Delivery robot system and control method thereof

Abstract

To provide a delivery robot system and a control method thereof capable of appropriately delivering a package delivered to an employee in a facility where a work at home and a free address system are introduced.SOLUTION: A server device 10 determines, based on information from a terminal 30 and a portable terminal 80 used by an employee 5, whether or not the employee 5 is at work and determines a workplace of the subject employee determined to be at work. The server device 10 determines whether or not there is a subject package delivered to the subject employee. If it is determined that there is the subject package, a delivery robot 40 delivers the subject package to the workplace of the subject employee.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a delivery robot system and a control method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] One example of a system that streamlines the receipt of goods in facilities such as apartment complexes where deliveries (goods) are delivered to multiple users is the goods receipt system described in JP 2021-15436 A (Patent Document 1). In this goods receipt system, when a delivery company puts goods into a storage device, the storage status of the storage device is managed by a management server, and the user can unlock the storage box and remove the goods by inputting unlocking information.

[0003] Meanwhile, in facilities such as offices, when mail or other packages addressed to employees are delivered to the facility, the facility's delivery staff delivers the packages to the location where the employees are working. However, in recent years, with the spread of COVID-19, an increasing number of companies are adopting telecommuting. As a result, an increasing number of companies are introducing free address systems within their facilities. In a free address system, employees do not have fixed seats and can use any seat they like. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-15436 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When these systems are introduced, the facility's delivery staff will need to identify the employee's work location when delivering packages, because the employee's work location is unknown. In addition, since packages need to be delivered to employees on the day they come to work at the facility, delivery staff will need to check the employee's work schedule, which places a heavy burden on delivery staff.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a delivery robot system and a control method thereof that can efficiently deliver packages that arrive to employees in facilities where telecommuting and free address systems are implemented. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The delivery robot system according to the present disclosure includes a delivery robot and a control device. The delivery robot delivers packages delivered to a facility to employees who are at work at the facility. The control device controls the delivery robot. Employees can freely select their work location within the facility. The control device determines whether an employee is at work and the work location of a target employee who is determined to be at work, based on information from a terminal used by the employee. The control device determines whether a target package has been delivered to the target employee. If it is determined that a target package exists, the delivery robot delivers the target package to the work location of the target employee.

[0008] The control method according to the present disclosure is a control method for a delivery robot that delivers packages delivered to a facility to employees who are present at the facility, and the employees' work locations can be freely selected within the facility. The control method includes a step of determining whether an employee is present at work and the work location of a target employee who is determined to be present at work based on information from a terminal used by the employee, a step of determining whether a target package has been delivered to the target employee, and a step of the delivery robot delivering the target package to the work location of the target employee when it is determined that the target package exists. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, in facilities where telecommuting and free address systems have been implemented, packages that arrive to employees can be delivered in an efficient manner. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a delivery robot system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a delivery robot system. [Diagram 3] 13 is an example of work location data. [Figure 4] 1 is an example of luggage data. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating how a package is removed from a delivery locker. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining how a package is delivered. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart of an attendance determination process. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart of a server-side process and a robot-side process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a delivery robot system 100. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the delivery robot system 100.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the delivery robot system 100 is installed in a facility 1. In this embodiment, the facility 1 is an office building owned by Company A. Multiple employees 5 working for Company A can choose to either work from home or go to work at the facility 1. Company A has introduced a free address system. In the free address system, employees 5 do not have fixed seats and can use any seat they like. In other words, employees 5 can freely select a work location (seat) within the facility 1 to carry out their work.

[0014] The delivery robot system 100 includes a server device 10 as a control device, an equipment management device 20, a delivery robot 40, a delivery locker 110, and a plurality of wireless communication devices (communication devices) 72. The delivery robot 40 is an autonomous mobile robot that autonomously moves within a facility 1 and delivers packages 6. The server device 10 is configured to be able to communicate with the delivery robot 40, the delivery locker 110, etc. via the equipment management device 20.

[0015] Parcels 6, such as mail delivered from outside to the facility 1 for employees 5 of Company A, are stored in the parcel lockers 110 by a delivery company. In the parcel lockers 110, one locker is assigned to each employee 5.

