Storage system, control method for storage system, and program

Abstract

A storage system (1) comprises: a plurality of storage parts (11) that are arranged side by side in the in-plane direction and each have a door (11a); displays (13) (display parts) that display images on the respective doors (11a); and a control unit (20) (control part) that controls display images in a display target region including a prescribed number of adjacent doors (11a). The control unit (20) sets the display form of the display images to be different between the door (11a) of a storage part (11) in an empty state and the doors (11a) of the other storage parts (11).

Description

Storage system, control method for storage system, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a storage system having a plurality of storage units arranged side by side in a plane, a control method for the storage system, and a program.

[0002] At stations and commercial facilities, lockers for temporarily storing luggage are installed. Usually, in a locker, a plurality of storage units are arranged in a matrix in the plane direction. Recently, the usage status, unlocking, and locking of each storage unit are centrally managed by a control unit. A user can use a desired storage unit via an interface connected to the control unit.

[0003] Patent Document 1 below describes a storage device including a locker having a display installed on the door of each storage unit and a control device for controlling the opening and closing state of the locker.Based on the above configuration, by executing the overall screen display mode, advertisements can be provided using all the doors. However, on the other hand, while such an advertisement is being displayed, the usage status of each storage unit cannot be displayed on the door of each storage unit. For this reason, a user who tries to use the locker (storage system) cannot grasp from the display of the display which storage units are vacant while the advertisement is being displayed.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-13733

[0005] In view of such problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a storage system, a control method for the storage system, and a program that enable a user to simultaneously grasp an image such as an advertisement and a vacant storage unit.

[0006] In view of such problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a storage system, a control method for the storage system, and a program that enable a user to simultaneously grasp an image such as an advertisement and a vacant storage unit.

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention relates to a storage system. The storage system according to this aspect comprises a plurality of storage units arranged in a plane direction and each having a door, a display unit for displaying an image on each of the doors, and a control unit for controlling the display image of a display target area including a predetermined number of adjacent doors. The control unit causes the display format of the display image to differ between a first door of an empty storage unit and a second door of another storage unit.

[0008] According to the storage system of this embodiment, the display format of the display image differs between the doors of empty storage compartments and other doors, so that the user can identify empty storage compartments based on this difference in display format. Furthermore, although the display format differs, the portion of the display image on the door of an empty storage compartment is also displayed, so the display image can be substantially provided to the user. Therefore, according to the storage system of this embodiment, the user can simultaneously grasp the display image and the empty storage compartments.

[0009] In the storage system according to this embodiment, the control unit may be configured to make the transparency of the display image different between the first door and the second door.

[0010] With this configuration, users can identify empty storage compartments based on differences in transparency.

[0011] In this configuration, the control unit may be configured to adjust the transparency of the display image for the first door to be higher than the transparency of the display image for the second door, and to overlay another image for indicating the vacant state onto the first door.

[0012] With this configuration, the user can see other images by looking through the display image on the first door. Since these other images show the availability status of the storage compartments, the user can refer to the display image while simultaneously understanding the availability of the storage compartments more clearly and smoothly from the other images.

[0013] In the storage system according to this embodiment, the control unit may be configured to acquire an image from an imaging unit that images the front area of ​​the storage system, determine from the acquired image whether or not there is a person in the front area, and if there is a person in the front area, display the display image with a different display format between the first door and the second door, and if there is no person in the front area, display the display image without a difference in display format between the first door and the second door.

[0014] With this configuration, when a user intending to use the storage system approaches the system, the display images are shown in a different format between the first and second doors. The approaching user can then refer to the display images and determine which storage compartments are available based on the differences in display format. Furthermore, if there are no users near the storage system, the display images are shown without any difference in format between the first and second doors, providing a better display image to people passing by away from the storage system.

[0015] The storage system according to this embodiment includes an interface for receiving operations related to the use of the storage unit, and the control unit acquires an image from an imaging unit that images the front area of ​​the storage system, determines from the acquired image whether or not a person has come into the front area, and when a person comes into the front area, displays the display image with different display modes between the first door and the second door, and thereafter, upon detection of an operation on the interface, the display image may be displayed without different display modes between the first door and the second door.

[0016] With this configuration, when a user approaches the storage system, the display images are shown with different display formats between the first and second doors. The approaching user can then refer to the display images and determine which storage compartments are empty based on the differences in display formats. Furthermore, when the user then performs an operation on the interface, the display images are shown without any difference in display format between the first and second doors, providing a better display image to people moving away from the storage system. At this point, the approaching user has already performed the desired operation on the interface and therefore does not need to specifically determine which storage compartments are empty. Thus, displaying the images without any difference in display format does not pose a problem for the user; in fact, this display provides the user with a better display image.

[0017] The storage system according to this embodiment includes a storage unit that stores management information linking each of the storage units and its size, and the control unit acquires an image from an imaging unit that images the front area of ​​the storage system, estimates the size of luggage held by a person in the front area from the acquired image, selects from the management information the storage unit corresponding to the estimated size of the luggage from among the empty storage units included in the display target area, and configures the display format of the display image on the door of the selected storage unit of the first door to be different from that of the second door, while the display format of the display image on the door of the storage unit that was not selected to be the same as that of the second door.

[0018] In this configuration, among the empty storage compartments, those suitable for storing luggage are indicated by differences in the display image. Therefore, users can easily identify the storage compartment suitable for their luggage. Furthermore, the doors with different display formats are limited to those suitable for luggage storage, rather than all empty storage compartment doors. This allows for a better display image to people passing by the storage system.

[0019] In the storage system according to this embodiment, the displayed image is, for example, an advertising image containing advertising information.

[0020] This configuration allows advertising images to be displayed to people near the storage system.

[0021] In the storage system according to this embodiment, the display unit may be a display located on the surface of the door.

[0022] With this configuration, by displaying images on multiple doors included in the display area and controlling the display located on the first door, the display format of the images can be smoothly differentiated between the first door and the second door.

[0023] Alternatively, the display unit may be a projector that projects an image onto the display target area.

[0024] With this configuration, by displaying images on multiple doors included in the display area and adjusting the projected image from the projector, the display format of the images can be smoothly differentiated between the first door and the second door.

[0025] A second aspect of the present invention relates to a control method for a storage system comprising a plurality of storage compartments arranged in a plane direction and each having a door, and a display unit for displaying an image on each of the doors. In this aspect, a display image is displayed in a display target area including a predetermined number of adjacent doors, and the display form of the display image is made different between a first door of an empty storage compartment and a second door of another storage compartment.

[0026] A third aspect of the present invention relates to a program that causes a control unit of a storage system, which comprises a plurality of storage units arranged in a plane direction and each having a door, and a display unit for displaying an image on each of the doors, to execute a predetermined function. The program according to this aspect causes the control unit to execute a function to display a display image in a display target area including a predetermined number of adjacent doors, and a function to make the display form of the display image different between a first door of an empty storage unit and a second door of another storage unit.

[0027] According to the second and third aspects of the present invention, the same effects as those of the first aspect described above are achieved.

[0028] A fourth aspect of the present invention relates to a storage system. The storage system according to this aspect comprises a plurality of storage units arranged in a line in the in-plane direction, each having a door; a display unit for displaying an image on each of the doors; and a control unit for simultaneously displaying a first image for the public and a second image relating to an empty storage unit in a display target area including a predetermined number of adjacent doors.

[0029] According to the storage system of this embodiment, a first image intended for the public, such as an advertising image, and a second image relating to an empty storage compartment are displayed simultaneously, allowing the user to simultaneously perceive both the first image intended for the public and the empty storage compartment.

[0030] In the storage system according to this embodiment, the control unit may be configured to display the first image in the display target area, and to increase the transparency of the first image on the first door of the storage unit that is open among the doors of the plurality of storage units, compared to the transparency of the first image on the second door of the storage unit that is not open, so that the second image is displayed superimposed on the first image on the first door.

[0031] This configuration allows a large first image for the public to be displayed across the entire display area, while a second image indicating that a storage compartment is empty is superimposed on the door of an empty compartment. Therefore, the first image can be made more easily visible to the public, including the user, while also allowing the user to understand which storage compartments are empty.

[0032] Alternatively, in the storage system according to this embodiment, the control unit may be configured to divide the display target area into a first area and a second area, to display the first image on the door of the first area, and to display the second image on the door of the second area.

[0033] With this configuration, the first and second images are displayed with the region divided, allowing the user to clearly distinguish between the first and second images.

[0034] In this configuration, it is preferable that the first region be set to be larger than the second region.

[0035] With this configuration, the first image is displayed over a wide area, allowing the public passing by at a distance from the storage system to easily grasp the first image intended for the public.

[0036] Furthermore, the storage system may be configured to include an interface for receiving operations related to the use of the storage compartment, and the control unit may be configured to stop displaying the first and second images and display an image for each of the doors included in the display target area, indicating whether or not the storage compartment of each door is empty, upon detecting the start of an operation for depositing items to the interface.

[0037] With this configuration, users can easily determine which door is open by actually seeing each door as they begin the deposit process.

[0038] As described above, the present invention provides a storage system, a control method for the storage system, and a program that enable the user to simultaneously perceive images such as advertisements and an empty storage compartment.

[0039] The effects and significance of the present invention will become even clearer from the description of the embodiments shown below. However, the embodiments shown below are merely examples of how to implement the present invention, and the present invention is not limited in any way to those described in the embodiments below.

[0040] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a storage system according to Embodiment 1. Figure 2 is a front view showing the configuration of a locker device according to Embodiment 1. Figures 3(a) and 3(b) are front views showing the configuration of a panel section according to Embodiment 1. Figure 4 is a front view showing the configuration of a payment unit according to Embodiment 1. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the circuit section of the storage system according to Embodiment 1. Figure 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the initial screen displayed on the interface of the payment unit according to Embodiment 1. Figure 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of the confirmation screen displayed on the interface of the payment unit according to Embodiment 1. Figure 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of the payment screen displayed on the interface of the payment unit according to Embodiment 1. Figure 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of the retrieval screen displayed on the interface of the payment unit according to Embodiment 1. Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of displaying an advertising image in the second mode according to Embodiment 1. Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the image display process according to Embodiment 1. Figure 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of displaying an image in the first mode according to Embodiment 1. Figure 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of displaying an advertising image in the second mode according to Modified Example 1 of Embodiment 1. Figure 14 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the display of an advertising image in the second mode according to modified example 1 of Embodiment 1. Figure 15 is a front view showing the configuration of the locker device according to modified example 2 of Embodiment 1. Figure 16 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display of an image in the first mode according to Embodiment 2. Figure 17 is a flowchart showing the image display process according to Embodiment 2. Figure 18 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display of an image in the second mode according to Embodiment 2. Figure 19 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display of an image in the first mode according to modified example 2. Figure 20 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of the locker device according to Embodiment 3. Figure 21 is a schematic front view showing another configuration of the locker device according to Embodiment 3. Figure 22 is a diagram showing the configuration of a reception screen for receiving input of the size and weight of the luggage to be stored, according to Embodiment 3. Figure 23 is a flowchart showing the image display process according to Embodiment 3. Figure 24 is a schematic diagram showing the display state of each door display in the third mode according to Embodiment 3.FIG. 25 is a front view showing the configuration of the locker device according to a modification example of Embodiment 3. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing the configuration of the storage system according to Embodiment 4. FIG. 27 is a diagram schematically showing a display example of an image including an image for the public and an image showing the vacant state according to Another Modification Example 1. FIG. 28 is a diagram schematically showing a display example of an image showing a storage section for which luggage is to be taken out according to Another Modification Example 2. FIG. 29 is a diagram schematically showing a display example of a guiding image for guiding another locker device according to Another Modification Example 3.

