Baggage delivery system, unmanned ground carrying machine and baggage delivery method

Abstract

To prevent baggage from being stolen or being exposed to rain and wind when delivering the baggage between an unmanned ground carrying machine and a home delivery box.SOLUTION: An unmanned ground carrying machine 2 includes: a body 3 moving to a place where a home delivery box 60 is provided; a baggage box 8 for delivering baggage 100 between itself and the home delivery box 60; and an arm 15 for allowing the baggage box 8 to approach the home delivery box 60. In a state where the baggage box 8 approaches the home delivery box 60, opening / closing doors 10, 63 of both boxes 8, 60 are opened. Then, the baggage 100 is moved between both boxes 8, 60. Then, both opening / closing doors 10, 63 are closed. Then, the arm 15 returns the baggage box 8 to the body 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an unmanned ground vehicle that carries luggage, and a luggage delivery system and a luggage delivery method using the same. [Background technology]

[0002] The following Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe the use of an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) as an unmanned ground transport vehicle to deliver luggage. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-110227 A [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2022-47000 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When transferring a package between an unmanned ground transport vehicle and a box (recipient box) for receiving or transferring packages on the other side, it is necessary to prevent the package from being stolen by others. Also, it is undesirable for the package to be exposed to the elements.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a luggage delivery system, an unmanned ground transport vehicle, and a luggage delivery method that can prevent luggage theft and exposure to rain and wind when delivering luggage between an unmanned ground transport vehicle and a destination box. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The baggage delivery system of the present disclosure comprises: An unmanned ground transport vehicle that carries luggage, a mating box that forms a luggage storage space and has an opening / closing part that opens and closes an opening of the luggage storage space; The unmanned ground vehicle comprises: a main body having a storage section for the luggage and moving to a location where the mating box is provided; a luggage box supported by the main body, forming a luggage storage space for storing luggage, and having an opening / closing part for opening and closing an opening of the luggage storage space; a box driving unit which, in the location, moves the luggage box to a close position where the opening of the luggage box faces the opening of the counterpart box while the main body is located away from the counterpart box, and moves the luggage box from the close position to the main body after the delivery of the luggage between the luggage box and the counterpart box is completed; a luggage moving unit that moves the luggage between the luggage box and the other box when the luggage box is in the approach position; an opening / closing control unit that closes the opening / closing part of the luggage box when the luggage box containing the luggage is moved to the approach position or to the main body, and that opens the opening / closing part of the luggage box when the luggage box at the approach position and the other box are to receive and deliver the luggage, The opening and closing part of the destination box is opened when the package is delivered and is closed after the package is delivered.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, the unmanned ground transport vehicle transfers luggage between the destination box and the unmanned ground transport vehicle, so that the luggage can be prevented from being exposed during the transfer. This can prevent the luggage from being stolen or exposed to rain and wind. In addition, since the luggage is transferred while the main body of the unmanned ground transport vehicle and the destination box are separated, the luggage can be transferred even if the destination box is installed in a place with a step.

[0008] At least one of the luggage box and the mating box is provided with a positioning portion having a shape that protrudes in a direction in which the luggage box and the mating box face each other, When the alignment portion is in a facing position facing the outer surface of the luggage box or the mating box on which the alignment portion is not provided, the widthwise position of the opening of the luggage box and the widthwise position of the opening of the mating box are aligned, The box driving unit may move the luggage box so that the alignment unit is in the facing position.

[0009] This makes it possible to prevent the opening of the luggage box and the opening of the mating box from being misaligned in the width direction.

[0010] At least one of the unmanned ground transport vehicle and the mating box may be provided with a load attenuation unit that attenuates the load from the unmanned ground transport vehicle to the mating box. This can prevent the mating box from being damaged when the luggage box comes into contact with the mating box.

[0011] The mating box may include a receiving portion that receives the weight of the luggage box in the approaching position, thereby making it possible to prevent an opening of the luggage box from being misaligned with an opening of the mating box during delivery of the luggage.

[0012] The unmanned ground vehicle of the present disclosure comprises: A main body having a storage section for storing luggage and moving to a location where a destination box is provided; A member supported by the main body for isolating the luggage from an outside space; A delivery section that delivers the cargo between the main body and the counterpart box while isolating the cargo from an external space by the member in a state where the main body is located away from the counterpart box at the location; Equipped with.

[0013] the member is a luggage box that forms a luggage storage space for storing luggage and has an opening / closing part that opens and closes an opening of the luggage storage space, The delivery section includes: a box driving unit that moves the luggage box to a position close to the other box while the main body is located away from the other box at the location, and moves the luggage box from the position close to the other box to the main body after the delivery of the luggage between the luggage box and the other box is completed; a luggage moving unit that moves the luggage between the luggage box and the counterpart box through the opening when the luggage box is in the approach position; an opening / closing control unit that closes the opening / closing unit when the luggage box containing the luggage is moved to the approach position or to the main body, and opens the opening / closing unit when the luggage box is to be handed over to or from the other box; may be provided.

[0014] The baggage delivery method of the present disclosure includes: A method for transferring a load between an unmanned ground transport vehicle and a destination box, comprising: In a state where the main body of the unmanned ground transport vehicle is located away from the counterpart box at a location where the counterpart box is located, a luggage box provided on the unmanned ground transport vehicle is brought close to a position where an opening / closing part that closes the storage space of the luggage box and an opening / closing part that closes the storage space of the counterpart box face each other; opening the opening / closing portion of the luggage box and the opening / closing portion of the counterpart box; moving the parcel from the parcel box to the destination box or from the destination box to the parcel box; closing the opening and closing portion of the luggage box and the opening and closing portion of the counterpart box; returning the luggage box to the main body; Execute the following in this order.

[0015] According to the unmanned ground transport vehicle and baggage delivery method disclosed herein, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the above-mentioned baggage delivery system. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] A diagram showing a delivery box and an unmanned ground vehicle positioned in front of it. [Diagram 2] A figure showing the state in which the luggage box of the unmanned ground transport vehicle is brought close to the delivery box. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the inside of the body of the unmanned ground transport vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a luggage box, illustrating a shutter-type opening and closing door. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 shows a luggage box, a damper and an arm. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram showing a first example of a counterpart door control unit provided on the unmanned ground transport vehicle side and a door control unit provided on the delivery box side. FIG. [Figure 7] A figure showing a second example of a counterpart door control unit provided on the unmanned ground transport vehicle side and a door control unit provided on the delivery box side. [Figure 8] A figure showing a third example of a counterpart door control unit provided on the unmanned ground transport vehicle side and a door control unit provided on the delivery box side. [Figure 9] A figure showing a first example of a partner movement control unit provided on the unmanned ground transport vehicle side and a luggage movement control unit provided on the delivery box side. [Figure 10] A figure showing a second example of a partner movement control unit provided on the unmanned ground transport vehicle side and a luggage movement control unit provided on the delivery box side. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a partial configuration of an unmanned ground vehicle. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart of the process of transferring parcels from an unmanned ground transport vehicle to a delivery box. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a parcel box is brought close to a delivery box. [Figure 14] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which both opening and closing doors of the adjacent luggage box and delivery box are open. FIG. [Figure 15] 13 is a flowchart of the process of transferring parcels from a delivery box to an unmanned ground transport vehicle. [Figure 16]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing how parcels are handed over between a parcel box installed on a rough road and an unmanned ground transport vehicle. [Figure 17] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing a luggage box and a delivery box according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The baggage delivery system 1 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 includes an unmanned ground transport vehicle 2 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a ground vehicle) and a delivery box 60 as a destination box. In FIG. 1, the inside of the main body 3 of the ground vehicle 2 is shown in perspective. In FIG. 2, the inside of the baggage box 8 and the delivery box 60 are shown in perspective. The baggage delivery system 1 is a system that delivers baggage 100 between the ground vehicle 2 and the delivery box 60. The baggage delivery system 1 is configured to be able to deliver the baggage 100 from the ground vehicle 2 to the delivery box 60 and to deliver the baggage 100 from the delivery box 60 to the ground vehicle 2, for example, but may be configured as a system that delivers only one of the two. First, the configuration of the ground vehicle 2 will be described.

