JP2023123994A - delivery drone - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a delivery drone that can appropriately deliver an article.SOLUTION: A delivery drone 10 comprises: an arrival determining part 31 that determines whether information on a current position of the drone arrives in a predetermined range, from positional information on a delivery destination of an article; a face detecting part 32A that when the arrival determining part 31 determines that the drone 10 arrives in the predetermined range from the positional information on the delivery destination of the article, detects a face of a person from a video image photographed with a camera 13 and a video image obtained through a communication part 19; a face determining part 33A that determines whether or not the face of the person detected from the video image photographed with the camera 13 matches the face of the person detected from the video image obtained through the communication part 19, by comparing both faces with each other; and a release position determining part 34A that when the face determining part 33A determines that the face of the person detected from the video image photographed with the camera 13 matches the face of the person detected from the video image obtained through the communication part 19, determines that a spot of the face of the person detected from the video image photographed with the camera 13 is a release position of the article.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

The present invention relates to delivery drones.

A technique for generating landing candidate position information from images captured by an unmanned flying object, a so-called drone, has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). A technique for identifying a destination by matching a captured image with a destination image has been disclosed (see Patent Document 2, for example).

JP 2020-057225 A WO2020/012632

In the future, when companies use drones to deliver goods to individuals or deliver goods between individuals, not all recipients will be able to secure a pick-up location for drones. Also, it is very difficult to determine the pick-up location by drone alone. Furthermore, it is expected that many of the pick-up locations provided by individuals will be similar in terms of image, so if the location is determined only by the image, there is a possibility of erroneous location being determined. In addition, there is a possibility that a third party may receive the article when the recipient is absent.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to appropriately perform delivery of articles by drone.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a delivery drone according to the present invention is a delivery drone for delivering goods, comprising: a position information acquisition unit for acquiring current position information of the drone; an imaging unit that captures an image of the surroundings of the drone; a release control unit that releases the item; a communication unit that acquires information regarding the ordering of the item from another device; an arrival determination unit that determines that the item has arrived within a predetermined range from the delivery destination position information of the item acquired via a unit; a face detection unit that detects a person's face from the image captured by the imaging unit and the image acquired via the communication unit when it is determined that the image has reached the predetermined range; and the image captured by the imaging unit. A face determination unit that compares a human face detected from a video with a human face detected from an image acquired through the communication unit and determines whether or not they match, and the face determination unit, When it is determined that the human face detected from the image captured by the imaging unit matches the human face detected from the image acquired through the communication unit, the human face detected from the image captured by the imaging unit and a release position determination unit that determines the position of the person's face as the release position of the article.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, there exists an effect that delivery of the goods can be performed appropriately by a drone.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an article delivery system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a drone. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the drone according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an article delivery control device. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a terminal device. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of processing in the drone of the article delivery system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of processing in the drone of the article delivery system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a drone according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of processing in the drone of the article delivery system according to the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of processing in the drone of the article delivery system according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of processing in the drone of the article delivery system according to the fifth embodiment.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of a delivery drone (hereinafter referred to as "drone") according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the present invention is not limited by the following embodiments.

[First embodiment]
(goods delivery system)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an article delivery system 1 according to the first embodiment. The goods delivery system 1 is a system that uses a drone 10 to deliver goods. The goods delivery system 1 includes a drone 10 and a goods delivery control device 50 . In this embodiment, an article delivery system 1 includes a drone 10 , an article delivery control device 50 and a terminal device 70 . The drone 10, the article delivery control device 50, and the terminal device 70 can communicate information via a network.

(drone)
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of drone 10 . The drone 10 includes a drive unit 15 for flying and a release mechanism 16 for releasing an article from a held state. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the article 100 is held. The drone 10 is an unmanned flying object that delivers articles to a destination. The drone 10 delivers an item using the delivery location information of the item as a destination. The drone 10 may fly autonomously to a destination, for example. The drone 10 may fly to a destination by being controlled by the operator via a remote controller. The drone 10 may fly to a destination by combining autonomous flight and control by an operator. In the following description, the drone 10 will be described as flying autonomously to the destination.

The drone 10 flies to a destination with the article ordered by the orderer mounted on its main body. The item is held, for example, by an arm extending from the body. A known method can be used for the method of holding the article by the drone 10 and is not limited. When the drone 10 reaches the destination, the drone 10 determines the delivery position of the article, and performs control to release the article in the air above the delivery position or land at the delivery position.

The goods may be transported by the drone 10 from, for example, a delivery source or a delivery company's office to a destination. For example, the goods may be transported by vehicle from the office of the delivery company to several kilometers to several tens of meters before the destination, and then transported by the drone 10 to the destination.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the drone 10. As shown in FIG. The drone 10 includes a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 11 , a sensor 12 , a camera (imaging unit) 13 , a drive unit 15 , a release mechanism 16 , a communication unit 19 and a control unit 20 . The drone 10 can communicate information with the article delivery control device 50 via a network using the communication section 19 controlled by the communication control section 29 .

The GNSS receiver 11 receives GNSS signals from GNSS satellites. The GNSS receiver 11 outputs the received GNSS signal to the position information acquisition unit 21 of the controller 20 . The GNSS receiver 11 is composed of, for example, a GNSS receiver circuit capable of receiving GNSS signals, an antenna, and the like.

The sensor 12 is a sensor that detects objects around the drone 10 . The sensor 12 is, for example, a sensor for ultrasonic waves, infrared rays, or the like arranged toward the periphery of the drone 10 . The sensor 12 is, for example, a sensor that detects obstacles around the drone 10 . For example, it is a sensor that detects the flight altitude of the drone 10 from the ground. The altitude sensor 12 outputs the detected sensor data to the sensor information acquisition section 22 .

The camera 13 is a camera that captures images around the drone 10 . The camera 13 takes images around the destination. In this embodiment, the camera 13 captures images used for autonomous flight control of the drone 10 . In this embodiment, the camera 13 captures an image for judging the location of the delivery position of the article. A camera 13 is mounted on the drone 10 . The camera 13 is arranged downward on the main body of the drone 10, for example. For example, the camera 13 always takes pictures from when the drone 10 starts flying until it finishes flying. The camera 13 outputs the captured image to the image acquisition unit 23 of the control unit 20 .

The drive unit 15 is a motor that causes the drone 10 to fly. The drive unit 15 is, for example, a motor that controls the rotation of the propeller of the drone 10 . The rotation of the drive portion 15 is controlled by a control signal from the drive control portion 37 of the control portion 20 . By controlling the rotation of the drive unit 15, the drone 10 performs various flight operations such as taking off and landing, moving forward, turning, ascending, descending, and hovering.

The release mechanism 16 is a drive mechanism including an actuator or a motor that operates a holding portion holding an article of the drone 10 . The release mechanism 16 is, for example, an actuator that operates an arm of the drone 10 that holds the article. The release mechanism 16 is controlled by a control signal from the release controller 38 of the controller 20 . The release mechanism 16 is controlled to switch between holding and releasing the article.

