JP2018036838A - Stocker management device and stocker system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To adequately determine a delivery destination for an article from each undertaker when there is more than one undertaker who uses more than one stocker.SOLUTION: A stocker management device 60 manages a plurality of stockers 40 each having a plurality of delivery warehouses 45. Further, a master controller 62 can input a delivery destination determination request for an article 17 from each of a plurality of delivery-related systems 5 (delivery-related systems 5a and 5b) owned by different undertakers, respectively. The master controller 62 determines one of the stockers 40 to be a delivery destination stocker on the basis of the input delivery destination determination request.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a stocker management apparatus and a stocker system.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a system including a delivery box used for delivery of luggage and a device for managing the delivery box is known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes the following system. First, a delivery company (delivery person) who has undertaken delivery of a package stores the delivery package in a delivery box. The delivery person enters a unique package number in the numeric keypad of the delivery box and closes the box. The delivery box transmits its own unique ID and the entered number to the host computer. The addressee of the package accesses the host computer from a public telephone or a portable terminal and requests unlocking. The host computer authenticates the person who has accessed it, and if it is legitimate access, sets a personal identification number for the corresponding electronic lock and informs the personal identification number by voice or the like. The addressee of the package enters the personal identification number into the delivery box and unlocks it.

JP 2003-16520 A

  By the way, it is conceivable that stockers having a plurality of delivery warehouses are installed at a plurality of locations like the delivery box of Patent Document 1, or cases where a plurality of businesses want to use the stockers installed at a plurality of locations together. However, Patent Document 1 does not consider such usage.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and when there are a plurality of business operators using a plurality of stockers, the main purpose is to appropriately determine the delivery destination of goods from each business operator. Objective.

  The present invention employs the following means in order to achieve the main object described above.

The stocker management device of the present invention
A stocker management device for managing a plurality of stockers each having a plurality of delivery boxes,
A delivery destination determination request for an article can be input from each of a plurality of delivery related systems possessed by different business operators, and one of the plurality of stockers is selected as a delivery destination stocker based on the input delivery destination determination request. Destination stocker determination section,
It is equipped with.

  This stocker management apparatus is connected to each of a plurality of delivery-related systems possessed by different business operators, and determines a delivery destination stocker based on the inputted delivery destination determination request. That is, the stocker management apparatus mediates exchange of information between a plurality of business operators and a plurality of stockers. Therefore, when there are a plurality of businesses that use a plurality of stockers, it is possible to appropriately determine the delivery destination stockers of articles from each business operator.

1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a configuration of a stocker system 1. FIG. Explanatory drawing of the management information 65 memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 63 of the parent apparatus 61. FIG. Explanatory drawing of the management information 85 memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 83 of the 1st child apparatus 71. FIG. The flowchart showing an example of a delivery destination determination process routine. The flowchart which shows an example of the process routine at the time of delivery. The flowchart which shows an example of a reception time processing routine.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a configuration of a stocker system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the management information 65 stored in the storage unit 63 of the parent device 61. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the management information 85 stored in the storage unit 83 of the first slave device 71. The stocker system 1 includes a plurality of stockers 40 and a stocker management device 60 including a parent device 61 and a plurality of child devices 70. The stocker system 1 is connected to the network 2 and can communicate with the delivery related system 5 and the portable terminal 21 of the recipient 20 via the network 2.

  The delivery related system 5 is a system possessed by the business operator, and is a system related to delivery of the article 17 to the recipient 20. Here, the “business” includes an article seller and an article 17 delivery company. The “delivery related system” may be a system related to delivery of the article 17, for example, a system related to ordering of the article 17 (for example, receiving an order) or a delivery related to the delivery of the article 17 (eg, a delivery request). System). In the present embodiment, as the delivery related system 5, a delivery related system 5 a possessed by the business A who is the distributor and delivery company of the goods 17, and a delivery related system 5 b possessed by the business B which is the delivery trader of the goods 17, As an example, a case will be described. The business operator A uses the delivery-related system 5a to receive an order for a product such as food or daily necessities from the recipient 20 as the product 17, and delivers the product 17 to the stocker 40 by the delivery company 19 of the business operator A. Then, it is delivered to the recipient 20 via the stocker 40. Further, the business operator B uses the delivery related system 5b to accept a request for delivery of, for example, a document as an article 17 from the sender, and delivers the article 17 to the stocker 40 by the delivery person 19 of the business operator B. To the recipient 20 via.

  The delivery related system 5a is a system for selling and delivering the goods 17 to the recipient 20, the store 10a of the business A, and the business PC 12a which is a computer arranged in the store 10a and managing the delivery related system 5a. Internet supermarket website 15a operated by business operator A. The website 15a can be accessed from the operator PC 12a or the mobile terminal 21 via the network 2, for example.

  The delivery related system 5b is a system for delivering the goods 17 to the recipient 20, the business establishment 10b of the business operator B, and the business operator PC 12b which is a computer arranged in the business establishment 10b and managing the delivery related system 5b, And a mail service website 15b operated by the business operator B. The website 15b is accessible from the business operator PC 12b or the mobile terminal 21 via the network 2, for example.

  The portable terminal 21 is a device possessed by a recipient 20 who orders the item 17 from the carrier A and receives the item 17 from the carriers A and B, and is configured as a portable computer such as a smartphone. Has been.

