JP4660283B2 - Delivery container and delivery container locking / unlocking control system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a delivery container used for delivery of a package and a delivery system using the delivery container, and more specifically, a delivery container capable of preventing unauthorized access to a delivery package and a delivery system using the delivery container. About.

  Conventionally, a service for receiving a package from a sender and delivering the package to a recipient is provided. Some packages to be delivered are highly confidential, such as confidential documents that should not be seen by third parties. Therefore, a service is provided for carrying out strict delivery management in which a package to be delivered is stored in a lockable storage so that a person other than the delivery person cannot access the package, and the confidentiality of the package is ensured.

  However, in the above-described operation, the driver has the key to perform locking / unlocking, so the possibility of unauthorized access to the package due to loss of the key or theft cannot be excluded.

  As a solution to such a problem, a delivery person's luggage compartment locking system has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). In this system, partitions that are locked and unlocked by the user are arranged in the order of delivery in the luggage compartment of the delivery vehicle, and the PIN set by the shipper at the time of locking is received separately from the package (such as by telephone or FAX). To send to. By preventing the security code from being known to anyone other than the sender and recipient, unauthorized access to the package is prevented.

  However, in the system described in Patent Document 1, since the sender needs to notify the recipient of the password using telephone or FAX, the notified content is intercepted by a third party, and the password is May leak. Further, it is necessary for the shipper to set a password at the time of locking, and the delivery person can know the password.

  In this way, in the conventional system, since the management of the personal identification number is left to the user, if the user easily sets the personal identification number or performs strict management, the personal identification number is leaked to a third party. There is a risk. Therefore, the possibility of unauthorized access to the package has not been completely eliminated.

  As described above, in order to prevent unauthorized access to a delivery package, it is important that a third party cannot freely open and close the delivery container that houses the package. On the other hand, storage and removal of luggage in the delivery container itself are performed in various places such as an indoor office, an underground warehouse, or a safe room. Therefore, it is required that the delivery container can be opened and closed independently of the place.

JP-A-10-184138

  In view of the above problems, the present invention is characterized by providing a delivery container capable of eliminating unauthorized access to a package and a delivery container locking / unlocking control system.

  Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a delivery that can be locked and unlocked in various places without providing an operation means for directly locking and unlocking in a delivery container, and can achieve both security and convenience. The purpose is to provide a container.

  In order to achieve the above object, a delivery container according to the present invention receives an electric lock for preventing opening and closing of the delivery container and a first lock / unlock information for locking or unlocking the electric lock. The communication means and the second communication means, and an electric lock control means for locking or unlocking the electric lock according to the locking / unlocking information received by the first communication means or the second communication means. The communication means is a network communication means for performing wireless communication through a communication network, and the second communication means is a direct communication means for performing direct communication without using a communication network.

  Here, performing direct communication means performing peer-to-peer communication without using a relay means such as another terminal, server, or base station such as the Internet or a telephone network.

The first communication means monitors whether communication is possible. When the first communication means can communicate normally with the electric lock control means, the electric lock is received according to the lock / unlock information received by the first communication means. A communication monitoring unit that locks or unlocks the electric lock according to the locking / unlocking information received by the second communication unit when the first communication unit cannot communicate normally. It is preferable to have.
Thus, only when the first communication means is in a state where it cannot receive the unlocking information via the communication network, the locking / unlocking control using the second communication means is performed. Therefore, it is possible not to perform locking / unlocking control by direct communication except when necessary.

  The communication monitoring means drives the second communication means when the first communication means cannot communicate normally, and drives the second communication means when the first communication means can communicate normally. It is preferable to stop.

  This is because standby power consumption can be suppressed by stopping the short-range communication means when the short-range communication means is not used.

  In addition, the delivery container locking / unlocking control system according to the present invention includes a communication means for transmitting locking / unlocking information for locking or unlocking the electric lock to the delivery container provided with the electric lock or the communication terminal via the communication network. A communication terminal having a center device, a network communication means for receiving locking / unlocking information from the center device via a communication network, and a direct communication means for directly transmitting the locking / unlocking information to the delivery container without passing through the communication network; Electric lock for preventing opening and closing of the container, network communication means for receiving the locking / unlocking information from the center device by wireless communication via the communication network, direct communication means for directly receiving the locking / unlocking information from the communication terminal without going through the communication terminal, And a delivery container having an electric lock control means for locking or unlocking the electric lock according to the locking / unlocking information received by the network communication means or the direct communication means.

As described above, the delivery container has two means for receiving the locking / unlocking information from the center device and the means for receiving via the separately prepared communication terminal, thereby maintaining convenience while maintaining security. Enhanced.
In addition, it is more preferable that the delivery container has the communication monitoring unit as described above.

  The center device further includes a collating unit that determines whether or not the unlock request information for requesting transmission of the unlocking information is valid, and the request is received when the request information received by the communication unit is valid. It is preferable to transmit the unlocking information to the delivery container or the communication terminal specified by the information. The request information includes at least identification information that identifies the recipient.

  As described above, by providing a means for confirming whether or not the unlocking request is made by a person having a right to the delivery in the center device, an unauthorized unlocking request can be eliminated. .

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to provide the delivery container which can exclude the unauthorized access to a package, and the delivery system using the delivery container.

  In addition, it is possible to provide a delivery container that can be locked and unlocked in various places without providing operation means for directly locking and unlocking in the delivery container, and can achieve both security and convenience. Become.

Hereinafter, a delivery container according to the present invention and a delivery system using the delivery container will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration diagram of an example of a delivery system according to the present invention.
The delivery system 100 according to the present embodiment uses a delivery container equipped with an electric lock to deliver a package, and remotely controls the locking and unlocking of the electric lock of the delivery container by a center device, so that it can be received at the shipping source. This is a system that prevents a delivery container from being opened and illegally accessed by a third party other than the sender and recipient until the package is delivered to the destination.

