JP7221323B2 - Stocker - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to stockers.

Conventionally, there has been known a system provided with a locker (stocker) having a plurality of boxes (delivery box) capable of delivering parcels delivered by a delivery person, and a management device for managing the lockers (for example, Patent Document 1: reference). In this system, if a box selected by a delivery person is an empty box, it is registered as a reserved box. When the deliverer delivers the parcel to the reservation box, an unlock signal is sent to the reservation box to open the door. An error message is displayed to the effect that a door open failure has occurred.

JP-A-11-151154

In the system described above, although it is described that it deals with a door open failure, it does not take into account other situations. Therefore, it is difficult to appropriately respond to various situations other than the door open failure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The main object of the present invention is to enable an appropriate response to a situation that occurs in a stocker.

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

The first stocker of the present invention is
A stocker used in a stocker system comprising a stocker having a delivery warehouse with a lockable door and a management device for managing the stocker,
an open/closed state detection means for detecting an open/closed state of the door;
a control device that can communicate with the management device and controls locking and unlocking of the door;
with
The control device controls the unlocking of the door, and when the opening of the door is continuously detected for a predetermined opening time or more after the opening of the door is detected, the door remains open. The gist is to send a notification to the effect that there is a problem to the management device.

A first stocker of the present invention controls the unlocking of the door of the delivery warehouse, and when the opening of the door is continuously detected for a predetermined opening time or longer after the opening of the door is detected, the opening of the door is notified to that effect. Since the notification is sent to the management device, appropriate action can be taken when the door remains open. It should be noted that, for example, the door is left open when the receiver forgets to close the door after the receiver takes out the article delivered to the delivery warehouse by the deliverer (deliverer).

The second stocker of the present invention is
A stocker used in a stocker system comprising a stocker having a delivery warehouse and a management device for managing the stocker,
an imaging device capable of imaging a predetermined range in front of the stocker;
a control device that can communicate with the management device and executes recording control of the image based on detection of a moving object from the image captured by the imaging device;
with
The gist is that the control device transmits a notification to the effect that the image is not being recorded to the management device when the recording control is not executed for a predetermined non-recording time or more.

In the second stocker of the present invention, when image recording control is not executed for a predetermined non-recording time or more, the notification to that effect is sent to the management device. can respond appropriately. Normally, when a deliverer (delivery person) delivers an item or a receiver receives an item, the mobile object is detected from the image because it enters a predetermined range in front of the stocker. Therefore, if an image is not recorded for a predetermined non-recording time or more, there is a high possibility that some kind of abnormality has occurred in the imaging device or the captured image.

The third stocker of the present invention is
A stocker used in a stocker system comprising a stocker having a delivery warehouse with a lockable door and a management device for managing the stocker,
an open/closed state detection means for detecting an open/closed state of the door;
a control device that can communicate with the management device and controls locking and unlocking of the door;
with
When the opening of the door is detected while the door is not controlled to be unlocked, the control device transmits to the management device a notification that the door has been opened without the unlocking control. This is the gist of it.

In the third stocker of the present invention, when the opening of the delivery warehouse door is detected while the door of the delivery warehouse is not controlled to be unlocked, the notification to that effect is sent to the management device. It is possible to respond appropriately when the door is opened at In the case where the door is opened without the unlocking control, for example, if the door is configured to be unlockable by a lock device using a physical key other than the electronic lock device controlled by the control device, This is the case when the door is unlocked by a locking device using the physical key. It also applies to the case where the door is unlocked (opened) by illegal means.

The fourth stocker of the present invention is
A stocker used in a stocker system comprising a stocker having a delivery warehouse and a management device for managing the stocker,
a delivery certificate output device capable of outputting a delivery certificate with consumption of consumables;
a control device that can communicate with the management device and controls the delivery certificate output device to output the delivery certificate when the delivery person delivers the goods to the delivery warehouse;
with
The gist is that, when the remaining amount of the consumable material falls below a predetermined remaining amount, the control device transmits a notification to the effect that the remaining amount of the consumable material is equal to or less than a predetermined remaining amount to the management device. and

The fourth stocker of the present invention, when the remaining amount of consumable materials used in the delivery certificate output device capable of outputting the delivery certificate is below a predetermined remaining amount, transmits a notification to that effect to the management device. , it is possible to appropriately deal with the case where the remaining amount of consumable materials is equal to or less than a predetermined remaining amount. The delivery certificate output device includes, for example, a device that affixes a receipt stamp on a slip owned by a delivery person by consuming ink, and a device that outputs a delivery certificate printed by consuming ink and paper. etc.

