JP7433359B2 - stocker system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a stocker management device and a stocker system.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, systems are known that include a plurality of lockers used for delivering and receiving luggage, and a device that manages the lockers. For example, Patent Document 1 describes the following system that includes a locker and a management center. First, when a customer wishes to receive the product at a locker, the management center reserves a vacant locker and notifies the delivery company of the station name and locker number. The delivery company stores the product in a designated locker box. After receiving a notification from the management center via a communication terminal, the purchaser goes to the locker and takes out the items inside. When taking out the product, the customer uses the numeric keypad in the delivery locker to enter a personal identification number, or inserts a pre-registered card into the card reader in the delivery locker. Next, the database server of the management center determines whether the input password and card number are correct. If it is determined to be correct, the door of the locker box is opened by a signal from the management center.

Patent No. 3560327

Incidentally, after a customer orders a product and determines the locker box to be used, there may be a case where an additional locker box is required. For example, if you order a product once and then order another product before you receive the product, you may need an additional locker box. Furthermore, when a delivery company stores products in a locker box, the product may not be placed in the designated locker box, and an additional locker box may be required. Patent Document 1 does not consider the case where such an additional locker box becomes necessary.

The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and its main purpose is to improve convenience for users when an additional delivery warehouse becomes necessary.

The present invention employs the following means to achieve the above-mentioned main objective.

The stocker management device of the present invention includes:
A stocker management device that manages a stocker equipped with a plurality of lockable delivery warehouses,
Delivery warehouse correspondence information storage means capable of storing delivery warehouse correspondence information that associates delivery warehouse information that can identify the delivery warehouse of any of the stockers with an unlock code used to unlock the delivery warehouse; ,
If a storage warehouse determination request is input and the input storage storage determination request is related to any storage warehouse information in the stored storage warehouse correspondence information, the storage warehouse determination request is entered in the storage warehouse correspondence information. A warehouse determination process is performed to determine one of the vacant warehouses for which information does not exist, and the solution corresponding to the warehouse information of the determined warehouse and the warehouse information related to the warehouse determination request is executed. Delivery warehouse determining means for storing a lock code in association with the delivery warehouse correspondence information storage means;
When the unlock code is input, it is determined whether or not there is one or more warehouse information corresponding to the input unlock code in the stored warehouse correspondence information, and if there is, one or more warehouse information is detected. an unlocking control means for unlocking the delivery warehouse specified by the above delivery warehouse information;
It is equipped with the following.

In this stocker management device, the warehouse correspondence information storage means stores warehouse correspondence information that associates warehouse information that can identify one of the warehouses of the stocker with an unlock code used to unlock the warehouse. I remember. Then, if a warehouse determination request is input and the input warehouse determination request is related to any warehouse information in the stored warehouse correspondence information, that is, an additional warehouse information related to the stored warehouse information is input. When a request to determine a delivery warehouse is made, the following processing is performed. First, a warehouse determination process is performed to determine one of the empty warehouses for which no warehouse information exists in the warehouse correspondence information. Next, the warehouse information of the determined warehouse and the unlock code corresponding to the warehouse information related to the warehouse determination request are stored in the warehouse correspondence information storage means in association with each other. In other words, when a request to determine an additional warehouse related to stored warehouse information is input, the same unlock code as the unlock code corresponding to the related warehouse information is applied to the warehouse information of the newly determined warehouse. It is stored in association with the delivery warehouse correspondence information. Then, when the unlock code is input, it is determined whether there is one or more warehouse information corresponding to the input unlock code among the stored warehouse correspondence information, and if there is, one or more of the warehouse information is determined. The delivery warehouse specified by the delivery warehouse information is unlocked. Therefore, if there is a delivery warehouse added later, the user can unlock multiple delivery warehouses, including the added delivery warehouse, using the same unlock code. Therefore, user convenience is improved when an additional warehouse is required. Here, the "user" includes a person who delivers an item to a delivery warehouse and a recipient of an item from the delivery warehouse. That is, the situation of "unlocking the delivery warehouse" includes the time of delivering an article to the delivery warehouse and the time of receiving an article from the delivery warehouse.

In the stocker management device of the present invention, the storage warehouse correspondence information includes, as the unlock code, a receipt unlocking code used when receiving an article from the storage storage, and the unlocking control means is configured to control the storing information. When a request for unlocking at the time of delivery that can identify any of the warehouse information in the warehouse correspondence information stored in the delivery warehouse is input, a request for unlocking at the time of delivery that is specified in the stored warehouse correspondence information is entered. The above-mentioned delivery warehouse determining means determines whether or not the above-mentioned delivery warehouse information exists, and if so, unlocks the delivery warehouse specified by the one or more delivery warehouse information. If you input the delivery warehouse determination request after inputting the delivery unlock request and before inputting another delivery unlock request, the input warehouse determination request will be the last one in the delivery warehouse correspondence information. It is assumed that the request is related to the storage warehouse information specified in the delivery unlocking request inputted in The delivery warehouse information may be associated with the receipt unlocking code and stored in the delivery warehouse correspondence information storage means. In this way, even if an additional warehouse is required when delivering goods to a warehouse, the recipient can unlock multiple warehouses, including the added warehouse, using the same receipt unlock code. be able to. Therefore, convenience for recipients is improved when an additional warehouse is required. Further, the input storage warehouse determination request is regarded as a request related to the storage storage information specified by the delivery unlocking request input last. Therefore, for example, even if the warehouse determination request does not include information that can identify the relationship with the stored warehouse information, the same receiving unlock code as the stored warehouse information can be appropriately associated with the additional warehouse. This makes it easy to reduce the effort required by the deliverer to input the delivery warehouse determination request. Therefore, convenience for the delivery person is likely to be improved when an additional delivery warehouse is required.

In the stocker management device of the present invention, the storage warehouse determining means inputs the storage storage determination request and sets the input storage storage determination request to any storage warehouse information among the stored storage warehouse correspondence information. If related, in the storage warehouse determination process, a storage warehouse located near the storage warehouse specified by the storage warehouse information related to the storage warehouse determination request among the empty storage warehouses may be determined with priority. good. In this way, the delivery warehouse specified by the stored delivery warehouse information and the additional delivery warehouse related to it are likely to be located close to each other. This makes it easier to deliver or receive goods, and improves convenience for users when an additional delivery warehouse becomes necessary.

In this case, the storage warehouse determination means inputs the storage storage determination request and when the input storage storage determination request is not related to any storage warehouse information in the stored storage warehouse correspondence information. For each of the one or more delivery warehouses specified by the warehouse information included in the warehouse correspondence information, the adjacent empty warehouse is arranged so that there is at least one vacant warehouse adjacent to the warehouse. The delivery warehouse determination process is performed to preferentially determine a delivery warehouse other than the delivery warehouse, and an unlock code that is different from any unlock code in the warehouse information and the warehouse correspondence information of the determined delivery warehouse. and may be stored in the warehouse correspondence information storage means in association with each other. In this way, if a warehouse determination request that is not related to stored warehouse information is made, for each warehouse identified by the stored warehouse information, there is at least an empty warehouse adjacent to the warehouse. The delivery warehouse determination process is performed so that one warehouse remains as empty as possible. Therefore, the delivery warehouse specified by the stored delivery warehouse information and the additional delivery warehouse related thereto are likely to be located adjacent to each other. Therefore, the above-mentioned effect of making it easier to deliver or receive the goods is enhanced, and convenience for the user is improved when an additional delivery warehouse is required.

In the stocker management device of the present invention, the stocker is provided with a detection means for detecting at least one of the opening/closing of a door of each of the plurality of delivery warehouses and the presence or absence of an article, and the unlocking control means is configured to detect the presence or absence of an article. If there is a plurality of warehouse information corresponding to the input unlock code in the stored warehouse correspondence information, unlocking the warehouse corresponding to at least one of the plurality of warehouse information; When it is detected that the user has completed work on any of the unlocked delivery warehouses based on the detection status of the detection means, the user may be notified of the existence of other delivery warehouses. In this way, it is possible to prevent forgetting to deliver or forget to receive items related to delivery warehouses other than the delivery warehouse where work completion has been detected. In addition, when unlocking the delivery warehouse corresponding to at least one of the plurality of delivery warehouse information, the unlocking control means may notify the user of the unlocking of the delivery warehouse corresponding to the remaining delivery warehouse information. It may be performed before, after the notification, or together with the notification.

The stocker system of the present invention includes:
The stocker management device of the present invention according to any of the aspects described above;
the stocker;
It is equipped with the following.

This stocker system includes the stocker management device of the present invention in any of the above-described aspects. Therefore, the same effect as the stocker management device of the present invention described above can be obtained, for example, the effect of improving user convenience when an additional delivery warehouse becomes necessary.

