JP2002063696A - Parking lot information providing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a parking lot information providing system capable of predicting parking condition in arrival at a parking to from the arbitrary spot of a trunk road. SOLUTION: This system is provided with a vehicle sensor 5 for measuring the traffic of vehicles traveling on a trunk road 1 or the like and a parked vehicle number measuring instrument 10 for measuring the number of vehicles inside a parking lot 2 and by finding the number of vehicles existent on the trunk road and multiplying a ratio to this number on the basis of the measured result of the vehicle sensor 5, the number of vehicles to enter the parking lot is predicted. Then, the conditions of parking in the future are predicted on the basis of the predicted number of vehicles to enter the parking lot and the number of vehicles inside the parking lot measured by the parked vehicle number measuring instrument 10, and the relevant parking lot prediction information is provided to the vehicles.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a parking lot information providing system for predicting a future use situation in a parking lot and providing information to a vehicle or the like. In particular, the present invention relates to a parking lot information providing system for a parking lot whose entrance is connected to a main road, such as a parking area and a service area of an expressway.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the number of vehicles in a parking lot is measured,
There is known a parking lot information providing system that determines the congestion state and displays the parking lot information on a guidance display device installed in an area. In this parking lot information providing system, the state of the parking lot at the time when the vehicle reaches the parking lot is determined based on the traveling time from when the passenger of the vehicle looks at the guidance display device to when the vehicle reaches the parking lot. There is known a technology for predicting and displaying parking lot prediction information such as whether the vehicle is full or empty and the fullness based on the prediction information (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-80899).

[0003] If the travel time from when the guide display device is viewed to when the vehicle reaches the parking lot fluctuates due to traffic congestion or the like, the accuracy of the parking lot prediction information decreases, and the parking lot utilization efficiency decreases. There's a problem. Therefore, there is a technology that measures the traffic volume of the main road (meaning the number of vehicles passing per unit time) and predicts the number of vehicles entering the parking lot by multiplying the traffic volume of the main road by a certain ratio. It has been proposed (JP-A-10-27294).

[0004]

However, in the prior art, the point for measuring the traffic volume on the main road is set at one point near the branch point to the parking lot on the main road. For this reason, it is only possible to predict after the time when the vehicle reaches the parking lot entrance from the point on the main road. Therefore, a parking lot information providing system capable of predicting a parking situation when reaching a parking lot from an arbitrary point is demanded.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A parking lot information providing system according to the present invention is a system for providing information on a parking lot whose entrance is connected to a main road. A vehicle measuring means for measuring, a parking number measuring means for measuring the number of vehicles in the parking lot, an existing number calculating means for obtaining an existing number of vehicles in the main line section based on a measurement result of the vehicle measuring means, and an existing number calculating Means for predicting the number of vehicles entering the parking lot by multiplying the ratio of the number of existing vehicles calculated by the means to the number of vehicles entering the parking lot, A parking situation prediction means for predicting a parking situation at a future time based on the number of vehicles in the parking lot measured by the parking quantity measurement means, and a parking lot prediction obtained by the parking situation prediction means In which and an information providing means for providing a broadcast (claim 1).

In this parking lot information providing system, the number of vehicles existing in the main line section is obtained, and the number of vehicles entering the parking lot is predicted by multiplying the number of existing vehicles by the ratio. Therefore, compared to a system that measures the traffic volume at one point on the main road, it is possible to accurately predict the parking situation after an elapse of an arbitrary time. The information providing means, when requested to provide parking lot prediction information from a specific vehicle, provides the parking lot prediction information to the vehicle. The number of vehicles existing from the position of the vehicle to the entrance of the parking lot may be obtained (claim 2).

[0007] In this case, it is possible to predict the parking situation at the time when the vehicle reaches the parking lot in the future according to the request of the vehicle. The information providing means may provide information to the fixed terminal device (claim 3). An example of a fixed terminal device is a personal computer in a home or office. The fixed terminal device may be a road bulletin board, and the number-of-existing-number calculating means may calculate the number of vehicles existing from the position of the road bulletin board to the entrance of the parking lot.

