Parking lot management system using wireless LAN system

• US 7,253,747 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2004
• Issued: 08/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LAPIS Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (ROHM Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Noguchi, Kazushige
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hunnings; Travis R.
• Application Number:
  US10/808,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20050057373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/933, 340/942, 705/13
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Abstract

In a parking lot management system, which is applied to a parking lot having a plurality of parking spaces, information about parking is wirelessly communicated between a plurality of wireless LAN base stations connected to an interface part and then connected to the Internet, and a plurality of parking condition detection devices or a wireless LAN mobile station installed in a mobile object. The information is managed by a server via an IP network so that the parking lot management system can provide the information for a user who is in the parking lot.

Claims

1. A parking lot management system comprising:

a sever for managing parking information about a parking lot having a plurality of parking spaces;

a plurality of wireless LAN base stations installed in the parking lot for wirelessly transmitting and receiving the parking information, each of the plurality of wireless LAN base stations having a transmittable and receivable area, the plurality of wireless LAN base stations forming a wireless LAN system such that each of the plurality of wireless LAN base stations can wirelessly connect to a wireless LAN mobile station of a mobile object when the mobile object exists in its own transmittable and receivable area; and

communication means for communicating the parking information between the plurality of wireless LAN base stations and the server via an IP network operating with internet protocol,

a plurality of parking condition detection devices respectively corresponding to the plurality of parking spaces,

wherein the wireless LAN mobile station and the server can communicate the parking information through the wireless LAN system and the communication means,

wherein the wireless LAN mobile station of the mobile object has unique identifying information, and accepts or rejects an incoming wireless signal depending on whether identification information in the incoming wireless signal matches the unique identifying information,

wherein parking space identification information is provided at each parking space to identify the respective parking space,

wherein each of the plurality of parking condition detection devices includes parking condition detecting means for detecting a parking condition showing whether the corresponding parking space is occupied or not by a vehicle, and outputs a parking condition signal showing the parking condition, the parking condition detecting means including an optical sensor, and the parking condition information signal indicating that the corresponding parking space is not occupied by a vehicle if the optical sensor can sense the parking space identification information that is provided at the corresponding parking space and indicating that the corresponding parking space is occupied by a vehicle if the optical sensor cannot sense the parking space identification information that is provided at the corresponding parking space,

wherein the server includes parking condition registration means for identifying and registering the parking condition signal per each parking space,

wherein the wireless LAN system is configured such that each of the plurality of wireless LAN base stations is wirelessly connected to the corresponding parking condition detection devices within its own transmittable and receivable area, and

wherein the parking information is communicated between the plurality of parking condition detection devices and the server through the wireless LAN system and the communication means, and the parking condition signal is supplied to the server so as to be registered by the parking condition registration means.

2. The parking lot management system according to claim 1, wherein the server periodically outputs a parking condition detection request signal, which requests detection of the parking condition, to each of the plurality of parking condition detection devices through the wireless LAN system and the communication means, and

each of the parking condition detection devices detects the parking condition in response to the parking condition detection request signal.

3. The parking lot management system according to claim 1, wherein the parking space identification information comprises a barcode.

4. The parking lot management system according to claim 1, wherein the server includes parking condition information generating means for extracting the registered parking condition signal and for generating a parking condition information signal which indicates the parking condition, and

the server supplies the parking condition information signal to the wireless LAN mobile station through the wireless LAN system and the communication means.

5. The parking lot management system according to claim 4, wherein the mobile object generates a parking condition information request signal requesting parking condition information and supplies the parking condition information request signal to the wireless LAN mobile station,

the parking condition information generating means generates the parking condition information signal in response to the parking condition information request signal, and

the parking condition information request signal is supplied from the wireless LAN mobile station to the server through the wireless LAN system and the communication means.

6. The parking lot management system according to claim 5, wherein the server detects a certain number of parking spaces near the wireless LAN mobile station in response to the parking condition information request signal, and

the parking condition information generating means extracts the parking condition signals respectively corresponding to the certain number of parking spaces and generates the parking condition information signals.

7. The parking lot management system according to claim 4, wherein the parking condition information signal includes a voice signal which indicates a non-occupied parking space by voice.

8. The parking lot management system according to claim 7, wherein the mobile object has software to produce the voice in response to the voice signal.

