JP2016157281A - Optical communication system and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical communication system and program for sharing vacancy information of a parking place.SOLUTION: An optical communication system (an information sharing type parking support system 1) includes: a first optical communication apparatus 10A to be arranged in the first predetermined range; a second optical communication apparatus 10B to be arranged in the second predetermined range; and reflection marks 43 to be respectively arranged in parking zones where vehicles are to be parked. The first optical communication apparatus 10A transmits the first optical communication data generated based on the result of optical communication performed with the reflection marks 43 in the first predetermined range to the second optical communication apparatus 10B, receives the second optical communication data generated based on the result of optical communication performed with the markers in the second predetermined range from the second optical communication apparatus 10B, and transmits optical communication data obtained by connecting the second optical communication data to the first optical communication data to the second optical communication apparatus 10B as the new first optical communication data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical communication system and a program.

  In a parking lot such as a commercial facility, it is difficult for a driver of a vehicle to know where an empty space is, and guidance information is required.

  As a system that guides the empty space in the parking lot, there are multiple sensors for each space (car space) in the parking lot, multiple antennas in the parking lot, multiple cameras in the parking lot, information A system in which a processing apparatus is connected to a network has been proposed. In this system, the information processing apparatus receives empty space information, which is information indicating the position of each empty space in the parking lot, from a plurality of sensors, and receives images taken from a plurality of on-site cameras. The information processing apparatus acquires the position and orientation of the vehicle based on the image received from the on-site camera. It should be noted that installed location information is associated with the on-site camera. The information processing device exists in the traveling direction of the vehicle based on the empty space information received from the plurality of sensors, the position and orientation of the vehicle in the parking lot, and the parking lot map stored in the storage device. Identify free space. The information processing device generates a virtual space image in the parking lot indicating the empty space according to the identified empty space, and transmits the generated virtual space image to the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-227874 A

  However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 requires one sensor for each space, a transmitter for each sensor, a plurality of cameras in the field, transmitters for each camera in the parking lot, and an information processing device. The system becomes complicated. For this reason, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the cost for power wiring work and the cost for equipment for the sensor, the transmitter, and the on-site camera are high. In addition, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, in order to collect a wide range of information, it is essential to install a terminal center such as a bulletin board for managing parking lot availability information, and information can be shared for each information processing device. There wasn't.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide an optical communication system and a program capable of sharing parking space availability information.

(1) In order to achieve the above object, an optical communication system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a first optical communication device installed in a first predetermined range and a second optical communication device installed in a second predetermined range. And a marker provided in each parking section where the vehicle is parked, and the first optical communication device is generated based on a result of optical communication performed with the marker in the first predetermined range. The first optical communication data is transmitted to the second optical communication device, and the second optical communication data generated based on the result of the optical communication performed with the marker in the second predetermined range is the second optical communication data. The second optical communication data received from the optical communication device and the generated first optical communication data are connected, and the connected optical communication data is used as new first optical communication data to the second optical communication device. Send.

(2) Moreover, the optical communication system which concerns on 1 aspect of this invention WHEREIN: A said 1st optical communication apparatus is 1st parking area information regarding the parking area which the said 1st predetermined range contained in the said 1st optical communication data has. A first storage section that stores the first parking section information when the generated first parking section information changes with respect to the first parking section information stored in the storage section. The information is updated, and the optical communication data generated based on the updated first parking section information is transmitted to the second optical communication device as new first optical communication data.

(3) Moreover, the optical communication system which concerns on 1 aspect of this invention WHEREIN: The said 1st optical communication apparatus is 2nd parking area information regarding the parking area which the said 2nd predetermined range contained in the said 2nd optical communication data has. The second parking section information stored in the storage section, the second parking section information included in the second optical communication data received from the second optical communication device. If the second parking section information is updated based on the update condition, the updated second parking section information is included in the generated first optical communication data. The first parking area information related to the parking area included in the predetermined range is connected, and the optical communication data generated based on the connected parking area information is transmitted as new first optical communication data to the second optical communication device.

(4) Further, in the optical communication system according to one aspect of the present invention, third optical communication data including third parking section information related to a parking section included in the third predetermined range, wherein the third optical communication data is performed with the marker. A third optical communication device that transmits the third optical communication data generated based on the result of the optical communication to another optical communication device and is installed in a third predetermined range, wherein the first optical communication data is The second optical communication data includes second parking area information related to a parking area included in the second predetermined range, and includes second parking area information related to a parking area included in the first predetermined area. The optical communication device receives the first optical communication data from the first optical communication device, receives the third optical communication data from the third optical communication device, and generates the second parking section information, The first parking section information and the third Linking the parking section information, transmitting the optical communication data generated based on the connected parking section information to another optical communication apparatus as new second optical communication data, and the third optical communication apparatus transmits the first light The communication data is received from the first optical communication device, the second optical communication data is received from the second optical communication device, and the generated first parking lot information includes the first parking lot information and the Linking the second parking section information, transmitting the optical communication data generated based on the connected parking section information to the other optical communication device as new third optical communication data, the first optical communication device, The second parking section information included in the second optical communication data received from the second optical communication apparatus, and the second parking section information included in the third optical communication data received from the third optical communication apparatus; The second optical communication data When the second parking section information included does not match the second parking section information included in the third optical communication data, the second parking section information is updated based on an update condition. , Connecting the first parking section information generated to the updated optical communication data, and transmitting the optical communication data generated based on the connected parking section information to the other optical communication apparatus as new first optical communication data To do.

(5) Moreover, the optical communication system which concerns on 1 aspect of this invention WHEREIN: The said parking area information is the time information when the said parking area information was updated, The hop which shows the frequency | count that the said parking area information passed through the said optical communication apparatus. The update condition includes at least one information among number information, update number information indicating the number of reception of the same parking section information, and distance class information indicating a class set based on a distance between the optical communication devices. , Conditions based on at least one of the time information, the hop count information, the update count information, and the distance grade information.

(6) Moreover, in the optical communication system according to one aspect of the present invention, the distance class information is a class set based on each of the optical communication devices themselves among the plurality of optical communication devices. It is information set according to at least one of the traveling direction of the vehicle or the normal path of the parking lot where the optical communication device is installed.

(7) In order to achieve the above object, a program according to an aspect of the present invention includes a first optical communication device installed in a first predetermined range, a second optical communication device installed in a second predetermined range, And a marker provided in each parking section where the vehicle is parked, wherein the first optical communication device performs optical communication with the marker in the first predetermined range. The procedure of transmitting the first optical communication data generated based on the result to the second optical communication device, and the optical communication performed by the first optical communication device with the marker in the second predetermined range. A procedure for receiving the second optical communication data generated based on the result from the second optical communication device, and the second optical communication data received by the first optical communication device in the generated first optical communication data Concatenated And transmitting to the second optical communication device the communication data as a new first optical communication data, thereby executing.

According to the configurations (1) and (7) described above, optical communication data can be transmitted and received between optical communication devices with a low cost (equipment cost, operation cost) and a simple configuration. Moreover, according to the configuration of (1) and (7) described above, the optical communication device can share the vacant information of the parking lot.
According to the configuration of (2) described above, it is possible to transmit information related to the self-parking zone to other adjacent parking zones in a timely manner with a low cost (equipment cost, operation cost) and a simple configuration.
According to the configuration of (3) described above, the adjacent other parking section can be updated by the own device. And according to the structure of (3) mentioned above, it is a low cost (equipment cost, operation cost), and it is a simple structure, and transmits the information regarding another parking area to an adjacent other parking area as an information transit point timely. be able to.

According to the configuration of (4) described above, adjacent other parking sections can be updated with information received from different optical communication devices. And according to the structure of (4) mentioned above, it is a low cost (equipment cost, operation cost), and it is a simple structure, and transmits the information regarding another parking area to an adjacent other parking area as an information via point in a timely manner. be able to.
According to the configuration (5) described above, the update data is not transmitted even in the case of erroneous detection with a low cost (equipment cost, operation cost) and a simple configuration, so that an increase in communication data can be suppressed.
According to the configuration of (6) described above, the information is weighted according to the traveling direction of the vehicle and the configuration of the parking lot, so that the low cost (equipment cost, operation cost) and a simple configuration are not necessary for the vehicle. Since necessary update data is not transmitted, an increase in communication data can be suppressed.

It is a system configuration figure showing the composition of the information sharing type parking support system concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a figure explaining an example of the whole composition of the information sharing type parking support system concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of optical communication apparatus 10A-10F which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the optical communication apparatus 10G which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information display terminal which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining an example of the image displayed on the display panel of the information display terminal concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a figure explaining the example of an image imaged by the imaging part which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the communication performed between the optical communication apparatuses which concern on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the example of communication for every time between the three optical communication apparatuses 10 which concern on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the structural example of the optical pulse signal op which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the operation | movement procedure of the optical communication apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the update example of the parking area information which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the operation | movement procedure of the optical communication apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the operation | movement procedure of the optical communication apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the distance grade which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the structural example of the optical pulse signal op which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the operation | movement procedure of the optical communication apparatus which concerns on the 1st modification of 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the example which divides the whole parking lot concerning a 3rd embodiment into a plurality of blocks. It is a figure explaining the structural example of the parking area information group in case the parking lot which concerns on 3rd Embodiment is large.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Description of schematic configuration of information sharing type parking support system 1)
FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing a configuration of an information sharing type parking support system 1 (optical communication system) according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the information sharing type parking support system 1 includes an optical communication device 10 </ b> A (first optical communication device), an optical communication device 10 </ b> B (second optical communication device), and an information display terminal 30 mounted on a vehicle 20. The reflection mark 43 (marker) is included. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, two optical communication devices are illustrated. However, it is sufficient that the number of optical communication devices is two or more. In the following description, when one of the plurality of optical communication devices 10A,... Is not specified, it is simply referred to as the optical communication device 10. Also, the vehicle is simply referred to as the vehicle 20 when one of the plurality of vehicles 20-1,.