[0016] If the employee 5 has a fixed seat, when the package 6 arrives, the in-house delivery person can deliver the package 6 to the seat. However, in the case of a free address system, even if the package 6 arrives at the facility 1, the employee 5 can freely choose a seat to work at, so it is not known at which seat the employee is working. If the employee works from home, there is no place to deliver the package 6. If the package 6 is delivered to the employee 5's seat by hand, the work burden of checking the attendance schedule and identifying the seat (work place) where the employee is working is large. On the other hand, even if the employee 5 goes to the collection point himself to check whether the package 6 is there and to receive it, the burden on the employee 5 is also large. In order to solve such problems, the delivery robot system 100 is configured as described below.

[0017] Each employee 5 carries and uses a terminal. The mobile terminal includes a mobile terminal 80 as a first terminal and a terminal 30 as a second terminal. Each employee 5 carries a mobile terminal 80 loaned to them by Company A. The mobile terminal 80 is, for example, a smartphone capable of making calls. When each employee 5 arrives at facility 1, he or she logs into the terminal 30 and uses it for work. The terminal 30 may be installed in facility 1 or may be owned by each employee 5. The terminal 30 is, for example, a laptop computer.

[0018] A plurality of wireless communication devices 72 are installed on the ceilings of each room, corridor, etc. in the facility 1. These wireless communication devices 72 communicate with the wireless communication device 42 provided in the delivery robot 40 and the wireless communication device (not shown) provided in the mobile terminal 80, and can identify the current positions of the mobile terminal 80 and the delivery robot 40.

[0019] Furthermore, the terminal 30 can communicate with the server device 10, and the server device 10 can identify that the employee 5 has logged in from the terminal 30. The delivery robot 40 has a function of picking up the parcel 6 delivered to the facility 1 (stored in the parcel locker 110) and delivering it to the employee 5 who is coming to work at the facility 1.

[0020] 2, the server device 10 includes a processor 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 14, and a communication IF (Interface) 15. The processor 11 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). These devices exchange various data through a communication bus 16.

[0021] The processor 11 loads a program stored in the HDD 14 or the ROM 12 into the RAM 13 and executes it. In this program, processes to be executed by the server device 10 are described.

[0022] The communication IF 15 is an input / output device for exchanging signals or data with the equipment management device 20 and the terminal 30. The server device 10 receives, via the communication IF 15, the position of the delivery robot 40 detected by the equipment management device 20, an ID output by the delivery robot 40 for identifying the delivery robot 40, a signal output by the delivery robot 40, information from the parcel locker 110 and the mobile terminal 80, and the like.

[0023] The HDD 14 is a storage device that stores various information, such as work location data 91, package data 92, information about the facility 1, and information about the delivery robot 40, which will be described later.

[0024] The delivery robot 40 includes a control unit 41 , a wireless communication device 42 , a memory unit 44 , a camera 45 , an arm 47 , a battery 48 , and a drive unit 49 .

[0025] The control unit 41 controls the entire delivery robot 40. Although not shown in the figure, the control unit 41 has a CPU, ROM, RAM, and a communication IF as main components. The CPU loads a program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executes it. The program stored in the ROM describes the processing to be executed by the delivery robot 40. Note that the processing is not limited to being performed by software, and can also be executed by dedicated hardware (electronic circuits).

[0026] The wireless communication device 42 outputs a signal for detecting the position of the delivery robot 40, for example, using a communication method that complies with the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy, "Bluetooth" is a registered trademark) communication standard. Instead of the BLE communication standard, a communication method that complies with the UWB (Ultra Wide Band) communication standard may be used. The wireless communication device 42 also transmits a signal indicating an ID for identifying the delivery robot 40 to the equipment management device 20, for example, using a communication method that complies with a wireless communication standard such as LTE (Long Term Evolution).

[0027] The camera 45 captures an image of the surroundings of the delivery robot 40 and outputs the captured image to the control unit 41. Instead of the camera 45, a laser range finder that measures the distance between the delivery robot 40 and an object present in the vicinity of the delivery robot 40 may be provided.

[0028] The driving unit 49 generates a driving force for moving the delivery robot 40. The driving unit 49 includes, for example, wheels for moving the delivery robot 40 and a motor for driving the wheels. The driving unit 49 can be operated by receiving a supply of power from the battery 48.

