JPH08190699A - Delivery automating method and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To efficiently perform a baggage delivery service by utilizing voice recognition. CONSTITUTION: The information on the destination and kind, etc., of the baggage carried in by a user is inputted from a voice input part 1 by voice, the information is recognized by a voice recognition part 2 based on the data of a storage part 3, and the recognition result is displayed on an output part 4 via a control part 7. The user operates a recognition result establishing part 5 and establishes the result if the recognition result displayed on the output part 4 is right. As the result, the control part 7 supplies the information corresponding to the established recognition result to a slip preparation part 6 and transmits the information from a communication part 8. The slip preparation part 6 records the recognition result in a bar code or an IC card, etc., as a delivery automating label, prepares the slip and outputs it. Based on this delivery automating label, a baggage delivery service is performed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a delivery automation method and apparatus suitable for use in, for example, automating baggage delivery operations or improving efficiency.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIG.
The flow is as shown in. That is, first, the user A brings the parcel to be shipped to the nearest courier parcel handling store B, such as a convenience store, and puts the user's own address, destination address, name, telephone number, and Fill in items such as the type of luggage. The voucher in which the necessary items are entered is attached to a predetermined place of the corresponding package.

Further, the whole of Japan is divided into predetermined delivery areas, and corresponding predetermined place names are arranged in the order of "aiueo" in each delivery area, and a predetermined charge is determined for each delivery area. There is. That is, a table including delivery areas, place names, charges, etc. is prepared. Therefore, at the parcel delivery handling shop B, the delivery area in which the place name included in this address exists is checked from the table based on the address of the destination of this voucher, and the charge is determined. Then, the user A pays this fee to the store B handling the courier service.

Next, the terminal collection / delivery company C travels around each courier service store, collects the packages requested by each user, and delivers them to the center business base D provided in each region. In this center business base D, a large amount of parcels collected there are sorted into delivery areas or the like corresponding to destinations based on the slips attached thereto. Then, the sorted parcels are delivered to, for example, the center business base E that controls the corresponding delivery area.

The parcels delivered to the center business base E are delivered to the terminal freight collection / delivery company (end collection / delivery carrier) F based on the destination of the slip, and a person who is thoroughly familiar with the delivery area carries out a predetermined delivery business. A car is driven and a predetermined package is delivered to a predetermined destination (for example, a destination G) using the items described in the slip.

As described above, in the conventional courier service,
Delivery work using slips is performed.

[0007]

However, in the conventional delivery business using a voucher, the user needs to write items such as the address of the recipient, the name, and the type of package on the voucher. There was a problem that was complicated for the user.

Further, at the courier service store B, which is the terminal for collecting packages from users, it is selected which delivery area the place name of the destination address written on the slip corresponds to, and the corresponding charge is calculated. To do. Therefore, for example, if you mistakenly read the place name "Suita City" as "Futashi" instead of "Sushi," it takes time to specify the delivery area.
Therefore, there is a problem that it may take time to calculate the charge.

[0009] Further, since the terminal collection and delivery company cannot grasp how much parcels are gathered at each parcel delivery bag handling store, regardless of the amount of parcels, it goes around each parcel delivery parcel handling store, Collect your luggage. Therefore, there is a problem that the terminal collection / delivery company wastes a lot of vehicles.

Furthermore, in a center business base that collects packages from a large number of end-shipping delivery companies, it is necessary to sort a large amount of packages based on the delivery area and the type of packages. This sorting work is performed by a person visually recognizing the destination of the slip attached to the package and inputting a key corresponding to the recognized destination, or by voice input through a microphone. As described above, since it is a human who reads the destination written on the slip attached to the parcel, there is a problem that the processing capacity is limited and inefficient.

From the above, the character corresponding to the destination attached to the luggage is recognized by the character recognition method,
Although it is possible to automate the work of reading the destination,
The current character recognition technology has a difficult problem.

[0012] Furthermore, in order for the end-of-line collection and delivery company to be able to deliver parcels efficiently, it is necessary to have a thorough knowledge of the land of the delivery destination, in order to improve the efficiency of delivery work. Had a task that required skill.

