification information may be information that is geographically close to the mechanical parking lot 1 or time-related information such as the weather forecast and road conditions in the vicinity of the mechanical parking lot 1. In addition, by associating the notification information with the user ID and registering it in the notification information DB 17, it is possible to provide different information for each user. For example, when the mechanical parking lot 1 is the parking lot of the user's place of residence, it is possible to notify the user when something has arrived to the user such as a circulation board, home delivery, cleaning, etc. By knowing such notification information in the vicinity of the mechanical parking lot 1, the user can immediately perform an action based on the information. In this way, it is possible to provide information that is convenient for the user in terms of position or time.

When the notification information is transmitted by the parking lot control device 10 in this way, the portable communication terminal 30 determines whether or not the notification information has been received via the network (step S314). When it is determined that the notification information has been received, the portable communication terminal 30 displays the notification information on the display unit 34 (step S315), notifies the user, and ends this process. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S314 that the notification information has not been received, the portable communication terminal 30 ends this process.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the user can store the vehicle 40 in the mechanical parking lot 1 by using the portable communication terminal 30. Therefore, when the user parks the vehicle 40 in the mechanical parking lot 1, it is not necessary to go out of the vehicle and operate the operation panel attached to the mechanical parking lot 1. Therefore, for example, even if the weather is rainy, the user does not have to feel uncomfortable when getting wet with rain. In addition, since the user usually possesses the portable communication terminal 30, the user does not need to possess a remote controller or the like specialized for parking lot control, and does not feel much trouble. Moreover, the portable communication terminal 30 can be loaded / unloaded using infrared rays by a communication program dedicated to parking lot entry / exit, which is downloaded and installed in advance. Of course, it is also possible to access the parking lot control device 10 or the management server 20 via the network at the time of entering and leaving the parking lot without using such a communication program and infrared rays, and perform the same exchange as above, and infrared communication is possible. There is an advantage that it is not necessary to provide parts 12 and 32, but there is a problem that communication cost is required for access via the network. On the other hand, as described above, if direct communication is performed using infrared rays, the above effect can be enjoyed at low cost without incurring communication costs. Moreover, when accessing via a network, the warehousing / delivery operation can be performed even if the user is not necessarily near the mechanical parking lot 1. Therefore, if you make a mistake or intentionally operate from a distance because you want to open the gate 2 early before reaching the mechanical parking lot 1, other users can enter and leave the mechanical parking lot 1. It disappears, and it is not preferable for safety. However, according to the configuration of the first embodiment, which requires direct communication with the parking lot control device 10 from a short distance by infrared rays, such a problem can be avoided.

Further, in the first embodiment, it is possible to notify the notification information useful to the user. In particular, the user has stored the vehicle 40 in the mechanical parking lot 1 with information related to the management of the mechanical parking lot 1 and information related to the parking time and the mechanical parking lot 1 geographically or temporally. It can be provided at the timing. By providing in this way, it can be expected that the user's attention will be more attracted to the notification information than in the case of notifying without considering the timing at all. It should be noted that these notification information may be directly notified to the user's portable communication terminal 30 by infrared communication from the parking lot control device 10 instead of the mail via the network.

In addition, the notification information may be notified to the user not from the parking lot control device 10 but from the management server 20. Hereinafter, as a modified example of the first embodiment, a case where the management server 20 notifies the user of the notification information (fault information) regarding the failure of the mechanical parking lot 1 will be specifically described.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the management server 20 as a modification of the first embodiment. The management server 20 includes a transmission / reception unit 21 that transmits / receives to / from the outside via a network, a user information processing unit 22 that performs processing for identifying the user, and a notification information processing unit 23 that processes notification information to be notified to the user. , The user DB24 that stores information such as the user ID of the user and the notification information DB25 that stores the notification information are provided. In the case of this modification, the parking lot control device 10 does not have to include the notification information processing unit 15 and the notification information DB 17.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a processing flow of the parking lot control device 10, the management server 20, and the portable communication terminal 30 when a failure occurs in the parking lot control device 10. First, the parking lot control device 10 recognizes a failure such as an error in machine processing (step S110). Then, the parking lot control device 10 sends the failure information from the transmission / reception unit 11 to the management server 20 via the network (step S111), and ends this process.