  In FIG. 1, reference numerals 40-1, 40-2, and 40-3 each represent a parking section. Hereinafter, when one of the plurality of parking sections 40-1,... Is not specified, it is simply referred to as the parking section 40. A parking stop 42 is installed in the parking section 40. A reflection mark 43 is attached to the car stop 42. The reflection mark 43 may be any mark as long as it can reflect the optical pulse signal op transmitted from the optical communication apparatus 10 with a predetermined reflectance or more, and is, for example, a seal. In the example shown in FIG. 1, two car stops 42 are provided on the left and right sides of the parking direction of the vehicle 20, but one or more car stops 42 may be provided. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the reflection mark 43 (including the reflective paint and the light source) is shown attached to one of the two car stops 42, but is attached to both car stops 42. May be.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1, there are three parking sections 40-1 to 40-3 in the parking lot, and the vehicle 20 is parked in each of the parking sections 40-1 and 40-2, and the parking section 40 is newly added. It is a figure which shows that the various vehicles 20-3 are heading.

The optical communication device 10 is attached to, for example, a ceiling or a wall in a parking lot.
The optical communication device 10A transmits an optical pulse signal op including the parking section information regarding each parking section to the optical communication device 10B adjacent to the predetermined area. The predetermined area is an area including an area including a parking area where at least two or more vehicles 20 can be parked. As will be described later, the optical communication device 10A captures an image of a result of optical communication that has been reflected back by the reflection mark 43, and generates optical communication data including parking section information based on the captured image. The parking section information will be described later. Further, the optical communication device 10A receives the optical pulse signal op transmitted from the optical communication device 10B, and images the received optical pulse signal op. The optical communication device 10A demodulates and decodes the optical pulse signal op received from the optical communication device 10B based on the captured image. In addition, the optical communication device 10A updates the parking section information based on the optical pulse signal op received from the adjacent optical communication device 10B.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1, the optical communication device 10A transmits an optical pulse signal op (1) including the generated parking section information to the optical communication device 10B. Further, the optical communication device 10B transmits the optical pulse signal op (2) including the generated parking section information to the optical communication device 10A and the information display terminal 30 mounted on the vehicle 20-3 existing in the predetermined area. To do. The configuration of the optical communication device 10 will be described later.

  The information display terminal 30 receives the optical pulse signal op transmitted from the optical communication device 10, and notifies information including an empty space in the parking lot based on the received signal.

(Description of an example of the overall configuration of the information sharing type parking support system 1)
Next, an example of the overall configuration of the information sharing type parking support system 1 will be described.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of the information sharing type parking support system 1 according to the present embodiment. The example shown in FIG. 2 is an example in which the information sharing type parking support system 1 includes seven optical communication devices 10A to 10G. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the optical communication devices 10A to 10F according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the optical communication device 10G according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the information display terminal 30 according to the present embodiment.

  The optical communication devices 10A to 10F in FIG. 2 include a communication device 11 and a projector 12 as shown in FIG. The optical communication device 10G includes a communication device 11G, a projector 12, and an image display panel 13, as shown in FIG. The optical communication device 10G is, for example, a bulletin board on which a parking state in a parking lot is posted.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the parking area in the parking lot is divided in advance into six predetermined areas A to F (also referred to as areas). For example, the area A includes six parking sections A11 to A13 and A21 to A23. Reflection marks 43 (see FIG. 1) are attached to the car stops 42 (see FIG. 1) of the parking sections A11 to A13 and A21 to A23, respectively.
Similarly, each of the areas C and E includes six parking sections. Each of the areas B, D, and F includes four parking sections.

In FIG. 2, the optical communication device 10 </ b> A transmits an optical pulse signal op to the area A. When the optical communication device 10A transmits the optical pulse signal op, the optical communication device 10A captures an area including a result of optical communication with the reflection mark 43 in the area A, and based on the captured image, the empty vehicle information of the parking lot, the vehicle 20 Information such as the location, the distance information between the optical communication device 10 and the vehicle 20, and the amount of deviation. A method for generating each piece of information from the captured image will be described later. In the example shown in FIG. 2, for example, the parking section A22 is an empty space.
Next, the optical communication device 10A generates parking section information including the generated empty vehicle information, and transmits an optical pulse signal op including the generated parking section information to the region A and the optical communication device 10B. Furthermore, the optical communication device 10A receives the optical pulse signal op transmitted from the optical communication device 10B. 10A of optical communication apparatuses update parking area information based on the parking area information contained in the received optical pulse signal op. Then, the optical communication device 10A retransmits the optical pulse signal op including the updated parking section information to the area A and the optical communication device 10B. The configuration of the optical pulse signal op, the configuration of the unoccupied vehicle information, the update of the parking section information, and the like will be described later.

  The optical communication device 10B transmits the optical pulse signal op to the region B and the optical communication devices 10A, 10C, 10F, and 10G. The optical communication device 10B receives the optical pulse signal op transmitted from each of the optical communication devices 10A, 10C, 10F, and 10G. The optical communication device 10B updates the parking section information based on the parking section information included in the received optical pulse signal op.

The optical communication device 10C transmits the optical pulse signal op to the region C and the optical communication devices 10B and 10D. The optical communication device 10C receives the optical pulse signal op transmitted from each of the optical communication devices 10B and 10D. The optical communication device 10C updates the parking section information based on the parking section information included in the received optical pulse signal op.
The optical communication device 10D transmits the optical pulse signal op to the region D and the optical communication device 10C. In addition, the optical communication device 10D receives the optical pulse signal op transmitted from the optical communication device 10C. The optical communication device 10D updates the parking section information based on the parking section information included in the received optical pulse signal op.

  The optical pulse signal op includes information indicating a map of the parking lot in addition to the empty vehicle information. The parking lot map information may be stored in advance in the storage unit 111, or may be generated by the image processing unit 106 or the calculation unit 108 based on an image captured by the imaging unit 101. When generating a parking lot map based on the captured image, the calculation unit 108, for example, uses a well-known method of parking lot images for each area included in the optical pulse signal op received from the plurality of optical communication devices 10. You may make it produce | generate the map of the whole parking lot, or the map of a predetermined range by connecting using. In addition, in the empty vehicle information, the position of the reflection mark 43 in the parking area is displayed on the optical communication device 10G or the information display terminal 30 so as to be superimposed on the image indicating the position of the empty parking area, so that parking is possible. Can be shown.

  The optical communication device 10G receives the optical pulse signal op transmitted from the optical communication device 10B, and displays information indicating an empty space in the parking lot on the image display panel 13 based on the received optical pulse signal op. . Note that the optical communication device 10G may retransmit the received optical pulse signal op toward a predetermined area. Thus, even when the information display terminal 30 is not mounted on the vehicle 20, the driver of the vehicle 20 can check the information displayed on the image display panel 32 of the optical communication device 10G, thereby You can know where there is free space in the parking lot.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the information display terminal 30 includes a communication device 31 and an image display panel 32. The information display terminal 30 receives the optical pulse signal op transmitted from the optical communication device 10D, and based on the received optical pulse signal op, information indicating the parking state of the vehicle in the parking lot as shown in FIG. It is displayed on the image display panel 32. The parking state of the vehicle is either a state where the vehicle is parked in the parking section or a state where the vehicle is not parked in the parking section.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image displayed on the image display panel 32 of the information display terminal 30 according to the present embodiment. An image g101 shown in FIG. 6 is an example showing a parking state in the parking lot shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, a symbol g103 is an image showing a state where the vehicle is parked in the parking section, and a symbol g104 is an image showing a state where the vehicle is not parked in the parking section. The image g105 is an image representing the vehicle 20 on which the information display terminal 30 is mounted. Further, the area indicated by the reference sign g106 represents the area A, and the reference sign g107 represents that the area indicated by the reference sign g106 is the area A.
The driver of the vehicle 20 can know which parking section in the parking lot is vacant by looking at the image g101 displayed on the image display panel 32.
In the example shown in FIG. 6, an example in which an empty vehicle status or the like is notified on the image display panel 32 of the information display terminal is shown, but an audio notification may be used. In this case, notification information by voice may be included in the optical pulse signal op.
The optical communication device 10 calculates the position of the vehicle that transmits the optical pulse signal op based on the image captured by the imaging unit 101. The optical communication device 10 determines the position of the vehicle that transmits the optical pulse signal op based on the time required for a round trip until the optical pulse signal op transmitted by the light projecting unit 121 is reflected back to the vehicle. It may be calculated.

(Description of an example of the configuration of the optical communication devices 10A to 10F)
Next, the configuration of the optical communication devices 10A to 10F in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIG. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, an example is described in which the configurations of the optical communication devices 10A to 10F are the same, but the configurations of the optical communication devices 10A to 10F may be different. In the following description, the optical communication device 10 will be described as an example.
As shown in FIG. 3, the communication device 11 of the optical communication device 10 includes an imaging unit 101, an oscillation unit 102, a demodulator 103, a decoder 104, an image processing unit 106, an empty vehicle information processing unit 107, a calculation unit 108, and an encoder. 109, a modulator 110, and a storage unit 111. In addition, the projector 12 includes a projector 121.

The imaging unit 101 is preferably a TOF (Time Of Flight) type camera. The imaging unit 101 receives an optical pulse signal op transmitted from another optical communication device 10 and captures a signal pattern of the received optical pulse signal op. The imaging unit 101 images the distance between the measurement target and the optical communication device 10 from the time taken until the optical pulse signal op transmitted from the projector 12 is reflected on the measurement target and enters the imaging unit 101. It is measured by the processing unit 106. For example, the time required for reciprocation is calculated by the image processing unit 106 from the phase difference between the transmitted optical pulse signal op (irradiation light) and the reflected light. Further, by obtaining the distance for each pixel of the image sensor, the distance in the depth direction is also calculated by the image processing unit 106 from the captured image. The imaging unit 101 outputs the captured image to the image processing unit 106. The imaging unit 101 includes, for example, an imaging lens and an imaging element. The imaging lens is, for example, an all-around fisheye lens. The imaging device is, for example, a CCD (charge coupled device) image sensor or a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) image sensor. Further, the imaging unit 101 exposes for 200 μs, for example, and performs reading for 200 μs.
The oscillation unit 102 generates a clock signal used by the demodulator 103 and the modulator 110, and outputs the generated clock signal to the demodulator 103 and the modulator 110.

