JP7469117B2 - Parking lot management system and parking lot management method - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to data processing technology, and in particular to a parking management system and a parking management method.

A technology has been proposed that, if a vehicle leaving a parking lot is already registered in a history database, the vehicle can be allowed to leave the lot without collecting fees at the time of leaving by providing information to the parking lot, and instead receiving information on the parking time from the parking lot and collecting the parking fee corresponding to one month's parking time by credit card payment (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-51036 A

In the system described in Patent Document 1, if a vehicle is not registered in the history database (such as when the vehicle is using the parking lot for the first time), the vehicle occupant must pay the parking fee by credit card at the exit gate. In addition, if the credit card is suspended after the first use of the parking lot, it may not be possible to collect parking fees from the second time onwards.

This disclosure has been made in consideration of the above problems, and one objective is to achieve both rapid exit from a parking lot and reliable collection of parking fees.

In order to solve the above problems, a parking lot management system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a credit inquiry unit that, when a vehicle enters a parking lot, uses card information for cashless payment that has been registered in advance along with the vehicle's license plate number to make a credit inquiry to an external payment service provider device for a predetermined amount according to the parking lot's fee system; a settlement processing unit that, when the vehicle leaves the parking lot, uses the card information to settle the parking fee in cooperation with the payment service provider device; and, when the vehicle attempts to leave the parking lot, if the credit inquiry by the credit inquiry unit is successful, opens the parking lot's exit gate to allow the vehicle to leave without waiting for the settlement process to be completed.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a parking lot management method. In this method, a computer executes the following steps: a credit inquiry step, which, when a vehicle enters a parking lot, uses card information for cashless payment that has been registered in advance together with the license plate number of the vehicle to make a credit inquiry to an external payment service provider device for a predetermined amount according to the parking lot's fee system; a gate control step, which, when the vehicle is about to leave the parking lot, opens the exit gate of the parking lot to allow the vehicle to leave; and, when the vehicle leaves the parking lot, uses the card information to carry out a parking fee settlement process in cooperation with the payment service provider device. If the credit inquiry in the credit inquiry step is successful, the gate control step opens the exit gate of the parking lot without waiting for the settlement process to be completed.

In addition, any combination of the above components, or any conversion of the expressions of this disclosure between devices, computer programs, recording media on which computer programs are recorded, etc., are also valid aspects of this disclosure.

This disclosure makes it possible to achieve both rapid exit from a parking lot and reliable collection of parking fees.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a parking lot management system according to an embodiment. 2 is a block diagram showing functional blocks of the parking lot server of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of vehicle information. 2 is a block diagram showing functional blocks of the fee settlement support device of FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of registration information. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of user information. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system.

First, an overview of the embodiment will be described. The parking management system of the embodiment associates the cashless payment card information held by the user with the user's vehicle number (specifically, the vehicle registration number written on the license plate), and settles the parking fee (i.e., the parking fee) by cashless payment asynchronously with the user's leaving the parking lot. The user does not need to pay the parking fee using a cashless payment card or parking ticket at the parking lot, and can quickly leave the vehicle from the parking lot without presenting a parking ticket when leaving the parking lot. By realizing quick leaving from the parking lot, facilities (commercial facilities, etc.) that have parking lots can expect to alleviate congestion near the exit gates of the parking lot. The parking management system of the embodiment also has a function to prevent the use of fraudulent cashless payment cards and fraudulent vehicle numbers.

In the embodiment, a credit card is exemplified as a cashless payment card held by a user. In addition, the payment method proposed in the embodiment, which eliminates the need to pay parking fees using a cashless payment card, parking ticket, or the like at a parking lot, is hereinafter referred to as "cardless payment."

Figure 1 shows the configuration of a parking lot management system 10 according to an embodiment. The parking lot management system 10 is an information processing system that manages paid parking lots, and includes elements for enabling vehicles to quickly leave the parking lot while also ensuring the reliable collection of parking fees. The parking lot management system 10 includes an entrance gate 12, an exit gate 14, a parking lot server 18, a user terminal 20, a web server 22, a fee settlement support device 24, and a payment agent device 26. These devices are connected via a communication network 28 that includes a LAN, a WAN, the Internet, etc.

The entrance gate 12 is a gate device installed at the entrance to the parking lot. When the entrance gate 12 opens, the vehicle 16 can enter (or enter) the parking lot. The entrance gate 12 is equipped with a camera that captures the license plate number of the vehicle 16 entering the parking lot, and transmits the license plate number and the entry date and time to the parking lot server 18. In the parking lot management system 10 of the embodiment, when cardless payment is not performed or in an abnormal flow, the user settles the parking fee using a parking ticket. Therefore, the entrance gate 12 issues a parking ticket to all users.

The exit gate 14 is a gate device installed at the exit of the parking lot, and opens in response to instructions from the parking lot server 18. When the exit gate 14 opens, the vehicle 16 is able to leave (or exit) the parking lot. The exit gate 14 is equipped with a camera that captures the license plate number of the vehicle 16 leaving the parking lot, and transmits the license plate number and the date and time of departure to the parking lot server 18.

The parking lot server 18 is an information processing device that controls the opening and closing of the entrance gate 12 and the exit gate 14, and also calculates parking fees. The parking lot server 18 may be installed in the parking lot, or may be located in the data center of the payment machine company. In addition, the functions of the parking lot server 18 of the embodiment may be realized by cooperation between an information processing device installed in the parking lot and an information processing device located in the data center of the payment machine company.

The user terminal 20 is a mobile terminal operated by a user of the cardless payment provided by the parking lot management system 10. The user is typically an occupant (such as a driver) of a vehicle 16 parked in a parking lot where cardless payment is available. The user terminal 20 may be a smartphone, a feature phone, or a tablet terminal. The user terminal 20 of the embodiment is equipped with a web browser.