[0029] The arm 47 is a robot arm that picks up the package 6 stored in the delivery locker 110, and stores the picked-up package 6 in the delivery robot 40. The control unit 41 identifies the position of the package 6 based on the captured image from the camera 45, and controls the arm 47 to pick up the package 6.

[0030] The control unit 41 controls the driving unit 49 so that the delivery robot 40 moves autonomously based on the captured image from the camera 45. The battery 48 supplies power for operating the driving unit 49 and other devices of the delivery robot 40. The memory unit 44 temporarily stores various information used by the delivery robot 40.

[0031] The multiple wireless communication devices 72 are installed at an appropriate distance from each other on the ceiling 61, and receive signals transmitted from the delivery robot 40 using a communication method conforming to the same communication standard as the wireless communication device 42 of the delivery robot 40, and detect the reception strength of the signals. The position of the delivery robot 40 within the facility can be detected from the reception strength of each wireless communication device 72. The wireless communication device 72 outputs the reception strength of the signal received from the delivery robot 40 to the equipment management device 20. The wireless communication device 70 may be installed on a wall.

[0032] The mobile terminal 80 is also equipped with a wireless communication device similar to the delivery robot 40, and is capable of communicating with each wireless communication device 72. In a similar manner, the position of the mobile terminal 80 is identified by communication with each wireless communication device 72.

[0033] The equipment management device 20 controls equipment installed in the facility 1, such as the wireless communication devices 72, the delivery robot 40, and the delivery lockers 110. Based on instructions from the server device 10, the equipment management device 20 issues instructions to the delivery robot 40 and transmits and receives information to and from the delivery lockers 110. The equipment management device 20 identifies the position of the delivery robot 40 and the position of the mobile terminal 80 based on the reception strength received by each wireless communication device 72.

[0034] The device management device 20 is connected to a communication network NW. The device management device 20, a server device 10, and a terminal 30 are connected to the communication network NW.

[0035] The server device 10 can output commands to the delivery robot 40 via the equipment management device 20, and can obtain information such as the location information of the delivery robot 40. The server device 10 can also control the delivery lockers 110 via the equipment management device 20, and manages information on the employees 5 who log in from the terminals 30.

[0036] The terminal 30 is, for example, a personal computer or a notebook computer. The terminal 30 includes an input unit 34 and a display 35 that displays various information. The input unit 34 is, for example, a keyboard and a mouse. Instructions can be given to the terminal 30 by operating the input unit 34.

[0037] Like the server device 10, the terminal 30 and the mobile terminal 80 are configured to include a CPU, RAM, ROM, and a communication IF. The management and control of the delivery robot 40 may be performed by the server device 10, the equipment management device 20, or another server. The server device 10 may be a cloud server installed outside the facility 1. All of the functions executed by the server device 10 may be provided in the delivery robot 40.

[0038] Delivery locker 110 includes a control unit 114 and an unlocking unit 115. Control unit 114 controls delivery locker 110. Unlocking unit 115 opens and closes the door of the locker based on commands from control unit 114.

[0039] The delivery locker 110 includes a plurality of lockers. Each of the plurality of lockers is a personal locker assigned to each employee 5. The delivery company stores the package 6 in the locker assigned to each employee 5 according to the destination of the package 6 to be delivered to the facility 1.

[0040] For example, if locker B is assigned to employee A and package 6 is addressed to employee A, the delivery company will store package 6 in locker B. At that time, the delivery company inputs the addressee information from an input terminal (not shown) provided in delivery locker 110. In response to this, control unit 114 may issue a command to unlock unit 115 to unlock the locker corresponding to the addressee (unlock locker B if the addressee is employee A).

[0041] The server device 10 controls the delivery locker 110 via the device management device 20. When the package 6 is delivered to the delivery locker 110 by the delivery company, the control unit 114 notifies the server device 10 of the locker information (for example, the locker number where the package 6 is stored, the destination of the package 6 (employee 5), etc.).