1 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a stocker system 10; FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a stocker 40; FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of a door open state continuation process. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a non-recording state continuation process; 4 is a flowchart showing an example of door opening processing under non-unlocking control; 6 is a flow chart showing an example of a process when the remaining amount of ink is low.

[First embodiment]
Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the stocker system 10. As shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the stocker 40. As shown in FIG.

The stocker system 10 includes a sales management system 20, a plurality of stockers 40, and a stocker management device 30 that manages the stockers 40, as shown in FIG. The sales management system 20, a plurality of stockers 40 (stockers 40A, 40B, etc.), and the stocker management device 30 are connected to networks 12, 13 such as the Internet.

The sales management system 20 is a system managed by the store 21 and includes a sales management device 22 . The sales management device 22 exchanges information with the portable terminal 15 of the purchaser 14 via the network 12 and provides the purchaser 14 with product information on the product 17 . The sales management device 22 includes, for example, a product database (DB) containing information on the product 17, a customer DB containing information on the customer (purchaser 14), an order number of the purchased product (product 17), and a stocker for receiving the product 17. 40 information and the like are stored.

The stocker 40 is used when delivering the product 17 delivered from the store 21 to the purchaser 14 . Stockers 40 are installed in various places such as offices, convenience stores, factories, stations, schools, and condominiums. This stocker 40 includes a plurality of delivery warehouses 41 that can be locked. The delivery warehouse 41 has an internal space capable of accommodating articles such as the product 17, and as shown in FIG. An article sensor 44 for detecting the presence or absence of articles in the warehouse 41 and an opening/closing sensor 45 for detecting opening/closing of the door 42 are provided.

The stocker 40 also includes a collective unlocking mechanism 46 that collectively unlocks a plurality of delivery warehouses 41 (for example, in a vertical row) by an unlocking operation using a key (physical key) by an operator. A plurality of collective unlocking mechanisms 46 are provided corresponding to each row of the delivery warehouse 41 (one is shown in FIG. 2), and are arranged below the delivery warehouse 41 at the bottom of each row. A cylinder lock 47 provided with a keyhole, an unlocking rod 48 that moves vertically in conjunction with rotation of a lock shaft (not shown) of the cylinder lock 47, and a vertical direction of the unlocking rod 48 that is connected to the unlocking rod 48. and a plurality of unlocking levers 49 that move up and down along with the movement of the . The electronic lock 43 provided in each delivery warehouse 41 has an unlocking pin 43a that protrudes downward in the locked state, and can be unlocked by pushing up the unlocking pin 43a in the locked state. . The unlocking lever 49 of the collective unlocking mechanism 46 is in contact with the lower end surface of the unlocking pin 43a, and moves upward to push up the unlocking pin 43a. For this reason, the manager of the place where the stocker 40 is installed can insert the key into the keyhole of the cylinder lock 47 of the collective unlocking mechanism 46 and rotate it in a predetermined direction, thereby unlocking the unlocking rod 48 and the unlocking lever 49. By activating the unlocking pin 43a of the electronic lock 43 through the interlocking, a plurality of delivery warehouses 41 (in one vertical row) can be unlocked collectively. Such batch unlocking may be performed by the manager of the installation location of the stocker 40, for example, when the purchaser 14 who receives the product 17 accidentally loses (forgets) the password for receipt.

Furthermore, the stocker 40 comprises a control unit 51 configured to have the same size as the delivery warehouse 41 . The control unit 51 includes a control section 53 , a storage section 54 and a communication section 55 . The control unit 53 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and controls the entire device including locking control and unlocking control of the electronic lock 43 . The control unit 53 also receives a detection signal from the article sensor 44, a detection signal from the opening/closing sensor 45, and the like. The storage unit 54 stores various application programs and various data files. The communication unit 55 communicates with external devices such as the stocker management device 30 . The storage unit 54 stores delivery information associated with information on the product 17, a delivery warehouse number containing the product 17, a password for receipt (receipt code), and the like.

