Control device for stocker and stocker

Abstract

To provide a stocker which allows a deliverer to deliver an article more easily.SOLUTION: A stocker includes a plurality of boxes which are arranged in a plurality of stages vertically, and which can be locked / unlocked. A control device for stocker includes: a storage part for storing information regarding the height of each box, and the information regarding presence / absence of an article in each box; a detection part capable of detecting the height of a person; and a control part which, when delivery of an article is requested by the deliverer, determines a box as a box of delivery destination which corresponds to the height of the deliverer out of empty boxes where no article has been delivered, based on the height of the deliverer detected by the detection part and the information stored in the storage part, and which unlocks the determined box.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This specification discloses a control device for a stocker and a stocker. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional control device for this type of stocker has been proposed, which is equipped with multiple delivery warehouses where deliverers can deliver items and recipients can receive items, and which determines the delivery warehouse to which the item should be delivered by referencing recipient attribute information stored in a memory unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The recipient attribute information includes the recipient's age and height. If the recipient's age is equal to or greater than a threshold, the stocker control device determines that the delivery warehouse to which the item should be delivered is one that is located at a height that makes it easy for elderly people to retrieve the delivered item. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-134141 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned stocker control device, the recipient determines the delivery warehouse (box) to which the item will be delivered based on the attribute information, so the determined delivery warehouse is not necessarily one that is easy for the deliverer to deliver to. When determining the delivery box based on the attribute information of the deliverer, this cannot be done unless the attribute information is registered in advance.

[0005] A primary object of the present disclosure is to provide a stocker that makes it easier for deliverers to deliver goods. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present disclosure has adopted the following means to achieve the above-mentioned main object.

[0007] The gist of the disclosed control device for a stocker is that it is a control device for a stocker that has a plurality of boxes arranged in multiple vertical tiers, each of which can be locked and unlocked, and is equipped with a memory unit that stores information regarding the height of each box and information regarding the presence or absence of items in each box, a detection unit that can detect a person's height, and a control unit that, when a deliverer requests delivery of an item, determines a box of a height that corresponds to the height of the deliverer from among empty boxes that have not yet had an item delivered, as the delivery destination box based on the height of the deliverer detected by the detection unit and the information stored in the memory unit, and unlocks the determined box.

[0008] The stocker control device disclosed herein includes a memory unit that stores information regarding the placement height of each box in the stocker and information regarding the presence or absence of an item in each box, and a detector unit that can detect a person's height, and when a delivery person requests delivery of an item, the control unit determines from among the available boxes a box with a height that corresponds to the height of the delivery person based on the height of the delivery person detected by the detector unit and the information stored in the memory unit as the delivery destination box. This allows the delivery person to deliver the item to a box with a height that corresponds to their height, making it easier to deliver the item.

[0009] The stocker of the present disclosure comprises a plurality of boxes arranged in multiple vertical tiers, each of which can be locked and unlocked; a memory unit that stores information regarding the height of each box and information regarding the presence or absence of items in each box; a detection unit that can detect a person's height; and a control unit that, when a delivery of an item is requested by a deliverer, determines a box of a height corresponding to the deliverer's height as the delivery destination box from among empty boxes that have not yet delivered items based on the height of the deliverer detected by the detection unit and the information stored in the memory unit, and unlocks the determined box.

[0010] The stocker of the present disclosure has the same configuration as the stocker control device of the present disclosure, and therefore can achieve the same effects as the stocker control device of the present disclosure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a stocker system including a stocker according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the electrical connection relationship of the stocker system. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of usage status information. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a delivery process. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a delivery process. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing how to set a target box as a delivery destination when the same delivery person delivers subsequent items. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Next, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a stocker system 10 including a stocker 30 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical connections of the stocker system 10. As shown in Fig. 1, the stocker system 10 includes a management device 20 that manages the entire system, and one or more stockers 30.

[0014] The management device 20 exchanges information with each stocker 30 via the network 1 to manage the usage status of each stocker 30. The management device 20 includes a control unit 21 including a CPU 22 and a memory unit 23, and a communication unit 26. The memory unit 23 stores stocker information 24, usage status information 25, and the like for each stocker 30. The stocker information 24 includes, for example, identification information (stocker ID) for identifying the stocker 30 and the installation location of the stocker 30. The usage status information 25 associates the stocker ID, identification information (box ID) for identifying the storage box 31, height information (upper, middle, lower) regarding the placement height of the storage box 31, the status of the storage box 31 indicating its usage status (delivered or empty), and a receiving ID (code) for receiving items from the storage box 31.

