WO2019054040A1

WO2019054040A1 - Stocker

Info

Publication number: WO2019054040A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/026853
Authority: WO
Inventors: 宏樹上垣内
Original assignee: 株式会社Ｆｕｊｉ
Priority date: 2017-09-15
Filing date: 2018-07-18
Publication date: 2019-03-21
Also published as: JP2019053543A; JP6879875B2

Abstract

This stocker, which is provided with delivery repositories, and which is used in a stocker system provided with the stocker, and a management device for managing the stocker, is provided with: a main computer which is connected to the management device via a global network so as to be capable of communicating therewith, and which executes various types of processing including processing related to deliveries to the delivery repositories; and a sub-computer which is connected to the management device via the global network so as to be capable of communicating therewith, is connected to the main computer via a local network, and restarts the main computer on the basis of receiving a main computer restart instruction from the management device.

Description

Stocker

This specification discloses a stocker.

Conventionally, a stocker (rocker) including a plurality of delivery boxes (boxes) capable of delivering a delivery item delivered by a delivery person, and a computer (control device) for performing various processes related to delivery to each delivery box is known. There is. For example, the computer of the stocker described in Patent Document 1 performs processing for receiving a reservation of a delivery storage from a terminal device operated by a delivery person, associates the identification information of the delivery person with the received number of the delivery storage for delivery, and stores reservation data. A registration process is performed, and when a delivery person delivers a delivery item, the other party is identified and the delivery storage is unlocked.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-151154

In the stocker described above, if any problem occurs in the computer, the delivery of the home delivery will be hindered, so it is required to immediately carry out the recovery process. As such recovery processing, it is conceivable to restart and reset the computer, but when the administrator is at a remote place away from the stocker, it is necessary for the administrator to move to the stocker and restart the computer. It takes time and effort because there are

The present disclosure has as its main object to enable quick recovery when a failure occurs in a computer that performs processing related to delivery to a delivery storage.

The present disclosure takes the following measures in order to achieve the above-mentioned main objects.

The stocker of the present disclosure is a stocker used in a stocker system including a stocker having a stocker and a management device for managing the stocker, and is communicably connected to the management device via a global network, A main computer that performs various processes including a process related to delivery to a delivery container, and the management apparatus are communicably connected via the global network and connected via the main computer and a local network, the management The present invention provides a sub-computer that restarts the main computer based on receipt of a restart instruction of the main computer from an apparatus.

The stocker of the present disclosure is communicably connected to the management apparatus via the global network and connected to the main computer via the local network, and the main computer is received based on the restart instruction of the main computer from the management apparatus. It has a sub computer that restarts the Therefore, the management apparatus can restart and reset the main computer by transmitting a restart instruction to the sub computer when any failure occurs in the main computer, thereby eliminating the failure of the main computer. It becomes possible. Therefore, the manager of the stocker can quickly restore the main computer by remote control without visiting the stocker.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The block diagram which shows the outline of a structure of the stocker system 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of the electrical configuration of the stocker 10; The flowchart which shows an example of a sub computer basic processing routine. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a captured image transmission process. The flowchart which shows an example of main computer restart processing. The flowchart which shows an example of a sub computer restart process.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described using the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the stocker system 1, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the electrical configuration of the stocker 10. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the stocker system 1 includes a plurality of stockers 10 and a management device 50 that manages the stockers 10. The plurality of stockers 10 and the management device 50 are connected to a communication network 5 such as 3G or LTE. The communication network 5 may be another network such as the Internet.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the stocker 10 includes a plurality of box-like deliveries 20 capable of delivering articles, and a control unit 30 that performs various processes related to deliveries to the respective deliveries 20. The stocker 10 is installed in various places such as an office, a convenience store, a station, a school, an apartment, a shopping center, and may be installed not only indoors but also outdoors. In addition, the stocker 10 delivers an item from the delivery store 20 after the item is delivered by the delivery person (delivery party) with the delivery store 20 serving as a delivery destination, and the delivery person receives the item, thereby delivering the item. It is used for delivery of the goods delivered by.

