JP5342346B2 - Parking lot management system and parking fee settlement machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a parking fee settlement machine that performs settlement processing of a parking fee in an unmanned paid parking lot, and a parking lot management that communicates with a parking lot management center that integrates and manages a plurality of paid parking lots. The present invention relates to a parking lot management system equipped with a machine and the like and a parking fee settlement machine applicable to such a parking lot management system.

  In unmanned pay parking lots, gate devices are installed at the entrance and exit of the parking lot, and a gate-type parking lot that collects charges when the vehicle exits the parking lot, and the vehicle cannot be removed for each parking area There is a flap-type parking lot that is provided with a flap device that locks the vehicle, and that allows the vehicle to be withdrawn by releasing the lock when the fee is settled. A parking fee settlement machine is installed in such a parking lot, and the parking fee settlement process is performed by the parking fee settlement machine, and the gate device or the flap device is controlled in conjunction with the parking fee settlement process. .

  Recently, by connecting the parking fee settlement machine to the parking lot management center so as to be communicable, it is possible to make a call between the parking lot user and the operator of the parking lot management center, or with the parking fee settlement machine. A parking management system that can perform data communication with a parking management center and can remotely control a parking fee settlement machine from the parking management center has been realized and spread.

  According to such a parking lot management system, it is possible to appropriately handle complaints from users at the time of an unexpected failure such as a parking fee settlement machine in the parking lot management center. In addition, the operator of the parking lot management center can talk with the user and explain how to use the parking fee adjusting machine. Furthermore, if a camera is provided on the parking fee settlement machine side, the operator of the parking lot management center confirms the video taken by the camera, such as the user's behavior and facial expression or the user's driver's license. And communication with users. Furthermore, if necessary, the operator of the parking lot management center can remotely operate the parking fee payment machine and assist the user. Such a parking lot management system is a very convenient system for the user because an appropriate process can be performed in a short time for an unexpected device failure or some kind of trouble. For example, as described in Patent Document 1, the present applicant maximizes the characteristics of a parking lot management system having such a parking lot management machine with a camera and connected to the parking lot management center so as to be able to communicate and communicate. We have invented a technology that has been used to the maximum to further improve convenience, and has already realized this in the market.

Also, in recent years, parking lot users who own watches with an accurate radio clock function, GPS (Global
(Positioning System) Many users have car navigation devices that display accurate time on the basis of radio waves from satellites. Of course, such users have the accuracy of this type of wristwatch or car navigation device. Acting based on time. For this reason, when the time of the internal clock of the parking fee adjusting machine is advanced or delayed with respect to the standard time, the following problems may occur.

  As an example, a user parks a vehicle in an unattended flap-type parking lot, goes to add it, then returns to the parking lot just before the fee system changes, and pays out before the fee system changes. Suppose that you intended. This user tried to complete the settlement before the fee system was switched based on the time indicated by the radio wristwatch owned by the user, but the time of the internal clock of the parking fee settlement machine was advanced several minutes. There are cases where the fee structure has already been switched and a high parking fee has to be paid against the intention of the user. When such a situation occurs, the user is dissatisfied and distrusted. In addition, when such a situation occurs, a complaint is sent from the user to the operator of the parking lot management center, which may cause an excessive burden on the business of the parking lot management center.

  In order to avoid such a problem, it is necessary to make the time of the internal clock of the parking fee adjusting machine coincide with the standard time. In this respect, Patent Document 2 includes a radio timepiece means capable of receiving a standard time in an issuing unit and a settlement unit, and a parking fee settlement apparatus using a method for accurately identifying a parking time and calculating a parking fee at the time of participation. Is disclosed.

  Further, in Patent Document 3, regarding a time synchronization method between a plurality of information processing devices connected to a subnetwork, at least one device accesses a predetermined time server to acquire a standard time, Discloses a method for synchronizing the times of a plurality of information processing apparatuses.

  Patent Document 4 discloses a PLC time synchronization device in which a delay time of internal processing is set and stored in advance.

JP 2008-299552 A JP 2007-026003 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-071082 JP 2007-101306 A

  By the way, the gate-type parking lot management system usually has a parking fee adjusting machine and a parking ticket issuing machine even if it is a small-scale one. When it comes to a large-scale gate-type parking lot management system, it has a plurality of parking fee settlement machines and a plurality of parking ticket issuing machines. Large flap parking management systems also have multiple parking fee settlement machines. When the parking fee payment machine, the parking ticket issuing machine, and the parking lot management machine are collectively referred to as “parking lot equipment”, many parking lot management systems have a plurality of parking lot equipment as described above.

  In the case of a parking lot management system having a plurality of parking lot devices, the time of all internal clocks in the plurality of parking lot devices needs to match the standard time.

  In this regard, by mounting the radio clock on all of the plurality of parking lot devices, the time of all the internal clocks of the plurality of parking lot devices can be matched with the standard time. However, in this case, since many radio clocks are provided in one parking lot management system, the parts cost of the parking lot management system becomes very high. In addition, in the case of a parking lot management system installed in a parking lot with a poor radio wave environment, radio waves may not be received normally in some radio clocks. It is not easy to make this time coincide with the standard time.

  Although a method using GPS instead of a radio timepiece is also conceivable, there is a problem that the cost of parts of a parking lot management system becomes very high even when GPS devices are installed in all of a plurality of parking lot devices. .

  Furthermore, the standard time information is acquired from an NTP (Network Time Protocol) server via the Internet, and the times of all internal clocks of a plurality of parking lot devices in the parking lot management system are synchronized so as to match the standard time information. It is possible to make it In this regard, Patent Document 3 describes a method of synchronizing time between information processing apparatuses connected via a LAN (Local Area Network). However, the connection of multiple parking lot devices in many parking lot management systems is not LAN, but multipoint serial communication such as RS485 that can establish a connection between devices with at least two wires is adopted. Has been. For this reason, it is difficult to apply the time synchronization method between the information processing apparatuses connected by LAN to such a parking lot management system. Also, replacing the multipoint serial communication with a LAN causes an increase in the installation cost and parts cost of the parking lot management system.

  The present invention has been made in view of, for example, the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to synchronize the times of the internal clocks of a plurality of parking lot devices so as to match the standard time. An object of the present invention is to provide a parking lot management system capable of realizing time synchronization at a low cost without impairing the configuration of existing parking lot equipment.

  In order to solve the above problems, a parking lot management system according to the present invention controls parking ticket issuance processing, parking fee settlement processing, or a vehicle movement restriction device that restricts movement of a vehicle into or out of a parking lot. A plurality of parking lot devices including at least a first parking lot device and a second parking lot device, and attached to the first parking lot device and communicatively connected to the first parking lot device and externally The time information providing device is communicably connected, receives the standard time information indicating the time matched with the standard time transmitted from the time information providing device, and transmits the standard time information to the first parking lot device. A parking lot management machine, and a server device that is communicably connected to each of the plurality of parking lot devices and performs broadcast transmission of information to each of the plurality of parking lot devices; A time information request transmitting unit that transmits to the time information providing device a time information request for requesting the time information providing device to transmit the standard time information to the parking lot management machine; A time information receiving unit that receives standard time information transmitted from the time information providing device in response to an information request, and a time of the first internal clock at a time indicated by the standard time information received by the time information receiving unit A first time synchronizer that synchronizes the time and a time update request that includes an hour, minute, and second value indicating the time of the first internal clock synchronized by the first time synchronizer. A first time update request transmitting unit for transmitting to the device, wherein the first parking device receives a time update request transmitted from the first time update request transmitting unit of the parking lot management machine. 1 time update request receiver, A delay correction value for correcting a delay that occurs from when the first time update request receiving unit receives the time update request to when the time update request is transmitted to the server device is generated, and the delay correction value A delay correction value generation unit that adds the delay correction value to the time update request, and a second time update request transmission unit that transmits the time update request to which the delay correction value has been added by the delay correction value generation unit to the server device. The server device includes: a second time update request receiving unit that receives a time update request transmitted from the first parking lot device; and a time update received by the second time update request receiving unit. Based on the delay correction value included in the request, the hour / minute / second value included in the time update request is corrected, and the time update broadcast including the corrected hour / minute / second value is broadcast to the plurality of parking lot devices. Time update broadcast to be sent Each of the parking lot devices includes a second internal clock, and a time update broadcast receiving unit that receives the time update broadcast transmitted from the time update broadcast transmission unit of the server device, And a second time synchronizer for synchronizing the time of the second internal clock with the hour, minute and second values included in the time update broadcast received by the time update broadcast receiver. .

  As a result, it is possible to synchronize the time of the internal clock in a plurality of parking lot devices included in the parking lot management system with a time that matches the standard time, and an existing parking lot management system capable of performing such time synchronization. It can be realized at low cost using a parking management system.

  In the parking lot management system according to the present invention, the delay correction value generation unit includes a timer, and the reception timer value indicated by the timer when the first time update request reception unit receives the time update request. And the transmission timer value indicated by the timer at the time of transmitting the time update request to the server device, respectively, as a delay correction value, added to the time update request transmitted to the server device by the second time update request transmitter It is desirable to do.