[0015] Stockers 30 are used to transfer items between deliverers and recipients, and are installed in various locations, such as offices, convenience stores, train stations, schools, apartment buildings, shopping centers, and various public facilities. As shown in FIG. 1 , stockers 30 include multiple storage boxes 31 arranged in multiple tiers (e.g., four tiers) and multiple rows (e.g., five rows), each capable of storing items, and a control unit 50 that controls the entire stocker. Each storage box 31 includes a box-shaped main body 31a with an open front, a door 32 attached to the front opening of the main body 31a via a hinge so as to be openable and closable, an item detection sensor 33 that detects the presence or absence of an item in the box, an opening / closing detection sensor 34 that detects the opening / closing of the door 32, and an electric lock 35 that can lock and unlock the storage box 31 (door 32). The item detection sensor 33 may be, for example, an optical sensor that optically detects the presence or absence of an item, or a weight sensor that detects the presence or absence of an item based on a change in weight. The electric locks 35 are individually installed in the plurality of storage boxes 31 of the stocker 30, and electrically lock and unlock the doors 32.

[0016] The control unit 50 includes a control unit 51 that controls the overall operation of the stocker 30, a communication unit 56 that controls communication with external devices such as the management device 20, an operation display unit 57, a reading unit 58, and a camera 59.

[0017] The control unit 50 is housed in one of the storage boxes 31, and an operation and display unit 57, a reading unit 58, and a camera 59 are disposed on the front of the door 32. The operation and display unit 57 is a touch panel disposed on the front of the stocker 30, and displays various information to the deliverer, recipient, etc. of the item, and inputs various operations from the deliverer, recipient, etc. The reading unit 58 is a code reader that reads a coded delivery company ID (delivery company number) that identifies the deliverer, and a coded receipt ID (receipt number) that is given to the recipient and is required for receiving the item. The camera 59 is disposed above the operation and display unit 57, and captures an image in front of the operation and display unit 57.

[0018] The control unit 51 includes a CPU 52, a memory unit 53, etc. The control unit 51 receives as input detection signals from the item detection sensor 33 and the open / close detection sensor 34 of each storage box 31, operation signals from the operation and display unit 57, reading signals from the reading unit 58, image signals from the camera 59, etc. The control unit 51 also outputs control signals to the electric lock 35, image signals to the operation and display unit 57, and control signals to the camera 59. The memory unit 53 stores usage status information 55 of each storage box 31 in the stocker 30. As shown in FIG. 3 , the usage status information 55 associates a stocker ID, identification information (box ID) for identifying the storage box 31, height information (upper, middle, lower) regarding the placement height of the storage box 31, a status indicating the usage status of the storage box 31 (delivered or empty), and a receiving ID (code) for receiving items from the storage box 31. That is, the usage status information 55 is the same as the usage status information 25 managed by the management device 20 in the corresponding stocker 30. The management device 20 and stocker 30 communicate with each other via the communication units 26 and 56, thereby synchronizing the information with the latest information.

[0019] Next, the operation of the stocker system 10 configured as described above will be described. In particular, the operation when a delivery person delivers an item to the stocker 30 will be described. Figures 4 and 5 are flowcharts showing an example of delivery processing executed by the control unit 51 of the stocker 30. This processing is executed, for example, when a human presence sensor (not shown) detects a person in front of the stocker 30.

[0020] When the delivery process is executed, the CPU 52 of the control unit 51 first displays a menu screen on the operation display unit 57 (S100). The menu screen includes, although not shown, a delivery button for the deliverer to deliver the item to the stocker 30 and a receipt button for the recipient to receive the delivered item from the stocker 30. Next, the CPU 52 determines whether the delivery button has been pressed and delivery has been requested (S102). If the CPU 52 determines that delivery has not been requested, it terminates the delivery process. Note that if the receipt button has been pressed and receipt has been requested, the CPU 52 executes the receipt process.

[0021] The CPU 52 accepts input of a delivery company number and a delivery company code from the deliverer and authenticates the deliverer (S104). The delivery company number and the delivery company code are input, for example, by the deliverer operating the operation / display unit 57 to input the delivery company number, or by the deliverer having the reading unit 58 installed near the operation / display unit 57 read the delivery company code. If the CPU 52 determines that the authentication of the deliverer has failed, it terminates the delivery process. On the other hand, if the CPU 52 determines that the authentication of the deliverer has been successful, it captures an image of the area in front of the operation / display unit 57 with the camera 59 (S108) and measures the height T of the deliverer based on the captured image (S110). Considering a case in which the deliverer is operating the operation / display unit 57 to request delivery, the CPU 52 can capture an image of the deliverer by capturing an image of the area in front of the operation / display unit 57 with the camera 59, and can measure the height of the deliverer from the position of the top of the deliverer recognized in the captured image by performing person recognition processing on the captured image of the deliverer.

