JP7100755B1 - Delivery box - Google Patents

Abstract

A home delivery box is provided that is attached to a veranda of a room in a building and that can safely deliver parcels. A home delivery box (40) is attached to a veranda of a living room in a building for receiving parcels delivered by an unmanned airplane, and comprises a box-shaped main body (41) having an opening (411) on the front surface, and opening and closing the opening. A door member 42, a door driving portion 44 for opening and closing the door member, and a first position accommodated in the main body and a second position extending forward from the bottom of the main body are provided so as to be movable forward and backward. a port member 43, a port driver 44 for displacing the port member between the first position and the second position, a fixture 50 for fixing the main body to the ceiling of the veranda, and a predetermined operation signal. and a control unit 45 for receiving and controlling the door driving unit and the port driving unit. [Selection drawing] Fig. 6

Description

The present invention relates to a parcel delivery box used to receive a parcel delivered by an unmanned aerial vehicle.

In recent years, in order to solve the labor shortage caused by the increase in parcels delivered to home, attempts have been made to deliver parcels by unmanned aerial vehicles such as drones. At this stage, only demonstration experiments are being conducted in rural areas where it is possible to secure enough land for drone takeoff and landing, but it is expected to expand to urban areas in the future.

Patent Documents 1 to 4 describe that a drone port on which a drone can take off and land is provided on the floor or fence of a balcony of a building such as a house or a hospital. By providing a drone port on the balcony, the recipient of the package can receive the package delivered by the drone without having to go out of the building.

Patent Document 5 describes that a mailbox provided with a main body capable of storing a frame used as a drone port is fixed to a fence of a veranda and used. In the mailbox described in Patent Document 5, the parcel delivered by the drone is stored in the main body in a state of being placed on a pedestal. Therefore, there is no concern that the cargo will get wet even in bad weather after the cargo is delivered when the recipient is absent and before the recipient returns home and carries the cargo.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2019-27122 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-112029 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-178694 Japanese Patent No. 6902308 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-51279

The Building Standards Law stipulates that the height of fences on balconies such as apartment houses should be 110 cm or more, and in many cases, fences are installed at a height of about 120 cm. Since the postal post described in Patent Document 5 is fixed on a fence of such height, the gantry is as high as the child's head, and when the child reaches out from the fence of the balcony, it comes into contact with the drone. There was a risk of injury.

An object to be solved by the present invention is to provide a delivery box that can be used by being attached to a veranda of a living room in a building and can deliver a package safely.

The present invention made to solve the above problems is a delivery box attached to the veranda of a living room in a building and for receiving a package delivered by an unmanned aerial vehicle.
A box-shaped body with an opening on the front and
A door member that opens and closes the opening,
A door drive unit that opens and closes the door member,
A port member provided so as to be able to move forward and backward between the first position housed in the main body and the second position extending forward from the bottom of the main body.
A port drive unit that displaces the port member between the first position and the second position.
Fixtures for fixing the main body to the ceiling of the balcony,
It is characterized by including a control unit that receives a predetermined operation signal and controls the door drive unit and the port drive unit.

The word "forward" above refers to the side where the unmanned aerial vehicle approaches the box-shaped body. Further, the word "front surface" refers to the surface of the box-shaped main body on the side approached by the unmanned aerial vehicle.

The delivery box according to the present invention is attached to the ceiling of the veranda of the living room in the building by a fixture. When receiving a package delivered by an unmanned aerial vehicle such as a drone, the control unit operates the door drive unit to open the front door member and operates the port drive unit to operate the port member in response to a predetermined operation signal. Move from the 1st position to the 2nd position and prepare a port to receive luggage from the unmanned aerial vehicle. Further, even after the delivery of the package to the port member is completed, the control unit operates the door drive unit and the port drive unit again by receiving a predetermined operation signal, and the port member on which the package is placed is placed in the first position. It is moved to accommodate the luggage inside the main body, and the front opening is closed by the door member by the door drive unit. The predetermined operation signal can be, for example, a drone or a signal emitted from a device that controls the operation of the drone. Alternatively, the predetermined signal received after the delivery of the package is completed may be a signal for detecting that the package has been placed on the port member.

