JP7316088B2 - delivery container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a delivery container.

In recent years, labor shortages in the transportation industry have become a problem, and automation of processes that have been performed manually is being considered. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a transport device that takes out a pallet placed on an arbitrary shelf from the shelf and transports it. When receiving an instruction for transportation within the warehouse, the management device of the transport device generates a moving route of the transport device using the map data in the warehouse, and transmits it to the transport device. The transport device transports according to the received moving route.

JP 2018-162122 A

The technique of Patent Document 1 is related to the process in the warehouse, but it is difficult to apply it to the last mile, which is the process between the final base such as a collection and delivery center in logistics services and the end user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a package for delivery that reduces the amount of manual work required in the last mile of a physical distribution service.

In order to achieve the above object, a delivery container according to an aspect of the present invention is a box capable of accommodating a plurality of deliveries and having an opening from which the delivery can be taken out; a conveying device arranged in the box and conveying the delivery item in the box to the opening; an information acquiring device for acquiring delivery information regarding the delivery destination of the delivery item in the box; and a control device, wherein the control device comprises , using the delivery information for each of the deliveries to determine a delivery route for the deliveries.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce human work in the last mile of physical distribution services.

1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a container according to an embodiment; FIG. The perspective view which shows an example of the moving condition by the person of the containment body which concerns on embodiment. The perspective view which shows an example of the loading state to the vehicle of the container which concerns on embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a situation when items to be delivered are loaded into the container according to the embodiment; The perspective view which saw through an example of the internal structure of the box of the container which concerns on embodiment. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a configuration of a robot according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a control device and its peripheral configuration according to an embodiment; FIG. A diagram showing an example of a delivery route for delivery to a delivery destination A diagram showing another example of a delivery route for delivering to a delivery destination A diagram showing another example of a delivery route for delivering to a delivery destination A diagram showing another example of a delivery route for delivering to a delivery destination Flowchart showing an example of the first operation of the container according to the embodiment Flowchart showing an example of a second operation of the container according to the embodiment Block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a control device and its peripheral configuration according to Modification 1 Block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a control device and its peripheral configuration according to Modification 2

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that all of the embodiments described below are comprehensive or specific examples. Among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements that are not described in independent claims indicating the highest concept will be described as optional constituent elements. Each attached figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily strictly illustrated. Furthermore, in each drawing, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description may be omitted or simplified.
<Schematic configuration of container>
A schematic configuration of a delivery item container (hereinafter also simply referred to as "container") 1 according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of container 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of how the container 1 according to the embodiment is moved by a person. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a state in which the container 1 according to the embodiment is loaded on the vehicle V. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, container 1 according to the embodiment is a container for delivery service in physical distribution service. Delivery services include services that deliver deliveries to recipient end-users, including, for example, courier services and postal services. Examples of deliverables are courier and postal items such as documents, packages and goods, which are to be delivered. Container 1 contains a delivery just before it is received by the end user. For example, the container 1 is used in a process of delivering a delivery to an end user from a delivery company such as a collection and delivery center, a business office, or a post office, or a final base of a postal company. In other words, the container 1 is used in the last mile, which is a physical distribution service between the final base and the end user. Although not limited to this, in the present embodiment, the container 1 will be described as handling a delivery item such as a cardboard case on the last mile of a home delivery company as a delivery item.

As shown in FIG. 2, the container 1 has wheels 17 and can be moved on the floor and ground by a person. Furthermore, the container 1 can be loaded on a vehicle. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, container 1 is configured to be stowable in the compartment or bed of a vehicle V commonly used for delivery to end users. For example, the container 1 is loaded on a vehicle V after being loaded with a delivery item at the final base, and is transported by the vehicle V along the delivery route. Furthermore, the deliveries are taken out of the container 1 at each delivery destination.

<External configuration of container>
An example of the external configuration of the container 1 will be described. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the situation when the article A to be delivered is loaded into the container 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, container 1 includes box 10 and reception device 20 . The accepting device 20 is arranged outside the box 10 and accepts input of information such as information on a delivery item requested to be carried out from the box 10 .

In the present embodiment, the shape of box 10 is a rectangular parallelepiped, but is not limited to this. The box 10 has an unloading opening 12 , a loading/unloading opening 13 , and a loading/unloading opening door 16 . The loading/unloading opening 13 is used by a worker P of a home delivery company to load/unload a delivery A (sometimes referred to as a “delivery A1” or the like) in the box 10 at a final base or the like. The loading/unloading opening 13 is arranged on one side wall 10a of the two side walls 10a and 10b along the longitudinal direction D1 of the box 10, and is an opening having a size covering substantially the entire top, bottom, left, and right sides of the side wall 10a. The loading/unloading opening door 16 is a door that opens and closes the loading/unloading opening 13, and is a double door type door, but is not limited thereto. Further, the reception device 20 is arranged on the side wall 10b.

The carry-out opening 12 is used by a worker P of a home delivery company to receive the delivery A to be delivered in the box 10 at the delivery destination or the like. The discharge opening 12 is arranged in the side wall 10c. The side wall 10c is one of the two side walls 10c and 10d along the lateral direction D2 of the box 10. As shown in FIG. The interior of the box 10 is accessible through the unloading opening 12 and the unloading opening 13 .

The box 10 also has a plurality of wheels 17 on the bottom wall 10e. The box 10 is movable on a surface on which it is placed using a plurality of wheels 17 . This facilitates movement of the box 10 for loading and unloading from the vehicle at the final site or the like. In addition, a lock mechanism that prevents the rotation of the wheels 17 may be provided. This prevents unnecessary and unintended movement of the box 10 in a vehicle or the like. The loading and unloading of the box 10 to and from the vehicle may be performed by a lift device provided in the vehicle or a lift device separate from the vehicle. The box 10 may include a wheel drive device (not shown) that drives the wheels 17 to rotate or assists the wheels 17 to rotate.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the box 10 may include a handle 18 that can be grasped by the operator P when moving the box 10 . In this embodiment, the handle 18 is arranged on the side wall 10c of the box 10. As shown in FIG. The handle 18 is rotatable and may be connected to the axle of the wheel 17 so that the wheel 17 can be turned. Thereby, the operator P can change the moving direction of the box 10 using the handle 18 . The box 10 may include a handle drive device (not shown) that assists in turning the handle 18 and changing the orientation of the wheels 17 . For example, the handle 18 may be provided with a device for controlling the magnitude of the drive force of the wheel drive device and the handle drive device and the on/off control of the drive force.

Here, the direction connecting the side walls 10c and 10d of the box 10 is called the length direction or longitudinal direction D1. A direction connecting the side walls 10a and 10b is referred to as a width direction or a lateral direction D2. Moreover, the box 10 has the top wall 10f facing the bottom wall 10e, and the direction connecting the bottom wall 10e and the top wall 10f is referred to as the vertical direction.

<Internal configuration of container>
An example of the internal configuration of the container 1 will be described. FIG. 5 is a see-through perspective view of an example of the internal configuration of the box 10 of the container 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5 , the container 1 includes a holding shelf 30 , a temporary placement table 40 , a robot 50 , an imaging device 60 , a control device 70 , and a power supply device 80 inside the box 10 .

[Holding shelf]
A configuration of the holding shelf 30 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the holding shelf 30 is a shelf that holds a plurality of deliveries A until they are delivered from the final site to the end user. be able to. The holding shelf 30 is arranged adjacent to the loading/unloading opening 13 of the box 10 . The holding shelf 30 is arranged over substantially the entire upper, lower, right, and left sides of the side wall 10 a of the box 10 . The loading and unloading opening 13 is sized substantially over the holding shelf 30 or the entire shelf.