  Accordingly, by correcting the hour / minute / second value included in the time update request using the reception timer value and the transmission timer value, for example, other internal processing preferentially executed in the first parking lot device is performed. Even if there is a waiting time until it is finished or until information transmission from the first parking lot device to the server device becomes possible, the time of the internal clock in the multiple parking lot devices of the parking lot management system is standardized. It is possible to synchronize with high accuracy to the time that matches the time.

  Moreover, in the parking lot management system of the present invention, the first parking lot device includes an internal control unit that performs a predetermined process on the time update request and the time update received by the first time update request reception unit. A third time request transmission unit that transmits a request to the internal control unit; a third time request reception unit that receives a time update request returned from the internal control unit through the predetermined process in the internal control unit; The delay correction value generation unit includes a timer, and the first time update request reception unit receives the time update request, the first reception timer value indicated by the timer, and the third time A first transmission timer value indicated by the timer at a time when the update request transmission unit transmits the time update request received by the first time update request reception unit to the internal control unit; A second reception timer value indicated by the timer at a time when the time request receiving unit receives a time update request returned from the internal control unit, and a time update request received by the third time request receiving unit. When the second time update request transmission unit transmits to the server device, the second transmission timer value indicated by the timer is transmitted as a delay correction value to the server device by the second time update request transmission unit. It is desirable to add it to the time update request.

  As a result, the parking time is corrected by correcting the hour / minute / second value included in the time update request using the first reception timer value, the first transmission timer value, the second reception timer value, and the second transmission timer value. It is possible to synchronize the time of the internal clock in a plurality of parking lot devices included in the parking lot management system with a time that matches the standard time with higher accuracy.

  In the parking lot management system of the present invention, the time information providing device is preferably an NTP server.

  Thereby, using the standard time information provided from the NTP server, it is possible to synchronize the time of the internal clock in a plurality of parking lot devices included in the parking lot management system with the time that matches the standard time.

  In the parking lot management system of the present invention, the time information providing device is a transmitting station that transmits the standard time information by superimposing a time code on a standard radio wave, and the parking lot management machine is for a radio clock. It is desirable to have a standard radio receiver.

  Thereby, the time of the internal clock in the plurality of parking lot devices of the parking lot management system can be synchronized with the time that matches the standard time by using the standard radio wave receiver for the radio clock of the parking lot management machine.

  In the parking lot management system of the present invention, it is preferable that the time information providing device is a GPS satellite, and the parking lot management machine includes a GPS receiver.

  Thereby, it is possible to synchronize the time of the internal clock in the plurality of parking lot devices included in the parking lot management system with the time matching the standard time using the GPS receiver included in the parking lot management device.

  Moreover, in the parking lot management system of the present invention, the first parking lot device includes a plurality of parking lot management units to which the parking lot management machine is attached, and the server device includes a plurality of parking lot management units. A selection unit for selecting one parking lot management unit from among the plurality of parking lot management units is selectable, and the selection unit selects the one parking lot management unit based on the magnitude of the operation burden of each of the plurality of parking lot management units. Only the parking lot management unit selected by the selection unit performs processing from reception of the standard time information from the time information providing device to transmission of the time update request to which the delay correction value is added to the server device. It is desirable to execute. In this case, it is preferable that the selection unit determines the size of each operation burden of the plurality of parking lot management units based on a delay correction value included in the time update request.

  Thereby, the time synchronization processing of the internal clock in the plurality of parking lot devices included in the parking lot management system can always be stably performed, and the reliability of time synchronization can be improved. In the case of unexpected equipment troubles and maintenance, the server device automatically processes from the reception of the standard time information from the time information providing device to the transmission of the time update request to which the delay correction value is added to the server device. It is also possible to easily switch the parking lot management unit that executes

  In the parking lot management system of the present invention, the server device may be mounted on any of the plurality of parking lot devices.

  For example, by installing a server device in a parking lot device that has a relatively small burden of basic operations (for example, a parking ticket issuance operation) such as a parking ticket issuing machine, the basic operation of the parking lot device and the server The operation of the apparatus can be performed efficiently and stably, and the installation cost or parts cost of the parking lot management system can be reduced.

  Moreover, in the parking lot management system of the present invention, a difference value between an hour / minute / second value included in the time update request and an hour / minute / second value included in the time update broadcast, and the first parking lot device When the first time update request receiving unit receives the time update request, the timer value indicated by the timer and the time update broadcast receiving unit of the first parking device have received the time update broadcast. If the difference between the timer value indicated by the timer and the difference value at the time is greater than a preset reference value, an error occurs, and the difference between the two difference values is less than or equal to the reference value. May store the hour / minute / second value included in the time update request, the hour / minute / second value included in the time update broadcast, and a difference value between the two timer values as history information.

  As a result, it is possible to confirm whether or not the time synchronization of a plurality of parking lot devices in the parking lot management system has been normally performed, and using the history information, the normal time synchronization status in the parking lot management system can be confirmed. It becomes possible to audit.

  In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the parking fee settlement machine of the present invention is a parking fee settlement machine that performs a parking ticket issuing process and controls a vehicle movement restriction device that restricts the movement of the vehicle to the outside of the parking lot. A time information receiving unit that receives time information transmitted from the first external device, and a delay from when the time information receiving unit receives the time information until the time information is transmitted to the second external device. A delay correction value generating unit for generating a delay correction value for correcting the time correction, and adding the delay correction value to the time information; and the time information to which the delay correction value is added by the delay correction value generating unit And a time information transmitter for transmitting to the second external device.

  By using the parking fee fare adjustment machine having such a configuration as the first parking lot device of the parking lot management system as described above, the high accuracy of the internal clock in the plurality of parking lot devices included in the parking lot management system Time synchronization can be realized. In this case, the parking lot management machine in the parking lot management system corresponds to the first external device, the time update request corresponds to the time information transmitted from the first external device, and the first time update request receiving unit The server device corresponds to the time information receiving unit, the second external device, and the first time update request transmitting unit corresponds to the time information transmitting unit.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to synchronize the time of the internal clocks of a plurality of parking lot devices so as to match the standard time, and such time synchronization is inexpensive without impairing the configuration of existing parking lot devices. Can be realized.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the parking lot integrated control system containing the parking lot management system by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the parking lot management system by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure etc. of the parking fee payment machine and parking lot management machine in the parking lot management system by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure implement | achieved by CPU of the parking lot management machine in the parking lot management system by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure implement | achieved by CPU of the parking fee payment machine in the parking lot management system by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure implement | achieved by CPU of the simple server in the parking lot management system by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a timing chart which shows the time synchronous operation | movement in the parking lot management system by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the 1st communication control part in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure implement | achieved by CPU of the 1st communication control part in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the 2nd communication control part in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure implement | achieved by CPU of the 2nd communication control part in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a timing chart which shows the time synchronous operation | movement of the parking lot management system in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the communication message | telegram in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the modification of a communication message | telegram.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First embodiment)
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
(Basic configuration and operation of parking lot management system)
FIG. 1 shows a parking control integrated control system. In FIG. 1, a parking lot integrated control system 1 is a system that manages a plurality of parking lots (for example, parking lots P1, P2, and P3) in an integrated manner. The parking lot integrated control system 1 includes a parking lot management system 2, a parking lot management center 3, and an NTP server 4 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. A plurality of parking lot management systems 2 are provided corresponding to the number of parking lots managed by the parking lot integrated control system 1. Each parking lot management system 2 is a system for performing individual specific management of individual parking lots. Each parking lot management system 2 is connected to a parking lot management center 3 and an NTP server 4 via a wide area communication network 5 and the Internet 6. The parking lot management center 3 is a system that integrates the parking lot management systems 2 and performs centralized management, and includes a management computer 3A and a database 3B, for example. The NTP server 4 is a server computer that provides information indicating an accurate time that matches the standard time. The wide area communication network 5 is, for example, a PHS (Personal Handy-phone System).

  FIG. 2 shows the parking lot management system 2 of the parking lot P3. In FIG. 2, the parking lot management system 2 includes two parking fee settlement machines 11, two parking lot management machines 12, two parking ticket issue machines 13, and a simple server 14. Each parking fee adjusting machine 11, each parking ticket issuing machine 13, and the simple server 14 are connected to each other via an embedded wiring (internal parking line communication line 49). Each parking fee adjusting machine 11 and each parking ticket issuing machine 13 are specific examples of parking equipment, and the simple server 14 is a specific example of a server device.