The communication unit 19 is a communication unit that performs wide-area wireless communication. The communication unit 19 communicates information with the article delivery control device 50 via a network, for example. The network is, for example, the Internet network, but is not limited to this. The communication unit 19 is composed of, for example, a wide area wireless communication module for a mobile phone network. The communication unit 19 is composed of a communication module such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and may be connected to an arbitrary access point or another smartphone to realize wide-area wireless communication. In the present embodiment, the communication unit 19 acquires information regarding the ordering of goods from the goods delivery control device 50, which is an example of another device.

The information related to the ordering of goods includes, for example, information indicating delivery instructions, delivery destination position information of goods, terminal information uniquely identifying the terminal device 70, a delivery position specific image captured by the terminal device 70, and the terminal device 70 Contains the current location information of the .

(control part)
The control unit 20 is an arithmetic processing device (control device) including, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 20 loads a stored program into memory and executes instructions included in the program. The control unit 20 includes an internal memory (not shown), which is used for temporary storage of data in the control unit 20 and the like. The control unit 20 controls the drone 10 . The control unit 20 includes a position information acquisition unit 21, a sensor information acquisition unit 22, an image acquisition unit 23, a storage unit 28, a communication control unit 29, an arrival determination unit 31, a location determination unit 32, an orderer It has a determination section 33 , a release position determination section 34 , a flight control section 36 , a drive control section 37 and a release control section 38 . Therefore, the control unit 20 is a delivery control unit that executes a delivery method using the drone 10, and is a computer that executes a delivery program.

The position information acquisition unit 21 calculates the current position information of the drone 10 by a known method based on the radio waves received by the GNSS reception unit 11 .

The sensor information acquisition unit 22 acquires sensor data from the sensor 12 . The sensor information acquisition unit 22 acquires sensor data capable of detecting obstacles around the drone 10, for example. The sensor information acquisition unit 22 acquires, for example, sensor data capable of detecting the flight altitude of the drone 10 from the ground.

The video acquisition unit 23 acquires video captured by the camera 13 . The image acquisition section 23 outputs the acquired image to the flight control section 36 . The video acquisition unit 23 may store the acquired video in a storage device (not shown), or may transmit the video to an external device such as a remote monitoring facility of a delivery company under the control of the communication control unit 29 .

The storage unit 28 is a storage device that stores programs and data used by the control unit 20 . At least one of nonvolatile or volatile semiconductor memories such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, and EEPROM is used for the storage unit 28, for example.

The communication control unit 29 controls communication with the article delivery control device 50 by controlling the communication unit 19 . When the preparation for delivery of the article is completed, the communication control section 29 transmits to the article delivery control device 50 delivery preparation completion information indicating that the preparation for delivery has been completed. The communication control unit 29 receives information indicating a delivery instruction from the article delivery control device 50 . The communication control unit 29 receives from the goods delivery control device 50 delivery destination position information, terminal information for uniquely identifying the terminal device 70 , delivery position specific video captured by the terminal device 70 , and current position information of the terminal device 70 . receive.

The delivery destination location information is information specifying the location of the delivery destination of the article. The delivery location information is indicated by, for example, an address or latitude and longitude. The delivery location information is information specifying the destination of the drone 10 .

The communication control unit 29 transmits a retransmission request for the delivery position identification image to the terminal device 70 to the goods delivery control device 50 . The communication control unit 29 receives the delivery position specifying image retransmitted from the terminal device 70 from the goods delivery control device 50 .

The arrival determination unit 31 determines that the drone 10 has arrived at the delivery destination. The arrival determination unit 31 determines whether the current position information of the drone 10 acquired by the position information acquisition unit 21 has arrived within a predetermined range from the delivery destination position information of the item acquired from the item delivery control device 50 via the communication unit 19. to judge. More specifically, the arrival determination unit 31 determines that the drone 10 has arrived when the current position information of the drone 10 is within a predetermined range, such as within 10 m, of the delivery destination position information.

The predetermined range is a range within which the camera 13 can capture an image that allows recognition of the delivery position.

When the arrival determination unit 31 determines that the current location information of the drone 10 has arrived within a predetermined range from the delivery destination location information of the article, the location determination unit 32 determines the image captured by the camera 13 and the communication unit 19. It is determined whether or not there is a matching place by comparing with the delivery position specific image of the article acquired through the . More specifically, the location determination unit 32 compares the image captured by the camera 13 with the delivery position identification image to determine whether or not there is an image that matches the delivery position identification image, in other words, the location that matches the delivery position identification image. determine whether or not It should be noted that the delivery position specifying image is usually an image taken at a person's height, and the image taken by the camera 13 is an aerial image taken from above. Therefore, it is determined whether or not there is a match in the arrangement of an object such as a color, shape, or specified article detected from the image.

In the present embodiment, the location determination unit 32 compares the video imaged by the camera 13 with the product delivery position specific video acquired from the terminal device 70 owned by the orderer of the product via the communication unit 19, Determine if a matching location exists.

When the location determination unit 32 determines that there is a matching location between the image captured by the camera 13 and the delivery position specific image of the item, the orderer determination unit 33 determines that the item is within a predetermined distance from the current position of the drone 10. determines whether or not there is a terminal device 70 owned by the orderer.

The orderer determination unit 33 determines the current position of the drone 10 based on the current position information of the drone 10 and the current position information of the terminal device 70 acquired from the terminal device 70 owned by the orderer of the article via the communication unit 19. It may be determined whether or not the terminal device 70 exists within a predetermined distance.

If short-range wireless communication between the drone 10 and the terminal device 70 is possible within a predetermined distance, the orderer determination unit 33 determines the current status of the drone 10 when the drone 10 and the terminal device 70 are communicably connected. It may be determined that the terminal device 70 exists within a predetermined distance of the position.

The orderer determination unit 33 may determine that the terminal device 70 exists within a predetermined distance of the current position of the drone 10 using a BLE beacon with a communication distance of about 5 m or 10 m generated from the drone 10 . More specifically, the drone 10 generates a BLE beacon with a communication distance of approximately 5m or 10m. Then, when the orderer's terminal device 70 receives the beacon, it transmits beacon reception information indicating that the beacon has been received to the goods delivery control device 50 . When receiving the beacon reception information from the terminal device 70 , the goods delivery control device 50 transmits the beacon reception information to the drone 10 . In this case, in S102, the terminal device 70 may be prompted to activate a dedicated application for receiving beacons. By activating the dedicated application, the terminal device 70 transmits the beacon reception information to the goods delivery control device 50 automatically or by the orderer's operation when the beacon from the drone is received.