[0041] However, the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

[0042] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0043] <Embodiment 1> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a storage system 1 according to Embodiment 1.

[0044] The storage system 1 includes a locker device 10 and a control unit 20. The locker device 10 and the control unit 20 are installed at a station, a commercial facility, or the like.

[0045] The locker device 10 includes a plurality of storage sections 11 arranged in a matrix in the in-plane direction and a settlement unit 12. Each storage section 11 has an openable and closable door 11a. Here, each door 11a is configured to open to the left and rotate about an axis near the left side. When the door 11a is opened, a storage space for luggage is opened. Each door 11a can be locked. After luggage is stored in the storage space and settlement is performed using the settlement unit 12, the door 11a of the storage space is locked. The settlement unit 12 includes an interface 121, which will be described later.

[0046] The control unit 20 is composed of an information processing device such as a personal computer and is built into the locker device 10. However, it is not limited to this, and the control unit 20 may be mounted on the settlement unit 12 as a control board. The control unit 20 controls the settlement unit 12 to perform settlement associated with the use of the locker device 10. When storage and settlement of luggage in a predetermined storage unit 11 are performed, the control unit 20 locks the door 11a of the storage unit 11.

[0047] In addition, the control unit 20 communicates with the server 30 via an external communication network 40 such as the Internet. The control unit 20 acquires image information from the server 30. In this embodiment, this image information is an advertisement image including advertisement information. The advertisement image is provided from an advertiser to the administrator of the server 30, and the administrator of the server 30 registers it in the server 30. The control unit 20 stores the image information of the advertisement image acquired from the server 30 and uses the stored image information to display the advertisement image on a predetermined door 11a of the locker device 10.

[0048] In addition, the control unit 20 communicates with the camera 50. The camera 50 images a predetermined area in front of the locker device 10. The camera 50 is used to determine that a person has arrived in this area. The control unit 20 continuously analyzes the captured image received from the camera 50, and when a human face is extracted from a predetermined area on the captured image, it determines that there is a person in front of the locker device 10.

[0049] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the configuration of the locker device 10.

[0050] A display 13 is installed on the surface of each door 11a. The display 13 is made of, for example, a liquid crystal panel. The size of the display 13 is slightly smaller than the size of the surface of the door 11a. The control unit 20 in Figure 1 displays the aforementioned advertising images acquired from the server 30 on the display 13 of the designated door 11a. A handle 11b is installed at the right end of each door 11a, which is grasped when opening and closing the door 11a. A label (not shown) with the locker number is affixed to the upper right corner of each door 11a. In addition, a panel section 14 used when using the door 11a is located in the space to the right of each door 11a.

[0051] Figures 3(a) and 3(b) are front views showing the configuration of the panel section 14.

[0052] Figure 3(a) shows the state of the panel section 14 when the storage section 11 immediately to its left is empty. Figure 3(b) shows the state of the panel section 14 when the storage section 11 immediately to its left is in use.

[0053] The panel section 14 includes a lighting area 141, a message area 142, a temporary lock operation section 143, and a keyhole 144. The keyhole 144 is used in emergencies for the administrator of the locker device 10 to open the door 11a with a key.

[0054] The illuminated area 141 lights up when the storage compartment 11 immediately to the left of the panel 14 is empty, informing the user that the storage compartment 11 is available for use. In this case, the illuminated area 141 lights up in green. As a result, as shown in Figure 3(a), the illuminated area 141 glows green, and the words "Available" within the illuminated area 141 become visible. If the storage compartment 11 immediately to the left of the panel 14 is in use, as shown in Figure 3(b), the illuminated area 141 turns off and the words "Available" disappear. The user can determine which storage compartments are available by referring to the illuminated area 141.

[0055] The message area 142 shows the operating procedures for the storage compartment 11 and the panel compartment 14. Specifically, the message area 142 indicates that luggage should be placed in the storage compartment 11 immediately to the left of the panel compartment 14, and the lever 143a of the temporary lock operation unit 143 should be lowered.

[0056] The temporary locking operation section 143 has a lever 143a for temporary locking operation and a mark 143b indicating the unlocked state. The lever 143a and the mark 143b are integrally movable up and down along a rectangular opening that forms the outline of the temporary locking operation section 143.

[0057] When a user places luggage into the storage compartment 11 during check-in, they push the lever 143a downward from the state shown in Figure 3(a) to the state shown in Figure 3(b). This temporarily locks the door 11a of the storage compartment 11. This operation is detected by a sensor in the locking unit 212 (see Figure 5), and the detection result is output to the control unit 20. In response, the control unit 20 causes the illuminated area 141 of the panel 14 to blink, as will be described later.

[0058] Figure 4 is a front view showing the configuration of the settlement unit 12.

[0059] The settlement unit 12 includes an interface 121, a barcode reader 122, a card reader 123, a banknote deposit / discharge slot 124, a coin deposit slot 125, a return lever 126, a coin dispensing slot 127, a first ticket issuing slot 128a, and a second ticket issuing slot 128b.

[0060] Interface 121 displays predetermined information and accepts input for the display. Interface 121 is configured, for example, as a touch panel. Barcode reader 122 reads the barcode on the ticket issued from the second ticket dispenser 128b during cash payment. In this case, a two-dimensional barcode is printed on the ticket. In this case, barcode reader 122 is a two-dimensional barcode reader. However, it is not limited to this, and the barcode printed on the ticket may be a one-dimensional barcode.

[0061] The card reader 123 reads information from the IC card. In this case, the card reader 123 reads user information from the user's IC card using the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) method. Therefore, the user's IC card is configured to comply with the RFID method. However, the card reader 123 may also be configured to read user information from a card on which user information is recorded magnetically.

[0062] The banknote deposit / discharge slot 124 is used for users to deposit banknotes and receive change or lost bills during settlement. The coin deposit slot 125 is used for users to deposit coins during settlement. The return lever 126 is used for users to return coins that have been deposited into the coin deposit slot 125. The coin dispensing slot 127 is used to receive change or lost coins during settlement.

[0063] The first ticket dispenser 128a issues a usage certificate when a user pays using an IC card when depositing luggage. The second ticket dispenser 128b issues a retrieval ticket when a user pays using cash when depositing luggage. The retrieval ticket is used when retrieving deposited luggage from the storage compartment 11. In this case, the barcode printed on the retrieval ticket acts as the key to unlock the door 11a. If payment is made using an IC card, the door is unlocked using the IC card. In other words, in this case, the IC card acts as the key to unlock the door 11a.

[0064] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the circuit section of the storage system 1.

[0065] The storage system 1 comprises a control unit 20, a storage unit 202, and a communication unit 203 as components of the control unit 20.

[0066] The control unit 201 is equipped with an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls each of the displays 13 of the locker device 10 using a program stored in the storage unit 202. The storage unit 202 is equipped with memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), or hard disk and stores the above program. The storage unit 202 is also used as a work area when the control unit 201 executes the above program.

[0067] The communication unit 203 transmits image information of the advertisement image to the transmitter 230 under control from the control unit 201. The communication unit 203 also communicates with the control unit 221 of the settlement unit 12 under control from the control unit 201. Furthermore, the communication unit 203 communicates with the server 30 via the external communication network 40 shown in Figure 1. The communication unit 203 also receives captured images from the camera 50 and outputs them to the control unit 201.

[0068] The memory unit 202 stores layout information showing the layout of the storage compartments 11 in the locker device 10, locker management information linking each storage compartment 11 to a locker number on that layout, and display management information linking each storage compartment 11 to a display 13 located on the door 11a of that storage compartment 11. This information is set by the administrator or installer of the locker device 10. This setting may be done by connecting a dedicated terminal to the control unit 20, or by displaying a setting screen on the interface 121.

[0069] Furthermore, the storage unit 202 stores availability management information that manages whether each storage unit 11 is available or not. The availability management information is updated in response to completion notifications received from the settlement unit 12 in accordance with the luggage deposit and retrieval operations, which will be explained later with reference to Figures 6 to 9.

[0070] The locker device 10 is equipped with a set of a display 13, a light-emitting unit 211, a locking unit 212, and an opening / closing sensor 213 for each storage unit 11. In other words, the locker device 10 is equipped with a set of a display 13, a light-emitting unit 211, a locking unit 212, and an opening / closing sensor 213 for each storage unit 11 arranged in the locker device 10.

[0071] The light-emitting unit 211 comprises a light source for the illuminated area 141 shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(b), and its control circuit. The light source for the illuminated area 141 is, for example, composed of an LED that emits green light.

[0072] The locking unit 212 includes a locking mechanism and its control circuit for locking the door 11a of the corresponding storage unit 11, and locks and unlocks the door 11a under control from the control unit 221 of the settlement unit 12. The temporary locking operation unit 143 shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(b) is included in the locking mechanism. As described above, the locking unit 212 includes a sensor for detecting the operation of the lever 143a, and transmits the detection result of the sensor to the control unit 221 of the settlement unit 12.

[0073] The opening / closing sensor 213 detects the opening and closing of the door 11a of the corresponding storage compartment 11 and outputs the detection result to the control unit 221 of the settlement unit 12.

[0074] The settlement unit 12 includes the interface 121, barcode reader 122, and card reader 123 shown in Figure 4, as well as a control unit 221, a storage unit 222, a communication unit 223, a deposit / withdrawal unit 224, and a ticket issuing unit 225.

[0075] The control unit 221 is equipped with an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU and controls each part according to the program stored in the storage unit 222. The storage unit 222 is equipped with memory such as ROM or RAM and stores the above program. The storage unit 222 is also used as a work area when the control unit 221 executes the above program. The storage unit 222 stores the same layout information and locker management information as described above.

[0076] The communication unit 223 communicates with the control unit 201 of the control unit 20 under control from the control unit 221. The communication unit 223 also communicates with the light-emitting unit 211, the locking unit 212, and the opening / closing sensor 213 of each storage unit 11 under control from the control unit 221.

[0077] The deposit and withdrawal unit 224 handles the deposit and withdrawal of banknotes and coins to the banknote deposit and withdrawal slot 124, the coin deposit slot 125, and the coin withdrawal slot 127. The deposit and withdrawal unit 224 includes a transport mechanism for transporting banknotes and coins along a transport path, an identification unit for identifying the denominations of banknotes and coins on the transport path, and multiple banknote storage units and multiple coin storage units for storing deposited banknotes and coins according to denomination. The transport path for banknotes is connected to the banknote deposit and withdrawal slot 124 and the multiple banknote storage units shown in Figure 4. The transport path for coins is connected to the coin deposit slot 125, the coin withdrawal slot 127, and the multiple coin storage units shown in Figure 4.

