Stocker and stocker management method

Abstract

To increase a degree of freedom for returning a member that stores a commodity, thereby improving convenience for a user.SOLUTION: A stocker includes: a detection unit which can detect presence / absence and weight of an article in each repository; a storage unit which stores collection-related information including necessity to collect a member and weight of a member to be collected, regarding the commodity in each repository; an acquisition unit which acquires, when a receiver receives a plurality of commodities from multiple repositories, from the collection-related information, a total number of repositories in which the commodities to be received are stored in the members to be collected, or total weight of the members to be collected, as an information value, and acquires the total number of repositories in which articles are detected by the detection unit, out of the repositories from which the commodities have been received, or the total weight of the detected articles, as a detection value; and a determination unit which determines, on the basis of the information value and the detection value, an error when the members to be collected have not been returned, or does not determine an error when the members to be collected have been returned to any of the repositories.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a stocker having a plurality of delivery warehouses for delivering and receiving goods purchased by a user (purchaser) has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this stocker, a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of articles in each delivery warehouse is provided. After the user receives the goods, it is determined from the detection signal of the sensor that a member (accommodating member) such as a cold storage bag has been returned to the delivery warehouse, and the member is put into a waiting state for collection. Then, when a delivery person (collector) of the store is authenticated, the delivery warehouse waiting for collection is opened to collect the member.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Here, among members such as the above-described cold storage bag, there are those that need to be collected (returned) and those that do not. When a plurality of products with different collection requirements of members are received by the same user from a plurality of delivery warehouses, the user needs to return the members that need to be collected to the original delivery warehouse. That is, if a member that needs to be collected is returned to a delivery warehouse different from the original delivery warehouse, it may be regarded as an error that the member has not been returned. Therefore, even if another delivery warehouse is located at a position where it is easier to return the member, the user has to return it to the original delivery warehouse, resulting in a decrease in convenience.

[0005] The main object of the present disclosure is to increase the freedom of returning a member that accommodates a product and improve the convenience for the user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] This disclosure employs the following means to achieve the primary objectives described above.

[0007] The stocker in this disclosure is A stocker equipped with multiple delivery warehouses capable of receiving goods contained in transport components and receiving delivered goods, A detection unit capable of detecting the presence or weight of items in each delivery warehouse, A storage unit that stores information related to the recovery of goods in each delivery warehouse, including whether or not the aforementioned components need to be recovered or the weight of the components that need to be recovered, When a recipient receives multiple goods from multiple delivery warehouses, the acquisition unit obtains the total number of delivery warehouses in which the goods to be received are contained in the recovery component, or the total weight of the recovery component, as information values ​​from the recovery-related information, and obtains the total number of delivery warehouses in which goods are detected by the detection unit, or the total weight of the detected goods, as detection values ​​from the delivery warehouses in which receipt has been completed. A determination unit that determines, based on the aforementioned information value and the aforementioned detection value, that an error will be generated if it is determined that the component to be recovered has not been returned, and that an error will not be generated if it is determined that the component to be recovered has been returned to any of the delivery warehouses. The gist of it is that it is equipped with the following features.

[0008] The stocker in this disclosure obtains the total number of delivery warehouses containing the goods to be received, or the total weight of the goods to be received, as information values ​​from the recovery-related information, and obtains the total number of delivery warehouses where the goods are detected, or the total weight of the goods, as detection values ​​from the delivery warehouses where the goods have been received. Based on the information values ​​and detection values, an error is generated if it is determined that the goods to be received have not been returned, and no error is generated if it is determined that the goods to be received have been returned to any delivery warehouse. This makes it possible to avoid generating an error if it is determined that the goods to be received have been returned to any delivery warehouse based on the information values ​​and detection values, regardless of whether it is the original delivery warehouse or not. Therefore, the recipient does not need to be aware of which delivery warehouse to return the goods to, and can return them to the delivery warehouse where the goods were received that is easiest to return them to. Thus, the degree of freedom in returning the goods-containing components (goods to be received) is increased, improving user convenience. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] A schematic diagram showing the general configuration of the storage system 10. [Figure 2] An explanatory diagram showing an example of delivery warehouse information 54. [Figure 3] A flowchart illustrating an example of the delivery and collection process. [Figure 4] A flowchart illustrating an example of the receiving process. [Figure 5] An explanatory diagram showing an example of delivery warehouse information 54. [Figure 6] A flowchart illustrating an example of the recovery process. [Figure 7] An explanatory diagram showing an example of delivery warehouse information 54. [Figure 8] An explanatory diagram showing an example of delivery warehouse information 54. [Figure 9] A flowchart illustrating the process of receiving modified versions. [Figure 10] An explanatory diagram showing the modified delivery warehouse information 54B. [Figure 11] A flowchart illustrating the process of receiving modified versions. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Next, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the stocker system 10. Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of delivery warehouse information 54. As shown in Figure 1, the stocker system 10 comprises a sales management system 20, a stocker 40, and a stocker management device 30 that manages the stocker 40. The sales management system 20, the multiple stockers 40 (stockers 40A, 40B, etc.), and the stocker management device 30 are connected to networks 12 and 13 such as the Internet.