[0042] This allows the server device 10 to manage which locker stores the package 6 of which employee 5. When the delivery robot 40 delivers the package 6, the server device 10 transmits an unlock command to the control unit 114. When the control unit 114 receives the unlock command, the unlocking unit 115 unlocks the locker to be the delivery target, allowing the delivery robot 40 to retrieve the package 6.

[0043] A specific example will be described below. Fig. 3 is an example of the work place data 91. The work place data 91 is stored in the HDD 14 of the server device 10. The work place data 91 is data that records the "login time" of the employee 5 who came to work at the facility 1 (the time when the employee 5 logged in to the terminal 30), the "employee ID" that identifies the employee 5, and the "work place" of the employee 5.

[0044] Facility 1 is equipped with multiple rooms, including rooms A to D, and employees 5 are free to select any of the rooms upon arriving at work and perform their work (tasks) at any seat within that room.

[0045] For example, at 8:44:10 on May 18, 2023, employee 5 with employee ID "Z3" is at work (logged in to terminal 30), and his / her work location is room A (X1, Y1) in facility 1. Here, room A (X1, Y1) is a numerical value indicating the coordinate in the X-axis direction and the coordinate in the Y-axis direction that specifies the position of room A on the floor plan.

[0046] Also, at 8:46:05 on May 18, 2023, employee 5 with employee ID "Z6" comes to work and his work location is room D (X2, Y2) in facility 1. At 8:50:26 on May 18, 2023, employee 5 with employee ID "Z1" comes to work and his work location is room C (X3, Y3) in facility 1.

[0047] 4 is an example of the package data 92. The package data 92 is stored in the HDD 14 of the server device 10. The package data 92 is data that records information about packages stored in the delivery locker 110.

[0048] The package data 92 records the "arrival time" of the package 6 (the time it was stored in the locker), the "employee ID" of the employee 5 to whom the package is addressed, the "locker number" of the locker in which the package 6 is stored, and the "status" of the package 6. In "status," "delivered" is recorded if the package 6 has been delivered to the employee 5 by the delivery robot 40 (package 6 is not in the locker), and "not delivered" is recorded if it has not been delivered (package 6 is in the locker).

[0049] For example, at 10:20:05 on May 16, 2023, package 6 addressed to employee 5 with employee ID "Z9" is stored in locker number "N9" (the locker assigned to this employee 5). This package 6 has already been delivered to employee 5 with employee ID "Z9".

[0050] Additionally, at 18:44:00 on May 17, 2023, package 6 addressed to employee 5 with employee ID "Z1" was stored in locker number "N1" (the locker assigned to this employee 5), and this package 6 has not yet been delivered to employee 5 with employee ID "Z1".

[0051] According to the work location data 91, employees 5 with employee IDs: Z3, Z6, and Z1 are at work, and according to the package data 92, it is known that employee 5 with employee ID: Z1 has an undelivered package 6. In this case, the delivery robot 40 retrieves the package 6 from the locker with locker number "N1", transports the package 6 to the position (X3, Y3) of room C, and delivers the package 6 to employee 5 with employee ID: Z1.

[0052] Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining the process of removing package 6 from delivery locker 110. In the example shown in Figs. 3 and 4, server device 10 transmits an unlock command to the locker with locker number "N1". As a result, control unit 114 of delivery locker 110 causes unlocking unit 115 to unlock the locker with locker number "N1".

[0053] The delivery robot 40 receives a command from the server device 10 to pick up the package 6 of the employee 5 with the employee ID "Z1" from the locker with the locker number "N1" and transport the package 6 to the position (X3, Y3) of the room C.

[0054] The delivery robot 40 travels to the parcel locker 110 and drives the arm 47 to pick up the package 6 from the locker with locker number "N1". The delivery robot 40 detects the position of the locker with locker number "N1" and the package 6 based on an image captured by the camera 45. The delivery robot 40 stores the picked-up package 6 in a storage unit (not shown) of the delivery robot 40.

[0055] Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the delivery of package 6. Fig. 6 shows a desk arranged in room C and employees 5a and 5b who have come to work in room C. Employee 5a's employee ID is "Z1", and he or she is working (performing a task) at a work location at position (X3, Y3).

