Customer service robots and programs

Abstract

To provide a receptionist robot and a program that can be applied to a commercial facility such as a shopping mall having a plurality of shops.SOLUTION: A receptionist robot of an embodiment can autonomously travel and supports a customer's shopping in a commercial facility including a plurality of shops, and the receptionist robot comprises: a personalization unit that changes settings related to the operation of the receptionist robot; and an operation control unit that causes the receptionist robot to operate based on the changed settings.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 30

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a customer service robot and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Robots that serve customers who visit stores (hereinafter referred to as "customer service robots") have been proposed. For example, a self-propelled robot has been proposed that guides customers who are unable to identify the location of a product in a store to the product's location.

[0003] However, the conventional customer service robots described above are limited to assisting customers in-store and cannot be applied to commercial facilities such as shopping malls with multiple stores. Therefore, businesses that sell products are looking for a more useful system. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a customer service robot and a program that can be applied to a commercial facility having multiple stores. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The customer service robot of the embodiment is an autonomously moving customer service robot that supports customers in shopping at a commercial facility including a plurality of stores, and includes: a personalization unit that changes settings related to the operation of the customer service robot; The customer service robot is operated by switching between a plurality of operation modes that the customer service robot has, and the operation modes changed by the personalization unit are and an operation control unit that operates the customer service robot based on the settings. In addition, the customer service robot has two operating modes for serving the customer: a leading mode in which the robot leads the customer to the destination store and guides the customer, and a following mode in which the robot follows the customer.When the robot arrives at the destination store in the leading mode, the operation control unit switches the robot to the following mode and operates the customer service robot. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a customer service support system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the external configuration of the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the external configuration of the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the in-store device according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of the product master according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a server device according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a store management table according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a robot management table according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a user management table according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a transaction management table according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the functional configurations of the customer service robot, the store device, and the server device according to the embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the front display unit of the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the front display unit of the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the front display unit of the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the front display unit of the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 17]FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the rear display unit of the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the front display unit of the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the front display unit of the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the front display unit of the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the front display unit of the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the front display unit of the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the front display unit of the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the front display unit of the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 25] FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the front display unit of the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the rear display unit of the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 27] FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the front display unit of the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 28] FIG. 28 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a main process performed by the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 29] FIG. 29 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a check-in process performed by the service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 30] FIG. 30 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the personalization process performed by the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 31]FIG. 31 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an action plan generation process performed by the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 32] FIG. 32 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a store cooperation process performed by the customer service robot and the store device according to the embodiment. [Figure 33] FIG. 33 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a purchase support process performed by the customer service robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 34] FIG. 34 is a flowchart showing an example of a purchase support process performed by the customer service robot of the first modification. [Figure 35] FIG. 35 is a flowchart showing an example of a payment support process performed by the customer service robot of the first modification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments described below, an example will be described in which the present invention is applied to a commercial facility such as a shopping center, shopping mall, or station building that houses multiple stores. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. For example, the commercial facility may be in the form of a shopping park where multiple stores are concentrated in one outdoor area.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a customer service support system according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the customer service support system 1 includes a customer service robot 10, a store device 20, a server device 30, a parking lot system 40, and a customer terminal 50. The customer service robot 10, the store device 20, the server device 30, and the parking lot system 40 are connected to a network N such as a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0009] The customer service robot 10 is an autonomous mobile robot (capable of independent travel). A plurality of customer service robots 10 are installed in a commercial facility to assist the behavior of customers using the facility. Note that the number of customer service robots 10 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1.

[0010] The external configuration of the customer service robot 10 will now be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figures 2 and 3 are perspective views showing an example of the external configuration of the customer service robot 10.

[0011] 2 and 3, the configuration of the customer service 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 customer service robot 10 from front to back, extending from the rear to the front. The Y-axis runs through the customer service robot 10 from left to right, extending from the left side to the right side. The Z-axis runs through the customer service robot 10 from top to bottom, extending from the bottom to the top. Hereinafter, the positive X-axis side of the customer service robot 10 will also be referred to as the front side of the customer service robot 10. The negative X-axis side of the customer service robot 10 will also be referred to as the back side of the customer service robot 10.

[0012] The customer service robot 10 comprises a main body 11, a moving unit 12, and an interface unit 13. To provide customers with a sense of psychological security, the customer service robot 10 preferably has an appearance that resembles, for example, an animal character. The customer service robot 10 of this embodiment has an appearance that resembles a kangaroo, with the main body 11 and moving unit 12 corresponding to the kangaroo's torso and the interface unit 13 corresponding to the kangaroo's head.

[0013] The main body 11 has a substantially cylindrical housing 111, a mounting base 112, and a cover 113 provided to cover the periphery of the mounting base 112 from the lower rear side to the front side of the housing 111. An opening 114 is provided on the front side of the housing 111, and the interior of the housing 111 can be accessed through the opening 114. The mounting base 112 is provided in a state of protruding from the interior of the housing 111 to the front side through the opening 114. For example, an item such as a product can be placed on the mounting base 112. The mounting base 112 may also be provided with a reader / writer unit 157, which will be described later. Here, the mounting base 112 is designed to correspond to a kangaroo's pouch in terms of the appearance of the customer service robot 10.

[0014] In this embodiment, a part of the mounting table 112 protrudes from the housing 111, but this is not limiting, and the mounting table 112 may be provided inside the housing 111 so that an article can be stored inside the housing 111. Also, although a part of the upper part of the mounting table 112 is covered by the housing 111, this is not limiting, and the upper part of the mounting table 112 may not be covered.

[0015] Furthermore, an openable and closable shielding member such as a lid or door may be provided in the opening 114 to shield the items placed on the platform 112. The shielding member may be made of a light-transmitting material so that the internal state can be seen from the outside. Furthermore, an electronic lock or the like may be provided to lock the closed state of the shielding member. This makes it possible to prevent items from falling off the platform 112, for example, when the customer service robot 10 is moving. It also makes it possible to prevent items from being inadvertently removed from the platform 112.

[0016] Meanwhile, a rear display unit 115 is provided on the rear side of the housing 111. The rear display unit 115 is, for example, a touch panel display, and displays various information under the control of a control unit 154, which will be described later. In addition, a tail 116 corresponding to the tail of a kangaroo is provided on the lower rear side of the housing 111.

[0017] The moving unit 12 is provided below the main body 11 and supports the main body 11 from below. The moving unit 12 is equipped with a drive unit 121 (see FIG. 4) having a motor, a rotation mechanism, etc. In addition, a plurality of drive wheels, auxiliary wheels, etc. (none of which are shown) that are rotationally driven by the drive unit 121 are provided on the bottom side of the moving unit 12.

[0018] The drive unit 121 drives the drive wheels to rotate under the control of the control unit 154 (described later), thereby enabling the customer service robot 10 to travel within the facility. Specifically, the drive unit 121 changes the drive wheels to be driven and the rotation speed and direction of the drive source, thereby causing the customer service robot 10 to travel in any direction and at any speed. Note that in this embodiment, the customer service robot 10 travels with its front side facing the direction of travel, but this is not limiting, and the customer service robot 10 may also travel with its back side facing the direction of travel.

[0019] The interface unit 13 is provided on the upper part of the main body unit 11. The interface unit 13 has a housing 131 and a front display unit 132. An operation surface that is inclined from top to bottom toward the front side is formed on the front side of the housing 131, and the front display unit 132 is provided on this operation surface. The front display unit 132 is, for example, a touch panel display, and displays various information under the control of the control unit 154, which will be described later. In addition, the housing 131 is provided with ear units 133 that correspond to the ears of a kangaroo.

[0020] Further, below the operation surface of housing 111, slit 134 is formed, into which a product card, described later, can be inserted. Inside slit 134, reader / writer unit 157 (see FIG. 4) is provided, which is capable of reading and writing information from a wireless tag such as an RFID tag. Under the control of control unit 154, described later, reader / writer unit 157 reads information capable of identifying a product from the wireless tag of the product card inserted into slit 134, and writes information indicating that the product has been purchased to the wireless tag. Note that the location and number of reader / writer units 157 are not limited to those described above. For example, reader / writer unit 157 may be provided on mounting base 112.

[0021] The customer service robot 10 also includes a light-emitting unit 141 between the main body 11 and the interface unit 13. The light-emitting unit 141 has a light-emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) and emits light under the control of a control unit 154, which will be described later. The light-emitting unit 141 also has light-emitting elements of multiple colors and switches the emitted color under the control of the control unit 154, which will be described later. The light-emitting unit 141 uses light emission to indicate various states, such as the state of the customer service robot 10 and the purchase status of a product. Note that, although the present embodiment shows an example in which the light-emitting unit 141 is provided in the shape of a collar at a position corresponding to the neck of a kangaroo, the position and shape of the light-emitting unit 141 are not limited to this.

[0022] The customer service robot 10 also has a stop button 142 on the back side. The stop button 142 is an operator for stopping the running of the customer service robot 10. When the stop button 142 is operated, the customer service robot 10 stops running. Note that, although the present embodiment shows an example in which the stop button 142 is provided at a position corresponding to the neck of the kangaroo, the position at which the stop button 142 is provided is not limited to this.

[0023] The customer service robot 10 also includes an imaging unit 143. The imaging unit 143 has an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary MOS), and is provided on both the front and rear sides of the customer service robot 10. As an example, the imaging unit 143 is provided in a portion corresponding to the neck between the main body unit 11 and the interface unit 13, or in the vicinity of the rear display unit 115, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 .

[0024] The imaging unit 143 captures an image of the periphery of the customer service robot 10, for example, to capture a customer present around the customer service robot 10. The imaging unit 143 provided on the front side is used to capture code symbols such as barcodes and two-dimensional codes attached to products presented by customers, and code symbols including a user ID displayed on the customer terminal 50. In other words, the imaging unit 143 acquires code symbols such as barcodes and two-dimensional codes attached to products. Note that the number and installation locations of the imaging units 143 provided in the customer service robot 10 are not limited to those shown in the illustration. For example, the imaging unit 143 may be provided around the front display unit 132 or on the side of the customer service robot 10.

[0025] The customer service robot 10 also includes a sound collection unit 144 such as a microphone and an audio output unit 145 such as a speaker. The sound collection unit 144 and the audio output unit 145 are provided, for example, on either the front side or the back side of the customer service robot 10, or both. As an example, the sound collection unit 144 and the audio output unit 145 are provided in the interface unit 13, as shown in FIG. 2. Note that the number and installation positions of the sound collection units 144 and the audio output units 145 provided in the customer service robot 10 are not limited to those shown in the figure.

[0026] The customer service robot 10 also includes various sensor units 158 (see FIG. 4). For example, the customer service robot 10 includes a distance measurement sensor. The distance measurement sensors are provided, for example, on the front and back sides of the customer service robot 10, and detect objects around the customer service robot 10 and the distance to the objects. The sensing results of the distance measurement sensors are output to the control unit 154 (described later) and are used for collision avoidance while traveling, etc. The distance measurement sensor can be realized by, for example, a sensor device that detects objects and measures distances using captured images or ultrasonic waves, or a sensor device such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) that detects objects using laser light.

[0027] The customer service robot 10 may also include, as the sensor unit 158, a vibration detection sensor or the like capable of detecting contact or impact with the main body unit 11. The customer service robot 10 may also include, as the sensor unit 158, an object detection sensor or a weight sensor or the like capable of detecting whether or not an item is placed on the placing table 112. The customer service robot 10 may also include, as the sensor unit 158 ​​or the positioning unit 159 (see FIG. 4), a position sensor such as a GPS (Global Positioning System). The GPS sensor detects, for example, the location of the customer service robot 10 within a commercial facility.

[0028] The customer service robot 10 also includes a battery (not shown) for supplying the main body 11 and the moving part 12 with driving power for the customer service robot 10 itself.

[0029] The configuration of the customer service robot 10 is not limited to the illustrated example. For example, the interface unit 13 may include a reader device that reads information from a card medium such as an IC card or a credit card. The customer service robot 10 may also include an automatic teller machine, a printer, etc.

[0030] 1, the in-store device 20 is an information processing device such as a POS terminal or a store server installed in each store in a commercial facility. The in-store device 20 executes various processes related to its own store under the control of a processor (not shown).

[0031] The server device 30 is a server device of the customer service support 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 stores and manages various data related to data processing of the customer service support system 1. For example, the server device 30 manages the position and status of the customer service robot 10. For example, the server device 30 manages products registered and purchased via the customer service robot 10.

[0032] In this embodiment, the server device 30 is realized by a single information processing device, but it may be realized by a cloud server realized by multiple information processing devices connected to a network. In addition, when the server device 30 is a cloud server, it may be configured to include the store server of each store and the parking lot system 40.

[0033] Parking lot system 40 is installed in a parking lot of a commercial facility and manages the entry and exit status of vehicles, parking locations, etc. For example, parking lot system 40 may include gate devices installed at the entrances and exits of the parking lot, surveillance cameras installed to cover all parking locations, a parking lot management server, etc. (none of which are shown), and manages parking locations and entry and exit based on the vehicle registration number (information printed on the license plate) attached to the vehicle. For example, the parking lot management server recognizes the vehicle registration number of a vehicle from an image of the vehicle captured by a surveillance camera, and stores the number in association with information indicating the parking location within the parking lot. The parking lot management server also stores the time of entry and exit of a vehicle obtained via the gate device, in association with the vehicle registration number of the corresponding vehicle, and collects fees according to the parking time via the gate device.

[0034] The customer terminal 50 is a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal carried by a customer. In this embodiment, the customer terminal 50 is used, for example, when a customer checks in to start using the customer service robot 10. As an example, the check-in operation is performed by inputting a user ID that can identify the customer. Note that the customer service robot 10 can be used even if the user ID has not been input.

[0035] As an example, an application program (hereinafter also referred to as an interaction program) related to interaction with the customer service robot 10 is installed in the customer terminal 50. The processor of the customer terminal 50 executes various processes for interaction with the customer service robot 10 by working in cooperation with the interaction program. For example, the processor of the customer terminal 50 displays a code symbol including a user ID and user settings (described later) on a display device provided in the customer terminal 50 in response to an operation by the customer. Furthermore, the processor of the customer terminal 50 is capable of establishing short-range wireless communication with the customer service robot 10 in response to an operation by the customer.

[0036] In the above-described customer service support system 1, customers visiting a commercial facility can receive behavioral support from the customer service robot 10. Specifically, by operating the customer service robot 10, the customers can receive behavioral support from the customer service robot 10 in cooperation with the customer. The customer service robot 10 performs various processes, such as recommending destination stores and providing support for purchasing products, while moving around the commercial facility together with the customer.

[0037] It should be noted that customer service support system 1 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 1. For example, customer terminal 50 may not be included in customer service support system 1. Furthermore, customer service support system 1 may include external systems that customers can use, such as an EC (Electronic Commerce) site operated by a store located within a commercial facility, an EC site operated by another store located outside the commercial facility, or various search sites. In this case, customer service robot 10, server device 30, etc. of customer service support system 1 may be configured to be able to refer to the purchase history of products purchased by the customer on the EC site, the search history of items searched for by the customer on the search site, etc., based on a user ID, etc., which will be described later.

[0038] The hardware configuration and functional configuration of the main devices included in the customer service support system 1 will be described below.

[0039] First, we will explain the hardware configuration of the customer service robot 10. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the customer service robot 10. As shown in Fig. 4, the customer service robot 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 151, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 152, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 153.

[0040] The CPU 151 is an example of a processor, and performs overall control of each part of the customer service robot 10. The ROM 152 stores various programs. The RAM 153 is a workspace for developing programs and various data.

[0041] The CPU 151, ROM 152, and RAM 153 are connected via a bus or the like to constitute a computer-configured control unit 154. In the control unit 154, the CPU 151 operates in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 152 or the storage unit 161 and loaded into the RAM 153, thereby executing various processes.

[0042] The customer service robot 10 also includes the above-mentioned drive unit 121, light emitting unit 141, imaging unit 143, sound collection unit 144, and sound output unit 145. The sound collection unit 144 collects sounds around the customer service robot 10 (e.g., customer speech) and outputs a sound signal of the collected sounds to the CPU 151. The sound output unit 145 outputs sounds under the control of the CPU 151.

[0043] The customer service robot 10 also includes a display unit 155, an operation unit 156, a reader / writer unit 157, a sensor unit 158, a positioning unit 159, a communication unit 160, a storage unit 161, and the like.

[0044] The display unit 155 is a display device such as the above-mentioned rear display unit 115 and front display unit 132. The display unit 155 is configured with, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) etc. The display unit 155 displays various types of information under the control of the CPU 151.

[0045] The operation unit 156 is an input device such as a touch panel provided on the rear display unit 115 and the front display unit 132, a stop button 142, etc. The operation unit 156 outputs operation contents input via the input device to the CPU 151. Note that the operation unit 156 may output to the CPU 151 a sound (e.g., a customer's speech) input via the sound collection unit 144 as operation contents.

[0046] The reader / writer unit 157 is a reader / writer device capable of writing to and reading from a wireless tag. The reader / writer unit 157 has an antenna (not shown) that emits radio waves, and writes data to the wireless tag by transmitting the data to be written via the antenna. The reader / writer unit 157 also reads data from the wireless tag by receiving the radio waves emitted by the wireless tag via the antenna.

[0047] The sensor unit 158 ​​is one of various sensor devices such as the distance measurement sensor and GPS sensor described above. The sensor unit 158 ​​outputs the sensing results obtained by the sensing to the CPU 151.

[0048] The positioning unit 159 measures the location of the customer service robot 10. The positioning unit 159 can be realized by a positioning technique using, for example, a GPS sensor. Alternatively, the positioning unit 159 may be realized by a position measurement device using a positioning technique such as beacon positioning. In this case, by providing a terminal compatible with a positioning technique such as beacon positioning at each location in the commercial facility, the location of the customer service robot 10 can be measured (identified) by a positioning system formed by the terminal and the positioning unit 159.

[0049] The communication unit 160 is a wireless communication interface connectable to the network N. The communication unit 160 communicates with external devices such as the server device 30 via the network N. The communication unit 160 also has a short-range wireless communication function such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). For example, the communication unit 160 performs short-range wireless communication with a customer terminal 50 located near the customer service robot 10.

[0050] The storage unit 161 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 161 stores programs that can be executed by the CPU 151 and various setting information.

[0051] It should be noted that the information stored in the storage unit 161 is not limited to the illustrated example. For example, the storage unit 161 may store map information 3161, a store management table 3162, a product master 2191 for each store, and the like, which will be described later.

[0052] Next, a description will be given of the hardware configuration of the in-store device 20. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the in-store device 20. As shown in Fig. 5, the in-store device 20 includes a CPU 211, a ROM 212, and a RAM 213.

[0053] The CPU 211 is an example of a processor, and performs overall control of each unit of the in-store device 20. The ROM 212 stores various programs. The RAM 213 is a workspace for developing programs and various data.