[0011] The sales management system 20 is a system managed by the store 21 (21A, 21B, etc.) and includes a sales management device 22. The sales management device 22 exchanges information with the mobile terminal 15 of the purchaser 14 (user) via the network 12 and provides the purchaser 14 with product information. The sales management device 22 stores a product database (DB) containing product information, a customer DB containing customer (purchaser 14) information, and sales information including the inquiry number (order number) of the purchased item (product) and information about the stocker 40 that receives the product. When the purchaser 14 receives the product, they may either take the product out of the storage container 17 that needs to be returned (e.g., a shipper for a cooler bag) or receive the product along with the storage container 18 that does not need to be returned (e.g., a cardboard box). The storage container 17 is used, for example, to transport fresh food and needs to be returned to the store 21. For this reason, a message requesting its return to the delivery warehouse 41 is written on the storage container 17 or displayed on the display operation unit 42, which will be described later. Furthermore, the storage component 18 is used for transporting items other than fresh food, does not need to be collected, and is usually disposed of after the goods are received. Each store 21 may use storage components 17 and 18 interchangeably depending on the product, or may use only one of the storage components 17 or 18.

[0012] The Stocker 40 is used to hand over goods delivered from the store 21 to the buyer 14. The Stocker 40 is installed in various locations such as offices, convenience stores, factories, train stations, schools, and apartment buildings. The Stocker 40 is equipped with multiple lockable delivery boxes 41. Each delivery box 41 has an internal space in which goods such as products can be stored, and is equipped with a front door 44, a locking mechanism 45 for locking and unlocking the door 44, an item sensor 46 (e.g., an optical sensor) for detecting the presence or absence of items inside the delivery box 41, and an open / close sensor 47 for detecting the opening and closing of the door 44. In the Stocker 40, a control device 50 is housed in one of the delivery boxes 41 (control box), and a display operation unit 42 and a reader 43 are installed on its door 44. The display operation unit 42 is a touch panel, which displays information to the delivery person 19 and the buyer 14, and allows the delivery person 19 and the buyer 14 to input operations. The reading device 43 is a code reader that reads codes such as passwords used to unlock the delivery storage unit 41. The control device 50 comprises a control unit 52, a storage unit 53, and a communication unit 58. The control unit 52 is composed of a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and is responsible for controlling the entire device. The storage unit 53 stores various application programs and various data files. The communication unit 58 communicates with external devices such as the stocker management device 30.

[0013] In the storage unit 53 of the control device 50, the delivery warehouse information 54 shown in FIG. 2 and the like are stored. In the delivery warehouse information 54, for each delivery warehouse 41, information such as the usage status, information of the deliverer (store 21), information on whether the storage member needs to be recovered (whether it is the storage member 17), information of the recipient of the product (purchaser 14), the association of the collector of the storage member, and information on the recovery group described later are stored. The usage status of the delivery warehouse 41 includes, for example, an empty status, a waiting-for-receipt status, a waiting-for-recovery status, etc. The empty status is a state where there are no products or storage members in the delivery warehouse 41 and it is empty. The waiting-for-receipt status is a state where there is a product in the delivery warehouse 41 and it is waiting to be received. The waiting-for-recovery status is a state where it is waiting for the recovery of the returned storage member 17. In this embodiment, the store 21 (deliverer 19) as the deliverer also performs the recovery of the storage member 17, but it is not limited to this, and a dedicated recovery person for recovery may perform the recovery. Since the delivery warehouse information 54 includes information related to recovery such as whether the storage member needs to be recovered, it is also referred to as recovery-related information. Also, although not shown in the figure, in the delivery warehouse information 54, information on the inquiry number set by the sales management device 22, information on the unlocking code for the deliverer 19 to unlock the delivery warehouse 41, information on the password for the purchaser 14 to receive the product, etc. are also registered in association. Also, in the storage unit 53, although not shown in the figure, information on the authentication code determined for each store 21 or each deliverer 19 is also stored.

[0014] The stocker management device 30 exchanges information with the stocker 40 and the sales management device 22 via the networks 12, 13. The stocker management device 30 includes a control unit 32, a storage unit 33, and a communication unit 38. The control unit 32 is composed of a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. and is in charge of controlling the entire device. The storage unit 33 stores various application programs and various data files. The communication unit 38 communicates with external devices such as the stocker 40. In the storage unit 33, stocker information 34 and the like are stored. The stocker information 34 is information including the same delivery warehouse information as the delivery warehouse information 54 of each stocker 40. The stocker management device 30 updates the stocker information 34 by communicating with each stocker 40.

