Stocker and stocker management device

Abstract

To satisfactorily prevent a recipient from forgetting to take an article in a case where a plurality of articles can be delivered to one storage compartment.SOLUTION: A stocker system comprises: a stocker including a plurality of storage compartments capable of delivering and receiving an article, capable of accepting a plurality of deliveries of articles from the same recipient into one storage; and a notification unit for notifying a recipient of the plurality of articles in advance of a guide for preventing the recipient from forgetting to take the articles when the plurality of articles is delivered to the one storage compartment.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification discloses a stocker and a stocker management device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as this type of stocker, there has been proposed one having a camera for photographing the inside of each locker (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this stocker, it is possible to store packages addressed to the same recipient in one locker. Also, in a delivery box, based on the video of the inside of the locker photographed by the camera, the size of the empty space in each locker is detected. If the empty space is not the largest, it is determined that there is a forgotten package, and a forgotten message is output to point out the possibility of forgetting to the recipient.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above-described stocker, in order to determine whether there is a forgotten package based on the empty space inside the locker photographed by the camera, it is possible to determine forgetting only after the recipient has taken the receiving action. For this reason, even if there is a forgotten package, by the time the forgotten message is output, the recipient may already have left the delivery box, and there is a possibility that the recipient may not notice the forgotten message.

[0005] The main object of the present disclosure is to preferably prevent the recipient from forgetting an article in a case where a plurality of articles can be delivered to one storage.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above main object, the present disclosure adopts the following means.

[0007] The stocker of the present disclosure includes a plurality of storage bins capable of receiving and delivering articles, a stocker body in which a receiver can accept the same plurality of articles into one of the storage bins, and when the plurality of articles are delivered to one of the storage bins, it is characterized by comprising a notification unit that notifies in advance a forgetting prevention guide to the receiver of the plurality of articles so as to prevent forgetting of the articles.

[0008] In the stocker of the present disclosure, by delivering a plurality of articles of the same receiver to one storage bin, it becomes possible to store more articles in the stocker. Here, when a plurality of articles are stored in one storage bin, it is considered to be a situation where forgetting is likely to occur for a receiver who believes that only one article is stored in the storage bin. Therefore, by notifying the receiver of the plurality of articles in advance of a forgetting prevention guide, it is possible to preferably prevent forgetting of the articles.

[0009] The stocker management device of the present disclosure is a management device that manages a stocker including a plurality of storage bins capable of receiving and delivering articles, and when a receiver stores a plurality of articles of the same type in one of the storage bins, it is characterized by notifying in advance a forgetting prevention guide to the receiver of the plurality of articles so as to prevent forgetting of the articles.

[0010] According to the stocker management device of the present disclosure, similar to the stocker of the present disclosure, it is possible to preferably prevent forgetting of articles.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

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Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] A preferred embodiment of the stocker system of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stocker system 1 including a stocker 10. FIG. 2 is a front view of a control unit 30. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the input / output relationship between the control unit 30 and other devices. In the present embodiment, the left-right direction, the front-back direction, and the up-down direction shall be as shown in each figure.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the stocker system 1 includes a stocker 10 and a stocker management device 40 that manages the stocker 10.

[0014] The stocker 10 includes a stocker main body including a plurality of box-shaped storage compartments 20 into which articles can be stored, and a control unit 30 that receives various operations related to the storage and retrieval of articles into and from each storage compartment 20 and performs various processes related to locking and unlocking each storage compartment 20. In the stocker 10, a plurality of (four in FIG. 1) storage compartments 20 are arranged in a plurality of rows (five rows in FIG. 1) side by side in the vertical direction. The control unit 30 is arranged in place of one storage compartment 20 in the leftmost column. This stocker 10 is installed in various places such as offices, stores, stations, schools, condominiums, and shopping centers, and may be installed not only indoors but also outdoors. The stocker 10 is used for the transfer of articles delivered by a deliverer by having the recipient take out the articles from the storage compartment 20 after the deliverer (sender) has stored the articles in any one of the storage compartments 20 as the delivery destination (receiving destination).

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 3, the storage bin 20 includes a rectangular parallelepiped main body 21 with an open front, a door 22 attached to the main body 21 via a hinge so as to be openable and closable, an electric lock 24 for locking and unlocking the door 22, an opening / closing sensor 25 for detecting the opening and closing of the door 22, and a weight sensor 26 provided at the bottom inside the bin. The door 22 is biased in the opening direction by a spring (not shown), and when the electric lock 24 is unlocked, it automatically opens the door by the biasing force. The weight sensor 26 detects the presence or absence of articles in the bin by detecting the weight.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 30 includes a rectangular parallelepiped main body 31 having the same size as each storage bin 20, a front panel 32 covering the front surface of the main body 31 to which various devices are attached, and a control device 33 disposed in the space inside the main body 31. As various devices on the front panel 32, as shown in FIG. 3, an operation panel 34, a reader 35, a camera 36, and a speaker 37 are attached.