When the orderer determination unit 33 determines that the terminal device 70 owned by the orderer of the goods exists within a predetermined distance from the current position of the drone 10, the release position determination unit 34 determines a location that matches the delivery position identification video. It is judged as the release position of the article. More specifically, the release position determination unit 34 performs image recognition processing on the delivery position identification video, and determines the release position by avoiding the position where the object was detected. Then, the release position determining unit 34 performs image recognition processing on the image captured by the camera 13, and when the determined release position is recognized, determines that it is the article release position.

In this embodiment, the release position determination unit 34 detects a characteristic shape or a characteristic object from the delivery position identification image, and determines the release position of the article based on the characteristic shape or the position of the characteristic object. The release position determination unit 34 may determine the release position of the article by recognizing, for example, the characteristic shape of the entrance of the house or the outer circumference of the house. The release position determining unit 34 may, for example, recognize a characteristic object such as an automobile or a storeroom to determine the release position of the article. The release position determination unit 34 may, for example, perform image processing on the delivery position identification video to recognize patterns, characters, or symbols indicating the delivery position, and determine the release position of the article.

The flight control unit 36 controls flight of the drone 10 . In this embodiment, the flight control unit 36 causes the drone 10 to fly to the release position determined by the release position determination unit 34 . Based on the position information of the current position of the drone 10 acquired by the position information acquisition unit 21, the flight control unit 36 controls the drone to autonomously fly with the delivery destination position information as the destination. More specifically, when the flight control unit 36 receives information indicating a delivery instruction from the article delivery control device 50, autonomous flight to the destination is started. First, the flight control unit 36 acquires delivery destination position information from the article delivery control device 50 via the communication control unit 29, for example. The flight control unit 36 searches for a flight route from the current position to the destination based on, for example, map information (not shown). The flight control unit 36 outputs a control signal to the drive control unit 37 so that the drone 10 autonomously flies to the destination along the searched flight path. The flight control unit 36 outputs, for example, a control signal including the searched flight path and flight altitude to the drive control unit 37 .

The flight control unit 36 may control autonomous flight to the destination based on the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 23 in addition to the position information. For example, the flight control unit 36 performs image processing on the video, and when an obstacle is recognized on the course of the drone 10, outputs a control signal for controlling to avoid the obstacle. For example, when an obstacle is recognized from the image, the flight control unit 36 outputs a control signal for controlling the drone 10 to turn, ascend, or descend.

In this embodiment, the flight control unit 36 may cause the drone 10 to fly slowly while turning around the destination. More specifically, when the arrival determination unit 32 determines that the drone 10 has reached the destination, the flight control unit 36 outputs a control signal that controls the drone 10 to fly slowly while turning around the destination. can be output.

In this embodiment, the flight control unit 36 may hover or lower the drone 10 to about 1 to 3 meters above the ground at the destination. Further, when the location determination unit 32 determines that the current position information of the drone 10 has reached within a predetermined range from the delivery destination position information of the article, the flight control unit 36 outputs a control signal to hover the drone 10 in the sky. You may

The drive control section 37 outputs a control signal for controlling the drive section 15 . More specifically, the drive control unit 37 outputs a control signal that controls the rotation of the propellers of the drone 10 . Based on the control signal from the flight control unit 36, the drive control unit 37 controls the drive unit 15 so that autonomous flight is performed using the delivery location information as the destination.

In this embodiment, the drive control unit 37 flies the drone 10 to the destination. More specifically, based on the control signal from the flight control unit 36, the drive control unit 37 outputs to the drive unit 15 a control signal that causes the drone 10 to fly to the destination. Based on the control signal from the flight control unit 36 , the drive control unit 37 outputs a control signal for controlling the drone 10 to turn, ascend, or descend to the drive unit 15 .

Alternatively, in the present embodiment, the drive control unit 37 may cause the drone 10 to fly slowly while turning around the destination based on the control signal from the flight control unit 36 . More specifically, based on the control signal from the flight control unit 36, the drive control unit 37 sends a control signal to the drive unit 15 so that the drone 10 flies slowly while turning around the destination. Output.

In this embodiment, the drive control section 37 causes the drone 10 to hover at the destination based on the control signal from the flight control section 36 . More specifically, the drive control unit 37 outputs a control signal that causes the drone 10 to hover above the terminal device 70 or a control signal that causes the drone 10 to descend to the drive unit 15 based on the control signal from the flight control unit 36. .

The release control section 38 controls the release of articles. The release control section 38 releases the article at the release position. The release control 38 causes the release mechanism 16 to hold the item while the drone 10 flies to the destination.

In this embodiment, the release control section 38 outputs a control signal for controlling the release mechanism 16 when the release position determination section 34 determines that the article is at the release position. More specifically, the release control section 38 outputs a control signal for releasing the article to the release mechanism 16 when the release position judgment section 34 judges that the release position is the article release position. The release control unit 38 outputs, for example, a control signal for releasing the article to an actuator that operates an arm of the drone 10 that holds the article.

(goods delivery control device)
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the article delivery control device 50. As shown in FIG. The goods delivery control device 50 is a server device managed or used by a company that conducts electronic commerce or a goods delivery company, and may be composed of a plurality of server devices. The article delivery control device 50 can communicate information with the drone 10 and the terminal device 70 via a network. The goods delivery control device 50 performs goods delivery order acceptance processing and goods delivery processing. The article delivery control device 50 has a communication section 59 and a control section 60 .

The goods delivery control device 50 receives an order for goods from an orderer. At that time, the goods delivery control device 50 acquires information such as an e-mail address that identifies the orderer's terminal device 70 so that it can be communicated with, delivery destination position information, a delivery position identification video, and current position information of the terminal device 70. do. The goods delivery control device transmits the delivery destination position information, the delivery position identification video, and the current position information of the terminal device 70 to the drone 10 loaded with the goods ordered by the orderer.

The communication unit 59 is a communication unit that performs wide-area wireless communication. The communication unit 59 communicates information with the drone 10 and the terminal device 70 via a network, for example. The network is, for example, the Internet network, but is not limited to this. The communication unit 59 is composed of, for example, a wide area wireless communication module for a mobile phone network. The communication unit 59 is composed of a communication module such as Wi-Fi, and may be connected to an arbitrary access point or another smartphone to realize wide-area wireless communication.

(control part)
The control unit 60 is, for example, an arithmetic processing device (control device) configured by a CPU or the like. The control unit 60 loads the stored program into memory and executes the instructions contained in the program. The control unit 60 includes an internal memory (not shown), which is used for temporary storage of data in the control unit 60 and the like. The control unit 60 controls the goods delivery control device 50 . The control unit 60 has an order reception processing unit 61 , a drone control unit 63 , a storage unit 68 and a communication control unit 69 .

The order receiving processing unit 61 receives an order for delivery of articles from, for example, the terminal device 70 or an external device. The order processing unit 61 acquires delivery location information from the terminal device 70 or an external device when receiving an order. When an order is received, the order processing unit 61 delivers, from the terminal device 70 or an external device, information indicating at least one of, for example, the orderer of the item, the date and time of delivery, the weight, size, and type of the item. It may be acquired together with the destination position information.