The delivery storage 20 can open and close the door, and can put the goods in and out of the storage. As shown in FIG. 2, each delivery storage 20 includes a lock device 24 that locks the door, an open / close sensor 26 that detects the open / close state of the door, and an article sensor 28 that detects the presence or absence of an article in the store.

As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 30 is provided with an operation display panel 34, a reader 36, and a camera module 38 on the front of the unit. The operation display panel 34 has a touch panel type screen, displays operation guidance and the like regarding delivery and removal of articles, and receives input operations and the like regarding delivery and removal of articles. The reader 36 is configured as a card reader that reads various cards in which the identification information of the delivery person or the recipient of the article is registered, or reads various codes indicating the identification information of the delivery person or the recipient of the article. It is configured as a code reader. The camera module 38 is disposed so as to be capable of imaging a predetermined range in front of the stocker 10, and captures an image including a subject such as a delivery person or a recipient.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 30 includes a main computer 41, a first power supply unit 42, a router 43, a second power supply unit 44, a sub computer 45, and a third power supply unit 46. .

The main computer 41 is configured as a microcomputer centered on a CPU (not shown), and in addition to the CPU, a ROM for storing various programs, a RAM for temporarily storing data, an input / output port and a communication port Not shown) and the like. The main computer 41 performs various processing including processing related to delivery to each delivery storage 20 including unlocking and locking of the lock device 24 of each delivery storage 20. The main computer 41 outputs a display signal to the operation display panel 34, an unlocking signal to the lock device 24 of each stocker 10, a locking signal, and the like. Further, the main computer 41 receives an operation instruction received by the operation display panel 34, information read by the reader 36, a detection signal from the open / close sensor 26 of each stocker 10, a detection signal from the article sensor 28 of each stocker 10. Enter etc. The main computer 41 can be reset by generating and resetting the internal reset signal.

The first power supply unit 42 is configured to convert an AC voltage (for example, AC 100 V or the like) from a commercial power supply into a DC voltage V1 (for example DC 24 V or the like) for operating the main computer 41 and supply power to the main computer 41 . The first power supply unit 42 incorporates a relay circuit 42a that switches on / off in response to the input of an on / off control signal, supplies power to the main computer 41 when the relay circuit 42a is on, and the relay circuit 42a is off. Power supply to the main computer 41 is stopped. The main computer 41 has a voltage detection circuit (not shown) that detects the supply voltage of the power supplied from the first power supply unit 42.

The router 43 is connected to the wired LAN 47 to which the main computer 41 and the sub computer 45 are connected, and the communication network 5, and performs routing between the wired LAN 47 and the communication network 5. The router 43 may be connected to the main computer 41 or the sub computer 45 via a wireless LAN.

The second power supply unit 44 is configured to convert an AC voltage from a commercial power supply into a DC voltage V2 (for example, DC 12 V) for operating the router 43 and supply the power to the router 43. The second power supply unit 44 is incorporated in the router 43.

The sub computer 45 is configured as a microcomputer centered on a CPU (not shown), and in addition to the CPU, a ROM for storing various programs, a RAM for temporarily storing data, an input / output port and a communication port Not shown) and the like. The sub computer 45 controls the camera module 38 and the relay circuit 42 a of the first power supply unit 42. The sub computer 45 outputs an imaging signal to the camera module 38 and an on / off control signal to the relay circuit 42 a. In addition, the sub computer 45 inputs a captured image captured by the camera module 38, and transmits the input captured image to the management apparatus 50 via the communication network 5 via the router 43. In this way, the sub computer 45 does not directly affect the delivery to each delivery storage 20, and performs processing that is less relevant to delivery. The sub computer 45 can be reset by generating an internal reset signal and restarting it.

The third power supply unit 46 is configured to convert an AC voltage from a commercial power supply into a DC voltage V3 (for example, DC 5 V or the like) for operating the sub computer 45 and supply power to the sub computer 45.

