Delivery system using drone

Abstract

To provide a mechanism for delivering packages between upper and lower floors of a building using unmanned aerial vehicles.SOLUTION: A delivery system includes management means for managing package delivery between upper and lower floors using unmanned aerial vehicles within a multi-story building with an atrium, and is characterized in that the number of the unmanned aerial vehicles used for the package delivery is determined based on at least one of the structure of the building, the specifications of the unmanned aerial vehicles, and the number of delivery requests per unit time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a delivery system using drones. [Background technology]

[0002] JP 2019-507075 A (Patent Document 1) is a document disclosing background technology in this technical field. This publication states, "The present disclosure is directed to a multi-level (ML) distribution center designed to accommodate takeoff and landing of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The distribution center may be located in a city center and / or other densely populated urban area. Unlike conventional distribution centers, ML distribution centers may include multiple levels (e.g., floors, stories, etc.) permitted by the zoning regulations of the respective areas. The distribution center may have one or more landing positions and one or more maneuvering positions to accommodate UAVs that may deliver at least some of the goods from the distribution center to locations related to customers" (see paragraph

[0006] ). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2019-507075 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 describes a distribution center. This distribution center has multiple floors and is designed to accommodate UAV takeoff and landing. However, this distribution center is merely a base for shipping packages, not a facility for receiving shipped packages. Therefore, Patent Document 1 does not anticipate a system in which shipping and receiving of packages can be completed within a single building. The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and provides a mechanism for delivering packages between upper and lower floors of a building using an unmanned aerial vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, for example, the configurations described in the claims are adopted. The present application includes multiple means for solving the above-mentioned problems, and one example is a delivery system that has a management means for managing the delivery of packages between upper and lower floors using unmanned aerial vehicles in a multi-story building with an atrium, and is characterized in that the number of unmanned aerial vehicles used for delivering packages is determined based on at least one of the structure of the building, the specifications of the unmanned aerial vehicles, and the number of deliveries requested per unit time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, a system can be provided for delivering packages between upper and lower floors of a building using unmanned aerial vehicles. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows an example of a schematic of an automated delivery system in a high-rise building. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of the simulation results for a drone-based delivery system. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of delivery waiting time as a function of the request rate per household and the number of drones in operation, D. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of the simulation results for an elevator-based delivery system. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of the difference in average waiting time and power consumption per package under each condition. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is an example of a floor plan for floor X of a building. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an example of a floor plan of the X+1 floor of the building 600. [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is an example of a vertical cross-sectional view of a building 600. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an example of a floor plan of the first floor of the building 600. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an example of a floor plan of the X+1 floor of the building 600. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 shows an example of the configuration of the management device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Before describing the embodiments of the present invention, the results of research on which the embodiments are based will be described.

[0009] 1. Research on drone delivery systems The purpose of this study is to investigate and evaluate a novel concept: using drone technology to deliver goods from the ground floor to higher floors within a high-rise residential or commercial building. While extensive research has been conducted on deliveries between geographically distant locations, theoretical research on vertical transportation within a single location is very limited. The inventors investigated an on-demand drone delivery system for a single building. For example, in a high-rise residential building where thousands of residents frequently need to retrieve mail and packages from a mailbox on the first floor, descending to (or ascending from) the first floor by elevator is time-consuming and energy-inefficient. In such situations, introducing drone delivery could improve efficiency and convenience. Residents could receive their goods directly from their balconies or at designated drone ports, significantly streamlining the delivery process.

[0010] This study aims to theoretically evaluate the performance of drone delivery within a high-rise building and assess the feasibility of this approach using a simple model. The inventors considered the number of drones required to respond to stochastic demand from each floor, compared the time and power consumption of drone delivery with that of conventional elevator delivery, and examined under what conditions drone delivery is advantageous. Furthermore, we report on the transport characteristics of drone delivery compared to elevator-based delivery.

[0011] 1.1 Method 1.1.1 Drone delivery model In this study, we propose a drone delivery system that uses D drones to operate from the ground floor to the desired floor. The building has F+1 floors, with M households residing on each floor. The height of the first floor is h meters, and the height of the fth floor is hf meters. Note that delivery to the first floor (f=0) is not considered. Each household on the fth floor (f≧1) generates delivery requests at a rate of λ requests per second based on a Poisson process.

[0012] When a request arrives, the system assigns a drone on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis. The drone delivers the item from the first floor to the designated floor. Note that a drone can only fulfill one request per flight. The drone selected for a task is the one that is currently available (after completing any existing requests in the queue).