A display operation section 56 , a reading section 57 , an imaging section 58 , and a stamping section 59 are arranged on the front panel 52 of the control unit 51 . The display operation unit 56 is a touch panel display that displays various information to the deliverer 19 and the purchaser 14 of the product 17 and receives input of various operations from the deliverer 19 and the purchaser 14 . The reading unit 57 is a code reader that reads various codes such as an authentication code printed on an authentication card possessed by the delivery person 19 and a password (receipt code) used by the purchaser 14 to receive the product 17 . The imaging unit 58 is a camera capable of imaging a predetermined range in front of the stocker 40, for example, a range in which the deliverer 19 who puts the product 17 in and out of the delivery warehouse 41, the purchaser 14, and the like are located. is sent to the control unit 53 . Note that the control unit 53 processes the image captured by the imaging unit 58 to determine whether or not there is a person (moving object) in the image. Recording control is performed to record images captured by the imaging unit 58 in the storage unit 54 in chronological order until the person (moving object) is no longer detected. The stamping unit 59 is a stamp unit capable of stamping a receipt stamp, and is configured such that an ink cartridge for stamping can be replaced. When delivery of the product 17 to the delivery warehouse 41 by the delivery person 19 is completed, the control unit 53 displays on the display/operation unit 56 a screen prompting the user to insert the delivery receipt into the receipt stamp of the stamp unit 59 . , the stamping unit 59 is controlled so that a receipt stamp is stamped when the delivery receipt is inserted into the receipt stamp slot.

Stocker management device 30 exchanges information with stocker 40 and sales management device 22 via networks 12 and 13 . The stocker management device 30 stores stocker information including information such as the identification number and location of the stocker 40, information on the products 17 delivered to the stocker 40, history information including the usage status of the delivery warehouse 41, and the like. there is In addition, the stocker management device 30 is configured to be able to notify the administrator of the stocker system 10 of a situation that has occurred in the stocker 40 based on the notification from the stocker 40 by means of voice output, screen display, or the like.

In the stocker system 10 configured in this way, the product 17 ordered by the purchaser 14 is delivered to the delivery warehouse 41 of the stocker 40 in the following manner. First, the purchaser 14 operates the mobile terminal 15 or the like to select the desired product 17 from the product information provided by the sales management device 22, and selects information such as the stocker 40 from which the purchaser 17 wishes to receive the product 17. is entered to order the product 17 . When the sales management device 22 receives an order from the purchaser 14, it stores the order number of the product 17 (purchased product) to the information of the purchaser 14 and the information of the stocker 40 that the purchaser wishes to receive as sales information. Send to the management device 30 . The stocker management device 30 searches for an empty delivery warehouse from the usage status of the stocker 40 to receive the goods, determines the delivery destination delivery warehouse 41, transmits the number of the delivery destination delivery warehouse 41 to the sales management device 22, and delivers the goods. The number of the previous delivery warehouse 41 and the order number are received and transmitted to the desired stocker 40. - 特許庁An empty delivery warehouse is a delivery warehouse 41 in which the article sensor 44 detects that there is no article in the delivery warehouse 41 and the open/close sensor 45 detects that the door 42 is closed. The stocker management device 30 sends a notification to the sales management device 22 to the effect that there is no vacant delivery warehouse in the stocker 40 that wishes to receive the goods. When the sales management device 22 receives the notification to that effect, the sales management device 22 transmits the notification to that effect to the portable terminal 15 of the purchaser 14 so that the purchaser 14 can change the desired stocker 40 or accept the cancellation of the order. or When the sales management device 22 receives the number of the delivery warehouse 41 as the delivery destination from the stocker management device 30, it designates the stocker 40 as the delivery destination and the number of the delivery warehouse 41 and instructs the deliverer 19 to deliver the product 17. . The deliverer 19 delivers the product 17 to the stocker 40 at the delivery destination, and in the stocker 40 at the delivery destination, the reading unit 57 reads the authentication code to perform authentication while operating the display operation unit 56 to deliver the product 17. perform an operation. When the delivery person 19 is authenticated, the stocker 40 unlocks the electronic lock 43 of the specified delivery warehouse 41 . As a result, the deliverer 19 can open the unlocked door 42 and deliver the product 17 to the delivery warehouse 41 . The stocker 40 locks the electronic lock 43 when the delivery of the product 17 by the delivery person 19 is completed and the door 42 is closed. In addition, when the deliverer 19 inserts the delivery receipt into the receipt stamp opening of the stamping section 59 , the stocker 40 affixes the receipt stamp on the delivery receipt by the stamping section 59 .

