Delivery support device, delivery support method, and program

Abstract

To provide a delivery support apparatus configured to ensure security in delivering packages by a plurality of unmanned aircrafts, a delivery support method, and a program.SOLUTION: A delivery support apparatus 10 includes: an unmanned aircraft selection unit 11 which selects a plurality of unmanned aircrafts for which an initial location of destination of a package set in advance and arrival time satisfy a set condition; a required space setting unit 12 which sets, for each of the selected unmanned aircrafts, size of a space required for delivering a package on the basis of the size of each unmanned aircraft and each package to be delivered; a hand-off area specifying unit 13 which specifies a hand-off area where the package can be handed off to a user; and a location determination unit 14 which determines, in the hand-off area, a final location of destination of the package of each of the selected unmanned aircrafts, on the basis of the size of the space set for each of the selected unmanned aircrafts and initial locations.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a delivery assistance device and a delivery assistance method for assisting in the delivery of parcels using unmanned aerial vehicles, and further to a program for implementing these. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, a service has been proposed in which a user orders food and drink from a terminal device such as a smartphone, and a delivery person delivers the ordered food and drink to the user's location. In addition, such a service is realized by a delivery system that works in conjunction with a dedicated application program installed in the terminal device (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] In the delivery system, a management device that manages the system first acquires user information that identifies the user, order information that identifies the ordered food and drink, and location information that identifies the location of the terminal device from the user's terminal device. The management device then sends the acquired user information, order information, and location information to a terminal device of a store that provides the ordered food and drink, and notifies the store to deliver the ordered food and drink to the user.

[0004] The store staff then instructs the delivery person to deliver the food and drink to the location specified by the location information. Then, when the delivery person receives the food and drink from the store, the delivery person delivers the received food and drink to the location specified by the location information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-072499 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2010-149958 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the above-mentioned delivery system is premised on manual delivery. Therefore, if delivery personnel cannot be secured due to labor shortage, delivery becomes impossible. In response to this, in recent years, in order to resolve the current labor shortage, it has been proposed to use unmanned aircraft such as drones to deliver parcels instead of delivery personnel.

[0007] However, due to the nature of unmanned aerial vehicles, if multiple aircraft are in close proximity to each other, there is a risk of them colliding and crashing, which means that if multiple orders are placed in close proximity with no time interval between them, delivery cannot be made.

[0008] One example of the object of the present invention is to provide a delivery assistance device, a delivery assistance method, and a program that can solve the above problems and ensure safety in the delivery of packages using multiple unmanned aerial vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, a delivery assistance device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: an unmanned aerial vehicle selection unit that selects a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles whose initial position and arrival time of a predetermined delivery destination of a package satisfy set conditions; a required space setting unit that sets, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a size of a space required for delivery of the parcel to be delivered based on the size of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the parcel to be delivered; a delivery available area specification unit that specifies a delivery available area in which a package can be delivered to a user from among areas including the initial location; A position determination unit that determines a final position of a delivery destination of each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles based on the size of the space set for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles and the initial position in the identified delivery available area; and The present invention is characterized in that it is equipped with:

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, a delivery assistance method according to one aspect of the present invention includes: An unmanned aerial vehicle selection step of selecting a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles whose initial positions and arrival times of a predetermined delivery destination of a package satisfy set conditions; a required space setting step of setting, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a size of a space required for delivery of the parcel to be delivered based on the size of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the parcel to be delivered; a delivery available area specification step of specifying a delivery available area where a package can be delivered to a user from among areas including the initial position; a position determination step of determining a final position of a delivery destination of each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles based on the size of the space set for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles and the initial position in the identified delivery available area; The present invention is characterized in that it has the following features:

[0011] Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, a program according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: On the computer, An unmanned aerial vehicle selection step of selecting a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles whose initial positions and arrival times of a predetermined delivery destination of a package satisfy set conditions; a required space setting step of setting, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a size of a space required for delivery of the parcel to be delivered based on the size of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the parcel to be delivered; a delivery available area specification step of specifying a delivery available area where a package can be delivered to a user from among areas including the initial position; a position determination step of determining a final position of a delivery destination of each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles based on the size of the space set for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles and the initial position in the identified delivery available area; The present invention is characterized in that: Effect of the Invention

[0012] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to ensure safety in package delivery using multiple unmanned aerial vehicles. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of a delivery support device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram specifically showing the configuration of the delivery support device in the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the unmanned aerial vehicle selection process according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the process of setting the required space in the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the size of the space required for package delivery, which is set for each unmanned aerial vehicle. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the process of specifying the delivery available area in the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a process of setting a tentative delivery possible position candidate and a delivery affected area in the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a process for determining a final location of a delivery destination of a package in the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram showing the operation of the delivery support device in the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a computer that realizes the delivery support device 10 in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] (Embodiment) Hereinafter, a delivery support device, a delivery support method, and a program according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0015] [Device configuration] First, a schematic configuration of a delivery support device in an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of a delivery support device in an embodiment.