[0018] (Configuration of unmanned ground transport vehicle) The ground machine 2 is an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) that carries the luggage 100. The ground machine 2 may be a transport machine (such as a bipedal robot) that does not have wheels 4. The ground machine 2 is configured to travel outdoors between a base (not shown) of a company that delivers or collects the luggage 100 and a location where a delivery box 60 is provided. The ground machine 2 includes a main body 3, a luggage box 8, an arm 15, and a damper 20.

[0019] (Main body configuration) The main body 3 has wheels 4 on the bottom and is configured to be movable between a base of a company that delivers or collects the package 100 and a location where the delivery box 60 is installed. The main body 3 may be configured to be able to change the direction of travel as well as to move straight ahead.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the main body 3 has an internal space 5 for accommodating luggage 100 and luggage boxes 8. FIG. 3 shows the inside of the main body 3 in a see-through manner, and also shows the main body 3 viewed from a direction in which the rotation axis of the wheels 4 is perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the internal space 5 includes a box arrangement space 5a in which the luggage box 8 is arranged, and a luggage arrangement space 5b in which luggage 100 not placed in the luggage box 8 is arranged. These spaces 5a and 5b are adjacent to each other, and the luggage 100 can move between the spaces 5a and 5b. The luggage arrangement space 5b may be formed to a size that allows multiple luggage 100 to be arranged therein. The multiple luggage 100 arranged in the luggage arrangement space 5b may be luggage to be delivered to different delivery boxes 60, or may be luggage to be delivered to the same delivery box 60. The arrangement order of the multiple luggage 100 in the luggage arrangement space 5b may be the order of delivery to the different delivery boxes 60. In addition, the internal space 5 may store only the luggage box 8 in which the luggage 100 is stored beforehand.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 1, the main body 3 has an opening 6 that connects the internal space 5 with the external space, and an opening / closing door 7 that closes the opening 6. The opening 6 is formed, for example, on the side of the main body 3. The opening 6 is a portion for taking a luggage box 8 out of the main body 3 and putting it into the main body 3, and is formed in a size that allows the luggage box 8 to be taken in and out. The opening / closing door 7 is provided so as to be movable between a closed position that closes the opening 6 and an open position that exposes the opening 6.

[0022] (Luggage box configuration) The luggage box 8 is a box (box) for transferring luggage 100 between the main body 3 and the delivery box 60 while isolating it from the outside space. The luggage box 8 is supported by the main body 3 via an arm 15 described later. As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, a luggage storage space 8a capable of storing luggage 100 is formed inside the luggage box 8. The luggage box 8 has a first opening 9 that connects the luggage storage space 8a to the outside space, and a first opening / closing door 10 that closes the first opening 9. The first opening 9 is an opening for taking out luggage 100 from the luggage box 8 and for putting luggage 100 into the luggage box 8, and is formed to a size that allows the luggage 100 to be put in and taken out. The first opening 9 is an opening for transferring luggage 100 between the main body 3 and the delivery box 60, facing the opening 62 (see Fig. 1) of the delivery box 60. The first opening 9 is formed, for example, on a side surface of the luggage box 8, and is formed so that the luggage 100 can be put in and taken out horizontally. The first opening 9 faces the opening 6 and the opening / closing door 7 of the main body 3 when the luggage box 8 is stored inside the main body 3.

[0023] The first opening / closing door 10 is provided so as to be movable between a closed position where the first opening 9 is closed and an open position where the first opening 9 is exposed. The first opening / closing door 10 may be configured so as not to protrude from the luggage box 8 when opened, that is, so as to be accommodated within the luggage box 8. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the first opening / closing door 10 may be a shutter that opens and closes along the opening surface of the first opening 9 and can be folded. In this case, the luggage box 8 has a storage section 8b that stores the first opening / closing door 10 (shutter) in the open position inside. FIG. 4 shows an example in which the first opening / closing door 10 is stored inside the upper surface of the luggage box 8. This allows the first opening / closing door 10 to be opened even when the first opening / closing door 10 and the opening / closing door 63 (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) of the delivery box 60 face each other.

[0024] The first opening / closing door 10 may have a structure other than the shutter shown in Fig. 4 (a horizontal opening door, a vertical opening door, a revolving door, etc.). Even in this case, the first opening / closing door 10 may be stored inside the luggage box 8 when opened, and may be, for example, a door that rotates inwardly of the luggage box 8. Furthermore, the first opening / closing door 10 may be opened to go outwardly of the luggage box 8, so long as it can be opened even when it is in a close position facing the opening / closing door 63 of the delivery box 60. In this case, the first opening / closing door 10 may be configured to slide in parallel to the opening surface of the first opening 9.

[0025] The outer surface of the luggage box 8 where the first opening 9 is formed (including the surface of the first opening / closing door 10) is formed in a shape that matches the outer surface of the delivery box 60 where the opening 62 is formed (including the surface of the opening / closing door 63 of the delivery box 60), and is specifically formed, for example, in a flat shape. This makes it easier to align the positions of both openings 9, 62 (both opening / closing doors 10, 63) when the luggage box 8 is brought close to the delivery box 60. Note that the outer surface of the luggage box 8 where the first opening 9 is formed and the outer surface of the delivery box 60 where the opening 62 is formed may be formed into curved surfaces that match each other, i.e., curved surfaces with the same curvature.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the luggage box 8 may have a second opening 11 that connects the luggage storage space 8a to the outside space, and a second opening / closing door 12 that closes the second opening 11. The second opening 11 is formed on an outer surface of the luggage box 8 that is different from the outer surface on which the first opening 9 is formed (for example, on a side opposite to the side on which the first opening 9 is formed). The second opening 11 is formed at a position facing the luggage placement space 5b (see FIG. 3) in the main body 3 when the luggage box 8 is stored in the main body 3. The second opening 11 is an opening for putting luggage 100 into the luggage box 8 and taking luggage 100 out of the luggage box 8 in the main body 3, and is formed to a size that allows the luggage 100 to be put in and taken out. The second opening / closing door 12 is provided movably between a closed position that closes the second opening 11 and an open position that exposes the second opening 11.

[0027] The luggage box 8 may have only one opening that serves both the first opening 9 and the second opening 11, and one door that serves both the first opening door 10 and the second opening door 12. In this case, the ground device 2 may be provided with a mechanism for changing the orientation of the luggage box 8 within the main body 3, and the opening (door) of the luggage box 8 within the main body 3 may be oriented toward the luggage placement space 5b or toward the opening 6 and door 7 of the main body 3 by the mechanism.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, the luggage box 8 has an alignment portion 13 for aligning the vertical position of the lower end of the first opening 9 (in other words, the bottom surface of the luggage storage space 8a) with the vertical position of the lower end of the opening 62 of the luggage box 60 (in other words, the bottom surface of the luggage storage space in the delivery box 60) when the luggage box 8 approaches the delivery box 60. The alignment portion 13 is formed, for example, in a shape that protrudes horizontally from the upper end of the side surface of the luggage box 8 where the first opening 9 is formed. The protruding direction is the opposing direction of the luggage box 8 and the delivery box 60, and more specifically, the direction from the luggage box 8 toward the delivery box 60. The alignment portion 13 is formed, for example, in a plate shape that forms a surface continuous with the upper surface of the luggage box 8.