[0013] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an automated delivery system in a high-rise building. The drone-based delivery workflow in Figure 1(a) shows the sequence from a customer request to unloading (including the drone's ascent, detachment, and descent) and waiting for battery replacement. The elevator-based delivery system in Figure 1(b) shows the process from a customer request to loading the luggage, transporting it in the elevator, unloading it at the designated floor, and the elevator returning.

[0014] The time it takes to attach and detach the cargo from the drone is tattach and t detach The ascent and descent speeds of the drone are v asc and v des The drone is service It operates on a battery that is replaced after flight hours represented by t swapping The cumulative flight time of the drone since the last battery change is t service If the drone exceeds this threshold, it will be temporarily unavailable for the duration of the battery replacement period. Note that the horizontal movement of the drone is not taken into account. Horizontal movement is considered negligible compared to vertical movement.

[0015] 1.1.2 Elevator Delivery Model Similar to drone delivery, the elevator delivery model transports goods from the first floor to various floors upon request. In this study, a single elevator is used for simplicity. Its distinctive feature is that multiple packages can be loaded simultaneously on the first floor. The elevator's ascending and descending speeds are v asc,e and v des,e Let's say.

[0016] The elevators operate in a sequential order, delivering to the requested floors in ascending order before returning to the first floor. The time it takes to stop at each floor, including door operation, acceleration / deceleration, and baggage handling, is defined as t halt Let's say.

[0017] When the elevator arrives at its destination floor, the packages are placed in a delivery locker adjacent to the door exit. We assume that effective sorting occurs during the elevator's journey, and that the time to place the packages is constant regardless of the number of packages per floor. Upon returning to the ground floor, if any new requests have been received during the last round trip, the elevator immediately loads the packages corresponding to all such requests and begins subsequent deliveries. The loading time is t halt (f=0). To expedite the loading process, pre-loaded carts are available on the first floor.

[0018] 1.2 Results 1.2.1 Drone-based delivery system 1.2.1.1 Number of drones In this system, the dynamics typically follow the queueing model M / G / c. A notable feature of this model is that when the request rate exceeds the effective service rate, the queue diverges and becomes unresponsive. The inventors performed an approximate analysis to estimate the number of drones required.

[0019] First, the inventors calculated the time required for one flight. Assuming a scenario in which a sufficient number of requests are received, the drone availability rate is t service / (t service +t swapping ) and the average flight time is estimated as follows:

number

number

number

[0020] From this inequality, we can determine the minimum number of drones required for a given service rate, D min is derived.

number

[0021] Additionally, for a given number of drones, a maximum allowable request rate is identified.

number

[0022] 1.2.1.2 Simulation The inventors of the present invention performed a numerical simulation using the Monte Carlo method using the following parameters: F=50, M=10, h=3 m, v attach =10 s, v detach =10 s, v asc = 3 m / s, v des = 2 m / s, t service =1080 s, t swapping =60 s. These parameters are based on the specifications of a drone model (PF2-AE Delivery sold by ACSL Ltd.) The inventors varied the request rate λ to evaluate the impact on the average waiting time (from request generation to package delivery), the number of battery changes, and the drone availability (time spent in active operation).

[0023] Figure 2 shows the simulation results of a drone-based delivery system. Figure 2(a) shows the average waiting time for delivery as a function of the request rate per household. Figure 2(b) shows the total number of battery changes required. Figure 2(c) shows the drone utilization rate. The dashed line indicates the maximum achievable request rate estimated by equation (3).

[0024] Figure 2(a) shows that the latency increases exponentially once the request rate exceeds a certain threshold. This threshold increases with the number of drones. Equation (3), derived from an approximate calculation, provides an accurate prediction of this behavior.

[0025] When the request rate exceeds λmax, the demand exceeds the drone's service provision capacity, resulting in saturation in terms of the number of battery replacements (Fig. 2(b)) and the utilization rate (Fig. 2(c)).

[0026] Figure 3 shows the delivery waiting time as a function of the request rate per household and the number of operational drones, D. The dashed line represents the minimum number of drones required to handle the demand estimated by equation (2).

[0027] Figure 3 shows the average waiting time for various numbers of drones D and request rates. The dashed line in the figure shows the minimum required number of drones calculated by equation (2), demonstrating the accuracy of our predictions.

[0028] 1.2.2 Comparison with elevator delivery 1.2.2.1 Basic characteristics Next, we consider the transport characteristics of elevator-based deliveries. Figure 4 shows the average waiting time, elevator trip count (the number of times a delivery cycle is completed after loading a package on the first floor), and utilization rate for various request rates. As an example, we used a typical elevator (VFI-1350-CO90, Hitachi, Japan) with the following settings: v asc,e = 1.5 m / s, v des,e = 1.5 m / s, t halt =20 s.