The demodulator 103 demodulates the reception signal input from the image processing unit 106 in accordance with the modulation method used by the modulator 110 and outputs the demodulated reception signal to the decoder 104. The modulation scheme performed by the modulator 110 is, for example, DBPSK (Differential Binary Phase Shift Keying), DQPSK (Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keying), 8DPSK, and π / 2-DBPSK, π / 4-DBPSK, π / 4-DPSK, π / 4-DPSK, and π / 4-DBPSK.
The decoder 104 decodes the reception signal demodulated by the demodulator 103 in accordance with the encoding used by the encoder 109 and outputs the decoded reception signal to the arithmetic unit 108.

The image processing unit 106 performs image processing on the image input from the imaging unit 101 using a known method. Known techniques include, for example, binarization processing, differentiation processing, ROI (Region Of Interest) detection for detecting a peripheral portion of blinking. The image processing unit 106 outputs the image-processed image to the empty vehicle information processing unit 107. In the captured image, for example, in the case of the area A in FIG. 2, the reflection marks 43 in the parking sections A11, A12, A13, A21, and A23 are blocked by the vehicle. On the other hand, since the vehicle is not parked in the parking section A22, the reflection mark 43 is not blocked. For this reason, the image picked up by the image pickup unit 101 includes an image of reflected light from the reflection mark 43 of the parking section A22. The image processing unit 106 performs image processing for extracting an image based on the reflected light.
The empty vehicle information processing unit 107 generates parking section information based on the image after image processing input from the image processing unit 106, and outputs the generated parking section information to the calculation unit 108. The parking section information includes area information, time information indicating the updated time, the number of hops indicating the number of times of passing through the optical communication device 10, position information of the vehicle 20, and the like, as will be described later. Yes. In addition, the empty vehicle information includes an update count indicating the number of times the empty vehicle information has continued without changing.

  The calculation unit 108 updates the parking section information input from the empty vehicle information processing unit 107 using the received signal input from the decoder 104. The calculation unit 108 generates the generated empty vehicle information, the area information, the generated or updated time information, the number of hops, and the position information of the vehicle 20 for each area as the parking section information, and generates the generated parking The partition information is stored in the storage unit 111. The calculation unit 108 outputs the generated parking section information for each area to the encoder 109. Moreover, the calculating part 108 has a time measuring part which measures time. The computing unit 108 sets the current time when the optical communication device 10 is powered on. The current time may be acquired from an external device via a connection terminal (not shown). Alternatively, the calculation unit 108 may acquire the current time information by receiving the optical pulse signal op including the current time information transmitted from the external device.

The encoder 109 encodes the parking section information input from the calculation unit 108 using a predetermined encoding method to generate a bit string, and outputs the generated bit string to the modulator 110.
The modulator 110 modulates the bit string input from the encoder 109 using the clock signal input from the oscillating unit 102 according to, for example, the DBPSK method, and generates a carrier wave. The modulator 110 outputs the generated carrier wave to the projector 12.
The storage unit 111 stores the generated parking section information, the received parking section information, the parking lot map information, and the like.

  The light projecting unit 121 of the projector 12 transmits light by emitting light that has been intensity-modulated based on the carrier wave generated by the modulator 110 of the communication device 11 (intensity-modulated light). The light projecting unit 121 is configured by using, for example, a light emitting diode (LED) or a laser diode that can transmit, for example, a visible light pulse at a high rate (repetition frequency). In addition, the light projecting unit 121 may be configured using a light emitting diode that transmits a high-rate infrared pulse. In addition, the light projecting unit 121 includes, for example, a diffusion plate or a rotary light source that can irradiate a 360-degree range so as to irradiate the optical pulse signal op over a wide range.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the communication device 11 includes the components of the optical communication device 10 other than the projector 12, but is not limited thereto. The projector 12 may include any one or more of the imaging unit 101, the oscillation unit 102, the demodulator 103, the decoder 104, the calculation unit 108, the encoder 109, and the modulator 110.
The communication device 11 and the projector 12 may be incorporated in the same housing.

(Description of image example captured by imaging unit 101 of optical communication apparatus 10)
Next, an example of an image captured by the imaging unit 101 will be described.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image captured by the imaging unit 101 according to the present embodiment. The circular image g120 is an image captured through a fisheye lens included in the imaging unit 101. The image g121 is an image of a vehicle parked in the parking area. The image g122 is an image reflected by the reflection mark 43 (FIG. 1). In the image g121, although there is a reflection mark 43 under each vehicle, it is blocked by the vehicle. The image g123 is an image based on the optical pulse signal op transmitted from the projector 12 of the adjacent optical communication device 10. The optical pulse signal op transmitted from the adjacent optical communication device 10 is incident on the periphery of the lens as shown in FIG. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the image g122 resulting from reflection of the optical pulse signal op transmitted by the device itself and the image g123 derived from the optical pulse signal op transmitted from the adjacent optical communication device 10 are spatial in the image. Separated. Accordingly, the image processing unit 106 of the optical communication device 10 uses the image g122 resulting from the reflection of the irradiated optical pulse signal op irradiated by the own device and the optical pulse signal irradiated from the adjacent optical communication device 10 from the captured image. The image g123 by op can be separated and extracted by image processing.

(Description of an example of the configuration of the optical communication device 10G)
Next, the configuration of the optical communication device 10G in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, about the component which has the same function as the optical communication apparatus 10, description is abbreviate | omitted using the same code | symbol as FIG.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the optical communication device 10 </ b> G includes a communication device 11 </ b> G, a projector 12, and an image display panel 13.

The communication device 11G includes a calculation unit 108G instead of the calculation unit 108 of the communication device 11, and further includes an image generation unit 112.
In addition to the processing of the calculation unit 108, the calculation unit 108G outputs the generated parking section information for each area to the image generation unit 112.
The image generation unit 112 generates an image indicating an empty vehicle condition in the parking lot based on the parking section information input from the calculation unit 108G, and causes the image display panel 13 to display the generated image.
The image display panel 13 is a liquid crystal panel including a backlight device and an image driving device, for example. The image display panel 13 may be an organic EL (electroluminescence) panel or the like. Further, the image displayed on the image display panel 13 may be the same as or different from the image displayed on the image display panel 32 of the information display terminal 30 (see FIG. 6).

(Description of an example of the configuration of the information display terminal 30)
Next, the configuration of the information display terminal 30 in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, about the component which has the same function as optical communication apparatus 10G of FIG.3 and FIG.4, description is abbreviate | omitted using the same code | symbol. The information display terminal 30 is, for example, a car navigation system terminal, a smart phone, an ETC terminal (Electronic Toll Collection System), an optical beacon receiver, a dedicated terminal, or the like.
As shown in FIG. 5, the information display terminal 30 includes a communication device 31 and an image display panel 32.

  The image display panel 32 is a liquid crystal panel including a backlight device and an image driving device, for example. The image display panel 13 may be an organic EL panel or the like. Further, the image displayed on the image display panel 32 may be the same as or different from the image displayed on the image display panel 13 of the optical communication device 10G.

(Description of communication between optical communication devices 10)
Next, communication performed between the optical communication devices 10 will be described.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating communication performed between the optical communication devices 10 according to the present embodiment. The example illustrated in FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of communication with the three optical communication devices 10A, 10B, and 10G.

  The projector 12A of the optical communication device 10A transmits an optical pulse signal op based on the carrier wave input from the communication device 11A toward each parking section in the area A, the optical communication device 10B, and the optical communication device 10G. In addition, the communication device 11A receives the optical pulse signal op transmitted from each of the optical communication device 10B and the optical communication device 10G. The communicator 11A captures an image including the reflected light rf of the optical pulse signal op transmitted from the projector 12A, and generates parking section information based on the captured image. In addition, the communication device 11A updates the parking section information based on the optical pulse signal op received from each of the optical communication device 10B and the optical communication device 10G. Then, the communicator 11A outputs a carrier wave based on the generated parking area information of the area A and the updated parking area information to the projector 12A. The projector 12A transmits the optical pulse signal op toward each parking section in the area A, the optical communication device 10B, and the optical communication device 10G. Thereafter, the optical communication device 10A repeats this process.

  The projector 12B of the optical communication device 10B transmits an optical pulse signal op based on the carrier wave input from the communication device 11B toward each parking section in the region B, the optical communication device 10A, and the optical communication device 10G. Further, the communication device 11B receives the optical pulse signal op transmitted from each of the optical communication device 10A and the optical communication device 10G. The communicator 11B captures an image including the reflected light rf of the optical pulse signal op transmitted from the projector 12B, and generates parking section information based on the captured image. Further, the communication device 11B updates the parking section information based on the optical pulse signal op received from each of the optical communication device 10A and the optical communication device 10G. And the communication apparatus 11B outputs the carrier wave based on the generated parking area information of the area | region B and the updated parking area information to the light projector 12B. The projector 12B transmits the optical pulse signal op toward each parking section in the area B, the optical communication device 10A, and the optical communication device 10G. Thereafter, the optical communication device 10B repeats this process.

  The optical communication device 10G transmits an optical pulse signal op based on the carrier wave input from the communication device 11G toward the optical communication device 10A and the optical communication device 10B. Further, the communication device 11G receives the optical pulse signal op transmitted from each of the optical communication device 10A and the optical communication device 10B. Further, the communication device 11G updates the received parking section information based on the optical pulse signal op received from each of the optical communication device 10A and the optical communication device 10B. Then, the communication device 11G outputs a carrier wave based on the parking section information to the projector 12G. The projector 12G transmits the optical pulse signal op toward the optical communication device 10A and the optical communication device 10B. Thereafter, the optical communication device 10G repeats this process.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of communication for each time between the three optical communication devices 10A, 10B, and 10C according to the present embodiment. The optical communication devices 10A, 10B, and 10C are installed adjacent to each other, for example, as shown in FIG. Further, it is assumed that each of the optical communication devices 10A, 10B, and 10C has not transmitted or received the optical pulse signal op even after the power is turned on or after reset.