[0054] The CPU 211, ROM 212, and RAM 213 are connected via a bus or the like to constitute a computer-configured control unit 214. In the control unit 214, the CPU 211 operates in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 212 or the storage unit 219 and loaded into the RAM 213, thereby executing various processes.

[0055] The in-store device 20 also includes a display unit 215, an operation unit 216, a communication unit 217, a connection unit 218, a storage unit 219, and the like.

[0056] The display unit 215 has a display device such as an LCD. The display unit 215 displays various information under the control of the CPU 211. The operation unit 216 has input devices such as a keyboard and a pointing device. The operation unit 216 outputs operation details input via the input devices to the CPU 211. Note that the operation unit 216 may be a touch panel provided on the display unit 215.

[0057] The communication unit 217 is a wireless communication interface connectable to the network N. The communication unit 217 communicates with external devices such as the customer service robot 10 and the server device 30 via the network N. The communication unit 217 may also have a short-range wireless communication function and may be configured to communicate with the customer service robot 10 via short-range wireless communication.

[0058] The connection unit 218 is an interface for connecting various devices installed in the store. For example, a reader device capable of reading code symbols, a printer device, etc., may be connected to the connection unit 218. Furthermore, electronic shelf labels, etc., installed at various positions on the store's display shelves may also be connected to the connection unit 218. When connecting electronic shelf labels, the control unit 214 performs control to display the product name, price, etc. of the product on the electronic shelf label installed at the product display position. Furthermore, when the electronic shelf label is provided with a light-emitting element such as an LED, the control unit 214 performs control such as illuminating the light-emitting element installed on the electronic shelf label based on instructions from an external device such as the operation unit 216 or the customer service robot 10.

[0059] The storage unit 219 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 219 stores programs that can be executed by the CPU 211 and various setting information.

[0060] The storage unit 219 also stores a product master 2191 in which information about products sold in the store is registered. The product master 2191 is a data table for storing and managing information about products sold in the store.

[0061] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the product master 2191. As shown in Fig. 6, the product master 2191 stores product information such as product name, price, additional information, and product image in association with the store ID of the store and the product code of the product sold at the store. Here, the store ID is an example of an identifier that can identify each store. Furthermore, the product code is an example of an identifier that can identify the type of product.

[0062] The product name field stores the name of the product corresponding to the product code. The price field stores the price of the product corresponding to the product code. The additional information field stores additional information about the product corresponding to the product code. For example, the additional information field stores the type of product, etc. Furthermore, if the product is clothing, the size, color, design, material, brand, etc. are stored in the additional information field. The product image field stores image data representing the product corresponding to the product code.

[0063] The data configuration of the product master 2191 is not limited to the example in Fig. 6. For example, the product master 2191 may store the inventory quantity of the product in association with the product code. The product master 2191 may also store information that can identify the display position of the product and the electronic shelf tag placed at the display position in association with the product code.

[0064] Furthermore, the products registered in the product master 2191 are not limited to products that can actually be received from a store and taken home (hereinafter also referred to as store products). For example, the products registered in the product master 2191 may be services.

[0065] Furthermore, for example, in a showroom-type store that only displays products, the product code of the displayed product may be read, the product may be registered and paid for, and the product may be delivered using the method of receipt designated by the customer (delivery, receipt at a receiving counter, etc.). In such cases, information indicating whether the product corresponding to the product code is a store product that can be received at the store as described above, or a provisional product (described later) that cannot be received at the store may be stored as additional information. Furthermore, for example, if payment for the displayed product is not made on the spot but rather on an e-commerce site operated by the store, the address of the e-commerce site, etc. may be stored as additional information.

[0066] Next, a description will be given of the hardware configuration of the server device 30. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server device 30. As shown in Fig. 7, the server device 30 includes a CPU 311, a ROM 312, and a RAM 313.

[0067] The CPU 311 is an example of a processor, and performs overall control of each unit of the server device 30. The ROM 312 stores various programs. The RAM 313 is a workspace where programs and various data are developed.

[0068] The CPU 311, ROM 312, and RAM 313 are connected via a bus or the like to form a computer-configured control unit 314. In the control unit 314, the CPU 311 operates in accordance with a program stored in the storage unit 316 and loaded into the RAM 313, thereby executing various processes.

[0069] The server device 30 also includes a communication unit 315 and a storage unit 316. The communication unit 315 is a wired or wireless communication interface connectable to a network N. The communication unit 315 communicates with external devices such as the customer service robot 10, the store device 20, and the parking lot system 40 via the network N.

[0070] 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.

[0071] The storage unit 316 also stores map information 3161, a store management table 3162, a robot management table 3163, a user management table 3164, and a transaction management table 3165.

[0072] Map information 3161 is information showing a map of a commercial facility. Map information 3161 shows the locations of stores and aisles in the commercial facility, and stores store IDs that can identify each store in association with its location. For example, if the commercial facility has a multi-story structure, map information 3161 is prepared for each floor. Map information 3161 also stores the locations of common spaces other than stores (for example, elevators, escalators, restrooms, rest areas, etc.) in association with identifiers.

[0073] The store management table 3162 is a data table for storing and managing information about stores located in a commercial facility. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the store management table 3162. As shown in FIG. 8, the store management table 3162 stores store information such as store name, store type, keywords, and status in association with the store ID of each store located in the commercial facility. The store name field stores information indicating the name of the store corresponding to the store ID.

[0074] The store type item stores information indicating the type of business the store operates in, the classification of merchandise handled by the store, etc. For example, the store type item can be defined in stages, such as a major classification such as restaurants or retail stores, a middle classification indicating the classification of merchandise handled (for example, Japanese cuisine, Chinese cuisine, clothing stores, electronics stores, etc.), and a more detailed minor classification (sushi, soba, men's clothing, women's clothing, etc.).

[0075] The keyword field stores one or more keywords that indicate the characteristics and features of the store. Keywords can be set arbitrarily for each store, but it is preferable to use keywords categorized by indicators based on customer visit behavior. Furthermore, for stores in the same industry or genre, it is preferable to use keywords categorized based on common indicators.

[0076] As an example, a restaurant may set a keyword such as "I want to eat," a retail store such as a clothing store may set a keyword such as "I want to buy," and a game center may set a keyword such as "I want to play." Also, keywords such as "for men," "for women," and "for families" may be set based on the characteristics of the products handled by the store. Note that keywords can also be used to find out the customer's purpose of visiting the store on the store purpose confirmation screen described below. Therefore, it is preferable to set indicators based on the customer's store visit behavior.

[0077] The status item stores information indicating the store's congestion status, whether it is open or closed, etc.

[0078] The data configuration of the store management table 3162 is not limited to the example in Fig. 8. For example, the store management table 3162 may store location information indicating the location of the store corresponding to the store ID, in association with the store ID. Furthermore, the store management table 3162 may store information regarding shared spaces other than stores.

[0079] The robot management table 3163 is a data table for storing and managing information related to the customer service robot 10. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the robot management table 3163. As shown in Fig. 9, the robot management table 3163 stores robot information such as a current location, status, user ID, user characteristics, and action plan in association with a robot ID. Here, the robot ID is an example of an identifier capable of identifying each customer service robot 10.

[0080] The current location field stores information indicating the current location of the customer service robot 10. The status field stores information indicating the current state of the customer service robot 10 corresponding to the robot ID. For example, information indicating the current operation mode of the customer service robot 10 is stored. Also, for example, information indicating the remaining battery capacity of the customer service robot 10 is stored.

[0081] The user ID field stores the user ID of the customer currently being served by the service robot 10, that is, the customer who has checked in to the service robot 10 (hereinafter also referred to as a check-in user). As will be described later, the service robot 10 can operate even if the user ID field is empty.

[0082] The user feature item stores information indicating the external characteristics of the checked-in user to the customer service robot 10. For example, the user feature item stores an image of the customer's face or figure, and feature quantities indicating the characteristics of the customer's face or figure. The user feature is used to recognize the checked-in user from the image captured by the imaging unit 143. The action plan item stores an action plan, which will be described later, generated by the customer service robot 10.

[0083] The data configuration of the robot management table 3163 is not limited to the example in Fig. 9. For example, the robot management table 3163 may store, as user settings, changes to the customer service robot 10 made in the personalization process described below, in association with the robot ID. The robot management table 3163 may also store, along with the date and time of acquisition, images, videos, audio, etc. acquired by the corresponding customer service robot 10 in association with the robot ID.

[0084] The user management table 3164 is a data table for storing and managing information about customers. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the user management table 3164. As shown in Fig. 10, the user management table 3164 stores user information such as user name, characteristic information, vehicle registration number, and user settings in association with a user ID. Here, the user ID is an example of an identifier capable of identifying each customer.

[0085] The user name field stores information indicating the name of the customer. The characteristic information field stores information indicating the identity of the customer corresponding to the user ID. For example, the characteristic information includes attribute information indicating the customer's gender, age, preferences, etc. Here, the attribute information indicating preferences may be set by the customer themselves or may be derived from the customer's purchase history, search history, etc. In the latter case, for example, the control unit 314 may be configured to extract the customer's purchase history corresponding to the user ID from the transaction management table 3165 (described later) and estimate the customer's preferences based on the extracted purchase history. Alternatively, for example, the control unit 314 may obtain the purchase history and search history associated with the user ID from an external system and estimate the customer's preferences based on the obtained information. Note that the method for estimating preferences is not particularly limited, and known techniques can be used.

[0086] The vehicle registration number field stores the vehicle registration number of the vehicle owned by the customer. The user setting field stores the settings of the customer service robot 10 made by the customer in the personalization process described later.

[0087] The data configuration of the user management table 3164 is not limited to the example in Fig. 10. For example, the user management table 3164 may include, in association with the user ID, the terminal ID and address information of the terminal (customer terminal 50) used by the customer. Furthermore, the user management table 3164 may store, in association with the user ID, a facial image of the customer's face and feature quantities indicating facial features in order to perform face authentication of the customer.

[0088] The user management table 3164 may also store, in association with the user ID, information that can identify the delivery destination of the product, such as the customer's address. The user management table 3164 may also store, in association with the user ID, payment information. Here, the payment information is information such as an account for using an electronic payment service with which the customer has previously signed up. Electronic payment services include code payment, electronic money payment, credit card payment, etc. Furthermore, if the electronic payment service is credit card payment, the payment information may be the number of the credit card owned by the customer.

[0089] The transaction management table 3165 is a data table for storing and managing information about transactions carried out via the customer service robot 10. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the transaction management table 3165. As shown in Fig. 11, the transaction management table 3165 stores transaction information such as a store ID, product code, price, and purchase flag in association with a robot ID and a transaction ID.

[0090] Here, the transaction ID is an identifier that can identify each transaction performed by the customer service robot 10 corresponding to the robot ID. For example, a unique transaction ID is issued by the customer service robot 10 each time a customer checks in, and the same transaction ID continues to be used until the customer performs a checkout operation that instructs the customer to end use of the customer service robot 10 (or to end customer service by the customer service robot 10).

[0091] In this embodiment, each customer service robot 10 issues a transaction ID, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the server device 30 may issue the transaction ID. In this case, the control unit 314 of the server device 30 monitors the status of the customer service robots 10 based on the robot management table 3163, and when it detects a customer service robot 10 whose status has switched to customer service mode, it issues a transaction ID to the customer service robot 10. Then, the control unit 314 of the server device 30 notifies the corresponding customer service robot 10 of the issued transaction ID, thereby allowing the customer service robot 10 to use the same transaction ID while the customer service mode of the customer service robot 10 continues.

[0092] The store ID, product code, and price fields store the store ID, product code, and price of the product registered using the customer service robot 10 corresponding to the robot ID. The purchased flag field stores information indicating whether payment (accounting) for the product corresponding to the product code has been completed.

[0093] The data configuration of the transaction management table 3165 is not limited to the example in FIG. 11. For example, the transaction management table 3165 may store the user ID of a check-in user who checked in to the corresponding customer service robot 10, in association with the robot ID and transaction ID. The transaction management table 3165 may also store, in association with a product code, information that can identify whether a product corresponding to the product code is a recommended product, as described below. The transaction management table 3165 may also store, in association with the product code, the date and time when the corresponding product was registered or paid for.

[0094] The transaction management table 3165 is updated each time a product is registered or a payment is made by each of the customer service robots 10. The data stored in the transaction management table 3165 may be configured to clear the data of the corresponding robot ID and transaction ID in response to an instruction such as the end of customer service specifying a transaction ID notified from the customer service robot 10, or may be configured to continue to be retained. In the latter case, the data stored in the transaction management table 3165 can be treated as the purchase history of each customer who used the commercial facility.

[0095] The data tables stored in the server device 30 are not limited to the above examples. For example, the server device 30 may store product master data for all stores in a commercial facility as a comprehensive product master data in the storage unit 316 or the like.

[0096] Next, a description will be given of the functional configurations of the above-mentioned customer service robot 10, store device 20, and server device 30. Fig. 12 is a block diagram showing the functional configurations of the customer service robot 10, store device 20, and server device 30. First, the server device 30 will be described.

[0097] The control unit 314 of the server device 30 functions as an information management unit 3141 and a robot management unit 3142 when the CPU 311 operates in accordance with the programs stored in the ROM 312 or the storage unit 316. Note that some or all of these functions may be realized by hardware such as a dedicated circuit.

[0098] The information management unit 3141 updates the various data tables stored in the storage unit 316 by cooperating with each of the customer service robot 10, the store device 20, and the parking lot system 40. For example, the information management unit 3141 acquires information related to the various data tables from each of the customer service robot 10, the store device 20, and the parking lot system 40, and updates the various data tables based on the acquired information.

[0099] The method of acquiring information is not particularly limited, and various methods can be used. For example, the information management unit 3141 may acquire information in a push-type manner, in which information transmitted from each of the customer service robot 10, the store device 20, and the parking lot system 40 is acquired passively. Alternatively, the information management unit 3141 may acquire information in a pull-type manner, in which information is acquired actively by requesting information from each of the customer service robot 10, the store device 20, and the parking lot system 40.

[0100] For example, when the information management unit 3141 acquires information about the status from the in-store device 20, it updates the status associated with the store ID of the in-store device 20 stored in the store management table 3162.

[0101] For example, when the information management unit 3141 acquires information related to location information, status, and action plan from the customer service robot 10, it updates the corresponding data entry in the robot management table 3163 stored in association with the robot ID of the customer service robot 10. Furthermore, when the information management unit 3141 acquires the user ID and user settings of the customer currently being served from the customer service robot 10, it updates the corresponding data entry in the user management table 3164 stored in association with the user ID. Furthermore, when the information management unit 3141 acquires information related to a transaction together with a transaction ID from the customer service robot 10, it adds or deletes data entries, updates a purchased flag, etc. to the transaction management table 3165 based on the robot ID and transaction ID of the customer service robot 10.

[0102] In this embodiment, among the user information stored in the user management table 3164, static information such as a user ID, a user name, characteristic information, and a vehicle registration number is pre-registered, but this is not limited to this. For example, a new user may be registered (hereinafter also referred to as member registration) via the customer service robot 10 or the customer terminal 50. In this case, the user management table 3164 adds the user information of the new user acquired from the customer service robot 10 or the customer terminal 50 to the user management table 3164.

[0103] The information management unit 3141 also provides the map information 3161 and various data tables stored in the storage unit 316 so that they can be referenced by each of the customer service robots 10 and the store devices 20. Here, the method of providing the data is not particularly limited. For example, the information management unit 3141 uses a technology such as file sharing to provide the map information 3161 and various data tables so that they can be referenced by each of the customer service robots 10. For example, the information management unit 3141 extracts corresponding data entries from the various data tables in response to a query using a robot ID, a user ID, a store ID, or the like as keys, and provides the extracted data entries to the requesting customer service robot 10.

[0104] The robot management unit 3142 comprehensively manages the operations of the customer service robots 10 within the commercial facility based on the position information, status, etc. of the customer service robots 10. For example, if there are customer service robots 10 in a standby state (standby mode) that are not serving customers, the robot management unit 3142 instructs the standby customer service robots 10 as to where to move, etc. As an example, the robot management unit 3142 instructs the customer service robots 10 to move to the entrance of the commercial facility or an area where there are relatively few customer service robots 10, based on the position of each customer service robot 10.

[0105] Next, a description will be given of the functional configuration of the in-store device 20. The control unit 214 of the in-store device 20 includes a store information transmission unit 2141, a robot cooperation unit 2142, and a payment processing unit 2143, which are implemented by the CPU 211 operating in accordance with programs stored in the ROM 212 or the storage unit 219. Note that some or all of these functions may be implemented by hardware such as a dedicated circuit.

[0106] The store information transmission unit 2141 transmits store information related to its own store to the server device 30. For example, the store information transmission unit 2141 transmits information indicating the congestion level of the store and its status, such as whether it is open or closed, along with the store ID of its own store to the server device 30. Here, the congestion level of the store may be derived, for example, based on the number of customers (customer service robots 10) who visit the store per unit time. Also, the congestion level of the store may be derived, for example, based on the number of people included in an image captured by a surveillance camera installed in the store. Also, the store information transmission unit 2141 may transmit keywords related to the store input by a store clerk or the like to the server device 30 along with the store ID of its own store. Also, the store information transmission unit 2141 may transmit the product master 2191 of its own store to the server device 30.

[0107] The robot cooperation unit 2142 receives access from the customer service robot 10 via the network N or short-range wireless communication. The robot cooperation unit 2142 establishes communication with the customer service robot 10 that has made the access, thereby realizing cooperation with the customer service robot 10. The robot cooperation unit 2142 provides the product master 2191 and the like held by the store device 20 to the customer service robot 10 in cooperation with the robot 2142 so that the customer service robot 10 can refer to the product master 2191 and the like held by the store device 20.

[0108] Furthermore, the robot cooperation unit 2142 controls the illumination of electronic shelf labels installed in the store by cooperating with the customer service robot 10. For example, when the robot cooperation unit 2142 receives an illumination instruction specifying a product type or product from the customer service robot 10, it causes the electronic shelf label of the product type specified in the illumination instruction or the display position where the specified product is displayed to illuminate.

[0109] The payment processing unit 2143 executes payment processing for products sold in the store. For example, the payment processing unit 2143 calculates the total amount based on the product code and number of each product registered by a registration device installed in the store or the customer service robot 10, and executes processing to settle this total amount with the amount paid by the customer. Furthermore, when the payment processing is completed, the payment processing unit 2143 causes a printer (not shown) to issue a receipt on which a breakdown of the payment processing is printed. Note that in this embodiment, the payment processing unit 2143 performs payment processing by cash, but the payment methods that can be supported are not limited to this.

[0110] Next, a description will be given of the functional configuration of the customer service robot 10. The control unit 154 of the customer service robot 10 functions as a display control unit 1541, an operation reception unit 1542, a read / write control unit 1543, an operation control unit 1544, a personalization processing unit 1545, an action plan generation unit 1546, a store collaboration unit 1547, and a purchase support unit 1548, as a result of the CPU 311 operating in accordance with programs stored in the ROM 312 or the storage unit 316. Note that some or all of these functions may be realized by hardware such as a dedicated circuit.