The holding shelf 30 has a plurality of shelf boards 30a that form a plurality of shelves vertically, and each shelf board 30a extends in the direction D1. The deliveries A can be arranged side by side in the direction D1 on each shelf 30a. Each shelf 30a is accessible from the loading/unloading opening 13 and from the side opposite to the loading/unloading opening 13. As shown in FIG. Each shelf 30a is capable of loading and unloading deliveries A from the loading and unloading opening 13 and from the side opposite the loading and unloading opening 13. At the final base, the operator P can easily load and unload the deliveries A on all of the shelf boards 30a through the loading and unloading opening 13. As shown in FIG.

[Temporary stand]
The configuration of the temporary placement table 40 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, a delivery item A to be unloaded from the box 10 through the unloading opening 12 is temporarily placed on the temporary placement table 40 . The temporary placement table 40 is arranged on the bottom wall 10 e adjacent to the carry-out opening 12 . The temporary placement table 40 has one or more shelf boards 40 a arranged vertically and facing the carry-out opening 12 . In this embodiment, a plurality of shelf boards 40a, specifically three shelf boards 40a are arranged. The worker P can take out the deliveries A on each shelf board 40 a out of the box 10 through the carry-out opening 12 .

[robot]
A configuration of the robot 50 will be described. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of the robot 50 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the robot 50 is an example of a conveying device, is arranged inside the box 10, and conveys the delivery item A to the holding shelf 30 and the temporary placement table 40. As shown in FIG. The robot 50 is arranged inside the box 10 on the side opposite to the loading/unloading opening 13 with respect to the holding shelf 30 . The robot 50 includes a robot body 51 , running rails 52 and supports 53 .

The running rail 52 guides the movement of the robot body 51 in the direction D1. Two running rails 52 are arranged on the inner surfaces of the top wall 10f and the bottom wall 10e of the box 10 and extend parallel to each other in the direction D1. Two running rails 52 extend over the holding shelf 30 from side wall 10c of box 10 to side wall 10d.

The support 53 supports the robot body 51 on the travel rail 52 . The support 53 has a vertically extending columnar shape and engages the two running rails 52 at its upper and lower ends. The support 53 has running devices 53a at its upper and lower ends, and can run on each running rail 52 in the direction D1. The configuration of the traveling device 53a is not particularly limited as long as the supporting body 53 can be caused to travel. For example, the travel device 53a drives a rotating body such as a roller or gear that engages with the travel rail 52, or an endless belt or chain that extends along the travel rail 52, thereby causing the support 53 to travel. device may be provided. The drive device may be arranged at one or both of the upper and lower ends of the support 53 . Examples of drives are electric motors, such as servo motors, or the like. Operation of the drive is controlled by controller 70 .

The robot body 51 can move articles such as deliveries to various positions. The robot main body 51 includes a mounting portion 51a, a lifting device 51b, a robot arm 51c, and a robot hand (also called an "end effector") 51d. The attachment portion 51 a is attached to the support 53 so as to be movable in the axial direction of the support 53 , and specifically, is movable on the support 53 . The lifting device 51b is a device for lifting and lowering the mounting portion 51a along the support 53. As shown in FIG. The configuration of the lifting device 51b is not particularly limited as long as the mounting portion 51a can be lifted and lowered. For example, the lifting device 51b drives a rotating body such as a roller or gear that engages with the support 53, or an endless belt or chain that extends along the support 53 to raise and lower the mounting portion 51a. device may be provided. Examples of drives are electric motors, such as servo motors, or the like. Operation of the drive is controlled by controller 70 .

The robot arm 51c has one or more joints driven by electric motors such as servo motors, and is configured to be bendable at the joints. A robot arm 51c extends from the mounting portion 51a. In this embodiment, the robot arm 51c includes three joints 51ca1 to 51ca3, three links 51cb1 to 51cb3 sequentially connected by these joints 51ca1 to 51ca3, and electric motors 51cc1 to 51cc1 for rotationally driving the joints 51ca1 to 51ca3. 51cc3. The joint 51ca1 is integrally connected to the attachment portion 51a. In this embodiment, the robot main body 51 is a horizontal articulated robot, and the joints 51ca1 to 51ca3 are rotated around the vertical joint axis, but the present invention is not limited to this. The number of joints, links and electric motors is not limited to the above. The operation of the electric motors 51cc1-51cc3 is controlled by a controller 70. FIG.

The robot hand 51d can convey the delivery item A by placing, gripping, and/or sucking the delivery item A thereon. The robot hand 51d is connected to the tip of the robot arm 51c, specifically the tip of the link 51cb3. The robot hand 51d may be configured to place the delivery item A by being inserted under the delivery item A, or may be configured to grip the delivery item A vertically and/or laterally. , and may be configured to suck the delivery item A from above or the like. In this embodiment, the robot hand 51d has a plurality of forks (claws) 51da, inserts the forks 51da under the delivery item A, and places the delivery item A thereon. In the case of the robot hand 51 d configured to grip or pick up the item to be delivered A, a driving device for gripping and picking up may be provided, and the operation of the driving device may be controlled by the control device 70 .

By operating the robot arm 51c, the robot body 51 as described above can set the robot hand 51d in any direction and position in the horizontal direction. Furthermore, the robot body 51 can move to any position facing the holding shelf 30 by moving the robot body 51 up and down on the support 53 and moving the support 53 on the travel rail 52 . Therefore, the robot body 51 can take out the delivery item A at any position on the plurality of shelf boards 30a of the holding shelf 30 using the robot hand 51d.

[Imaging device]
A configuration of the imaging device 60 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the imaging device 60 images the inside of the box 10 . Specifically, the imaging device 60 acquires an image of the delivery item A placed on the shelf board 30 a by imaging the holding shelf 30 . The imaging device 60 outputs the captured image to the control device 70 . Examples of imaging device 60 are digital cameras and digital video cameras. The operation of imaging device 60 may be controlled by control device 70 . The imaging device 60 is an example of an information acquisition device.

In this embodiment, the imaging device 60 is attached to the joint 51ca1 of the robot arm 51c, and its imaging direction is oriented in the direction D2 toward the holding shelf 30. As shown in FIG. By operating the robot 50 , the image capturing device 60 can capture an image of the delivery item A at any position on the plurality of shelf boards 30 a of the holding shelf 30 . Note that the imaging device 60 may be attached to another part of the robot arm 51c or to a part of the robot body 51 other than the robot arm 51c, or may be attached to a place other than the robot body 51, such as the wall of the box 10. good. The imaging device 60 may be arranged with a fixed imaging direction, or may be provided with a gimbal or the like controlled by the control device 70 so that the imaging direction can be changed.

Also, a light source 61 may be provided for the imaging device 60 . The light source 61 illuminates the imaging area of the imaging device 60 . The configuration, location and orientation of the light source 61 are not particularly limited as long as the imaging area of the imaging device 60 can be illuminated. For example, the light source 61 may be integrated with the imaging device 60 or may be arranged separately from the imaging device 60 . In the latter case, the light source 61 may be arranged at the joint 51ca1, another part of the robot arm 51c, a part of the robot body 51 other than the robot arm 51c, or a place other than the robot body 51. In this embodiment, the light source 61 is composed of an LED (Light Emitting Diode), but is not limited to this. The operation of light source 61 may be controlled by controller 70 .

[Power supply]
A configuration of the power supply device 80 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the power supply device 80 is arranged at a position that does not interfere with the operation area of the robot 50, and is arranged adjacent to the side wall 10c of the box 10, for example. The power supply device 80 supplies power to components of the container 1 that consume power, such as the robot 50 , the imaging device 60 , the light source 61 , the control device 70 and the reception device 20 . Power from the power supply device 80 is supplied to each component under the control of the control device 70 .

The power supply device 80 includes a storage battery such as a secondary battery, may supply power from the storage battery to each component, and is configured to be connectable to a commercial power supply or an external power supply such as a device outside the container 1, Power from an external power supply may be supplied to each component. The power supply device 80 may include a storage battery and may be configured to be connectable to an external power supply. The secondary battery is a battery that can charge and discharge electric power, such as lead storage battery, lithium ion secondary battery, A nickel/hydrogen storage battery, a nickel/cadmium storage battery, or the like may be used. Power supply 80 may comprise a primary battery that is only capable of discharging power.