  The plurality of stockers 40 are used for delivery of the articles 17 delivered from the businesses A and B. In the present embodiment, the stocker system 1 includes two stockers 40 (first and second stockers 41 and 42). Each of the plurality of stockers 40 includes a plurality of (30 in the present embodiment) delivery boxes 45 that can be locked, a display operation unit 54, and readers 55 and 56. Each of the delivery boxes 45 has an internal space in which an article such as the article 17 can be accommodated, a front door 46, a lock mechanism 47 that locks and unlocks the door 46, and an article in the delivery box 45. An article sensor 48 for detecting the presence / absence of a door and an opening / closing sensor 49 for detecting opening / closing of the door 46. The display operation unit 54 includes a touch panel disposed on the front surface of the stocker 40 and displays various information to the delivery person 19 and the recipient 20 and inputs various operations from the delivery person 19 and the recipient 20. Do. The reader 55 is a fixed code reader that reads a code (for example, a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark)) held forward, and is disposed near the display operation unit 54 on the front surface of the stocker 40. . The reader 56 is a hand-held bar code reader that reads the bar code 18 attached to the article 17. The stocker 40 can be used by a large number of recipients 20 and can be arranged in various places such as an office, a convenience store, a factory, a station, a school, and an apartment.

  The stocker management device 60 is a device that manages a plurality of stockers 40, and is configured as a system including a parent device 61 and a plurality of child devices 70. The parent device 61 is configured as a server for the plurality of child devices 70, and includes a parent control unit 62, a storage unit 63, and a communication unit 64. The parent control unit 62 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and controls the entire apparatus. The storage unit 63 stores various data such as various application programs such as processing programs and management information 65 of the stocker 40. The communication unit 64 is connected to the network 2 and performs bidirectional communication with other devices.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the management information 65 stored in the storage unit 63 includes a delivery storage correspondence table 66, a temporary reservation table 67, an article presence / absence table 68, and a priority delivery storage table 69. The delivery storage correspondence table 66 is a table in which a recipient ID, a business operator ID, a delivery ID, a stocker number, a delivery storage number, and an unlock code are associated with each other. The recipient ID is information that can identify the recipient 20. Any information that can identify the recipient may be used. For example, the recipient's mail address may be associated instead of the recipient ID. The business ID is information that can identify the business (here, business A and B). The delivery ID is information that can identify the ordering or delivery of the article 17 in the delivery related systems 5a and 5b. The stocker number is information that can identify which stocker 40 among the plurality of stockers 40. The delivery warehouse number is information that can identify which delivery warehouse 45 in the stocker 40. The unlock code is information (unlock code at the time of receipt) for unlocking the delivery box 45 when the recipient 20 receives the article 17. The temporary reservation table 67 is a table in which the same information as the delivery receipt correspondence table 66 is associated except that the delivery receipt number is not associated. The article presence / absence table 68 is a table in which a stocker number, a delivery warehouse number, and an article presence / absence indicating the presence / absence of an article in the delivery warehouse 45 are associated with each other. Note that the presence / absence of an article in the delivery box 45 is information based on detection of the presence / absence of an article by the article sensor 48, and is information acquired by the parent device 61 from the child device 70. The priority delivery storage table 69 is a table in which stocker numbers, delivery storage numbers, and business operator IDs are associated with each other. The priority delivery storage table 69 is, for each of the plurality of delivery stores 45, whether or not it is a delivery store assigned preferentially to a business operator (also referred to as a priority delivery store), and is a priority delivery store. Is a table that can specify which business operator is assigned. Note that the delivery boxes 45 whose company ID is “-” in the priority delivery table 69 of FIG. 2 are the delivery boxes 45 (free) that are not preferentially assigned to any company. It is also referred to as a delivery warehouse. In the present embodiment, each of the plurality of delivery boxes 45 provided in the first stocker 41 is any one of the priority delivery warehouse of the operator A, the priority delivery warehouse of the operator B, and the free delivery warehouse. . Further, the plurality of delivery boxes 45 provided in the first stocker 41 include one or more of the priority delivery warehouse of the business operator A, the priority delivery warehouse of the business enterprise B, and the free delivery warehouse. Although illustration is omitted, the management information 65 includes a recipient information table in which recipient IDs of a plurality of recipients 20 are associated with mail addresses of the recipients 20.

  The plurality of child devices 70 are configured as clients for the parent device 61. In the present embodiment, the stocker management device 60 includes two slave devices 70 (first and second slave devices 71 and 72). The first slave device 71 is a device that manages the first stocker 41, and is arranged in one box-like room (equipment storage) similar to the delivery box 45 in the first stocker 41. The first child device 71 includes a child control unit 82, a storage unit 83, and a communication unit 84. The child control unit 82 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and controls the entire apparatus. The storage unit 83 stores various application programs such as processing programs and various data such as management information 85 of the first stocker 41. The communication unit 84 is connected to the network 2 and performs bidirectional communication with other devices. The first slave device 71 outputs a display signal to the display operation unit 54 of the first stocker 41 to display information on the display operation unit 54, or inputs an operation signal from the display operation unit 54 of the first stocker 41. The code information read by the readers 55 and 56 of the first stocker 41 is input. Further, the first slave device 71 outputs a control signal to the lock mechanism 47 of the first stocker 41 to control locking and unlocking of the delivery box 45, and from the article sensor 48 and the opening / closing sensor 49 of the first stocker 41. Or the presence / absence of an article in the delivery box 45 or the opening / closing of the door 46 is detected. The second slave device 72 is a device that manages the second stocker 42, and is arranged in the equipment storage of the second stocker 42 in the same manner as the first slave device 71. Although not shown, the second child device 72 includes a child control unit 82, a storage unit 83 that stores management information 85 and the like, and a communication unit 84, similar to the first child device 71.