As described below, the fee settlement support device 24 and the user terminal 20 send and receive messages using a known communication method. In the embodiment, the fee settlement support device 24 and the user terminal 20 send and receive messages using SMS (Short Message Service). The user terminal 20 in the embodiment is capable of using SMS (Short Message Service). As a variant, the fee settlement support device 24 and the user terminal 20 may send and receive messages using a notification technology other than SMS.

The web server 22 is an information processing device that provides a website for user registration (hereinafter also referred to as the "user registration site"). A user accesses the user registration site via a user terminal 20 and registers information necessary for cardless payment, such as vehicle number and credit card information, in the parking lot management system 10. It is desirable that the user registration site conforms to credit card security standards, such as the PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard).

The fee settlement support device 24 is an information processing device that supports the settlement of parking fees. The detailed configuration of the fee settlement support device 24 will be described later. The payment agency device 26 is an information processing device of a payment agency. The payment agency device 26 executes various data processing related to credit card payments. Note that the parking lot management system 10 may be configured to include a device of a payment agency (such as a credit card company) instead of the payment agency device 26.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the functional blocks of the parking lot server 18 in Figure 1. Each block shown in the block diagram of this disclosure can be realized in hardware terms by elements and mechanical devices such as a computer's CPU and memory, and in software terms by a computer program, etc., but here, functional blocks realized by the cooperation of these are depicted. Those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized in various ways by combining hardware and software.

The parking lot server 18 comprises a control unit 30, a memory unit 32, and a communication unit 34. The control unit 30 executes various data processing related to gate management and fee management of the parking lot. The memory unit 32 stores data referenced or updated by the control unit 30. The communication unit 34 communicates with external devices according to a predetermined communication protocol. The control unit 30 transmits and receives data to and from the entrance gate 12, exit gate 14, and fee settlement support device 24 via the communication unit 34.

The storage unit 32 includes a vehicle information storage unit 36. The vehicle information storage unit 36 stores vehicle information, which is information about the vehicle 16 that has entered the parking lot. FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the vehicle information. The vehicle information includes the vehicle number, entry date and time (in other words, entry date and time), and cardless payment flag for the vehicle 16. The cardless payment flag "OFF" indicates that cardless payment is not performed, that is, the parking fee is paid using a parking ticket at the centralized settlement machine or exit gate 14 as in the past. On the other hand, the cardless payment flag "ON" indicates that cardless payment is performed, that is, the parking fee is automatically paid using pre-registered credit card information without using a parking ticket. Only vehicle information related to a user who has performed pre-registration, as described below, has the cardless payment flag set to "ON" as the default value.

Returning to FIG. 2, the control unit 30 includes a number linking unit 40, a flag updating unit 42, a gate control unit 44, a fee calculation unit 46, and a fee linking unit 48. A computer program that implements the functions of at least some of these multiple functional blocks may be stored on a recording medium and installed in the storage of the parking lot server 18 via the recording medium. Alternatively, the above computer program may be installed in the storage of the parking lot server 18 via a communication network. The CPU of the parking lot server 18 may fulfill the functions of each functional block by reading the above computer program into main memory and executing it. The same applies to the control unit 50 of the fee settlement support device 24 described below.

The number linking unit 40 transmits and receives the vehicle number and its related information (entry date and time, exit date and time, cardless payment flag, etc.) between the entrance gate 12, exit gate 14, and fee settlement support device 24. The number linking unit 40 also accepts a pair of the vehicle number and exit date and time transmitted from the exit gate 14 and passes it to the fee calculation unit 46. The flag update unit 42 updates the cardless payment flag stored in the vehicle information storage unit 36.

The gate control unit 44 controls the opening and closing of the entrance gate 12 and the exit gate 14. When the vehicle 16 is about to leave the parking lot (typically when the vehicle 16 arrives in front of the exit gate 14), the gate control unit 44 acquires the vehicle number of the vehicle 16 by the number linking unit 40, and if the cardless payment flag linked to the vehicle number is on, it immediately sends a signal to the exit gate 14 to instruct it to open the gate, without waiting for the parking fee settlement process to be completed by the fee settlement support device 24. This opens the exit gate 14, allowing the vehicle 16 to leave the parking lot (in other words, exit from the parking lot).

The fee calculation unit 46 calculates the parking fee for the vehicle 16 leaving the parking lot based on the entry date and time stored in the vehicle information storage unit 36, the exit date and time passed from the number linking unit 40, and the parking lot's predetermined fee system. The fee linking unit 48 transmits a pair of the vehicle number of the vehicle 16 leaving the parking lot and the parking fee amount to the fee settlement support device 24.

Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the functional blocks of the fee settlement support device 24 in Figure 1. The fee settlement support device 24 includes a control unit 50, a memory unit 52, and a communication unit 54. The control unit 50 executes various data processing related to the settlement of parking fees. The memory unit 52 stores data referenced or updated by the control unit 50. The communication unit 54 communicates with external devices according to a predetermined communication protocol. The control unit 50 transmits and receives data to and from the user terminal 20, the web server 22, the parking lot server 18, and the payment agency device 26 via the communication unit 34.

The memory unit 52 includes a user information memory unit 56. The user information memory unit 56 stores information about cardless payment users provided by the parking lot management system 10 (hereinafter referred to as "user information"). An example of the configuration of user information will be described later.

The control unit 50 includes a registration information acquisition unit 60, a validity check unit 62, a user information storage unit 64, an authentication unit 66, a number registration unit 68, an entrance information reception unit 70, a user notification unit 72, a confirmation result reception unit 74, a credit inquiry unit 76, a flag update unit 78, a parking time calculation unit 80, an exit information reception unit 82, a settlement processing unit 84, and a credit cancellation unit 86.

