Unmanned sales system and server device

Abstract

To provide an unmanned sales system and a server device which can operate a plurality of unmanned vending devices supporting shopping in cooperation with each other.SOLUTION: A mobile sales system (unmanned sales system) includes a plurality of mobile vending robots (unmanned vending devices) each of which comprises a storage unit for receiving products to be sold and a driving unit for moving an own one of the mobile vending robots. Each mobile vending robot comprises: a help request unit which outputs help request information including a current position of the own one of the mobile vending robots and information for identifying out-of-stock products to the other mobile vending robots; and a drive control unit (help control unit) which, when receiving a help instruction based on help request information, moves an own one (helping robot) of the mobile vending devices to a current position of another mobile vending robot (robot to be helped) which has outputted the help request information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an unmanned sales system and a server device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a system has been proposed that includes a robot (shopping support device) that moves around a store selling products and supports customers in their shopping (for example, Patent Document 1). The robot in the system patrols the store, accepting purchased products from customers and carrying them to the cash register, thereby supporting customers in their shopping.

[0003] As described above, conventional systems are limited to supporting customers' shopping within a store, and there is a demand for the construction of a more useful system for businesses that sell products. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an unmanned sales system and a server device that can operate a plurality of unmanned sales devices that support shopping in a linked manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The unmanned vending system of the embodiment has a plurality of unmanned vending machines each having a storage unit for storing products to be sold and a drive unit for moving the machine, and the unmanned vending machine is equipped with a support request unit and a support control unit. When there is an out-of-stock product with zero remaining quantity among the products stored in the machine and a customer operates to purchase the out-of-stock product, the support request unit notifies other unmanned vending machines of the current location of the machine and 、 Information identifying the missing item and Information identifying an unmanned vending machine other than the own machine selected by the customer's operation; The support control unit outputs support request information including the following: The support control unit moves the other unmanned vending machines that have received a support instruction based on the support request information to the current position of the unmanned vending machine that output the support request information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mobile sales system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a first perspective view showing an example of the external configuration of the mobile sales robot according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a second perspective view showing an example of the external configuration of the mobile sales robot according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a third perspective view showing an example of the external configuration of the mobile sales robot according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the mobile sales robot according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data configuration of the product master. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data configuration of the stocked product table. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of the product registration file. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a user terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a server device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data configuration of the robot management table. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data configuration of the product management table. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data configuration of the user management table. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data configuration of the call management table. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data configuration of the transaction management table. [Figure 16]FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the mobile sales robot according to the first embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the server device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a user terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a screen transition displayed on the display unit of the supported robot when a support robot is requested. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the mobile sales system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a screen transition displayed on the display unit of the supported robot in the mobile sales system according to the modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a mobile sales system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an administrator terminal according to the second embodiment. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the administrator terminal according to the second embodiment. [Figure 25] FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of screen transitions displayed on the display unit of the administrator terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] (First embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below.

[0008] (Mobile sales system configuration) The system configuration of a mobile sales system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the mobile sales system according to the first embodiment.

[0009] 1, the mobile sales system 1 includes a mobile sales robot 10, a user terminal 20, and a server device 30. The mobile sales robot 10, the user terminal 20, and the server device 30 are connected to a network N such as a LAN (Local Area network).

[0010] The mobile sales robot 10 is a self-propelled unmanned sales device that transports and sells merchandise. For example, the mobile sales robot 10 travels within a predetermined area, such as a shopping mall, and sells merchandise at each location it travels to. The mobile sales robot 10 performs patrol travel, traveling along a predetermined route, and call travel, traveling to a call location designated by a customer. The number of mobile sales robots 10 is not important. Multiple mobile sales robots 10 operate in coordination with each other. For example, if a product stored in a mobile sales robot 10 currently selling a product becomes out of stock, the mobile sales robot 10 requests support from another mobile sales robot 10 that stores the out-of-stock product. Hereinafter, the mobile sales robot 10 that requests support will also be referred to as a supported robot 100. The mobile sales robot 10 that receives the support request will also be referred to as a support robot 101. In other words, all mobile sales robots 10 can be either a supported robot 100 or a support robot 101. The mobile sales robot 10 is an example of an unmanned sales device in the present disclosure. The mobile sales system 1 is an example of an unmanned sales system in the present disclosure.

[0011] (Outline of the mobile sales robot) The schematic configuration of the mobile sales robot 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 to Fig. 4. Fig. 2 is a first perspective view showing an example of the external configuration of the mobile sales robot according to the first embodiment. Fig. 3 is a second perspective view showing an example of the external configuration of the mobile sales robot according to the first embodiment. Fig. 4 is a third perspective view showing an example of the external configuration of the mobile sales robot according to the first embodiment.

[0012] 2 to 4, the configuration of the mobile sales robot 10 will be described using three mutually perpendicular axial directions: the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis. The X-axis runs through the mobile sales robot 10 from front to back, and extends from the rear to the front of the mobile sales robot 10. The Y-axis runs through the mobile sales robot 10 from left to right, and extends from the left side to the right side as viewed from the front of the mobile sales robot 10. The Z-axis runs through the mobile sales robot 10 from top to bottom, and extends from the bottom to the top of the mobile sales robot 10. Hereinafter, the left side of the mobile sales robot 10 as viewed from the front (the negative Y-axis side) will also be referred to as the front side of the mobile sales robot 10. Furthermore, the right side of the mobile sales robot 10 as viewed from the front of the mobile sales robot 10 (the positive Y-axis side) will also be referred to as the back side of the mobile sales robot 10.

[0013] The mobile sales robot 10 comprises a main body 11, a moving unit 12, and a user interface unit 13. The main body 11 is formed of a box-shaped housing with open front and back sides. A storage unit 111 is provided inside the main body 11.

[0014] The storage section 111 is a space for storing products M such as foodstuffs. In the storage section 111, a plurality of shelves 112 capable of displaying the products M are arranged in multiple vertical stages across the front-to-rear direction of the mobile sales robot 10. The products M are placed on the shelves 112 by a store clerk or the like managing the mobile sales robot 10. The products M stored in the storage section 111 are not limited to foodstuffs, and may be products of other categories such as medicines or leisure goods. Furthermore, the storage section 111 may store products M of multiple categories.

[0015] The shelf 112 may be divided into a plurality of areas, for example, to sort and place the same type of products M. In this case, the shelf 112 may be divided into a plurality of areas by using, for example, trays or the like.

[0016] Shelf labels 113 for displaying the name and price of the product M are provided on the front side of the shelves 112. The shelf labels 113 may be electronic shelf labels or digital signage that digitally display information. Each shelf 112 is also provided with a weight detection unit 159 (see FIG. 5) that can detect the weight of the product M placed on the shelf 112. The weight detection unit 159 detects a change in weight, thereby detecting that the product M placed on the shelf 112 has been removed from the shelf 112 or that the product M has been returned to the shelf 112. Details of the weight detection unit 159 will be described later.

[0017] In this embodiment, the shelf tags 113 are provided on the front side of the shelf 112, but the shelf tags 113 may also be provided on the back side of the shelf 112. Also, in this embodiment, both the front side and back side of the main body 11 (storage section 111) are open, but only one side (for example, only the front side) may be open.

[0018] Alternatively, a door made of a light-transmitting material such as glass may be attached to either or both of the front and back sides of the main body 11 (storage section 111) in an openable and closable manner, allowing access to the inside of the storage section 111 through the door. For example, a door may be attached to the front side of the main body 11, and the back side of the main body 11 may be covered with a wall. In this case, the wall on the back side may be made of a light-transmitting material such as glass. This prevents the products M in the storage section 111 from falling out of the storage section 111 when the mobile sales robot 10 is moving, etc.

[0019] Furthermore, the door may be configured to be lockable by providing an electronic lock or the like, which can prevent unauthorized removal of merchandise from the storage section 111, for example, when the mobile sales robot 10 is moving.

[0020] A light emitting unit 114 and a distance measuring sensor 115 are provided on the front side of the main body 11. The light emitting unit 114 has a light emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) and emits light in accordance with control instructions from the control unit 154 (described later) to indicate the operating state of the mobile vending robot 10. For example, the light emitting unit 114 emits light when the mobile vending robot 10 is moving, thereby indicating that the mobile vending robot 10 is moving. Note that the light emitting color of the light emitting unit 114 is not limited to a single color. For example, the light emitting unit 114 may emit different light colors or change light emission patterns depending on the operating state of the mobile vending robot 10. Furthermore, the light emitting unit 114 is not limited to being provided on the front side of the main body 11, but may also be provided on the rear side.

[0021] The ranging sensor 115 is a sensor that detects objects present around the mobile sales robot 10 and measures the position of the object and the distance to the object. The sensing results of the ranging sensor 115 are output to a control unit 154 (described later) and are used to avoid collisions when the mobile sales robot 10 moves. The ranging sensor 115 can be realized by, for example, a camera that captures images, a sensor device that detects objects and measures distances using ultrasonic waves, or a sensor device such as a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) that detects objects using laser light.

[0022] The position where the distance measurement sensor 115 is provided is not limited to the front of the mobile sales robot 10. For example, the distance measurement sensor 115 may be provided at another position, such as the rear of the mobile sales robot 10. Also, the imaging unit 134 (see FIG. 3 ), which will be described later, may be used as the distance measurement sensor 115.

[0023] The moving unit 12 is provided below the main body unit 11 and movably supports the main body unit 11. Specifically, the moving unit 12 includes a non-drive wheel 121, a drive wheel 122, and a drive unit 123 that drives the drive wheel 122.

[0024] The non-drive wheels 121 are small wheels that can freely change direction in response to the direction of the force generated by the rotation of the drive wheels 122, thereby changing the traveling direction of the mobile sales robot 10 (movement unit 12).

[0025] The drive wheels 122 are rotationally driven by the drive unit 123, thereby moving the mobile sales robot 10 (movement unit 120) forward, backward, or rotated.

[0026] The driving unit 123 has a driving source such as a motor or a power supply. The driving unit 123 drives and rotates the driving wheels 122 in accordance with control instructions from the control unit 154, which will be described later, to move the mobile sales robot 10 (movement unit 12) in the direction and to the position instructed by the control unit 154.

[0027] The user interface unit 13 is provided on the upper part of the main body unit 11. The user interface unit 13 includes a first display unit 131, a second display unit 132, a third display unit 133, an imaging unit 134, a disinfection device 135, and the like.

[0028] The first display unit 131 is a display device installed on the front side of the mobile sales robot 10. The second display unit 132 is a display device installed on the rear side of the mobile sales robot 10. The third display unit 133 is a display device installed on the back side of the mobile sales robot 10. The first display unit 131, the second display unit 132, and the third display unit 133 display various information related to the product registration process and the payment process performed when selling the product M. In addition, the first display unit 131, the second display unit 132, and the third display unit 133 display various advertising screens. The various advertising screens include, for example, information for advertising the product M stored in the storage unit 111, information related to sales promotion of the product M, corporate advertising, etc.

