JP2019074926A - Computer program, managing device, unmanned operating device and server - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem in a system for realizing exchange of goods between a user and a store side via an unmanned transportation device, or to improve the system. SOLUTION: A computer program is a computer program relating to a system for realizing exchange of goods between a user and a store side via an unmanned transportation device, and obtains a designation of a destination type of the unmanned transportation device from the user. And when the specified type meets the criteria for the size of the site, the terminal has a function to display a screen on the display for the user to specify the place where the user and the unmanned transportation device meet. .. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a computer program, a management apparatus, an unmanned operation apparatus, and a server, and more particularly to a technology for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via the unmanned operation apparatus.

  Devices such as autonomously movable vehicles and projectiles have been put to practical use by recent advances in sensor accuracy and advances in AI technology. There are various applications of such devices, but one of the application fields is physical distribution. For example, in the system described in Non-Patent Document 1, an autonomous traveling vehicle is used to deliver goods from a drug store or a supermarket to a consumer.

http://www.zmp.co.jp/products/carriro-delivery, (September 15, 2017 search)

  The application of autonomously movable devices to logistics is just beginning, and various challenges arise in implementing the system.

  The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and an object thereof is to solve the problems in a system for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus, or to solve the system. Providing technology to improve.

  One aspect of the present invention relates to a computer program. This computer program is a computer program related to a system for realizing the exchange of articles between the user and the store via the unmanned transport apparatus, and has a function of acquiring from the user the designation of the destination of the unmanned transport apparatus. If the specified type satisfies the criteria for the size of the site, the terminal is made to realize a function of displaying on the display a screen for the user to specify a place where the user and the unmanned transport apparatus meet.

  Note that any combination of the above-described components, or one obtained by replacing the components and expressions of the present invention among devices, methods, systems, recording media storing computer programs, etc. is also an aspect of the present invention. It is valid.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the subject in the system which implement | achieves delivery of the articles | goods between the user and a store side via an unmanned transportation apparatus can be solved, or this system can be improved.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the PDD system which concerns on embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the portable terminal of FIG. It is a chart which shows the flow from the order of goods in a PDD system to the completion of delivery. It is a data structure figure which shows an example of the database of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the function and structure of a management server. It is a data structure figure which shows an example of the site information holding part of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the function and structure of a portable terminal. It is a representative screen figure of the order confirmation screen displayed on a display. It is a representative screen figure of a building designation screen displayed on a display. It is a representative screen figure of the place time display screen displayed on a display. It is a representative screen figure of the meeting place narrowing-down screen displayed on a display. It is a representative screen figure of the option screen displayed on a display. It is a representative screen figure of NG reason display screen displayed on a display. It is a representative screen figure of the meeting place setting screen displayed on a display. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a series of processes in PDD which has registration mode. It is a representative screen figure of the order refusal screen displayed on a display. It is a block diagram which shows the function and structure of a management server. It is a data structure figure which shows an example of the image holding part of FIG. FIG. 18 is a data structure diagram showing an example of an order control information holding unit of FIG. 17; It is a representative screen figure of the top screen displayed on a display. It is a representative screen figure of the approach notification screen displayed on a display. It is a representative screen figure of the situation notice screen displayed on a display. It is a representative screen figure of the detailed text screen displayed on a display. It is a representative screen figure of the reset inquiry screen displayed on a display. It is a representative screen figure of the meeting place update screen displayed on a display. It is a representative screen view of the status notification screen when it is determined that the distance between the PDD and the meeting place is less than the first change threshold but is not less than the second change threshold. It is a representative screen view of the status notification screen when it is determined that the distance between the PDD and the meeting place is less than the second change threshold. It is a representative screen figure of the condition notification screen when it is determined that the PDD has arrived at the meeting place. It is a representative screen figure of the transaction completion screen displayed on a display. It is a representative screen figure of the management screen displayed on a display. It is a representative screen figure of the approach notification screen displayed on the display of a portable terminal. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a series of processes in a PDD system. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a series of processes in a management server. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a series of processes in a management server. It is a representative screen figure of the management screen displayed on the display of a management server. It is a block diagram which shows the function and structure of a management server. It is a data structure figure which shows an example of the user information holding part of FIG. It is an explanatory view for explaining specification processing in a sales promotion object specific part. It is a data structure figure showing an example of a size matching table. It is a representative screen figure of the recommendation screen displayed on the display of a portable terminal. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a series of processes in a management server.

  Hereinafter, the same or equivalent constituent elements, members, and processes shown in the respective drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be appropriately omitted. Moreover, in each drawing, a part of the member which is not important for description is abbreviate | omitted and displayed.

(Overall configuration and operation)
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a PDD (Personal Delivery Devices) system 10 according to the embodiment. The PDD system 10 is a system for realizing exchange of goods 24 between the user 14 and the shop 22 via the PDD. The PDD system 10 includes a management server 12 for managing the PDD system 10, a mobile terminal 16 of the user 14, a store 22 for selling the product 24, and a PDD 20 for carrying the product 24 and depositing luggage from the user 14 Prepare. The management server 12, the portable terminal 16, the store 22, and the PDD 20 are connected to the network 18, and configured to be communicable with each other.

