Delivery management server, delivery management system and control method

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of improving the delivery efficiency of a delivery robot which delivers a delivery object from the delivery client to the consignee.SOLUTION: A storage part 113 stores information on a reception representative 2 who receives a delivery object 6 instead of a consignee 1 if the consignee 1 is absent. An acquisition part 111 acquires information on whether the consignee 1 and the reception representative 2 are present and a delivery request for a delivery object 6 addressed to the consignee 1 by the delivery client 3. When the acquisition part 111 acquires the delivery request, a transmission part 114 transmits a command to deliver the delivery object 6 to the reception representative 2 to a delivery robot 40 on the condition that the consignee 1 is absent and the reception representative 2 is present.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a delivery management server, a delivery management system, and a control method.

Background Art

[0002] In a building where employees and the like who go to work at a company or the like are present, many tasks of delivering luggage such as documents from person to person occur. In this case, by having a robot perform the task of delivering the luggage instead of a person, the workload of the person can be reduced.

[0003] For example, as a technology for causing a robot to deliver luggage, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2022-187839 (Patent Document 1) discloses an autonomous robot system that, when a user who is the requester requests a luggage delivery operation, inquires about the attendance status of the user at the delivery destination and gives an instruction for luggage delivery to a work robot.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, when the above technology is used, a delivery robot that delivers luggage addressed from a delivery requester to a recipient cannot deliver the luggage when the recipient is not present. For example, when the recipient is absent from work on the day, the delivery rate indicating the ratio of the number of deliveries actually made by the delivery robot within a predetermined period (for example, within the day) to the number of delivery requests to the delivery robot cannot be improved.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technology capable of improving the delivery rate of a delivery robot that delivers a package addressed from a sender to a recipient.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The delivery management server according to the present disclosure is a server that manages a delivery robot that delivers a package addressed from a sender to a recipient within a building. The delivery management server includes a storage unit, an acquisition unit, and a transmission unit. The storage unit stores information of a receiving agent who receives a package on behalf of the recipient when the recipient is not present. The acquisition unit acquires information on whether the recipient and the receiving agent are present, and a delivery request for a package addressed from the sender to the recipient. The transmission unit, when a delivery request is acquired by the acquisition unit, transmits a command to deliver the package to the receiving agent to the delivery robot when the recipient is not present and the receiving agent is present.

[0008] The delivery management system according to the present disclosure includes a delivery management server, a delivery robot, and a user management server. The user management server manages information on whether the recipient and the receiving agent are present. The acquisition unit acquires information on whether the recipient and the receiving agent are present from the user management server.

[0009] The control method according to the present disclosure is a control method of a delivery management server that manages a delivery robot that delivers a package addressed from a sender to a recipient within a building. The control method includes a step of storing information of a receiving agent who receives a package on behalf of the recipient when the recipient is not present, a step of acquiring information on whether the recipient and the receiving agent are present, a step of acquiring a delivery request for a package addressed from the sender to the recipient, and a step of transmitting a command to deliver the package to the receiving agent to the delivery robot when the delivery request is acquired and the recipient is not present and the receiving agent is present.

Effects of the Invention

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the delivery rate of a delivery robot that delivers a package addressed to a recipient from a person requesting delivery.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed descriptions thereof will not be repeated.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a delivery management system 100. The delivery management system 100 includes a delivery management server 10, a user management server 20, a device management device 50, a delivery robot 40, and terminals 31 to 33.

[0014] In the present embodiment, the delivery management system 100 is installed inside the building 200, and the delivery robot 40 can freely and autonomously travel inside the building 200. Note that the delivery management server 10 and the user management server 20 may be installed outside the building 200.

[0015] The building 200 is, for example, an office building owned by Company A. Inside the building 200, employees of Company A work. The delivery robot 40 delivers the package 6 addressed from the delivery requester 3 to the recipient 1. The delivery management system 100 is configured such that when the recipient 1 is absent, the package 6 is delivered to the receiving agent 2 registered in advance by the recipient 1. Note that the building 200 may be a hospital, a school, or the like.

[0016] The recipient 1, the receiving agent 2, and the delivery requester 3 are all employees of Company A. The delivery requester 3 may be, for example, an employee of another department who wants to deliver some materials (package 6) to the recipient 1, or may be a person in charge of sorting the mail (package 6) received from outside addressed to the recipient 1. The receiving agent 2 is an employee registered in advance so as to be able to receive the package 6 on behalf of the recipient 1 when the recipient 1 is not present, and is, for example, a supervisor or a clerk in the department to which the recipient 1 belongs.

[0017] Here, in the present embodiment, "being present" means that an employee of Company A is present at work inside the building 200 (is inside the building 200). "Not being present" means that an employee of Company A is not present at work in the building 200 (is not inside the building 200). In this case, if the employee is not present at work in the building 200 due to vacation, business trip, telework, etc., it is considered not to be present.

[0018] The user management server 20 is a server that manages the attendance information of employees of Company A and performs attendance management. The user management server 20 manages information on whether employees including the recipient 1 and the receiving agent 2 are present or not.

[0019] The delivery management server 10 is a server that manages the delivery robot 40. The delivery management server 10 acquires the attendance information of employees from the user management server 20, and based on the attendance information and the delivery request from the delivery requester 3, issues a delivery command to the delivery robot 40.

[0020] The employees of Building 200 (Company A) carry their employee IDs as identification cards in the form of employee badges. The delivery robot 40 is equipped with a CR (Card Reader) 47. The CR 47 can read the identification information of the employees recorded on the identification cards (employee badges) held by the employees.

[0021] For example, this identification card may be an IC card provided on the employee badge, or a card with a 2D code or the like described thereon. In this example, the recipient 1 holds an employee badge 81 on which the employee ID of the recipient 1 is recorded. The receiving agent 2 holds an employee badge 82 on which the employee ID of the receiving agent 2 is recorded. The delivery requester 3 holds an employee badge 83 on which the employee ID of the delivery requester 3 is recorded.