[0029] 2, when alignment unit 13 is in a position facing top surface 61b of delivery box 60, the bottom end position of opening 9 of luggage box 8 coincides with the bottom end position of opening 62 of delivery box 60. In other words, when alignment unit 13 is in a position facing top surface 61b of delivery box 60, the height of the inside bottom surface of luggage box 8 coincides with the height of the inside bottom surface of delivery box 60.

[0030] When the positioning unit 13 is in a position facing the upper surface 61b of the delivery box 60, the positioning unit 13 may be in contact with the upper surface 61b or may be spaced a small distance away from the upper surface 61b. When the positioning unit 13 is in contact with the upper surface 61b, the positioning unit 13 functions as a weight transmitting unit that transmits the weight of the luggage box 8 to the delivery box 60.

[0031] 5, the luggage box 8 has a connection part 14 that is connected to an arm 15 via a damper 20. The connection parts 14 are provided so as to protrude from the left and right sides of the luggage box 8, which are located on both the left and right sides of the first opening 9.

[0032] (Arm configuration) Arm 15 shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5 is a box drive unit that supports luggage box 8 and moves luggage box 8 between main body 3 and delivery box 60. Arm 15 is formed in a longitudinal shape, one end in the longitudinal direction is supported by main body 3, and the other end is connected to luggage box 8 via damper 20. Arm 15 moves luggage box 8 out of main body 3 and into main body 3 through opening 6 of main body 3. When luggage box 8 is stored in main body 3, arm 15 may also be stored in main body 3.

[0033] Arm 15 is configured to be able to change the position of luggage box 8 in the horizontal direction outside main body 3, specifically, the position of luggage box 8 in a direction perpendicular to the side of main body 3 where opening 6 is formed (in other words, the opposing direction between luggage box 8 and delivery box 60) (the left-right position on the paper in Figures 1 and 2). Arm 15 is also configured to be able to change the position of luggage box 8 in the up-down direction outside main body 3. Furthermore, arm 15 may be configured to be able to change the position of luggage box 8 in a direction perpendicular to both the opposing direction and the up-down direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper in Figures 1 and 2) outside main body 3.

[0034] Specifically, the arm 15 has a plurality of longitudinal skeletal parts 16, a base end connecting part 17 that connects a base end side skeletal part 16a, which is one of the plurality of skeletal parts 16, to the main body 3, an intermediate connecting part 18 that connects the skeletal parts 16 to each other, and a tip connecting part 19 that connects a tip end side skeletal part 16b, which is one of the plurality of skeletal parts 16, to the damper 20. In the examples of Figs. 1, 2, and 5, an example in which the number of skeletal parts 16 is two is shown, but three or more may be used. The base end connecting part 17 is connected to the main body 3 so that the angle between the base end side skeletal part 16a and the main body 3 (angle around an axis perpendicular to the paper surface of Figs. 1 and 2) can be changed. The base end connecting part 17 may be configured so that the angle between the base end side skeletal part 16a and the main body 3 around an axis in the vertical direction can also be changed.

[0035] The intermediate connector 18 connects the two skeletal parts 16 to each other so as to enable the angle between the two skeletal parts 16 (angle about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 1) to be changed. The intermediate connector 18 may be configured so as to enable the angle between the two skeletal parts 16 to be changed also about an axis in the up-down direction.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 5, the tip connecting part 19 is formed in a shape branched into two from the tip of the tip side skeleton part 16b. One branch part 19a is connected to a damper 20a provided on one of the left and right side surfaces of the luggage box 8. The other branch part 19b is connected to a damper 20b provided on the other of the left and right side surfaces of the luggage box 8. The tip connecting part 19 is connected to the damper 20 so that the up-down direction of the luggage box 8 always faces the vertical direction (so that the luggage box 8 does not tilt obliquely) regardless of the angle between the skeleton parts 16a and 16b and the angle between the skeleton part 16a and the main body 3. Furthermore, the tip connecting part 19 is connected to the damper 20 so that the operating direction of the damper 20 always faces a constant direction (specifically, for example, the vertical direction) regardless of the angle between the skeleton parts 16a and 16b and the angle between the skeleton part 16a and the main body 3.

[0037] (Damper configuration) The damper 20 is a load attenuation unit that absorbs impacts applied to the damper 20 in a predetermined direction and attenuates loads applied to the damper 20 in a predetermined direction. The dampers 20 are provided on both the left and right side surfaces of the luggage box 8. As shown in FIG. 5, the damper 20 may be, for example, a telescopic damper that expands and contracts in a predetermined direction. In this case, the damper 20 has a piston 21, a cylindrical housing portion 22 that houses the piston 21, and a rod-shaped portion 23 connected to the piston 21. The piston 21 is provided in the housing portion 22 so as to be movable in the axial direction of the cylinder. The housing portion 22 is filled with oil, gas, or the like. The rod-shaped portion 23 has a protruding end that protrudes outside the housing portion 22.

[0038] Damper 20 is provided so as to be interposed between luggage box 8 and arm 15. Specifically, storage section 22 is connected to tip connecting section 19 of arm 15. The protruding end of rod section 23 is connected to connection section 14 of luggage box 8.

[0039] The damper 20 is provided so as to damp the vertical load on the luggage box 8. Specifically, the damper 20 is provided so that its operating direction (the moving direction of the piston 21) faces, for example, a direction closer to the vertical direction than the horizontal direction. In this case, the operating direction of the damper 20 may be the vertical direction or a direction inclined relative to the vertical direction. The damper 20 may be configured to damp not only the vertical load but also the horizontal load. Note that a damper may be provided separately from the damper 20 to damp the horizontal load on the luggage box 8 and the delivery box 60 in contact therewith.

[0040] When the luggage box 8 is lifted by the arm 15, the damper 20 supports the entire weight of the luggage box 8 at the bottom dead center of the damper 20. That is, when the luggage box 8 is lifted by the arm 15, the piston 21 comes into contact with the lower surface (bottom dead center) inside the accommodation portion 22.

[0041] (Configuration of the luggage moving section inside the main body) The ground machine 2 includes an in-body luggage moving unit 24 (see FIG. 3) that moves the luggage 100 inside the main body 3, and a main body luggage control unit 25 (see FIG. 11) that drives and controls the moving unit 24. The in-body luggage moving unit 24 may include a first moving unit that moves the luggage 100 in the luggage arrangement space 5b to just before the second opening 11 (second opening / closing door 12) of the luggage box 8, and a second moving unit that moves the luggage 100 located just before the second opening 11 into the luggage box 8. The first moving unit may include a horizontal moving unit (e.g., a belt conveyor) that moves the luggage 100 in the horizontal direction. The first moving unit may also include a vertical moving unit that moves the luggage 100 in the vertical direction. The first moving unit may include a circulating moving unit (e.g., a rotary conveyor) that circulates (rotates) a plurality of luggage 100 inside the main body 3. The second moving section may be, for example, a pushing section that pushes the luggage 100 toward the luggage box 8 or a pulling section that pulls the luggage 100 into the luggage box 8. The second moving section may be a box luggage moving section 32 (see FIG. 2) described later. Also, the first moving section may double as the second moving section.