When the product 17 is delivered to the delivery warehouse 41 in this way, the product 17 is received by the purchaser 14 in the following manner. First, the stocker 40 generates a password (receipt code) for receiving the product 17 and transmits it to the stocker management device 30 . The stocker management device 30 transmits the receipt password and the order number to the sales management device 22 . Note that the receipt password may be generated by the stocker management device 30 or the sales management device 22 . The sales management device 22 transmits to the portable terminal 15 of the purchaser 14 the fact that the product 17 has been delivered to the stocker 40 from which the product 17 is to be received and the received password and order number for receipt. At the stocker 40 to which the product 17 has been delivered, the purchaser 14 causes the reading unit 57 to read the password for receiving (receipt code) to perform authentication, and operates the display operation unit 56 to perform the receiving operation. After authenticating the purchaser 14 , the stocker 40 unlocks the electronic lock 43 of the designated delivery warehouse 41 . Thereby, the purchaser 14 can open the unlocked door 42 and receive the product 17 from the delivery warehouse 41 . The stocker 40 locks the electronic lock 43 when the purchaser 14 completes the receipt of the product 17 and closes the door 42 . When the purchaser 14 completes receiving the product 17 and closes the door 42, the product sensor 44 detects that there are no products in the delivery warehouse 41, and the open/close sensor 45 detects that the door 42 is closed, and the product is delivered. Since the usage status of the warehouse 41 becomes an empty delivery warehouse, it is possible to determine a new delivery destination.

Next, the operation of the stocker system 10 of the first embodiment, in particular, the operation when the door 42 of the stocker 40 remains open will be described. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing an example of the door open state continuation process. In the door open state continuation process, the control section 53 of the control unit 51 first determines whether or not the door 42 is in the open state (S100). This processing can be performed by determining whether or not the door 42 is open based on the detection signal from the open/close sensor 45 after the electronic lock 43 is controlled to be unlocked by the control unit 53 . In addition, the case where the door 42 is in the open state after the electronic lock 43 is unlocked by the collective release mechanism 46 may be included. When the control unit 53 determines that the door 42 is open in S100, it starts measuring the open time (S110). Then, the controller 53 determines whether or not the door 42 has been closed (S120), and whether or not a predetermined opening time has elapsed (S130). In addition, the predetermined open time can be set to a time of several tens of seconds such as 30 seconds.

If the control unit 53 determines that the door 42 is closed in S120 before determining that the predetermined opening time has passed in S130, it ends the measurement of the opening time (S140) and ends this process. On the other hand, if the control unit 53 determines in S130 that the predetermined opening time has elapsed before determining that the door 42 is closed in S120, the control unit 53 notifies the stocker management device that the door 42 continues to be open. 30 (S150), and the process ends. The stocker management device 30 that has received this notification can notify the administrator of the stocker system 10 that the door 42 continues to be open. For this reason, the manager of the stocker system 10 must go to the stocker 40 and close the door 42 that is still open, or contact the manager of the location where the stocker 40 is installed to confirm that the open state has continued. It is possible to take measures such as requesting closing of the door 42 where the customer is. Here, the door 42 may remain open because the purchaser 14 who has received the product 17 forgets to close the door 42 . In this case, even if the product 17 in the delivery warehouse 41 is received, the usage status of the delivery warehouse 41 does not become an empty delivery warehouse, so a new delivery destination cannot be determined. Therefore, depending on the usage status of the other delivery warehouses 41 of the stocker 40, the stocker management device 30 may determine that there is no empty delivery warehouse in the stocker 40, and may not be able to appropriately respond to the purchaser's 14 request for receipt. In the first embodiment, since the notification that the door 42 continues to be open is sent to the stocker management device 30, it is possible to prevent such a situation from occurring. Note that the stocker management device 30 may transmit the notification transmitted from the stocker 40 to the sales management device 22 or the like so as to correspond to the manager of the store 21, the delivery person 19, or the like.

Here, correspondence relationships between the components of the first embodiment and the components of the first stocker of the present invention will be clarified. The stocker 40 of the first embodiment corresponds to the first stocker of the present invention, the stocker management device 30 corresponds to the management device, the opening/closing sensor 45 corresponds to the opening/closing state detection means, and the control section 53 corresponds to the control device. do.