[0015] The operation of the stocker system 10 configured in this way will now be explained. First, the purchaser 14 uses a mobile terminal 15 or the like to select the desired product from the product information provided by the sales management device 22, inputs information about the stocker 40 where the purchaser wishes to receive the product, and places an order for the product. When the sales management device 22 receives the order, it stores the purchaser's information and the information of the stocker 40 where the purchaser wishes to receive the product, along with the product inquiry number (order number), as sales information, and transmits it to the stocker management device 30. The stocker management device 30 searches for an available stocker from the stocker 40's stocker information, reserves an available stocker, and determines it to be the delivery destination stocker 41. Then, the stocker management device 30 transmits the number of the delivery destination stocker 41 to the sales management device 22, and also transmits the number of the delivery destination stocker 41 and the inquiry number to the stocker 40 where the purchaser wishes to receive the product. The stocker 40 stores the received inquiry number in the stocker information 54, associating it with the delivery destination stocker 41. Furthermore, if there are no available delivery warehouses at the desired delivery warehouse 40, the stocker management device 30 transmits a message to the sales management device 22 indicating that there are no available warehouses. Upon receiving this message, the sales management device 22 transmits it to the purchaser's mobile terminal 15, allowing the purchaser to change the desired delivery warehouse 40 or cancel the order. Upon receiving the delivery warehouse number 41 from the stocker management device 30, the sales management device 22 specifies the delivery warehouse 40 and the delivery warehouse number 41, and issues a delivery instruction to store the goods in the storage container 17(18) and deliver (transport) them. Based on this delivery instruction, the delivery person 19 delivers the goods to the delivery warehouse 40 and delivers them. Figure 3 is a flowchart of an example of the delivery and collection process.

[0016] In the delivery / collection process shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 52 of the control device 50 first waits for the authentication of the deliverer 19 (collector) to complete (S100). The authentication in S100 is performed by comparing the authentication code input by the deliverer 19 to the display operation unit 42 or read by the reading device 43 with the authentication code stored in the storage unit 53. When the authentication is completed, the control unit 52 displays a selection screen on the display operation unit 42 for the deliverer 19 to select delivery or collection (S105). Note that the control unit 52 may display a message on the display operation unit 42 indicating that there is a storage member 17 to be collected by the authenticated deliverer 19. Next, the control unit 52 determines whether delivery is selected based on the input to the display operation unit 42 (S110). If it is determined that delivery is selected, the delivery target delivery cabinet 41 is unlocked and the door 44 is opened (S115). In S115, the control unit 52 obtains the inquiry number input by the deliverer 19 to the display operation unit 42 or read by the reading device 43 from the slip attached to the commodity storage member, selects the delivery target delivery cabinet 41 corresponding to the inquiry number from the delivery cabinet information 54, and unlocks the selected delivery cabinet 41. Note that when the control unit 52 unlocks the delivery cabinet 41, it may display a message on the display operation unit 42 indicating that the delivery cabinet 41 with the opened door 44 is for delivery and the door 44 will be closed.

[0017] Then, the control unit 52 waits for the delivery to complete (S120). In S120, the control unit 52 determines the completion of delivery based on the detection signals from the article sensor 46 and the opening / closing sensor 47, that is, when an article exists in the delivery cabinet 41 and the door 44 is closed. When the delivery is completed, the control unit 52 locks the delivery cabinet 41 (S125), changes the delivery cabinet information 54 of the currently delivered delivery cabinet 41 to the waiting-for-receipt state, and stores the information of the deliverer (consignor store) and the information on whether the storage member needs to be collected (S130). In this embodiment, since the deliverer also collects the storage member 17, the deliverer is stored as the collector. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, delivery cabinet numbers 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 are in the waiting-for-receipt state, and the information of the deliverer (collector) is stored. Also, it is stored that for delivery cabinet numbers 1, 3, 6, the storage member needs to be collected (storage member 17), and for delivery cabinet numbers 4, 7, the storage member does not need to be collected (storage member 18).

[0018] Next, the control unit 52 generates a receipt password that the purchaser 14 will use to receive the goods and stores it in the delivery warehouse information 54 (omitted in Figure 2). It also sends information indicating that the delivery has been completed, along with the inquiry number, to the stocker management device 30 (S135), thus ending the delivery and collection process. The stocker management device 30 stores the receipt password in the stocker information 34 of the storage unit 33 and sends it to the sales management device 22. The sales management device 22 sends the received receipt password and inquiry number to the purchaser 14's mobile terminal. Furthermore, if the control unit 52 determines in S110 that delivery has not been selected, i.e., collection has been selected, it executes the collection process (S140), thus ending the delivery and collection process. Details of the collection process in S140 will be described later.