The delivery box according to the present invention is used by being attached to the ceiling, and since the drone port is located at a high place, it is possible to safely deliver the package even if a child or the like is out on the balcony. The delivery box according to the present invention can be applied not only to condominiums and other condominiums, but also to buildings such as hotels and elderly homes where many people live in each section.

The whole block diagram of the delivery system including the delivery box which concerns on this invention. Schematic configuration diagram of the server device in the delivery system of this embodiment. Schematic diagram of the delivery box of this embodiment. The figure which shows the state which rotatably held the delivery box of this Example. The figure which shows the state which fixed the delivery box of this Example. The figure which shows the state which prepared the port of the delivery box of this embodiment. The figure explaining the displacement mechanism of the front door and the port member of the delivery box of this embodiment. The figure explaining the 1st position and the 2nd position of the port member of the delivery system of this embodiment. The flowchart explaining the delivery procedure using the delivery system of this embodiment. An example in which a plurality of delivery boxes of this embodiment are arranged in an apartment house. Schematic diagram of the delivery box of the modified example.

An embodiment of the delivery box according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The delivery box of this embodiment is used by being attached to the veranda of an apartment house such as an apartment.

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic view of a delivery system including the delivery box of the present embodiment. The home delivery system 1 of this embodiment is used by one or a plurality of service providers who provide home delivery services, and a large number of users who have previously concluded a predetermined contract with the service providers. The delivery system 1 is roughly divided into a server device 10, a drone 20, a portable terminal 30 such as a smartphone, and a delivery box 40. The service provider owns the server device 10 and the drone 20, and the user owns a portable terminal 30 such as a smartphone. The delivery box 40 is attached to the veranda of the house where the user resides. Although FIG. 1 shows only one drone 20, a portable terminal 30, and a delivery box 40, there are usually a plurality of these.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the server device 10. The server device 10 includes a storage unit 11 and a communication unit 12. The storage unit 11 contains information on each aircraft of the drone 20 (identification information, communication protocol, current location, operating status, etc.), user information (identification information, address, telephone number, e-mail address, etc.). Contact information, identification information of the delivery box owned by the user (corresponding to the identification information), service provision information (identification number, delivery requester, delivery address, implementation status), etc. are stored.

Further, the server device 10 includes an order receiving unit 13, a delivery instruction unit 14, a delivery status monitoring unit 15, and a delivery recording unit 16 as functional blocks. A program for a home delivery system is installed in the server device 10 in advance, and each functional block is embodied by executing the program on the processor. Further, the server device 10 is connected to an input unit 17 including a keyboard and a mouse for performing an appropriate input operation, and a display unit 18 for displaying various information.

One server device 10 may be provided for each service provider, or a plurality of service providers may share one server device 10. When one server device 10 is shared by a plurality of service providers, for example, an ID and a password are set in advance for each service provider, and each service provider has his / her own by logging in using them. It is good to be able to check the drone 20 and customer information.

The drone 20 has a GPS function to acquire its own current position, a communication function to send and receive various signals to and from the server device 10, a camera that captures the surroundings and an image thereof to analyze obstacles and a delivery box. It has an image analysis function that identifies the port of 40, and a function that receives light emitted from the delivery box 40, analyzes the wavelength and pulse length of the light, and acquires information contained in the pulse signal. ing.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a delivery box 40 and a mounting mechanism 50 for mounting the delivery box 40 on the ceiling of the balcony, with a side view on the left and a front view on the right.