[0016] A delivery support device 10 in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 is a device for supporting delivery of packages by unmanned aerial vehicles. As shown in Fig. 1, the delivery support device 10 in the embodiment includes an unmanned aerial vehicle selection unit 11, a required space setting unit 12, a delivery available area specification unit 13, and a position determination unit 14.

[0017] The unmanned aerial vehicle selection unit 11 selects a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles whose initial location and arrival time of the delivery destination of the package set in advance satisfy the set conditions. The required space setting unit 12 sets the size of the space required for delivery of the package to be delivered (hereinafter referred to as "required delivery space") for each selected unmanned aerial vehicle based on the size of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the package to be delivered.

[0018] The delivery available area specification unit 13 specifies a delivery available area where the package can be delivered to the user from among areas including the initial location of the package delivery destination. The position determination unit 14 determines the final location of the package delivery destination for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles in the specified delivery available area based on the size of the space set for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles and the initial location of the package delivery destination.

[0019] In this way, the delivery support device 10 can determine the optimal delivery location when the delivery locations and arrival times of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles are close to each other. Therefore, the delivery support device 10 can ensure safety in the delivery of packages by multiple unmanned aerial vehicles.

[0020] Next, the configuration and functions of the delivery support device 10 in the embodiment will be specifically described with reference to Figs. 2 to 5. Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram specifically showing the configuration of the delivery support device in the embodiment. Fig. 3 is a diagram explaining the unmanned aerial vehicle selection process in the embodiment. Fig. 4 is a diagram explaining the required space setting process in the embodiment. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the size of the space required for parcel delivery, which is set for each unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0021] 2, in the embodiment, the delivery support device 10 is connected to the unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20 via wire or wirelessly so as to be capable of data communication. The unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20 is a device that manages the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 30.

[0022] When the unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20 receives an instruction from a sender of a package to deliver the package by the unmanned aerial vehicle 30, the unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20 flies the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 to the delivery destination in accordance with the instruction, and when the delivery of the package is completed, returns the unmanned aerial vehicle 30.

[0023] Specifically, first, the sender of the package inputs, via a terminal device or an input device, package delivery instructions to the unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20, for example, location information that identifies the location of the package delivery destination, package information that identifies the type of package, recipient information that identifies the package recipient, and order time information that identifies the order time of the package. As a result, the unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20 acquires the input location information, package information, recipient information, and order time information.

[0024] Next, the unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20 sets several waypoints between the departure point and the delivery destination based on the position information, and sets an air route to the delivery destination of the package so as to pass through each waypoint. If an air route for another unmanned aerial vehicle 30 has already been set, the unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20 sets the air route so as not to collide with the unmanned aerial vehicle whose air route has already been set. Furthermore, if there is an area where flight is prohibited between the departure point and the delivery destination, the unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20 sets the air route by setting waypoints so as to avoid the airspace above this area.

[0025] The unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20 then predicts the scheduled delivery time based on the set flight route, and subtracts the current time from the predicted scheduled delivery time to calculate the arrival time. The unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20 transmits arrival time information specifying the calculated arrival time, as well as package information and location information, to the delivery support device 10. The unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20 also transmits model information for specifying the model of the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 used for delivery to the delivery support device 10.

[0026] After setting the air route, the unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20 flies the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 along the set air route. Then, when the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 arrives at the location specified by the location information, the unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20 releases the package it is holding and hands it over to the recipient.

[0027] However, if there are multiple unmanned aerial vehicles 30 whose delivery destination location and arrival time meet the set conditions, the unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20 will have each unmanned aerial vehicle 30 hand over the package at the location determined by the delivery support device 10.

[0028] The delivery of the package may be subject to a condition that an authentication process is performed between the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 and the recipient, and that the authentication is successful. After that, the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 is returned to the original departure point. The return flight route may be the same as the outbound flight route, or may be newly set by the unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20.

[0029] 2, if the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 is equipped with a camera 31, the unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20 causes the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 to transmit image data of images taken from the sky by the camera 31 during flight, and receives this image data. The unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20 also transmits the image data received from each unmanned aerial vehicle 30 to the delivery support device 10.

[0030] As shown in Figure 2, in the embodiment, the delivery support device 10 includes, in addition to the unmanned aerial vehicle selection unit 11, required space setting unit 12, delivery area identification unit 13, and position determination unit 14 described above, an information acquisition unit 15 and an information storage unit 16.

[0031] The information acquisition unit 15 acquires information transmitted from the unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20, specifically, the above-mentioned arrival time information, package information, location information, model information, and image data. The information storage unit 16 stores map information of the area where delivery is to be made, unmanned aerial vehicle size information for identifying the size of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and package size information for identifying the size of the package.

