JP5688252B2 - In-car sales service system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an in-car sales service system, and more particularly to an in-car sales service system in which a transport robot that functions as an in-car sales person is provided in a train.

Examples of conventional techniques include robots described in Patent Documents 1 to 4.
Patent Document 1 discloses a robot mounted on a moving body. This robot is mounted on a passenger train or the like, has an autonomy, and has a function of making a judgment by itself in response to the situation where the robot is placed. The robot has recognition means for recognizing various conditions received from the occupant, and autonomous control including a self-issued movement mode that takes actions as necessary for the occupant is executed. The occupant's order includes goods transportation.
Patent document 2 is disclosing the provision system of the sales goods in a train. A salesperson who performs in-car sales on a train prepares goods in the sales car. This is not possible if there is a shortage of products sold in the vehicle or there is an order for products not sold. Therefore, in the providing system of Patent Literature 2, a server that performs data processing and communication processing is provided in the train, and a product providing unit is provided outside the train. The merchandise management center of the merchandise department communicates with the train server, arranges for delivery of necessary merchandise to the nearest stop station, and informs the server accordingly.
Patent Document 3 discloses an information management system. According to this information management system, a user terminal device is provided for each train seat corresponding to the user. A user can place an order for goods using the terminal device. A customer servicer in the train easily understands a customer's request from the user terminal device with the reception terminal device. This makes it possible to provide detailed entertainment and information to users.
Patent Document 4 discloses an in-train sales service system. In the train, when a passenger purchases a product from a traveling salesperson, when the passenger transmits order data with his / her portable wireless terminal, the external host device further transmits the order data to the in-vehicle store for in-vehicle sales. Is received by the terminal device. The traveling salesperson delivers the ordered product to the ordered passenger based on the received order data. Passengers can order goods from their seats and have them delivered to their seats, and can get the goods while sitting.

JP 2009-297892 A JP 2004-64493 A JP-A-5-143626 JP 2002-215914 A

The above prior art has the following problems.
The robot of Patent Document 1 is mounted on a moving body and the like and has autonomy, and carries goods according to a passenger's command. However, as a salesperson robot, the robot carries a product ordered by a passenger to a passenger's seat. Is not listed.
Patent Document 2 discloses a system for providing merchandise for sale in a train. In order to be able to handle the case where there is a shortage of products sold in the train sales cars or there is an order for products that are not sold,
A server is provided on the train, and a product provider is provided outside the train, and arrangements are made for the delivery of necessary products to the nearest stop station via communication between the two. However, the configuration that passenger seats carry is not described.
The information management system of Patent Document 3 can order products using a terminal device for customers and can provide fine-tuned entertainment and information provision, but the salesperson (customer) is a human being. It is not an autonomous robot.
In the in-train sales service system of Patent Document 4, passengers can order products with their mobile wireless terminals, but they are traveling salespersons who deliver seat products, and are not autonomous robots.

Currently, in sales services for goods within a railway or the like, it is provided by a person such as a salesperson or a crew member. In such a system, there is often no salesperson nearby when a passenger needs to order a product. In such a case, there is a problem that the passenger cannot obtain the desired product. On the other hand, merchandise sales operators cannot provide detailed sales services to passengers requesting merchandise, and lose the opportunity to sell merchandise.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to arrange an autonomously moving transport robot that functions as an in-car seller in a train of railway transportation, etc., and can easily place a product order without a product salesperson. To provide an in-vehicle sales service system in which the transport robot can quickly carry ordered products and can easily make payments on the spot, and can provide detailed services without increasing the burden on the sales staff. is there.

The in-vehicle sales service system according to the present invention is configured as follows in order to achieve the above object.

The first in-car sales service system (corresponding to claim 1)
An IC card reader is installed in a passenger car seat and includes a product order input unit, a first communication unit, a first processing unit, a first memory storing seat identification information, and an IC card reader / writer. A product ordering terminal that reads with a writer and stores it in a first memory and transmits order information including an ID to an external related device;
A second storage unit installed in the passenger car, including a product storage container, a product delivery device, a second communication unit, a second processing unit, and a second memory, receiving order information from the first communication unit by the second communication unit; A product hangar that drives the product delivery device and prepares the ordered product from the product storage container;
Comprising a moving mechanism and goods receipt delivery mechanism and the third communication unit and the third processing means and payment means, the order information from the first communication unit and received by the third communication unit, a third processing means, goods receipt delivery Receives the ordered product by the mechanism, then drives the moving mechanism to move to the product ordering terminal, carries the ordered product by the product receiving and delivering mechanism, delivers it to the customer, and settles it by the settlement means. With robots,
It is comprised so that it may comprise.