[0111] The display control unit 1541 displays various types of information on the display unit 155. Specifically, the display control unit 1541 cooperates with each function of the customer service robot 10 to display various screens (GUI: Graphical User Interface) on the rear display unit 115 and the front display unit 132. The screens displayed by the display control unit 1541 will be described later.

[0112] The operation accepting unit 1542 accepts user operations via the operation unit 156. For example, the operation accepting unit 1542 accepts operations on the rear display unit 115 and the front display unit 132. The operation accepting unit 1542 also accepts operations on the stop button 142. The operation accepting unit 1542 also accepts voice operations via the sound pickup unit 144, such as a wake word.

[0113] The read / write control unit 1543 reads information via the imaging unit 143, the reader / writer unit 157, etc. For example, when a code symbol such as a barcode or a two-dimensional code is imaged by the imaging unit 143, the read / write control unit 1543 decodes the code symbol to read information stored in the code symbol. Also, for example, the read / write control unit 1543 controls the reader / writer unit 157 to read information stored in a wireless tag. Also, for example, the read / write control unit 1543 controls the reader / writer unit 157 to write information to a wireless tag.

[0114] For example, the read / write control unit 1543 reads a user ID from a code symbol displayed on the customer terminal 50. For example, the read / write control unit 1543 reads a product code from a code symbol attached to a product. The read / write control unit 1543 also reads a product code from a wireless tag attached to a product.

[0115] The operation control unit 1544 comprehensively controls the operation of the customer service robot 10. Specifically, the operation control unit 1544 controls the drive unit 121 and causes the customer service robot 10 to move based on images captured by the imaging unit 143 and sensing results of the various sensor units 158, thereby realizing autonomous movement of the customer service robot 10.

[0116] Furthermore, the operation control unit 1544 controls the customer service robot 10 based on the user settings changed by the personalization processing unit 1545. Specifically, the operation control unit 1544 changes the appearance of the customer service robot 10 based on the user settings changed by the personalization processing unit 1545. For example, the operation control unit 1544 performs control to change the light emission color of the light-emitting unit 141 based on the changed user settings. For example, the operation control unit 1544 performs control to change the display format displayed on the rear display unit 115, the front display unit 132, etc. based on the changed user settings. For example, the operation control unit 1544 performs control to change all or part of the display formats shown in FIGS. 14 to 27 displayed on the rear display unit 115, the front display unit 132, etc. For example, the operation control unit 1544 performs control to change the wake word uttered by the customer based on the changed user settings.

[0117] The operation control unit 1544 also switches the operation mode of the customer service robot 10 depending on the state of the customer service robot 10. The customer service robot 10 of this embodiment has three operation modes, broadly classified as a standby mode, a customer service mode, and an after-closing mode. The customer service robot 10 also has a leading mode and a following mode as operation modes in the customer service mode.

[0118] The standby mode is an operating mode when the robot is in a standby state and is not serving customers. The customer service mode is an operating mode for serving customers. The leading mode is an operating mode for leading customers to their destination, such as a store. The following mode is an operating mode for following customers as they move. The after-closing mode is an operating mode for performing tasks other than serving customers, such as after a commercial facility closes.

[0119] In addition, in the customer service mode, the operation control unit 1544 enables the personalization processing unit 1545, the action plan generation unit 1546, the store cooperation unit 1547, and the purchase support unit 1548 to support the customer's actions.

[0120] In the standby mode, the operation control unit 1544 causes the front display unit 132 to display a check-in screen for starting use of the customer service robot 10. For example, the operation control unit 1544 causes the front display unit 132 to display a check-in screen as shown in FIG.

[0121] During the standby mode, the operation control unit 1544 may display a message informing the user that check-in is possible, an advertisement screen for a commercial facility, or the like on the rear display unit 115. The operation control unit 1544 may also cause the audio output unit 145 to output a sound prompting the user to perform a check-in operation.

[0122] Furthermore, during the standby mode, the operation control unit 1544 may stop the customer service robot 10 at a predetermined position, may cause the customer service robot 10 to travel along a predetermined route, or may cause the customer service robot 10 to travel in response to an instruction from the server device 30. When causing the customer service robot 10 to travel during the standby mode, the operation control unit 1544 stops the customer service robot 10 on the condition that the sensor unit 158 ​​or the sound collection unit 144 detects the presence of a customer in the vicinity of the customer service robot 10 or a voice calling out to the customer service robot 10.

[0123] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the front display unit 132 of the customer service robot 10. As shown in Fig. 13, the check-in screen Ga displays an image of a face, including eyes and a nose. Also, the check-in screen Ga displays a message Gaa prompting the customer to perform a check-in operation.

[0124] There is no particular restriction on the operation method for the check-in operation, but it is preferable to provide an operation method for customers (hereinafter also referred to as members) whose user information is registered in the user management table 3164, and an operation method for non-members whose user information is not registered in the user management table 3164. In this embodiment, the operation of inputting a user ID into the customer service robot 10 is considered to be the check-in operation for members. Also, the touch operation on the check-in screen Ga performed without inputting a user ID is considered to be the check-in operation for non-members. Note that the check-in screen Ga in FIG. 13 shows an example in which an image Gab is displayed to guide the user to read a code symbol in order to prompt the user to input a user ID.

[0125] The image Gab may include information guiding the customer to have the service robot 10 read the code symbol displayed on the customer terminal 50. When a code symbol for check-in is displayed on the check-in screen Ga, the image Gab may include the code symbol and information guiding the customer to read the code symbol with the customer terminal 50. In the latter case, it is preferable that the code symbol displayed on the check-in screen Ga includes information for establishing pairing with the customer's own service robot 10, which will be described later. In this case, the operation control unit 1544 may receive input of a user ID by acquiring the user ID from the customer terminal 50 with which pairing has been established.

[0126] Here, for example, when a code including a user ID displayed on the customer terminal 50 is held up to the imaging unit 143 on the front side, the read / write control unit 1543 reads the user ID from the code symbol. When the operation control unit 1544 receives input of the user ID via the read / write control unit 1543, it searches the user management table 3164 for the input user ID to determine whether or not the user is a member. If the input user ID is registered in the user management table 3164, the operation control unit 1544 determines that a check-in operation has been performed by a member, and transitions from standby mode to customer service mode. Note that the operation control unit 1544 may issue a transaction ID when transitioning to customer service mode.

[0127] Furthermore, the operation control unit 1544 acquires an image and feature quantities of the customer who performed the check-in operation as user features from the image captured by the imaging unit 143, associates them with the input user ID, and stores them in the RAM 153, etc. Then, the operation control unit 1544 registers the current operation mode, the input user ID, and the user features in the robot management table 3163, associating them with the robot ID of its own device.

[0128] In addition, in the case of a configuration in which a facial image for facial authentication is stored in the user management table 3164, the operation control unit 1544 may be configured to accept input of a user ID by comparing the facial image of the customer captured by the imaging unit 143 with the facial image stored in the user management table 3164 and obtaining the corresponding user ID.

[0129] Furthermore, when the operation control unit 1544 receives a touch operation on the check-in screen Ga, it determines that a check-in operation has been performed by a non-member, and transitions from standby mode to customer service mode. In this case, the operation control unit 1544 locally stores the user characteristics of the customer who performed the check-in operation, and associates the current operation mode and user characteristics with the robot ID of the device itself, and registers them in the robot management table 3163. In this case, the personalization processing unit 1545 may also display a screen on the front display unit 132 that prompts member registration.

[0130] Even if the check-in operation is performed using touch operation, the member can enter the check-in state by entering the user ID at any time during customer service mode.

[0131] Furthermore, the operation control unit 1544 can establish communication (pairing) with the customer terminal 50 via short-range wireless communication, regardless of whether the checked-in customer is a member or not. In this case, for example, the operation control unit 1544 displays setting information for pairing with the customer terminal 50 in the form of a two-dimensional code or the like on the front display unit 132, and reads information held by the customer terminal 50 via the read / write control unit 1543. Once pairing with the customer terminal 50 is established, the operation control unit 1544 acquires the location of the checked-in user and the distance to the customer terminal 50 based on RSSI (received signal strength indicator) or the like, and transmits and receives various information.

[0132] Furthermore, the device to be paired (hereinafter also referred to as the pairing device) is not limited to the customer terminal 50, but may be a simpler beacon terminal, a remote control terminal, or the like. In this case, the pairing device may be rented from a commercial facility, or may be detachably attached to the customer service robot 10. When pairing with the pairing device is established, the operation control unit 1544 acquires the position of the check-in user and the distance from the customer service robot 10 based on RSSI (received signal strength indicator) and the like, and transmits and receives various information. Furthermore, the operation control unit 1544 may stop the travel of the customer service robot 10 or switch between leading mode and following mode in response to an instruction from the pairing device.

[0133] The personalization processing unit 1545 has a function of changing settings related to the operation of the customer service robot 10. In the embodiment, the personalization processing unit 1545 performs a personalization process of changing the settings (settings related to the operation of the customer service robot 10) stored in the customer service robot 10 and the server device 30 from their initial states in response to an operation by a checked-in user. Specifically, the personalization processing unit 1545 performs a personalization process of changing (setting) the light emitting color and display form of the light emitting unit 141 to suit the customer's preferences in response to an operation by a checked-in user. The personalization processing unit 1545 also performs a personalization process of changing the settings stored in the characteristic information and user settings in the user management table 3164.

[0134] The changes to the customer service robot 10 are not particularly limited as long as they do not interfere with the basic operations of the customer service robot 10. The personalization processing unit 1545 changes the settings related to the operations, for example, the light color of the light-emitting unit 141, the UI (locale, etc.), the voice emitted by the customer service robot 10 (male voice, female voice, locale, etc.), etc., from the initial settings or the settings stored in the characteristic information or user settings of the user management table 3164. The light color of the light-emitting unit 141 is changed to a color preferred by the customer based on the customer's attributes stored in the characteristic information of the user management table 3164 and the customer's preference information stored in the user settings.

[0135] Furthermore, the personalization processing unit 1545 may change the operation settings by flashing the light-emitting unit 141 in accordance with the customer's preference, or may change the light emission of the light-emitting unit 141 so that the light emission state of the light-emitting unit 141 indicates whether the product carried by the customer service robot 10 is unpaid or paid for, in relation to whether the product has been paid for, as will be described later. Furthermore, the personalization processing unit 1545 may change the facial color or expression of the customer service robot 10 in accordance with the customer's preference.

[0136] For example, the quality of communication between the customer service robot 10 and the server device 30 or the associated customer terminal 50, or the remaining battery charge for driving the customer service robot 10, may be indicated by the light color of the light-emitting unit 141.

[0137] The voice uttered by the customer service robot 10 is changed (changed in operation settings) to a voice that can respond appropriately to the customer's attributes based on the customer's attribute information (gender, age group, etc.) stored in the characteristic information of the user management table 3164. For example, if the customer is a child, the customer service robot 10 changes its voice to a tone that sounds like it's talking to a child. The personalization processing unit 1545 may limit the types of user settings that can be changed depending on the type of customer attribute information. For example, user settings that can be changed only by women or only by customers over a certain age may be set. If the customer service robot 10 has a voice assistant function, the personalization processing unit 1545 can change (change in operation settings) the wake word (voice command) used to invoke (activate) the voice assistant function. Furthermore, the personalization processing unit 1545 can change (change in operation settings) settings such as various notification methods and payment methods used by the customer service robot 10. The initial settings of the customer service robot 10 may be the same or different.

[0138] For example, when a customer speaks to the service robot 10, such as by pronouncing a wake word or issuing an instruction to the service robot 10, the customer speaks to the sound pickup unit 144 of the service robot 10. However, if the service robot 10 and the customer terminal 50 are linked (paired by short-range wireless communication), the customer may speak to the customer terminal 50, and the customer terminal 50 may transmit the customer's voice to the linked service robot 10. In this way, the customer's voice can be reliably delivered to the service robot 10 even if the customer and the service robot 10 are somewhat far apart.

[0139] The cooperation between the customer service robot 10 and the customer terminal 50 can be achieved by reading a code symbol including a user ID displayed on the customer terminal 50, for example, using short-range wireless communication technology. By coordinating the customer service robot 10 and the customer terminal 50, the customer service robot 10 can, for example, constantly grasp the position of the customer terminal 50 (i.e., the customer's position). Therefore, for example, if the customer is further away from the customer service robot 10 than a predetermined distance, the customer service robot 10 can be controlled to stop moving and wait for a while. Furthermore, by coordinating the customer service robot 10 and the customer terminal 50, the screens displayed on the rear display unit 115, the front display unit 132, etc. can be displayed on the customer terminal 50, and the customer can operate the customer terminal 50 to instruct changes to user settings (changes to settings related to operation).

[0140] Furthermore, the method for changing the settings is not particularly limited, and it is assumed that the settings can be changed by screen operation or voice operation. For example, after a check-in operation, the personalization processing unit 1545 may display a screen on the front display unit 132 to confirm whether or not to change the settings. In this case, when an instruction to change the settings is given, the personalization processing unit 1545 displays a setting change screen showing changeable items on the front display unit 132 (neither is shown). Then, when the changed settings are determined by the customer's operation, the personalization processing unit 1545 changes the settings of its own device to the new settings. It is assumed that the settings can be changed at any time during the customer service mode.

[0141] Furthermore, when a setting change is made, the personalization processing unit 1545 registers the changed setting content as user settings in the user management table 3164 in association with the user ID of the checked-in user.

[0142] In addition, if the check-in user is a member, the personalization processing unit 1545 may read the user settings stored in association with the check-in user's user ID from the user settings in the user management table 3164, and change the settings of its own device based on the user settings.

[0143] In this way, the personalization processing unit 1545 allows customization for each customer by changing the settings in response to the customer's operation. This allows the customer to easily distinguish their own customer service robot 10 from other customer service robots 10. Furthermore, the customer can do shopping, etc. using the customer service robot 10 customized to their own preferences.

[0144] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the check-in user can change the settings regardless of whether he or she is a member. If the check-in user is a non-member, the personalization processing unit 1545 reflects the changes to its own device without registering them in the user management table 3164. Also, if the check-in user is a non-member, the configuration may be such that the check-in user is restricted from making all or some of the setting changes.

[0145] The action plan generation unit 1546 executes processing to support the customer's actions within the commercial facility. Specifically, the action plan generation unit 1546 generates an action plan that plans the customer's destinations within the commercial facility by narrowing down the destinations while checking the customer's purpose and conditions, and presents the plan to the customer.

[0146] 14 to 16, an example of the operation of the action plan generation unit 1546 will be described. 14 to 16 are diagrams showing an example of a screen displayed on the front display unit 132 of the customer service robot 10.

[0147] First, the action plan generation unit 1546 displays a store visit purpose confirmation screen Gb as shown in FIG. 14 on the front display unit 132 to confirm the customer's store visit purpose (hereinafter simply referred to as purpose). The store visit purpose confirmation screen Gb displays options Gba indicating the type of purpose, which are set based on the store type and keywords of each store registered in the store management table 3162. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, general purposes such as "I want to shop," "I want to play," and "I want to eat" are displayed as options Gba. Here, it is possible to select any one of the options Gba. After one of the options Gba is selected, when the selection is confirmed by operating the central operator Gbb, the action plan generation unit 1546 displays a store visit purpose confirmation screen Gc on the front display unit 132 to further narrow down the purpose of the selected option Gba.

[0148] The store visit purpose confirmation screen Gc displays options Gca that set more detailed purposes for the purpose selected on the previous store visit purpose confirmation screen Gb. Fig. 15 is an example of the store visit purpose confirmation screen Gc, showing an example in which the option Gba of "I want to buy" is selected from the store visit purpose confirmation screen Gb of Fig. 14.

[0149] Here, the options Gca on the store visit purpose confirmation screen Gc display, for example, the names of stores where products can be purchased. As another example, the options Gca on the store visit purpose confirmation screen Gc may display the types of products available at the commercial facility. In the latter case, when a product type is selected via the options Gca and the selection is confirmed by operating the operator Gcb, the action plan generation unit 1546 may further display a new store visit purpose confirmation screen (not shown) with options for the names of stores that sell the selected type of product. In this way, the action plan generation unit 1546 determines a store that will be a destination that suits the purpose (hereinafter also referred to as a destination store) by gradually narrowing down the customer's purpose.

[0150] It should be noted that the number of times narrowing down the search results using the store visit purpose confirmation screen is not particularly limited. For example, the number of times narrowing down the search results may differ depending on the purpose. In addition, in the above example, a destination store is selected at the final stage of narrowing down the search results, but the number of selectable stores is not limited to one and may be multiple.

[0151] The action plan generation unit 1546 may also be configured to automatically determine destination stores based on the selected objective conditions, without requiring the customer to directly select a destination store. In this case, the action plan generation unit 1546 may determine one or more destination stores based on the characteristic information, purchase history, etc. stored in association with the user ID of the checked-in user.

[0152] Furthermore, after deciding on a destination store for a certain purpose on the store visit purpose confirmation screen, it is possible to decide on a destination store for a different purpose by returning to the initial or previous store visit purpose confirmation screen.

[0153] When the behavior plan generation unit 1546 receives an operation to confirm the destination store, it generates a behavior plan indicating a route to the destination store based on the location information of each destination store, the current location of the customer service robot 10, and the map information 3161. Then, the behavior plan generation unit 1546 displays a screen showing the generated behavior plan (hereinafter also referred to as a behavior plan screen) on the front display unit 132.

[0154] Here, the action plan includes at least a store ID corresponding to each destination store, sequence information for specifying the order in which to visit the destination stores, and a store visit flag for determining whether or not the destination store has been reached (entered). The action plan may also include information indicating the location (e.g., floor) of the destination store. The action plan may also include information such as the distance between destination stores, the time required for travel, the time spent at the destination store, and the total time obtained by adding up the travel time and the time spent at the destination store.

[0155] In this case, the stay time may be set to a uniform time for each store. Alternatively, the stay time may be set according to the destination store and its type based on an average stay time calculated in advance for each store or type of store. Furthermore, in a configuration in which the behavior history is recorded in association with the user ID of the checked-in user, the stay time at the destination store may be extracted from the past behavior history, and the average value of the extracted stay time may be set as the stay time.

[0156] Furthermore, the method for determining the order of visiting destination stores is not particularly limited, and known techniques such as route search can be used. For example, the action plan generation unit 1546 may arrange destination stores in order of proximity to the current location. Furthermore, the action plan generation unit 1546 may arrange destination stores in order to minimize waiting time, taking into account the congestion status of the destination stores, etc.