[0019] Next, the process when the purchaser 14 receives the goods will be explained. Figure 4 is a flowchart of an example of the receiving process. In the receiving process in Figure 4, the control unit 52 first waits for the recipient's authentication to be completed (S200). Authentication in S200 is performed by comparing the inquiry number and password entered by the purchaser 14 (recipient) into the display operation unit 42 or read by the reader 43 with the inquiry number and password stored in the delivery warehouse information 54 of the storage unit 53. Once authentication is complete, the control unit 52 obtains information from the delivery warehouse information 54 about the delivery warehouse 41 that corresponds to the inquiry number and password, i.e., the delivery warehouse 41 where the goods to be received are located (S205). Next, the control unit 52 determines whether there are multiple goods to be received based on the information obtained in S205 (S210). In this embodiment, if multiple goods purchased by the purchaser 14 (recipient) are delivered to multiple delivery warehouses 41 of the same stocker 40, the purchaser can receive each item from multiple delivery warehouses 41 simultaneously in a single receiving process. Furthermore, multiple items may be delivered by different suppliers (suppliers, delivery persons 19), but only items delivered on the same day may be accepted simultaneously in a single receipt process.

[0020] If the control unit 52 determines in S210 that there are no multiple items to be received, i.e., that the items to be received are from a single delivery warehouse 41, it executes the normal receiving process (S215) and terminates the receiving process. In the normal receiving process, once the receiving of items not stored in the storage member 17 is complete, the control unit 52 changes the delivery warehouse 41 from which the items were received to an empty state and updates the delivery warehouse information 54. Also, once the receiving of items stored in the storage member 17 is complete, the control unit 52 confirms that there are items in the delivery warehouse 41 (the storage member 17 has been returned) based on the detection signal from the item sensor 46. Then, the control unit 52 changes the delivery warehouse 41 from which the items were received to a waiting state and updates the delivery warehouse information 54. Note that the determination in S210 and the processing in S215 can be omitted, and the processing from S220 onwards can be performed after S205 without any problems.

[0021] Meanwhile, if the control unit 52 determines in S210 that there are multiple items to be received, it obtains the total number N0 of delivery warehouses 41 whose storage components need to be retrieved from the delivery warehouse information 54 and stores it in RAM (S220). Next, the control unit 52 unlocks the delivery warehouses 41 to which the items are to be received and opens the doors 44 (S225), and waits for the receipt of the items to be completed (S230). The completion of the receipt may also be determined by detecting that the doors 44 of all the delivery warehouses 41 that were opened have been closed based on the detection signals from the opening / closing sensors 47. Alternatively, the completion may be determined by the closing of all the doors 44 of the delivery warehouses 41, in addition to the operation of the display operation unit 42 indicating that the receipt is complete. If the storage components need to be retrieved, the purchaser 14 (recipient) takes the items out of the storage components 17, returns the storage components 17 to the delivery warehouse 41, and closes the doors 44. Therefore, the completion of the receipt of the items is determined including this return.

[0022] When the control unit 52 determines in S230 that the receipt is complete, it selects a delivery warehouse 41 from among the received items based on the detection signal from the item sensor 46, and derives the total number N1 of that delivery warehouse 41 (S235). If an item is detected by the item sensor 46 after the receipt of the goods is complete, it can be determined that the storage member 17 has been returned to the delivery warehouse 41. Next, the control unit 52 determines whether the total number N0 stored in S220 matches the total number N1 derived in S235 (S240). When the control unit 52 determines that the total number N0 before and after receipt matches the total number N1, it determines that the storage member 17 has been returned to the delivery warehouse 41 (S245). In other words, the control unit 52 determines that the storage components 17 have been returned if the total number of storage units 41 (storage components 17) matches before and after the receipt of the goods, regardless of whether or not the goods (storage components 17) have been returned to the original storage unit 41 in which they were found. The control unit 52 then changes the status of any storage units 41 in which no goods have been detected to an empty state (S250). The control unit 52 also associates the storage units 41 in which goods have been detected with the retrieval of the storage components 17 (S255), locks the storage units 41 in which the goods have been received (S260), and ends the receipt process.

[0023] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of delivery warehouse information 54, and shows the state after recipients X and Y have received multiple items from the state in Figure 2. In the case of recipient X, there are two storage components 17 that need to be retrieved from the items received, which are located in delivery warehouses 1 and 3 (see Figure 2), so the total number N0 is 2. Also, in the state after receipt shown in Figure 5, delivery warehouse 1 is empty and delivery warehouses 3 and 4 are waiting to be retrieved. That is, items have been detected from delivery warehouses 3 and 4, and the total number N1 after receipt is 2, which matches the total number N0, so it is determined that the storage components 17 have been returned. In addition, for recipient X's items, the retrievers of the storage components 17 are stores A and B (see Figure 2), but it is unknown to which delivery warehouse 41 each storage component 17 from stores A and B was returned to. Therefore, stores A and B are associated with delivery warehouse numbers 3 and 4 as collectors, and the same collection group G1 is associated with them simultaneously so that the doors can be opened and the collectors can confirm the stored components 17 (see Figure 5).