  Further, when the delivery container and the center device cannot communicate with each other, the communication device once communicates with the center device, and receives data from the center device via the communication terminal prepared in the vicinity of the delivery container. It is a system that enables the delivery container to be locked and unlocked even in places where wireless communication is difficult, such as underground and safe rooms.

  A delivery system 100 according to the present embodiment includes a center device 1 installed in a management center, a shipping terminal 2, a receiving terminal 5, and a communication terminal 6 that are owned by a customer or specified by a delivery system operator, A delivery container 3 including a case terminal 4 that stores a package to be controlled and controls an electric lock is connected via a communication network 7 such as a radio base station 8, a mobile phone network, a satellite communication network, or an Internet network. The delivery container 3 is configured to be able to specify its own position from the GPS satellite 9.

  The center device 1 is a server that manages information related to customers and information related to delivery, and controls locking / unlocking of the electric lock 31 of the delivery container 3 from a remote location in response to a request from the shipping terminal 2 or the receiving terminal 5.

  The center device 1 records the information received from the delivery container 3 and notifies the delivery company as necessary. When notifying the delivery company, a communication network or a separately prepared recording medium is used.

  The shipping terminal 2 and the receiving terminal 5 are personal computers or mobile phones, and are used as communication terminals for requesting the center device 1 to lock and unlock. The shipping terminal 2 and the receiving terminal 5 vary depending on whether the package to be used is used on the delivery side or on the receiving side, and the same terminal is used as the shipping terminal 2 and the receiving terminal 5. You can also

  The delivery container 3 is a container provided with an electric lock that can be remotely controlled via the case terminal 4 and accommodates a package received from the shipper. The delivery container 3 may be portable by a person or fixedly attached to a delivery vehicle. The delivery container 3 is carried from a sender to a recipient by a delivery person dispatched from a delivery company. It is.

Further, the delivery container 3 calculates and stores position information including latitude and longitude based on the GPS signal received from the GPS satellite 9 or the base station information received from the radio base station 8. The calculated / stored position information is transmitted to the center apparatus 1 at a predetermined timing.
Furthermore, the delivery container 3 detects and stores the locked / unlocked state of the electric lock and the open / closed state of the opening. The detected / stored monitoring information is transmitted to the center apparatus 1 at a predetermined timing.

  The communication terminal 6 is a personal computer or a mobile phone, and includes a communication means capable of communication via a communication network and a short-range communication means capable of direct communication without using a wide area communication network such as the Internet or a mobile phone network. The communication device is configured to be communicable with the center apparatus 1 and the short distance communication device with the delivery container 3.

Next, the delivery container 3 used in the delivery system 100 of this embodiment will be described in detail.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of the delivery container 3, and FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of the case terminal 4 built in the delivery container 3.
The delivery container 3 includes a case main body 32, an electric lock 31 for keeping the opening (lid) of the case main body closed, and a case terminal 4 for performing communication with the outside and controlling the electric lock.

  The case terminal 4 includes a wireless communication unit 41 that transmits / receives data to / from the center device 1, a control unit 42 that controls the entire case terminal 4, and a storage unit 43 that stores programs used by the control unit 42. , A power supply unit 44 that supplies power to the case terminal 4, a notification unit 45 that outputs an alarm sound when an abnormality occurs, a sensor unit 46 that detects the open / closed state of the delivery container 3, and communication that exists in the vicinity of the delivery container 3 A short-range communication unit 47 that communicates with the terminal 6 is configured.

  The wireless communication unit 41 is a network communication unit that performs communication via a network, and includes a GPS reception unit 411 that receives a GPS signal from a GPS satellite, a transmission / reception unit 412 that performs wireless communication with the center device 1, and an antenna 413. Composed. For communication with the center apparatus 1, an Internet network using a wireless LAN, a mobile phone communication network, a satellite communication network, or the like can be used. Further, when the delivery container 3 has a function of blocking radio waves from the outside of the delivery container 3 like a duralumin case, the antenna 413 is disposed so as to be exposed to the outside of the delivery container 3.

  The short-range communication unit 47 is a direct communication unit that directly communicates with the communication terminal 6 within a range in which the customer can visually recognize and handle the communication terminal 6 and the delivery container 3 at the same time, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark) and means for performing wireless communication according to the same short-range wireless standard as the short-range communication means of the communication terminal 6 such as infrared communication. It should be noted that a means for performing communication between devices by wired connection conforming to standards such as small computer system interface (SCSI), SCSI-2, universal serial bus (USB), IEEE 1394, etc. may be used.

  The control unit 42 includes a semiconductor memory such as a microprocessor, a read only memory (ROM), and a random access memory (RAM), and software incorporated in the ROM, and controls the entire case terminal 4. The control unit 42 monitors the reception level (reception intensity) of radio waves in the transmission / reception unit of the wireless communication unit 41 and the communication control unit 421 that controls communication in the wireless communication unit 41 and the short-range communication unit 47 and monitors the short-range communication unit 47. A communication monitoring unit 422 for controlling the driving / stopping of the mobile phone, a position detecting unit 423 for acquiring position information based on information received by the GPS receiving unit 411, and a locking / unlocking instruction received from the center device 1 via the wireless communication unit 41. Based on this, the lock control unit 424 that controls the locking and unlocking of the electric lock 31, the lock monitoring unit 425 that monitors the state of the electric lock 31 that is electrically connected to the case terminal 4, and the sensor unit 46 monitor the opening and closing of the delivery container. An open / close monitoring unit 426 is included.

The control unit 42 enters the monitoring mode after locking the electric lock 31.
During the monitoring mode, the position information is acquired by the GPS receiving unit 411 of the wireless communication unit 41 every predetermined time such as every 10 minutes and every hour, and is recorded as the monitoring record 433. When the electric lock 31 is unlocked or the sensor unit 46 detects the opening of the delivery container 3, this is recorded as a monitoring record 433, an alarm is given by the notification unit 45, and the center device 1 is further alerted. On the other hand, the monitoring record 433 is transmitted, and the unlocking of the electric lock 31 or the opening of the delivery container 3 is notified.