The stocker 40 of the first embodiment described above controls the unlocking of the door 42 of the delivery warehouse 41, and the opening of the door 42 is continuously detected for a predetermined opening time or longer after the opening of the door 42 is detected. When the door 42 is kept open, the notification that the door 42 is kept open is transmitted to the stocker management device 30, so that the situation in which the door 42 remains open can be dealt with appropriately.

[Second embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the invention will be described. The configurations of the stocker system 10 and each stocker 40 of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same reference numerals are used for the components of the stocker system 10 and the stocker 40, and the description of the configuration is omitted, and the operation (processing) will be described. The same applies to third and fourth embodiments described later.

As the operation of the stocker system 10 of the second embodiment, the operation when the image captured by the imaging unit 58 of the stocker 40 is not normally recorded will be described. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of a non-recording state continuation process. In the non-recording state continuation processing, the control section 53 of the control unit 51 first determines whether image recording control is being executed (S200). As described above, the control unit 53 processes the image captured by the imaging unit 58 to determine whether or not a person is present in the image, and if a person is detected in the image, detects the person in the image. Recording control is performed to record images in the storage unit 54 in chronological order until there are no more. Therefore, the control unit 53 determines that the recording control is being executed in S200 from when the person is once detected in the image until when the person is no longer detected.

When the control unit 53 determines in S200 that the recording control is not being executed, it determines whether or not the non-recording time is being measured (S210). If the control unit 53 determines that the non-recording time is not being measured, it starts measuring the non-recording time (S220), and if it determines that the non-recording time is being measured, it skips the processing of S220. Then, the control unit 53 determines whether or not the predetermined non-recording time has elapsed (S230), and if it determines that the predetermined non-recording time has not elapsed, returns to S200 and repeats the processing. The predetermined non-recording time can be set to several hours, such as one hour. Note that the frequency at which people approach the stocker 40, that is, the frequency at which people are detected from images, differs depending on the number of delivery warehouses 41 possessed by the stocker 40, the installation location of the stocker 40, and the time of day. Different times may be used for the predetermined non-recording time depending on the band. Further, when determining in S200 that the recording control is being executed, the control section 53 determines whether or not the non-recording time is being measured (S240). When determining that the non-recording time is being measured, the control unit 53 ends the measurement of the non-recording time (S2
50), this process ends, and if it is determined that the non-recording time is not being measured, the process of S250 is skipped and this process ends.

Then, the control unit 53 determines in S230 that the predetermined non-recording time has not elapsed, returns to S200, and repeats the process. If determined, a notification to the effect that the non-recording state continues is transmitted to the stocker management device 30 (S260), and this processing ends. The stocker management device 30 that has received this notification can notify the manager of the stocker system 10 that the non-recording state continues for a predetermined non-recording time. For this reason, the administrator of the stocker system 10 or the like visits the stocker 40 to check the state of the imaging unit 58, or contacts the administrator of the location where the stocker 40 is installed to request confirmation of the state of the imaging unit 58. You can take measures such as Here, every time the product 17 is delivered to or received from the delivery warehouse 41 of the stocker 40, a person enters and exits the imaging range of the imaging unit 58. FIG. In addition, depending on the installation location of the stocker 40 , people who come and go may enter and leave the imaging range of the imaging unit 58 . Therefore, if an image is normally captured by the imaging unit 58, the control unit 53 detects a person (moving object) from the image and executes image recording control. On the other hand, there is a case where the image pickup unit 58 malfunctions and the image is not picked up normally. In addition, there are cases in which a person who attempts to steal the product 17 in the delivery warehouse 41 covers the lens of the imaging section 58 so that the image is not captured, and the image is not normally captured. In these cases, the control unit 53 does not detect a person (moving object) from the image captured by the imaging unit 58, and therefore does not perform image recording control over a predetermined non-recording time. In the second embodiment, if such a situation arises in which image recording control is not performed, a notification to that effect is sent to the stocker management device 30, so that appropriate can respond.

Here, the correspondence relationship between the components of the second embodiment and the components of the second stocker of the present invention will be clarified. The stocker 40 of the second embodiment corresponds to the second stocker of the present invention, the stocker management device 30 corresponds to the management device, the imaging section 58 corresponds to the imaging device, and the control section 53 corresponds to the control device.

