JPH08305909A - Parking lot charge calculation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To simplify the equipment constitution and manufacture a charge calculation device at a low cost by preferentially picking up an image of a vehicle which is entering with an image processing means when a detecting means detects both the vehicle which is entering and a vehicle which is existing. CONSTITUTION: When a vehicle which has parked in a parking lot P exits, its image is picked up by a video camera V2 and processed. Through this image processing, character data on its license plate are stored in a recognition data storage part similarly to the entry time. Data which were stored at the entry time and the data at the exiting time are collated with each other to specify the parked vehicle and the parking time is calculated from the entry time and exiting time to calculate the parking charge matching with the parking time. When money is thrown in an automatic reception device A by as much as the calculated parking charge, a gate G2 is opened to allow the vehicle C from exit. If an entering interruption process and an exiting interruption conflict with each other, the entering interruption process is given priority and performed to prevent a vehicle having no image processing data from entering the parking lot.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a parking lot charge adjusting device, and more particularly to a device using an image processing system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a parking lot charge adjusting device, a parking ticket is issued from a ticket issuing machine provided at the entrance of the parking lot, and when the player enters the parking ticket, the parking ticket is inserted into the automatic adjusting machine. The gate is configured to open when money (including cards such as prepaid cards) that matches the parking fee is inserted.

In addition, a staff member is placed at the entrance of a parking lot without using any device for specifying a vehicle (automobile) such as the ticket issuing machine, and manned parking lot management is also performed.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned conventional parking lot charge settlement apparatus involving ticketing processing has a drawback that the vehicle has to be stopped at the time of entry and the entrance is congested. The driver (driver) had to manage the parking ticket until he entered.

In addition, in the parking lot management by manned people,
When entering, the vehicle must stop once, and
There was a drawback in that staff members had to be kept at the doorways at all times.

Further, in order to eliminate such a defect,
There has also been proposed a parking lot charge adjustment device that identifies a vehicle using an image processing system and calculates a parking charge (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-290235). However, the parking charge settlement device that employs the image processing system has independent hardware for entrance and exit so that the entry image and the image data of the exit vehicle can be surely input even if the entry and exit vehicles compete. Also, since it is equipped with software, there is a drawback that the cost becomes high.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, and an object thereof is to provide a parking lot charge settlement processing device capable of constructing an image processing system at low cost. is there.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a parking lot charge settlement processing device according to the present invention detects a vehicle entering or leaving a parking lot, and the detecting means detects the vehicle. When the vehicle is imaged, the parking lot includes an image processing unit that identifies the vehicle based on the imaged data and a parking fee calculation unit that calculates the parking fee of the vehicle identified by the image processing unit. In the charge adjustment device, the parking charge calculation unit stops the calculation of the parking charge when the detection unit detects the vehicle while the parking charge is being calculated, and the stop unit stops the calculation of the parking charge. And an image capturing start unit that starts image capturing by the image processing unit when the above is performed. Further, when the detecting means detects the entering vehicle and the leaving vehicle, the image processing means preferentially images the entering vehicle.

[0009]

In the above structure, the image pickup starting means starts the image pickup of the image processing means when the stopping means stops the calculation of the parking charge.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an apparatus of one embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing its electrical configuration.

The apparatus of this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
Image pickup units V1 and V2 for picking up an image of the vehicle C are provided at the entrance side and the exit side of the parking lot P, respectively.

These image pickup units V1 and V2 are constructed so that when the vehicle C is detected by the vehicle head sensors S1 and S2 composed of photoelectric elements, respectively, the front surface of the vehicle C can be imaged. Is sent to the central processing unit 1 provided in the automatic settlement machine A installed on the exit side.

In FIG. 1, G1 and G2 are pole type gates, of which the gate G1 provided on the inlet side.
Is configured to be opened at all times during business hours of the parking lot P and to be closed when the parking lot P is closed.

The gate G2 provided on the exit side is opened when money (including a card such as a prepaid card) corresponding to a predetermined parking fee is put into the automatic checkout machine A, and the entry of the vehicle C is permitted. Is configured to.

A more detailed description will be given with reference to FIG.
The image pickup units V1 and V2 have video cameras (cameras in the figure) T1 and T2, respectively, and are equipped with vehicle head sensors S1 and S2.
Imaging is started when the signal from 2 is input. Further, lights (illuminators) L1 and L2 driven in synchronization with the image pickup operation of the video cameras T1 and T2 are provided so as to prevent the illuminance from being insufficient and affect the image pickup at night.

The image pickup data picked up by the video cameras T1 and T2 is the image input section 3 of the image processing section 2 of the central processing unit 1.
It is configured to be stored in the image memory 4 via.

The data stored in the image memory 4 is used by the image processor 5 as a license plate character of the Land Transport Office.
A process for reading a character such as a registration number is performed, and the read character data can be stored in the recognition data storage unit 6.

