JP7246424B2 - Home delivery device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an autonomous home delivery device.

A robot that autonomously moves in a building and performs various services has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2017-220123 A

One possible application of such robots is a parcel delivery service in collective housing. On the other hand, in order to introduce such a robot into an apartment complex, it must be accepted by the residents, and the fact that the residents feel eerie about the robot hinders its introduction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a home delivery device that is easily accepted by residents of collective housing.

A home delivery device according to one embodiment of the present invention has the following configuration. i.e.
A home delivery device that autonomously delivers parcels to dwelling units in an apartment complex,
a display unit that displays information so that a resident who encounters the home delivery device can see the information while traveling in the housing complex for delivering the package ;
an identification means for identifying the inhabitants encountered while traveling within the apartment complex for delivering the package ;
The display unit displays information according to the identification result of the residents.

It is possible to provide a home delivery device that is easily accepted by residents of collective housing.

1A is a side view of a home delivery device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram of the internal structure of the home delivery device of FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system of the home delivery device of FIG. 1(A); Explanatory drawing of the example of the home-delivery service in collective housing. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of display by a display unit;

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be combined arbitrarily. Also, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted.

<Overview of home delivery device>
FIG. 1A is a side view of a home delivery device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram of the internal structure of the home delivery device 1. FIG. An arrow X in the drawing indicates the front-rear direction of the home delivery device 1, F indicates the front, and R indicates the rear. Arrows Y and Z indicate the width direction (horizontal direction) and the vertical direction of the home delivery device 1 .

The home delivery device 1 is an electric autonomous vehicle that includes a traveling unit 2 and uses a battery 25 as a main power source. The battery 25 is, for example, a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery. The traveling unit 2 is a four-wheeled vehicle having a pair of left and right front wheels 20 and a pair of left and right rear wheels 21 . Traveling unit 2 may be in other forms, such as in the form of a tricycle.

The traveling unit 2 has a steering mechanism 22 . The steering mechanism 22 is a mechanism that changes the steering angle of the pair of front wheels 20 using a motor 22a as a drive source. By changing the steering angle of the pair of front wheels 20, the traveling direction of the home delivery device 1 can be changed. The travel unit 2 also includes a drive mechanism 23 . The drive mechanism 23 is a mechanism that rotates the pair of rear wheels 21 using a motor 23a as a drive source. The home delivery device 1 can be moved forward or backward by rotating the pair of rear wheels 21 .

The home delivery device 1 includes detection units 8 to 10 that detect targets around the home delivery device 1 . The detection units 8 to 10 are a group of external sensors that monitor the surroundings of the home delivery device 1, and in the case of this embodiment, are all imaging devices that capture images of the surroundings of the home delivery device 1. For example, optical sensors such as lenses are used. A system and an image sensor. However, instead of or in addition to the imaging device, it is also possible to employ radar or lidar (light detection and ranging).

Two detection units 8 are arranged in the front part of the home delivery device 1 so as to be spaced apart in the Y direction, and mainly detect a target in front of the home delivery device 1 . The detection units 9 are arranged on the left side and the right side of the home delivery device 1 respectively, and mainly detect targets on the sides of the home delivery device 1 . The detection unit 10 is arranged at the rear of the home delivery device 1 and mainly detects targets behind the home delivery device 1 .

The home delivery device 1 includes a plurality of storage units 3 and 4 (four units in total in this embodiment) that store parcels. Both the storage units 3 and 4 have a box-shaped storage space, and the storage unit 4 has a larger volume than the storage unit 3 . Therefore, it is suitable to store large packages in the storage unit 4 and small packages in the storage unit 3, respectively.

Two storage units 3 are arranged on the front side of the delivery device 1 . One of the two storage units 3 is provided with a door 3a on the left side of the home delivery device 1, and packages can be taken in and out from the left side of the home delivery device 1 by opening the door 3a. The other of the two storage units 3 is provided with a door 3a on the right side of the home delivery device 1, and packages can be taken in and out from the right side of the home delivery device 1 by opening the door 3a. FIG. 1(A) shows a state in which the door 3a is closed, and FIG. 1(B) shows a state in which the door 3a is opened.