[0042] The main body internal luggage moving section 24 may include an unloading moving section that unloads luggage 100 from the luggage box 8. The unloading moving section may be a box luggage moving section 32 (see FIG. 2) described later.

[0043] In addition, the internal luggage moving section 24 may be a luggage lifting section that lifts the luggage 100 and places it in and out of the luggage box 8.

[0044] The main body luggage control section 25 in FIG. 11 controls the in-main body luggage moving section 24 so as to place luggage 100 in the luggage box 8 within the main body 3 or to remove luggage 100 from the luggage box 8.

[0045] (Box door control unit, counterpart door control unit configuration) The ground machine 2 is equipped with a box door control unit 26 (see FIG. 11 ) that controls the opening and closing of the first opening and closing door 10 and the second opening and closing door 12 of the luggage box 8. The box door control unit 26 may include a destination door control unit that controls the opening and closing of the opening and closing door 63 of the delivery box 60. The destination door control unit controls the opening and closing of the opening and closing door 63 of the delivery box 60 when the luggage box 8 is in a close position close to the delivery box 60.

[0046] Specifically, the other-side door control unit may be a switch operating member 27 that contacts a door opening / closing switch 65 provided on the delivery box 60 and operates the switch 65 when the luggage box 8 is in an approaching position close to the delivery box 60, as shown in FIG. 6. The switch operating member 27 may be, for example, a protruding portion protruding from the outer surface (front surface) of the luggage box 8 on which the opening / closing door 10 is provided. The door opening / closing switch 65 may be provided in a recess 66 formed on the outer surface (front surface) of the delivery box 60 on which the opening / closing door 63 is provided. In this case, as the luggage box 8 approaches the delivery box 60, the switch operating member 27 is inserted into the recess 66, and the door opening / closing switch 65 is turned on. Also, as the luggage box 8 moves away from the delivery box 60, the switch operating member 27 moves away from the door opening / closing switch 65, and the door opening / closing switch 65 is turned off. The door opening / closing switch 65 may be, for example, a push-down switch. By providing the door opening / closing switch 65 in the recess 66, it is possible to prevent the door opening / closing switch 65 from being operated by other people.

[0047] In addition, the ground unit 2 may be provided with a drive unit that moves the switch operating member 27 between a protruding position where the switch operating member 27 protrudes from the luggage box 8 and a retracted position where the switch operating member 27 is retracted within the luggage box 8.

[0048] In the case of FIG. 6, delivery box 60 includes a door drive unit 67 that opens door 63 when switch 65 is turned on, and closes door 63 when switch 65 is turned off.

[0049] The destination door control unit may be configured as shown in FIG. 7. In FIG. 7, the destination door control unit includes an engagement unit 28 (gear or the like) that engages with an engagement unit 68 provided on the opening / closing door 63 itself of the delivery box 60 or on the opening / closing mechanism of the opening / closing door 63 when the luggage box 8 is in an approaching position close to the delivery box 60, and a control unit 29 that drives and controls the engagement unit 28. The engagement unit 28 is configured to open the opening / closing door 63 when driven in a first direction while engaged with the engagement unit 68 of the delivery box 60, and to close the opening / closing door 63 when driven in a second direction opposite to the first direction. Note that the engagement unit 28 may constitute a part of the opening / closing mechanism of the opening / closing door 10 of the luggage box 8. In this case, the opening / closing door 10 opens when the engagement unit 28 is driven in the first direction, and closes when driven in the second direction.

[0050] The control unit 29 drives the engagement portion 28 in a first direction when transferring the luggage 100 between the luggage box 8 and the delivery box 60 while the luggage box 8 is in an approaching position close to the delivery box 60, and drives the engagement portion 28 in a second direction when the transfer is completed.

[0051] 7, the driving force from the ground device 2 (luggage box 8) is transmitted to the door 63 of the delivery box 60 to open and close the door 63. In this case, the delivery box 60 does not need to be provided with an electrically-driven member (motor, etc.) for opening and closing the door 63.

[0052] The destination door control unit may be configured as shown in Fig. 8. In Fig. 8, the destination door control unit includes a transmitter 30 that wirelessly transmits to the delivery box 60 side, and a control unit 31 that transmits an opening / closing instruction signal to the delivery box 60 side via the transmitter 30 to instruct the delivery box 60 side to open or close the opening / closing door 63. The transmitter 30 and the control unit 31 may be provided in the luggage box 8, or may be provided in a portion of the ground machine 2 other than the luggage box 8 (for example, the main body 3).

[0053] The communication medium of the transmission unit 30 may be any medium such as radio waves, infrared rays, light, etc. When the luggage box 8 is in a close position close to the delivery box 60 and the luggage 100 is handed over between the luggage box 8 and the delivery box 60, the control unit 31 causes the transmission unit 30 to transmit a signal instructing the opening and closing door 63 to open. When the handover of the luggage 100 is completed, the control unit 31 causes the transmission unit 30 to transmit a signal instructing the opening and closing door 63 to close.

[0054] In the case of Figure 8, the delivery box 60 includes a receiving unit 69 that receives an opening / closing instruction signal transmitted from the transmitting unit 30, and a door driving unit 70 that opens and closes the opening / closing door 63 based on the opening / closing instruction signal received by the receiving unit 69.

[0055] (Configuration of box luggage moving section) The ground machine 2 includes a box luggage moving unit 32 (see FIG. 2) that moves the luggage 100 so as to take the luggage 100 out of the luggage box 8 or put the luggage 100 into the luggage box 8 when the luggage box 8 and the delivery box 60 are close to each other, and a box luggage control unit 33 (see FIG. 11) that drives and controls the moving unit 32. The box luggage moving unit 32 may include a luggage delivery moving unit that moves the luggage 100 from the luggage box 8 to the delivery box 60. The box luggage moving unit 32 may include a luggage receiving moving unit that moves the luggage 100 from the delivery box 60 to the luggage box 8. The luggage delivery moving unit and the luggage receiving moving unit may be combined, or may be provided separately. The box luggage moving unit 32 (the luggage delivery moving unit and the luggage receiving moving unit) may be, for example, a belt conveyor provided on the bottom surface inside the luggage box 8. The luggage delivery moving unit may be a pusher unit (an expandable unit such as a piston) that pushes the luggage 100 toward the delivery box 60. The cargo receiving and moving section may be an extendable suction section that extends toward the delivery box 60 and sucks up the cargo 100.

[0056] (Configuration of the other party's mobility control unit) The ground machine 2 may include a counterpart-side movement control unit that drives and controls a luggage moving unit 64 (see FIG. 2) provided on the side of the delivery box 60. The counterpart-side movement control unit drives and controls the luggage moving unit 64 so that, when the luggage box 8 and the delivery box 60 are close to each other, the luggage moving unit 32 of the luggage box 8 and the luggage moving unit 64 (e.g., a belt conveyor) of the delivery box 60 are driven synchronously in the same direction.