1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the configuration of a stocker system 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of management information 65 stored in the storage unit 63 of the parent device 61; FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of management information 85 stored in the storage unit 83 of the first child device 71; A flowchart showing an example of an order processing routine. The flowchart which shows an example of the unlocking control routine at the time of delivery. A flowchart showing an example of an unlocking control routine upon receipt. An explanatory diagram showing an example of a member attribute table 90 and an attribute-based delivery warehouse table 91.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described using the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the configuration of a stocker system 1 that is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the management information 65 stored in the storage unit 63 of the parent device 61. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the management information 85 stored in the storage unit 83 of the first child device 71. The stocker system 1 includes a supplier system 5, a mobile terminal 21 of a recipient 20, a plurality of stockers 40, and a stocker management device 60 including a parent device 61 and a plurality of child devices 70. The store PC 12, mobile terminal 21, parent device 61, and multiple child devices 70 of the supplier side system 5 are connected to a network 2 such as the Internet.

The supplier side system 5 is a system that sells products 17 to recipients 20, and includes a store 10 such as a supermarket, a store PC 12 which is a computer placed in the store 10 and manages the supplier side system 5, and the store 10. Internet supermarket website 15 operated by. The website 15 can be accessed via the network 2 from, for example, a store PC 12 or a mobile terminal 21.

The mobile terminal 21 is a device owned by the recipient 20 who orders and receives the product 17, and is configured as a portable computer such as a smartphone, for example. The mobile terminal 21 includes a terminal control section 22, a storage section 23, a communication section 24, and a display operation section 25. The terminal control unit 22 includes a CPU, RAM, etc., and controls the entire device. The storage unit 23 stores various application programs and various data. The communication unit 24 is wirelessly connected to the network 2 via a transmitting/receiving facility such as a base station (not shown), and performs bidirectional communication with other devices. The display operation section 25 includes a touch panel, operation buttons, and the like, and displays various information to the recipient 20 and allows the recipient 20 to input various operations.

The plurality of stockers 40 are used to deliver the products 17 delivered from the supplier system 5 to the recipients 20. In this embodiment, the stocker system 1 includes three stockers 40 (first to third stockers 41 to 43). Each of the plurality of stockers 40 includes a plurality of lockable delivery warehouses 45 (30 in this embodiment), a display operation section 54, readers 55 and 56, and an additional barcode 58. . Each of the delivery warehouses 45 has an internal space capable of accommodating articles such as the products 17, and includes a front door 46, a locking mechanism 47 for locking and unlocking the door 46, and a space for storing articles such as the products 17. The article sensor 48 detects the presence or absence of the door 46, and the opening/closing sensor 49 detects the opening/closing of the door 46. The display operation unit 54 includes a touch panel etc. arranged on the front side of the stocker 40, and displays various information to the delivery person 19 and recipient 20 of the product 17, and allows various operations from the delivery person 19 and recipient 20. Enter the following information. The reader 55 is a QR code reader that reads a QR code (registered trademark) used by the recipient 20 to unlock the delivery warehouse 45, and is arranged near the display/operation section 54 on the front side of the stocker 40. The reader 56 is a handheld barcode reader that reads the barcode 18 attached to the product 17 delivered from the store 10. The addition barcode 58 is used by the delivery person 19 to instruct the addition of a delivery warehouse 45 when the delivery warehouse 45 is insufficient when the product 17 is delivered. The stocker 40 can be used by a large number of recipients 20 and can be placed in various locations such as offices, convenience stores, factories, stations, schools, and apartments.

The stocker management device 60 is a device that manages a plurality of stockers 40, and is configured as a system including a parent device 61 and a plurality of child devices 70. The parent device 61 is configured as a server for the plurality of child devices 70, and includes a parent control section 62, a storage section 63, and a communication section 64. The parent control unit 62 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and controls the entire device. The storage unit 63 stores various application programs such as processing programs and various data such as management information 65 of the stocker 40. The communication unit 64 is connected to the network 2 and performs two-way communication with other devices.

As shown in FIG. 2, the management information 65 stored in the storage unit 63 includes a warehouse correspondence table 67 and an article presence/absence table 68. The delivery warehouse correspondence table 67 is a table that associates member IDs, slip IDs, a plurality of stockers 40, delivery warehouse numbers, and unlock codes. The member ID is information that is issued in advance by the supplier system 5 and that allows the recipient 20 to be identified. The slip ID is information that can identify the order of the product 17 to the supplier system 5. The delivery warehouse number is information that can specify which delivery warehouse 45 among the stockers 40 is located. In this embodiment, each stocker 40 includes 30 delivery warehouses 45, and the 30 delivery warehouses 45 include delivery warehouses numbered 1 to 30 from the upper left to the lower right when viewed from the front of the stocker 40. It is assumed that a number has been set. The unlock code is information for unlocking the delivery warehouse 45 when receiving the product 17 (receiving unlock code). The article presence/absence table 68 is a table that associates a plurality of stockers 40, delivery warehouse numbers (No. 1 to 30), and article presence/absence indicating the presence or absence of articles in the delivery warehouse 45. Note that the presence or absence of articles in the delivery warehouse 45 is information based on the detection of the presence or absence of articles by the article sensor 48, and is information acquired by the parent device 61 from the child device 70. Although not shown, the management information 65 also includes a member information table that associates the member IDs of the plurality of recipients 20 with the email addresses of the plurality of recipients 20.

The plurality of child devices 70 are configured as clients for the parent device 61. In this embodiment, the stocker management device 60 includes three child devices 70 (first to third child devices 71 to 73). The first child device 71 is a device that manages the first stocker 41 , and is arranged in a box-shaped room similar to the delivery warehouse 45 of the first stocker 41 . The first child device 71 includes a child control section 82, a storage section 83, and a communication section 84. The child control unit 82 is configured with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and controls the entire device. The storage unit 83 stores various application programs such as processing programs and various data such as management information 85 of the first stocker 41. The communication unit 84 is connected to the network 2 and performs two-way communication with other devices. The first child device 71 outputs a display signal to the display operation section 54 of the first stocker 41 to display information on the display operation section 54, and inputs an operation signal from the display operation section 54 of the first stocker 41. , the information of the QR code or barcode 18 read by the readers 55, 56 of the first stocker 41 is input. In addition, the first child device 71 outputs a control signal to the locking mechanism 47 of the first stocker 41 to control locking and unlocking of the delivery warehouse 45, and outputs a control signal from the article sensor 48 and opening/closing sensor 49 of the first stocker 41. The presence or absence of articles in the delivery warehouse 45 and the opening/closing of the door 46 are detected by inputting the detection signal. The second child device 72 and the third child device 73 are devices that manage the second stocker 42 and the third stocker 43, respectively, and like the first child device 71, the second child device 72 and the third child device 73 are devices that manage the second stocker 42 and the third stocker 43, respectively. It is arranged in a box-shaped room similar to the storage 45. Although not shown, the second child device 72 and the third child device 73, like the first child device 71, include a child control section 82, a storage section 83 that stores management information 85, etc., and a communication section 84. It is equipped with

The management information 85 stored in the storage unit 83 of the first child device 71 does not include information on the stockers 40 other than the first stocker 41 managed by itself, and the storage warehouse correspondence table 67 of the parent device 61 and article presence/absence. It includes tables similar to table 68. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the management information 85 includes a delivery warehouse corresponding to a delivery warehouse number that can identify the delivery warehouse 45 of the first stocker 41, a member ID, a slip ID, and an unlock code. The table 87 includes a table 87 and an article presence/absence table 88 that associates the warehouse number with the presence or absence of articles in the warehouse 45 for each of the warehouses 45 of the first stocker 41 . The management information 85 stored in the storage unit 83 of the second child device 72 and the third child device 73 also includes a warehouse correspondence table 87 and an article presence/absence table 88 regarding the second stocker 42 and third stocker 43 that they manage. Contains. Note that when the information in the warehouse correspondence table 67 of the management information 65 is changed, the parent device 61 transmits the changed information to the child device 70 that manages the corresponding stocker 40 . Similarly, when the information in the warehouse correspondence table 87 and the article presence/absence table 88 of the management information 85 is changed, the child device 70 transmits the changed information to the parent device 61. Therefore, the management information 65 of the parent device 61 and the management information 85 of the plurality of child devices 70 are synchronized. For example, the data 67a to 67d related to the first stocker 41 included in the warehouse correspondence table 67 in FIG. 2 and the data 87a to 87d in FIG. 3 are synchronized information, and the member ID, The slip ID, warehouse number, and unlock code are the same.

Next, the operation of the stocker system 1 configured in this way will be explained. First, the recipient 20 operates the mobile terminal 21 to access the website 15, inputs the desired product 17, his/her member ID, the stocker 40 from which he/she wishes to receive the product, and places an order for the product 17. When an order is placed, the store PC 12 acquires the input information, attaches a slip ID for managing the order, and manages the order information. In addition, the store PC 12 transmits to the parent device 61 a warehouse determination request that includes the member ID, slip ID, and information on the desired stocker 40 among the ordering information. The parent device 61 performs an ordering process of allocating a delivery warehouse 45 to which the product 17 will be delivered (determining the delivery warehouse 45 to be used) based on a warehouse determination request from the store PC 12 . FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of an order processing routine executed by the parent control unit 62 of the parent device 61. As shown in FIG. This routine is stored in the storage unit 63, and is started when the power of the parent device 61 is turned on.