[0029] The imaging unit 134 is installed on the rear side of the mobile vending robot 10. The imaging unit 134 is a digital camera having an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary MOS). When performing payment processing, the imaging unit 134 captures an image of the customer's face to obtain information necessary for facial authentication of the customer.

[0030] The disinfection device 135 is a device that disinfects customers who use the mobile sales robot 10. In this embodiment, disinfection means killing (or removing) pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms present on an object to make them harmless. Furthermore, disinfection can be interpreted as sterilization, sterilization, or sterilization.

[0031] The disinfection device 135 may have any configuration. For example, the disinfection device 135 may be a sprayer that sprays a disinfectant such as alcohol. Alternatively, the disinfection device 135 may be an ultraviolet disinfection device that irradiates ultraviolet rays. The disinfection device 135 performs a disinfection operation such as spraying a disinfectant or irradiating ultraviolet rays in response to an operation by a customer.

[0032] The configuration of the user interface unit 13 is not limited to the illustrated example. For example, the number and installation positions of the display devices included in the user interface unit 13 are not limited to the illustrated example. The user interface unit 13 may be configured without the disinfection device 135. The user interface unit 13 may also include a reader device that reads information stored in a code symbol such as a two-dimensional code, or a reader device that reads information from a card medium such as an IC card or a credit card.

[0033] Returning to FIG. 1, the user terminal 20 is a mobile terminal used by a user of the mobile sales system 1. The user terminal 20 is realized by a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The user terminal 20 accepts a call request from a customer requesting to call the mobile sales robot 10, and transmits the accepted call request to the server device 30. The number of user terminals 20 is not important.

[0034] The server device 30 manages the mobile sales system 1. The server device 30 is realized by, for example, an information processing device such as a PC (Personal Computer). The server device 30 manages the products sold by each of the mobile sales robots 10. The server device 30 also manages the mobile sales robot 10 and causes the mobile sales robot 10 to travel to a call position specified in a call request received from the user terminal 20. For example, the server device 30 manages the current positions of the mobile sales robot 10 and the user terminal 20, and upon receiving a call request for the mobile sales robot 10 from the user terminal 20, causes the mobile sales robot 10 specified in the call request to travel toward the position of the user terminal 20.

[0035] (Mobile sales robot hardware configuration) The hardware configuration of the mobile sales robot 10 will be described using Fig. 5 to Fig. 8. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the mobile sales robot according to the first embodiment. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the product master. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the stocked product table. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the product registration file.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 5, the mobile sales robot 10 includes a control unit 154 that controls the entire mobile sales robot 10, a storage unit 162, and various peripheral devices.

[0037] The control unit 154 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 151, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 152, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 153. The CPU 151 comprehensively controls each unit of the mobile sales robot 10. The ROM 152 stores various programs. The RAM 153 is a workspace where the programs and various data are expanded.

[0038] The CPU 151, the ROM 152, and the RAM 153 are connected via a bus, etc. The control unit 154 executes various processes by the CPU 151 operating in accordance with a program stored in the storage unit 162 and loaded into the RAM 153.

[0039] The mobile sales robot 10 includes various peripheral devices such as the light emitting unit 114, the driving unit 123, and the imaging unit 134. The mobile sales robot 10 also includes a display unit 155, an operation unit 156, a sound collecting unit 157, a sensor unit 158, a weight detecting unit 159, a positioning unit 160, a communication unit 161, etc.

[0040] The display unit 155 is a display device such as the first display unit 131, the second display unit 132, and the third display unit 133 described above. The display unit 155 is configured with an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like. The display unit 155 displays various information under the control of the CPU 151. Note that if the shelf tag 113 is an electronic shelf tag, the display unit 155 includes the electronic shelf tag.

[0041] Operation unit 156 is an input device such as a keyboard, a pointing device, etc. Operation unit 156 outputs the operation content received from the customer to CPU 151. Note that operation unit 156 may be a touch panel provided on the display screen of display unit 155.

[0042] The sound collection unit 157 collects sounds around the mobile sales robot 10 and outputs the audio signals of the collected sounds to the CPU 151. The sound collection unit 157 is realized by, for example, a sound collection device such as a microphone. For example, the sound collection unit 157 collects sounds from customers who wish to purchase products while the mobile sales robot 10 is traveling to stop the traveling.

[0043] The sensor unit 158 ​​is a sensor device such as the distance measuring sensor 115. The sensor unit 158 ​​outputs the detection result obtained by sensing to the CPU 151.

[0044] Weight detection unit 159 is a weight sensor that detects the weight of the product stored in storage unit 111. Specifically, weight detection unit 159 is provided on each shelf 112, and detects the weight and weight change of the product placed on shelf 112. Each shelf 112 and weight detection unit 159 provided on that shelf 112 are associated in advance, and when weight detection unit 159 detects a weight change, it is possible to identify the shelf 112 where the change occurred.

[0045] If the shelf 112 is divided into a plurality of areas, a weight detection unit 159 may be provided for each divided area. In this case, each divided area is associated with the weight detection unit 159 provided in that area.

[0046] The positioning unit 160 measures the position of the mobile sales robot 10. The positioning unit 160 can be realized by a positioning device using a positioning technology such as GPS (Global Positioning System).

[0047] The positioning unit 160 may be realized by a position measurement device that uses positioning technology such as beacon positioning, RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) ​​positioning, etc. In this case, by providing a terminal that supports positioning technology such as beacon positioning or RFID positioning at each position within the range in which the mobile sales robot 10 can move, the position of the mobile sales robot 10 can be measured (identified) by a positioning system formed by the terminal and the positioning unit 160.

[0048] The communication unit 161 is a wireless communication interface that can be connected to the network N. The communication unit 161 communicates with external devices such as the server device 30 via the network N.

[0049] The storage unit 162 has a storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a flash memory, and maintains the stored contents even when the power is cut off. The storage unit 162 stores programs that can be executed by the CPU 151 and various setting information.

[0050] The storage unit 162 also stores map information 1621, a product master 1622, a stocked product table 1623, and a product registration file 1624. The map information 1621 is information showing a map of the range in which the mobile sales robot 10 moves. The map information 1621 is information that associates the position identified by the positioning unit 160 with positions within the range in which the mobile sales robot 10 can move. The mobile sales robot 10 performs patrol travel and calling travel based on the identified position in the map information 1621. The format of the map information 1621 is not important.

[0051] The product master 1622 is a data table that stores information about products for sale. As shown in Fig. 6, the product master 1622 stores product information about a product corresponding to a product code, in association with the product code that identifies the product. The product information includes the product name, type, price, weight, product icon, etc.

[0052] The storage unit 162 may be configured not to store the product master 1622. In this case, the mobile sales robot 10 can handle the product master 3162 in the same way as in the configuration in which the product master 1622 is stored, by referring to the product master 3162 (see FIG. 9) stored in the server device 30.

[0053] The stored product table 1623 is a data table for storing information about products stored in the storage section 111. As shown in Fig. 7, the stored product table 1623 associates each shelf 112 provided in the storage section 111 with an identifiable shelf ID, and stores the product code of the product placed on the shelf 112 with the shelf ID and the quantity of the product placed.

[0054] The data configuration of the stored product table 1623 is not limited to the example in Fig. 7. For example, if the shelf 112 is divided into multiple areas, the stored product table 1623 may assign an identifier to each divided area and store the product code and quantity of the product placed in that area in association with each other.

[0055] The product registration file 1624 is a file that registers the product M that a customer has taken out from the shelf 112 of the mobile sales robot 10. As shown in Fig. 8, the product registration file 1624 stores the product code, quantity, and unit price of the product M that the customer with the user ID has taken out from the shelf 112 of the mobile sales robot 10, in association with the user ID that uniquely identifies the customer. The data configuration of the product registration file 1624 is not limited to the example shown in Fig. 8, and it is sufficient if it includes information that can identify the product M that the customer has taken out from the shelf 112 of the mobile sales robot 10.

[0056] Here, the user ID may be, for example, a pin code issued by the server device 30 when a customer calls the mobile sales robot 10, or a facial image or user ID sent from the user terminal 20 of the customer who called the mobile sales robot 10.

[0057] When the customer has finished removing the product M from the shelf 112, the mobile sales robot 10 transmits the product registration file 1624 to the server device 30. The server device 30 then performs payment processing based on the registered contents of the product registration file 1624. Note that the mobile sales robot 10 may transmit the product code of the removed product to the server device 30 each time the customer removes the product M from the shelf 112, and the server device 30 may perform both the product registration processing and the payment processing.

[0058] (User terminal hardware configuration) The user terminal 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the user terminal according to the first embodiment.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 9, the user terminal 20 includes a control unit 214 that controls the entire user terminal 20, a storage unit 220, and various peripheral devices.

[0060] The control unit 214 includes a CPU 211, a ROM 212, and a RAM 213. The CPU 211 performs overall control of each unit of the user terminal 20. The ROM 212 stores various programs. The RAM 213 is a workspace where the programs and various data are expanded.

[0061] The CPU 211, the ROM 212, and the RAM 213 are connected via a bus, etc. The control unit 214 executes various processes by the CPU 211 operating in accordance with a program stored in the storage unit 220 and loaded in the RAM 213.

[0062] The user terminal 20 includes various peripheral devices, such as a display unit 215, an operation unit 216, an imaging unit 217, a positioning unit 218, a communication unit 219, and a storage unit 220.

[0063] The display unit 215 is a display device, and is configured, for example, with an LCD or the like. The display unit 215 displays various information under the control of the CPU 211. The operation unit 216 is an input device such as a keyboard or a pointing device. The operation unit 216 outputs the operation content received from the customer to the CPU 211. Note that the operation unit 216 may be a touch panel provided on the display screen of the display unit 215.

[0064] The imaging unit 217 is a digital camera having an imaging element such as a CCD or CMOS, etc. The imaging unit 217 captures an image of a customer using the user terminal 20, thereby obtaining an image of the customer's face, etc.

[0065] The positioning unit 218 measures the location of the user terminal 20. The positioning unit 218 can be realized by a positioning device using a positioning technique such as GPS. Alternatively, similar to the positioning unit 160 described above, the positioning unit 218 may be realized by a position measurement device using a positioning technique such as beacon positioning or RFID positioning.

[0066] The communication unit 219 is a wireless communication interface that can be connected to the network N. The communication unit 219 communicates with external devices such as the server device 30 via the network N.

[0067] The storage unit 220 has a storage medium such as a HDD or flash memory, and maintains its stored contents even when the power is turned off. The storage unit 220 stores programs that can be executed by the CPU 211 (including application programs related to the processing of the mobile sales system 1) and various setting information.

[0068] The storage unit 220 also stores map information 2201. The map information 2201 is information showing a map of the area in which the mobile sales robot 10 moves. The map information 2201 stores the same information as the map information 1621 provided in the mobile sales robot 10.