<Other configurations of container>
Other configurations of the container 1 will be described. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 70 and its peripheral configuration according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the container 1 includes an input I/F (interface) 91 and an output I/F 92 in addition to the components described above. The input I/F 91 and the output I/F 92 are examples of communication devices.

[Reception device]
The configuration of the reception device 20 will be described with reference to FIG. The accepting device 20 accepts inputs such as information about the delivery (hereinafter also referred to as "delivery-related information"). For example, the reception device 20 receives input by the worker P of delivery-related information of a delivery A requested to be carried out from the box 10 . The delivery-related information is information including at least one of delivery information, which is information about the delivery itself, and user information, which is user information related to the delivery.

For example, the delivery information may include identification information of the delivery, and the like. The identification information of the delivery is information for identifying the delivery, including dedicated information such as the ID set for the delivery, the contents of the delivery, the name, name, address, telephone number, and address of the destination of the delivery. It may include an e-mail address, the name, name, address, telephone number and e-mail address of the sender of the delivery, the shipping date of the delivery, the scheduled delivery date and time of the delivery, and the like.

The user information may include identification information of the user, such as the end-user intended to receive the delivery. User identification information is information for identifying the user, including dedicated information such as the ID set for the user, and the user's name, company affiliation, date of birth, address, telephone number and email address It may also include personal information such as personal information or unique information. In addition, users include individuals, self-employed persons, corporations, companies, groups, public bodies, ministries and agencies, and the like. As an example and not a limitation, a "corporation" is not a natural person, but an organization that engages in social activities, is legally recognized as a person, can effectively perform legal acts, and can be the subject of rights and obligations. It is qualified. Examples of corporations are companies, unions such as labor unions, schools such as private schools, and shrines.

The reception device 20 includes at least one of an operation input device 21, a reading device 22, and a communication device 23 as components. The reception device 20 may be fixed to the box 10 as shown in FIG. 1 or may be separable from the box 10 . In this embodiment, the reception device 20 is arranged on the side wall 10b, but it may be arranged near the handle 18 or the carry-out opening 12, for example.

The operation input device 21 receives an input of a human operation and outputs information on the input operation to the control device 70 . Examples of the operation input device 21 are buttons, keys, touch panels, microphones, cameras, etc., but are not limited to these. For example, the operation input device 21 receives input of delivery-related information.

The reading device 22 reads the delivery-related information from the medium containing the delivery-related information and outputs the delivery-related information to the control device 70 . The delivery-related information to be read may be included in the medium as code information such as bar codes and QR codes (registered trademark), or may be included in the medium as character strings and symbols. The reading device 22 may include a code reader that reads code information, or an imaging device that captures images of code information, character strings, symbols, and the like. The medium may be a recording medium such as paper, a screen of the terminal device 101, or the like. A terminal device 101 is a terminal device handled by a worker P of a home delivery company. Examples of the terminal device 101 are smart devices such as smartphones and tablet terminals, dedicated terminal devices, and the like.

The communication device 23 communicates with the terminal device 101 to acquire delivery-related information and outputs it to the control device 70 . The communication used by the communication device 23 may be any type of communication, such as wireless communication or visible light communication.

[Input I/F]
A configuration of the input I/F 91 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the input I/F 91 is configured to communicate with at least one of the terminal device 101, the NAVI system 102, and the server device 103 outside the container 1 by wire or wirelessly. The terminal device 101, the NAVI system 102 and the server device 103 are examples of the first device. The input I/F 91 receives input of information from the device and outputs the information to the control device 70 . For example, the information may include location information of the delivery destination of the delivery A, map information including the location of the delivery destination of the delivery A, and the like. The input I/F 91 constitutes a communication I/F and may include a communication circuit. Wired communication and wireless communication used by the input I/F 91 are not particularly limited, and any communication may be used. For example, wireless communication includes wireless LAN (Local Area Network) such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) (Wireless Fidelity), short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and ZigBee (registered trademark), and mobile communication. may be applied.

Map information includes geographic information including the location and size of roads, buildings, etc., and land conditions, locations and areas such as vegetation, cliffs, rocks and structures. The position may include planar position and altitude along the surface of the earth. In addition to geographic information, the map information includes road directions such as passable directions, number of lanes on roads, school routes, pedestrian roads, passable hours of roads, and passable vehicles on roads. It may include road traffic information related to traffic, such as the location and degree of congestion on the road, the predicted location and time of occurrence of congestion on the road, and the road conditions such as traffic regulation including the location and time of road traffic regulation and closure. may include road condition information about.

The terminal device 101 is a terminal device handled by the worker P, has a map handling program such as a map application (application program) installed, and can hold or acquire map information. The NAVI system 102 is a navigation system mounted on the vehicle V on which the container 1 is loaded, and can hold or acquire map information. The server device 103 is a device that manages the container 1 at a location remote from the container 1, and can hold or acquire map information. The server device 103 is connected to a plurality of containers 1 via a network. For example, the server device 103 may be located at a delivery company's management center or the like. The server device 103 may be configured by a computer device having a higher processing capacity and a larger storage area than the control device 70, for example, and may configure a cloud server.

[Output I/F]
A configuration of the output I/F 92 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the output I/F 92 is configured to communicate with at least one of the terminal device 101, the NAVI system 102, and the server device 103 outside the container 1 by wire or wirelessly. The output I/F 92 outputs information to the device. The information may include information on the delivery route of the delivery item A in the box 10, delivery information on the delivery item A, and the like. Wired communication and wireless communication may be any communication like the input I/F 91 . The output I/F 92 constitutes a communication I/F and may include a communication circuit. The input I/F 91 and the output I/F 92 may constitute one communication I/F.

The information on the delivery route of the delivery item A is the information on the route for delivering the delivery item A, and may include the position information of the route and the traveling direction on the route. In the present embodiment, the route for delivering the delivery item A includes the route for transporting the container 1 for delivering the delivery item A, but may also include the route for transporting each individual delivery item A. Information on the delivery route of delivery A may also include location information of the delivery destination of delivery A. FIG. The location information of the route and delivery destination is information for specifying the location of the route and delivery destination on the map. Coordinates in a coordinate system and the like may be included. The delivery route information for delivery A may include the delivery order of multiple deliveries A. FIG.

The delivery information of the delivery item A is information related to the delivery destination of the delivery item A, and may include delivery-related information of the delivery item A, information of the delivery destination, location information of the delivery destination, and the like. The delivery destination information is information indicating the delivery destination of the delivery A, and includes the name, name, address, and character example indicating the designated delivery date and time of the delivery destination of the delivery A, and the name, name, address, and delivery date. A combination of symbols indicating the specified date and time may be included. The specified date and time may include at least one of a specified date, a specified day of the week, and a specified time. The specified time may include at least one of a time of day and a time zone. The location information of the delivery destination is information for specifying the location of the delivery destination of the item to be delivered A on the map, and may include coordinates in the world coordinate system, coordinates in the local coordinate system, and the like.

[Control device]
A configuration of the control device 70 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7 , the control device 70 includes an information processing section 71 , an input section 72 , an output section 73 , an imaging control section 74 , a transport control section 75 , a route determination section 76 , an image processing section 77 , and a storage unit 78 as functional components. The image processing unit 77 includes an extraction unit 77a and a position specifying unit 77b as functional components. The functional components described above use information output by other functional components and perform operations linked to the operations of other functional components. Note that not all of the above functional components are essential.

The function of each functional component of the information processing unit 71, the input unit 72, the output unit 73, the imaging control unit 74, the transport control unit 75, the route determination unit 76, and the image processing unit 77 is performed by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like. It may be implemented by a computer system (not shown) including a processor, volatile memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), and non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read-Only Memory). Some or all of the functions of the above functional components may be implemented by the CPU using the RAM as a work area and executing a program recorded in the ROM. Some or all of the functions of the functional components may be realized by the computer system, or may be realized by a dedicated hardware circuit such as an electronic circuit or an integrated circuit. It may be realized by a combination of hardware circuits.