Two storage units 4 are arranged on the rear side of the delivery device 1 . One of the two storage units 4 is provided with a door 4a on the left side of the home delivery device 1, and packages can be taken in and out from the left side of the home delivery device 1 by opening the door 4a. The other of the two storage units 4 is provided with a door 4a on the right side of the home delivery device 1, and packages can be taken in and out from the right side of the home delivery device 1 by opening the door 4a. FIG. 1(A) shows a state in which the door 4a is closed, and FIG. 1(B) shows a state in which the door 4a is opened.

Each storage unit 3 and 4 is individually provided with a switching unit 11 and a storage sensor 12 . The switching unit 11 of this embodiment is a locking/unlocking mechanism for the doors 3a and 4a using an actuator such as a solenoid or a motor as a drive source.

When the switching unit 11 is locked, the storage spaces of the storage units 3 and 4 are closed by the doors 3a and 4a, and the storage units 3 and 4 are in a closed state in which it is difficult to take in and out the luggage. Further, by unlocking the switching unit 11, the doors 3a and 4a can be opened, and the storage units 3 and 4 are opened so that luggage can be taken in and out.

The storage sensor 12 is, for example, an optical sensor or a pressure sensor, and detects whether or not luggage is stored in the storage spaces of the storage units 3 and 4 .

Display units 5 to 7 are arranged on the upper peripheral surface of the home delivery device 1 . The display units 5-7 are liquid crystal display panels, for example, and display information to the delivery person, the recipient, and others around them. The display unit 5 is arranged in the front part of the home delivery device 1 . The display units 6 are arranged on the left side and the right side of the home delivery device 1, respectively. The display unit 7 is arranged at the rear of the home delivery device 1 .

A manipulator 24 is storably arranged on the top of the home delivery device 1 . The manipulator 24 is provided to operate buttons such as an entry button at the entrance of the housing complex, a destination floor button of the elevator, an interphone button at the entrance of the dwelling unit, and the like.

An operation panel 13 and a reader 14 are also provided on the top of the delivery device 1 . The operation panel 13 is, for example, a touch panel, and receives various requested operations from the delivery person and the recipient. Also, the reader 14 is, for example, a device that optically reads a two-dimensional code, reads a code presented by a delivery person or a recipient, and performs corresponding processing. A delivery person can input information about the package from the operation panel 13 or the reader 14 . Also, the recipient can input information regarding the delivery request of the parcel from the operation panel 13 or the reader 14 .

<Control system>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control system of the delivery device 1. As shown in FIG. The home delivery device 1 includes a control unit (ECU) 15 . The control unit 15 includes a processor represented by a CPU, a storage device such as a semiconductor memory, an interface with an external device, and the like. The storage device stores programs executed by the processor, data used for processing by the processor, and the like. A plurality of sets of processors, storage devices, and interfaces may be provided for each function of home delivery apparatus 1 and configured to communicate with each other.

The control unit 15 acquires detection results of the detection units 8 to 10, input information of the operation panel 13 and the reader 14, and detection results of the storage sensor 12, and executes corresponding processing. The voice input device 19 picks up voices of delivery staff, recipients, or other people. The control unit 15 can recognize the input voice and execute corresponding processing. A GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite system) sensor 16 detects the current position of the home delivery device 1 by receiving GNSS signals. The storage device 17 is a large-capacity storage device that stores information on the collective housing of the delivery destination, information on the housing unit of the delivery destination, information on packages, and the like.