With this configuration, it is possible to provide a vehicle driver who looks at a road bulletin board with accurate guidance on the parking situation based on the number of vehicles existing from the position of the road bulletin board to the entrance of the parking lot. The parking lot information providing system,
A parking lot outflow number prediction means for predicting the number of vehicles exiting the parking lot is further provided, and the parking situation prediction means considers the number of vehicles exiting the parking lot predicted by the parking lot outflow number prediction means and considers a parking lot at a future time. It is preferable to predict the situation (claim 5).

This is because, if the number of vehicles flowing out of the parking lot is considered, the parking situation at a future time can be more accurately predicted. As a method of estimating the number of vehicles flowing out of the parking lot, the number of vehicles obtained by multiplying the current number of vehicles in the parking lot by a certain rate may flow out per unit time, which includes road traffic conditions, weather conditions, months, days, and days of the week. Statistical factors such as the time of day, time of day, and the presence or absence of an event may be added.

The vehicle measuring means measures the traffic volume of the road at a plurality of points on the main road, and the number-of-existing-number calculating means calculates the number of vehicles present based on the traffic volume at the plurality of points. (Claim 6). For example, the main road is divided into a plurality of sections, and a difference ΔQ ΔQ = Q1−Q2 between a traffic volume Q1 flowing into the section and a traffic volume Q2 flowing out of the section is obtained, and time integration is performed. You can ask. By taking the sum of the number of vehicles present in each section, the number of vehicles on the main road can be obtained.

The vehicle measuring means measures the traffic volume of the road and the speed of the vehicle at a plurality of points on the main road. The number-of-vehicles calculating means calculates the traffic volume, the speed and the section distance at the plurality of points. The number of vehicles existing may be calculated based on the above (claim 7). Divide the main road into multiple sections,
The number of vehicles E can be obtained based on the traffic volume Q, the vehicle speed V, and the section distance L in the section. E = QL / V

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a parking lot information providing system installed on a highway 1. Vehicle detectors 5 are installed at the inlet 3 and the outlet 4 of the expressway 1, and the vehicle detectors 5 are also installed at the entrance and the exit of the service area 2. In addition, vehicle detectors 5 are installed throughout the highway 1. These vehicle sensors 5 are Doppler-type vehicle sensors, which count the number of vehicles passing therethrough and detect vehicle height and vehicle speed.

The highway 1 is provided with a variable display panel 6 for informing the vehicle of the use status of the parking lot or the like. In addition, a roadside beacon 7 for performing bidirectional communication with the vehicle is provided, and a radio transmitter 8 for medium-wave broadcasting for providing information to the vehicle is provided. These vehicle sensor 5, variable display board 6, roadside beacon 7, and medium wave broadcasting antenna 8 are connected to traffic management center 11 through a wired or wireless communication network.

The traffic management center 11 has established a homepage on the Internet for providing information to vehicles equipped with on-vehicle terminals. The service area 2 has a measuring camera 9 for photographing a part of the parking space.
Is installed. The image signal of the measuring camera 9 is collected by the parking number measuring device 10 in the service area 2. The parking number measuring device 10 measures the number of parked vehicles in a parking lot or the like with some errors.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the expressway 1 divided into sections. The expressway has a plurality of sections 0, 1, {, i-1, i, i + 1,} bounded by the vehicle detector 5.
(I is an integer of 2 or more). Hereinafter, section i
Will be described, but the configuration of other sections is also the same. Let Qi (t) be the traffic flowing into section i at time t. Similarly, the outflow traffic volume from section i at time t is Qi-1
(t). Qi-1 (t) is also the traffic flowing into the section i-1.

Further, the inflow velocity into the section i at the time t is Vi (t), and the outflow velocity from the section i is Vi-1 (t). The length of the section i is Li. In the other sections, the same traffic volume is defined as above, but the subscript changes. FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the relationship between the traffic management center 11 on the expressway 1 and the facilities provided on the expressway 1. The computer of the traffic management center 11 includes a parking number measuring device 10, a vehicle detector 5, a roadside beacon 7,
A variable display panel 6, a radio transmitter 8, etc., and a wired communication network 12;
(May be a wireless communication network). From the parking number measuring device 10 to the traffic management center 11
, Information on the number of parked vehicles such as a parking lot is input. From the vehicle detector 5 and the roadside beacon 7, information such as the traffic volume at each point, for example, data on the number of vehicles detected by the vehicle detector 5, the vehicle speed, and the vehicle height are input to the traffic management center 11.
The traffic management center 11 provides the roadside beacon 7, the variable display panel 6, and the radio transmitter 8 with use guidance information such as a parking lot for alleviating traffic congestion.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a schematic procedure for estimating the number of parked vehicles in a parking lot and providing parking lot information to the vehicle. If there are multiple parking lots, this procedure may be performed for each parking lot. The parking number measuring device 10 measures the number of parked vehicles in a parking lot or the like (Step S1) and transmits it to the traffic management center 11 (Step S2). If there is a request from the vehicle to provide parking lot information indicating the vehicle position (YES in step S3), the traffic management center 11 obtains data on the number of vehicles passed by the vehicle sensor 5, vehicle speed, and vehicle length. Then, the traffic volume Q, the average speed V, and the time occupancy are calculated based on the detected amounts (step S4).

