Order management system, order management method, reception device, and service provision system

Abstract

To provide an order management system which does not increase implementation costs and does not obstruct customer movement in a store.SOLUTION: An order management system 100 of the present invention comprises an acquisition unit for acquiring order information of products ordered by customers, an image capturing unit for capturing an image of a provision area including multiple provision points for providing the products to generate an image, a tracking unit for tracking the positions of the customers in the provision area on the basis of the image, and a management unit for managing the order information based on the positions of the customers.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an order management system, an order management method, an order reception device, and a service providing system used in restaurants and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, various systems for managing food orders have been proposed in restaurants and other establishments. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an order management system that allows customers to order food from their mobile terminals. Specifically, the order management system includes multiple reading devices installed on each table in the dining area of ​​the establishment, and a management server installed in the establishment.

[0003] The reading device of the order management system reads identification information (hereinafter referred to as "customer ID") from the customer terminal of a seated customer, and transmits visit information including the read customer ID and table number to the management server. When the management server receives the visit information from the reading device, it associates the customer ID with the table number and manages them. The management server then provides menu information to the customer terminal. The customer terminal displays the menu information received from the management server on its display screen, and sends the order information to the management server, including the dish ID of the dish specified by the customer, the specified quantity, and the customer ID. The management server manages the received order information and the table number by linking them with the customer ID. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-9491 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The order management system described in the above patent document allows customers to place orders themselves, eliminating ordering errors by wait staff and further reducing the number of wait staff required. However, a reading device must be installed at each table to recognize customers seated at their table. This increases the cost of introducing such an order management system in restaurants with a large number of tables. Furthermore, installing a reading device at each table may take up space on the table and may be a nuisance when eating and drinking. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the order management system of the present invention is characterized by comprising an acquisition unit that acquires order information for products ordered by customers, an imaging unit that captures an image of a service area including multiple service locations where the products are provided and generates an image, a tracking unit that tracks the location of the customer in the service area based on the image, and a management unit that manages the order information based on the location of the customer.

[0007] In the above order management system, the management unit identifies the supply location corresponding to the location of the customer, and manages the order information in association with the identified supply location.

[0008] In the above order management system, the acquisition unit acquires the order information from a customer terminal held by the customer.

[0009] In the above order management system, the acquisition unit acquires attendance information identifying the customer who has visited from the customer terminal, and the management unit associates the customer's location and the order information with the attendance information.

[0010] The order management system is characterized in that it includes a reception device that is installed in a location to which the customer can move and that receives the order information from a customer terminal held by the customer, and the acquisition unit acquires the order information from the reception device.

[0011] The order management system is characterized in that the acquisition unit acquires attendance information identifying the customer who has visited from the reception device, and the management unit associates the customer's location and the order information with the attendance information.

[0012] In the above order management system, the reception device has a settlement unit that performs settlement based on the received order information.

[0013] In order to solve the above problem, the service providing system of the present invention is characterized by including a transport device that transports the product based on the location of the customer.

[0014] In order to solve the above problem, the present invention is characterized by including the above-described reception device.

[0015] In order to solve the above problem, the order management method of the present invention is characterized by including an acquisition step in which a computer acquires order information for a product ordered by a customer; an imaging step in which a camera captures an image of a service area including multiple service locations where the product is provided to generate an image; a tracking step in which the computer tracks the location of the customer in the service area based on the image; and a management step in which the computer manages the order information based on the location of the customer. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] The order management system of the present invention recognizes customers based on images of the product serving area and manages order information in association with the recognized customer's location, eliminating the need for a device on each table as in the past. This prevents the increased installation costs, increased table space, and the device becoming a nuisance. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] (a) A floor plan of a restaurant in which an order management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention has been implemented, (b) A side view of the dining area. [Figure 2] Block diagram of the above order management system [Figure 3] (a) a transaction table stored in the database of the order management system; (b) an order table stored in the database; (c) a customer position table stored in the database; (d) a table position correspondence table defined in the program of the server; and (e) a tracking table stored in the tracking computer of the order management system. [Figure 4] (a) Hardware block diagram of a reception device, (b) Hardware block diagram of a staff device, and (c) Hardware block diagram of a reception device of a second embodiment. [Figure 5] Diagram showing the flow of information for pre-orders [Figure 6] (a) Pre-order order form screen, (b) Order information confirmation screen, (c) Order completion screen [Figure 7] Flowchart of person tracking process [Figure 8] Customer reception process flow chart [Figure 9] Management process flow diagram [Figure 10] Block diagram of an order management system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] Block diagram of a service providing system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] (a) A schematic side view of a transport device provided in the service providing system, (b) A block diagram of the transport device [Figure 13] Floor plan of the store where the above service provision system is installed [Figure 14] Side view of part of the above floor plan (AA) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] [First embodiment]