  Each parking fee settlement machine 11 performs a parking fee settlement process and controls an exit gate opening / closing device (not shown) as a vehicle movement restriction device. Each parking fee settlement machine 11 is installed beside the entry lane at the exit P3 of the parking lot, and at the front part thereof is a coin insertion slot 21, a bill insertion slot 22, a parking ticket insertion slot 23, a display 24, a receipt button 25, A change / receipt collection outlet 26 and the like are provided. When the vehicle parked in the parking lot P3 enters the entry lane, each parking fee settlement machine 11 confirms that the vehicle has entered the entry lane by a vehicle sensor (not shown) embedded in the entry lane. Then, when the parking ticket is inserted into the parking ticket insertion slot 23, the parking fee is specified from the current time (the time indicated by the internal clock 43 in FIG. 3) and the entrance time recorded on the parking ticket. The amount of the parking fee is displayed on the display screen of the display unit 24 for guidance. Subsequently, after the settlement process is completed, the parking fee settlement machine 11 opens the gate bar of the exit gate opening / closing device arranged in front of the participation lane in the vehicle traveling direction, allows the vehicle to enter, and the vehicle has completely passed the entry lane. When this happens, another vehicle sensor (not shown) embedded in front of the exit gate opening / closing direction of the vehicle detects that the vehicle has passed the entry lane and closes the gate bar of the exit gate opening / closing device.

  Each parking ticket issuer 13 issues a parking ticket and controls an entrance gate opening / closing device (not shown) as a vehicle movement restriction device. Each parking ticket issuing machine 13 is installed beside the entrance lane at the entrance of the parking lot P3, and at the front part thereof, there is a parking ticket issuing button 31, a parking ticket issuing port 32, a speaker 33 for announcing the parking ticket, A display 34 and the like for displaying time (time indicated by an internal clock of the parking ticket issuing machine 13), full vehicle information, and the like are provided. Each parking ticket issuing machine 13 detects that a vehicle has entered the entrance lane by a vehicle sensor (not shown) embedded in the entrance lane when the vehicle enters the entrance lane of the parking lot P3 from the outside. Subsequently, when the parking ticket issuance button 31 is pressed, or in response to detection of vehicle entry, a parking ticket on which the current time (the time indicated by the internal clock of the parking ticket issuing machine 13) is printed and recorded is recorded. Issue. When the parking ticket is extracted, the parking ticket issuing machine 13 opens the gate bar of the entrance gate opening / closing device arranged in front of the entrance lane in the vehicle traveling direction, and allows the vehicle to enter, and when the vehicle has passed the entrance lane. Then, another vehicle sensor (not shown) embedded in front of the entrance gate opening / closing direction of the vehicle detects that the vehicle has passed the entrance lane and closes the gate bar of the entrance gate opening / closing device.

  Each parking lot management machine 12 communicates with the parking lot management center 3 to make a call between the user of the parking lot P3 and the operator of the parking lot management center 3, and between the parking fee settlement machine 11 and the parking lot management center 3. Realize data communication. Each parking lot management machine 12 is connected to the parking lot management center 3 through the wide area communication network 5 and the Internet 6 so as to be able to communicate with each other. Each parking lot management machine 12 is housed in a small casing, is attached to the upper part or the front part of the parking fee payment machine 11, and is connected to the parking fee payment machine 11 so as to be communicable. Furthermore, each parking lot management machine 12 has a camera 27 and is electrically connected to an interphone 28 attached to the front part of the parking fee settlement machine 11. Then, the user of the parking lot P3 can talk with the operator of the parking lot management center 3 through the camera 27 and the interphone 28 through voice and video. In addition, the parking fee adjusting machine 11 can transmit data related to the parking fee (after receiving from the simple server 14) to the parking lot management center 3 via the parking lot manager 12. Moreover, the parking lot management center 3 can transmit a remote operation signal to the parking lot management machine 12, and can remotely operate the parking lot management machine 12, the parking lot fee apparatus 11, and the simple server 14.

  The simple server 14 is a server computer that performs overall management in the parking lot management system 2 of the parking lot P3. The simple server 14 collects information related to the overall management of the parking lot P3 from each parking fee settlement machine 11 and each parking ticket issuing machine 13 in the parking lot management system 2 of the parking lot P3, or parks the parking lot P3. Information common to each parking fee settlement machine 11 and each parking ticket issuing machine 13 in the parking lot management system 2 is sent to these devices. For example, when a parking ticket is issued, the parking ticket issuing machine 13 transmits the entry time and the number of the issued parking ticket to the simple server 14. In response to this, the simple server 14 increases the number of vehicles currently entered by one and compares it with the number of full parking lots P3, and if it reaches the full number, the control server 14 controls the display of the full vehicle separately. Send a signal. In addition, the parking fee adjusting machine 11 transmits the entry time, the number of the parking ticket, the adjusting fee, and the like to the simplified server 14 when the adjustment processing is completed. In response to this, the simple server 14 reduces the number of vehicles currently entering by 1 and stores the information transmitted from the parking fee adjusting machine 11 as a history.

  FIG. 3 shows an electrical configuration of the parking fee settlement machine 11 and the parking lot management machine 12 in the parking lot management system 2 of the parking lot P3. In FIG. 3, the parking fee settlement machine 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 41, a memory 42, and an internal clock 43. The memory 42 is a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a flash memory, a hard disk or the like, and is connected to the CPU 41 via the bus 44. The internal clock 43 is an RTC (Real Time Clock) and is connected to the CPU 41. Furthermore, the internal clock 43 includes a battery (not shown) for holding time data.

  Furthermore, the parking fee payment machine 11 includes a first communication unit 45 and a second communication unit 46. The first communication unit 45 and the second communication unit 46 are connected to the bus 44 via the interface 47 and are placed under the control of the CPU 41. The first communication unit 45 includes a communication circuit for communicating with the parking lot management machine 12 attached to the upper part or the front part of the parking fee adjusting machine 11, and the upper or front part of the parking fee adjusting machine 11 Is connected to the external communication unit 65 of the parking lot management machine 12 attached to the vehicle via a serial communication wiring 48. The 2nd communication part 46 is provided with the communication circuit for communicating with each other parking fee payment machine 11, each parking ticket issuing machine 13, and the simple server 14 in the parking lot management system 2 of the parking lot P3, and parking lot It is connected to each other parking fee settlement machine 11, each parking ticket issuing machine 13 and the simple server 14 through a parking lot internal communication line 49 embedded in P3 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

  Further, the parking fee settlement machine 11 includes a receipt button 25 for requesting the issuance of a receipt by the user of the parking lot P3 at the time of settlement, the settlement method and the amount of the parking fee for the user of the parking lot P3. , A display 24 for displaying a settlement result, etc., a receipt printer 51, a coin selector 52, a coin dispensing device 53, a bill reader 54, a speaker 55, a door opening sensor 56, and an exit, which are components related to the settlement process A gate opening / closing control unit 57 for controlling the gate opening / closing device is provided, and these devices are also connected to the bus 44 via the interface 47 and placed under the control of the CPU 41.

  The parking ticket issuing machine 13 includes a CPU, a memory, an internal clock, a communication unit similar to the second communication unit 46, and the like, as with the parking fee settlement machine 11.

  On the other hand, the parking lot management machine 12 includes a CPU 61, a memory 62, and an internal clock 63. The memory 62 is a ROM, RAM, flash memory, hard disk, or the like, and is connected to the CPU 61 via the bus 64. The internal clock 63 is an RTC (Real Time Clock) and is connected to the CPU 61. Further, the internal clock 63 includes a battery (not shown) for holding time data.

  Furthermore, the parking lot management machine 12 includes an external communication unit 65 and a data terminal device (DCE: Data Circuit Terminating Equipment) 66. The external communication unit 65 and the data terminal device 66 are connected to the bus 64 via the interface 67 and are placed under the control of the CPU 61. The external communication unit 65 includes a communication circuit for communicating with the parking fee settlement machine 11 to which the parking lot management machine 12 is attached, and the parking fee settlement machine 11 to which the parking lot management machine 12 is attached. The wirings 48 are connected so as to be able to communicate with each other. The data terminal device 66 includes a communication circuit for communicating with the parking lot management center 3 and the NTP server 4 and is connected to the wide area communication network 5 so as to be able to communicate with each other wirelessly.

  Further, the parking lot management machine 12 includes a camera 27 for shooting a video of the user when a call between the user of the parking lot P3 and the operator of the parking lot management center 3 is realized, and the parking lot P3. An interphone 28 and the like are provided for inputting the voice of the user and outputting the voice of the operator when a call between the user and the operator of the parking lot management center 3 is realized. These devices are also connected to the bus 64 via the interface 67 and placed under the control of the CPU 61.

  The basic configuration and operation of the parking lot management system 2 in the parking lot P3 are as described above. The parking lot management system 2 of the parking lot P1 and the parking lot management system 2 of the parking lot P2 have substantially the same configuration as the parking lot management system 2 of the parking lot P3 and operate in the same manner. However, in each parking lot management system 2, the number of parking fee settlement machines 11, the number of parking lot management machines 12, and the number of parking ticket issuing machines 13 may differ depending on the size of the parking lot.

(Time synchronization in parking lot management system)
In addition to the basic configuration described above, each parking lot management system 2 includes the time of each parking fee settlement machine 11, each parking lot management machine 12, each parking ticket issuer 13, and the simple server 14 in each parking lot management system 2. Is synchronized with the standard time (set to the standard time).

