Delivery timing determination device and delivery timing determination system

Abstract

To determine delivery timing in accordance with a user.SOLUTION: A delivery timing determination device 2 includes: an information acquisition unit 231 for acquiring biological information on a user detected by a portable terminal worn by the user; and a delivery timing determination unit 234 for determining delivery timing for a delivery device which performs autonomous drive and delivers food and drink to the user based on at least one of a state and an action of the user specified based on the biological information. The delivery device includes: a food and drink mounting unit for mounting food and drink; a travel unit for driving the delivery device; an information acquisition unit for acquiring delivery timing from the delivery timing determination device 2; and an operation control unit for driving the delivery device so that food and drink can be delivered to the user at the delivery timing by controlling the travel unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a delivery timing determination device and a delivery timing determination system that determine the timing of delivering food and drink to a user. [Background technology]

[0002] Systems that support product ordering are known. Patent Document 1 discloses a periodic purchase support system that automatically processes product orders at predetermined times (for example, daily, weekly, or monthly) by registering product order schedule information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-157378 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, depending on the product, the timing at which a user uses or consumes the product may change. For example, the timing at which a user consumes food or beverages may change from day to day. When products are delivered periodically, the regular delivery timing does not correspond to the changing consumption timing, and therefore, the food or beverage may be delivered at a delivery timing when the user does not need the food or beverage.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and aims to determine delivery timing according to the user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In a first aspect of the present invention, a delivery timing determination device is provided that has an information acquisition unit that acquires biometric information of a user detected by a mobile terminal worn by the user, and a delivery timing determination unit that determines the delivery timing for a delivery device that autonomously drives to deliver food and beverages to the user based on at least one of the user's state or behavior identified based on the biometric information.

[0007] The delivery timing determination device may further include a content determination unit that determines the content of the food and drink to be delivered to the user based on at least one of the user's state and behavior.

[0008] The information acquisition unit may further acquire location information indicating the user's location from the mobile terminal, and the content determination unit may determine the content of the food or drink based further on the user's location indicated by the acquired location information.

[0009] The content determination unit may refer to a purchase history database that stores products purchased by the user, and determine the content of the food and drink based further on the products purchased by the user.

[0010] The delivery timing determination device may further have an identification unit that identifies at least one of the user's state or behavior based on the biometric information, and the delivery timing determination unit may determine the delivery timing based on at least one of the user's state or behavior identified by the identification unit.

[0011] The identification unit may identify the state or behavior of the user during a predetermined time period based on a history database that stores at least one of the user's past states and behaviors.

[0012] The identification unit may identify the user's hunger level as the user's state based on the biometric information, and the delivery timing determination unit may determine the delivery timing as the timing when the hunger level becomes equal to or greater than a threshold value.

[0013] The information acquisition unit may acquire the user's blood glucose level as the biometric information, the identification unit may identify whether the user has consumed the delivered food or beverage based on a change in the blood glucose level after the delivery timing, and the delivery timing determination unit may determine the delivery timing based on the identification result obtained by the identification unit as to whether the user has consumed the delivered food or beverage.

[0014] The delivery timing determination unit may refer to the user's schedule and determine the delivery timing within a time period excluding a time period for which a schedule is registered.

[0015] The information acquisition unit may acquire location information indicating the user's current location and the user's destination, and the delivery timing determination unit may identify an arrival time at which the user will arrive at the destination based on the travel time it takes for the user to travel from the current location to the destination, and determine the identified arrival time as the delivery timing.

[0016] The delivery timing determination device may further include a notification unit that notifies the delivery device of the delivery timing determined by the delivery timing determination unit at least the time required for the delivery device to travel from its location to the user's delivery destination.

[0017] The delivery timing determination device may further include a food and beverage loading unit for loading the food and beverage, a running unit for running the delivery device, and an operation control unit for controlling the running unit to run the delivery device so that the food and beverage can be delivered to the user at the delivery timing.

[0018] In a second aspect of the present invention, a delivery timing determination system is provided, comprising a delivery device that drives autonomously to deliver food and beverages, and a delivery timing determination device that determines the delivery timing at which the delivery device will deliver the food and beverages to a user, wherein the delivery timing determination device has a biometric information acquisition unit that acquires biometric information of the user detected by a mobile terminal worn by the user, a delivery timing determination unit that determines the delivery timing based on at least one of the user's state or behavior identified based on the biometric information, and a transmission control unit that transmits the delivery timing to the delivery device before the determined delivery timing arrives, and the delivery device has a food and beverage loading unit that loads the food and beverages, a running unit that drives the delivery device, an information acquisition unit that acquires the delivery timing from the delivery timing determination device, and an operation control unit that controls the running unit to drive the delivery device so that the food and beverages can be delivered to the user at the delivery timing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to determine the delivery timing according to the user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a delivery system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a delivery device. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a delivery timing determination device. [Figure 4] 10 is an example of a data table that associates types of locations with types of food and drink. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining estimation of a change in hunger level. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processing executed by the delivery timing determination device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] [Delivery System S Overview] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a delivery system S. The delivery system S includes a delivery device 1 that autonomously travels outdoors to deliver food and drink, and a delivery timing determination device 2 that manages the delivery device 1. This embodiment assumes a use case in which delivery device 1, which is an autonomous traveling robot, travels around town to deliver food and drink.