[0022] The delivery robot 40 can identify the delivery requester when collecting the package 6 and identify the recipient (receiving agent) when delivering the package 6 by reading the employee badges (such as employee badges 81 - 83) with the CR 47.

[0023] In addition, each employee holds a terminal (such as a notebook computer) for business use. In this example, the recipient 1 holds a terminal 31. The receiving agent 2 holds a terminal 32. The delivery requester 3 holds a terminal 33. These terminals (terminals 31 - 33) can communicate and connect with the delivery management server 10 and the user management server 20.

[0024] The recipient 1 registers the receiving agent 2 using the terminal 31. The delivery requester 3 requests the delivery of the package 6 using the terminal 33. When there is a delivery request, the recipient 1's terminal 31 is notified by email or the like that there is a delivery request (that there is a package to be delivered). When the recipient 1 is absent, the receiving agent 2's terminal 32 is notified by email or the like that there is a delivery request.

[0025] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the seat of each employee is fixed and the location information of the seat is managed by the user management server 20. When there is a delivery request, the location of the seat of the employee who is the destination is specified, and the delivery robot 40 delivers the package 6 to that seat.

[0026] A plurality of wireless communication devices 72 are installed on the ceiling 61 of each room, corridor, etc. inside the building 200. These wireless communication devices 72 communicate with the wireless communication device 42 provided in the delivery robot 40 and can specify the current position of the delivery robot 40.

[0027] Note that an environment may be adopted in which employees do not have fixed seats and use free addresses with free seats. In this case, for example, each employee may carry a mobile terminal, and the current position of each employee may be specified by the wireless communication device 72 communicating with the wireless communication device provided in the mobile terminal. The delivery robot 40 delivers the package 6 to the specified current position.

[0028] In addition, the user management server 20 may specify the attendance status of employees (recipient 1, receiving agent 2, delivery requester 3, etc.) by linking with a separately provided attendance management system (not shown). Alternatively, the attendance status of employees may be specified by logging in or out of the terminal (terminals 31 to 33, etc.).

[0029] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the delivery management system 100. The delivery management server 10 includes a processor 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a storage device 14, and a communication IF (Interface) 15. The processor 11 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The storage device 14 is a non-volatile storage device and may be, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), etc. These exchange various data through a communication bus 16.

[0030] The processor 11 expands and executes a program stored in the storage device 14 or the ROM 12 in the RAM 13. This program describes the processes executed by the delivery management server 10.

[0031] The communication IF 15 is an input / output device for exchanging signals or data with the user management server 20, the device management apparatus 50, and the terminals 31 to 33. The delivery management server 10 receives, via the communication IF 15, the position of the delivery robot 40 detected by the device management apparatus 50 and the signals output by the delivery robot 40, and also receives information etc. from the terminals 31 to 33 and the user management server 20, and can issue commands and transmit data to these devices.

[0032] The storage device 14 is a storage that stores various information. The storage device 14 stores delivery management data 92, information on the building 200, information on the delivery robot 40, etc.

[0033] The user management server 20 also has the same configuration as the delivery management server 10. The user management server 20 includes a processor 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, a storage device 24, and a communication IF 25. These exchange various data through a communication bus 26. The processor 21 expands and executes a program stored in the storage device 24 or the ROM 22 in the RAM 23. This program describes the processes executed by the user management server 20.

[0034] The communication IF 25 is an input / output device for exchanging data with the delivery management server 10 and terminals 31 to 33. The user management server 20 communicates with the delivery management server 10 and terminals 31 to 33 via the communication IF 25. The user management server 20 manages attendance information through communication with the attendance management system (or terminals 31 to 33) and provides attendance information to the delivery management server 10.

[0035] The storage device 24 is a storage for storing various information. Information such as employee data 90 and attendance status data 91, which will be described later, is stored in the storage device 24.

[0036] The delivery robot 40 includes a control unit 41, a wireless communication device 42, a storage unit 44, a camera 45, a CR (card reader) 47, a battery 48, and a drive unit 49.

[0037] The control unit 41 controls the entire delivery robot 40. The control unit 41 has, as main components, a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, although not shown in the figure. The CPU expands and executes a program stored in the ROM in the RAM. The program stored in the ROM describes the processes executed by the delivery robot 40. Note that the processes are not limited to those by software and can also be executed by dedicated hardware (electronic circuits).

[0038] The wireless communication device 42 outputs a signal for detecting the position of the delivery robot 40, for example, using a communication method compliant with the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy, "Bluetooth" is a registered trademark) communication standard. Instead of the BLE communication standard, a communication method compliant with the UWB (Ultra Wide Band) communication standard may be used. Also, the wireless communication device 42 transmits, for example, a signal indicating an ID for identifying the delivery robot 40 to the device management apparatus 50 using a communication method compliant with a wireless communication standard such as LTE (Long Term Evolution).

[0039] The camera 45 images the surroundings of the delivery robot 40 and outputs the captured image to the control unit 41. Instead of the camera 45, a laser rangefinder or the like that measures the distance between an object existing around the delivery robot 40 and the delivery robot 40 may be provided.

[0040] The drive unit 49 generates a driving force for the delivery robot 40 to move. The drive unit 49 includes, for example, wheels for the delivery robot 40 to move and a motor for driving the wheels. The drive unit 49 can operate by receiving power supply from the battery 48.

[0041] The CR (Card Reader) 47 can read the identification information (employee ID) of an employee recorded on an identification card (such as employee cards 81 to 83) held by the employee. The read identification information is transmitted to the delivery management server 10.