When this routine is started, the parent control unit 62 first waits until it receives (inputs) the above-mentioned delivery warehouse determination request from the store PC 12 (step S100). Upon receiving the delivery warehouse determination request, the parent control unit 62 determines whether there is an empty delivery warehouse 45, that is, a delivery warehouse 45 that is not scheduled to be used, for the stocker 40 that is included in the received delivery warehouse determination request and is desired to receive (step S110). . The parent control unit 62 determines whether or not there is a warehouse 45 whose warehouse number is not stored in the warehouse correspondence table 67 among the plurality of warehouses 45 included in the stocker 40 that the desired recipient wishes to receive. Determine the presence or absence. When there is no vacant delivery warehouse 45, that is, when the warehouse numbers of any of the plurality of delivery warehouses 45 included in the stocker 40 of the desired recipient are stored in the warehouse correspondence table 67, the parent control unit 62 causes the store PC 12 to store the Information reporting this is transmitted (step S120), and the processes from step S100 onwards are executed. Note that, when the store PC 12 receives information from the parent device 61 that there is no empty delivery warehouse 45 among the stockers 40 that the customer wishes to receive, the store PC 12 transmits information to that effect to the mobile terminal 21 of the recipient 20, for example. The receiver 20 cancels the order or changes the stocker 40 from which he/she wishes to receive the order. When the desired stocker 40 is changed, the store PC 12 transmits a warehouse determination request including information on the changed stocker 40 desired to be received to the parent device 61.

If there is an empty delivery warehouse 45 in step S110, the parent control unit 62 determines the desired stocker 40 included in the delivery warehouse determination request received in step S100 as the delivery destination stocker 40 (step S130). Next, the parent control unit 62 determines whether the received warehouse determination request is related to any warehouse number in the warehouse correspondence table 67 stored in the storage unit 63 (step S140). . In this embodiment, the parent control unit 62 determines whether the member ID included in the delivery warehouse determination request is the same as the member ID corresponding to the warehouse number of any of the delivery destination stockers 40 in the delivery warehouse correspondence table 67. In certain cases, it is determined that the warehouse determination request is related to the warehouse number. For example, consider a case where the destination stocker 40 is the first stocker 41, and the only data related to the first stocker 41 in the delivery warehouse correspondence table 67 shown in FIG. 2 is data 67a. In this case, for example, if a warehouse determination request including the data 66b is received, the data regarding the first stocker 41 in the warehouse correspondence table 67 does not include the same member ID as the member ID "BBBB". Therefore, the parent control unit 62 determines that the received warehouse determination request is not related to any warehouse number in the warehouse correspondence table 67. On the other hand, if a warehouse determination request including the data 66c is received, the member ID "AAAA" included in the received warehouse determination request corresponds to the warehouse number "16" of the data 67a in the warehouse correspondence table 67. It is the same as the member ID. Therefore, the parent control unit 62 determines that the warehouse determination request is related to the warehouse number "16". Note that the store PC 12 transmits a warehouse determination request that includes the same member ID as the member ID already stored in the warehouse correspondence table 67 when, for example, the recipient 20 orders the product 17 and then orders another product 17. This is when an additional order is placed.

If the warehouse determination request is not related to any warehouse number in the warehouse correspondence table 67 in step S140, the parent control unit 62 assigns any one of the empty warehouses 45 to the destination warehouse 45. A delivery warehouse determination process is performed (step S150). In this delivery warehouse determination process, the parent control unit 62 selects delivery warehouses that are not adjacent to the left and right of the delivery warehouse 45 specified by the warehouse number stored in the warehouse correspondence table 67, among the empty warehouses of the destination stocker 40. The warehouse is determined to be the delivery warehouse 45 which is the delivery destination. That is, for each of the delivery warehouses 45 already stored in the delivery warehouse correspondence table 67, the parent control unit 62 selects the delivery warehouse 45 of the delivery destination so that the empty delivery warehouses adjacent to the left and right of the delivery warehouse 45 remain as empty as possible. Determine. The parent control unit 62 then responds to the delivery warehouse determination request with the delivery warehouse number of the determined delivery warehouse 45 and an unlock code that is different from any unlock code of the delivery destination stocker 40 in the delivery warehouse correspondence table 67. The included member ID, slip ID, and the desired stocker 40 (delivery destination stocker 40) are associated and stored in the delivery warehouse correspondence table 67 (step S160). For example, if a warehouse determination request including data 66b is received in a state where only data 67a is the data related to the first stocker 41 in the warehouse correspondence table 67, the parent control unit 62 determines the associated warehouse number in step S150. Determine the delivery warehouse number "18" which is not adjacent to the left or right of "16". Then, in step S160, the parent control unit 62 associates the delivery warehouse number “18” with the unlock code “YYYY”, which is different from any unlock code stored in the warehouse correspondence table 67, and the data 66b. The attached data 67b is stored in the warehouse correspondence table 67. Then, the parent control unit 62 transmits an unlock code notification including the QR code representing the unlock code stored in step S160 to the email address of the member ID corresponding to the currently stored delivery warehouse 45 (step S170). , executes the processing from step S100 onwards. As a result, the QR code representing the unlock code is stored in the storage unit 23 of the mobile terminal 21 that received the unlock code notification, for example. Note that the unlock code notification may include information about the determined delivery destination stocker 40 and delivery destination delivery warehouse 45.

On the other hand, when the warehouse determination request is related to any warehouse number in the warehouse correspondence table 67 in step S140, the parent control unit 62 performs warehouse determination processing (step S180). Unlike step S150, in the delivery warehouse determination process of step S180, the parent control unit 62 selects the delivery warehouse identified by the warehouse number related to the delivery warehouse determination request from among the empty warehouses 45 of the delivery destination stocker 40. A delivery warehouse 45 located close to 45 is determined preferentially. For example, if any of the delivery warehouses 45 adjacent to the right and left of the related delivery warehouse 45 is an empty delivery warehouse 45, the delivery warehouse 45 is determined from among them. Note that the parent control unit 62 determines the empty delivery warehouses 45 adjacent to the left and right of the related delivery warehouse 45 as the top priority, and if there are no empty delivery warehouses 45 adjacent to the left and right, the parent control unit 62 determines the empty delivery warehouses 45 adjacent to the left and right of the related delivery warehouse 45, and if there are no empty delivery warehouses 45 adjacent to the left and right, The warehouse 45 may be determined with the next priority, and if there is no empty delivery warehouse 45 adjacent to the top, bottom, left, or right, an empty delivery warehouse 45 that is as close to the related delivery warehouse 45 as possible other than the top, bottom, left, or right may be determined. Then, the parent control unit 62 selects the warehouse number of the determined warehouse 45, the same unlock code as the warehouse 45 related to the warehouse determination request, the member ID, slip ID, and slip ID included in the warehouse determination request. The desired stocker 40 (delivery destination stocker 40) is associated and stored in the delivery warehouse correspondence table 67 (step S190), and the processes from step S100 onwards are executed. For example, if a delivery warehouse determination request including data 66c is received in a state where only data 67a and 67b are data related to the first stocker 41 in the delivery warehouse correspondence table 67, the parent control unit 62 selects the related delivery warehouse in step S180. The delivery warehouse number “17” adjacent to the warehouse number “16” is determined. Then, in step S190, the parent control unit 62 associates the delivery warehouse number "17" with the unlock code "XXXX", which is the same as the unlock code corresponding to the delivery warehouse number "16" in the data 67a, and the data 66c. The attached data 67c is stored in the warehouse correspondence table 67. Note that since the parent control unit 62 has already sent the unlock code notification in step S170 when storing the related warehouse number, there is no need to send the unlock code notification to the recipient 20 after step S190. . However, the parent control unit 62 may send an unlock code notification, or may send information about the determined delivery destination stocker 40 and delivery destination warehouse 45 to the recipient 20.

On the other hand, the clerk of the store 10 makes arrangements for the product 17 and instructs the delivery person 19 to deliver the product 17 based on the ordering information stored in the store PC 12. Note that a barcode 18 representing a slip ID is attached to the product 17. The delivery person 19 delivers the product 17 to the stocker 40 to which the delivery instruction has been given, and then delivers it to the delivery warehouse 45. At this time, the child device 70 that manages the stocker 40 at the delivery destination performs delivery unlock control processing to unlock the delivery warehouse 45 at the delivery destination of the product 17 based on the operation of the delivery person 19. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a delivery unlocking control routine executed by the child control unit 82 of the child device 70. As shown in FIG. This routine is stored in the storage unit 83, and is started when the power of the child device 70 is turned on.