The management server 20 receives the failure information by the transmission / reception unit 21 via the network (step S210). Based on the failure information, the management server 20 sends the failure information by e-mail to the maintenance staff who inspects and repairs the failure (step S211). The maintenance staff can proceed to the inspection / repair of the mechanical parking lot 1 based on the notification of the e-mail. At this time, not only the failure information but also the repair method and the processing procedure of the failure part can be instructed to the maintenance staff.

Further, the management server 20 extracts the e-mail address of the user who is using the mechanical parking lot 1 in which the failure has occurred from the user DB 24 in the user information processing unit 22 (step S212). Then, the management server 20 sends the failure information to the user by e-mail via the network by the transmission / reception unit 21 (step S213), and ends this process.

The portable communication terminal 30 receives an e-mail from the transmission / reception unit 31 via the network (step S316), displays the failure information to the user by the display unit 34 (step S317), and ends this process. In this way, the failure information of the mechanical parking lot 1 can be notified to the user at any time, which is very convenient for the user. The management server 20 can update the failure information of the notification information DB 25 at any time based on the inspection / maintenance / recovery status by the maintenance staff, and can also provide the user with the updated failure information at any time. ..

As described above, in the first embodiment, the portable communication terminal 30 is used to open and close the gate 2 of the mechanical parking lot 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a gate (hereinafter referred to as a management gate 4 to prevent confusion with the gate 2) is provided in front of the gate 2, and the pallet 3 faces the management gate 4 from the gate 2. The same configuration as that of the above embodiment can be applied to the mechanical parking lot 1 in which the vehicle 40 is loaded and unloaded on the pallet 3 at that position and the parking lot 1 is loaded and unloaded. In this case, during the warehousing process, the gate 2 of the mechanical parking lot 1 is opened, and the pallet 3 in the empty state is moved to a position between the gate 2 and the management gate 4 so that the vehicle 40 can warehousing. Then, when the parking lot control device 10 confirms that the vehicle 40 has entered the pallet 3 and the user goes out of the gate 2 and is requested to close the gate 2 by the operation input of the portable communication terminal 30. The gate 2 is closed and the vehicle 40 is stored in the mechanical parking lot 1. After that, the user exits the management gate 4 and closes the management gate 4 using the portable communication terminal 30. At this time, by exiting the gate 2 and the management gate 4 at the same time and operating the portable communication terminal 30, it is possible to close the gate 2 to store the car and close the management gate 4 at the same time. Such a configuration can be effectively applied to a pallet-type multi-storey car park, not a tower parking lot that uses a cage as the pallet 3.

In the first embodiment, the parking lot is a mechanical parking lot 1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a self-propelled parking lot (flat parking lot). Further, although the shutter type gate 2 opens and closes when the vehicle 40 is warehousing, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a chain type or a stop bar may be used as the gate 2.

Further, in the first embodiment, the parking lot control device 10 and the portable communication terminal 30 communicate with each other by infrared rays, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, Bluetooth, UWB (Ultra Wide Band), Zig Bee. , Wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or other short-range wireless communication may be used. Infrared rays, Bluetooth, etc. can process the entry and exit of the parking lot by directly communicating when the parking lot control device 10 and the portable communication terminal 30 are close to each other, so that the security is high.

In addition, in the first embodiment, when the parking lot control device 10 authenticates the user, the user ID and the personal identification number are used, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, the user ID and the portable communication. It may be authenticated only by the identification information unique to the terminal 30 (for example, the telephone number of the portable communication terminal 30). Further, only the user ID is registered in the portable communication terminal 30, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the personal identification number is also registered in advance in the data storage unit 36 of the portable communication terminal 30, and the communication program is registered. It may be automatically transmitted by. These may be appropriately set based on the balance between security and convenience. In addition, in the case of a user who has a contract to use a plurality of parking lots, a plurality of IDs and PINs are registered in the data storage unit 36 of the portable communication terminal 30, and the user when executing the communication program. May instruct processing by selecting from a plurality of IDs and PINs displayed on the display unit 34 of the portable communication terminal 30.