The storage unit 78 can store various types of information and enables reading of the stored information. The storage unit 78 is realized by a storage device such as a semiconductor memory such as a volatile memory and a nonvolatile memory, a hard disk, and an SSD (Solid State Drive). The storage unit 78 may store items to be delivered, information on end users and courier workers, map information, parameters and thresholds used by each component, and the like. For example, the storage unit 78 may associate and store delivery information and user information that constitute the delivery-related information, or may store information for the association. Further, the storage unit 78 stores information for linking the delivery-related information of the delivery item extracted from the image of the delivery item by the image processing unit 77 with the delivery destination and/or the position of the delivery destination of the delivery item. may be stored. Further, the storage unit 78 may store programs executed by each component, and may store images captured by the imaging device 60 .

The information processing section 71 outputs information acquired from the reception device 20 to each functional component of the control device 70 . Thereby, each functional component operates according to the program corresponding to the information. For example, when the worker P inputs delivery-related information to the reception device 20, each functional component controls the robot 50 to transport the delivery A corresponding to the delivery-related information to the temporary placement table 40. .

The input unit 72 outputs information and instructions acquired from an external device of the container 1 via the input I/F 91 to each functional component of the control device 70 . The output unit 73 outputs information and instructions output from each functional component of the control device 70 to an external device of the container 1 via the output I/F 92 .

The imaging control section 74 controls the operation of the imaging device 60 . The imaging control section 74 may control the lighting operation of the light source 61 in accordance with the imaging operation of the imaging device 60 . The imaging control unit 74 causes the imaging device 60 to capture an image of the delivery item A placed on the holding shelf 30 . For example, the operator P inputs an imaging execution command to the reception device 20 when loading of the delivery item A through the loading/unloading opening 13 is completed at the final base.

The transport control unit 75 that has received the imaging execution command operates the robot 50 so that each shelf board 30a of the holding shelf 30 is scanned by the imaging device 60 of the robot arm 51c. At this time, the imaging control unit 74 acquires information on the position of the robot arm 51c from the transport control unit 75 at any time, and causes the imaging device 60 to image the holding shelf 30 at a predetermined position of the robot arm 51c or at a predetermined timing. Alternatively, images may be taken continuously. The imaging control unit 74 causes the imaging device 60 to acquire images of the deliveries A on all the shelf boards 30a.

The imaging control unit 74 stores in the storage unit 78 and/or outputs to the image processing unit 77 the image data including the imaged image and information on the position of the robot arm 51c at the imaging timing of the image in association with each other. do.

Note that the worker P may use the receiving device 20 to input a command to perform imaging when the delivery A is started or during loading. In this case, the imaging control unit 74 causes the imaging device 60 to image the delivery item A on the holding shelf 30 in parallel with the loading of the delivery item A by the worker P.

The extraction unit 77 a of the image processing unit 77 extracts the image of the item to be delivered A from the image data obtained by imaging the holding shelf 30 . Any known method may be used to extract the image of the delivery item A. FIG. For example, the extraction unit 77a may extract the delivery item A by extracting edges and/or textures of the outline of the delivery item A from the image. Alternatively, the extraction unit 77a may extract the delivery item A by extracting edges and/or textures of labels or symbols attached to the delivery item A from the image. Further, the extraction unit 77a extracts the delivery-related information of the delivery A from the extracted delivery A image. The delivery-related information of the delivery A may be code information or a string of letters and/or symbols such as numbers and symbols written on a label such as an invoice of the delivery A.

The extracting unit 77a extracts the delivery destination information and/or the delivery destination location information of the delivery item A from the delivery related information of the delivery item A using the information for linking each piece of information stored in the storage unit 78. may be obtained. Note that the above information for linking may be stored in the server device 103 or the like and acquired by accessing the server device 103 or the like.

The position specifying unit 77b of the image processing unit 77 identifies the holding shelf based on the position of the delivery item A in the image, the position of the imaging device 60 at the timing of capturing the image, and the delivery item-related information of the delivery item A. Identify the three-dimensional position of delivery A on 30 . In the following description, the three-dimensional positions, three-dimensional directions, and three-dimensional orientations of the constituent elements within the box 10 are described as positions, directions, and orientations using three-dimensional coordinates with the box 10 as a reference. , but not limited to.

Specifically, the position specifying unit 77b acquires the three-dimensional position and three-dimensional imaging direction of the imaging device 60 from the position of the robot arm 51c included in the image data. Furthermore, the position specifying unit 77b uses the extraction result of the extraction unit 77a to obtain the two-dimensional position of each item A within the image of the image data. The position specifying unit 77b uses the two-dimensional position of the delivery item A in the image and the three-dimensional position and three-dimensional imaging direction of the imaging device 60 at the imaging timing of the image to determine the three-dimensional position of the delivery item A. Get position. Then, the position specifying unit 77b stores, in the storage unit 78, placed delivery information, which is information including the information on the three-dimensional position of the delivery A and the delivery related information of the delivery A in association with each other.

The transport control unit 75 controls operations of the robot 50 . Specifically, the transport control unit 75 controls the operation of the lifting device 51b of the robot main body 51, the travel device 53a of the support 53, and the electric motors 51cc1 to 51cc3 of the robot arm 51c based on their three-dimensional positions and orientations. Control. For example, the transport control unit 75 may detect the three-dimensional position of the robot body 51 using the amount of movement of the lifting device 51b and/or the detected value of a position sensor provided on the lifting device 51b. The transport control unit 75 may detect the three-dimensional position of the support 53 using the operation amount of the travel device 53a and/or the detection value of the position sensor provided in the travel device 53a. The transport control unit 75 uses the operation amounts of the electric motors 51cc1 to 51cc3 and/or the detection values of the sensors provided on the links 51cb1 to 51cb3 to determine the three-dimensional positions of the links 51cb1 to 51cb3 and the robot hand 51d. Orientation may be detected.

Further, the transport control unit 75 determines the delivery item A corresponding to the delivery item-related information acquired from the reception device 20 from among the delivery items A placed on the holding shelf 30, and the robot 50 determines the delivery item A. The article A to be delivered is conveyed to the temporary placing table 40. - 特許庁Specifically, the transport control unit 75 stores the delivery-related information of the delivery for which the request for unloading from the box 10 has been received by the receiving device 20 and the placement delivery information stored in the storage unit 78. Based on this, the delivery item A to be carried out is determined from among the delivery items A placed on the holding shelf 30 . For example, when acquiring the delivery-related information from the reception device 20 , the transport control unit 75 selects from among the placed delivery-related information in the storage unit 78 , a placed delivery item containing delivery-related information corresponding to the delivery-related information. The item information is extracted, and the delivery item A of the placed delivery item information is determined as a carry-out target.

The route determination unit 76 determines the delivery route of the delivery item A using the delivery item-related information of at least one delivery item A extracted by the extraction unit 77a. Route determination unit 76 outputs the determined delivery route to output unit 73 . The route determination unit 76 determines the delivery route using the following method. The path determining unit 76 and container 1 may be configured to be able to perform only one of the following first to fourth methods, or to be able to perform at least two may be configured.

In the first method, the route determining section 76 calculates the delivery route using map information including the location of the delivery destination of the item A to be delivered. Map information may be stored in the storage unit 78 in advance. Alternatively, the map information may be acquired by the route determination unit 76 requesting the terminal device 101, the NAVI system 102, or the server device 103. FIG.