[0057] The other party's movement control section may be configured as shown in Fig. 9, for example. The other party's movement control section in Fig. 9 includes an engagement section 34 (gear or the like) that engages with an engagement section 71 (gear or the like) provided on the delivery box 60 when the luggage box 8 is in an approaching position close to the delivery box 60, and a control section 35 that drives and controls the engagement section 34. When the engagement section 34 is driven in a first direction while engaged with the engagement section 71, it drives the luggage moving section 64 in a direction to put the luggage 100 into the delivery box 60. When the engagement section 34 is driven in a second direction opposite to the first direction while engaged with the engagement section 71, it drives the luggage moving section 64 in a direction to take the luggage 100 out of the delivery box 60.

[0058] When moving luggage 100 from luggage box 8 to delivery box 60 in a state in which luggage box 8 approaches delivery box 60, control unit 35 drives engagement unit 34 in the first direction. When moving luggage 100 from delivery box 60 to luggage box 8, control unit 35 drives engagement unit 34 in the second direction.

[0059] The engagement portion 34 may constitute a part of the drive mechanism of the luggage mover 32 of the luggage box 8. In this case, when the engagement portion 34 is driven in the first direction, the luggage mover 32 is driven to take the luggage 100 out of the luggage box 8. When the engagement portion 34 is driven in the second direction, the luggage mover 32 is driven to put the luggage 100 into the luggage box 8. In this case, the control portion 35 constitutes a control portion (box luggage control portion 33 in FIG. 11) that controls the drive of the luggage mover 32.

[0060] 9 drives the luggage moving unit 64 by transmitting the driving force from the ground device 2 (luggage box 8) to the luggage moving unit 64. In this case, the delivery box 60 does not need to be equipped with an electric member (motor, etc.) that drives the luggage moving unit 64.

[0061] The other party's movement control unit may be configured as shown in Fig. 10. The other party's movement control unit in Fig. 10 includes a transmitter 36 that wirelessly transmits to the delivery box 60 side, and a control unit 37 that transmits a drive instruction signal to the delivery box 60 side via the transmitter 36, instructing the delivery box 60 side to drive the luggage moving unit 64. The transmitter 36 and control unit 37 may be provided in the luggage box 8, or may be provided in a part of the ground machine 2 other than the luggage box 8 (for example, the main body 3).

[0062] The communication medium of the transmission unit 36 ​​may be any medium such as radio waves, infrared rays, or light. When the control unit 37 moves the luggage 100 from the luggage box 8 to the delivery box 60, the control unit 37 causes the transmission unit 36 ​​to transmit a signal instructing the luggage moving unit 64 to drive in a direction to put the luggage 100 into the delivery box 60. When the control unit 37 moves the luggage 100 from the delivery box 60 to the luggage box 8, the control unit 37 causes the transmission unit 36 ​​to transmit a signal instructing the luggage moving unit 64 to drive in a direction to take the luggage 100 out of the delivery box 60. When the delivery of the luggage 100 between the luggage box 8 and the delivery box 60 is completed, the control unit 37 may cause the transmission unit 36 ​​to transmit a signal to stop driving the luggage moving unit 64.

[0063] In the case of FIG. 10, the delivery box 60 includes a receiving unit 72 that receives a signal transmitted from the transmitting unit 36, and a driving unit 73 that drives the luggage moving unit 64 based on the signal received by the receiving unit 72.

[0064] The other-side movement control section may be configured to include a switch operation member (not shown) that operates a switch provided on the delivery box 60 side when the luggage box 8 and the delivery box 60 are in close proximity to each other, and a control section (not shown) that drives and controls the switch operation member. In this case, the delivery box 60 is provided with a drive section (not shown) that drives and controls the luggage moving section 64 based on the operation of the switch. The switch may be a switch having an operation direction (first operation direction, second operation direction) corresponding to the drive direction of the luggage moving section 64, or may include a switch (first switch, second switch) for each drive direction of the luggage moving section 64. When the switch is operated in the first operation direction or when the first switch is operated, the drive section of the luggage moving section 64 drives the luggage moving section 64 in a direction to put the luggage 100 into the delivery box 60. When the switch is operated in the second operation direction or when the second switch is operated, the drive section drives the luggage moving section 64 in a direction to take the luggage 100 out of the delivery box 60.

[0065] (Other configurations of the ground unit) 11, the ground machine 2 further includes a main body movement control unit 38 that controls the movement of the main body 3 (driving the wheels 4), a main body door control unit 39 that controls the opening and closing of the opening and closing door 7 of the main body 3, and an arm control unit 40 that drives and controls the arm 15. The arm control unit 40 drives and controls the arm 15 so as to move the luggage box 8 in and out of the main body 3. The arm control unit 40 controls the position of each skeletal unit 16 of the arm 15 when the luggage box 8 is out of the main body 3, in other words, controls the angle between the base end side skeletal unit 16a and the main body 3 and the angle between the skeletal units 16a and 16b.

[0066] Furthermore, the ground machine 2 includes a memory unit 41 that stores various data necessary for controlling the ground machine 2, a communication unit 42 that communicates wirelessly with the outside, and various sensors 43. The communication unit 42 may include a communication unit that communicates with a company-side communication unit provided in a facility of the company that delivers or collects the package 100, a communication unit that communicates with a delivery box-side communication unit provided on the delivery box 60 side, or a communication unit that communicates with a route communication unit provided on the route to the location of the delivery box 60.

[0067] The sensor 43 may include, for example, a current position sensor 44 (GPS sensor, orientation sensor, etc.) that detects the current position of the ground device 2, an image capturing unit 45 that captures the surroundings of the ground device 2 (main body 3) or the surroundings of the luggage box 8 taken out from the main body 3, a contact sensor 46 that detects contact between the luggage box 8 and the delivery box 60, and a distance sensor 47 that detects the distance between the main body 3 or the luggage box 8 and the delivery box 60. The contact sensor 46 may include a sensor that detects contact between the front surface of the luggage box 8 (including the surface of the opening and closing door 10) and the front surface of the delivery box 60 (including the surface of the opening and closing door 63), a sensor that detects contact between the alignment unit 13 of the luggage box 8 and the upper surface 61b of the delivery box 60, and the like. The distance sensor 47 may include a sensor that detects the distance between the front surface of the luggage box 8 (including the surface of the opening and closing door 10) and the front surface of the delivery box 60 (including the surface of the opening and closing door 63), a sensor that detects the distance between the alignment unit 13 of the luggage box 8 and the upper surface 61b of the delivery box 60, and the like.

[0068] (Configuration of delivery box) Next, the configuration of the delivery box 60 will be described. The delivery box 60 is a parcel receiving box that receives parcels 100 from the ground device 2, and is also a parcel collection box that stores parcels 100 to be collected by the ground device 2. The delivery box 60 is provided, for example, in a detached house, an apartment building, a facility, a business office, etc. The delivery box 60 is also provided, for example, outdoors. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the delivery box 60 includes a main box 61 and a parcel moving unit 64.

[0069] The main box 61 has a luggage storage space 61a inside thereof capable of storing luggage 100. The main box 61 has an opening 62 that connects the luggage storage space 61a to an external space, and an opening / closing door 63 that closes the opening 62. The opening 62 is an opening for taking the luggage 100 out of the main box 61 and for putting the luggage 100 into the main box 61, and is formed to a size that allows the luggage 100 to be put in and taken out. The opening 62 may be formed to have the same size (same shape) as the opening 9 of the luggage box 8, or may be formed to have a different size. The opening 62 is formed, for example, on a side surface of the main box 61, and is formed to allow the luggage 100 to be put in and taken out horizontally.