[0069] (Server hardware configuration) The server device 30 will be described with reference to Figs. 10 to 15. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server device according to the first embodiment. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of a robot management table. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of a product management table. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of a user management table. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of a call management table. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of a transaction management table.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 10, the server device 30 includes a control unit 314 that controls the entire server device 30, a communication unit 315, and a storage unit 316.

[0071] The control unit 314 includes a CPU 311, a ROM 312, and a RAM 313. The CPU 311 performs overall control of each unit of the server device 30. The ROM 312 stores various programs. The RAM 313 is a workspace where the programs and various data are expanded.

[0072] The CPU 311, ROM 312, and RAM 313 are connected via a bus, etc. The control unit 314 executes various processes by the CPU 311 operating in accordance with a program stored in the storage unit 316 and loaded into the RAM 313.

[0073] The communication unit 315 is a wired or wireless communication interface that can be connected to the network N. The communication unit 315 communicates with external devices such as the mobile sales robot 10 and the user terminal 20 via the network N.

[0074] The storage unit 316 has a storage medium such as an HDD or flash memory, and maintains the stored contents even when the power is cut off. The storage unit 316 stores programs that can be executed by the CPU 311 and various setting information.

[0075] The storage unit 316 stores map information 3161 and a product master 3162. The map information 3161 is information showing a map of the area in which the mobile sales robot 10 moves. The map information 3161 stores the same information as the map information 1621 provided in the mobile sales robot 10 and the map information 2201 provided in the user terminal 20. The product master 3162 is a data table that stores information about products for sale. The data configuration of the product master 3162 is the same as that of the product master 1622 described above.

[0076] The storage unit 316 also stores a robot management table 3163, a product management table 3164, a user management table 3165, a call management table 3166, a transaction management table 3167, and the like.

[0077] The robot management table 3163 is a data table for managing the position and status of the mobile sales robot 10. As shown in Fig. 11, the robot management table 3163 stores, in association with a robot ID, which is identification information that uniquely identifies the mobile sales robot 10, position information indicating the current position of the mobile sales robot 10 corresponding to the robot ID, status information indicating the status of the mobile sales robot 10, and the like.

[0078] The location information of the mobile sales robot 10 may be expressed by coordinate values ​​such as longitude and latitude. Alternatively, the location information may be expressed by block numbers or the like obtained by dividing the range in which the mobile sales robot 10 can move into a plurality of blocks.

[0079] The status information of the mobile sales robot 10 includes, for example, a "moving" status in which the mobile sales robot 10 moves to a customer's call destination, a "waiting for transaction" status in which the mobile sales robot 10 has arrived at the call destination and is waiting for an operation to start the transaction, a "transaction in progress" status in which a transaction has been started by a customer's operation, a "support requesting" status in which a support robot 101 has been requested, a "supporting" status in which the mobile sales robot 101 is heading to support the supported robot 100, etc. The status information of the mobile sales robot 10 also includes a "waiting for call" status in which the mobile sales robot 10 can respond to a customer's call, such as when the mobile sales robot 10 is patrolling, a "sales unavailable" status in which the mobile sales robot 10 cannot sell due to replenishing products, etc.

[0080] The information stored in the robot management table 3163 is updated according to the position and state of the mobile sales robot 10 under the control of the server device 30.

[0081] The product management table 3164 is a data table for managing products sold by each mobile sales robot 10. As shown in Fig. 12, the product management table 3164 stores, in association with a robot ID, the product code of the product sold by the mobile sales robot 10 of that robot ID, the number of that product remaining on the shelf 112 of the mobile sales robot 10 (remaining number), and the like.

[0082] The information stored in the product management table 3164 is updated under the control of the server device 30 in accordance with the remaining number of products held by the mobile sales robot 10.

[0083] The user management table 3165 is a data table for managing customers who use the mobile sales system 1. As shown in Fig. 13, the user management table 3165 associates a customer with an identifiable user ID and stores user information about the customer with that user ID.

[0084] The user information includes feature information indicating the facial features of the customer and payment information used for electronic payment. The feature information is, for example, a facial image of the customer's face or feature quantities indicating facial features, and is used as matching data in the face authentication process described below. The payment information is information such as an account for using an electronic payment service with which the customer has previously signed up. Here, electronic payment services include code payment, electronic money payment, credit payment, etc. Furthermore, if the electronic payment service is credit payment, the payment information may be the number of a credit card owned by the customer.

[0085] The user information is obtained from the customer by, for example, a known method such as member registration, and is registered in the user management table 3165. The user ID may be automatically assigned, or may use unique information entered by the customer. The user information is not limited to the above example, and may include other information. For example, the user information may include personal information such as the customer's name, age, and address. The user information may also include the terminal ID and address of the terminal (user terminal 20) used by the customer.

[0086] The call management table 3166 is a data table for managing calls to the mobile sales robot 10 by the user terminal 20. As shown in Fig. 14, the call management table 3166 stores the terminal ID of the user terminal 20 that made the call, the date and time when the call was accepted (call date and time), location information indicating the location of the call destination (hereinafter simply referred to as "call location"), authentication information used to authenticate the customer who made the call, the robot ID of the mobile sales robot 10 that responded to the call, and the date and time when the mobile sales robot 10 arrived at the call destination (arrival date and time), in association with each other. In addition, calls may be requested not only by customers but also by the supported robot 100 as shown in the second embodiment. When a call request (support request) is received from the supported robot 100, the call management table 3166 stores the robot ID of the supported robot 100 that made the call, the date and time the call (support request) was received, location information (call location) indicating the location of the support request, the terminal ID of the user terminal that made the call request to the supported robot 100, authentication information issued in response to the call, etc.

[0087] The authentication information may be, for example, a pin code consisting of a sequence of a predetermined number of digits, a customer's facial image, a user ID, etc. In the former case, the pin code may be issued by the control unit 314 or may be specified by the customer. In the latter case, the pin code may be a facial image or user ID transmitted from the user terminal 20 of the customer who made the call, or a user ID identified by the control unit 314 from the user management table 3165 based on the transmitted facial image.

[0088] The transaction management table 3167 is a data table for managing transactions via the mobile sales robot 10. As shown in Fig. 15, the transaction management table 3167 stores the robot ID of the mobile sales robot 10 that performed the transaction, the user ID of the customer performing the transaction, the product code of the product purchased by the customer, and a payment flag for determining whether payment has been made, in association with a transaction ID that identifies the transaction.

[0089] (Functional configuration of mobile sales robot) The functional configuration of the mobile sales robot 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Fig. 16 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the mobile sales robot according to the first embodiment.

[0090] The control unit 154 of the mobile sales robot 10 loads a program into the RAM 153 and runs it, thereby realizing as functional units a transmitting / receiving unit 1541, a self-location determining unit 1542, a product determining unit 1543, a product registration unit 1544, a payment request unit 1545, a payment completion notification obtaining unit 1546, a stored product management unit 1547, a support request unit 1548, a drive control unit 1549, and a display control unit 1550 shown in Fig. 16. Note that each of these functions may be configured using hardware such as a dedicated circuit.

[0091] The transmitting / receiving unit 1541 transmits and receives various information to and from an external device such as the server device 30 via the communication unit 161. For example, the transmitting / receiving unit 1541 transmits position information and status information indicating the position of its own device to the server device 30 as needed.

[0092] The transmitting / receiving unit 1541 also transmits an authentication request to the server device 30 and receives an authentication notification from the server device 30. The authentication request includes the pin code and robot ID accepted by the mobile sales robot 10. The transmitting / receiving unit 1541 also transmits a payment request to the server device 30 and receives a payment completion notification from the server device 30.

[0093] The self-location identifying unit 1542 collates the output of the positioning unit 160 with the map information 1021 to identify the location of the mobile sales robot 10 .

[0094] The product identification unit 1543 detects that the product M has been removed from the storage unit 111 (shelf 112) that stores the products, and that the product M has been returned to the storage unit 111 (shelf 112) that stores the products. The product identification unit 1543 also identifies the product M that has been removed from the storage unit 111 (shelf 112) or the product M that has been returned to the storage unit 111 (shelf 112). Specifically, the product identification unit 1543 detects that the product M has been removed or returned based on the amount of change in weight detected by the weight detection unit 159. The product identification unit 1543 also identifies the product M by comparing the amount of change in weight detected by the weight detection unit 159 with the weight registered in the product master 1622.

[0095] The product registration unit 1544 registers the product M that the product identification unit 1543 identified as having been removed from the storage unit 111 in the product registration file 1624. In addition, the product registration unit 1544 deletes the product M that the product identification unit 1543 identified as having been returned to the storage unit 111 from the product registration file 1624.

[0096] The payment request unit 1545 accepts a payment request from a customer by accepting input information based on operation of the operation unit 156. For example, the payment request unit 1545 accepts a PIN code entered by operation of the customer and makes a payment request to the server device 30. The payment request unit 1545 also transmits facial image data of the customer captured by the imaging unit 134 to the server device 30, requesting execution of payment through facial authentication. The payment request unit 1545 also outputs the product registration file 1624 required to perform payment to the server device 30.

[0097] The payment completion notification acquisition unit 1546 acquires from the server device 30 a payment completion notification indicating that the payment process has been completed.

[0098] The contained product management unit 1547 manages the quantity of product M contained in its own containing unit 111 by referring to the contained product table 1623 .

[0099] The support request unit 1548 outputs support request information including its own current location and information specifying out-of-stock items to the mobile sales robots 10 other than itself via the server device 30.

[0100] The drive control unit 1549 controls the drive unit 123 to drive or stop the mobile sales robot 10. Under the control of the drive control unit 1549, the mobile sales robot 10 performs the following operations: patrol driving, which drives along a predetermined route; call driving, which drives to a call location designated by a customer; and support driving, which receives a support instruction based on support request information from another mobile sales robot 10 and moves its own device to the current location of the mobile sales robot 10 that output the support request information. The drive control unit 1549 is an example of the support control unit in the present disclosure.

[0101] In addition, when the drive control unit 1549 detects that any or all of the products stored in the storage unit 111 are out of stock, it moves the mobile sales robot 10 to, for example, a back yard, etc., to replenish the out-of-stock products.

[0102] The display control unit 1550 controls the display unit 155 to display various display contents on the display unit 155. For example, the display control unit 1550 displays information related to products registered by the product registration unit 1544 in an aligned manner on the first display unit 131. Furthermore, upon receiving an instruction that product registration has been completed, the display control unit 1550 displays information related to payment processing, such as a facial image of the customer captured by the imaging unit 134 for customer facial authentication, on the second display unit 132. Furthermore, if the shelf label 113 is an electronic shelf label, the display control unit 1550 controls the display of the electronic shelf label. Furthermore, if the product M that the customer wants is out of stock, the display control unit 1550 displays a support robot selection screen 60 (see FIG. 19) for selecting a support robot 101, a support robot call screen 70 (see FIG. 19), and the like.

[0103] (Functional configuration of server device) The functional configuration of the server device 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 17. Fig. 17 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server device according to the first embodiment.