The management device 50 communicates with the main computer 41 and the sub computer 45 of each stocker 10 via the router 43 via the communication network 5. The management device 50 receives the use status of the delivery storage 20 transmitted from the main computer 41, and receives a captured image of the camera module 38 transmitted from the sub computer 45. Further, the management device 50 transmits various instructions, information, and the like to the main computer 41 and the sub computer 45. The storage unit (not shown) of the management device 50 stores various information such as the identification number and the location of each stocker 10, the operation status of each stocker 10, and the usage status of each delivery container 20. Further, the management device 50 includes a display unit 52 configured as a liquid crystal display that displays various screens, and an input unit 54 configured by a mouse, a keyboard, and the like for the administrator to input various instructions. By displaying various screens on the display unit 52, the administrator can grasp the use situation of the delivery storage 20, the situation around the stocker 10, and the like. Further, the administrator can give various instructions to the main computer 41 and the sub computer 45 by performing the input operation through the input unit 54.

In the stocker system 1 configured in this manner, the management device 50 determines the stocker 10 and the delivery stocker 20 of the delivery destination from the receiving request of the recipient and the use status of the stocker 10 and determines the delivery person and the main computer 41 of the stocker 10 concerned. Send. The management device 50 also transmits the authentication information of the delivery person to the main computer 41 of the stocker 10. The delivery person delivers the goods to the delivery destination stocker 10, and performs an input operation to the operation display panel 34, a reading operation to the reader 36, and the like. When the delivery person is authenticated, the main computer 41 of the stocker 10 unlocks the lock device 24 of the corresponding delivery stock 20. Thus, the delivery person can open the door of the unlocked delivery container 20 and deliver the goods. When the goods are delivered, the main computer 41 locks the lock device 24 of the delivery storage 20. Further, the management device 50 transmits information specifying the stocker 10 of the delivery destination to the recipient. The management device 50 also transmits the recipient's authentication information and the like to the main computer 41 of the stocker 10. Then, the receiver goes to the stocker 10 of the receiving destination and performs an input operation to the operation display panel 34, a reading operation to the reader 36, and the like. The main computer 41 of the stocker 10 unlocks and controls the lock device 24 of the corresponding delivery storage 20 when the recipient is authenticated. Thus, the receiver can open the door of the unlocked delivery container 20 and take out the article. As described above, the main computer 41 of the stocker 10 communicates with the management device 50 to perform various processing related to delivery to the delivery storage 20.

The operation of the stocker 10 thus configured will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the sub computer basic processing routine executed by the sub computer 45. This routine is executed after the sub computer 45 is powered on and predetermined initialization processing is executed. In the sub computer basic processing routine, a captured image transmission process (S10), a main computer restart process (S20), and a sub computer restart process (S30) are repeatedly executed.

The captured image transmission process of S10 is performed based on the flowchart shown in FIG. In this captured image transmission process, the sub computer 45 first determines whether it is a transmission timing of a captured image (S100). The transmission timing can be, for example, timing every predetermined time such as every several seconds or every tens of seconds. If it is determined in S100 that the transmission timing of the captured image is not reached, the sub computer 45 ends the captured image transmission processing as it is. On the other hand, when determining that it is the transmission timing of the captured image in S100, the sub computer 45 acquires the captured image captured by the camera module 38 (S110), and acquires the captured image via the communication network 5 via the router 43. Then, the process is transmitted to the management device 50 (S120), and the captured image transmission process is ended. Thereby, the sub computer 45 can transmit the captured image of the camera module 38 to the management device 50 at predetermined time intervals, and the management device 50 can display the received captured image on the display unit 52. The stocker 10 can transmit the captured image to the management apparatus 50 regardless of the processing load of the main computer 41. Therefore, by adjusting the predetermined time for determining the transmission timing to a short time of several seconds or less, the captured image can be continued. It is also possible to send Thereby, the management device 50 can also display a real-time captured image on the display unit 52. Further, the administrator can monitor the stocker 10 to grasp the situation such as the presence or absence of the user and the presence or absence of the suspicious person by confirming the captured image displayed on the display unit 52 by the management device 50.

