Abstract:
The LED lighting device installed in each parking area of the outdoor parking lot comprises: a main lighting unit for lighting a corresponding parking area; an auxiliary lighting unit provided separately from the main lighting unit to display different colors according to ranges of available parking spaces of the corresponding parking area; and a camera for detecting the number of available parking spaces by photographing the corresponding parking area. According to the present invention, the auxiliary lighting unit for displaying a different color according to the number of parking spaces is provided besides the main lighting unit to display whether parking is available in the parking area where the LED lighting device is installed and to simultaneously display the number of vehicles which can be parked with a different color for each range, so that users can easily check an available parking area.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of International application Ser. No. PCT/KR2014/008421 filed on Sep. 5, 2014, which claims priority to Korean Application No. 10-2013-0108510 filed on Sep. 10, 2013, which applications are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to a light-emitting diode (LED) lighting device for an outdoor parking lot, and more particularly, to an LED lighting device for an outdoor parking lot, which is installed in each parking area of the outdoor parking lot, such as an outdoor concert hall, a baseball ground, a soccer field, a theme park, an amusement park, and so forth, to indicate whether parking is available in the parking area. 
       BACKGROUND ART 
       [0003]    Generally, with increasing interest in leisure and sports and increasing free time, more and more people visit sports fields such as a baseball ground, a soccer field, and athletics sports complex, a sports field, an amusement park, and an outdoor concert hall. 
         [0004]    The above-mentioned facilities have outdoor parking lot facilities corresponding to the number of persons to be accommodated. However, the outdoor parking lot facility has a problem in which persons arriving later than an opening hour may have a difficulty in finding an available parking space because of parked vehicles, and in particular, it is difficult to find an available parking space with the naked eyes at night. 
         [0005]    Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1243881 (registered on Mar. 8, 2013, and entitled a parking guide system) discloses a technique for guiding a vehicle having entered a parking lot to an available parking space. Although this  technique is applicable to a limited area such as an indoor environment, the technique is not applicable to a large-area outdoor parking lot because of difficulties in installation and maintenance of a sensor, and moreover, it is impossible to guide each vehicle by matching a number of the vehicle to a parking space. 
         [0006]    Accordingly, in the current market, there is a need for a means for indicating whether parking is possible in a particular area of an outdoor parking lot. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    An embodiment of the present disclosure provides an LED device for an outdoor parking lot, which indicates possibility of parking for each area in an outdoor parking lot to reduce a time spent in finding a parking space. 
         [0008]    Moreover, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an LED lighting device for an outdoor parking lot, which monitors an outdoor parking lot at all times to prevent an accident or secure proofs or evidence of an accident. 
         [0009]    Furthermore, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an LED lighting device for an outdoor parking lot, which minimizes power consumption. 
         [0010]    In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an LED lighting device installed in each parking area of an outdoor parking lot, the LED lighting device including a main lighting unit configured to light a parking area, an auxiliary lighting unit provided separately from the main lighting unit to show a different color depending on a range of a number of available parking spaces of the parking area, and a camera configured to detect the number of available parking spaces by photographing the parking area. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an LED lighting device for an outdoor parking lot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a plane view of a parking lot to which the present disclosure is applied; 
           [0013]      FIGS. 3 through 5  are block diagrams of an LED lighting device for an outdoor parking lot according to different embodiments of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    Hereinafter, a light-emitting diode (LED) lighting device for an outdoor parking lot according to the present disclosure will be described in detail. 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an LED lighting device for an outdoor parking lot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and  FIG. 2  is a plane view of a parking lot to which the present disclosure is applied. 
         [0016]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an LED lighting device for an outdoor parking lot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a camera  30  for photographing peripheral parking areas A through D, a parking space determining unit  10  for determining the number of parking spaces by comparing an image captured by the camera  30  with a reference image, a lighting controller  40  for indicating an auxiliary lighting unit  42  with a different color based on a determination result of the parking space determining unit  10  and controlling lighting-on and lighting-off of a main lighting unit  41 , a camera driving unit  20  for rotating the camera  30 , and a power supply unit  50  for supplying power to each element of the LED lighting device. 
         [0017]    A description will now be made of a structure and operations of the LED lighting device as described above for the outdoor parking lot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         [0018]    First, as shown in  FIG. 2 , LED lighting devices Al through D 1  according to the present disclosure are installed in parking areas A through D, respectively. Each of the LED lighting devices Al through D 1  may be installed in the center of each of the parking areas A through D and may be installed at a high position to light each of the parking areas A through D with the main lighting unit  41 . 
         [0019]    When installed as described above, the camera  30  installed at a higher position than the main lighting unit  41  of each of the LED lighting devices A 1  through D 1  photographs each of the parking areas A through D while rotating by the camera driving unit  20 , and an image of one frame periodically extracted from information about an image captured by photographing each of the parking areas A through D is provided to the parking space determining unit  10 . 
         [0020]    The parking space determining unit  10  compares the image with reference images to determine an approximate number of available parking spaces. For example, the determination may be made based on a preset reference value, such as unavailable parking, 10 available parking spaces or less, 20 available parking spaces or less, parking spaces exceeding 20 available parking spaces, or the like, and a different signal is output depending on a determination result. 