[0017] The operation panel 34 is disposed at the center of the front panel 32. The operation panel 34 displays operation guidance regarding the delivery and receipt of articles and accepts input operations regarding the delivery and receipt of articles. In FIG. 2, as an example, a guidance image Ga for allowing the operator to select whether to deliver or receive a package and an operation image Gb having a delivery button for causing the operator to perform a delivery process and a receipt button for causing the operator to receive the package are displayed. The reader 35 is a QR code reader for reading a QR code (registered trademark) used for authentication when the recipient receives an article. The camera 36 is disposed so as to be able to image a predetermined range in front of the stocker 10 and images an image including a subject such as a deliverer or a recipient. The speaker 37 outputs operation guidance regarding the delivery and removal of articles in voice through a plurality of voice output holes.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 3, the control device 33 includes a control unit 33a, a storage unit 33b, and a communication unit 33c. The control unit 33a is responsible for controlling the entire stocker 10. This control unit 33a is composed of a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The storage unit 33b stores processing programs and also stores management information for managing each storage bin 20. As shown in Fig. 4, the management information includes, for example, a storage bin number for identifying the storage bin 20, the presence or absence of items stored, the value of a flag F indicating whether items have been deposited multiple times in one storage bin 20, a user ID for identifying the recipient (user) of the item, and the like. The communication unit 33c is connected via a network 41 such as the Internet, exchanges information with the stocker management device 40, and transmits various information to the portable device 50 carried by the recipient.

[0019] The control device 33 can input an input signal from the operation panel 34, a code reading signal from the reader 35, and an image signal from the camera 36. Also, the control device 33 can input a detection signal from the open / close sensor 25 and a detection signal from the weight sensor 26 for each storage bin 20. The control device 33 can output a control signal to the operation panel 34, a control signal to the reader 35, a control signal to the camera 36, and an audio signal to the speaker 37. Also, the control device 33 can output a control signal to the electric lock 24 for each storage bin 20.

[0020] The stocker management device 40 is configured as a management server that manages a plurality of stockers including the stocker 10. The stocker management device 40 stores the user ID. The user ID is generated, for example, by user registration performed when purchasing an item and is stored in the stocker management device 40.

[0021] Next, the operation of the stocker 10 configured in this way will be described. The operations of the stocker 10 mainly include a delivery process for the deliverer to deliver goods to the storage 20 of the stocker 10 and a receiving process for the recipient to receive goods from the storage 20. On the operation panel 34, a guidance image Ga and an operation image Gb shown in FIG. 2 are displayed based on the detection of an object moving forward by the camera 36. On the operation image Gb, a delivery button and a receiving button are displayed in a touch-operable state. The delivery process is executed when the delivery button is touched. The receiving process is executed when the receiving button is touched. First, the delivery process will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the delivery process.

[0022] In the delivery process, the control unit 33a first requests the deliverer to input a user ID by, for example, displaying an input guidance image on the operation panel 34 (S100). The input by the recipient can be performed by code reading by the reader 35 or by keyboard input by the deliverer by displaying a guidance image prompting the input of the user ID (number) and an input software keyboard on the operation panel 34. When the user ID is input, the control unit 33a checks whether the input user ID matches the regular user ID registered in advance in the stocker management device 40 (S110). When the user ID does not match, the control unit 33a notifies the deliverer of the error by, for example, displaying an error image on the operation panel 34 (S120), and returns to S100 again.

[0023] On the one hand, when the user ID is verified, the control unit 33a refers to the management information stored in the storage unit 33b and determines whether an article with the same user ID as the verified user ID is stored in the storage bin 20 (S130). If the control unit 33a determines that an article with the same user ID is not stored in the storage bin 20, it refers to the management information and sets the empty storage bin 20 among the respective storage bins 20 of the stocker 10 as the storage destination storage bin 20, and controls the electric lock 24 so that the storage bin 20 is unlocked (S140). As described above, since the door 22 is biased in the opening direction, when the electric lock 24 is unlocked, the door 22 automatically opens. Thereby, the depositor can deposit the article in the storage bin 20. When the control unit 33a unlocks the storage bin 20, it determines whether the deposit is completed (S150). This determination is made by determining whether the door 22 is closed and whether there is an article in the bin based on the detection signals from the open / close sensor 25 and the weight sensor 26. If the control unit 33a determines that the deposit is completed, it controls the electric lock 24 so that the storage bin 20 is locked (S160). Subsequently, the control unit 33a associates the storage bin number of the storage bin 20 in which the article is deposited with the user ID and stores it in the storage unit 33b as management information (S170). Then, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the control unit 33a transmits a arrival notice indicating that an article has arrived at the stocker 10, a receipt number required for receiving the article, and a receipt code obtained by encoding the receipt number to the portable device 50 carried by the recipient via the network 41 (S180), and ends the deposit process.