[0024] On the other hand, in the case of recipient Y, the only storage component 17 that needs to be retrieved among the items to be received is in delivery warehouse number 6 (see Figure 2), so the total number N0 is 1. Also, in the state after receipt shown in Figure 5, delivery warehouse number 6 is empty and delivery warehouse number 7 is waiting to be retrieved. That is, an item has been detected in delivery warehouse number 7, and the total number N1 after receipt is 1, which matches the total number N0, so it is determined that the storage component 17 has been returned. Furthermore, for recipient Y's goods, the retriever of the storage component 17 is store D (see Figure 2), so store D is associated with delivery warehouse number 7 as the retriever, and the retriever group G2 is associated with it (see Figure 5). Note that when the total number N1 is 1, it is sufficient to have the storage component 17 retrieved from one delivery warehouse 41, and there is no need to open multiple delivery warehouses 41 and have the retrievers confirm the storage component 17, so the processing related to the retriever group may be omitted.

[0025] Furthermore, if the control unit 52 determines in S240 that the total number N0 before and after receipt does not match the total number N1, it determines that the storage member 17 to be retrieved has not been returned to the delivery warehouse 41 and reports a return error (S265), then returns to S225. In S265, the control unit 52 reports the return error by, for example, displaying a message on the display operation unit 42 indicating that the storage member 17 has not been returned to the delivery warehouse 41. Alternatively, the control unit 52 may also report the return error by outputting an audio message to that effect from a speaker (not shown). In S225, the control unit 52, for example, reopens the door 44 of the delivery warehouse 41 that was the target of the product's receipt, prompting the return of the storage member and its confirmation. Then, in S230, the control unit 52 waits for the return to be completed, that is, for the purchaser 14 (recipient) to return the storage member 17 to the delivery warehouse 41 and close the door 44. When the control unit 52 determines in S230 that the return process is complete, it performs the processes in S235 and S240 again, and if the total number N0 matches the total number N1, it performs the processes from S245 onwards.

[0026] The storage component 17 is retrieved in the retrieval process at S140 of the delivery and retrieval process shown in Figure 3. Figure 6 is a flowchart of an example of the retrieval process. In the retrieval process, the control unit 52 first selects a delivery warehouse 41 that is awaiting retrieval and is associated with the retriever, based on the delivery warehouse information 54 (S300). Next, the control unit 52 unlocks all of the selected delivery warehouses 41 and opens the doors 44 (S305), displays a message on the display operation unit 42 indicating that the storage component 17 has been retrieved from the opened delivery warehouse 41 and the doors 44 have been closed (S310), and waits for the retrieval to be completed (S315).

[0027] For example, if the retriever is store A, the doors of delivery warehouses numbered 3 and 4 (see Figure 5) associated with store A are opened, and the retriever is instructed to retrieve the storage components 17 for store A from either of the delivery warehouses 41 numbered 3 or 4. The same procedure applies if the retriever is store B. If the retriever is store D, the door of delivery warehouse numbered 7 (see Figure 5) associated with store D is opened, and the retriever is instructed to retrieve the storage components 17 for store D. The control unit 52 can determine the completion of the retrieval by detecting, based on the detection signals from the open / close sensors 47, that all the doors 44 of the opened delivery warehouses 41 have been closed. Alternatively, the control unit 52 may determine the completion of the retrieval by checking that all the doors 44 of the delivery warehouses 41 have been closed, in addition to the display operation unit 42 indicating that the retrieval is complete.

[0028] When the control unit 52 determines that the retrieval is complete, it excludes from the retrieval targets any delivery warehouses 41 whose doors 44 are closed and which do not have any items detected by the item sensor 46, by marking them as empty (S320). Exclusion from the retrieval targets is performed by deleting the retrieval user association and retrieval group information from the delivery warehouse information 54 for the relevant delivery warehouse 41. Next, the control unit 52 determines whether there are other delivery warehouses 41 in the same retrieval group (S325). If the control unit 52 determines that there are other delivery warehouses 41, it excludes the recipient from the other delivery warehouses 41 (S330), and if it determines that there are no other delivery warehouses 41 in the same retrieval group, it skips S330. Exclusion of the recipient is performed by deleting the recipient from the retrieval user association in the delivery warehouse information 54 for the other delivery warehouses 41. Next, the control unit 52 locks the delivery warehouse 41 (S335) and terminates the retrieval process.