[0070] The opening / closing door 63 is provided so as to be movable between a closed position where the opening 62 is closed and an open position where the opening 62 is exposed. The opening / closing door 62 may be configured so as not to protrude outside the main box 61 when opened, that is, so as to be accommodated within the main box 61. Specifically, the opening / closing door 63 may be a shutter that opens and closes along the opening surface of the opening 62 and can be folded, similar to the opening / closing door 10 of the luggage box 8 in FIG. 4. Note that the opening / closing door 63 may be configured to open in a form that protrudes outside the main box 61, so long as it can be opened even when it is in a close position facing the opening / closing door 10 of the luggage box 8. In this case, the opening / closing door 63 may be configured to slide parallel to the opening surface of the opening 62.

[0071] In addition to the opening 62 and the opening / closing door 63, the main box 61 may have a second opening through which the owner of the delivery box 60 puts and takes out the package 100 in and out of the main box 61, and a second opening / closing door that closes the second opening / closing door. It is not necessary to provide the second opening and the second opening / closing door. In this case, the owner of the delivery box 60 can put and take out the package 100 through the opening 62.

[0072] The main box 61 may have a receiving portion 61c (see FIG. 2) that receives the weight of the luggage box 8 approaching the main box 61. The receiving portion 61a is a contact portion of the upper surface 61b of the main box 61 that comes into contact with the alignment portion 13 of the luggage box 8.

[0073] The luggage moving section 64 is a section that moves luggage 100 so that luggage 100 is placed from the luggage box 8 into the main box 61 or luggage 100 is removed from the main box 61 toward the luggage box 8 when the luggage box 8 and the delivery box 60 are close to each other. The luggage moving section 64 may include a luggage receiving moving section that places luggage 100 from the luggage box 8 into the main box 61, and a luggage delivery moving section that moves luggage 100 in the main box 61 to the luggage box 8. The luggage receiving moving section and the luggage delivery moving section may be a combined unit or may be provided separately. The luggage moving section 64 (the luggage delivery moving section and the luggage receiving moving section) may be, for example, a belt conveyor provided on the bottom surface inside the main box 61.

[0074] The delivery box 60 is equipped with a door control unit that controls the opening and closing of the opening and closing door 63. When the delivery box 60 and the luggage box 8 are in close proximity to each other, the door control unit opens the opening and closing door 63 when the opening and closing door 10 of the luggage box 8 opens, and closes the opening and closing door 63 when the opening and closing door 10 closes. Specifically, the door control unit may be configured as shown in Figs. 6 to 8 above. The door control unit in Fig. 6 is configured to include the above-mentioned door opening and closing switch 65 and door drive unit 67. The door control unit in Fig. 7 is configured to include the above-mentioned engagement unit 68. The door control unit in Fig. 8 is configured to include the above-mentioned receiving unit 69 and door drive unit 70.

[0075] The delivery box 60 is equipped with a luggage movement control unit which drives and controls the luggage moving unit 64. The luggage movement control unit drives and controls the luggage moving unit 64 so that, when the luggage box 8 and the delivery box 60 are close to each other, the luggage moving unit 32 of the luggage box 8 and the luggage moving unit 64 of the delivery box 60 are driven synchronously in the same direction. The luggage movement control unit may be configured, for example, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10 above. The luggage movement control unit in Fig. 9 is configured to include the engagement unit 71 described above. The luggage movement control unit in Fig. 10 is configured to include the receiving unit 72 and driving unit 73 described above.

[0076] (Baggage delivery system operation, ground aircraft handling) Next, the operation of the baggage delivery system 1 and the processing of the ground machine 2 will be described. First, the processing of the ground machine 2 (baggage delivery system 1) when the baggage 100 is delivered from the ground machine 2 to the delivery box 60 will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the processing. When the processing of FIG. 12 starts, first, the main body movement control unit 38 (see FIG. 11) of the ground machine 2 moves the main body 3 storing the baggage box 8 and the baggage 100 from the base to in front of the delivery box 60 (S1). For example, the main body movement control unit 38 moves the main body 3 to the location where the delivery box 60 is installed (around the delivery box 60) based on the location data of the delivery box 60 stored in advance in the memory unit 41 (see FIG. 11) and the current location detected by the current location sensor 44 (see FIG. 11). The main body movement control unit 38 positions the main body 3 in front of the delivery box 60 (see FIG. 1) so that the opening and closing door 7 of the main body 3 faces the opening and closing door 63 of the delivery box 60, based on, for example, an image of the area around the ground device 2 captured by the photographing unit 45 (see FIG. 11) and the distance (distance between the main body 3 and the main body box 61) detected by the distance sensor 47 (see FIG. 11). At this time, the main body movement control unit 38 positions the main body 3 within a predetermined distance from the main body box 61 of the delivery box 60. This predetermined distance is within the range in which the arm 15 extends (for example, within 2 m).

[0077] In addition, the main body movement control unit 38 may receive a remote control signal or a guidance signal from outside (for example, from the company delivering the package 100, from the delivery box 60, or from the route between the base and the delivery box) via the communication unit 42 (see Figure 11), and control the movement of the main body 3 based on the received remote control signal or guidance signal.

[0078] Next, the box door control unit 26 (see FIG. 11) opens the second opening / closing door 12 of the luggage box 8. Then, the main body luggage control unit 25 (see FIG. 11) drives and controls the in-main body luggage moving unit 24 (see FIG. 3) to store the luggage 100 to be delivered this time in the luggage box 8 through the second opening 11 within the main body 3 (S2). Thereafter, the box door control unit 26 closes the second opening / closing door 12.

[0079] Next, the main body door control unit 39 (see FIG. 11) opens the opening / closing door 7 of the main body 3. After that, the arm control unit 40 (see FIG. 11) drives and controls the arm 15 to move the luggage box 8 to the outside of the main body 3 through the opening 6 of the main body 3. Then, the arm control unit 40 drives and controls the arm 15 to move the luggage box 8 to a close position where the opening / closing door 10 (opening 9) of the luggage box 8 and the opening / closing door 63 (opening 62) of the delivery box 60 face each other (see FIG. 2) (S3). At this time, the arm control unit 40 sets the distance between the front surface (opening / closing door 10) of the luggage box 8 and the front surface (opening / closing door 63) of the delivery box 60 in the opposing direction of the luggage box 8 and the delivery box 60 to a predetermined distance or less. The front surface of the luggage box 8 and the front surface of the delivery box 60 may be brought into contact with each other.

[0080] Further, the arm control unit 40 aligns the vertical positions of the opening 9 (opening door 10) of the luggage box 8 and the opening 62 (opening door 63) of the delivery box 60. Specifically, the arm control unit 40 aligns the vertical positions of the lower end of the opening 9 of the luggage box 8 (in other words, the bottom surface inside the luggage box 8) and the lower end of the opening 62 of the delivery box 60 (in other words, the bottom surface inside the delivery box 60). More specifically, the arm control unit 40 causes the alignment unit 13 of the luggage box 8 to face the upper surface 61b of the delivery box 60 at a predetermined distance or less. At this time, the alignment unit 13 may be brought into contact with the upper surface 61b. In this case, as shown in FIG. 13, the arm control unit 40 may move the luggage box 8 slightly above the delivery box 60 in front of the delivery box 60, and then slowly move the luggage box 8 diagonally downward toward the delivery box 60 until the alignment unit 13 comes into contact with the upper surface 61b. This can reduce the impact when alignment portion 13 comes into contact with upper surface 61b, and can suppress damage to delivery box 60 or luggage box 8.