In the above in-car sales service system, passengers traveling using any train on the train
When you place an order by selecting the product you want at the product ordering terminal installed on the seat where you are sitting, the transport robot will quickly deliver the order details to the seat. Payment can be made with an IC card held by the passenger (an IC card having a wallet function or another similar card, etc.), and payment can be made at the seat. In this in-car sales service system,
Even if there is no human sales person in the train passenger car, it is possible to respond quickly when there is a request from a passenger.

In the second in-vehicle sales service system (corresponding to claim 2 ), preferably, the order information includes product information, seat specification information of a seat corresponding to the product ordering terminal, and a customer IC card. ID is included.

The third in-vehicle sales service system (corresponding to claim 3 ) is preferably characterized in that, in the above configuration, the delivery robot is authenticated when the ordered product is delivered from the product storage to the delivery robot.

In the fourth in-vehicle sales service system (corresponding to claim 4 ), preferably, when the ordered product is delivered from the transport robot to the customer, the identity confirmation is performed based on the ID of the IC card included in the order information. And the settlement by the settlement means is performed using an IC card.

The fifth in-vehicle sales service system (corresponding to claim 5) is preferably a merchandise hangar in the above configuration, and the second processing means further monitors the inventory status of the merchandise stored in the merchandise storage container. The product monitoring means is provided, and the information of the inventory products obtained by the inventory product monitoring means is transmitted to the product ordering terminal via the second communication unit, and the product order input unit is provided with a display unit for display. The sales product is displayed on the part based on the information of the stock product.

According to the in-vehicle sales system according to the present invention, in each passenger vehicle, the function of a stored product salesperson that receives the ordered product from the product ordering terminal for each seat, the product storage, and the product storage to the passenger in the seat. Since the autonomously controlled transport robot with the s / he has been deployed, passengers can quickly and accurately obtain the desired product while sitting on their seats,
Can provide detailed sales services without increasing the burden on human salespeople,
The effect is demonstrated.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows the whole structure of the in-vehicle sales service system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the goods order terminal with which each seat is equipped. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the goods storage warehouse installed in a passenger vehicle. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a conveyance robot. It is a flowchart which shows the relationship of transmission / reception of the mutual information (command) between a goods order terminal, goods storage, and a conveyance robot, and the flow of each process.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments (examples) of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

An embodiment based on a typical configuration of an in-vehicle sales service system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 11 conceptually shows one passenger car constituting the train 10. Passenger car 11
In fact, a predetermined number of seats are installed on the left and right sides of the central passage in FIG.
For convenience of explanation, the illustration of the seat is omitted. There are two seats on the left and right sides, the window side (A, D) and the aisle side (B, C). Each seat has a seat ID to identify the seat
Is allocated. The seat ID is composed of, for example, “passenger number”, “column number”, and “any of AD”. Each seat of one passenger car 11 is equipped with a corresponding product ordering terminal 12. However, in FIG. 1, for convenience of explanation, only the product ordering terminal 12 for the seat where one passenger 13 sits is shown.

As shown in FIG. 2, the product ordering terminal 12 includes a display unit 21 that displays a plurality of orderable products and a plurality of products displayed on the display unit 21 as functional elements provided on the outside. An operation input unit 22 for selection and an IC card reader / writer 23 are provided. The merchandise ordering terminal 12 includes a central processing unit 24, a memory 25, and a communication unit 26 as internal elements. The central processing unit 24 displays the saleable product on the screen of the display unit 21.
Control for receiving the product order of the passenger 13 performed through the operation input unit 22, storing the product order information in the memory 25, and transmitting the product order information to the outside through the communication unit 26. Do. At that time, the central processing unit 24 uses the IC card 2 possessed by the passenger 13.
7, the card ID of the IC card 27 is assigned to the IC card reader / writer 2.
3 and stored in the memory 25. The card ID of the IC card 27 is transmitted to the outside through the communication unit 26 at the same time as the product order information as information for specifying the product orderer. The merchandise ordering terminal 12 stores a seat ID 28 for specifying a corresponding seat in the memory 25. The seat ID 28 is also transmitted to the outside through the communication unit 26 together with the product order information.