[0042] The control unit 41 controls the drive 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 the drive unit 49 and other devices of the delivery robot 40 to operate. The storage unit 44 temporarily stores various information used by the delivery robot 40.

[0043] A plurality of wireless communication devices 72 are installed at an appropriate distance from the ceiling 61, and using a communication method that conforms to the same communication standard as the wireless communication device 42 of the delivery robot 40, they receive the signal transmitted from the delivery robot 40 and detect the reception intensity thereof. From the reception intensity at each wireless communication device 72, the position of the delivery robot 40 within the facility can be detected. The wireless communication device 72 outputs the reception intensity of the signal received from the delivery robot 40 to the device management apparatus 50. The wireless communication device 70 may be installed on the wall.

[0044] The device management apparatus 50 includes a control unit 51 and a communication IF 52. The control unit 51 includes a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM, similar to the delivery management server 10. The communication IF 52 is an input / output device for exchanging data with the wireless communication devices 42 and 72 and the delivery management server 10.

[0045] The device management apparatus 50 controls devices such as the wireless communication devices 72 and the delivery robot 40 installed within the building 200. The device management apparatus 50 issues commands and the like to the delivery robot 40 based on commands from the delivery management server 10. The device management apparatus 50 identifies the position of the delivery robot 40 based on the reception intensity received at each wireless communication device 72.

[0046] Connected to the communication network NW are a delivery management server 10, a user management server 20, a device management apparatus 50, and terminals 31 to 33. The delivery management server 10 can output commands and the like to the delivery robot 40 via the device management apparatus 50, and can acquire information such as the position information of the delivery robot 40. Further, the delivery management server 10 acquires the attendance information of employees from the user management server 20, accepts the registration of receiving agents and delivery requests from the terminals 31 to 33, and notifies the terminals 31 to 33 of various information such as the delivery time.

[0047] The terminals 31 to 33 are, for example, personal computers or notebook computers. The terminals 31 to 33 include an input unit 35 and a display unit 36 that displays various types of information. The input unit 35 is, for example, a keyboard or a mouse. Instructions can be given to the terminals 31 to 33 by operating the input unit 35.

[0048] Similar to the delivery management server 10, the terminals 31 to 33 are also configured to include a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, a storage device, and a communication IF (not shown). Note that the processes executed by the delivery management server 10, the user management server 20, and the device management device 50 in the delivery management system 100 may be executed by a single server, or may be executed by the delivery robot 40.

[0049] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the delivery management server 10. The delivery management server 10 includes an acquisition unit 111, a control unit 112, a storage unit 113, and a transmission unit 114. The functions of the acquisition unit 111 and the transmission unit 114 are realized by the communication IF 15. The functions of the control unit 112 are realized by the processor 11. The functions of the storage unit 113 are realized by the storage device 14.

[0050] The user management server 20 stores employee data 90 and attendance status data 91, which will be described later. The acquisition unit 111 can acquire this information from the user management server 20. In addition, the acquisition unit 111 receives information transmitted from the delivery robot 40 and also accepts registrations from the terminals 31 to 33.

[0051] The control unit 112 executes various processes such as determining the delivery destination and delivery time based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 111. The storage unit 113 updates the delivery management data 92 stored in the storage unit 113 based on the above processing results of the control unit 112. The transmission unit 114 notifies the terminals 31 to 33 based on the above processing results of the control unit 112, and also transmits a delivery instruction or the like to the delivery robot 40. Specific descriptions will be given below with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8.

[0052] FIG. 4 shows an example of employee data 90. The user management server 20 stores the employee data 90. The employee data 90 is data in which information on the employees of Company A (Building 200) is recorded.

[0053] The employee data 90 records the employee ID, name, department, seating position, etc. of each employee. For example, in the employee data 90, the name (e.g., Ichiro Yamada), department (e.g., XX Section, XX Division), and seating position "Residential Room A (X0, Y0)" of the employee with the employee ID "ID0011" are recorded. This employee is the recipient 1 shown in FIG. 1.

[0054] Residential Room A (X0, Y0) is a numerical value indicating the coordinates in the X-axis direction and the coordinates in the Y-axis direction that specify the position on the floor plan of Residential Room A. The seating position indicates that the XX Section, XX Division to which the recipient 1 belongs is in Residential Room A, and the seating position of the recipient 1 is at (X0, Y0) in Residential Room A. When delivering the package 6 to the recipient 1, it will be delivered to the seating position "Residential Room A (X0, Y0)". Note that the package 6 may be delivered to a specific location near the entrance of Residential Room A.

[0055] Similarly, in the employee data 90, the name, department, and seating position "Residential Room A (X1, Y1)" of the employee with the employee ID "ID0012" are recorded. This employee is the receiving agent 2 shown in FIG. 1. The receiving agent 2 is the supervisor of the recipient 1 and will receive the package 6 on behalf of the recipient 1 when the recipient 1 is absent. When delivering the package 6 to the receiving agent 2, it will be delivered to the seating position "Residential Room A (X1, Y1)".

[0056] Also, in the employee data 90, the name, department, and seating position "Residential Room B (X2, Y2)" of the employee with the employee ID "ID0013" are recorded. This employee is the delivery requester 3 shown in FIG. 1. When the delivery requester 3 makes a delivery request, the delivery robot 40 goes to (collects) the package 6 up to Residential Room B (X2, Y2). Alternatively, there may be a specific collection location, and the delivery robot 40 may go to collect the package 6 up to the said collection location.

[0057] Figure 5 is an example of the attendance status data 91. The user management server 20 stores the attendance status data 91. The attendance status data 91 is data indicating the attendance status (presence / absence status) of each employee.

[0058] For example, in the attendance status data 91, it is recorded that the attendance time of the receiving agent 2 with the employee ID "ID0012" is "August 10, 2023, 8:44", the leaving time is not recorded, and the attendance location is "Living Room A (X1, Y1)". In this case, since the receiving agent 2 is present but has not left, it can be determined that the agent is "present".