The drone control unit 63 outputs information indicating a delivery instruction to the drone 10 designated for delivery when delivery of an article is started.

The storage unit 68 is a storage device that stores programs and data used by the control unit 60 . At least one of non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, EEPROM, and magnetic disk is used for the storage unit 68, for example.

The communication control unit 69 controls communication with the drone 10 and the terminal device 70 by controlling the communication unit 59 . More specifically, in this embodiment, the communication control unit 69 acquires the delivery location information and various information from the terminal device 70 or an external device when the order processing unit 61 receives an order for delivery of an item.

Processing performed by the communication control unit 69 when receiving an order for delivery of an article will be described. The communication control unit 69 transmits the delivery destination position information to the drone 10 designated for delivery when or after receiving an order for delivery of an article by the order processing unit 61 .

Processing performed by the communication control unit 69 when delivering an article will be described. The communication control unit 69 receives delivery preparation completion information from the drone 10 designated for delivery. The communication control unit 69 transmits information indicating a delivery instruction to the drone 10 designated for delivery. The communication control unit 69 receives arrival contact information from the drone 10 . When the arrival contact information is received from the drone 10 , the communication control unit 69 transmits the arrival contact information to the terminal device 70 . The communication control unit 69 receives the delivery position identification video and current position information from the terminal device 70 . The communication control unit 69 transmits the delivery position identification video received from the terminal device 70 and the current position information of the terminal device 70 to the drone 10 .

The communication control unit 69 transmits to the terminal device 70 a retransmission request for the delivery position identification video received from the drone 10 . The communication control unit 69 transmits the delivery position identification video retransmitted from the terminal device 70 to the drone 10 .

(Terminal device)
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the terminal device 70. As shown in FIG. More specifically, the terminal device 70 is operated by an orderer who receives the goods at the destination. The terminal device 70 is, for example, a portable electronic device such as a smart phone. The terminal device 70 can communicate information with the goods delivery control device 50 via a network. The terminal device 70 includes a camera 71 , a display section 72 , an operation section 73 , a GNSS reception section 75 , a communication section 79 and a control section 80 .

The camera 71 is a camera that captures images around the terminal device 70 . The camera 71 shoots a delivery position specifying image that can specify the delivery position. Shooting of the camera 71 is controlled via an operation control unit 84, for example. The camera 71 captures a delivery position specifying image that can specify the delivery position, for example, when the operation unit 73 is operated by the user who is the orderer. Camera 71 outputs the captured video to video acquisition section 82 of control section 80 . The camera 71 captures a delivery position specifying image. The delivery position specifying image captured by the camera 71 and transmitted to the article delivery control device 50 may be a still image or a moving image.

The display unit 72 is a display including, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The display unit 72 displays images based on the image signal output from the display control unit 83 of the control unit 80 . The display unit 72 displays, for example, an order screen for placing an order for goods, an image when capturing a delivery position specifying image that can specify a delivery position, and the like.

The operation unit 73 is a touch panel provided in the display unit 72 . The operation unit 73 can accept an order placement operation. Further, the operation unit 73 can accept an operation to instruct the camera 71 to shoot. The operation portion 73 outputs operation information to the operation control portion 84 of the control portion 80 .

The GNSS receiver 75 receives GNSS signals from GNSS satellites. The GNSS reception unit 75 outputs the received GNSS signal to the position information acquisition unit 85 of the control unit 80 . The GNSS receiver 75 is composed of, for example, a GNSS receiver circuit capable of receiving GNSS signals, an antenna, and the like.

The communication unit 79 is a communication unit that performs wide-area wireless communication. The communication unit 79 communicates information with the article delivery control device 50 via a network, for example. The network is, for example, the Internet network, but is not limited to this. The communication unit 79 is composed of, for example, a wide area wireless communication module for a mobile phone network. The communication unit 79 is composed of a communication module such as Wi-Fi, and may be connected to an arbitrary access point or another smartphone to realize wide-area wireless communication.

(control part)
The control unit 80 is, for example, an arithmetic processing device (control device) configured by a CPU or the like. The control unit 80 loads the stored program into memory and executes the instructions contained in the program. The control unit 80 includes an internal memory (not shown), which is used for temporary storage of data in the control unit 80 and the like. The control unit 80 controls the terminal device 70 . The control unit 80 has a shooting control unit 81 , an image acquisition unit 82 , a display control unit 83 , an operation control unit 84 , a position information acquisition unit 85 , a storage unit 88 and a communication control unit 89 .

The photography control unit 81 controls photography by the camera 71 . More specifically, the imaging control section 81 causes the camera 71 to perform imaging based on the imaging instruction from the operation control section 84 .

The video acquisition unit 82 acquires the video captured by the camera 71 . The video acquisition unit 82 outputs the acquired video to the communication control unit 89 .

The display control unit 83 controls the display of the image on the display unit 72 on the display unit 72 . The display control unit 83 outputs a video signal that causes the display unit 72 to output a video. More specifically, the display control unit 83 outputs a video signal for displaying an image of a screen for order processing when placing an order for delivery of goods. Further, when the shooting control unit 81 performs shooting with the camera 71, the display control unit 83 outputs a video signal for displaying the video acquired by the video acquisition unit 82. FIG.

The operation control unit 84 receives an order processing operation when placing an order for delivery of an article. In this embodiment, the operation control unit 84 receives an operation of inputting delivery location information and various information, for example. The operation control unit 84 outputs the acquired operation information as a control signal. The operation information acquired by the operation control unit 84 is output from the terminal device 70 to the goods delivery control device 50 .

The location information acquisition unit 85 calculates the current location information of the terminal device 70 based on the radio waves received by the GNSS reception unit 75 by a known method.

The storage unit 88 is a storage device that stores programs and data used by the control unit 80 . At least one of nonvolatile or volatile semiconductor memories such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, and EEPROM is used for the storage unit 88, for example.

The communication control section 89 controls communication with the article delivery control device 50 by controlling the communication section 79 . In this embodiment, the communication control unit 89 transmits various kinds of information such as delivery destination position information and article information to the article delivery control device 50 when placing an order for article delivery. The communication control unit 89 transmits the delivery position identification video and the current position information to the goods delivery control device 50 .

The communication control unit 89 receives from the article delivery control device 50 a retransmission request for the delivery position identification video received from the drone 10 . The communication control unit 89 retransmits the delivery position identification image to the goods delivery control device 50 .

(Information processing in goods delivery system)
A flow of processing in the article delivery system 1 will be described. First, the goods delivery control device 50 receives an order for goods from an orderer. At that time, the goods delivery control device 50 acquires, for example, information specifying the orderer's terminal device 70 to be communicable, delivery destination position information, and delivery position specifying video.