[0029] Figures 7 and 8 are explanatory diagrams showing an example of delivery warehouse information 54. Figure 7 is the same as Figure 5 and shows the case where store A retrieves the storage component 17 from delivery warehouse number 3. In this case, once the retrieval is complete, no items are detected in delivery warehouse number 3, so it is changed to an empty state, and the information on the retriever association and retrieval group is deleted (see Figure 8). Therefore, the storage component 17 of store A is returned to delivery warehouse number 3, and the storage component 17 of store B is returned to delivery warehouse number 4. Also, in delivery warehouse number 4, which is in the same retrieval group (G1) as delivery warehouse number 3 in Figure 7, store A, the recipient in this case, is deleted from the retriever association, leaving only store B (see Figure 8). Therefore, when the next retrieval process is carried out with store B as the retriever, only delivery warehouse number 4 is opened to retrieve the storage component 17. Note that in Figure 7, delivery warehouse 41 of delivery warehouse number 7 is also waiting to be retrieved, but only delivery warehouse number 7 is associated with store D as the retriever. Therefore, if store D is the one responsible for the retrieval process, only the delivery warehouse 41 of delivery warehouse number 7 will be opened to retrieve the storage component 17.

[0030] Here, the correspondence between the components of this embodiment and the components of the present disclosure will be clarified. The delivery warehouse 41 of this embodiment corresponds to the delivery warehouse of the present disclosure, the stocker 40 corresponds to the stocker, the item sensor 46 corresponds to the detection unit, the storage unit 53 corresponds to the storage unit, the control unit 52 that executes the receiving process S205, S220, and S235 corresponds to the acquisition unit, and the control unit 52 that executes S240 corresponds to the determination unit. Furthermore, the control unit 52 that executes the receiving process S250, S255 and the retrieval process S300 to S310 corresponds to the processing unit. In addition, in this embodiment, an example of the stocker management method of the present disclosure is also clarified by explaining the operation of the control unit 52.

[0031] The stocker 40 of this embodiment, as described above, obtains the total number N0 (information value) of delivery warehouses 41 in which the goods to be received are stored in the storage member 17 (collection-related information) from the delivery warehouse information 54 (collection-related information), and obtains the total number N1 (detection value) of delivery warehouses 41 in which the goods have been detected among the delivery warehouses 41 where receipt has been completed. Then, based on the total number N0 and the total number N1, if it is determined that the storage member 17 has not been returned, an error is generated, and if it is determined that the storage member 17 has been returned to any of the delivery warehouses 41, no error is generated. This makes it possible to avoid generating an error if the storage member 17 has been returned to any of the delivery warehouses 41, regardless of whether it is the original delivery warehouse 41 or not. For this reason, the recipient does not need to be aware of which delivery warehouse 41 to return the storage member 17 to, and can simply return it to the delivery warehouse 41 that is easiest to return it to among the delivery warehouses 41 in which the goods were received. For example, a short recipient can return the storage component 17 to the lower storage compartment 41, or a tall recipient can return it to the upper storage compartment 41, allowing the recipient to return the storage component 17 to a storage compartment 41 at their preferred location. Therefore, the flexibility in returning the storage component 17 can be increased, improving convenience for the recipient (user).

[0032] Furthermore, the control unit 52 determines that the storage member 17 has been returned when the total number N0 and the total number N1 match, thus ensuring reliable determination of the return of the storage member 17. When the control unit 52 determines that the storage member 17 has been returned, it associates the person who retrieved the storage member 17 with all the delivery warehouses 41 where the items have been detected and stored them in the delivery warehouse information 54. Then, when the retriever retrieves the storage member 17, the control unit 52 opens all the delivery warehouses 41 associated with the retriever based on the delivery warehouse information 54, allowing the storage member 17 to be retrieved. Therefore, even if the storage member 17 is returned to a delivery warehouse 41 different from the original delivery warehouse 41, the retriever can be made to confirm the delivery warehouse 41 and retrieve the storage member 17.

[0033] It goes without saying that this disclosure is not limited in any way to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various forms as long as they fall within the technical scope of this disclosure.

[0034] In the embodiment described above, it was determined that the storage member 17 was returned when the total number N0 and the total number N1 matched, but this is not limited to this. Figure 9 is a flowchart of the receiving process in a modified example. In the modified example, the same steps as in the embodiment are given the same step numbers and their explanations are omitted. In this receiving process, if the control unit 52 determines that the total number N0 and the total number N1 do not match, it determines whether the total number N1 is greater than or equal to 1 (S242). Normally, the total number N1 is not greater than the total number N0, so if the total number N0 and the total number N1 do not match, it means that the total number N1 is less than the total number N0. If the control unit 52 determines in S242 that the total number N1 is greater than or equal to 1, it determines that the storage member 17 has been returned (S245) and proceeds with the processing from S250 onwards. Also, if the control unit 52 determines that the total number N1 is not greater than or equal to 1 (it is 0), it proceeds to S265. Thus, even if the total number N1 is smaller than the total number N0, if the value is 1 or greater, it is determined that at least one storage member 17 has been returned, and the storage member 17 has been returned. For this reason, even if the recipient does not return the storage members 17 one by one to the delivery warehouse 41, but returns several together to the delivery warehouse 41, the system will not notify a return error as the storage member 17 has been returned, thus further increasing the flexibility of returning the storage members 17 and improving convenience.