  The management information 85 stored in the storage unit 83 of the first slave device 71 includes only the information of the first stocker 41 managed by the first slave device 71, the delivery storage correspondence table 66, the temporary reservation table 67, and the article of the parent device 61. The same table as the presence / absence table 68 and the priority delivery storage table 69, that is, the delivery storage correspondence table 86, the temporary reservation table 87, the article presence / absence table 88, and the priority delivery storage table 89 shown in FIG. Similarly, the management information 85 stored in the storage unit 83 of the second slave device 72 includes each table including only the information of the second stocker 42 managed by itself. When the information in the delivery storage correspondence table 66 and the provisional reservation table 67 in the management information 65 is changed, the parent device 61 transmits the changed information to the child device 70 that manages the corresponding stocker 40. Similarly, when the information in the delivery storage correspondence table 86, the temporary reservation table 87, and the article presence / absence table 88 in the management information 85 is changed, the child device 70 transmits the changed information to the parent device 61. For this reason, the management information 65 of the parent device 61 and the management information 85 of the plurality of child devices 70 are synchronized.

  Next, operations of the stocker system 1 and the delivery related systems 5a and 5b configured as described above will be described. The recipient 20 operates the mobile terminal 21 to access the website 15a, inputs the desired item 17, the recipient ID of the recipient, the stocker number of the stocker 40 desired to be delivered, and the like to the business operator A. The product 17 is ordered. When an order is placed, the business operator PC 12a of the delivery-related system 5a acquires the input information, attaches a delivery ID for managing the order, and manages the order information. Further, the business operator PC 12a transmits a delivery destination determination request including the business operator ID of the business operator A and the receiver ID, the delivery ID and the stocker number of the stocker 40 desired to be delivered among the ordering information to the parent device 61. . Also, the sender operates the mobile terminal to access the website 15b, inputs the recipient ID of the recipient 20 who wants to deliver, the stocker number of the stocker 40 who wants to deliver to the recipient 20, and the like. A request for delivery of the article 17 is made to the business operator B. When the request is made, the business operator PC 12b of the delivery related system 5b acquires the input information, attaches a delivery ID for managing the delivery, and manages the delivery information. Further, the business operator PC 12b transmits a delivery destination determination request including the business operator ID of the business operator B and the receiver ID, delivery ID, and stocker number of the stocker 40 desired to be delivered among the delivery information to the parent device 61. . When the parent device 61 inputs the delivery destination determination request for the article 17 from each of the delivery related systems 5a and 5b as described above, one of the stockers 40 among the plurality of stockers 40 is selected based on the input delivery destination determination request. Perform delivery destination determination processing including processing to determine the delivery destination stocker. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a delivery destination determination processing routine executed by the parent control unit 62 of the parent device 61. This routine is stored in the storage unit 63 and is started when the power of the parent device 61 is turned on.

  When this routine is started, the parent control unit 62 first waits until the delivery destination determination request described above is received (input) from the delivery related system 5 (step S100). When the delivery destination determination request is input, the parent control unit 62 determines from which business operator the delivery destination determination request is based on the business operator ID included in the input delivery destination determination request (step S105). . If the determined operator is the operator A, the parent control unit 62 determines a delivery destination stocker based on the input delivery destination determination request (step S110). For example, the parent control unit 62 determines the stocker 40 desired to be delivered included in the delivery destination determination request as it is as the delivery destination stocker. Subsequently, the parent control unit 62 performs the processes of steps S115 to S130 to determine a delivery destination delivery store that is a delivery destination of the article 17 from among a plurality of delivery stores 45 provided in the delivery destination stocker. Specifically, first, the parent control unit 62 checks whether or not there is an empty delivery store in the preferential delivery store assigned in advance to the business operator A (step S115). An empty delivery store is a delivery store 45 that is not scheduled to be used, and in this embodiment, a delivery store 45 for which no delivery store number is stored in the delivery store correspondence table 66. The parent control unit 62 checks the delivery number of the priority delivery store of the business operator A based on the preferred delivery table 69, and further checks whether the delivery number is stored in the delivery store correspondence table 66. Then, it is checked whether or not there is an empty delivery store in the priority delivery store of the business operator A. When one or more of the priority delivery warehouses are empty delivery warehouses, the parent control unit 62 determines one of the empty delivery warehouses as a delivery destination delivery warehouse (step S120). On the other hand, when none of the priority delivery warehouses of the business operator A is an empty delivery warehouse, the parent control unit 62 is the delivery warehouse 45 that is not assigned to any of the priority delivery warehouses of the business operators A and B. It is checked whether or not there is an empty delivery store in the free delivery store (step S125). That is, the parent control unit 62 checks the delivery warehouse number of the free delivery warehouse based on the priority delivery warehouse table 69 and checks whether or not the delivery warehouse number is stored in the delivery warehouse correspondence table 66. If one or more of the free delivery warehouses are empty delivery warehouses, the parent control unit 62 determines one of the empty delivery warehouses as a delivery destination delivery warehouse (step S130). In this way, the parent control unit 62 performs the processes of steps S115 to S130, so that the business related to the delivery destination determination request (in this case, the business operator A that transmitted the delivery destination determination request) among the empty delivery boxes. The priority delivery warehouse is determined as the delivery destination delivery warehouse. In addition, when all free delivery warehouses are not empty delivery warehouses by step S125, the parent control part 62 performs the process after step S110. That is, the parent control unit 62 changes the delivery destination stocker to another stocker 40, and determines a delivery destination delivery storage from the delivery storage 45 provided in the changed stocker 40. When changing the delivery destination stocker, for example, the delivery destination stocker may be changed to the stocker 40 located closest to the delivery requester stocker 40 included in the delivery destination determination request. Further, the parent control unit 62 may transmit an error notification to the delivery related system 5a without changing the delivery destination stocker when all the free delivery warehouses are not empty delivery warehouses in step S125. In this case, the delivery-related system 5a may notify the recipient 20 of the portable terminal 21 to cancel the order or change the stocker 40 for delivery.