  The storage unit 43 includes a semiconductor memory such as a ROM or a RAM, and stores various information such as an operation program of the control unit 42. In addition, the storage unit 43 includes a case terminal ID 431 that is identification information for specifying the delivery container, a password (password code) 432 necessary for the lock / unlock control of the electric lock 31, the lock / unlock state of the electric lock 31, and the delivery container. 3 and a monitoring record 433 including a history of position information acquired during delivery. The case terminal ID 431 is an identification number for specifying the case terminal (delivery container), and is prepared in correspondence with the telephone number used for communication with the center apparatus 1 by the short message service.

The power supply unit 44 is a battery that supplies operating power for the case terminal.
The notification unit 45 includes a speaker that outputs an alarm sound when an abnormality occurs.
The sensor unit 46 is an open / close detection sensor configured by a limit switch that detects the open / close state of the delivery container 3. As for the open / close detection sensor, various methods have been conventionally proposed, and a magnet type sensor or the like may be used.

Below, operation | movement at the time of execution of the locking / unlocking process of the case terminal 4 is demonstrated using a flowchart.
The case terminal 4 always determines whether or not wireless communication is possible with the center device 1 via the communication network. When wireless communication with the center device 1 is possible, the case terminal 4 receives an unlocking instruction from the center device 1 through the wireless communication unit 41. The lock control of the electric lock 31 of the delivery container 3 is performed. On the other hand, when wireless communication with the center device 1 is impossible, the control is switched to the short-range communication unit 47, and the lock / unlock instruction is received from the communication terminal 6. The delivery container 3 is locked and unlocked. Further, in a state in which communication with the center device 1 is possible, the short-range communication unit 47 is stopped and the locking / unlocking control by direct communication is prohibited.

In FIG. 4, the flowchart showing the outline of the locking / unlocking process of the case terminal 4 is shown.
In the case terminal 4, the communication monitoring unit 422 monitors the strength of the radio signal received from the radio base station 8 by the radio communication unit 41 and determines whether or not the received radio wave strength level is sufficient to communicate with the center device 1. (Step S101). For example, the determination is made based on whether or not the radio signal intensity received by the wireless communication unit 41 of the case terminal 4 has decreased to a level at which communication cannot be performed normally for a certain period of time such as 10 seconds or 30 seconds. If it is determined that communication with the center apparatus 1 cannot be performed through the wireless communication unit 41 due to a decrease in the received radio wave intensity level, the communication monitoring unit 422 activates the short-range communication unit 47 (step S102). In addition, the communication monitoring unit 422 continues to monitor the radio signal intensity from the center device 1 received by the wireless communication unit 41 even after the short-range communication unit 47 is activated, and returns from the short-range communication to the normal wireless communication. It is determined whether or not it is possible (step S103). When the strength of the radio signal received by the wireless communication unit 41 becomes strong enough for a certain period of time such as 10 seconds or 30 seconds, the driving of the short-range communication unit 47 is stopped (S104).

  In addition, the control unit 42 of the case terminal 4 waits for a locking / unlocking instruction from the center device 1 through the wireless communication unit 41 in a state where the short-range communication unit 47 is not operating, and a locking / unlocking instruction signal (locking / unlocking information). Is determined (step S105). And when it determines with having received the locking / unlocking instruction | indication signal, a locking / unlocking process is performed (step S106).

  In the case of the locking process, the control unit 42 of the case terminal 4 stores the password (password) 432 included in the received locking instruction signal and locks the electric lock 31. Then, a lock completion signal is transmitted to the center device 1. In addition, when performing lock control, it is confirmed whether the sensor part 46 has detected the closed state, and when it is an open state, the notification part 45 notifies that.

  On the other hand, in the case of unlocking processing, the lock control unit 424 checks whether the password (password) included in the received unlocking instruction signal matches the password 432 stored in the storage unit 43. To do. As a result of the collation, when the personal identification number included in the unlocking instruction signal matches the personal identification number 432 stored in the storage unit 43, the unlocking signal is sent from the lock control unit 424 to the electric lock 31 and the electric lock 31 is sent. To unlock. Then, an unlocking completion signal is transmitted to the center device 1.

Whether the control unit 42 of the case terminal 4 waits for the locking / unlocking instruction from the communication terminal 6 through the short-range communication unit 47 and receives the locking / unlocking instruction signal while the short-range communication unit 47 is operating. It is determined whether or not (step S107). And when it determines with having received the locking / unlocking instruction | indication signal, a locking / unlocking process is performed (step S108). In step S108, the same process as in step S106 is executed. However, in step S108, the notification of the locking completion signal or the unlocking completion signal is sent from the short-range communication unit 47 to the center device 1 via the communication terminal 6 instead of the wireless communication unit 41. When the locking / unlocking process is completed, the short-range communication unit 47 is stopped (step S109).
As described above, when the wireless communication unit 41 can receive the locking / unlocking instruction signal from the center device 1 via the communication network 7, the locking / unlocking using the short-range communication unit 47 cannot be performed. Can be increased. In addition, standby power can be suppressed by stopping driving the short-range communication unit 47 when unnecessary.

  If the short-range communication unit 47 is not used for communication instead of switching control of driving / stopping of the short-range communication unit 47, the communication control unit 421 cancels the signal received by the short-range communication unit 47. The received signal may be controlled not to be used.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the communication terminal 6 in the present embodiment.
The communication terminal 6 stores various information such as a communication unit 61 for communicating with the center device 1, a short-range communication unit 62 for communicating with the case terminal 4 of the delivery container 3, and an operation program of the control unit. Storage unit 63, a control unit 64 that performs various controls of the communication terminal 6, a power supply unit 65 that supplies power to the communication terminal 6, and information related to communication with the center device 1 and the case terminal 4 and operation instructions A display unit 66 for displaying information, an operation unit 67 for instructing data communication by the short-range communication unit, an informing unit 68 for informing the completion of communication, and the like. The communication terminal 6 can be a mobile phone owned by a customer having the above-described Bluetooth communication function or infrared communication function, or a personal computer that can be connected to the center apparatus 1 via the Internet or a dedicated line.