Also, when the user receives the courier,
It is possible to specify the delivery time to some extent,
The delivery time is not always as specified, and there is a problem that it may be left waiting at home for a long time to receive the package.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, reduces the burden of creating slips, enables easy identification of delivery areas and calculation of charges, and enables end-of-life delivery companies to By making the collection of parcels efficient and automating the sorting work of parcels, the efficiency can be improved, and even if you are not familiar with the destination land, you can perform the parcel delivery work efficiently. Further, the delivery time of the package can be designated, the package can be received at the designated time, and the scheduled delivery time of the package can be known.

[0015]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a delivery automation method for delivering a predetermined package to a predetermined delivery destination by inputting information corresponding to the package by voice. The voice is recognized, and information corresponding to the recognized voice is recorded on a predetermined medium.

Further, it is possible to read the information recorded on the medium corresponding to the package and classify the package based on the read information.

Further, it is possible to determine the route for delivering the package to the corresponding delivery destination based on the information recorded on the medium corresponding to the package.

Further, the information can be transmitted via a predetermined communication line.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a delivery automation device for delivering a predetermined parcel to a predetermined delivery destination, the input means for inputting information corresponding to the parcel by voice (for example, voice input in FIG. 1). The unit 1), the voice recognition unit that recognizes the voice input by the input unit (for example, the voice recognition unit 2 in FIG. 1), and the information corresponding to the voice recognized by the voice recognition unit are recorded in a predetermined medium. An information recording unit (for example, the slip creation unit 6 in FIG. 1) is provided.

Information reading means (for example, the data input section 12a in FIG. 3) for reading the information corresponding to the package recorded on the medium and classification for classifying the package based on the information read by the information reading means. Means (eg FIG. 3
It is possible to further provide a control unit 12b and a luggage sorting unit 12c).

Information is read out from the medium corresponding to the package and information is read out (for example, the data input unit 22a in FIG. 4), and the package is handled based on the information recorded in the medium corresponding to the package. Route determining means (for example, the car navigation system 23 in FIG. 4) that determines the route to be delivered to the delivery destination may be further provided.

Further, it is possible to further provide a transmitting means (for example, the communication section 8 in FIG. 1) for transmitting the information via a predetermined communication line.

[0023]

In the delivery automation method or apparatus according to claim 1 or 5, the information corresponding to a predetermined package is input by voice, the input voice is recognized, and the information corresponding to the recognized voice is predetermined. Record on the medium. Therefore, the delivery destination of the package can be recognized from the information recorded on this medium.

In the delivery automation method or apparatus according to the second or sixth aspect, the information recorded on the medium corresponding to the package is read, and the package is sorted based on the read information. Therefore, it is possible to sort the packages mechanically.

In the delivery automation method or apparatus according to the third or seventh aspect, the route for delivering the package to the corresponding delivery destination is determined based on the information recorded on the medium corresponding to the package. Therefore, the package can be delivered based on this route.

In the delivery automation method or apparatus according to claim 4 or 8, information is transmitted via a predetermined communication line. Therefore, the parcel information can be exchanged between the parcel delivery bag handling store, the center business base, the terminal collection / delivery company, and the user.

[0027]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the delivery automation device of the present invention. The voice input unit 1 inputs a predetermined voice uttered by a user, converts the voice into a corresponding voice signal, and then supplies the voice signal to the voice recognition unit 2.

The voice recognition unit 2 recognizes the voice signal supplied from the voice input unit 1 based on predetermined data stored in the storage unit 3 described later.

The storage unit 3 is adapted to store data necessary for voice recognition such as a person's name, a place name in Japan, a telephone number, and a type of luggage as recognition target vocabulary data for each recognition target. Therefore, the voice recognition unit 2 recognizes the voice signal supplied from the voice input unit 1 based on the predetermined recognition target vocabulary data read from the storage unit 3,
The recognition result is supplied to the control unit 7.