The control unit 15 controls the motors 22 a and 23 a (travel control of the travel unit 2 ), the operation control of the manipulator 24 , the display control of the display units 5 to 7 , and the lock/unlock control of the switching unit 11 . The control unit 15 also uses the voice output device 18 to output voice notifications and information to the delivery person, recipient, or other person. The communication device 30 is a device capable of short-distance wireless communication with the portable terminals of delivery workers and recipients, and communication terminals in collective housing. The communication device 31 is a device capable of wirelessly communicating with the home delivery device 1 and the server 50 that manages the home delivery service in general via a communication network such as the Internet. The home delivery device 1 is managed by, for example, a collective housing management association or a delivery company.

<Delivery form in collective housing>
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a home delivery service by the home delivery device 1 in the housing complex 100. As shown in FIG. The housing complex 100 has a plurality of floors, and an elevator 103 allows movement between floors. In an apartment complex with a large number of dwelling units, such as a tower apartment, the home delivery service by the home delivery device 1 is advantageous, and it is possible to deliver packages in a shorter time while reducing the burden on the delivery person.

A parcel 201 is received by a delivery person 200 on the ground in the home delivery apparatus 1, and information such as a delivery destination is input by the delivery person 200. - 特許庁Information can be input by wireless communication between the portable terminal of the delivery person 200 and the communication device 30 , operation of the operation panel 13 by the delivery person 200 , or presentation of a code to the reader 14 . In this embodiment, an example of loading the home delivery device 1 is illustrated, but it is also possible to adopt a mode in which the loading is performed at another location and the home delivery device 1 is transported.

The home delivery device 1 stores in the storage device 17 in advance information necessary for autonomous movement within the housing complex 100 . This information includes, for example, a floor map of the collective housing 100 provided by the management association of the collective housing 100, or information obtained by the home delivery apparatus 1 from past delivery records or prior learning. Using such information and the detection results of the detection units 8 to 10 and the GNSS sensor 16, the robot autonomously moves to the dwelling unit 101a of the delivery destination.

The home delivery device 1 uses the elevator 103 when moving between floors. The home delivery device 1 rides on the car 103 a , and the destination floor is specified by operating the manipulator 24 or by communicating between the communication terminal on the elevator 103 side and the communication device 30 . When it arrives at the destination floor, it travels along the common corridor 102 by the traveling unit 2 and heads for the dwelling unit 101 of the delivery destination. In a dwelling unit 101 of a delivery destination, a parcel 201 is handed over to a resident P who is a recipient. When packages are stored for a plurality of delivery destinations, the packages are delivered by sequentially moving the delivery destinations.

When handing over the package, the switching unit 11 corresponding to the storage unit storing the package to be delivered among the storage units 3 and 4 is driven to open the storage unit. When the luggage is taken out, the switching unit 11 is driven to close the storage unit. It can be determined from the detection result of the storage sensor 12 whether or not the luggage has been taken out. The above completes the delivery of the package.

<Display on display unit>
As described above, the display units 5-7 are capable of various displays. In particular, it is expected that by providing useful information to the residents of the collective housing, the home delivery device will make the residents feel attached to the home delivery device 1 and reduce the number of residents who feel eerie about the home delivery device 1.例文帳に追加Such information can be displayed, for example, while traveling in the shared corridor 102 in the housing complex, and can be seen by residents who pass by the home delivery device 1 . An example of information displayed by the display unit 5 will be described below, but the other display units 6 to 7 may display similar information.

In one embodiment, the display unit 5 can display information about the outside world. Information about the outside world includes information about weather or temperature. Among other things, the display unit 5 can display information about the current weather or temperature.

Especially in high-rise collective housing, it tends to be difficult to recognize the outside world. For example, on high floors, the wind is often strong, so it is difficult to open the windows, and sometimes the windows cannot be opened. Therefore, it is difficult to immediately grasp the temperature of the outside world. In addition, it is difficult to see the rain on the upper floors because the sound of rain is hard to hear and most of the scenery seen from the window is the sky. Furthermore, when there is a veranda, it is difficult to determine whether it is raining or not because water droplets do not adhere to the window. In addition, if the collective housing has an inner corridor that does not face the outside world, the outside world cannot be recognized when going out of the entrance of the dwelling unit. For these reasons, there is a problem that it is necessary to return to the dwelling unit after realizing that it is raining when leaving the front door or that the clothes are not suitable for the temperature. Therefore, it can be said that information about the outside world, especially information about weather or temperature, is useful information for residents.