  When the delivery destination warehouse is determined in step S120 or S130, the parent control unit 62 determines the stocker number of the determined delivery destination stocker, the determined delivery location number of the delivery destination delivery warehouse, the delivery warehouse correspondence table 66, and the temporary reservation table. The delivery code correspondence table 66 in which the unlock code different from any of the unlock codes stored in 67 is associated with the receiver ID, business operator ID and delivery ID included in the delivery destination determination request input in step S100. (Step S140). Further, the parent control unit 62 associates the stocker number, the delivery warehouse number, and the delivery ID included in the delivery destination determination request, and transmits them to the business operator PC 12a of the business operator A (step S145). In step S145, the parent control unit 62 does not need to transmit the delivery number. Further, the parent control unit 62 may omit the process of step S145 when the delivery desired stocker 40 received in step S100 is determined as the delivery destination stocker in step S110. Subsequently, the parent control unit 62 transmits an unlock code notification including the two-dimensional code representing the unlock code stored in step S140 to the mail address of the recipient ID stored this time (step S150), and step S100. The subsequent processing is executed. Note that the unlock code notification may include information on the determined delivery destination stocker and delivery destination storage.

  On the other hand, when the business operator determined in step S105 is the business operator B, the parent control unit 62 determines the delivery desired stocker 40 included in the input delivery destination determination request as it is as the delivery destination stocker (step S155). . Subsequently, the parent control unit 62 inputs the stocker number of the determined delivery destination stocker, the unlock code different from any unlock codes stored in the delivery storage correspondence table 66 and the temporary reservation table 67, and the input at step S100. The recipient ID, the company ID, and the delivery ID included in the delivery destination determination request are associated with each other and stored in the temporary reservation table 67 (step S160). This process is the same as the process in step S140 except that the delivery destination storage is not determined and stored in the temporary reservation table 67. Further, the parent control unit 62 associates the stocker number with the delivery ID included in the delivery destination determination request and transmits it to the business operator B 12b of the business operator B (step S165), and the unlock code stored in step S160. An unlock code notification including a two-dimensional code representing the above is transmitted to the mail address of the recipient ID stored this time (step S170), and the processes after step S100 are executed. The unlock code notification may include information on the determined delivery destination stocker.

  Thus, in the delivery destination determination processing routine, the parent control unit 62 performs different processing depending on which business operator is the business operator related to the delivery destination determination request. Specifically, when the delivery destination determination request is received from the business operator A, the parent control unit 62 not only determines the delivery destination stocker but also determines the delivery destination warehouse, and the determined information is delivered to the delivery warehouse. Store in the correspondence table 66. On the other hand, when the delivery destination determination request is received from the business operator B, the parent control unit 62 determines the delivery destination stocker but does not determine the delivery destination storage, and stores the determined information in the temporary reservation table 67. To do. In addition, when the delivery destination determination request is received from the business operator B, the parent control unit 62 does not determine the delivery destination delivery store and does not check the empty delivery store. Therefore, even if the stocker 40 has no empty delivery store. It can be determined as a destination stocker. Further, the provisional reservation table 67 stores a set of mutually associated data stored in step S160 (data stored with one delivery destination determination request) as the number of delivery boxes 45 that the delivery destination stocker has. It is allowed to memorize above.

  On the other hand, the store clerk of the store 10a of the business operator A arranges the product 17 and supplies the product to the deliverer 19 based on the ordering information stored in the business operator PC 12a and the stocker number of the delivery destination stocker transmitted from the stocker system 1. 17 delivery instructions are given. The article 17 is given a barcode 18 indicating the delivery ID described above. The delivery person 19 delivers the article 17 to the delivery destination stocker 40 and delivers it to the delivery box 45. Further, the delivery person 19 of the business operator B receives the article 17 to be delivered from the sender and attaches the barcode 18 indicating the above. The delivery person 19 delivers the article 17 to the delivery destination stocker based on the delivery information stored in the business operator PC 12b, the delivery destination stocker number transmitted from the stocker system 1, and the delivery to the delivery warehouse 45. To do. When the deliverers 19 of the business operators A and B deliver the goods 17 to the delivery store 45, the slave device 70 that manages the delivery destination stocker unlocks the delivery destination storehouse based on the operation of the deliverer 19 and the like. Process at the time of delivery. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a delivery processing routine executed by the child control unit 82 of the child device 70. This routine is stored in the storage unit 83, and is executed, for example, when an operator (usually the delivery person 19) inputs that the article 17 is to be delivered from the display operation unit 54.