[0032] In this embodiment, the unmanned aerial vehicle selection unit 11 first receives, from the information acquisition unit 15, arrival time information and location information for each unmanned aerial vehicle 30 transmitted from the unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20. Then, for each unmanned aerial vehicle 30, the unmanned aerial vehicle selection unit 11 identifies the arrival time based on the arrival time information, and identifies the location of the parcel delivery destination based on the location information. The location of the parcel delivery destination identified here is referred to as the "initial location of the parcel delivery destination."

[0033] Next, the unmanned aerial vehicle selection unit 11 sets a time range for each unmanned aerial vehicle 30, so that the range is from α minutes before to α minutes after the arrival time, as shown in the upper part of Fig. 3. The value of α is set appropriately depending on the performance of the unmanned aerial vehicle 30, weather conditions, etc., and is set to 3 minutes, for example. Next, the unmanned aerial vehicle selection unit 11 identifies unmanned aerial vehicles whose time ranges overlap with each other. In the example of Fig. 3, unmanned aerial vehicles C, D, and E are identified.

[0034] Next, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 3, the unmanned aerial vehicle selection unit 11 sets an area of ​​diameter βm based on the initial position for each unmanned aerial vehicle 30 identified by the time range. The value of β is also set appropriately according to the performance of the unmanned aerial vehicle, weather conditions, etc., and is set to, for example, 5 m. Next, the unmanned aerial vehicle selection unit 11 identifies unmanned aerial vehicles 30 whose areas overlap with each other. In the example of FIG. 3, unmanned aerial vehicles D and E are identified from among unmanned aerial vehicles C, D, and E. Thereafter, the unmanned aerial vehicle selection unit 11 selects the finally identified unmanned aerial vehicles (D and E in the example of FIG. 3) as unmanned aerial vehicles that satisfy the set conditions.

[0035] In the embodiment, the conditions for selecting an unmanned aerial vehicle are not limited to the above example described with reference to Fig. 3. The conditions for selecting an unmanned aerial vehicle are set as appropriate.

[0036] In the embodiment, the required space setting unit 12 first acquires unmanned aerial vehicle size information and luggage size information from the information storage unit 16. As shown in the upper part of FIG. 4, in the embodiment, the unmanned aerial vehicle size information registers the size of the smallest rectangle that surrounds the outer edge of the unmanned aerial vehicle when viewed from above or below for each model of unmanned aerial vehicle 30. Also, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 4, the luggage size information registers a predetermined rectangular size for each type of luggage. Note that the sizes registered in the unmanned aerial vehicle size information and luggage size information are not limited to rectangular sizes, and may be sizes of other shapes such as circles.

[0037] Next, the required space setting unit 12 identifies the model of the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 based on the model information, and compares the identified model with the unmanned aerial vehicle size information to identify a size corresponding to the unmanned aerial vehicle 30. The required space setting unit 12 also identifies the type of luggage based on the luggage information, and compares the identified type of luggage with the luggage size information to identify a size corresponding to the luggage.

[0038] Then, the required space setting unit 12 sets the size of the space required for delivery based on the size corresponding to the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 and the size corresponding to the package, as shown in Fig. 5. Specifically, the required space setting unit 12 overlaps rectangles corresponding to each size, identifies the smallest rectangle that contains both rectangles, and sets the size of the identified rectangle as the size of the space required for delivery.

[0039] In the embodiment, the delivery available area specifying unit 13 first specifies a delivery available area from among areas including the initial location of the delivery destination of the package, using feature information that specifies features in the area including the initial location of the delivery destination of the package. The delivery available area specifying unit 13 can also further specify a delivery available area for each selected unmanned aerial vehicle, using image data of each unmanned aerial vehicle 30 acquired by the information acquisition unit 15.

[0040] In the embodiment, the position determination unit 14 first sets, for each selected unmanned aerial vehicle 30 in the identified delivery available area, candidate positions where the delivery of the package is possible (hereinafter referred to as "delivery available position candidates") based on the initial position. Next, for each selected unmanned aerial vehicle, the position determination unit 14 determines the positional relationship between the initial positions of the package delivery destinations of the other selected unmanned aerial vehicles and the candidate positions. Then, the position determination unit 14 determines the final positions of the package delivery destinations of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles based on the determined positional relationship.

[0041] Furthermore, the position determination unit 14 can obtain, as the above-mentioned positional relationship, the distance between each of the candidate positions of the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 and the initial positions and candidate positions of the package delivery destinations of the other selected unmanned aerial vehicles, for each selected unmanned aerial vehicle 30. In this case, the position determination unit 14 determines, based on the obtained distances, the final positions of the package delivery destinations for each unmanned aerial vehicle 30 such that the error from the initial positions of the package delivery destinations is minimized.

[0042] Here, the functions of the delivery possible area specifying unit 13 and the position determining unit 14 will be described in more detail with reference to Figs. 6 to 8. Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the process of specifying the delivery possible area in the embodiment. Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining the process of setting the tentative delivery possible position candidates and the delivery affected area in the embodiment. Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining the process of determining the final position of the delivery destination of the package in the embodiment.

