JPH11144195A - Method and device for managing parking lot - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a parking lot managing method which shows vacancy and full information of a parking lot and the current position of a vehicle on a map of a navigation system without separately providing each parking lot with a sensor in a parking lot managing method which shows the current position of the vehicle and a parking lot that has vacancy on a map of a navigation system that is mounted on the vehicle and by which a traveling vehicle can easily know the nearest parking lot that has vacancy. SOLUTION: A white zone is formed in each parking space of a parking lot on a street. When a white zone is recovered completely, a deciding means 9 decides that a vacant parking space exists about each parking device that overlaps an image of an object area which is taken by a camera 2 mounted on an artificial satellite 1 after performing binarization processing of it on map information that shows the position of a parking lot which is acquired from memory 7 and extracts the parking lot on the map from a place that corresponds to the parking lot of map information by an extracting means 8. The result is shown together with the current position of the vehicle on an LCD of the navigation system.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a parking lot management method and apparatus for providing information on whether parking is possible in a blue sky parking lot such as an outdoor flat parking lot or a rooftop parking lot to a traveling vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a method of displaying information on the location of a parking lot and whether or not parking is possible, a schematic diagram showing the location of a parking lot at an appropriate location in an urban area is used. There is known a parking lot guide displayed by the above method, but this has the following problems.

[0003] 1) In general, the number of parking lot guides is small, and it is not easy to find a parking lot guide in an unfamiliar place. 2) To know the parking lot information at a glance from a traveling vehicle. It is not easy, and in many cases, it is necessary to stop the vehicle once and check it, which may cause traffic congestion. 3) In the schematic diagram displayed in the parking lot guide, go to the target parking lot The directions are not clear, and it is not easy to get to the target parking lot especially in unfamiliar places.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 8-124048 provides a sensor for detecting whether a vehicle enters or leaves a parking lot, and counts the output from the sensor to determine whether the parking lot is full. Means for displaying the vacancy information of the parking lot together with the current position of the vehicle on a map of a navigation system mounted on the vehicle via satellite communication means is disclosed.

[0005]

According to the above-described method, it is possible to display the current position of a vehicle and the position of a vacant parking lot on a map of a navigation system.
As a result, the nearest available parking lot can be easily known from the traveling vehicle. However, in the above-described method, it is necessary to install a sensor for detecting the ingress and egress of the vehicle in the parking lot. Must be provided separately for each. In addition, it is necessary to separately provide communication means for connecting each sensor to the means for determining whether the parking lot is full or not.

[0006] The present invention provides a parking lot management method and apparatus which can display the fullness information of a parking lot and the current position of a vehicle on a map of a navigation system without providing a sensor for each parking lot. The purpose is to do.

[0007]

According to the parking lot management method of the present invention, an image obtained by capturing an image of a target area with a camera provided on an artificial satellite is subjected to image processing, and then the presence or absence of an empty parking space is determined for each parking lot. The system displays the vacancy information of each parking lot together with the current position of the vehicle on the map of the navigation system.The parking lot management device is mounted on an artificial satellite, and a camera that captures the target area and a camera that captures it Image processing means for performing image processing on the captured image, extraction means for extracting a parking lot from the image processed by the image processing means, and determination means for determining whether there is an empty parking space in the parking lot extracted by the extraction means. Communication means for transmitting the determination result of the determination means to the navigation system mounted on the vehicle, detection means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, and transmission from the detection means and the communication means The current position of the vehicle on the map of the navigation system on the basis of the data, characterized in that comprising a display means for displaying the empty full information of each parking.