[0081] When the positioning unit 13 and the upper surface 61b are brought into contact with each other, the entire weight of the luggage box 8 may be loaded onto the delivery box 60, or a part of the weight of the luggage box 8 may be loaded onto the delivery box 60. However, the weight of the arm 15 is not loaded onto the delivery box 60. When the entire weight of the luggage box 8 is loaded onto the delivery box 60, the arm control unit 40 controls the arm 15 so that the piston 21 of the damper 20 in FIG. 5 is not brought into contact with the bottom surface of the storage unit 22 but is positioned in the middle of the storage unit 22. When a part of the weight of the luggage box 8 is loaded onto the delivery box 60, the arm control unit 40 controls the arm 15 so that the piston 21 of the damper 20 is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the storage unit 22 while bringing the positioning unit 13 into contact with the upper surface 61b.

[0082] Also, the positioning portion 13 may not contact the upper surface 61b, and there may be a gap between the positioning portion 13 and the upper surface 61b. In this case, the piston 21 of the damper 20 is located at the bottom dead center, and the entire weight of the luggage box 8 is borne by the arm 15.

[0083] The arm control unit 40 also aligns the left-right positions of the opening 9 (opening door 10) of the luggage box 8 and the opening 62 (opening door 63) of the delivery box 60. In this way, the approaching position is a position where the front faces of the luggage box 8 and the delivery box 60 face each other at a predetermined distance or less in the opposing direction of the luggage box 8 and the delivery box 60, and where the vertical and left-right positions (positions in the width direction) of both openings 9, 62 are aligned. Note that the arm control unit 40 may move the luggage box 8 to the approaching position without bringing the lower surface of the luggage box 8 into contact with the ground. Also, when the luggage box 8 is in the approaching state to the delivery box 60, the lower surface of the luggage box 8 does not need to be in contact with the ground.

[0084] When moving the luggage box 8 to the approaching position, the arm control unit 40 may determine the position of the delivery box 60 (positions of the opening 62, the opening and closing door 63, and the top surface 61b) based on, for example, an image captured by the imaging unit 45. The arm control unit 40 may determine the contact or distance between the front surface of the luggage box 8 and the front surface of the delivery box 60, or the contact or distance between the alignment unit 13 and the top surface 61b, based on, for example, the contact sensor 46 or the distance sensor 47.

[0085] Next, the box door control unit 26 in Fig. 11 and the counterpart door control unit in Fig. 6 to Fig. 8 open both the opening and closing doors 10, 63 of the luggage box 8 and the delivery box 60 (S4) as shown in Fig. 14. Note that, for ease of understanding, Fig. 14 shows an example in which the opening and closing doors 10, 63 open in a form that protrudes below the boxes 8, 60, but they may open so as to fit within the boxes 8, 60.

[0086] Next, the box luggage control unit 33 in Figure 11 and the counterpart movement control unit in Figures 9 and 10 drive and control the luggage moving unit 32 of the luggage box 8 and the luggage moving unit 64 of the delivery box 60 so as to move the luggage 100 from the luggage box 8 to the delivery box 60 (main box 61) as shown in Figure 14 (S5).

[0087] Next, the box door control unit 26 in FIG. 11 and the other door control unit in FIGS. 6 to 8 close both the opening and closing doors 10, 63 of the luggage box 8 and the delivery box 60 (S6).

[0088] Next, the arm control unit 40 in Fig. 11 drives and controls the arm 15 to return the luggage box 8 into the main body 3 (S7). After that, the main body movement control unit 38 in Fig. 11 moves the ground machine 2 to the next delivery location or base.

[0089] Next, the process of the ground machine 2 (luggage delivery system 1) when the luggage 100 is delivered from the delivery box 60 to the ground machine 2 will be described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the process. When the process of FIG. 15 is started, the main body 3 is moved to the front of the delivery box 60, and then the luggage box 8 is brought close to the delivery box 60, and then both opening and closing doors 10, 63 are opened (S10 to S12). Steps S10 to S12 are the same as steps S1, S3, and S4 in FIG. 12. Next, the box luggage control unit 33 in FIG. 11 and the other side movement control unit in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 drive and control the luggage moving unit 32 of the luggage box 8 and the luggage moving unit 64 of the delivery box 60 so as to move the luggage 100 from the delivery box 60 to the luggage box 8 (S13). Then, both opening and closing doors 10, 63 are closed, and the luggage box 8 is returned to the main body 3 (S14, S15). Steps S14 and S15 are similar to steps S6 and S7 in FIG.

[0090] (effect) The effects of this embodiment will be described below. In this embodiment, the luggage 100 is delivered to and from the delivery box 60 via the luggage box 8, so that the luggage 100 is prevented from being exposed during delivery. This prevents the luggage 100 from being stolen or exposed to rain and wind. In addition, since the luggage is delivered while the main body 3 and the delivery box 60 are separated, the luggage 100 can be delivered even if the delivery box 60 is installed in a place with a step, as shown in FIG. 2. In addition, even if the road around the delivery box 60 is rough (a slope), as shown in FIG. 16, the luggage box 8 can be brought close to the delivery box 60 while the main body 3 is located on the rough road by adjusting the angle between the arm 15 and the main body 3 and the angle between the skeleton parts 16 of the arm 15. At this time, the luggage box 8 can be prevented from tilting.

[0091] The positioning unit 13 can align the lower end position of the opening 9 of the luggage box 8 with the lower end position of the opening 63 of the delivery box 60. This makes it possible to deliver the luggage 100 simply by moving the luggage 100 horizontally between the two boxes 8, 60.

[0092] Furthermore, by bringing the alignment portion 13 into contact with the upper surface 61b of the delivery box 60, it is possible to prevent the opening 9 of the luggage box 8 from shifting downward relative to the opening 63 of the delivery box 60 during the delivery of the luggage 100.

[0093] Furthermore, damper 20 can prevent the weight of arm 15 from being transmitted to delivery box 60 at the moment when both boxes 8, 60 come into contact and while both boxes 8, 60 are in contact. In particular, because the operating direction of damper 20 is set to a direction closer to the vertical direction than the horizontal direction, even if arm 15 undergoes slight vertical displacement while both boxes 8, 60 are in contact, it is possible to prevent the load caused by the slight displacement from being transmitted to delivery box 60. This can prevent damage to delivery box 60.

[0094] In addition, the ground-based device 2 is equipped with a destination door control unit that opens and closes the opening and closing door 63 of the delivery box 60, and a destination movement control unit that drives and controls the luggage movement unit 64 of the delivery box 60, thereby preventing the configuration or processing of the delivery box 60 from becoming complicated.

[0095] (Variation 1) The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible. Fig. 17 shows a luggage box 80 and a delivery box 90 according to Modification 1. Fig. 17 shows a perspective view of the inside of the boxes 80 and 90. The luggage box 80 is different from the luggage box 8 described above in that it does not have an alignment portion that protrudes toward the delivery box 90, but is otherwise the same as the luggage box 8.

[0096] The delivery box 90 includes a main box 91, a damper 92, a plate portion 93, and a luggage moving portion 94. The main box 91 is similar to the above-described main box 61. The luggage moving portion 94 is similar to the above-described luggage moving portion 64. The damper 92 is provided in a space 91a within the main box 91, and is a load attenuation portion that attenuates a load applied to the damper 92 in a predetermined direction. The operating direction of the damper 92 is set, for example, in the vertical direction, or in a direction closer to the vertical direction than the horizontal direction.