[0157] FIG. 16 is an example of an action plan screen. The action plan screen Gd displays the names of each of the destination stores specified in the action plan and the order in which the destination stores will be visited. FIG. 16 shows an example in which the order of visits to the destination stores is displayed: Store A, Store B, Store C, and Store D. Specifically, FIG. 16 displays information about the destination stores, such as the floor Gda on which the destination store is located, an icon Gdb indicating the type of destination store, and the name Gdc of the destination store, arranged from top to bottom of the screen in the order of the destination stores to be visited. FIG. 16 also shows an example in which the travel time Gdd required to travel between destination stores and the total time Gde, which is the sum of the travel time and the time spent at each destination store, are displayed.

[0158] The customer operating the customer service robot 10 can check the destination stores and the order in which they will be visited by looking at the action plan screen Gd. In addition, on the action plan screen Gd, the order of the destination stores can be changed or a destination store can be deleted according to the customer's operation.

[0159] For example, on the action plan screen Gd in Fig. 16, when a destination store is pressed and held and an operation to move to a position between other destination stores is performed, the action plan generation unit 1546 updates the action plan by inserting the pressed and held destination store at the moved position. Also, for example, when a flick operation is performed on a destination store (e.g., store C) on the action plan screen Gd in Fig. 16, the action plan generation unit 1546 deletes the destination store that was the target of the operation and updates the action plan.

[0160] Furthermore, destination stores can be added to the action plan screen Gd in response to a customer operation. For example, when an operation of the operator Gdf is received, the action plan generation unit 1546 displays a screen on the front display unit 132 that allows the customer to add destination stores. This screen may be, for example, a screen that displays a list of store names, allowing the customer to directly specify a store, or it may be the store visit purpose confirmation screen described above.

[0161] The action plan screen Gd also has an operator Gdg for displaying a map of the commercial facility. When the action plan generation unit 1546 accepts an operation of the operator Gdg, it displays a screen (not shown) on the front display unit 132 showing the locations of destination stores on a map of the commercial facility based on the map information 3161. The action plan generation unit 1546 may also perform processing on the map, such as assigning numbers indicating the order of visits to the locations of destination stores, or highlighting the travel routes between destination stores.

[0162] The action plan screen Gd also has an operator Gdh for instructing the user to start moving to a destination store. When the operator Gdh is operated, the operation control unit 1544 switches the operation mode of the device to a leading mode. The operation control unit 1544 may issue a transaction ID when the action plan is generated or when an instruction to start moving to a destination store is issued.

[0163] In addition, on the action plan screen Gd, it is also possible to set the processing to be executed when the user arrives at the destination store by selecting the name of the destination store, etc. For example, it is possible to set a task to illuminate the electronic shelf labels displaying the type of product selected on the store visit purpose selection screen when the user arrives at the destination store.

[0164] Here, a task specifies a process requested by a customer and is executed at a preset timing. For example, a task can be expressed as a pair of an execution condition and a process content. In the above example, the execution condition is specified as a pair of the "store name" of the store where the process is to be executed and "when arriving at the store," which specifies the timing of the process execution. The process content includes, for example, a product code indicating the type of product selected on the store visit purpose selection screen, as well as a command to instruct the electronic shelf label to emit light. The process content of the task set for the destination store is executed under the control of the operation control unit 1544 based on the execution condition of the task. Note that the execution conditions and process content that can be set for a task are not limited to these.

[0165] When the operation control unit 1544 shifts to the leading mode, it moves the customer service robot 10 toward the destination store based on the behavior plan generated by the behavior plan generation unit 1546. Specifically, the operation control unit 1544 moves the customer service robot 10 in the order of the destination stores defined in the behavior plan. For example, in the case of the behavior plan of FIG. 16, the operation control unit 1544 first moves the customer service robot 10 toward store A. Furthermore, the operation control unit 1544 moves the customer service robot 10 at a speed according to the travel time between stores defined in the behavior plan.

[0166] Furthermore, in the leading mode, the operation control unit 1544 guides (leads) the customer toward the destination store by moving ahead of the checked-in customer while maintaining a predetermined distance from the customer. Specifically, the operation control unit 1544 identifies a person matching the user characteristics, i.e., the check-in user, from the image captured by the imaging unit 143 based on the customer image stored at the time of check-in. Then, the operation control unit 1544 travels ahead of the identified customer toward the destination store while maintaining a predetermined distance from the customer. At this time, the operation control unit 1544 prompts the customer to follow its own device by displaying on the rear display unit 115 a screen (hereinafter also referred to as a guidance screen) that informs the customer that the customer is being guided to the destination store.

[0167] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the rear display unit 115 of the customer service robot 10, and shows an example of a guidance screen. As shown in FIG. 17, the guidance screen Ge displays a message Gea indicating that the customer service robot 10 is being guided to a destination store (store A). The guidance screen Ge also displays an arrow Geb indicating the direction in which the customer service robot 10 will move and the distance Gec to the destination store. The guidance screen Ge also displays surrounding information Ged, which indicates shared spaces present around the current location of the customer service robot 10, at the top of the screen. Here, the position where the surrounding information Ged is displayed on the screen corresponds, for example, to the direction in which the shared space exists, which is based on the current location and movement method of the customer service robot 10.

[0168] Furthermore, the operation control unit 1544 may provide guidance not only by displaying a screen but also by outputting audio. For example, the operation control unit 1544 may output audio guidance for moving to a destination store along with a guidance screen.

[0169] It should be noted that there is no particular restriction on the screen to be displayed on the front display unit 132 while the customer service robot 10 is moving. For example, the operation control unit 1544 may display an image of a face, such as eyes and a nose, on the front display unit 132 while the customer service robot 10 is moving, similar to the check-in screen Ga described above. However, unlike the check-in screen Ga, it is preferable to also display information indicating that a customer is being guided.

[0170] This allows the customer to easily check the destination store and the distance to the store by looking at the guidance screen displayed on the rear display unit 115 of the preceding customer service robot 10. In addition, the customer can easily check the shared spaces that exist in the vicinity on the way to the destination store, so that the customer can head to the shared spaces as needed.

[0171] If a customer moves away from the customer service robot 10, for example, by heading to a common space, the customer moves in a direction different from the direction of movement of the customer service robot 10, causing the distance between the customer service robot 10 and the customer service robot 10 to deviate from the specified value, resulting in an action outside the action plan. When the action control unit 1544 detects a customer's action outside the action plan based on images captured by the imaging unit 143, the action control unit 1544 cancels the leading mode and switches to a following mode in which the customer moves by following the customer. When a customer enters the common space, the action control unit 1544 waits, for example, at a predetermined waiting area near the common space until the customer exits the common space. Here, the action control unit 1544 may temporarily switch the action mode of its own customer service robot 10 to a waiting mode while waiting at the waiting area. Then, when a customer matching the user characteristics exits the common space, the action control unit 1544 switches to the leading mode and continues guiding the customer to the destination store.

[0172] Furthermore, if a customer heads to another store while leading the customer, the operation control unit 1544 cancels the leading mode and switches to the following mode. In this case, the operation control unit 1544 continues the following mode until the customer leaves the store, and when it detects that the customer has left the store based on the location information of the positioning unit 159, it switches to the leading mode and continues guiding the customer to the destination store. In this case, the operation control unit 1544 may be configured to work with the action plan generation unit 1546 to update the action plan, such as by changing the order in which the customer visits the destination stores.

[0173] The operation control unit 1544 can also accept customer operations even while operating in the leading mode. For example, when the operation control unit 1544 accepts an operation of the stop button 142 while the customer service robot 10 is moving, the operation control unit 1544 stops the running (movement) of the customer service robot 10. For example, when the operation control unit 1544 accepts an operation of touching the rear display unit 115, an operation of knocking on the main body unit 11, or an operation of calling out using a wake word, the operation control unit 1544 stops the running of the customer service robot 10 in response to an instruction from the pairing device. The operation control unit 1544 then displays an action plan screen Gd or the like on the front display unit 132, thereby enabling the customer service robot 10 to accept various operations. When the operation control unit 1544 accepts an instruction from a customer to go to a common space while moving along the set movement route, for example, the operation control unit 1544 changes the action plan and leads the customer to the specified common space. At this time, the action plan generation unit 1546 resets the movement route.

[0174] When stopping the travel of the service robot 10, the operation control unit 1544 may stop the service robot 10 with the front display unit 132 facing the customer.

[0175] When the operation control unit 1544 determines that the customer service robot 10 has reached the destination store through movement in the leading mode, it shifts the operation mode of the customer service robot 10 from the leading mode to the following mode. For example, when the current position of the customer service robot 10 enters a predetermined area based on the position information of the destination store, the operation control unit 1544 determines that the customer service robot 10 has reached the destination store.

[0176] Here, the range of the area related to the arrival determination at the destination store can be set arbitrarily. For example, the entire premises of the store may be the area related to the arrival determination. Also, for example, if a specific store (restaurant) in a food court is the destination store, the entire food court may be the area related to the arrival determination.

[0177] Furthermore, the method of determining whether the vehicle has reached the store is not limited to using location information, and the operation control unit 1544 may detect whether the vehicle has reached the destination store by cooperating with a gate terminal, a beacon terminal, or the like installed at the entrance (or exit) of the store. In this case, the operation control unit 1544 determines whether the vehicle has reached the destination store based on, for example, a store ID or the like notified from the gate terminal, the beacon terminal, or the like.

[0178] When the operation control unit 1544 shifts to the following mode, it controls the movement of the customer service robot 10 to follow the customer. For example, the operation control unit 1544 detects a check-in user from an image captured by the front-side imaging unit 143, and causes the customer service robot 10 to travel behind the detected check-in user while maintaining a predetermined distance from the check-in user. In this way, the operation control unit 1544 causes the customer service robot 10 to travel following the customer while the customer stays at the destination store.

[0179] Note that, when the operation control unit 1544 transitions to the follow-up mode, the operation control unit 1544 may notify the customer of the transition to the follow-up mode by displaying on the screen or by audio. For example, when the operation control unit 1544 transitions to the follow-up mode, the operation control unit 1544 may turn the front side of the customer service robot 10 toward the customer and output information notifying the customer that the customer has arrived at the destination store or information notifying the customer of a follow-up action such as "I will accompany you" from the front display unit 132 or the audio output unit 145. Furthermore, the rear display unit 115 may display information notifying the customer that the customer service robot 10 is operating in the follow-up mode, or other information. For example, the operation control unit 1544 may display information such as an advertisement for the destination store where the customer service robot 10 has arrived or promotional information encouraging the customer to use the customer service robot 10 on the rear display unit 115.

[0180] When the operation control unit 1544 determines that the customer service robot 10 has arrived at the destination store, it activates the store cooperation unit 1547 and cooperates with the store device 20 installed in the destination store. The store cooperation unit 1547 accesses the store device 20 via the network N or short-range wireless communication, thereby realizing a state in which the customer service robot 10 can operate in cooperation with the store device 20 of the destination store. For example, when the customer service robot 10 arrives at a destination store, the store cooperation unit 1547 accesses the store device 20 of the destination store, thereby realizing a state in which the customer service robot 10 can refer to the product master 2191 and the like held by the store device 20.

[0181] The operation control unit 1544 can also illuminate electronic shelf labels by cooperating with the store device 20. For example, if a task of illuminating an electronic shelf label at a display position of a specific type of product is set at a destination store where the customer service robot 10 arrives, the operation control unit 1544 cooperates with the store device 20 to illuminate the electronic shelf label at the corresponding display position.

[0182] Specifically, the store cooperation unit 1547 searches the product master 2191 for a product that corresponds to the type set in the task, and identifies the display position of the product. Then, the store cooperation unit 1547 cooperates with the store device 20 to perform control to illuminate the electronic shelf label placed at the identified display position.

[0183] As a result, when the customer arrives at the destination store guided by the customer service robot 10, the customer can easily understand the display location of the product that the customer intended to purchase. Therefore, the customer service robot 10 can efficiently support the customer in purchasing the product that the customer intended. Note that, if the light emitting color of the light emitting unit 141 is set by user settings, the store cooperation unit 1547 may control the electronic shelf label to emit light in the light emitting color set by the user.

[0184] The purchase support unit 1548 executes processing to support the purchase of products. For example, the purchase support unit 1548 executes processing to register a product corresponding to a product code read from a code symbol or a wireless tag as a purchase target based on the product code. Specifically, when the read / write control unit 1543 reads a product code, the purchase support unit 1548 reads product information such as the product name and price of the product corresponding to the product code from the product master 2191 and registers the information in a data table (hereinafter also referred to as a local transaction management table) stored in the RAM 153 or the like. Here, the local transaction management table may have the same data configuration as the transaction management table 3165, for example, or may have a data configuration similar to that of the transaction management table 3165 except for the robot ID.

[0185] Furthermore, the purchase assistance unit 1548 executes payment processing for the products registered in the local transaction management table in response to the customer's operation. Specifically, the purchase assistance unit 1548 executes payment processing to settle the total amount of the products registered in the local transaction management table with the amount paid by the customer. Then, when the payment processing is completed, the purchase assistance unit 1548 assigns a purchased flag in association with the product code of the paid product registered in the local transaction management table.

[0186] The payment method is not particularly limited, and electronic payment processing such as credit card payment, electronic money payment, code payment, etc. Also, if the customer service robot 10 is equipped with an automatic teller machine, cash payment can also be used.

[0187] If the customer service robot 10 does not have an automated teller machine, the purchase support unit 1548 transmits payment data to an external device capable of cash payment via the network N or short-range wireless communication, thereby causing the device to perform cash payment. For example, the purchase support unit 1548 transmits payment data to the in-store device 20 in the store, thereby causing the in-store device 20 to perform cash payment. Note that the destination of the payment data is not limited to the in-store device 20, and the payment data may also be transmitted to a cash payment machine installed in the commercial facility.

[0188] The purchase support unit 1548 may also determine the external device to be the destination depending on the status of the external device that accepts cash payments. For example, the external device to be the destination may be determined depending on the amount of change in the external device or the usage status of the external device. When having the external device perform payment, it is preferable that the purchase support unit 1548 cooperates with the operation control unit 1544 to guide the customer to the external device that is the payment destination.

[0189] Upon completion of the payment process, the purchase support unit 1548 outputs a receipt showing the details of the transaction. For example, if the customer service robot 10 is equipped with a printer or is configured to be connected to a printer, the purchase support unit 1548 controls the printer to output a receipt.

[0190] The purchase support unit 1548 may also output a receipt in the form of an electronic receipt. In this case, the purchase support unit 1548 may send the electronic receipt to the customer terminal 50 with which pairing has been established. The purchase support unit 1548 may also send the electronic receipt to an address stored in the user management table 3164.

[0191] In this case, the purchase support unit 1548 may output a receipt for each payment process, or may output a receipt for each store. In the latter case, the purchase support unit 1548 may output a receipt when the customer service robot 10 leaves the store. Furthermore, the purchase support unit 1548 may output receipts for the payment processes performed at each store together when the customer service robot 10 has completed visiting all stores specified in the action plan. Note that the timing of receipt output can be selected by the customer. The timing of receipt output may also be set by personalization processing.

[0192] When the purchase support unit 1548 updates the local transaction management table upon completion of product registration or payment processing, the purchase support unit 1548 updates the transaction management table 3165 of the server device 30 by sending the updated contents together with the robot ID of the purchase support unit 1548 and the transaction ID of the transaction to the server device 30. As a result, the latest status of the transaction performed by each of the customer service robots 10 is reflected in the transaction management table 3165 of the server device 30. In this embodiment, the transaction status is stored in the transaction management tables of both the customer service robot 10 and the server device 30, but this is not limiting, and the status may be stored in either one of the transaction management tables.

[0193] The purchase support unit 1548 also has a function for supporting the customer in selecting a product as a candidate for purchase. Specifically, the purchase support unit 1548 has a recommendation function for selecting and presenting products that suit the customer's preferences.

[0194] For example, when a reference product serving as the basis for recommendation is selected by reading a product code in a clothing store or the like, the purchase support unit 1548 selects a product suitable for combination (or substitution) as a recommended product based on information such as size, color, and design included in the additional information of that product. The purchase support unit 1548 then presents the selected recommended product to the customer by displaying it on the front display unit 132. The customer can operate the presented recommended product to register it as a purchase target, reject it, or the like.

[0195] Note that the method for selecting recommended products is not particularly limited, and known recommendation techniques can be used. For example, the purchase support unit 1548 may select products that match the customer's purchasing trends and preferences as recommended products based on the purchase history, search history, etc. associated with the customer's user ID. In addition, in this embodiment, the selected recommended products are store products registered in the product master 2191 and sold in the store, but are not limited to this.

[0196] Here, an example of the operation of the purchase support unit 1548 will be described with reference to Fig. 18 to Fig. 25. Fig. 18 to Fig. 25 are diagrams showing examples of screens displayed on the front display unit 132 of the customer service robot 10. Fig. 18 to Fig. 25 show an example of the operation in a clothing store.

[0197] First, when the customer service robot 10 shifts to the follow-up mode, the purchase support unit 1548 displays the screen shown in FIG. 18 (hereinafter also referred to as the basic operation screen) on the front display unit 132 and waits for an operation by the customer.

[0198] Fig. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a basic operation screen. As shown in Fig. 18, a message prompting the user to scan a product and an image Gfa are displayed on the basic operation screen Gf. Also, at the top of the basic operation screen Gf, a store name area Gfb is provided, in which the name of the store the user is currently staying at is displayed, and controls Gfc, which will be described later.

[0199] Additionally, images Gfd and Gfe are displayed below the basic operation screen Gf. The image Gfd is an icon indicating that a code symbol can be read, and the image Gfe is an icon indicating that a wireless tag can be read.

[0200] The images Gfd and Gfe may be used as controls for enabling a hardware configuration related to the reading function. For example, when either the icon of the images Gfd or Gfe is touched, the purchase support unit 1548 may perform control to enable the imaging unit 143 or the reader / writer unit 157 according to the touched icon.

[0201] Furthermore, the basic operation screen Gf displays operators Gff, Gfg, and Gfh. The operator Gff is an operator for making inquiries to store staff. The operator Gfg is an operator for checking registered products. The operator Gfh is an operator for instructing the start of payment processing.

[0202] When the operator Gff is operated, the purchase support unit 1548 executes a process to request a store clerk to handle the case in cooperation with the store device 20. For example, the purchase support unit 1548 requests a store clerk to handle the case by transmitting inquiry information including the location of its own customer service robot 10, information specifying the product that is the subject of the inquiry, the user ID of the checked-in user, etc. to the store device 20. In this case, the store device 20 notifies the location of the customer service robot 10, etc. to a terminal carried by the store clerk, and prompts the clerk to handle the case.

[0203] During the follow-up mode, when the purchase support unit 1548 receives input of a product code by reading a code symbol or a wireless tag, it displays, for example, a screen (product screen) shown in Fig. 19 on the front display unit 132. Fig. 19 is a diagram showing an example of the product screen.

[0204] The product screen Gg has the various controls described in the basic operation screen Gf. Furthermore, an area Gga for displaying a product image is provided in the center of the product screen Gg. Specifically, the purchase support unit 1548 reads product information for the product corresponding to the input product code from the product master 2191, and displays the product image included in the read product information in the area Gga.