[0029] Figure 4 shows the simulation results for an elevator-based delivery system. Figure 4(a) shows the average waiting time for delivery as a function of the request rate per household. Figure 4(b) shows the number of trips. The dashed line shows the number of trips under the high demand constraint estimated by Equation (4). Figure 4(c) shows the utilization rate (%) of the elevator system.

[0030] A major difference from drone delivery is that the waiting time does not diverge even when the request rate is high (Figure 4(a)). This is because elevators can carry multiple packages at once, and because we assume that the elevator capacity is large enough for the assumed conditions. If the request rate is high enough, the elevator stops at each floor, and the waiting time converges to a constant value.

[0031] There is a peak in the number of trips. When the request rate is small, the number of trips increases in proportion to the request rate. In contrast, above a certain threshold, the time required for each trip increases significantly, and the number of trips decreases sharply. Under such a limit, the number of trips completed within a time window of T is estimated as follows:

number

[0032] The utilization rate increases rapidly with demand and nearly saturates when the maximum number of trips is reached (Fig. 4(c)).

[0033] 1.2.2.2 Drone delivery vs. elevator delivery The results of this study demonstrate that drone delivery and elevator delivery have significantly different transport characteristics. Here, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each method. Figure 5 shows the difference in average waiting time and power consumption per package under each condition. Note that power consumption was calculated based on a typical drone battery capacity (24,000 mAh, 22.2 V; ACSL Ltd. (2023)) and the elevator's rated power (13 kWh; Hitachi, Ltd. (2019)). We also assumed that power consumption is not affected by the size and weight of the package being transported.

[0034] Figure 5 shows the effectiveness of a drone-based delivery system compared to an elevator-based delivery system. Figure 5(a) shows the difference in waiting time between drone delivery and elevator delivery. The area marked "Time effective" in this figure is the area where drone delivery outperforms elevator delivery. Figure 5(b) shows the difference in power consumption. The area marked "Power effective" in this figure is the area where drones are more energy efficient. The vertical dashed lines indicating the boundaries were calculated from simulation results. Figure 5(c) shows the overall effectiveness map combining time and power metrics. This map distinguishes zones where using a drone delivery system is effective in terms of time and power consumption.

[0035] First, regarding the average waiting time, the number of drones is D min When the number of requests is sufficiently large, drone delivery is superior (Figure 5(a)). Elevator delivery is at a disadvantage because the travel time increases significantly when the request rate is relatively low. However, it has the advantage of being able to reliably deliver within a certain waiting time even in the worst case.

[0036] In terms of power consumption (Figure 5(b)), drone delivery is advantageous until the request rate exceeds a certain value (≒0.66 / h / household). This is because elevator delivery incurs additional losses when moving the elevator itself, even for a single request. In contrast, once the request rate exceeds a threshold, elevators consume less power per package.

[0037] Figure 5(c) shows a map of these characteristics. A 2x2 matrix yielded four results for which method was more advantageous in terms of latency and power consumption. The inventors confirmed the usefulness of drone delivery by identifying areas where it was advantageous in both aspects (denoted as "Time / Power effective"). However, if the request rate was too high, the usefulness of elevators became apparent. Note that in the "Power effective" area of ​​Figure 5(c), the latency diverged, making drone delivery unrealistically applicable.

[0038] 1.3 Conclusion The inventors proposed the concept of using drones to deliver goods from the ground to each floor and examined how to respond to various levels of demand. They demonstrated that drone-based delivery provides efficient performance in terms of time and power consumption up to a certain level of demand. The number of drones required and the maximum demand that can be met were calculated using approximation theory. Drone delivery offers advantages in terms of waiting time and power consumption compared to conventional elevator-based delivery in some situations.

[0039] 2. Working Example Based on the above research results, examples of the present invention will be described. 2.1 Background Regarding logistics within high-rise buildings, including tower apartment buildings, it is assumed that goods will be transported by people using elevators and stairs. Alternatively, vertical conveyors can be installed, but the maximum height is 30m.

[0040] In addition, technology is being developed that allows automated guided vehicles to autonomously navigate and transport packages between floors using elevators. For distribution centers, drones are being considered for transporting packages, but no technology has been envisioned that would allow packages to be sent and received within the narrow, enclosed spaces of buildings.