(Step S1) At time T1, the optical communication device 10A generates the parking section information of the area A based on the captured image, and outputs the optical pulse signal op including the generated parking section information to the area including the area A and It transmits to the adjacent optical communication apparatus 10B. In addition, the optical communication device 10B receives the optical pulse signal op including the parking section information of the area A transmitted from the optical communication device 10A.

(Step S2) At time T2, the optical communication device 10B generates parking section information of the area B based on the captured image, and generates an optical pulse signal op including the generated parking section information as an area including the area B. It transmits to the adjacent optical communication device 10A and the optical communication device 10C. In addition, the optical communication devices 10A and 10C receive the optical pulse signal op including the parking section information of the area B transmitted from the optical communication device 10B.

(Step S3) At time T3, the optical communication device 10C generates the parking section information of the area C based on the captured image, and outputs the optical pulse signal op including the generated parking section information to the area including the area C and It transmits to the adjacent optical communication apparatus 10B. Further, the optical communication device 10B receives the optical pulse signal op including the parking section information of the area C transmitted from the optical communication device 10C.

(Step S4) At time T4, the optical communication device 10A updates the parking area information of the area A based on the captured image, and connects the received parking area information of the area B to the updated parking area information. Subsequently, the optical communication device 10A transmits the optical pulse signal op including the connected parking section information to the region including the region A and the optical communication device 10B. Further, the optical communication device 10B receives the optical pulse signal op including the parking area information of the area A and the area B transmitted from the optical communication apparatus 10A.

(Step S5) At time T5, the optical communication device 10B updates the parking area information of the area B based on the captured image, and the received parking area information of the area A and the area C is updated to the updated parking area information. Link. Subsequently, the optical communication device 10B transmits an optical pulse signal op including the connected parking section information to the region including the region B, the optical communication device 10A, and the optical communication device 10C. Further, each of the optical communication devices 10A and 10C receives the optical pulse signal op including the parking area information of the area A, the area B, and the area C transmitted from the optical communication apparatus 10B.

(Step S6) At time T6, the optical communication device 10C updates the parking section information of the area C based on the captured image, and adds the received parking section information of the area A and the area B to the updated parking section information. Link. Subsequently, the optical communication device 10C transmits an optical pulse signal op including the connected parking section information to the region including the region C and the optical communication device 10B. Moreover, the optical communication device 10B receives the optical pulse signal op including the parking area information of the area A, the area B, and the area C transmitted from the optical communication apparatus 10C.

  In this way, the parking area information for each area generated by each optical communication device 10A is transmitted to the adjacent optical communication device 10B, and further transmitted (transferred) to the optical communication device 10C via the optical communication device 10B. . As time passes, the parking section information of each area is shared by being transmitted to the other optical communication devices 10. Each optical communication device 10 connects the received parking section information to the generated parking section information. That is, the number of parking section information increases by repeating transmission and reception of the optical pulse signal op. As a result, in the example shown in FIG. 9, after time T7, the optical communication devices 10A, 10B, and 10C are in a state of sharing the parking section information of the areas A to C.

Further, as described above, the generated or updated parking section information arrives at another optical communication device 10 via the plurality of optical communication devices 10. For this reason, for example, when the parking section information of the area C is updated at time T6, the optical communication device 10B can obtain the updated parking section information of the area C at time T6, but the optical communication apparatus 10A The updated parking section information of the area C can be obtained at T8. That is, the timing at which the updated parking section information can be obtained differs between the optical communication devices 10.
For these reasons, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the parking section information includes the number of times the empty vehicle information is updated, the time information t when the parking information is updated, the number of hops that is the number of devices that have passed through, and the like. ing.

(Description of configuration example of optical pulse signal op)
Next, a configuration example of the optical pulse signal op and parking section information will be described.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the optical pulse signal op according to the present embodiment.
In FIG. 10, a diagram indicated by reference sign g <b> 201 is a diagram illustrating an example of an arrangement of parking section information. In the figure indicated by reference numeral g201, set 1 is, for example, parking area information of area A, set 2 is parking area information of area B, for example, and set 3 is parking area information of area C, for example. For example, 4 is parking section information of the area D. Thus, what connected the parking area information of a different area | region is hereafter called a parking area information group. Further, when the parking section information group in the diagram indicated by the symbol g201 is an information group generated by the optical communication device 10A (FIG. 9 or the like), the set 1 is the own device region data generated by the own device, and the set 2 , Set 3 and Set 4 are other device area data received from other devices.
In addition, the calculation part 108 extracts the parking area information of a new area | region, when the parking area information of the new area which is not memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 111 of an own apparatus is contained in the received parking area information group. Then, the extracted parking area information of the new area is linked to the parking area information group and updated.
Moreover, the figure which code | symbol g211 shows is a figure which shows the structural example of the parking block information of one set. As shown by the reference numeral g211, the parking section information includes area information g213, time information g214, empty vehicle information g215, hop number g216, and vehicle position information g217.
Moreover, the information which shows the map of the parking lot mentioned above may be included in one set of parking area information, for example, may be included in the hop number g216.

The area information g213 is information representing any one of the areas A, B,... Shown in FIG.
The time information g214 is information representing the time when the empty vehicle information is updated.
The unoccupied vehicle information g215 is information indicating an empty state of the parking section in the area of the area information g213, and is a set of identifiers assigned in advance to the parking section. For example, in FIG. 2, an identifier of 1 is assigned to A11 in area A, an identifier of 2 is assigned to A12, an identifier of 3 is assigned to A13, an identifier of 4 is assigned to A21, and A22 is assigned. Is assigned an identifier of 5, and A23 is assigned an identifier of 6. For example, when A11 and A12 are in an empty state, the empty vehicle information includes 1 and 2. The empty vehicle information g215 includes information indicating the number of times the empty vehicle information has been updated.

The number of hops g216 is the number of optical communication devices 10 that have passed through until reaching the communication partner.
The vehicle position information g217 is information such as the distance between the vehicle 20-3 (see FIG. 1) that has entered the parking lot and an empty parking section. Information indicating a position where an empty vehicle can be used may be generated, and the information indicating the generated empty position may be included in the parking section information and transmitted to the information display terminal 30.

(Description of operation procedure of optical communication apparatus 10)
Next, an operation procedure of the optical communication device 10 will be described. The optical communication device 10G also performs the same processing as the following processing procedure.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the operation procedure of the optical communication apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment.
(Step S <b> 101) The computing unit 108 sets the current time T when the optical communication device 10 is powered on. Subsequently, the calculation unit 108 resets the update time t and the update count n. The arithmetic unit 108 proceeds to step S102.

(Step S102) The computing unit 108 generates parking section information, and transmits the generated parking section information to the predetermined region via the encoder 109, the modulator 110, and the light projecting unit 121. . After the power is turned on, the parking area information emitted for the first time may indicate, for example, that all parking areas in a predetermined area are empty. The calculation unit 108 proceeds to step S103.

(Step S <b> 103) The imaging unit 101 captures an image including the reflection by the optical pulse signal op transmitted by the light projecting unit 121 and the optical pulse signal op transmitted by another optical communication device 10. The calculation unit 108 generates parking area information based on the image captured by the imaging unit 101. Here, an area in which the own device generates parking section information is defined as an area, and an area in which another optical communication device 10 generates parking section information is defined as an external area. The arithmetic unit 108 proceeds to step S104.

(Step S104) The computing unit 108 compares the parking area information in the area stored in the storage unit 111 with the parking area information generated in step S103, and the state of the parking area in the area has changed. It is determined whether or not. For example, in FIG. 7, the calculation unit 108 (see FIG. 3) of the optical communication device 10 </ b> A includes the parking area information of the area A stored in the storage unit 111 and the parking area information of the area A generated in step S <b> 103. Compare Here, the state of the parking section is a state where the vehicle is parked in the parking section or a state where the parking section is vacant. If the calculation unit 108 determines that the state of the parking section in the area has changed (step S104; YES), the calculation unit 108 proceeds to step S105. Alternatively, when the calculation unit 108 determines that the state of the parking area in the area has not changed (step S104; NO), the calculation unit 108 updates only the update count n in the parking area information of the external area, and the process proceeds to step S105. Proceed with the process. That is, when the state in which the empty vehicle information in the area has not changed continues, the calculation unit 108 adds 1 to the update count n and increases the count number of the update count n. On the other hand, when the empty vehicle information has changed, the calculation unit 108 resets the update count n to 0 in step S105.

(Step S105) The calculation unit 108 updates the parking area information in the area to the parking area information with the new time information t. The information to be updated is, for example, time information t and empty vehicle information (excluding the number of updates n). Moreover, the calculation part 108 updates only the update count n among the parking area information in an area, when the state of the parking area in an area has not changed. The calculation unit 108 proceeds to step S106.

(Step S106) The calculation unit 108 parks the external area extracted from the parking area information of the external area received from the other optical communication device 10 stored in the storage unit 111 and the optical pulse signal op received in step S103. The section information is compared for each area. Or the calculating part 108 compares the parking area information of the external area extracted from the optical pulse signal op received from the some optical communication apparatus 10 for every area.
Subsequently, the calculation unit 108 determines whether or not the state of the parking area in the external area has changed based on the comparison result. For example, in FIG. 8, the calculation unit 108 (see FIG. 3) of the optical communication device 10 </ b> A receives the parking section information of the area B stored in the storage unit 111 and the light received from the optical communication device 10 </ b> B and the optical communication device 10 </ b> G. The parking section information of the area B extracted from the pulse signal op is compared. When it is determined that the state of the parking area in the external area has changed (step S106; YES), the arithmetic unit 108 proceeds to step S107 and determines that the state of the parking area in the external area has not changed. If so (step S106; NO), the process returns to step S102.

(Step S107) The calculation unit 108 updates the parking area information of the external area. The calculation unit 108 returns the process to step S102 after the transmission. The updated parking section information group is transmitted to the optical communication apparatus 10 adjacent to the predetermined area by the calculation unit 108 in step S102.