[0008] According to the method and apparatus of the present invention, since the vacancy information of the parking lot can be obtained from the image taken by the camera provided in the artificial satellite, it is necessary to provide a sensor for individually detecting the entrance and exit of the vehicle for each parking lot. There is no. The image processing means used in the present apparatus usually includes a binarization processing means. In this case, the determination unit determines the vehicle from the binarized image. However, depending on the color of the vehicle, the determination may be the same as the parking space when binarized, and may not be possible. Therefore, it is preferable that a black or white zone of a certain size is formed in a certain place in each parking space, for example, and that the zone is partially covered by the vehicle when parking.
Even if a vehicle of similar or the same color as the zone is parked and it is not possible to distinguish between the vehicle and the zone when the binarization process is performed, even if the zone is partially covered by the vehicle, Zones of a certain size cannot be identified from the binarized image. Therefore, the presence or absence of parking can be reliably determined based on whether a zone of a fixed size can be detected at a predetermined location in the parking space.

As an extracting means for extracting a parking lot from an image, for example, map information indicating the position of the parking lot obtained from a memory is superimposed on the image, and the parking lot on the image is extracted from a location corresponding to the parking lot in the map information. Extraction means is a preferred example. A preferred example of the communication means includes an antenna and a transceiver.

[0010] Examples of the detecting means include those based on the GPS system, those based on the self-contained navigation system, those based on a combination of the two, and the like. The display means displays the vacancy information on the map of the navigation system in the same manner as in the case of the vehicle in the case of the vehicle, and blinking or the color such as red or blue for the parking lot.

According to another parking lot management method of the present invention, a laser or ultrasonic wave reflecting means is installed in each parking space of a parking lot in a target area, and laser or ultrasonic waves are radiated from a satellite to the target area. The presence or absence of an empty parking space in each parking lot is determined by receiving or receiving a laser or ultrasonic wave from the reflection means, and that is determined on the map of the navigation system together with the current position of the vehicle and the availability of each parking lot. It is characterized by displaying information, and the parking lot management device is mounted on an artificial satellite with laser or ultrasonic reflecting means installed in each parking space of the parking lot in the target area, and irradiates the inside of the target area Laser or ultrasonic irradiation means, and means for receiving or receiving laser or ultrasonic waves from the reflection means,
Determining means for determining the presence or absence of an empty parking space in a parking lot based on the detection signal of the means, communication means for transmitting the result of the determination to the navigation system mounted on the vehicle, and detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle And display means for displaying the current position of the vehicle on a map of the navigation system based on the data transmitted from the detection means and the communication means, and vacancy information of each parking lot. .

[0012] According to the method and apparatus of the present invention, the reflection means is detected by scanning the inside of the target area with the laser or ultrasonic waves emitted from the irradiation means mounted on the artificial satellite. If the reflection means is hidden behind the vehicle during parking, the reflection means cannot be detected, and the presence or absence of an empty parking space can be determined based on the presence or absence of detection from the reflection means. Therefore, in the method and the apparatus of the present invention as well, it is not necessary to provide a sensor for individually detecting the entrance and exit of the vehicle at each parking lot.

The determination means used in the present apparatus is based on the presence or absence of detection of the laser or ultrasonic wave reflected from the reflection means.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In an outdoor or rooftop blue sky parking lot, for example, about half of each parking space is formed by a white zone. As shown in FIG. 1, a camera 2 mounted on an artificial satellite 1
The image of the target area captured by the above is transmitted to the centralized parking lot management center 4 via the telephone office 3. Then, the image data is demodulated by the image information demodulation circuit 5 and binarized by the binarization processing means 6 which constitutes an image processing means together with the demodulation circuit 5. Next, the position of the parking lot obtained from the memory 7 is shown, and the map information corresponding to the target area is superimposed on the binarized image. Extract the parking lot above.

For each of the extracted parking lots, judgment means 9
Determines that there is a vacant parking space if it has been completely restored without any white zones or without protrusions. As a result, the traveling vehicle 1 passes through the telephone office 3 and the artificial satellite 1.
The signal is received by one antenna 12. Then, it is displayed on the CRT or LCD 15 of the navigation system mounted on the vehicle via the interface 13. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the traveling vehicle 1 displayed on the CRT or the LCD 15 by the functions inherent in the navigation system.
A parking lot 16 having an empty parking space is displayed on the map near the traveling point 1 by a light spot as a display means together with the current position of the traveling vehicle 11.