[0019] An order management system and an order management method according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0020] <Restaurant Overview> The order management system according to this embodiment is installed in the restaurant shown in FIG. 1. The restaurant has an entrance area, eating area E, and a kitchen area. A cash register counter is installed in the entrance area, and eating area E extends beyond the entrance area. Multiple tables are arranged in eating area E, with multiple chairs at each table. Food products are served at each of the tables. In other words, eating area E functions as a product serving area where products are served, and each table functions as a product serving location. Each of the tables is assigned a table number. The entrance area and eating area E are areas where customers and staff can move around, while the kitchen area is an area where only staff can move around.

[0021] <Ordering system overview> The restaurant has introduced an order management system 100 shown in Figure 2. The order management system 100 includes a server 120 that can communicate with a mobile terminal 110 (hereinafter referred to as "customer terminal 110") carried by a customer via an internet communication line, a reception device 130, a camera 140, a tracking computer 150, and a staff device 160.

[0022] <Customer terminal 110> The customer terminal 110 is typically a well-known smart device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal, and includes a network module, a camera, a touch panel display, memory, and a CPU. The network module functions as a communication unit that communicates with the server 120 via an internet communication line. The camera functions as an imaging unit that captures images and inputs the generated images to the CPU. The touch panel display functions as a display unit that displays a screen based on a video signal input from the CPU, and as a touch input unit that inputs touch inputs such as touch coordinates to the CPU based on the customer's touch operation. An order application (hereinafter referred to as the "order app") that defines the reservation order processing and reception processing described below is pre-installed in the memory, and the CPU executes the order app.

[0023] <Reception device 130> As shown in FIG. 2, the reception device 130 is a device that receives customers. The reception device 130 is installed near the entrance area in the dining area E and is operated by the customers. The installation location of the reception device 130 is not limited to near the entrance area in the dining area E, but may be within the imaging range of the camera 140 described below (if the imaging range of the camera 140 includes the entrance area, the reception device 130 may be installed in the entrance area). Furthermore, the reception device 130 does not need to receive all customers, but only needs to receive customers who have placed advance orders described below. As shown in FIG. 4(a), the reception device 130 includes a touch panel display 131, a memory 132, and a CPU 133. The touch panel display 131 functions as a display unit that displays a screen based on a video signal input from the CPU 133, and as a touch input unit that inputs touch input based on a customer's touch operation to the CPU 133. The memory 132 stores a program that defines the reception process described below, and the CPU 133 executes the reception program.

[0024] <Camera 140> As shown in Figures 1 and 2, camera 140 is installed in the center of the ceiling of eating area E to detect the position of people present in eating area E. Camera 140 captures the entire eating area E as its imaging target area, and captures images of eating area E at a predetermined frame rate to generate images (hereinafter referred to as "eating area images"). Furthermore, camera 140 inputs the generated eating area image into tracking computer 150 each time it generates an eating area image.

[0025] <Tracking Computer 150> As shown in FIG. 2, the tracking computer 150 is an information processing device that can communicate with the camera 140 and tracks the positions of customers in the dining area E based on dining area images input from the camera 140. The tracking computer 150 includes a network module, memory, and a CPU. The network module functions as a communication unit that communicates with the server 120 via a network. A tracking program that defines the person tracking process described below is pre-stored in the memory, and the CPU executes the tracking program. During the execution of the tracking program, a tracking table is provided in the memory. As shown in FIG. 3(e), the tracking table is a table that functions as a tracking information storage unit that stores tracking information. The tracking information includes a tracking ID, a position (coordinates), and a feature amount. The tracking ID is identification information assigned to a person present in the dining area E and is registered in the tracking ID field. The position (coordinates) is the position (coordinates) of the person to be tracked and is registered in the position (coordinates) field. The feature amount is information indicating the characteristics of the person to be tracked and is registered in the feature amount field.