  The general mechanism of time synchronization in the parking lot management system 2 is as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, each parking lot management system 2 is connected to the NTP server 4 through the wide area communication network 5 and the Internet 6 so as to be able to communicate with each other. The NTP server 4 is a personal computer or other electronic device connected via the Internet 6 with information indicating an accurate time (hereinafter referred to as “standard time information”) based on the NTP protocol. Server computer to send to. In each parking lot management system 2, first, one parking lot management machine 12 (hereinafter referred to as “parking management machine 12 in charge of communication”) of the plurality of parking lot management machines 12 is sent from the NTP server 4. Get standard time information. Next, after synchronizing the time of the internal clock 63 with the standard time indicated by the standard time information acquired from the NTP server 4 by the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication, the time information indicating the time of the internal clock 63 is obtained. , The parking fee adjustment machine 11 to which the communication-related parking lot management machine 12 is attached (hereinafter referred to as the “communication charge parking fee adjustment machine 11”). Next, the communication charge parking fee settlement machine 11 that has received the time information from the communication charge parking lot management machine 12 transmits the received time information together with the delay correction value to the simple server 14. Next, the simple server 14 that has received the time information and the delay correction value from the parking charge settlement machine 11 in charge of the communication corrects the received time information with the delay correction value, and is self-timed at the time indicated by the corrected time information. Synchronize the time of the internal clock. After that, the simple server 14 uses the time information indicating the time of its own internal clock as a reference for all parking fee settlement machines 11 (including the communication charge parking fee settlement machine 11) and parking ticket issuing machines in the parking lot management system 2. 13 to send. Next, each parking fee adjusting machine 11 and each parking ticket issuing machine 13 that have received the time information from the simple server 14 synchronize the time of their internal clock with the time indicated by the received time information. If necessary, the parking lot management machines 12 other than the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication communicate with the parking fee adjusting machine 11 to which the parking lot management machine 12 is attached, and the time of its own internal clock 63 is attached by itself. It is also possible to synchronize with the time of the internal clock 43 of the parking fee settlement machine 11 being used. Thus, in each parking lot management system 2, the time of all the internal clocks of each parking fee settlement machine 11, at least the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication, each parking ticket issuing machine 13 and the simple server 14 is set to the standard time. Synchronize to the matching time. The parking charge settlement machine 11 in charge of communication is a specific example of the first parking lot device, and the parking charge settlement machine 11 and the parking ticket issuing machine 13 other than the communication charge are specific examples of the second parking lot device. .

  By the way, regarding the parking lot management machines 12 other than those in charge of communication, the time may be synchronized with each of the parking fee settlement machines 11, but each parking lot management machine 12 has a function of synchronizing the time with the NTP server 4. Therefore, the time synchronization operation may be performed individually with the NTP server 4.

  Here, communication between the parking fee settlement machine 11 and the parking lot management machine 12 is performed by a polling selecting system. In this communication, the parking fee settlement machine 11 hits the parent machine, and the parking lot management machine 12 hits the child machine. Specifically, the parking fee adjusting machine 11 transmits an inquiry signal to the parking lot management machine 12 at regular intervals (for example, at intervals of 2 seconds). At the time of this polling operation, the parking fee adjusting machine 11 transmits an inquiry signal for inquiring whether there is information to be transmitted to the parking fee adjusting machine 11 to the parking lot managing machine 12. When there is information to be transmitted from the parking lot management machine 12 to the parking fee adjusting machine 11 at the time of receiving the inquiry signal, the parking lot managing machine 12 uses the information to be sent as a response signal as a parking fee adjusting machine. 11 to send. When there is no information to be transmitted from the parking lot management machine 12 to the parking fee adjusting machine 11 at the time of receiving the inquiry signal, the parking lot management machine 12 indicates a simple response signal (for example, there is no event). (Acknowledge signal) is transmitted to the parking fee settlement machine 11.

  On the other hand, at the time of the selecting operation, the parking fee adjusting machine 11 inquires whether the parking fee managing machine 12 can receive information to be transmitted from the parking fee adjusting machine 11 to the parking lot managing machine 12 in the future. A signal is transmitted to the parking lot management machine 12. When the information to be transmitted from the parking fee adjusting machine 11 to the parking lot management machine 12 can be received by the parking lot management machine 12 at the time of receiving this inquiry signal, the parking lot management unit 12 indicates that fact. A response signal is transmitted to the parking fee settlement machine 11. If the information to be transmitted from the parking fee adjusting machine 11 to the parking lot management machine 12 cannot be received by the parking lot management machine 12 at the time when the inquiry signal is received, the parking lot management machine 12 does so. Is sent to the parking fee settlement machine 11.

  Moreover, communication between each parking fee adjusting machine 11 and the simple server 14 is also performed by a polling selecting method. In this case, the simple server 14 hits the parent machine, and the parking fee adjustment machine 11 hits the child machine. Communication between each parking ticket issuing machine 13 and the simple server 14 is also performed by a polling selecting method. In this case, the simple server 14 hits the parent machine, and the parking ticket issuing machine 13 hits the child machine. The simple server 14 sequentially transmits the inquiry signal and receives the response signal to the inquiry signal to the plurality of parking fee settlement machines 11 and the plurality of parking ticket issuers 13 of the parking lot management system 2 one by one. . Hereinafter, time synchronization in the parking lot management system 2 will be described in detail.

  FIG. 4 shows a configuration realized by the CPU 61 of each parking lot management machine 12 in each parking lot management system 2. In FIG. 4, the CPU 61 of each parking lot management machine 12 reads the computer program stored in the memory 62 and executes it to execute an inquiry signal reception unit 71 and a response signal transmission unit 72 (time update request transmission unit). , Function as a time information request transmission unit 73, a time information reception unit 74, and a time synchronization unit 75. The CPU 61 controls the camera 27 and the intercom 28, transmits / receives audio data and video data for realizing a call between the parking lot user and the parking lot management center 3, and the parking fee. It also functions as a control unit (not shown) that performs remote control of the settlement machine, transmission / reception control of settlement data for the parking fee settlement machine, and the like.

  FIG. 5 shows a configuration realized by the CPU 41 of each parking fee settlement machine 11 in each parking lot management system 2. In FIG. 5, the CPU 41 of each parking fee adjusting machine 11 reads the computer program stored in the memory 42 and executes it to obtain an inquiry signal transmission unit 81, a response signal reception unit 82, an inquiry signal reception unit 83, It functions as a response signal transmitter 84 (time update request transmitter), a delay correction value generator 85, a time update broadcast receiver 86, and a time synchronizer 87. The CPU 41 also functions as a control unit (not shown) for controlling the speaker 33, the display 34, the coin dispensing device 53, etc. for performing the parking fee settlement process, and controlling the exit gate opening / closing device.

  FIG. 6 shows a configuration realized by the CPU of the simple server 14 in each parking lot management system 2. In FIG. 6, the CPU of the simple server 14 reads a computer program stored in a memory (not shown) built in the simple server 14 and executes it to thereby obtain an inquiry signal transmission unit 91 and a response signal reception unit. 92, functions as a time synchronization unit 93 and a time update broadcast transmission unit 94. The CPU of the simple server 14 also functions as a control unit (not shown) that performs counting of the number of vehicles entering the vehicle, determination of whether the vehicle is full, transmission control of display information indicating that the vehicle is full to the control device, and the like. .

(Communication between NTP server and parking lot management machine)
FIG. 7 shows the time synchronization operation in each parking lot management system 2. In FIG. 7, the time information request transmission unit 73 of the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication transmits a time information request to the NTP server 4. The time information request is a signal that requests the NTP server 4 that standard time information should be transmitted to the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication. The transmission of the time information request is performed at a preset time (for example, 0:00, 3:00, 6:00,...) Or at a preset time interval (for example, 3 hour interval). In addition, this time information request is transmitted by an inquiry signal (polling in the figure) transmitted from the inquiry signal transmission unit 81 of the parking fee settlement machine 11 in charge of communication by the inquiry signal reception unit 71 of the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication. This is performed immediately after the response signal transmission unit 72 of the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication transmits a response signal indicating that there is no event to the parking fee settlement machine 11 in charge of communication. That is, the time information request transmission unit 73 of the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication prepares to transmit a time information request to the NTP server 4 at a preset time or a preset time interval. Immediately after the response signal transmission unit 72 of the parking lot management machine 12 transmits a response signal indicating that there is no event to the parking charge settlement machine 11 in charge of communication, the time information request is transmitted to the NTP server 4. When the inquiry signal is transmitted from the parking charge settlement machine 11 in charge of communication, for example, at 2 seconds, the time information request transmission unit 73 of the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication transmits the time information request to the NTP server 4. After making preparations to wait, a time information request is transmitted to the NTP server 4 after waiting for a maximum of 2 seconds.