[0104] The control unit 314 of the server device 30 loads a program into the RAM 313 and runs it, thereby realizing as functional units a transmission / reception unit 3141, an information management unit 3142, a matching unit 3143, a payment processing unit 3144, a robot selection unit 3145, and a robot management unit 3146 shown in Fig. 17. Note that each of these functions may be configured using hardware such as a dedicated circuit.

[0105] The transmitting / receiving unit 3141 transmits and receives various information to and from external devices such as the user terminal 20 and each mobile vending robot 10 via the communication unit 315. For example, the transmitting / receiving unit 3141 receives, from each mobile vending robot 10, location information indicating the location of the mobile vending robot 10 and status information indicating the status of the mobile vending robot 10. The transmitting / receiving unit 3141 also transmits the location information and status information of the mobile vending robot 10 to the user terminal 20. The transmitting / receiving unit 3141 also receives a product information request from the user terminal 20 and transmits product information corresponding to the product information request to the user terminal 20.

[0106] The transmitter / receiver unit 3141 also receives a call request from the user terminal 20 and transmits a movement instruction to the mobile sales robot 10 identified by the robot ID included in the call request. The movement instruction instructs the mobile sales robot 10 to move to the call location included in the call request from the user terminal 20. The movement instruction includes information such as the terminal ID of the user terminal 20 that transmitted the call request and the call location.

[0107] The transmitting / receiving unit 3141 also receives an arrival notification from the mobile sales robot 10 and transmits the arrival notification to the user terminal 20 that is the source of the call request for the mobile sales robot 10. The arrival notification indicates that the mobile sales robot 10 has arrived at the designated call location. The arrival notification includes information such as the robot ID of the mobile sales robot that has arrived at the call location. Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 3141 receives an arrival notification from the support robot 101 that has gone to support the supported robot 100, indicating that it has arrived at the location of the supported robot 100.

[0108] In addition, the transmitting / receiving unit 3141 transmits a pin code (authentication information) to the user terminal 20 in response to the call request, and receives the pin code input by the customer to the mobile sales robot 10 and a facial image of the customer from the mobile sales robot. When the comparing unit 3143 compares the pin code transmitted to the user terminal 20 with the pin code input to the mobile sales robot 10, the transmitting / receiving unit 3141 transmits an authentication notice to the mobile sales robot 10. The authentication notice indicates that the customer who called the mobile sales robot 10 and the customer who is about to start shopping with the mobile sales robot 10 are the same.

[0109] Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 3141 receives a payment request from the mobile vending robot 10, and when payment processing is completed in response to the payment request, transmits a payment completion notice to the mobile vending robot 10. The transmitting / receiving unit 3141 also transmits payment information indicating the details of the payment to the user terminal 20. The payment request requests payment processing for the price of the product purchased by the customer at the mobile vending robot 10. The payment request includes information necessary for the payment processing executed by the server device 30. The information necessary for the payment processing is customer facial image data for authenticating the customer and the product registration file 1624 of the product purchased by the customer. The payment request may also include information related to the payment method, such as credit card payment or electronic money payment. The payment completion notice indicates that payment has been completed in response to the payment request. The payment completion notice includes information such as a transaction ID that identifies the settled transaction. The payment information is information indicating the details of the payment related to the purchase of the product stored in the mobile vending robot 10.

[0110] The transmitting and receiving unit 3141 also receives support request information output by the mobile sales robot 10 (supported robot 100), the support request information including the current location of the supported robot 100 and information identifying out-of-stock items among the items M stored by the supported robot 100. The transmitting and receiving unit 3141 also outputs to the supported robot 100 the current location of the support robot 101 that is selected by the robot selection unit 3145 and is able to go to provide support. The transmitting and receiving unit 3141 also receives, from the supported robot 100, information identifying the support robot 101 specified by a customer's operation input. The transmitting and receiving unit 3141 then transmits, to the specified support robot 101, an instruction to perform a support run to move the specified support robot 101 to the current location of the supported robot 100 that output the support request information. The transmitting and receiving unit 3141 is an example of a receiving unit in the present disclosure. The transmitting and receiving unit 3141 is also an example of a transmitting unit in the present disclosure.

[0111] The information management unit 3142 manages the setting order of the destinations of the mobile sales robot 10. Specifically, for call requests whose arrival dates and times are not registered in the call management table 3166, the information management unit 3142 moves the mobile sales robot 10 to the call location in order of the call request with the earliest call date and time. Note that for the support robot 101, the location of the supported robot 100 that requested support is registered as the call location.

[0112] The collating unit 3143 collates whether or not the customer who called the mobile sales robot 10 is the same as the customer who is about to start shopping at the mobile sales robot 10. Specifically, when the transmitting / receiving unit 3141 receives a call request from the user terminal 20, the collating unit 3143 issues a pin code associated with the call request. Then, the collating unit 3143 collates whether or not the pin code received by the transmitting / receiving unit 3141 from the mobile sales robot 10 is the same as the issued pin code.

[0113] Furthermore, the verification unit 3143 verifies whether the customer who called the supported robot 100 is the same as the customer who purchases goods at the support robot 101 that went to support the supported robot 100. In this case, the server device 30 assigns to the support robot 101 the same pin code as the pin code issued when the supported robot 100 was called. When the support robot 101 arrives, the customer inputs the pin code issued when the supported robot 100 was called. If the pin code input to the support robot 101 matches the pin code issued when the supported robot 100 was called, the verification unit 3143 allows the customer to shop at the support robot 101.

[0114] The matching unit 3143 may match the customer by facial authentication. In this case, the transmitting / receiving unit 3141 receives facial image data from the mobile sales robot 10. Then, the matching unit 3143 refers to the user management table 3165 and matches the received facial image data based on the feature amount of the facial image data and the feature amount of the face of the customer who called. When support from the support robot 101 is requested, the server device 30 shares the customer's facial image data with the supported robot 100, similar to the PIN code described above.

[0115] The payment processing unit 3144 executes payment processing related to the payment request received by the transmission / reception unit 3141 from the mobile sales robot 10. In this embodiment, the payment processing unit 3144 executes electronic payment processing using face authentication. The payment processing unit 3144 executes payment with the payment service provider based on the product registration file 1624 acquired by the transmission / reception unit 3141 from the mobile sales robot 10, on the condition that the facial image data of the customer received from the mobile sales robot 10 is authenticated by the verification unit 3143. The payment processing unit 3144 executes payment processing by communicating with the payment server of the payment service provider. The payment processing unit 3144 may execute electronic payment using credit card payment or two-dimensional code payment.

[0116] The robot selection unit 3145 selects the mobile sales robot 10 that stores the out-of-stock item included in the support request information. Furthermore, the robot selection unit 3145 selects, from among the mobile sales robots 10 that store the out-of-stock item, a mobile sales robot 10 that can go to support the supported robot 100 that output the support request information. The robot selection unit 3145 is an example of a selection unit in the present disclosure.

[0117] The mobile sales robot 10 may itself have some or all of the above-mentioned transmitting / receiving unit 3141, information management unit 3142, matching unit 3143, settlement processing unit 3144, and robot selection unit 3145. In this case, the user terminal 20 transmits and receives various information to and from the mobile sales robot 10.

[0118] The robot management unit 3146 sets the destination and content of information to be transmitted by the transmission / reception unit 3141 based on the call request from the user terminal 20, the position information and status information from each mobile sales robot 10, the support request information from the supported robot 100, etc. When the transmission / reception unit 3141 receives a call request from the user terminal 20, the robot management unit 3146 sets the mobile sales robot 10 corresponding to the robot ID included in the call request as the destination of the movement instruction and sets the call location included in the call request as the content of the transmission. In addition, the robot management unit 3146 checks the status information of each mobile sales robot 10 stored in the robot management table 3163 and selects the mobile sales robot 10 corresponding to the call request from among the mobile sales robots 10 in the "waiting for call" state. In addition, when the robot management unit 3146 receives support request information from the supported robot 100, it causes the robot selection unit 3145 to select a support robot 101 to be sent to support the supported robot 100. The robot management unit 3146 also causes the transmitting / receiving unit 3141 to transmit a movement instruction to the mobile sales robot 10 that has received the call request or the mobile sales robot 10 (support robot 101) that has received the support request.

[0119] In addition, the robot management unit 3146 sets the user terminal 20 that is the source of the call request as the destination, calculates the time required for the selected mobile sales robot 10 to arrive at the call location, and sets the estimated time as the content of the message to be sent. The estimated time is calculated based on the number of call requests (unanswered requests with no arrival date and time registered) for the mobile sales robot 10 registered in the call management table 3166, the preset purchase time limit for one transaction, and the location information and status information of the mobile sales robot 10 registered in the robot management table 3163.

[0120] In addition, the robot management unit 3146 refers to the product management table 3164 and sets the mobile sales robot 10 corresponding to the robot ID for which the remaining quantity of any or all of the products carried has reached zero as the destination of the movement instruction, and sets the location where the products will be replenished (for example, a back yard) as the movement destination.

[0121] (User terminal functional configuration) The functional configuration of the user terminal 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 18. Fig. 18 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the user terminal according to the first embodiment.

[0122] The control unit 214 of the user terminal 20 deploys a program in the RAM 213 and runs it, thereby realizing a transmission / reception unit 2141, an input reception unit 2142, a self-position identification unit 2143, and a display control unit 2144 as functional units, as shown in Fig. 18. Note that each of these functions may be configured by hardware such as a dedicated circuit.

[0123] The transmitting / receiving unit 2141 transmits and receives various information to and from external devices such as the server device 30 via the communication unit 219. For example, the transmitting / receiving unit 2141 receives the robot ID, current location, status information, etc. of the mobile sales robot 10 from the server device 30. The transmitting / receiving unit 2141 also transmits product information requests, call requests, etc. to the server device 30.

[0124] The product information request specifies the mobile sales robot 10 and requests information on the products stored by the mobile sales robot 10, i.e., the products it sells. The product information request includes information such as the terminal ID of the user terminal 20 that made the request and the robot ID of the specified mobile sales robot 10. The call request specifies the mobile sales robot 10 and requests that the mobile sales robot 10 be called.

[0125] The call request specifies a mobile sales robot 10 and requests that the mobile sales robot 10 be called. The call request includes information such as the terminal ID of the user terminal 20 that made the request, the robot ID of the specified mobile sales robot 10, and location information (call location) indicating the location of the call destination. In addition, if the customer specifies authentication information, the call request further includes the specified authentication information. In this embodiment, the call location is the location where the user terminal 20 is located, i.e., the location determined by the positioning unit 218, but the customer may specify a desired call location on the user terminal 20.

[0126] The transmitting / receiving unit 2141 also receives the product information transmitted by the server device 30 in response to the product information request. Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 2141 receives the pin code issued by the server device 30 in association with the call request. The pin code is authentication information used to authenticate (verify) whether the customer who called the mobile sales robot 10 is the same as the customer who is about to start shopping with the mobile sales robot 10.