  Hereinafter, the calculation unit 108 repeats the processing of step S102 to step S107 at every predetermined timing. The predetermined timing is, for example, a time having a predetermined cycle.

  Note that the calculation unit 108 may delete the optical pulse signal op exceeding a predetermined condition in order to limit the distance at which the optical pulse signal op can be transmitted. Here, the predetermined condition is, for example, information older than a predetermined time with respect to the current time T. Note that examples of certain conditions will be described in the second and third embodiments.

(Explanation of updated parking lot information)
Next, an example of updating parking area information in the external area will be described.
FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining an update example of parking section information according to the present embodiment.
In FIG. 12, images indicated by reference numerals g231 and g232 are examples of the parking area information group before update, and images indicated by reference numeral 233 are examples of the updated parking area information group. Further, the image indicated by reference sign g231 is a parking section information group of the first information before the update, for example, information received by the optical communication device 10A from the optical communication device 10B. The image indicated by reference numeral g231 is a parking section information group of the second information before the update, for example, information received by the optical communication device 10A from the optical communication device 10C. In addition, in FIG. 12, area information, time information, and unoccupied vehicle information are extracted from the parking section information.

The calculation unit 108 compares the empty vehicle information for each area. In other words, the calculation unit 108 compares the parking area information in the same area, selects the parking area information with the latest update time, and updates the selected parking area information as information to be transmitted.
In the case of the example illustrated in FIG. 12, the calculation unit 108 compares the empty vehicle information in the area A (however, the self area may be excluded) between the code g231 and the code g232. Since the unoccupied vehicle information does not match, the calculation unit 108 updates the time information to the unoccupied vehicle information of the new code g231 as in the image indicated by the code g233. Moreover, the calculating part 108 compares the empty vehicle information of the area | region B with the code | symbol g231 and the code | symbol g232. Since the unoccupied vehicle information does not match, the calculation unit 108 updates the time information to the unoccupied vehicle information of the new code g231 as in the image indicated by the code g233. Furthermore, the calculation unit 108 compares the empty vehicle information in the region C between the code g231 and the code g232. Since the unoccupied vehicle information does not match, the calculation unit 108 updates the time information to the unoccupied vehicle information of the new code g232 as in the image indicated by the code g233.
Then, after the update, the calculation unit 108 uses the encoder 109, the modulator 110, and the light projecting unit 121 to output the optical pulse signal op including the parking section information of the image indicated by the symbol g <b> 233 to the predetermined area. It transmits to the communication apparatus 10.

  That is, as described with reference to FIG. 11, the calculation unit 108 compares the received parking area information of other areas with the parking area information of other past areas stored in the storage unit 111. When the parking area information of other areas does not match, it may be updated to the parking area information of the newer time information t. Alternatively, as described with reference to FIG. 12, for example, when the calculation unit 108 receives the parking area information of the area B from the plurality of optical communication devices 10, the operation unit 108 compares the received parking area information with each other, In the case where the parking area information does not match, the parking area information may be updated to the newer parking area information of the time information t.

  As described above, the optical communication system (information sharing type parking support system 1) of the present embodiment has any one of the first predetermined ranges (for example, any one of the areas A, B, C, D, E, and F in FIG. 2). A first optical communication device (for example, one of the optical communication devices 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F, and 10G in FIG. 2) and a second predetermined range (for example, FIG. Second optical communication devices (for example, the optical communication devices 10A, 10B in FIG. 2) installed in any one region other than the first region among the two regions A, B, C, D, E, F, etc. 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F, and 10G other than the first optical communication device) and a marker (for example, a reflection mark 43) provided in each parking section where the vehicle is parked. The optical communication device has a marker in the first predetermined range. The first optical communication data generated based on the result of the optical communication performed between (for example, the optical pulse signal transmitted in step S1 in FIG. 9) is transmitted to the second optical communication device, and in the second predetermined range, Second optical communication data generated based on the result of optical communication performed with the marker (for example, the optical pulse signal transmitted in step S2 in FIG. 9) is received from the second optical communication device and generated. The received second optical communication data is connected to the first optical communication data, and the connected optical communication data is transmitted as new first optical communication data to the second optical communication device.

  With this configuration, in the information sharing type parking support system 1 of the present embodiment, the optical communication device can share the vacant information of the parking lot by transmitting and receiving the optical pulse signal op between the optical communication devices 10. . Moreover, according to this embodiment, since the reflective mark 43 does not require a power source, the information sharing type parking support system 1 can be installed and operated with a low cost (equipment cost, operation cost) and a simple configuration. it can.

  In the optical communication system (information sharing parking support system 1) of the present embodiment, any of the first optical communication devices (for example, optical communication devices 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F, and 10G in FIG. 2) Is one of the parking spaces that the first predetermined range (for example, any one of the regions A, B, C, D, E, and F in FIG. 2) includes in the first optical communication data. Storage unit 111 that stores 1 parking zone information (own device area data), and the generated first parking zone information changes with respect to the first parking zone information stored in the storage unit. If the first parking area information is updated, the optical communication data generated based on the updated first parking area information is used as new first optical communication data (for example, optical communication in FIG. 2). Devices 10A, 10B, 10C, 0D, 10E, 10F, among 10G, and transmits any one) to other than the first optical communication apparatus.

  With this configuration, in the information sharing type parking support system 1 of the present embodiment, information related to the own parking section is transmitted to the adjacent other parking sections in a timely manner with a low cost (equipment cost, operation cost) and a simple configuration. be able to.

  In the optical communication system (information sharing parking support system 1) of the present embodiment, any of the first optical communication devices (for example, optical communication devices 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F, and 10G in FIG. 2) Is one of the second parking section information (for example, other devices) related to the parking section of the second predetermined range included in the second optical communication data (for example, the optical pulse signal transmitted in step S2 in FIG. 9). Storage unit 111 for storing region data set 2, set 3,..., And a second optical communication device (for example, among optical communication devices 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F, and 10G in FIG. 2) The second parking section information included in the second optical communication data received from any one other than the first optical communication apparatus is changed with respect to the second parking section information stored in the storage unit. If the second parking area information is updated based on the update condition, the updated second parking area information includes the first parking area that the first predetermined range included in the generated first optical communication data has. The 1st parking area information is connected, The optical communication data produced | generated based on the connected parking area information are transmitted to a 2nd optical communication apparatus as new 1st optical communication data.

  With this configuration, in the information sharing type parking support system 1 of the present embodiment, the adjacent other parking section can be updated by the own device. And according to the structure mentioned above, the information regarding another parking area can be timely transmitted to an adjacent other parking area as an information via point by a low cost (equipment cost, operation cost) and a simple structure.

  Further, in the optical communication system (information sharing parking support system 1) of the present embodiment, the first region and the first region out of the third predetermined range (for example, the regions A, B, C, D, E, and F in FIG. 2). 3rd optical communication data (for example, the optical pulse signal transmitted in step S3 in FIG. 9) including the third parking section information related to the parking section of any one area other than the two areas), For example, the third optical communication data generated based on the result of the optical communication performed with the reflection mark 43) is transmitted to another optical communication device, and a third optical communication device (for example, installed in the third predetermined range) Optical communication devices 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F, and 10G of FIG. 2 except for the first optical communication device and the second optical communication device), and the first optical communication data ( For example, in FIG. The optical pulse signal transmitted at 1) includes the first parking section information related to the parking section of the first predetermined range, and the second optical communication data (for example, the optical pulse signal transmitted at step S2 in FIG. 9) The second optical communication device (for example, optical communication devices 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F, and 10G in FIG. 2 includes the first light). Any one other than the communication device and the third optical communication device) receives the first optical communication data from the first optical communication device, receives the third optical communication data from the third optical communication device, and generates the first optical communication data. The first parking area information and the third parking area information are connected to the second parking area information, and the optical communication data generated based on the connected parking area information is used as the new second optical communication data. Sent to the device, the third The communication device receives the first optical communication data from the first optical communication device, receives the second optical communication data from the second optical communication device, and adds the generated first parking lot information to the first parking lot information. And the second parking area information are connected, and the optical communication data generated based on the connected parking area information is transmitted to another optical communication apparatus as new third optical communication data, and the first optical communication apparatus The second parking section information included in the second optical communication data received from the second optical communication apparatus is compared with the second parking section information included in the third optical communication data received from the third optical communication apparatus. If the second parking section information included in the second optical communication data and the second parking section information included in the third optical communication data do not match, the second parking section information based on the update condition The first parking section generated by updating the optical communication data The information is connected, and the optical communication data generated based on the connected parking section information is transmitted to another optical communication device as new first optical communication data.

  With this configuration, in the information sharing type parking support system 1 of the present embodiment, adjacent other parking sections can be updated with information received from different optical communication devices. And according to the structure mentioned above, the information regarding another parking area can be timely transmitted to an adjacent other parking area as an information via point by a low cost (equipment cost, operation cost) and a simple structure.

  Further, in the optical communication system (information sharing type parking support system 1) of the present embodiment, the parking area information includes time information when the parking area information is updated, and the number of hops indicating the number of times that the parking area information has passed through the optical communication device. Information, update number information indicating the number of receptions of the same parking section information, and distance class information indicating a class set based on the distance between the optical communication devices, the update condition is time information It is a condition based on.

  With this configuration, in the information sharing type parking support system 1 of the present embodiment, the fact that the parking section information has been updated can be updated based on the time information, so that the amount of update calculation can be reduced.

[Second Embodiment]
In 1st Embodiment, as demonstrated using FIG. 11, the calculating part 108 of the optical communication apparatus 10 demonstrated the example which updates parking area information, when the unoccupied vehicle information of the area | region has changed. This embodiment demonstrates the example which updates the parking area information of an area | region based on the time information contained in parking area information.
The configuration of the information sharing type parking support system 1, the configuration of the optical communication devices 10, 10G, and the information display terminal 30 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

(Description of operation procedure of optical communication apparatus 10)
An operation procedure of the optical communication apparatus 10 will be described. The optical communication device 10G also performs the same processing as the following processing procedure.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the operation procedure of the optical communication apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. In addition, about the process performed like FIG. 11, description is abbreviate | omitted using the same code | symbol.