  The communication unit 61 communicates with the center device 1 through a cellular phone network or the Internet, and is configured by a cellular phone communication circuit and antenna, a device that performs communication conforming to TCP / IP, and a device driver thereof. The

  The short-range communication unit 62 is an interface unit that directly communicates with the case terminal 4 of the delivery container 3, and is configured with devices conforming to the same standard so as to be able to communicate with the short-range communication unit 47 of the case terminal 4. .

  The storage unit 63 includes a semiconductor memory such as a ROM or a RAM, and stores various information such as an operation program of the control unit 64. The storage unit 63 also includes a communication terminal ID 631 that is identification information for identifying the communication terminal 6, and a password required for the lock / unlock control of the electric lock 31 of the delivery container 3 received from the center device 1 by the communication unit 61. (Password code) 632 is stored. The communication terminal ID 631 is an identification number for specifying the communication terminal 6, and is used as an address for communication with the center device 1.

The control unit 64 includes a microprocessor, a semiconductor memory such as a ROM or a RAM, and an operation program, and controls the communication terminal 6 as a whole.
The power supply unit 65 is a battery that supplies operating power for the communication terminal 6.
The display unit 66 is configured by a liquid crystal display or the like.
The operation unit 67 is an input unit for instructing data communication by the communication unit 61 and the short-range communication unit 62, and includes a push button, a keyboard, a mouse, or the like. In addition, the display unit 66 is configured as a touch panel or a touch pen.
The notification unit 68 includes a speaker, and sounds a notification sound when communication in the communication unit 61 or the short-range communication unit 62 is completed.

Next, the center device 1 of the delivery system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.
FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the center device 1.
The center device 1 includes a control unit 11 that controls the entire center device 1, a storage unit 12 that stores an operation program of the control unit 11 and various information, a power supply unit 13 that supplies power to the entire center device 1, and a storage 12, a display unit 14 for displaying information stored in an administrator or the like, an operation unit 15 for switching display contents of the display unit 14 and inputting various operations, and a shipping terminal via a communication network 2, the receiving terminal 5, the communication terminal 6, and the communication unit 16 for communicating with the case terminal 4 of the delivery container 3.

  The control unit 11 includes a microprocessor, a semiconductor memory such as a ROM or a RAM, and an operation program, and controls the center device 1 as a whole. The control unit 1 includes a communication control unit 111 that controls communication in the communication unit 16, and various types of information received from the shipping terminal 2, the receiving terminal 5, the communication terminal 6, or the case terminal 4 of the delivery container 3 via the communication unit 16. A collation unit 112 that collates the information stored in the storage unit 12, a personal identification number generation unit 113 that randomly generates a personal identification number of the electric lock 31 of the delivery container 3 when a locking request is received from the shipper, and a delivery A management code uniquely corresponding to the information is generated, a URL (Uniform Resource Locator: Internet address) for unlocking request with the management code added is created, and a management code (management information) embedded in the unlocking request URL The management information processing unit 114 for specifying the delivery information from the terminal and the locking instruction signal or the unlocking instruction signal including the code number are transmitted to the case terminal 4 of the delivery container 3 to instruct the locking and unlocking. Configured to include a locking-unlocking instruction unit 115 that.

The management information processing unit 114 will be described in detail below.
The management information processing unit 114 generates a management code that uniquely corresponds to the delivery information. As an example, it may be a combination of a number indicating the order of receiving a delivery request in an arbitrary period and a numerical value indicating the arbitrary period. For example, an arbitrary period is set for each month, and a number indicating the order of receiving the delivery request is displayed with 6 digits. If a delivery request is received for a package in May 2005, and the order in which the package delivery request was received in May 2005 is number 3000, the management code is a 12-digit number “20050503000”. be able to. The generated management code is stored in a delivery information DB 123 described later.

  The management information processing unit 114 performs the following processing. First, a management code is generated from the delivery information received at the time of the lock request. Convert the generated management code to text data. A text management code is added to the URL for unlocking request (delivery management site described later) to create a delivery notification URL (for example, the URL is http://XXX.com/access?*** ***** is written, and ******** of these corresponds to the management code). When the recipient accesses the delivery notification URL, the embedded management code is extracted and binarized. The binary management code is searched in the delivery information DB 123 to specify delivery information.

As the management code, a code generated based on the delivery information may be used.
In this case, the encryption code may encrypt all of the delivery information (including the password) registered in the delivery DB 123, but may encrypt a part of the delivery information. The partial information is information that can specify which delivery is made with reference to the delivery DB 123. For example, an encryption code that encrypts only the slip number that is a part of the delivery information is generated, and at the time of unlocking request, the recipient's customer ID and other information can be obtained by referring to the delivery DB 123 from the decrypted slip number. That's fine. Further, for example, even when a combination of the customer ID of the recipient and the case terminal ID is used, the delivery information can be specified similarly.

  By providing the management information processing unit 114 as described above, instead of notifying the package recipient directly of the delivery information, a management code whose correspondence with the delivery information is known only by the center device 1 is received. Since the delivery information can be concealed by notifying the person, security can be further improved.

  The storage unit 12 includes a semiconductor memory such as a ROM or a RAM, and stores various information such as an operation program of the control unit 11. Further, the storage unit 12 stores a customer information DB 121 that stores information related to customers, a case terminal information DB 122 that stores information related to the case terminal 4 of the delivery container 3, a delivery information DB 123 that stores information related to individual delivery, It has a database such as a monitoring record DB 123 that stores information including the lock / unlock state of the electric lock 31, the open / close state of the delivery container 3, and the history of position information acquired during delivery.

Hereinafter, each database will be described.
First, the customer information DB 121 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7A shows an example of the customer information DB 121. In this example, the customer information DB 121 specifies a customer ID 71 uniquely assigned to each customer, a password 72 when each customer accesses the center apparatus 1, and personal information 73 such as name and address and a terminal to be used. The terminal specifying information 74 that can be stored is stored in association with each other.