When this routine is started, the child control unit 82 first determines whether or not the barcode 18 attached to the product 17 has been input via the reader 56 (step S200). When the barcode 18 is input by the delivery person 19, the child control unit 82 unlocks the delivery warehouse 45 corresponding to the slip ID represented by the barcode 18 (step S210). That is, the child control unit 82 inputs the slip ID of the barcode 18 read by the reader 56 in step S200 as a delivery unlock request, and unlocks the delivery warehouse 45 corresponding to the delivery unlock request. Specifically, the child control unit 82 determines whether or not there is a warehouse number corresponding to the input slip ID in the warehouse correspondence table 87, and if it exists, controls the locking mechanism 47. Then, the delivery warehouse 45 specified by the delivery warehouse number is unlocked. Note that, if there are a plurality of delivery warehouse numbers corresponding to the input slip ID, the child control unit 82 unlocks the corresponding plurality of delivery warehouses 45. Next, the child control unit 82 waits until the completion of delivery of the product 17 to the unlocked delivery warehouse 45 is detected based on the detection status of the product sensor 48 and the opening/closing sensor 49 (step S220). In this embodiment, the child control unit 82 determines that delivery is complete when the article sensor 48 detects the presence of an article in the delivery warehouse 45 and the opening/closing sensor 49 detects that the door 46 of the delivery warehouse 45 is closed. When detecting the completion of delivery, the child control unit 82 locks the delivery warehouse 45 where the delivery has been completed (step S230).

When barcode 18 is not input in step S200 or after step S230, child control unit 82 determines whether additional barcode 58 has been input via reader 56 (step S240). Here, if the products 17 cannot fit into the delivery warehouse 45 unlocked in step S210, the delivery person 19 can create a new delivery warehouse 45 by having the reader 56 read the additional barcode 58. Direct assignments. The child control unit 82 inputs the reading operation of the additional barcode 58 as a warehouse determination request.

When the addition barcode 58, ie, the delivery warehouse determination request, is input, the child control unit 82 specifies the delivery warehouse 45 corresponding to the slip ID input in the immediately preceding step S200 (step S250). Next, the child control unit 82 performs a warehouse determination process to preferentially determine a warehouse 45 close to the specified warehouse 45 from among the empty warehouses 45 whose warehouse numbers are not stored in the warehouse correspondence table 87. Processing is performed (step S260). The child control unit 82 then associates the determined delivery warehouse number of the delivery warehouse 45 with the same unlock code as the delivery warehouse 45 identified in step S250, and the same member ID and slip ID as the identified delivery warehouse 45. and stored in the warehouse correspondence table 87 (step S270). That is, in steps S250 to S270, the child control unit 82 specifies the delivery warehouse determination request input in step S240 using the last input slip ID (delivery unlock request) in the delivery warehouse correspondence table 87. It is assumed that the request is related to the delivery warehouse number, and the same processing as steps S180 and S190 in FIG. 4 is performed. For example, when the warehouse correspondence table 87 stored in the storage unit 83 of the first child device 71 contains only the data 87a to 87c shown in FIG. Consider a case in which a barcode 18 representing . In this case, the child control unit 82 identifies the delivery warehouse 45 with the delivery warehouse number "18" corresponding to the slip ID "cccc" in step S250, and identifies the delivery warehouse 45 with the delivery warehouse number "19" adjacent to this delivery warehouse 45 in step S260. Determine. Then, in step S270, the parent control unit 62 sets the delivery warehouse number "19", the same unlock code "YYYY" as the unlock code corresponding to the delivery warehouse number "18" of the data 87b, and the same member ID "BBBB". , and the same slip ID "cccc" are stored in the warehouse correspondence table 87.

After step S270, the child control unit 82 unlocks the delivery warehouse 45 determined in step S270 (step S280), and executes the processes from step S220 onwards. Thereby, the delivery person 19 can deliver the remaining products 17 to the additionally unlocked delivery warehouse 45.

On the other hand, when the addition barcode 58, that is, the delivery warehouse determination request is not input in step S240, the child control unit 82 executes the processes from step S200 onwards. As a result, if the delivery of the product 17 for which the barcode 18 was read is completed and there is another product 17 with a different barcode 18 attached, the delivery person 19 performs the barcode 18 reading operation again. , the product 17 can be delivered to the unlocked delivery warehouse 45.

Note that when the child control unit 82 executes this delivery unlocking control routine, for example, the addition barcode 58 is input and the correspondence between the delivery warehouse number and the unlock code is added to the delivery warehouse correspondence table 87. , the product 17 is delivered into the delivery warehouse 45, and the presence or absence of the product in the product presence/absence table 88 stored in the storage unit 83 is changed. As described above, since the management information 65 of the parent device 61 and the management information 85 of the plurality of child devices 70 are synchronized, the data shown in FIG. When the data 87d is added, the data 67d is also added to the warehouse correspondence table 67 of the storage unit 63 of the parent device 61. Further, when the parent control unit 62 detects that the presence/absence of the goods corresponding to any of the delivery warehouse numbers in the goods presence/absence table 68 has changed from no goods to goods available, the parent control unit 62 selects the corresponding delivery warehouse 4 in the delivery warehouse correspondence table 67. A delivery completion email will be sent to the email address of the member ID corresponding to.

The recipient 20 who has received the delivery completion email on the mobile terminal 21 heads to the delivery destination stocker 40 and receives the delivered product 17 from the delivery warehouse 45. At this time, the child device 70 that manages the stocker 40 at the delivery destination performs a receiving unlocking control process to unlock the delivery warehouse 45 to which the product 17 has been delivered based on the operation of the recipient 20. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a receipt unlocking control routine executed by the slave control unit 82 of the slave device 70. This routine is stored in the storage unit 83, and is started when the power of the child device 70 is turned on.

When this routine is started, the child control unit 82 first waits until the QR code is input via the reader 55 (step S300). Here, the recipient 20 causes the reader 55 to display the QR code included in the above-mentioned unlock code notification, for example, on the display screen of the display operation unit 25 and read it. The child control unit 82 inputs this QR code via the reader 55. When the QR code is input, the child control unit 82 unlocks the delivery warehouse 45 corresponding to the unlock code represented by the QR code (step S310). Specifically, the child control unit 82 determines whether or not there is a warehouse number corresponding to the unlock code input in the warehouse correspondence table 87, and if it exists, controls the locking mechanism 47. Then, the delivery warehouse 45 specified by the delivery warehouse number is unlocked. Note that, if there are a plurality of delivery warehouse numbers corresponding to the input unlock code, the child control unit 82 unlocks the corresponding plurality of delivery warehouses 45. Next, the child control unit 82 waits until it detects that the receipt of the product 17 is completed in one of the unlocked delivery warehouses 45 based on the detection status of the product sensor 48 and the opening/closing sensor 49 (step S320). In this embodiment, the child control unit 82 determines that the receipt is complete when the article sensor 48 detects that there is no article in the delivery warehouse 45 and the opening/closing sensor 49 detects that the door 46 of the delivery warehouse 45 is closed. When detecting completion of receipt, the child control unit 82 locks the delivery warehouse 45 where the receipt has been completed (step S330), and updates the delivery warehouse correspondence table 87 (step S340). Specifically, the child control unit 82 deletes the information (correspondence with the unlock code, etc.) regarding the delivery warehouse 45 for which the receipt has been completed from the delivery warehouse correspondence table 87. This update is also reflected in the warehouse correspondence table 67 of the parent device 61.

Subsequently, the child control unit 82 determines whether there is any delivery warehouse 45 for which the receipt has not been completed (step S350). In the present embodiment, the child control unit 82 determines whether the article sensor 48 detects the presence of an article in the delivery warehouse 45 unlocked in step S310, or the opening/closing sensor 49 detects whether the door 45 of the delivery warehouse 45 is unlocked in step S310. When there is a delivery warehouse 45 for which opening of the door has not been detected, it is determined that there is a delivery warehouse 45 for which receiving has not been completed. For example, if a plurality of delivery warehouses 45 are unlocked in step S310 and only one of them is determined to have been received in step S320, the child control unit 82 determines that there is a delivery warehouse 45 for which receipt has not been completed. It turns out. When there is a delivery warehouse 45 that has not yet been received, the child control unit 82 notifies the recipient 20 of the existence of another delivery warehouse 45 (a delivery warehouse 45 that has not yet been received) (step S360), and performs the operations from step S320 onwards. Execute the process. In this embodiment, the recipient 20 is informed of the existence of another delivery warehouse 45 by outputting a warning sound from a speaker (not shown) included in the stocker 40 . Note that it is only necessary to notify the receiver 20 of the existence of another delivery warehouse 45, for example by playing a voice (message), displaying information on the display operation section 25, or transmitting information to the mobile terminal 21 to perform display operation. The information may be notified by displaying it on the section 25.

On the other hand, when there is no unreceived delivery warehouse 45 in step S350, that is, when the receipt of the products 17 and the locking of all the delivery warehouses 45 unlocked in step S310 have been completed, the child control unit 82 Process.