[0022] The delivery device 1 is a device that travels autonomously to deliver food and drink, and is, for example, a robot. The delivery timing determination device 2 determines the timing at which the delivery device 1 delivers food and drink to the user U. The delivery timing determination device 2 manages the operation of the delivery device 1. The delivery timing determination device 2 is, for example, a server existing on the cloud. First, the delivery timing determination device 2 acquires biometric information of the user U from the mobile terminal M worn by the user U ((1) in Figure 1).

[0023] The mobile terminal M is, for example, a smart watch worn by the user U and acquires biometric information and location. The mobile terminal M performs wireless communication with the delivery timing determination device 2. The mobile terminal M performs wireless communication via a base station compatible with wireless communication methods such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) and 5G (fifth generation mobile communication system). The mobile terminal M may also perform unlicensed wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The biometric information may be, for example, heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, blood sugar level, activity level, amount of sweat, movement speed, or acceleration, but is not limited to these.

[0024] Furthermore, the mobile terminal M includes a GPS receiver that receives radio waves transmitted from artificial satellites used in the GPS (Global Positioning System), and can identify the current location of the mobile terminal M based on the radio waves received by the GPS receiver. When the user U is in an indoor facility, the mobile terminal M can acquire location information obtained using indoor positioning technology such as IMES (Indoor Messaging System). In this case, the GPS receiver receives transmitter location information of the indoor GPS transmitter from an indoor GPS transmitter that uses the same radio wave format as the GPS satellite, and the mobile terminal M identifies its indoor location based on the transmitter location information.

[0025] The delivery timing determination device 2 determines the timing for delivering food and drink to the user U based on at least one of the state or behavior of the user U identified based on the biometric information of the user U ((2) in FIG. 1). The delivery timing is the timing (time period or time) when the delivery device 1 loaded with the food and drink to be delivered to the user U arrives at the user U's location and the user U can receive the food and drink. After determining the delivery timing, the delivery timing determination device 2 notifies the delivery device 1 of the determined delivery timing ((3) in FIG. 1).

[0026] The delivery device 1 moves to the location where the user U is so that the food and drink can be delivered to the user U at the notified delivery timing, and delivers the food and drink ((4) in FIG. 1). In this way, the delivery system S can deliver the food and drink to the user U at an appropriate timing according to the user U's state or behavior.

[0027] [Configuration of delivery device 1] 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of delivery device 1. Delivery device 1 includes wireless communication unit 11, position acquisition unit 12, imaging unit 13, food and drink loading unit 14, traveling unit 15, memory unit 16, control unit 17, and output unit 18.

[0028] The wireless communication unit 11 is a wireless communication module for transmitting and receiving information to and from other devices. The wireless communication unit 11 transmits and receives information to and from the delivery timing determination device 2 via wireless communication. For example, the wireless communication unit 11 performs wireless communication via a base station compatible with a wireless communication method such as LTE or 5G. Alternatively, unlicensed wireless communication such as Wi-Fi may be performed.

[0029] The position acquisition unit 12 acquires the current position of the delivery device 1. The position acquisition unit 12 includes a GPS receiver. The position acquisition unit 12 may use absolute position information acquired using indoor positioning technology such as IMES as the position information. The position acquisition unit 12 transmits the acquired current position of the delivery device 1 to the delivery timing determination device 2 via the wireless communication unit 11.

[0030] The imaging unit 13 is a camera mounted on the delivery device 1. The imaging unit 13 generates an image of the area around the delivery device 1. For example, the imaging unit 13 generates an image of the area ahead in the direction of travel of the delivery device 1. The imaging unit 13 may also include a movement mechanism for moving the camera, and by controlling the movement mechanism, it is possible to capture images not only ahead in the direction of travel, but also to the left and right, and above and below. The imaging unit 13 may also include a microphone, which picks up sounds around the delivery device 1 and generates sound pickup information indicating the picked-up sounds.

[0031] The food and beverage loading section 14 is a storage compartment for loading food and beverages. The food and beverage loading section 14 is provided with a door that allows the opening of the storage compartment to be freely opened and closed. The food and beverage loading section 14 may also include a device for keeping the loaded food and beverages hot or cold. The loading of food and beverages onto the food and beverage loading section 14 may be performed manually or by using an arm robot or the like.