[0127] Furthermore, when the mobile sales robot 10 that has arrived in response to a call request outputs support request information, the transmission / reception unit 2141 may receive the estimated arrival time of the support robot 101 from the server device 30. The estimated arrival time of the support robot 101 received by the transmission / reception unit 2141 is displayed on the display unit 215 of the user terminal 20 by the display control unit 2144.

[0128] Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 2141 receives an arrival notification and a payment information notification from the server device 30. The arrival notification indicates that the mobile sales robot 10 has arrived at the call location specified in the call request. The payment information notification is information indicating the details of the payment for the purchase of the product stored in the mobile sales robot 10.

[0129] The input receiving unit 2142 receives input information based on the operation of the operation unit 216. For example, the input receiving unit 2142 receives a product information request or a call request from the operation unit 216.

[0130] The self-location identifying unit 2143 identifies the location of the user terminal 20 within the area represented by the map information 2201 based on the output of the positioning unit 218 .

[0131] The display control unit 2144 causes the display unit 215 to display various types of information. Specifically, the display control unit 2144 causes the display unit 215 to display various screens (GUI: Graphical User Interface) for supporting the purchase of products sold by the mobile sales robot 10. For example, the display control unit 2144 causes the display unit 215 to display a display screen for supporting the calling of the mobile sales robot 10. In addition, the display control unit 2144 causes the display unit 215 to display payment information indicating the payment details.

[0132] (An example of the screen transition displayed on the display of the supported robot when requesting support) 19, a description will be given of the screen transitions displayed on the first display unit 131 of the supported robot 100 when requesting a support robot 101. Fig. 19 is a diagram showing an example of the screen transitions displayed on the display unit of the supported robot when requesting a support robot.

[0133] Assume that a customer is shopping using the mobile sales robot 10 that he or she has called. When the customer takes out a product M from the storage unit 111 of the mobile sales robot 10, a product registration screen 40 shown in FIG. 19 is displayed on the first display unit 131 of the mobile sales robot 10.

[0134] As shown in FIG. 19, the product registration screen 40 displays information identifying the product M taken out by the customer from the storage section 111, namely, a product icon 41, a product name 42, a registered number 43, and a subtotal 44, all aligned.

[0135] The product icon 41 is an image showing the product M. The product name 42 is the name of the product M. The registered number 43 indicates the number of the product M. The subtotal 44 indicates the subtotal price of each product M.

[0136] The display control unit 1550 arranges and displays the registered products M in order from the top of the product registration screen 40. At this time, the most recently registered product is displayed with hatched product icon 41, product name 42, registered points 43, and subtotal 44. This allows the customer to immediately check the latest registered information. Furthermore, when the customer returns a product that was taken out of the storage unit 111 to the storage unit 111, the display control unit 1550 deletes information related to that product from the product registration screen 40.

[0137] The display control unit 1550 compares the product code of the product M identified by the product identification unit 1543 with the product master 1622, thereby identifying the product icon 41, product name 42, registered item count 43, and subtotal 44, and displays them on the first display unit 131.

[0138] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 19, the product registration screen 40 displays a total number of points 45, a total amount 46, and a registration completion button (checkout instruction button) 47. The total number of points 45 is the total number of registered products. The total number of points 45 is the sum of the registered number of points 43 for each product. The total amount 46 is the total amount of the registered products. The total amount 46 is the sum of the subtotals 44 for each product. The registration completion button 47 is a button that a customer presses when they have removed all of the products they wish to purchase from the storage section 111. When the product registration section 1544 detects that the registration completion button 47 has been pressed, it ends the product registration process. The registration completion button 47 is also a button that is pressed to instruct the customer to proceed to the payment process.

[0139] When the stored product management unit 1547 detects that there is a product M with zero remaining quantity among the products M stored in the storage unit 111 by the mobile sales robot 10, it causes the display control unit 1550 to display the out-of-stock product selection button 48 on the product registration screen 40.

[0140] The customer checks the storage section 111 of the mobile sales robot 10, and if the customer wants to purchase the out-of-stock product M, the customer presses the out-of-stock product selection button 48.

[0141] When the stocked product management unit 1547 detects that the out-of-stock product selection button 48 has been pressed, it causes the display control unit 1550 to display the out-of-stock product list screen 50 on the first display unit 131 of the mobile sales robot 10 (transition 201 in Figure 19).

[0142] 19, the out-of-stock product list screen 50 includes a list of products M that are out of stock at that time (product icon, product name, unit price). In addition, the out-of-stock product list screen 50 displays a message requesting the customer to select a product they want.

[0143] When a customer finds a desired product on the out-of-stock product list screen 50, the customer presses the row containing the desired product. It is also possible to select multiple products on the out-of-stock product list screen 50. Here, as an example, the explanation will proceed assuming that the customer has selected product E (transition 202 in FIG. 19).

[0144] When product E is selected on the out-of-stock product list screen 50, the support request unit 1548 outputs support request information to the server device 30, including the current location of the mobile sales robot 10 and information indicating that product E is out of stock at the mobile sales robot 10. When the robot selection unit 3145 of the server device 30 acquires the support request information, it selects a mobile sales robot 10 that contains the out-of-stock product and is able to provide support. The server device 30 then transmits the current location of the selected mobile sales robot 10 to the supported robot 100. When the supported robot 100 receives the selection result of the mobile sales robot 10 from the server device 30, the support request unit 1548 causes the display control unit 1550 to display a support robot selection screen 60 on the first display unit 131 of the mobile sales robot 10.

[0145] The support robot selection screen 60 displays a mobile sales robot map 61 and a cancel button 64.

[0146] The mobile sales robot map 61 is a map showing the current locations of the mobile sales robots 10 that are available to provide support. In the mobile sales robot map 61, the current locations of the mobile sales robots 10 that are available to provide support are displayed by robot marks 62. Each robot mark 62 displays an identification number that uniquely identifies the mobile sales robot 10. Each robot mark 62 is drawn in a size that allows a customer to press it. A customer can press the robot mark 62 of the mobile sales robot 10 that they want to call to provide support.

[0147] The cancel button 64 is a button for instructing the cancellation of the request of the support robot 101. When the cancel button 64 is pressed, the support request unit 1548 transmits information indicating that the support request is to be canceled to the server device 30. Then, when the server device 30 receives the information indicating that the support request is to be canceled, it cancels the selection result of the support robot 101. Furthermore, when the cancel button 64 is pressed, the display control unit 1550 displays the product registration screen 40 on the first display unit 131 of the mobile sales robot 10 (transition 203 in FIG. 19 ).

[0148] When a customer presses the robot mark 62 of the mobile sales robot 10 that will come to support on the support robot selection screen 60, the mobile sales robot 10 that will come to support is selected. Here, the explanation will proceed assuming that the customer presses the robot mark 62 indicating "robot 12" (transition 204 in FIG. 19).

[0149] When the mobile sales robot 10 (in this case, "robot 12") that will go to provide support is selected, the support request unit 1548 of the mobile sales robot 10 transmits the selection result of the mobile sales robot 10 for which support is requested (information indicating that "robot 12" will be sent to provide support) to the server device 30. When the server device 30 receives the selection result of the mobile sales robot 10 for which support is requested, it transmits a movement instruction for support to the selected mobile sales robot 10 (in this case, "robot 12").

[0150] When the transmitter / receiver unit 1541 of the mobile sales robot 10 (supported robot 100) receives the movement instruction for support, it causes the display control unit 1550 to display the support robot call screen 70 on the first display unit 131 of the mobile sales robot 10.

[0151] The support robot call screen 70 displays a mobile sales robot map 61, a call button 71, and a cancel button 72.

[0152] A robot mark 63 indicating the mobile sales robot 10 selected by the customer is displayed on the mobile sales robot map 61. The robot mark 63 is an icon obtained by changing the display form of the robot mark 62, and indicates that the mobile sales robot 10 corresponding to the robot mark 63 (in this case, "robot 12") has been selected as the support robot 101.

[0153] The call button 71 is a button for issuing an instruction to call the selected mobile sales robot 10 (in this case, "robot 12"). When the call button 71 is pressed, the support request unit 1548 of the mobile sales robot 10 requests the server device 30 to carry out a support run for the selected mobile sales robot 10. Upon receiving the request to carry out a support run, the server device 30 transmits an instruction to the selected mobile sales robot 10 (support robot 101) to carry out a support run. Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 3141 of the server device 30 transmits information indicating the current location of the support robot 101 to the supported robot 100.

[0154] When the call button 71 is pressed, the display control unit 1550 displays a support robot calling screen 80 on the first display unit 131 of the mobile sales robot 10 (transition 206 in FIG. 19).

[0155] The cancel button 72 is a button for instructing the user to cancel the request of the support robot 101. The cancel button 72 has the same function as the cancel button 64 on the support robot selection screen 60. That is, when the cancel button 72 is pressed, the support request unit 1548 transmits information indicating that the support request is to be canceled to the server device 30. Then, when the server device 30 receives the information indicating that the support request is to be canceled, it cancels the selection result of the support robot 101. Furthermore, when the cancel button 72 is pressed (transition 205 in FIG. 19 ), the display control unit 1550 causes the first display unit 131 of the mobile sales robot 10 to display the product registration screen 40.

[0156] The support robot calling screen 70 also displays the remaining time until the selected support robot 101 is expected to arrive at the mobile sales robot 10 (supported robot 100), etc.

[0157] When the call button 71 on the support robot call screen 70 is pressed, a support robot calling screen 80 is displayed, which displays a mobile sales robot map 61 including information indicating the current location of the support robot 101, the identification number of the support robot 101, information specifying the out-of-stock item selected by the customer, and the remaining time until the estimated arrival time of the support robot 101. The remaining time until the estimated arrival time of the support robot 101 is displayed as a value that is constantly subtracted as time passes.

[0158] The mobile sales system 1 may display the support robot calling screen 80 on the display unit 215 of the user terminal 20. In this case, the server device 30 transmits information necessary for displaying the support robot calling screen 80 to the user terminal 20.

[0159] 19, when the support robot 101 arrives, the remaining time until the estimated arrival time of the support robot 101 on the support robot calling screen 80 becomes 0. Then, the display control unit 1550 erases the display of the support robot calling screen 80.

[0160] (Processing flow of the mobile sales system) The flow of processing performed by the mobile sales system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 20. Fig. 20 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the mobile sales system according to the first embodiment. The sequence diagram in Fig. 20 shows the flow of processing when a customer makes a call request to the mobile sales robot 10 from his / her user terminal 20, and when the mobile sales robot 10 arrives and starts purchasing a product, if the product he / she wants to purchase is out of stock, he / she requests assistance from another mobile sales robot.

[0161] When a customer checks the product information displayed on the display unit 215 of the user terminal 20 and finds a product they want to purchase, they perform an operation to call the mobile sales robot 10 that stores the product. This inputs a call request to the user terminal 20. The user terminal 20 acquires location information of the location where the user terminal 20 is located, and transmits a call request to the server device 30 with the acquired location information as the call location (step S1).