In FIG. 2, the CPU 7 controls not only the central processing unit 1 but also the entire automatic settlement machine A as a whole.
Through the I / O unit 8, the image pickup units V1, V
2. While the vehicle head sensors S1 and S2 and the gates G1 and G2 are connected, the money put into the automatic checkout machine A is inspected, the change is discharged as necessary, and the receipt is issued. The charge settlement section 9 that can be connected is connected.

The CPU 7 is connected to the image input unit 3, the image memory 4, the image processor 5 and the image data storage unit 6 via a bus line, calculates the parking time of the vehicle, and calculates the parking time. The charge calculation unit 10 for calculating the parking charge based on the value is connected.

FIG. 3 shows an outline of the processing of the CPU 7, and shows the contents of the entry processing, the departure processing and the settlement processing. That is, in the entry process and the exit process, the data of the characters of the license plate imaged by the imaging units V1 and V2 and the time are respectively stored in the recognition data storage unit 6, and in the settlement process, the entry process is performed. The processing vehicle and the departure processing vehicle are searched for the same, and the parking stay time of the vehicle is calculated. Then, the parking charge settlement process for calculating the parking charge commensurate with the time is performed.

Next, the control operation of the apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flow charts of FIGS.

FIG. 4A is a flow chart at the time of entry processing. That is, it is assumed that the vehicle C trying to park in the parking lot P has entered the entrance side. When the entering vehicle C is detected by the vehicle head sensor S1, the video camera T1 starts driving and the front surface of the vehicle C is imaged, and the imaged data is transferred to the image memory 4 via the image input unit 3. Is stored in and is used for image processing. Then, the characters on the license plate are read by the image processing processor 5, the read character data is stored in the recognition data storage unit 6, and the process upon entry is completed.

FIG. 4B is a flow chart at the time of departure processing. That is, when the vehicle C parked in the parking lot P enters, it is imaged and image-processed by the video camera T2. Also in this image processing, the character data of the license plate is stored in the recognition data storage unit 6 as in the case of the entrance. Then, the data stored at the time of entry and the data at the time of entry are collated, the parked vehicle is specified, the parking time is calculated from the entry time and the entry time, and the parking fee commensurate with the parking time is calculated, When the calculated parking fee is put into the automatic checkout machine A, the gate G2 is opened and the vehicle C is allowed to enter.

4 (a) and 4 (b) show the case where the entry interrupt processing and the exit interrupt processing do not conflict with each other. As shown, the image processing at the time of entry interruption processing is prioritized. Then, after the both interruption processing is completed, the entry interruption processing and the departure interruption processing are processed in parallel by time sharing.
In addition, there may be a vehicle that enters when there is a vehicle that enters. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the entry interruption processing is performed after the departure interruption processing. Then, after the both interruption processing is completed, the entry interruption processing and the departure interruption processing are processed in parallel by time sharing.

In this way, when the entry interrupt process and the exit interrupt process compete with each other, the entry interrupt process is prioritized to prevent a vehicle without image processing data from entering. There is.
Even if the entry interruption process is interrupted during the departure process, the time is extremely short and the user does not recognize the interruption time. There is no need to wait and inconvenience.

As described above, when the entry interruption processing and the departure entry processing conflict with each other, the entry entry processing can be prioritized so that the entry entry device and the departure entry processing can be performed. Since it is not necessary to separately provide processing equipment, the equipment configuration can be simplified,
It can be manufactured at low cost.

[0027]

According to the present invention, the parking charge calculating means stops the calculation of the parking charge when the detecting means detects the vehicle while the parking charge calculating means calculates the parking charge, and the stopping means stops the parking charge. When the calculation is stopped, the image processing means is configured to start imaging, and when the detection means detects a vehicle entering and a vehicle entering, the image processing means is a vehicle entering. Is preferentially imaged, so that the entry process can be preferentially processed. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide the vehicle entrance processing device and the vehicle exit processing device, the device configuration can be simplified, and the manufacturing can be performed at low cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a processing outline of a CPU.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control operation.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control operation.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 central processing unit 2 image processing unit 3 image input unit 4 image memory 5 image processor 7 CPU 8 I / O unit 9 charge settlement unit 10 charge calculation unit V1, V2 imaging unit S1, S2 head sensor G1, G2 gate C vehicle P Parking Lot

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A detection means for detecting a vehicle entering and leaving a parking lot, and an image processing means for picking up an image of the vehicle when the detection means detects the vehicle and for identifying the vehicle based on the imaged data. And a parking charge calculation device configured to calculate a parking charge of the vehicle specified by the image processing means, wherein the detection means detects the vehicle while the parking charge calculation means is calculating the parking charge. A stop means for stopping the calculation of the parking charge when it is detected, and an image pickup start means for starting the image pickup of the image processing means when the stop means stops the calculation of the parking charge. A parking lot charge adjustment device. 2. The parking lot charge adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein when the detecting means detects the entering vehicle and the leaving vehicle, the image processing means preferentially images the entering vehicle. .