  The network 18 includes a wired network or a wireless network or a combination thereof, and may include the Internet, an intranet, a LAN, a WAN, WiFi, Bluetooth (registered trademark), a wireless telephone network, and the like. For example, the portable terminal 16 communicates with the management server 12 via a wireless telephone network. The portable terminal 16 communicates with the PDD 20 by near-field wireless communication such as Bluetooth when the distance to the PDD 20 is short.

  The store 22 may be a convenience store, drug store, supermarket, restaurant, department store, discount store, retail store, stall, and the like. In the store 22, the store clerk of the store 22 can load the product 24 on the PDD 20, and the store clerk can collect the luggage that the PDD 20 has deposited from the user 14. The store 22 is equipped with a terminal (not shown) such as a POS (Point Of Sale) terminal, which is connected to the network 18. At least one PDD 20 is deployed in the store 22, and the store 22 is one of the bases of the PDD 20. The store 22 may be a building on the store 22 side such as a distribution warehouse or a factory.

  The PDD 20 mediates the exchange of articles between the user 14 and the store 22 side. The PDD 20 stores goods 24 to be delivered from the shop 22 to the user 14 and articles such as luggage to be delivered from the user 14 to the shop 22 and uses position information from positioning means such as GPS, gyro sensor, acceleration sensor, etc. It is an unmanned transport device that moves automatically to the ground. The automatic movement of the PDD 20 may be realized, for example, using an automatic traveling technique used in an automatically runnable home delivery robot described in Non-Patent Document 1. The PDD 20 may move automatically under the control of the management server 12, or may move in a stand-alone manner without such control. The PDD 20 has a plurality of storage spaces 26 each of which can store a product 24 or a package.

  Note that, instead of the PDD 20, an airborne transport device such as a drone or an unmanned vehicle such as an unmanned delivery vehicle capable of traveling on a road (not on a sidewalk) may be used.

  The management server 12 is a server for managing the PDD system 10, and may be provided in the data center or in the store 22 depending on who the administrator is. The management server 12 acquires information on transactions performed via the PDD 20 and stores the information in the database 40.

  The mobile terminal 16 is a terminal of a user such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet, a laptop computer, and a smart watch. The user 14 of the mobile terminal 16 downloads and installs the PDD application program (hereinafter referred to as a PDD application) according to the embodiment from the download site via the network 18 to the mobile terminal 16. Alternatively, the PDD application may be pre-installed on the mobile terminal 16. The PDD application is provided by the administrator of the PDD system 10. As the PDD application is executed by the mobile terminal 16, the mobile terminal 16 communicates with the management server 12 via the network 18 to realize various functions. Hereinafter, the function realized by executing the PDD application by (the processing unit such as the CPU of) the mobile terminal 16 will be described as the function of the mobile terminal 16. Those functions are actually functions that the PDD application causes the portable terminal 16 to realize. A stationary terminal such as a desktop computer may be used instead of the portable terminal 16.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the portable terminal 16 of FIG. The portable terminal 16 may be any terminal as long as it can install and execute the PDD application, and may be, for example, a known portable terminal. The portable terminal 16 includes a memory 28, a processor 30, a communication interface 32, a display 34, and an input interface 36. These elements are each connected to the bus 38 and communicate with each other via the bus 38.

  The memory 28 is a storage area for storing data and programs. Data and programs may be permanently stored in the memory 28 or may be temporarily stored. In particular, the memory 28 stores PDD applications. The processor 30 may be a CPU that realizes various functions in the mobile terminal 16 by executing a program stored in the memory 28, in particular, a PDD application. The communication interface 32 is an interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from the network 18. The display 34 is a device for displaying various information, and is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The input interface 36 is a device for receiving an input from a user. The input interface 36 includes, for example, a touch panel provided on the display 34, various input keys, and the like. The management server 12 and the POS may have the same hardware configuration as the hardware configuration shown in FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a chart showing a flow from ordering of goods 24 in the PDD system 10 to completion of delivery. The user 14 browses the list of products 24 that can be ordered to the store 22 using the portable terminal 16. The user 14 selects a desired product 24, specifies a meeting place to meet with the PDD 20 (ie, the destination of the PDD 20), and selects a payment method. The portable terminal 16 receives the information on the selected product 24, the information on the designated meeting place, and the payment information on payment (S302), generates order information including those information, and the network 18 And transmit to the management server 12 (S304). The management server 12 receives the order information and performs payment processing using the payment information included in the order information (S306). For example, if the user 14 chooses to pay by credit card, the payment information will include the credit card number, and the payment process will include an approval process from the credit card company.

  When the settlement process is completed, the management server 12 transmits a storage instruction for storing the selected product 24 in the PDD 20 to the POS of the store 22 via the network 18 (S308). Upon receipt of the storage instruction, the POS causes the display of the POS to display information indicating the selected item 24 and information specifying the PDD 20 (and the storage space 26 at the storage location) where the item 24 should be stored ( S310). The store 22 employee reviews the POS display and stores the selected item 24 in the identified PDD 20. Here, the POS may be a portable POS terminal, and may be changed to a status that the selected product 24 is stored in the PDD 20 by the employee reading the barcode of the selected product 24. Alternatively, the PDD may be provided with a camera or a barcode function, and the barcode of the item 24 selected by the camera or the barcode function may be read and the status change similarly performed.

  In addition, when the settlement process is completed, the management server 12 generates a moving route of the PDD 20 including the meeting place included in the order information as a destination, and transmits route information including the generated moving route to the PDD 20 via the network 18 It transmits (S312). The route information may include information specifying the storage space 26 of the storage destination.