[0026] <Staff Device 160> As shown in Figures 2 and 4(b), the staff device 160 is a device that instructs kitchen staff on which dishes to prepare and displays to hall staff the locations of customers to whom meals should be served, and is installed in the kitchen area. The staff device 160 includes a network module 161, a touch panel display 162, a memory 163, and a CPU 164. The network module 161 functions as a communication unit that communicates with the server 120 via the in-store network. The touch panel display 162 functions as a display unit that displays a screen based on a video signal input from the CPU 164, and as an input unit that inputs touch input based on touch operations by the staff to the CPU 164. A display program that defines the display processing described below is pre-recorded in the memory 163, and the CPU 164 executes the program.

[0027] <Server 120> The server 120 is an information processing device that functions as a management unit that manages customer orders, and is equipped with a network module, a database 121, a memory, and a CPU. The network module functions as a communication unit that communicates with the customer terminal 110, the tracking computer 150, and the staff device 160. A program that defines the management process described below is installed in the memory, and the CPU executes the application.

[0028] The database 121 functions as a storage unit that stores information for managing orders, and as shown in FIG. 3, stores a dish table (not shown), a transaction table, an order table, and a customer location table.

[0029] The dish table functions as a dish information storage unit that stores information about dishes served by restaurants, and includes a dish ID field in which a dish ID, which is identification information assigned to each dish, is registered, a dish name field in which the dish name is registered, and a price field in which the price of the dish is registered.

[0030] The transaction table shown in FIG. 3(a) functions as a transaction information storage unit that stores information related to transactions (hereinafter referred to as "transaction information"). The transaction information includes information such as an order ID, a customer ID, an order date and time, a bill amount, and a payment status. The order ID is identification information issued by the server 120 each time an order is placed by the customer terminal 110 (each time the server 120 accepts an order), and is registered in the order ID field. The customer ID is information for identifying a customer using a restaurant, and is assigned so that it is unique to each customer. In this embodiment, when the ordering app is downloaded to the customer terminal 110, a unique customer ID is set in the ordering app. This customer ID is registered in the customer ID field. The order date and time is the date and time when the order was accepted from the customer terminal 110, and is registered in the order date and time field. The bill amount is the bill amount related to the customer's order, and is registered in the bill amount field. The payment status is information indicating whether payment has been completed, and is registered in the payment status field.

[0031] The order table shown in Figure 3(b) functions as an ordered food storage unit that stores information about ordered dishes. Information registered in this table includes an order ID, a dish ID, a quantity, and a served flag. The order ID is registered in the order ID field. The dish ID is identification information assigned to the ordered dish and is registered in the dish ID field. The quantity is the number of dishes ordered and is registered in the quantity field. The served flag is a flag that indicates whether the dish has been served.

[0032] The customer position table shown in Figure 3(c) is a table that functions as a customer position storage unit that stores customer position information. The position information is the customer's position in the eating area E, and is expressed in an XY coordinate system with the origin at the center of the eating area E in a planar view. The position information is registered in the position field. The customer position table also has a tracking ID field and a customer ID field, in which the tracking ID and customer ID are registered in association with the position information. The tracking ID is person identification information used in the person tracking process by the tracking computer 150, and is information for identifying people present in the eating area E. The customer ID is the customer ID of the customer who has made a reception via the reception device 130.

[0033] The program of the server 120 also defines the correspondence between table numbers and their coordinates, as shown in Figure 3(d). The table numbers are numbers assigned to each table as described above. The coordinates indicate the coordinates where the table is located in the XY coordinate system of the dining area E.

[0034] <Pre-order flow> Here, customers using the order management system 100 according to this embodiment can order food before coming to the restaurant (hereinafter referred to as "pre-order"). As shown in FIG. 5, the pre-order can be executed by the customer terminal 110 and the server 120 working together. Specifically, in the pre-order, request processing, form submission processing, order processing, registration processing, notification processing, and payment processing are executed in this order.

[0035] The request process is a process in which the customer terminal 110 requests the server 120 to send an order form.