[0041] 2.2 Challenges To meet on-demand logistics needs within large, high-rise buildings, there are the following challenges to be overcome in order to complete the sending and receiving of packages within the building within stress-free waiting times. (1) The technology to safely fly as few drones as possible simultaneously in as small an enclosed space as possible has not yet been established. (2) The algorithm for designing the optimal mechanisms for the building and aircraft required to achieve the above is unknown. (3) In buildings that may be in a non-GNSS (global navigation satellite system) environment, there is insufficient floor height for safe takeoff and landing on each floor.

[0042] 2.3 Solution (1) The optimal flight path and port structure and specifications to avoid interference, and the algorithms for making these decisions. (2) Building monitoring technology to ensure stable flight, takeoff, and landing in non-GNSS environments (3) Operational techniques to minimize aircraft idling time

[0043] 2.4 Effects From an economical standpoint, the optimal structure and specifications of the building and drone set will enable drone-based logistics within the building, something not previously possible in high-rise buildings.

[0044] 2.5 Configuration First, the structure of the building will be explained. As an example, the assumed building size is 50 stories, its use is residential, with 10 households on each floor for a total of 500 households, the building height is 200m, and the floor height of each floor is 4m. The central part of the building's planar shape will be an open atrium (hereinafter referred to as the "flight path") from the first floor to the top floor, and the top floor will be covered with netting to prevent objects from entering from outside.

[0045] FIG. 6 is an example of a floor plan of the Xth floor of a building (where "X" is any integer equal to or greater than 2). The building 600 shown in the figure has a void 601 with a rectangular cross section. A common corridor 602 is arranged around the void 601. The dwelling units are arranged around the common corridor 602, but are not shown in FIG. 6.

[0046] A pair of receiving ports 603A and 603B (hereinafter collectively referred to as "603") are installed in the atrium 601 so as to be located at diagonal corners of the atrium in a plan view. This pair of receiving ports 603 is a takeoff and landing area for drones. By arranging the receiving ports 603 diagonally, a wide flight space for drones can be secured. This receiving port 603 constitutes the delivery system according to this embodiment.

[0047] As an example, the specifications of the drone are as follows: There are five drones, the overall length of the aircraft (propeller range) is 1,173 mm, the height is 526 mm, the weight of the aircraft (including two batteries) is 8.3 kg, the flight speed (when flying fully autonomously) is ascent: 3 m / s, descent: 2 m / s, the maximum payload is 1.5 kg, the maximum flight time is 18 minutes (with a 1.5 kg payload), the time to attach and detach cargo is 10 seconds, the time to replace the battery is 10 seconds, and the battery capacity is 12,000 mAh x 2.

[0048] The receiving ports 603 are each substantially square in shape, with each side being twice the size of the aircraft body. Receiving port 603A is located on the rear side of the building 600, and receiving port 603B is located on the front side of the building 600.

[0049] The dimensions of the atrium 601 are the dimensions necessary for the ascending aircraft 604 and the descending aircraft 605 to pass each other safely. The necessary dimensions are calculated from the aircraft dimensions and the separation distance. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the aircraft dimensions are assumed to be 2 m and the separation distance is 3 m. In this example, the distance between the centers of the aircraft is assumed to be 4 m. Based on these values, the distance between the center of the aircraft and the corner of the atrium 601 is assumed to be 4 + 3√2 m. Furthermore, the longitudinal length of the atrium 601 is assumed to be 4 + (4 + 3√2) / √2*2 = 4 + 4√2 + 6 = 15.6 m, and the transverse length is assumed to be 4√2 + 6 = 11.6 m.

[0050] FIG. 7 is an example of a floor plan of the X+1 floor of a building 600 (where "X" is any integer equal to or greater than 2). As described above, the building 600 shown in the figure has an atrium 601. A common corridor 701 is arranged around the atrium 601. The dwelling units are arranged around the common corridor 701, but are not shown in FIG. 7.

[0051] A pair of receiving ports 702A, 702B (hereinafter collectively referred to as "702") are installed in the atrium 601 so as to be located at diagonal corners of the atrium in a plan view. This pair of receiving ports 702 is a takeoff and landing area for drones. By arranging the receiving ports 702 diagonally, a wide flight space for drones can be secured. The receiving port 702 constitutes the delivery system according to this embodiment.

[0052] Each receiving port 702 has a roughly square shape, with the length of one side being twice the size of the drone body. Receiving port 702A is located on the front side of building 600, and receiving port 702B is located on the rear side of building 600. Arrows 703 and 704 in Figure 7 indicate the drone's entry and exit paths to and from receiving port 702.