The main computer restart process of S20 is executed based on the flowchart shown in FIG. In the main computer restart process, the sub computer 45 first determines whether a restart instruction of the main computer 41 transmitted from the management device 50 has been received (S200). Here, the management device 50 detects that a failure such as the operation of the main computer 41 becomes unstable or down due to the communication with the main computer 41 occurs. Further, the administrator can issue a restart instruction of the main computer 41 by operating a button on the browser (not shown) displayed on the display unit 52 by the management apparatus 50 with the input unit 54. The restart instruction is transmitted from the management device 50 to the sub computer 45 via the router 43 via the communication network 5. As described above, the management device 50 displays the captured image transmitted from the sub computer 45 at predetermined time intervals on the display unit 52, and the administrator can grasp the situation of the stocker 10. For this reason, the administrator can issue a restart instruction of the main computer 41 at an appropriate timing with no hindrance to restart, from the situation of the stocker 10 that has been grasped. For example, the restart instruction may not be issued while the user opens the door of the delivery storage 20 and performs delivery or removal of an article. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience caused by the restart of the main computer 41 while the user is using, for example, the operation display panel 34 is not displayed and the user is confused or can not continue the work. Can.

If it is determined in S200 that the restart instruction of the main computer 41 has not been received, the sub computer 45 ends the main computer restart processing as it is. On the other hand, when determining that the restart instruction of the main computer 41 has been received in S200, the sub computer 45 outputs an off control signal to the relay circuit 42a of the first power supply unit 42 (S210), and a predetermined time has elapsed. It waits for judgment (S220). When the off control signal is output to the relay circuit 42a, the relay circuit 42a is turned off and the power supply from the first power supply unit 42 to the main computer 41 is stopped. When the main computer 41 detects that the supply voltage detected by the voltage detection circuit has dropped below a predetermined threshold voltage (voltage drop) when the power supply is stopped, the main computer 41 generates an internal reset signal, Shut down to do a reset. The predetermined time of S220 can be appropriately determined, for example, as the time required for the main computer 41 whose power supply has been stopped to shut down to which a slight extra time is added. Then, if it is determined at S220 that the predetermined time has elapsed, the sub computer 45 outputs an on control signal to the relay circuit 42a of the first power supply unit 42 (S230), and ends the main computer restart processing. When the power supply is resumed, the main computer 41 will be restarted. When the main computer 41 is reset by restarting, normally, the problem is eliminated and the normal operation becomes possible. Therefore, the administrator can solve the problem of the main computer 41 by remote control without visiting the stocker 10.

The sub computer restart process of S30 is executed based on the flowchart shown in FIG. In the sub computer restart process, the sub computer 45 first determines whether it is the restart timing of the sub computer 45 (S300). Here, the restart timing of the sub computer 45 is, for example, a periodic timing that arrives once a day in a time zone in which the stocker 10 is used less frequently (for example, a night time zone). If it is determined in S300 that the restart timing is not reached, the sub computer 45 ends the sub computer restart processing as it is. On the other hand, if the sub computer 45 determines that it is the restart timing in S300, the sub computer 45 acquires a captured image captured by the camera module 38 (S310), analyzes the captured image, and detects people such as a user or a suspicious person. The (moving object) detection process is performed (S320), and it is determined whether a person is detected (S330). The processing of S310 and S320 is performed, for example, by comparing two or more captured images in which the imaging time is continuous and determining the presence or absence of a person based on the area in which the pixel value changes in each captured image. If the sub computer 45 determines that a person is detected in S330, the process returns to S310 and repeats the process until no person is detected from the captured image. Also, if it is determined that the person is not detected in S330, the sub computer 45 restarts the sub computer 45 by generating an internal reset signal (S340), and ends the sub computer restart processing. Thereby, since the sub computer 45 is periodically restarted and reset every day, the stocker 10 prevents the occurrence of problems such as the operation of the sub computer 45 becoming unstable or down. be able to. In addition, since the sub computer 45 restarts after determining that there is no person from the captured image, it is possible to prevent the restart when there is a person around the stocker 10. Therefore, the stocker 10 can appropriately prevent the management device 50 from being unable to grasp the situation when transmission of a captured image is interrupted by restarting the camera module 38 when there is a person in the vicinity. .