[0036] The form sending process is a process in which the server 120 sends an order form to the customer terminal 110 that sent the request. The order form is a form for allowing customers to input their orders, and as shown in FIG. 6(a), it has multiple order items arranged in a list format. Each order item has a dish display section, an order quantity input section, and an order selection section. The dish display section displays the names and prices of dishes offered by the restaurant. These dish names and prices are generated by extracting information from a dish table. The order quantity input section is an input box for entering the number of dishes to order. The order selection section is a GUI for selecting dishes as order candidates (adding them to the shopping cart). In this way, order items are provided for each dish, and each order item is associated with a corresponding dish ID.

[0037] The order process includes menu display processing, acquisition processing, order content display processing, and transmission processing by the customer terminal 110. The menu display processing is a process of displaying the order form received from the server 120 on the touch panel display. The acquisition processing is a process of acquiring the quantity and dish decision (add to cart) entered by the customer. The order content display processing is a process of displaying the name, price, and total amount of the added dish, as well as the order confirmation GUI. The transmission processing is a process of sending order information to the server 120 when the order confirmation GUI is operated. Here, the order information is the dish ID of the dish to be ordered, the number of orders, the total amount, and the customer ID.

[0038] The registration process is a process in which the server 120 registers the received order information in the various databases 121. Specifically, when the server 120 receives order information, it issues an order ID. The server 120 also adds a new record (hereinafter referred to as the "new record") to the transaction table, and registers the issued order ID, the customer ID in the order information, the date and time the order information was received, and the total amount in the order information in each field of the new record. Next, the server 120 adds a new record to the order table. Here, if the order information includes multiple types of dishes, it adds a number of records corresponding to the number of types of dishes. Then, it registers the order ID, the dish ID in the order information, and the order quantity in the order information in each field of each record.

[0039] The notification process is a process in which the server 120 sends a notification (hereinafter referred to as a "registration completion notification") to the customer terminal 110 that registration has been completed. The registration completion notification includes, for example, the name of the ordered dish, the quantity, and the total price, as well as an order ID and a payment GUI, as shown in Figure 6(c).

[0040] The customer terminal 110 displays the received registration completion notification on the touch panel display. If the "Proceed to payment processing" GUI is selected, a known payment process such as credit card payment is executed, and a notification that the process has been executed is sent to the server 120. On the other hand, if the "Pay at store" GUI is selected, a notification that the payment has not been executed is sent to the server 120. The CPU of the server 120 registers a predetermined value in the payment field of the transaction table based on the received payment result.

[0041] <Order management flow>

[0042] Next, we will explain the order management flow in the order management system 100. The order management flow includes a person tracking process, a customer reception process, and a management process. Each process will be explained below.

[0043] <Person tracking processing> The person tracking process is a process for tracking the positions of customers present in the dining area E, and as shown in FIG. 7, includes an imaging process s11, a person detection process s12, a tracking information acquisition process s13, an update process s14, and a transmission process s15.

[0044] In the imaging process s11, the camera 140 captures images of the eating area E at a predetermined frame rate and generates an image of the eating area. Each time the camera 140 generates an eating area image, the camera 140 inputs the eating area image into the tracking computer 150. In this way, the camera 140 functions as an imaging unit that captures images of the eating area E and generates an eating area image.

[0045] The person detection process s12 is a process for detecting people included in the eating area image. Specifically, the CPU of the tracking computer 150 generates a difference image by taking the difference between the eating area image input from the camera 140 and an empty image in which no people are present in the eating area E. The difference image contains only people objects (hereinafter referred to as "person objects"), and people are detected.

[0046] The tracking information acquisition process s13 is a process of acquiring the latest person information for tracking a person from the person object. Here, the person information is the coordinates of the object and the feature values ​​of the object. The CPU of the tracking computer 150 acquires the coordinates of the person object in the difference image. The CPU of the tracking computer 150 also acquires the feature values ​​of the person object. The feature values ​​include the size, shape, and / or color of the object. The acquisition of the coordinates and feature values ​​is performed for all person objects included in the difference image.