The registration information acquisition unit 60 accepts the user's registration information sent from the web server 22. Figure 5 shows the configuration of the registration information. The registration information includes the user's name, mobile phone number (the phone number of the user terminal 20), the vehicle number of the vehicle using the parking lot, and the user's credit card information (credit card number, expiration date, and security code).

The validity check unit 62 cooperates with the payment agency device 26 to use the credit card information included in the registration information to verify whether the credit card is valid. The validity check unit 62 checks the validity of the credit card, passes the credit card information to the payment agency device 26, and obtains a member ID, which is an identifier for the credit card information, from the payment agency device 26. In this way, the fee settlement support device 24 of the embodiment deposits the credit card information in the payment agency device 26, and uses the member ID instead of credit card information for subsequent transactions with the payment agency device 26. This eliminates the need to store credit card information in the fee settlement support device 24.

If the validity check based on the registration information confirms that the credit card is valid, the user information storage unit 64 stores the user information based on the registration information in the user information memory unit 56. Figure 6 shows the configuration of the user information. The user information includes the user's name, mobile phone number (the phone number of the user terminal 20), vehicle number, member ID, transaction ID, and entry date and time.

As described above, the member ID is obtained from the payment agent device 26 during a validity check by the validity check unit 62. The transaction ID is the ID of the credit approved by the credit inquiry described below (in other words, the credit limit granted to the user). The transaction ID is used when specifying a specific credit in a transaction with the payment agent device 26 (credit inquiry or sales processing). The entry date and time is the date and time when the vehicle 16 corresponding to the user's vehicle number entered the parking lot.

The authentication unit 66 authenticates the user using SMS when registering the user. In this embodiment, the user is authenticated using a one-time password, but other methods of authentication may be used. The license plate registration unit 68 registers the vehicle number registered by the user in the parking lot server 18. The entry information reception unit 70 receives the number indicated on the license plate of the vehicle 16 entering the parking lot (in this embodiment, the vehicle number), transmitted from the parking lot server 18.

When the license plate number of a vehicle 16 entering the parking lot is acquired, the user notification unit 72 notifies the mobile terminal (in this embodiment, the user terminal 20) of the credit card holder who has been registered in advance along with the license plate number, of a message to confirm whether or not to allow cardless payment of the parking fee.

In addition, if the credit inquiry by the credit inquiry unit 76 described below using credit card information previously registered together with the vehicle number of the vehicle 16 entering the parking lot fails, the user notification unit 72 notifies the user terminal 20 with a message that the parking fee cannot be paid cardlessly.

The confirmation result receiving unit 74 receives information from the user terminal 20 indicating whether the cardless payment is permitted or rejected in response to the notification from the user notification unit 72.

When the vehicle 16 enters the parking lot, the credit inquiry unit 76 uses the card information for cardless payment that was registered in advance along with the vehicle number of the vehicle 16 to perform a credit inquiry (authorization) on the payment agent device 26 for a predetermined amount according to the fee system of the parking lot (in other words, the billing rules). The amount of the credit inquiry is registered in advance by the developer or operator of the fee settlement support device 24 according to the fee system of the parking lot where the cardless payment is implemented.

Specifically, when the license plate number of a vehicle 16 entering the parking lot is acquired, the credit inquiry unit 76 performs a credit inquiry using credit card information (in this embodiment, the member ID acquired during the validity check) that is pre-associated with the license plate number. The credit inquiry unit 76 performs a credit inquiry when a response that allows cardless payment is received from the user terminal 20.

The amount of the credit inquiry at the time of entry (in other words, the credit limit secured by the credit inquiry) is the maximum amount of the parking fee for the first day, which is predetermined for the parking lot. The parking time calculation unit 80 periodically and repeatedly calculates the parking time of each vehicle 16 based on the entry date and time of each vehicle 16 that entered the parking lot. When the parking time of a certain vehicle 16 in the parking lot exceeds a predetermined time, the credit inquiry unit 76 executes a new credit inquiry for the maximum amount of the parking fee for multiple days, using the credit card information (member ID) linked to the vehicle 16. For example, the credit inquiry unit 76 secures a credit limit of the maximum amount for the first day on the first day of parking, secures a credit limit of the maximum amount for two days on the second day of parking (e.g., after the parking time exceeds 24 hours), and secures a credit limit of the maximum amount for three days on the third day of parking (e.g., after the parking time exceeds 48 hours). This makes it possible to reliably prevent non-collection of parking fees. In the embodiment, the unit of updating the parking date, in other words the unit time for securing a new credit limit, is 24 hours, but it may be less than 24 hours, such as 23 hours and 30 minutes.

The flag update unit 78 cooperates with the flag update unit 42 of the parking lot server 18 to update the cardless payment flag stored in the parking lot server 18. Specifically, the flag update unit 78 changes the cardless payment flag to off in response to a response or credit inquiry result from the user terminal 20. The exit information reception unit 82 receives the vehicle number of the vehicle 16 attempting to exit the parking lot and the final amount of the parking fee, which are sent from the parking lot server 18.

When the vehicle 16 leaves the parking lot, the settlement processing unit 84 executes the settlement process for the parking fee in cooperation with the payment agent device 26, using card information for cardless payment (in this embodiment, a member ID corresponding to credit card information) that has been registered in advance together with the vehicle number of the vehicle 16 (typically the vehicle 16 that has already left the parking lot). The settlement processing unit 84 executes the settlement process asynchronously with the opening of the exit gate 14, for example, after the exit gate 14 opens and the vehicle 16 can exit.