[0032] The traveling unit 15 travels the delivery device 1. For example, the traveling unit 15 includes tires and a motor for traveling the delivery device 1, and travels the delivery device 1 under the control of the operation control unit 172, which will be described later.

[0033] The output unit 18 is a display that displays various types of information. The output unit 18 may also include a speaker. Under the control of an operation control unit 172 (described later), the output unit 18 displays various types of information as images or outputs them as sound.

[0034] The storage unit 16 is a storage medium including a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk, etc. The storage unit 16 stores a program executed by the control unit 17. The storage unit 16 stores the delivery timing acquired from the delivery timing determination device 2.

[0035] The control unit 17 is a computational resource including a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 17 executes a program stored in the storage unit 16 to realize functions as an information acquisition unit 171 and an operation control unit 172.

[0036] The information acquisition unit 171 acquires the delivery timing for delivering food and drink to the user U from the delivery timing decision device 2. Specifically, the information acquisition unit 171 acquires the delivery timing and the delivery destination to which the food and drink will be delivered at the delivery timing from the delivery timing decision device 2 via the wireless communication unit 11. The information acquisition unit 171 also acquires a travel route from the location of the delivery device 1 to the delivery destination. For example, the information acquisition unit 171 acquires the travel route from the delivery timing decision device 2. The information acquisition unit 171 may also acquire information indicating the delivery destination and generate a travel route from the location to the delivery destination. The information acquisition unit 171 stores the acquired delivery timing and travel route in the memory unit 16.

[0037] The operation control unit 172 controls the operation of the delivery device 1. For example, the operation control unit 172 controls the travel unit 15 to travel the delivery device 1 so that the food and drink can be delivered to the user U at the delivery timing. Specifically, the operation control unit 172 travels the delivery device 1 along the travel route so that the delivery device 1 arrives at the delivery destination by the delivery timing. The operation control unit 172 travels the delivery device 1 based on status data detected by various sensors mounted on the delivery device 1. The status data includes, for example, the remaining battery level, temperature, and travel speed. The operation control unit 172 causes the delivery device 1 to move forward, backward, turn right or left, or stop based on the status data. The operation control unit 172 also controls a movement mechanism that moves the camera to change the camera orientation and opens and closes the door of the food and drink loading unit 14.

[0038] The operation control unit 172 operates the delivery device 1 according to the surrounding circumstances using the current location of the delivery device 1 and the captured image. For example, when the delivery device arrives at the delivery destination, the operation control unit 172 performs face authentication based on the captured image to identify the user U. Specifically, the operation control unit 172 identifies a person whose facial features acquired by analyzing the captured image match those of the user U stored in advance as the user U to whom food and drink will be delivered. The operation control unit 172 may also identify the user U by fingerprint authentication, palm print authentication, authentication using an IC card, or the like.

[0039] The operation control unit 172 approaches the identified user U until the distance between the delivery device 1 and the user U becomes equal to or less than a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance is a distance at which the user U can take out food and drink, and a specific value is, for example, 50 centimeters, but is not limited to this. When the operation control unit 172 approaches the user U, it opens the door of the food and drink loading unit 14 so that the user U can take out food and drink. Furthermore, when approaching the user U, the operation control unit 172 may control the output unit 18 to output a sound indicating that food and drink has been delivered. For example, if the user U's name is [Sato], the operation control unit 172 outputs a sound saying, "Lunch has been brought for Mr. Sato." This allows the user U to know that food and drink has been delivered to him or her.

[0040] The operation control unit 172 determines whether the user U has taken out food or drink after opening the door of the food and drink loading unit 14. For example, the operation control unit 172 determines that the user U has taken out food or drink when the weight detected by a weight sensor provided in the food and drink loading unit 14 has decreased by the weight of the loaded food and drink. Furthermore, the operation control unit 172 determines that the user U has taken out food or drink when it is possible to identify that the user U is carrying food or drink by analyzing the captured image. When the user U has taken out food or drink, the operation control unit 172 notifies the delivery timing determination device 2 that the user U has taken out food or drink.

[0041] [Configuration of delivery timing determination device 2] 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the delivery timing determination device 2. The delivery timing determination device 2 includes a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a control unit 23. The communication unit 21 is a communication module for transmitting and receiving information to and from other devices. For example, the communication unit 21 transmits and receives information to and from the delivery device 1 via wireless communication.

[0042] The storage unit 22 is a storage medium including a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk, etc. The storage unit 22 stores programs executed by the control unit 23. The storage unit 22 also stores various databases.

[0043] The storage unit 22 stores a personal information database. The personal information database stores user identification information for identifying a user and attribute information indicating the attributes of the user in association with each other. For example, the attribute information includes information such as the user's gender and age. The attribute information may also include information about each user's food and drink preferences and allergies (whether or not the user has allergies and the type of allergy). The attribute information may also include information indicating a notification destination for notifying each user of information. The notification destination may be, for example, each user's email address, SNS (Social Network Service) account, or SMS (Short Message Service) address. The attribute information may also include feature data indicating each user's facial features. The personal information database may also include each user's schedule.