  The sender and the recipient are customers registered in the center device 1 in advance, and a customer ID is given to each customer. In addition to the password for accessing the center device 1 corresponding to the customer ID, and personal information such as name, address, contact information, and mail address, terminal specific information (for example, as receiving terminal 5 or communication terminal 6) The physical address (MAC address) of the network card built in the computer to be used, the telephone number of the mobile phone), etc. are registered. The mail address included in the personal information 73 is used for notification from the center apparatus 1 to the sending terminal 2, the receiving terminal 5, or the communication terminal 6. The phone number of the mobile phone is used to notify only the specific receiving terminal 5 or communication terminal 6 when notifying the recipient, and whether the physical address is requested to be unlocked or unlocked by a registered customer. Used to verify whether or not. In addition, the mail address mentioned above may set a different address for every terminal. Similarly, a plurality of terminal identification information may be set.

Next, the case terminal information DB 122 will be described.
In the case terminal information DB 122, a case terminal ID for identifying the case terminal 4 and a communication address used for communication with the case terminal 4 are registered. Short message service (SMS) can be used for communication between the center device 1 and the case terminal 4, and the communication address in this case is a telephone number for mobile communication. The case terminal ID is registered in association with the ID of the delivery container 3 to which the case terminal 4 is attached. It is updated when the combination is changed, such as when the case terminal 4 is replaced.

Next, the delivery information DB 123 will be described. FIG. 7B shows an example of the delivery information DB 123.
In the delivery information DB 123, as information relating to individual delivery, a slip code 81, a customer ID 82 of the sender, a customer ID 83 of the recipient, a case terminal ID 84, a personal identification number 85 for unlocking and unlocking the electric lock 31 of the delivery container 3, A management code 86 uniquely corresponding to each delivery information is registered in association with each other. By referring to this delivery information DB 123, delivery information can be specified from each data (for example, slip code) or a combination thereof (for example, a customer ID of a sender and a customer ID of a recipient).

Finally, the monitoring record DB 124 will be described.
The monitoring record DB 124 stores the case terminal ID and the monitoring records (locking / unlocking log, opening / closing log, position information log) received from the case terminal 4 in correspondence with the slip number as monitoring records in individual deliveries. . When new information is received from the case terminal 4, it is updated as needed.

The power supply unit 13 is a commercial power supply and a battery that supply operation power for the center device 1.
The display unit 14 includes a liquid crystal display that visually displays information stored in the storage unit.
The operation unit 15 is configured as a touch panel or a touch pen integrated with the display unit 14 in addition to a keyboard and a mouse for switching display contents of the display unit 14 and inputting various operations.

  The communication unit 16 includes a LAN card and a network driver for communicating with the case terminal 4, the sending terminal 2, and the receiving terminal 5 or a computer owned by the delivery company via a communication network, or a mobile phone communication network or a satellite communication network. It comprises a communication circuit for performing communication and software for driving.

The operation of the delivery system 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing the flow during locking. In FIG. 8, the solid line represents an operation procedure regardless of whether the case terminal 4 of the delivery container 3 and the center apparatus 1 communicate using the communication terminal 6, and the broken line represents the communication terminal 6. Represents the operating procedure for communication.

  First, the shipper stores the package to be delivered to the recipient in the delivery container 3 brought by the delivery person dispatched by the delivery company, and closes the cover of the delivery container 3. By using an Internet browser or the like, a delivery management site managed by the center device 1 is accessed and a lock request for an electric lock is made (step S01). At this time, the slip number received from the deliverer, the customer ID of the customer (shipper), the password, the customer ID of the recipient, and the case terminal ID written on the case terminal 4 are input.

  Next, when the lock request information is input from the shipper's shipping terminal 2, the center device 1 refers to the customer information DB 121, and the collation unit 112 registers the shipper's customer ID or confirms the password. Are matched or the customer ID of the recipient is registered. Further, referring to the case terminal information DB 122, the collating unit 112 collates whether or not the case terminal ID of the shipping container 3 used for delivery is registered (step S02).

  As a result of the collation, if the input lock request information does not match the data stored in the storage unit 12, the center device 1 displays a collation error at the shipping terminal 2. On the other hand, if there is a match between the lock request information and the data stored in the storage unit 12, the center device 1 uses the password generation unit 113 to set the password set in the electric lock 31 of the delivery container 3. Is generated (step S03). Then, the slip code, the customer ID of the sender, the customer ID of the recipient, the case terminal ID, and the generated personal identification number, which are input at the time of the locking request, are associated with each other and delivered to the delivery information DB 123 of the storage unit as delivery information. sign up.

  When the personal identification number is generated, the center device 1 uses the locking / unlocking instruction unit 115 to generate the personal identification number for the communication address of the case terminal 4 of the delivery container 3 specified by the case terminal ID included in the delivery information. Is transmitted, and a locking instruction is issued (step S04).

  Here, in the case terminal 4 of the delivery container 3, when the reception level of the radio wave from the wireless base station 8 decreases and wireless communication with the center device 1 via the communication network 7 cannot be performed, the wireless communication of the case terminal 4 is performed. The locking control signal cannot be received from the center device 1 through the communication unit 41.

  In this case, as described above, in the case terminal 4, the communication control unit 421 activates the short-range communication unit 47 in order for the short-range communication unit 47 to receive the locking control signal through the communication terminal 6. In addition, the case terminal 4 gives a warning for notifying that locking cannot be performed by the notification unit 46. On the other hand, after transmitting the locking instruction to the case terminal 4, the center device 1 determines that the locking is not normally performed when a locking completion signal (to be described later) cannot be received within a predetermined period (for example, 30 seconds, 1 minute). And notifies the shipping terminal 2 to that effect. As an example of this notification, a warning message indicating that locking is not completed is displayed on the website accessed by the shipping terminal 2 (step S21).