The traffic management center 11 further calculates an estimated travel time from the requested point to the parking lot and the number of vehicles existing on the main road section (step S5). The traffic management center 11 predicts the parking situation of the parking lot, and provides the prediction information to the vehicle or the like through a medium such as a variable display board, a roadside beacon, a medium wave broadcast, and the Internet (step S6). FIG. 5 shows a display example of the parking situation provided to the vehicle on the display screen of the in-vehicle device. Offer contents include the nearest parking lot,
Information such as the current parking rate, the parking rate at the time of scheduled arrival, and the waiting time.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining in more detail the method of predicting the use status of the parking lot based on the number of vehicles on the main line in step S5. When the position information is obtained from the vehicle that has been requested to provide the parking lot information (YES in step T1), the travel time T from the requested point to the parking lot (step T2) and the number of vehicles existing on the main line are determined. It is calculated (step T3). Location information is
Obtained from an in-vehicle GPS receiver or the like.

The travel time T may be calculated on the basis of the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle detector 5, and may include statistical information such as road traffic conditions, weather conditions, month, day, day of the week, time of day, and whether or not there is an event. Elements may be added. There are the following two methods for calculating the number of vehicles present. (1) Method 1 Section i (see FIG. 2) is divided into the first half and the second half, and the number of vehicles present in each is calculated. In the first half of the section, the number of existing vehicles Ei1 (t) in the first half of the section is obtained using the inflow traffic Qi (t) and the inflow velocity Vi (t).

Ei1 (t) = (Qi (t) / Vi (t)) Li / 2 In the latter half, the outflow traffic volume Qi-1 (t) and the outflow velocity Vi-1 (t).
Then, the existence number Ei2 (t) in the latter half of the section is obtained. Ei2 (t) = (Qi-1 (t) / Vi-1 (t)) Li / 2 Then, the sum of both existing numbers Ei1 (t) and Ei2 (t) is obtained, and the number of vehicles existing in section i is obtained. Let Ei (t).

Ei (t) = Ei1 (t) + Ei2 (t) (2) Method 2 Calculate the difference ΔQi (t) between the inflow traffic Qi (t) and the outflow traffic Qi-1 (t) in the section i. I do. .DELTA.Qi (t) = Qi (t) -Qi-1 (t) The difference is time-integrated to determine the number of vehicles existing in the section i. The integration range may be from the time when the number of vehicles present can be regarded as 0, for example, from a certain time t0 at midnight to the current time t.

[0023]

(Equation 1)

Next, based on the number of vehicles Ei (t) in the section where the vehicle exists, the number of vehicles E0 in the section where the parking lot exists is calculated.
(t), and the sum is E (t). E (t) = Ei (t) + Ei-1 (t) + ‥‥ + E0 (t) Next, the predicted value of the number of used parking lots after the travel time T is calculated.
(Step T4). During the time T, the number Pin of vehicles entering the parking lot is obtained by the equation Pin = k (t) E (t) using E (t). k (t) is a parking lot use prediction coefficient,
It may be a fixed value, which includes time of day, road traffic conditions,
Past statistical data such as weather conditions, dates, days of the week, time zones, and the presence or absence of special events may be reflected.

Further, the number of outflows pout (t) per unit time from the parking lot is predicted. This prediction is based on, for example, the number of parked cars in a parking lot, etc.
What should be done is to apply a certain outflow ratio. After the time T, that is, the number of parking lots when the vehicle reaches the parking lot is predicted (step T4). The predicted parking lot number Ppre is as follows: Ppre = Pnow + k (t) E (t) + Σpout (t) Σ (sum) is taken from the current time 0 to the predicted time T.