[0097] The plate portion 93 is placed on the damper 92 so that the load on the plate portion 93 acts on the damper 92. The plate portion 93 includes an inner portion 93a that is inserted into the space 91a in the main box 91, and an outer portion 93b that protrudes outward from the main box 91 (in the direction in which the main box 91 faces the luggage box 80). The inner portion 93a constitutes the bottom surface of the luggage storage space in the main box 91. The outer portion 93b is an alignment portion for aligning the vertical position of the opening 81 of the luggage box 80 with the vertical position of the opening 95 of the main box 91. That is, when the alignment portion 93b is in a facing position facing the lower surface 82 of the luggage box 80, the vertical positions of both openings 81 and 95 are aligned. More specifically, when the alignment portion 93b is in the facing position, the vertical position of the bottom surface in the luggage box 80 and the vertical position of the bottom surface in the main box 91 are aligned.

[0098] Moreover, the outer portion 93b may contact the lower surface 82 of the luggage box 80. In this case, the outer portion 93b functions as a receiving portion that receives the weight of the luggage box 80.

[0099] This can provide the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment. That is, the alignment portion 93b makes it easier to align the vertical positions of both openings 81, 95. In addition, the damper 92 can prevent the load of the arm 15 from being transmitted to the main box 91. This can prevent damage to the delivery box 90.

[0100] (Other variations) The luggage box 8 or the delivery box 60 may be provided with a left-right alignment portion for aligning the left-right positions of both openings 9, 62. The left-right alignment portion is formed in a shape that protrudes from one side of the luggage box 8 or the delivery box 60 to the other side, and when it is in a facing position facing the left and right side surfaces of the other side, the left-right positions of both openings 9, 62 are aligned. This makes it easier to align the left-right positions of both openings 9, 62.

[0101] Furthermore, when the openings 9, 62 are different in size, the degree to which the opening door of the larger opening is opened may be adjusted to match the size of the smaller opening when the luggage box 8 and the delivery box 60 are brought close to each other and the opening doors 10, 63 are opened. This makes it possible to prevent a gap corresponding to the difference between the smaller opening and the larger opening from being exposed, thereby enabling the delivery and receipt of luggage 100 to be carried out safely.

[0102] In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the parcel 100 to be delivered is placed in the parcel box 8 when the ground device 2 arrives at the location of the delivery box 60 (step S2 in FIG. 12). However, this is not limited to this, and the parcel 100 may be placed in advance in the parcel box 8 automatically or manually at a base or the like.

[0103] In addition, the luggage box 8 and the delivery box 60 may be provided with an engagement portion (lock mechanism) that engages with each other so that they do not separate when they are close to each other. This makes it possible to further prevent the openings 9, 62 from becoming misaligned during the delivery of the luggage 100 between the boxes 8, 60.

[0104] In the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the luggage 100 is handed over horizontally between the boxes 8 and 60. However, this is not limiting, and the luggage may be handed over in a direction other than the horizontal direction (for example, vertical direction). In this case, openings of the luggage box and the delivery box may be provided in the luggage delivery direction (for example, vertical direction), and the luggage box and the delivery box may be arranged to face each other in the luggage delivery direction (for example, vertical direction). [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 1. Baggage delivery system 2 Unmanned Ground Transport Vehicle 3. Unmanned Ground Transport Vehicle Body 8. 80 Luggage box 9, 81 Luggage box opening 10. Opening and closing of luggage box door 13, 93b Alignment section 20, 92 Damper (load reduction section) 15 Arm (box drive unit) 26 Box door control section (opening / closing control section) 32, 82 Luggage handling section 60, 90 Delivery box (recipient's box) 62, 95 Parcel box opening 63 Opening and closing the door of the parcel box

Claims

1. An unmanned ground transport vehicle that carries luggage, a mating box that forms a luggage storage space and has an opening / closing part that opens and closes an opening of the luggage storage space; The unmanned ground vehicle comprises: a main body having a storage section for the luggage and moving to a location where the mating box is provided; a luggage box supported by the main body, forming a luggage storage space for storing luggage, and having an opening / closing part for opening and closing an opening of the luggage storage space; a box driving unit which, in the location, moves the luggage box to a close position where the opening of the luggage box faces the opening of the counterpart box while the main body is located away from the counterpart box, and moves the luggage box from the close position to the main body after the delivery of the luggage between the luggage box and the counterpart box is completed; a luggage moving unit that moves the luggage between the luggage box and the other box when the luggage box is in the approach position; an opening / closing control unit that closes the opening / closing part of the luggage box when the luggage box containing the luggage is moved to the approach position or to the main body, and that opens the opening / closing part of the luggage box when the luggage box at the approach position and the other box are to receive and deliver the luggage, The opening and closing part of the counterpart box is opened when the package is delivered and is closed after the package is delivered. Baggage delivery system.

2. At least one of the luggage box and the mating box is provided with a positioning portion having a shape that protrudes in a direction in which the luggage box and the mating box face each other, When the alignment portion is in a facing position facing the outer surface of the luggage box or the mating box on which the alignment portion is not provided, the widthwise position of the opening of the luggage box and the widthwise position of the opening of the mating box are aligned, The baggage delivery system according to claim 1 , wherein the box driving unit moves the baggage box so that the alignment unit is located at the facing position.

3. The baggage delivery system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the unmanned ground transport vehicle and the counterpart box is provided with a load attenuation unit that attenuates a load from the unmanned ground transport vehicle to the counterpart box.

4. 2. The baggage delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the counterpart box includes a receiving portion that receives the weight of the baggage box in the approach position.

5. A main body having a storage section for storing luggage and moving to a location where a destination box is provided; A member supported by the main body for isolating the luggage from an outside space; A delivery section that delivers the cargo between the main body and the counterpart box while isolating the cargo from an external space by the member in a state where the main body is located away from the counterpart box at the location; An unmanned ground vehicle equipped with

6. the member is a luggage box that forms a luggage storage space for storing luggage and has an opening / closing part that opens and closes an opening of the luggage storage space, The delivery section includes: a box driving unit that moves the luggage box to a position close to the other box while the main body is located away from the other box at the location, and moves the luggage box from the position close to the other box to the main body after the delivery of the luggage between the luggage box and the other box is completed; a luggage moving unit that moves the luggage between the luggage box and the counterpart box through the opening when the luggage box is in the approach position; an opening / closing control unit that closes the opening / closing unit when the luggage box containing the luggage is moved to the approach position or to the main body, and opens the opening / closing unit when the luggage box is to be handed over to or from the other box; 6. The unmanned ground vehicle of claim 5, comprising:

7. A method for transferring a load between an unmanned ground transport vehicle and a destination box, comprising: In a state where the main body of the unmanned ground transport vehicle is located away from the counterpart box at a location where the counterpart box is located, a luggage box provided on the unmanned ground transport vehicle is brought close to a position where an opening / closing part that closes the storage space of the luggage box and an opening / closing part that closes the storage space of the counterpart box face each other; opening the opening / closing portion of the luggage box and the opening / closing portion of the counterpart box; moving the parcel from the parcel box to the destination box or from the destination box to the parcel box; closing the opening and closing portion of the luggage box and the opening and closing portion of the counterpart box; returning the luggage box to the main body; A baggage delivery method in which the above steps are carried out in the order listed.

Images