[0162] When the server device 30 receives the call request, it executes a call request acceptance process (step S2). The server device 30 transmits the PIN code issued in the call request acceptance process to the user terminal 20 (step S3). The server device 30 also transmits a movement instruction including a call position to the mobile sales robot 10 specified in the call request (step S4).

[0163] The mobile sales robot 10 controls the driving unit 123 to move to the call position specified in the movement instruction (step S5). When the mobile sales robot 10 arrives at the call position, the mobile sales robot 10 transmits an arrival notification to the server device 30 (step S6). Note that the mobile sales robot 10 may transmit only location information indicating its own location to the server device 30, and the server device 30 may determine whether the mobile sales robot 10 has arrived at the call position.

[0164] The server device 30 updates the call management table 3166 based on the received arrival notification (step S7). Specifically, the server device 30 registers the arrival date and time of the corresponding call request in the call management table 3166. Next, the server device 30 transmits the arrival notification to the user terminal 20 that is the source of the call request (step S8).

[0165] When the user terminal 20 receives the arrival notification, the display unit 215 displays information indicating that the called mobile sales robot 10 has arrived (step S9). The customer recognizes the arrival of the mobile sales robot 10 and enters the pin code received from the server device 30 into the operation unit 156 of the mobile sales robot 10 (step S10).

[0166] When the mobile sales robot 10 receives the input of the pin code, it transmits an authentication request including the input pin code and the robot ID to the server device 30 (step S11).

[0167] The server device 30 authenticates the pin code (step S12). If the server device 30 authenticates the pin code and determines that the user who made the call request matches the user who is about to start shopping, it transmits an authentication notification to the mobile sales robot 10 (step S13).

[0168] When the mobile sales robot 10 receives the authentication notification, it permits the process related to the sale of the product. Then, when it detects that the product has been removed from the storage unit 111, it executes product registration for the product (step S14).

[0169] If there is a product out of stock among the products stored in the mobile sales robot 10, the mobile sales robot 10 displays information indicating that the product is out of stock. If a customer wishes to purchase the out-of-stock product, the mobile sales robot 10 transmits information about the out-of-stock product selected by the customer (for example, the product code of the out-of-stock product) to the server device 30 (step S15).

[0170] The server device 30 selects the mobile sales robot 10 that stores the out-of-stock item (step S16), and then transmits the current location of the selected mobile sales robot 10 to the mobile sales robot 10 (step S17).

[0171] The mobile sales robot 10 displays on the first display unit 131 a support robot selection screen 60 (see FIG. 19) showing the location of the mobile sales robot 10 that stores the out-of-stock product (step S18).

[0172] The mobile sales robot 10 transmits the selection result of the mobile sales robot 10 that is requested to provide support, selected by the customer's selection operation, to the server device 30 (step S19).

[0173] The server device 30 instructs the selected mobile sales robot 10 (supported robot 100) to move to the current position of the mobile sales robot 10 (supported robot 100) that requested support (step S20).

[0174] The supported robot 100 receives a movement instruction from the server device 30 and moves to the current position of the supported robot 100 that requested support (step S21).

[0175] The mobile sales robot 10 detects the customer's operation of the registration completion button (account instruction button) 47, and transmits a payment request for the registered product to the server device 30 (step S22).

[0176] The server device 30 executes the payment process based on the received payment request (step S23). When the payment is successfully completed in the payment process, the server device 30 transmits a payment completion notification to the mobile sales robot 10 (supported robot 100) (step S24). In addition, the server device 30 transmits payment information indicating the payment details to the user terminal 20 (step S25).

[0177] When the mobile sales robot 10 (supported robot 100) receives the payment completion notice, it displays information indicating that the payment has been completed, for example, on the second display unit 132 (step S26).

[0178] When the user terminal 20 receives the payment information, it displays information indicating the payment details on the display unit 215 (step S27).

[0179] When the mobile sales robot 10 (support robot 101) arrives at the current location of the supported robot 100, the support robot 101 transmits an arrival notification to the server device 30 (step S28).

[0180] The server device 30 updates the call management table 3166 based on the received arrival notification (step S29). Next, the server device 30 transmits the arrival notification to the user terminal 20 that is the request source of the call request for the supported robot 100 (step S30).

[0181] When the user terminal 20 receives the arrival notification, it displays information indicating that the support robot 101 has arrived on the display unit 215 (step S31). The customer recognizes the arrival of the support robot 101 and enters the pin code received from the server device 30 into the operation unit 156 of the support robot 101 (step S32).

[0182] When the support robot 101 receives the input of the pin code, it transmits an authentication request including the input pin code and robot ID to the server device 30 (step S33).

[0183] The server device 30 authenticates the pin code (step S34). If the server device 30 authenticates the pin code and determines that the user who made the call request to the supported robot 100 matches the user who is about to start shopping, the server device 30 transmits an authentication notification to the support robot 101 (step S35).

[0184] When the support robot 101 receives the authentication notification, it permits processing related to the sale of the product. Then, when it detects that the product has been removed from the storage section 111, it executes product registration for the product (step S36).

[0185] The support robot 101 detects the customer's operation of the registration completion button (account instruction button) 47, and transmits a payment request for the registered product to the server device 30 (step S37).

[0186] The server device 30 executes the payment process based on the received payment request (step S38). When the payment process completes successfully, the server device 30 transmits a payment completion notification to the support robot 101 (step S39). The server device 30 also transmits payment information indicating the payment details to the user terminal 20 (step S40).

[0187] When the support robot 101 receives the payment completion notification, it displays information indicating that the payment has been completed, for example, on the second display unit 132 (step S41).

[0188] When the user terminal 20 receives the payment information, it displays information indicating the payment details on the display unit 215 (step S42).

[0189] Through the above operations, the mobile sales system 1 enables the sales of goods by causing a plurality of mobile sales robots 10 to operate in cooperation with one another.

[0190] In addition, in Figure 20, an example is shown in which the supported robot 100 and the support robot 101 each perform payment processing for the product M sold by their own devices, but the method of performing payment processing is not limited to this.

[0191] For example, the supported robot 100 may transfer the product registration file 1624 stored in itself to the support robot 101 directly or via the server device 30. This allows the support robot 101 to take over the product registration file 1624 created by the supported robot 100, so that the product registration information in the supported robot 100 and the product registration information in the support robot 101 can be used together to perform the payment process all at once.

[0192] 20, once the payment process in the supported robot 100 is completed, the supported robot 100 may move from the location without waiting for the arrival of the support robot 101. In this case, the customer will not be able to know the time remaining until the support robot 101 arrives, so it is desirable for the server device 30 to transmit the time remaining until the support robot 101 arrives to the customer's user terminal 20. This allows the customer to check the time remaining until the support robot 101 arrives on their own user terminal 20.

[0193] (Operation and effect of the first embodiment) As described above, the mobile sales system 1 (unmanned sales system) according to the first embodiment has a plurality of mobile sales robots 10 (unmanned sales devices) each having a storage unit 111 for storing merchandise M to be sold and a drive unit 123 for moving the mobile sales robot 10 itself. The mobile sales robot 10 is equipped with a support request unit 1548 for outputting support request information including information for identifying the current location of the mobile sales robot 10 and out-of-stock merchandise to the other mobile sales robots 10, and a drive control unit 1549 (support control unit) for receiving a support instruction based on the support request information from the other mobile sales robots 10 and moving the mobile sales robot 10 itself (support robot 101) to the current location of the mobile sales robot 10 (supported robot 100) that output the support request information. Therefore, a plurality of mobile sales robots 10 (unmanned sales devices) that support shopping can be operated in cooperation with each other.

[0194] Furthermore, in the mobile sales system 1 according to the first embodiment, the support request information includes information identifying a mobile sales robot 10 (support robot 101) other than the supported robot 10, selected by the operation of a customer shopping with the mobile sales robot 10 (supported robot 100) requesting support. Therefore, for example, support can be requested from the mobile sales robot 10 (support robot 101) that contains an out-of-stock item and is closest to the current location. Therefore, even if an item is out of stock, the out-of-stock item can be purchased from the support robot 101 by waiting a short time.

[0195] Furthermore, in the mobile sales system 1 according to the first embodiment, the mobile sales robot 10 (unmanned sales device) includes a display control unit 1550 that displays information related to the estimated arrival time of the support robot 101 heading for support on the display unit 155 of the supported robot 100 that output the support request information, when the drive control unit 1549 (support control unit) moves the mobile sales robot 10 (support robot 101) to support the mobile sales robot 10 (supported robot 100) that output the support request information. Therefore, the timing when the support robot 101 will arrive can be known in advance.

[0196] The server device 30 according to the first embodiment is used in a mobile sales system 1 having a plurality of mobile sales robots 10 (unmanned sales devices), each having a storage unit 111 for storing a product M to be sold and a drive unit 123 for moving the mobile sales robot, and includes a transceiver unit 3141 (receiving unit) for receiving support request information output by the mobile sales robot 10 (supported robot 100), the support request information including the current location of the mobile sales robot and information identifying the out-of-stock product, a robot selection unit 3145 (selecting unit) for selecting the mobile sales robot 10 storing the out-of-stock product, and a transceiver unit 3141 (transmitting unit) for transmitting information relating to the current location of the mobile sales robot 10 selected by the robot selection unit 3145 to the supported robot 100 that output the support request information. Therefore, the supported robot 100 that transmitted the support request information can present to the customer a selection of candidate mobile sales robots 10 that store the out-of-stock product and are available to provide support.

[0197] (Modification of the first embodiment) In the mobile sales system 1 of the first embodiment, when a product M stored by the mobile sales robot 10 is out of stock and a customer wishes to purchase the out-of-stock product, the customer selects a support robot 101 and sends the selected support robot 101 to provide support. As a variation of this embodiment, the mobile sales system 1 may be configured so that when the remaining quantity of a product M stored by the mobile sales robot 10 falls below a predetermined value, the mobile sales robot 10 itself requests a support robot 101.

[0198] An outline of the operation of the mobile sales system 1 according to the modified example of the first embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 21. Fig. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a screen transition displayed on the display unit of the supported robot in the mobile sales system according to the modified example of the first embodiment.

[0199] The system configuration of the mobile sales system 1 of the modified example of the first embodiment is the same as the system configuration described in the first embodiment. Also, the hardware configuration and functional configuration of the mobile sales robot 10, the user terminal 20, and the server device 30 that constitute the mobile sales system 1 of the modified example of the first embodiment are the same as those described in the first embodiment.

[0200] Assume that a customer is shopping using the mobile sales robot 10 that he or she has called. When the customer takes out a product M from the storage unit 111 of the mobile sales robot 10, the product registration screen 40 shown in Fig. 21 is displayed on the first display unit 131 of the mobile sales robot 10. The contents of the product registration screen 40 are as described above (see Fig. 19).