[0022] When the CPU 52 measures the height T of the delivery person, it determines whether the measured height T is equal to or less than a threshold value TL (e.g., 160 cm) (S112) and whether it is equal to or less than a threshold value TH (e.g., 180 cm) that is greater than the threshold value TL (S114). If the CPU 52 determines that the height T of the delivery person is equal to or less than the threshold value TL, it sets the storage boxes 31 located in the lower tier of the multiple storage boxes 31 in the stocker 30 (in this embodiment, the storage boxes 31 in the third and fourth tiers from the top in FIG. 1) as candidate boxes that are candidates for delivery destinations of the item (S116). If the CPU 52 determines that the height T of the delivery person is not equal to or less than the threshold value TL but is equal to or less than the threshold value TH (greater than the threshold value TL and equal to or less than the threshold value TH), it sets the storage box 31 located in the middle tier of the multiple storage boxes 31 in the stocker 30 (in this embodiment, the storage box 31 in the second tier from the top in FIG. 1) as a candidate box (S118). Furthermore, if the CPU 52 determines that the height T of the deliverer is neither equal to or less than the threshold value TL nor equal to or less than the threshold value TH (exceeds the threshold value TH), it sets the storage box 31 located at the top of the multiple storage boxes 31 in the stocker 30 (in this embodiment, the storage box 31 located at the top in FIG. 1) as a candidate box (S120). The CPU 52 then determines whether the candidate boxes have vacant storage spaces based on the usage status information 55 (status) of each storage box 31 stored in the memory unit 53 (S122). If the CPU 52 determines that the candidate boxes have vacant storage spaces, it sets one of the vacant storage boxes 31 in the candidate boxes as a target box, which is the delivery destination of the item (S124), and controls the corresponding electric lock 35 to unlock and open the target box (S128). As a result, the door of the storage box 31 that is appropriate for the height T of the deliverer is opened (unlocked), allowing the deliverer to easily deliver the item. When there are a plurality of candidate boxes, the CPU 52 may set the candidate box that is closest to the operation display unit 57 as the target box and open (unlock) it.

[0023] On the other hand, if the CPU 52 determines that there is no vacant space in the candidate box, it sets an empty storage box 31 on another level as the target box (S126), and controls the corresponding electric lock 35 to unlock and open the target box (S128). Here, if there is no vacant space in the candidate box, the CPU 52 sets, as the target box, among the empty storage boxes 31 on other levels, a storage box 31 that is located on a level lower than the candidate box, in preference to a storage box 31 that is located on a level higher than the candidate box. For example, if the candidate box is a middle storage box 31 and there is no vacant space in the middle storage box 31, the CPU 52 sets the lower storage box 31 as the target box if there is vacant space in the lower storage box 31, and if there is vacant space in the lower storage box 31 but there is vacant space in the upper storage box 31, it sets the upper storage box 31 as the target box. Furthermore, when the candidate box is an upper storage box 31 and there is no vacant space in the upper storage box 31, if there is vacant space in both a middle storage box 31 lower than the candidate box and a lower storage box 31, the CPU 52 sets the middle storage box 31 that is closer to the candidate box as the target box. Note that if there is no vacant space in the candidate box, or if there is no vacant space in the candidate box and there is also no vacant space in a storage box 31 lower than the candidate box, the CPU 52 may display a message on the operation display unit 57 indicating that there are no vacant storage boxes 31 of a height appropriate for the deliverer's height T, and may open (unlock) an vacant storage box 31 on another level only if the deliverer agrees. Furthermore, the CPU 52 may display the location of an vacant storage box 31 on the operation display unit 57, accept the delivery person's selection of a storage box 31 as a delivery destination, and open (unlock) the selected storage box 31.

[0024] When the CPU 52 opens the door of the target box, it waits until the item detection sensor 33 detects an item in the target box and the open / close detection sensor 34 detects that the target box is closed (S130), and then controls the corresponding electric lock 35 to lock the target box (S132). Then, the CPU 52 changes the status of the target box from vacant to delivered (S134) and stores the location of the target box in the memory unit 53 (S136). When the CPU 52 changes the status of the target box, it transmits the status of the target box to the management device 20. The management device 20, which has received the status of the target box, updates the usage status information 25.