Here, the correspondence between the constituent elements of this embodiment and the constituent elements of the present invention will be clarified. The warehouse number of this embodiment corresponds to the warehouse information of the present invention, the warehouse correspondence tables 67 and 87 correspond to the warehouse correspondence information, the storage units 63 and 83 correspond to the warehouse correspondence information storage means, The parent control section 62 and the child control section 82 correspond to a warehouse determining means, and the child control section 82 corresponds to an unlocking control means. Further, the article sensor 48 and the opening/closing sensor 49 correspond to the detection means.

In the stocker system 1 of the present embodiment described in detail above, a delivery warehouse in which a delivery warehouse number that can identify any of the delivery warehouses 45 of the stockers 40 and an unlock code used to unlock the delivery warehouse 45 are associated. The storage units 63 and 83 store correspondence tables 67 and 87. Then, if a storage warehouse determination request is input from the store PC 12 and the input storage storage determination request is related to any storage warehouse number in the stored storage warehouse correspondence table 67, that is, if the input storage warehouse determination request is related to any storage warehouse number in the stored storage warehouse number. When a request is made to determine a related additional delivery warehouse 45, the parent control unit 62 performs the following processing. First, the parent control unit 62 performs a warehouse determination process to determine one of the empty warehouses 45 whose warehouse number does not exist in the warehouse correspondence table 67 . Next, the determined delivery warehouse number of the delivery warehouse 45 and the unlock code corresponding to the delivery warehouse number related to the delivery warehouse determination request are stored in the storage unit 63 in association with each other. In other words, when a request to determine an additional warehouse 45 related to a stored warehouse number is input, the same unlock code as the unlock code corresponding to the related warehouse number is entered for the delivery of the newly determined warehouse 45. It is stored in the delivery warehouse correspondence table 67 in association with the warehouse number. When a request for determining an additional storage 45 related to a stored storage warehouse number is made via the reader 56, the child control unit 82 also performs storage storage determination processing and unlocking in the same manner as the parent control unit 62. The code, warehouse number, etc. are stored in the warehouse correspondence table 87. Then, when the unlock code is input, the child control unit 82 determines whether there is one or more warehouse numbers corresponding to the input unlock code in the warehouse correspondence table 87 stored in the storage unit 83. is determined, and if it exists, the delivery warehouse 45 specified by the one or more delivery warehouse numbers is unlocked. Therefore, for example, if there is a delivery warehouse 45 that has been added later due to an additional order placed by the recipient 20, the recipient 20 can unlock multiple delivery warehouses 45 including the added delivery warehouse 45 using the same unlock code. can do. Further, even if there is a delivery warehouse 45 added due to a shortage of delivery warehouses 45 when the delivery person 19 delivers the product 17, the recipient 20 similarly stores multiple delivery warehouses 45 including the added delivery warehouse 45. It can be unlocked using the same unlock code. Therefore, convenience for the recipient 20 is improved when an additional delivery warehouse 45 is required.

Further, the unlock codes included in the storage warehouse correspondence tables 67 and 87 are receiving unlock codes used when receiving goods from the delivery warehouse 45. If you input a slip ID (request for unlocking upon delivery) that can identify one of the warehouse numbers, one or more warehouses corresponding to the unlocking request at the time of delivery entered in the stored warehouse correspondence table 87 will be entered. It is determined whether the number exists or not, and if the number exists, the delivery warehouse 45 specified by one or more delivery warehouse numbers is unlocked. Then, if the additional barcode 58 (delivery warehouse determination request) is input after inputting a request for unlocking at the time of delivery and before inputting another unlocking request at the time of delivery, the child control unit 82 selects the inputted delivery warehouse. The determination request is regarded as a request related to the delivery warehouse number specified by the last input delivery unlock request in the delivery warehouse correspondence table 87, and the delivery warehouse determination process is performed to deliver the determined delivery warehouse 45. The warehouse number and the receipt unlocking code corresponding to the warehouse number related to the warehouse determination request are stored in the storage unit 83 in association with each other. Therefore, even if an additional delivery warehouse 45 is required when delivering the product 17 to the delivery warehouse 45, the recipient 20 can store multiple delivery warehouses 45, including the added delivery warehouse 45, using the same QR code (at the time of receipt). It can be unlocked using the unlock code. Therefore, convenience for the recipient 20 is improved when an additional delivery warehouse 45 is required. Further, the child control unit 82 regards the input additional barcode 58 (delivery warehouse determination request) as a request related to the warehouse number specified by the delivery unlocking request input last. Therefore, even if the addition barcode 58 (delivery warehouse determination request) itself does not include information that can identify the relationship with the stored warehouse number, as in this embodiment, even if the addition barcode 58 (delivery warehouse determination request) itself does not include information that can identify the relationship with the stored warehouse number, the same receipt time as the stored warehouse number The unlock code can be appropriately associated with the additional delivery warehouse 45, and the effort of the delivery person 19 to input a delivery warehouse determination request can be reduced. Therefore, convenience for the delivery person 19 is improved when an additional delivery warehouse 45 becomes necessary.

Further, the parent control unit 62 and the child control unit 82 input the delivery warehouse determination request and input a warehouse determination request related to one of the warehouse numbers in the warehouse correspondence tables 67 and 87 in which the input warehouse determination request is stored. In this case, in the warehouse determination process, a warehouse 45 located close to the warehouse 45 specified by the warehouse number related to the warehouse determination request among the empty warehouses 45 is determined preferentially. In this way, the delivery warehouse 45 specified by the stored delivery warehouse number and the additional delivery warehouse 45 related thereto are likely to be located close to each other. Therefore, it becomes easier to deliver or receive the product 17, and convenience for the deliverer 19 and recipient 20 is improved when an additional delivery warehouse 45 is required.

Furthermore, if the parent control unit 62 inputs a delivery warehouse determination request and is not associated with any warehouse number in the warehouse correspondence table 67 in which the input warehouse determination request is stored, the parent control unit 62 controls the delivery warehouse For each of the one or more delivery warehouses 45 specified by the delivery warehouse number included in the correspondence table 67, the adjacent empty delivery warehouses 45 are arranged so that there is at least one empty delivery warehouse 45 adjacent to the delivery warehouse 45. Delivery warehouse determination processing is performed to preferentially determine the delivery warehouses 45 to be excluded. Then, the parent control unit 62 associates the determined delivery warehouse number of the delivery warehouse 45 with an unlock code that is different from any unlock code in the delivery warehouse correspondence table 67 and stores it in the storage unit 63. Therefore, when a warehouse determination request that is not related to a stored warehouse number is made, for each warehouse 45 specified by the stored warehouse number, an empty warehouse 45 adjacent to the warehouse 45 is Delivery warehouse determination processing is performed so that at least one warehouse remains as empty as possible. Therefore, the delivery warehouse 45 specified by the stored delivery warehouse number and the additional delivery warehouse 45 related thereto are likely to be located adjacent to each other. Therefore, the above-mentioned effect of making it easier to deliver or receive the product 17 is enhanced, and convenience for the deliverer 19 and recipient 20 is improved when an additional delivery warehouse 45 is required.

The stocker 40 also includes an opening/closing sensor 49 and an article sensor 48 that detect the opening/closing of the door 46 of each of the plurality of delivery warehouses 45 and the presence or absence of articles. Then, if there are multiple delivery warehouse numbers corresponding to the input unlock code in the stored delivery warehouse correspondence table 87, the child control unit 82 unlocks the delivery warehouse 45 corresponding to the plurality of delivery warehouse numbers. When it is detected that the recipient 20 has completed receiving one of the locked and unlocked delivery warehouses 45 based on the detection status of the opening/closing sensor 49 and the article sensor 48, the existence of the other delivery warehouse 45 is notified to the recipient 20. do. Therefore, it is possible to prevent forgetting to receive items related to delivery warehouses 45 other than the delivery warehouse 45 for which receipt completion has been detected.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various forms as long as they fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in the embodiment described above, the parent control unit 62 determines in step S140 in FIG. Although it has been determined that the delivery warehouse determination request is related to the delivery warehouse number if it is the same as the member ID corresponding to the warehouse number, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the delivery warehouse correspondence table 67 is information that associates a delivery warehouse number with one or more types of information including an unlock code, and includes any of the delivery warehouse numbers included in the delivery warehouse correspondence table 67. Or, if a warehouse determination request is input that includes information corresponding to a warehouse number in the warehouse correspondence table 67, the parent control unit 62 determines that the warehouse determination request is related to the stored warehouse number. You may judge. For example, if the receiver 20 orders another product 17 after ordering the product 17, and the store PC 12 assigns the same slip ID to the previous order and the additional order, the parent control unit 62 When the document ID included in the determination request is the same as the document ID corresponding to the distribution warehouse number of one of the destination stockers 40 in the distribution warehouse correspondence table 67, the distribution warehouse determination request corresponds to the distribution warehouse number. It may be determined that they are related. In addition, if at least one of the determined delivery warehouse number and unlock code is transmitted from the parent device 61 to the store PC 12, the delivery warehouse number or the unlock code included in the delivery warehouse determination request is determined from the delivery warehouse correspondence table. 67, it may be determined that the delivery warehouse determination request is related to the warehouse number.