[0059] For example, the attendance time and leaving time of the attendance status data 91 may be updated according to the information obtained from the attendance management system. Alternatively, when the receiving agent 2 logs in to the terminal 32 at "August 10, 2023, 8:44", this time may be recorded in the user management server 20 as the attendance time. In this case, the user management server 20 may record the time when the receiving agent 2 logs out from the terminal 32 as the leaving time.

[0060] Similarly, in the attendance status data 91, it is recorded that the attendance time of the employee with the employee ID "ID0025" is "August 10, 2023, 8:47", the leaving time is not recorded, and the attendance location is "Living Room D (X4, Y4)". Also, in the attendance status data 91, it is recorded that the attendance time of the delivery requester 3 with the employee ID "ID0013" is "August 10, 2023, 8:49", the leaving time is not recorded, and the attendance location is "Living Room C (X5, Y5)".

[0061] For example, if it is currently "August 10, 2023, 11:00", the user management server 20 determines, based on the attendance status data 91, that the receiving agent 2 with the employee ID "ID0012", the employee with the employee ID "ID0025", and the delivery requester 3 with the employee ID "ID0013" are present. On the other hand, the user management server 20 determines that the recipient 1 with the employee ID "ID0011" is not present.

[0062] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining how to deliver the package 6. As shown in FIG. 1, when there is a delivery request from the delivery requester 3, the delivery robot 40 receives the package 6 from the delivery requester 3 for the collection operation.

[0063] As described above, when the recipient 1 with the employee ID "ID0011" is absent and the receiving agent 2 with the employee ID "ID0012" is present, as shown in FIG. 6, the delivery robot 40 delivers the collected package 6 to the receiving agent 2. Since the seating position of the receiving agent 2 is "Living Room A (X1, Y1)", the delivery robot 40 transports the package 6 to this position. When transporting the package 6 to a specific position near the entrance of Living Room A, when the delivery robot 40 arrives at this specific position, the terminal 32 of the receiving agent 2 may be notified that the delivery robot 40 has arrived at the specific position.

[0064] Hereinafter, the flow of the process executed by the delivery management system 100 will be specifically described using a sequence diagram. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram of the process executed by the delivery management system 100. Hereinafter, the steps are abbreviated as S.

[0065] In this sequence diagram, the processes executed by the terminal 31 used by the recipient 1 (absent), the terminal 32 used by the receiving agent 2, the terminal 33 used by the delivery requester 3, the delivery robot 40, the delivery management server 10, and the user management server 20 are shown respectively.

[0066] First, as a pre-registration operation, the recipient 1 registers the information of the receiving agent 2 in the delivery management server 10 using the terminal 31 in S10. The acquisition unit 111 of the delivery management server 10 receives the information of the receiving agent 2 from the terminal 31. The control unit 112 of the delivery management server 10 records the information of the receiving agent 2 in the delivery management data 92 (details will be described later) of the storage unit 113.

[0067] Next, in S20, the delivery requester 3 registers a delivery request for the package 6 addressed to the recipient 1 with the delivery management server 10 using the terminal 33. The acquisition unit 111 of the delivery management server 10 receives the delivery request information from the terminal 33. The control unit 112 of the delivery management server 10 causes the delivery request information to be recorded in the delivery management data 92 of the storage unit 113 (registers the delivery request).

[0068] FIG. 8 is an example of the delivery management data 92. The delivery management server 10 stores the delivery management data 92. The delivery management data 92 is data that records various information for the delivery robot 40 to deliver the package 6. The delivery management data 92 records the recipient, recipient's presence / absence, receiving agent, receiving agent's presence / absence, delivery requester, package, receivable time, collection time, delivery time, delivery requester (CR), and final recipient (CR).

[0069] In the first piece of data of the delivery management data 92, as shown in the above example, it is recorded that the recipient 1 with the employee ID "ID0011" has registered the receiving agent 2 with the employee ID "ID0012". Also, since the delivery requester 3 with the employee ID "ID0013" has made a delivery request for the package 6 (assuming the package ID for identifying the package 6 is "ID0006") to the recipient 1, the delivery requester "ID0013" and the package "ID0006" are recorded in the first piece of data of the delivery management data 92.

[0070] Returning to FIG. 7, when there is a delivery request, the delivery management server 10 checks the attendance status of the recipient 1 (S30) and the attendance status of the receiving agent 2 (S31) with the user management server 20. The acquisition unit 111 of the delivery management server 10 obtains information from the user management server 20 as to whether the recipient 1 and the receiving agent 2 are present. As a result, assume that the recipient 1 is absent and the receiving agent 2 is present.

[0071] As described above, the acquisition unit 111 obtains information as to whether the recipient 1 and the receiving agent 2 are present, and the delivery request for the package 6 addressed from the delivery requester 3 to the recipient 1.

[0072] In S32, the control unit 112 of the delivery management server 10 determines the delivery destination of the package 6. The receiving agent 2 receives the package 6 on behalf of the recipient 1 when the recipient 1 is absent. Since the recipient 1 is absent and the receiving agent 2 is present, the control unit 112 determines the delivery destination of the package 6 as the receiving agent 2.

[0073] The transmission unit 114 of the delivery management server 10 notifies the terminal 32 of the receiving agent 2 determined as the delivery destination of the existence of the package 6 (S40). In this way, when the recipient 1 is not present and the receiving agent 2 is present when the delivery request is acquired by the acquisition unit 111, the transmission unit 114 notifies the terminal 32 used by the receiving agent 2 of the existence of the package 6.