In another embodiment, the display unit 5 may display information about apartment buildings. The information about the collective housing includes information shared by the residents of the collective housing, such as the image of the bulletin board of the collective housing. Another example of information about an apartment complex includes information on a per-resident basis, such as information indicating that mail has arrived in one's own mailbox. Information about the collective housing may be information that cannot be grasped within the range of normal movement of the residents (for example, between the entrance of the dwelling unit and the entrance of the collective housing), and such information is particularly useful for the residents.

FIG. 4A is an example of a screen displayed by the display unit 5, and information indicating the current weather (sunny) and temperature (25° C.) in the outside world is displayed. The display unit 5 can obtain this information via the communication device 31 from the server 50 or other servers (for example, servers providing information on weather or temperature).

The home delivery device 1 may identify people in the vicinity and display information according to the identification result. In this case, the control unit 15 can operate as an identification unit that identifies a person. For example, the control unit 15 can identify a person by performing face authentication on images captured by the detection units 8 to 10, which are imaging devices. In this case, the person's feature information used for authentication can be registered in the server 50 or the storage device 17 . As another example, the control unit 15 can identify a person possessing the portable terminal 40 by communicating with the surrounding portable terminal 40 via the communication device 30 .

In one embodiment, the display unit 5 can only display information to registered persons. For example, when the control unit 15 identifies a person whose information is registered in the server 50, storage device 17 or the like as described above, the display unit 5 can display the information. In this way, while information is displayed to registered residents, information is not displayed to unregistered visitors, and it is expected that residents will become even more attached to the home delivery device. be done.

In another embodiment, the display unit 5 can display information according to the identified person. For example, when the control unit 15 identifies a person whose information is registered in the server 50, storage device 17, or the like as described above, the display unit 5 can display information corresponding to the identified person. In this case, the display unit 5 can display information for each resident, such as information indicating that mail has arrived in their mailbox. In addition, the display unit 5 may display information of types registered in advance for each person. For example, the display unit 5 may display weather information for a particular person, while displaying time information for another person. Furthermore, the display unit 5 may display information according to a person's attributes. For example, the display unit 5 may display different information for children and adults. According to such a configuration, it is possible to provide useful information according to the resident.

Moreover, the display unit 5 may change the content to be displayed according to the position of the home delivery device 1 . For example, the display unit 5 may change the content to be displayed depending on whether the home delivery device 1 is located in an inner corridor or an outer corridor. Further, the display unit 5 may change the displayed contents according to the floor on which the home delivery device 1 is located. As described above, it is difficult for residents to perceive external information in inner corridors and high floors. Therefore, the display unit 5 may preferentially display information about the outside world when the delivery device 1 is positioned in the inner corridor, compared to when it is positioned in the outer corridor. The position of the home delivery device 1 can be determined using the GNSS sensor 16, using a floor map, or using the detection units 8-10.

For example, the display unit 5 may display weather information when the delivery device 1 is located in an inner corridor, while displaying information about a collective housing when the delivery device 1 is located in an outer corridor. Further, the display unit 5 may preferentially display information about the outside world when the home delivery device 1 is located on a higher floor than when it is located on a lower floor. For example, the display unit 5 displays weather information when the home delivery device 1 is located on a floor higher than the standard, and displays information about collective housing when the home delivery device 1 is located on a floor lower than the standard. You may According to such a configuration, more useful information can be provided to residents.