  Therefore, the shipper makes a lock request again using the shipping terminal 2 (step S22). At this time, information indicating that the communication terminal 6 is used is input. As an example, a check box for determining whether or not to use the communication terminal 6 is provided on a website accessed by the shipping terminal 2, and the sender checks the communication terminal 6 by checking the check box. The center device 1 is notified of information to be used. Here, it is preferable that use / unlocking control by the communication terminal 6 is not unnecessarily performed by selecting the use of the communication terminal 6 only when the above warning message is received. Note that the center device 1 may automatically use the communication terminal 6 for a locking instruction when a predetermined period has elapsed after determining that locking is not normally performed.

  When the center device 1 receives the information indicating that the communication terminal 6 is to be used and the lock request, in addition to the normal processing described above, the center device 1 refers to the customer information DB 121 and sends the mail address of the communication terminal 6 corresponding to the customer ID of the sender. Is acquired, a locking instruction signal is transmitted to the communication terminal 6, and a locking instruction is given (step 23). In this case, the locking instruction signal is transmitted as a binary code file attached to the mail as an example. When receiving the locking instruction signal at the communication terminal 6, the communication terminal 6 does not necessarily have to be near the delivery container 3. For example, only the communication terminal 6 is moved outdoors to improve the signal reception state. Then, the lock instruction signal may be received from the center apparatus 1. Further, expiration date information may be attached to the locking instruction signal, and the information may be invalidated after a predetermined time has elapsed after being transmitted to the communication terminal 6.

  After the communication terminal 6 receives the locking instruction signal, the shipper activates the short-range communication unit 62, transmits the locking instruction signal to the case terminal 4 of the delivery container 3 by short-range communication, and instructs the locking. (Step 24).

  When receiving the locking instruction from the short-range communication unit 47 via the wireless communication unit 41 or the communication terminal 6, the case terminal 4 of the delivery container 3 in which the package to be delivered is stored stores the code number included in the locking instruction signal. While being stored in the unit 43, the lock control unit 424 controls the locking of the electric lock 31 (step S05).

  When the lock control of the electric lock 31 is performed, the case terminal 4 sets the monitoring mode, and starts monitoring by the lock monitoring unit 425 and the opening / closing monitoring unit 426 and periodically acquiring position information by the position detection unit 423.

  Further, the case terminal 4 transmits a locking completion signal to the center device 1 through the transmission / reception unit 412 of the wireless communication unit 41, and notifies the center device 1 that the locking has been normally performed (step S06). When the case terminal 4 has received a locking instruction via the communication terminal 6, the locking completion signal is sent from the short distance communication unit 47 of the case terminal 4 of the delivery container 3 via the communication terminal 6 to the center device 1. Sent to.

  When the center device 1 receives the locking completion signal, the management information processing unit 114 generates a management code uniquely corresponding to the delivery information registered in the delivery information DB 123 (step S07). Then, the management code is registered in the delivery information DB 123 in association with the corresponding delivery information.

  In addition, a delivery management URL is created by adding a text management code to the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the delivery management site (step S08). The created URL for delivery notification is stored in the storage unit 12.

  Next, delivery guidance is given to the recipient of the delivery package (step S09). The delivery guidance is to send the slip number and delivery notification URL related to the delivery to the notification destination specified by the customer ID of the recipient of the delivery information. At the time of sending, the customer information DB 121 is referred to, and an email address extracted from personal information corresponding to the customer ID of the recipient is used. Further, when delivery guidance can be performed by specifying the receiving terminal 5, it is preferable to perform delivery guidance by limiting the notification destination only to the specific receiving terminal 5. As an example, when the receiving terminal 5 is a mobile phone, it is possible to receive delivery guidance only at a specific receiving terminal 5 by performing delivery guidance using a short message service instead of using e-mail. . As another example, when the receiving terminal 5 is connected to the center apparatus 1 via a dedicated line, the delivery guidance is provided through the dedicated line so that the delivery guidance can be received only by the specific receiving terminal 5. can do.

  As will be described later, it is possible to specify which delivery is related to the delivery notification recipient only by accessing the URL for delivery notification.

  Finally, referring to the delivery information DB 123 stored in the storage unit 12, the sender's notification destination (e-mail address) is acquired, and information indicating that the delivery acceptance processing in the center device 1 has been completed is transmitted to the notification destination. (Step S10).

  The shipper delivers the delivery container 3 locked in the above flow to the delivery person, and the delivery person delivers the package stored in the delivery container 3 to the recipient.

Next, the flow at the time of unlocking will be described.
FIG. 9 is a timing chart showing the flow during unlocking. 9, as in FIG. 8, the solid line represents an operation procedure regardless of whether the case terminal 4 of the delivery container 3 and the center apparatus 1 communicate using the communication terminal 6, and the broken line Represents an operation procedure of performing communication using the communication terminal 6.

  When the recipient receives the delivery container 3 and the slip number from the deliverer, the recipient confirms the delivery guide transmitted from the center apparatus 1 using the receiving terminal 5, and sends a delivery notification URL ( The delivery management site is accessed and a request for unlocking the electric lock 31 of the delivery container 3 is notified to the center apparatus 1 (step S11). At this time, the customer's customer ID and password are input as unlock request information.

  Since the delivery notification URL is sent only to the customer notification destination specified by the delivery information, for example, a third party who intends to illegally receive a package temporarily enters the customer ID and password of the valid package recipient. Even if it is known, the URL for delivery notification cannot be accessed by itself, and the electric lock 31 of the delivery container 3 cannot be unlocked by pretending to be a valid recipient.

  When the unlock request information is input from the receiving terminal 5, the center device 1 stores the information in the delivery information DB 123 based on the management code embedded in the accessed delivery notification URL by the management information processing unit 114. A message that matches the management code is detected to specify delivery information (step S12).