[0074] The notification may be made by email or the like. The receiving agent 2 recognizes from this notification that the package 6 has arrived for the absent recipient 1 and that the receiving agent 2 is scheduled to receive the package 6 on behalf. In response to this notification, the receiving agent 2 registers the receivable time of the package 6 with the delivery management server 10 using the terminal 32 in S50. For example, in the above example, assume that "9:00 - 12:00" is registered as the receivable time.

[0075] The acquisition unit 111 acquires the receivable time of the package 6 transmitted from the terminal 32 used by the receiving agent 2 in response to the notification of the existence of the package 6. Based on information such as the receivable time, the control unit 112 determines the collection time when the delivery robot 40 collects the package 6 from the delivery requester 3 and the delivery time for the receiving agent 2 (S51).

[0076] For example, in the above example, assume that the collection time is determined to be "9:50" and the delivery time is determined to be "10:00". The collection time and the delivery time may be determined within the range of the receivable time (9:00 - 12:00) considering the operating status of the delivery robot 40 (the balance with other deliveries).

[0077] The transmitting unit 114 notifies the delivery robot 40 of the delivery time to the receiving agent 2 of the package 6 and the pick-up time from the delivery requester 3. The delivery robot 40 registers the delivery time and the pick-up time (S52). The transmitting unit 114 notifies the terminal 33 used by the delivery requester 3 of the pick-up time (S53). The transmitting unit 114 notifies the terminal 32 used by the receiving agent 2 of the delivery time (the time when delivery is scheduled) (S54).

[0078] Returning to FIG. 8, in the above example, since the recipient 1 was absent and the receiving agent 2 was present, the delivery management server 10 records "absent" for the recipient presence / absence and "present" for the receiving agent presence / absence in the first piece of data in the delivery management data 92. This means that the delivery destination has been determined to be the receiving agent.

[0079] Also, in the above example, the acceptable receiving time "9:00 to 12:00", the pick-up time "9:50", and the delivery time "10:00" have been registered or determined respectively. Therefore, the delivery management server 10 records the acceptable receiving time "9:00 to 12:00", the pick-up time "9:50", and the delivery time "10:00" in the first piece of data in the delivery management data 92.

[0080] Returning to FIG. 7, at S60, the delivery robot 40 picks up the package 6 from the delivery requester 3 at the pick-up time. The delivery robot 40 loads the package 6 received from the delivery requester 3. At that time, at S61, the delivery robot 40 causes the identification information (employee ID "ID0013") of the delivery requester 3 recorded on the identification card (employee ID card 83) held by the delivery requester 3 to be read by the CR47 and registers it in the delivery robot 40.

[0081] The delivery robot 40 confirms the delivery destination from the read information of the delivery requester 3 with the delivery management server 10 (S62). In the above example, the delivery robot 40 transmits the identification information (employee ID "ID0013") of the delivery requester 3 to the delivery management server 10. The delivery management server 10 registers the read identification information (employee ID "ID0013") of the delivery requester 3 in the delivery management data 92.

[0082] In this example, the acquisition unit 111 receives the employee ID "ID0013". The control unit 112 records the employee ID "ID0013" of the delivery requester 3 that has been read into the delivery management data 92, and extracts the delivery destination from the delivery management data 92 based on the employee ID "ID0013". In the above example, as the delivery destination of the package 6 (package ID: ID0006) requested by the delivery requester 3 with the employee ID "ID0013", the receiving agent 2 with the employee ID "ID0012" is extracted. If there are multiple packages requested by the delivery requester 3, the delivery destination may be specified based on the items of "collection time" and "package (package ID)" in addition to the item of "delivery requester" in the delivery management data 92.

[0083] Then, the transmission unit 114 transmits a delivery instruction to the delivery destination (receiving agent 2) to the delivery robot 40 (S63). In this way, when a delivery request is acquired by the acquisition unit 111, the transmission unit 114 transmits a command to deliver the package 6 to the receiving agent 2 to the delivery robot 40 when the recipient 1 is not present and the receiving agent 2 is present.

[0084] At S70, the delivery robot 40 delivers the collected package 6 to the receiving agent 2 (see Fig. 6). When the receiving agent 2 receives the package 6, the delivery robot 40 causes the identification information of the receiving agent 2 recorded on the identification card (employee ID card 82) held by the receiving agent 2 to be read by the CR47, and registers this identification information of the receiving agent 2 as the information of the ultimate recipient in the delivery robot 40.

[0085] For example, first, when the CR47 reads the identification information of the receiving agent 2 and this identification information matches that of the employee scheduled to receive and registered in the delivery management data 92 (here, when it matches the ID of the "receiving agent" for which "presence / absence of receiving agent" is "present"), the delivery robot 40 may deliver the package 6 to the receiving agent 2.

[0086] The delivery robot 40 transmits the information of the ultimate recipient (the identification information of the receiving agent 2 (employee ID "ID0012")) to the delivery management server 10. The delivery management server 10 registers the information of the ultimate recipient in the delivery management data 92 (S72). Thereby, it becomes possible to confirm who the ultimate recipient is. For example, it may be possible to access the delivery management server 10 from an arbitrary terminal, acquire the information of the ultimate recipient from the delivery management server 10, and display this information on the display unit of the terminal.

[0087] Returning to FIG. 8, in the above example, since the identification information of the delivery requester 3 read by CR47 is the employee ID "ID0013", the delivery management server 10 records "ID0013" in the delivery requester (CR) of the first data in the delivery management data 92.

[0088] Also, since the identification information of the ultimate recipient (receiving agent 2) read by CR47 is the employee ID "ID0012", the delivery management server 10 records "ID0012" in the ultimate recipient (CR) of the first data in the delivery management data 92.