[0047] The update process s14 is a process for updating the tracking information. Specifically, in the update process, the tracking information of the person to be updated is identified based on the feature, and the identified tracking information is updated. That is, the acquired feature (acquired feature) is compared with all feature values ​​(registered feature values) registered in the tracking table. If the comparison shows that the feature values ​​match or are similar, the two feature values ​​are determined to be feature values ​​of the same person, the registered feature value is overwritten with the acquired feature, and the position (coordinates) corresponding to the registered feature value are overwritten with the acquired coordinates. This allows the tracking information of the same person to be updated. On the other hand, if the comparison shows that the acquired feature value is not similar to any of the registered feature values, the acquired feature value is determined to be feature values ​​of a newly detected person, a new record is added to the tracking table, and the acquired feature value and coordinates are registered in the record. The CPU of the tracking computer 150 performs the above process for all acquired feature values. The above process is performed for all acquired feature values ​​and coordinates.

[0048] The CPU of tracking computer 150 performs person detection processing, tracking information acquisition processing, and update processing based on the eating area image acquired from camera 140, thereby tracking the positions of people present in eating area E. In this way, the CPU of tracking computer 150 functions as a person tracking unit that tracks the positions of people in eating area E.

[0049] The transmission process s15 is a process in which the tracking computer 150 transmits to the server 120 the tracking information registered in the tracking table (particularly, the correspondence between the tracking ID and the position (coordinates)).

[0050] <Customer reception processing> The customer reception process is a process for receiving customers who come to the store, and as shown in FIG. 8, includes an issuing process s21, an acquiring process s22, and a sending process s23.

[0051] The issuing process s21 is a process for issuing reception information. Specifically, the CPU of the reception device 130 executes a standby process and a reception information display process.

[0052] The standby process displays a standby screen on the touch panel display 131 and checks whether or not there is a touch input from the touch panel display 131. The standby screen is a screen that displays a message to customers urging them to perform a touch operation, such as a message such as "Please touch the screen to check in."

[0053] When a touch input is received, the CPU of the reception device 130 executes a reception information display process. The reception information display process displays a two-dimensional code on the touch panel display 131 and displays a message prompting the customer to scan the two-dimensional code with the customer terminal 110. Here, the two-dimensional code is reception information converted into a two-dimensional code. The reception information may be, for example, unique information assigned to the restaurant or a reception number.

[0054] The acquisition process s22 is a process in which the customer terminal 110 acquires reception information. Specifically, the CPU of the customer terminal 110 activates the camera and acquires images generated by the camera at a predetermined frame rate. The CPU then analyzes the acquired images and acquires reception information from the two-dimensional code included in the images.

[0055] The transmission process s23 is a process in which the customer terminal 110 transmits store visit information to the server 120. The store visit information is information including reception information and a customer ID assigned to the customer terminal 110.

[0056] <Administrative processing> The management process is a process for managing orders based on the tracking information and store visit information. First, as shown in FIG. 9, the CPU of the server 120 checks whether tracking information has been received (s31). If tracking information has been received (s31: yes), the received tracking information is reflected in the customer location table (s32). Specifically, the customer location table is searched for a tracking ID that matches the tracking ID contained in the received tracking information, and the location (coordinates) of the tracking information is registered in the location field of the record containing the searched tracking ID. That is, based on the tracking ID of the received tracking information and the tracking ID in the customer location table, a record to which the location (coordinates) of the tracking information should be reflected is identified, and the location (coordinates) of the tracking information is registered in the location field of the identified record. Through this process, the CPU of the server 120 can obtain the latest location information of the person.

[0057] Next, the CPU of the server 120 checks whether or not store visit information has been received (s33). If the store visit information has been received (s33: yes), it checks whether the reception information included in the store visit information is appropriate, and if so, registers the customer ID included in the store visit information in the customer location table (s34). At this time, the CPU of the server 120 identifies a record containing a location closest to the coordinates of the reception device 130 at that time, and registers the customer ID of the store visit information in the customer ID field of the identified record. This process associates the customer ID with the person's location information, making it possible to track the movement of the customer who has made the reception. In this way, the CPU of the server 120 functions as a management unit that manages order information based on the customer's location information.

[0058] Next, the CPU of the server 120 executes a transmission process s35 to transmit instruction information to the staff device 160. The instruction information instructs the kitchen staff to prepare the food and instructs the wait staff as to where to serve the food. The instruction information includes the name of the dish corresponding to the dish ID extracted from the order table, the quantity corresponding to the dish ID, and the order ID and customer location corresponding to the dish ID. The order ID is extracted from the order table using the dish ID as a search key. The customer location is determined by identifying the customer ID from the transaction table based on the extracted order ID, and then extracted from the customer location table using the identified customer ID as a search key. Here, the customer location is not limited to coordinates, but may be a table number corresponding to the coordinates extracted based on the table location correspondence table. The CPU of the server 120 does not extract dish IDs for which the served flag is set.