Further, in step S140 of FIG. 4, the parent control unit 62 determines that the member ID included in the delivery warehouse determination request corresponds to the warehouse number of any stocker 40 other than the delivery destination stocker 40 in the warehouse correspondence table 67. If the member ID is the same as the member ID, it may be determined that the delivery warehouse determination request is related to that delivery warehouse number. That is, even between different stockers 40, the same unlock code may be attached to the warehouse numbers corresponding to the same member ID.

Further, in step S140 of FIG. 4, if the member ID included in the warehouse determination request is the same as the member ID corresponding to the warehouse number of any of the warehouse numbers of the delivery destination stockers 40 in the warehouse correspondence table 67. However, there may be cases where it is not determined that the warehouse determination request is related to the warehouse number. For example, the order date and time of the recipient 20 is stored in the warehouse correspondence table 67, and the date and time when the recipient 20 orders the product 17 is compared with the date and time when another product 17 is additionally ordered. If the dates of the two items are different, or if both orders were placed before or after a predetermined threshold time, it may be determined that the warehouse determination request is not related to the warehouse number. The predetermined threshold time may be, for example, a deadline time for placing an order for multiple products 17 to be collectively delivered by the same delivery person 19.

In the embodiment described above, the child control unit 82 inputs the reading operation of the addition barcode 58 as a warehouse determination request, but the operation is not limited to this and may be input in any other manner. For example, when the delivery person 19 presses the addition button displayed on the display operation section 54, the child control section 82 may input this operation as a delivery warehouse determination request. In addition, the child control unit 82 regards the input warehouse determination request as a request related to the warehouse number specified by the delivery unlock request input last in the warehouse correspondence table 87; Not limited to. For example, when the delivery warehouse 45 unlocked in step S210 in FIG. good. In other words, if the same slip ID as the entered slip ID is input again after inputting a slip ID (request for unlocking upon delivery) and before inputting another slip ID, the child control unit 82 cancels the input operation for delivery. It may also be input as a warehouse determination request. Then, the child control unit 82 identifies the related delivery warehouse number based on the re-input slip ID (=the last slip ID input before the delivery warehouse determination request), and performs the processing from step S260 onwards. Good too. Even in this case, the effort required by the delivery person 19 to input the delivery warehouse determination request can be reduced. Alternatively, the delivery person 19 may operate the display operation unit 54 to input a delivery warehouse determination request including the slip ID and member ID of the product 17 for which the delivery warehouse 45 is insufficient. Even in this case, the child control unit 82 can associate the same unlock code as the stored delivery warehouse 45 with the additional delivery warehouse 45, which improves the convenience of the recipient 20 when an additional delivery warehouse 45 is required. The effect of improving this can be obtained.

In the embodiment described above, in step S150 of FIG. 4, the parent control unit 62 gives priority to delivery warehouses 45 that are not adjacent to the left and right of the delivery warehouse 45 identified by the stored warehouse number, among the empty delivery warehouses 45. Although the delivery destination is the delivery warehouse 45, it is not limited thereto. For each delivery warehouse 45 specified by the stored delivery warehouse number, the delivery warehouse determination process may be performed so that at least one empty delivery warehouse 45 adjacent to the delivery warehouse 45 remains as empty as possible. For example, the parent control unit 62 may perform the delivery warehouse determination process so as to preferentially determine the delivery warehouses 45 excluding the delivery warehouses 45 that are vertically adjacent to the delivery warehouse 45. The parent control unit 62 may perform the delivery warehouse determination process so as to preferentially determine the delivery warehouses 45 excluding the delivery warehouses 45 that are adjacent to the delivery warehouses 45 in the upper, lower, left, and right directions. Further, when performing step S150 multiple times, the parent control unit 62 may determine every other delivery warehouse 45 in order from the upper left, or may determine every other delivery warehouse 45 vertically. . Alternatively, the delivery warehouses 45 may be determined randomly, or the delivery warehouses 45 may be determined in order from the upper left, without particularly considering the positional relationship with the stored delivery warehouses 45.

In the embodiment described above, in step S180 in FIG. 4, top priority is given to the delivery warehouses 45 adjacent to the right and left of the delivery warehouse 45 identified by the warehouse number related to the delivery warehouse determination request among the empty delivery warehouses 45. However, as long as a delivery warehouse 45 located close to the related delivery warehouse 45 is determined preferentially, the delivery warehouse 45 may be determined based on another priority order. For example, the parent control unit 62 may determine the empty delivery warehouses 45 that are vertically adjacent to the related delivery warehouse 45 as the top priority, and the empty delivery warehouses 45 that are horizontally adjacent to the related delivery warehouse 45 as the second priority. Moreover, the parent control unit 62 does not have to preferentially determine the delivery warehouse 45 located close to the related delivery warehouse 45. For example, some of the plurality of delivery warehouses 45 included in the stocker 40 are determined in advance as additional delivery warehouses, and in step S180, the parent control unit 62 preferentially determines the delivery warehouse 45 from among the additional delivery warehouses 45. It's okay. Alternatively, the parent control unit 62 may, for example, randomly determine the delivery warehouse 45.

In the embodiment described above, the recipient 20 orders the product 17 by specifying the stocker 40 from which the recipient wishes to receive the product, but in addition to this, the recipient 20 may also specify the delivery warehouse 45 from which the recipient desires to receive the product. For example, the range of the position (height) of the delivery warehouse 45 from which the user wishes to receive may be specified according to his or her height. In this case, in S150 and S180 of FIG. 4, the parent control unit 62 may determine the delivery warehouse 45 from among the designated delivery warehouses 45 desired to receive, taking into consideration the priority order described above.

In the embodiment described above, the child control unit 82 detects the presence of an article in the delivery warehouse 45 in step S220 of FIG. However, this is not limited to this. For example, the delivery may be determined to be complete when the article sensor 48 detects the presence of an article in the delivery warehouse 45, or the opening/closing sensor 49 may detect the closing of the door 46 of the delivery warehouse 45 (the door is closed after it has been opened). It may be determined that delivery is complete when detected. Similarly, in step S320 in FIG. It may be determined that the reception is complete when the door 46 is closed (closed after being opened once). Further, it is assumed that the deliverer 19 and the recipient 20 input the completion of the work via the display operation unit 54, and the parent control unit 62 may detect the completion of the work based on this input.

In the embodiment described above, the child control unit 82 unlocks all of the delivery warehouses 45 corresponding to the unlock code in step S310 of FIG. 6, but the invention is not limited to this. All you have to do is unlock at least one of them. For example, one delivery warehouse 45 may be unlocked, and when receipt completion is detected, the next delivery warehouse 45 may be unlocked. Furthermore, the child control unit 82 unlocks the delivery warehouses 45 other than the first unlocked delivery warehouse 45 among the plurality of delivery warehouses 45 at what timing, such as before or after the notification in step S360 or during the notification. Good too. Similarly, in step S210 of FIG. 5, if there are multiple delivery warehouses 45 corresponding to the input slip ID, the parent control unit 62 does not need to unlock the plurality of delivery warehouses 45 at the same time.

In the embodiment described above, the child control unit 82 inputs the unlock code by having the reader 56 read the QR code, but the unlock code is not limited to this and may be input by any method. For example, instead of the QR code, another two-dimensional code or one-dimensional code (for example, a barcode) may be used, or the child control unit 82 may input the unlock code through the recipient 20's operation of the display operation unit 54. The unlock code may be input, or the mobile terminal 21 may transmit the unlock code to the child device 70.

In the embodiment described above, the child control unit 82 notifies the existence of another delivery warehouse 45 in step S360 when there is an unreceived delivery warehouse 45 in step S350 of FIG. 6, but the present invention is not limited to this. . For example, if receipt completion is not detected for an unlocked delivery warehouse 45 even after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the existence of the delivery warehouse 45 may be notified. Further, steps S350 and S360 in FIG. 6 may be omitted so that the child control unit 82 does not notify the other delivery warehouses 45.

In the embodiment described above, the parent control unit 62 transmits the unlock code to the recipient 20 in step S170 of FIG. 4, but the unlock code may be notified to the recipient 20 at other timings. For example, when delivery completion is detected in step S220 in FIG. 5, the recipient 20 may be notified of the unlock code. Further, when the number of delivery warehouses 45 that should receive the products 17 increases after performing the processing in steps S250 to S270, the parent control unit 62 notifies the recipients 20 to that effect (for example, sends an e-mail to the mobile terminal 21). ) may be done.

In the embodiment described above, the management information 65 of the parent device 61 and the management information 85 of the plurality of child devices 70 are synchronized, but the information is not limited to this. For example, the child device 70 may not store the warehouse correspondence table 87, and the child control unit 82 may access the parent device 61 and refer to the warehouse correspondence table 67 as necessary. However, even if communication between the parent device 61 and the child device 70 becomes temporarily unavailable, the routines shown in FIGS. It is preferable to take it. Note that in the above-described embodiment, the changed information is sent to the other party between the parent control unit 62 and the child control unit 82 every time a change occurs in the information, but for example, the changed information may be sent periodically. You can synchronize by doing so.