Specifically, the settlement processing unit 84 performs a credit inquiry for the final amount of the parking fee for the vehicle 16 sent from the parking lot server 18 to the payment agency device 26. The settlement processing unit 84 uses the credit for the final amount of the parking fee to perform sales processing (also called actual sales processing) for the final amount to the payment agency device 26. If the sales processing by the settlement processing unit 84 is successful, the credit cancellation unit 86 cooperates with the payment agency device 26 to cancel the credit secured previously (typically the credit secured when the vehicle 16 was parked). In addition, if the credit inquiry for the final amount of the parking fee fails, the settlement processing unit 84 performs sales processing for the final amount using the credit secured previously.

The operation of the parking lot management system 10 having the above configuration will be described.
FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system 10. This diagram shows normal operation during pre-registration. A user accesses the web server 22 via a web browser on the user terminal 20. The web server 22 displays a web page of a user registration screen on the user terminal 20. The user inputs registration information (FIG. 5) into the user registration screen. The user terminal 20 transmits the registration information input by the user to the web server 22 (S10). The web server 22 transfers the registration information transmitted from the user terminal 20 to the fee settlement support device 24 (S11).

The registration information acquisition unit 60 of the fee settlement support device 24 acquires the registration information sent from the web server 22. The validity check unit 62 of the fee settlement support device 24 performs a validity check of the credit card information included in the registration information on the payment agency device 26 (S12). The validity check unit 62 transmits the credit card information to be checked to the payment agency device 26 and requests that the credit card information be kept. The payment agency device 26 transmits information to the fee settlement support device 24 that the result of the validity check is OK (i.e., the credit card is valid) and the member ID corresponding to the credit card information to be kept (S13).

The authentication unit 66 of the fee settlement support device 24 sends a short message to the user terminal 20 using the mobile phone number included in the registration information (S14). This short message includes a one-time password (hereinafter referred to as "OTP") issued by the authentication unit 66, and also includes content that prompts the user to enter the OTP into a user registration screen to be authenticated. The user enters the OTP indicated in the short message into the user registration screen.

The user terminal 20 transmits the OTP entered by the user to the web server 22 (S15), and the web server 22 transfers the OTP transmitted from the user terminal 20 to the fee settlement support device 24 (S16). The authentication unit 66 of the fee settlement support device 24 authenticates the user based on the OTP entered by the user via the web server 22, and transmits information to the effect that the authentication was successful to the web server 22 (S17). The web server 22 causes the user terminal 20 to display a screen indicating that user registration has been completed (S18).

The user information storage unit 64 of the fee settlement support device 24 stores user information (Figure 6) relating to the user who has successfully passed both the credit card validity check and authentication in the user information storage unit 56. The license plate registration unit 68 of the fee settlement support device 24 also transmits the vehicle number indicated in the user information of the user who has successfully passed both the credit card validity check and authentication to the parking lot server 18. The license plate linking unit 40 of the parking lot server 18 stores the vehicle information including the vehicle plate number transmitted from the fee settlement support device 24 in the vehicle information storage unit 36, and also sets the initial value of the cardless payment flag in the vehicle information to on (S19).

Figure 8 is also a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system 10. This figure shows the operation when the credit card validity check is NG, as an abnormal operation during pre-registration. The operations of S10 to S12 in this figure are the same as those of S10 to S12 in Figure 7, so their explanation is omitted.

The payment processing business device 26 transmits information to the fee settlement support device 24 that the result of the validity check is NG (i.e., the credit card information is fraudulent or invalid) (S20). The validity check unit 62 of the fee settlement support device 24 transmits information to the web server 22 that the result of the validity check is NG (S21). The web server 22 displays information indicating that the user registration has failed on the user terminal 20 (S22). For example, the web server 22 may encourage the user to retry the user registration by displaying a message on the user terminal 20 saying, "The validity check of the credit card has failed. Please change to a different credit card and register again."

Figure 9 is also a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system 10. This figure shows the operation when SMS authentication fails as an abnormal operation during pre-registration. The operations of S10 to S16 in this figure are the same as the operations of S10 to S16 in Figure 7, so their explanation is omitted.

The authentication unit 66 of the fee settlement support device 24 determines that the SMS authentication has failed if the OTP entered by the user is invalid (i.e., if it does not match the OTP issued by the authentication unit 66), or if the time from the OTP notification by SMS to the acceptance of the OTP entered by the user exceeds a predetermined time (i.e., if a timeout occurs). The authentication unit 66 transmits information to the effect that the authentication has failed to the web server 22 (S25). The web server 22 causes the user terminal 20 to display information indicating that user registration has failed. If the SMS authentication has failed, the issuance of a new OTP and the processing of S14 to S16 may be repeated a predetermined number of times.

Figure 10 is also a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system 10. This figure shows normal operation when a vehicle 16 enters the parking lot. The entrance gate 12 captures an image of the license plate number of the vehicle 16 that is entering the parking lot. The entrance gate 12 issues a parking ticket and opens the gate, allowing the vehicle 16 to enter (in other words, enter) the parking lot (S30). The entrance gate 12 transmits a pair of the license plate number and the entry date and time of the vehicle 16 (hereinafter also referred to as the "entering vehicle") entering the parking lot to the parking lot server 18 (S31).

The number linking unit 40 of the parking lot server 18 identifies vehicle information that matches the vehicle number of the entering vehicle transmitted from the entrance gate 12 from among the multiple vehicle information stored in the vehicle information storage unit 36 as the vehicle information of the entering vehicle. The number linking unit 40 stores the entry date and time in the vehicle information of the entering vehicle. In addition, if the cardless payment flag in the vehicle information of the entering vehicle is on (default value), the number linking unit 40 transmits a pair of the vehicle number of the entering vehicle and the entry date and time to the fee settlement support device 24 (S32).