[0059] When the staff device 160 receives instruction information from the server 120, it executes a display process to display the received instruction information on the touch panel display 162. By taking this display into consideration, the kitchen staff can understand the ordered dishes and start cooking, and the wait staff can bring the dishes to the customer. The staff device 160 also executes a deletion process. The deletion process is a process to delete dishes that have already been served, and a deletion request is sent to the server 120 by touching the display area of ​​the dish on the touch panel display 162. The deletion request includes the name of the dish to be deleted and the order ID. The CPU of the server 120 sets the provided flag of the record in the order table based on the received deletion request.

[0060] When making a payment in the store, the CPU of the customer terminal 110 converts the order ID into a symbol such as a two-dimensional code and displays the symbol on the touch panel display of the POS register. The POS register then scans the symbol, reads the order ID from the symbol, and sends a payment information request including the read order ID to the server 120. Upon receiving the request, the CPU of the server 120 extracts the transaction information corresponding to the order ID and sends the transaction information to the POS register. This allows the POS register to obtain the transaction information and perform payment.

[0061] According to the order management system 100 of this embodiment, the position of a customer in the dining area E where multiple tables are arranged is tracked based on an image of the dining area taken by the camera 140, and the server 120 manages orders based on the position of the customer, so there is no need to install equipment on each table, which reduces the introduction cost compared to conventional systems and prevents the table area from being taken up and the equipment from becoming a nuisance.

[0062] [Second embodiment]

[0063] As shown in Figure 10, the order management system 200 according to the second embodiment differs from the order management system 100 according to the first embodiment in that the reception device 230 is capable of communicating with the server 120 and is equipped with a reader 234 (Figure 4(c)), but the other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. The following description will focus on these different configurations, and explanations of the common configurations will be omitted as appropriate.

[0064] In the customer reception process in this embodiment, the reception device 230 executes a waiting process, an acquisition process, and a transmission process, and the customer terminal 210 executes a display process.

[0065] The standby process displays a standby screen on the touch panel display 231 and checks whether or not there is a touch input from the touch panel display 231. The standby screen is a screen that displays a message to customers who have just visited the store to prompt them to perform a touch operation, such as a message that says, "Please touch the screen to check in." If there is a touch input, the CPU 233 of the reception device 230 executes an acquisition process. The acquisition process is a process of acquiring a customer ID from the customer terminal 210, and the CPU 233 of the reception device 230 checks the read information from the reader 234.

[0066] Here, a customer who visits the restaurant operates the customer terminal 210 to execute a display process. The display process is a process of displaying a symbol of the customer ID on the touch panel display, and the CPU of the customer terminal 210 converts the customer ID into a symbol such as a two-dimensional code and displays the converted symbol. By holding the display screen over the reader 234 of the reception device 230, the reception device 230 obtains the customer ID, which is read information.

[0067] When the reader 230 acquires the customer ID, it issues reception information and transmits the reception information and store visit information including the customer ID to the server 120.

[0068] [Third embodiment]

[0069] As shown in FIG. 11, the service providing system according to the third embodiment includes the order management system 100 according to the first embodiment and a conveying device 370.

[0070] Conveyor device 370 is a device that transports cooked food to the customer's seat, and as shown in Fig. 12, it comprises a chassis 371 that is self-propelled on four wheels, and a loading section 372 provided on chassis 371. Chassis 371 comprises four wheels provided at the front, rear, left and right, a transmission mechanism that transmits power to the wheels, and motor 373 that serves as a power source. Loading section 372 is the portion on which food is placed, and is shaped like a tray.

[0071] The chassis 371 is further equipped with a communication module 374, an image sensor 375, and a microcomputer 376. The communication module 374 functions as a communication unit that performs wireless communication with the staff device 160 of the order management system 100, and is typically a Bluetooth (registered trademark) module. The communication module 374 is electrically connected to the microcomputer 376, and inputs communication information received from the order management system 100 to the microcomputer 376. The image sensor 375 functions as an imaging unit that captures images of markers on a travel lane, which will be described later. An output signal from the image sensor 375 is connected to an input terminal of the microcomputer 376. The microcomputer 376 is equipped with a memory and a CPU. A transport control program is stored in advance in the memory, and the CPU executes the transport control program.