The above-mentioned IC card 27 possessed by the passenger 13 preferably has a so-called wallet function and is charged with points corresponding to money. Instead of the IC card 27, a mobile phone or the like having an equivalent function can be used.

In the passenger car 11, the product storage 31 is installed in a fixed position at a specific position such as a front part, a rear part, or an upper part that leads to the central passage. In the product storage 31, various products sold in the passenger car 11 are prepared. As shown in FIG.
In terms of configuration, a product storage container 32 in which sold products are stored, a connection unit 33 that can be connected to a transport robot 41 described later, and a product ordered from the product storage container 32 is selected and taken out, and the product is connected to the connection unit. And a product delivery device 34 that is moved to 33 and delivered to the transport robot 41.
Further, the product storage 31 includes a control unit 35 and a communication unit 36. The control unit 35 controls the operation of the inventory state monitoring and product management mechanism of the product in the product storage container 32, the connection operation of the connection unit 33, and the product selection and product transport / delivery operations of the product delivery device 34. . Control unit 3
5 includes a central processing unit 37 and a memory 38. The memory 38 stores a program for controlling each operation described above. In FIG. 3, a program 38 a related to “monitoring of inventory status of goods” is shown as an example. The central processing unit 37 reads out and executes each program in the memory 38 and performs necessary control. The communication unit 36 is a communication unit 26 of the product ordering terminal 12 described above.
Necessary information is transmitted and received between the communication units 44 of the transport robot 41 described later.

The transport robot 41 can move freely in the central passage inside the passenger car 11 under the control of autonomousness, and between the product storage 31 and the seat where the order is generated when the product is ordered. To move. The transport robot 41 normally stands by in a state of being connected to the connecting portion 33 of the product storage 31 when there is no order for the product. The transport robot 41 performs an operation such as movement by autonomous control, and as shown in FIG. 4, a moving mechanism 42 that moves in the central passage in the passenger car 11, a product receiving and delivering mechanism 43, a communication unit 44, and a settlement device 45. Further, the transport robot 41 includes a control unit 46 that controls the movement operation of the movement mechanism 42, the operation of the commodity receiving / delivery mechanism 43, the operation of the settlement apparatus 45, and the data processing. The control unit 46 includes a central processing unit 47 and a memory 48. The memory 48 stores a program for controlling each operation and data processing, and a robot ID 49. The central processing unit 47 reads out and executes each program in the memory 48, and performs necessary control and data processing. Robot ID 4 stored in memory 48
9 is used for robot authentication when the product storage 31 delivers the product to the transport robot 41. The communication unit 44 transmits and receives necessary information between the communication unit 26 of the product ordering terminal 12 and the communication unit 36 of the product storage 31.

As described above, the in-vehicle sales service system according to the present embodiment is applied to each passenger car 11,
A product ordering terminal 12 provided for each seat, a product storage 31 and a transport robot 41 are provided. The transport robot 41 functions as a product salesperson. Next, based on the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, each of the product order terminal 12, the product storage 31, and the transport robot 41 when the passenger 13 performs an action of ordering a specific product using the product order terminal 12. Processing contents, exchange of information between them, and operations related to product sales will be described.

First, the product ordering terminal 12 is connected to the communication unit 36 from the product storage 31 at a stage before being activated.
And the information regarding the goods (stock goods which can be sold) preserve | saved in the goods storage container 32 of the goods storage 31 is provided by the radio | wireless E1 via the communication part 26 (step S100).
For this reason, in step S200, the product storage 31 executes the program 38a related to the “monitoring of the stock status of the product”, acquires information on the stock products that can be sold in the product storage container 32, and stores the information. It transmits to the product order terminal 12 by wireless E1.