The delivery box 40 has a rectangular cuboid body 41 having a front opening 411 on the front surface and a side opening 412 on the left side surface (the front side of the paper in FIG. 3 left), a door member 42 for opening and closing the front opening 411, and a main body. It includes a port member 43 housed in the bottom of the 41, and a port drive unit 44 that displaces the port member 43 and the door member 42. Further, a communication / control unit 45 is housed on the back side of the main body 41. The port drive unit 44 of the present embodiment has both the functions of the door drive unit and the port drive unit in the present invention, but the door drive unit and the port drive unit are separately provided, and the door member 42 and the port member 43 are provided. It may be displaced independently.

The lower end portion of the door member 42 is rotatably held around the front end portion of the port member 43. Further, an LED light source 422 is attached to the inside of the upper end portion of the door member 42. The port drive unit 44 has a motor 441 and a conversion unit 442 including a rack and pinion that converts the rotation of the motor 441 to move the port member 43 forward and backward (see FIGS. 6 and 8). The port member 43 is between a first position (left in FIG. 8) housed in the bottom of the main body 41 by a port drive unit 44 and a second position (right in FIG. 8) extending forward from the bottom of the main body 41. It is possible to advance and retreat with.

One end of the first plate-shaped member 421 is rotatably attached to both sides of the back surface of the door member 42. One end of the second plate-shaped member 431 is rotatably attached to both side surfaces of the port member 43. The other end of the first plate-shaped member 421 and the other end of the second plate-shaped member are also rotatably connected to each other. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the door member 42 can rotate in a range of 90 degrees from the state in which the front opening 411 is closed to the state in which the door member 42 becomes horizontal, and the port member 43 can be rotated. It is controlled by the port drive unit 44 to close the door member 42 when in the first position and to form a port for receiving the load delivered by the drone 20 together with the port member 43 when the port member 43 is in the second position. The door.

Plate-shaped members 46 extend from the upper ends of both sides of the main body 41. An L-shaped hole 461 with an upper opening is provided in the central portion of the plate-shaped member 46, and arc-shaped holes 462 are provided at both ends of the plate-shaped member 46.

The mounting mechanism 50 has a top plate 52 fixed to the ceiling of the veranda with anchor bolts 51, and a bar 53 that penetrates the top plate 52 and has both ends protruding from the top plate 52.

When attaching the delivery box 40 to the ceiling of the balcony, the main body 41 is brought close to the top plate 52 from below, the bar 53 is inserted from the upper end of the L-shaped hole 461, and the bar 53 is inserted into the short side of the hole 461. Move to the end of. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the main body 41 is held on the ceiling of the balcony with the bar 53 inserted into the L-shaped hole 462. At this stage, the main body 41 can be rotated around the bar 53.

Generally, the ceiling surface of the balcony is horizontal, but the ceiling surface of the balcony may be slightly tilted from the horizontal due to deterioration over time. In the delivery box 40 of the present embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 4, the main body 41 is rotatably held on the ceiling of the veranda around the bar 53, and the upper surface of the port member 43 inside the main body 41 is held. Adjust the angle of the main body 41 so that is horizontal. After that, the bolt 54 is inserted through the arc-shaped hole 462 (see FIG. 5) and fixed to the side surface of the top plate 52. As a result, the delivery box 40 can be mounted horizontally even when the ceiling surface of the balcony is tilted from the horizontal.

Next, the flow of delivering the package by the drone 20 in the home delivery system 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a delivery procedure.

The service provider accepts a request for delivery of a package to the delivery box 40 from the requester on a site provided on the Internet (step 1). At this time, the requester is asked to input the delivery date and time and information that identifies the user (user's name, address, telephone number, contact information such as e-mail, etc.). When these information are input on the site, the order receiving unit 13 of the server device 10 assigns an identification number to the home delivery service that has received the request, and stores the information together with the input information in the storage unit 11. In addition, the drone 20 used for the delivery service is specified, the time required for delivery is calculated according to the delivery distance from the waiting place of the drone 20 to the delivery box 40, the delivery start date and time is determined, and these are summarized. And save it as service provision information. When the service provider accepts a request for a home delivery service by telephone, e-mail, fax, or the like, the staff of the service provider inputs the above information into the server device 10.