(Steps S101 to S104) The computing unit 108 performs the processes of steps S101 to S104. When it is determined that the state of the parking section in the area has changed (step S104; YES), the calculation unit 108 proceeds to step S201 and determines that the state of the parking section in the area has not changed. If so (step S104; NO), the process proceeds to step S107.

(Step S201) The computing unit 108 compares the current time T with the update time t (time information) included in the parking section information of the area to be measured. When the difference between the current time T and the time information t is equal to or shorter than a predetermined update continuation time ΔT (step S201; ΔT ≧ T−t), the calculation unit 108 advances the process to step S107. Alternatively, when the difference between the current time T and the time information t is greater than the predetermined update duration ΔT (step S201; ΔT <T−t), the arithmetic unit 108 advances the process to step S105.
By the process of step S201, the information sharing type parking support system 1 updates the vacant vehicle information in the area when the vacant vehicle state continuously changes for a longer time than the predetermined update continuation time ΔT. In addition, it is possible to reduce the influence of noise when generating empty vehicle information.

(Step S105) The calculation unit 108 updates the parking section information in the area. The calculation unit 108 updates the parking section information (excluding the update count n), and proceeds to step S107.
(Step S107) The computing unit 108 updates the parking area information of the external area, and returns the process to step S102.

  Note that FIG. 13 illustrates an example in which it is determined whether to update the parking area information based on the update time t only in the area, and the parking area information is updated according to the determined result. Absent. After the process of step S105, the calculation unit 108 executes step S106 (see FIG. 11) and S201 in the process of step S107, and determines whether or not to update the parking area information also for the external area based on the update time t. Then, the parking section information may be updated according to the determined result.

  As described above, in the optical communication system (information sharing parking support system 1) of the present embodiment, the first optical communication device (for example, the optical communication devices 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F, and 10G in FIG. 2). Any one of them stores second parking section information related to the parking section included in the second predetermined range included in the second optical communication data (for example, the optical pulse signal transmitted in step S2 in FIG. 9). From the second optical communication device (for example, any one of the optical communication devices 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F, and 10G in FIG. 2 other than the first optical communication device). When the second parking area information included in the received second optical communication data has changed with respect to the second parking area information stored in the storage unit, the second parking area information is used as an update condition. Base The updated second parking section information is updated to the parking section that the first predetermined range included in the generated first optical communication data (for example, the optical pulse signal transmitted in step S1 in FIG. 9) has. The 1st parking area information is connected, The optical communication data produced | generated based on the connected parking area information are transmitted to a 2nd optical communication apparatus as new 1st optical communication data.

  Further, in the optical communication system (information sharing type parking support system 1) of the present embodiment, the parking area information includes time information when the parking area information is updated, and the number of hops indicating the number of times that the parking area information has passed through the optical communication device. Information, update number information indicating the number of receptions of the same parking section information, and distance class information indicating a class set based on the distance between the optical communication devices, the update condition is time information , Based on the condition.

  With this configuration, the information sharing type parking support system 1 according to the present embodiment enables the empty vehicle information in the area based on the difference between the current time T and the update time t and the predetermined update duration ΔT. By updating, it is possible to reduce the influence of noise when generating empty vehicle information.

[Third Embodiment]
In the second embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 13, the calculation unit 108 of the optical communication device 10 performs a difference between the difference between the current time T and the update time t and a predetermined update duration time ΔT. The example which updates parking area information based on this was demonstrated. This embodiment demonstrates the example which updates the parking area information of an area | region based on the update frequency, the number of hops, etc. which are contained in parking area information.
The configuration of the information sharing type parking support system 1, the configuration of the optical communication devices 10, 10G, and the information display terminal 30 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

(Description of operation procedure of optical communication apparatus 10)
An operation procedure of the optical communication apparatus 10 will be described. The optical communication device 10G also performs the same processing as the following processing procedure.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the operation procedure of the optical communication apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. In addition, about the process performed like FIG. 11 or FIG. 13, description is abbreviate | omitted using the same code | symbol.

(Steps S101 to S104) The computing unit 108 performs the processes of steps S101 to S104. When the calculation unit 108 determines that the state of the parking area in the area has changed (step S104; YES), the calculation unit 108 proceeds to step S301 and determines that the state of the parking area in the area has not changed. If so (step S104; NO), the process proceeds to step S302.

(Step S301) Since the empty vehicle information in the area has changed, the calculation unit 108 resets the update count n to zero. The arithmetic unit 108 proceeds to step S303.
(Step S302) Since the empty vehicle information in the area has not changed, the calculation unit 108 adds 1 to the number of updates n and increases the number of updates n. The arithmetic unit 108 proceeds to step S303.

(Step S303) The computing unit 108 determines whether or not the update count n is equal to or greater than a predetermined maximum continuous information update count m. When the update count n is greater than or equal to the maximum continuous information update count m (step S303; YES), the arithmetic unit proceeds to step S105, and when the update count n is less than the maximum continuous information update count m (step S303; NO), the process proceeds to step S107.
Hereinafter, the calculation unit 108 performs the processes of steps S105 and S107.

  In FIG. 14, an example has been described in which it is determined whether to update the parking area information based on the update information n only in the area, and the parking area information is updated according to the determined result. Absent. After the process of step S105, the calculation unit 108 executes step S106 (see FIG. 11) and S201 in the process of step S107, and determines whether or not to update the parking section information for the external area based on the update count n. Then, the parking section information may be updated according to the determined result.

14, the information sharing type parking support system 1 of the present embodiment does not update the parking section information when the update count n is less than the maximum continuous information update count m, and the update count n is the maximum continuous information update count. Update parking lot information if m or more. Thereby, the information sharing type parking assistance system 1 of this embodiment can reduce the influence by the noise when generating empty vehicle information.
In addition to the processing shown in FIG. 14, the determination based on the update time t described with reference to FIG. 13 may be performed.

<First Modification>
Next, a first modification of the third embodiment will be described.
First, the distance class L will be described. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the distance class L according to the present embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 15, the vehicle 20 has shown the state which has passed the optical communication apparatus 10C vicinity among the optical communication apparatuses 10A-10E, or has stopped in the vicinity. In addition, each of the optical communication devices 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, and 10E generates parking section information regarding the corresponding areas A, B, C, D, and E, and an optical pulse signal op including the generated parking section information. Is transmitted to the adjacent optical communication device 10.

  In the present embodiment, the calculation unit 108 sets 0 as the distance class in its own optical communication device 10C. For this reason, the information display terminal 30 receives the optical pulse signal op from the optical communication device 10 </ b> C whose distance class is 0. Then, the calculation unit 108 sets 1 as the distance class L to the optical communication devices 10B and 10D having the hop number H of 1 through one optical communication device 10. Further, the calculation unit 108 sets 2 as the distance class L to the optical communication devices 10A and 10E having two hops H through the two optical communication devices 10. That is, the distance class is a value set based on the optical communication device 10 itself.

  Further, the distance class L may correspond to the traveling direction of the vehicle 20. For example, in FIG. 15, the empty vehicle information of the region D and the region E by the optical communication devices 10D and 10E through which the vehicle 20 has passed may be unnecessary for the driver of the vehicle 20. For this reason, the distance class L between the optical communication devices 10D and 10E may be set to a value larger than the predetermined value d, for example, 10 or the like. Similarly, in the parking lot, the distance class L of the optical communication device 10 in the block or area where the vehicle 20 has already passed may be set to 10 or the like. That is, the distance class L may be weighted according to the traveling direction of the vehicle 20 and the route in the parking lot. Here, the predetermined value d is the maximum distance class of another optical communication device 10 that can be received by the own device. Note that the predetermined value d is determined based on, for example, the distance between the optical communication devices 10 and the communication time required for one-way or round-trip communication. Further, the distance class L may be a predetermined value. For example, the provider of the information sharing type parking support system 1 or the like according to the area of the parking lot, the configuration, the arrangement of the optical communication device 10 and the like. It is the set value.

(Description of configuration example of optical pulse signal op)
Next, a configuration example of the optical pulse signal op and parking section information will be described.
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the optical pulse signal op according to the present embodiment. The difference from FIG. 10 is empty vehicle information indicated by reference sign g252 and distant area information indicated by reference sign g253.
As indicated by reference numeral g252, the empty vehicle information includes information indicating the number of updates and the distance class L.
The far area information is information in which parking area information of an area having a value larger than the predetermined value d is gathered into one. The distant area information includes, for example, information indicating the distant area, information indicating the number of empty vehicle sections in the grouped area, and the like.

  Here, a specific example of the distant area information will be described. It is assumed that 20 optical communication devices 10 are installed in the parking lot. From the back of the parking lot toward the entrance, the optical communication devices 10A, 10B,. The distance class L of the optical communication device 10E is 0, the distance class L of the optical communication devices 10A and 10J is 4, and the distance classes L of the optical communication devices 10J, 10K,. 5, 6,... When simply connected, 20 parking lot information groups of set 1 to set 20 are connected. When the optical pulse signal op having a large data amount is sequentially transmitted / received between all the optical communication devices 10, it takes time for data processing, and further, a delay occurs in the transmission / reception of data between the optical communication devices 10. The amount increases. For this reason, in this embodiment, the parking area information of the optical communication device 10 having a value larger than the predetermined value d is gathered into one and used as the far area information. For example, when the predetermined value d is 10, information obtained by collecting the parking section information of the optical communication devices 10P to 10T having the distance class L of 11 or more is the distant area information.

(Description of operation procedure of optical communication apparatus 10)
An operation procedure of the optical communication apparatus 10 will be described. The optical communication device 10G also performs the same processing as the following processing procedure.
FIG. 17 is a flowchart of the operation procedure of the optical communication apparatus 10 according to the first modification of the present embodiment. Note that the process illustrated in FIG. 17 is performed instead of the process of steps S106 and S107 illustrated in FIG. 11 or step S107 illustrated in FIGS.