For example, assume that a plurality of deliveries A1 to A10 are arranged in the box 10. FIG. The route determining unit 76 extracts information on the delivery destinations of the deliveries A1 to A10 from the delivery related information of the deliveries A1 to A10, and further extracts the delivery destination positions of the deliveries A1 to A10 from the delivery destination information. identify. The route determination unit 76 may acquire the location of the delivery destination from the delivery-related information. At this time, the route determination unit 76 acquires and uses information for linking each piece of information from the storage unit 78, the server device 103, and the like. In this manner, the route determining unit 76 can acquire information on the delivery destinations and/or location information of the delivery destinations of the deliveries A1 to A10 from the delivery related information on the deliveries A1 to A10. In addition, the route determination unit 76 acquires the position information of the delivery start point and end point. The positional information of the start point and the end point may be set in advance and stored in the storage unit 78, and may be specified by the worker or the like using the reception device 20, the terminal device 101, the NAVI system 102, the server device 103, or the like. good too.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the route determination unit 76 determines the delivery destination positions P1 to P10 of the deliveries A1 to A10 and the departure point P1 to P10 on the map M including the delivery destination locations of the deliveries A1 to A10. and the position of the end point (not shown). Then, the route determination unit 76 calculates a delivery route R1 for delivering to the positions P1 to P10 using the geographic information, road traffic information, road condition information, etc. included in the information of the map M, and determines it as the delivery route. do. Furthermore, the route determination unit 76 may calculate the required travel time, which is the time required to travel the entire route of the delivery route R1, and include it in the information on the delivery route R1. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a delivery route for delivering items A1 to A10 to respective delivery destination positions P1 to P10.

The route determination unit 76 may calculate one or more delivery routes and determine them as delivery routes. For example, the route determination unit 76 selects the shortest delivery route with the shortest travel distance for the entire process, the earliest delivery route with the shortest travel time for the entire process, the narrow avoidance delivery route that avoids narrow roads or has a small traffic ratio, traffic A delivery route corresponding to various conditions and combinations thereof, such as a regulation-avoiding delivery route that avoids regulated locations and a pedestrian-avoiding delivery route that avoids school routes and pedestrian-only roads, may be calculated. For example, the route determining unit 76 determines the shortest delivery route R1 shown in FIG. 8, the earliest delivery route R2 shown in FIG. 9, and the restricted avoidance delivery route R3 shown in FIG. and 9 and 10 are diagrams showing another example of delivery routes for delivering items A1 to A10 to respective delivery destination positions P1 to P10.

In FIGS. 8 to 10, an area TR hatched with oblique lines is a section of the road that is closed to traffic, and an area TFA indicated with a hatched hatch is an expected traffic congestion area in the morning. White arrows indicate directions in which vehicles such as automobiles can travel on the road. The white line that divides the road in the center indicates the median strip that vehicles cannot cross. The solid arrow indicates the direction of travel of the vehicle on the delivery route.

The output unit 73 outputs the delivery route determined by the route determining unit 76 to at least one device among the terminal device 101 , the NAVI system 102 and the server device 103 via the output I/F 92 . The terminal device 101, the NAVI system 102, and the server device 103 present delivery routes to users such as workers who use them. If there are multiple delivery routes, the route determination unit 76 may cause the output unit 73 to output the multiple delivery routes. This allows the user to select and use delivery routes. Alternatively, the route determination unit 76 may determine one of a plurality of delivery routes and cause the output unit 73 to output it.

Further, if any of the information on the delivery destination of the item to be delivered A includes the designated time for delivery, the route determining section 76 may determine the delivery route in consideration of the designated time. The route determining unit 76 may determine the delivery order of the deliveries A including the specified time, and determine the delivery routes of all the deliveries A based on the delivery order. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, when a specified time between 9:00 AM and 12:00 AM is set for deliveries A3 and A5 among deliveries A1 through A10, the route determination unit 76 Deliveries A2, A7 and A9, which are delivery destination positions P2, P7 and P9 in the vicinity of delivery destination positions P3 and P5 of deliveries A3 and A5, and deliveries A3 and A5 are processed from 9:00 AM to 12:00 AM. A delivery route R4 that can be delivered during the period may be determined. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of delivery routes for delivering items A1 to A10 to respective delivery destination positions P1 to P1.

In addition, the route determining unit 76 accepts changes related to the delivery route, such as addition, deletion, and change of the delivery destination of the delivery item A, change of the delivery order of the delivery item A, and change of the delivery route, and determines the delivery route according to the contents of the change. You can calculate again. For example, a change regarding the delivery route may be received via the receiving device 20, or may be received from the terminal device 101, the NAVI system 102 and the server device 103 via the input I/F 91.

In the second method, the route determination unit 76 determines the delivery route of the delivery item A by causing the terminal device 101 to calculate the delivery route of the delivery item A. FIG. Specifically, the route determination unit 76 transmits to the terminal device 101 the delivery information including any of the delivery-related information of the delivery A, the delivery destination information, and the delivery destination location information. The terminal device 101 may calculate the delivery route by applying the received delivery information to an application program such as a map application installed therein. Alternatively, the terminal device 101 may be installed with a program having the same function as the route determination unit 76 in the first method, and may calculate the delivery route. The terminal device 101 may display the delivery route on its own screen, and may transmit information on the delivery route to other devices such as the NAVI system 102, the server device 103, and the control device 70 of the container 1.

In the third method, the route determination unit 76 determines the delivery route of the delivery item A by having the NAVI system 102 calculate the delivery route of the delivery item A. FIG. Specifically, the route determination unit 76 transmits the delivery information of the delivery item A to the NAVI system 102 . NAVI system 102 calculates a delivery route using the received delivery information. The NAVI system 102 displays the delivery route on the screen of the display of the vehicle V on which the NAVI system 102 is mounted. may be sent.

In the fourth method, the route determination unit 76 determines the delivery route of the delivery item A by causing the server device 103 to calculate the delivery route of the delivery item A. FIG. Specifically, route determination unit 76 transmits delivery information for item A to server device 103 . Server device 103 calculates a delivery route by applying the received delivery information to its own program. The server device 103 may be installed with a program having the same function as the route determination unit 76 in the first method, and may calculate the delivery route. The server device 103 transmits the delivery route information to the control device 70 of the container 1, but may also transmit the delivery route information to other devices such as the terminal device 101 and the NAVI system 102. FIG.

<Operation of container>
[First operation]
A first operation of container 1 according to the embodiment will be described. The first operation is an example of the operation in which the control device 70 of the container 1 calculates the delivery route of the item A to be delivered. FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing an example of the first operation of the container 1 according to the embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 4, 7 and 12, the worker P opens the loading/unloading opening door 16 of the box 10 of the container 1, and loads the deliveries A onto the holding shelf 30 (step S101). ). At this time, the worker P can arbitrarily place the item A to be delivered on the shelf plate 30a of the holding shelf 30 without recording the placement position of the item to be delivered A and information related to the item to be delivered.

Next, after completing the loading of the deliveries A, the operator P closes the loading/unloading opening door 16, inputs loading completion information to the reception device 20, and the control device 70 receives the information (step S102). In this example, the loading completion information indicates an instruction to perform imaging.

Next, the imaging control unit 74 of the control device 70 causes the imaging device 60 to image the delivery item A on the holding shelf 30 (step S103). Specifically, the transport control unit 75 operates the robot body 51 and the support 53 so that each shelf board 30a of the holding shelf 30 is scanned by the imaging device 60 of the robot arm 51c. In parallel, the imaging control unit 74 causes the imaging device 60 to image the holding shelf 30 at a predetermined position or at a predetermined timing.

After completion of the imaging, the image processing unit 77 of the control device 70 uses the captured image to extract the delivery item-related information for all the deliveries A on the holding shelf 30 (step S104). Specifically, the image processing unit 77 extracts the image of the delivery item A from the image, and extracts the delivery item-related information of the delivery item A in the image.