[0201] The stored product management unit 1547 of the mobile sales robot 10 manages the quantity of the product M stored in its own storage unit 111 by referring to the stored product table 1623. When the quantity of the product M falls below a predetermined value, the display control unit 1551 displays a notification screen 51 indicating that a product is insufficient on the first display unit 131 of the mobile sales robot 10 (transition 221 in FIG. 21).

[0202] The remaining product shortage notification screen 51 is a screen in which a message window 52 is superimposed on the product registration screen 40. The message window 52 includes a message indicating that a support robot will come because there are only a few remaining products, and a "Not needed" button 53.

[0203] The "Not needed" button 53 is a button that notifies the server device 30 that support is not needed when there is no need to call the support robot 101, for example, when the customer has no intention of purchasing the product with insufficient remaining quantities. When the "Not needed" button 53 is pressed (transition 222 in FIG. 21), the message window 52 on the "Insufficient remaining quantity product occurrence notification screen 51" is cleared and the screen returns to the product registration screen 40.

[0204] At this time, the stored product management unit 1547 may cause the display control unit 1551 to display a screen listing products whose quantities are below a predetermined value instead of the remaining product shortage notification screen 51. The screen listing products whose quantities are below a predetermined value is a screen that displays a list of products whose quantities are below a predetermined value. For example, it is a screen similar to the out-of-stock product list screen 50 (see FIG. 19).

[0205] When a predetermined time has elapsed (timeout) since the display of the screen 51 notifying the occurrence of a product with insufficient remaining quantities, the support request unit 1548 transmits support request information to the server device 30, requesting support from the support robot 101 that stores the product with insufficient remaining quantities. The server device 30 receives the support request information, and the robot selection unit 3145 calculates the current position of the mobile sales robot 10 that stores the product with insufficient remaining quantities. At this time, the server device 30 selects, for example, the mobile sales robot 10 that is closest to the supported robot 100 that transmitted the support request information. Then, the server device 30 transmits the current position of the selected mobile sales robot 10 to the mobile sales robot 10 that transmitted the support request.

[0206] Then, when the mobile sales robot 10 (supported robot 100) that sent the support request receives the current position of the selected mobile sales robot 10 from the server device 30, it controls the display control unit 1551 to display the support robot call screen 70 on the first display unit 131 of the mobile sales robot 10 (transition 223 in FIG. 21). The contents of the support robot call screen 70 are as described above (see FIG. 19). That is, the support robot call screen 70 displays the mobile sales robot map 61, a call button 71, and a cancel button 72.

[0207] The mobile sales robot map 61 displays a robot mark 63 indicating the current location of the mobile sales robot 10 (support robot 101) selected by the server device 30. In addition, the support robot call screen 70 displays the remaining time until the estimated arrival time of the support robot 101, etc.

[0208] When the cancel button 72 is pressed on the support robot call screen 70, the support request unit 1548 transmits information indicating that the support request is to be canceled to the server device 30. Then, when the server device 30 receives the information indicating that the support request is to be canceled, it cancels the selection result of the support robot 101. Furthermore, when the cancel button 72 is pressed, the display control unit 1550 displays the product registration screen 40 on the first display unit 131 of the mobile sales robot 10 (transition 224 in FIG. 21 ).

[0209] Furthermore, when the call button 71 is pressed on the support robot call screen 70, the display control unit 1550 displays a support robot call screen 80 on the first display unit 131 of the mobile sales robot 10 (transition 225 in FIG. 21).

[0210] The content of the support robot calling screen 80 is as described above (see FIG. 19). That is, the support robot calling screen 80 displays the mobile sales robot map 61 including information indicating the current location of the support robot 101, the identification number of the support robot 101, information specifying the out-of-stock product selected by the customer, and the remaining time until the estimated arrival time of the support robot 101. The remaining time until the estimated arrival time of the support robot 101 is displayed as a value that is constantly subtracted as time passes.

[0211] (Operations and Effects of the Modification of the First Embodiment) As described above, in the mobile sales system 1 (unmanned sales system) according to the modified example of the first embodiment, the support request unit 1548 further outputs support request information when there is a product M stored in the storage unit 111 whose remaining quantity is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Therefore, the mobile sales robot 10 can request support at its own discretion. Therefore, customers who are purchasing products do not need to perform any special operation to request support.

[0212] (Second embodiment) The second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0213] (Mobile sales system configuration) The system configuration of the mobile sales system 2 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 22. Fig. 22 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the mobile sales system according to the second embodiment.

[0214] 22, the mobile sales system 2 includes a mobile sales robot 10, a user terminal 20, an administrator terminal 25, and a server device 30. The mobile sales robot 10, the user terminal 20, the administrator terminal 25, and the server device 30 are connected to a network N such as a LAN (Local Area network). The mobile sales system 2 is an example of an unmanned sales system in the present disclosure.

[0215] The hardware configuration and functional configuration of the mobile sales robot 10, the user terminal 20, and the server device 30 are as described in the first embodiment. As described in the first embodiment, the mobile sales robot 10 can be either a supported robot 100 or a support robot 101. The mobile sales robot 10 is an example of an unmanned sales device in the present disclosure.

[0216] The administrator terminal 25 is a mobile terminal used by the administrator of the mobile sales system 2. The administrator terminal 25 is realized by a mobile terminal such as a tablet terminal. The administrator terminal 25 monitors the operating status of the multiple mobile sales robots 10 constituting the mobile sales system 2 in real time. In addition, the administrator terminal 25 receives a support request instruction from the administrator of the mobile sales system 2 to go and support the mobile sales robot 10 (supported robot 100), and transmits the received support request instruction to the server device 30. The administrator terminal 25 is an example of a terminal device in the present disclosure.

[0217] (Administrator terminal hardware configuration) The administrator terminal 25 will be described with reference to Fig. 23. Fig. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the administrator terminal according to the second embodiment.

[0218] As shown in FIG. 23, the administrator terminal 25 includes a control unit 254 that controls the entire administrator terminal 25, a storage unit 228, and various peripheral devices.

[0219] The control unit 254 includes a CPU 251, a ROM 252, and a RAM 253. The CPU 251 comprehensively controls each unit of the administrator terminal 25. The ROM 252 stores various programs. The RAM 253 is a workspace where the programs and various data are deployed.

[0220] The CPU 251, the ROM 252, and the RAM 253 are connected via a bus, etc. The control unit 254 executes various processes by the CPU 251 operating in accordance with a program stored in the storage unit 228 and loaded into the RAM 253.

[0221] The administrator terminal 25 includes various peripheral devices such as a display unit 255, an operation unit 256, a communication unit 257, and a storage unit 258.

[0222] The display unit 255 is a display device, and is configured with, for example, an LCD or the like. The display unit 255 displays various information under the control of the CPU 251. The operation unit 256 is an input device such as a keyboard, a touch panel, or a pointing device. The operation unit 256 outputs the operation content received from the administrator to the CPU 251.

[0223] The communication unit 257 is a wireless communication interface that can be connected to the network N. The communication unit 257 communicates with external devices such as the server device 30 via the network N.

[0224] The storage unit 258 has a storage medium such as an HDD or flash memory, and maintains the stored contents even when the power is cut off. The storage unit 258 stores programs that can be executed by the CPU 251 (including application programs related to the processing of the mobile sales system 2) and various setting information.

[0225] The storage unit 258 also stores map information 2581. The map information 2581 is information that indicates a map of the area in which the mobile sales robot 10 moves. The map information 2581 stores the same information as the map information 1621 provided in the mobile sales robot 10.

[0226] The administrator terminal 25 may include a positioning unit (not shown in FIG. 23) to display the current location of the administrator terminal 25 on the display unit 255.

[0227] (Administrator terminal functional configuration) The functional configuration of the administrator terminal 25 will be described with reference to Fig. 24. Fig. 24 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the administrator terminal according to the second embodiment.

[0228] The control unit 254 of the administrator terminal 25 deploys a program in the RAM 253 and runs it, thereby realizing a transmission / reception unit 2541, an input reception unit 2542, a robot management unit 2543, and a display control unit 2544 as functional units, as shown in Fig. 24. Note that each of these functions may be configured by hardware such as a dedicated circuit.

[0229] The transmitting / receiving unit 2541 receives, via the communication unit 257, from the server device 30 the current location of each of the multiple mobile sales robots 10, the remaining number of products M stored in the storage unit 111 of each mobile sales robot 10, and the operating status of each mobile sales robot 10. The transmitting / receiving unit 2541 also transmits to the server device 30 information identifying the supported robot 100 and support robot 101 selected by the administrator, and an instruction to move the support robot 101 to the current location of the supported robot 100.

[0230] The input receiving unit 2542 receives information that identifies the mobile sales robot 10 that is the support target (supported robot 100) and the mobile sales robot 10 that is to be sent to provide support (support robot 101). The input receiving unit 2542 is an example of the receiving unit in the present disclosure.

[0231] The robot management unit 2543 causes the transmitting and receiving unit 2141 to transmit to the server device 30 the information identifying the supported robot 100 and the support robot 101, which has been received by the input receiving unit 2542, and an instruction to move the supported robot 100 to the current position of the support robot 101. The robot management unit 2543 also causes the server device 30 to output the information identifying the supported robot 100 and the support robot 101 to the supported robot 100 and the support robot 101. The robot management unit 2543 also causes the server device 30 to output the information identifying the supported robot 100 and the support robot 101 to the user terminal 20. The robot management unit 2543 is an example of a support instruction unit in the present disclosure.

[0232] The display control unit 2544 monitors the current locations of the mobile sales robots 10, the remaining number of products M stored in the storage unit 111 of each mobile sales robot 10, and the operating status of each mobile sales robot 10, all of which are received by the transmitting and receiving unit 2141, on the display unit 255. The display control unit 2544 is an example of a status display unit in the present disclosure.

[0233] (An example of the screen transition displayed on the display unit of the administrator terminal and the user terminal) An example of screen transitions displayed on the display unit 255 of the administrator terminal 25 will be described with reference to Fig. 25. Fig. 25 is a diagram showing an example of screen transitions displayed on the display unit of the administrator terminal.

[0234] While the mobile sales system 2 is in operation, a mobile sales robot selection screen 90 is displayed on the display unit 255 of the manager terminal 25.

[0235] As shown in Figure 25, the mobile sales robot selection screen 90 displays a mobile sales robot map 61, a mobile sales robot status list 81, a list of robots waiting to move 82, a supported robot selection button 83, and a supporting robot selection button 84.

[0236] The mobile sales robot map 61 is a map showing the current location of the currently operating mobile sales robot 10. In the mobile sales robot map 61, the current location of the mobile sales robot 10 is displayed by a robot mark 62.