In the embodiment described above, in step S200 of FIG. 5, the slip ID of the barcode 18 is input as the request for unlocking at the time of delivery, but the input of other information is not limited to this and may be used as the request for unlocking at the time of delivery. . Furthermore, the input operation is not limited to reading the barcode 18. Further, in the embodiment described above, the unlocking code is the receiving unlocking code, but it is not limited to this. The unlocking code may be at least one of a receipt unlocking code and a delivery unlocking code. For example, the parent control unit 62 determines the delivery unlock code in steps S160 and S190 of FIG. 4 in the same way as the unlock code (receipt unlock code) of the embodiment described above, and determines the delivery unlock code in step S200 of FIG. The corresponding delivery warehouse 45 may be unlocked in step S210 by inputting the time unlock code. In this way, if there is a delivery warehouse 45 added later due to an additional order placed by the recipient 20, the delivery person 19 can use the same delivery unlock code for multiple delivery warehouses 45 including the added delivery warehouse 45. It can be unlocked with. In this case, the parent control unit 62 may, for example, notify the delivery person 19 of the delivery unlock code via the store PC 12 or send the delivery unlock code to the mobile terminal of the delivery person 19 in advance. All you have to do is Further, in this case, the child control unit 82 may perform the same processing as steps S350 and S360 in FIG. 6 in the above-described embodiment after step S230 in FIG. 5. That is, when there are multiple delivery warehouse numbers corresponding to the delivery unlock code input in the stored delivery warehouse correspondence table 87, the child control unit 82 selects at least one of the plurality of delivery warehouse numbers. When the delivery person 19 unlocks the corresponding delivery warehouse 45 and detects completion of delivery for any of the unlocked delivery warehouses 45 based on the detection status of the article sensor 48 and opening/closing sensor 49, the delivery of the other delivery warehouse 45 is detected. The presence may be notified to the delivery person 19. In this way, it is possible to prevent forgetting to deliver the products 17 to the delivery warehouses 45 other than the delivery warehouse 45 for which completion of delivery has been detected.

In the embodiment described above, after the completion of delivery was detected in step S220 of FIG. 5, it was determined in step S240 whether the additional barcode 58 was input, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the child control unit 82 may perform the processing from step S250 even when the additional barcode 58 is input before the delivery is completed.

In the delivery warehouse determination process (step S150, step S180, step S260) in the order processing routine and the delivery unlock control routine of the embodiment described above, the parent control unit 62 and the child control unit 82 use the attribute information of the recipient 20. The delivery warehouse 45 may be determined by referring to . In this case, the management information 65, 85 stored in the storage units 63, 83 includes attribute correspondence information that associates the recipient 20, the attribute information of the recipient 20, and the delivery warehouse 45. Good too. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a member attribute table 90 and an attribute-based warehouse table 91 included in the management information 65. The member attribute table 90 is a table in which the member IDs of the plurality of recipients 20 are associated with the attribute information of the plurality of recipients 20. The attribute information of the recipient 20 is, for example, information regarding the age of the recipient 20. In the member attribute table 90 of FIG. 7, the attribute information of the recipient 20 is "1" if the age of the recipient 20 is above a specific threshold, and "2" if the age of the recipient 20 does not reach the specific threshold. It is stored in association with the member ID. In this example, the attribute information of the recipient 20 is information that allows the elderly recipient 20 to be identified. The attribute-based warehouse table 91 is a table that associates a plurality of stockers 40, warehouse numbers (1 to 30), and attribute information to which the warehouse numbers should be assigned with priority. In the example of FIG. 7, among the plurality of delivery warehouses 45 of the first stocker 41, items 15 to 17 are located in positions where it is easy for elderly people to take out the delivered products 17 (for example, in the middle, at an appropriate height). Attribute information “1” (that is, elderly) is set for the delivery warehouse 45. On the other hand, no attribute information is set for the other delivery warehouses 45 (Nos. 1 to 14 and Nos. 18 to 30). The warehouse determination process using such attribute correspondence information (member attribute table 90, attribute correspondence warehouse table 91) will be explained. For example, in the warehouse determination process of step S150, the parent control unit 62 derives the attribute information of the member ID included in the warehouse determination request with reference to the member attribute table 90. If the derived attribute information is "1", the parent control unit 62 selects the delivery warehouse 45 specified by the warehouse number stored in the warehouse correspondence table 67 among the empty warehouses in the stocker 40 at the delivery destination. A delivery warehouse 45 that is not adjacent to the right or left side of the delivery warehouse 45 and for which attribute information "1" is set in the attribute-based delivery warehouse table 91 is preferentially determined as the delivery warehouse 45 of the delivery destination. Similarly, in the warehouse determination process of step S180 and step S260, the process of preferentially determining the warehouse 45 corresponding to the derived attribute information as the destination warehouse 45 is performed. Note that in step S260, the child control unit 82 specifies the member ID corresponding to the slip ID input just before based on the warehouse correspondence table 87, and stores the attribute information corresponding to the specified member ID in the member attribute table 90. All you have to do is refer to it and derive it. In this way, the stocker management device 60 inputs information from which attribute information can be derived (member ID, slip ID, etc.), derives attribute information based on the input information, and selects an empty delivery warehouse in the delivery warehouse determination process. Among them, the delivery warehouse 45 corresponding to the derived attribute information may be determined preferentially. In this way, it is possible to preferentially allocate a more appropriate delivery warehouse 45 to the recipient 20 based on the attribute information, thereby improving convenience for the recipient 20. Note that in the example of FIG. 7, the warehouse number that should be assigned preferentially to the recipient 20 with the attribute information "2", that is, the recipient 20 who is not elderly, is not set in this example, but may be set. The attribute information may be divided into three or more levels. The attribute information of the recipient 20 is not limited to attribute information regarding age, and may be any information. For example, it may be information regarding the gender and height of the recipient 20. As the attribute information of the recipient 20, information that is a combination of age, gender, height, and other factors may be used. Further, the "information from which attribute information can be derived" inputted by the stocker management device 60 may be any information as long as attribute information can be derived (obtained). For example, in the example of FIG. 7, the stocker management device 60 may input the age of the recipient 20, or may input the attribute information itself (“1” or “2”). In these cases, the attribute-corresponding warehouse table 91 is sufficient as the attribute-corresponding information.

Although not specifically explained in the above embodiment, the slip ID (barcode 18) input in step S200 to unlock the delivery warehouse is used when the delivery of the delivery warehouse 45 is completed and the delivery warehouse 45 is locked. Once this is done, the delivery person 19 may not be able to use the delivery warehouse 45 again to unlock it. That is, after the child control unit 82 determines that the delivery is complete and controls the locking mechanism 47 to lock the delivery warehouse 45 in step S230, the delivery person 19 inputs an input to unlock the delivery warehouse 45. Even if the barcode 18 corresponding to the same slip ID is input, if the delivery warehouse number corresponding to the input slip ID is a delivery warehouse 45 where delivery has already been completed, the child control unit 82 selects the delivery warehouse 45. You may choose not to unlock it. In this way, it is possible to prevent anyone other than the recipient 20 from unlocking the delivery warehouse 45 after the delivery is completed, and it is possible to realize the stocker 40 with high security. Note that even if the delivery person 19 accidentally closes the door 46 of the delivery warehouse 45 before all the products 17 have been delivered to the delivery warehouse 45, the delivery person 19 can display the additional bar on the reader 56. The code 58 may be read and the remaining products 17 may be delivered to the additional delivery warehouse 45. Note that the child control unit 82 may determine whether or not delivery has been completed for each of the plurality of delivery warehouses 45 in any manner. For example, information on whether or not delivery has been completed for each delivery warehouse 45 may be stored in the storage unit 83, or information indicating whether or not an item is present may be stored in the storage unit 83 based on the detection of the presence or absence of an item by the item sensor 48 (item presence/absence table 88). Regarding the delivery warehouse 45, it may be determined that the delivery has been completed.