The entry information receiving unit 70 of the fee settlement support device 24 receives a set of the vehicle number of the entering vehicle and the entry date and time sent from the parking lot server 18. The user notification unit 72 of the fee settlement support device 24 uses SMS to send a short message to the user terminal 20 to confirm whether or not cardless payment is required (S33). This short message may include the vehicle number of the entering vehicle and the entry date and time, and may have the following content, for example:
(Example of a short message)
February 1, 2020 17:30:00
A vehicle with license plate number "XX-YY" has arrived. Would you like to make a cardless payment?

In accordance with the user's operation, the user terminal 20 transmits information instructing the fee settlement support device 24 to perform cardless payment (S34). The short message may include the URL of a specific website. The user terminal 20 may access the website indicated by the URL and respond to the fee settlement support device 24 via the website (web server) to the effect that cardless payment will be performed.

When a response to the effect that cardless payment will be made is received from the user terminal 20, the credit inquiry unit 76 of the fee settlement support device 24 makes a credit inquiry to the payment agency device 26 for the maximum amount of parking fee for the first day (S35). The payment agency device 26 responds to the fee settlement support device 24 to the effect that credit for the maximum amount of parking fee for the first day is approved (S36). The user notification unit 72 of the fee settlement support device 24 uses SMS to send a short message to the user terminal 20 to the effect that cardless payment will be made (S37).

Figure 11 is also a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system 10. This figure shows the operation when the user cancels cardless payment as a quasi-normal operation when the vehicle 16 enters the parking lot. The operations of S30 to S33 in this figure are the same as the operations of S30 to S33 in Figure 10, so a description thereof will be omitted.

In accordance with the user's operation, the user terminal 20 responds to the fee settlement support device 24 that cardless payment will not be performed (S40). The flag update unit 78 of the fee settlement support device 24 sends information including the vehicle number of the entering vehicle (here, a vehicle that is not eligible for cardless payment) to the parking lot server 18, instructing the parking lot server 18 to turn off the cardless payment flag (S41). The flag update unit 42 of the parking lot server 18 identifies the vehicle information of the entering vehicle based on the vehicle number sent from the fee settlement support device 24, and changes the cardless payment flag of that vehicle information to off.

If there is no response to permit or deny the cardless payment within a predetermined time (for example, within 10 minutes) after confirming the need for cardless payment by SMS in S33, the flag update unit 78 of the fee settlement support device 24 changes the cardless payment flag of the entering vehicle to off (S41 in FIG. 11), just as in the case where there is a response to deny the cardless payment. Then, the user notification unit 72 of the fee settlement support device 24 uses SMS to send a short message to the user terminal 20 to the effect that the cardless payment will be canceled.
(Example of a short message)
February 1, 2020 17:30:00
"We have not received a response to the cardless payment confirmation for the number XX-YY, so we will discontinue cardless payment. Please pay in cash using your parking ticket."

According to the parking lot management system 10 of the embodiment, by authenticating the user using SMS when registering the user, the user's credit card information, whose validity has been confirmed, can be correctly linked to the vehicle number. In addition, each time the user uses the parking lot, consent to cardless payment is obtained from the user via SMS, so that fraudulent use of cardless payment through forgery of vehicle number plates, etc. can be prevented.

Figure 12 is also a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system 10. This figure shows the operation when the credit inquiry result is NG, as an abnormal operation when the vehicle 16 enters the parking lot. The operations of S30 to S35 in this figure are the same as the operations of S30 to S35 in Figure 10, so the explanation will be omitted.

The payment agent device 26 responds to the fee settlement support device 24 that the credit of the maximum parking fee for the first day is not approved (S42). The user notification unit 72 of the fee settlement support device 24 uses SMS to send a short message to the user terminal 20 to inform the user that cardless payment is not possible (S43). This short message may be, for example, "An error has occurred with the registered credit card, so you cannot leave the parking lot using cardless payment. Please pay with a parking ticket." The flag update unit 78 of the fee settlement support device 24 changes the cardless payment flag of the entering vehicle to off (S44). In this way, by notifying the user in advance that cardless payment is not possible, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the user finds out at the time of leaving that cardless payment is not possible and has difficulty leaving the parking lot.

Figure 13 is also a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system 10. This figure shows normal operation when a vehicle 16 continues to use the parking lot for more than two days. The parking time calculation unit 80 of the fee settlement support device 24 calculates the parking time of each vehicle 16 based on the entry date and time of each vehicle 16 using the parking lot. The parking time calculation unit 80 detects vehicles 16 (herein referred to as "target vehicles") whose parking time has exceeded 24 hours, and notifies the credit inquiry unit 76 (S50).

The credit inquiry unit 76 uses the member ID associated with the vehicle number of the target vehicle to make a credit inquiry to the payment agent device 26 for the maximum amount of parking fees for two days (S51). The payment agent device 26 responds to the fee settlement support device 24 to the effect that the credit for the maximum amount of parking fees for two days is approved (S52). The user notification unit 72 of the fee settlement support device 24 uses SMS to send a short message to the user terminal 20 of the user of the target vehicle to the effect that 24 hours have passed since the vehicle was parked (S53).
(Example of a short message)
February 2, 2020 17:30:00
The vehicle with license plate number "XX-YY" has been parked for 24 hours.

The credit cancellation unit 86 requests the payment agent business device 26 to cancel the credit secured when the target vehicle was brought into the warehouse (S54). For example, the credit cancellation unit 86 cancels the credit secured when the target vehicle was brought into the warehouse using the transaction ID corresponding to the target vehicle notified by the payment agent business device 26 at the time of the credit inquiry at the time of the bringing into the warehouse. The payment agent business device 26 responds to the fee settlement support device 24 to approve the cancellation of the credit secured when the target vehicle was brought into the warehouse (S55). In this way, by canceling the credit that is no longer needed, it becomes easier to avoid the user's credit card limit becoming narrow.