[0025] Next, the CPU 52 determines whether the delivery button has been pressed on the menu screen to allow the same delivery person to continue delivering items (S138), whether the end button has been pressed, and whether a predetermined time has passed (S140). When the end button has been pressed or the predetermined time has passed, the CPU 52 ends the delivery process.

[0026] On the other hand, if the CPU 52 determines that the delivery button has been pressed subsequently, it sets another storage box 31 on the same row (different column) as the position of the previously delivered storage box 31 stored in S136 as a candidate box (S142). Next, the CPU 52 determines whether or not there is space in the candidate box based on the usage status information 55 (status) of each storage box 31 stored in the memory unit 53 (S144). If the CPU 52 determines that there is no space in the candidate box, it sets an empty storage box 31 on another row as the target box by processing similar to S126 (S158), and unlocks and opens the target box (S160).

[0027] On the other hand, if the CPU 52 determines that there is an empty space in the candidate box, it determines whether there is one empty space in the candidate box (S146). If the CPU 52 determines that there is one empty space in the candidate box, it sets that one candidate box as the target box (S148) and unlocks and opens the target box (S160). This opens the door of the storage box 31 on the same level as the storage box 31 that previously delivered the item, allowing the delivery person to easily continue delivering items.

[0028] If the CPU 52 determines in S146 that there is more than one available candidate box, it sets the candidate box closest to the storage box 31 to which the item was previously delivered as the temporary target box (S150). Then, the CPU 52 determines whether there is only one temporary target box (S152). If the CPU 52 determines that there is only one temporary target box, it sets the temporary target box as the target box (S154) and unlocks and opens the target box (S160). Through this process, the storage box 31 that is on the same level as the storage box 31 to which the item was previously delivered and that is closer to the storage box 31 to which the item was previously delivered is opened (unlocked), making it easier for the deliverer to deliver the item. On the other hand, if the CPU 52 determines that there is more than one temporary target box, it sets the box closest to the operation display unit 57 as the target box among the multiple temporary target boxes (S156) and unlocks and opens the target box (S160). In this embodiment, the case where there is more than one temporary target box corresponds to the case where the storage boxes 31 on both the left and right sides of the storage box 31 that previously delivered the item are empty, as shown in FIG. 6(a). In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the operation display unit 57 is located in the storage box 31 at the left end of the middle row of the stocker 30, so the target box is set to the storage box 31 on the left side of the storage box 31 that previously delivered the item, and the target box is opened (unlocked). This allows the delivery person to deliver the item immediately after operating the operation display unit 57 to request delivery. After opening the target box, the CPU 52 performs the processes of S162 to S168 similar to S130 to S136, and then returns to S138.

[0029] In the receiving process, the CPU 52 accepts input of a receiving ID from the recipient and performs identity authentication, and if the identity authentication is successful, sets the delivered storage box 31 corresponding to the receiving ID as the target box based on the usage status information 55, and unlocks and opens the target box. Then, when the target box is closed after the goods have been delivered, the CPU 52 controls the electric lock 35 to lock the target box and changes the status of the target box to vacant.

[0030] Here, the correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the present disclosure described in the claims will be described. That is, the storage box 31 of the present embodiment is an example of a box of the present disclosure, the memory unit 53 is an example of a memory unit, the camera 59 is an example of a detection unit, and the control unit 51 (CPU 52) that executes the delivery process is an example of a control unit.

[0031] It goes without saying that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms as long as they fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0032] For example, in the above-described embodiment, when a delivery person delivers an item and subsequently delivers another item, and there are multiple empty storage boxes 31 on the same row as the storage box 31 that delivered the item earlier, the CPU 52 opens (unlocks) the storage box 31 that is closest to the storage box 31 that delivered the item earlier among the multiple storage boxes 31. However, the CPU 52 may also open (unlock) the storage box 31 that is closest to the operation display unit 57 among the multiple storage boxes 31, or may open (unlock) another storage box 31.

[0033] In the above-described embodiment, the stocker 30 is provided with an item detection sensor 33 in each storage box 31, but the stocker 30 may not be provided with an item detection sensor 33. In this case, the CPU 52 may unlock and open the target box, and then lock the target box when it detects that the target box's door has closed. Then, based on the detection that the target box's door has closed, the CPU 52 may determine that an item is present in the target box, change the status of the target box from empty to delivered, and store the location of the target box in the memory unit 53.

[0034] As described above, the stocker control device of the present disclosure includes a memory unit that stores information regarding the placement height of each box in the stocker and information regarding the presence or absence of an item in each box, and a detector unit that can detect a person's height, and when a deliverer requests delivery of an item, the control device determines a box from among the available boxes that has a height appropriate for the deliverer's height as the delivery destination box based on the deliverer's height detected by the detector unit and the information stored in the memory unit. This allows the deliverer to deliver the item to a box that has a height appropriate for their height, making it easier to deliver the item.