[0237] The mobile sales robot status list 81 is a list showing the operating status of the mobile sales robot 10 currently in operation. The mobile sales robot status list 81 displays the identification number of the mobile sales robot 10, the robot type (the name of the fair or special feature being held by the mobile sales robot 10), the robot status (patrolling, calling, selling, supporting, returning, etc.), the product status, and the current location. The mobile sales robot status list 81 can be scrolled by flicking or swiping the display area of ​​the list up or down. This makes it possible to display the status of each mobile sales robot 10 without omission, even when there are a large number of mobile sales robots 10 in operation.

[0238] In addition, in the mobile sales robot status list 81, a mobile sales robot 10 that is out of stock of a product is hatched in the display area of ​​the information related to that mobile sales robot 10, as shown in Fig. 25. This allows the operator of the administrator terminal 25 to immediately confirm that there is a mobile sales robot 10 that is out of stock. Note that similar hatching may be applied to products with a low remaining quantity.

[0239] The list of robots waiting to move 82 is a list of the mobile sales robots 10 waiting in the backyard or the like.

[0240] The supported robot selection button 83 is a button for selecting the supported robot 100. The operator of the administrator terminal 25 selects the supported robot 100 from the mobile sales robot status list 81 and presses the display area of ​​the robot in the mobile sales robot status list 81. Then, by pressing the supported robot selection button 83, the supported robot 100 is selected.

[0241] The support robot selection button 84 is a button for selecting a support robot 101 to be sent to support the supported robot 100. The operator of the administrator terminal 25 selects a support robot 101 from the mobile sales robot status list 81 or the list of robots waiting to move 82, and presses the display area of ​​that robot in the mobile sales robot status list 81 or the list of robots waiting to move 82. Then, by pressing the support robot selection button 84, the support robot 101 is selected.

[0242] The mobile sales robot 10 to be sent to support needs to store the product M that is out of stock at the supported robot 100. Therefore, the operator of the administrator terminal 25 can confirm the details of the product that is out of stock at the supported robot 100 and the details and quantity of the product M currently stored in the mobile sales robot 10 that is to be selected as the support robot 101 by operating a product confirmation menu or the like not shown in Fig. 25. This allows the operator of the administrator terminal 25 to select an appropriate support robot 101.

[0243] Here, we will continue the explanation assuming that the mobile sales robot 10 with identification number 4 is selected as the supported robot 100, and one of the mobile sales robots 10 waiting in the back yard or the like is selected as the support robot 101 (transition 231 in Figure 25).

[0244] At this time, the display unit 255 of the manager terminal 25 displays a transfer instruction screen 91 .

[0245] As shown in FIG. 25, the movement instruction screen 91 displays a mobile sales robot map 61, a mobile sales robot status list 81, a list of robots waiting to move 82, and a robot movement instruction button 85.

[0246] In the mobile sales robot status list 81, the mobile sales robot 10 selected as the supported robot 100 is hatched to indicate that it has been selected as the supported robot 100.

[0247] In the list of robots waiting to move 82, the mobile sales robot 10 selected as the support robot 101 is hatched to indicate that it is a support robot 101. Note that the mobile sales robot 10 displayed in the mobile sales robot status list 81 may be selected as the support robot 101. In this case, the selected support robot 101 is hatched differently from the supported robot 100 to indicate that it has been selected as the support robot 101.

[0248] The robot movement instruction button 85 is a button that instructs the selected support robot 101 to perform a support run, in which the robot moves to the current position of the supported robot 100. When the robot movement instruction button 85 is pressed (transition 232 in Figure 25), the mobile sales robot 10 (supported robot 100) transmits an instruction to the server device 30 to move the selected support robot 101 to the current position of the supported robot 100.

[0249] The transmitter / receiver 3141 of the server device 30 receives information identifying the supported robot 100 and the support robot 101, and information indicating that support will be provided, transmitted from the administrator terminal 25. The information manager 3142 of the server device 30 then updates the contents of the call management table 3166 related to the support robot 101. At this time, the same authentication information as the information set for the supported robot 100, such as a pin code, is registered.

[0250] Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 3141 of the server device 30 transmits to the support robot 101 an instruction to move to the current position of the supported robot 100.

[0251] Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 3141 of the server device 30 transmits to the supported robot 100 information indicating that the support robot 101 has headed out to provide support, and the remaining time until the support robot 101 arrives.

[0252] In addition, the transmitter / receiver unit 3141 of the server device 30 transmits to the user terminal 20 of the customer who called the supported robot 100 information indicating that the support robot 101 is on its way to provide support, and the time remaining until the support robot 101 arrives (transition 233 in Figure 25).

[0253] The transmitter / receiver unit 2141 of the user terminal 20 receives, from the server device 30, information indicating that the support robot 101 has headed out to cheer, and the time remaining until the support robot 101 arrives. Then, the display control unit 2144 of the user terminal 20 displays a support robot departure announcement screen 92 shown in FIG. 25 on the display unit 215 of the user terminal 20.

[0254] The support robot departure notification screen 92 displays information indicating that a support robot is on its way, and a "Not required" button 93. The "Not required" button 93 is a button that is used to inform the server device 30 that support is not required when it is not necessary to call the support robot 101. When the "Not required" button 93 is pressed (transition 224 in FIG. 25), the transmitter / receiver 2141 of the user terminal 20 sends information to the server device 30 indicating that support from the support robot 101 is not required. When the server device 30 receives the information indicating that support from the support robot 101 is not required, it sends an instruction to the support robot 101 to return to its position before it moved.

[0255] On the other hand, when a predetermined time has passed since the support robot departure notification screen 92 was displayed (when a timeout occurs), the display control unit 2144 of the user terminal 20 displays a remaining time display screen 94 on the display unit 215 of the user terminal 20. The remaining time display screen 94 displays the time remaining until the estimated arrival time of the support robot 101, which is constantly being decremented as time passes.

[0256] (Operation and effect of the second embodiment) As described above, the mobile sales system 2 (unmanned sales system) of the second embodiment further includes an administrator terminal 25 (terminal device) having a display control unit 2544 (status display unit) that displays the current locations of multiple mobile sales robots 10 (unmanned sales devices), the remaining number of products M stored in the storage unit 111 of the mobile sales robot 10, and the operating status of the mobile sales robot 10, an input receiving unit 2542 (receiving unit) that receives information identifying the mobile sales robot 10 to be supported (supported robot 100) and the mobile sales robot 10 to be sent for support (support robot 101), and a robot management unit 2543 (support instruction unit) that outputs the information received by the input receiving unit 2542 to the supported robot 100 and the support robot 101. Therefore, since the support robot 101 can be sent at the discretion of the administrator of the mobile sales system 2, customers who are purchasing products do not need to perform any special operation to request support.

[0257] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This novel embodiment can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the inventions and their equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0258] 1,2 Mobile sales system (unmanned sales system) 10 Mobile sales robot (unmanned sales device) 11 Main body 12 Moving section 13 User Interface Section 100 Supported Robots 101 Cheer Robot 111 Storage unit 1541 Transmitter / Receiver 1542 Self-location part 1543 Product Specification Department 1544 Product Registration Department 1545 Payment Request Section 1546 Payment completion notification acquisition unit 1547 Storage Product Management Department 1548 Support Request Department 1549 Drive control unit (support control unit) 1550 Display control unit 159 Weight detection unit 20 User terminal 25 Administrator terminal (terminal device) 214 Control Unit 2141 Transmitter / Receiver 2142 Input reception section 2143 Self-location part 2144 Display control unit 2541 Transmitter / Receiver 2542 Input reception unit (reception unit) 2543 Robot Management Department (Support and Instruction Department) 2544 Display control unit (status display unit) 30 Server device 314 Control Unit 3141 Transmitting and receiving unit (transmitting unit, receiving unit) 3142 Information Management Department 3143 Collation Unit 3144 Payment processing unit 3145 Robot Selection Unit (Selection Unit) 3146 Robot Management Department 40 Product registration screen 50 Out-of-stock item list screen 51 Notification screen for products with insufficient stock 60 Support robot selection screen 70 Support robot call screen 80 Support robot calling screen 90 Mobile Sales Robot Selection Screen 91 Movement instruction screen 92 Support robot departure announcement screen 94 Remaining time display screen M product [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0259] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-87892

Claims

1. An unmanned vending system having a plurality of unmanned vending machines each having a storage unit for storing products to be sold and a drive unit for moving the device, The unmanned vending machine is a support request unit that, when there is an out-of-stock item with zero remaining quantity among the items stored in the device itself and a customer requests the purchase of the out-of-stock item through operation of the device, outputs support request information to other unmanned vending machines, the support request information including the current location of the device itself, information identifying the out-of-stock item, and information identifying an unmanned vending machine other than the device itself that has been selected through operation of the customer; a support control unit that moves the other unmanned vending machine that has received a support instruction based on the support request information to a current location of the unmanned vending machine that has output the support request information, Unmanned sales system.

2. The support request unit further outputs the support request information when there is a product whose remaining quantity is equal to or less than a predetermined value among the products stored in the storage unit. The unmanned sales system according to claim 1.

3. The unmanned vending machine is a display control unit that, when the support control unit moves an unmanned vending machine to support the unmanned vending machine that output the support request information, displays information related to an estimated arrival time of the unmanned vending machine that is going to support the unmanned vending machine that output the support request information on a display unit of the unmanned vending machine that output the support request information, 3. The unmanned sales system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a status display unit that displays the current locations of the plurality of unmanned vending machines, the remaining number of products stored in the storage units of the unmanned vending machines, and the operating status of the unmanned vending machines; a reception unit that receives information that identifies an unmanned vending machine that is a support target and an unmanned vending machine that is to be sent to provide support; The terminal device further includes a support instruction unit that outputs the information received by the reception unit to the unmanned vending machine that is the support target and the unmanned vending machine that is to be sent to provide support. The unmanned sales system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. An unmanned vending system having a plurality of unmanned vending machines each having a storage unit for storing products to be sold and a drive unit for moving the device, The unmanned vending machine is a support request unit that outputs support request information to other unmanned vending machines, the support request information including a current location of the unmanned vending machine itself, information identifying the out-of-stock item, and information identifying the other unmanned vending machine that stores the out-of-stock item and that has been selected by an operation of a customer shopping at the unmanned vending machine that requests support; a support control unit that moves the other unmanned vending machine that has received a support instruction based on the support request information to a current location of the unmanned vending machine that has output the support request information, Unmanned sales system.

6. A server device used in an unmanned vending system having a plurality of unmanned vending machines each having a storage unit for storing products to be sold and a drive unit for moving the machine, a receiving unit that receives support request information output by the unmanned vending machine when there is an out-of-stock item with zero remaining quantity among the items stored in the unmanned vending machine and a customer requests the purchase of the out-of-stock item, the support request information including the current location of the unmanned vending machine, information identifying the out-of-stock item, and information identifying an unmanned vending machine other than the unmanned vending machine selected by the customer's operation; a selection unit for selecting an unmanned vending machine containing the out-of-stock item; a transmitting unit that transmits information relating to the current location of the unmanned vending machine selected by the selecting unit to the unmanned vending machine that output the support request information; A server device comprising:

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