  As soon as the NTP server 4 receives the time information request transmitted from the time information request transmission unit 73 of the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication, it returns the standard time information to the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication. The time information receiving unit 74 of the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication immediately receives the standard time information returned from the NTP server 4, and the time synchronization unit 75 of the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication The time of the internal clock 63 of the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication is represented by the time indicated by the standard time information by a known calculation method defined by the NTP protocol based on the standard time information received by the receiving unit 74, that is, Synchronize with the time that matches the standard time. In the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication, the time information request transmitter 73 issues a time information request for the reception of the standard time information by the time information receiver 74 and the time synchronization of the internal clock 63 by the time synchronizer 75. After the transmission, the inquiry signal receiving unit 71 is completed before receiving the next inquiry signal from the parking charge settlement machine 11 in charge of communication.

(Communication between parking lot management machine and parking fee adjustment machine)
After the time synchronizer 75 of the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication synchronizes the time of the internal clock 63 with the standard time based on the standard time information received from the NTP server 4, the inquiry of the parking fee settlement machine 11 in charge of communication is made. When the inquiry signal receiving unit 71 of the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication first receives the inquiry signal transmitted from the signal transmission unit 81, the response signal transmission unit 72 of the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication As a result, a time update request is transmitted to the parking charge settlement machine 11 in charge of communication. Then, the response signal receiving unit 82 of the parking fee settlement machine 11 in charge of communication receives this time update request. The time update request is a signal for requesting time synchronization, and the time update request includes the hour, minute, second including the date of the internal clock 63 of the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication at the time of transmission of the time update request. In addition, an accurate time value up to a hundredth of a second (hereinafter simply referred to as “hour / minute / second value”) is included.

(Communication between parking fee settlement machine and simple server)
After the response signal reception unit 82 of the parking charge settlement apparatus 11 in charge of communication receives the time update request transmitted from the response signal transmission unit 72 of the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication, the inquiry signal transmission unit 91 of the simple server 14 When the inquiry signal receiving unit 83 of the communication charge parking fee settlement machine 11 first receives the inquiry signal transmitted from the communication charge parking fee settlement machine 11, the response signal transmission unit 84 of the communication charge parking fee settlement machine 11 updates the time as a response signal. The request with the delay correction value added is transmitted to the simple server 14. Then, the response signal receiving unit 92 of the simple server 14 receives the time update request to which the delay correction value is added.

  Here, the delay correction value is determined by the communication charge parking fee adjusting machine 11 after the response signal receiving unit 82 of the communication charge parking fee adjusting machine 11 receives the time update request from the communication charge parking management machine 12. It is a value indicating the time until the response signal transmission unit 84 transmits a time update request to the simple server 14, and is generated by the delay correction value generation unit 85 of the parking fee settlement machine 11 in charge of communication. As described above, the simple server 14 sends the inquiry signal and receives the response signal to the inquiry signal to the plurality of parking fee settlement machines 11 and the plurality of parking ticket issuing machines 13 of the parking lot management system 2. Perform one by one in sequence. Therefore, after the response signal receiving unit 82 of the parking charge adjusting machine 11 in charge of communication receives the time update request from the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication, the inquiry signal receiving unit 83 of the parking charge adjusting machine 11 in charge of communication. May take a long time to receive the inquiry signal from the simple server 14 for the first time. For example, when there is a charge totaling request from another parking fee settlement machine 11, the simple server 14 performs a communication operation for reading and transmitting the corresponding parking fee totaling data recorded therein. In such a case, the simple server 14 waits for an inquiry signal transmission process for a long time. The delay correction value is used to correct such a delay time.

(Communication between the simple server and each parking fee settlement machine and each parking ticket issuing machine)
The time synchronization unit 93 of the simple server 14 that has received the time update request with the delay correction value added adds the delay correction value to the hour / minute / second value included in the time update request, and uses the obtained value as a simple server. Set to 14 internal clocks. Thereby, the time of the internal clock of the simple server 14 is synchronized with the time that matches the standard time. Subsequently, the time update broadcast transmission unit 94 of the simple server 14 transmits the time update broadcast to all the parking fee settlement machines 11 and parking ticket issuing machines 13 of the parking lot management system 2 at the same time. Each parking fee adjusting machine 11 and each parking ticket issuing machine 13 receive this time update broadcast. The time update broadcast is a signal for performing time synchronization of all the parking fee settlement machines 11 and parking ticket issuing machines 13 of the parking lot management system 2 at the same time. An hour / minute / second value indicating the time of the internal clock of the simple server 14 at the time of transmission of the broadcast is included.

  Each parking fee settlement machine 11 and each parking ticket issuing machine 13 of the parking lot management system 2 corrects the internal processing delay etc. with respect to the hour, minute and second values included in the received time update broadcast, Set the corrected hour / minute / second value to the internal clock. Thereby, the time of the internal clock of all the parking fee payment machines 11 and parking ticket issuing machines 13 that the parking lot management system 2 has is synchronized with the time that matches the standard time. Finally, time synchronization may be performed between each parking fee settlement machine 11 other than the communication charge parking fee settlement machine 11 and each parking lot management machine 12 other than the communication responsible parking lot management machine 12, The time synchronization operation with the NTP server 4 may be performed individually. Thereby, the time of the internal clock 63 of all the parking lot management machines 12 which the said parking lot management system 2 has synchronizes with the time which matched standard time.

  As mentioned above, the time of the internal clock of all the parking fee adjustment machines 11, the parking lot management machine 12, the parking ticket issuing machine 13, and the simple server 14 which the said parking lot management system 2 has synchronizes with the time which matched standard time. .

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The feature of the present embodiment is that the time update information transmitted from the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication is received by the first communication unit 45 of the parking lot fee adjusting machine 11 and then the CPU 41 of the parking charge adjusting machine 11 When the time required for transmission from the second communication unit 46 of the parking fee adjusting machine 11 to the simple server 14 is accurately grasped through the predetermined processing in FIG. 11 and the time update information is included based on this time By correcting the minute / second value, this improves the accuracy of time synchronization of each parking fee adjusting machine 11, each parking lot management machine 12, each parking ticket issuing machine 13 and the simple server 14 in the parking lot management system 2. is there.

  That is, the time update request is first transmitted from the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication to the first communication unit 45 of the parking fee settlement machine 11 in charge of communication, and then from the first communication unit 45 to the parking fee. The data is transmitted to the CPU 41 of the settlement machine 11, and predetermined processing is performed inside the CPU 41 (see FIG. 3). In this process, it takes time for the first communication unit 45 to transmit the time update request received from the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication to the CPU 41 in the parking fee settlement machine 11, and this time is determined in advance. It is difficult to predict accurately. For example, when it is necessary for the CPU 41 to preferentially execute the settlement process in the parking fee settlement machine 11, transmission of time update information from the first communication unit 45 to the CPU 41 is waited, and this waiting time is settled. It is difficult to predict because it varies depending on the progress of processing. In the second embodiment of the present invention, instead of the delay correction value generation unit 85 (see FIG. 5) in the first embodiment, the first communication control unit 101 is provided in the first communication unit 45 (see FIG. 8). ) The time required for the first communication control unit 101 to transmit the time update request received by the first communication unit 45 from the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication to the CPU 41 in the parking fee settlement machine 11 is determined. Measurement is performed, and information (timer value) indicating the measurement result is added to the time update request.

  Furthermore, the time update request that has undergone internal processing in the CPU 41 of the parking fee settlement machine 11 in charge of communication is transmitted from the CPU 41 to the second communication unit 46 of the parking fee settlement machine 11, and then the inquiry from the simple server 14. A response signal to the signal is transmitted from the second communication unit 46 toward the simple server 14. In this process, it takes time for the second communication unit 46 to transmit the time update request received from the CPU 41 to the simple server 14, and it is difficult to accurately predict this time in advance. For example, the time update request is transmitted to the simple server 14 after waiting for an inquiry signal from the simple server 14, and when the inquiry signal from the simple server 14 is received is not for communication with the simple server 14. It is difficult to predict because it fluctuates depending on the communication status between each parking fee settlement machine 11 and each parking ticket issuing machine 13. In the second embodiment of the present invention, instead of the delay correction value generation unit 85 (see FIG. 5) in the first embodiment, the second communication control unit 102 is provided in the second communication unit 46 (see FIG. 10). ), The second communication control unit 102 measures the time required for the second communication unit 46 to transmit the time update request received from the CPU 41 to the simple server 14, and information indicating the measurement result (timer) Value) is added to the time update request.