[0056] The delivery robot 40 enters the room C. Then, the delivery robot 40 travels to a position (X3, Y3) where the employee 5a with employee ID "Z1" is located. The delivery robot 40 drives the arm 47 to remove the package 6 from the storage section. At that time, the delivery robot 40 may notify the employee 5a by voice or the like that the package 6 has arrived.

[0057] As a result, the employee 5a with the employee ID "Z1" can receive the package 6. The delivery robot 40 notifies the server device 10 that the employee 5a with the employee ID "Z1" has received the package 6. As a result, the server device 10 updates the "status" in the data for employee ID "Z1" in the package data 92 shown in FIG. 4 from "undelivered" to "delivered."

[0058] The delivery robot system 100 may be configured without using the delivery locker 110 as described above. In this case, packages 6 arriving at the facility 1 may be collected in one place, and the package data 92 may be manually entered (to identify the employee 5) and registered. The delivery locker 110 may be used by multiple people (for example, by department) rather than by an individual. The delivery robot 40 may also deliver to a room rather than to the desk where the employee 5 works (for example, by delivering to the entrance of each room).

[0059] The following description will be given with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the attendance determination process. The attendance determination process is a process executed by the server device 10. The attendance determination process may be started periodically (for example, every second). Hereinafter, "step" may be simply referred to as "S".

[0060] When the attendance determination process starts, in S11, the server device 10 acquires information about the wireless communication device 72 that has received a signal from the mobile terminal 80. In S12, the server device 10 identifies the location of the mobile terminal 80 (the employee's location) from the information about the wireless communication device 72. The server device 10 identifies the location of the employee 5 based on the communication strength between the multiple wireless communication devices 72 and the mobile terminal 80 (the strength of the signal received by the wireless communication device 72 from the mobile terminal 80) (for example, by three-point positioning).

[0061] Each employee 5 has one mobile terminal 80, and the employee 5 (employee ID) can be identified from the information on the mobile terminal 80. In other words, the server device 10 can identify the employee ID and the location of the employee 5 based on the information acquired from the wireless communication device 72.

[0062] When employee 5 arrives at work, he or she freely selects a seat, logs in to terminal 30, and starts working using terminal 30. In other words, the location of employee 5 when he or she logs in to terminal 30 is the work location when he or she arrives at work (login time). Server device 10 manages the login information of terminal 30. Server device 10 can identify employee ID of employee 5 from the login information (for example, user ID at the time of login).

[0063] In S13, when employee 5 logs in to terminal 30, server device 10 determines that employee 5 has come to work and determines that the location of employee 5 is employee 5's workplace. In the above example, when employee 5a with employee ID "Z1" logs in to terminal 30, server device 10 determines that employee 5a has come to work and determines that the location (X3, Y3) is employee 5a's workplace.

[0064] This allows the server device 10 to know the seat where the employee 5a sat when he / she came to work. Hereinafter, the employee 5 who is determined to have come to work is referred to as the "target employee." In addition, the package 6 to be delivered is referred to as the "target package."

[0065] In S14, the server device 10 updates the work place data 91 and ends the attendance determination process. In the above example, the work place data 91 of the employee ID "Z1" as shown in FIG.

[0066] Incidentally, the presence or absence of employee 5 at work and the work location may be identified by either the mobile terminal 80 or the terminal 30. For example, when identifying by only the mobile terminal 80, it may be determined that employee 5 has come to work when wireless communication device 72 and mobile terminal 80 are connected for communication, and the location where employee 5 stops near his / her seat for a predetermined period of time or more may be determined to be the work location. When identifying by only the terminal 30, it may be determined that employee 5 has come to work by logging in to terminal 30, and the work location may be identified by the network to which terminal 30 is connected (for example, when connected to the network of room C, it may be determined that the work location is "room C").

[0067] The following describes the processing executed by the delivery robot system 100 using a flowchart. Fig. 8 is a flowchart of the server side processing and the robot side processing. The server side processing is processing executed by the server device 10. The robot processing is processing executed by the delivery robot 40.

[0068] The server-side process may be started, for example, at a set time each day (for example, 10:00, 13:00, 16:00, etc.). The robot-side process may be started when a command to deliver the target package is received.