[0205] 19 shows a state in which product AAA has been read, and a product image of product AAA is displayed in area Gga. Also, FIG. 19 shows an example in which the product name, price, etc. of product AAA are displayed.

[0206] The product screen Gg also has operators Ggb, Ggc, and Ggd. Here, the operator Ggd is an operator for instructing the registration of the product displayed in the area Gga, that is, the product corresponding to the input product code. When the purchase support unit 1548 accepts the operation of the operator Ggd, it executes a registration process (hereinafter simply referred to as "registration") to register product information of the corresponding product in the local transaction management table based on the input product code.

[0207] In this example, the product corresponding to the input product code is registered in response to the operation of the operator Ggd, but this is not limiting. For example, when a product code is input, the purchase support unit 1548 may immediately register the corresponding product. In this case, the purchase support unit 1548 may display a product screen with the operator Ggd removed.

[0208] The purchase support unit 1548 also registers transaction information in the transaction management table 3165 by transmitting the record in the local transaction management table related to the registered product together with the robot ID of its own customer service robot 10 and the transaction ID of the transaction to the server device 30. The purchase support unit 1548 may also notify the store device 20 of information (e.g., product code) related to the product registered in its own customer service robot 10.

[0209] The operator Ggb is an operator for instructing the customer to try on the product displayed in the area Gga. When the purchase support unit 1548 receives an operation of the operator Ggb, it causes an image of the customer captured by the imaging unit 143 to be displayed on the front display unit 132. This allows the customer who has tried on the product to operate the operator Ggb, capture an image of their own appearance, and view the image displayed on the front display unit 132 to confirm their appearance.

[0210] In this embodiment, the customer actually tries on the products, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the customer may virtually try on the products using known AR (Augmented Reality) technology or VR (Virtual Reality) technology. In this case, the purchase support unit 1548 generates a composite image by superimposing the product image of the product displayed in the area Gga on the image of the customer captured by the imaging unit 143. The purchase support unit 1548 then displays the generated composite image on the front display unit 132, thereby realizing the virtual try-on experience.

[0211] Furthermore, the operator Ggc is an operator for requesting the presentation of recommended products. When the purchase support unit 1548 accepts the operation of the operator Ggc, it selects from the product master 2191 a product that can be combined with the reference product displayed in the area Gga, that is, the product corresponding to the input product code (reference product), as a recommended product based on additional information and the like of the reference product. Furthermore, if the check-in user is a member, the purchase support unit 1548 selects recommended products from the product master 2191 based on the purchase history and search history associated with the user ID. Then, based on the product information of the selected recommended product, the purchase support unit 1548 displays a screen (hereinafter also referred to as a recommendation screen) showing a product image and the like of the selected recommended product on the front display unit 132.

[0212] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a recommendation screen. The recommendation screen Gh has, for example, the same screen configuration as the product screen Gg, and includes the various controls described for the basic operation screen Gf. In addition, an area Gha for displaying product images is provided in the center of the recommendation screen Gh. Specifically, the purchase support unit 1548 displays a product image of the selected recommended product (product BBB) in the area Gha. In addition, the purchase support unit 1548 displays the product name, price, etc. of the recommended product below the area Gha. Furthermore, the purchase support unit 1548 displays a message Ghb recommending the product above the area Gha.

[0213] The recommendation screen Gh also has an operator Ghc for instructing registration. When the purchase support unit 1548 receives an operation of the operator Ghc, it executes product registration processing based on the product code of the recommended product displayed in the area Gha. In this case, the purchase support unit 1548 may record that the registered product is a recommended product, and may register flag information or the like indicating that the product is a recommended product in association with the product code.

[0214] In this way, the purchase support unit 1548 suggests products that can be combined with the product selected by the customer as recommended products. If the customer likes the suggested recommended products, they can register them as products to be purchased. Note that the recommendation screen Gh may also be provided with an operator for instructing the customer to try on the products, just like the product screen.

[0215] As another recommendation method, the purchase support unit 1548 may present recommended products after the customer has tried on the products. Here, other recommendation methods will be described with reference to Figs. 21 and 22. In the recommendation method described below, a configuration will be described in which the customer tries on the product corresponding to the product code they input, and can choose whether or not to register the product depending on the results of the try-on.

[0216] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a screen (hereinafter also referred to as a try-on screen) that displays a customer who has tried on an item, and is an example of a screen that is displayed after, for example, the operator Ggb in FIG. 19 is operated. The try-on screen Gi has an area Gia. An image of the customer who has tried on the item is displayed in area Gia. Specifically, the purchase support unit 1548 displays in area Gia an image of the customer captured by the imaging unit 143. Note that FIG. 21 shows the item displayed in area Gga in FIG. 19 after it has been tried on.

[0217] The fitting screen Gi also has controls Gib, Gic, and Gid. The control Gid is used to instruct the customer to end the fitting process. When the purchase support unit 1548 receives an operation of the control Gid, it terminates the fitting screen Gi by returning to the screen shown in FIG. 19, for example. The control Gic is used to instruct the customer to make the item eligible for purchase. When the purchase support unit 1548 receives an operation of the control Gic, it executes a registration process for the item corresponding to the previously entered product code. This allows the customer to decide whether or not to purchase the item based on their appearance after trying it on.

[0218] Like the operator Ggc described above, the operator Gib is an operator for requesting the presentation of recommended products. Here, when the purchase support unit 1548 receives an operation of the operator Gib, it selects a recommended product from the product master 2191 based on the product displayed in the area Gia, that is, the additional information of the product (reference product) corresponding to the input product code. In this case, the purchase support unit 1548 may also select a recommended product based on the appearance (clothing appearance) of the customer displayed in the area Gia. For example, the purchase support unit 1548 extracts physical characteristics such as the customer's height, body shape, and hair color from the try-on image, and selects recommended products taking the extracted characteristics into consideration.

[0219] Then, based on the product information of the selected recommended product, the purchase support unit 1548 displays a recommendation screen showing a product image of the product, etc., on the front display unit 132. Here, the displayed recommendation screen may be in the same form as the recommendation screen Gh in Fig. 20, or may be another recommendation screen Gj including an image of a person wearing the reference product and the recommended product, as shown in Fig. 22.

[0220] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing another example of a recommendation screen. The recommendation screen Gj has a first area Gja and a second area Gjb. Here, an image of a person wearing the reference product and the recommended product is displayed in the first area Gja. FIG. 22 shows an example in which three different recommended products are selected based on the reference product, and an image of a person wearing the recommended product and the reference product is displayed for each recommended product.

[0221] The image may be created in advance for each combination of products sold in the store, or may be automatically generated based on the reference product and the recommended product. In the latter case, for example, by using known VR technology, the recommended product may be virtually superimposed on a previously captured image of the customer, or the base image and the recommended image may be superimposed on a virtual model.

[0222] Here, in the first area Gja, it is possible to select a desired recommended product based on the image. For example, in the first area Gja, it is possible to select one image from three displayed images by sliding the image in the direction of the arrow in the figure. Specifically, when an image containing a desired recommended product is placed in the center, images of the reference product and the recommended product included in that image are displayed in the second area Gjb. Figure 22 shows an example in which images of the reference product Gjc (product AAA) and the recommended product Gjd (product BBB) included in the image displayed in the center of the first area Gja are displayed in the second area Gjb.

[0223] Furthermore, the customer can instruct product registration processing by flicking a product displayed in the second area Gjb toward the cart-shaped control Gje displayed below the second area Gjb. For example, when the reference product Gjc and the recommended product Gjd are each flicked toward the control Gje, the purchase support unit 1548 executes registration processing for the reference product Gjc and the recommended product Gjd, respectively.

[0224] Furthermore, when another image is placed in the center by a slide operation in the first area Gja, an image of the reference product and another recommended product shown in that other image is displayed in the second area Gjb. As described above, it is possible to instruct the registration process from this state, but if the reference product has already been registered, it is preferable that the purchase support unit 1548 add information such as an icon indicating that the product has been registered to the image of the reference product and display it to prevent it from being registered twice.

[0225] Furthermore, if the customer does not like the recommended product, the customer can return to the screen of FIG. 19 or the previous screen by, for example, swiping the recommendation screen Gj.

[0226] Note that the recommended products selected by the purchase support unit 1548 are products that the customer does not currently have in his or her hands. In this case, it is expected that some customers will desire to check the color and other aspects of the actual product by holding it in their hands. Therefore, for example, when store products sold in a store are selected as recommended products as in this embodiment, the purchase support unit 1548 may perform control to guide the customer to the location where the recommended products are displayed, in response to an operation from the customer.

[0227] For example, the purchase support unit 1548 may cooperate with the store collaboration unit 1547 and the store device 20 to display an in-store map or the like showing the locations where recommended products are displayed on the front display unit 132. Furthermore, the purchase support unit 1548 may cooperate with the operation control unit 1544 to lead the customer by moving the customer service robot 10 to the display location of the recommended product. Furthermore, for example, the purchase support unit 1548 may cooperate with the store collaboration unit 1547 and the store device 20 to light up an electronic shelf tag placed at the display location of the recommended product.

[0228] In this embodiment, recommended products can be registered, but this is not limiting, and recommended products may be used only as reference and not be registered.

[0229] In the above example, the reference product is selected by inputting a product code, but the method for selecting the reference product is not limited to this. For example, the reference product may be selected from registered products displayed by operating the operator Gfg, which will be described later.

[0230] In the above example of operation, a recommended product is selected based on a reference product. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A recommended product may be selected from an unselected state. In this case, the purchase support unit 1548 may select a recommended product based on the purchase history, search history, etc. associated with the user ID of the checked-in user. Furthermore, if the checked-in user is a non-member, the purchase support unit 1548 may disable the recommendation function or may select a recommended product based on the store's popular products, etc.

[0231] 19 and the like, the purchase support unit 1548 displays, for example, a screen shown in FIG. 23 (hereinafter also referred to as a virtual cart screen) on the front display unit 132.

[0232] 23 is a diagram showing an example of a virtual cart screen. The virtual cart screen Gk has the same controls as the basic operation screen Gf described above. In addition, an area Gka is provided in the center of the virtual cart screen Gk for displaying the product image, product name, price, etc. of each registered product. The purchase support unit 1548 displays the product image, product name, price, etc. of each registered product in the area Gka based on the product information of each product registered in the local transaction management table.

[0233] 23 shows a state in which the product AAA described in Fig. 19 or 22 and the recommended product BBB described in Fig. 20 or 22 are registered. By looking at this virtual cart screen Gk, the customer can check the list of registered products using the customer service robot 10.

[0234] Note that the products displayed on the virtual cart screen are not limited to unpaid products, and paid products may also be displayed. In this case, the purchase support unit 1548 preferably displays whether or not a product has been paid for based on the presence or absence of a purchase completion flag. For example, the purchase support unit 1548 may display a product image of a paid product with a mark indicating that the product has been paid for.

[0235] Below the area Gka, there is an area Gkb for displaying the total price of the registered products. The purchase support unit 1548 displays the total price calculated based on the prices of each product registered in the local transaction management table in the area Gkb. Note that if paid products are included, it is preferable to display the total price of the unpaid products separately from the total price of the paid products.

[0236] Furthermore, when the operator Gfh is operated on any of the above-mentioned screens, the purchase support unit 1548 performs payment processing based on the total amount of the registered products that have not yet been paid for. Here, the purchase support unit 1548 may display a screen for selecting a payment method, such as credit card payment or code payment (a payment method selection screen in FIG. 25 , which will be described later), on the front display unit 132. This allows the purchase support unit 1548 to pay for all registered products that have not yet been paid for all at once.

[0237] Furthermore, the customer service robot 10 of this embodiment can select an unpaid product displayed in the area Gka of the virtual cart screen Gk and individually pay for that product. For example, when a selection operation for product BBB is received on the virtual cart screen Gk shown in Fig. 23, the purchase support unit 1548 displays, for example, a screen shown in Fig. 24 (hereinafter also referred to as a selected product screen) on the front display unit 132.

[0238] Fig. 24 is a diagram showing an example of a selected product screen. As shown in Fig. 24, the selected product screen Gl displays the product image, product name, price, etc. of the product (product BBB) selected on the virtual cart screen Gk. In addition, the selected product screen Gl displays controls Gla, Glb, and Glc.

[0239] Here, the operator Gla is an operator for requesting a product recommendation, similar to the operator Ggc described above. When the purchase support unit 1548 accepts the operation of the operator Gla, it sets the selected product as the reference product and displays the recommendation screen Gh or the recommendation screen Gj described above. Furthermore, the operator Glb is an operator for making an inquiry to a store clerk, similar to the operator Gff described above. When the purchase support unit 1548 accepts the operation of the operator Gff, it requests a store clerk to handle the inquiry by notifying the store device 20 of inquiry information including the current location of its own customer service robot 10, the product code of the selected product, etc.

[0240] The operator Glc is an operator for instructing payment for the selected product. When the purchase support unit 1548 receives an operation of the operator Glc, it performs payment processing based on the price of the selected product. Furthermore, the purchase support unit 1548 may display a screen for selecting a payment method (hereinafter referred to as a payment method selection screen) on the front display unit 132 prior to the payment processing. Note that when a product that has already been paid for is selected, the purchase support unit 1548 preferably disables or hides the operator Glc to prevent duplicate payment processing.

[0241] Fig. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a payment method selection screen. As shown in Fig. 25, the payment method selection screen Gm displays operators Gma, Gmb, Gmc, and Gmd that allow selection of various payment methods. The payment method selection screen Gm also displays the total price of the products to be paid for.

[0242] Here, the operator Gma is an operator for instructing credit card payment. The operator Gmb is an operator for instructing cash payment. The operator Gmc is an operator for instructing electronic money payment. The operator Gmd is an operator for instructing code payment. When one of the operators Gma, Gmb, Gmc, or Gmd is selected, the purchase support unit 1548 executes payment processing to settle the total amount of the products to be paid for using the payment method corresponding to the selected operator.

[0243] Furthermore, if the customer service robot 10 is configured not to have an automated teller machine, the operator Gmb that instructs cash payment may be hidden. Furthermore, as described above, if cash payment is performed using an external device such as the store device 20, the operator Gmb may be displayed. In this case, the operator Gmb may be displayed or hidden depending on the amount of change in the external device and the usage status of the external device.

[0244] When the payment process for the product is completed, the purchase support unit 1548 assigns a purchased flag to the product code of the product stored in the local transaction management table. The purchase support unit 1548 also assigns a purchased flag to the transaction information of the corresponding product stored in the transaction management table 3165 by sending the record in the local transaction management table related to the product for which payment process has been completed, together with the robot ID of its own customer service robot 10 and the transaction ID of the transaction, to the server device 30.

[0245] The purchase support unit 1548 may also notify the store device 20 of information (e.g., a product code) about the product for which payment has been completed. In this case, the control unit 214 of the store device 20 performs control such as reducing the inventory quantity of the product for which payment has been completed. In this case, when the inventory quantity of a product falls below a threshold, the robot cooperation unit 2142 may notify each of the customer service robots 10 cooperated with the store device 20 of the product code of the product. Furthermore, when the purchase support unit 1548 of the customer service robot 10 receives information about a product whose inventory quantity falls below a threshold from the store device 20, it may display the product information and inventory quantity of the corresponding product on the front display unit 132 and the rear display unit 115. This allows the customer service robot 10 to notify the customer operating its own customer service robot 10 and other customers in the store of a product that is low in stock.

[0246] In this embodiment, the operation of the customer service robot 10 is restricted so that the products registered in the store cannot be taken out of the store until payment is completed within the store. For example, the purchase support unit 1548 cooperates with the operation control unit 1544 to restrict the operation of the customer service robot 10 so that it does not go outside the store until payment is completed for all registered products.

[0247] For example, the purchase support unit 1548 may disable the operator Gfc or limit the range in which the customer service robot 10 can move so that it remains within the store. In addition, if an exit gate or the like is provided at the exit of the store to manage the exit of customers, the purchase support unit 1548 may cooperate with the store cooperation unit 1547 and the store device 20 to perform control such as closing the exit gate when it detects the customer moving toward the exit to leave the store.

[0248] Here, the method for detecting the store exit action is not particularly limited. For example, the purchase support unit 1548 may detect, as the store exit action, that the customer has moved to the exit based on the position information of its own customer service robot 10 following the customer, in cooperation with the operation control unit 1544. Furthermore, for example, the purchase support unit 1548 may detect, as the store exit action, that the customer has moved to the exit based on the image captured by the imaging unit 143, in cooperation with the operation control unit 1544.

[0249] In addition, in the case where the configuration allows the customer service robot 10 to be moved outside the store even if there are unpaid products, it is preferable that the purchase support unit 1548 cooperates with the operation control unit 1544 to limit the range in which the customer service robot 10 can move. Specifically, the purchase support unit 1548 stops the movement of the customer service robot 10 when the customer service robot 10 moves a predetermined distance away from the store. Here, the range in which the customer service robot 10 can move can be set arbitrarily, but it is preferable that it be set to, for example, a range in which short-range wireless communication with the store device 20 is possible. In addition, the purchase support unit 1548 may display a screen requesting payment for unpaid products on the front display unit 132 or the rear display unit 115.

[0250] Furthermore, if there are any unpaid items among the registered items, the purchase assistance unit 1548 may issue a notification to alert the store clerk or the customer. For example, the purchase assistance unit 1548 may notify the presence of unpaid items by changing the light-emitting color of the light-emitting unit 141 or by blinking the light-emitting unit 141. Note that if there is a condition that should be notified, such as a low battery, other than the presence of unpaid items, the light-emitting unit 1548 may alternately emit light in colors that notify each condition, or may emit light individually by dividing the light-emitting area, for example.

[0251] Furthermore, the purchase support unit 1548 may also alert the store clerk by displaying the product registration and payment status on the rear display unit 115, as shown in FIG. 26, for example.

[0252] FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the rear display unit 115 of the customer service robot 10. As shown in FIG. 26, the purchase support unit 1548 displays a screen Gn on the rear display unit 115, which shows the number of unpaid items among the registered items and the number of paid items, based on the registration status of the local transaction management table. Here, area Gna is an area where the number of unpaid items is displayed, indicating that two items are unpaid. Area Gnb is an area where the number of paid items is displayed, indicating that one item has been paid. Area Gnc is a free display space where various information, such as store advertisements and the time elapsed since the customer visited the store, is displayed.

[0253] In this way, by displaying the product registration status and payment status on the rear display unit 115, store clerks or employees of the commercial facility can easily understand the status of the transaction, such as whether there are any unpaid products.

[0254] When the customer arrives at a store specified in the action plan, the action control unit 1544 sets the store visit flag of the action plan stored in association with the store ID of the store to "visited." The action control unit 1544 also starts measuring the elapsed time upon arrival at the store. When the measured elapsed time approaches or reaches the stay time at the store specified in the action plan, the action control unit 1544 notifies the customer by display or audio that it is time to move on to the next store.