In the embodiment described above, the child control unit 82 locks the delivery warehouse 45 in step S330 when it detects the receipt completion (no article in the delivery warehouse 45 and the door 46 is closed) in step S320; The child control unit 82 may also lock the delivery warehouse 45 when the door 46 detects the presence of an article in the delivery warehouse 45 and the opening/closing sensor 49 detects that the door 46 is closed. In this case, the child control unit 82 does not perform the process of step S340 (deleting information regarding the delivery warehouse 45 for which the receipt has been completed) until it detects that the receipt has been completed (there is no article in the delivery warehouse 45 and the door 46 is closed). Good too. For example, after the recipient 20 inputs a QR code (unlock code at the time of receipt) to unlock the delivery warehouse 45, and before taking out the product 17 from the delivery warehouse 45, the door 46 of the delivery warehouse 45 unintentionally closes. The recipient 20 may close the door 46 intentionally. In such a case, when the opening/closing sensor 49 detects that the door of the delivery warehouse 45 is closed, the child control unit 82 may control the locking mechanism 47 to lock the delivery warehouse 45. In this case, when the recipient 20 inputs the QR code in order to open the door 46 of the delivery warehouse 45 again, the child control unit 82 performs the same operation as when the recipient 20 tried to unlock the delivery warehouse 45 for the first time. Similarly, it is determined whether or not the warehouse number corresponding to the input QR code exists in the warehouse correspondence table 87, and if it exists, the locking mechanism 47 is controlled to identify the warehouse number using the warehouse number. All you have to do is unlock the delivery warehouse 45. In this way, the stocker 40 can be unlocked and locked many times until the receipt of the products 17 from the delivery warehouse 45 is completed, making it possible to realize the stocker 40 that is easy to use for the recipient 20. Note that, as described in the above embodiment, when the door of the delivery warehouse 45 is closed after the recipient 20 takes out the product 17 from the delivery warehouse 45, the child control unit detects the product sensor 48 and the opening/closing sensor 49. Based on this, it is determined that the delivery has been completed, and the delivery warehouse 45 from which the receipt has been completed is locked, and information regarding the delivery warehouse 45 from which the receipt has been completed is deleted from the delivery warehouse correspondence table 87 in step S340. Therefore, even if the receiver 20 re-enters the input QR code to unlock the delivery warehouse 45 that has been received, the delivery warehouse number corresponding to the input QR code will be changed from the warehouse correspondence table 87. Since the child control unit 82 does not unlock the delivery warehouse 45 for which the receipt has been completed, Therefore, the stocker 40 with high security can be realized. Note that the child control unit 82 may determine whether or not the receiving of each of the plurality of delivery warehouses 45 has been completed in any manner. For example, the child control unit 82 deletes the information regarding the delivery warehouse 45 from which the receipt has been completed as described above from the delivery warehouse correspondence table 87, and determines whether the receipt is complete based on the presence or absence of the delivery warehouse number corresponding to the input QR code. You may also make this determination. Alternatively, the child control unit 82 may store in the storage unit 83 information regarding whether or not the receipt of each delivery warehouse 45 has been completed. In addition, the child control unit 82 determines whether there is a delivery warehouse 45 without an article based on the detection of the presence or absence of an article by the article sensor 48 (article presence/absence table 88), even if there is an inventory warehouse 45 corresponding to the input QR code. It can also be used without a lock. In this way, the child control unit 82 does not have to unlock the delivery warehouse 45 that has been received with the receiving unlock code, and can also unlock the delivery warehouse 45 before delivery with the receiving unlock code. do not have.

In the embodiment described above, the routine in FIG. 4 was executed by the parent control unit 62, and the routines in FIGS. 5 and 6 were executed by the child control unit 82, but if the stocker management device 60 could execute these routines as a whole, good. For example, the child device 70 and the parent device 61 may share and execute any of the routines shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, or the parent control unit 62 may execute the routines shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

In the embodiment described above, the stocker management device 60 includes the parent device 61 and a plurality of child devices 70, but the stocker management device 60 is not limited to this. For example, the parent device 61 may exchange information with the lock mechanism 47, the article sensor 48, the opening/closing sensor 49, the display operation section 54, the readers 55, 56, etc. without having the plurality of child devices 70. Alternatively, the plurality of child devices 70 may be configured as independent stocker management devices 60 without the parent device 61. Further, although the child device 70 is arranged in one box-shaped room similar to the delivery warehouse 45 in the stocker 40, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the corresponding child device 70 may be placed at a location different from the stocker 40. One child device 70 may manage multiple stockers 40.

In the embodiment described above, the item that the recipient 20 receives using the delivery warehouse 45 is the product 17 ordered by the recipient 20, but the item is not limited to this. For example, the recipient 20 may receive a product ordered by another orderer at the delivery warehouse 45. Alternatively, the recipient 20 may receive, at the delivery warehouse 45, a delivery item other than the item requested for delivery by another requester.

In the embodiment described above, the store PC 12, the mobile terminal 21, the parent device 61, and the child device 70 transmit and receive information via the network 2, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, information may be transmitted and received between the parent device 61 and the child device 70 via a dedicated line separate from the network 2.

1 Stocker system, 2 Network, 5 Supplier side system, 10 Store, 12 Store PC, 15 Website, 17 Product, 18 Barcode, 19 Deliverer, 20 Recipient, 21 Mobile terminal, 22 Terminal control unit, 23 Memory Department, 24 Communication department, 25 Display operation section, 40 Stocker, 41 to 43 First to third stocker, 45 Delivery warehouse, 46 Door, 47 Lock mechanism, 48 Article sensor, 49 Opening/closing sensor, 54 Display operation section, 55, 56 reader, 58 barcode for addition, 60 stocker management device, 61 parent device, 62 parent control unit, 63 storage unit, 64 communication unit, 65 management information, 66b, 66c data, 67 delivery warehouse correspondence table, 67a to 67d data, 68 article presence/absence table, 70 child device, 71 to 73 first to third child devices, 82 child control section, 83 storage section, 84 communication section, 85 management information, 87 delivery warehouse correspondence table, 87a to 87d data, 88 Item presence/absence table, 90 Member attribute table, 91 Attribute-based delivery warehouse table.

Claims (3)

A stocker with multiple lockable delivery warehouses,
detection means for detecting at least one of opening/closing of a door of each of the plurality of delivery warehouses and the presence or absence of an article;
When an unlock code used to unlock the delivery warehouse is input, an unlocking control that outputs a control signal to a lock mechanism of the delivery warehouse corresponding to the input unlock code to unlock the delivery warehouse. means and
Delivery completion determination means for determining completion of delivery to the unlocked delivery warehouse based on the detection status of the detection means;
Equipped with
After the delivery completion determining means determines that the delivery to the delivery warehouse has been completed, the unlocking control means does not unlock the delivery warehouse even if the unlock code used to unlock the delivery warehouse is input. not lock
A stocker system,
The stocker system stores a receiving unlock code for receiving an article delivered to the delivery warehouse in association with the delivery warehouse,
When the delivery completion determination means determines that the delivery to the first delivery warehouse among the plurality of delivery warehouses is completed, and an addition unlock code for instructing the addition of a delivery warehouse is input, the unlocking code is input. The lock control means unlocks a second delivery warehouse of the plurality of delivery warehouses as an additional delivery warehouse, and inputs a receipt unlock code that is the same as a receipt unlock code corresponding to the first delivery warehouse. Store it as the receiving unlock code corresponding to the second delivery warehouse.
A stocker system characterized by: A stocker with multiple lockable delivery warehouses,
detection means for detecting at least one of opening/closing of a door of each of the plurality of delivery warehouses and the presence or absence of an article;
When an unlock code used to unlock the delivery warehouse is input, an unlocking control that outputs a control signal to a lock mechanism of the delivery warehouse corresponding to the input unlock code to unlock the delivery warehouse. means and
Delivery completion determination means for determining completion of delivery to the delivery warehouse that is unlocked by inputting an unlock code for delivery as the unlock code, based on the detection status of the detection means;
receipt completion determination means for determining completion of receipt from the unlocked delivery warehouse by inputting an unlock code for receiving goods delivered to the delivery warehouse as the unlock code; ,
Equipped with
After the delivery completion determining means determines that the delivery to the delivery warehouse has been completed, the unlocking control means does not lock the delivery even if the unlock code for the delivery used to unlock the delivery warehouse is input. without unlocking the warehouse
The receipt completion determining means does not immediately determine that receipt from the delivery warehouse has been completed when the door of the delivery warehouse that has been unlocked by inputting the receiving unlock code is closed; Until the receipt completion determining means determines that the receipt has been completed from the delivery warehouse, the unlocking control means will lock the delivery warehouse if the receiving unlock code used to unlock the delivery warehouse is input. unlock
A stocker system characterized by: A stocker with multiple lockable delivery warehouses,
detection means for detecting at least one of opening/closing of a door of each of the plurality of delivery warehouses and the presence or absence of an article;
When an unlock code used to unlock the delivery warehouse is input, an unlocking control that outputs a control signal to a lock mechanism of the delivery warehouse corresponding to the input unlock code to unlock the delivery warehouse. means and
Delivery completion determination means for determining completion of delivery to the unlocked delivery warehouse based on the detection status of the detection means;
Equipped with
After the delivery completion determining means determines that the delivery to the delivery warehouse has been completed, the unlocking control means does not unlock the delivery warehouse even if the unlock code used to unlock the delivery warehouse is input. without locking,
After the delivery completion determination means determines that the delivery to the first delivery warehouse among the plurality of delivery warehouses is completed, when an additional unlock code for instructing the addition of a delivery warehouse is input, the unlocking is performed. The control means unlocks a second delivery warehouse of the plurality of delivery warehouses as an additional delivery warehouse.
A stocker system characterized by:

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