[0069] The server device 10 can obtain information on whether or not the package 6 of the employee 5 is stored from the delivery locker 110. The server device 10 can determine whether or not the target package is present based on the information obtained from the delivery locker 110 (specifically, the package data 92).

[0070] When the server-side process starts, the server device 10 sets i=1 in S101. In S102, the server device 10 acquires the i-th work location data 91. In the work location data 91, the first work location data 91 is data for employee ID "Z3".

[0071] In S103, the server device 10 determines whether the employee IDs match and the status of the parcel data 92 is undelivered. If the employee IDs match and the status of the parcel data is undelivered (YES in S103), the server device 10 advances the process to S104. If the employee IDs match and the status of the parcel data is not undelivered (NO in S103), the server device 10 advances the process to S106.

[0072] If i=1, there is no package data 92 with the employee ID "Z3", so the process proceeds to S106. In S106, the server device 10 increments i by 1. As a result, i=2.

[0073] In S107, the server device 10 judges whether or not all of the work place data 91 has been checked. If all of the work place data 91 has been checked (YES in S107), the server device 10 ends the server-side processing. On the other hand, if all of the work place data 91 has not been checked (NO in S107), the server device 10 returns the processing to S102.

[0074] In the above example, since only the work location data 91 for i=1 (first row) has been confirmed, the process returns to S102, whereby the processes of S102 to S106 are repeated for the work location data 91 for i=2 (second row).

[0075] If i=2, there is no package data 92 with employee ID "Z6", so the process proceeds to S106. In S106, the server device 10 increments i by 1. This makes i=3, and the process returns to S102 to repeat the processes of S102 to S106.

[0076] When i=3, package data 92 with employee ID "Z1" exists, and the status of this data is set to "undelivered." In this way, the server device 10 determines whether or not there is a target package delivered to the target employee (employee 5 who is at work). In this case, the process proceeds to S104.

[0077] In S104, the server device 10 transmits a command to the delivery robot 40 to deliver the package 6 to the work location. In the above example, a command is transmitted to the delivery robot 40 to transport the target package (package 6 stored in locker number N1) of the target employee with employee ID "Z1" to the work location (X3, Y3) in room C.

[0078] In S105, when the server device 10 receives the delivery completion information from the delivery robot 40, the server device 10 changes the status of the package data 92 to "delivered." In the above example, when the server device 10 receives the delivery completion information from the delivery robot 40, the server device 10 changes the status of the employee ID "Z1" to "delivered."

[0079] Meanwhile, based on a command from the server device 10, the delivery robot 40 retrieves the target package from the home delivery locker 110 and delivers it to the target employee. When the robot-side process starts, the delivery robot 40 retrieves the target package in S201. In the above example, as described with reference to FIG. 5, the delivery robot 40 retrieves the target package of the target employee with employee ID "Z1" from the locker with locker number "N1".

[0080] In S202, the delivery robot 40 transports the target package to the work location of the target employee. In the above example, as described with reference to FIG. 6, the delivery robot 40 transports the target package of the target employee with employee ID "Z1" to the work location (X3, Y3) of room C. In this way, when it is determined that the target package is present, the delivery robot 40 delivers the target package to the work location of the target employee.

[0081] In S203, the delivery robot 40 transmits delivery completion information to the server device 10 and ends the robot-side processing.

[0082] As described above, the delivery robot system 100 includes a delivery robot 40 and a server device 10 as a control device. The delivery robot 40 delivers the package 6 delivered to the facility 1 to the employee 5 who is at work at the facility 1. The server device 10 controls the delivery robot 40. The employee 5 can freely select the work location within the facility 1. Based on information from the terminal 30 and mobile terminal 80 used by the employee 5, the server device 10 determines whether the employee 5 is at work and the work location of the target employee who is determined to be at work. The server device 10 determines whether there is a target package delivered to the target employee. If it is determined that there is a target package, the delivery robot 40 delivers the target package to the work location of the target employee.

[0083] In this way, the delivery robot 40 grasps the attendance status of the employee 5 and delivers the parcel 6 such as mail, eliminating the need to assign a delivery person to hand over the parcel manually. Also, the employee 5 does not need to go to the parcel locker 110 to check and receive the parcel 6 that has arrived for him / her on the day of the employee's arrival at work. With the above configuration, parcels that arrive for the employee 5 can be delivered appropriately in the facility 1 where telecommuting and a free address system have been introduced.