(Step S401) The computing unit 108 calculates the distance class L of the other optical communication device 10 with respect to its own device for each region. Note that the storage unit 111 (see FIG. 3) stores in advance the predetermined values d and h, the installation position of the optical communication device 10 in the parking lot, or information indicating the distance from the device itself. The calculation unit 108 advances the process to step S402.

(Step S402) The computing unit 108 compares the predetermined value d stored in the storage unit 111 with the distance class L calculated in step S401 for each area (region). When the distance class L is less than the predetermined value d and the minimum value in all the regions (step S402; L <d and the minimum value), the arithmetic unit 108 advances the processing to step S403. Alternatively, when the distance class L is equal to or greater than the predetermined value d or other than the minimum value in all the regions (step S402; L ≧ d or other than the minimum value), the calculation unit 108 advances the processing to step S405.

(Step S403) The computing unit 108 compares the predetermined value h stored in the storage unit 111 with the hop count H for each area. When the hop count H is less than h and the minimum value in all the regions (step S403; H <h and the minimum value), the arithmetic unit 108 advances the processing to step S404. Alternatively, when the number of hops H is equal to or greater than the predetermined value h or other than the minimum value in all the regions (step S404; H ≧ h or other than the minimum value), the arithmetic unit 108 advances the process to step S405. Here, the predetermined value h is the maximum number of times of movement between areas (regions).

(Step S404) The computing unit 108 adds 1 to the hop count H and increases the count value of the hop count. The arithmetic unit 108 proceeds to step S406.
(Step S405) The calculation unit 108 determines whether the distance class L is equal to or greater than the predetermined value d or the parking section information of an area other than the minimum value in all areas, or the hop count H is equal to or greater than the predetermined value h. Parking section information of an area other than the minimum value is deleted from the parking section information group, and the deleted parking section information is combined into one to generate far area information. The arithmetic unit 108 proceeds to step S406.

(Step S404) The calculation unit 108 updates the parking area information of the external area, and returns the process to step S102 (FIG. 11, FIG. 13, or FIG. 14).

  As described above, in the optical communication system (information sharing parking support system 1) of the present embodiment, among the first optical communication devices, for example, the optical communication devices 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F, and 10G in FIG. , Any one) stores the second parking section information related to the parking section included in the second predetermined range included in the second optical communication data (for example, the optical pulse signal transmitted in step S2 in FIG. 9). And receiving from a second optical communication device (for example, any one of the optical communication devices 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F, and 10G in FIG. 2 other than the first optical communication device). When the second parking section information included in the second optical communication data is changed with respect to the second parking section information stored in the storage unit, the second parking section information is based on the update condition. Z The updated second parking section information is updated to the information about the parking section that the first predetermined range included in the generated first optical communication data (for example, the optical pulse signal transmitted in step S1 in FIG. 9) has. The 1st parking area information is connected, The optical communication data produced | generated based on the connected parking area information are transmitted to a 2nd optical communication apparatus as new 1st optical communication data.

  Further, in the optical communication system (information sharing type parking support system 1) of the present embodiment, the parking area information includes time information when the parking area information is updated, and the number of hops indicating the number of times that the parking area information has passed through the optical communication device. Information, update number information indicating the number of receptions of the same parking section information, and distance class information indicating a class set based on the distance between the optical communication devices, the update condition is time information , Hop number information, update count information, and distance grade information.

  With this configuration, in this embodiment, based on the distance class L and the number of hops H, the parking area information of the far area is deleted from the parking area information group, and the deleted parking area information is combined into one far area information. Is generated. And the calculating part 108 produces | generates a parking area information group by connecting the generated far area information after parking area information, and adjoins the optical pulse signal op containing the generated parking area information group with a predetermined area | region. To the optical communication device 10 to be transmitted. Similarly, in the optical pulse signal op received from the adjacent optical communication apparatus 10, the far-area parking section information is deleted and linked as far-area information. And in this embodiment, the parking area information of the area | region away from the own apparatus is deleted among the received optical pulse signals op. Moreover, since the parking section information of the area far from the own apparatus requires time to reach the own apparatus, the old parking section information is also deleted. Thereby, in this embodiment, the old parking section information and the parking section information far from the own device are deleted, and the latest parking section information is updated.

As a result, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to generate highly accurate parking section information. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the amount of communication between the optical communication apparatuses 10 can be reduced, and the amount of communication can be reduced, so that the amount of delay due to communication can also be reduced.
Also in the first embodiment, when the parking area information group is larger than the predetermined data amount, the parking area information of the area whose distance is more than the predetermined value from the own device, the update time t is predetermined from the current time T. You may make it delete the parking block information older than this time.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 16, the example in which the distant area information is configured at the back of the parking section information group has been described. However, the position of the distant area information is, for example, before the set 1 or between the sets. It may be.
Further, in the example shown in FIG. 16, the example in which the far area information is configured at the back of the parking area information group has been described. However, all the parking area information in the far area is deleted in step S405. Also good. In this case, the parking section information group may be configured only by the parking section information of the distance class L having a value larger than the predetermined value d.
Moreover, you may make it gather distant area information for every block.

(Example of dividing a parking lot into multiple blocks)
Next, an example in which the entire parking lot is divided into a plurality of blocks when the parking lot is large will be described.
FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the entire parking lot according to the present embodiment is divided into a plurality of blocks. In FIG. 18, a symbol g301 represents a first block, a symbol g302 represents a second block, a symbol g303 represents a third block, and a symbol g304 represents a fourth block. Each block includes regions A to D, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 18, one optical communication device 10 is installed in each area, and optical communication devices 10G-1 to 10G-4 that control the parking section information group are installed in each block. Note that the optical communication devices 10G-1 to 10G-4 that supervise the parking section information are, for example, bulletin boards. In the following description, when one of the optical communication devices 10G-1 to 10G-4 is not specified, it is simply referred to as an optical communication device 10G.

For example, the optical communication device 10G-1 installed in the first block is connected to each of the optical communication devices 10G-2 to 10G-4 installed in the other blocks for optical communication, wireless communication, and wired communication. The parking block information group of the first block is transmitted by any one of the communication methods. In addition, the optical communication device 10G-1 receives the parking block information group for each block transmitted by the optical communication devices 10G-2 to 10G-4 of the other blocks.
Thus, you may make it transmit / receive the parking area information group collected for every block between the optical communication apparatuses 10G installed for every block.

  Moreover, in the example shown in FIG. 18, although the parking lot showed the example of one floor, it is not restricted to this. Parking lots may be configured on a plurality of floors. In this case, for example, an optical communication device 10G that aggregates the parking section information group may be provided for each floor, and the aggregated parking section information group may be transmitted and received between the optical communication apparatuses 10G for each floor. .

<Second Modification>
Next, a second modification of the third embodiment will be described.
In the second modification, in addition to the distance class L provided in the first modification, a priority number P of the distance class L is further provided.

First, the priority number P of the distance class L will be described.
This is a threshold for the distance class L set separately from the priority number P.
When there is an obstacle between the optical communication devices 10 that blocks the optical pulse signal op such as a pillar, the accuracy of the transmitted / received optical pulse signal op is improved even if the distance class indicating the distance between the optical communication devices 10 is the same value. It may change.
For example, in FIG. 2, when there is an obstacle such as a pillar between the optical communication devices 10B and 10F, the priority number P when viewed from the optical communication device 10B changes. For example, the priority number P of the area A and the area C without an obstacle between them is set to 1, and the priority number P of the area F with an obstacle between them is set to 5. And the calculating part 108 discriminate | determines whether it deletes from a parking area information group based on the distance series L, the priority number P, and the hop number H.
In addition, for example, when there are a plurality of floors in the parking lot and the parking section information is shared among the plurality of floors, the priority number P may be set in advance so as to be different between the floors.

(Description of operation procedure of optical communication apparatus 10)
An operation procedure of the optical communication apparatus 10 will be described. The optical communication device 10G also performs the same processing as the following processing procedure.
FIG. 19 is a flowchart of the operation procedure of the optical communication apparatus 10 according to the first modification of the present embodiment. Note that the process illustrated in FIG. 17 is performed instead of the process of steps S106 and S107 illustrated in FIG. 11 or step S107 illustrated in FIGS. Moreover, about the same process as FIG. 17, description is abbreviate | omitted using the same code | symbol.

(Step S402) The computing unit 108 compares the predetermined value d and the distance class L for each area (region). If the distance class L is less than the predetermined value d and the minimum value in all the regions (step S402; L <d and the minimum value), the calculation unit 108 advances the process to step S501. Alternatively, when the distance class L is equal to or greater than the predetermined value d or other than the minimum value in all the regions (step S402; L ≧ d or other than the minimum value), the calculation unit 108 advances the processing to step S405.

(Step S501) The computing unit 108 compares the distance class L and the priority number P for each area. When the priority number P is greater than the distance class L (step S501; P> L), the arithmetic unit 108 advances the process to step S403. Alternatively, when the priority number P is equal to or less than the distance class L (step S501; P ≦ L), the calculation unit 108 advances the process to step S405.
Hereinafter, the calculation unit 108 performs the processes of steps S403 to S406.

  By the processing shown in FIG. 19, the calculation unit 108 generates a parking section information group based only on the parking section information belonging to the area where the priority number P is greater than the distance class L, and includes the generated parking section information group. op is transmitted to the optical communication apparatus 10 adjacent to the predetermined area. As a result, according to this embodiment, the amount of communication between the optical communication devices 10 can be reduced, and the amount of communication can be reduced, so that the amount of delay due to communication can also be reduced.

As described above, according to the first to third embodiments, since optical communication is performed between the optical communication devices 10, parking section information can be shared between the optical communication devices 10. The optical communication device 10 also includes an optical pulse signal op transmitted to a predetermined area to generate empty vehicle information, an optical pulse signal op transmitted to the adjacent optical communication device 10, and information mounted on the vehicle 20. Since the optical pulse signal op transmitted to the display terminal 30 is the same, the optical pulse signal op can be transmitted simultaneously to the optical communication device 10 and the information display terminal 30 adjacent to the predetermined area.
Further, according to the first to third embodiments, the optical communication device 10 </ b> G that is a bulletin board can collectively manage the empty vehicle information and the parking information for each block. As a result, according to the first to third embodiments, it is possible to manage the empty vehicle information and the parking information of the parking lot with a small number of management devices.

