Parking lot management system, parking lot management apparatus, parking lot management method, and non-transitory computer-readable medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12136296-B2
Application number	US-202017793186-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 25, 2020
Priority date	Jan 31, 2020
Publication date	Nov 5, 2024
Grant date	Nov 5, 2024

Abstract

A parking lot management system according to the present disclosure includes a management apparatus, an image capturing apparatus, a cart, and a display apparatus. The management apparatus acquires, and stores as parking information, a license plate number and a spot number of a parking spot from the image capturing apparatus. Then, the management apparatus acquires, from a cart terminal of the cart, information that enables specification of the parking information of a vehicle of a customer using the cart and an identification number of the cart terminal, and stores the identification number of the cart terminal in association with the parking information. Then, the management apparatus detects return of the cart to a predetermined location, calculates a predicted time until the parking spot is freed up, and updates display on the display apparatus based on the predicted time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A parking lot management system comprising:
an image capturing apparatus configured to capture vehicles parked in a plurality of parking spots in a parking lot, and to acquire license plate numbers of the vehicles and spot numbers of the parking spots;
a plurality of carts that are usable by customers who are occupants of the vehicles parked in the parking spots, the plurality of carts each including a cart terminal;
a display apparatus configured to display a parking state in the parking lot; and
a management apparatus configured to communicate with the image capturing apparatus, the cart terminal, and the display apparatus,
wherein the management apparatus
acquires, and stores as parking information, the license plate number and the spot number of the parking spot from the image capturing apparatus,
acquires, from the cart terminal, information that enables specification of the parking information of the vehicle of the customer using the cart and an identification number of the cart terminal, and stores the identification number of the cart terminal in association with the parking information,
detects return of the cart to a predetermined return location, and calculates a predicted time until the parking spot is freed up based on the predetermined return location and a location of the parking spot, and
updates display on the display apparatus based on the predicted time.

2. The parking lot management system according to claim 1 , wherein
the cart terminal includes a monitor configured to display, and to allow selection of, the license plate number for storage in the parking information in association with the identification number of the cart terminal, and
the license plate number that is selected by the customer is acquired.

3. The parking lot management system according to claim 1 , further comprising a ticket dispenser configured to issue a parking ticket including the information that enables specification of the parking information of the vehicle,
wherein the cart terminal reads the parking ticket and acquires the information that enables specification of the parking information.

4. The parking lot management system according to claim 1 , wherein the management apparatus receives GPS information from the cart terminal, and detects return of the cart to the predetermined return location.

5. The parking lot management system according to claim 1 , wherein the management apparatus receives from an IC tag reader installed at the predetermined return location, information obtained by reading information on an IC tag provided on the cart, and detects return of the cart to the predetermined return location.

6. The parking lot management system according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the display apparatuses and a plurality of the image capturing apparatuses are installed in the parking lot.

7. The parking lot management system according to claim 1 , wherein the display apparatus changes a display color corresponding to the parking spot based on the predicted time.

8. A parking lot management method performed by a parking lot management system including an image capturing apparatus configured to capture vehicles parked in a plurality of parking spots in a parking lot and to acquire license plate numbers of the vehicles and spot numbers of the parking spots, cart terminals mounted on a plurality of carts that are usable by customers who are occupants of the vehicles parked in the parking spots, a display apparatus configured to display a parking state in the parking lot, and a management apparatus configured to communicate with the image capturing apparatus, the cart terminals, and the display apparatus, the method comprising:
acquiring, and storing as parking information, by the management apparatus, the license plate number and the spot number of the parking spot from the image capturing apparatus;
acquiring, by the management apparatus and from the cart terminal, information that enables specification of the parking information of the vehicle of the customer using the cart and an identification number of the cart terminal;
storing, by the management apparatus, the identification number of the cart terminal in association with the parking information;
detecting, by the management apparatus, return of the cart to a predetermined return location;
calculating, by the management apparatus, a predicted time until the parking spot is freed up based on the predetermined return location and a location of the parking spot; and
updating, by the management apparatus, display on the display apparatus based on the predicted time.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a parking lot management program executable by a management apparatus of a parking lot management system to perform a parking lot management method, the parking lot management system including an image capturing apparatus configured to capture vehicles parked in a plurality of parking spots in a parking lot and to acquire license plate numbers of the vehicles and spot numbers of the parking spots, cart terminals mounted on a plurality of carts that are usable by customers who are occupants of the vehicles parked in the parking spots, and a display apparatus configured to display a parking state in the parking lot, the management apparatus configured to communicate with the image capturing apparatus, the cart terminals, and the display apparatus, the method comprising:
acquiring, and storing as parking information, the license plate number and the spot number of the parking spot from the image capturing apparatus,
acquiring, from the cart terminal, information that enables specification of the parking information of the vehicle of the customer using the cart and an identification number of the cart terminal, and storing the identification number of the cart terminal in association with the parking information,
detecting return of the cart to a predetermined return location, and calculating a predicted time until the parking spot is freed up based on the predetermined return location and a location of the parking spot, and
updating display on the display apparatus based on the predicted time.

Assignees

• Nec Platforms Ltd

Inventors

• Inoue Miho
• Kuzukubo Makoto
• KAGIWADA Ryota
• Yazawa Tatsuyuki
• Kobata Yuki
• Minami Takahiro

Classifications

• H04N7/181 Primary

  for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources · CPC title

• G08G1/14

  indicating individual free spaces in parking areas · CPC title

• G06Q2240/00

  Transportation facility access, e.g. fares, tolls or parking · CPC title

• G06V20/625

  License plates · CPC title

• G06V20/52

  Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects (recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69) · CPC title