In another embodiment, the display unit 5 may display information about the equipment that a person has to those around him. In this case, the control unit 15 can work as a proposal unit that causes the display unit 5 to display information about the equipment possessed by the person based on the image of the person captured by the detection units 8 to 10, which are imaging devices. The control unit 15 may also generate information for suggesting equipment according to the situation of the outside world, based on the information about the outside world. Examples of information related to equipment possessed by a person include information related to clothing of the person, information related to belongings of the person, and the like.

For example, the control unit 15 can recognize clothes worn by a person through image recognition processing. The control unit 15 may determine whether the person is lightly dressed or heavily dressed. As a specific example, the control unit 15 extracts the region of the person from the image and detects the area of the skin-colored portion to determine whether the person is wearing short-sleeved clothes or long-sleeved clothes. can be done. Then, the control unit 15 can determine whether or not the clothes worn by the person match the conditions of the external world based on the current information of the external world. For example, the control unit 15 determines that the clothes are suitable for the weather if the outside temperature is below the threshold and the person is wearing heavy clothes, or if the outside temperature is above the threshold and the person is wearing light clothes. can do. In this case, the display unit 5 can display that the clothing worn by the person is appropriate. On the other hand, if the outside temperature is below the threshold and the person is lightly dressed, the display unit 5 will display information about the outside world, such as temperature, information indicating that the current clothes are cold, or suggest wearing more clothes. Information can be displayed. Similarly, if the temperature of the outside world exceeds the threshold and the person is wearing heavy clothes, the display unit 5 displays information about the outside world, such as the temperature, information indicating that the current clothes are thick, or suggesting to wear lighter clothes. information can be displayed.

As another example, for example, the control unit 15 can recognize rain gear held by a person through image recognition processing. As a specific example, control unit 15 may detect the presence of an umbrella in an image by shape recognition. Then, the control unit 15 can determine whether or not the person's belongings match the situation of the outside world based on the current information of the outside world. For example, the control unit 15 can determine that the belongings are not suitable for the weather if the person does not have an umbrella even though it is raining outside. In this case, the display unit 5 can display information about the outside world such as the weather, or information suggesting the use of an umbrella. FIG. 4B is an example of a screen displayed by the display unit 5 when it is recognized that the person does not have an umbrella. In the example of FIG. 4B, in addition to the fact that the current weather in the outside world is raining, information suggesting that the user bring an umbrella is displayed.

The control unit 15 may not only suggest equipment according to the current external conditions, but may also propose equipment according to future external conditions. For example, the display unit 5 may display information suggesting that a person should wear heavy clothing when the person is lightly dressed in the daytime and the temperature is expected to drop significantly in the evening. Further, the display unit 5 may display information suggesting not to carry an umbrella when a person carries an umbrella in the daytime and it is expected that it will not rain until the evening.

In this way, it is expected that by displaying information about equipment possessed by a person, the resident's attachment to the home delivery device will become even stronger. In addition, such information is particularly useful for the residents of collective housing where it is difficult to recognize the outside world.

<Summary of embodiment>
The above embodiment discloses at least the following home delivery device.

1. The home delivery device (1) of the above embodiment is
A home delivery device that autonomously delivers a package (201) to a dwelling unit (101) in a collective housing (100),
A display section (5 to 7) for displaying information is provided.
According to this embodiment, it is expected that the provision of information by the home delivery device will increase the attachment of the residents to the home delivery device, and reduce the number of residents who feel uneasy about the home delivery device.

2. The home delivery device (1) of the above embodiment is
Further comprising identification means (15) for identifying a person,
The display units (5 to 7) display information only to registered persons.
According to this embodiment, information is displayed only for registered residents, so it is expected that the home delivery device will become even more attached to them.

3. The home delivery device (1) of the above embodiment is
Further comprising identification means (15) for identifying a person,
The display units (5-7) display information corresponding to the identified person.
According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide information suitable for each resident.

4. In the above embodiment,
The display units (5 to 7) change the contents to be displayed according to whether the home delivery device (1) is located in an inner corridor or an outer corridor.
According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide information that is more likely to be unknown to the resident.