[0078] The ticket issuing unit 225 issues the aforementioned usage certificate and retrieval ticket from the first ticket issuing slot 128a and the second ticket issuing slot 128b shown in Figure 4. The ticket issuing unit 225 includes a printing unit that prints a two-dimensional barcode, which serves as key information for unlocking, as well as the locker number and usage details, onto a roll of paper, and a cutting unit that cuts the roll of paper printed by the printing unit to a predetermined length to generate the corresponding usage certificate and retrieval ticket.

[0079] The transmitter 230 outputs the image information of the advertisement received from the control unit 201 of the control unit 20 to the corresponding display 13. The control unit 201 transmits the image information to be displayed on each of the target displays 13 to the transmitter 230, along with the identification information of the respective displays 13. The transmitter 230 outputs the image information to the display 13 corresponding to the received identification information. As a result, the images constituting the advertisement are displayed on the corresponding displays 13. The transmitter 230 and the control unit 20 are pre-configured by the installer of the storage system 1 for this distribution of image information.

[0080] The relay unit 240 outputs control signals received from the control unit 221 of the settlement unit 12 to the corresponding light-emitting unit 211 or locking unit 212, and outputs detection signals received from the locking unit 212 and the opening / closing sensor 213 to the control unit 221.

[0081] When a predetermined light-emitting unit 211 is to be turned on or blinked, the control unit 221 outputs a control signal for this purpose, along with the identification information of the corresponding light-emitting unit 211, to the relay unit 240. The relay unit 240 outputs the control signal to the light-emitting unit 211 corresponding to the received identification information. As a result, the corresponding light-emitting unit 211 performs the operation of turning on or blinking.

[0082] When a predetermined locking unit 212 is to be locked, the control unit 221 outputs a control signal for that purpose to the relay unit 240, along with the identification information of the corresponding locking unit 212. The relay unit 240 outputs the control signal to the locking unit 212 corresponding to the received identification information. As a result, the corresponding locking unit 212 performs the locking operation.

[0083] When a designated locking unit 212 is temporarily locked, the locking unit 212 outputs a detection signal to the relay unit 240. The relay unit 240 transmits the received detection signal to the control unit 221 along with the identification information of the locking unit 212. As a result, the control unit 221 determines that the door 11a corresponding to the locking unit 212 has been temporarily locked.

[0084] When a designated door 11a is opened or closed, the door 11a's opening / closing sensor 213 outputs a detection signal to the relay 240. The relay 240 transmits the received detection signal to the control unit 221 along with the identification information of the opening / closing sensor 213. The control unit 221 then determines that the door 11a corresponding to the opening / closing sensor 213 has been opened or closed.

[0085] The relay unit 240 and the settlement unit 12 are pre-configured by the installer of the storage system 1 for transmitting, receiving, and identifying such signals.

[0086] <Luggage Deposit> The process for depositing luggage into the locker device 10 will be explained below.

[0087] Figure 6 shows the configuration of the initial screen 300 displayed on the interface 121 of the settlement unit 12.

[0088] The initial screen 300 includes a message 301 prompting the user to select an item to use (deposit / retrieve / balance inquiry / how to use the locker), a selection button 302 for selecting to deposit luggage, a selection button 303 for selecting to retrieve luggage, a selection button 304 for checking the IC card balance, and a selection button 305 for referring to instructions on how to use the locker. When depositing luggage into the locker device 10, the user touches the selection button 302. This initiates the sequence for depositing luggage.

[0089] If a user wishes to check the balance on their IC card before depositing their luggage, they touch the selection button 304. This switches the screen to the balance inquiry screen. Following the instructions on the next screen, the user holds their card over the card reader 123. The card reader 123 then reads the user information, including the balance held on the card, and the balance is displayed on the screen. After that, the user touches the button to return to the initial screen 300. This returns the initial screen 300 to the interface 121.

[0090] If a user wants to understand how to use the locker device 10 before depositing their luggage, they touch the selection button 305. This causes the screen to switch to a screen that displays instructions on how to use the locker device 10. This screen displays a video demonstrating how to use the locker device 10. After that, the user touches the button to return to the initial screen 300. This causes the initial screen 300 to be displayed again on the interface 121.

[0091] When the user touches the selection button 302, a message prompting the user to place their belongings in the desired storage compartment 11 and temporarily lock the door 11a is displayed on the interface 121. In response, the user places their belongings in the storage compartment 11 they have selected from the available storage compartments 11 and temporarily locks the door 11a. The locking unit 212 transmits a temporary lock detection signal to the control unit 221 of the settlement unit 12 via the relay unit 240. As a result, the control unit 221 displays the confirmation screen 310 shown in Figure 7 on the interface 121.

[0092] In parallel with this, the control unit 221 transmits a control signal to the light-emitting unit 211 of the temporarily locked door 11a via the relay unit 240 to cause the illuminated area 141 to blink. As a result, the illuminated area 141 blinks.

[0093] The confirmation screen 310 includes a message 311, a layout image 312, and a cancel button 313. Message 311 informs the user that the door 11a of the storage unit 11, which is shown in green in the layout image 312, should be locked. In the layout image 312, the area (square 312a) of the door 11a of locker number "7," which is hatched, is shown in green. Furthermore, message 311 includes instructions for the user to confirm the locker number and location of the storage unit 11 where they have deposited their luggage, and then touch the area (square 312a) of the door 11a that is shown in green.

[0094] The layout image 312 is generated based on the above-mentioned layout information and locker management information stored in the storage unit 222. The layout image 312 shows the layout of the multiple storage compartments 11 (doors 11a) in the locker device 10 using a grid 312a. The layout image 312 also includes an image 312b showing the area of ​​the settlement unit 12 in the locker device 10. The grid 312a of the storage compartment 11 corresponding to the locking unit 212 that output the temporary lock detection result is colored green, and the locker number is also indicated.

[0095] If the green area (grid 312a) displayed on the layout image 312 does not correspond to the storage unit 11 in which the user has stored their luggage, the user touches the cancel button 313. This causes the control unit 221 to display the initial screen 300 of Figure 6 on the interface 121. In this case, the user can push the lever 143a (see Figures 3(a) and (b)) of the storage unit 11 in which the user has stored their luggage upwards to release the temporary lock on the door 11a and take out the luggage from the storage unit 11. After that, the user can select another storage unit 11 as the target for storing luggage and repeat the same process as above.

[0096] When the user confirms that the green area (grid 312a) displayed on the layout image 312 corresponds to the storage compartment 11 where they have placed their luggage, they touch the green area. As a result, the control unit 221 displays the settlement screen 320 shown in Figure 8 on the interface 121.

[0097] The settlement screen 320 in Figure 8 includes a message 321 prompting the user to select a payment method, a selection button 322 for selecting payment by IC card, a selection button 323 for selecting payment by cash, a message 324 informing the user that the IC card will be used as the key to unlock the device if payment is made by IC card, a message 325 informing the user that a retrieval ticket will be issued for retrieving the luggage if payment is made by cash, and a cancel button 326.

[0098] When a user wishes to pay for the day's use of the locker device 10 using an IC card, they touch the selection button 322. This causes the control unit 221 to display an IC card payment screen on the interface 121. Following the instructions on this screen, the user inserts their IC card into the card reader 123 to complete the payment. Once the payment is complete, the control unit 221 issues a usage certificate from the first ticket dispenser 128a via the ticket issuing unit 225.

[0099] At this time, the control unit 221 associates the identification information of the read IC card with the identification information (locker number) of the storage unit 11 that is the subject of this settlement, the date and time of locking, and the key type indicating that the IC card is the key, and stores them in the storage unit 222. The control unit 221 also operates the corresponding locking unit 212 to lock the door 11a of the storage unit 11 that is the subject of this settlement.

[0100] When a user wishes to pay for the day's use of the locker device 10 in cash, they touch the selection button 323. This causes the control unit 221 to display a cash payment screen on the interface 121. The user then deposits banknotes or coins into the banknote deposit / withdrawal slot 124 or the coin deposit slot 125 according to the instructions on this payment screen. Once payment is complete, the control unit 221 issues a retrieval ticket from the second ticket issuing slot 128b via the ticket issuing unit 225. This retrieval ticket has a two-dimensional barcode printed on it that serves as a key to unlock the door 11a when retrieving luggage.

[0101] The control unit 221 associates the information of the issued 2D barcode with the identification information (locker number) of the storage unit 11 that is the subject of this settlement, the date and time of locking, and the key type indicating that the 2D barcode is a key, and stores them in the storage unit 222. The control unit 221 also operates the corresponding locking unit 212 to lock the door 11a of the storage unit 11 that is the subject of this settlement.

[0102] Furthermore, the control unit 221 sends a deposit completion notification to the control unit 20, which includes the identification information (locker number) of the storage unit 11 that was the subject of this settlement. As a result, the status of the storage unit 11 corresponding to the identification information is updated to "in use" in the vacancy status management information stored in the storage unit 202 of the control unit 20.

[0103] This completes the process of checking in luggage. The process when the cancel button 326 on the payment screen 320 is touched is the same as the process described above when the cancel button 313 in Figure 7 is touched.

[0104] <Retrieving luggage> The procedure for retrieving luggage from the locker device 10 will be explained below.

[0105] In this case, the user touches the selection button 303 on the initial screen 300 in Figure 6. As a result, the control unit 221 displays the retrieval screen 330 in Figure 9 on the interface 121.

[0106] The retrieval screen 330 includes a message 331 prompting the user to select a key type. As described above, if the user makes a payment using an IC card on the settlement screen 320 in Figure 8 (by touching the selection button 322 to make the payment), the IC card becomes the key. If the user makes a payment using cash on the settlement screen 320 (by touching the selection button 323 to make the payment), the two-dimensional barcode printed on the retrieval ticket becomes the key.

[0107] If the IC card is the key, the user touches the selection button 332 on the retrieval screen 330. This causes the control unit 221 to display a screen on the interface 121 containing a message prompting the user to have the IC card read by the card reader 123. In response, the user has their IC card read by the card reader 123.

[0108] The control unit 221 compares the identification information of the read IC card with the linking information stored in the memory unit 222, which indicates that the key type is an IC card, and identifies the identification information (locker number) of the storage unit 11 linked to the identification information. The control unit 221 then causes the locking unit 212 of the identified storage unit 11 to unlock the door 11a, and further controls the lighting area 141 on the panel 14 of the storage unit 11 to blink. If the luggage storage period has been exceeded, the control unit 221 settles the excess charge from the IC card and displays information indicating this on the interface 121.

[0109] If the key is a two-dimensional barcode, the user touches the selection button 333 on the retrieval screen 330. This causes the control unit 221 to display a screen on the interface 121 containing a message prompting the user to have the barcode reader 122 read the two-dimensional barcode on the retrieval ticket. In response, the user has the barcode reader 122 read the two-dimensional barcode on their retrieval ticket.