[0053] Fig. 8 is an example of a vertical cross-sectional view of a building 600. As described above, the building 600 has an atrium 601. Common corridors 602 and 701 and individual dwelling units are arranged around the atrium 601, but are not shown in Fig. 8.

[0054] A pair of receiving ports 603 or 702 is installed on each floor of the atrium 601. In the example of Fig. 8, on the X-2 floor (where "X" is any integer equal to or greater than 2), the X floor, and the X+2 floor, receiving port 603A is installed on the back side of the building 600, and receiving port 603B is installed on the front side of the building 600. On the other hand, on the X-1 floor and the X+1 floor, receiving port 702A is installed on the front side of the building 600, and receiving port 603B is installed on the back side of the building 600.

[0055] In this way, by installing receiving ports 603 and 702 between adjacent upper and lower floors so that they do not overlap in a plan view, the height necessary for drone takeoff and landing can be secured. In the example of Figure 8, the height necessary for drone takeoff and landing is assumed to be 8 m.

[0056] In the example shown in the figure, the height of the aircraft is assumed to be 1 m, the vertical separation distance is assumed to be 3 m, and the height of the receiving ports 603 and 702 is assumed to be 0.5 m.

[0057] Fig. 9 is an example of a floor plan of the first floor of a building 600. As described above, the building 600 shown in the figure has an atrium 601. A common corridor 901 is arranged around the atrium 601. The dwelling units are arranged around the common corridor 901, but are not shown in Fig. 9.

[0058] The shared corridor 901 is provided with a luggage storage area 902 for storing luggage, a luggage attachment area 903 for attaching luggage to drones (which may also serve as a store), and a charging waiting area 904 for charging and waiting drones.

[0059] In the building 600 described above, drones are assigned to fulfill delivery requests that arise in real time on each floor according to a FIFO (First In, First Out) system, and each request is processed. When the remaining battery power falls below a certain level, the battery is replaced with a charged one.

[0060] 3. Application Examples An application example of the above embodiment will now be described. 3.1 Storage location If the landing time at each receiving port on each floor is longer than a certain amount, a system may be installed to automatically separate and store the luggage. In this case, the storage location may be a box-shaped box like a delivery box, or simply a space.

[0061] FIG. 10 is an example of a floor plan of the X+1 floor of building 600 (where "X" is any integer equal to or greater than 2). In comparison with the floor plan shown in FIG. 7, the floor plan shown in this figure has a delivery locker 1001 and a temporary storage space 1002. Both are provided within common corridor 701, extending in the left-right direction. Delivery locker 1001 is provided on the rear side of building 600, and temporary storage space 1002 is provided on the front side of building 600.

[0062] 3.2 Automated Drone Management A system could be set up to automate the entire process, such as storing luggage on the first floor, setting the luggage on the drone, retrieving the aircraft, and charging it.

[0063] 3.3 Shipping Direction The shipment of the package may be two-way rather than one-way, i.e., the package may be shipped after receipt.

[0064] 3.4 Algorithm for optimizing logistics within the building An algorithm may be designed and used to optimize the flow of goods within the building in combination with elevators. Possible algorithms include the following: (1) If demand is below a certain level, delivery will be made by drone, which has advantages in terms of power consumption and delivery time. (2) If multiple requests for the same floor occur at the same time, delivery will be made by elevator. (3) If there are too many requests to be handled by drones alone, delivery will generally be made by elevator, but drones will be used for urgent requests. A management device that executes such an algorithm will now be described.

[0065] Fig. 11 shows an example of the configuration of a management device. The management device 1100 shown in the figure is a means for managing delivery of packages between upper and lower floors using drones (in other words, unmanned aerial vehicles) in a multi-story building 600 with an atrium. This management device 1100 constitutes the delivery system according to this embodiment.

[0066] The management device 1100 may be, for example, a portable terminal (mobile terminal) such as a smartphone, tablet, mobile phone, or personal digital assistant (PDA), or may be a wearable terminal such as glasses, a wristwatch, or clothing. The management device 1100 may also be a stationary or portable computer, or a server located on the cloud or a network. The management device 1100 may also function as a VR (Virtual Reality) terminal, an AR (Augmented Reality) terminal, or an MR (Mixed Reality) terminal. Alternatively, the management device 1100 may be a combination of multiple of these terminals. For example, a combination of one smartphone and one wearable terminal may logically function as a single terminal. The management device 1100 may also be any other information processing terminal.