[0072] The service providing system of this embodiment is installed in the restaurant shown in FIG. 13. The restaurant has an eating area and a kitchen area. The eating area is equipped with a camera 140, a reception device 130, and two U-shaped counter tables 301. Each of the U-shaped counter tables 301 is composed of two long counter tables extending parallel to each other and a short counter table connecting the ends of the long counter tables 302. Each of the U-shaped counter tables 301 has a plurality of seats arranged at equal intervals. A seat number is assigned to each of the plurality of seats. The seat numbers correspond to the table numbers in the first embodiment.

[0073] A travel lane 302 is provided along the two U-shaped counter tables 301. The travel lane 302 is an endless lane along which the transport device 370 travels. This allows the transport device 370 to travel in a circular motion on the travel lane 302. Specifically, the travel lane 302 includes one U-shaped lane extending in a U-shape along one U-shaped counter table 301, another U-shaped lane extending in a U-shape along the other U-shaped counter table 301, one connecting lane connecting the other end (terminal end) of the one U-shaped lane to one end (starting end) of the other U-shaped lane, and another lane connecting one end (starting end) of the one U-shaped travel lane to the other end (terminal end) of the other U-shaped travel lane. As shown in FIG. 14, the travel lane 302 is disposed above the counter tables 301, and guide rails 303 (FIG. 12(a)) are provided on both sides of the travel lane.

[0074] 13, multiple markers 304 are displayed on the travel lane 302. The multiple markers 304 are seat numbers converted into symbols such as two-dimensional codes, and are provided in correspondence with each seat position.

[0075] When the food is ready, the kitchen staff operates the staff device 160 to select the food to be served from the dishes displayed on the touch panel display 161. The staff device 160 extracts the serving destination (customer's location) corresponding to the selected food from the instruction information, and transmits the extracted serving destination (customer's location) to the conveyance device 370.

[0076] The microcomputer 376 of the transport device 370 executes a transport control program to perform reception processing and travel control processing.

[0077] The receiving process is a process of receiving the delivery destination via the communication module 374.

[0078] The travel control process controls travel or stop based on the received delivery destination and the signal input from the image sensor 375. Specifically, when the microcomputer 376 receives the delivery destination, it drives the motor 373. This causes the conveyor 370 to travel. The microcomputer 376 then generates an image based on the signal input from the image sensor 375 and analyzes the generated image to detect the marker 304. If the marker 304 is not detected, the conveyor 370 is traveling between two markers 304, and therefore continues to drive the motor 373. If the marker 304 is detected, it analyzes the marker 304 and acquires the seat number indicated by the marker 304. If the acquired seat number does not match the delivery destination, it continues to drive the motor 373. On the other hand, if the acquired seat number matches the delivery destination, it stops the motor 373. This causes the conveyor 370 to stop at the location of the customer, who is the delivery destination, so the customer can receive the food. After stopping the motor 373 for a predetermined period, the microcomputer 376 drives the motor 373 to make the conveying device 370 travel around to the standby position. Note that a marker 305 indicating a stop is displayed at the standby position, and the microcomputer 376 can stop the motor 373 by reading the marker 305.

[0079] In the service providing system 300 of this embodiment, food can be served by the conveying device 370, which makes it possible to reduce the number of hall staff.

[0080] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and may be modified in various ways.

[0081] <Variation 1-1> In the above embodiment, a single camera 140 is installed in the dining area E, but multiple cameras 140 may also be installed. As an installation mode for multiple cameras 140, for example, the dining area E may be divided into multiple small areas and a camera 140 may be installed on the ceiling of each small area. In this modified mode, each camera 140 generates an image of the small area (hereinafter referred to as a "small area image") and inputs the generated small area image to the tracking computer 150. The tracking computer 150 integrates the small area images input from each camera 140 to generate an eating area image, and then performs the same processing as in the above embodiment to track the position of the person.

[0082] <Variation 1-2> Alternatively, the cameras 140 may be arranged in a dispersed manner around the dining area E. In this modified arrangement, each of the cameras 140 is arranged from near the ceiling toward the center of the dining area E. By distributing the cameras 140 in this manner, it is possible to capture images of people in the dining area E from diagonally above, making it possible to detect detailed features from person objects in the dining area image.