[0044] The memory unit 22 stores a purchase history database that stores products purchased by the user U. The purchase history database includes the product details and purchase times purchased by the user U. The delivery timing determination device 2 determines the food and drink to be loaded onto the delivery device 1 based on the analysis results of the product details and purchase times purchased by the user U that are stored in the purchase history database.

[0045] The storage unit 22 stores nationwide road map data and facility data for various facilities, stores, etc. included in the road map data. The road map data is provided as link data, in which roads on a map are divided into multiple sections with intersections and other nodes as nodes, and the sections between each node are defined as links. The link data includes data such as a link-specific link ID (identifier), link length, position information (longitude, latitude) of the start and end points (nodes) of the link, angle (direction) data, road width, and road type. The road map data preferably includes information on lanes that the delivery device 1 can travel. The road map data may also include indoor map data.

[0046] The control unit 23 is a computational resource including a processor such as a CPU, etc. The control unit 23 executes the programs stored in the storage unit 22 to realize the functions of an operation monitoring unit 230, an information acquisition unit 231, an identification unit 232, a content determination unit 233, a delivery timing determination unit 234, and a notification unit 235.

[0047] The operation monitoring unit 230 acquires various information from the delivery device 1 to monitor the operation of the delivery device 1. The information acquired by the operation monitoring unit 230 from the delivery device 1 includes, for example, location information indicating the current location of the delivery device 1, communication quality information indicating the communication quality of wireless communication, status information indicating the status of the delivery device 1, captured images captured by the delivery device 1, and collected sound information collected by the delivery device 1. The operation monitoring unit 230 associates the acquired various information with delivery device identification information that identifies the delivery device 1 and stores it in the memory unit 22.

[0048] The operation monitoring unit 230 monitors the operation of the delivery device 1 based on various information acquired, for example, at one-second intervals. The operation monitoring unit 230 determines whether a failure has occurred in the delivery device 1 based on the acquired various information. If a failure occurs in the delivery device 1, the operation monitoring unit 230 notifies the delivery device 1 of warning information indicating that a failure has occurred in the delivery device 1. The warning information is notified to a terminal used by a system monitor who monitors the delivery system S.

[0049] The information acquisition unit 231 acquires biometric information of the user U detected by the portable terminal M worn by the user U. For example, the information acquisition unit 231 acquires the biometric information from the portable terminal M at predetermined time intervals. A specific value of the predetermined time interval is, for example, one second. To give a specific example, the information acquisition unit 231 acquires the blood glucose level of the user U as biometric information every second.

[0050] The information acquisition unit 231 acquires location information indicating the location of the user U from the mobile terminal M. For example, the information acquisition unit 231 sequentially acquires location information indicating the user's current location. The information acquisition unit 231 may also acquire the user U's destination. Specifically, the information acquisition unit 231 acquires the user U's destination from the mobile terminal M. The user U's destination is, for example, a location input as [destination] in a map app. In this case, the mobile terminal M notifies the delivery timing determination device 2 of the location input as [destination].

[0051] The identification unit 232 identifies at least one of the state and behavior of the user U based on the biometric information. For example, the identification unit 232 identifies the strength of desire for food and drink as the state of the user U based on the biometric information. The strength of desire is, for example, the hunger level of the user U or the thirst level of the user U. Specifically, the identification unit 232 identifies the user U as being hungry if the blood glucose level of the user U is equal to or lower than a threshold. The identification unit 232 may also quantify the hunger level according to the blood glucose level. For example, the identification unit 232 acquires the fasting blood glucose level of the user U in advance, and increases the value of the hunger level as the difference between the fasting blood glucose level and the blood glucose level acquired from the mobile device M decreases.

[0052] The greater the integrated value of the amount of sweat of the user U, the greater the degree of thirst the determination unit 232 determines. Specifically, the greater the integrated value of the amount of sweat from the current time point to a time point a predetermined time ago, the greater the degree of thirst the determination unit 232 determines.

[0053] The identification unit 232 identifies whether or not the user U is exercising as a behavior of the user U. For example, the identification unit 232 identifies the user U as exercising when the heart rate is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. The predetermined value is determined according to the maximum heart rate of the user U. A specific value of the predetermined value is, for example, 60 percent of the maximum heart rate. Furthermore, the identification unit 232 identifies the user U as running when the moving speed of the user U is equal to or higher than the speed at which a person runs (for example, 10 kilometers per hour).