[0110] The control unit 221 compares the information of the read two-dimensional barcode with the association information stored in the memory unit 222, which indicates that the key type is a two-dimensional barcode, and identifies the identification information (locker number) of the storage unit 11 associated with the two-dimensional barcode information. The control unit 221 then causes the locking unit 212 of the identified storage unit 11 to unlock the door 11a, and further controls the illumination area 141 on the panel 14 of the storage unit 11 to blink. If the luggage storage period has been exceeded, the control unit 221 displays a screen on the interface 121 for settling the excess charges before unlocking, prompting the user to settle the excess charges. In response, the user settles the payment in cash. In response, the control unit 221 performs the aforementioned unlocking and blinking of the illumination area 141.

[0111] The user unlocks the door 11a of the storage compartment 11, which has a blinking illuminated area 141, and opens it to retrieve their belongings from the storage compartment 11. After retrieving their belongings, the user closes the door 11a. This transmits the detection result of the door 11a being opened or closed from the corresponding opening / closing sensor 213 to the control unit 221. In response, the control unit 221 controls the illuminated area 141 of the storage compartment 11 to be illuminated. Thus, the process of retrieving belongings is completed.

[0112] At this time, the control unit 221 sends a retrieval completion notification to the control unit 20, which includes the identification information (locker number) of the storage unit 11 from which the luggage was retrieved by this operation. As a result, the status of the storage unit 11 corresponding to the identification information is updated to "empty" in the empty status management information stored in the storage unit 202 of the control unit 20.

[0113] Furthermore, the retrieval screen 330 in Figure 9 also includes a message 334 attached to the selection button 333 and a cancel button 335. Message 334 informs the user that if they select the selection button 333, they will need to pay the excess amount in cash. When the user touches the cancel button 335, the control unit 221 displays the initial screen 300 in Figure 6 on the interface 121.

[0114] <Image Display Processing> Next, we will explain the process of simultaneously displaying an advertisement image and the availability status of the storage compartment 11 on the display 13 installed on the surface of the door 11a.

[0115] In this embodiment, the advertisement image is displayed across the entire display area, including a predetermined number of adjacent doors 11a. Furthermore, the display format of the advertisement image is changed between the doors 11a of the storage unit 11 that are empty and the doors 11a of other storage units 11. This control is performed by the control unit 201 of the control unit 20.

[0116] Here, the control unit 201 differentiates the transparency of the advertising image between the door 11a of the empty storage unit 11 and the doors 11a of the other storage unit 11. For example, the control unit 201 sets the transparency of the advertising image for the door 11a of the empty storage unit 11 to be higher than the transparency of the advertising image for the doors 11a of the other storage unit 11. Then, the control unit 201 overlays another image to indicate the empty state onto the door 11a of the empty storage unit 11. The transparency of the other image may also be adjusted so that the advertising image is easily visible.

[0117] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how an advertisement image is displayed.

[0118] For convenience, in Figure 10, each storage compartment 11 and door 11a is shown as a single grid. Here, the area of ​​24 doors 11a arranged in a 4x6 grid on the left side of the settlement unit 12 is set as the display area R1. However, the method of setting the display area R1 is not limited to this; for example, the area of ​​20 doors 11a arranged in a 4x5 grid may be set as the display area R1.

[0119] The control unit 201 displays the advertisement image P1 across the entire display target area R1 thus configured. Here, for convenience, the advertisement image P1 includes an image of a cylindrical object and an image of its background, but the actual advertisement image P1 may further include images for presenting various information for the advertisement.

[0120] The control unit 201 increases the transparency of the advertising image P1 displayed on the door 11a of the storage unit 11 that is empty compared to the transparency of the advertising image P1 displayed on the other doors 11a. In Figure 10, for convenience, the difference in transparency is shown by the density of the hatching. The lower the density of the hatching, the higher the transparency. Transparency is set by giving the advertising image P1 an alpha value (additional information) separate from the color information, and adjusting this alpha value. The control unit 201 adjusts the alpha value of the advertising image P1 for each door 11a to increase the transparency of the advertising image P1 displayed on the door 11a of the storage unit 11 that is empty compared to the transparency of the advertising image P1 displayed on the other doors 11a. The transparency may be increased in areas of the advertising image P1 that have a darker color (higher brightness).

[0121] Furthermore, the control unit 201 overlays an image P2 to indicate the empty state onto the advertising image P1 (an advertising image with increased transparency) displayed on the door 11a of the empty storage compartment 11. Here, image P2 is a 3D graphic image that schematically shows the inside of the empty storage compartment 11, that is, an image consisting of a rectangle and four straight lines extending diagonally from each of its four vertices. However, image P2 is not limited to this and may also be an image of the word "empty" or other characters indicating the empty state, or an image of a circle, etc. It is preferable that image P2 is an image that does not interfere with the display of the advertising image P1 as much as possible.

[0122] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the image display process.

[0123] The control unit 201 can execute a first mode and a second mode for image display processing. The first mode is a mode in which the advertisement image P1 is displayed as the original image, as shown in Figure 12. The second mode is a mode in which the advertisement image P1 and image P2 shown in Figure 10 are displayed. In the first mode, the transparency of the portion of the advertisement image P1 corresponding to the empty storage section 11 is not changed, and image P2 is not superimposed on this portion. In the first mode, the transparency of the portion of the advertisement image P1 corresponding to the empty storage section 11 is maintained at the same level as the original image, just like the other portions.

[0124] Referring to Figure 11, the control unit 201 first performs a display in the first mode (S101). Subsequently, the control unit 201 continuously acquires and analyzes images captured from the camera 50 to determine whether or not a person has approached the front of the locker device 10 (S102). If a person approaches the front of the locker device 10 (S102: YES), the control unit 201 switches the display control to the second mode and displays the advertisement image P1 and image P2 in the display target area R1 in the form shown in Figure 10 (S103). That is, the control unit 201 refers to the vacancy status management information stored in the storage unit 202 and displays the images on each display 13 so that the advertisement image P1 and image P2 are displayed in the form shown in Figure 10.

[0125] Subsequently, the control unit 201 executes control in the second mode if no operation is performed on the interface 121 of the settlement unit 12 (S104: NO) and a person is present in front of the locker device 10 (S105: YES).

[0126] The control unit 201 receives notification from the settlement unit 12 that the interface 121 has been operated, and determines the decision in step S104 to be YES. The settlement unit 12 transmits the notification to the control unit 20, for example, when any button on the initial screen 300 in Figure 6 is operated. The control unit 201 also determines, by analyzing the image captured from the camera 50, that there is no longer a person in the predetermined area in front of the locker device 10, and therefore determines the decision in step S105 to be YES.

[0127] Thus, if the determination in step S104 or step S105 is YES, the control unit 201 terminates the process shown in Figure 11 and restarts the process from step S101. As a result, the control unit 201 switches the image display control mode from the second mode to the first mode. In this way, the advertisement image P1 is displayed again in the display target area R1 in the same form as in Figure 12.

[0128] As shown above, in the process shown in Figure 11, if there is no person in front of the locker device 10, the advertisement image P1 is displayed as is. If there is a person in front of the locker device 10, an image in which image P2 is superimposed on the advertisement image P1 is displayed. Therefore, passersby and users can properly understand the advertisement image P1 and the availability status of the lockers.

[0129] In the above control, in the second mode, the display format of the advertising image P1 was changed for all the doors 11a of the storage compartments 11 that were empty. However, the display format of the advertising image P1 may be changed only for some of the doors of the storage compartments 11 that were empty.

[0130] For example, the control unit 201 may determine from the image captured by the camera 50 which row of doors 11a (a row of doors 11a arranged vertically) the user is near, and control the display of the advertisement image P1 only for the doors 11a of the storage unit 11 in the row where the user is located, out of all the available storage units 11. In this case, means for determining the presence of a user (such as a camera or motion sensor) may be individually arranged for each row. Alternatively, the control unit 201 may control the display of the advertisement image P1 only for the doors 11a of the storage unit 11 that are close to the user, out of all the available storage units 11, regardless of the row. In this way, by limiting the display target of the image indicating availability to doors 11a in a location easily accessible to the user, the advertisement image P1 can be displayed more clearly.

[0131] <Effects of Embodiment 1> As shown in Figures 1, 5, and 10, the storage system 1 comprises a plurality of storage units 11 arranged in a line in the in-plane direction, each having a door 11a, a display 13 (display unit) that displays an image on each door 11a, and a control unit 201 that displays an advertising image P1 (display image) over the entire display target area R1 including a predetermined number of adjacent doors 11a. The control unit 201 differentiates the display format of the advertising image P1 (display image) between the doors 11a of the storage unit 11 that are empty (first doors) and the doors 11a of the other storage units 11 (second doors).

[0132] With this configuration, as shown in Figure 10, the display format of the advertisement image P1 (display image) differs between the door 11a of an empty storage unit 11 and the other doors 11a. Therefore, the user can identify an empty storage unit 11 based on this difference in display format. Furthermore, although the display format differs, the portion of the advertisement image P1 (display image) on the door 11a of an empty storage unit 11 is also displayed, thus providing the user with the advertisement image P1 (display image) in substance. Thus, the storage system 1 according to Embodiment 1 allows the user to simultaneously identify both the advertisement image P1 (display image) and an empty storage unit 11.

[0133] As shown in Figure 10, the control unit 201 makes the transparency of the advertisement image P1 (display image) different between the door 11a (first door) of the storage unit 11 that is empty and the door 11a (second door) of the other storage unit 11.

[0134] With this configuration, the user can identify the empty storage compartment 11 by the difference in transparency.

[0135] As shown in Figure 10, the control unit 201 adjusts the transparency of the advertisement image P1 (display image) for the door 11a (first door) of the storage unit 11 that is empty to be higher than the transparency of the advertisement image P1 (display image) for the doors 11a (second door) of the other storage unit 11, and displays another image P2 to indicate that it is empty, superimposed on the door 11a (first door) of the storage unit 11 that is empty.

[0136] With this configuration, the user can see through the advertisement image P1 (display image) on the door 11a (first door) of the storage compartment 11 when it is empty and perceive another image P2. Since the empty status of the storage compartment 11 is displayed by this image P2, the user can refer to the advertisement image P1 (display image) and, from image P2, more clearly and smoothly perceive the empty status of the storage compartment 11.

[0137] As shown in Figure 11, the control unit 201 acquires an image from the camera 50 (imaging unit) that images the front area of ​​the storage system 1, and determines from the acquired image whether or not there is a person in the front area (S102). If there is a person in the front area (S102: YES), the control unit 201 displays the advertisement image P1 (display image) with different display modes between the door 11a (first door) of the empty storage unit 11 and the door 11a (second door) of the other storage unit 11 (S103). If there is no person in the front area (S102: NO), the control unit 201 displays the advertisement image P1 (display image) without different display modes between the door 11a (first door) of the empty storage unit 11 and the door 11a (second door) of the other storage unit 11 (S101).