When the delivery start date and time of the delivery service approaches, the service provider attaches the package requested for delivery to the drone 20 associated with the delivery service. When the delivery start date and time of the delivery service arrives, the delivery instruction unit 14 transmits a predetermined signal instructing the delivery start to the drone 20 associated with the delivery service (step 2). This predetermined signal includes information on the size and weight of the package, the location of the delivery box 40 at the delivery destination, and the identification number.

When the drone 20 receives the instruction to start delivery, it confirms that a package having a size and weight corresponding to the received information is attached, and sends a predetermined signal to start delivery to the server device 10 to deliver the delivery. Start (step 3). If the size and weight corresponding to the received information is different from the size and weight of the luggage actually attached to the drone 20, or if the luggage is not attached to the drone 20, the drone 20 gives an error signal. It is transmitted to the server device 10. When the server device 10 receives the error signal, the staff of the service provider requests the staff stationed at the waiting place of the drone 20 for confirmation.

The drone 20 transmits a GPS signal indicating its current position to the server device 10 at a predetermined time interval at the same time as the delivery is started (step 4).

When the server device 10 receives the delivery start signal from the drone 20, the delivery status monitoring unit 15 sequentially analyzes the GPS signal transmitted from the drone 20 and calculates the distance to the delivery destination and the required time. Then, when the time required to reach the delivery destination is less than a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes or less) (YES in step 5), a predetermined signal instructing each of the drone 20 and the delivery box 40 to prepare for delivery is sent. Send (step 6).

In the delivery box 40, when the communication / control unit 45 receives a signal instructing delivery preparation from the server device 10, the port drive unit 44 is operated to open the door member 42 and the port member 43 is displaced to the second position to drone. Prepare a port for receiving luggage from 20 (step 8). Further, a signal having a predetermined pulse length and number of pulses is transmitted to the LED light source 422 to emit light (step 9). The signal of the predetermined pulse length and the number of pulses includes the information of the identification number of the delivery box 40.

When the drone 20 receives the signal instructing the delivery preparation from the server device 10, it continues to fly to the delivery destination, and when it arrives at the delivery destination, it searches for the light emitted from the LED light source 422 of the delivery box 40 (step 7). ). When the drone 20 detects the light emitted from the LED light source 422, it analyzes the wavelength, pulse length, and number of pulses to extract the identification number of the delivery box 40, and matches the identification number of the delivery box 40 at the delivery destination. A delivery box 40 having an LED light source 422 that emits light is specified (step 10).

When the delivery box 40 is specified, the drone 20 specifies the position of the port formed by the door member 42 and the port member 43 of the delivery box 40, and places the luggage on the port (step 11). When the load is placed on the port, the drone 20 transmits a predetermined signal indicating that the delivery is completed to the server device 10 (step 12), and returns to the drone waiting area (step 15).

When the server device 10 receives the signal indicating the completion of delivery from the drone 20, the server device 10 transmits a signal notifying the completion of delivery to the delivery box 40 (step 13). Then, the delivery completion is recorded in the service provision information stored in the storage unit 11 (step 14), the status of the delivery status confirmation screen on the Internet is changed to the delivery completion, and the delivery requester and the user (delivery destination). The owner of the delivery box 40) will also be notified by e-mail or the like that the delivery has been completed.

When the delivery box 40 receives the delivery completion signal from the server device 10, the communication / control unit 45 closes the door member 42 and returns the port member 43 to the first position (step 16). When the port member 43 is displaced to the first position, the load placed on the port member 43 is accommodated inside the main body 41.

The Building Standards Law stipulates that the height of fences on balconies such as apartment houses should be 110 cm or more, and in many cases, fences are installed at a height of about 120 cm. A conventional postal post as described in Patent Document 5 is fixed on a fence of such height, so that the gantry is as high as the child's head and the child reaches out from the fence of the balcony. There was a risk of injury due to contact with the drone.