  When receiving the route information, the PDD 20 sets a route based on the route information (S314). The PDD 20 stands by until the employee 24 stores the product 24 in the storage space 26. When storage of the product 24 is confirmed (S316), the PDD 20 starts automatic travel to move to the destination along the set route. . During automatic travel (S318), the PDD 20 measures its current position at any time and reports it to the management server 12 and the POS via the network 18 (S320). The reported current position may be used to control automatic travel by the management server 12, or may be displayed on the POS display to inform the store 22 employee of the position of the PDD 20. The management server 12 may also provide the portable terminal 16 with the current position of the PDD 20 via the network 18.

  The PDD 20 arrives at the set meeting place and stands by there (S322). While waiting, the PDD 20 broadcasts its identification information to the surroundings by near field communication. The user 14 holds the portable terminal 16 and goes to the meeting place. For example, displaying the current position of the PDD 20 on the display 34 of the portable terminal 16 and displaying the estimated arrival time or remaining time until arrival of the PDD 20 on the display 34 of the portable terminal 16 Or the management server 12 notified of arrival from the PDD 20 may notify the portable terminal 16 of the arrival of the PDD 20 or any combination thereof.

  The portable terminal 16 detects the identification information of the PDD 20 via near field communication (S324). The portable terminal 16 transmits the authentication information of the user 14 to the PDD 20 via near field communication (S326). The PDD 20 receives the authentication information and performs user authentication using the received authentication information (S328). This user authentication may be performed by the PDD 20, or may be performed by the management server 12, or may be performed by communication between the two. FIG. 3 shows an example in which user authentication is completed by the PDD 20. In this case, the route information received by the PDD 20 from the management server 12 in step S312 includes the authentication information of the user 14.

  If the user authentication is successful, the PDD 20 opens the accommodation space 26 in which the product 24 addressed to the user 14 is stored (S330). The product 24 is delivered by taking out the product 24 from the storage space 26 where the user 14 is open. After removing the item 24, the user 14 closes the lid of the storage space 26. When the PDD 20 detects that the lid is closed, it starts automatic travel to move to the store 22 along the set route. During automatic travel (S332), the PDD 20 measures its current position at any time and reports it to the management server 12 and the POS via the network 18 (S334). The PDD 20 arrives at the store 22 and stops at a predetermined stop position (S336). The PDD 20 transmits confirmation information for confirming the completion of the transfer to the management server 12 and the POS via the network 18 (S338). The confirmation information may be generated and transmitted when the PDD 20 is at the destination. When receiving the confirmation information, the management server 12 stores the transaction information related to the current transaction in the database 40 (S340).

  Although the case of adopting the electronic prepayment method has been described in the example of FIG. 3, the electronic postpayment method may be adopted, and in this case, after the completion of the transfer is confirmed, the settlement processing is performed by the management server 12 It may be done. Alternatively, a method may be adopted in which the PDD 20 delivers the item 24 to the user 14 and instead deposits the price of the item 24 from the user 14 and brings it back to the store 22.

  Although the case where the user 14 orders the product 24 has been described in the example of FIG. 3, the same process may be applied when the user 14 requests collection of a package. The main difference from the example of FIG. 3 in this case is that the accommodation space 26 is empty when the PDD 20 goes to the destination, and the accommodation space 26 is for the user 14 when the PDD 20 returns from the destination to the store 22. The point is to hold the luggage.

  In the example of FIG. 3, although the case where management server 12 transmits route information to PDD 20 via network 18 was explained, it is not restricted to this, for example, POS of store 22 matches route information with management instructions from management server 12 For example, the POS may set route information to the PDD 20 via near field communication or WiFi.

  FIG. 4 is a data structure diagram showing an example of the database 40 of FIG. The database 40 includes attributes of the user 14 who has made a transaction, classification of delivery / pickup, ordered items 24, number of ordered items 24 or picked up packages, and date / time when the order is confirmed. , The position of the portable terminal 16 of the user 14 when the order is confirmed, the date and time when the user 14 receives the product 24 from the PDD 20, and the position where the user 14 receives the product 24 from the PDD 20 (= designated meeting place And the PDD waiting time which is the time from the arrival of the PDD 20 at the meeting place until the user 14 takes out the goods 24, the meeting success / failure classification and the weather are associated with each other and held.

  According to the PDD system 10 according to the present embodiment, whenever there is an order of the product 24 or a request for collection, information (meeting place) and an order of the place where the transaction is performed are performed in the database 40 of the management server 12 The information on the places where the Since the meeting place is a place where the PDD 20 directly delivers the product 24 to the user 14, the accuracy as a place where the user 14 receives the product 24 is high. The manager of the management server 12 can realize more effective product recommendation and marketing by processing the accumulated location information as big data.

  For example, focusing on the fact that meeting places are accumulated along with success or failure of reception, it is possible to calculate the success rate of reception for each meeting place. Also, focusing on the fact that the meeting place is accumulated together with the PDD waiting time, it is possible to calculate the time taken to receive each meeting place. In addition, it is possible to calculate the user's acceptability indicator based on the success rate of reception and the time taken for reception for each meeting location. The management server 12 can propose possible meeting places to the user 14 based on this index.