Then, the goods delivery control device 50 transmits the delivery destination position information and the delivery position identification image to the drone 10 carrying the goods ordered by the orderer.

Then, the drone 10 loaded with the article ordered by the orderer starts flying with the delivery location information as the destination.

Next, an example of the flow of processing in the drone 10 will be described using FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of processing in the drone 10 of the article delivery system 1 according to the first embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 6 is executed after the drone 10 starts flying.

The control unit 20 determines whether the current position information of the drone 10 is within a predetermined range from the delivery destination position information (step S101). More specifically, based on the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 21 and the delivery destination location information acquired from the article delivery control device 50 via the communication unit 19, the control unit 20 uses the arrival determination unit 31 to: It is determined whether or not the position information of the drone 10 is located within a predetermined range of the delivery destination position information indicating the latitude and longitude of the destination. “Within a predetermined range” may be translated into “within a predetermined distance”, for example, when the distance is within 10m, or when the estimated arrival time to the delivery destination location is less than 1 minute based on the flight speed of the drone. is. When the arrival determination unit 31 determines that the delivery location information is within the predetermined range (Yes in step S101), the control unit 20 proceeds to step S102. When the arrival determination unit 31 does not determine that the delivery destination location information is within the predetermined range (No in step S101), the control unit 20 executes the process of step S101 again.

If it is determined that it is within the predetermined range from the delivery destination position information (Yes in step S101), the control unit 20 notifies the orderer of the arrival (step S102). More specifically, the control unit 20 uses the communication control unit 29 to transmit the arrival notification information to the article delivery control device 50 . When receiving the arrival contact information from the drone 10 , the goods delivery control device 50 transmits the arrival contact information to the terminal device 70 . The control unit 20 proceeds to step S103.

The control unit 20 starts the image capturing and the location determination process (step S103). More specifically, the control unit 20 acquires the image captured by the camera 13 using the image acquisition unit 23 . The control unit 20 causes the location determination unit 32 to compare the image captured by the camera 13 with the delivery position specific image of the article acquired via the communication unit 19, and determines whether or not there is a matching location. Place determination processing is started. The control unit 20 proceeds to step S104.

The control unit 20 determines whether or not there is a matching location (step S104). More specifically, the control unit 20 causes the location determination unit 32 to compare the image captured by the camera 13 with the delivery position specific image of the article acquired via the communication unit 19 to determine whether or not there is a matching location. to judge whether When the place determination unit 32 determines that there is a matching place (Yes in step S104), the control unit 20 proceeds to step S107. If the place determination unit 32 does not determine that there is a matching place (No in step S104), the control unit 20 proceeds to step S105.

If the location determination unit 32 does not determine that there is a matching location (No in step S104), the control unit 20 transmits a retransmission request for the delivery position identification video (step S105). The control unit 20 uses the communication control unit 29 to transmit a retransmission request for the delivery position identification image to the terminal device 70 to the article delivery control device 50 via the communication unit 19 . When receiving a retransmission request for the delivery position identification video from the drone 10 , the goods delivery control device 50 transmits a retransmission request for the delivery position identification video to the terminal device 70 . The control unit 20 proceeds to step S106.

After executing step S<b>105 , the terminal device 70 receives a retransmission request for the delivery position identification image via the goods delivery control device 50 . The terminal device 70 retransmits the delivery position identification video via the goods delivery control device 50 . It is effective to set a limit on the number of retransmission requests for the delivery position identification video, for example, with an upper limit of 1 to 2 times. Further, the retransmission request for the delivery position specifying video may request a delivery position specifying video that is different from the delivery position specifying video acquired at the time of ordering the goods. The delivery position specifying video acquired when ordering the goods is the delivery position specifying video captured when ordering the goods or the delivery position specifying video captured in advance. On the other hand, by requesting the shooting of the delivery position specifying video at the time of the retransmission request, it is possible to compare the video shot by the camera 13 of the drone 10 with the video that is close in time. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the influence of differences in weather and sunshine on the comparison of the delivery position specifying video.

The control unit 20 determines whether or not the delivery position specific image has been acquired (step S106). The control unit 20 determines whether or not the delivery position specifying image retransmitted from the terminal device 70 has been acquired from the article delivery control device 50 via the communication unit 19 by the communication control unit 29 . When the communication control unit 29 determines that the retransmitted delivery position specifying video has been acquired (Yes in step S106), the control unit 20 executes the process of step S104 again. When the communication control unit 29 does not determine that the delivery position specifying image has been acquired (No in step S106), the control unit 20 proceeds to step S111. If it is not determined that the delivery position specific video has been acquired, for example, if the delivery position specific video is not acquired within 3 minutes after the retransmission request for the delivery position specific video is made in step S105, No is determined in step S106. do.

When determining that there is a matching location (Yes in step S104), the control unit 20 determines whether or not the terminal device 70 of the orderer is within a predetermined distance (step S107). More specifically, the control unit 20 causes the orderer determination unit 33 to obtain the current position information of the drone 10 and the current position information of the terminal device 70 acquired from the terminal device 70 owned by the orderer of the article via the communication unit 19. , it is determined whether or not the terminal device 70 exists within a predetermined distance of the current position of the drone 10 . When the orderer determination unit 33 determines that the orderer's terminal device 70 is within the predetermined distance (Yes in step S107), the control unit 20 proceeds to step S108. If the orderer determination unit 33 does not determine that the orderer's terminal device 70 is within the predetermined distance (No in step S107), the control unit 20 proceeds to step S111. If it is not determined that the orderer's terminal device 70 is within the predetermined distance (No in step S107), a message such as "Are you at the delivery position?"

If it is determined that the orderer's terminal device 70 is within the predetermined distance (Yes in step S107), the control unit 20 determines the release position from the delivery position identification image (step S108). More specifically, the control unit 20 causes the release position determining unit 34 to perform image recognition processing on the delivery position specifying video to specify the release position. Then, the control unit 20 causes the flight control unit 36 to continue the flight toward the specified release position. The control unit 20 proceeds to step S109.

The control unit 20 determines whether or not the release position has been reached (step S109). More specifically, the control unit 20 causes the release position determination unit 34 to perform image recognition processing on the image captured by the camera 13, and when the determined release position is recognized, it is determined that the article has arrived at the release position. . When the release position determination unit 34 determines that the release position has been reached (Yes in step S109), the control unit 20 proceeds to step S110. If the release position determination unit 34 does not determine that the release position has been reached (No in step S109), the control unit 20 executes the process of step S109 again.

When determining that the article has arrived at the release position (Yes in step S109), the control section 20 releases the article (step S110). More specifically, the control section 20 controls the release control section 38 to perform the article release operation at the release position.

The control unit 20 determines to return (step S111). More specifically, the control unit 20 causes the flight control unit 36 to fly toward the place where the flight started.