[0054] The identification unit 232 identifies the state or behavior of the user U during a predetermined time period based on the analysis results of the past state or behavior of the user U. For example, the identification unit 232 identifies the state or behavior of the user U during a predetermined time period based on a history database that stores at least one of the past states or behaviors of the user U. In this case, the storage unit 22 stores a history database for each user. For example, the storage unit 22 stores a history database in which the user identification information of the user U is associated with at least one of the states or behaviors of the user U identified by the identification unit 232 and the time of identification. By analyzing the history database, the identification unit 232 can identify a state or behavior that is highly likely to be the state or behavior of the user U during a predetermined time period.

[0055] The content determination unit 233 determines the content (type and amount) of food and drink to be delivered to the user U based on at least one of the state or behavior of the user U. For example, the content determination unit 233 increases the amount of food and drink the greater the hunger level of the user U identified by the identification unit 232 as the state of the user U. If the identification unit 232 identifies that the user U is exercising or running, the content determination unit 233 determines food and drink suitable for hydration. Examples of food and drink suitable for hydration include sports drinks and oral rehydration solutions. In this case, the content determination unit 233 increases the amount of food and drink suitable for hydration the greater the level of thirst identified by the identification unit 232.

[0056] The content determination unit 233 may determine the content of the food and drink based on the location of the user U indicated by the location information acquired by the information acquisition unit 231. First, the content determination unit 233 identifies the type of location of the user U. Specifically, if the location of the user U is included in a park or a road, the content determination unit 233 identifies the type of location as [outdoor]. Furthermore, if the location of the user U is included in a building or facility, the content determination unit 233 identifies the type of location as [indoor]. The content determination unit 233 may identify the type of indoor more specifically. If the location of the user U is included in a facility (e.g., an office) of the business where the user U works, the content determination unit 233 identifies the type of location as [office]. Furthermore, if the location of the user U is included in the user U's home, the content determination unit 233 identifies the type of location as [home].

[0057] When the content determination unit 233 identifies the type of location, it determines the content of the food and drink based on the type of food and drink corresponding to the identified type of location. FIG. 4 is an example of a data table associating the type of location with the type of food and drink. The data table of FIG. 4 is stored in the storage unit 22. The content determination unit 233 refers to the data table of FIG. 4 to identify the type of food and drink corresponding to the type of location. For example, if the type of location of the user U is [office], the content determination unit 233 identifies the type of food and drink corresponding to [office] as [light odor]. Then, the content determination unit 233 determines the food and drink corresponding to [light odor]. [Light odor] is, for example, food and drink that does not contain spices (garlic). For another example, if the type of location of the user U is [outdoors], the content determination unit 233 identifies the type of food and drink corresponding to [outdoors] as [easy to eat]. [Easy to eat] is, for example, rice balls or sandwiches.

[0058] The content determination unit 233 may determine the content of the food and drink based on the past purchase history of the user U. For example, the content determination unit 233 refers to a purchase history database and determines the content of the food and drink based on the products purchased by the user U. Specifically, the content determination unit 233 determines the content of the food and drink based on the analysis results of the products purchased by the user U stored in the purchase history database. For example, the content determination unit 233 determines the content including the food and drink that the analysis results indicate is preferred by the user U. For example, if the analysis results indicate that the user U likes [chicken], the content determination unit 233 determines the content of the food and drink that includes [chicken].

[0059] The delivery timing determination unit 234 determines the delivery timing at which the delivery device 1 delivers food and drink to the user U. The delivery timing is the timing (time period or time) at which the food and drink is delivered to the user U and the user U can receive the food and drink.

[0060] The delivery timing determination unit 234 determines the delivery timing based on at least one of the state or behavior of the user U identified by the identification unit 232 based on the biometric information. For example, the delivery timing determination unit 234 determines the timing at which the hunger level of the user U identified by the identification unit 232 becomes equal to or greater than a threshold as the delivery timing. Specifically, the delivery timing determination unit 234 estimates a change in the hunger level of the user U, and estimates the timing at which the hunger level will become equal to or greater than a threshold based on the estimated change.

[0061] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a method for estimating a change in hunger level. The horizontal axis of FIG. 5 represents time t, and the vertical axis represents hunger level. The dashed line represents threshold A. The black circles in the graph of FIG. 5 represent hunger levels determined at each time. The delivery timing determination unit 234 estimates a change in hunger level based on hunger levels within a predetermined period C that includes the hunger level determined at the current time B. For example, the delivery timing determination unit 234 approximates the hunger level within the predetermined period C with a linear function using time as a variable, inputs a time D a predetermined time from the current time into the approximated linear function, and estimates the hunger level at time D a predetermined time later. In this case, the delivery timing determination unit 234 may increase the rate of change in hunger level (the slope of the linear function) when the user U is engaged in strenuous exercise. Note that the delivery timing determination unit 234 can use known estimation techniques, in addition to linear function approximation, as a method for estimating hunger level.