For example, when the passenger 13 sitting in an arbitrary seat wants to drink canned coffee, the product ordering terminal 12 provided in the seat is activated (step S101), and a plurality of products that can be ordered on the screen of the display unit 21 are activated. Is displayed (step S102). In the display on the display unit 21 at this time,
It is assumed that only products that can be sold are displayed based on the information related to the above-mentioned stock products provided in step S100, and canned coffee is included in this. Passenger 13 is displayed part 2
1. From the displayed screen or while changing the screen, the user can find a canned coffee product that he / she wants to order and click the selection button on the operation input unit 22 to select and order the product (step S103). Upon receiving the product selection signal, the product ordering terminal 12 displays a message requesting an action of touching the IC card reader / writer 23 on the IC card 27 possessed by the passenger 13 on the screen of the display unit 21 (step S104). Upon seeing the message, the passenger 13 takes out the IC card 27 and touches the IC card reader / writer 23 (step S105). When the merchandise ordering terminal 12 confirms the touch action of the IC card 27, the IC
The card ID of the card 27 is stored in the memory 25 (step S106), and each data (order information) of the ordered product, the card ID of the IC card 27, and the seat ID 28 of the seat on which the passenger 13 sits is stored in the communication unit. For example, it transmits to the goods storage 31 and the conveyance robot 41 by radio | wireless E2 via 26 (step S107). Thereafter, the passenger 13 waits for the ordered product (canned coffee) to be delivered to the seat, and the order processing at the product ordering terminal 12 ends.

The product storage 31 is in a standby state after step S200 as long as there is no order from the product ordering terminal of each seat (step S201). Product (can coffee) from product ordering terminal 12
When the data related to the order (order information) is transmitted, the data is received by the communication unit 36 (step S202) and sent to the central processing unit 37 of the control unit 35 (step S203). The central processing unit 37 activates the product storage container 32 and the product delivery device 34 based on the operation command signal (
In step S204), the product (canned coffee) ordered from the information related to the product order is taken out from the product storage container 32 and moved to the location of the connecting portion 33 (step S205). Connecting part 33
When the transport robot 41 is connected to the product delivery device 3,
4 is passed to the commodity receiving and delivering mechanism 43 of the transport robot 41 (step S206).
At that time, the product hangar 31 receives the robot ID 49 of the transport robot 41 before delivering the product.
And confirms whether the transport robot 41 is prepared in advance in the passenger car 11, and a robot authentication procedure is performed (step S206). This robot authentication procedure
In particular, when the transport robot 41 moves from another location and is connected to the connecting portion 33 of the product storage 31, it is confirmed whether or not the transport robot 41 corresponds to the product storage 31, and the subsequent product delivery This is an important procedure to prevent errors from occurring.

As another method of the above robot authentication procedure, there is a method based on mutually confirming the contents of the product order information received from the product ordering terminal 12 between the product storage 31 and the transport robot 41.

The transport robot 41 is in a standby state in a normal initial state (step S301). When the order information is transmitted from the product order terminal 12 as described above (step S107), the order information is received (step S302). Thereafter, when the ordered product is delivered in relation to the product storage 311 in step S206 described above, the transport robot 41 uses the product receiving / delivery mechanism 43 to connect the ordered product from the product delivery device 34 at the connecting portion 33 of the product storage 31. Is received (step S303). The transport robot 41 that has received the ordered product controls the operation of the moving mechanism 42 based on the previously received data of the seat ID 28, moves away from the product storage shed 42, and moves toward the seat on which the passenger 13 sits (step S304). . During the movement, the product receiving and delivering mechanism 43 of the transport robot 41 is held in a state where the ordered product received from the product delivery device 34 is gripped. According to the program for controlling the operation of the moving mechanism 42 of the transport robot 41, for example, the position data of the seat corresponding to the seat ID 28 in the passenger car 11 is acquired based on the provided seat ID 28, and the transport robot is obtained based on the position data. 41 is moved to the passenger 13 seat. Further, the communication unit 44 of the transport robot 41 and the communication unit 26 of the product ordering terminal 12 communicate with each other, and autonomously control the moving mechanism 42 of the transport robot 41 based on the mutual communication. It can also be configured.