On the other hand, the delivery box 40 used in this embodiment is used by being attached to the ceiling of the balcony, and the drone port is located at a high place, so that the luggage can be safely delivered even if a child or the like is out on the balcony. Can be done.

The residence or the like to which the delivery box 40 of the present embodiment is attached is not particularly limited, but it is particularly preferably used when a large number of sections are provided in one building such as an apartment house such as an apartment, a hotel, or an elderly home. can. If many parcels are provided in one building and each delivery box 40 is provided, there are many delivery boxes 40 at one delivery address, and which delivery box is the delivery destination? However, the delivery box 40 of the present embodiment can easily identify the delivery box 40 at the delivery destination by analyzing the optical pulse signal emitted from the LED light source 422 of the delivery box 40 at the delivery destination. It can be reliably identified.

Further, in an apartment house or the like, it is usually possible to break a simple wall and evacuate to an adjacent door in an emergency such as a fire, and it is necessary to secure about 120 cm from the floor surface as an evacuation route. If a drone port is installed on the floor of the balcony, delivery of luggage to it may hinder evacuation. On the other hand, since the delivery box 40 of this embodiment is attached to the ceiling of the balcony, it is possible to secure an evacuation route at a required height.

FIG. 10 is an example in which the delivery box 40 of the present embodiment is arranged in each of a large number of sections provided in the apartment house 100.

In the example shown in FIG. 10, delivery boxes 40 are attached to different positions on the left and right of the balcony for each layer. By attaching the delivery boxes 40 in this way, the delivery boxes 40 can be sufficiently separated from each other, and even if the packages are delivered to the plurality of delivery boxes 40 at the same timing, an accident such as a collision of the drone 20 may occur. The sex can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, the main body 41 having either the left or right side surface of the delivery box 40 open is used, but as shown in FIG. 10, door members 47, 48 that close the opening on the side surface may be provided. In this case, assuming that the delivery box 40 can be installed at different positions depending on the floor or the like, openings are provided on both the left and right sides of the delivery box 40, one opening is closed according to the installation location, and the other opening is used. It is advisable to provide door members 47 and 48 that can be opened and closed to complete the delivery box 40.

The above embodiment is an example and can be appropriately modified according to the gist of the present invention.

The method of attaching the delivery box 40 is not limited to that of the above embodiment, and various forms can be adopted. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, a hole 461a opened downward is provided at the front end portion of the plate-shaped member 46a extending on both side surfaces of the main body, and the bar member 53a is penetrated in front of the top plate 52a. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the rod 53a is hooked in the hole of the plate-shaped member 46a to hold the main body 41a. In FIG. 11, the same components as those in the above embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals.

In the above embodiment, the LED light source 422 included in the delivery box 40 emits information including the identification number of the delivery box 40 as pulsed light, and the drone 20 receives the light to specify the delivery box 40 at the delivery destination. However, electromagnetic waves other than light may be emitted. Alternatively, a short-range communication means may be provided in each of the drone 20 and the delivery box 40, and the delivery box 40 to be delivered can be specified by transmitting and receiving the information of the identification number of the delivery box 40 between the two.

Further, the delivery box 40 at the delivery destination can be specified by a method other than emitting electromagnetic waves. For example, on the back surface of the door member 42 of the delivery box 40 (the portion forming the port for receiving the package from the drone together with the port member 43) or the upper surface of the port member 43, a two-dimensional code representing the information of the identification number of the delivery box 40 may be displayed. It is also possible to specify the delivery box 40 at the delivery destination by describing symbols and the like and having the drone 20 analyze them.

Further, the delivery box 40 of the delivery destination may be specified by information (order number) other than the identification number of the delivery box 40. For example, an identification number related to the delivery can be attached at the time of receiving an order for delivery, and the delivery box of the delivery destination can be specified by the identification number.