[0035] In the modified example shown in Figure 9, the same processing (processing from S245 onwards) was performed in both cases: when the total number N0 and the total number N1 match in S240, and when the total number N1 is 1 or greater in S242. However, the process is not limited to these cases. For example, if the total number N1 is 1 or greater, it can be assumed that the storage members 17 have been returned to the delivery warehouse 41 in a single batch, while it is also possible that the recipient has forgotten to return some of the storage members 17. For this reason, if the total number N1 is 1 or greater, a message to check whether any items have been forgotten to be returned may be displayed on the display operation unit 42 to prompt confirmation. On the other hand, if the total number N0 and the total number N1 match, confirmation is unnecessary, and processing from S245 onwards can be performed.

[0036] In this embodiment, the determination of whether or not the storage members 17 have been returned is made based on the total number N0 and the total number N1, but it may also be made based on the total weight of the storage members 17. In that case, the stocker 40 can be equipped with a weight-detection sensor as the item sensor 46 of each delivery warehouse 41. Alternatively, as shown in the delivery warehouse information 54B of the modified example in Figure 10, instead of (or in addition to) determining whether or not the storage members 17 need to be recovered, the weight of the storage members 17 that need to be recovered can be stored. The weight of the storage members 17 may be pre-registered by each store 21 (supplier).

[0037] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing a modified receiving process. In this receiving process, the control unit 52 obtains and stores the total weight W0 of the storage members 17 to be retrieved from the delivery warehouse information 54B (S220b). For example, when recipient X receives the items, the control unit 52 obtains the weight a of delivery warehouse number 1 and the weight b of delivery warehouse number 3 from the delivery warehouse information 54B, and stores the total weight W0 (= a + b). The control unit 52 also calculates the total weight W1 of the items detected by the item sensor 46 (weight detection sensor) from the delivery warehouse 41 where the receiving has been completed (S235b), and determines whether it matches the total weight W0 (S240b). If the control unit 52 determines that the total weight W0 and the total weight W1 match, it determines that the storage members have been returned (S245), and proceeds with the processing from S250 onwards without issuing a return error. On the other hand, if the control unit 52 determines that the total weight W0 and total weight W1 do not match, it determines in S265 that the storage members have not been returned and reports a return error. In this way, based on the total weights W0 and W1 before and after receipt, an error can be avoided if the storage members 17 have been returned to any of the delivery warehouses 41. Furthermore, because the determination is based on the total weights W0 and W1, even if the storage members 17 are returned all at once, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not all of the storage members 17 have been returned.

[0038] In this embodiment, all retrievers are associated with each delivery warehouse 41 to which the storage member 17 has been returned, and at the time of retrieval, all delivery warehouses 41 associated with the retriever are opened at once. However, the system is not limited to this, and each delivery warehouse 41 may be opened one by one for verification. That is, if the storage member 17 in the opened delivery warehouse 41 does not belong to that retriever, the next delivery warehouse 41 may be opened sequentially.

[0039] In this embodiment, the control unit 52 of the control device 50 performed the delivery / collection and receiving processes, but the control unit 32 of the stocker management device 30 may perform some or all of each of these processes.

[0040] Herein, the stocker of the present disclosure may be configured as follows. For example, in the stocker of the present disclosure, the determination unit may determine that the component to be recovered has been returned when the information value and the detected value match. In this way, it is possible to reliably determine that the component to be recovered has been returned.

[0041] In the stocker of this disclosure, the detection unit detects the presence or absence of items in each delivery warehouse, and the determination unit may determine that the item to be returned has been returned if the detection value is 1 or greater, even if the total number of delivery warehouses obtained as the detection value is less than the total number of delivery warehouses obtained as the information value. In this way, the recipient does not need to return multiple items to be returned one by one to the delivery warehouse, but can return them all together to one delivery warehouse, thereby further improving user convenience.

[0042] In the stocker of this disclosure, the storage unit includes information of the person who retrieves the retrieved material in the retrieval-related information, and when it is determined that the retrieved material has been returned, it retrieves the retriever of the retrieved material from the retrieval-related information, and stores the retrieved retriever in the retrieval-related information by associating it with all delivery warehouses where the goods or the weight of the goods can be detected by the detection unit among the delivery warehouses where receipt has been completed, and the processing unit may also process all delivery warehouses associated with the retriever based on the retrieval-related information so that the retrieved material can be retrieved. In this way, even if the retrieved material is returned to a delivery warehouse different from the original delivery warehouse, the retriever can check the delivery warehouse to which it may have been returned and retrieve the retrieved material.