(effect)
As described above, in the present embodiment, the orderer of the parcel transmits the delivery position identification video when the parcel is delivered. The drone 10 detects a location that matches the delivery position identification video from the video captured by the camera 13 . Furthermore, when the orderer's mobile terminal 70 exists within a predetermined distance, the article is released at the release position. Thus, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent erroneous release to a location similar to the image of the release position. According to this embodiment, it is possible to appropriately deliver an article by a drone.

[Second embodiment]
An article delivery system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of processing in the drone 10 of the article delivery system according to the second embodiment. The drone 10 of the second embodiment has the same basic configuration as the drone 10 of the first embodiment. In the following description, components similar to those of the drone 10 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals or corresponding reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The drone 10 differs from the first embodiment in the processing in the place determination unit 32 .

In this embodiment, when the drone 10 arrives at the delivery destination, the drone 10 transmits a transmission request for the delivery position identification video to the terminal device 70 .

The location determination unit 32 determines that the shooting time of the delivery position identification video is 60, for example, from the time when the arrival determination unit 31 determines that the current position information of the drone 10 has arrived within a predetermined range from the delivery destination position information of the goods. If it is within a predetermined period of about seconds, the image captured by the camera 13 is compared with the delivery position specific image to determine whether or not there is a matching location.

The communication control unit 29 transmits a transmission request for a delivery position specifying video to the terminal device 70 to the goods delivery control device 50 .

The communication control unit 69 of the goods delivery control device 50 transmits to the terminal device 70 a transmission request for the delivery position identification video received from the drone 10 . The communication control unit 69 transmits the delivery position identification video transmitted from the terminal device 70 to the drone 10 .

The communication control unit 89 of the terminal device 70 receives from the article delivery control device 50 a transmission request for the delivery position identification video received from the drone 10 . The communication control unit 89 transmits the delivery position identification image to the article delivery control device 50 .

Next, an example of the flow of processing in the drone 10 will be described using FIG. The processing of steps S201, S203, steps S205 through S208, step S209, and steps S210 through S214 is the same as steps S101, S106, steps S103 through S106, steps S111, and steps S107 through S110 shown in FIG. process.

The control unit 20 notifies the orderer of the arrival and transmits a transmission request for the delivery position identification video (step S202). More specifically, the control unit 20 uses the communication control unit 29 to transmit the arrival notification information to the article delivery control device 50 . The control unit 20 uses the communication control unit 29 to transmit a request for transmission of a delivery position specifying image to the terminal device 70 to the article delivery control device 50 via the communication unit 19 . The control unit 20 proceeds to step S203.

The control unit 20 determines whether or not the image is within a predetermined period of time after arrival (step S204). More specifically, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the delivery position specifying image has been acquired via the communication unit 19 within a predetermined period of time after the arrival determination unit 31 determines that the delivery has arrived. When the location determination unit 32 determines that the image is within a predetermined period of time from arrival (Yes in step S204), the control unit 20 proceeds to step S205. If the location determination unit 32 does not determine that the image is within the predetermined period from arrival (No in step S204), the control unit 20 proceeds to step S207.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the drone 10 arrives at the delivery destination, it requests the orderer of the parcel to transmit the delivery position identification video. When the drone 10 acquires the delivery position specifying video photographed within a predetermined period after requesting transmission of the delivery position specifying video, the drone 10 detects a place matching the delivery position specifying video from the video photographed by the camera 13. - 特許庁According to the present embodiment, it is possible to determine whether or not there is a matching location using the delivery position specifying image when the article is delivered.

[Third Embodiment]
An article delivery system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the drone 10A according to the third embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of processing in the drone 10A of the article delivery system according to the third embodiment. A drone 10A of the third embodiment has the same basic configuration as the drone 10 of the first embodiment. The drone 10A differs from the first embodiment in the control unit 20A.

In this embodiment, when the drone 10A arrives at the delivery destination, the drone 10A transmits a face image transmission request to the terminal device 70 .

The control unit 20A includes a position information acquisition unit 21, a sensor information acquisition unit 22, an image acquisition unit 23, a storage unit 28, a communication control unit 29A, an arrival determination unit 31, a face detection unit 32A, and a face determination unit 29A. It has a section 33A, a release position determination section 34A, a flight control section 36, a drive control section 37, and a release control section .

The face detection unit 32A detects the image captured by the camera 13 and the communication unit 19 when the arrival determination unit 31 determines that the current position information of the drone 10A has arrived within a predetermined range from the delivery destination position information of the article. Detects human faces from images acquired via A known method can be used for detecting a person's face from an image and is not limited.

The face determination unit 33A compares the human face detected from the image captured by the camera 13 with the human face detected from the image acquired via the communication unit 19, and determines whether or not they match. do.

In the present embodiment, the face determination unit 33A determines that the camera 13 detects the human face from the image captured by the camera 13 when the time at which the human face is detected from the image captured by the camera 13 is the same or is within a predetermined period of time. The human face detected from the captured image and the human face detected from the image acquired via the communication unit 19 are compared to determine whether or not they match.

Release position determination unit 34A determines that face determination unit 33A matches the human face detected from the image captured by camera 13 with the human face detected from the image acquired via communication unit 19. In this case, the position of the person's face detected from the image captured by the camera 13 is determined as the release position of the article.

The communication control unit 29A transmits a face image transmission request to the terminal device 70 to the article delivery control device 50 .

The communication control unit 69 of the article delivery control device 50 transmits to the terminal device 70 a transmission request for the face image received from the drone 10A. The communication control unit 69 transmits the face image transmitted from the terminal device 70 to the drone 10A.

The communication control unit 89 of the terminal device 70 receives from the goods delivery control device 50 the face image transmission request received from the drone 10A. The communication control unit 89 transmits the face image to the goods delivery control device 50 . The face image captured by the camera 71 of the terminal device 70 and transmitted to the goods delivery control device 50 may be a still image or a moving image.

Next, an example of the flow of processing in the drone 10A will be described using FIG. The processes of steps S121, S128, and S129 are the same as those of steps S101, S110, and S111 shown in FIG.

The control unit 20A notifies the orderer of the arrival and transmits a face image transmission request (step S122). More specifically, the control unit 20A transmits the arrival contact information to the goods delivery control device 50 through the communication control unit 29A. The control unit 20A transmits a face image transmission request to the article delivery control device 50 through the communication control unit 29A. The controller 20A proceeds to step S123.

The control unit 20A determines whether or not a face image has been obtained (step S123). The control unit 20A determines whether or not the face image has been acquired from the terminal device 70 from the article delivery control device 50 via the communication unit 19 by the communication control unit 29A. When the communication control unit 29A determines that the face image has been acquired (Yes in step S123), the control unit 20A proceeds to step S124. If the communication control unit 29A does not determine that the face image has been acquired (No in step S123), the control unit 20A proceeds to step S129. If it is not determined that the face image has been acquired (No in step S123), the face image may be requested to be resent a limited number of times, for example, once.