[0089] In addition, when the recipient 1 is present in S30, the presence of the package 6 may be notified to the recipient 1, the recipient 1 may register the receivable time, and the package 6 may be delivered to the recipient 1. Also, when both the recipient 1 and the receiving agent 2 are absent, then, at the timing when the recipient 1 becomes present, the presence of the package 6 may be notified to the recipient 1, and the package 6 may be delivered to the recipient 1. Alternatively, when both the recipient 1 and the receiving agent 2 are absent, then, thereafter, the presence of the package 6 may be notified to the person who first becomes present among the recipient 1 and the receiving agent 2.

[0090] In the second piece of data of the delivery management data 92, the recipient is "ID0025", the recipient's presence is "Present", the receiving agent is "ID0026", the receiving agent's presence is "Absent", the delivery requester is "ID0014", the package is "ID0007", the receivable time is "13 to 15 o'clock", the collection time is "13:30", and the delivery time is "13:40" are recorded. The items of the delivery requester (CR) and the final recipient (CR) are not recorded. In this example, it shows that the package "ID0007" requested for delivery by the delivery requester "ID0014" is scheduled to be delivered to the recipient "ID0025" at 13:40, but the collection and delivery have not been carried out yet.

[0091] In the third piece of data of the delivery management data 92, the recipient is "ID0030", the recipient's presence is "Absent", the receiving agent is "ID0012", and the receiving agent's presence is "Present" are recorded. The items of the delivery requester, the package, the receivable time, the collection time, the delivery time, the delivery requester (CR), and the final recipient (CR) are not recorded. In this example, it shows that the recipient "ID0030" has registered the receiving agent "ID0012", but no delivery request has been made.

[0092] As described above, in the examples explained using FIGS. 1 to 8, an example where there is one receiving agent has been described. However, it is not limited to this, and the receiving agent may be composed of a plurality of agents (the receiving agent is also simply referred to as "agent"). Hereinafter, an example where the receiving agent is composed of a plurality of agents will be shown as a modified example using FIGS. 9 and 10.

[0093] Also in this modified example, the configuration of the delivery management system 100 is the same as that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Further, the processing executed by the delivery management system 100 is basically the same as the processing shown in FIG. 7.

[0094] Hereinafter, the differences in the processing from the processing shown in FIG. 7 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the processing executed when a plurality of receiving agents are set. The timing at which this processing is started is the same as the timing at which the processing shown in FIG. 7 is started.

[0095] When this process starts, the delivery management server 10 registers a receiving agent (registers the receiving agent ID and priority) at S101. This process corresponds to S10 in FIG. 7. In the example shown in FIG. 8, as the first data of the delivery management data 92, an example is shown in which the recipient 1 with the employee ID "ID0011" registers the receiving agent 2 with the employee ID "ID0012" as the receiving agent.

[0096] On the other hand, in S101, a plurality of receiving agents are registered together with the priority. FIG. 10 is an example of the receiving agent information 93 when a plurality of receiving agents are set. When there is one receiving agent, as shown in FIG. 8, one receiving agent is set. When there are multiple receiving agents, the items of "receiving agent" and "presence / absence of receiving agent" in the delivery management data 92 are expanded like the receiving agent information 93 in FIG. 10.

[0097] The receiving agent information 93 shows that when the recipient is the recipient 1 with the employee ID "ID0011", the receiving agent 2 with the employee ID "ID0012", the receiving agent with the employee ID "ID0031", the receiving agent with the employee ID "ID0032", and the receiving agent with the employee ID "ID0033" are registered as receiving agents.

[0098] Each of these four receiving agents is assigned a priority. The priority of the receiving agent 2 with the employee ID "ID0012" is the first, the priority of the receiving agent with the employee ID "ID0031" is the second, the priority of the receiving agent with the employee ID "ID0032" is the third, and the priority of the receiving agent with the employee ID "ID0033" is the fourth. This "priority" indicates the priority of receiving the package 6 for each of the multiple receiving agents.

[0099] Returning to FIG. 9, in S102, the delivery management server 10 registers the delivery request of the package 6 sent by the delivery requester 3 to the recipient 1 from the terminal 33. This process corresponds to the process of S20. In S103, the delivery management server 10 checks the presence status of the recipient 1 with respect to the user management server 20. This process corresponds to the process of S30. If the recipient is present (NO in S104), the delivery management server 10 ends this process. If the recipient is absent (YES in S104), the process proceeds to S105.

[0100] In S105, the delivery management server 10 checks the presence status of the receiving agent. This process corresponds to the process of S31. However, in this example, different from the case of S31, the acquisition unit 111 acquires the presence status for a plurality of receiving agents. In the example of FIG. 10, as a result of making an inquiry to the user management server 20, it is shown that the receiving agent 2 with the employee ID "ID0012" is absent, the receiving agent with the employee ID "ID0031" is absent, the receiving agent with the employee ID "ID0032" is present, and the receiving agent with the employee ID "ID0033" is present.

[0101] In S106, the delivery management server 10 determines the receiving agent with the highest priority among the present receiving agents as the delivery destination. This process corresponds to the process of S32. In the example of FIG. 10, the present ones are the receiving agent with the employee ID "ID0032" (priority rank is the 3rd) and the receiving agent with the employee ID "ID0033" (priority rank is the 4th). Among these receiving agents, the receiving agent with the employee ID "ID0032" having the highest priority is determined as the delivery destination (a circle mark is attached to the "Delivery Destination" item). Thus, in this modified example, the storage unit 113 stores the information of a plurality of receiving agents in the delivery management data 92 including the receiving agent information 93.

[0102] In step S107, the delivery management server 10 notifies the receiving agent determined as the delivery destination of the existence of the package. This process corresponds to the process of S40. In the example of FIG. 10, since the receiving agent with the employee ID "ID0032" is determined as the delivery destination, the receiving agent with the employee ID "ID0032" is notified of the existence of package 6.