  When this routine is started, the child control unit 82 first displays a business operator ID input screen on the display operation unit 54 (step S200). Here, in order to prove that the delivery person 19 is a regular delivery person, it is assumed that the delivery person 19 carries a delivery person card attached with a two-dimensional code representing the establishment ID of the establishment. . A screen for prompting the delivery card over the reader 55 is displayed on the display operation unit 54. Subsequently, the child control unit 82 waits until an operator ID is input via the reader 55 (step S205), and based on the input operator ID, the operator 19 is associated with which operator. Specify (step S210). The child control unit 82 determines whether or not the input business ID matches the business ID of any of the multiple business operators (here, business operators A and B) stored in the storage unit 83. Judgment is made.

  If it is determined in step S210 that the deliverer 19 is related to the carrier A, the child control unit 82 waits until the code information of the barcode 18 is input via the reader 56 (step S220). The delivery ID included in the code information is acquired.

  Subsequently, the child control unit 82 checks the delivery warehouse number corresponding to the acquired delivery ID using the delivery warehouse correspondence table 66, and resolves the delivery warehouse 45 (that is, the delivery destination delivery warehouse) specified by the delivery warehouse number. Lock (step S230).

  Thereafter, the child control unit 82 waits until it detects completion of delivery of the article 17 to the unlocked delivery box 45 based on the detection status of the article sensor 48 and the open / close sensor 49 (step S235). For example, the child control unit 82 determines that the delivery is complete when the article sensor 48 detects the presence of an article in the delivery box 45 and the open / close sensor 49 detects the closing of the door 46 of the delivery box 45. When the delivery completion is detected, the child control unit 82 locks the delivery box 45 (step S240) and ends this routine. When the article sensor 48 detects that there is an article in the delivery box 45, the presence / absence of an article in the article presence / absence table 88 stored in the storage unit 83 is changed, and the change is reflected in the article presence / absence table 68 of the parent device 61. The

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S210 that the deliverer 19 is related to the carrier B, the child control unit 82 waits until the code information of the barcode 18 is input via the reader 56 (step S250). The delivery ID included in the generated code information is acquired.

  Subsequently, the child control unit 82 performs the processing of steps S115B to S130B, and determines a delivery destination storehouse that is a delivery destination of the article 17 from the plurality of delivery stores 45 provided in the delivery destination stocker. Steps S115B to S130B are performed in the same manner as steps S115 to S130 in FIG. That is, the child control unit 82 checks whether or not there is an empty delivery store in the priority delivery store pre-assigned to the business operator B based on the delivery store correspondence table 86 and the article presence / absence table 88 (step S115B). . If one or more of the priority delivery warehouses are empty delivery warehouses, the child control unit 82 determines one of the empty delivery warehouses as a delivery destination delivery warehouse (step S120B). On the other hand, if none of the priority delivery warehouses of the business operator B is an empty delivery warehouse, the child control unit 82 checks whether or not there is an empty delivery warehouse in the free delivery warehouse (step S125B). If one or more of the delivery warehouses are empty delivery warehouses, one of the empty delivery warehouses is determined as a delivery destination delivery warehouse (step S130B). If there is no empty delivery store in the free delivery store in step S125B, an error display indicating that the article 17 cannot be delivered is displayed on the display operation unit 54 (step S260), and this routine is terminated. To do. In this case, the delivery person 19 carries out delivery again by taking the article 17 back to the office 10b. In addition, the delivery person 19 may deliver the articles | goods 17 to a delivery destination stocker after confirming beforehand the empty condition of each delivery warehouse 45 from the establishment 10b using company PC12b. In this way, it is difficult to cause a situation in which the goods 17 cannot be delivered and must be taken home.

  As described above, for the article 17 delivered by the business operator A, the delivery destination delivery warehouse is also determined when determining the delivery destination stocker (referred to as delivery warehouse determination method A), whereas the product delivered by the business operator B The delivery destination delivery store 17 is determined for the first time when the delivery person 19 delivers the article 17 to the delivery destination stocker (referred to as delivery store determination method B). In the delivery warehouse determination method B, if there is a vacant delivery warehouse at the timing when the delivery person 19 tries to deliver the article 17 to the delivery warehouse 45, the vacant delivery warehouse can be determined as the delivery destination delivery warehouse and delivered. It is possible to increase the utilization efficiency of the delivery box 45. On the other hand, in the delivery warehouse determination method A, since the delivery destination delivery warehouse is also decided when the delivery destination stocker is decided, there is a shortage of empty delivery warehouses at the timing when the delivery person 19 tries to deliver, and delivery is not possible. Can be avoided. Since goods 17 are included in the goods 17 delivered by the business operator A, the business operator A adopts the delivery warehouse determination method A. On the other hand, the goods 17 delivered by the operator B are mainly documents, and even if the delivery person 19 takes them home and delivers them again, problems do not easily occur. Is adopted.

  When the delivery destination storage is determined in step S120B or S130B, the child control unit 82 updates the delivery storage correspondence table 86 and the temporary reservation table 87 (step S265). Specifically, the child control unit 82 reads information corresponding to the delivery ID acquired in step S250 (receiver ID, business operator ID, unlocking code) from the temporary reservation table 87 and delivers the information to the information. The delivery number corresponding to the pre-delivery store is associated and stored in the delivery store correspondence table 86. Further, the information is deleted from the temporary reservation table 87. These updates are also reflected in the delivery storage correspondence table 66 and the provisional reservation table 67 of the parent device 61.

  Subsequently, the child control unit 82 unlocks the determined delivery destination warehouse (step S270).