[0043] First, the delivery available area specifying unit 13 acquires map information of the area including the initial positions of the delivery destinations of the packages of each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles from the information acquiring unit 15. Next, the delivery available area specifying unit 13 sets a grid based on the latitude and longitude of the area on the map acquired from the map information, as shown in the upper part of Fig. 6.

[0044] Furthermore, the delivery possible area specifying unit 13 specifies grids where delivery of luggage is not possible using the feature information and sets the specified grids as delivery unavailable, as shown in the upper part of Fig. 6. The feature information may be created in advance and stored in the information storage unit 16 together with the map information, or may be created by the delivery possible area specifying unit 13 based on the map information.

[0045] In addition, as shown in the lower part of Figure 6, the delivery area identification unit 13 detects obstacles (e.g., people, bicycles, cars, etc.) present within the area from image data from each unmanned aerial vehicle 30, and sets the grids in which obstacles are detected as not available for delivery.

[0046] In Fig. 6, the grids set as non-deliverable are hatched. The delivery possible area specification unit 13 specifies the grids that are not set as non-deliverable as the delivery possible area. Also, in Fig. 6, a, b, and c indicate the initial positions of the delivery destination of the package for the selected unmanned aerial vehicles A, B, and C, respectively.

[0047] Next, as shown in Fig. 7, the position determination unit 14 sets provisional possible delivery position candidates and a delivery affected area for each unmanned aerial vehicle 30 on the map shown in Fig. 6, based on the size of the space required for delivery and the initial location of the delivery destination of the package, excluding grids set as unavailable for delivery. The delivery affected area is an area that takes into account the user's actions when delivering the package.

[0048] Specifically, as shown in the upper part of Fig. 7, the position determination unit 14 sets grids that are provisional candidate delivery positions, with the grid corresponding to the initial location of the delivery destination of the parcel as the center, and the larger the size of the space required for delivery, the farther the grid is from the center. In the example of Fig. 7, the distance from the center to the candidate delivery positions is preset according to the size of the space required for delivery. Also, in the example of Fig. 7, the grids through which the thick frame-shaped line passes are the grids that are provisional candidate delivery positions.

[0049] In addition, the position determination unit 14 determines the delivery affected area so that the area increases as the size of the delivery required space increases, with the grid corresponding to the initial location of the delivery destination of the parcel as the center, as shown in the upper part of Fig. 7. In the example of Fig. 7, the distance from the center to the outer edge of the delivery affected area is preset according to the size of the delivery required space. In addition, in the example of Fig. 7, the delivery affected area is indicated by a dashed frame line.

[0050] Furthermore, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 7, the position determination unit 14, among the provisional delivery possible position candidates set for each selected unmanned aerial vehicle 30, excludes grids set as non-deliverable and grids that are in the delivery affected area of ​​other unmanned aerial vehicles, and sets the remaining provisional delivery possible position candidates as the delivery possible position candidates of that unmanned aerial vehicle 30. In the lower part of FIG. 7, the grids that are the delivery possible position candidates are shown by being filled in. Note that, as in the case of unmanned aerial vehicle C in FIG. 7, if there is no provisional delivery possible position candidate that does not overlap with the delivery affected area of ​​other unmanned aerial vehicles, the position determination unit 14 sets the provisional delivery possible position candidate that is farthest from the initial position of the delivery destination of the package of the other unmanned aerial vehicle as the delivery possible position candidate of that unmanned aerial vehicle 30.

[0051] Next, for each selected unmanned aerial vehicle 30, the position determination unit 14 determines the positional relationship between each candidate delivery location and the initial position of the delivery destination of the parcel for the other selected unmanned aerial vehicles 30 and the candidate delivery location.

[0052] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 8, the candidate delivery positions of unmanned aerial vehicle A are the grids A1 to A6, the candidate delivery positions of unmanned aerial vehicle B are the grids B1 and B2, and the candidate delivery positions of unmanned aerial vehicle C are the grids C1 and C2. In this case, the position determination unit 14 first calculates the distance between each candidate delivery position of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the initial position of the delivery destination of the package of the other unmanned aerial vehicle (distance between other delivery destinations) as the positional relationship. In addition, the position determination unit 14 also calculates the distance between each candidate delivery position of the unmanned aerial vehicle and each candidate delivery position of the other unmanned aerial vehicle (distance between unmanned aerial vehicles) as the positional relationship.

[0053] Thereafter, based on the determined positional relationship, the position determination unit 14 determines the final positions of the delivery destinations of the packages of the respective selected unmanned aerial vehicles 30. Specifically, the position determination unit 14 determines the final positions of the delivery destinations of the packages so that the inter-unmanned aerial vehicle distance and the inter-delivery distance are maximized.