[0062] The delivery timing determination unit 234 determines time D as the delivery timing because the hunger level at time D indicated by a white circle is equal to or greater than threshold A. Note that threshold A is set for each user based on, for example, the fasting blood glucose level.

[0063] The delivery timing determination unit 234 determines the timing when the thirst level of the user U identified by the identification unit 232 reaches or exceeds a predetermined thirst threshold as the delivery timing. The delivery timing determination unit 234 can estimate the change in the thirst level using a method similar to the method for estimating the change in hunger level. The drought threshold is set appropriately for each user U using the biometric information of the user U.

[0064] The delivery timing determination unit 234 refers to the schedule of user U contained in the personal information database and determines the delivery timing within a time period excluding the time period in which the schedule is registered. Specifically, if a meeting schedule from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM is registered in user U's schedule, the delivery timing determination unit 234 determines the delivery timing within a time period excluding 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM. In this way, it is possible to prevent food and drink from being delivered during a time period when user U is highly unlikely to be able to receive the food and drink.

[0065] The delivery timing determination unit 234 may determine the delivery timing based on the result of determining whether the user U has eaten the delivered food or drink. In this case, the determination unit 232 determines whether the user U has consumed the delivered food or drink based on a change in blood glucose level after the delivery timing. Specifically, the determination unit 232 determines that the user U has consumed the food or drink if the blood glucose level rises to or exceeds a predetermined value within a predetermined period from the delivery timing. The predetermined period is the time during which the delivered food or drink is expected to be consumed, for example, one hour. Furthermore, the determination unit 232 associates the intake time at which the food or drink was consumed and the content of the food or drink with the user U's user identification information and stores them in the storage unit 22.

[0066] The delivery timing determination unit 234 determines the delivery timing based on the identification result obtained by the identification unit 232 as to whether the user U has consumed the delivered food or drink. If the difference between the delivery timing and the consumption time is equal to or greater than a predetermined interval, the delivery timing determination unit 234 assumes that the user U did not consume the delivered food or drink immediately, and delays the next delivery timing. The predetermined interval is, for example, 30 minutes. For example, if the consumption time at which the user U consumed the delivered food or drink is 30 minutes or more after the delivery timing, the delivery timing determination unit 234 delays the next delivery timing by 30 minutes. In this way, the delivery timing determination unit 234 can determine the delivery timing to a time that is convenient for the user U to consume food or drink.

[0067] The delivery timing determination unit 234 determines a travel route from the location of the delivery device 1 to the delivery destination to which the food and drink is delivered. For example, the delivery timing determination unit 234 acquires the current location of the delivery device 1 from the delivery device 1 via the communication unit 21, and sets the acquired current location of the delivery device 1 as the location. The delivery timing determination unit 234 determines a travel route with the location as the departure point and the delivery destination as the destination. The delivery destination is, for example, the home address of the user U, the name of the facility where the user U works, or coordinates indicated by latitude and longitude, but is not limited to these, and may be any information that can identify a location.

[0068] The delivery timing determination unit 234 sequentially calculates the cost of the links (hereinafter referred to as "link costs") that are the route from the node that is the branch point of the route to the next node, and determines the travel route that minimizes the link cost from the location to the delivery destination. The travel route search algorithm in the delivery timing determination unit 234 can use known technology. For example, the travel route search algorithm can use Dijkstra's algorithm, A* algorithm, genetic algorithm, etc.

[0069] The delivery timing determination unit 234 determines, based on the delivery timing, the time before the time it takes for the delivery device 1 to travel along the travel route to the delivery destination as the travel start time. For example, if it takes 30 minutes for the delivery device 1 to travel along the travel route, the delivery timing determination unit 234 determines the travel start time to be 12:30 so that the delivery device 1 can arrive at the delivery destination at the delivery timing (1:00 PM).

[0070] When the user U is moving, the delivery timing determination unit 234 determines the delivery timing for delivering food and drink to a destination to which the user U is moving. The identification unit 232 identifies whether the user U is moving as the user U's behavior, and, if the user U is moving, identifies the destination to which the user U is moving. The delivery timing determination unit 234 identifies the arrival time at which the user U will arrive at the destination based on the travel time it takes for the user U to travel from the user U's current location to the destination. The delivery timing determination unit 234 determines the identified arrival time as the delivery timing for delivering food and drink to the user U's destination. The delivery timing determination unit 234 also identifies the travel route from the location of the delivery device 1 to the destination. In this way, the food and drink can be delivered at the time when the user U arrives at the destination.

[0071] The delivery timing determination unit 234 does not determine the delivery timing if the current location of the user U has changed significantly. Specifically, the delivery timing determination unit 234 identifies the distance traveled by the user U within a predetermined period based on the rate of change of the user U's current location within the predetermined period, and does not determine the delivery timing if the identified travel distance of the user U is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance. In this way, the delivery timing determination unit 234 can avoid delivering food and drink if the user U has moved significantly and the delivery destination (the user U's current location or destination) cannot be identified.