When the transport robot 41 arrives at the passenger's 13 seat, the product receiving and delivering mechanism 43 delivers the ordered product to the passenger 13 (step S305). At this time, for example, by providing a voice generator (not shown), a voice message or the like can be provided to the passenger 13. When the goods receiving and delivering mechanism 43 of the transport robot 41 delivers the ordered goods to the passenger 13, the identity of the passenger 13 is confirmed. The identity verification is performed by the IC card 27. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the settlement device 45 of the transport robot 41 performs settlement by a touch action using the IC card 27 having a wallet function (step S306), and at the same time, based on the card ID of the IC card 27. Then, identity verification is performed by comparing with the card ID included in the previously transmitted order information (step S306).

The transport robot 41 that has completed the delivery of the ordered product to the passenger 13 generates a thank-you message, for example, using the above-described sound generator, and then returns to the location of the product storage 31 (step S307).

Note that transmission / reception of information between the product ordering terminal 12 and the product storage 31 may be performed by wired communication instead of wireless. Wireless communication between the product order terminal 12 and the transport robot 41 is not always necessary. Information can be transmitted and received between the product storage 31 and the transport robot 41 either wirelessly or by wire.

The configurations, shapes, sizes, and arrangement relationships described in the above embodiments are merely schematically shown to the extent that the present invention can be understood and implemented. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and can be variously modified without departing from the scope of the technical idea shown in the claims.

The in-car sales service system according to the present invention provides a goods robot in a passenger train such as a railroad train, and deploys a transport robot that moves autonomously, deploys a product ordering terminal in each seat of the passenger car, and sits on the passenger When the desired order is ordered at the product ordering terminal at any time, the ordering information is exchanged between the product ordering terminal and the product hangar and transporting robot, so that the transporting robot can be automatically used even without a human salesperson. Used to deliver goods to passengers who have ordered.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Passenger car 12 Goods order terminal 13 Passenger 21 Display part 22 Operation input part 23 IC card reader / writer 24 Central processing part 25 Memory 26 Communication part 27 IC card 31 Goods storage 32 Goods storage container 33 Connection part 34 Goods delivery part 35 Control part 36 Communication unit 37 Central processing unit 38 Memory 41 Transport robot 42 Moving mechanism 43 Commodity receiving and delivery mechanism 44 Communication unit 45 Payment device 46 Control unit 47 Central processing unit 48 Memory

Claims (5)

An IC card reader / writer, which is installed in a passenger car seat, includes a product order input unit, a first communication unit, a first processing unit, a first memory storing seat specifying information, and an IC card ID of a customer. A merchandise ordering terminal that reads with a reader / writer and stores it in the first memory and transmits order information including the ID to an external related device;
The installed in coaches, provided with a product storage container and the product delivery device and the second communication unit and the second processing means and the second memory, to receive pre-Symbol the order information from the first communication unit in the second communication unit A product storage for the second processing means to drive the product delivery device and prepare the ordered product from the product storage container;
A moving mechanism, a commodity receiving / delivery mechanism, a third communication unit, a third processing unit, and a settlement unit, wherein the third communication unit receives the order information from the first communication unit , and the third processing unit includes: Receiving the ordered product by the product receiving and delivering mechanism, then driving the moving mechanism to move to the place of the product ordering terminal and carrying the ordered product by the product receiving and delivering mechanism and delivering it to the customer; An autonomous mobile robot that makes payments with
An in-car sales service system comprising: The in-vehicle sales service system according to claim 1, wherein the order information includes product information, the seat specifying information of a seat corresponding to the product order terminal, and the ID of the IC card of the customer. .   The in-vehicle sales service system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the ordered product is delivered from the product storage to the transport robot, the transport robot is authenticated.   When delivering the ordered product from the transport robot to the customer, identity verification is performed based on the ID of the IC card included in the order information, and in the settlement by the settlement means, the settlement is performed using the IC card. The in-vehicle sales service system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the in-car sales service system is performed. In the commodity hangar, before Symbol second processing means comprises a items monitoring means for monitoring a further inventory status of product stored in the product storage vessel, information items obtained in the items monitoring means Sent to the product ordering terminal via the second communication unit,
2. The in-car sales service system according to claim 1, wherein the product order input unit includes a display unit, and the display unit displays a sales product based on information on the inventory product. .

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