Here, the correspondence between the components of the present embodiment and the components of the present disclosure will be clarified. The stocker 10 of the present embodiment corresponds to the stocker of the present disclosure, the management device 50 corresponds to the management device, the stocker system 1 corresponds to the stocker system, the communication network 5 corresponds to the global network, and the main computer 41 is the main. The wired LAN 47 corresponds to a local network, and the sub computer 45 corresponds to a sub computer. Also, the camera module 38 corresponds to a camera module.

The stocker 10 of the present embodiment described above includes the sub computer 45 that restarts the main computer 41 based on the reception of the restart instruction of the main computer 41 from the management device 50. Therefore, when a problem occurs in the main computer 41, the administrator can restart and reset the main computer 41 without visiting the stocker 10. Therefore, since the administrator can solve the problem of the main computer 41 by remote control, the main computer 41 can be recovered promptly.

In addition, the stocker 10 includes a first power supply unit 42 capable of switching the power supply to the main computer 41 and the stop of the power supply according to an on / off control signal. The sub computer 45 outputs the off control signal to the first power supply unit 42 based on the reception of the restart instruction, and then outputs the on control signal to the first power supply unit 42 to re-execute the main computer 41. Start up. Therefore, the sub computer 45 can enable quick recovery of the main computer 41 by simple processing.

Further, since the sub computer 45 is automatically restarted at regular timing, the stocker 10 can reset the sub computer 45 periodically to achieve stable operation. Since the restart of the sub computer 45 is performed when it is determined that there is no person based on the captured image captured by the camera module 38, the restart of the sub computer 45 affects the use of the stocker 10 by the user. It can be prevented from exerting. In particular, since the sub computer 45 is in charge of transmitting the captured image of the camera module 38 to the management device 50, it is prevented that the captured image is not transmitted despite the presence of a person around the stocker 10. Can.

In addition, the stocker 10 performs transmission processing in which the sub computer 45 transmits the captured image of the camera module 38 to the management device 50. The transmission process of the captured image needs to be performed continuously, and when it is performed in parallel with other processes, the load is relatively high. The load can be properly distributed. In addition, the sub computer 45 only needs to perform processing having low relevance to delivery, such as transmission of a captured image, and the necessity for performing a plurality of processings simultaneously is low. can do.

It is needless to say that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment at all, and may be implemented in various aspects within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

In the embodiment described above, the sub computer 45 performs transmission processing of a captured image. However, the present invention is not limited to this, as long as processing that is less relevant to delivery to the delivery storage 20 is performed. For example, as the sub computer 45 performs processing to monitor the local environment of the stocker 10, such as monitoring life and death of the main computer 41, recording log information when an operation abnormality or the like occurs, and transmitting it to the management device 50. It is also good. Alternatively, the sub computer 45 is not limited to the one performing such processing as long as the sub computer 45 performs processing for restarting the main computer 41 when the restart instruction of the main computer 41 is received.

In the embodiment described above, although it is assumed that the sub computer 45 determines that there is no person around the stocker 10 based on the image captured by the camera module 38, the present invention is not limited thereto. It may be restarted periodically regardless of the presence or absence of the person.

In the embodiment described above, the sub-computer 45 is restarted once a day (once a day) as an example, but the invention is not limited thereto, and may be restarted at a higher frequency such as multiple times every day And may be restarted less frequently, such as once every several days. Further, the sub computer 45 is not limited to one that restarts automatically, but may be one that restarts based on a restart instruction from the management device 50.