The control unit 7 controls each unit constituting the apparatus, supplies the recognition result supplied from the voice recognition unit 2 to the output unit 4, and outputs a voice signal for instructing voice input items. It is designed to output from 4. Also,
Based on the recognition result supplied from the voice recognition unit 2, predetermined data for creating a slip is supplied to a slip creating unit 6 described later, or predetermined data is supplied to a communication unit 8 described later. ing.

The output unit 4 is composed of a CRT display or liquid crystal display (not shown), a speaker, etc., and displays characters corresponding to the recognition result supplied from the control unit 7 or outputs voice corresponding to the recognition result. It is designed to do.

The recognition result confirmation section 5 is designed so that the user can input whether or not the recognition result output to the output section 4 is correct. If the recognition result output to the output unit 4 has an error and is input as incorrect, a predetermined recognition candidate is output to the output unit 4 via the control unit 7, and the recognition result corresponds to the recognition result. Whether or not there is something to do is to be selected again, or the user can select to input again by voice.

Of course, from the beginning, it is possible to display a plurality of candidates as the recognition result on the output section 4 in a certain order so that the user can select the correct one.

The recognition result determination section 5 can be configured by a simple keyboard or a touch panel combined with the output section 4.

The slip creating unit 6 creates and outputs a slip in which necessary information is described based on the slip data supplied from the control unit 7. In addition, a mechanically readable barcode or IC for use in automating delivery operations
It is designed to create and output a delivery automation label consisting of a card or the like.

The communication unit 8 collects various data supplied from the control unit 7 to a terminal collection / delivery company or a center business base via a predetermined communication line such as a telephone line or a dedicated line. In addition to reporting, the information such as the estimated delivery time of the package is provided to the user. The communication unit 8 can be connected to a telephone line via a modem, for example.

Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG.
The operation will be described. First, in step S1,
The control unit 7 reads out the voice data corresponding to “Please input your name” stored in the memory (not shown) and supplies it to the output unit 4. Thereby, the output unit 4 can notify the user of the voice input item.
Therefore, the user inputs a predetermined voice input item, in this case, the user's name, by voice from the voice input unit 1 according to a voice instruction from the output unit 4.

Next, in step S2, the voice input unit 1
At, the voice corresponding to the user's name input by the user is converted into a corresponding voice signal and then supplied to the voice recognition unit 2. The voice recognition unit 2 recognizes a predetermined voice signal input from the voice input unit 1 based on the recognition target vocabulary data read from the storage unit 3, and supplies a signal corresponding to the recognition result to the control unit 7. To do. At this time,
Since the recognition result may be incorrect, the voice recognition unit 2
Supplies the signals corresponding to the plurality of recognition result candidates to the control unit 7 in a probable order.

Further, in step S2, when the voice recognition unit 2 performs the voice recognition, the voice recognition unit 2 is now stored in the storage unit by the output unit 4 for each voice input item instructed by the user. It is possible to change the recognition target vocabulary data read from No. 3. For example, when inputting the name spoken by the user from the voice input unit 1, the voice recognition unit 2 reads the recognition target vocabulary data in which the name is registered from the storage unit 3 and performs voice recognition based on the data. . Similarly, when recognizing the type of luggage, the recognition target vocabulary data in which the type of luggage is registered is read and used for voice recognition.

Further, when recognizing a voice corresponding to an address, since the number of vocabulary data to be recognized is very large, continuous voice recognition of the entire address with one utterance is unrealistic in terms of recognition rate. Target. Therefore, the prefecture name, municipality name,
And vocabulary data corresponding to the town name, etc. are prepared separately, and if the data is of a higher rank, for example, the name of a municipality, it receives the recognition result of the prefecture name in the higher rank, limit.

For example, when Tokyo is entered as the prefecture name, when the next municipality name is entered, Tokyo 2 is entered.
The recognition target vocabulary data is limited to 3 ward names, Chofu city, Tama city, etc. By thus hierarchically inputting, the vocabulary data to be recognized can be limited and the voice recognition rate can be increased.