  When the delivery information is specified, the customer information DB 121 is referred to, and the collation unit 112 collates whether the customer ID of the recipient is registered or whether the password matches. Further, it is checked whether or not the customer is designated as a recipient by referring to the specified delivery information (step S13). Furthermore, in order to further improve safety, it may be confirmed by checking the terminal identification information whether the receiving terminal 5 is a terminal registered in the customer ID. By confirming whether or not the receiving terminal 5 is a registered terminal, the third party illegally obtains the recipient's e-mail address / e-mail password, customer ID and password, and the personal computer owned by the third party Even when accessing the mail server from a terminal or the like to receive the delivery guidance and requesting the unlocking, it is possible to judge the unauthorized access in the center apparatus 1 and reject the unlocking request. The terminal identification information can be confirmed as follows. First, a button for executing an applet for acquiring a physical address is provided on the website designated by the URL for delivery notification. When the recipient who received the delivery package accesses the website specified by the URL for delivery notification according to the delivery guide, the recipient presses the button (that is, clicks the mouse on the button displayed on the browser screen). Etc.). When the recipient presses the button, the physical address is acquired and transmitted to the center device 1. The center device 1 compares the received physical address of the terminal with the physical address of the recipient's terminal registered in the customer information DB 121 and confirms whether or not they match.

If the unlock request information does not match the information stored in the center device 1 as a result of the verification, a verification error is displayed on the receiving terminal 5.
Conversely, when the unlock request information matches the information stored in the center device 1, the center device 1 is identified by the locking / unlocking instruction unit 115 with the case terminal ID included in the identified delivery information. An unlock instruction signal including the code number included in the delivery information is transmitted to the terminal 4, and an unlock instruction is given (step S14).

  Here, in the case terminal 4 of the delivery container 3, when the reception level of the radio wave from the wireless base station 8 decreases and wireless communication with the center device 1 via the communication network 7 cannot be performed, the wireless communication of the case terminal 4 is performed. The unlock instruction signal cannot be received from the center device 1 through the communication unit 41.

  In this case, as described above, in the case terminal 4, the communication control unit 421 activates the short-range communication unit 47 in order for the short-range communication unit 47 to receive the unlock control signal through the communication terminal 6. In addition, the case terminal 4 gives a warning for notifying that the unlocking cannot be performed by the notification unit 46. On the other hand, if the center apparatus 1 cannot receive an unlocking completion signal to be described later within a predetermined period (for example, 30 seconds, 1 minute) after transmitting the unlocking instruction to the case terminal 4, the unlocking is not normally performed. It is judged that the receiving terminal 5 is notified. As an example of this notification, an unlocking incomplete warning message is displayed on the website accessed by the receiving terminal 5 (step 31).

Therefore, the receiver makes an unlock request again using the receiving terminal 5 (step 32). At this time, as in the case of the lock request, information indicating that the communication terminal 6 is used is input.
When the center device 1 receives the information indicating that the communication terminal 6 is to be used and the unlock request, in addition to the normal processing described above, the center device 1 refers to the customer information DB 121 and sends the mail of the communication terminal 6 corresponding to the customer ID of the recipient. An address is acquired, an unlock instruction signal is transmitted to the communication terminal 6, and an unlock instruction is given (step 33).
After the communication terminal 6 receives the unlock control signal, the recipient activates the short-range communication unit 62 and transmits the unlock control signal to the case terminal 4 of the delivery container 3 by short-range communication. An instruction is given (step 34).

  When the case terminal 4 of the delivery container 3 receives an unlocking instruction from the short-range communication unit 47 via the wireless communication unit 41 or the communication terminal 6, the password included in the unlock control signal is stored in the storage unit 43. If it matches, the electric lock 31 of the delivery container 3 is controlled to be unlocked. Further, the personal identification number 432 stored in the storage unit 43 is deleted (step 15). At this time, the case terminal 4 cancels the monitoring mode, and ends the monitoring by the lock monitoring unit 425 and the opening / closing monitoring unit 426 and the periodical position information acquisition by the position detection unit 423.

  In addition, after the unlocking of the electric lock 31 of the delivery container 3 is completed, an unlocking completion signal is transmitted to the center device 1 to notify the center device 1 that the unlocking has been normally performed (step S16). When the case terminal 4 has received an unlocking instruction via the communication terminal 6, the unlocking completion signal is sent from the short-range communication unit 47 of the case terminal 4 of the delivery container 3 to the center via the communication terminal 6. Sent to the device 1.

  When the center device 1 receives the unlocking completion signal from the case terminal 4 or the communication terminal 6 of the delivery container 3, the center device 1 refers to the delivery information DB 123 stored in the storage unit 12 and sets the sender's notification destination (mail address). Obtaining and notifying the notification destination of the completion of delivery (step S17).

  The center device 1 notifies the delivery company of the data in the delivery information DB 123 and the monitoring record DB 124 stored in the storage unit 12 when delivery is completed. Also, when an unauthorized opening or unauthorized unlocking of a delivery container is detected during delivery, the delivery company is notified. In addition, notifications are made as necessary, such as when requested by a delivery company.

The locking request and the unlocking request may be configured to be performed from the communication terminal 6.
In the above-described embodiment, the communication terminal 6, the shipping terminal 2, and the receiving terminal 5 have been described as separate terminals. However, the function of the communication terminal 6 is given to the shipping terminal 2 or the receiving terminal 5, and the communication terminal 6 is used. The same terminal as the shipping terminal 2 or the receiving terminal 5 may be used.

  In the delivery system of this embodiment, the case terminal of the delivery container has a short-distance communication function separately from the wireless communication function via the communication network, so that wireless communication with the center device is not possible. However, a signal can be received from the center device via the communication terminal by short-range communication. Therefore, locking / unlocking can be reliably performed even in a situation where wireless communication with the center device is not possible.

  For this reason, it is not necessary to provide the electric lock 31 with a function of directly operating the delivery container 3 such as a keyhole or an input portion of a password code for locking / unlocking, in case the wireless communication with the center device 1 is impossible. . Therefore, it is possible to improve security against unauthorized unlocking by a third party who does not have a legitimate authority.