  Alternatively, from the stored meeting place and order time, it is possible to calculate the place and time where the probability of ordering is high. The management server 12 can recommend the product 24 based on the calculated location and time. For example, if at the entrance of an office building it is found that the frequency at which a user passes a rice ball between 11.30 am and noon is higher than at other places or other time zones, It can be determined that it is effective to electronically distribute rice ball coupons between 11:00 am and 11.30 am to existing users.

  Focusing on the fact that the order date and time is accumulated, it is possible to predict the peak period of the order. In this case, based on the predicted peak period, the number of PDDs 20 arranged in the store 22 and the standby location can be adjusted for each time zone.

  The management server 12 may perform an incentive process of giving the user 14 an incentive that motivates the user 14 to come to the reception immediately when the PDD 20 arrives at the meeting place. The incentive process may be, for example, a process of giving a coupon to the user 14 who has immediately come to receive, or a process of giving priority recommendation to the user 14 as a good user.

  As a result of intensive studies on the PDD system 10 described above, the inventor has recognized that there are various problems in various phases of operation. Each problem and means for solving the problems will be described below.

(Example 1)
Phase: Order Acceptance Problem: Specification of Meeting Place As described in connection with step S302 in FIG. 2, the user 14 designates a meeting place to meet with the PDD 20 when ordering the product 24. As a user interface for accepting designation of the meeting place, the PDD application may display an electronic map (hereinafter referred to as an electronic map) on the display 34 of the portable terminal 16 and have the user 14 designate on the electronic map Be However, although it is possible to specify a building on the currently available electronic map, it is not possible to specify a specific place (entrance, back door, pass opening, rest area, smoking area, etc.) within the building site. Since it is the entrance that is relatively suitable as the meeting place, there is also an implementation where the entrance is automatically specified as the meeting place when the building is specified, but the electronic map should specify the entrance place Such an implementation is currently difficult because it contains no information. Therefore, for example, it is necessary to devise a device that can narrow down the meeting place to the level of "Hachiko-no-Mae" rather than "Shibuya Station".

  Therefore, in this example, the electronic map and the map of the site of the building in the electronic map are associated with each other and registered in the management server 12. When the user 14 designates a building in the electronic map as a meeting place, the PDD application acquires a map of the site of the building from the management server 12 and adds the candidate of the meeting place to the acquired map of the site to be a user Presented at 14. Thereby, the user 14 can narrow down the meeting place to the level of a specific place in the premises of the building, and the certainty of the meeting between the user 14 and the PDD 20 can be enhanced.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the function and configuration of the management server 12 according to the first example. Each block shown in FIG. 5 and the other block diagrams can be realized by hardware as an element such as a CPU of a computer or a mechanical device, and as software as a computer program or the like. , The functional block realized by those cooperation is drawn. Therefore, it is understood by those skilled in the art who have been mentioned in the present specification that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by a combination of hardware and software.

  The management server 12 includes an electronic map storage unit 42, a site information storage unit 44, a building specification reception unit 46, a building type determination unit 48, a meeting place specification reception unit 50, and a candidate update unit 52. The electronic map holding unit 42 holds an electronic map. The electronic map is, for example, the wide area and detailed map database ZMAP provided by Zenrin Co., Ltd. It may be Google Map provided by. Instead of the electronic map storage unit 42, an API (Application Programming Interface) for acquiring an electronic map from another server may be used.

  FIG. 6 is a data structure diagram showing an example of the site information holding unit 44 of FIG. The site information holding unit 44 identifies a building, a building type, a building type, a map of a building site, coordinates of meeting place candidates, a designated number of times, a set of images, a range of an NG area, a reason of NG And are associated with each other.

  The building ID is an identifier for identifying a building registered in the electronic map. The type of the building is, for example, an office building, an apartment, a house, an apartment, a school, a hospital or the like. The type of building may be updated each time there is registration by the user described later. The map of the site is an image file such as a bitmap format or a JPEG format. The meeting place candidate is (1) manually set by the administrator of the PDD system 10, or (2) a place where the user 14 and the PDD 20 have actually met, or (3) It is registered by the user 14 via the portable terminal 16. The coordinates of the meeting place candidate are information for specifying the position of the meeting place candidate in the map of the site, and are, for example, the coordinates of the candidate in the map of the site. The designated number of meeting place candidates is the number of times the candidate has been selected as the meeting place so far. The image of the meeting place candidate is an image of the surroundings of the candidate captured by the PDD 20 or the portable terminal 16 of the user 14 in the candidate. The range of the NG region indicates information for specifying the range of the NG region when there is an NG region in which the meeting between the user 14 and the PDD 20 is restricted or prohibited on the site. The NG reason indicates reason information indicating why the meeting is restricted or prohibited in the NG area. In the example of FIG. 6, in the site of the building ID “A11”, there is an NG area in the range of “20 <x <30, 50 <y <55”, and there is a stairway so there is NG It is shown.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the function and configuration of the mobile terminal 16 according to the first example. The portable terminal 16 includes a transmitting / receiving unit 54, an input receiving unit 56, and a display control unit 58.
The transmitting and receiving unit 54 exchanges information with the management server 12 via the network 18.
The input accepting unit 56 accepts the input of the user 14 made to the input interface 36. For example, when the user 14 taps an object displayed on the display 34, the input reception unit 56 acquires the position of the tap from the touch panel provided on the display 34, and collates the acquired position with the display position of the object. If the two match, the tap is accepted as the designation of the object. Further, the input receiving unit 56 receives various instructions from the user 14 via the touch panel. The input accepting unit 56 transmits information related to an instruction or designation by the user 14 to the management server 12 via the transmitting / receiving unit 54.
The display control unit 58 acquires screen information for generating a screen from the management server 12 via the transmission / reception unit 54, and causes the display 34 to display a predetermined screen according to the acquired screen information.