[0035] In the stocker control device of the present disclosure, the multiple boxes are arranged in multiple rows and columns, and when the same deliverer requests additional delivery of an item, if there are multiple empty boxes of a height corresponding to the height of the deliverer, the control unit may determine, as the delivery destination box, the empty box that is closest to the box to which the same deliverer previously delivered an item. This allows the deliverer to more smoothly deliver the multiple items to the respective boxes.

[0036] In addition, in the stocker control device disclosed herein, the stocker is provided with an operation unit arranged together with the plurality of boxes and that accepts delivery requests based on operation by an operator, the plurality of boxes being arranged in a plurality of rows and columns vertically and horizontally, and when a delivery person requests delivery of an item via the operation unit, if there are a plurality of empty boxes of a height corresponding to the height of the delivery person, the control unit may determine that the empty box closest to the operation unit is the delivery destination box. In this way, the delivery person can deliver the item immediately after operating the operation unit to request delivery of the item.

[0037] Furthermore, in the stocker control device disclosed herein, the detection unit may have a camera and process an image of the deliverer captured by the camera to recognize the height of the deliverer. This allows the height of the deliverer to be recognized more accurately, and a box of a height corresponding to the height of the deliverer as the destination for the item to be unlocked.

[0038] The present disclosure is not limited to the form of a control device for a stocker, but may also be in the form of a stocker having a plurality of boxes.

[0039] This specification also discloses the technical idea of ​​changing "a control device for a stocker according to claim 1 or 2" in claim 4, as originally filed, to "a control device for a stocker according to any one of claims 1 to 3." [Industrial Applicability]

[0040] The present invention can be used in technical fields such as the stocker manufacturing industry. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1 network, 10 stocker system, 20 management device, 21 control unit, 22 CPU, 23 memory unit, 24 stocker information, 25 usage status information, 26 communication unit, 30 stocker, 31 storage box, 31a box body, 32 door, 33 item detection sensor, 34 open / close detection sensor, 35 electric lock, 50 control unit, 51 control unit, 52 CPU, 53 memory unit, 55 usage status information, 56 communication unit, 57 operation display unit, 58 reading unit, 59 camera.

Claims

1. A control device for a stocker having a plurality of boxes arranged in multiple vertical stages, each of which can be locked and unlocked, comprising: a storage unit that stores information regarding the height of each of the boxes and information regarding the presence or absence of an item in each of the boxes; a detection unit capable of detecting a person's height; a control unit that, when a delivery of an item is requested by a deliverer, determines a box of a height corresponding to the height of the deliverer from among empty boxes to which no item has been delivered based on the height of the deliverer detected by the detection unit and the information stored in the storage unit as a delivery destination box, and unlocks the determined box; A control device for a stocker comprising:

2. 2. The stocker control device according to claim 1, The plurality of boxes are arranged in a plurality of rows and columns in the vertical and horizontal directions, When an additional delivery of an item is requested by the same deliverer, if there are multiple empty boxes with a height corresponding to the height of the deliverer, the control unit determines the empty box closest to the box to which the item was previously delivered by the same deliverer as the delivery destination box. Stocker control device.

3. 3. The control device for a stocker according to claim 1 or 2, the stocker is arranged together with the plurality of boxes and includes an operation unit that accepts a delivery request based on an operation by an operator; The plurality of boxes are arranged in a plurality of rows and columns in the vertical and horizontal directions, When a delivery of an item is requested by a deliverer via the operation unit, if there are multiple empty boxes with a height corresponding to the height of the deliverer, the control unit determines the empty box closest to the operation unit among the multiple corresponding empty boxes as the delivery destination box. Stocker control device.

4. 3. The control device for a stocker according to claim 1 or 2, The detection unit has a camera and processes an image of the deliverer captured by the camera to recognize the height of the deliverer. Stocker control device.

5. Multiple boxes arranged in multiple tiers, each of which can be locked and unlocked, a storage unit that stores information regarding the height of each of the boxes and information regarding the presence or absence of an item in each of the boxes; a detection unit capable of detecting a person's height; a control unit that, when a delivery of an item is requested by a deliverer, determines a box of a height corresponding to the height of the deliverer from among empty boxes to which no item has been delivered based on the height of the deliverer detected by the detection unit and the information stored in the storage unit as a delivery destination box, and unlocks the determined box; A stocker comprising:

Images