  And the simple server 14 which received the time update information from the parking charge settlement machine 11 in charge of communication corrects the hour / minute / second value included in the time update information based on the timer value added to the time update information, Set the corrected hour / minute / second value to your internal clock. As a result, the time of the internal clock of the simple server 14 is synchronized with high accuracy to the time that matches the standard time. And the time of the internal clock of each parking fee adjusting machine 11 and each parking ticket issuing machine 13 in the parking lot management system 2 is synchronized with the time of the internal clock of the simple server 14 as described in the first embodiment. The time of the internal clock of each parking fee settlement machine 11, at least the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication, and each parking ticket issuing machine 13 is synchronized with high accuracy to the time that matches the standard time. Note that the CPU 41 of the parking fee payment machine 11 is a specific example of the internal control unit. Hereinafter, the first communication control unit 101 and the second communication control unit 102 in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

  FIG. 8 shows the first communication control unit 101 provided in the first communication unit 45 (see FIG. 3). FIG. 9 shows a configuration realized by the CPU 111 of the first communication control unit 101. In FIG. 8, the first communication control unit 101 includes a CPU 111, a memory 112 such as a ROM, a RAM, and a flash memory, a timer 113, and two transmission / reception units 114 and 115. The CPU 111 and the memory 112 are connected via a bus 116. The timer 113 is connected to the CPU 111. Each of the transmission / reception units 114 and 115 is connected to the CPU 111 and the memory 112 via the interface 117 and the bus 116.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the CPU 111 reads a computer program stored in the memory 112 and executes it to execute a time update request primary receiving unit 121, a time update request data recording unit 122, and a timer value recording unit 123. , Function as a data reading unit 124 and a time update request primary transmission unit 125. Further, the timer 113 in FIG. 8 is an FRT (Free Running Timer), and always increments (counts up) the timer value at a constant interval (for example, 1 millisecond interval) while the parking fee adjusting machine 11 is in operation. Yes. The transmission / reception unit 114 is a circuit that communicates with the parking lot management machine 12 by, for example, a serial communication method. The transmission / reception unit 115 is a circuit that communicates with the CPU 41 of the parking fee settlement machine 11 in the parking lot settlement machine 11 by, for example, a high-speed serial communication method.

  FIG. 10 shows the second communication control unit 102 provided in the second communication unit 46 (see FIG. 3). FIG. 11 shows a configuration realized by the CPU 131 of the first communication control unit 101. In FIG. 10, the second communication control unit 102 includes a CPU 131, a memory 132, a timer 133, two transmission / reception units 134 and 135, a bus 136, and an interface 137, similar to the first communication control unit 101. .

  As shown in FIG. 11, the CPU 131 reads a computer program stored in the memory 132 and executes it to execute a time update request secondary reception unit 141, a time update request data recording unit 142, and a timer value recording unit 143. , Function as a data read unit 144, a time update request secondary transmission unit 145, a time update broadcast primary reception unit 146, and a time update broadcast primary transmission unit 147. Further, the timer 133 in FIG. 10 is an FRT and always increments (counts up) the timer value at a constant interval (for example, every 1 millisecond interval) while the parking fee adjusting machine 11 is in operation. The transmission / reception unit 134 is a circuit that communicates with the CPU 41 of the parking fee settlement machine 11 in the parking lot settlement machine 11 by, for example, a high-speed serial communication method. The transmission unit 135 is a circuit that communicates with the simple server 14, the other parking fee settlement machines 11, and the parking ticket issuers 13 by a multipoint connection serial communication method.

  FIG. 12 shows the time synchronization operation of the parking lot management system according to the second embodiment of the present invention having the first communication control unit 101 and the second communication control unit 102. FIG. 13 shows a communication message. In FIG. 12, first, the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication acquires the standard time information from the NTP server 4, and synchronizes the time of its own internal clock 63 with the standard time based on this standard time information. Thereafter, when the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication receives the inquiry signal from the parking fee settlement machine 11 in charge of communication for the first time, as the response signal corresponding thereto, the current hour and minute of its internal clock 63 The time update request including the value is transmitted to the parking fee settlement machine 11 in charge of communication. About these points, it is the same as 1st Embodiment (refer FIG. 7), However, The parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication in 2nd Embodiment contains the hour / minute / second value of its own internal clock 63. The received time update request is transmitted to the parking charge settlement machine 11 in charge of communication in the form of a communication message shown in FIG. The communication message at this time is in state A in FIG.

  Subsequently, the time update request primary receiving unit 121 of the first communication control unit 101 provided in the first communication unit 45 of the parking charge settlement machine 11 in charge of communication transmits from the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication. The received communication message is received. At this time, the timer value recording unit 123 of the first communication control unit 101 reads the timer value of the timer 113 of the first communication control unit 101 and stores this timer value in the memory 112 as the first reception timer value. To do. Subsequently, the time update request data recording unit 122 of the first communication control unit 101 stores the communication message received by the time update request primary reception unit 121 in the memory 112. Thereafter, the data reading unit 124 of the first communication control unit 101 reads the communication telegram and the first reception timer value stored in the memory 112, and adds the first reception timer value to the communication telegram. As a result, the communication message is in a state B in FIG. And it waits until communication between the 1st communication part 45 and CPU41 becomes possible. When communication between the first communication unit 45 and the CPU 41 of the parking fee settlement machine 11 becomes possible, the time update request primary transmission unit 125 of the first communication control unit 101 performs the first communication control. The timer value of the timer 113 of the unit 101 is read, this timer value is added to the communication message as a first transmission timer value, and this communication message is immediately transmitted to the CPU 41 of the parking fee adjusting machine 11. At this point, the communication message is in state C in FIG. This communication message is transmitted from the CPU 41 to the second communication unit 46 through a predetermined process inside the CPU 41 of the parking fee settlement machine 11.

  Subsequently, the time update request secondary receiving unit 141 of the second communication control unit 102 provided in the second communication unit 46 of the parking fee settlement machine 11 is transmitted from the CPU 41 of the parking fee settlement machine 11. Receive a communication message. At this time, the timer value recording unit 143 of the second communication control unit 102 reads the timer value of the timer 133 of the second communication control unit 102 and stores this timer value in the memory 132 as the second reception timer value. To do. Subsequently, the time update request data recording unit 142 of the first communication control unit 102 stores the communication message received by the time update request secondary receiving unit 141 in the memory 132. Thereafter, the data reading unit 144 of the second communication control unit 102 reads the communication message and the second reception timer value stored in the memory 132, and adds the second reception timer value to the communication message. As a result, the communication message is in a state D in FIG. And it waits until the inquiry signal from the simple server 14 is received in the said parking fee payment machine 11. Subsequently, the time update request secondary transmission unit 145 of the second communication control unit 102 receives the timer of the second communication control unit 102 when the inquiry signal from the simple server 14 is received in the parking fee settlement machine 11. The timer value 133 is read, this timer value is added to the communication message as the second transmission timer value, and this communication message is immediately transmitted to the simple server 14. At this time, the communication message is in state E in FIG.

  Subsequently, the simple server 14 receives a communication message from the second communication control unit 102 (second communication unit 46) of the parking fee settlement machine 11 in charge of the communication. The simple server 14 adds (1) the difference between the first reception timer value and the first transmission timer value in the communication message to the hour / minute / second value included in the time update request in the communication message. And (2) the difference value between the second reception timer value and the second transmission timer value in the communication message, and (3) communication between the parking fee settlement machine 11 in charge of communication and the simple server 14. The time required for transmission and (4) the time required for the time setting process of its own internal clock in the simple server 14 are added, and the value obtained thereby is set as the time of its own internal clock.

  Here, the difference value between the first reception timer value and the first transmission timer value in the communication message is the time update request (communication by the first communication unit 45 received from the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication). This corresponds to the time taken to transmit the electronic message) to the CPU 41 in the parking fee settlement machine 11. Further, the difference value between the second reception timer value and the second transmission timer value in the communication message is that the second communication unit 46 transmits the time update request received from the CPU 41 to the simple server 14. It takes a long time. In addition, the time required for communication transmission between the parking charge settlement machine 11 in charge of communication and the simple server 14 can be accurately predicted in advance (for example, communication between the parking charge settlement machine 11 and the simple server 14). The time required for transmission is determined by the physical distance between the mounted communication element and the time required for processing does not fluctuate). Furthermore, the time required for the time setting process of its own internal clock in the simple server 14 can be accurately predicted in advance.

  Thereby, the time of the internal clock of the simple server 14 synchronizes with the time of the internal clock 63 of the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication with high accuracy, that is, synchronizes with the standard time with high accuracy.

  Subsequently, the simple server 14 sends the time update broadcast including the hour / minute / second value of its own internal clock at the current time to all the parking fee adjusting machines 11 and parking ticket issuing machines 13 of the parking lot management system 2. To all at once. Each parking fee adjusting machine 11 and each parking ticket issuing machine 13 receive this time update broadcast.