  The function and configuration of the portable terminal according to another example other than Example 1 described later are the same as the function and configuration of the portable terminal 16 according to Example 1 shown in FIG. 7. In Example 1, the portable terminal 16 basically takes charge of input / output of information, and processing of information is performed by the management server 12, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In Example 1 and other examples, information processing in the management server 12 The PDD system 10 may be configured to perform all or any part of the process on the mobile terminal 16.

  Hereinafter, narrowing down of the meeting place at the time of receiving an order of a product from the user 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 14. FIG. 8 is a representative screen view of the order confirmation screen 60 displayed on the display 34. As shown in FIG. When the input acceptance unit 56 of the portable terminal 16 accepts specification of a desired product from the user 14 on a product selection screen (not shown) or the like, it transmits information of the specified product to the management server 12 via the network 18. The management server 12 determines the content of the order confirmation screen 60 based on the designated product, generates order confirmation screen information which is screen information for generating the order confirmation screen 60, and transmits the information via the network 18. To the portable terminal 16. The display control unit 58 of the portable terminal 16 acquires the order confirmation screen information and causes the display 34 to display the order confirmation screen 60 in accordance with the acquired order confirmation screen information.

  The order confirmation screen 60 has an order details display area 62, a meeting place designation button 64, and a meeting scheduled time area 66. The order detail display area 62 displays details such as the name, number, and price of the product designated by the user 14. The scheduled meeting time area 66 displays the scheduled time of arrival of the PDD 20 at the designated meeting place. If the meeting place has not been determined yet, it is displayed in the meeting scheduled time field 66 that the scheduled time is displayed after the meeting place is designated.

  When the user 14 taps the meeting place designation button 64, the input receiving unit 56 of the portable terminal 16 receives it as an instruction for specifying the meeting place. The input accepting unit 56 transmits the instruction to the management server 12 via the network 18. When receiving the instruction, the building specification receiving unit 46 of the management server 12 acquires an electronic map around the current position of the portable terminal 16 from the electronic map holding unit 42, and is screen information for generating the building specification screen 68. Certain building designation screen information is generated, and the information is transmitted to the portable terminal 16 via the network 18. The display control unit 58 of the mobile terminal 16 acquires the building specification screen information, and causes the display 34 to display the building specification screen 68 according to the acquired building specification screen information.

  FIG. 9 is a representative screen view of the building designation screen 68 displayed on the display 34. As shown in FIG. The building specification screen 68 has an address input area 70, a building type specification area 72, an OK button 76, and a map specification area 74. The address input area 70 is an area for inputting an address of a building that the user 14 wants to designate as a meeting place. The building type specification area 72 is an area for causing the user to specify or select the type of building that the user 14 wants to specify as a meeting place. The building type specification area 72 is configured in a pull-down format including options such as a house, an office building, an apartment, an apartment, and a school. The options in the building type designation area 72 correspond to the type of building. For example, when the user 14 wants to have a meeting in the office building where he / she works, he / she inputs the address of the office building in the address input area 70 and selects “Office Building” from the pull-down menu of the building type designation area 72 Do. Then, when the user 14 taps the OK button 76, the input receiving unit 56 of the mobile terminal 16 receives it as an instruction for specifying the address and the type of the building. The input receiving unit 56 transmits the information input to the address input area 70 and the type selected in the building type specification area 72 to the management server 12 via the network 18.

  Alternatively, the user 14 may select a desired building from the electronic map around the current position of the portable terminal 16 shown in the map designation area 74. In the map designation area 74, a building which has been designated as a meeting place by the user 14 in the past is highlighted (indicated by hatching in FIG. 9). When the user 14 taps a building on the electronic map, the input receiving unit 56 of the portable terminal 16 receives it as an instruction for specifying the building. The input accepting unit 56 transmits the building ID of the designated building to the management server 12 via the network 18.

  The building specification receiving unit 46 of the management server 12 acquires (the information input to the address input area 70 and the type selected in the building type specification area 72) or (building ID) from the portable terminal 16 via the network 18 . When the acquired information is a building ID, the building specification receiving unit 46 refers to the site information holding unit 44 and acquires the type of the building corresponding to the building ID. The building type determination unit 48 determines whether the acquired type satisfies the standard regarding the size of the site. This standard is, for example, whether the site is wide or narrow. If it is a house or apartment, there is a high probability that the user 14 and PDD 20 will successfully meet without narrowing down the meeting site because the site is small, while the office building, apartment and school have a large site, so it is necessary to narrow down the meeting location It becomes. Therefore, the building type determination unit 48 classifies the types of buildings into a group (office building, apartment, school, station, etc.) with a large site and a narrow group (house, apartment, etc.), and a group with a wide type acquired It is determined that the criterion is satisfied when it falls under and the criterion is not satisfied when it falls under the narrow group.