9. The parking lot management system according to claim 4, wherein the parking condition information signal includes an image signal which displays a map near the wireless LAN mobile station and indicates a non-occupied parking space in the displayed map.

10. The parking lot management system according to claim 9, wherein the mobile object has software to display the map and the non-occupied parking space in response to the image signal.

11. The parking lot management system according to claim 1, wherein the server includes vehicle position registration means for identifying and registering a vehicle position signal, which shows a vehicle position, in connection with the wireless LAN mobile station,

the mobile object generates the vehicle position signal and supplies the vehicle position signal to the wireless LAN mobile station, and

the vehicle position signal is supplied from the wireless LAN mobile station to the server through the wireless LAN system and the communication means.

12. The parking lot management system according to claim 11, wherein the server includes vehicle position information generating means for extracting the registered vehicle position and for generating a vehicle position information signal which indicates the vehicle position, and the vehicle position information signal is supplied from the server to the wireless LAN mobile station through the wireless LAN system and the communication means.

13. The parking lot management system according to claim 12, wherein the mobile object generates a vehicle position information request signal requesting vehicle position information and supplies the vehicle position information request signal to the wireless LAN mobile station,

the vehicle position information generating means generates the vehicle position information signal in response to the vehicle position information request signal,

the vehicle position information request signal is supplied from the wireless LAN mobile station to the server through the wireless LAN system and the communication means.

14. The parking lot management system according to claim 13, wherein the vehicle position information signal includes a voice signal which indicates the vehicle position by voice.

15. The parking lot management system according to claim 14, wherein the mobile object has software to prepare and utter the voice to indicate the vehicle position in response to the voice signal.

16. The parking lot management system according to claim 12, wherein the vehicle position information signal includes an image signal which displays a map near the wireless LAN mobile station and indicates the vehicle position.

17. The parking lot management system according to claim 16, wherein the software displays the map and the vehicle position in response to the image signal.

18. The parking lot management system according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of parking spaces respectively has lighting systems to indicate the vehicle position,

the vehicle position information signal includes a lighting control signal to indicate the vehicle position by activating one of the plurality of lighting systems,

the wireless LAN system is configured such that the plurality of wireless LAN base stations are wirelessly connected to the plurality of lighting systems within the respective transmittable and receivable areas,

the lighting control signal is supplied from the server to the one of the plurality of lighting systems through the wireless LAN system and the communication means, and

the one of the plurality of lighting systems are activated in response to the lighting control signal.

19. The parking lot management system according to claim 1, wherein additional wireless LAN base stations are provided at an entrance and an exit of the parking lot,

the wireless LAN system is configured such that the wireless LAN base stations provided at the entrance and the exit are wirelessly connected to the mobile object within respective transmittable and receivable areas so as to detect entering or exiting of the wireless LAN mobile station into and from the parking lot,

an entering signal and an exiting signal showing the entering and the exiting of the wireless LAN mobile station are generated by the wireless LAN base stations provided at the entrance and the exit,

the entering signal and the exiting signal is supplied to the server by the communication means, and

the server detects entering time and exiting time based on the supplied entering signal and the exiting signal, so that the entering time is identified and registered in connection with the wireless LAN mobile station, and that the exiting time is identified and registered in connection with the wireless LAN mobile station having the registered entering time.

20. The parking lot management system according to claim 19, wherein the wireless LAN mobile station generates a parking time request signal requesting a presentation of a parking time and/or a parking fee,

the parking time request signal is supplied to the server through the wireless LAN system and the communication means,

the server extracts the entering time in response to the parking time request signal, and calculates the parking time and the parking fee based on the entering time and present time, so as to generate a parking time information signal presenting the parking time and the parking fee, and

the parking time information signal is supplied from the server to the wireless LAN mobile station through the wireless LAN system and the communication means.

21. The parking lot management system according to claim 20, wherein at least one more wireless LAN base stations is provided at a store which ties up with the parking lot so that the parking information can be communicated at the store.

22. The parking lot management system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile object is a portable communication device.

23. The parking lot management system according to claim 22, wherein the portable communication device is a telephone.

24. The parking lot management system of claim 1, wherein the mobile object is a portable communication device carried by a driver of a vehicle, and wherein the server stores position information about the vehicle when the vehicle is parked based on the identification information.

25. The parking lot management system according to claim 1, wherein the incoming wireless signal supplies information from the server about available parking spaces that are near the mobile object.