Parking assistance service management device, control method for same, control method for terminal of user, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10937318-B2
Application number	US-201816217632-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2018
Priority date	Dec 19, 2017
Publication date	Mar 2, 2021
Grant date	Mar 2, 2021

Abstract

A parking assistance service management device includes a processor configured to receive, from a terminal of a user of a parking assistance service, a use request for using the parking assistance service. The use request includes point information and time information. The processor is configured to extract, in response to the reception of the use request, from a plurality of parking lots, a parking lot that is present within a predetermined range from the point represented by the point information and has an empty parking space at the date and time represented by the time information. The processor is configured to reserve a parking space for the date and time represented by the time information. The information notification unit is configured to notify a terminal of an agent of the parking assistance service and the terminal of the user of reserved parking lot information indicating the reserved parking lot.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A parking assistance service management device supporting a parking assistance service as a service in which an agent moves a vehicle to a parking lot and parks the vehicle in the parking lot on behalf of a user, the parking assistance service management device comprising:
at least one processor configured to:
receive, from a terminal of the user of the parking assistance service, a use request for using the parking assistance service, the use request including point information representing a point of use of the parking assistance service and time information representing a date and time of use of the parking assistance service;
extract, in response to the use request, from a plurality of parking lots, a parking lot that is present within a predetermined range from the point represented by the point information and has an empty parking space at the date and time represented by the time information;
select, among a plurality of agents, an agent of the parking assistance service that is present within the predetermined range from the point represented by the point information;
reserve a parking space in the extracted parking lot for the date and time represented by the time information;
notify a terminal of the selected agent of the parking assistance service of reserved parking lot information indicating the reserved parking space in the extracted parking lot;
transmit content of the use request to the terminal of the selected agent, and
transmit authentication information associated with an operation of the vehicle to the terminal of the selected agent, the operation of the vehicle being at least one of (i) unlocking a door and (ii) starting an engine; and
notify the terminal of the user of the reserved parking lot information indicating the reserved parking space in the extracted parking lot.

2. The parking assistance service management device according to claim 1 , wherein the point information is information representing any one of a destination towards which the user heads, a current location of the user, and a vehicle pick-up place desired by the user.

3. The parking assistance service management device according to claim 2 , wherein:
the terminal of the user has a function of a car navigation device or is a terminal communicable with a car navigation device mounted in the vehicle; and
the information on at least one of the destination towards which the user heads and the current location of the user is acquired from the car navigation device.

4. The parking assistance service management device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to notify the terminal of the user of pick-up place information indicating a vehicle pick-up place at which the vehicle is to be picked up.

5. The parking assistance service management device according to claim 4 , wherein:
the terminal of the user is a terminal having a function of a car navigation device or a terminal communicable with a car navigation device mounted in the vehicle; and
the at least one processor is configured to add the vehicle pick-up place to the car navigation device as a destination or a waypoint by notifying the terminal of the user of the pick-up place information.

6. The parking assistance service management device according to claim 1 , wherein, when a plurality of parking lot candidates satisfies a condition of being present within the predetermined range from the point represented by the point information and having the empty parking space at the date and time represented by the time information, the at least one processor is configured to provide the terminal of the user with information on the parking lot candidates and allows the user to select a desired parking lot.

7. The parking assistance service management device according to claim 6 , wherein the information on the parking lot candidates includes at least one of names of the parking lots, parking fees, positions of the parking lots, and distances between the parking lots and the point represented by the point information.

8. A control method, comprising:
receiving, from a terminal of a user of a parking assistance service that is a service in which an agent moves a vehicle to a parking lot and parks the vehicle in the parking lot on behalf of a user, a use request for using the parking assistance service, the use request including point information representing a point of use of the parking assistance service and time information representing a date and time of use of the parking assistance service;
extracting, in response to the use request, from a plurality of parking lots, a parking lot that is present within a predetermined range from the point represented by the point information and has an empty parking space at the date and time represented by the time information;
selecting, among a plurality of agents, an agent of the parking assistance service that is present within the predetermined range from the point represented by the point information;
reserving a parking space in the extracted parking lot for the date and time represented by the time information;
notifying a terminal of the selected agent of the parking assistance service of reserved parking lot information indicating the reserved parking space in the extracted parking lot;
transmitting content of the use request to the terminal of the selected agent;
transmitting authentication information associated with an operation of the vehicle to the terminal of the selected agent, the operation of the vehicle being at least one of (i) unlocking a door and (ii) starting an engine; and
notifying the terminal of the user of the reserved parking lot information indicating the reserved parking space in the extracted parking lot.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 8 .

10. A control method, comprising:
acquiring, from a car navigation device, information on a destination towards which a user heads or a current location of the user;
generating a use request for using a parking assistance service that is a service in which an agent moves a vehicle to a parking lot and parks the vehicle in the parking lot on behalf of a user, the use request including (i) the information on the destination towards which the user heads or the current location of the user and (ii) point information representing a point of use of the parking assistance service;
transmitting the use request to a parking assistance service management device that supports the parking assistance service; and
receiving a parking completion report indicating that the agent has successfully parked the vehicle in the parking lot on behalf of the user,
wherein the parking assistance service management device selects the agent from a plurality of agents that is within a predetermined range from the point represented by the point information,
wherein the parking lot is located within the predetermined range, and
wherein the parking assistance service management device transmits, to a terminal of the selected agent, authentication information associated with an operation of the vehicle, the operation of the vehicle being at least one of (i) unlocking a door and (ii) starting an engine.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 10 .

12. A control method, comprising:
generating a use request for using a parking assistance service that is a service in which an agent moves a vehicle to a parking lot and parks the vehicle in the parking lot on behalf of a user, the use re

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yanagida Tohru
• Kubo Chikage
• Fujimura Ai
• Noda Shunsuke
• Usui Satoshi

Classifications

• B60W2556/45

  External transmission of data to or from the vehicle · CPC title

• B60W2050/0075

  Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means · CPC title

• G06Q10/028

  for seating or spaces in a venue · CPC title

• G01C21/3438

  Rendezvous; Ride sharing · CPC title

• G08G1/144 Primary

  on portable or mobile units, e.g. personal digital assistant [PDA] · CPC title