[0054] In the example of Fig. 8, the candidate delivery locations with the longest inter-unmanned aerial vehicle distance are A2 and A6 for unmanned aerial vehicle A, B1 for unmanned aerial vehicle B, and C2 for unmanned aerial vehicle C. The candidate delivery locations with the longest inter-delivery vehicle distance are A2 for unmanned aerial vehicle A, B1 for unmanned aerial vehicle B, and C2 for unmanned aerial vehicle C. Therefore, the position determination unit 14 determines the final delivery destination positions of the parcel to be A2 for unmanned aerial vehicle A, B1 for unmanned aerial vehicle B, and C2 for unmanned aerial vehicle C.

[0055] Also, it is assumed that the final location of the delivery destination of the parcel cannot be determined only by the distance between the unmanned aerial vehicles and the distance between the other delivery destinations. In this case, the position determination unit 14 can also calculate, as the positional relationship, the distance (pair-to-pair distance) between each of the candidate delivery locations and the initial location of the delivery destination of the parcel for each unmanned aerial vehicle. Then, the position determination unit 14 determines the candidate delivery location with the shortest pair-to-pair distance as the final location of the delivery destination of the parcel.

[0056] [Device operation] Next, the operation of delivery support device 10 in the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a flow diagram showing the operation of the delivery support device in the embodiment. In the following description, reference will be made to FIGS. 1 to 8 as appropriate. Also, in the embodiment, a delivery support method is implemented by operating the delivery support device. Therefore, the description of the delivery support method in the embodiment will be replaced with the description of the operation of the delivery support device below.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 8, first, information acquisition unit 15 acquires arrival time information, baggage information, position information, model information, and image data transmitted from unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20 (step A1).

[0058] Next, the unmanned aerial vehicle selection unit 11 identifies the location of the delivery destination of the package for each unmanned aerial vehicle 30 based on the location information obtained in step A1, and identifies the arrival time based on the arrival time information obtained in step A1 (step A2).

[0059] Next, the unmanned aerial vehicle selection unit 11 selects a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles whose location and arrival time of the parcel delivery destination satisfy the set conditions, based on the location and arrival time of the parcel delivery destination identified in step A2 (step A3).

[0060] Specifically, in step A3, the unmanned aerial vehicle selection unit 11 sets a time range for each unmanned aerial vehicle 30, as shown in the upper part of Fig. 3, and identifies unmanned aerial vehicles whose time ranges overlap with each other. Next, the unmanned aerial vehicle selection unit 11 sets a region for each unmanned aerial vehicle 30 identified in step A3, as shown in the lower part of Fig. 3, and identifies unmanned aerial vehicles whose regions overlap with each other. Thereafter, the unmanned aerial vehicle selection unit 11 selects the unmanned aerial vehicles identified as having overlapping regions as unmanned aerial vehicles that satisfy the set conditions.

[0061] Next, the required space setting unit 12 sets the size of the required delivery space for each unmanned aerial vehicle selected in step A3, based on the sizes of the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 and the parcel to be delivered (step A4).

[0062] Specifically, in step A4, first, the unmanned aerial vehicle size information and luggage size information are obtained from the information storage unit 16, the size corresponding to the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 is identified using the model information, and the size corresponding to the luggage is identified based on the luggage information. Then, the required space setting unit 12 sets the size of the space required for delivery based on the size corresponding to the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 and the size corresponding to the luggage, as shown in Fig. 5.

[0063] Next, the delivery available area specifying unit 13 specifies a delivery available area where the package can be delivered to the user from among areas including the initial location of the delivery destination of the package (step A5).

[0064] Specifically, in step A5, as shown in Fig. 6, the delivery available area specifying unit 13 specifies a delivery available area from among areas including the initial location of the delivery destination of the package, using feature information that specifies features in the area including the initial location of the delivery destination of the package. The delivery available area specifying unit 13 also uses image data of each unmanned aerial vehicle 30 to further specify a delivery available area for each selected unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0065] Next, the position determination unit 14 determines the final position of the delivery destination of the parcel for each unmanned aerial vehicle 30 selected in step A3 based on the size of the delivery space required for delivery set for each unmanned aerial vehicle 30 in step A4 and the initial position of the delivery destination of the parcel in the delivery area identified in step A5 (step 6).

[0066] Specifically, in step A6, as shown in FIG. 7, the position determination unit 14 sets provisional candidate delivery locations and delivery affected areas for each unmanned aerial vehicle 30 on the map shown in FIG. 6 based on the size of the delivery space required and the initial location of the delivery destination of the package, excluding grids set as unavailable for delivery.

[0067] Also, in step A6, the position determination unit 14 determines the delivery impact area so that the area becomes larger as the size of the delivery required space becomes larger, with the grid corresponding to the initial position of the delivery destination of the package at the center, as shown in the upper part of Figure 7.

[0068] Furthermore, in step A6, as shown in the lower part of Figure 7, the position determination unit 14, for each selected unmanned aerial vehicle 30, excludes grids that are set as non-transferable and grids that are transfer-affected areas for other unmanned aerial vehicles from the set tentative transfer location candidates, and sets the remaining tentative transfer location candidates as transfer location candidates for that unmanned aerial vehicle 30.