  When it is determined that the standard is not satisfied (= when the site of the building is narrow), the building type determination unit 48 calculates the scheduled meeting time based on the position of the building designated as the meeting place. The building type determination unit 48 generates place time display screen information which is screen information for generating the place time display screen 78, and transmits the information to the portable terminal 16 via the network 18. The display control unit 58 of the portable terminal 16 acquires place time display screen information, and causes the display 34 to display a place time display screen 78 in accordance with the acquired place time display screen information.

  FIG. 10 is a representative screen view of the place time display screen 78 displayed on the display 34. As shown in FIG. The place time display screen 78 has an order detail display area 62, a confirmed meeting place display area 80, and a confirmed scheduled time display area 82. The confirmed meeting place display area 80 displays the meeting place and the type of the building designated by the user 14 and confirmed by the management server 12. In the fixed scheduled time display area 82, the scheduled meeting time calculated by the management server 12 is displayed.

  When it is determined that the criteria are satisfied in the building type determination unit 48 (= when the site of the building is wide), the meeting place designation reception unit 50 refers to the site information holding unit 44 and a site corresponding to the designated building The map, the information on the meeting place candidate, and the information on the NG area are acquired. The meeting place specification receiving unit 50 generates meeting place narrowing-down screen information which is screen information for generating the meeting place narrowing-down screen 84 based on the acquired information, and transmits the information to the portable terminal 16 via the network 18. Send. The display control unit 58 of the mobile terminal 16 acquires the meeting place narrowing-down screen information, and causes the display 34 to display the meeting place narrowing-down screen 84 in accordance with the acquired meeting place narrowing-down screen information.

  FIG. 11 is a representative screen view of the meeting place narrowing screen 84 displayed on the display 34. As shown in FIG. The meeting place narrowing-down screen 84 has a site map display area 86, a candidate image display area 88, and a setting button 90 anew. The site map display area 86 displays a site map of a designated building. In the site map display area 86, the candidate mark 94 and the performance index 92 are displayed in association with each position of the meeting place candidate. The candidate mark 94 is an icon or a graphical object indicating that it can be designated as a meeting place. The performance indicator 92 is configured to correspond to the number of times the meeting place candidate has been designated as a meeting place so far, and the more the number, the more black circles are displayed. By looking at the site map display area 86, the user can grasp (1) where can be designated as a meeting place at a glance and (2) how often each meeting place candidate is selected.

  In the candidate image display area 88, an image around the meeting place candidate designated in the temporary selection frame 96 in the site map display area 86 is displayed. When the user 14 taps a candidate on the site map display area 86, the temporary selection frame 96 is moved to the tapped candidate. Since the user 14 can view the image around each candidate by moving the temporary selection frame 96 among the candidates, it is possible to reduce the probability that an incorrect meeting place is specified. In another embodiment, the images around all the candidates displayed in the site map display area 86 may be displayed on one screen. In this case, the listability is improved.

  When the user 14 double-taps one candidate on the site map display area 86, the input receiving unit 56 of the portable terminal 16 receives it as an instruction for specifying a meeting place. The input accepting unit 56 transmits the designated candidate to the management server 12 via the network 18. The meeting place specification receiving unit 50 of the management server 12 receives the specified candidate and acquires it as a meeting place. In addition, the candidate updating unit 52 accesses the site information holding unit 44 and updates (for example, +1) the designated number corresponding to the designated candidate. The calculation of the scheduled meeting time and the display of the place time display screen conform to the description of FIG.

  When the user 14 newly taps the setting button 90 in the meeting place narrowing screen 84, the display control unit 58 of the portable terminal 16 causes the display 34 to display an optional selection screen 98 which allows arbitrary selection of the meeting place.

  FIG. 12 is a representative screen view of the option selection screen 98 displayed on the display 34. As shown in FIG. The option selection screen 98 has a site map display area 100 and an OK button 104. The user 14 moves the designated marker 102 in the site map display area 100 by a slide operation or the like to a desired position of the user, and taps the OK button 104. The input accepting unit 56 of the portable terminal 16 accepts it as an instruction for specifying a meeting place. The input accepting unit 56 transmits the position on the site map of the designated marker 102 when the OK button 104 is tapped to the management server 12 via the network 18. The meeting place designation receiving unit 50 receives the position of the designated marker 102, and compares the received position with the range of the NG area. When the received position does not fall within the range of the NG area, the meeting place designation receiving unit 50 acquires the received position as the meeting place. In addition, the candidate updating unit 52 registers the received position in the site information holding unit 44 as a new candidate corresponding to the site map. The calculation of the scheduled meeting time and the display of the place time display screen conform to the description of FIG.

  When the received position falls within the range of the NG area, the meeting place designation receiving unit 50 refers to the site information holding unit 44 and acquires the NG reason. The meeting place specification receiving unit 50 generates NG reason display screen information which is screen information for generating the NG reason display screen 106, and transmits the information to the portable terminal 16 via the network 18. The display control unit 58 of the portable terminal 16 acquires the NG reason display screen information, and causes the display 34 to display the NG reason display screen 106 according to the acquired NG reason display screen information.

  FIG. 13 is a representative screen view of the NG reason display screen 106 displayed on the display 34. As shown in FIG. The NG reason display screen 106 displays a reason why designation of the meeting place selected on the option screen 98 is restricted or prohibited. When the user 14 taps the back button 108, the portable terminal 16 causes the display 34 to display the option screen 98 again.