[0024] In S130, when the control unit 33a determines that articles with the same user ID are stored in the storage 20, it controls the electric lock 24 so that the corresponding storage 20 is unlocked as the storage destination (S190). As a result, the same articles can be deposited by the recipient into one storage 20, effectively utilizing the limited space and increasing the number of available storage spaces. When the control unit 33a unlocks the storage 20, it determines whether the deposit is completed (S200). This determination is made by determining, based on the detection signals from the opening / closing sensor 25 and the weight sensor 26, whether the door 22 is closed and whether an article is added to the storage. When the control unit 33a determines that the deposit is completed, it controls the electric lock 24 so that the storage 20 is locked (S210). Subsequently, the control unit 33a sets the value 1 to the flag F associated with the storage number of the storage 20 where the article is deposited as management information (S220). Then, as shown in FIG. 6(b), in addition to the arrival notice, the receipt number, and the receipt code, the control unit 33a transmits, via the network 41, a reminder notice for preventing the recipient from forgetting the article to the portable device 50 carried by the recipient (S230), and ends the deposit process.

[0025] Next, the receipt process will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the receipt process.

[0026] In the receipt process, first, the control unit 33a requests the recipient to input the user ID, for example, by displaying a guidance image on the operation panel 34 (S300). The input of the user ID can be performed by code reading or keyboard input, similar to S100. When the user ID is input, the control unit 33a checks whether the input user ID matches any of the user IDs registered in the management information of the storage unit 33b (S310). When the user ID does not match, the control unit 33a notifies the depositor of the error, for example, by displaying an error image on the operation panel 34 (S320), and returns to S300 again.

[0027] On the one hand, when the user ID is verified, the control unit 33a determines whether the flag F of the storage bin number associated with the user ID in the management information stored in the storage unit 33b has a value of 1 (S330). That is, the control unit 33a determines whether an article has been delivered to one storage bin 20 two or more times. When the control unit 33a determines that the flag F of the storage bin number associated with the user ID is not 1 but 0, the control unit 33a sets the storage bin 20 with the storage bin number corresponding to the user ID as the recipient storage bin 20, and controls the electric lock 24 so that the storage bin 20 is unlocked (S350). On the other hand, when the control unit 33a determines that the flag F of the storage bin number associated with the user ID has a value of 1, as shown in FIG. 8, after displaying a forgetting prevention guidance display on the operation panel 34 to prompt the recipient not to forget the article (S340), the control unit 33a sets the storage bin 20 with the storage bin number corresponding to the user ID as the recipient storage bin 20, and controls the electric lock 24 so that the storage bin 20 is unlocked (S350). As a result, the recipient can receive the article from the storage bin 20. Also, if an article has been delivered to one storage bin 20 two or more times, a forgetting prevention notification is sent to the recipient's mobile device 50 when the article is delivered to the storage bin 20, and a forgetting prevention guidance is displayed on the operation panel 34 when the recipient operates the operation panel 34 to receive the article, so that forgetting of the article can be effectively prevented. For example, when an article stored in the front of the storage bin hides an article stored in the back, it is possible to prevent a recipient who thinks that only one article is in the storage bin 20 from forgetting the article stored in the back. When the control unit 33a unlocks the storage bin 20, it determines whether the reception has been completed (S360). This determination is made by determining whether the door 22 is closed and whether there is no article in the storage bin based on the detection signals from the open / close sensor 25 and the weight sensor 26. When the control unit 33a determines that the reception has been completed, it controls the electric lock 24 so that the storage bin 20 is locked (S370). Subsequently, the control unit 33a clears the user ID and the flag F associated with the storage bin number of the storage bin 20 to which the article has been delivered in the management information registered in the storage unit 33b (S380), and ends the reception process.

[0028] In the stocker 10 of the present embodiment described above, when a plurality of articles of the same recipient are delivered to one storage 20, a reminder notice is notified to the recipient in advance. Thereby, it is possible to preferably prevent the recipient who thinks that only one article is in the storage 20 from forgetting to pick up the article.

[0029] Here, the correspondence between the components of the present embodiment and the components of the present invention will be clarified. The storage 20 of the present embodiment corresponds to the storage of the present disclosure, the stocker main body including a plurality of storages 20 corresponds to the stocker main body, and the control unit 33a and the communication unit 33c that execute the process of S230 of the delivery process correspond to the notification unit. Further, the operation panel 34 corresponds to the input unit and the display unit, and the control unit 33a that executes the delivery process corresponds to the control unit.