[0043] The stocker management method of this disclosure is a stocker management method for managing a stocker comprising: a plurality of delivery warehouses capable of receiving goods contained in transport components and receiving delivered goods; and a detection unit capable of detecting the presence or weight of items in each delivery warehouse, the method comprising: (a) storing recovery-related information in a storage unit with respect to goods in each delivery warehouse, including whether or not the components need to be recovered or the weight of the components that need to be recovered; (b) when a recipient receives multiple goods from multiple delivery warehouses, obtaining as an information value the total number of delivery warehouses in which the goods to be received are contained in the components that need to be recovered or the total weight of the components that need to be recovered from the recovery-related information; (c) obtaining as a detection value the total number of delivery warehouses in which items are detected by the detection unit or the total weight of the detected items among the delivery warehouses where receipt has been completed; and (d) determining, based on the information value and the detection value, that an error is generated if it is determined that the components that need to be recovered have not been returned, and that no error is generated if it is determined that the components that need to be recovered have been returned to any of the delivery warehouses. The stocker management method disclosed herein, similar to the stocker described above, can improve user convenience by increasing the flexibility of returning the components that contain the goods (components to be collected). In this stocker management method, various forms of the stocker described above may be adopted, or steps that realize each of the functions of the stocker described above may be added. [Industrial applicability]

[0044] This invention can be used in the technical field of product distribution systems that deliver goods to stockers. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10 Stocker system, 12,13 Network, 14 Purchaser, 15 Mobile terminal, 17,18 Storage component, 19 Delivery person, 20 Sales management system, 21,21A,21B Store, 22 Sales management device, 30 Stocker management device, 32 Control unit, 33 Memory unit, 34 Stocker information, 38 Communication unit, 40,40A,40B Stocker, 41 Delivery warehouse, 42 Display operation unit, 43 Reading device, 44 Door, 45 Locking mechanism, 46 Item sensor, 47 Open / close sensor, 50 Control device, 52 Control unit, 53 Memory unit, 54,54B Delivery warehouse information, 58 Communication unit.

Claims

1. A stocker equipped with multiple delivery warehouses capable of receiving goods contained in transport components and receiving delivered goods, A detection unit capable of detecting the presence or weight of items in each delivery warehouse, A storage unit that stores information related to the recovery of goods in each delivery warehouse, including whether or not the aforementioned components need to be recovered or the weight of the components that need to be recovered, When a recipient receives multiple goods from multiple delivery warehouses, the acquisition unit obtains the total number of delivery warehouses in which the goods to be received are contained in the recovery component, or the total weight of the recovery component, as information values ​​from the recovery-related information, and obtains the total number of delivery warehouses in which goods are detected by the detection unit, or the total weight of the detected goods, as detection values ​​from the delivery warehouses in which receipt has been completed. A determination unit that determines, based on the aforementioned information value and the aforementioned detection value, that an error will be generated if it is determined that the component to be recovered has not been returned, and that an error will not be generated if it is determined that the component to be recovered has been returned to any of the delivery warehouses. A storage unit equipped with this feature.

2. A stocker according to claim 1, The determination unit determines that the retrieved component has been returned when the information value and the detected value match.

3. A stocker according to claim 1, The detection unit detects the presence or absence of items in each delivery warehouse, The determination unit determines that the retrieved component has been returned if the detection value is 1 or greater, even if the total number of delivery warehouses obtained as the detection value is smaller than the total number of delivery warehouses obtained as the information value.

4. A stocker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The storage unit includes information about the person who retrieved the retrieved component in the retrieved information. If it is determined that the component to be recovered has been returned, the processing unit obtains the recoverer of the component from the recovery-related information and associates the obtained recoverer with all delivery warehouses where the item or the weight of the item has been detected by the detection unit, and stores this information in the recovery-related information. The processing unit, when a retriever retrieves the retrieved components, processes all delivery warehouses associated with the retriever based on the retriever-related information to enable the retrieval of the retrieved components.

5. A stocker management method comprising a stocker system comprising a stocker system and a stocker management device for managing the stocker, wherein the stocker is managed by a control unit included in the stocker system, the stocker having a plurality of delivery warehouses capable of receiving goods contained in transport components and receiving delivered goods, and a detection unit capable of detecting the presence or weight of items in each delivery warehouse, and the stocker being managed by a control unit included in the stocker system, (a) A step of storing in the storage unit recovery-related information, including whether or not the component needs to be recovered or the weight of the component that needs to be recovered, with respect to the goods in each delivery warehouse, (b) When the recipient receives multiple goods from multiple delivery warehouses, the steps include obtaining the total number of delivery warehouses in which the goods to be received are stored in the recovery component, or the total weight of the recovery component, as information values ​​from the recovery-related information, (c) A step of obtaining the total number of delivery warehouses in which goods are detected by the detection unit, or the total weight of the detected goods, as a detection value, (d) A step in which, based on the information value and the detected value, if it is determined that the component to be recovered has not been returned, an error is generated, and if it is determined that the component to be recovered has been returned to any of the delivery warehouses, A stocker management method that includes this.

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