In parallel with the processing of step S104, the image processing unit 77 may acquire and hold placed delivery item information including the position of each delivery item A. FIG. At this time, the image processing unit 77 determines the three-dimensional position of the delivery item A on the holding shelf 30 and the delivery item based on the position of the delivery item A in the image, the delivery item-related information, and the position of the imaging device 60 at the time of imaging. Placed delivery information including relevant information may be obtained. The image processing unit 77 may acquire the placement delivery item information for all the delivery items A and store it in the storage unit 78 . As a result, the control device 70 specifies the position of the delivery item A corresponding to the request input to the reception device 20 by using the placed delivery item information, and causes the robot 50 to carry out the delivery item A from the box 10. It can be transported to the opening 12 .

Next, the route determination unit 76 of the control device 70 acquires information for linking each piece of information from the storage unit 78 or the like, and uses the information to determine the location information of the delivery destination from the delivery-related information of each delivery item A. (step S105). Furthermore, the route determination unit 76 acquires the position information of the delivery start point and end point from the storage unit 78 or the like. The route determination unit 76 may store the location information of the delivery destination of each delivery item A in the storage unit 78 .

Next, the route determining unit 76 acquires map information including the locations of all the delivery destinations of the delivery item A (step S106). In this example, the route determination unit 76 acquires map information from the storage unit 78 , but may acquire map information from the terminal device 101 , the NAVI system 102 or the server device 103 .

Next, the route determination unit 76 uses the location information of the delivery destination of each delivery item A, the location information of the start and end points of delivery, and the map information to determine the route for delivering all the items A. A delivery route is calculated (step S107). Furthermore, the route determination unit 76 outputs information on the delivery route to other devices (step S108). The other device may be at least one of terminal device 101 , NAVI system 102 and server device 103 . Further, the route determination unit 76 may cause the storage unit 78 to store information on the delivery route.

In this way, by the processing of steps S101 to S108, the container 1 automatically calculates and outputs the delivery route for delivering all the deliveries A on the holding shelf 30 by itself.

[Second operation]
A second operation of container 1 according to the embodiment will be described. The second operation is an example of the operation of calculating the delivery route of the delivery item A by another device of the container 1 . Other devices are terminal device 101 , NAVI system 102 or server device 103 . FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing an example of the second operation of the container 1 according to the embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 4, 7 and 13, steps S201 to S204 of the second operation are performed in the same manner as steps S101 to S104 of the first operation. Then, in step S205, the route determination unit 76 of the control device 70 uses the information for linking each piece of information acquired from the storage unit 78 or the like to determine the delivery destination from the delivery-related information of each delivery item A. Information or location information of the delivery destination is acquired (step S205). Furthermore, the route determination unit 76 acquires position information of the start point and the end point of the delivery. The route determination unit 76 may cause the storage unit 78 to store the information on the delivery destination of each item to be delivered A or the location information of the delivery destination.

Next, the route determining unit 76 sends information of the delivery destinations or the positional information of the delivery destinations of all deliverables A, the positional information of the start point and the end point of the delivery, and a command to calculate the delivery route to another device. Send (step S206). The route determination unit 76 may transmit the delivery related information of the delivery A instead of the above information.

Next, another device uses the delivery destination information or the location information of the delivery destination of each delivery A and the location information of the start point and the end point of the delivery to make a delivery system for delivering all the deliveries A. A route is calculated (step S207). Further, the other device outputs information on the delivery route (step S208). If the other device is the terminal device 101, the delivery route may be displayed on its screen. The other device, if NAVI system 102, may display the delivery route on the display of vehicle V equipped with NAVI system 102. FIG. If the other device is the server device 103 , it may transmit the delivery route information to the container 1 . Other devices may transmit delivery route information to yet other devices.

In this way, through the processing of steps S201 to S208, the container 1 causes another device to automatically calculate and output the delivery route for delivering all the deliveries A on the holding shelf 30. FIG.

<Effects, etc.>
As described above, the container 1 according to the embodiment includes a box 10 that can contain a plurality of items to be delivered and that has an unloading opening 12 from which the items to be delivered can be taken out. a robot 50 as a conveying device that conveys the delivery item inside the box 10 to the carry-out opening 12; and a control device 70 . The controller 70 uses the delivery information for each delivery to determine the delivery route for the delivery.

According to the above configuration, the container 1 acquires the delivery information of each item to be delivered in the box 10, and automatically determines the delivery route of the item using the delivery information. Therefore, it is not necessary for the worker to determine the delivery route based on the delivery information of each delivery item, and it is possible to reduce the work done by people in the last mile of the physical distribution service.

Further, the container 1 according to the embodiment has an imaging device 60 that captures an image of the item to be delivered in the box 10 , and the control device 70 extracts a delivery image of the item from the image captured by the imaging device 60 . The information may be used to determine delivery routes. According to the above configuration, the container 1 can extract the delivery information of each delivery item from the image of the delivery item in the box 10 and automatically determine the delivery route of the delivery item using the delivery information. Therefore, when the worker arbitrarily loads a delivery item into the box 10, the container 1 can cause the imaging device 60 to image the delivery item and automatically determine the delivery route of the delivery item. be. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the work done by people in the last mile of the distribution service.

Further, in the container 1 according to the embodiment, the delivery information of the delivery item includes the information of the delivery destination and the designated delivery time of the delivery item, and the control device 70 controls the delivery destination corresponding to the delivery information of each delivery item. and the specified time of delivery may be used to determine the delivery route. According to the above configuration, the container 1 determines the delivery route using not only the information on the delivery destination of the item to be delivered but also the information on the designated delivery time. Therefore, it becomes possible to determine a delivery route that is efficient in terms of required time.

Further, the container 1 according to the embodiment may include a storage unit 78 that stores map information, and the control device 70 may use the map information in the storage unit 78 to determine the delivery route. According to the above configuration, the container 1 can determine the delivery route using various information included in the map information. Therefore, it becomes possible to determine an efficient delivery route in consideration of road conditions and road conditions. Road conditions may include geographic information and road passability information, and road conditions may include road condition information.

Further, the container 1 according to the embodiment includes an input I/F 91 as a communication device that communicates with other first devices, and the control device 70 determines the delivery route via the input I/F 91. Map information obtained from one device may be used. The first device may be at least one of the server device 103 having map information, the NAVI system 102 of the vehicle V on which the container 1 is loaded, and the terminal device 101 having map information.

According to the above configuration, the container 1 needs to acquire only the map information necessary for determining the delivery route from the first device, and the capacity of the storage area can be reduced. Furthermore, the container 1 can acquire map information including new road conditions and road conditions from the first device, thereby calculating a highly accurate delivery route.

Further, the container 1 according to the embodiment has an output I/F 92 as a communication device that communicates with other first devices, and the control device 70 receives the delivery information of the delivery item via the output I/F 92. It may be sent to the first device and cause the first device to determine the delivery route using the delivery information. According to the above configuration, the container 1 can allow the first device to determine the delivery route. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the information processing capability of the container 1 .

Further, in the container 1 according to the embodiment, the control device 70 may output the delivery route to the vehicle V on which the container 1 is loaded. According to the above configuration, a worker who delivers by driving the vehicle V can drive the vehicle V using the delivery route output and displayed on the vehicle V. FIG.

Moreover, in the container 1 according to the embodiment, the control device 70 may output the delivery route to the terminal device 101 . According to the above configuration, the worker can deliver using the delivery route output and displayed on the terminal device 101 .

Further, in the container 1 according to the embodiment, the control device 70 determines the position of the delivery item in the box 10 based on the position of the delivery item in the image captured by the imaging device 60 and the position of the imaging device 60. Information about the location of the identified delivery may be used to control the motion of the robot 50 to deliver the delivery to the output opening 12 .

According to the above configuration, the container 1 can specify the position of the item to be delivered inside the box 10 using the captured image. Furthermore, the container 1 can cause the robot 50 to automatically transport the delivery object to be delivered to the unloading opening 12 . As a result, there is no need to record the destination of each delivery and the position within the box when the delivery is loaded into the box 10.例文帳に追加It is possible to reduce the labor of the operator.