[0138] With this configuration, when a user intending to use the storage system 1 approaches the storage system 1, the advertisement image P1 (display image) is displayed so that the display format differs between the door 11a (first door) of an empty storage unit 11 and the door 11a (second door) of another storage unit 11. As a result, the approaching user can refer to the advertisement image P1 (display image) and identify the empty storage unit 11 from the difference in display format. Furthermore, if there are no users near the storage system 1, the advertisement image P1 (display image) is displayed without any difference in display format between the door 11a (first door) of an empty storage unit 11 and the door 11a (second door) of another storage unit 11. This allows for a better presentation of the advertisement image P1 (display image) to people passing by away from the storage system 1.

[0139] As shown in Figure 1, the storage system 1 is equipped with an interface 121 that accepts operations related to the use of the storage unit 11. As shown in Figure 11, the control unit 201 acquires an image from a camera 50 (imaging unit) that images the area in front of the storage system 1, and determines from the acquired image whether or not a person has come into the area in front (S102). If a person has come into the area in front (S102: YES), the control unit 201 displays the advertisement image P1 (display image) with different display modes between the door 11a (first door) of the empty storage unit 11 and the door 11a (second door) of the other storage unit 11 (S103). Subsequently, upon detection of an operation on the interface 121 (S104: YES), the control unit 201 displays the advertisement image P1 (display image) without different display modes between the door 11a (first door) of the empty storage unit 11 and the door 11a (second door) of the other storage unit 11 (S101).

[0140] With this configuration, when a user approaches the storage system 1, the advertisement image P1 (display image) is displayed so that the display format differs between the door 11a (first door) of an empty storage unit 11 and the doors 11a (second door) of other storage units 11. As a result, the arriving user can refer to the advertisement image P1 (display image) and identify the empty storage unit 11 from the difference in display format. Furthermore, when the arriving user then performs an operation on the interface 121, the advertisement image P1 (display image) is displayed without any difference in display format between the door 11a (first door) of an empty storage unit 11 and the doors 11a (second door) of other storage units 11. This allows the advertisement image P1 (display image) to be provided in a better state to people moving away from the storage system 1. At this point, since the arriving user has already performed the desired operation on the interface 121, there is no particular need for them to identify the empty storage unit 11. Therefore, even if the advertising image P1 (display image) is displayed without any difference in its display format, it does not cause any problems for the user. In fact, this display format allows the user to receive the advertising image P1 (display image) in a better state.

[0141] As shown in Figure 10, the control unit 201 displays an advertising image P1 containing advertising information in the display target area R1.

[0142] This configuration allows advertising image P1 to be provided to people near storage system 1.

[0143] As shown in Figure 10, the control unit 201 controls the display 13 located on the surface of the door 11a to display an image in the display target area R1.

[0144] With this configuration, while displaying the advertising image P1 (display image) on multiple doors 11a included in the display target area R1, the display 13 located on the door 11a (first door) of the storage unit 11 that is in an empty state can be controlled to smoothly differentiate the display form of the advertising image P1 (display image) between this door 11a (first door) and the other doors 11a (second door).

[0145] As shown in Figures 1, 5, and 10, the storage system 1 comprises a plurality of storage units 11 arranged in a line in the in-plane direction, each having a door 11a; a display 13 (display unit) that displays an image on each door 11a; and a control unit 201 that simultaneously displays an advertising image P1 (first image for the public) and an image P2 (second image) relating to an empty storage unit 11 in a display target area R1 including a predetermined number of adjacent doors 11a.

[0146] With this configuration, the advertising image P1 (the first image for the public) and the image P2 (the second image) of the empty storage compartment 11 are displayed simultaneously, allowing the user to simultaneously perceive both the advertising image P1 (the first image for the public) and the empty storage compartment 11.

[0147] As shown in Figure 10, the control unit 201 displays the advertisement image P1 (first image) across the entire display area R1, and increases the transparency of the advertisement image P1 (first image) on the door 11a of the storage unit 11 that is empty (first door) compared to the transparency of the advertisement image P1 (first image) on the door 11a of the storage unit 11 that is not empty (second door), thereby displaying the image P2 (second image) superimposed on the advertisement image P1 (first image) on the door 11a of the storage unit 11 that is empty (first door).

[0148] With this configuration, the advertising image P1 (first image for the public) can be displayed largely across the entire display area R1, while an image P2 (second image) indicating that the storage compartment 11 is empty can be superimposed on the door 11a of the empty storage compartment 11. Therefore, the advertising image P1 (first image) can be made more visible to the public, including the user, while also allowing the user to understand that the storage compartment 11 is empty.

[0149] <Example of modification 1> In the above embodiment 1, the transparency of the advertisement image displayed on the door 11a of the empty storage unit 11 was increased compared to the transparency of the advertisement image displayed on the doors 11a of the other storage unit 11, and image P2 was displayed on the door 11a of the empty storage unit 11. However, the method of displaying the empty storage unit 11 is not limited to this.

[0150] For example, as shown in Figure 13, the control unit 201 may make the color tone of a portion P11 of the advertising image P1 displayed on the door 11a of the storage compartment 11 that is empty differ from the color tone of the advertising image P1 displayed on the other doors 11a. For example, the color tone may be made different between portion P11 and the other portions by making the transparency of the advertising image P1 displayed on portion P11 different from the transparency of the other advertising images P1. Alternatively, the color tone may be made different between portion P11 and the other portions by changing the R, G, and B luminance gradation of the advertising image P1 displayed on portion P11 from the luminance gradation assigned to the advertising image P1 of portion P11.

[0151] In this case, the control unit 201 may cyclically execute, at predetermined intervals, a control to display the advertising image P1 with the color tone of part P11 differing from the color tone of the other parts, and a control to display the advertising image P1 as the original image without adjusting the color tone of part P11. This causes the color tone of part P11 to change cyclically, attracting the user's attention.

[0152] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 14, the control unit 201 may make the color of the outer periphery of portion P11 (corresponding to the empty storage section 11) of the advertisement image P1 different from the color of the other portions of the advertisement image P1. This reduces the range of the advertisement image P1 in which the color is changed compared to the case in Figure 13, allowing the advertisement image P1 to be perceived more clearly. In this case as well, the control unit 201 may perform the same cyclic control on the outer periphery of portion P11 as described above.

[0153] In these modified examples, since image P2 in Figure 10 is not displayed, it may be difficult for the user to immediately grasp that the storage compartment 11 corresponding to section P11 is empty due to the difference in color in section P11. However, even in this case, the user can confirm that the storage compartment 11 corresponding to section P11 is empty by referring to the illuminated area 141 of the panel section 14 located to the right of the door 11a corresponding to section P11 (see Figures 3(a) and (b)). Thus, in these modified examples, the difference in color of the advertising image P1 draws the user's attention to the storage compartment 11 of section P11, while the illuminated area 141 of the panel section 14 is used as a supplementary reference, allowing the user to accurately grasp that the storage compartment 11 of section P11 is empty.

[0154] In addition, the control unit 201 may make the shading of a portion P11 of the advertising image P1 displayed on the door 11a of an empty storage compartment 11 different from the shading of the advertising image P1 displayed on the other doors 11a, so that the user can recognize which storage compartments 11 are empty.

[0155] <Example of modification 2> In the above embodiment, in the second mode, the target for displaying image P2 with increased transparency was set to all the doors 11a of the storage compartment 11 that are empty. However, the method for setting the doors 11a that are the target of this display is not limited to this.

[0156] For example, as shown in Figure 15, if the locker device 10 has three types of storage compartments 11 of different sizes, the object on which to increase transparency and display image P2 may be limited to the doors 11a of the storage compartments 11 that are empty and correspond to the size of the luggage.

[0157] In Figure 15, the size of the storage compartment 11 differs in each of the three regions A1, A2, and A3. A small storage compartment 11 is located in region A1, a medium-sized storage compartment 11 is located in region A2, and a large storage compartment 11 is located in region A3.

[0158] In this case, the locker management information stored in the storage unit 202 of the control unit 20 includes a link between each storage unit 11 and its locker number on the layout of the storage units 11, as well as information indicating the size of each storage unit 11. As described above, this linking is performed by the administrator or installer of the locker device 10.

[0159] The control unit 201 analyzes the image captured by the camera 50 to estimate the size of the user's luggage in the front area of ​​the locker device 10. Then, the control unit 201 selects from the locker management information the storage unit 11 that corresponds to the estimated size of the luggage from among the empty storage units 11 included in the display target area R1, and sets the door 11a of the selected storage unit 11 as the door 11a to be displayed in image P2.

[0160] For example, if the storage compartment 11 shown by hatching in Figure 15 is empty, the control unit 201 determines that the size of the user's luggage is too small for the storage compartment 11 in area A1 and requires the size of the storage compartment 11 in area A2 or A3. In this case, it sets only the doors 11a of the empty storage compartment 11 in area A2 as the doors 11a to be displayed in image P2. As a result, in the second mode described above, the transparency of the advertisement image P1 is increased only for the doors 11a of the storage compartment 11 that are marked with diagonal lines in area A2, and image P2 is superimposed on them.

[0161] In this case, if there are multiple empty storage compartments 11 in area A2, the transparency of the advertisement image P1 and the superimposition of image P2 are performed on the doors 11a of these multiple storage compartments 11. Furthermore, if the control unit 201 cannot estimate the size of the package from the analysis of the image captured by the camera 50, it may adjust the transparency of the advertisement image P1 and superimpose image P2 on the doors 11a of all empty storage compartments 11, similar to the first embodiment described above.

[0162] Thus, in the modified example 2, locker management information linking each storage unit 11 and its size is stored in the storage unit 202, the control unit 201 acquires captured images from the camera 50 (imaging unit) that images the area of ​​the storage system 1, estimates the size of luggage held by a person in the forward area from the acquired captured images, selects a storage unit 11 from the locker management information that corresponds to the estimated size of luggage from among the empty storage units 11 included in the display target area R1, and differentiates the display format of the advertisement image P1 (display image) on the door 11a (first door) of the selected storage unit 11 from the door 11a (second door) of the storage unit 11 that is not empty, while the display format of the advertisement image P1 (display image) on the door 11a (second door) of the storage unit 11 that was not selected does not differ from the door 11a (second door) of the storage unit 11 that is not empty.

[0163] With this configuration, among the empty storage compartments 11, those suitable for storing luggage are displayed based on differences in the display format of the advertising image P1 (display image). Therefore, users can easily identify the storage compartment 11 suitable for their luggage. Furthermore, the doors 11a with different display formats are limited to the doors 11a of storage compartments 11 suitable for storing luggage, rather than the doors 11a of all empty storage compartments 11. Therefore, a better advertising image P1 (display image) can be provided to people passing by the vicinity of the storage system 1.

[0164] Furthermore, the same configuration as in Example 1 may be applied to the configuration in Example 2 of the modifications.

[0165] <Embodiment 2> Figure 16 is a schematic diagram showing an example of image display according to Embodiment 2.