  Thereafter, the child control unit 82 waits until the delivery completion of the article 17 to the unlocked delivery container 45 is detected (step S275). When the delivery completion is detected, the delivery controller 45 is locked (step S280). End the routine. When the article sensor 48 detects that there is an article in the delivery box 45, the presence / absence of an article in the article presence / absence table 88 stored in the storage unit 83 is changed, and the change is reflected in the article presence / absence table 68 of the parent device 61. The

  When the parent control unit 62 detects that the presence / absence of an article corresponding to any delivery number in the article presence / absence table 68 is changed from no article to presence of an article, the delivery warehouse correspondence table 66 displays the delivery warehouse 45. A delivery completion mail is transmitted to the mail address of the recipient ID corresponding to.

  The recipient 20 that has received the delivery completion mail at the portable terminal 21 goes to the delivery destination stocker and receives the article 17 delivered to the delivery box 45. At this time, the slave device 70 that manages the delivery destination stocker performs a receiving process for unlocking the delivery destination delivery box based on the operation of the recipient 20. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a reception processing routine executed by the child control unit 82 of the child device 70. This routine is stored in the storage unit 83, and is executed when, for example, an operator (usually the recipient 20) inputs that the article 17 is to be received from the display operation unit 54.

  When this routine is started, the child control unit 82 first displays an unlock code input screen (not shown) that prompts the recipient 20 to input the unlock code on the display operation unit 54 (step S300). The recipient 20 displays the unlock code (two-dimensional code here) included in the above-described unlock code notification on the display screen of the mobile terminal 21 and causes the reader 55 to read it. The child control unit 82 waits until the unlocking code is input via the reader 55 (step S310), and the delivery storage 45 (specified by the delivery storage number associated with the unlocking code in the delivery storage correspondence table 66 ( That is, the delivery destination warehouse is unlocked (step S320). Subsequently, the child control unit 82 waits until it detects completion of receipt of the article 17 in the unlocked delivery box 45 based on the detection status of the article sensor 48 and the open / close sensor 49 (step S330). For example, the child control unit 82 determines that the reception has been completed when the article sensor 48 detects that there is no article in the delivery box 45 and the open / close sensor 49 detects that the door 46 of the delivery box 45 is closed. When the reception completion is detected, the child control unit 82 locks the delivery storage 45 that has been received (step S340), updates the delivery storage correspondence table 86 (step S350), and ends this routine. Specifically, the child control unit 82 deletes information (corresponding to an unlocking code or the like) related to the delivery warehouse 45 that has been received from the delivery warehouse correspondence table 86. This update is also reflected in the delivery table correspondence table 66 of the parent device 61.

  Here, the correspondence between the components of the present embodiment and the components of the present invention will be clarified. The parent control unit 62 that performs steps S100, S110, and S155 of the present embodiment corresponds to a delivery destination stocker determination unit of the present invention. The storage unit 63 that stores the priority delivery storage table 69 and the storage unit 83 that stores the priority delivery storage table 89 correspond to the priority delivery storage information storage unit, and the parent control unit 62 that performs steps S115 to S130 of FIG. The child control unit 82 that performs steps S115B to S130B in FIG. 5 corresponds to a delivery destination depot determination unit.

  In the stocker system 1 of the present embodiment described in detail above, the stocker management device 60 manages a plurality of stockers 40 each having a plurality of delivery boxes 45. Further, the parent control unit 62 can input a delivery destination determination request for the article 17 from each of a plurality of delivery related systems 5 (here, delivery related systems 5a and 5b) possessed by different business operators. Then, the parent control unit 62 determines one of the plurality of stockers 40 as a delivery destination stocker based on the input delivery destination determination request. In this way, the stocker management device 60 (particularly the parent device 61) is connected to each of the plurality of delivery related systems 5 possessed by different business operators, and stores information between the plurality of business operators and the plurality of stockers 40. Mediates exchanges. Therefore, when there are a plurality of businesses using a plurality of stockers 40, it is possible to appropriately determine the delivery destination stockers of the articles 17 from the businesses.

  In addition, the parent device 61 stores a priority delivery storage table 69 in which the business ID is associated with the delivery storage number that can specify the delivery storage 45 (priority delivery storage) that can be used preferentially by the business. A storage unit 63 is provided. Furthermore, the parent control unit 62 determines the delivery destination delivery warehouse of the article 17 from the plurality of delivery warehouses 45 provided in the delivery destination stocker, and the business operator related to the article 17 is stored in the priority delivery warehouse table 69. If the delivery number associated with the business ID is included, the delivery 45 specified by the delivery number is preferentially determined as the delivery destination. Therefore, when there are a plurality of businesses that use a plurality of stockers 40, not only the delivery destination stockers of the articles 17 from the respective businesses but also the delivery destination storage can be appropriately determined. In addition, by using the priority delivery storage table 69, it is possible to assign the delivery warehouse 45 that can be preferentially used to the business operator, so that there is an empty delivery store that can be determined as the delivery destination for the assigned business operator. It is possible to make it difficult to produce a state of being completely absent. The same applies to the slave device 70.