Then, parking lot prediction information of the predicted parking lot (for example, parking rate or fullness judgment) is output (step T).
5). If no position information is obtained from the vehicle in step T1, only the future use tendency of each parking lot is determined.
Announcements are made in order (step T6). Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above. In the above example, a highway is assumed, but a general road may be used. Further, instead of the Doppler type vehicle sensor, a vehicle sensor having a plurality of loops embedded therein may be used. Alternatively, a television camera may be installed on the road, and the number of vehicles passing therethrough and the passing speed may be detected by image processing.

In the above-described example, the position information is obtained from the vehicle for which the information provision of the parking lot is requested, and the number of vehicles existing from the position to the parking lot is calculated. If there is a display facility fixed to the parking lot, it is also possible to calculate the number of vehicles existing from that position to the parking lot, predict the parking situation, and display the predicted situation on the road bulletin board. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a display example in which the parking status is displayed on the variable display panel 6 on the side of the road.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a parking lot information providing system installed on a highway 1;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an expressway 1 divided into sections.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining a relationship between a traffic management center 11 of the expressway 1 and facilities provided on the expressway 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a schematic procedure for estimating the number of parked vehicles in a parking lot and providing parking lot information to a vehicle.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a parking state provided to a vehicle on a display screen of an in-vehicle device.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining in further detail a method of predicting the use status of a parking lot based on the number of vehicles present on the main line.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example in which parking status is displayed on a variable display panel 6 on the side of a road.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Expressway 2 Service Area 3 Inlet 4 Outlet 5 Vehicle Detector 6 Variable Display Board 7 Roadside Beacon 8 Medium Wave Broadcasting Antenna 9 Measurement Camera 10 Parking Number Measurement Device 11 Traffic Management Center 12 Wired Communication Network

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G08G 1/052 G08G 1/052 1/09 1/09 A 1/0962 1/0962 (72) Inventor Tenmoku Kenji 1-3-1 Shimaya, Konohana-ku, Osaka-shi F-term in Osaka Works, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (Reference) FF32 JJ03 KK06 KK10

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A system for providing information on a parking lot whose entrance is connected to a main road, a vehicle measuring means for measuring vehicles traveling on the main road, and a parking number for measuring the number of vehicles in the parking lot. A measuring means, a number-of-vehicles calculating means for calculating the number of vehicles present on the main line section based on the measurement result of the vehicle measuring means, and Based on the number of vehicles entering the parking lot predicted by the parking lot inflow number prediction means, and the number of vehicles in the parking lot measured by the parking number measurement means, A parking lot information comprising: parking situation prediction means for predicting a parking situation at a future time; and information providing means for providing parking lot prediction information obtained by the parking situation prediction means. Provide system. 2. The information providing means, when requested to provide parking lot prediction information from a specific vehicle, provides the parking lot prediction information to the vehicle. 2. The parking lot information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the number of vehicles existing from the position of the specific vehicle to the entrance of the parking lot is obtained. 3. The parking lot information providing system according to claim 1, wherein said information providing means provides information to a fixed terminal device. 4. The fixed terminal device is a road bulletin board, and the number-of-existing-units calculating means calculates the number of vehicles existing from the position of the road bulletin board to the entrance of the parking lot. Parking information service system. 5. A parking lot outflow number prediction means for predicting the number of vehicles leaving the parking lot, wherein the parking condition prediction means includes the number of vehicles entering the parking lot predicted by the parking lot inflow number prediction means, The parking situation at a future time is predicted on the basis of the number of vehicles exiting from the parking lot predicted by the outflow number prediction means and the number of vehicles in the parking lot measured by the parking number measurement means. Item 7. A parking lot information providing system according to item 1. 6. The vehicle measuring means measures the traffic volume of the road at a plurality of points on the main road, and the number-of-existing-number calculating means determines the number of vehicles present based on the traffic volume at the plurality of points. The parking lot information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the calculation is performed. 7. The vehicle measuring means measures the traffic volume of the road and the speed of the vehicle at a plurality of points on the main road, and the number-of-existing-number calculating means measures the traffic volume, the speed and the speed at the plurality of points. The parking lot information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the number of vehicles present is calculated based on the section distance.