[0255] For example, in the action plan on the action plan screen Gd shown in Fig. 16, when the elapsed time since arrival at store A reaches the stay time specified in the action plan, the operation control unit 1544 issues a notification urging the customer to move to the next store B. The customer who receives the notification can instruct the customer service robot 10 to move to the next destination store by operating, for example, the operator Gfc on the basic operation screen Gf.

[0256] Here, the operator Gfc is an operator for instructing the customer service robot 10 to move to the next destination store specified in the action plan. When the operation control unit 1544 receives the operation of the operator Gfc, it switches the customer service robot 10 to the leading mode and starts moving to the destination store specified after the current store.

[0257] The timing at which the operator Gfc can be operated is not limited to when a notification urging the user to move is issued, but the operator can also operate the operator even if the time elapsed since arrival at the store is less than the stay time specified in the action plan. The notification based on the stay time can be enabled or disabled, for example, by setting the personalization process. Furthermore, the system may be configured such that no notification is issued at the last destination store specified in the action plan (e.g., store D) even if the stay time has been reached.

[0258] The method of instructing the customer to move to the next destination store is not limited to operating the operating element Gfc. For example, when the operation control unit 1544 detects the customer leaving the store, it may switch the customer service robot 10 to a leading mode and start moving to the next destination store. In addition, the instruction to move to the next destination store may be given by voice operation or operation from a paired terminal.

[0259] In this way, under the control of the operation control unit 1544, the customer service robot 10 moves through each store in the order defined in the action plan while switching between the leading mode and the following mode.

[0260] Incidentally, the stores specified in the behavior plan may include stores located beyond the range of movement of the customer service robot 10. For example, in the behavior plan shown in FIG. 16, the customer service robot 10 moves to store A on the first floor and then to store B on the second floor, so the customer service robot 10 needs to move between floors. In such a case, if the customer service robot 10 is designed not to be able to ride elevators or escalators, the customer service robot 10 traveling on the first floor will not be able to move to store B on the second floor.

[0261] As described above, if the stores specified in the behavior plan include a store that cannot be reached by a single customer service robot 10, the operation control unit 1544 continues to support the customer's behavior by handing over the settings to another customer service robot 10 that can reach the store.

[0262] Specifically, when moving to the first store or the next store based on the action plan, the operation control unit 1544 determines whether the floor on which the customer service robot 10 is located is the same as the floor on which the destination store is located. If the floors are the same, the operation control unit 1544 guides the customer to the destination store in the above-mentioned leading mode.

[0263] Furthermore, if the floors are different, the operation control unit 1544 refers to the robot management table 3163 and searches for another customer service robot 10 that is on the same floor as the destination store and is in standby mode. Next, the operation control unit 1544 transfers various data such as the user ID of the checked-in user, user characteristics, user settings, action plan, and local transaction management table of the customer service robot 10 to the searched other customer service robot 10, and moves the other customer service robot 10 to a position that serves as the transfer point.

[0264] Here, the method of data transfer is not particularly limited. For example, the operation control unit 1544 may directly transmit data to the other customer service robot 10. Furthermore, for example, the operation control unit 1544 may notify the other customer service robot 10 of the robot ID of its own customer service robot 10, the user ID of the check-in user, etc., so that the other customer service robot 10 reads the data required for transfer from various data tables in the server device 30.

[0265] The handover point is, for example, around an elevator entrance or an escalator entrance, and the operation control unit 1544 instructs the other customer service robot 10 to the handover point that is closest to the position of the own customer service robot 10. Then, the operation control unit 1544 moves in leading mode to the handover point, such as around an elevator or escalator that will be used as a means of transportation to the floor where the destination store is located, and displays a screen on the front display unit 132 informing that the other customer service robot 10 will take over customer service on the destination floor.

[0266] When an item such as a product is placed on the platform 112, the operation control unit 1544 may display a screen urging the customer to move, or may display a screen instructing the customer to move to a receiving counter, etc. In the latter case, upon receiving an instruction to move, the operation control unit 1544 moves the item placed on the platform 112 to the receiving counter.

[0267] On the other hand, when the operation control unit 1544 of the other customer service robot 10 receives the instruction of the handover point from the customer service robot 10, it moves to the instructed handover point while maintaining the standby mode. Also, the operation control unit 1544 of the other customer service robot 10 reflects the data instructed to take over in its own customer service robot 10, thereby causing the light emitting unit 141 to emit light in the light color instructed by the user, for example.

[0268] When the operation control unit 1544 of the other customer service robot 10 receives a check-in operation from the customer who has moved to a different floor, it transitions its own customer service robot 10 to a customer service mode (leading mode) with the transferred data reflected. Furthermore, upon transitioning to the customer service mode, the operation control unit 1544 notifies the original customer service robot 10 that the transfer has been completed. Upon receiving the notification of the completion of the transfer, the original customer service robot 10 clears various data stored in its own customer service robot 10, such as the user ID, user settings, action plan, and local transaction management table, and transitions to a standby mode. Note that when an item on the receiving section is to be picked up and moved to a counter or the like, it is preferable that the operation control unit 1544 transitions to the standby mode in response to an operation by a staff member or the like after moving to the destination.

[0269] As a result, even if the action plan includes a store that the customer service robot 10 cannot reach, the customer service robot 10 can continue to support the customer's actions based on the action plan by cooperating with other customer service robots 10.

[0270] It should be noted that data transfer between customer service robots 10 is not limited to cases where the robots cross floors. For example, if the floors to which the customer service robots 10 can move are limited, data may be transferred between the customer service robots 10 in charge of each floor. Furthermore, if different customer service robots 10 are in charge of the commercial facility and the parking lot, data may be transferred between the customer service robots 10 when moving between the commercial facility and the parking lot.

[0271] Furthermore, if the customer service robot 10 is unable to reach the destination store due to physical reasons, such as a low battery level, the data may be handed over to a replacement customer service robot 10. In this case, when the battery level of the customer service robot 10 falls below a threshold, the operation control unit 1544 selects another customer service robot 10 that is on the same floor as the customer service robot 10, is in standby mode, and has a battery level equal to or greater than the threshold, as the data transfer destination. The operation control unit 1544 also instructs the other customer service robot 10 to a handover point set within the current location or the range within which the customer service robot 10 can move. As a result, even if the battery of a customer service robot 10 running out while serving a customer, the robot can continue to support the customer's behavior based on the action plan by cooperating with the other customer service robots 10.

[0272] Furthermore, when the movement to all stores specified in the action plan is completed, the action control unit 1544 ends the action support for the customer based on the action plan, for example, in response to a checkout operation instructed by the customer. When the action support is completed, the action control unit 1544 clears various data stored in the customer service robot 10, such as the user ID, user settings, action plan, and local transaction management table, and causes the robot to enter standby mode. Note that the checkout operation may be performed at any timing, not necessarily when the movement to all stores specified in the action plan is completed.

[0273] The customer service robot 10 that has entered the standby mode moves to a predetermined position within the commercial facility, for example, under the control of the operation control unit 1544. As an example, when the customer service robot 10 enters the standby mode, it moves to a charging area where the battery can be charged.

[0274] Furthermore, the customer service robot 10 in standby mode may be configured to move to a designated position in response to an instruction from the store device 20 or the server device 30. In this case, the number of customer service robots 10 that can be moved is not limited to one, and multiple customer service robots 10 can be moved together.

[0275] Incidentally, products purchased at each store can be placed on the platform 112 provided on the customer service robot 10, and then transported by the customer service robot 10. However, depending on the type of product and the customer's wishes, it is conceivable that the purchased product will not be received on the spot, but will be received at another time or place. For example, if the store is a showroom store, products in the store are exhibits, and the actual product cannot be received on the spot. Also, for example, if luggage or other products are placed on the platform 112 of the customer service robot 10, it may be impossible to place the newly purchased product on the platform 112.

[0276] Therefore, the purchase support unit 1548 may display a screen on the front display unit 132 that allows the user to select a method of receiving the product for which payment processing has been completed. For example, the purchase support unit 1548 displays a screen on the front display unit 132 that allows the user to select a method of receiving the product (hereinafter also referred to as a receiving method selection screen), as shown in FIG.

[0277] Fig. 27 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the front display unit 132 of the customer service robot 10, and shows an example of a receiving method selection screen. As shown in Fig. 27, the receiving method selection screen Go has operators Goa to God as operators related to the selection of the receiving method.

[0278] The operator Goa is an operator for instructing that the item be sent by mail or the like. The operator Gob is an operator for instructing that the item be picked up at a pick-up counter set up in the commercial facility. The operator Goc is an operator for instructing that the item be picked up through a locker set up in the commercial facility. The operator God is an operator for instructing that the item be transported to the exit of the commercial facility.

[0279] When the purchase support unit 1548 accepts the operation of the operator Goa, it displays a screen for inputting a destination such as a shipping address on the front display unit 132, and prompts the customer to input the destination. When the destination is input, the purchase support unit 1548 generates shipping information that associates information that can identify the product to be shipped with the destination, and transmits this information to the store device 20 or the server device 30. When the store device 20 or the server device 30 accepts the shipping information from the customer service robot 10, it arranges for shipping by notifying the terminal of the person in charge or the company that will ship the product of the shipping information. This allows the customer to receive the purchased product to the specified destination.

[0280] If an address is registered in the customer management table in association with the customer's user ID, the purchase support unit 1548 may use the registered address as the destination.

[0281] Furthermore, when the purchase support unit 1548 receives an operation of the operator Gob, it transmits information that can identify the target product, information that can identify the customer, and destination information (first destination information) that specifies transportation to a pickup counter to the store device 20 or the server device 30. When the store device 20 or the server device 30 receives the first destination information from the customer service robot 10, it notifies the terminal of the store clerk or person in charge who will carry the product to the pickup counter of the first destination information, thereby arranging transportation to the pickup counter. This allows the customer to receive the purchased product at a pickup counter set up within the commercial facility.

[0282] If there are multiple pickup counters, the purchase support unit 1548 may, for example, specify the pickup counter closest to the current location and transmit the first pickup destination information. The purchase support unit 1548 may also cooperate with the operation control unit 1544 to guide the customer to the pickup counter.

[0283] Furthermore, when the purchase support unit 1548 receives an operation of the operator Goc, it transmits information capable of identifying the target product, information capable of identifying the customer, and destination information (second destination information) specifying transfer to a locker to the in-store device 20 or the server device 30. When the in-store device 20 or the server device 30 receives the second destination information from the customer service robot 10, it notifies the terminal of the store clerk or person in charge who stores the product in the locker of the second destination information, thereby arranging for storage in the locker. Furthermore, when the purchase support unit 1548 obtains information identifying the destination locker via the in-store device 20 or the server device 30, it notifies the customer by displaying the information on the front display unit 132. This allows the customer to receive the purchased product at the destination locker.

[0284] If there are lockers in multiple locations, the purchase support unit 1548 may, for example, specify the locker closest to the current location and transmit the second recipient information. The purchase support unit 1548 may also guide the customer to the location of the locker where the item will be stored by working in cooperation with the operation control unit 1544. The telephone number or address of the customer terminal 50 held by the customer may also be included in the second recipient information and transmitted, so that the customer terminal 50 is notified of the locker where the item will be stored.

[0285] Furthermore, when the purchase support unit 1548 receives an operation of the operator God, it transmits information that can identify the target product, information that can identify the customer, and destination information (third destination information) that specifies transportation to an exit to the store device 20 or the server device 30. When the store device 20 or the server device 30 receives the third destination information from the customer service robot 10, it notifies the store clerk or the terminal of the person in charge who will carry the product to the exit of the third destination information, thereby arranging for transportation to the exit. This allows the customer to receive the purchased product at the exit of the commercial facility.

[0286] If there are multiple exits, the purchase support unit 1548 may, for example, specify the exit closest to the current location and transmit the third destination information. In addition, the purchase support unit 1548 may cooperate with the operation control unit 1544 to guide the customer to the exit at the destination.

[0287] In this way, the customer service robot 10 of this embodiment can hand over the product for which payment has been completed in a manner desired by the customer.

[0288] When selecting the above-mentioned receiving method, a request to have a paper receipt sent along with the purchase may be made. In this case, the store clerk or other person in charge of transporting the product will send a paper receipt for the transaction along with the purchased product. This allows the customer to receive the purchased product together with the receipt for the transaction.

[0289] In the above example, the locations where the product is handed over within the commercial facility are the receiving counter, the locker, and the exit, but the present invention is not limited to this and the user may be able to specify any location. For example, the current location of the customer or the parking location of the customer's vehicle may be specified.

[0290] For example, when specifying a parking location, the purchase support unit 1548 displays on the front display unit 132 a screen for the customer to input the vehicle registration number of the parked vehicle. The purchase support unit 1548 identifies the parking location corresponding to the input vehicle registration number based on the relationship between the vehicle registration number managed by the vehicle system via the server device 30 or the like and the parking location. The purchase support unit 1548 then requests transportation to the parking location by transmitting third recipient information specifying the identified parking location. This allows the customer to receive the purchased product at the parking location of the vehicle. The purchase support unit 1548 may guide the customer to the parking location in cooperation with the operation control unit 1544. Furthermore, if the vehicle registration number is registered in association with the customer's user ID, the parking location may be identified using the vehicle registration number.

[0291] In the above example, it is assumed that the merchandise is transported to the receiving location by a staff member such as a store clerk, but this is not limiting, and the customer service robot 10 may transport the merchandise.

[0292] For example, when a checkout operation is performed on the customer service robot 10 that has loaded a product onto the loading platform 112, the operation control unit 1544 may be configured to transport the product by moving to a previously designated delivery location within the commercial facility.

[0293] Furthermore, for example, the store device 20 or the server device 30 that has received a designated pick-up location within a commercial facility may call the waiting customer service robot 10 to the store or other location from which the customer service robot 10 is being transported, and then instruct the customer service robot 10 to move to the designated pick-up location, thereby using the customer service robot 10 as a means of transportation.

[0294] Furthermore, the customer service robot 10 may be configured to automatically return to a predetermined position after the customer has finished using the customer service robot 10 (after the robot has traveled around all stores set by the customer). The predetermined position may be the entrance to a commercial facility where the customer service robots 10 are concentrated, or a charging area for charging the batteries of the customer service robots 10 after use. The operation of returning the customer service robot 10 to the predetermined position may be remotely controlled by a store clerk. The remote control of returning the customer service robot 10 to the predetermined position may be performed individually for each customer service robot 10, or may be an operation of returning multiple customer service robots 10 to their predetermined positions collectively.

[0295] Furthermore, the customer service robot 10 operates in an after-closing mode, which is different from the above-described operation mode, outside business hours, such as after the commercial facility closes. Specifically, when the current date and time reaches a time outside the business hours of the commercial facility, the operation control unit 1544 causes the customer service robot 10 to transition to the after-closing mode.

[0296] In the after-closing mode, the customer service robot 10 performs operations different from those in the standby mode and the customer service mode described above. For example, the operation control unit 1544 causes the robot to travel along a predetermined route within the commercial facility and patrol the commercial facility or store by capturing images of the surrounding environment using the imaging unit 143.

[0297] Furthermore, for example, the customer service robot 10 may be configured to support inventory work within a preset store. In this case, for example, the operation control unit 1544 operates the reader / writer unit 157 while patrolling the store, thereby reading product codes and individual product codes from the wireless tags of products present in the store. Then, the operation control unit 1544 tallies the number of products by type based on the read results, and transmits the results to the store device 20 as inventory results.

[0298] In addition, when the customer service robots 10 are set to the after-closing mode, for example, after the patrol work is completed, all the customer service robots 10 may be moved to a predetermined position together automatically or by the operation of a store clerk or the like.

[0299] An example of the process performed by the above-described service robot 10 will be described below.

[0300] 28 is a flowchart showing an example of the main process performed by the customer service robot 10 of this embodiment. Note that this process is performed assuming that the customer service robot 10 is in a standby mode (step S11).

[0301] First, the operation control unit 1544 waits for a customer's check-in operation by displaying a check-in screen (see FIG. 13) or the like on the front display unit 132. When the operation control unit 1544 receives the customer's check-in operation, it executes a check-in process (step S12) and switches the customer service robot 10 to a customer service mode (step S13).

[0302] In the customer service mode, the personalization processing unit 1545 executes personalization processing in response to the customer's operation (step S14). In addition, the action plan generation unit 1546 executes action plan generation processing to generate an action plan indicating destination stores (destination stores) by interacting with the customer via the store visit purpose confirmation screen (see FIGS. 14 and 15) etc. (step S15). Note that while FIG. 28 shows an example in which the personalization processing is executed before the action plan generation processing, the execution timing of the personalization processing is not limited to this, and it can be executed at any timing during the customer service mode.

[0303] Next, when the operation control unit 1544 receives an operation to instruct the customer service robot 10 to start moving to the destination store based on the action plan generated in step S15, the operation control unit 1544 shifts the customer service robot 10 to a leading mode (step S16).

[0304] Next, the operation control unit 1544 determines whether the first destination store defined in the action plan can be reached by the own customer service robot 10 (step S17). For example, the operation control unit 1544 determines that the destination store can be reached if the floor number of the own customer service robot 10 and the floor number of the destination store are the same, and determines that the destination store cannot be reached if the floor numbers are different. Also, for example, the operation control unit 1544 determines that the destination store cannot be reached if the distance that the own customer service robot 10 can travel with the remaining battery power is less than the distance to the destination store.

[0305] If it is determined in step S17 that the customer service robot 10 is able to move (step S17; Yes), the operation control unit 1544 moves the customer service robot 10 to the destination store (step S18). If the customer service robot 10 has not yet arrived (reached) the destination store (step S19; No), the operation control unit 1544 returns the process to step S17. This allows the customer service robot 10 to hand over to another customer service robot 10 even if, after starting to move to the destination store, the customer service robot 10 becomes unable to reach the destination store due to an unforeseen incident.

[0306] Next, when the customer service robot 10 arrives at the destination store (step S19; Yes), the operation control unit 1544 causes the customer service robot 10 to transition to a follow mode (step S20). Next, the store cooperation unit 1547 executes a store cooperation process for cooperation with the store device 20 (step S21). In addition, the purchase support unit 1548 executes a purchase support process for supporting the purchase of a product (step S22).

[0307] Next, when the customer service robot 10 leaves the store due to an operation by the customer or the like, the operation control unit 1544 determines whether all stores defined in the action plan have been visited (step S23). Here, for example, when the operation control unit 1544 receives a checkout operation, it determines that all stores have been visited. If it is determined that all stores have been visited (step S23; Yes), the operation control unit 1544 proceeds to step S27.

[0308] On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a store that has not been visited (step S23; No), the operation control unit 1544 returns to step S16 to cause the customer service robot 10 to transition to the leading mode. Next, in step S17, the operation control unit 1544 determines whether the next destination store can be reached, and if it is determined that the next destination store cannot be reached (step S17; No), the operation control unit 1544 transitions to step S24.