  Further, when determining the delivery destination storage for the article 17 among the delivery destination stockers, the parent control unit 62 is associated with the provider ID of the provider related to the article 17 in the priority delivery storage table 69. If none of the delivery warehouses 45 specified by the delivery warehouse number is an empty delivery warehouse that can be determined by the delivery destination, any business in the delivery warehouse 45 of the delivery destination stocker based on the priority delivery warehouse table 69. One of the delivery warehouses 45 is determined as a delivery destination delivery warehouse among the empty delivery warehouses (empty delivery warehouses in the free delivery warehouse) not associated with the person information. Therefore, for example, compared to a case where delivery of the article 17 to a place other than the delivery storage 45 assigned to be preferentially used is not permitted, a state in which there is no empty delivery store that can be determined at the delivery destination can be more unlikely to occur. The same applies to the child control unit 82.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various modes as long as it belongs to the technical scope of the present invention.

  In the above-described embodiment, in the priority delivery storage table 69, the priority delivery storage is assigned in advance in the priority delivery storage tables 69 and 89 for both the businesses A and B. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the business operator B may not be assigned any priority delivery warehouse. In this case, the child control unit 82 makes a negative determination in step S115B of FIG. 5 because there is no operator B's priority delivery in the first place, and if there is an empty delivery store in the free delivery store in step S125B, In S130B, one of the empty delivery warehouses is determined as the delivery destination delivery warehouse. That is, the child control unit 82, based on the priority delivery storage table 89, stores the delivery destination stocker when the delivery storage number associated with the business ID of the business operator B is not included in the priority delivery storage table 89. Among the delivery boxes 45, any one of the empty delivery boxes that are not associated with any company ID information is preferentially determined as a delivery destination delivery box. If it carries out like this, it can suppress that the provider to which priority delivery warehouse is not allocated will use the priority delivery warehouse of another provider.

  In the above-described embodiment, when there is no empty delivery store for any of the priority delivery stores and free delivery stores assigned to the business operators among the delivery destination delivery stores (No in steps S125 and S125B), the parent control is performed. The unit 62 and the child control unit 82 do not determine the delivery destination storage. In other words, the parent control unit 62 and the child control unit 82 do not determine the priority delivery storage assigned to another business operator as the delivery destination delivery storage. However, not limited to this, if there is no empty delivery warehouse for both the priority delivery warehouse and the free delivery warehouse assigned to the business operator, the empty delivery warehouse in the priority delivery warehouse assigned to the other business operator. If there is an empty delivery warehouse, any one of them may be determined as the delivery destination delivery warehouse.

  In the embodiment described above, the parent control unit 62 and the child control unit 82, if there is no empty delivery store in the priority delivery store assigned to the business operator, if there is an empty delivery store in the free delivery store. One of the above has been determined as the delivery destination storage, but is not limited to this. For example, the parent control unit 62 and the child control unit 82 do not need to determine a delivery destination delivery store when there is no empty delivery store in the priority delivery store assigned to the business operator. In this way, the free delivery warehouse can be kept as much as possible. For example, it becomes easier for other businesses to which no priority delivery warehouse is assigned to use the free delivery warehouse.

  In the embodiment described above, the priority delivery storage tables 69 and 89 are stored in the storage units 63 and 83, but may not be stored. That is, the priority delivery storage is not assigned to any of the business operators, and all of the plurality of delivery storages 45 included in the stocker 40 may be free delivery storages.

  In the embodiment described above, the delivery storage determination methods A and B used by the different operators A and B are employed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Further, in the delivery warehouse determination method B, the child control unit 82 may cause the delivery person 19 to collect the article 17 when a predetermined period (for example, 3 days) has passed without the recipient 20 receiving it after delivery of the article 17. . For example, the child control unit 82 also stores the date and time when the article 17 was delivered in the delivery table correspondence table 86 in association with each other, and the article 17 to be collected depends on whether or not a predetermined period has passed from that date and time. The delivered warehouse 45 may be specified. In this case, the child control unit 82 identifies the business operator in step S210 of FIG. 5 and then has the delivery box 45 associated with the business operator and delivered with the article 17 to be collected. The delivery box 45 may be unlocked to prompt the delivery person 19 to collect.

  In the above-described embodiment, information is stored in the delivery correspondence table 66, 86 until the article 17 is received after the delivery destination delivery is determined, and during that time, the delivery destination delivery is not an empty delivery warehouse. Although determined, it is not limited to this. For example, the delivery table correspondence tables 66 and 86 may be associated with information on the usage period of the delivery destination delivery store. In this case, the parent control unit 62 and the child control unit 82 regard the delivery storage 45 corresponding to the delivery storage number in the delivery storage correspondence table 86 as an empty delivery storage except for the corresponding usage period. May be. In this way, it is possible to appropriately determine the delivery destination warehouse in consideration of the period of use.

  In the embodiment described above, one or more of the plurality of stockers 40 may be owned by an owner different from the other stockers 40. Further, a business operator related to the article 17 may own the stocker 40. For example, the business operator A may own the first stocker 41 and the business operator B may own the second stocker 42. In such a case, for example, the storage unit 63 has stocker information in which stocker information (for example, stocker number) that can identify any of the plurality of stockers 40 is associated with the owner of the stocker 40 identified by the stocker information. Person information may be stored. Then, when determining the delivery destination stocker based on the delivery destination determination request, the parent control unit 62 specifies, based on the stocker owner information, the business ID included in the delivery destination determination request among the plurality of stockers 40. The stocker 40 owned by the service provider may be preferentially determined as the delivery destination stocker. Note that the parent control unit 62 selects one of the stockers 40 owned by another business operator when there is no empty delivery store in any stocker 40 owned by the business operator specified based on the delivery destination determination request. The destination stocker may be determined. Further, the parent control unit 62 may feed back information based on the usage history of the stocker 40 to the operator. For example, the child control unit 82 may transmit to the delivery related system 5 of the business operator that the addition of a new stocker 40 is recommended based on the usage history of the stocker 40. More specifically, for example, any of the stockers 40 owned by the business operator specified based on the delivery destination determination request does not have an empty delivery warehouse, and any of the stockers 40 owned by other businesses is used as the delivery stocker. When the number of times is determined, the number of times may be counted, and when the number of times exceeds a predetermined threshold, it may be output that the increase of the stocker 40 is recommended to the delivery related system 5 of the business operator.