[0072] The delivery timing determination unit 234 receives prohibited time periods during which food and drink will not be delivered, and determines delivery timing for time periods excluding the received prohibited time periods. The prohibited time periods are received, for example, by sending a questionnaire to the mobile terminal M of the user U. The prohibited time periods may also be set in advance, for example, late night hours (from 10 PM to 5 AM the next morning) are set as prohibited time periods. In this way, an appropriate delivery timing can be determined that avoids time periods during which the user U does not want food and drink delivered.

[0073] The notification unit 235 transmits the delivery timing determined by the delivery timing determination unit 234 to the delivery device 1. For example, the notification unit 235 notifies the delivery device 1 of the delivery timing at least before the time required for the delivery device to travel from its current location to the user's delivery destination. For example, if it takes 30 minutes for the delivery device 1 to travel along the travel route, the notification unit 235 notifies the delivery device 1 of the delivery timing before 12:30 so that the delivery device 1 can arrive at the delivery destination at the delivery timing (1:00 PM). The notification unit 235 also notifies the delivery device 1 of the travel start time and travel route along with the delivery timing. In this way, the notification unit 235 can notify the delivery device 1 of the information necessary to reach the delivery destination by the delivery timing.

[0074] The notification unit 235 may also notify the mobile terminal M of the delivery timing. In this case, when the delivery timing arrives, the mobile terminal M outputs information indicating that the delivery device 1 has arrived at the location where the user U is. The mobile terminal M may also notify the user U that the delivery device 1 will arrive a predetermined time (10 minutes) before the delivery timing.

[0075] [Flow of processing executed by delivery timing determination device 2] 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the delivery timing determination device 2. First, the information acquisition unit 231 acquires biometric information of the user U and location information indicating the location of the user U from the mobile terminal M (step S1). The delivery timing determination unit 234 determines whether or not to deliver food and drink to the user U based on the biometric information (step S2). For example, if the delivery timing determination unit 234 identifies that the user is hungry based on the biometric information, it determines to deliver food and drink to the user U. If it determines not to deliver (No in step S2), the delivery timing determination device 2 sequentially executes steps S1 and S2 until it determines to deliver food and drink to the user U.

[0076] If it is determined that food and drink is to be delivered to the user U (Yes in step S2), the content determination unit 233 identifies the type of location indicated by the location information and determines whether the location of the user U is indoors or not (step S3). For example, if the location of the user U is included in a park, the content determination unit 233 identifies the type of location as [outdoors] and determines that the location of the user U is outdoors.

[0077] When the content determination unit 233 determines that the user U is located indoors (Yes in step S3), it determines indoor food and drink (step S4). For example, when the user U is located indoors (at home), the content determination unit 233 refers to a data table that associates location types with food and drink types, and identifies the food and drink type [all] corresponding to the location type [indoors]. Then, the content determination unit 233 determines the food and drink content based on the user U's food and drink preferences.

[0078] If the content determination unit 233 determines that the user U is located outdoors (No in step S3), it determines food and drink for outdoors (step S5). For example, the content determination unit 233 refers to a data table that associates location types with food and drink types, and identifies the type of food and drink [easy to eat] that corresponds to the location type [outdoors]. Then, the content determination unit 233 determines rice balls or sandwiches, which are [easy to eat], as the content of the food and drink.

[0079] The identification unit 232 identifies the state of the user U based on the biological information acquired from the mobile terminal M (step S6). For example, the identification unit 232 identifies the hunger level according to the blood glucose level acquired as the biological information.

[0080] The delivery timing determination unit 234 determines the timing of delivery of the food and drink (step S7). Specifically, the delivery timing determination unit 234 estimates the change in the hunger level identified by the identification unit 232, and determines the timing when the hunger level becomes equal to or greater than the threshold as the delivery timing.

[0081] The notification unit 235 notifies the delivery device 1 of the delivery timing determined by the delivery timing determination unit 234 (step S8). For example, the notification unit 235 notifies the delivery device 1 of the delivery timing at least a time before the delivery timing that is required for the delivery device to travel from its location to the user's delivery destination.

[0082] (First Modification) After delivering the food and drink, the delivery timing determination device 2 transmits a questionnaire to the user U to whom the food and drink was delivered. The contents of the questionnaire may, for example, ask whether the delivery timing was appropriate, and whether the contents and quantity of the food and drink were appropriate. If there is a response to the questionnaire, the delivery timing determination device 2 determines the delivery timing by referring to the analysis results of the response contents when determining the next delivery timing. In this way, the delivery timing can be determined taking into consideration the preferences of the user U, etc.