[0067] The management device 1100 includes a processor 1103 that executes an operating system, applications, programs, etc., a main memory device 1101 such as RAM (Random Access Memory), an auxiliary memory device 1102 such as an IC card, hard disk drive, SSD (Solid State Drive), flash memory, etc., a communication control unit 1106 such as a network card, wireless communication module, mobile communication module, etc., an input device 1104 such as a touch panel, keyboard, mouse, pen input, voice input, or input by motion detection using image capture by a camera unit, etc., and an output device 1105 such as a monitor or display. Note that the output device 1105 may be a device or terminal that transmits information to be output to an external monitor, display, printer, device, etc.

[0068] The main memory device 1101 stores various programs, applications, etc. (modules), and the functional elements of the overall system are realized by the processor 1103 executing these programs and applications. Note that these modules may be implemented in hardware by integration or the like. Furthermore, each module may be an independent program or application, or may be implemented as a subprogram or function within a single integrated program or application.

[0069] In this specification, each module is described as a subject that performs processing, but in reality, the processing is performed by the processor 1103 that processes various programs, applications, etc. (modules).

[0070] Various databases (DBs) are stored in the auxiliary storage device 1102. A "database" is a functional element (storage unit) that stores a set of data so that it can accommodate any data manipulation (e.g., extraction, addition, deletion, overwriting, etc.) from the processor 203 or an external computer. The method of implementing the database is not limited, and may be, for example, a database management system, spreadsheet software, or a text file such as XML or JSON.

[0071] A main memory device 1101 of the management device 1100 stores programs and applications such as a request reception module 1111 and a determination module 1112. These programs and applications are executed by a processor 1103 to realize the respective functional elements of the management device 1100. Each module will be described below.

[0072] The request reception module 1111 receives a package delivery request. The delivery request may be received via the input device 1104, or may be received from another information processing device via a network. For example, if there is a convenience store on the first floor of the building 600, the delivery request may be input by a convenience store clerk who receives an online order for a product from a resident. As another example, the delivery request may be input by a delivery company that has come to deliver a package to a resident of the building 600.

[0073] The determination module 1112 receives a package delivery request and determines the delivery method for the package. Specifically, when the number of delivery requests per unit time exceeds a predetermined value, the module controls the delivery so that the package is delivered using the elevator of the building 600 instead of the drone. The control here refers to displaying a message on the display informing the delivery person that the package will be delivered using the elevator. When the deliverer sees this message, they will deliver the package using the elevator.

[0074] On the other hand, if the number of delivery requests per unit time is below a predetermined value, the module controls the delivery of the package by drone. The control here refers to displaying a message on the display informing the delivery person of the drone-based delivery. When the delivery person sees this message, they deliver the package by drone. Specifically, the delivery person attaches the package to the drone and flies the drone to the floor of the delivery destination.

[0075] The predetermined value used by the module in the above determination is determined using the above formula (3). That is, the predetermined value is determined based on the structure of the building 600, the specifications of the drones, and the number of drones.

[0076] The structure of the building 600 mentioned here includes the number of floors of the building 600, the floor height of the building 600, and the number of households on each floor (in other words, the number of dwelling units on each floor). Drone specifications include the drone's ascent speed, drone's descent speed, time to attach a payload to the drone, time to detach a payload from the drone, time to change the drone's battery, and how long the drone can fly between battery changes.

[0077] Furthermore, when multiple delivery requests are received from the same floor within a predetermined time period, the determination module 1112 controls the delivery of the package using the elevator of the building 600 instead of the drone. The control here refers to displaying a message on the display informing the delivery person of the use of the elevator. When the delivery person sees this message, they will use the elevator to deliver the package.

[0078] On the other hand, if multiple delivery requests are not made from the same floor within a specified time, the module controls the system to deliver the package using a drone. This control involves displaying a message on the display informing the delivery person of the drone delivery. When the delivery person sees this message, they will deliver the package using a drone.

[0079] Furthermore, even if the number of delivery requests per unit time exceeds the predetermined value, if the urgency of the delivery request satisfies a predetermined condition, the determination module 1112 controls the delivery of the package using a drone instead of the elevator of the building 600. The control here refers to displaying a message on the display informing the delivery person of the use of a drone. When the deliverer sees this message, they will deliver the package using a drone.

[0080] Next, a description will be given of the auxiliary storage device 1102. The auxiliary storage device 1102 stores delivery request data 1121.

[0081] According to the management device 1100 described above, if demand is below a certain level, delivery is performed by drone, which is advantageous in terms of power consumption and delivery time. Also, if multiple requests for the same floor occur at the same time, delivery is performed by elevator, which is advantageous in terms of power consumption and delivery time. Also, if there are too many requests to be handled by drones alone, delivery is generally performed by elevator, but drones are used for urgent requests. Therefore, this management device 1100 allows for optimization of logistics within the building.