The control unit 20A starts imaging and also starts face detection processing (step S124). More specifically, the control unit 20A detects a person's face from the image captured by the camera 13 and the image acquired via the communication unit 19 by the face detection unit 32A. The controller 20A proceeds to step S125.

The control unit 20A determines whether or not there is a matching face (step S125). More specifically, the control unit 20A causes the face determination unit 33A to compare the human face detected from the image captured by the camera 13 with the human face detected from the image acquired via the communication unit 19. to determine if they match. When the face determination unit 33A determines that there is a matching face (Yes in step S125), the control unit 20A proceeds to step S126. If the face determination unit 33A does not determine that there is a matching face (No in step S125), the control unit 20A proceeds to step S129. If it is not determined that there is a matching face (No in step S125), the article delivery control device 50 sends the terminal device 70 a limited number of times, such as once, saying, "Please come to a receiving position where the drone can be seen." You may make a notification such as

When determining that there is a matching face (Yes in step S125), the control unit 20A determines the release position from the position of the matching face (step S126). More specifically, the control unit 20A determines, for example, the front of the person's face detected from the image captured by the camera 13 as the article release position by the release position determination unit 34A. Then, the control unit 20A continues flight toward the specified release position by the flight control unit 36 . The controller 20A proceeds to step S127.

The control unit 20A determines whether or not the release position has been reached (step S127). More specifically, the control unit 20A causes the release position determination unit 34A to perform image recognition processing on the image captured by the camera 13, and when the determined release position is recognized, determines that the article has arrived at the release position. . When the release position determination unit 34A determines that the release position has been reached (Yes in step S127), the control unit 20A proceeds to step S128. When the release position determination unit 34A does not determine that the release position has been reached (No in step S127), the control unit 20A executes the process of step S127 again.

As described above, in this embodiment, the person who ordered the package transmits his or her own face image when delivering the item. The drone 10A detects a person whose face image matches the image captured by the camera 13. - 特許庁When a person whose face image matches is detected, the article is released in the vicinity of the person. According to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the goods from being erroneously released to a third party other than the orderer.

[Fourth embodiment]
An article delivery system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of processing in the drone of the article delivery system according to the fourth embodiment. The drone 10A of the fourth embodiment has the same basic configuration as the drone 10A of the third embodiment. The drone 10A differs from the third embodiment in the processing in the face detection section 32A and the face determination section 33A.

The face detection unit 32A detects a person's face from the image captured by the camera 13 and the image acquired via the communication unit 19, and also detects the expression of the detected person's face.

The face determination unit 33A compares the human face detected from the image captured by the camera 13 with the human face detected from the image acquired via the communication unit 19, and determines whether the faces match and the expressions match. decide whether to

The release position determination unit 34A determines whether the face and facial expression of the person detected from the image captured by the camera 13 and the face and facial expression of the person detected from the image acquired via the communication unit 19 are detected by the face determination unit 33A. match, the position of the person's face detected from the image captured by the camera 13 is determined to be the article release position.

When the communication control unit 29A transmits a face image transmission request to the terminal device 70, the communication control unit 29A may request that the product delivery control device 50 transmit a face image of a face with a characteristic expression.

A face with a characteristic expression is, for example, an expression that is different from normal, such as a smile, and an expression that can be easily distinguished from normal expression.

Next, an example of the flow of processing in the drone 10A will be described using FIG. The processes of steps S221, steps S223 to S225, and steps S227 to S230 are similar to those of steps S121, steps S123 to S125, and steps S126 to S129 shown in FIG.

The control unit 20A notifies the orderer of the arrival and transmits a face image transmission request with a characteristic facial expression (step S222). More specifically, the control unit 20A transmits the arrival contact information to the goods delivery control device 50 through the communication control unit 29A. The control unit 20A transmits a face image transmission request with a characteristic facial expression to the goods delivery control device 50 through the communication control unit 29A. The controller 20A proceeds to step S223.

The control unit 20A determines whether or not the facial expressions match (step S226). More specifically, the control unit 20A compares the human face detected from the image captured by the camera 13 with the human face detected from the image acquired via the communication unit 19, Determine whether the facial expressions match. When the face determination unit 33A determines that the facial expressions match (Yes in step S226), the control unit 20A proceeds to step S227. When the face determination unit 33A does not determine that the facial expressions match (No in step S226), the control unit 20A proceeds to step S230.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when a person with a matching facial expression is detected in addition to matching face images, an article is released in the vicinity of that person. According to this embodiment, the orderer can be determined more appropriately.

[Fifth embodiment]
An article delivery system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of processing in the drone of the article delivery system according to the fifth embodiment. The drone 10A of the fifth embodiment has the same basic configuration as the drone 10A of the fourth embodiment. The drone 10A differs from the fourth embodiment in the processing in the face determination section 33A. In the present embodiment, the face image captured by the camera 71 of the terminal device 70 and transmitted to the article delivery control device 50 is preferably a moving image.

The face determination unit 33A compares the human face detected from the image captured by the camera 13 with the human face detected from the image acquired via the communication unit 19, and determines whether the faces match and the facial expression changes. match or not.

The release position determination unit 34A detects the human face detected from the image captured by the camera 13 and the change in facial expression from the image captured by the camera 13, When it is determined that the facial expressions match, the position of the person's face detected from the image captured by the camera 13 is determined as the release position of the article.

The communication control unit 29A transmits a facial expression change request to the terminal device 70 to the goods delivery control device 50 .

The communication control unit 69 of the article delivery control device 50 transmits the facial expression change request received from the drone 10A to the terminal device 70 . The communication control unit 69 transmits the face image transmitted from the terminal device 70 to the drone 10A.

The communication control unit 89 of the terminal device 70 receives from the article delivery control device 50 the facial expression change request received from the drone 10A. The communication control unit 89 transmits a moving image of the face as the face image to the goods delivery control device 50 . The user of the terminal device 70 changes his facial expression while photographing his own face.

Next, an example of the flow of processing in the drone 10A will be described using FIG. The processes of steps S321, steps S323 through S325, and steps S328 through S331 are the same as steps S121, steps S123 through S125, and steps S126 through S129 shown in FIG.

The control unit 20A notifies the orderer of the arrival and transmits a face image transmission request (step S322). The face image requested for transmission at this time is a moving image, and moving image shooting and transmission are continued until the determination in step S327 is made.

The control unit 20A transmits an expression change request (step S326). More specifically, the control unit 20A transmits a facial expression change request to the article delivery control device 50 through the communication control unit 29A. The controller 20A proceeds to step S327.