Although not shown in FIG. 13, if it is detected that the parking time of the target vehicle has exceeded 48 hours, the credit inquiry unit 76 performs a credit inquiry for a maximum amount of three days' worth of parking fees. Also, if it is detected that the parking time of the target vehicle has exceeded 72 hours, the credit inquiry unit 76 performs a credit inquiry for a maximum amount of four days' worth of parking fees. At each timing, the user notification unit 72 notifies the user terminal 20 that 48 hours or 72 hours have passed since entry. In this way, the credit inquiry unit 76 repeatedly performs credit inquiries for higher amounts the longer the parking time of the vehicle 16 is.

Figure 14 is also a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system 10. This figure shows the operation when the credit inquiry for the maximum amount of parking fees for two days is not successful, as an abnormal operation when the vehicle 16 continues to use the parking lot for two days or more. The operations of S50 and S51 in this figure are the same as those of S50 and S51 in Figure 13, so their explanation will be omitted.

The payment agent device 26 responds to the fee settlement support device 24 that the credit of the maximum amount of the parking fee for two days is not approved (S60). The user notification unit 72 of the fee settlement support device 24 uses SMS to send a short message to the user terminal 20 of the user of the target vehicle to the effect that the credit inquiry has been rejected (S61).
(Example of a short message)
February 2, 2020 17:30:00
The vehicle with license plate number "XX-YY" has been parked for 24 hours.
An error occurred with the registered credit card, so you cannot leave the parking lot using cardless payment. Please pay with your parking ticket.

The flag update unit 78 of the fee settlement support device 24 changes the cardless payment flag of the target vehicle stored in the parking lot server 18 to off (S62). The credit cancellation unit 86 requests the payment agency device 26 to cancel the credit secured when the target vehicle entered the parking lot (S63). The payment agency device 26 responds to the fee settlement support device 24 to the effect that it approves the cancellation of the credit secured when the target vehicle entered the parking lot (S64).

Although not shown in FIG. 14, when a credit inquiry is made for the maximum amount of parking fees for three days, the operation is similar if the credit inquiry is rejected, and the user notification unit 72 of the fee settlement support device 24 notifies the user terminal 20 of the user of the target vehicle that the credit inquiry is rejected. Similarly, when a credit inquiry is made for the maximum amount of parking fees for four days, the operation is similar if the credit inquiry is rejected, and the user notification unit 72 of the fee settlement support device 24 notifies the user terminal 20 of the user of the target vehicle that the credit inquiry is rejected.

Figure 15 is also a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system 10. This figure shows normal operation when a vehicle 16 leaves a parking lot. The exit gate 14 captures an image of the license plate number of the vehicle 16 (hereinafter referred to as the "leaving vehicle") that is about to leave the parking lot. The exit gate 14 transmits a pair of the license plate number and the leaving date and time of the leaving vehicle to the parking lot server 18 (S70). The gate control unit 44 of the parking lot server 18 checks the cardless payment flag stored in the vehicle information storage unit 36 and associated with the license plate number sent from the parking lot server 18. Here, the cardless payment flag is on, and the gate control unit 44 instructs the exit gate 14 to open the gate, thereby opening the exit gate 14 and making the leaving vehicle ready to leave (S71).

Subsequent departing vehicles are typically vehicles 16 that have already left (exited) the parking lot. The fee calculation unit 46 of the parking lot server 18 calculates the final parking fee amount for the departing vehicle according to the entry date and time indicated in the vehicle information of the departing vehicle, the departure date and time of the departing vehicle notified from the exit gate 14, and the fee system (charging rules) of the parking lot (S72). The fee linking unit 48 of the parking lot server 18 transmits a pair of the license plate number of the departing vehicle and the final parking fee amount to the fee settlement support device 24 (S73).

The settlement processing unit 84 of the fee settlement support device 24 uses the credit card information (in this embodiment, the member ID) associated with the vehicle number of the leaving vehicle to make a credit inquiry to the payment agency device 26 for the final amount of the parking fee, and then performs sales processing of the final amount to the payment agency device 26 (S74). The payment agency device 26 responds to the fee settlement support device 24 that it approves the credit for the final amount of the parking fee and that the sales processing of the final amount of the parking fee has been successful (S75).

The user notification unit 72 of the fee settlement support device 24 uses SMS to send a short message to the user terminal 20 associated with the leaving vehicle indicating that cardless payment has been made (S76). This short message may include the final amount of the parking fee, for example, "Cardless payment has been made. The usage fee is XXXX yen." The credit cancellation unit 86 requests the payment agency device 26 to cancel the credit secured when the leaving vehicle entered the parking lot (S77). The payment agency device 26 responds to the fee settlement support device 24 to the effect that it approves the cancellation of the credit secured when the leaving vehicle entered the parking lot (S78).

In the parking lot management system 10 of the embodiment, if a credit inquiry is successful for a vehicle attempting to leave a parking lot when the vehicle enters the parking lot (or when 24 hours of parking have elapsed), the cardless payment flag for that vehicle in the parking lot server 18 is kept on. Therefore, when a vehicle attempts to leave the parking lot, if a prior credit inquiry is successful, the exit gate 14 opens immediately without waiting for the completion of the settlement process, allowing the vehicle to leave. This allows for quick exit from the parking lot, and can eliminate or alleviate congestion near the exit gate 14. In addition, since the immediate opening of the exit gate 14 is conditional on a successful credit inquiry when the vehicle enters the parking lot (or when 24 hours of parking have elapsed), parking fees can be reliably collected even after the vehicle has left the parking lot.

In addition, in the parking lot management system 10 of the embodiment, when the vehicle leaves the parking lot, a new credit inquiry is made for the final amount of the parking fee, the newly secured credit is used to execute the sales process, and the previous credit is cancelled. Typically, the amount of credit at the time of entry (or after 24 hours of parking time has elapsed) is greater than the final amount of the parking fee. Therefore, by securing new credit for the final amount of the parking fee and executing the sales process while cancelling the previous credit, it becomes easier to avoid the user's credit card limit becoming tight.