[0082] 3.5 Number of drones The minimum number of drones to be used within the building 600 may be determined using the above formula (2). That is, the minimum number of drones may be determined based on the structure of the building 600, the specifications of the drones, and the number of delivery requests per unit time.

[0083] The structure of the building 600 mentioned here includes the number of floors of the building 600, the floor height of the building 600, and the number of households on each floor (in other words, the number of dwelling units on each floor). Drone specifications include the drone's ascent speed, drone's descent speed, time to attach a payload to the drone, time to detach a payload from the drone, time to change the drone's battery, and how long the drone can fly between battery changes.

[0084] 3.6 Flight Path Dimensions The flight path area may be made larger, and multiple ascent paths and descent paths may be prepared.

[0085] 4. Variations The above-described embodiment or application example may be modified as follows: The following modifications may be combined with each other.

[0086] 4.1 Variable Omission The predetermined value used by the determination module 1112 in the determination is determined using the formula (3) as described above. However, not all variables need to be taken into consideration. One or more variables in the formula (3) may be omitted.

[0087] That is, the predetermined value may be determined based on at least one of the structure of the building 600, the specifications of the drone, and the number of drones. The structure of the building 600 referred to here may include at least one of the number of floors of the building 600, the floor height of the building 600, and the number of households on each floor. The drone specifications may also include at least one of the following: the drone's ascent speed, the drone's descent speed, the time it takes to attach a load to the drone, the time it takes to detach a load from the drone, the time it takes to replace the drone's battery, and the amount of time the drone can fly after one battery change.

[0088] The minimum number of drones to be used within the building 600 is determined using equation (2) as described above. However, not all variables need to be taken into consideration. One or more variables in equation (2) may be omitted.

[0089] That is, the minimum number of drones may be determined based on at least one of the structure of the building 600, the specifications of the drones, and the number of delivery requests per unit time. The structure of the building 600 referred to here may include at least one of the number of floors of the building 600, the floor height of the building 600, and the number of households on each floor. The drone specifications may also include at least one of the following: the drone's ascent speed, the drone's descent speed, the time it takes to attach a load to the drone, the time it takes to detach a load from the drone, the time it takes to replace the drone's battery, and the amount of time the drone can fly after one battery change.

[0090] 4.2 Number and shape of receiving ports In the above embodiment, a pair of receiving ports is installed on each floor (see Figures 6 to 8). However, the number of receiving ports is not limited to two, and one or three or more receiving ports may be installed on each floor depending on the number of drones used. Furthermore, the shape of the receiving port is not limited to a substantially square shape, but may be other polygonal, circular, or elliptical shapes.

[0091] 4.3 Receiving Port Placement In the above embodiment, the receiving ports are installed so that they do not overlap in a plan view between two adjacent floors (see Figure 8). However, it is also possible to install only one receiving port on each floor, so that the receiving ports do not overlap in a plan view between four adjacent floors (see Figure 8).

[0092] 4.4 Shape of the atrium The atrium 601 has a rectangular shape in plan view (see FIGS. 6 and 7). This shape is merely an example, and the atrium may have a polygonal shape other than a rectangle. In this case, two or more receiving ports can be arranged at diagonal corners of the atrium.

[0093] 4.5 Control of the decision module The control executed by the determination module 1112 is not limited to displaying a message on the display. Other control may include, for example, the following. First, as a control method for transporting packages using an elevator, the elevator is remotely controlled to lower the car to the first floor and set the destination floor for the car. In this case, the delivery person does not need to operate the elevator themselves. Another method of control is to remotely control a self-propelled robot to transport the package and have the robot use an elevator to transport the package to the destination floor. In this case, the delivery person simply places the package on the self-propelled robot.

[0094] On the other hand, one way to control the delivery of packages using drones is to remotely set the delivery destination floor for a waiting drone. In this case, the delivery person only needs to attach the package to the drone and operate it to start flying.

[0095] 4.6 Other The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, or to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

[0096] Furthermore, the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be partially or entirely implemented in hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. The above-described configurations, functions, etc. may also be implemented in software, with a processor interpreting and executing a program that implements each function. Information such as the programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in a memory, a recording device such as a hard disk or SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD.