In another parking lot management device, a laser or ultrasonic reflector is installed in each parking space of the blue sky parking lot,
When the vehicle is parked in a parking space, the reflector is hidden by the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 3, the artificial satellite 21 is provided with a laser or ultrasonic irradiation device 22 and a light receiving or receiving device 23, and scans the target area with the laser or ultrasonic wave irradiated from the irradiation device 22. When the light or ultrasonic wave reflected from the reflector is received or received by the light receiving or receiving device 23, it is transmitted to the parking lot central management center 24.

At the parking lot central control center 24, the judgment means 26 sends the map information corresponding to the target area obtained from the memory 25 in the same direction and at the same speed as the irradiation point of the laser or ultrasonic wave. Upon receiving the transmitted light reception or reception signal, it is determined that there is an empty parking space at the location. The result is displayed on a CRT or LCD map of the navigation system by a light spot as a display means in the same manner as described above.

[0018]

According to the present invention, the current position of a vehicle and a vacant parking lot can be displayed on a map of a navigation system mounted on the vehicle, and the nearest vacant parking lot from the traveling vehicle can be displayed. It is possible to know the parking lot easily, and to obtain parking lot vacancy information from the image taken by the camera installed on the satellite, or from the reflected light or ultrasonic wave of the laser or ultrasonic wave emitted from the satellite. The system is simplified because it is not necessary to provide a sensor for individually detecting the ingress and egress of the vehicle for each parking lot and a communication means for individually receiving a detection signal from each sensor.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a display example of an LCD of the navigation system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 2, artificial satellite 2, camera 3, telephone station 4, 24, parking lot central management center 5, image information demodulation circuit 6, binarization processing means 7, 25, memory 8, ... Extracting means 9 ··· Determining means 11 ·· Traveling vehicle 12 ·· Antenna 13 ··· Interface 14 ··· Navigation system 15 ··· CRT or LCD 16 ··· Parking lot 22 ··· Irradiation device 23 ··· Receiving device 26 ··· means

Claims (4)

[Claims] An image of a target area taken by a camera provided on an artificial satellite is subjected to image processing, and then the presence or absence of an empty parking space is determined for each parking lot. A parking lot management method characterized by displaying vacancy information of each parking lot together with a position. 2. A camera mounted on an artificial satellite for taking an image of a target area, image processing means for processing an image taken by the camera, and extracting means for extracting a parking lot from the image processed by the image processing means. Determining means for determining the presence or absence of an empty parking space in the parking lot extracted by the extracting means; communication means for transmitting a determination result of the determining means to a navigation system mounted on the vehicle; and detecting a current position of the vehicle. And a display means for displaying the current position of the vehicle on a map of a navigation system and information on the availability of each parking lot based on data transmitted from the detection means and the communication means. And parking lot management device. 3. A laser or ultrasonic wave reflecting means is installed in each parking space of a parking lot in a target area, and laser or ultrasonic waves are radiated from the artificial satellite to the target area by laser or ultrasonic waves from the reflecting means. Determining whether there is an empty parking space in each parking lot by receiving or receiving the information, and displaying the empty position information of each parking lot together with the current position of the vehicle on a map of the navigation system. Parking management method. 4. A laser or ultrasonic wave reflecting means installed in each parking space of a parking lot in the target area, a laser or ultrasonic wave irradiating means mounted on an artificial satellite and irradiating the inside of the target area, Means for receiving or receiving laser or ultrasonic waves from the means, determining means for determining the presence or absence of an empty parking space in the parking lot based on a detection signal from the means, and transmitting the determination result of the determining means to a navigation system mounted on the vehicle. Communication means, detection means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, and a current position of the vehicle on a map of the navigation system based on the data transmitted from the detection means and the communication means; A parking lot management device comprising: display means for displaying information.