Next, in step S3, the controller 7
Supplies the signals corresponding to the plurality of candidates of the recognition result supplied from the voice recognition unit 2 to the output unit 4. The output unit 4 displays the characters corresponding to the plurality of recognition result candidates supplied from the control unit 7 on the built-in display (CRT display or liquid crystal display) in a probable order.

Next, in step S4, the user first determines whether or not the correct recognition result is included in the plurality of recognition result candidates displayed on the display of the output unit 4. . When it is determined that the correct recognition result is not included, that is, when it is determined that any of the plurality of recognition result candidates recognized by the voice recognition unit 2 is incorrect, the user utters again and again speaks. In order to instruct to input voice from the input unit 1, the recognition result confirmation unit 5
Press the specified key of.

When a predetermined key of the recognition result confirmation section 5 is pressed, a corresponding signal is supplied to the control section 7. Control unit 7
Controls the voice input unit 1 on the basis of the signal from the recognition result determination unit 5 to instruct to input the voice of the user again. The voice input unit 1 follows the instruction from the control unit 7,
The voice from the user is input and supplied to the voice recognition unit 2. Then, as in the case described above, step S
The processing from 2 onward is repeated.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S4 that the correct recognition result is included in the plurality of recognition result candidates displayed on the display of the output unit 4,
The user inputs a predetermined key corresponding to the correct recognition result of the recognition result confirmation unit 5. As a result, the recognition result is confirmed and the corresponding data is supplied to the control unit 7.
Next, it progresses to step S5.

In step S5, the control unit 7 determines whether or not all the necessary voice input items have been input. When it is determined that all of the necessary voice input items have not been input yet, the process returns to step S1 and the processes from step S1 onward are repeated. In the present case, it is determined that all of the necessary voice input items have not yet been input, and the process returns to step S1. For example, the output unit 4 causes the output unit 4 to input the user's address as the next voice input item. Instructed by.

The user speaks and inputs the address. This is basically done in the same way as described above,
Detailed description thereof will be omitted. Similarly, the address, name, telephone number, type of package, etc. of the package are input by voice.

If it is determined in step S5 that all necessary voice input items have been input, the process proceeds to step S6, in which the information corresponding to the input items is
It is output as a slip and a bar code, or as an IC card.

That is, in the case of a slip, the character corresponding to the input voice input item is printed at a predetermined place on a predetermined paper. In the case of a bar code, information corresponding to the input voice input item is printed on a predetermined paper as a corresponding bar code. Further, in the case of an IC card, the data corresponding to the input voice input item is written and recorded in the memory built in the IC card.

The paper or IC card on which the bar code is printed is output from the slip preparation unit 6 as a delivery automation label. The output delivery automation label is attached to the package. And the information recorded on the barcode is
The IC card is read by the barcode reading device, and the IC card is read by the IC card reading device in a non-contact manner.

Next, a method of using the communication unit 8 of FIG. 1 will be described. The information corresponding to the voice input item input by the user is recognized by the voice recognition unit 2, the recognition result is temporarily displayed on the output unit 4, and then the recognition result determination unit 5 is operated and confirmed by the user. It

The confirmed voice input items are supplied to the slip preparation unit 6 by the control unit 7 and also to the communication unit 8. In the communication unit 8, a signal corresponding to a predetermined voice input item supplied from the control unit 7 or a signal corresponding to a baggage collection status is sent to a terminal via a telephone line, for example, via a modem (not shown). It is transmitted to a collection / delivery company or a center business base.

Upon receiving this signal via the telephone line, the terminal collection / delivery company or the center business base should grasp the collection status of the package at the terminal courier package handling store based on the information corresponding to this signal. You can As a result, it becomes possible to efficiently deliver and collect luggage, set a delivery route, and so on. At the same time, it becomes possible for the center business base to provide the user with detailed services such as acceptance of designation of delivery time and to provide detailed service information such as notification of scheduled delivery time.

At the center business base, the delivery automation labels attached to a large amount of parcels collected there are mechanically read and sorted according to the delivery area, type of parcel, and the like. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of an automatic cargo sorting device to which the delivery automation device of the present invention is applied. Data input unit 12a that constitutes the automatic cargo sorting device 12
Is configured to read out predetermined data necessary for sorting the package from the delivery automation label 11, for example, the address of the destination (delivery destination), the type of package, and the like, and supply it to the control unit 12b.