In the above embodiment, the server device 10 instructs the drone 20 and the delivery box 40 to prepare for delivery, respectively, and notifies the delivery completion. However, when the drone 20 approaches the delivery box 40, the delivery box 40 is predetermined. A signal is transmitted to cause the port drive unit 44 to displace the door member 42 and the port member 43 to prepare a port, or a predetermined signal indicating that the drone 20 has loaded a cargo in the port is transmitted to the delivery box 40. Then, the door member 42 and the port member 43 may be displaced to the port drive unit 44 to accommodate the luggage in the main body 41.

In the above embodiment, the delivery completion is notified to the portable terminal 30 such as a smartphone owned by the user, but it is not an essential requirement in the present invention that the user possesses the portable terminal 30. If the user does not have the portable terminal 30, a lamp indicating that the delivered package is housed in the main body 41 may be provided in the delivery box 40 and turned on.

Further, in the above embodiment, the package requested to be delivered from the waiting area where the drone 20 is made to stand is attached and delivered, but the delivery system according to the present invention is not limited to the delivery of general packages, for example. It can also be suitably used when delivering room service goods requested by hotel guests.

1 ... Delivery system 10 ... Server device 11 ... Storage unit 12 ... Communication unit 13 ... Order unit 14 ... Delivery instruction unit 15 ... Delivery status monitoring unit 16 ... Delivery recording unit 17 ... Input unit 18 ... Display unit 20 ... Drone 30 ... Possible Portable terminal 40 ... Delivery box 41 ... Main body 411 ... Front door 411 ... Front opening 412 ... Side opening 41a ... Main body 42 ... Door member 421 ... First plate-shaped member 422 ... LED light source 43 ... Port member 431 ... Second plate-shaped Member 44 ... Port drive unit 441 ... Motor 442 ... Conversion unit 45 ... Communication / control unit 46, 46a ... Plate-shaped member 461, 461a ... Hole 462 ... Arc-shaped hole 50 ... Mounting mechanism 51 ... Anchor bolt 52, 52a ... Boards 53, 53a ... Bars

Claims (6)

A parcel delivery box attached to the balcony of the living room in the building to receive packages delivered by unmanned aerial vehicles.
A box-shaped body with an opening on one side,
A door member that opens and closes the opening,
A door drive unit that opens and closes the door member,
A port member provided so as to be able to move forward and backward between the first position housed in the main body and the second position extending from the main body on the side where the opening is provided from the bottom of the main body.
A port drive unit that displaces the port member between the first position and the second position .
A control unit that receives a predetermined operation signal and controls the door drive unit and the port drive unit ,
The top plate attached to the ceiling of the balcony and
A bar that penetrates the top plate so that both ends protrude from the top plate,
Two plate-shaped members having holes for inserting the rods, one extending at the upper ends of both sides of the main body,
Bolts for fixing the two plate-shaped members to the two side surfaces of the top plate on which the bar material protrudes, respectively.
Equipped with
The main body rotates about the bar as the central axis in a state where the bar of the top plate attached to the ceiling of the veranda is inserted into the hole provided in each of the two plate-shaped members. A delivery box characterized in that it is posablely held on the top plate, and the plate-shaped member is fixed to the side surface of the top plate by the bolt so as to be horizontally fixed to the ceiling of the veranda . A side opening is provided on a side surface of the main body other than the one side surface, and further.
The delivery box according to claim 1 , further comprising a side door member that opens and closes the side opening. The door member is rotatably attached about the front end of the port member, and when the port member is in the first position, the door member closes the opening and the port member is in the second position. The delivery box according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein at one time, the port member and the port member form a port for receiving cargo from the unmanned aerial vehicle. The delivery box according to claim 3 , wherein an identification unit for identifying the delivery box by the unmanned aerial vehicle is provided in a portion of the door member that forms the port together with the port member. .. The delivery box according to claim 4 , wherein the identification unit is a two-dimensional bar code. The delivery box according to claim 4 , wherein the identification unit emits an electromagnetic wave having a specific wavelength and / or a specific pulse length.

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