When the stocker 40 of the second embodiment described above does not record an image for a predetermined non-recording time, it sends a notification to that effect to the stocker management device 30, so the image is not recorded. Able to respond appropriately to situations.

[Third embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the invention will be described. As the operation of the stocker system 10 of the third embodiment, the operation when the door 42 is opened without the unlocking control of the electronic lock 43 by the control unit 53 in the stocker 40 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of door opening processing under non-unlocking control. In the door opening process under this non-unlocking control, the control unit 53 of the control unit 51 first determines whether or not the door 42 is open (S300), and determines that the door 42 is not open. Then, the processing is terminated as it is. Further, when determining that the door 42 is open, the control unit 53 determines whether or not unlocking control of the electronic lock 43 has been executed for the open door 42 (S310). When the controller 53 determines that the unlocking control of the electronic lock 43 has been executed, it determines that the door 42 is normally opened, and terminates this process.

Further, when the control unit 53 determines in S310 that the unlocking control of the electronic lock 43 has not been executed for the opened door 42, the control unit 53 notifies the stocker management device that the door 42 has been opened under non-unlocking control. 30 (S320), and the process ends. The stocker management device 30 that has received this notification can notify the administrator of the stocker system 10 that the door 42 has been opened under non-unlocking control. For this reason, the administrator of the stocker system 10 must go to the stocker 40 to check the status of the delivery warehouse 41 (door 42), or contact the administrator of the installation location of the stocker 40 to confirm the status of the delivery warehouse 41 (door 42). ) can be responded to by requesting confirmation of the status. Here, the case where the door 42 is opened without depending on the unlocking control of the electronic lock 43 by the control unit 53 includes the case where the door 42 is unlocked and opened by the collective unlocking mechanism 46 and the inside of the delivery warehouse 41. For example, the door 42 may be forced open by a person who attempts to steal the product 17 of the above. In the former case, if the manager of the location where the stocker 40 is installed has unlocked the door all at once, it would not be an abnormal situation. 40 states need to be checked. Moreover, in the latter case, it is necessary to respond promptly. In the third embodiment, when the door 42 is opened under non-unlocking control, a notification to that effect is sent to the stocker management device 30. can correspond to

Here, correspondence between the components of the third embodiment and the components of the third stocker of the present invention will be clarified. The stocker 40 of the third embodiment corresponds to the third stocker of the present invention, the stocker management device 30 corresponds to the management device, the opening/closing sensor 45 corresponds to the opening/closing state detection means, and the controller 53 corresponds to the control device. do.

The stocker 40 of the third embodiment described above notifies the operator when the opening of the door 42 of the delivery warehouse 41 is detected while the control unit 53 is not controlling the unlocking of the electronic lock 43. Since the information is transmitted to the stocker management device 30, it is possible to appropriately respond to the situation where the door 42 is opened without depending on the unlocking control by the control section 53.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment of the invention will be described. As the operation of the stocker system 10 of the fourth embodiment, the operation when the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge of the stamping portion 59 in the stocker 40 is low will be described. FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an example of the process when the remaining amount of ink is low. In this process when the remaining amount of ink is low, the control section 53 of the control unit 51 first determines whether or not a receipt stamp has been stamped by the stamp section 59 (S400). This process is terminated as it is. When the control unit 53 determines that the stamp has been stamped by the stamping unit 59, the control unit 53 increments the number of stampings N by 1 (S410), and determines whether the number of stampings N is equal to or greater than the predetermined number of stampings Nref. (S420). When the control unit 53 determines that the number of stamping times N is not equal to or greater than the predetermined number of stamping times Nref, it determines that the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge is sufficient, and terminates this process. Note that the number of stamps N is reset to a value of 0 when the ink cartridge is replaced. Further, the predetermined number of stamping times Nref is determined in advance by experiments or the like as a threshold value for determining that the ink remaining amount has decreased to a predetermined remaining amount or less and that the time to replace the ink cartridge is near.

Further, when determining in S420 that the number of stamping times N is equal to or greater than the predetermined number of stamping times Nref, the controller 53 determines that the ink remaining amount in the ink cartridge is equal to or less than the predetermined remaining amount. is sent to the stocker management device 30 (S430), and the process ends. The stocker management device 30 that has received this notification can notify the administrator of the stocker system 10 that the remaining amount of ink has fallen below a predetermined remaining amount. Therefore, the administrator of the stocker system 10 can go to the stocker 40 and replace the ink cartridge of the stamping unit 59 . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the delivery person 19 from being unable to affix a receipt stamp when the product 17 is delivered due to the ink cartridge of the stamping portion 59 running out of ink.