[0166] In the above embodiment 1, the transparency of the advertisement image P1 on the door 11a of an empty storage unit 11 is increased compared to the transparency of the advertisement image P1 on the door 11a of a storage unit 11 that is not empty. By displaying an image P2 related to an empty storage unit 11 superimposed on the advertisement image P1 on the door 11a of an empty storage unit 11, the advertisement image P1 and image P2 are displayed simultaneously in the display area R1.

[0167] In contrast, in Embodiment 2, as shown in Figure 16, the control unit 201 divides the display target area R1 into a first area R11 and a second area R12, displays an advertisement image P1 on the door 11a of the first area R11, and displays an image P3 relating to the empty storage compartment 11 on the door 11a of the second area R12.

[0168] In Figure 16, the display area R1 is divided horizontally to form the first area R11 and the second area R12. However, the method of setting the first area R11 and the second area R12 is not limited to this, and the display area R1 may be divided in other ways. For example, the display area R1 may be divided vertically to form the first area R11 and the second area R12, or the display area R1 may be divided into a central area and a surrounding area, with the central area and the surrounding area being set as the first area R11 and the second area R12, respectively.

[0169] Figure 17 is a flowchart illustrating the image display process according to Embodiment 2.

[0170] The control unit 201 can execute a first mode and a second mode for image display processing. The first mode is a mode in which the advertising image P1 and image P3 shown in Figure 16 are displayed. The second mode is a mode in which image P4 is displayed for each storage unit 11, indicating whether each storage unit 11 is empty or not, as shown in Figure 18.

[0171] In the second mode, the doors 11a of storage compartments 11 that are empty and the doors 11a of storage compartments 11 that are not empty are displayed with different colored filled images. For example, the doors 11a of storage compartments 11 that are empty are displayed with a white filled image, and the doors 11a of storage compartments 11 that are not empty are displayed with a black filled image. However, the system is not limited to this, and the word "empty" may also be displayed on the doors 11a of storage compartments 11 that are empty.

[0172] Referring to Figure 17, the control unit 201 first displays in the first mode (S201). Then, the control unit 201 determines whether or not an operation to start baggage deposit has been performed on the interface 121 of the settlement unit 12 (S202). When the selection button 302 in Figure 6 is operated, the control unit 221 of the settlement unit 12 sends a notification to the control unit 201 of the control unit 20 indicating this. Upon receiving this notification, the control unit 201 determines YES in step S202.

[0173] If the determination in step S202 is YES, the control unit 201 switches the display control to the second mode and displays the image P4 shown in Figure 18 in the display target area R1 (S203). That is, the control unit 201 refers to the free state management information stored in the storage unit 202 and displays the image on each display 13 so that the image P4 is displayed.

[0174] Subsequently, the control unit 201 performs control in the second mode until the deposit operation is completed (S204) or the deposit operation is canceled (S205).

[0175] The control unit 201 determines the decision in step S204 as YES upon receiving notification from the settlement unit 12 that the deposit operation to interface 121 has been completed. The settlement unit 12 transmits the notification to the control unit 20, for example, when payment is completed via the settlement screen 320 in Figure 8. The control unit 201 also determines the decision in step S205 as YES if it does not receive this notification within a predetermined time (for example, a few minutes).

[0176] Thus, if the determination in step S204 or step S205 is YES, the control unit 201 terminates the process shown in Figure 17 and restarts the process from step S201. As a result, the control unit 201 switches the image display control mode from the second mode to the first mode. Thus, the advertisement image P1 and image P3 are displayed again in the display target area R1 in the same form as in Figure 16.

[0177] As shown above, in the process in Figure 17, if no deposit operation is performed, advertising images P1 and P3 are displayed, and when a deposit operation is performed, image P4 is displayed. Therefore, passersby and users can properly understand the advertising image P1 and the availability status of the lockers.

[0178] <Effects of Embodiment 2> As shown in Figures 1, 5, and 16, the storage system 1 comprises a plurality of storage units 11 arranged in a line in the in-plane direction, each having a door 11a; a display 13 (display unit) that displays an image on each door 11a; and a control unit 201 that simultaneously displays an advertising image P1 (first image for the public) and an image P3 (second image) relating to an empty storage unit 11 in a display target area R1 including a predetermined number of adjacent doors 11a.

[0179] With this configuration, the advertising image P1 (the first image for the public) and the image P3 (the second image) of the empty storage compartment 11 are displayed simultaneously, allowing the user to simultaneously perceive both the advertising image P1 (the first image for the public) and the empty storage compartment 11.

[0180] As shown in Figure 16, the control unit 201 divides the display target area R1 into a first area R11 and a second area R12, displays the advertisement image P1 (first image) on the door 11a of the first area R11, and displays the image P3 (second image) on the door 11a of the second area R12.

[0181] With this configuration, the advertising image P1 (first image) and image P3 (second image) are displayed in separate areas, allowing users to clearly distinguish between the two images.

[0182] As shown in Figure 16, the first region R11 is larger than the second region R12.

[0183] With this configuration, the advertising image P1 (first image) is displayed over a wide area, allowing the public passing by at a distance from the storage system 1 to easily grasp the advertising image P1 (first image) intended for the public.

[0184] As shown in Figure 1, the storage system 1 is equipped with an interface 121 that accepts operations related to the use of the storage section 11. As shown in Figures 17 and 18, when the control unit 201 detects the start of an operation to deposit items to the interface 121 (S202), it stops displaying the advertisement image P1 (first image) and image P3 (second image) and displays an image P4 on each door 11a included in the display target area R1, indicating whether the storage section 11 of each door is empty or not.

[0185] With this configuration, users can easily determine which door 11a is open by actually looking at each door 11a when they start the deposit operation.

[0186] <Example of modification> The image P3 displayed in the second area R12 regarding the availability status is not limited to the image in Figure 16. For example, the number of available storage compartments 11 may also be displayed. For example, if the locker device 10 has multiple types of storage compartments 11 of different sizes, as shown in Figure 19, the image P3 displayed in the second area R12 may include a text image that says "Available" along with a text image that shows the number of available storage compartments 11 of each size.

[0187] Furthermore, an image showing the availability status similar to that in Figure 18 (an image including the image of the locker device 10 and image P4) may be displayed on the interface 121 of the settlement unit 12. For example, this image may be displayed in place of the initial screen 300 in Figure 6. In this case, the interface 121 screen may include this image, a description of this image, and a description that touching this screen will display the initial screen 300.

[0188] Alternatively, when the selection button 302 in Figure 6 is operated, a screen including the image showing the unlocked state may be displayed before the confirmation screen 310 in Figure 7. In this case, this screen may be closed in accordance with the temporary locking described above, and the confirmation screen 310 in Figure 7 may be displayed. If temporary locking is not performed within a predetermined time (for example, several tens of seconds), this screen may be closed in accordance with the elapsed time, and the initial screen 300 in Figure 6 may be displayed.

[0189] Furthermore, the first region R11 may be further divided into multiple sections to display multiple advertising images. In this case, images other than advertising images, such as images related to weather forecasts or emergency alerts such as earthquake occurrences, may be displayed in one of the divided regions of the first region R11. This is also true in the embodiment 1 described above.

[0190] <Embodiment 3> In the case where the display 13 is positioned on the front of the door 11a as in Embodiments 1 and 2 above, there is a risk that the display 13 may be damaged if luggage or other items collide with it. In contrast, in Embodiment 3, the locker device 10 is further provided with a configuration to prevent such damage.

[0191] Figure 20 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of the locker device 10 according to Embodiment 3.

[0192] A transparent cover 15 is installed on the door 11a in a position where luggage or other items are likely to collide with it, in order to protect the display 13. The display 13 installed on the door 11a of the lowest area A4 is prone to collisions with carry-on luggage, users' shoes, etc. For this reason, a transparent cover 15 is installed on each of the doors 11a of area A4 to protect the display 13. The cover 15 is made of, for example, reinforced plastic and has a thickness sufficient to protect the display 13. Here, an example is shown in which the cover 15 is applied to the locker device 10 of the above embodiment 1.

[0193] Figure 21 is a front view showing the configuration of the rocker device 10 when the cover 15 is applied to the configuration of the modified example 2 of the above embodiment 1 (see Figure 15).

[0194] In this case as well, the cover 15 is installed on the door 11a of the lowest area A3. This prevents luggage on a trolley or the user's shoes from colliding with the display 13 in area A3, thereby preventing damage to the display 13 from such collisions.

[0195] In the configuration of this embodiment 3, since the display 13 is protected by a cover 15 installed on the bottom door 11a, control may be implemented to guide the user to store large or heavy items, or other items that are likely to collide with the display 13 when storing or retrieving items, in the storage compartment 11 of the door 11a where the cover 15 is installed.

[0196] Figure 22 shows the configuration of the reception screen 340 for receiving input regarding the size and weight of the items to be stored.

[0197] This reception screen 340 is displayed on the interface 121 of the payment unit 12 before the confirmation screen 310 in Figure 7, when the selection button 302 is selected on the initial screen 300 in Figure 6. The reception screen 340 includes a message 341 prompting the user to select the size and weight of the package, three size selection buttons 342 for selecting the size of the package, three weight selection buttons 343 for selecting the weight of the package, a confirmation button 344 to confirm the input of the size and weight, and a cancel button 345 to cancel the input to the reception screen 340. When the cancel button 345 is pressed, the screen returns to the initial screen 300 in Figure 6.

[0198] The user operates the size selection button 342 and weight selection button 343 according to the size and weight of the luggage they wish to check in, and then operates the confirmation button 344. In response, the control unit 221 of the settlement unit 12 transmits the entered size and weight to the control unit 20. The control unit 201 of the control unit 20 determines the storage unit 11 for checking in the luggage based on the received size and weight.

[0199] Figure 23 is a flowchart showing the image display process according to Embodiment 3.

[0200] In the flowchart of Figure 23, steps S111 to S113 are added compared to the flowchart of Figure 11. In step S104, when the control unit 201 of the control unit 20 receives a notification from the control unit 221 of the settlement unit 12 regarding an operation on the initial screen 300 (S104: YES), it determines whether this notification is a notification regarding luggage deposit (a notification regarding an operation on the selection button 302 on the initial screen 300 in Figure 6) (S111). If the determination in step S111 is NO, the control unit 201 terminates the process in Figure 23 and executes the process again from step S101.

[0201] On the other hand, if the determination in step S111 is YES, the control unit 201 performs a display in the third mode (S112). In the display in the third mode, the control unit 201 then determines a storage unit 11 for depositing the luggage based on the size and weight of the luggage received from the control unit 221 of the settlement unit 12, and performs a process to inform the user of the determined storage unit 11.

[0202] For example, if at least one of the bottom size selection button 342 and the bottom weight selection button 343 is pressed on the reception screen 340 in Figure 22, the control unit 201 determines the bottom storage compartment 11 with a cover 15 installed among the available storage compartments 11 to be used to deposit the luggage. In this case, if there is no bottom storage compartment 11 with a cover 15 installed among the available storage compartments 11, the control unit 201 determines the lowest storage compartment 11 among the available storage compartments 11 to be used to deposit the luggage.