5. In the above embodiment,
The display units (5 to 7) change the displayed contents according to the floor on which the home delivery device (1) is located.
According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide information that is more likely to be unknown to the resident.

6. In the above embodiment,
The display units (5 to 7) are
When the home delivery device (1) is located in an inner corridor, information about the outside world is preferentially displayed compared to when the home delivery device (1) is located in an outer corridor, or the home delivery device (1) is located on a higher floor. In this case, information about the outside world is preferentially displayed compared to the case of being located on a lower floor.
According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide more useful information according to the ease of confirming the situation of the outside world.

7. In the above embodiment,
The display units (5 to 7) display information about the outside world.
According to this embodiment, information about the outside world can be grasped before going out of the housing complex.

8. In the above embodiment,
The display units (5-7) display information about weather or temperature.
According to this embodiment, information about the weather or temperature can be grasped before going out of the collective housing.

9. The home delivery device (1) of the above embodiment is
imaging means (8 to 10);
a proposing means (15) for displaying information about equipment possessed by the person on the display unit based on the image of the person captured by the imaging means;
further provide.
According to this embodiment, it is expected that the residents will become more attached to the home delivery device because they can confirm that they have appropriate equipment.

10. In the above embodiment,
The proposing means (15) further generates information for proposing equipment in accordance with external conditions, based on information on the external world.
According to this embodiment, even if it is difficult to check the situation in the outside world, the resident can check the appropriate equipment.

Although the embodiments of the invention have been described above, the invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention.

1 home delivery device, 5 to 7 display unit, 8 to 10 detection unit, 15 control unit, 100 housing complex, 101 dwelling unit, 201 parcel

Claims (11)

A home delivery device that autonomously delivers parcels to dwelling units in an apartment complex,
a display unit that displays information so that a resident who encounters the home delivery device can see the information while traveling in the housing complex for delivering the package ;
an identification means for identifying the inhabitants encountered while traveling within the apartment complex for delivering the package ;
The home delivery device , wherein the display unit displays information corresponding to the identification result of the resident . further comprising imaging means for imaging the surroundings of the home delivery device,
The identification means identifies the resident based on the image of the resident encountered while traveling in the collective housing for delivering the package, which is imaged by the imaging means. The home delivery device according to claim 1. 3. The home delivery device according to claim 1 , wherein said display unit displays information only to registered residents . 3. The home delivery device according to claim 1 , wherein said display unit displays information corresponding to said identified resident . A home delivery device that autonomously delivers parcels to dwelling units in an apartment complex,
Equipped with a display for displaying information,
The home delivery device, wherein the display section changes the displayed content depending on whether the home delivery device is located in an inner corridor or an outer corridor. A home delivery device that autonomously delivers parcels to dwelling units in an apartment complex,
Equipped with a display for displaying information,
A home delivery device, wherein the display section changes the content displayed according to the floor on which the home delivery device is located. A home delivery device that autonomously delivers parcels to dwelling units in an apartment complex,
Equipped with a display for displaying information,
The display unit
When the home delivery device is located in an inner corridor, it preferentially displays information about the outside world compared to when it is located in an outer corridor, or When the home delivery device is located on a higher floor, it is displayed on a lower floor A home delivery device characterized by preferentially displaying information about the outside world as compared with the case of being located in the home. 7. The delivery device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein said display unit displays information about the outside world. 9. The delivery device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein said display unit displays information about weather or temperature. A home delivery device that autonomously delivers parcels to dwelling units in an apartment complex,
Equipped with a display for displaying information,
imaging means;
a proposing means for causing the display unit to display information about equipment possessed by the person based on the image of the person captured by the imaging means;
A home delivery device, further comprising: 11. The home delivery apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein said proposing means further generates information for proposing equipment according to external conditions based on information related to the external world.

Images