Here, correspondence between the components of the fourth embodiment and the components of the fourth stocker of the present invention will be clarified. The stocker 40 of the fourth embodiment corresponds to the fourth stocker of the present invention, the stocker management device 30 corresponds to the management device, the stamping unit 59 corresponds to the delivery certificate output device, and the control unit 5
3 corresponds to the control device.

In the stocker 40 of the fourth embodiment described above, when the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge used in the stamping unit 59 capable of stamping a receipt stamp becomes equal to or less than a predetermined remaining amount, the stocker management device notifies that effect. 30, it is possible to appropriately deal with the situation where the remaining amount of ink is less than the predetermined remaining amount.

It goes without saying that the present invention is by no means limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be embodied in various forms as long as they fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the stocker 40 (the delivery warehouse 41 and the control unit 51) has a common configuration, and all of them are provided with the opening/closing sensor 45, the collective unlocking mechanism 46, the imaging unit 58, and the stamping unit 59. However, it is not limited to this. For example, in the first embodiment and the third embodiment, at least the opening/closing sensor 45 is provided, and the collective unlocking mechanism 46, the imaging unit 58, and the stamping unit 59 may not be provided. Further, in the second embodiment, it is sufficient that at least the imaging unit 58 is provided, and the collective unlocking mechanism 46 and the stamping unit 59 may not be provided. Further, in the fourth embodiment, it is sufficient that at least the stamp part 59 is provided, and the collective unlocking mechanism 46 and the imaging part 58 may not be provided.

In the above-described fourth embodiment, it is determined that the remaining amount of ink (remaining amount of consumable material) has become equal to or less than a predetermined remaining amount based on the number of times N (the number of times of output) of the receipt stamp of the stamping unit 59 is stamped. However, it is not limited to this. For example, a sensor (optical sensor, weight sensor, etc.) that can detect the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge is provided, and based on the detection value of that sensor, it is detected that the remaining amount of ink has fallen below a predetermined amount. It can also be used as something to do. Further, the stamping unit 59 is not limited to a replaceable ink cartridge, and may be replenished with the consumed ink. Further, the stamping unit 59 is not limited to stamping a receipt stamp on a delivery receipt, and may be a printing unit that outputs a slip on which a delivery receipt is printed with consumption of ink and paper. In such a case, when the remaining amount of either ink or paper falls below a predetermined remaining amount, a notification to that effect may be sent to the stocker management device 30 .

Also, the stocker 40 may be capable of executing all of the aspects (notification transmission) of each of the above-described embodiments, or may be capable of executing any two or three aspects.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used in the technical field of product distribution systems that deliver products to stockers.

10 stocker system, 12, 13 network, 14 purchaser, 15 mobile terminal, 17 product, 19 delivery person, 20 sales management system, 21 store, 22 sales management device, 30 stocker management device, 40, 40A, 40B stocker, 41 delivery warehouse, 42 door, 43 electronic lock, 43a unlocking pin, 44 article sensor, 45 open/close sensor, 46 collective unlocking mechanism, 47 cylinder lock, 48 unlocking rod, 49 unlocking lever, 51 control unit, 52 front panel , 53 control unit, 54 storage unit, 55 communication unit, 56 display operation unit, 57 reading unit, 58 imaging unit, 59 stamping unit.

Claims (1)

A stocker used in a stocker system comprising a stocker having a delivery warehouse with a lockable door and a management device for managing the stocker,
an open/closed state detection means for detecting an open/closed state of the door;
an unlocking mechanism for unlocking by an unlocking operation using a key by an operator;
a control device that can communicate with the management device and controls locking and unlocking of the door;
with
The control device is
It is determined whether or not the door is open based on the detection signal from the open/closed state detection means, and if it is determined that the door is open, the door has been unlocked by the control device. determining whether or not there is, and if it is determined that the unlocking control has not been executed, transmitting a notification to the management device that the door has been opened under non-unlocking control;
Opening of the door continues to be detected for a predetermined opening time or more after detection of opening of the door by either unlocking control by the control device of the door or unlocking by the unlocking mechanism . In this case , the stocker transmits to the management device.

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