[0069] Next, in step A6, as shown in Fig. 8, for each unmanned aerial vehicle 30 selected in step A3, the position determination unit 14 determines the positional relationship between the initial positions of the parcel delivery destinations and the candidate delivery positions for the other selected unmanned aerial vehicles 30. Thereafter, the position determination unit 14 determines the final positions of the parcel delivery destinations for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles 30 based on the determined positional relationship.

[0070] Thereafter, the position determination unit 14 notifies the unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20 of the final positions of the delivery destinations of the packages of each unmanned aerial vehicle 30. As a result, the unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20 causes each unmanned aerial vehicle 30 to hand over the package at the position determined by the delivery support device 10.

[0071] As described above, in the embodiment, when the delivery locations and arrival times of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles are close to each other, the delivery destination location can be changed to an optimal location from the initial location. Therefore, the delivery support device 10 can ensure safety in the delivery of packages by multiple unmanned aerial vehicles 30.

[0072] [program] The program in the embodiment may be a program that causes a computer to execute steps A1 to A6 shown in Fig. 9. By installing and executing this program in a computer, the delivery support device 10 and the delivery support method in the embodiment can be realized. In this case, the processor of the computer functions as an unmanned aerial vehicle selection unit 11, a required space setting unit 12, a delivery possible area specification unit 13, a position determination unit 14, and an information acquisition unit 15, and performs processing.

[0073] In addition, in this embodiment, the information storage unit 16 may be realized by storing the data files that constitute it in a storage device such as a hard disk provided in the computer, or may be realized by a storage device of another computer.

[0074] In addition, examples of the computer that executes the program in the embodiment include a general-purpose PC, a smartphone, and a tablet terminal device. In addition, if the delivery support device 10 is constructed as a part of the unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20, the computer may also be a computer that constructs the unmanned aerial vehicle management device 20. Furthermore, if any of the unmanned aerial vehicles 30 is equipped with a computer, examples of the computer that executes the program in the embodiment include a computer mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle 30.

[0075] The program in the embodiment may be executed by a computer system constructed by a plurality of computers. In this case, for example, each computer may function as any one of the unmanned aerial vehicle selection unit 11, the required space setting unit 12, the delivery possible area specification unit 13, the position determination unit 14, and the information acquisition unit 15.

[0076] [Physical configuration] Here, a computer that realizes the delivery support device 10 by executing a program in the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of a computer that realizes the delivery support device 10 in the embodiment.

[0077] 10, a computer 110 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 111, a main memory 112, a storage device 113, an input interface 114, a display controller 115, a data reader / writer 116, and a communication interface 117. These components are connected to each other via a bus 121 so as to be able to communicate data with each other.

[0078] Furthermore, the computer 110 may include a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) in addition to or instead of the CPU 111. In this embodiment, the GPU or FPGA can execute the programs in the embodiments.

[0079] The CPU 111 loads a program in the embodiment, which is composed of a group of codes and is stored in the storage device 113, into the main memory 112, and executes each code in a predetermined order to perform various calculations. The main memory 112 is typically a volatile storage device such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory).

[0080] Moreover, the program in the embodiment is provided in a state stored in a computer-readable recording medium 120. The program in the embodiment may be distributed on the Internet connected via the communication interface 117.

[0081] Specific examples of the storage device 113 include a hard disk drive and a semiconductor storage device such as a flash memory. The input interface 114 mediates data transmission between the CPU 111 and input devices 118 such as a keyboard and a mouse. The display controller 115 is connected to a display device 119 and controls the display on the display device 119.

[0082] Data reader / writer 116 mediates data transmission between CPU 111 and recording medium 120, reads programs from recording medium 120, and writes processing results in computer 110 to recording medium 120. Communication interface 117 mediates data transmission between CPU 111 and other computers.

[0083] Specific examples of the recording medium 120 include general-purpose semiconductor storage devices such as CF (Compact Flash (registered trademark)) and SD (Secure Digital), magnetic recording media such as a flexible disk, or optical recording media such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory).

[0084] The delivery support device 10 in the embodiment can be realized by using hardware corresponding to each part, instead of a computer with a program installed. Furthermore, the delivery support device 10 may be realized in part by a program and the remaining part by hardware.

[0085] A part or all of the above-described embodiment can be expressed by (Additional Notes 1) to (Additional Notes 15) described below, but is not limited to the following descriptions.