[0309] In step S24, the operation control unit 1544 searches for other customer service robots 10 that can reach the destination store from the robot management table 3163. Next, the operation control unit 1544 transfers various data held by the customer service robot 10, such as the user ID, user characteristics, user settings, action plan, and local transaction management table, to the other customer service robot 10, and moves the other customer service robot 10 to a position that serves as a handover point (step S24).

[0310] Next, the operation control unit 1544 moves to the handover point in leading mode (step S25). Here, the operation control unit 1544 displays a screen on the front display unit 132 or the like at the handover point, informing that another customer service robot 10 will take over customer service. Next, the operation control unit 1544 waits until the other customer service robot 10 notifies it that the handover is complete (step S26; No), and when it is notified that the handover is complete (step S26; Yes), the operation control unit 1544 of the other customer service robot 10 continues to support the customer's behavior based on the action plan by performing the process proceeding to step S16 based on the taken-over data.

[0311] In the next step S27, the operation control unit 1544 clears various data held by its own customer service robot 10 and causes it to transition to standby mode (step S27). Then, the operation control unit 1544 moves to a predetermined position in the commercial facility (step S28) and ends this process.

[0312] Next, various processes performed in the above-mentioned main process will be described.

[0313] First, the check-in process performed in step S12 of Fig. 28 will be described. Fig. 29 is a flowchart showing an example of the check-in process performed by the service robot 10.

[0314] The operation control unit 1544 displays a check-in screen on the front display unit 132 (step S121). Next, the operation control unit 1544 waits until a check-in operation is performed (step S122; No->step S123; No). Here, upon receiving input of a user ID (step S122; Yes), the operation control unit 1544 compares the user ID with the user ID registered in the user management table 3164 (step S124) to determine whether or not the user is a legitimate member (step S125).

[0315] In step S125, if the input user ID is not registered in the user management table 3164 (step S125; No), the operation control unit 1544 determines that a check-in operation by a non-member has been accepted (step S126), and proceeds to step S13 in Fig. 28. Also, in step S123, if a touch operation on the check-in screen has been accepted (step S123; Yes), the operation control unit 1544 also determines that a check-in operation by a non-member has been accepted (step S126), and proceeds to step S13 in Fig. 28.

[0316] In addition, when a check-in operation by a non-member is accepted, the operation control unit 1544 may cause the front display unit 132 to display a message indicating this, or may cause the front display unit 132 to display a message encouraging the non-member to register as a member.

[0317] On the other hand, in step S125, if the input user ID is registered in the user management table 3164 (step S125; Yes), the operation control unit 1544 determines that the check-in operation by the member has been accepted (step S127), and proceeds to step S13 in FIG. 28.

[0318] When a check-in operation by a member is accepted, the operation control unit 1544 associates the input user ID and the user characteristics of the customer with the robot ID of its own customer service robot 10 and stores them in the robot management table 3163. After accepting a check-in operation by a member or non-member, the operation control unit 1544 may also perform pairing with a pairing terminal such as the customer terminal 50.

[0319] Next, the personalization processing executed by the control unit 154 of the customer service robot 10 as the personalization processing unit 1545 in step S14 of FIG. 28 will be described. FIG. 30 is a flowchart showing the flow of the personalization processing executed by the personalization processing unit 1545. As shown in FIG. 30, the personalization processing unit 1545 determines whether a customer (check-in user) who checked in to the customer service robot 10 by operating S126 or S127 is a member or a non-member (step S141). If it is determined that the check-in user is a member who entered a legitimate user ID (S141; Yes), the personalization processing unit 1545 determines whether existing user settings are stored in the user management table 3164 of the server device 30 (step S142). If it is determined that existing user settings are stored (step S142; Yes), the personalization processing unit 1545 then determines whether to use the stored existing user settings (step S143). For example, the personalization processing unit 1545 displays a screen on the front display unit 132 to ask the checked-in user whether or not to use the existing user settings, and when the checked-in user operates the "Use existing user settings" button (not shown) displayed on the screen, the personalization processing unit 1545 determines that the existing user settings should be used, and when the checked-in user operates the "Change user settings" button (not shown), the personalization processing unit 1545 determines that the existing user settings should not be used.

[0320] If it is determined that the existing user settings are to be used (step S143; Yes), the personalization processing unit 1545 changes the initial settings set in the customer service robot 10 to the user settings (step S147). Then, the personalization processing unit 1545 proceeds to the action plan generation process.

[0321] Furthermore, if it is determined that no existing user settings are stored in the user management table 3164 (step S142; No), or if it is determined that the existing user settings will not be used (step S143; No), the personalization processing unit 1545 determines whether a customization operation has been accepted (step S144). For example, if a check-in user has performed an operation to change the initial state from the front display unit 132, the personalization processing unit 1545 determines that the customization operation has been accepted. For example, the personalization processing unit 1545 displays on the front display unit 132 a screen on which the light-emitting color of the light-emitting unit 141 can be changed or a screen on which various settings related to the operation of the customer service robot 10 can be changed, and accepts the customer's customization operation. If it is determined that the customization operation has been accepted (step S144; Yes), the personalization processing unit 1545 associates the user settings set by the accepted customization operation with the user ID, transmits them to the server device 30, and stores them in the user management table 3164 (step S145). Then, the personalization processing unit 1545 changes the initial state settings set in the customer service robot 10 to the user settings (step S147). The personalization processing unit 1545 then proceeds to the action plan generation process. The action control unit 1544 executes control to change the action of the customer service robot 10 based on the user setting changed by the personalization processing unit 1545.

[0322] On the other hand, if it is determined that the customization operation has not been accepted (step S144; No), the personalization processing unit 1545 proceeds to the action plan generation process. In this case, the operation control unit 1544 controls the operation of the customer service robot 10 with the initial state settings.

[0323] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S141 that the check-in user is not a member (step S141; No), the personalization processing unit 1545 determines whether a customization operation by the check-in user has been accepted (step S146). Here, the personalization processing unit 1545 may accept the customization operation by displaying a screen similar to that of step S144, or may accept the customization operation by displaying a screen for non-members that is different from that for members. For example, the screen for non-members may be compared with the screen for members and limit the number of changeable setting items. If it is determined that a customization operation has been accepted (step S146; Yes), the personalization processing unit 1545 changes the initial settings set in the customer service robot 10 to the user settings (step S147). In this case, the changed user settings are not stored. Then, the personalization processing unit 1545 proceeds to the action plan generation process. The operation control unit 1544 executes control to change the operation of the customer service robot 10 based on the user settings changed by the personalization processing unit 1545.

[0324] On the other hand, if it is determined that the customization operation has not been accepted (step S146; No), the personalization processing unit 1545 proceeds to the action plan generation process. In this case, the operation control unit 1544 controls the operation of the customer service robot 10 with the initial state settings.

[0325] The personalization processing unit 1545 stores the changed setting contents as user settings in the storage unit 161 or the like, but may also associate the changed setting contents with the robot ID of the customer service robot 10 and store them in the robot management table 3163. Furthermore, when pairing with the customer terminal 50 is established, the personalization processing unit 1545 may provide the customer terminal 50 with the user settings.

[0326] In this way, the customer service robot 10 of the embodiment is a customer service robot that can travel autonomously and supports customers in shopping in a commercial facility that includes multiple stores, and is equipped with a personalization processing unit 1545 that changes settings related to the operation of the customer service robot 10, and an operation personalization processing unit 15454 that operates the customer service robot 10 based on the changed settings.

[0327] The customer service robot 10 of the embodiment having such a configuration can be applied to a commercial facility having multiple stores. Furthermore, the customer service robot 10 of such an embodiment can provide customer service that is more suited to the customer who uses the customer service robot 10.

[0328] Next, the behavior plan generation process executed by the control unit 154 of the customer service robot 10 as the behavior plan generation unit 1546 in step S15 of Fig. 28 will be described with reference to Fig. 31. Fig. 31 is a flowchart showing an example of the behavior plan generation process executed by the customer service robot 10.

[0329] First, the action plan generation unit 1546 displays a store visit purpose screen on the front display unit 132 (step S151). Here, the store visit purpose confirmation screen displays options for confirming the customer's store visit purpose, as explained in Figures 14 and 15. Note that the store visit purpose confirmation screen that is displayed first displays general store visit purposes, such as "I want to shop," "I want to play," and "I want to eat," as options.

[0330] Next, the action plan generation unit 1546 determines whether or not the reason for visiting the store has been selected by the check-in user (step S152). If the reason for visiting the store has not been selected (step S152; No), the process proceeds to step S156.

[0331] When the action plan generation unit 1546 receives the selection of the store visit purpose (step S152; Yes), it determines whether it is possible to narrow down the destination stores based on the selected store visit purpose (step S153). For example, if the number of destination stores derived from the selected store visit purpose is equal to or less than a threshold value (e.g., 3), the action plan generation unit 1546 determines that it is possible to narrow down the destination stores, and if it exceeds the threshold value, it determines that it is not possible to narrow down the destination stores.

[0332] If the destination store cannot be narrowed down (step S153; No), the action plan generation unit 1546 updates the store visit purpose to options for confirming the store visit purpose in more detail based on the store visit purpose selected in step S152 (step S154), and returns the process to step S151. As a result, a store visit purpose confirmation screen including the updated options is displayed on the front display unit 132. Furthermore, the action plan generation unit 1546 repeatedly executes the processes of steps S151 to S154 until it becomes possible to narrow down the destination store. Note that the updated options may be options for selecting a product type, the product itself, or the store itself.

[0333] If it is possible to narrow down the destination stores (step S153; Yes), the action plan generation unit 1546 determines the store derived by the narrowing down as the destination store (step S155) and proceeds to step S156. At this time, the action plan generation unit 1546 may display a list of the destination stores that have been determined so far.

[0334] Next, the behavior plan generation unit 1546 determines whether or not an operation (confirmation operation) instructing confirmation of the destination store determined so far has been received from the checked-in user (step S156). If a confirmation operation is not performed (step S156; No), the behavior plan generation unit 1546 returns to step S151 and displays a store visit purpose confirmation screen. In this case, the behavior plan generation unit 1546 may display a store visit purpose confirmation screen that includes general store visit purposes as options, similar to the store visit purpose confirmation screen displayed initially.

[0335] Furthermore, when the action plan generation unit 1546 receives a confirmation operation (step S156; Yes), it generates an action plan that specifies the order in which to visit the destination stores based on the destination stores that have been determined so far (step S157).The action plan generation unit 1546 then displays the generated action plan on the front display unit 132 (step S158) and proceeds to step S16 in FIG.

[0336] If a confirmation operation is received while the destination store is not yet determined, the action plan generation unit 1546 preferably displays a message such as "Destination store not set" on the front display unit 132 and returns the process to step S151. Also, the customer can set a task for the destination store specified in the action plan, such as notifying the display location of the product type or product selected on the store visit purpose selection screen.

[0337] Next, with reference to Fig. 32, a store cooperation process executed by the control unit 154 of the customer service robot 10 as the store cooperation unit 1547 in step S21 of Fig. 28 will be described. Fig. 32 is a flowchart showing an example of the store cooperation process executed by the customer service robot 10 and the store device 20. Note that, as a premise of this process, it is assumed that the product master 2191 of the store device 20 stores information that can identify the display position of the product and the electronic shelf label placed at the display position in association with the product code.

[0338] When the customer service robot 10 arrives at the destination store, the store cooperation unit 1547 accesses the store device 20 installed in the store and executes a process to establish communication with the store device 20. Furthermore, when the robot cooperation unit 2142 of the store device 20 receives access from the customer service robot 10, it executes a process to establish communication with the customer service robot 10 that has accessed the store. Through this process, cooperation is established between the customer service robot 10 and the store device 20 (steps S211 and S31).

[0339] When the store cooperation unit 1547 realizes cooperation with the store device 20, it determines whether or not a task has been set for the store defined in the action plan (step S212). If no task has been set (step S212; No), the process proceeds to step S22 in FIG.

[0340] Furthermore, if a task has been set (step S212; Yes), the store cooperation unit 1547 executes processing according to the set content of the task. For example, if notification of the display position of the product type or product selected on the store visit purpose selection screen is set as the task, the store cooperation unit 1547 refers to the product master 2191 and determines the product type or product to be notified in the store (step S213). Next, the store cooperation unit 1547 transmits a light-emitting instruction specifying the determined product type or product (product code) to the store device 20 (step S214), and proceeds to step S22 in FIG. 28.

[0341] Meanwhile, the robot cooperation unit 2142 of the store device 20 waits until it receives a task-based instruction (a light-emitting instruction in this example) from the customer service robot 10, and ends the process if no instruction is received (step S32; No). Furthermore, upon receiving a light-emitting instruction from the customer service robot 10 (step S32; Yes), the robot cooperation unit 2142 identifies the display position of the specified product from the product master 2191 (step S33). Then, the robot cooperation unit 2142 causes the electronic shelf label placed at the identified display position to emit light (step S34), and ends the process.

[0342] This allows a customer who visits the destination store to easily know the display position of the product they selected. The store cooperation unit 1547 may identify the display position of the product to be notified from the product master 2191, and transmit the identified display position to the store device 20 as a light-emitting instruction.

[0343] Next, the purchase support process executed by the control unit 154 of the customer service robot 10 as the purchase support unit 1548 in step S22 of Fig. 28 will be described with reference to Fig. 33. Fig. 33 is a flowchart showing an example of the purchase support process executed by the customer service robot 10.

[0344] When the customer service robot 10 arrives at the destination store, the purchase support unit 1548 prompts the customer to input the product code by displaying a basic operation screen (see FIG. 18) on the front display unit 132.

[0345] When a product code is input by the customer (step S2201; Yes), the purchase support unit 1548 reads product information associated with the product code from the product master 2191 and displays a product screen (see FIG. 19) showing the product corresponding to the product code on the front display unit 132 (step S2202). Next, the purchase support unit 1548 determines whether the customer has instructed to try on the product corresponding to the input product code (step S2203). If no instruction to try on has been given (step S2203; No), the process proceeds to step S2209.

[0346] If the customer instructs to try on the product in step S2203 (step S2203; Yes), the purchase support unit 1548 displays a try-on screen (see, for example, FIG. 21) showing the customer trying on the product corresponding to the product code on the front display unit 132 (step S2204). Next, the purchase support unit 1548 determines whether the customer has requested the presentation of recommended products (step S2205).

[0347] If the presentation of recommended products is not requested (step S2205; No), the process proceeds to step S2208. In this case, the purchase support unit 1548 determines whether or not the customer has instructed the customer to register the product corresponding to the input product code (step S2208).

[0348] If registration is not instructed (step S2208; No), the purchase support unit 1548 returns the process to step S2201. On the other hand, if registration is instructed (step S2208; Yes), the purchase support unit 1548 registers the product corresponding to the input product code (step S2209) and returns the process to step S2201.

[0349] Furthermore, if the customer instructs the presentation of recommended products in step S2205 (step S2205; Yes), the purchase support unit 1548 selects recommended products from the products registered in the product master 2191 based on the product (reference product) corresponding to the input product code (step S2206). Next, the purchase support unit 1548 displays a recommendation screen (see FIG. 22, for example) showing the recommended products on the front display unit 132 (step S2207), and proceeds to step S2208. In this case, the purchase support unit 1548 determines in step S2208 whether the customer instructs the registration of recommended products (step S2208).

[0350] If registration is not instructed (step S2208; No), the purchase support unit 1548 returns the process to step S2201. If registration is instructed (step S2208; Yes), the purchase support unit 1548 registers the recommended product (step S2209) and returns the process to step S2201. Note that, in conjunction with the execution of step S2207 or step S2208, the purchase support unit 1548 may cooperate with the store cooperation unit 1547 or the like to perform control to illuminate the electronic shelf labels placed in the display positions of the recommended products.

[0351] In this process, if product registration is not instructed (step S2208; No) or if product registration is performed (step S2209), the process returns to step S2201, but this is not limited to this and the process may proceed to step S2226.

[0352] Furthermore, if a product code is not input in step S2201 (step S2201; No), the purchase support unit 1548 determines whether or not the customer has instructed the display of a virtual cart (step S2210). If the customer has instructed the display of a virtual cart (step S2210; Yes), the purchase support unit 1548 displays a virtual cart screen (see, for example, FIG. 23) displaying a list of products that have been registered so far (registered products) on the front display unit 132 (step S2211). Next, the purchase support unit 1548 determines whether or not the customer has instructed the selection of a specific product from the registered products (step S2212).

[0353] Here, for example, if an operation to end the display of the virtual cart screen is performed, the purchase support unit 1548 determines that no product selection is performed (step S2212; No). In this case, the purchase support unit 1548 returns to the basic operation screen or the immediately preceding screen, and then proceeds to step S2217.

[0354] Furthermore, in step S2212, when a product selection operation is accepted (step S2212; Yes), the purchase support unit 1548 displays a selected product screen (see, for example, FIG. 24) showing the selected product on the front display unit 132 (step S2213).

[0355] Next, the purchase support unit 1548 determines whether or not an operation requesting presentation of recommended products has been received from the customer (step S2214). If presentation of recommended products has been requested (step S2214; Yes), the purchase support unit 1548 proceeds to step S2206, where it selects recommended products based on the product (reference product) selected in step S2212. If presentation of recommended products has not been requested (step S2214; No), the purchase support unit 1548 determines whether or not an operation requesting an inquiry from the customer to a store clerk has been received (step S2215).

[0356] If an inquiry to a store clerk is requested (step S2215; Yes), the purchase support unit 1548 makes an inquiry about the selected product by proceeding to step S2225. Specifically, the purchase support unit 1548 transmits inquiry information including information specifying the product selected in step S2212 and the location of its own customer service robot 10 to the store device 20 (step S2225), and then proceeds to step S2226.

[0357] If no inquiry to a store clerk is requested in step S2215 (step S2215; No), the purchase support unit 1548 determines whether or not the customer has instructed to make a payment (step S2216).

[0358] If payment is instructed here (step S2216; Yes), the purchase support unit 1548 proceeds to step S2218, thereby executing processing related to payment for the selected product. Specifically, the purchase support unit 1548 displays a payment method selection screen (see FIG. 25, for example) on the front display unit 132, which allows the user to select a payment method (step S2218). Next, when the purchase support unit 1548 accepts an operation to select a payment method (step S2219), it executes payment processing for the product selected in step S2212 using the selected payment method (step S2220), and proceeds to step S2221.

[0359] In step S2216, if the customer does not instruct to make a payment (step S2216; No), the purchase support unit 1548 proceeds to step S2226.

[0360] On the other hand, if the display of the virtual cart is not instructed in step S2210 (step S2210; No), the purchase support unit 1548 determines whether or not the customer has instructed to make a payment (step S2217).