[0103] The subsequent processes are the same as the processes after S50 in FIG. 7. Hereinafter, in the process of FIG. 7, the receiving agent is set to the employee with the employee ID "ID0032" and the process proceeds. The employee with the employee ID "ID0032" registers the receivable time from the terminal (S50), so that the delivery time etc. are determined (S51). Finally, the transmission unit 114 of the delivery management server 10 transmits a command to deliver package 6 to the employee with the employee ID "ID0032" to the delivery robot 40. Thereby, package 6 is delivered to the employee with the employee ID "ID0032" (S70). When the employee with the employee ID "ID0032" causes the robot 40 to read the employee ID card (S71), the employee with the employee ID "ID0032" is registered as the final recipient (S72).

[0104] As described above, in this modification example, when the delivery request is acquired by the acquisition unit 111 and the recipient 1 is not present, the transmission unit 114 of the delivery management server 10 transmits a command to deliver package 6 to the receiving agent who is present among the plurality of receiving agents and has the highest priority to the delivery robot 40.

[0105] As described above, the delivery management server 10 is a server that manages the delivery robot 40 that delivers the package 6 addressed from the sender 3 to the recipient 1 within the building 200. The delivery management server 10 includes a storage unit 113, an acquisition unit 111, and a transmission unit 114. The storage unit 113 stores information on the receiving agent 2 who receives the package 6 on behalf of the recipient 1 when the recipient 1 is not present. The acquisition unit 111 acquires information on whether the recipient 1 and the receiving agent 2 are present and a delivery request for the package 6 addressed from the sender 3 to the recipient 1. When a delivery request is acquired by the acquisition unit 111, the transmission unit 114 transmits a command to deliver the package 6 to the receiving agent 2 to the delivery robot 40 if the recipient 1 is not present and the receiving agent 2 is present.

[0106] In the prior art, for example, when the recipient 1 is absent from work on the day, the delivery robot 40 cannot deliver the package 6 during the day. Therefore, in the prior art, the delivery rate (for example, delivery rate = number of deliveries actually made by the delivery robot within the day / number of delivery requests to the delivery robot 40) cannot be improved. On the other hand, in this embodiment, when the recipient 1 is not present, if the pre-registered receiving agent 2 is present, a command to deliver the package 6 to the receiving agent 2 is transmitted to the delivery robot 40, so that the delivery robot 40 can deliver the package 6 even when the recipient 1 is not present. Also, in this case, the sender 3 can request delivery without knowing the information of receiving agents other than the recipient 1. Thereby, the delivery rate of the delivery robot 40 that delivers the package 6 addressed from the sender 3 to the recipient 1 can be improved.

[0107] When the delivery request is acquired by the acquisition unit 111 and the recipient 1 is not present while the receiving agent 2 is present, the transmission unit 114 notifies the terminal 32 used by the receiving agent 2 of the existence of the package 6. In response to the notification of the existence of the package 6, the acquisition unit 111 acquires the receivable time of the package 6 transmitted from the terminal 32 used by the receiving agent 2. The transmission unit 114 notifies the delivery robot 40 of the delivery time of the package 6 to the receiving agent 2 determined based on the receivable time. As a result, the receiving agent 2 can receive the package 6 during a time zone convenient for the receiving agent 2.

[0108] The transmission unit 114 notifies the terminal 32 used by the receiving agent 2 of the delivery time. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the receiving agent 2 from failing to receive the package 6 from the delivery robot 40.

[0109] The receiving agent 2 consists of a plurality of agents. The storage unit 113 stores information on the plurality of agents. The information on the plurality of agents includes the priority order of receiving the package 6 for each of the plurality of agents. When the delivery request is acquired by the acquisition unit 111 and the recipient 1 is not present, the transmission unit 114 transmits a command to deliver the package 6 to the agent who is present among the plurality of agents and has the highest priority order to the delivery robot 40. Since a plurality of agents are set in advance as receiving agents and the package 6 can be delivered to the agent with the highest priority order who is present, the delivery rate can be further improved compared to the case where there is one receiving agent.

[0110] The delivery management system 100 includes a delivery management server 10, a delivery robot 40, and a user management server 20. The user management server 20 manages information on whether the recipient 1 and the receiving agent 2 are present or not. The acquisition unit 111 acquires information on whether the recipient 1 and the receiving agent 2 are present or not from the user management server 20. Thereby, by utilizing the presence information managed by the user management server 20, the delivery rate of the delivery robot 40 for delivering the package addressed to the recipient 1 from the delivery requester 3 can be improved.

[0111] The employees of the building 200 carry identification cards (such as employee cards 81 to 83) that can identify the employees. The delivery robot 40 has a CR (card reader) 47. The CR 47 can read the identification information of the employee recorded on the identification card (such as employee cards 81 to 83) held by the employee. When the CR 47 reads the identification information of the receiving agent 2 recorded on the identification card (employee card 82) held by the receiving agent 2 when the receiving agent 2 receives the package 6, the delivery robot 40 transmits the identification information of the receiving agent 2 to the delivery management server 10.

[0112] Thereby, the delivery management server 10 can grasp who the employee who finally received the package 6 is. Therefore, even if an employee other than the recipient 1 designated by the delivery requester 3 receives the package 6, the information of the employee who received the package 6 can be retained, and the traceability regarding the delivery of the package 6 can be ensured.

[0113] [Appendix] The above-described embodiments are specific examples of the following appendices.

[0114] (Appendix 1) A delivery management server for managing a delivery robot that delivers a package addressed from a delivery requester to a recipient within a building, a storage unit that stores information of a receiving agent who receives the package on behalf of the recipient when the recipient is absent; an acquisition unit that acquires information on whether the recipient and the receiving agent are present, and a delivery request for the package addressed from the delivery requester to the recipient; a transmission unit that, when the delivery request is acquired by the acquisition unit and the recipient is absent and the receiving agent is present, transmits a command to deliver the package to the receiving agent to the delivery robot. A delivery management server.