         [0021]    The determination result of the parking space determining unit  10  is input to the lighting controller  40 , and the lighting controller  40  drives the auxiliary lighting unit  42  in a preset color depending on the determination result of the parking space determining unit  10 . 
         [0022]    For example, red light is emitted for unavailable parking, orange light is emitted for 10 available parking spaces or less, yellow light is emitted for 20 available parking spaces or less, and green light is emitted for available parking 20 spaces exceeding 20 parking spaces. 
         [0023]    Thus, users using the outdoor parking lot may quickly move to the available parking areas A through D by checking a color of the auxiliary lighting unit  42  and park their vehicles in the corresponding parking areas. 
         [0024]    For example, if the auxiliary lighting units  42  of the LED lighting devices A 1 , B 1 , and C 1  installed in the parking areas A, B, and C show red light and the auxiliary lighting unit  42  of the LED lighting device D 1  installed in the parking area D shows yellow light, then users may move to the parking area D having about 20 parking spaces and park their vehicles. 
         [0025]    Although the camera driving unit  20  is installed to rotate the camera  30  in the above example, the camera driving unit  20  may not be used if a plurality of cameras  30  are installed for photographing in 360° directions, and the camera driving unit  20  may not be used either if the LED lighting devices A 1  through D 1  are installed separately at the edges of the parking areas A through D rather than in the centers of the parking areas A through D. 
         [0026]    The main lighting unit  41  is lighted on or lighted off under control of the lighting controller  40 , and is lighted off during the day and, at night, is lighted on only when necessary. 
         [0027]    The auxiliary lighting unit  42  may be lighted on during the day depending on a purpose. For example, for convenience in parking, the number of available parking spaces of the parking areas A through D may be indicated during the day. 
         [0028]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of an LED lighting device for an outdoor parking lot according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         [0029]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , the LED lighting device may further include a charging battery  60  and a charging controller  61  in addition to the elements shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0030]    The charging battery  60  consumes low power, is charged with electricity in early morning hours corresponding to low electric charges, and uses the charged power to drive the camera  30  during the day or to light on the auxiliary lighting unit  42  in a different color depending on the number of available parking spaces. 
         [0031]    In this way, the efficiency of power consumption of multiple LED lighting devices according to the present disclosure installed in an outdoor parking lot may be improved while cutting costs. 
         [0032]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of an LED lighting device for an outdoor parking lot according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         [0033]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , an LED lighting device for an outdoor parking lot according to another embodiment of the present disclosure may further include a power generation unit  70  that generates electricity to charge the charging battery  60 , in addition to the elements of  FIG. 3 . 
         [0034]    The power generation unit  70  is capable of small power generation, considering that the LED lighting device according to the present disclosure is installed in an outdoor parking lot, especially, in a place where there is no nearby tall building. As an example of the power generation unit  70 , a solar cell for photovoltaic power generation or a small wind power generator may be used. 
         [0035]    As such, by further including the power generation unit  70 , the LED lighting device for the outdoor parking lot may further reduce power consumption. 
         [0036]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram of an LED lighting device for an outdoor parking lot according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         [0037]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , instead of using the parking space determining unit  10  that determines the number of available parking spaces from an image captured by the camera  30 , an LED lighting device for an outdoor parking lot according to another embodiment of the present disclosure transmits an image captured by the camera  30  to a central control room  90  through a communication unit  80 , checks the image in the central control room  90  to determine the number of available parking spaces in a corresponding paring area, and transmits the determination result to the communication unit  80 , thus allowing the lighting controller  40  to determine a color of the auxiliary lighting unit  42  and to control the auxiliary lighting unit  42  to be lighted on in the determined color. 
         [0038]    The determination of the number of available parking spaces in the central control room  90  may be performed automatically by comparison with reference images as in the parking space determining unit  10 , and may be manually controlled by determination of an operator with the naked eyes. 
         [0039]    The communication unit  80  may be wired or wireless communication and may use various communication schemes. In particular, a wireless communication scheme such as ZigBee, WiFi, or the like may be provided, and in the case of WiFi, the communication unit  80  may operate as an access point. 
         [0040]    The present disclosure may further include a base station device unit  81  for supporting communication of a mobile communication terminal. As base station devices have been subminiaturized, the base station devices may be installed in a lighting device, and by including the base station device unit  81 , cost corresponding to installation of a separate base station may be reduced. 
         [0041]    An LED lighting device for an outdoor parking lot according to the present disclosure includes not only a main lighting unit for lighting, but also an auxiliary lighting unit configured to photograph a parking area around the installed LED lighting device, to check whether there are available parking spaces, to determine the number of parking spaces, and to show a different color depending on the number of parking spaces, thereby indicating whether parking is possible in a parking area where the LED lighting device is installed and indicating the number of vehicles that may be parked with a different color depending on a range to allow users to easily identify an available parking area. 
         [0042]    Moreover, according to the present disclosure, the number of available parking spaces is determined using a camera installed in the lighting device, and the outdoor parking lot is monitored using the camera, thereby preventing crimes or accidents and securing proofs or evidence. 
         [0043]    Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, the LED lighting device includes a charging battery therein, so as to be power-charged in early morning hours corresponding to low electric charges, thereby reducing costs and helping stabilization of power supply. 
         [0044]    It would be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art that the present disclosure may be variously modified and changed without departing from the technical subject matter of the present disclosure.