  Although the case where a site | part map was available was demonstrated in the example of FIGS. 8-13, depending on a building, the site | part map may not be hold | maintained by the management server 12. When the site map of the building designated in the building designation screen 68 shown in FIG. 9 is not registered in the site information holding unit 44 of the management server 12, it is determined in the building type judging unit 48 that the criteria are satisfied. In the case, the meeting place specification receiving unit 50 generates meeting place setting screen information which is screen information for generating the meeting place setting screen 110 which enables arbitrary selection of the meeting place around the site, and the information network It transmits to the portable terminal 16 via 18. The display control unit 58 of the mobile terminal 16 acquires meeting place setting screen information, and causes the display 34 to display the meeting place setting screen 110 according to the acquired meeting place setting screen information.

  FIG. 14 is a representative screen view of the meeting place setting screen 110 displayed on the display 34. As shown in FIG. The meeting place setting screen 110 has a map designation area 112 and an OK button 116. In the map designation area 112, an electronic map (that is, a map around a site) of a designated building is displayed. In the map designation area 112, the designated buildings are displayed emphatically (indicated by hatching in FIG. 14). The user 14 moves the designation marker 114 in the map designation area 112 to a desired position by sliding operation or the like, and taps the OK button 116. The input accepting unit 56 of the portable terminal 16 accepts it as an instruction for specifying a meeting place. The input accepting unit 56 transmits the position on the electronic map of the designated marker 114 when the OK button 116 is tapped to the management server 12 via the network 18. The meeting place designation receiving unit 50 receives the position of the designation marker 114, and acquires the received position as a meeting place. The calculation of the scheduled meeting time and the display of the place time display screen conform to the description of FIG.

  Alternatively, if the site map of the building designated on the building designation screen 68 shown in FIG. 9 is not registered in the site information holding unit 44 of the management server 12, the user 14 and the administrator of the PDD system 10 by voice communication or the like. Interact directly, and the administrator may manually set the meeting place.

  In the examples of FIGS. 8 to 13, the case where at least one meeting place candidate is already registered in the site information holding unit 44 has been described, but the meeting place candidate is still registered for the building etc. for which the site map has just been acquired. It may not be When the meeting place candidate of the building designated in relation to FIG. 9 is not registered in the site information holding unit 44, the display control unit 58 of the portable terminal 16 is shown in place of the meeting place narrowing screen 84 shown in FIG. The option screen 98 shown at 12 is displayed on the display 34.

  When calculating meeting scheduled time in the example of FIGS. 8-13, the time which PDD20 takes to drive a public road is calculated from an electronic map. The traveling time within the premises of the building is calculated based on the information on past intra-site movements. For example, an average travel time may be calculated and used as a travel time on site.

  Although the case where the user 14 can set the new candidate of a meeting place on the display 34 of the portable terminal 16 was demonstrated in the example of FIGS. 8-14, it is not restricted to this. For example, when PDD 20 meets user 14 in a building for delivery of goods or collection of luggage, PDD 20 may accept registration of candidate meeting places by user 14. A mode in which the PDD 20 accepts registration of meeting place candidates is referred to as a registration mode.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of a series of processes in the PDD 20 having the registration mode. The PDD 20 that has left the store 22 detects that it has arrived at the set meeting place (S102). The PDD 20 waits for specification of the registration mode by the user 14 (S104). For example, the PDD 20 displays on the display unit (not shown) that the registration mode can be set. Alternatively, the PDD 20 may have a registration mode setting button (not shown). If the registration mode is not specified within a predetermined period after the PDD 20 arrives at the meeting place (N in S104), the PDD 20 leaves for the next destination if there is a next destination, otherwise returns to the store 22 (S118). When the designation of the registration mode is accepted (Y in S104), the PDD 20 shifts to the registration mode, and moves according to the guidance by the user 14 (S106). The PDD 20 confirms the presence or absence of an instruction for candidate setting by the user 14 (S108). If not, the process returns to step S106. Regarding the instruction of the candidate setting, for example, the PDD 20 causes the display unit (not illustrated) to display an area for receiving the instruction of the candidate setting. Alternatively, the PDD 20 may have candidate setting buttons (not shown). When an instruction for candidate setting is received (Y in S108), the PDD 20 performs positioning using positioning means such as GPS provided in itself (S110), and performs imaging using an imaging means such as a camera provided in itself (S110) S112). The PDD 20 transmits the position information obtained in step S110 and the image obtained in step S112 to the management server 12 via the network 18 as information for specifying a meeting place candidate. The candidate update unit 52 of the management server 12 registers the received position information and image in the site information holding unit 44 as new candidate information. The PDD 20 releases the registration mode (S116). If there is a next destination, the PDD 20 departs to that destination, and if not, starts returning to the store 22 (S118).

  According to this PDD 20, for example, it is possible to propose the user 14 to update or change the meeting place in anticipation of the next delivery. In addition, in the registration mode, the PDD 20 acquires a place taken to the user 14 as a trial and crawled as a candidate for a meeting place and causes the management server 12 to register the place. In this case, since the position of the meeting place candidate can be directly specified by the positioning means of the PDD 20, the position accuracy of the candidate can be improved as compared with the case of specifying with the positioning means of the portable terminal 16 of the user 14.