  When each parking fee adjusting machine 11 receives the time update broadcast, the parking fee adjusting machine 11 in charge of communication is parked in the same manner as the process when the time update request is received from the parking management machine 12 in charge of communication. Time update broadcast transmitted from the simple server 14 in the form of a communication message by the time update broadcast primary reception unit 146 of the second communication control unit 102 provided in the second communication unit 46 of the fee settlement machine 11. The timer value at the time of receiving (state F in FIG. 13) is added to the communication message as the third reception timer value (state G in FIG. 13), and the time update broadcast primary transmission unit 147 The timer value at the time of transmitting the communication message to the CPU 41 of the parking fee adjusting machine 11 is added to the communication message as the third transmission timer value (state H in FIG. 13). Thereby, the CPU 41 of the parking fee adjusting machine 11 adds the third reception timer value in the communication message to the hour / minute / second value included in the time update broadcast in the communication message received from the second communication unit 46. And the difference between the third transmission timer value, the time required for communication transmission between the simple server 14 and each parking fee adjusting machine 11, and the time required for the CPU 41 to set the time of the internal clock 43, The value thus obtained is set as the time of the internal clock 43. The configuration described above is also applied to the reception of the time update broadcast (communication telegram) in each parking ticket issuing machine 13 and the time setting process of the internal clock based on this time update broadcast.

  Thereby, the time of the internal clock of all the parking fee payment machines 11 in the parking lot management system 2, at least the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication, the parking ticket issuing machine 13 and the simple server 14 is synchronized with the standard time with high accuracy. . In particular, in the second embodiment of the present invention, in the parking fee payment machine 11, the time update request (communication message) received by the first communication unit 45 from the parking lot management machine 12 is stored in the parking fee payment machine 11. A configuration in which the time required for transmission to the CPU 41 is measured by the timer 113 and the time required for the second communication unit 46 to transmit the time update request received from the CPU 41 to the simple server 14 is measured by the timer 133. Therefore, the transmission of the time update request is unpredictable due to the occurrence of an unpredictable standby state, the occurrence of other unpredictable preferential processing, the unpredictable deterioration of the communication status inside and outside the parking lot management system 2, and the like. Even if a delay occurs, the delay time of the time update request can be accurately recognized based on the timer values of the timer 113 and the timer 133. This delay time By correcting the hour, minute, and second values when included in a time update request based, it can be synchronized with high precision the time of the internal clock to standard time.

  With the technique of presetting and saving the delay time of the internal processing, such as the PLC time synchronization device of Patent Document 4, the time update request transmission that occurs in the parking lot management system 2 of the present embodiment cannot be predicted. However, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to deal with an unpredictable delay of the time update request transmission and to prevent the internal clock from being delayed due to the unpredictable delay of the time update request transmission. It is possible to prevent the synchronization accuracy from being lowered.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication acquires the standard time information from the NTP server 4 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and from the transmission station of the radio clock. The standard time information may be acquired from radio waves transmitted by radio or GPS signals from GPS satellites. For example, a parking lot management machine attached to an upper floor parking fee settlement machine (in this case there are many advance fee settlement machines) is equipped with a radio clock as an internal clock. It is easy to connect a management machine, a parking fee settlement machine, and a simple server, and also to synchronize the time with parking fee settlement machines and parking ticket issuing machines on other floors. If the radio timepiece is normally received, the time synchronization with other parking lot devices can be realized with a similar system at low cost and accurately. Moreover, when acquiring standard time information from a GPS signal, a parking lot management machine is equipped with a GPS receiver.

  Moreover, in the parking lot management system 2 in each embodiment mentioned above, the parking lot management machine 12 was attached to each parking fee adjustment machine 11, and the parking fee adjustment machine 11 and the parking lot management machine 12 combined one-on-one. A plurality of parking lot management units are formed. Then, one parking lot management unit is selected from the plurality of parking lot management units, and this selected parking lot management unit (hereinafter referred to as a “communication charge parking lot management unit”) is formed. The parking fee adjusting machine 11 and the parking lot management machine 12 become the parking charge adjusting machine 11 and the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication, respectively, and from the acquisition of the standard time information from the NTP server 4 to simplify the time update request Processing up to transmission to the server 14 is executed. A method for selecting a parking lot management unit in charge of communication from such a plurality of parking lot management units is as follows, for example.

  That is, the simple server 14 monitors the operation load of each parking fee settlement machine 11 and preferentially selects the parking lot management unit including the parking fee settlement machine 11 having a small operation load as the parking lot management unit in charge of communication. The magnitude of the operation load of each parking fee adjusting machine 11 is determined by the magnitude of the difference between the reception timer value and the transmission timer value included in the communication message. Thereby, even if there is an installation place of each parking fee adjusting machine 11, the magnitude of the use frequency, and a performance difference peculiar to the machine, it is possible to appropriately determine the operating load of each parking fee adjusting machine 11. . Further, when the operating load of the parking charge settlement machine 11 in charge of communication increases, the simple server 14 recognizes this, and designates the current parking lot management unit in charge of communication as another parking lot with a smaller operating burden at this time. Can be changed to a management unit. Thereby, it is possible to always maintain a normal time synchronization state. Furthermore, it is good also as a structure which the simple server 14 changes the parking lot management unit in charge of communication automatically also at the time of an unexpected apparatus trouble and maintenance.

  The simple server 14 may be mounted on any of the plurality of parking fee settlement machines 11, the plurality of parking lot management machines 12, and the plurality of parking ticket issuing machines 13. For example, by mounting the simple server 14 on the parking ticket issuing machine 13, the simple server 14 can be operated stably without degrading the performance of the parking ticket issuing machine 13. That is, since the parking ticket issuing machine 13 has a relatively small operation load because it does not have functions such as charge calculation and aggregation, the operation of the parking ticket issuing machine 13 is performed even if the simple server 14 is mounted on the parking ticket issuing machine 13. Therefore, both the function of the parking ticket issuing machine 13 and the function of the simple server 14 can be stably realized. And the installation cost of the parking lot management system 2 by installing the simple server 14 in any of the plurality of parking fee settlement machines 11, the plurality of parking lot management machines 12, and the plurality of parking ticket issuing machines 13 and Parts cost can be reduced.

  In addition, the hour / minute / second value included in the time update request received by the time update request primary reception unit 121 of the first communication control unit 101 and the time update broadcast primary reception unit 146 of the second communication control unit 102. The difference between the hour / minute / second value included in the time update broadcast received by the time update request and the hour / minute / second value included in the time update request received by the time update request primary reception unit 121 of the first communication control unit 101. Is recorded in the memory 112 and the time value obtained by measuring the elapsed time from when the time update broadcast is received is measured by the timer 113, and the difference between the two is more than the preset reference value. If it is larger, an error occurs. On the other hand, if the difference between the two is less than or equal to the reference value, the hour / minute / second value included in the time update request, and the hour / minute / second included in the time update broadcast. Value, and by measuring the elapsed time The obtained time value is stored as history information in the memory 42 or the like, may be the history information can be outputted in accordance with a command from the simple server 14 or parking management center 3. As a result, it is possible to confirm that the time update request and the time update broadcast were successfully transmitted / received in the parking lot management system 2, and synchronized with the standard time by judging the error and managing the normal history. It is possible to prove the stability of the time value by accumulating audit data that can prove the parking management system that uses the time.

  FIG. 14 shows a modification of the communication message. That is, (1) in FIG. 14 shows a communication message of a time update request transmitted by the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication, and (2) in FIG. 14 shows a communication message of the time update request at the time when the first communication control unit 101 transmits to the CPU 41, and (3) in FIG. 14 shows that the second communication control unit 102 of the parking charge adjusting machine 11 in charge of communication is a simple server 14 shows the communication message of the time update request at the time of transmission, and (4) in FIG. 14 shows the communication of the time update broadcast that the simple server 14 transmits to each parking fee settlement machine 11 and each parking ticket issuer 13. (5) in FIG. 14 shows a time-update broadcast communication message at the time when the second communication control unit 102 in the parking fee settlement machine 11 that received the time-update broadcast transmits to the CPU 41. Yes.

  In the communication messages of FIGS. 14 (1) to (3), the hour / minute / second value of the internal clock 63 at the time of transmission by the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication is set in the communication message. And the timer value and the difference value between the timer values are set (the timer value and the timer value difference are overwritten at that time) and transmitted. Here, the correction value 1 is a value indicating the time required for communication transmission between the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication and the parking fee settlement machine 11 in charge of communication, and the time is predicted in advance and stored in the memory in advance. It is the one that was equal. The correction value 2 is a value indicating the time required for communication transmission between the parking fee settlement machine 11 in charge of communication and the simple server 14, and the time is predicted in advance and stored in a memory in advance. It is. 14 (4) and 14 (5), the hour / minute / second value of the internal clock of the simple server 14 at the time of transmission by the simple server 14 is set in the communication message, and further, the correction value 3, the timer value, the timer Value difference is set. Here, the correction value 3 is a value indicating the time required for communication transmission between the simple server 14 and each parking fee settlement machine 11 (parking ticket issuing machine 13), and the time is predicted in advance and stored in the memory in advance. It is the one that was equal.

  As a result, the correction value is recalculated and set between each message, and the difference value between the timer value at that time and the previous timer value in the memory is set in the communication message and sent, The time information can be transmitted while the elapsed time of the processing is accurately held in the communication message. The timer value and timer value difference are normal because the timer value is always counted even when communication is retransmitted, such as when communication is temporarily interrupted or complicated processing is performed on some devices. Even when communication takes some time due to some influence, the timer value or difference value at that time is set and transmitted in the time value, so there is an error if it is finally calculated and corrected There is no accumulation.