  In addition, according to the first to third embodiments, since optical communication is performed between the optical communication devices 10, the walls, floors, ceilings, The influence of reflection by the vehicle 20 or the like can be reduced.

Furthermore, if a light emission source is installed in the car stop 42 or the like instead of the reflection mark 43, it is necessary to supply power to the light emission source, so that it is necessary to newly perform wiring on the parking lot road surface. In this case, installation costs and operation costs are increased.
On the other hand, according to the first to third embodiments, the reflection mark 43 attached to the car stop 42 may be a reflection seal or the like, so that it is not necessary to supply power to the reflection mark 43. Thus, since the reflective mark 43 may be attached to the car stop 42 or directly attached to the parking section 40, the installation cost and operational cost of the reflective mark 43 can be reduced as compared with the prior art.

  Further, according to the first to third embodiments, since the optical communication device 10 can be installed on a ceiling, a wall, or the like, the power source of the optical communication device 10 can be shared with the power of a lighting device (not shown). it can. Furthermore, the optical communication device 10 may be incorporated in the lighting device. In this case, the calculation unit 108 may transmit the light pulse signal op by controlling blinking of the lamp of the lighting device. The blinking cycle of the optical pulse signal op is set to a frequency at which the blinking of the optical pulse signal op is not perceived by the driver or the like by setting the blinking cycle of the projection device to a frequency higher than 60 Hz, for example.

In the example shown in FIG. 9 of the first embodiment, for example, each optical communication device 10 transmits / receives the optical pulse signal op only to one adjacent optical communication device 10, but this is not limitative. I can't. The optical pulse signal op may be transmitted / received also to / from the optical communication device 10 installed in a range where the optical pulse signal op reaches or can be received.
For example, in FIG. 2, the optical pulse signals op transmitted by the optical communication device 10A may be received by the optical communication devices 10B, 10C, 10D, and 10E. Similarly, the optical communication device 10A may receive the optical pulse signal op transmitted by the optical communication devices 10B, 10C, 10D, and 10E. In this case, the optical communication device 10A may select and delete the information used for the update using at least one of the update time t, the update count n, the hop count H, the distance class L, and the priority count P. Good.

  In the example shown in the first to third embodiments, the example in which the parking section information includes the empty vehicle information has been described. However, parking information may be used instead of the empty vehicle information. Here, the parking information is information indicating a parking section where the vehicle 20 is parked. Moreover, you may make it include the empty vehicle information and parking information of all the parking areas for every area | region in parking area information.

In the example shown in the first to third embodiments, the example of performing both the updating of the own device region data and the updating of the other device region data (see FIG. 10) has been described. Absent. The optical communication apparatus 10 may repeat steps S101 to S105 in FIG. Thereby, the calculation amount of the optical communication apparatus 10 can be reduced. Each optical communication device 10 may only update its own device area data in a parking lot having an area or configuration that is less affected by delay between the optical communication devices 10.
Further, in the first to third embodiments, the timing or frequency at which the optical communication device 10 updates its own device region data is different from the timing or frequency at which other device region data (see FIG. 10) is updated. May be.

  Moreover, in the example shown in 1st Embodiment-3rd Embodiment, the optical communication apparatus 10 nearest to the vehicle 20 transmits a parking area information group to the information display terminal 30 mounted in the vehicle 20 by optical communication. An example has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The optical communication device 10 closest to the vehicle 20 may transmit the parking section information group to the information display terminal 30 mounted on the vehicle 20 by wireless communication, for example.

Moreover, although the example shown in 1st Embodiment-3rd Embodiment demonstrated the example which attaches the reflective mark 43 to the vehicle stop 42, it is not restricted to this. For example, the reflective mark 43 may be distributed at the entrance of a parking lot, and the driver may attach the reflective mark 43 to his / her vehicle 20.
In this case, the optical communication device 10 can detect the parking area where the vehicle 20 is parked by performing optical communication with the reflection mark 43 attached to the vehicle 20 parked in the parking area. Based on the detected result, the calculation unit 108 of the optical communication device 10 may generate empty vehicle information or parking information.

  It should be noted that a program for realizing the function of the optical communication device 10 according to the present invention is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium is read into a computer system and executed to execute each processing. Etc. may be performed. Here, the “computer system” includes an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices. The “computer system” includes a WWW system having a homepage providing environment (or display environment). The “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a storage device such as a flexible medium, a magneto-optical disk, a portable medium such as a ROM and a CD-ROM, and a hard disk incorporated in a computer system. Further, the “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a volatile memory (RAM) in a computer system that becomes a server or a client when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. In addition, those holding programs for a certain period of time are also included.

  The program may be transmitted from a computer system storing the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by a transmission wave in the transmission medium. Here, the “transmission medium” for transmitting the program refers to a medium having a function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line. The program may be for realizing a part of the functions described above. Furthermore, what can implement | achieve the function mentioned above in combination with the program already recorded on the computer system, what is called a difference file (difference program) may be sufficient.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Information sharing type parking assistance system 10, 10A-10G ... Optical communication apparatus, 11, 11G ... Communication device, 12 ... Floodlight, 13 ... Image display panel, 20, 20-1-20-3 ... Vehicle, 30 ... Information display terminal, 31 ... Communicator, 32 ... Image display panel, 43 ... Reflection mark, 101 ... Imaging unit, 102 ... Oscillator, 103 ... Demodulator, 104 ... Decoder, 106 ... Image processing unit, 107 ... Sky information Processing unit 108, 108G ... arithmetic unit, 109 ... encoder, 110 ... modulator, 111 ... storage unit, 112 ... image generation unit, 121 ... projecting unit, op ... optical pulse signal

Claims (7)

A first optical communication device installed in a first predetermined range;
A second optical communication device installed in a second predetermined range;
A marker provided in each parking section where the vehicle parks;
With
The first optical communication device includes:
In the first predetermined range, the first optical communication data generated based on the result of optical communication performed with the marker is transmitted to the second optical communication device, and in the second predetermined range, the marker and The second optical communication data generated based on the result of the optical communication performed between the second optical communication device is received from the second optical communication device, and the received second optical communication data is connected to the generated first optical communication data. An optical communication system that transmits the connected optical communication data to the second optical communication device as new first optical communication data. The first optical communication device includes:
A storage unit that stores first parking section information related to a parking section included in the first predetermined range included in the first optical communication data;
When the generated first parking section information is changed with respect to the first parking section information stored in the storage unit, the first parking section information is updated and updated. 2. The optical communication system according to claim 1, wherein the optical communication data generated based on the first parking section information is transmitted to the second optical communication device as new first optical communication data. The first optical communication device includes:
A storage unit for storing second parking area information related to a parking area included in the second predetermined range included in the second optical communication data;
When the second parking section information included in the second optical communication data received from the second optical communication device has changed with respect to the second parking section information stored in the storage unit, The second parking area information is updated based on the update condition, and the updated second parking area information includes a first parking area included in the first predetermined range included in the generated first optical communication data. The light according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the optical communication data generated based on the connected parking area information is transmitted to the second optical communication device as new first optical communication data. Communications system. 3rd optical communication data including the 3rd parking area information about the parking area which the 3rd predetermined range has, Comprising: The 3rd optical communication data generated based on the result of optical communication performed between the markers A third optical communication device that transmits to another optical communication device and is installed in a third predetermined range;
The first optical communication data is:
Including first parking area information relating to the parking area of the first predetermined range;
The second optical communication data is:
Including second parking lot information related to the parking lot that the second predetermined range has,
The second optical communication device is:
The first optical communication data is received from the first optical communication device, the third optical communication data is received from the third optical communication device, and the generated second parking section information includes the first parking data. By connecting the section information and the third parking section information, the optical communication data generated based on the connected parking section information is transmitted as new second optical communication data to another optical communication device,
The third optical communication device is
The first optical communication data is received from the first optical communication device, the second optical communication data is received from the second optical communication device, and the generated first parking section information includes the first parking section. By connecting the section information and the second parking section information, the optical communication data generated based on the connected parking section information is transmitted to another optical communication device as new third optical communication data,
The first optical communication device includes:
The second parking section information included in the second optical communication data received from the second optical communication apparatus, and the second parking section information included in the third optical communication data received from the third optical communication apparatus. If the second parking section information included in the second optical communication data does not match the second parking section information included in the third optical communication data, the update condition The second parking section information is updated on the basis of the information, the first optical section data generated is connected to the updated optical communication data, and the optical communication data generated based on the connected parking section information is updated. The optical communication system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first optical communication data is transmitted to another optical communication device. The parking lot information is
Time information when the parking space information is updated, hop number information indicating the number of times that the parking space information has passed through the optical communication device, update number information indicating the number of receptions of the same parking space information, and between the optical communication devices Including at least one piece of distance grade information indicating a grade set based on the distance;
The update condition is:
The optical communication system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the condition is based on at least one of the time information, the hop count information, the update count information, and the distance grade information. The distance class information is
Of the plurality of optical communication devices, the grade is set with reference to each of the optical communication devices themselves, at least of the traveling direction of the vehicle, or the normal path of the parking lot where the optical communication device is installed The optical communication system according to claim 5, which is information set according to one. A program for an optical communication system comprising: a first optical communication device installed in a first predetermined range; a second optical communication device installed in a second predetermined range; and a marker provided in each parking section where the vehicle is parked. Because
A procedure in which the first optical communication device transmits first optical communication data generated based on a result of optical communication performed with the marker to the second optical communication device in the first predetermined range;
A procedure in which the first optical communication device receives, from the second optical communication device, second optical communication data generated based on a result of optical communication performed with the marker in the second predetermined range; ,
The first optical communication device connects the received second optical communication data to the generated first optical communication data, and uses the connected optical communication data as new first optical communication data. To send to
A program that executes

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