[0361] If payment is instructed here (step S2217; Yes), the purchase support unit 1548 displays a payment method selection screen (see, for example, FIG. 25) on the front display unit 132, allowing the user to select a payment method (step S2218). When the purchase support unit 1548 receives a payment method selection operation (step S2219), it executes payment processing for all registered products that have not yet been paid for using the selected payment method (step S2220), and proceeds to step S2221.

[0362] Next, the purchase support unit 1548 determines whether or not an operation to select a method of receiving the product has been accepted from the customer (step S2221). If no instruction to select a method of receiving the product has been accepted (step S2221; No), the purchase support unit 1548 proceeds to step S2226.

[0363] Furthermore, when an instruction to select a receiving method is given (step S2221; Yes), the purchase support unit 1548 displays a receiving method selection screen (see, for example, FIG. 27) on the front display unit 132, from which a receiving method for the product can be selected (step S2222). When a receiving method is selected from the receiving method selection screen, the purchase support unit 1548 arranges for the product to be transported by transmitting receiving destination information generated based on the selected receiving method to the store device 20 or the server device 30 (step S2223), and then proceeds to step S2226.

[0364] On the other hand, if payment is not instructed in step S2217 (step S2217; No), the purchase support unit 1548 determines whether the customer has requested an inquiry to a store clerk (step S2224). If an inquiry to a store clerk has not been requested (step S2224; No), the purchase support unit 1548 proceeds to step S2226.

[0365] If an inquiry to a store clerk is requested (step S2224; Yes), the purchase support unit 1548 transmits inquiry information including the position of its own customer service robot 10 to the store device 20 (step S2225), and proceeds to step S2226.

[0366] In addition, the store device 20 that has received the inquiry information may, for example, control the robot linking unit 2142 to notify a terminal carried by a store clerk of the location of the customer service robot 10, thereby prompting the clerk to assist the customer.

[0367] In step S2226, the purchase support unit 1548 determines whether the customer has instructed the customer to leave the store (step S2226). For example, the purchase support unit 1548 may accept an operation instructing the customer to move to the next store as an operation instructing the customer to leave the store. Furthermore, for example, the purchase support unit 1548 may determine that the customer has been instructed to leave the store when it detects that the customer has moved to the exit, in cooperation with the operation control unit 1544.

[0368] If the customer is not instructed to leave the store (step S2226; No), the purchase support unit 1548 returns the process to step S2201. If the customer is instructed to leave the store (step S2226; Yes), the purchase support unit 1548 determines whether payment has been completed for all registered products (step S2227).

[0369] If there are any unpaid items (step S2227; No), the purchase support unit 1548 displays an alert message on the front display unit 132 notifying the user that there are unpaid items (step S2228), and returns the process to step S2201. In step S2228, the purchase support unit 1548 may also display the alert message on the rear display unit 115. The purchase support unit 1548 may also notify the user by changing the light-emitting color of the light-emitting unit 141 or by outputting a sound. Furthermore, the purchase support unit 1548 may cooperate with the operation control unit 1544 to stop the travel of the customer service robot 10.

[0370] If all registered products have been paid for (step S2227; Yes), the purchase support unit 1548 proceeds to step S23 in FIG.

[0371] In this process, each time a product is registered and paid for, the store cooperation unit 1547 associates the record in the local transaction management table related to the transaction of that product with the robot ID of its own customer service robot 10 and the transaction ID of the transaction, and stores the record in the transaction management table 3165. However, this configuration is not limited to this. For example, the store cooperation unit 1547 may store the record in the local transaction management table related to the transaction conducted at the store in the transaction management table 3165 at the timing of transitioning to step S23.

[0372] The store cooperation unit 1547 may also perform processing to cancel cooperation with the store device 20 at the timing of proceeding to step S23.

[0373] As described above, the customer service robot 10 of the above embodiment supports the customer's behavior by leading or following the customer in a commercial facility with multiple stores. Specifically, the customer service robot 10 interacts with the customer via a store visit purpose confirmation screen to determine destination stores based on the customer's purpose for visiting and preferences, and generates an action plan that specifies the order in which the customer should visit the destination stores. The customer service robot 10 also travels in leading mode to each destination store in the order specified in the action plan. This allows the customer service robot 10 to efficiently guide the customer to a store within the commercial facility that best suits the customer's needs.

[0374] Furthermore, the customer service robot 10 moves in a follow-up mode to follow the customer within the destination store where the customer arrives and assists them in purchasing products. This allows the customer service robot 10 to provide an environment where the customer can register products and make payments at their destinations within the store.

[0375] Furthermore, the customer service robot 10 provides customer support, such as recommending products, at the customer's request within the destination store upon arrival. The customer service robot 10 also selects recommended products based on the products selected by the customer and the appearance of the customer trying on the products. This allows the customer service robot 10 to recommend products to the customer based on the customer's preferences and body shape, thereby enabling efficient product purchasing support.

[0376] The above-described embodiment can be modified as needed by partially changing the configuration or functions of each of the above-described devices. Therefore, several modifications of the above-described embodiment will be described below as other embodiments. The following mainly focuses on differences from the above-described embodiment, and detailed descriptions of commonalities with the content already described will be omitted. The modifications described below may be implemented individually or in appropriate combination.

[0377] [Variation 1] In the above embodiment, when products are registered in a store, the operation of the customer service robot 10 is restricted until payment for all registered products is completed, thereby preventing unpaid products from being taken out of the store. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0378] For example, products sold in a store may include store products that can actually be picked up from the store and taken home, as well as products that cannot be picked up physically (hereinafter also referred to as temporary products). For example, if the store is the showroom store described above, the products in the store are on display, and therefore are temporary products that cannot be picked up physically on the spot. Also, if a recommended product is presented that is out of stock at the store, the recommended product is a temporary product that cannot be picked up on the spot.

[0379] In the configuration of the above-described embodiment, payment can be made in the store even for temporary products, but it is not necessary to complete the payment in the store, and it is preferable from the viewpoint of convenience to be able to make payment at any timing. Therefore, in this modified example, a configuration of the customer service robot 10 that allows the timing of payment to be different for store products and temporary products will be described.

[0380] Specifically, in this modified configuration, the purchase support unit 1548 of the customer service robot 10 identifies whether a registered product is a store product or a temporary product. There is no particular limitation on the method for identifying whether a product is a store product or a temporary product, and various methods can be adopted.

[0381] For example, identification information such as a flag that can identify whether a product corresponding to the product code is a store product or a temporary product may be registered in the product master 2191 in association with the product code, and the purchase support unit 1548 may identify whether the product is a store product or a temporary product by referring to the identification information.

[0382] Furthermore, for example, by assigning product codes in the form of code symbols to store products and assigning product codes in the form of wireless tags to temporary products such as display items, it is possible to identify whether a product is a store product or a temporary product from the input medium for the product code. Specifically, when the read / write control unit 1543 reads a product code from a code symbol, the purchase support unit 1548 identifies the product corresponding to the product code as a store product. Also, when the read / write control unit 1543 reads a product code from a wireless tag, the purchase support unit 1548 identifies the product corresponding to the product code as a temporary product. Note that the relationship between the product code and wireless tag and the store product and temporary product may be reversed.

[0383] Furthermore, when registering a product corresponding to a product code, the purchase support unit 1548 also registers identification information such as a flag that can identify whether the product is a store product or a temporary product. In this way, the purchase support unit 1548 registers the product in a state that makes it possible to identify whether it is a store product or a temporary product.

[0384] The purchase support unit 1548 is capable of performing payment processing for products registered in a store in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment. However, in this modification, payment in the store is required for store products, but is optional for temporary products. Furthermore, payment for temporary products may be limited to those registered in the current store, or may include payment for temporary products registered in other stores.

[0385] Furthermore, the purchase support unit 1548 cooperates with the operation control unit 1544 to restrict the operation of the customer service robot 10 so that it does not leave the store until payment is completed for all store products registered in the store. As a result, if a customer has already paid for store products, the customer can leave the store even if the registered temporary products are not yet paid for. This allows the customer to, for example, pick up store products purchased at a store and move to the next store with the temporary products sold at that store registered.

[0386] Furthermore, the purchase support unit 1548 of this modification can also perform payment outside the store. Specifically, even when the customer service robot 10 is moving in the follow-up mode, the purchase support unit 1548 executes payment processing for unpaid products, i.e., provisional products, in response to a request from a customer.

[0387] Next, an example of processing performed by the purchase support unit 1548 of this modified example will be described with reference to Fig. 34 and Fig. 35. First, with reference to Fig. 34, the purchase support processing performed by the purchase support unit 1548 of this modified example in step S21 of Fig. 28 will be described.

[0388] 34 is a flowchart showing an example of the purchase support process performed by the customer service robot 10 of Modification 1. Note that the processes in steps S2201 to S2226 are the same as those in FIG. 33, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0389] In step S2226, when the purchase support unit 1548 receives an instruction to leave the store (step S2226; Yes), it determines whether or not the payment process has been completed for all registered store products (step S2229).

[0390] If there are any unpaid store products (step S2229; No), the purchase support unit 1548 notifies the user that there are unpaid store products (step S2230) and returns the process to step S2201. If all registered store products have been paid for (step S2229; Yes), the purchase support unit 1548 proceeds to step S23 in FIG. 28.

[0391] After proceeding to step S23, only the provisional products will be registered as unpaid items in the customer service robot 10. Furthermore, if the customer leaves each of the destination stores without paying for the provisional products, the provisional products registered in multiple stores will remain unpaid.

[0392] Therefore, the purchase support unit 1548 can perform the payment support process shown in FIG. 35 outside the store to make payment for the provisional products that remain unpaid.

[0393] 35 is a flowchart showing an example of a payment support process performed by the customer service robot 10 of Modification 1. This process can be executed at any timing in response to a customer's operation while the robot is operating in the customer service mode.

[0394] For example, when the customer service robot 10 is stopped by a customer operation such as the stop button 142 while traveling in leading mode, the purchase support unit 1548 displays the above-mentioned operation buttons Gfg, etc. on the front display unit 132, thereby enabling the transaction details of the product (registration and payment status) to be confirmed.

[0395] The purchase support unit 1548 waits until it receives an instruction from the customer to confirm the transaction details (step S41; No). When it receives an instruction to confirm the transaction details, for example, by an operation to instruct the display of the virtual cart described above (step S41; Yes), it refers to the local transaction management table and determines whether there are any unpaid products (temporary products) (step S42). Specifically, the purchase support unit 1548 determines whether payment has been made based on the state of the purchase completion flag.

[0396] If all registered products have been paid for (step S42; No), the purchase support unit 1548 displays a screen listing the registered products on the front display unit 132 (step S43) and proceeds to step S51.

[0397] On the other hand, if it is determined that there are unpaid items (step S42; Yes), the purchase support unit 1548 displays a screen on the front display unit 132 that lists paid items and unpaid items in a distinguishable manner (step S44).

[0398] The screens displayed in steps S43 and S44 are displayed in the same format as the virtual cart screen in Fig. 23. Items that have already been paid for are displayed in an identifiable manner by adding information such as an icon indicating that the items have already been paid for.

[0399] Next, the purchase support unit 1548 determines whether or not the customer has instructed to make a payment (step S45). If the customer has not instructed to make a payment (step S45; No), the purchase support unit 1548 proceeds to step S51.

[0400] Furthermore, if payment is instructed in step S45 (step S45; Yes), the purchase support unit 1548 displays a payment method selection screen (see, for example, FIG. 25) on the front display unit 132, which allows the user to select a payment method for the unpaid items (step S46). Next, when the purchase support unit 1548 accepts an operation to select a payment method (step S47), it executes payment processing for the unpaid items using the selected payment method (step S48).

[0401] In this process, an example of paying for all pending provisional products at once has been described, but this is not limiting, and similar to the above-described embodiment, it is also possible to pay for each product selected by the customer individually. It is also possible to instruct the cancellation of the registration of pending provisional products.

[0402] Furthermore, when a store product and a temporary product are registered or paid for, the purchase support unit 1548 may notify the in-store device 20 of information (e.g., product code) about the product that is the subject of registration or payment. In this case, for example, the control unit 214 of the in-store device 20 may perform control to reduce the inventory quantity of the corresponding product when notified of the registration of the temporary product. Furthermore, the control unit 214 of the in-store device 20 may transmit a notification to a terminal of a store clerk or the like when notified of the registration of the temporary product, such as to reserve the corresponding product.

[0403] Next, the purchase support unit 1548 displays a receiving method selection screen (see, for example, FIG. 27) on the front display unit 132, which allows the user to select a receiving method for the product (step S49). When a receiving method is selected from the receiving method selection screen, the purchase support unit 1548 arranges for the product to be transported by transmitting receiving destination information generated based on the selected receiving method to the store device 20 or the server device 30 (step S50), and then proceeds to step S51.

[0404] Next, the purchase support unit 1548 determines whether or not to end confirmation of the transaction details (step S51). If confirmation of the transaction details is to be continued (step S51; No), the purchase support unit 1548 returns the process to step S42. On the other hand, if an instruction to end confirmation of the transaction details is received (step S51; Yes), the purchase support unit 1548 ends this process.

[0405] In this way, the customer service robot 10 according to this modification allows payment outside the store for temporary products registered at the destination store. This allows, for example, a customer to pay for temporary products registered at multiple stores at once, or to compare temporary products registered at multiple stores and select the one to purchase. Therefore, the customer service robot 10 can improve the convenience of purchasing temporary products sold at stores in commercial facilities.

[0406] [Variation 2] In the above embodiment, when the customer service robot 10 arrives at a store, it cooperates with the store device 20 in the store to exchange various information, but the store device 20 that can be cooperated with is not limited to the store device 20 where the customer service robot 10 is currently staying.

[0407] For example, when registering or paying for a product at the currently visited store, the purchase support unit 1548 may cooperate with the store linkage unit 1547 etc. to transmit product information about the product and user information about the checked-in user together with its own robot ID to the store device 20 of another store as reference information. The purchase support unit 1548 may also transmit product information about the product tried on by the customer, the customer's appearance while trying on the product, and physical features of the customer extracted when trying on the product together with its own robot ID to the store device 20 of another store as reference information.

[0408] The products to be transmitted in the reference information may be both store products and temporary products, or just one of them. The store device 20 to which the reference information is transmitted is not particularly limited and can be set arbitrarily. For example, the purchase support unit 1548 may transmit the reference information to all stores in a commercial facility. The purchase support unit 1548 may also transmit the reference information to stores of the same type as the currently visited store. The purchase support unit 1548 may also transmit the reference information to unarrived destination stores among the destination stores defined in the action plan.

[0409] Furthermore, when a customer (customer service robot 10) visits the store, the store device 20 (robot cooperation unit 2142) of the store that has received the reference information may advertise or recommend products to the customer service robot 10 based on the reference information of the corresponding robot ID. Specifically, when cooperation with the store cooperation unit 1547 of the customer service robot 10 is completed, the robot cooperation unit 2142 provides the customer service robot 10 with product information on recommended products selected based on the reference information of the corresponding robot ID. Here, the recommended products may be selected by the same selection method as that used by the purchase support unit 1548 described in the above embodiment, or may be selected by a store clerk.

[0410] On the other hand, when the customer service robot 10 receives product information from the in-store device 20, the purchase support unit 1548 displays the product related to the product information as a recommended product on the front display unit 132. For example, the purchase support unit 1548 displays the recommended product notified from the in-store device 20 on the basic operation screen (see FIG. 18).

[0411] In this way, the customer service robot 10 can efficiently assist customers in purchasing when they visit other stores by transferring the history of actions related to customer transactions performed in the store to other stores. Furthermore, the store device 20 can present products that match the customer's preferences to the customer based on the reference information transmitted from the customer service robot 10, thereby efficiently promoting products.

[0412] [Variation 3] In the above-described embodiment, the customer service robots 10 are configured to operate independently due to the various functional configurations that the customer service robots 10 have, but this is not limited to this, and the server device 30 may be configured to comprehensively control the operation of the customer service robots 10.

[0413] In this case, the server device 30 may have any or all of the functional configurations, for example, an operation control unit 1544, a personalization processing unit 1545, an action plan generation unit 1546, a store collaboration unit 1547, and a purchase support unit 1548, and may individually control the operation of the customer service robot 10 using the functions of the functional configurations.

[0414] In the above embodiment, the programs executed by the customer service robot 10, the store device 20, the server device 30, and the customer terminal 50 may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM and provided. Alternatively, the programs executed by the above devices may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network, or may be provided via a network such as the Internet.

[0415] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations 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 set forth in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0416] 1 Customer service support system 10 Customer Service Robot 20 Store equipment 30 Server device 40 Parking System 50 customer terminals 1541 Display control unit 1542 Operation reception section 1543 Read / Write Control Unit 1544 Motion control section 1545 Personalization processing section 1546 Action Plan Generation Unit 1547 Store Collaboration Department 1548 Purchasing Support Department 2141 Store Information Transmission Department 2142 Robot Collaboration Department 2143 Payment Processing Unit 3141 Information Management Department 3142 Robot Management Department [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0417] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-111128

Claims

1. A customer service robot capable of autonomous travel that supports customers in shopping at a commercial facility including multiple stores, a personalization unit for changing settings related to the operation of the customer service robot; an operation control unit that switches between a plurality of operation modes of the customer service robot to operate the customer service robot and operates the customer service robot based on the settings changed by the personalization unit; Equipped with The customer service robot has, as operation modes for serving the customer, a leading mode in which the customer is led and guided to a destination store, and a following mode in which the customer is followed and moved, The operation control unit switches the operation of the customer service robot to the following mode when the customer service robot arrives at a destination store in the leading mode.

2. the personalization unit changes the settings by operating a setting change screen displayed on a display unit of the customer service robot. The customer service robot according to claim 1 .

3. the personalization unit changes the settings based on user settings stored in association with a user ID that identifies the customer; The customer service robot according to claim 1 .

4. The operation control unit changes the light color of the light emitting unit provided in the customer service robot based on the setting changed by the personalization unit. The customer service robot according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The operation control unit changes the display mode of the display unit provided on the customer service robot based on the setting changed by the personalization unit. The customer service robot according to claim 2 or 3.

6. The operation control unit changes a wake word uttered by the customer that is recognized by the customer service robot based on the setting changed by the personalization unit. The customer service robot according to claim 2 or 3.

7. The user ID is input by capturing an image of a code symbol displayed on a customer terminal. The customer service robot according to claim 3 .

8. A computer that can travel autonomously and serves as a customer service robot that supports customers in shopping at a commercial facility that includes multiple stores. a personalization unit for changing settings related to the operation of the customer service robot; an operation control unit that switches between a plurality of operation modes of the customer service robot to operate the customer service robot and operates the customer service robot based on the settings changed by the personalization unit; It functions as The customer service robot has, as operation modes for serving the customer, a leading mode in which the customer is led and guided to a destination store, and a following mode in which the customer is followed and moved, The operation control unit is a program that switches the operation mode to the following mode when the customer service robot arrives at the destination store in the leading mode.

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