[0086] (Appendix 1) an unmanned aerial vehicle selection unit that selects a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles whose initial position and arrival time of a predetermined delivery destination of a package satisfy set conditions; a required space setting unit that sets, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a size of a space required for delivery of the parcel to be delivered based on the size of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the parcel to be delivered; a delivery available area specification unit that specifies a delivery available area in which a package can be delivered to a user from among areas including the initial location; A position determination unit that determines a final position of a delivery destination of each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles based on the size of the space set for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles and the initial position in the identified delivery available area; and Equipped with A delivery assistance device comprising:

[0087] (Appendix 2) 2. A delivery assistance device according to claim 1, The delivery available area specifying unit specifies the delivery available area from among areas including the initial position, using image data of an image taken from the sky by the selected unmanned aerial vehicle. A delivery assistance device comprising:

[0088] (Appendix 3) 3. A delivery assistance device according to claim 2, the delivery possible area specifying unit further uses feature information specifying features in the area including the initial position to specify the delivery possible area from among the areas including the initial position; A delivery assistance device comprising:

[0089] (Appendix 4) 2. A delivery assistance device according to claim 1, The position determination unit sets, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, candidate positions at which delivery of luggage is possible based on the initial position, calculates a positional relationship between the initial positions of the other selected unmanned aerial vehicles and the candidate positions for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, and determines a final position of the delivery destination of the luggage for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles based on the calculated positional relationship. A delivery assistance device comprising:

[0090] (Appendix 5) 5. A delivery assistance device according to claim 4, The position determination unit determines, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a distance between each of the candidates for the unmanned aerial vehicle and the initial positions and the candidates for the other selected unmanned aerial vehicles, as the positional relationship. A delivery assistance device comprising:

[0091] (Appendix 6) An unmanned aerial vehicle selection step of selecting a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles whose initial positions and arrival times of a predetermined delivery destination of a package satisfy set conditions; a required space setting step of setting, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a size of a space required for delivery of the parcel to be delivered based on the size of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the parcel to be delivered; a delivery available area specification step of specifying a delivery available area where a package can be delivered to a user from among areas including the initial position; a position determination step of determining a final position of a delivery destination of each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles based on the size of the space set for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles and the initial position in the identified delivery available area; having A delivery assistance method comprising:

[0092] (Appendix 7) 7. The delivery assistance method according to claim 6, In the delivery available area specification step, the delivery available area is specified from among areas including the initial position using image data of an image taken from the sky by the selected unmanned aerial vehicle. A delivery assistance method comprising:

[0093] (Appendix 8) The delivery assistance method according to claim 7, In the step of specifying an area where delivery is possible, the delivery area is specified from among areas including the initial position by further using feature information that specifies features in the area including the initial position. A delivery assistance method comprising:

[0094] (Appendix 9) 7. The delivery assistance method according to claim 6, In the position determination step, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a candidate position at which delivery of the package is possible is set based on the initial position, and for each of the candidates of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a positional relationship between the initial position of the other selected unmanned aerial vehicles and the candidate is obtained, and a final position of the delivery destination of the package of each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles is determined based on the obtained positional relationship. A delivery assistance method comprising:

[0095] (Appendix 10) The delivery assistance method according to claim 9, In the position determination step, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a distance between each of the candidates for the unmanned aerial vehicle and the initial positions and the candidates for the other selected unmanned aerial vehicles is calculated as the positional relationship. A delivery assistance method comprising:

[0096] (Appendix 11) On the computer, An unmanned aerial vehicle selection step of selecting a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles whose initial positions and arrival times of a predetermined delivery destination of a package satisfy set conditions; a required space setting step of setting, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a size of a space required for delivery of the parcel to be delivered based on the size of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the parcel to be delivered; a delivery available area specification step of specifying a delivery available area where a package can be delivered to a user from among areas including the initial position; a position determination step of determining a final position of a delivery destination of each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles based on the size of the space set for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles and the initial position in the identified delivery available area; A program to execute.

[0097] (Appendix 12) 12. The program of claim 11, In the delivery available area specification step, the delivery available area is specified from among areas including the initial position using image data of an image taken from the sky by the selected unmanned aerial vehicle. A program characterized by:

[0098] (Appendix 13) 13. The program of claim 12, In the step of specifying an area where delivery is possible, the delivery area is specified from among areas including the initial position by further using feature information that specifies features in the area including the initial position. A program characterized by:

[0099] (Appendix 14) 12. The program of claim 11, In the position determination step, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a candidate position at which delivery of the package is possible is set based on the initial position, and for each of the candidates of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a positional relationship between the initial position of the other selected unmanned aerial vehicles and the candidate is obtained, and a final position of the delivery destination of the package of each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles is determined based on the obtained positional relationship. A program characterized by:

[0100] (Appendix 15) 15. The program of claim 14, In the position determination step, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a distance between each of the candidates for the unmanned aerial vehicle and the initial positions and the candidates for the other selected unmanned aerial vehicles is calculated as the positional relationship. A program characterized by: [Industrial Applicability]

[0101] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to ensure safety in the delivery of packages using a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles. The present invention is useful in a delivery system that uses unmanned aerial vehicles such as drones. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 10 Delivery Support Device 11 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Selection Department 12 Required space setting section 13 Delivery Area Specification Section 14 Positioning section 15 Information acquisition department 16 Information storage section 20 Unmanned aircraft management device 30 Unmanned aerial vehicle 110 Computer 111 CPU 112 Main memory 113 Storage device 114 Input Interface 115 Display Controller 116 Data Reader / Writer 117 Communication Interface 118 Input Devices 119 Display device 120 Recording media 121 Bus