  Moreover, in each embodiment mentioned above, although the parking lot management system provided in the gate type parking lot and having a plurality of parking fee settlement machines and a plurality of parking ticket issuing machines has been taken as an example, the present invention is not limited to this. . The present invention can be applied to a parking lot management system which is provided in a flap type parking lot or a bicycle parking lot for bicycles and has a plurality of parking fee settlement machines but does not have a parking ticket issuing machine.

  The transmission schedule and transmission interval of the time information request that the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication sends to the NTP server 4 may be set in the parking lot management machine 12, but the operator of the parking lot management center 3 It is also possible to start the transmission of the time information request by remote control from the mobile phone, and further, it is programmed in the parking charge settlement machine 11 in charge of communication and selecting operation in the parking lot management machine 12 in charge of communication Then, the transmission of the time information request may be activated.

  The technology of the present invention is, for example, equipped with a gate at the entrance / exit for automobiles, taking a parking ticket from the parking ticket issuing machine at the entrance, and calculating from the parking time by inserting the parking ticket into the parking fee settlement machine at the exit. Not only can it be used for parking lots where parking fees are collected and gates are allowed to enter, but many bicycle parking devices that lock bicycles, motorcycles and motorcycles in a non-exitable state are equipped. Accordingly, it can be used for bicycle parking lots where a plurality of fee settlement machines are deployed.

2 Parking management system 3 Parking management center 4 NTP server 5 Wide area communication network 6 Internet 11 Parking fee settlement machine 12 Parking lot management machine 13 Parking ticket issuing machine 14 Simple server 41 CPU
42 Memory 43 Internal clock 45 First communication control unit 46 Second communication control unit 61 CPU
62 Memory 63 Internal clock 65 External communication unit 66 Data terminal device 71 Inquiry signal receiving unit 72 Response signal transmitting unit (time update request transmitting unit)
73 Time information request transmission unit 74 Time information reception unit 75 Time synchronization unit 81 Inquiry signal transmission unit 82 Response signal reception unit 83 Inquiry signal reception unit 84 Response signal transmission unit (Time update request transmission unit)
85 Delay correction value generation unit 86 Time update broadcast reception unit 87 Time synchronization unit 91 Inquiry signal transmission unit 92 Response signal reception unit 93 Time synchronization unit 94 Time update broadcast transmission unit 101 First communication control unit 111 CPU
112 Memory 113 Timer 114, 115 Transmission / reception unit 121 Time update request primary reception unit 122 Time update request data recording unit 123 Timer value recording unit 124 Data reading unit 125 Time update request primary transmission unit 102 Second communication control unit 131 CPU
132 Memory 133 Timer 134, 135 Transmitting Unit 141 Time Update Request Secondary Receiving Unit 142 Time Update Request Data Recording Unit 143 Timer Value Recording Unit 144 Data Reading Unit 145 Time Update Request Secondary Transmitting Unit 146 Time Update Broadcast Primary Receiving Unit 147 Time Update Broadcast Primary Transmitter P1, P2, P3 Parking

Claims (11)

Includes at least a first parking lot device and a second parking lot device that perform a parking ticket issuance process, a parking fee settlement process, or a vehicle movement restriction device that restricts movement of a vehicle in or out of a parking lot Multiple parking devices,
Attached to the first parking lot device, connected to the first parking lot device so as to be communicable and connected to an external time information providing device so as to be communicable, and transmitted from the time information providing device to a standard time. A parking lot management machine that receives standard time information indicating the matched time and transmits the standard time information to the first parking lot device;
A server device that is communicably connected to each of the plurality of parking lot devices and performs broadcast transmission of information to each of the plurality of parking lot devices;
The parking lot management machine
A first internal clock;
A time information request transmitting unit that transmits to the time information providing device a time information request for requesting the time information providing device to transmit the standard time information to the parking lot management machine;
A time information receiving unit for receiving standard time information transmitted from the time information providing device in response to the time information request;
A first time synchronization unit that synchronizes the time of the first internal clock with the time indicated by the standard time information received by the time information reception unit;
1st time update request transmission which transmits the time update request | requirement containing the time minute second value which shows the time of the said 1st internal clock synchronized by the said 1st time synchronization part to the said 1st parking lot apparatus. With
The first parking equipment is:
A first time update request receiver that receives a time update request transmitted from a first time update request transmitter of the parking lot management machine;
Generating a delay correction value for correcting a delay that occurs from when the first time update request receiving unit receives the time update request to when the time update request is transmitted to the server device; A delay correction value generation unit for adding to the time update request,
A second time update request transmission unit that transmits the time update request to which the delay correction value is added by the delay correction value generation unit to the server device;
The server device
A second time update request receiving unit for receiving a time update request transmitted from the first parking lot device;
Based on the delay correction value included in the time update request received by the second time update request reception unit, the hour / minute / second value included in the time update request is corrected, and the corrected hour / minute / second value is A time update broadcast transmission unit that broadcasts time update broadcasts to the plurality of parking lot devices,
Each parking device is
A second internal clock;
A time update broadcast receiver for receiving the time update broadcast transmitted from the time update broadcast transmitter of the server device;
And a second time synchronization unit that synchronizes the time of the second internal clock with the hour / minute / second value included in the time update broadcast received by the time update broadcast reception unit. Parking management system.   The delay correction value generation unit includes a timer, and transmits the reception timer value indicated by the timer when the first time update request reception unit receives the time update request, and the time update request to the server device. The transmission timer value indicated by the timer at a time point to be added as a delay correction value to the time update request transmitted to the server device by the second time update request transmission unit. Parking management system. The first parking equipment is:
An internal control unit that performs predetermined processing on the time update request;
A third time request transmitter for transmitting the time update request received by the first time update request receiver to the internal control unit;
A third time request receiving unit that receives a time update request returned from the internal control unit through the predetermined processing in the internal control unit;
The delay correction value generation unit includes a timer, and when the first time update request reception unit receives the time update request, the first reception timer value indicated by the timer and the third time update request transmission The first transmission timer value indicated by the timer at the time when the unit transmits the time update request received by the first time update request receiving unit to the internal control unit, and the third time request receiving unit When the time update request returned from the control unit is received, the second reception timer value indicated by the timer and the time update request received by the third time request reception unit are transmitted to the second time update request. The second time update request transmitting unit uses the second transmission timer value indicated by the timer at the time when the unit transmits to the server device as a delay correction value, respectively. Serial parking management system according to claim 1, characterized in that added to the time update request to the server device.   4. The parking lot management system according to claim 1, wherein the time information providing device is an NTP (Network Time Protocol) server.   The time information providing device is a transmitting station that transmits the standard time information by superimposing a time code on a standard radio wave, and the parking lot management machine includes a standard radio wave receiver for a radio clock. The parking lot management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The time information providing device is a GPS (Global Positioning).
The parking lot management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the parking lot management machine includes a GPS receiver. A plurality of parking lot management units each having the parking lot management machine attached to the first parking lot equipment;
The server device includes a selection unit that selects one parking lot management unit from the plurality of parking lot management units in a changeable manner,
The selection unit selects the one parking lot management unit based on the size of each operation burden of the plurality of parking lot management units,
Only the parking lot management unit selected by the selection unit executes processing from reception of the standard time information from the time information providing device to transmission of the time update request to which the delay correction value is added to the server device. The parking lot management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.   8. The parking lot management system according to claim 7, wherein the selection unit determines a magnitude of an operation burden of each of the plurality of parking lot management units based on a delay correction value included in the time update request. .   The parking lot management system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the server device is mounted on any of the plurality of parking lot devices.   The difference value between the hour / minute / second value included in the time update request and the hour / minute / second value included in the time update broadcast, and the first time update request reception unit of the first parking lot device receives the time. The difference value between the timer value indicated by the timer when the update request is received and the timer value indicated by the timer when the time update broadcast receiving unit of the first parking lot device receives the time update broadcast. When the difference between the two difference values is larger than a preset reference value, an error occurs. When the difference between the two difference values is less than or equal to the reference value, the hour, minute, and second included in the time update request The parking lot management system according to claim 2, wherein a value, an hour / minute / second value included in the time update broadcast, and a difference value between the two timer values are stored as history information. It is a parking fee settlement machine that controls the issuance of a parking ticket and the control of a vehicle movement restriction device that restricts movement of the vehicle outside the parking lot,
A time information receiving unit for receiving time information transmitted from the first external device;
A delay correction value for correcting a delay from when the time information receiving unit receives the time information to when the time information is transmitted to the second external device is generated, and the delay correction value is used as the time information. A delay correction value generation unit to be added;
A parking fee adjusting machine, comprising: a time information transmission unit that transmits the time information to which the delay correction value is added by the delay correction value generation unit to the second external device.

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