[0115] (Appendix 2) When the delivery request is acquired by the acquisition unit and the recipient is not present and the receiving agent is present, the transmission unit notifies the presence of the package to the terminal used by the receiving agent. In response to the notification of the presence of the package, the acquisition unit acquires the receivable time of the package transmitted from the terminal used by the receiving agent. The delivery management server according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the transmission unit notifies the delivery robot of the delivery time of the package to the receiving agent, which is determined based on the receivable time.

[0116] (Supplementary Note 3) The delivery management server according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein the transmission unit notifies the delivery time to the terminal used by the receiving agent.

[0117] (Supplementary Note 4) The receiving agent consists of a plurality of agents. The storage unit stores information on the plurality of agents. The information on the plurality of agents includes the priority order of receiving the package for each of the plurality of agents. The delivery management server according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, wherein when the delivery request is acquired by the acquisition unit and the recipient is not present, the transmission unit transmits a command to deliver the package to the agent who is present among the plurality of agents and has the highest priority to the delivery robot.

[0118] (Supplementary Note 5) The delivery management server according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, The delivery robot, and a user management server that manages information on whether the recipient and the receiving agent are present, A delivery management system, wherein the acquisition unit acquires information on whether the recipient and the receiving agent are present from the user management server.

[0119] (Supplementary Note 6) The employees of the building possess identification cards that can identify the employees. The delivery robot has a card reader capable of reading the identification information of the employee recorded on the identification card held by the employee. The delivery management system according to claim 5, wherein when the card reader reads the identification information of the receiving agent recorded on the identification card held by the receiving agent when the receiving agent receives the package, the delivery robot transmits the identification information of the receiving agent to the delivery management server.

[0120] (Supplementary Note 7) A control method for a delivery management server that manages a delivery robot that delivers packages addressed from a delivery requester to a recipient within a building, comprising: storing information of a receiving agent who receives the package on behalf of the recipient when the recipient is absent; acquiring information on whether the recipient and the receiving agent are present; acquiring a delivery request for the package addressed from the delivery requester to the recipient; and when the delivery request is acquired, if the recipient is absent and the receiving agent is present, transmitting a command to deliver the package to the receiving agent to the delivery robot.

[0121] The embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative and are not limited to the above content. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the claims are intended to be included.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0122] 1 Recipient, 2 Receiving Agent, 3 Delivery Requestor, 6 Cargo, 10 Delivery Management Server, 11, 21 Processor, 12, 22 ROM, 13, 23 RAM, 14, 24 Storage Device, 15, 25 Communication IF, 16, 26, 46 Communication Bus, 30 User Management Server, 31~33 Terminal, 35 Input Section, 36 Display Section, 40 Delivery Robot, 42, 72 Wireless Communication Device, 44 Storage Section, 45 Camera, 47 CR, 48 Battery, 49 Driving Section, 50 Equipment Management Device, 51 Control Section, 52 Communication IF, 61 Ceiling, 81~83 Employee ID Card, 90 Employee Data, 91 Attendance Status Data, 92 Delivery Management Data, 100 Delivery Management System, 111 Acquisition Section, 112 Control Section, 113 Storage Section, 114 Transmission Section, 200 Building, NW Communication Network.

Claims

1. A delivery management server that manages a delivery robot for delivering a package addressed to a recipient from a delivery requester within a building, comprising: a storage unit that stores information of a receiving agent who receives the package on behalf of the recipient when the recipient is not present; an acquisition unit that acquires information on whether the recipient and the receiving agent are present, and a delivery request for the package addressed to the recipient from the delivery requester; a transmission unit that, when the delivery request is acquired by the acquisition unit and the recipient is not present and the receiving agent is present, transmits a command to deliver the package to the receiving agent to the delivery robot. A delivery management server.

2. When the delivery request is acquired by the acquisition unit and the recipient is not present and the receiving agent is present, the transmission unit notifies the terminal used by the receiving agent of the existence of the package. In response to the notification of the existence of the package, the acquisition unit acquires the receivable time of the package transmitted from the terminal used by the receiving agent. The transmission unit notifies the delivery robot of the delivery time of the package to the receiving agent, which is determined based on the receivable time. The delivery management server according to claim 1.

3. The transmission unit notifies the terminal used by the receiving agent of the delivery time. The delivery management server according to claim 2.

4. The receiving agent consists of a plurality of agents. The storage unit stores information of the plurality of agents. The information of the plurality of agents includes the priority order of receiving the package for each of the plurality of agents. When the delivery request is acquired by the acquisition unit and the recipient is not present, the transmission unit transmits a command to deliver the package to the agent who is present among the plurality of agents and has the highest priority order to the delivery robot. The delivery management server according to claim 1.

5. A delivery management server according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the delivery robot, and a user management server that manages information on whether the recipient and the receiving agent are present. The acquisition unit acquires information on whether the recipient and the receiving agent are present from the user management server. A delivery management system.

6. The employees of the building hold an identification card that can identify the employees. The delivery robot has a card reader capable of reading the identification information of the employee recorded on the identification card held by the employee. The delivery management system according to claim 5, wherein when the card reader reads the identification information of the receiving agent recorded on the identification card held by the receiving agent when the receiving agent receives the package, the delivery robot transmits the identification information of the receiving agent to the delivery management server. **Claim 7** A control method for a delivery management server that manages a delivery robot for delivering a package addressed from a delivery requester to a recipient within a building, the method comprising: storing information of a receiving agent who receives the package on behalf of the recipient when the recipient is absent; acquiring information on whether the recipient and the receiving agent are present; acquiring a delivery request for the package addressed from the delivery requester to the recipient; when the delivery request is acquired, if the recipient is absent and the receiving agent is present, sending a command to deliver the package to the receiving agent to the delivery robot.

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