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle selection unit which, from information transmitted from an unmanned aerial vehicle management device which manages the flights of a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, identifies an initial location and arrival time of a parcel's delivery destination for each of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, and uses the identified location and arrival time of the parcel's delivery destination to select an unmanned aerial vehicle which satisfies set conditions defined by a time range before and after the arrival time and an area set as the delivery destination location; a required space setting unit that sets, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a size of a space required for delivery of the parcel to be delivered based on the size of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the parcel to be delivered; a delivery possible area identification unit that acquires map information of an area including the initial position of each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, sets grids on the map obtained from the map information based on the latitude and longitude of the area, and further identifies grids where baggage cannot be delivered using feature information that identifies features in the area including the initial positions, and identifies unidentified grids as delivery possible areas where baggage can be delivered to a user; A position determination unit that determines a final position of a delivery destination of each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles based on the size of the space set for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles and the initial position in the identified delivery available area; and Equipped with A delivery assistance device comprising:

2. The delivery assistance device according to claim 1, The position determination unit sets, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, candidate locations at which baggage can be handed over based on the initial location, calculates a positional relationship between the initial location of the other selected unmanned aerial vehicles and the candidate location for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, and determines a final location of the delivery destination of the baggage for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles based on the calculated positional relationship. A delivery assistance device comprising:

3. The delivery assistance device according to claim 2, The position determination unit determines, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a distance between each of the candidates for the unmanned aerial vehicle and the initial positions and the candidates for the other selected unmanned aerial vehicles, as the positional relationship. A delivery assistance device comprising:

4. A computer-implemented method comprising: an unmanned aerial vehicle selection step for identifying an initial location and arrival time of a parcel delivery destination for each of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles from information transmitted from an unmanned aerial vehicle management device that manages the flights of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, and using the identified location and arrival time of the parcel delivery destination to select the unmanned aerial vehicle that satisfies set conditions defined by a time range before and after the arrival time and an area set as the delivery destination location; a required space setting step of setting, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a size of a space required for delivery of the parcel to be delivered based on the size of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the parcel to be delivered; a delivery available area identification step of acquiring map information of an area including the initial position of each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, setting grids on the map obtained from the map information based on the latitude and longitude of the area, and further identifying grids where baggage cannot be delivered using feature information that identifies features in the area including the initial positions, and identifying unidentified grids as delivery available areas where baggage can be delivered to a user; a position determination step of determining a final position of a delivery destination of each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles based on the size of the space set for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles and the initial position in the identified delivery available area; having A delivery assistance method comprising:

5. The delivery assistance method according to claim 4, In the position determination step, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a candidate position at which delivery of the package is possible is set based on the initial position, and for each of the candidates of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a positional relationship between the initial position of the other selected unmanned aerial vehicles and the candidate is obtained, and a final position of the delivery destination of the package of each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles is determined based on the obtained positional relationship. A delivery assistance method comprising:

6. The delivery assistance method according to claim 5, In the position determination step, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a distance between each of the candidates for the unmanned aerial vehicle and the initial positions and the candidates for the other selected unmanned aerial vehicles is calculated as the positional relationship. A delivery assistance method comprising:

7. On the computer, an unmanned aerial vehicle selection step for identifying an initial location and arrival time of a parcel delivery destination for each of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles from information transmitted from an unmanned aerial vehicle management device that manages the flights of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, and using the identified location and arrival time of the parcel delivery destination to select the unmanned aerial vehicle that satisfies set conditions defined by a time range before and after the arrival time and an area set as the delivery destination location; a required space setting step of setting, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a size of a space required for delivery of the parcel to be delivered based on the size of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the parcel to be delivered; a delivery available area identification step of acquiring map information of an area including the initial position of each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, setting grids on the map obtained from the map information based on the latitude and longitude of the area, and further identifying grids where baggage cannot be delivered using feature information that identifies features in the area including the initial positions, and identifying unidentified grids as delivery available areas where baggage can be delivered to a user; a position determination step of determining a final position of a delivery destination of each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles based on the size of the space set for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles and the initial position in the identified delivery available area; A program to execute.

8. The program according to claim 7, In the position determination step, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a candidate position at which delivery of the package is possible is set based on the initial position, and for each of the candidates of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a positional relationship between the initial position of the other selected unmanned aerial vehicles and the candidate is obtained, and a final position of the delivery destination of the package of each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles is determined based on the obtained positional relationship. A program characterized by:

9. The program according to claim 8, In the position determination step, for each of the selected unmanned aerial vehicles, a distance between each of the candidates for the unmanned aerial vehicle and the initial positions and the candidates for the other selected unmanned aerial vehicles is calculated as the positional relationship. A program characterized by:

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