The control unit 20A determines whether or not the facial expressions match (step S327). More specifically, the control unit 20A causes the face determination unit 33A to compare the human face detected from the image captured by the camera 13 with the human face detected from the image acquired via the communication unit 19. Then, it is determined whether or not the facial expressions match as well as the changes in the facial expressions. When the face determination unit 33A determines that there is a matching face (Yes in step S327), the control unit 20A proceeds to step S328. If the face determination unit 33A does not determine that there is a matching face (No in step S327), the control unit 20A proceeds to step S331.

As described above, in this embodiment, when a person whose face image matches and whose facial expression matches is detected, an article is released in the vicinity of the person. According to this embodiment, the orderer can be determined more appropriately.

Each component of the illustrated article delivery system is functionally conceptual and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as illustrated. In other words, the specific form of each device is not limited to the illustrated one, and all or part of it may be functionally or physically distributed or integrated in arbitrary units according to the processing load and usage conditions of each device. may

The configuration of the goods delivery system is realized by, for example, a program loaded in a memory as software. In the above embodiments, functional blocks realized by cooperation of these hardware or software have been described. That is, these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by hardware only, software only, or a combination thereof.

The components described above include those that can be easily assumed by those skilled in the art and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the configurations described above can be combined as appropriate. Also, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the configuration are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, each part of the control unit 20 of the drone 10 may be distributed, and a part thereof may be implemented in the control unit 60 of the article delivery control device 50 .

The arrival determination unit 31, the location determination unit 32, the orderer determination unit 33, and the release position determination unit 34 of the control unit 20 of the first embodiment and the second embodiment are not limited to execution by the control unit 20 of the drone 10. It may be performed by the delivery control device 50 . In this case, the article delivery control device 50 acquires the image captured by the camera 13 of the drone 10 and executes the above processing based on the information regarding the order of the article acquired from the terminal device 70 of the orderer. The goods delivery control device 50 includes an arrival determination unit, a location determination unit, an orderer determination unit, and a release position determination unit that implement the functions of the arrival determination unit 31, the location determination unit 32, the orderer determination unit 33, and the release position determination unit 34. have The goods delivery control device 50 performs the same processing as the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 or 7 . The goods delivery control device 50 outputs a control signal instructing the drone 10 to release the goods when it is determined as Yes in step S109. The drone 10 is released by the release control unit 39 based on the release control signal from the article delivery control device 50 .

The arrival determination unit 31, the face detection unit 32A, the face determination unit 33A, and the release position determination unit 34A of the control unit 20A of the third to fifth embodiments are not limited to execution by the control unit 20 of the drone 10A. It may be executed by the controller 50 . In this case, the goods delivery control device 50 acquires the image captured by the camera 13 of the drone 10A, and executes the above processing based on the information regarding the order of goods acquired from the terminal device 70 of the orderer. The goods delivery control device 50 has an arrival determination section, a face detection section, a face determination section, and a release position determination section that implement the functions of the arrival determination section 31, the face detection section 32A, the face determination section 33A, and the release position determination section 34A. . The goods delivery control device 50 performs the same processing as the flow chart shown in FIG. 9, FIG. 10 or FIG.

In the above description, the drone 10 is assumed to fly autonomously. Just let it fly to the ground.

The present disclosure includes matters that contribute to the realization of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) "Let's build a foundation for industry and technological innovation" and contributes to value creation through IoT solutions.

1 Article Delivery System 10, 10A Drone 11 GNSS Receiver 12 Sensor 13 Camera (Imaging Unit)
15 drive unit 16 release mechanism 19 communication unit 20, 20A control unit 21 position information acquisition unit 22 sensor information acquisition unit 23 image acquisition unit 28 storage unit 29, 29A communication control unit 31 arrival determination unit 32 location determination unit 32A face detection unit 33 Orderer determination unit 33A Face determination unit 34, 34A Release position determination unit 36 Flight control unit 37 Drive control unit 39 Release control unit 50 Goods delivery control device 59 Communication unit 60 Control unit 61 Order processing unit 63 Drone control unit 68 Storage unit 69 Communication control unit 70 Terminal device 71 Camera 72 Display unit 73 Operation unit 75 GNSS reception unit 79 Communication unit 80 Control unit 81 Shooting control unit 82 Image acquisition unit 83 Display control unit 84 Operation control unit 85 Position information acquisition unit 88 Storage unit 89 Communication control unit

Claims (5)

A delivery drone for delivering goods,
a location information acquisition unit that acquires current location information of the drone;
an imaging unit that captures an image around the drone;
a release control unit that releases the article;
a communication unit that acquires information regarding the ordering of the goods from another device;
an arrival determination unit that determines that the current position information of the drone has arrived within a predetermined range from the delivery destination position information of the article acquired via the communication unit;
When the arrival determination unit determines that the current position information of the drone has arrived within a predetermined range from the delivery destination position information of the article, the image captured by the imaging unit and acquired through the communication unit a face detection unit that detects a person's face from the captured image;
a face determination unit that compares a human face detected from an image captured by the imaging unit with a human face detected from the image acquired via the communication unit, and determines whether or not they match; ,
When the face determination unit determines that the human face detected from the video captured by the imaging unit matches the human face detected from the video acquired via the communication unit, the imaging unit a release position determination unit that determines the position of the person's face detected from the imaged image as the release position of the article;
A delivery drone with The face determination unit causes the imaging unit to capture an image when the time at which the face of the person is detected from the image captured by the imaging unit and the imaging time of the image captured by the imaging unit are the same or within a predetermined period. comparing the human face detected from the video obtained through the communication unit with the human face detected from the video acquired via the communication unit, and determining whether or not they match;
The delivery drone of claim 1. The face detection unit detects a human face from an image captured by the imaging unit and an image acquired via the communication unit, and detects an expression of the detected human face,
The face determination unit compares the human face detected from the image captured by the imaging unit with the human face detected from the image acquired via the communication unit, and determines whether the facial expression matches the face. determine if they match,
The release position judging section is configured so that the face judging section detects a human face and its facial expression from the video captured by the imaging section, and the human face and facial expression detected from the video acquired through the communication section. If it is determined that the facial expressions match, determining the position of the person's face detected from the image captured by the imaging unit as the release position of the article;
A delivery drone according to claim 1 or 2. The face determination unit compares the human face detected from the video imaged by the imaging unit with the human face detected from the video image acquired via the communication unit, and compares the facial expressions and facial expressions. determine if the changes match,
The release position judging unit is configured so that the face judging unit detects a human face and a change in facial expression from the image captured by the imaging unit, and the human face detected from the image acquired via the communication unit. and if it is determined that the changes in the expression match, determining the position of the person's face detected from the image captured by the imaging unit as the release position of the article;
A delivery drone according to any one of claims 1-3. a flight control unit that controls the flight of the drone;
a release control unit that controls release of the article;
with
The flight control unit causes the drone to fly to the release position determined by the release position determination unit,
the release control unit releases the article at the release position;
A delivery drone according to any one of claims 1-4.

Images