Further, in the first embodiment, the download source of the communication program is the management server 20, but the present invention is not limited to this, and even if it is a general program download site on the Internet contracted by the administrator, for example. Good. In addition, it may be provided by an administrator or the like as an attachment to an e-mail.

Further, in the first embodiment, the notification information is notified to the portable communication terminal 30 when the user's vehicle 40 is loaded and unloaded, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, the portable communication terminal 30. The communication program stored in the data storage unit 36 may periodically make an inquiry to the parking lot control device 10 or the management server 20 via the network. In addition, the notification information can be acquired from the parking lot control device 10 and the management server 20 by using the portable communication terminal 30 by the user's own processing of acquiring the notification information.

Embodiment 2 FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a system for controlling a parking lot in the present embodiment 2. In the system shown in FIG. 10, a parking lot control device (mechanical control device) 50 that controls a non-mechanical self-propelled parking lot (flat parking lot) 5 and a portable communication terminal 30 owned by a user are used. , Can be connected to each other via a network. In addition, the user's vehicle 40 is equipped with an ETC on-board unit 41, which can be wirelessly connected to the parking lot control device 50. In the self-propelled parking lot 5 shown in FIG. 10, the vehicle 40 wishing to park enters the parking area through the gate 6 and stops at a predetermined parking area. Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described, but those having the same configuration and functions as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. Further, although the case where the vehicle 40 enters the garage is described, the same process is performed when the vehicle 40 leaves the garage.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the parking lot control device 50 shown in FIG. The parking lot control device 50 shown in FIG. 11 includes a transmission / reception unit 11 that transmits / receives to / from the outside via a network such as the Internet, a wireless communication unit 18 that transmits / receives to / from the ETC on-board unit 41 wirelessly, and a self-propelled parking lot 5. The parking lot control unit 13 that controls the gate 6 of the above, the user information processing unit 14, the notification information processing unit 15, the user DB 16, and the notification information processing unit 17 are provided.

Next, the processing performed when the vehicle 40 is parked in the self-propelled parking lot 5 will be described in detail. FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating a processing flow in the parking lot control device 50, the ETC on-board unit 41, and the portable communication terminal 30. First, the parking lot control device 50 detects that the vehicle 40 is about to enter the self-propelled parking lot 5 by a vehicle detection device or the like (step S501). Then, the user ID request is sent from the wireless communication unit 18 to the ETC on-board unit 41 of the vehicle 40 (step S502).

The ETC on-board unit 41 receives the user ID request (step S401), automatically sends the user ID wirelessly to the parking lot control device 50 (step S402), and ends this process.

The parking lot control device 50 receives the user ID by the wireless communication unit 18 (step S503). Then, the parking lot control device 50 refers to the user DB 16 in the user information processing unit 14 and determines whether or not the user is a pre-registered user (step S504). When it is determined that the user is a registered user by checking the user ID, the parking lot control device 50 performs a process of opening the gate 6 by the parking lot control unit 13 (step S505). When the gate 6 is opened, the vehicle 40 can enter the self-propelled parking lot 5. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S504 that the user is not the user, the parking lot control device 50 returns to the process of step S502 again.

The parking lot control device 50 in which the gate 6 is opened in step S505 records in the user DB 16 that the vehicle 40 has entered the self-propelled parking lot 5 (step S506). Subsequently, the parking lot control device 50 refers to the notification information DB 17 by the notification information processing unit 15 and determines whether or not there is notification information to be notified to the user (step S507). When it is determined that there is notification information, the parking lot control device 50 sends a notification information mail to the portable communication terminal 30 via the network by the transmission / reception unit 11 (step S508), and ends this process. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S507 that there is no notification information, the parking lot control device 50 ends this process.