The control unit 12b is composed of, for example, a microcomputer (microcomputer) or the like, recognizes the delivery destination and the type of the package based on the data supplied from the data input unit 12a, and based on this, recognizes the package sorting unit 12c. Control. The parcel sorting unit 12c is configured by, for example, a belt conveyor, and sorts predetermined parcels according to their delivery destinations and types under the control of the control unit 12b.

For example, the data input unit 12a reads out the delivery address and the type of package from the delivery automation label 11 of a predetermined package, and supplies it to the control unit 12b. The control unit 12b recognizes the delivery destination and the type of the package based on the data from the data input unit 12a, and instructs the package sorting unit 12c to move the package to a predetermined place.

The parcel sorting unit 12c moves the parcel to a predetermined location corresponding to the delivery destination and type of the parcel, based on a command from the control unit 12b. In this way, each package is sorted according to its delivery destination and type. These sorted packages will be delivered to the delivery destination of each package by the terminal collection and delivery company.

In the terminal collection and delivery company, the destination can be input into the car navigation system from the information recorded on the delivery automation label of the package, that is, the address of the destination, etc., to improve the efficiency of the delivery work. it can.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the destination automatic setting device to which the delivery automation device of the present invention is applied. The data input unit 22a constituting the destination automatic setting device 22 inputs the information recorded on the delivery automation label 11 and supplies it to the control unit 22b. The control unit 22b is
The data supplied from the data input unit 22a is converted into a data format for the car navigation system 23, which will be described later, and then supplied to the communication unit 22c.

The communication section 22c is, for example, RS23.
Data is exchanged with the car navigation system 23 via an interface such as 2C.

Next, the operation will be described. First, the information recorded on the delivery automation label 11 of each package is read by the data input unit 22a of the destination automatic setting device 22 and supplied to the control unit 22b.

The data supplied to the control unit 22b is, for example, the delivery address of each package. The control unit 22b converts this data into a predetermined data format for the car navigation system and supplies it to the communication unit 22c.
The communication unit 22c supplies the data supplied from the control unit 22b to the car navigation system 23 via an interface such as RS232C.

In the car navigation system 23, a destination as a delivery destination of each package is set based on the data supplied from the communication section 22c, and a predetermined route when all the destinations are visited is determined. It
Then, the map of each destination and its vicinity, and the route are displayed on, for example, a liquid crystal display.

As a result, the collection / delivery company who operates the luggage collection / delivery vehicle simply runs the luggage collection / delivery vehicle in accordance with the destination and the route on the map displayed on the liquid crystal display. You can arrive at.

In addition, the car navigation system 23
For example, the route to the destination can be instructed by voice or the like to a person who drives the luggage collection and delivery vehicle. As a result, the destination can be efficiently traveled.

After the luggage collection vehicle arrives at the first destination and delivers the first luggage to a predetermined destination, for example, when a predetermined button of the car navigation system 23 is operated, the car navigation system 23 is In the same manner as above, the map of the next destination and its vicinity, and the route to it are displayed on the liquid crystal display, and by voice,
Instruct the collection and delivery company. Then, after arriving at the next destination and delivering a predetermined baggage to a predetermined destination, when a predetermined button of the car navigation system 23 is operated, for example, a map of the next destination and its vicinity, and a map to the next destination are displayed. The route is displayed on the liquid crystal display and voice instructions are given.

In this way, each package can be efficiently delivered to each destination.

Further, when recording the information corresponding to each package on the delivery automation label 11, in addition to the address of the package and the type of package, the desired time of delivery of this package (desired delivery time) is input. In this way, when the route is determined by the car navigation system 23, it is possible to determine the route in consideration of the desired delivery time.

That is, a delivery automation label 11 for a predetermined package
If the information about the desired delivery time is recorded in, the route is determined so that the package is delivered at the desired delivery time. As a result, the user can specify the delivery time.