[0083] <Variation 2> Although the conveying device 370 of the third embodiment described above is self-propelled on a travel lane, this is not a limitation. For example, the conveying device may be self-propelled on the floor of the eating and drinking area E. Alternatively, the conveying device may include a flying unit that flies within the eating and drinking area E, a placing unit on which food is placed, and a hanging unit that suspends the placing unit from the flying unit. Alternatively, the conveying device may include a moving unit that moves on rails installed at an elevated position in the eating and drinking area E, a placing unit on which food is placed, and a lifting unit that raises and lowers the placing unit relative to the moving unit.

[0084] <Variation 3> In the above embodiment, the tracking computer 150 performs person detection processing, tracking information acquisition processing, and update processing based on the dining area image acquired from the camera 140, but the tracking computer 150 may be omitted and people may be tracked by the server 120 acquiring the dining area image from the camera 140 and performing person detection processing, tracking information acquisition processing, and update processing.

[0085] <Variation 4> In the second embodiment, the customer terminal 210 may transmit the order information and the customer ID to the reception terminal 230, and the reception terminal 230 may transmit the order information to the server 120 together with the attendance information. In this modified embodiment, the customer terminal 210 converts the order information and the customer ID into a two-dimensional code, and the reception terminal 230 reads the two-dimensional code with a reader. In this way, the order information and the customer ID are transferred from the customer terminal 210 to the reception terminal 230. Note that the transfer is not limited to the transfer by two-dimensional code, and may be transferred via wireless communication.

[0086] <Variation 5> In the second embodiment and the fourth modification, the reception device 230 may have a payment adjustment function (payment adjustment unit).

[0087] <Variation 6> In the first embodiment described above, the reception device 130 converts the reception information into a two-dimensional code (symbol), and the customer terminal 110 reads the two-dimensional code with a camera, thereby allowing the customer terminal 110 to obtain the reception information; however, the reception device 130 may also transmit the reception information to the customer terminal 110 using Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication or infrared communication.

[0088] <Variation 7> In the above embodiment, the order management system and the order management method have been described using a restaurant as an example, but the order management system and the order management method of the present invention can also be used in a food court or an outdoor dining space. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 100 Order Management System 110 Customer Terminal 120 servers 130 Reception device 140 Camera 150 Tracking Computer (Tracking COMP) 160 Staff Equipment 200 Order Management System 300 Service Delivery System 370 Transport Equipment

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires order information of products ordered by customers; an imaging unit that captures an image of a serving area including a plurality of serving locations where the product is served and generates an image; a tracking unit that tracks the location of the customer in the service area based on the image; a management unit that manages the order information based on the location of the customer; An order management system comprising:

2. The order management system according to claim 1 , wherein the management unit identifies the supply location corresponding to the location of the customer, and manages the order information in association with the identified supply location.

3. The order management system according to claim 1 , wherein the acquisition unit acquires the order information generated by a customer terminal owned by the customer.

4. The acquisition unit acquires attendance information identifying the customer who has visited the venue from the customer terminal, The order management system according to claim 3 , wherein the management unit associates the customer's location and the order information with the attendance information.

5. a customer terminal owned by the customer and used to generate the order information; a reception device that is provided in a location where the customer can move and that receives order information from a customer terminal that generates order information for the customer; Equipped with The order management system according to claim 1 , wherein the acquisition unit acquires the order information from the reception device.

6. the acquisition unit acquires, from the reception device, attendance information that identifies the customer who has visited the venue; The order management system according to claim 5 , wherein the management unit associates the customer's location and the order information with the attendance information.

7. The order management system according to claim 5 , wherein the reception device includes a settlement unit that performs settlement based on the received order information.

8. An order management system according to any one of claims 1 to 7; a conveying device that conveys the product based on the location of the customer; A service providing system comprising:

9. The reception device according to any one of claims 5 to 7.

10. an acquiring step in which the computer acquires order information of the product ordered by the customer; an imaging step in which a camera captures an image of a serving area including a plurality of serving locations where the product is served, to generate an image; a tracking step in which the computer tracks the location of the customer in the serving area based on the image; a management step in which the computer manages the order information based on the location of the customer; Order management methods, including:

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