[0030] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment at all, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various modes as long as it belongs to the technical scope of the present invention.

[0031] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 33a transmits a reminder notice to the portable device 50 of the recipient when an article is delivered to one storage 20 two or more times, and displays a reminder notice on the operation panel 34 when the operation panel 34 is operated for the recipient to receive the article. However, only one of them may be performed.

[0032] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 30 is provided with an operation panel 34 (touch panel) in which the input unit and the display unit are integrated. However, the input unit and the display unit may be provided separately at positions close to each other.

[0033] In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 33a and the communication unit 33c of the control unit 30 are configured to send a notification for preventing the recipient from forgetting to pick up the item at the recipient's mobile device 50. However, the stocker management device 40 connected via the stocker 10 and the network 41 may be configured to perform the notification. In this case, the stocker management device 40 may receive management information from the stocker 10 and send a notification for preventing forgetting to the recipient's mobile device 50 according to the management information.

[0034] The stocker of the present disclosure may be configured as follows.

[0035] In the stocker of the present disclosure, the notification unit may notify the reminder guidance by wireless communication. By doing so, for example, when a notification is sent to the recipient's mobile device, the reminder guidance can be more reliably notified to the recipient. In this case, it includes an input unit capable of being input by an operator and a control unit for controlling the opening and closing of the plurality of storage bins. When the storage of an item is instructed by the supplier, the control unit receives the input of identification information for identifying the recipient of the item via the input unit. If no item with the same recipient identification information is stored in any of the plurality of storage bins, an empty storage bin among the plurality of storage bins is opened to accept the storage of the item. If an item with the same recipient identification information is stored in any of the plurality of storage bins, the corresponding storage bin is opened to accept the storage of the item, and the notification unit may notify the recipient of the item of the reminder guidance.

[0036] Further, in the stocker of the present disclosure, it includes an input unit capable of being input by an operator and a display unit provided near the input unit or integrally with the input unit for displaying various guidance. When the receipt of an item is instructed by the recipient of the plurality of items via the input unit, the notification unit may display the reminder guidance on the display unit. By displaying the reminder guidance near the input unit where the recipient inputs to receive the item or on the display unit integrated with the input unit, the reminder guidance can be more reliably notified to the recipient.

[0037] In addition, although the present disclosure has been described in the form of a stocker, it may also be in the form of a stocker management device or a stocker system.

Industrial Applicability

[0038] The present invention can be used in the manufacturing industry of storage facilities and stockers, etc.

Explanation of Signs

[0039] 1 Stocker system, 10 Stocker, 20 Storage facility, 21 Main body, 22 Door, 24 Electric lock, 25 Opening / closing sensor, 26 Weight sensor, 30 Control unit, 31 Main body, 32 Front panel, 33 Control device, 33a Control section, 33b Storage section, 33c Communication section, 34 Operation panel, 35 Reader, 36 Camera, 37 Speaker, 40 Stocker management device, 41 Network, 50 Portable device, Ga Guidance image, Gb Operation image.

Claims

1. A stocker comprising a plurality of storage bins capable of receiving and delivering articles, a stocker body that allows a receiver to accept the same plurality of articles into one of the storage bins, a notification unit that, when the plurality of articles are delivered to one of the storage bins, notifies in advance a forgetting prevention guidance to the receiver of the plurality of articles so that the receiver does not forget to pick up the articles. A stocker provided with the above.

2. The stocker according to Claim 1, wherein the notification unit notifies the forgetting prevention guidance by wireless communication. A stocker.

3. The stocker according to Claim 2, comprising an input unit capable of being input by an operator, and a control unit that controls the opening and closing of the plurality of storage bins. When an article delivery by a deliverer is instructed, the control unit accepts an input of identification information for identifying the receiver of the article via the input unit. If no article with matching receiver identification information has been delivered to any of the plurality of storage bins, the control unit opens an empty storage bin among the plurality of storage bins to accept the delivery of the article. If an article with matching receiver identification information has been delivered to any of the plurality of storage bins, the corresponding storage bin is opened to accept the delivery of the article, and the notification unit notifies the receiver of the article of the forgetting prevention guidance. A stocker.

4. The stocker according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, comprising an input unit capable of being input by an operator, and a display unit provided near the input unit or integrally with the input unit for displaying various guidance. When the receiver of the plurality of articles instructs the receipt of the articles via the input unit, the notification unit displays the forgetting prevention guidance on the display unit. A stocker.

5. A stocker management device for managing a stocker including a plurality of storage bins capable of receiving and delivering articles, which, when a receiver stores the delivery of the same plurality of articles in one of the storage bins, notifies in advance a forgetting prevention guidance to the receiver of the plurality of articles so that the receiver does not forget to pick up the articles. A stocker management device. ​ ​

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