[0084] The parcels 6 delivered to the facility 1 are stored in the delivery lockers 110 assigned to each employee 5. The server device 10 can obtain information from the delivery lockers 110 as to whether or not the parcel 6 of the employee 5 is stored therein. The server device 10 determines whether or not the target parcel is present based on the information obtained from the delivery lockers 110. The delivery robot 40 retrieves the target parcel from the delivery locker 110 and delivers it to the target employee. This makes it possible to automatically determine whether or not the parcel 6 has arrived at the employee 5, and to deliver the parcel 6 from the delivery locker 110 to the employee 5 without human intervention.

[0085] A plurality of wireless communication devices 72 are installed in the facility 1. The terminals include a mobile terminal 80 as a first terminal and a terminal 30 as a second terminal. The mobile terminal 80 is capable of communicating with the plurality of wireless communication devices 72 and is carried by the employee 5. The terminal 30 is used by the employee 5 for work. The server device 10 identifies the location of the employee 5 based on the communication strength between the plurality of wireless communication devices 72 and the mobile terminal 80. When the employee 5 logs in to the terminal 30, the server device 10 determines that the employee 5 has come to work and determines that the location of the employee 5 is the work location of the employee 5. With this configuration, the work location at the time of coming to work can be reliably identified.

[0086] With the above configuration, it is possible to automatically determine whether employee 5 has arrived at work and the work location at the time of arrival, and further automatically determine whether package 6 has been delivered to employee 5 who has arrived at work, and automatically transport package 6 to employee 5 without human intervention.

[0087] The embodiments disclosed herein are merely examples and are not limited to the above. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and it is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 1 Facility, 5,5a,5b Employee, 6 Baggage, 10 Server device, 11,21,41 Processor, 12,22 ROM, 13,23 RAM, 14,24 HDD, 15,25 Communication IF, 16,26,46 Communication bus, 20 Equipment management device, 30 Terminal, 34 Input unit, 35 Display, 40 Delivery robot, 42,72 Wireless communication device, 44 Memory unit, 45 Camera, 47 Arm, 48 Battery, 49 Drive unit, 61 Ceiling, 80 Portable terminal, 91 Work location data, 92 Baggage data, 100 Delivery robot system, 110 Delivery locker, 114 Control unit, 115 Unlocking unit, NW Communication network.

Claims

1. A delivery robot that delivers packages delivered to a facility to employees who work at the facility; A control device for controlling the delivery robot, The employee's work location can be freely selected within the facility, The control device includes: Based on the information on the terminal used by the employee, determine whether the employee is at work and the work location of the target employee who is determined to be at work; determining whether any eligible packages have been delivered to the eligible employee; A delivery robot system, wherein the delivery robot delivers the target package to the work location of the target employee when it is determined that the target package is present.

2. The parcels delivered to the facility are stored in a parcel locker assigned to each employee, The control device includes: It is possible to obtain information from the delivery locker as to whether or not the employee's package is stored therein; Based on the information acquired from the delivery locker, it is determined whether or not the target parcel is present; The delivery robot system according to claim 1 , wherein the delivery robot picks up the target parcel from the parcel locker and delivers it to the target employee.

3. A plurality of communication devices are installed in the facility, the terminals include a first terminal capable of communicating with the plurality of communication devices and carried by the employee, and a second terminal used by the employee for work; The control device includes: determining a location of the employee based on a strength of a communication signal between the plurality of communication devices and the first terminal; The delivery robot system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein when the employee logs in to the second terminal, it is determined that the employee has come to work and that the employee's location is the employee's work location.

4. A method for controlling a delivery robot that delivers packages delivered to a facility to employees working at the facility, comprising: The employee's work location can be freely selected within the facility, The control method includes: A step of determining whether the employee is at work and the work location of the target employee who is determined to be at work based on information from the terminal used by the employee; determining whether any eligible packages have been delivered to the eligible employee; A control method comprising a step of, when it is determined that the target package is present, sending a command to the delivery robot to deliver the target package to the work location of the target employee.

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