[0203] Furthermore, if neither the bottom-level size selection button 342 nor the bottom-level weight selection button 343 is operated on the reception screen 340 in Figure 22, but at least one of the middle-level size selection button 342 and the bottom-level weight selection button 343 is operated, the control unit 201 determines the storage compartment 11 that is as low as possible among the empty storage compartments 11 other than the bottom-level storage compartment 11 on which the cover 15 is installed, as the storage compartment 11 for depositing the luggage.

[0204] Furthermore, if both the top-level size selection button 342 and the bottom-level weight selection button 343 are operated on the reception screen 340 in Figure 22, the control unit 201 determines the storage compartment 11 that is as high as possible among the available storage compartments 11 other than the bottom-level storage compartment 11 on which the cover 15 is installed, to be used for depositing the luggage.

[0205] In making the above decisions, if there are multiple storage compartments 11 that satisfy each of the above conditions, the control unit 201 determines all of these storage compartments 11 to be storage compartments 11 for depositing the luggage. The control unit 201 then displays a different message on the display 13 of the door 11a of the determined storage compartment 11 than on the displays 13 of the other doors 11a, prompting the user to deposit the luggage into the determined storage compartment 11. At this time, the panel 14 of an empty storage compartment 11 (see Figures 3(a) and (b)) may have its illuminated area 141 lit.

[0206] Figure 24 schematically shows the display state of the display 13 of each door 11a in the third mode.

[0207] Here, due to the size or weight of the luggage, an empty storage compartment 11 (shown with dark hatching in Figure 24) located in the lowest area A3 is designated as the storage compartment 11 for depositing luggage. For example, the display 13 of the designated storage compartment 11 displays a high-brightness color such as green or blue across its entire range, while the other displays 13 display a low-brightness color such as light gray across their entire range. The display 13 of the designated storage compartment 11 may flash in the above colors, or it may include an image of text such as "empty". This prompts the user to deposit their luggage in the designated storage compartment 11.

[0208] Returning to Figure 23, when the user then places their belongings in the storage compartment 11 and performs the temporary locking described above (S113: YES), the control unit 201 terminates the process shown in Figure 23. As a result, the control unit 201 executes the process again from step S101 and causes the display 13 on each door 11a to display in the first mode.

[0209] In addition, in the display using the third mode shown in Figure 24, the advertising image P1 may be displayed in the display target area R1. In this case, the display 13 of the storage unit 11 that has been determined to be the storage target may display the advertising image P1 in a different color from the other displays 13.

[0210] <Effects of Embodiment 3> According to the locker device 10 of Embodiment 3, a cover 15 for protecting the display 13 is installed on the door 11a, which is in a position where luggage, shoes, etc. are likely to collide with it. Therefore, damage to the display 13 due to these collisions can be prevented. As a result, the advertising image P1 and the image P2 indicating availability can be displayed stably.

[0211] In addition, in the control configuration of the locker device 10 according to Embodiment 2 described above, the same cover 15 as described above may be applied to the locker device 10. In this case, the display in Figure 18 should show the display 13 corresponding to the storage section 11 determined by the above conditions in white, and the other displays 13 in black.

[0212] Furthermore, the range of doors 11a on which the cover 15 is installed is not limited to the range shown in Figures 20 and 21. For example, the cover 15 may be installed on the bottommost and second-to-last doors 11a. The cover 15 only needs to be installed on doors 11a that are prone to collisions with luggage, shoes, etc. The cover 15 may be installed on all doors 11a on which the display 13 is installed.

[0213] <Example of modification> In the above embodiment 3, a cover 15 was installed on the door 11a in a position where luggage, shoes, etc. are likely to collide with it, thereby protecting the display 13. However, damage to the display 13 due to such collisions can be avoided by not placing the display 13 on the door 11a in a position where luggage, shoes, etc. are likely to collide with it.

[0214] Figure 25 is a front view showing the configuration of the locker device 10 according to a modified example of Embodiment 3.

[0215] In the configuration shown in Figure 25, the door 11a of the lowest area A3, which is prone to collisions with luggage, shoes, etc., does not have a display 13 installed. Therefore, the display target area R1 is the area that includes areas A1 and A2, excluding area A3. As a result, the advertising image P1 is displayed in a narrower area than in embodiments 1 and 2 described above. Although Figure 25 shows the display configuration according to embodiment 2 described above, the display configuration of the image displayed in the display target area R1 may be the display configuration according to embodiment 1 described above.

[0216] This modified example also prevents damage to the display 13 due to collisions with luggage, shoes, etc. However, in this modified example, the display area of ​​the advertising image P1 becomes smaller, so in order to allow the public to grasp the advertising image P1 more clearly and effectively, it is preferable to place a display 13 on the door 11a of area A3 as in embodiment 3 above, and to install covers 15 on these doors 11a.

[0217] <Embodiment 4> In embodiments 1 and 2 described above, images such as the advertising image P1 and the image P3 indicating availability were displayed on the surface of the door 11a by a display 13 installed on the surface of the door 11a. However, the configuration for displaying these images on the door 11a is not limited to these. For example, these images may be displayed on the door 11a by projecting them onto the door 11a.

[0218] Figure 26 is a diagram showing the configuration of the storage system 1 according to Embodiment 4.

[0219] In Embodiment 4, the display 13 is omitted from each door 11a, and a projector 60 is added. The projector 60 is positioned to project an image onto the surface of the door 11a. The projection range of the projector 60 roughly coincides with the display target area R1. Therefore, the projector 60 can project an image onto the surface of all doors 11a located in the display target area R1. The projector 60 is connected to the control unit 20 in a communication manner.

[0220] The projector 60 projects images similar to those in embodiments 1 to 3, under control from the control unit 20 (control unit 201). The control unit 201 controls the projector 60 in the same manner as in embodiments 1 to 3 so that images such as the advertisement image P1 and image P2 are displayed on the predetermined door 11a.

[0221] For example, in the first mode (S101) of Figure 11, the control unit 201 controls the projector 60 so that the advertisement image P1 is projected and displayed in the display target area R1. In the second mode (S103), the control unit 201 controls the projector 60 so that the advertisement image P1 and image P2 are projected and displayed in the display target area R1 with their transparency adjusted and superimposed. Switching between the first mode and the second mode is performed according to the process in Figure 11, as in the first embodiment described above. In the second embodiment as well, the projector 60 is controlled so that images such as the advertisement image P1 and image P3 are displayed in the display target area R1.

[0222] <Effects of Embodiment 4> Embodiment 4 also achieves the same effects as Embodiments 1 and 2. That is, by displaying the display image on multiple doors included in the display target area and adjusting the projected image by the projector, the display form of the display image can be smoothly differentiated between the first door and the second door.

[0223] Furthermore, since there is no need to place a display 13 for each door 11a, the configuration of the locker device 10 can be simplified compared to embodiments 1 and 2 described above.

[0224] <Other Modification Examples> The examples of image display for the display target area R1 are not limited to the examples described in Embodiments 1 to 4 and their modifications. For example, instead of the advertising image P1, a public image other than an advertisement, such as a weather forecast or an earthquake early warning, may be displayed.

[0225] Furthermore, in the configuration of Embodiment 2 described above, the display target area R1 may be divided into three areas R21 to R23, as shown in Figure 27. In this case, an advertisement image P1 may be displayed in area R21, and an image P3 indicating availability may be displayed in area R23. In addition, another advertisement image may be displayed in area R22, or a public image other than an advertisement, such as a weather forecast or an earthquake early warning, may be displayed. Similarly, in the configuration of Embodiment 1 described above, the display target area R1 may be divided into two areas, and different advertisement images or public images other than advertisements may be displayed in each of the divided areas. The display target area R1 may be further divided into many more areas.

[0226] Furthermore, different types of images may be displayed on each of the doors 11a included in the display target area R1. Alternatively, the display target area R1 may be divided into multiple areas, each containing multiple doors, with one image displayed across the entire area in a predetermined divided area, and different types of images displayed on each door 11a in the other divided areas. Alternatively, the same type of image may be displayed in multiple divided areas, or the same type of image may be displayed on multiple doors 11a. In these cases as well, the control unit 202 executes control to differentiate the display format between the doors 11a of the storage unit 11 that are empty and the doors 11a of other storage units 11 included in the display target area R1.

[0227] Furthermore, in the embodiments 1 to 4 and their modified examples, the availability of the storage compartments 11 was shown along with the advertising image P1. However, when a user selects a predetermined storage compartment 11 via the interface 121 of the payment unit 12, the display on the display 13 of each door 11a may be controlled so that the location of that storage compartment 11 is known.

[0228] For example, as shown in Figure 28, the display 13 of the door 11a selected by the user may display a different color from the other displays 13, and arrows indicating the location of the selected storage compartment 11 may be displayed on the displays 13 around this display 13. In this case, the arrows may be omitted, or the display 13 of the selected storage compartment 11 may display the same color as the other displays 13.

[0229] Furthermore, the image used to display the empty storage compartment 11 does not necessarily have to be displayed at the timings shown in Embodiments 1 to 4 above, and may be displayed at other timings. For example, the image in Figure 10 and the image in Figure 12 in Embodiment 1 may be displayed alternately at a certain period. Alternatively, the image in Figure 16 in Embodiment 2 and the image in Figure 12 in Embodiment 1 may be displayed alternately at a certain period.

[0230] Furthermore, in the image of Figure 18, an image of characters indicating an empty storage compartment 11 may also be displayed. For example, this image of characters may be displayed on the display 13 of an empty storage compartment 11, or the image of the characters may be displayed on the display 13 of an empty storage compartment 11 adjacent to the empty storage compartment 11, along with an image such as an arrow pointing to the empty storage compartment 11. The image of characters indicating an empty state may also be an image with Japanese and a predetermined foreign language (English, Chinese, Korean, etc.) written together. These displays may be performed by the projector 60 shown in Embodiment 4 above.

[0231] Furthermore, in the image of Figure 18, images of characters indicating the size of each empty storage compartment 11 may also be displayed. In this case as well, these character images may be displayed on the display 13 of the empty storage compartment 11, or displayed on the display 13 of the empty storage compartment 11. These displays may be performed by the projector 60 shown in Embodiment 4 above.

[0232] Furthermore, if there are no empty storage compartments 11 in the locker device 10, an image guiding the user to another locker device 10 that has an empty storage compartment 11 may be displayed in the display area R1. In this case, the locker device 10 is connected to the other locker device in a communicative manner and periodically receives information from the other locker device indicating whether or not there are empty storage compartments in that other locker device. For example, the guidance image in Figure 29 may be displayed in the display area R1 of the locker device 10 at a fixed interval instead of the normal display image. For example, the image in Figure 16 in Embodiment 2 and the guidance image in Figure 29 may be displayed at a fixed interval. In this case, the image P3 in Figure 16 will be an image indicating that there are no empty storage compartments 11 (for example, an image with the text "No Empty"). This display may also be performed by the projector 60 shown in Embodiment 4 above.