[0083] (Second Modification) In the above description, the delivery timing is the timing when the delivery device 1 arrives at the delivery destination (destination), but the delivery timing may also be the timing when the delivery device 1 starts delivery. In this case, the delivery timing determination unit 234 determines the delivery timing to be, for example, a time that is at least the time required for the delivery device 1 to move from its current location to the location of the delivery destination, relative to the time when the delivery device 1 should arrive at the delivery destination.

[0084] [Effects of Delivery System S] As described above, the delivery timing determination device 2 determines the timing for delivering food and drink to the user U based on the state or behavior of the user U identified from the biometric information of the user U. Therefore, the delivery timing determination device 2 can determine the delivery timing according to the state and behavior of the user U. As a result, the delivery device 1 can deliver food and drink to the user U at the appropriate timing when the user U needs the food and drink.

[0085] Furthermore, this invention will make it possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and promote innovation and resilience."

[0086] The present invention has been described above using embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by functionally or physically distributing or integrating any unit. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combination also have the effects of the original embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] S Delivery System 1 Delivery Device 11. Wireless Communication Section 12 Position acquisition part 13 Imaging unit 14 Food and drink loading section 15 Running part 16 Memory section 17 Control Unit 171 Information Acquisition Department 172 Motion control section 18 Output section 2. Delivery timing determination device 21 Communications Department 22 Memory section 23 Control Unit 230 Operation Monitoring Department 231 Information Acquisition Department 232 Specific part 233 Content Determination Department 234 Delivery timing determination unit 235 Notification Department M mobile device

Claims

1. an information acquisition unit that acquires at least one of a blood glucose level and a sweat rate of the user detected by a portable device worn by the user as biometric information of the user; a delivery timing determination unit that determines a time period or a time when a delivery device that autonomously travels to deliver food and beverages will deliver the food and beverages to the user based on at least one of the blood glucose level and the amount of sweat; A delivery timing determination device having:

2. The system further includes a content determination unit that determines the content of the food and drink to be delivered to the user based on at least one of the user's state and behavior. The delivery timing determination device according to claim 1 .

3. the information acquisition unit further acquires location information indicating a location of the user from the mobile terminal; the content determination unit determines the content of the food and drink further based on the location of the user indicated by the acquired location information. The delivery timing determination device according to claim 2.

4. the content determination unit refers to a purchase history database that stores products purchased by the user, and determines the content of the food and drink based on the products purchased by the user.

4. The delivery timing determination device according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The method further includes an identification unit that identifies the physiological desire for eating and drinking of the user based on the biological information, The delivery timing determination unit determines the delivery timing based on the physiological need identified by the identification unit. The delivery timing determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. the identification unit identifies the physiological needs for a predetermined time period based on a history database that stores at least one of the user's past states and actions; The delivery timing determination device according to claim 5.

7. The identification unit identifies a hunger level of the user as the physiological need based on the biological information, The delivery timing determination unit determines the timing when the hunger level is equal to or greater than a threshold as the delivery timing.

7. The delivery timing determination device according to claim 5 or 6.

8. the identification unit identifies whether the user has consumed the delivered food or drink based on a change in the blood glucose level after the delivery timing; The delivery timing determination unit determines the delivery timing based on the identification result obtained by the identification unit as to whether the user has consumed the delivered food and drink. The delivery timing determination device according to any one of claims 5 to 7.

9. the delivery timing determination unit refers to the user's schedule and determines the delivery timing within a time period excluding a time period in which a schedule is registered; The delivery timing determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. the information acquisition unit acquires location information indicating a current location of the user and a destination of the user; the delivery timing determination unit determines an arrival time at which the user will arrive at the destination based on a travel time required for the user to travel from the current location to the destination, and determines the determined arrival time as the delivery timing; The delivery timing determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The delivery device further includes a notification unit that notifies the delivery device of the delivery timing determined by the delivery timing determination unit at least a time required for the delivery device to travel from its location to the user's delivery destination. The delivery timing determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. a delivery device that autonomously travels to deliver food and drink; and a delivery timing determination device that determines a delivery timing for the delivery device to deliver the food and drink to a user; The delivery timing determination device a biometric information acquisition unit that acquires at least one of a blood glucose level and a sweat rate of the user detected by a portable device worn by the user as biometric information of the user; a delivery timing determination unit that determines a time period or a time for delivering the food and drink to the user as the delivery timing based on at least one of the blood glucose level and the amount of sweat; a transmission control unit that transmits the delivery timing to the delivery device before the determined delivery timing arrives; and The delivery device a food and drink loading section for loading the food and drink; A running unit that runs the delivery device; an information acquisition unit that acquires the delivery timing from the delivery timing determination device; an operation control unit that controls the traveling unit to cause the delivery device to travel so that the food and beverage can be delivered to the user at the delivery timing; A delivery timing determination system having:

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