Further, in the container 1 according to the embodiment, the robot 50 may include a robot arm 51c having joints driven by motors and moving the delivery item. According to the above configuration, the robot 50 can freely operate the robot arm 51c to convey any item to be delivered inside the box 10 .

(Modification 1)
Modification 1 of the embodiment will be described. A container 1A according to Modification 1 differs from the embodiment in the configuration for acquiring delivery information of a delivery item. Specifically, the container 1A is provided with a device for reading the delivery information of the item to be delivered. In the following, Modification 1 will be described with a focus on the points that are different from the embodiment, and the description of the points that are the same as the embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 70A and its peripheral configuration according to Modification 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 14, the container 1A according to this modified example further includes a second reading device 93 as compared with the container 1 according to the embodiment. Furthermore, the control device 70A according to this modification further includes a reading control section 79A, as compared with the control device 70 according to the embodiment. Note that the reading device 22 of the reception device 20 constitutes a first reading device.

The second reading device 93 reads information from the information medium containing the delivery information of the item to be delivered, and outputs the information to the reading control section 79A of the control device 70A. The information medium may be attached to the delivery, or may be separated from the delivery. Examples of information media include recording media such as paper containing code information, electronic tags (also called "IC (Integrated Circuit) tags"), magnetic tags, and the like. Code information, electronic tags and magnetic tags contain delivery information. In this modification, the information medium is attached to the delivery by a method such as sticking, fastening, or binding, and the second reading device 93 is arranged on the robot hand 51d.

For example, if the information medium is a recording medium containing code information, the second reading device 93 is a code reader that reads code information. If the information medium is an electronic tag, the second reader 93 wirelessly communicates with the electronic tag to read information contained in the electronic tag without contact. If the information medium is a magnetic tag, the second reader 93 contacts and scans the magnetic tag to read the information contained in the magnetic tag.

The reading control unit 79A controls the second reading device 93 to read the information medium attached to the delivery item. Further, the reading control unit 79A acquires the read information from the second reading device 93, extracts the delivery information of the item to be delivered from the acquired information, and stores it in the storage unit 78. FIG. For example, when a read execution command is input to the reception device 20, the transport control unit 75 operates the robot 50 so that each shelf board 30a of the holding shelf 30 is scanned by the second reading device 93 of the robot hand 51d. Let At the same time, the reading control section 79A activates the second reading device 93 . The second reading device 93 reads information from an information medium that approaches or contacts. Note that the image processing unit 77 may use the information read by the second reading device 93 to identify the delivery item.

According to the container 1A according to Modification 1 as described above, the same effects as those of the embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, the container 1A has a second reading device 93 that reads the code information of the delivery item, and the control device 70A reads the delivery information of the delivery item included in the code information read by the second reading device 93, May be used to determine delivery routes. Alternatively, the container 1A has a second reader 93 that reads the electronic tag of the delivery, and the control device 70A reads the delivery information of the delivery contained in the electronic tag read by the second reader 93, May be used to determine delivery routes. According to the above configuration, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the acquired delivery information. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the amount of processing for obtaining delivery information.

Further, in Modification 1, the second reading device 93 is configured to read the information medium attached to the delivery item, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the information medium removed from the delivery may be configured to be read by the second reading device 93 by a worker or the like.

(Modification 2)
Modification 2 of the embodiment will be described. The container 1B according to Modification 2 differs from the embodiment in that the delivery route of the item to be delivered is determined based on the position of the box 10. FIG. Hereinafter, Modification 2 will be described with a focus on points different from the embodiment and Modification 1, and descriptions of points similar to the embodiment and Modification 1 will be omitted as appropriate.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a control device 70B and its peripheral configuration according to Modification 2. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 15, the containing body 1B according to this modified example further includes a position acquisition device 94 as compared with the containing body 1 according to the embodiment. Furthermore, the control device 70B according to this modification further includes a position acquisition control section 79B, as compared with the control device 70 according to the embodiment.

The position acquisition device 94 acquires the position of the box 10 and outputs it to the position acquisition control section 79B. The position acquisition device 94 may include a measurement device that measures the position of the box 10, or may be configured to acquire position information of the box 10 from another device. For example, the position acquisition device 94 may have at least one of a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver and an inertial measurement unit (also referred to as an “IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit)”) as a measurement device. good.

The GPS receiver receives radio waves from GPS satellites, uses information contained in the received radio waves to detect the position of the GPS receiver on the earth, that is, the position of the box 10, and acquires the position information. Output to the control section 79B. The GPS receiver may detect the position of the GPS receiver by using not only radio waves from GPS satellites but also signals received from mobile communication networks, wireless LANs, and the like. A positional relationship between a base station and a GPS receiver can be acquired from a mobile communication network, and a positional relationship between a wireless LAN access point and a GPS receiver can be acquired from a wireless LAN.

The inertial measurement device includes a 3-axis acceleration sensor and a 3-axis angular velocity sensor, and measures 3-axis acceleration and 3-axis angular velocity. The inertial measurement device uses the three-axis acceleration and the three-axis angular velocity to detect the inertial measurement device, that is, the displacement in the three-axis directions and the posture angle around the three axes of the box 10, and outputs the results to the position acquisition control section 79B. . The inertial measurement device may further include a geomagnetic sensor, and the measurement values of the geomagnetic sensor may be used to detect displacement in three-axis directions and attitude angles around three axes.

The position acquisition device 94 may be configured to acquire information on the position of the box 10 from at least one of the terminal device 101, the NAVI system 102, and the server device 103 as another device. Each such terminal device 101 and NAVI system 102 is configured to obtain information of its own location. The terminal device 101 moves together with the worker handling the container 1B, and the position of the terminal device 101 can be regarded as the position of the box 10 . The NAVI system 102 moves with the vehicle V on which the container 1B is loaded, and the position of the NAVI system 102 can be regarded as the position of the box 10 . The server device 103 is configured to manage the position of the container 1B. The server device 103 transmits information on the position of the box 10 of the container 1B to the position acquisition device 94 via communication. Note that the input I/F 91 may also serve as the position acquisition device 94 .

The position acquisition control section 79</b>B controls the position acquisition device 94 to acquire information on the position of the box 10 and outputs it to the route determination section 76 and/or the storage section 78 .

The route determination unit 76 determines the delivery route of the item to be delivered based on the information on the position of the box 10 . Specifically, the route determination unit 76 determines a delivery route starting from the position of the box 10 . For example, when a command to execute delivery route determination is input to the reception device 20, the route determination unit 76 determines the delivery information of the undelivered item in the box 10 based on the position of the box 10 at that time. is used to determine a delivery route for delivering undelivered deliveries. The timing of determining the delivery route may be the timing before delivery of all the items in the box 10 or the timing during the delivery of the items in the box 10 . The route determination unit 76 determines the delivery route based on the position of the box 10 at any timing regardless of before or during the delivery of the item to be delivered inside the box 10 .

According to the container 1B according to Modification 2 as described above, the same effects as those of the embodiment can be obtained. Further, the container 1B may include a position acquisition device 94 that acquires the position of the box 10, and the control device 70B may determine the delivery route of the item to be delivered based on the position of the box 10. FIG. According to the above configuration, the container 1B can determine a suitable delivery route for the position of the box 10. FIG. Furthermore, the container 1B can change the determined delivery route to a more suitable delivery route according to the position of the box 10. FIG. It should be noted that the configuration of modification 1 may be applied to the configuration of this modification.

Further, the control device 70B capable of acquiring the position of the box 10 may control the transport of the delivery item by the robot 50 depending on whether the box 10 is moved. For example, the control device 70B may cause the robot 50 to transport the delivery item to the unloading opening 12 while the box 10 is being moved. As a result, the delivery item is conveyed to the unloading opening 12 while the box 10 is being moved by the vehicle V. As shown in FIG. Therefore, when the vehicle V arrives at the delivery destination, the worker can quickly take out the delivery item from the box body 10, thereby shortening the delivery time. Further, the control device 70B may cause the robot 50 to carry the article to be delivered to the carry-out opening 12 while the movement of the box 10 is stopped. As a result, it is possible to prevent the robot 50, which is carrying the delivery item, from dropping the delivery item due to the influence of the vibration of the box 10 or the like.