  In addition, the case terminal 4 of the delivery container 3 can be locked and unlocked by short-range communication only in a situation where wireless communication via the communication network is impossible, and control by the communication terminal 6 is impossible except when necessary. In addition, the standby power consumption for short-range communication can be suppressed.

In order to give the authority to request unlocking, instead of using the URL for delivery notification, the management code generated by the management information processing unit 114 is sent to the recipient, and the management code is returned at the time of unlocking request. You may comprise. Even in this case, the management code is transmitted to the contact information registered in the customer information DB 121 of the center device 1, but in order to identify the terminal that receives the management code, the short message service is used or the physical address of the terminal It is also preferable to reply.
It is also effective to set an expiration date when generating a password.

  Further, in the communication between the case terminal 4 of the delivery container 3 and the center device 1, the locking / unlocking information may be encrypted and communicated. With this configuration, the communication contents between the delivery container 3 and the center apparatus 1 are analyzed, and there is a risk that the contents may be unlocked by giving an unauthorized unlocking instruction to the delivery container 3 from other than the center apparatus 1. Can be reduced.

  In this case, encrypted communication using a public key cryptosystem can be used as an example between the case terminal 4 and the center apparatus 1. The storage unit 43 of the case terminal 4 stores a secret key specified for each case terminal. On the other hand, the center device 1 registers the public key corresponding to the secret key of each case terminal in the case terminal information DB 122 of the storage unit 12 in association with each case terminal. When communication such as a locking instruction and an unlocking instruction is performed from the center apparatus 1 to the case terminal 4, the communication information is encrypted using the public key registered in the case terminal information DB 122 of the center apparatus 1, and is encrypted. Information is transmitted to the case terminal 4. In the case terminal 4, the received information is decrypted using the secret key, and then locked or unlocked.

  The embodiments described above are for explaining the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a delivery system according to the present invention. It is a schematic perspective view of the delivery container in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of the case terminal of the delivery container in one embodiment of the present invention. It is an operation | movement flowchart of the case terminal of the delivery container in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of the communication terminal in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of the center apparatus of the delivery system in one Embodiment of this invention. (A) is an example of a customer information database managed by the center device of the delivery system according to the present invention, and (b) is an example of a delivery information database managed by the center device of the delivery system according to the present invention. It is. It is a timing chart at the time of delivery container locking of the delivery system in one embodiment of the present invention. It is a timing chart at the time of delivery container unlocking of the delivery system in one embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Delivery system 1 Center apparatus 2 Shipping terminal 5 Receiving terminal 11 Control part 111 Communication control part 112 Collation part 113 PIN number generation part 114 Management information processing part 115 Locking / unlocking instruction part 12 Storage part 121 Customer information DB
122 Case terminal information DB
123 Delivery information DB
124 Monitoring record DB
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Delivery container 31 Electric lock 4 Case terminal 41 Wireless communication part 411 GPS receiving part 412 Transmission / reception part 413 Antenna 42 Control part 421 Communication control part 422 Communication monitoring part 423 Position detection part 424 Lock control part 425 Lock monitoring part 426 Opening / closing monitoring part 43 Storage unit 431 Case terminal ID
432 PIN code 433 Monitoring record 47 Short-range communication unit 6 Communication terminal 61 Communication unit 62 Short-range communication unit 63 Storage unit 64 Control unit 7 Communication network 8 Wireless base station 9 GPS satellite

Claims (5)

An electric lock to prevent the delivery container from opening and closing;
First communication means and second communication means for receiving locking / unlocking information for locking or unlocking the electric lock;
Electric lock control means for locking or unlocking the electric lock according to the locking / unlocking information received by the first communication means or the second communication means;
The first communication means monitors whether communication is possible, and when the first communication means can communicate normally with the electric lock control means, it responds to the lock / unlock information received by the first communication means. The electric lock is locked or unlocked, and when the first communication means cannot communicate normally, the electric lock is locked or unlocked according to the lock / unlock information received by the second communication means. Communication monitoring means for performing
The first communication means is network communication means for performing wireless communication via a communication network,
The delivery container according to claim 2, wherein the second communication means is direct communication means for performing direct communication without using a communication network. The communication monitoring means includes
When the first communication means cannot communicate normally, the second communication means is driven; when the first communication means can communicate normally, the second communication means is stopped. The delivery container according to claim 1 . A center device having communication means for transmitting locking / unlocking information for locking or unlocking the electric lock to a delivery container or communication terminal provided with the electric lock via a communication network;
A communication terminal having network communication means for receiving the locking / unlocking information from the center device via the communication network, and direct communication means for directly transmitting the locking / unlocking information to the delivery container without going through the communication network;
An electric lock for preventing the opening and closing of the delivery container, a network communication means for receiving the locking / unlocking information from the center device by wireless communication via a communication network, and the locking / unlocking information from the communication terminal without passing through the communication network A delivery container having direct communication means for directly receiving, and electric lock control means for locking or unlocking the electric lock according to the network communication means or the locking / unlocking information received by the direct communication means;
It is configured to include a,
The delivery container is
The network communication means monitors whether communication is possible. When the network communication means can communicate normally with the electric lock control means, the electric lock is locked according to the unlocking information received by the network communication means. Or, when the network communication means cannot be normally communicated, the communication monitoring means for causing the electric lock to be locked or unlocked according to the locking / unlocking information received by the direct communication means is further provided. A delivery container locking / unlocking control system. The communication monitoring means of the delivery container is
The delivery container according to claim 3 , wherein when the network communication means cannot communicate normally, the direct communication means is driven, and when the network communication means can communicate normally, the direct communication means is stopped. Locking and unlocking control system. The center device is
Furthermore, comprising a verification means for determining whether request information for requesting transmission of the locking / unlocking information is valid,
5. The delivery container according to claim 3 or 4 , wherein when the request information received by the communication means is valid, the locking / unlocking information is transmitted to a delivery container or a communication terminal specified by the request information. Locking and unlocking control system.

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