In the embodiment described above, when the sub computer 45 outputs the off control signal to the relay circuit 42 a of the first power supply unit 42 when receiving the restart instruction of the main computer 41 from the management device 50, the main computer detects the voltage drop. Although 41 shall restart (reset), it is not restricted to this. For example, the sub computer 45 is configured to be able to input a reset signal (including a corresponding signal) from the sub computer 45 to the main computer 41 and to restart the main computer 41 based on the input of the reset signal. Any configuration may be used as long as the computer 41 can be restarted.

Here, the stocker of the present disclosure may be configured as follows. For example, in the stocker of the present disclosure, there is provided a power supply capable of switching power supply to the main computer and stop of the power supply according to a control signal, and the sub computer receives the restart instruction. The main computer may be restarted by outputting a control signal for stopping the power supply to the power supply device based on the power supply device and then outputting the control signal for the power supply to the power supply device. In this way, the sub computer can restart the main computer with simple processing.

In the stocker of the present disclosure, the sub computer may be automatically restarted at regular timings. In this way, the stocker can periodically reset the sub computer to achieve stable operation.

The stocker of the present disclosure includes a camera module that captures an image of the periphery of the stocker, and the sub-computer determines whether or not a person is present around the stocker based on an image captured by the camera module at the periodic timing. If it is determined that there is no person, it may be restarted. In this way, the stocker can prevent the occurrence of inconvenience due to the restart of the sub computer while being used by the user.

In the stocker of the present disclosure, the sub-computer may perform predetermined processing that is less relevant to delivery to the delivery warehouse. In this way, the stocker can cause the sub computer to perform processing in addition to restarting the main computer, so the processing load of the main computer can be distributed. In addition, since the sub computer only needs to perform predetermined processing that is not related to delivery, the sub computer can be configured inexpensively without requiring high processing power.

The stocker according to the present disclosure may further include a camera module that captures an image of the periphery of the stocker, and the sub computer may perform, as the predetermined processing, transmission processing of an image captured by the camera module to the management device. Good. Here, since the process of transmitting the image to the management apparatus is a continuous process, if the main computer which performs various processes is made to handle it, the parallel processing is required and the load becomes relatively high. Therefore, by having the sub computer handle image transmission processing, the stocker can appropriately disperse the processing load of the main computer, and can lead to stable operation of the main computer.

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-177517 filed on Sep. 15, 2017 as a priority claim, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention is applicable to the technical field of a merchandise distribution system for delivering goods to a stocker.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 stocker system, 5 communication network, 10 stocker, 20 delivery storage, 24 lock device, 26 opening / closing sensor, 28 article sensor, 30 control unit, 34 operation display panel, 36 reader, 38 camera module, 41 main computer, 42 first 1 power supply unit, 42a relay circuit, 43 router, 44 second power supply unit, 45 sub computer, 46 third power supply unit, 47 wired LAN, 50 management device, 52 display unit, 54 input unit.

Claims

A stocker for use in a stocker system comprising a stocker having a stocker and a management device for managing the stocker, the stocker comprising:
A main computer which is communicably connected to the management apparatus via a global network and performs various processing including processing related to delivery to the delivery storage;
The main computer is communicably connected to the management device via the global network, and is connected to the main computer via the local network, and the main computer is received based on the restart instruction of the main computer from the management device And a subcomputer to restart
Stocker with a.
The stocker according to claim 1, wherein
A power supply device capable of switching power supply to the main computer and stop of the power supply according to a control signal;
The sub computer outputs a control signal for stopping the power supply to the power supply device based on the reception of the restart instruction, and then outputs a control signal for supplying the power to the power supply device. A stocker that restarts the main computer.
The stocker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
The sub computer automatically restarts at regular timings.
The stocker according to claim 3, wherein
A camera module for imaging the periphery of the stocker,
The sub computer determines whether or not a person is present around the stocker based on the image captured by the camera module at the regular timing, and restarts when it is determined that there is no person.
The stocker according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein
The stocker which performs a predetermined process that is less relevant to delivery to the delivery storage.
The stocker according to claim 5, wherein
A camera module for imaging the periphery of the stocker,
The stocker performs transmission processing of the image captured by the camera module to the management apparatus as the predetermined processing.