Further, the control device 70B may control transportation of the delivery item by the robot 50 based on the acceleration measured by the inertial measurement device of the position acquisition device 94 . For example, the control device 70B stops the robot 50 from conveying the delivery item when the acceleration is greater than or equal to the threshold and/or when the rate of change in acceleration per unit time is greater than or equal to the threshold and the acceleration changes rapidly. You may

(Other embodiments)
Although examples of embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications. That is, various modifications and improvements are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, the scope of the present invention includes various modifications of the embodiments and modifications, and forms constructed by combining components of different embodiments and modifications.

For example, in the embodiments and modifications, the box 10 has one unloading opening 12, but the number is not limited to this. The number of unloading openings 12 may be two or more. As a result, the orientation of the container when loaded onto the vehicle is not limited to the example of FIG. 3, and the degree of freedom is improved.

In the embodiments and modifications, the container has one holding shelf 30 inside the box 10 , but is not limited to this and may have two or more holding shelves 30 . For example, if two holding shelves 30 are provided, the holding shelves 30 may be arranged on both sides of the robot 50 . Further, although the container 1 is provided with the holding shelf 30 for storing the deliverables, it is not limited to this, and any storage box or the like that can store the deliverables may be used. Thus, in the present specification and claims, the term "shelf" includes not only shelves having shelves, but also those capable of storing multiple deliveries.

In the embodiments and modifications, the container has one robot 50 inside the box 10, but is not limited to this and may have two or more robots 50. FIG.

In the embodiment and modification, the control device detects the position, posture and orientation of the robot hand 51d using information on the amount of movement of the electric motors 51cc1 to 51cc3 of the robot arm 51c, but is not limited to this. . For example, the robot hand 51d may include a position and orientation measuring device such as an inertial measuring device. The control device may detect the position, orientation and orientation of the robot hand 51d based on the detection signals of the position and orientation measuring device. Alternatively, a rotation sensor may be provided to detect the amount of rotation of the joints 51ca1 to 51ca3 of the robot arm 51c. The control device may detect the position, attitude and orientation of the robot hand 51d based on the detection signal of the rotation sensor.

In the embodiment and modification, the delivery item to be transported by the robot 50 was the home delivery item packed in the cardboard case, but the delivery item is not limited to this. For example, a delivery may be another object with a predetermined shape or an object without a predetermined shape.

Although the robot main body 51 is a horizontal articulated robot in the embodiment and modifications, it is not limited to this. For example, the robot body 51 may be configured as a polar coordinate robot, a cylindrical coordinate robot, a rectangular coordinate robot, a vertical articulated robot, or any other robot.

In the embodiment and the modified example, the robot 50 is provided with the robot body 51, the running rails 52, and the support body 53 so that the robot body 51 can move vertically and horizontally. Not limited. It is sufficient for the robot to be able to transport, place, and remove deliverables to and from the holding shelf 30 and the temporary placement table 40 . For example, the robot may be configured to be movable along the holding shelf 30 and vertically extendable. Alternatively, the robot may be configured to be able to move along the holding shelf 30 and/or extend and contract vertically. In this case, for example, the type of robot may be any of the robots exemplified above.

Although the robot arm 51c of the robot main body 51 has three joints in the embodiment and modification, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the robot arm 51c may have four or more joints or two or less joints.

In addition, all numbers such as ordinal numbers and numbers used above are examples for specifically describing the technology of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the numbers shown. Moreover, the connection relationship between the components is an example for specifically describing the technology of the present invention, and the connection relationship for realizing the function of the present invention is not limited to this.

Also, the division of blocks in the functional block diagram is an example, and a plurality of blocks may be implemented as one block, one block may be divided into a plurality of blocks, and/or some functions may be moved to other blocks. good. Also, a single piece of hardware or software may process functions of multiple blocks having similar functions in parallel or in a time division manner.

1, 1A, 1B container (delivery container)
10 Box 12 Unloading opening (opening)
50 robot (conveyor)
51c Robot arm 60 Imaging device (information acquisition device)
70, 70A, 70B Control device 78 Storage unit 91 Input I/F (communication device)
92 output I/F (communication device)
93 Second reader (information acquisition device, reader)
94 Position acquisition device 101 Terminal device (first device)
102 NAVI system (first device)
103 server device (first device)
A, A1~A10 Delivery

Claims (15)

A box shaped and dimensioned to accommodate a plurality of deliveries and loadable on a vehicle used for delivery to an end user, the box having an opening through which the deliveries can be removed ; and a handle that can be grasped by a person in moving the box and pivotable to change the orientation of the wheels ;
a conveying device disposed in the box and conveying a delivery item in the box to the opening;
an information acquisition device for acquiring delivery information regarding the delivery destination of the delivery in the box;
a control device;
The controller uses the delivery information for each of the deliveries to determine a delivery route for the delivery. The information acquisition device has an image capturing device that captures an image of the delivery item in the box,
2. The package for delivery according to claim 1, wherein the control device uses the delivery information extracted from the image captured by the imaging device to determine the delivery route. The information acquisition device has a reading device for reading code information of the delivery,
3. The package for delivery according to claim 1, wherein the control device uses the delivery information included in the code information read by the reader to determine the delivery route. The information acquisition device has a reading device that reads the electronic tag of the delivery,
The package for delivery according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control device uses the delivery information included in the electronic tag read by the reader to determine the delivery route. a reception device that receives input;
A position acquisition device that acquires the position of the box,
The control device determines the delivery route based on the position of the box;
When a command for determining a delivery route is input to the reception device, the control device sets the position of the box acquired by the position acquisition device as the starting point of the delivery route, and the undelivered undelivered items in the box. Using the delivery information for each delivery to determine a new delivery route for delivering the undelivered delivery.
A delivery container according to any one of claims 1-4. Further comprising a position acquisition device for acquiring the position of the box,
The position acquisition device includes a communication device that communicates with another device, and acquires the position of the box from the other device via the communication device,
The control device determines the delivery route based on the position of the box;
The other device is at least one of a server device that manages the position of the box, a navigation system of a vehicle on which the package for delivery is loaded, and a terminal device capable of acquiring position information.
A delivery container according to any one of claims 1-5. The delivery information includes information on the delivery destination and delivery time of the delivery,
The delivery item according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the control device determines the delivery route using information on the delivery destination and the specified time corresponding to the delivery information of each delivery item. containment body. A storage unit for storing map information is provided,
The package for delivery according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the control device uses information of the map in the storage unit to determine the delivery route. further comprising a communication device that communicates with another first device;
The delivery container according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the control device uses map information obtained from the first device via the communication device to determine the delivery route. further comprising a communication device that communicates with another first device;
The control device is
transmitting the delivery information to the first device via the communication device;
The delivery container according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein said first device determines said delivery route using said delivery information. 11. The first device is at least one of a server device having map information, a navigation system of a vehicle on which the package for delivery is loaded, and a terminal device having map information . The delivery container described in . The delivery container according to any one of claims 1 to 11 , wherein the control device outputs the delivery route to a vehicle on which the delivery container is loaded. The package for delivery according to any one of claims 1 to 12 , wherein the control device outputs the delivery route to a terminal device. further comprising an imaging device for imaging the delivery in the box,
The control device is
identifying the position of the delivery item in the box based on the position of the delivery item in the image captured by the imaging device and the position of the imaging device;
The delivery object container according to any one of claims 1 to 13 , wherein the information on the specified position of the delivery object is used to control the operation of the conveying device so as to convey the delivery object to the opening. . The delivery container according to any one of claims 1 to 14 , wherein the transport device is a robot having an arm that has joints driven by a motor and moves the delivery.

Images