Further, in response to the inquiry about the scheduled delivery time from the recipient of the delivery destination, the user can be notified via the telephone line via the center business base.

In the above embodiment, the communication unit 22
Although the data transmission / reception between c and the car navigation system 23 is performed via the RS232C interface, it may be performed via another interface.

Further, in the above embodiment, the delivery automation label 11 is a bar code or an IC card, but not limited to this, it is possible to record predetermined information,
In addition, it is sufficient if it can read it.

Further, in the above embodiment, the car navigation system 23 determines the route to the destination, but it may be determined by the terminal collection / delivery company.

[0074]

According to the delivery automation method or device of the first or fifth aspect, information corresponding to a predetermined package is input by voice, the input voice is recognized, and the recognized voice is handled. Since the information is recorded on the predetermined medium, the delivery destination of the package can be recognized from the information recorded on the medium. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the burden of creating a slip and automatically calculate the charge. Further, since information corresponding to the contents of the slip is recorded on the delivery automation label such as a barcode or an IC card, it can be mechanically read.

According to the delivery automation method or device of the second or sixth aspect, the information recorded in the medium corresponding to the package is read out, and the package is sorted based on the read-out information. You can sort your luggage. Therefore, the sorting work can be automated, the efficiency of delivery and sorting work can be improved, and the cost can be reduced accordingly.

According to the delivery automation method or device of the third or seventh aspect, the route for delivering the package to the corresponding delivery destination is determined based on the information recorded in the medium corresponding to the package. Then, the package can be delivered according to the route. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently carry out the delivery work even if the delivery destination is not familiar with the land.

According to the delivery automation method or apparatus of claim 4 or 8, the information is transmitted through a predetermined communication line. Therefore, the parcel delivery handling shop, the center business base, and the terminal collection / delivery company. , And users can exchange information about packages. Therefore, it becomes possible to efficiently collect and deliver the package, to specify the delivery time of the package by the user, and to notify the user of the scheduled delivery time of the package.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a delivery automation device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of an automatic cargo sorting device to which the delivery automation device of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a destination automatic setting device to which the delivery automation device of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flow of operations in a conventional parcel delivery business such as a parcel delivery service.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 voice input unit 2 voice recognition unit 3 storage unit 4 output unit 5 recognition result confirmation unit 6 slip preparation unit 7 control unit 8 communication unit 11 delivery automation label 12 automatic packing device 12a data input unit 12b control unit 12c package sorting unit 22 Automatic destination setting device 22a Data input unit 22b Control unit 22c Communication unit 23 Car navigation system

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A delivery automation method for delivering a predetermined package to a predetermined delivery destination, wherein information corresponding to the package is inputted by voice, the inputted voice is recognized, and the recognized voice is dealt with. A method for automating delivery, characterized by recording the above information in a predetermined medium. 2. The delivery automation method according to claim 1, wherein the information recorded on the medium corresponding to the parcel is read, and the parcel is sorted based on the read information. . 3. The delivery automation according to claim 1, wherein a route for delivering the package to the corresponding delivery destination is determined based on the information recorded on the medium corresponding to the package. Method. 4. The delivery automation method according to claim 1, wherein the information is transmitted via a predetermined communication line. 5. A delivery automation device for delivering a predetermined parcel to a predetermined delivery destination, an input unit for inputting information corresponding to the parcel by voice, and a voice for recognizing the voice input by the input unit. A delivery automation device, comprising: a recognition unit; and an information recording unit that records the information corresponding to the voice recognized by the voice recognition unit on a predetermined medium. 6. An information reading means for reading the information corresponding to the parcel recorded on the medium, and a sorting means for sorting the parcel based on the information read by the information reading means. The delivery automation device according to claim 5, further comprising: 7. The apparatus further comprises information reading means for reading the information corresponding to the package recorded on the medium, and route determining means for determining a route for delivering the package to the corresponding delivery destination. The delivery automation device according to claim 5. 8. The delivery automation device according to claim 5, further comprising transmission means for transmitting the information via a predetermined communication line.