  In the above-described embodiment, the plurality of stockers 40 and the slave devices 70 are the same devices, but are not limited thereto. For example, the manufacturer and specifications may be different between the first stocker 41 and the first slave device 71 and the second stocker 42 and the second slave device 72. In such a case, for example, depending on the specifications of the child device 70, there is a case where information cannot be directly exchanged with the delivery related system 5. Even in such a case, the master device 61 mediates the exchange of information between the delivery-related system 5 and the stocker 40 and the slave device 70, so that the stocker 40 having the slave device 70 having different specifications from the others can be used. Even if it exists, it becomes easy to determine the delivery destination stocker, such as being able to determine the delivery destination stocker.

  In the above-described embodiment, the parent control unit 62 executes the routine of FIG. 4 and the child control unit 82 executes the routines of FIGS. 5 and 6. However, if the stocker management device 60 can execute these routines as a whole, Good. For example, the child device 70 and the parent device 61 may share and execute any of the routines of FIGS. 4 to 6, or the parent control unit 62 may execute the routines of FIGS.

  In the embodiment described above, the stocker management device 60 includes the parent device 61 and the plurality of child devices 70, but is not limited thereto. For example, the parent device 61 may exchange information with the lock mechanism 47, the article sensor 48, the open / close sensor 49, the display operation unit 54, the readers 55, 56, etc. without the plurality of child devices 70. Alternatively, the parent device 61 may not be provided, and a plurality of child devices 70 may be configured as independent stocker management devices 60. Moreover, although the subunit | mobile_unit 70 was arrange | positioned in the box-shaped one room similar to the delivery warehouse 45 among the stockers 40, it is not restricted to this. For example, the child device 70 corresponding to a location different from the stocker 40 may be arranged. One slave device 70 may manage a plurality of stockers 40.

  1 stocker system, 2 networks, 5, 5a, 5b delivery related system, 10a store, 10b office, 12a, 12b business PC, 15a, 15b website, 17 goods, 18 barcode, 19 delivery person, 20 recipient , 21 mobile terminal, 40 stocker, 41, 42 first and second stockers, 45 delivery warehouse, 46 door, 47 lock mechanism, 48 article sensor, 49 open / close sensor, 54 display operation unit, 55,56 reader, 60 stocker Management device, 61 parent device, 62 parent control unit, 63 storage unit, 64 communication unit, 65 management information, 66 delivery storage correspondence table, 67 provisional reservation table, 68 article presence / absence table, 69 priority delivery storage table, 70 child device, 71, 72 First and second child devices, 82 Child control unit, 83 Storage unit, 84 Communication unit, 85 Management information, 86 delivery box correspondence table, 87 temporary reservation table, 88 articles existence table, 89 priority delivery cabinet table.

Claims (5)

A stocker management device for managing a plurality of stockers each having a plurality of delivery boxes,
A delivery destination determination request for an article can be input from each of a plurality of delivery related systems possessed by different business operators, and one of the plurality of stockers is selected as a delivery destination stocker based on the input delivery destination determination request. Destination stocker determination section,
Stocker management device with The stocker management device according to claim 1,
Priority delivery that stores priority delivery information that correlates business information that can identify any of the businesses and delivery information that can identify the delivery that can be preferentially used by the business Storage information storage unit,
In determining the delivery destination warehouse for the article from among the plurality of delivery warehouses provided in the delivery destination stocker, the priority delivery warehouse information is associated with the enterprise information of the enterprise related to the article. When the delivery warehouse information is included, a delivery destination delivery warehouse determination unit that preferentially determines the delivery warehouse specified by the delivery warehouse information as the delivery destination delivery warehouse;
Stocker management device with When determining the delivery destination warehouse for the article among the delivery destination stockers, the delivery destination delivery warehouse determination unit associates with the business operator information of the business entity related to the article in the priority delivery warehouse information If none of the delivery warehouses specified by the delivered delivery warehouse information is an empty delivery warehouse that can be determined by the delivery destination, any of the delivery warehouses of the delivery destination stocker based on the priority delivery warehouse information Determine one of the empty delivery warehouses that is not associated with the carrier information as the delivery destination delivery warehouse;
The stocker management apparatus according to claim 2. The stocker management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Priority delivery that stores priority delivery information that correlates business information that can identify any of the businesses and delivery information that can identify the delivery that can be preferentially used by the business Storage information storage unit,
In determining the delivery destination warehouse for the article from among the plurality of delivery warehouses provided in the delivery destination stocker, the priority delivery warehouse information is associated with the enterprise information of the enterprise related to the article. If the delivery warehouse information is not included, any delivery warehouse among the empty delivery warehouses that are not associated with any company information among the delivery warehouses of the delivery destination stocker based on the priority delivery warehouse information A delivery destination delivery store determining unit that preferentially determines the delivery destination delivery store,
Stocker management device with A stocker management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The plurality of stockers;
Stocker system equipped with.

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