[0097] In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines in the product. In reality, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected. The above-described embodiments disclose at least the configurations described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0098] 600...building, 601...atrium, 602...common corridor, 603A...receiving port, 603B...receiving port, 604...ascending vehicle, 605...descending vehicle, 701...common corridor, 702A...receiving port, 702B...receiving port, 703...entrance route, 704...exit route, 902...luggage storage area, 903...luggage attachment area, 904...charging waiting area, 1001...delivery locker, 1002...temporary storage space, 1100...management device, 1101...main memory device, 1102...auxiliary memory device, 1103...processor, 1104...input device, 1105...output device, 1106...communication control unit, 1111...request reception module, 1112...determination module, 1121...delivery request data

Claims

1. 1. A delivery system comprising: a management means for managing delivery of packages between upper and lower floors using an unmanned aerial vehicle in a multi-story building having an atrium; The number of unmanned aerial vehicles used for delivering packages is determined based on at least one of the structure of the building, the specifications of the unmanned aerial vehicles, and the number of delivery requests per unit time. A delivery system characterized by:

2. The delivery system according to claim 1 , wherein the building structure includes at least one of the number of floors of the building, the floor height of the building, and the number of households on each floor.

3. 2. The delivery system of claim 1, wherein the specifications of the unmanned aerial vehicle include at least one of the following: the ascent speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle; the descent speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle; the time required to attach a load to the unmanned aerial vehicle; the time required to remove a load from the unmanned aerial vehicle; the time required to replace the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle; and the time the unmanned aerial vehicle can fly after one battery replacement.

4. The building has a substantially rectangular atrium in plan view, Further, a pair of landing areas are provided on one or more floors so as to be diagonally positioned within the atrium in a plan view.

2. The delivery system of claim 1.

5. The delivery system of claim 1 further comprises a plurality of arrival and departure areas installed within the atrium, the arrival and departure areas being arranged so as not to overlap in plan view between adjacent upper and lower floors.

6. 1. A delivery system comprising: a management means for managing delivery of packages between upper and lower floors using an unmanned aerial vehicle in a multi-story building having an atrium; the building has an elevator; The management means controls the delivery of packages using the elevator instead of the unmanned aerial vehicle when the number of delivery requests per unit time exceeds a predetermined value. A delivery system characterized by:

7. The delivery system according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined value is determined based on at least one of the structure of the building, the specifications of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the number of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

8. The delivery system according to claim 7, wherein the building structure includes at least one of the number of floors of the building, the floor height of the building, and the number of households on each floor.

9. 8. The delivery system of claim 7, wherein the specifications of the unmanned aerial vehicle include at least one of the following: the ascent speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle; the descent speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle; the time required to attach a load to the unmanned aerial vehicle; the time required to remove a load from the unmanned aerial vehicle; the time required to replace the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle; and the flight time of the unmanned aerial vehicle after one battery replacement.

10. The delivery system described in claim 6, characterized in that the management means controls the system so that when multiple delivery requests are made from the same floor within a specified period of time, the elevator is used to deliver the luggage instead of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

11. The delivery system of claim 6, wherein the management means controls the delivery of packages using the unmanned aerial vehicle instead of the elevator when the urgency of the delivery request satisfies a predetermined condition, even if the number of delivery requests per unit time exceeds the predetermined value.

12. 1. A computer-implemented delivery method comprising: a step of managing delivery of packages between upper and lower floors using an unmanned aerial vehicle in a multi-story building having an atrium; the building has an elevator; The step includes controlling the elevator to deliver packages instead of the unmanned aerial vehicle when the number of delivery requests per unit time exceeds a predetermined value. A delivery method characterized by:

13. The delivery method according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined value is determined based on at least one of the structure of the building, the specifications of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the number of the unmanned aerial vehicles.

14. The delivery method according to claim 13, wherein the building structure includes at least one of the number of floors of the building, the floor height of the building, and the number of households on each floor.

15. 14. The delivery method of claim 13, wherein the specifications of the unmanned aerial vehicle include at least one of the following: the ascent speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle; the descent speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle; the time required to attach a load to the unmanned aerial vehicle; the time required to remove a load from the unmanned aerial vehicle; the time required to replace the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle; and the flight time of the unmanned aerial vehicle after one battery replacement.

16. 13. The delivery method according to claim 12, wherein the step includes controlling the elevator to deliver packages instead of the unmanned aerial vehicle when multiple delivery requests are received from the same floor within a predetermined time period.

17. 13. The delivery method according to claim 12, wherein the step includes controlling the delivery of packages using the unmanned aerial vehicle instead of the elevator when the urgency of the delivery request satisfies a predetermined condition, even if the number of delivery requests per unit time exceeds the predetermined value.

18. A program for causing a computer to execute each step of the delivery method according to any one of claims 12 to 17.

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