When the notification information mail is sent by the parking lot control device 50 in this way, the portable communication terminal 30 receives the notification information mail by the transmission / reception unit 31 via the network (step S330). Then, the portable communication terminal 30 displays the notification information on the display unit 34 in order to notify the user (step S331), and ends this process. The display in step S331 may be executed according to the instruction of the user.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the user can enter the vehicle 40 into the self-propelled parking lot 5 and park the vehicle 40 via the ETC on-board unit 41. At this time, the user is notified of the notification information. Can be sent. Therefore, the user can not only park the vehicle 40 without any trouble, but also can deliver useful information to the user at an appropriate time.

The system according to the second embodiment can also be provided with the management server 20 as shown in the first embodiment. In that case, the parking lot control device 50 does not need to be provided with the notification information processing unit 15 and the notification information DB 17. Further, as the user ID, identification information unique to the ETC on-board unit 41 (for example, the manufacturer name + serial number of the device or a code similar thereto), the user's credit card number, or the like can be used.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, the mechanical parking lot 1 and the self-propelled parking lot 5 provided with the gates 2 and 6 are given as examples, but these mechanical parking lots 1 and the self-propelled parking lot 5 are used. When a chain type, bar type, or other security gate is further provided in the foreground, this security gate can also be opened and closed by the portable communication terminal 30 and the ETC on-board unit 41 in the same manner as described above. By doing so, the parking lot control devices 10 and 50 of the mechanical parking lot 1 and the self-propelled parking lot 5 can be shared with the security gate control device, and the cost can be reduced. Further, in the case of the first embodiment using the portable communication terminal 30, for example, it can be applied to the entrance / exit of the condominium (building) itself, the opening / closing of the entrance of the dwelling unit, and the like. In addition to this, as long as the gist of the present invention is not deviated, the configuration described in the above embodiment can be selected or changed to another configuration as appropriate.

<figref num="1">It is a figure explaining the system which manages a parking lot in Embodiment 1. FIG.</figref><figref num="2">It is a figure explaining the structure of the parking lot control device 10 shown in FIG.</figref><figref num="3">It is a figure explaining the structure of the portable communication terminal 30 shown in FIG.</figref><figref num="4">It is a figure which shows an example of the data registered in a user DB16.</figref><figref num="5">It is a flow diagram explaining the flow of downloading a predetermined communication program from a management server 20 by a portable communication terminal 30.</figref><figref num="6">It is a flow chart explaining the processing flow in the parking lot control device 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the portable communication terminal 30 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.</figref><figref num="7">It is a figure explaining the structure of the management server 20 in the modification of Embodiment 1. FIG.</figref><figref num="8">It is a flow diagram explaining the process flow of the parking lot control device 10, the management server 20, and the portable communication terminal 30 when a failure occurs in the parking lot control device 10.</figref><figref num="9">It is a figure which shows another example of the parking lot in Embodiment 1. FIG.</figref><figref num="10">It is a figure explaining the system which controls the parking lot in Embodiment 2. FIG.</figref><figref num="11">It is a figure explaining the structure of the parking lot control device 50 shown in FIG.</figref><figref num="12">It is a flow diagram explaining the process flow in the parking lot control device 50, the ETC on-board unit 41, and the portable communication terminal 30.</figref>

Code description

1 ... Mechanical parking lot (multi-storey car park), 2, 6 ... Gate, 3 ... Pallet, 4 ... Management gate (gate), 5 ... Self-propelled parking lot (flat parking) Parking lot), 10, 50 ... Parking lot control device (machine control device), 11 ... Transmitter / receiver, 12 ... Infrared communication section (communication section, short-range communication section), 13 ... Parking lot control Department (control unit), 14 ... user information processing department, 15 ... notification information processing department, 16 ... user DB, 17 ... notification information DB, 18 ... wireless communication department, 20 ... Management server, 21 ... Transmission / reception department, 22 ... User information processing department, 23 ... Information information processing department, 24 ... User DB, 25 ... Notification information DB, 30. .. Portable communication terminal, 31 ... Transmission / reception unit, 32 ... Infrared communication unit (communication unit, short-range communication unit), 33 ... Input unit, 34 ... Display unit, 35 ... Control Department, 36 ... Data storage unit, 40 ... Vehicle, 41 ... ETC in-vehicle device