[0233] Furthermore, in the above embodiment 3, the size and weight of the luggage were estimated from the image of the camera 50, and based on the estimation result, a storage unit 11 suitable for storing the luggage was determined, and the display on the display 13 was controlled. However, the user's attributes (age, gender, height, etc.) may be estimated from the image of the camera 50 by an attribute estimation engine, and based on the estimation result, a storage unit 11 for storing the luggage may be determined.

[0234] For example, if the user is elderly, female, or child, a storage compartment 11 that is close to the middle level and empty, allowing the user to store the luggage without lifting or bending down, may be determined as the storage compartment 11 for storing the luggage. In this case, for example, in the image of Figure 18, the display 13 corresponding to the determined storage compartment 11 is displayed in white, and the other displays 13 are displayed in black. This display may also be performed by the projector 60 shown in Embodiment 4 above.

[0235] Furthermore, among the advertising images P1 that can be displayed in the display area R1, advertising images P1 with content that matches the user's attributes may be displayed in the display area R1. For example, if the user is female, advertising images P1 related to cosmetics and advertising images P1 that women are interested in may be displayed in the display area R1.

[0236] In this case, the advertising image P1 provided from the server 30 to the control unit 20 is accompanied by attribute information indicating what kind of user attributes the advertising image P1 is favored by, and time zone information indicating the time period during which the advertising image P1 should be displayed. The storage unit 202 of the control unit 20 stores the advertising image P1, attribute information, and time zone information linked together. Multiple advertising images P1 are transmitted from the server 30 to the control unit 20 in advance, along with this additional information.

[0237] The control unit 201 of the control unit 20 should, while the image captured by the camera 50 does not include a user, sequentially switch between multiple advertising images P1 corresponding to the current time period and display them in the display area R1. Furthermore, while the image captured by the camera 50 includes a user, the control unit 201 should display the advertising image P1 corresponding to the user's attributes from among the multiple advertising images P1 corresponding to the current time period in the display area R1. In this case, if there are multiple advertising images P1 corresponding to the user's attributes, these advertising images P1 should be cyclically switched and displayed in the display area R1. This type of control allows for the provision of more effective advertising images to users who are most likely to notice the advertising image P1.

[0238] Furthermore, if the user's race can be identified as an attribute, an advertising image P1 suitable for the identified race may be displayed in the display area R1. For example, if the user is a foreigner, an advertising image P1 related to souvenirs for foreigners may be displayed in the display area R1. If a camera that captures images of the user facing the payment unit 12 is located in the payment unit 12, the user's attributes may be estimated based on the images captured by this camera. If the IC card contains user attribute information (age, gender, etc.), the above control may be performed based on the attribute information read from the IC card.

[0239] Furthermore, the charge amount may be adjusted according to the total time the advertising image P1 is displayed. For example, if the advertising image P1 is displayed according to the user's attributes as described above, and female users visit the locker device 10 frequently during a predetermined time period, the total time the male-oriented advertising image P1 is displayed may be shortened.

[0240] In such cases, if a fixed fee is charged for that time period, advertisers of the male-oriented ad image P1 may become dissatisfied. Therefore, if a fixed fee is set for the total specified time that ad image P1 is displayed during a designated time period, and the actual total time that ad image P1 is displayed during that time period is less than the specified total time, a discount may be applied to the fixed fee in proportion to the degree of the reduction.

[0241] Furthermore, the charge amount may be adjusted not only based on the total time but also on the area in which the advertising image P1 is displayed. For example, when multiple advertising images P1 are displayed during a predetermined time period, the advertising images P1 may be displayed in small areas created by dividing the display target area R1, as shown in Figure 27. Similarly, when images such as weather forecasts or earthquake early warnings are displayed during that time period, the advertising images P1 may be displayed in small areas created by dividing the display target area R1, as shown in Figure 27.

[0242] In such cases, if a fixed fee is charged for that time period, advertisers may become dissatisfied. Therefore, if a fixed fee is set for a specified total time and area for displaying ad image P1 during a given time period, and the cumulative value of the total time and area of ​​ad image P1 actually displayed during that time period falls below the cumulative value of the specified total time and area, a discount may be applied to the fixed fee according to the degree of the decrease.

[0243] When the above-described billing adjustments are made, the control unit 201 of the control unit 20 should send information regarding the time and area over which the advertising image P1 was displayed to the server 30 as needed for each advertising image P1. The server 30 should calculate the total time and total area over which the advertising image P1 was displayed from the received time and area data, and then make the above-described billing adjustments based on the calculation results. This ensures that each advertiser is charged appropriately in accordance with the actual display of the advertising image P1.

[0244] Furthermore, in the above example, advertising images and other images such as weather forecasts and earthquake early warnings were displayed in the display area R1 as images for the public. However, the time period during which images are displayed in the display area R1 may also be made available to individuals, allowing individuals to display specific images in the display area R1 for their own purposes during a specified time period.

[0245] In embodiments 1 to 4 described above, the control unit 20 was a personal computer built into the locker device 10. However, the control unit 20 may be a personal computer installed separately from the locker device 10, and the control unit 20 connected to the external communication network 40 may perform the above-mentioned control. Furthermore, a common control unit 20 may perform the above-mentioned control for multiple locker devices 10.

[0246] Alternatively, in the configurations of embodiments 1 to 3 described above, the functions of the control unit 201 of the control unit 20 may be implemented in the control unit 221 of the settlement unit 12, and the control unit 20 may be omitted. In this case, the storage system 1 will be composed of the locker device 10 alone. In the configuration of embodiment 4 described above, the functions of the control unit 201 of the control unit 20 may also be implemented in the control unit 221 of the settlement unit 12, and the control unit 20 may be omitted. In this case, the projector 60 is connected to the settlement unit 12 in a communicative manner.

[0247] The configuration of the locker device 10 and the layout of the storage compartment 11 and door 11a shown in Embodiments 1 to 4 above are examples, and other configurations and layouts are also possible. The size of the storage compartment 11 (door 11a) is also an example, and the storage compartment 11 (door 11a) may be of a different size than that shown in Embodiments 1 to 4. In addition, the door 11a may open to the right.

[0248] Furthermore, as in embodiments 1 to 4 described above, if the availability status of each storage compartment 11 is displayed on the door 11a of the display target area R1, the illuminated area 141 may be omitted from the panel 14.

[0249] Furthermore, when the advertising image P1 is displayed by the display 13 located on the door 11a, as in Embodiment 1 above, the area where the panel portion 14 is located becomes dead space for displaying the advertising image P1. For this reason, it is preferable to make the panel portion 14 as narrow as possible in the left-right direction, thereby minimizing the gap between adjacent doors 11a and displays 13. If possible, the panel portion 14 may be omitted.

[0250] Furthermore, the display 13 used in the above embodiment 1 may be configured as a dual-view liquid crystal, so that either the advertising image P1 or the image P2 indicating availability is visible depending on the viewing angle.

[0251] When the locker device 10 is installed at a station, informational images related to trains and stations, such as train operation status, may be displayed in the display area R1 as images for the public. Alternatively, entertainment images intended to entertain the public, such as images of dogs or cats, may be displayed in the display area R1 as images for the public. This allows informational images and entertainment images to be provided to the public, including users.

[0252] In addition, embodiments of the present invention can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the claims.

[0253] 1 Storage system 10 Locker device 11 Storage section 11a Door 13 Display (display unit) 50 Projector (display unit) 121 Interface 201 Control unit 202 Storage unit P1 Advertising image P2 Image indicating availability R1 Display target area

Claims

1. A storage system comprising: a plurality of storage compartments arranged in a plane direction and each having a door; a display unit for displaying an image on each of the doors; and a control unit for controlling the display image of a display target area including a predetermined number of adjacent doors, wherein the control unit causes the display format of the display image to differ between a first door of an empty storage compartment and a second door of another storage compartment.

2. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the transparency of the display image to differ between the first door and the second door.

3. The storage system according to claim 2, wherein the control unit adjusts the transparency of the display image on the first door to be higher than the transparency of the display image on the second door, and displays another image for indicating an empty state superimposed on the first door.

4. A storage system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit acquires an image from an imaging unit that images the front area of ​​the storage system, determines from the acquired image whether or not there is a person in the front area, displays the display image with a different display format between the first door and the second door if there is a person in the front area, and displays the display image without a difference in display format between the first door and the second door if there is no person in the front area.

5. A storage system according to claim 1, comprising an interface for receiving operations relating to the use of the storage unit, wherein the control unit acquires an image from an imaging unit that images the front area of ​​the storage system, determines from the acquired image whether or not a person has come into the front area, displays the display image with different display modes between the first door and the second door when a person has come into the front area, and thereafter, upon detection of an operation on the interface, displays the display image without different display modes between the first door and the second door.

6. A storage system according to claim 1, comprising a storage unit that stores management information linking each of the storage units and its size, wherein the control unit acquires an image from an imaging unit that images the front area of ​​the storage system, estimates the size of luggage held by a person in the front area from the acquired image, selects from the management information a storage unit corresponding to the estimated size of the luggage from among the empty storage units included in the display target area, and makes the display format of the display image on the door of the selected storage unit different from that of the second door, while making the display format of the display image on the door of the unselected storage unit the same as that of the second door.

7. The storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that the display image is an advertising image containing advertising information.

8. The storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that the display unit is a display arranged on the surface of the door.

9. A storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that the display unit is a projector that projects an image onto the display target area.

10. A control method for a storage system comprising a plurality of storage compartments arranged in a plane direction, each having a door, and a display unit for displaying an image on each of the doors, characterized in that a display image is displayed in a display target area including a predetermined number of adjacent doors, and the display form of the display image is made different between a first door of an empty storage compartment and a second door of another storage compartment.

11. A program that causes a control unit of a storage system, which comprises a plurality of storage compartments arranged in a plane direction and each having a door, and a display unit for displaying an image on each of the doors, to execute the following functions: a function for displaying a display image in a display target area including a predetermined number of adjacent doors; and a function for differentiating the display format of the display image between a first door of an empty storage compartment and a second door of another storage compartment.

12. A storage system characterized by comprising: a plurality of storage compartments arranged in a line in the plane direction, each having a door; a display unit for displaying an image on each of the doors; and a control unit for simultaneously displaying a first image for the public and a second image relating to an empty storage compartment in a display area including a predetermined number of adjacent doors.

13. The storage system according to claim 12, wherein the control unit displays the first image in the display target area, and increases the transparency of the first image on the first door of the storage unit that is open among the doors of the plurality of storage units, to the transparency of the first image on the second door of the storage unit that is not open, so that the second image is displayed superimposed on the first image on the first door.

14. The storage system according to claim 12, wherein the control unit divides the display target area into a first area and a second area, displays the first image on the door of the first area, and displays the second image on the door of the second area.

15. A storage system according to claim 14, characterized in that the first region is larger than the second region.

16. A storage system according to claim 14, comprising an interface for receiving operations relating to the use of the storage section, wherein the control unit, upon detecting the start of an operation for depositing items to the interface, stops displaying the first and second images and displays an image for each of the doors included in the display target area indicating whether or not the storage section of each door is empty.

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