Figure 16 is also a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system 10. This figure shows the operation when settlement is made by a method other than cardless payment, as a quasi-normal operation when a vehicle 16 leaves a parking lot. This is the operation when the cardless payment flag for the leaving vehicle stored in the parking lot server 18 is off.

The exit gate 14 transmits a set of the license plate number of the exiting vehicle and the exit date and time (the date and time when the vehicle 16 arrives in front of the exit gate 14) to the parking lot server 18 (S70). The gate control unit 44 of the parking lot server 18 checks the cardless payment flag associated with the license plate number of the exiting vehicle stored in the vehicle information storage unit 36. Here, the cardless payment flag is off. The gate control unit 44 executes the settlement process using the parking ticket (i.e., the conventional settlement flow) while keeping the exit gate 14 closed (S80). When the settlement process using the parking ticket is completed, the flag update unit 42 of the parking lot server 18 changes the cardless payment flag associated with the exiting vehicle to on (S81).

Figure 17 is also a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system 10. This figure shows the processing when the credit inquiry for the final parking fee amount is NG, as a quasi-normal operation when the vehicle 16 leaves the parking lot. This situation can occur, for example, when the user's credit card reaches (or approaches) its credit limit while using the parking lot (after the credit inquiry at the time of entry). The processing from S70 to S74 in this figure is the same as the processing from S70 to S74 in Figure 15, so a description will be omitted.

In response to the credit inquiry in S74, the payment agent device 26 responds to the fee settlement support device 24 that the credit for the final amount of the parking fee is not approved (S85). The settlement processing unit 84 of the fee settlement support device 24 executes the sales process for the final amount of the parking fee using the credit secured at the time of entry of the leaving vehicle (or when 24 hours of parking time have elapsed) (S86). The payment agent device 26 responds to the fee settlement support device 24 that the sales process for the final amount of the parking fee was successful (S87). The user notification unit 72 of the fee settlement support device 24 sends a short message to the user terminal 20 indicating that the cardless payment has been performed, as in S76 of FIG. 15 (S88). According to the parking lot management system 10 of the embodiment, the credit for the maximum amount of the parking fee is secured in advance upon entry, etc., so that the parking fee can be collected reliably.

Figure 18 is also a sequence diagram showing the operation of the parking lot management system 10. This figure shows the processing when the final parking fee amount is 0 yen, as a quasi-normal operation when a vehicle 16 leaves a parking lot. The processing from S90 to S93 in this figure is the same as the processing from S70 to S73 in Figure 15, so an explanation is omitted. However, the final parking fee amount here is 0 yen.

If the final amount of the parking fee is 0 yen, the credit cancellation unit 86 of the fee settlement support device 24 requests the payment agency device 26 to cancel the credit secured when the departing vehicle entered the parking lot (S94). The payment agency device 26 responds to the fee settlement support device 24 to approve the cancellation of the credit secured when the departing vehicle entered the parking lot (S95). The user notification unit 72 of the fee settlement support device 24 sends a short message indicating that cardless payment has been made to the user terminal 20, similar to S76 in FIG. 15 (S96). This short message may be, for example, "Cardless payment has been made. The usage fee is 0 yen."

The present disclosure has been described above based on examples. These examples are merely illustrative, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in the combination of each component or each processing process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present disclosure.

A first modified example will be described. Although not mentioned in the above embodiment, when the parking time of a certain vehicle exceeds a predetermined time (e.g., 48 hours or 72 hours), the flag update unit 78 of the fee settlement support device 24 may turn off the cardless payment flag of the vehicle stored in the parking lot server 18, thereby preventing cardless payment for the vehicle and switching to payment by parking ticket. The user notification unit 72 of the fee settlement support device 24 may send a short message to the user terminal 20 including content instructing the user to settle payment by parking ticket because the parking time has exceeded the upper limit of cardless payment. The credit cancellation unit 86 of the fee settlement support device 24 may cooperate with the payment agency device 26 to cancel credit previously secured.

A second modified example will be described. In the above embodiment, the settlement processing unit 84 of the fee settlement support device 24 newly acquires credit for the fixed amount of the parking fee when settling by cardless payment, and executes sales processing of the fixed amount of the parking fee using the newly acquired credit. As a modified example, the settlement processing unit 84 may execute sales processing of the fixed amount of the parking fee using credit acquired in advance, such as at the time of parking, without newly acquiring credit for the fixed amount of the parking fee. However, as described above, the amount of credit acquired in advance is greater than the fixed amount of the parking fee. Therefore, in terms of avoiding the user's credit card limit becoming too tight, the mechanism of the embodiment is more advantageous to the user.

The cardless payment mechanism described in the above embodiment and variant examples can be applied to systems other than credit cards, for example, debit cards or prepaid cards. When using a debit card or prepaid card, if a withdrawal from the user's account occurs in the process corresponding to the credit inquiry in the embodiment, the settlement may include a process of refunding the difference between the credit inquiry amount and the final parking fee amount.

Any combination of the above-mentioned examples and modifications is also useful as an embodiment of the present disclosure. A new embodiment resulting from the combination will have the combined effects of each of the examples and modifications. It will also be understood by those skilled in the art that the functions to be performed by each of the constituent elements recited in the claims can be realized by each of the components shown in the examples and modifications alone or in combination with each other.

10 Parking lot management system, 14 Exit gate, 16 Vehicle, 18 Parking lot server, 24 Fee settlement support device, 26 Payment agent device, 44 Gate control unit, 72 User notification unit, 74 Confirmation result reception unit, 76 Credit inquiry unit, 84 Settlement processing unit.

Claims (8)

a credit inquiry unit that, when a vehicle enters a parking lot, makes a credit inquiry to an external payment service provider device for a predetermined amount according to the fee system of the parking lot, using card information for cashless payment that has been registered in advance together with the license plate number of the vehicle;
a payment processing unit that, when the vehicle leaves the parking lot, performs a parking fee payment process in cooperation with the payment service provider device using the card information;
a gate control unit that opens an exit gate of the parking lot to allow the vehicle to leave the parking lot if the credit inquiry by the credit inquiry unit is successful when the vehicle is about to leave the parking lot, without waiting for the settlement process to be completed;
A notification unit;
A response acceptance unit;
Equipped with
The notification unit notifies a mobile terminal of a cardholder who has been registered in advance together with the number of the vehicle that has entered the parking lot, the mobile terminal confirming whether or not to permit cashless payment of the parking fee;
The response receiving unit receives information indicating whether the cashless payment is permitted or rejected from the mobile terminal,
A parking lot management system characterized in that the credit inquiry unit performs a credit inquiry using the card information when information to the effect that the cashless payment is permitted is received from the mobile terminal . a credit inquiry unit that, when a vehicle enters a parking lot, makes a credit inquiry to an external payment service provider device for a predetermined amount according to the fee system of the parking lot, using card information for cashless payment that has been registered in advance together with the license plate number of the vehicle;
a payment processing unit that, when the vehicle leaves the parking lot, performs a parking fee payment process in cooperation with the payment service provider device using the card information;
a gate control unit that opens an exit gate of the parking lot to allow the vehicle to leave the parking lot if the credit inquiry by the credit inquiry unit is successful when the vehicle is about to leave the parking lot, without waiting for the settlement process to be completed;
Equipped with
A parking lot management system characterized in that the credit inquiry unit performs a credit inquiry of a maximum amount of parking fee on the first day that is predetermined for the parking lot as the credit inquiry of the specified amount . The parking lot management system according to claim 2 , characterized in that the credit inquiry unit performs a new credit inquiry for the maximum amount of parking fees for multiple days when the parking time of the vehicle in the parking lot exceeds a predetermined time. a credit inquiry unit that, when a vehicle enters a parking lot, makes a credit inquiry to an external payment service provider device for a predetermined amount according to the fee system of the parking lot, using card information for cashless payment that has been registered in advance together with the license plate number of the vehicle;
a payment processing unit that, when the vehicle leaves the parking lot, performs a parking fee payment process in cooperation with the payment service provider device using the card information;
a gate control unit that opens an exit gate of the parking lot to allow the vehicle to leave the parking lot if the credit inquiry by the credit inquiry unit is successful when the vehicle is about to leave the parking lot, without waiting for the settlement process to be completed;
Equipped with
The parking lot management system is characterized in that the settlement processing unit makes a new credit inquiry for the amount of the parking fee, executes sales processing for that amount, and then cancels the credit previously secured . The parking lot management system according to claim 4 , characterized in that, if a credit inquiry for the parking fee amount fails, the settlement processing unit executes sales processing for the parking fee amount using the credit previously secured. When a vehicle enters a parking lot, a message is sent to a mobile terminal of a cardholder who has been registered in advance together with the license plate number of the vehicle, the cardholder confirming whether or not to permit cashless payment of the parking fee;
receiving information from the mobile terminal indicating whether the cashless payment is permitted or rejected;
a credit inquiry step of making a credit inquiry of a predetermined amount according to a fee system of the parking lot to an external payment service provider device, using card information for cashless payment that has been registered in advance together with the number of the vehicle that has entered the parking lot, when information indicating that the cashless payment is permitted is received from the mobile terminal;
a gate control step of opening an exit gate of the parking lot to allow the vehicle to leave the parking lot when the vehicle is about to leave the parking lot;
When the vehicle leaves the parking lot, a parking fee settlement process is performed in cooperation with the payment service provider device using the card information;
The computer executes
The parking lot management method according to the present invention, wherein the gate control step opens an exit gate of the parking lot without waiting for the settlement process to be completed if the credit inquiry in the credit inquiry step is successful. a credit inquiry step of making a credit inquiry of a predetermined amount according to the fee system of the parking lot to an external payment service provider device, using card information for cashless payment that has been registered in advance together with the license plate number of the vehicle when the vehicle enters the parking lot;
a gate control step of opening an exit gate of the parking lot to allow the vehicle to leave the parking lot when the vehicle is about to leave the parking lot;
When the vehicle leaves the parking lot, a parking fee settlement process is performed in cooperation with the payment service provider device using the card information;
The computer executes
The credit inquiry step includes executing a credit inquiry for a maximum amount of a parking fee for a first day that is predetermined for the parking lot as the credit inquiry for the predetermined amount,
The parking lot management method according to the present invention, wherein the gate control step opens an exit gate of the parking lot without waiting for the settlement process to be completed if the credit inquiry in the credit inquiry step is successful. a credit inquiry step of making a credit inquiry of a predetermined amount according to the fee system of the parking lot to an external payment service provider device, using card information for cashless payment that has been registered in advance together with the license plate number of the vehicle when the vehicle enters the parking lot;
a gate control step of opening an exit gate of the parking lot to allow the vehicle to leave the parking lot when the vehicle is about to leave the parking lot;
a settlement step of performing a parking fee settlement process in cooperation with the payment service provider device using the card information when the vehicle leaves the parking lot;
The computer executes
the gate control step opens an exit gate of the parking lot without waiting for the completion of the settlement process if the credit inquiry in the credit inquiry step is successful;
A parking lot management method characterized in that the settlement step includes making a new credit inquiry for the amount of the parking fee, executing a sales process for that amount, and canceling any credit previously secured .

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