(Example 2)
Phase: Order Acceptance Problem: Elimination of Unnatural Orders As shown in FIG. 9 of Example 1, the user 14 can basically designate any place as a meeting place. In this case, there is a possibility that a place considerably distant from the position where the user 14 is now may be designated as the meeting place due to misconception of the user 14 or the like. This example provides a failsafe mechanism for such situations.

  In this example, the portable terminal 16 performs positioning using positioning means such as GPS, and transmits the position information obtained as a result of the positioning to the management server 12 by including it in the order information. The management server 12 extracts the current position of the portable terminal 16 and the position of the designated meeting place from the received order information. The management server 12 is an order that is screen information for generating an order refusal screen 118 indicating refusal of the order (delivery of goods 24 or collection of luggage) when the two extracted positions are apart from a predetermined standard. The rejection screen information is generated, and the information is transmitted to the portable terminal 16 via the network 18. The display control unit 58 of the portable terminal 16 acquires the order refusal screen information and causes the display 34 to display the order refusal screen 118 according to the acquired order refusal screen information.

  FIG. 16 is a representative screen view of the order refusal screen 118 displayed on the display 34. As shown in FIG. If the distance between the position of the meeting place designated on the building designation screen 68 shown in FIG. 9 of the example 1 and the current position of the portable terminal 16 is larger than the threshold, the order refusal screen 118 is displayed. A message indicating rejection is displayed. When the user 14 taps the back button 120, the portable terminal 16 causes the display 34 to display the building specification screen 68 again.

  The distance threshold may be a distance such that a person can not move by normal transportation when ordering. For example, if the current position indicates Osaka, a meeting place is specified as a place in Tokyo, the order time is 11:45, and the order is a rice ball, the user arrives at the meeting place during the lunch time of the day. The order is rejected because it is almost impossible.

(Example 3)
Phase: Delivering goods / while waiting at destination Problem: Notification of PDD status As described in connection with steps S318, S320, and S322 in FIG. 2, the PDD 20 moves to the destination along the set route. During the automatic travel, the current position of the user is measured at any time and reported to the management server 12 via the network 18. When the PDD 20 arrives at the set meeting place, it waits there. Here, it is helpful to be able to notify the user 14 of the approach of the PDD 20 and also to know where the PDD 20 is actually located. By doing so, the user 14 can be urged to come to the meeting place on time, and the waiting time of the PDD 20 at the meeting place can be reduced.

  FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the function and configuration of the management server 12 according to the third example. The management server 12 includes an image storage unit 138, an electronic map storage unit 42, an order control information storage unit 152, an image acquisition unit 198, a privacy processing unit 200, a cancellation processing unit 190, and a PDD position acquisition unit 124. , A distance determination unit 126, a notification control unit 128, a status notification screen generation unit 136, and a meeting place change processing unit 182.

  The PDD 20 leaves the store 22 and arrives at the meeting place, and at the same time returns to the store 22, acquires an image of the surroundings at any time, and manages the acquired image and the current position via the network 18 Send to 12 The image acquisition unit 198 acquires the image sent from the PDD 20 via the network 18 and the current position, and registers the image in the image storage unit 138.

  The privacy processing unit 200 reads an image from the image holding unit 138, performs predetermined privacy processing on the read image, and registers the processed image in the image holding unit 138. Privacy processing is processing for protecting privacy, for example, processing that makes it impossible to specify all or part (for example, the head) of a person when it is recognized that a person is shown in an image (for example, For example, blurring, blackening, mosaic, etc.) may be used. Alternatively, when it is recognized that an object capable of identifying an individual such as a nameplate or a number plate of a house is shown in an image, the object may be identified.

  FIG. 18 is a data structure diagram showing an example of the image holding unit 138. As shown in FIG. The image holding unit 138 detects the position (coordinates of) the original PDD image, which is an image obtained by the PDD 20 imaging the surroundings at the position, the acquisition date and time of the original PDD image, and another image source for the position And the processed image obtained by privacy processing the original PDD image, and the processing date and time of the privacy processing are held in association with each other. The original PDD image is the image itself received from the PDD 20. Another image source may be, for example, Google Street View. The image acquisition unit 198 acquires an image from another image source, and registers it in the image storage unit 138 as another source image. For example, the image acquisition unit 198 may periodically refer to the image storage unit 138 to acquire and register another source image corresponding to a position where there is no original PDD image from another image source.

  FIG. 19 is a data structure diagram showing an example of the order control information holding unit 152. As shown in FIG. The order control information holding unit 152 includes an order ID for specifying the order, an order time when the order is received, an ID of the user 14 who made the order, an ID of the PDD 20 carrying the ordered item 24, and the ordered item. 24. The ID of the store 22 loading the PDD 20, the meeting place which is the destination of the PDD 20, the approach threshold, a combination of change place and change threshold of the meeting place, the estimated arrival time of the PDD 20, the PDD 20 The planned route, the ordered product and the number thereof, and the cancellation threshold are associated and held. The combination of the meeting place change candidate and the change threshold may be set dynamically for each order, or may be set in advance in association with the meeting place. In the latter case, when the meeting place of the order is set, the change place corresponding to the meeting place of the order may be determined with reference to the meeting place-change candidate database (not shown).

  Hereinafter, the user interface provided to the portable terminal 16 of the user 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. 20 to 29 while the PDD 20 is automatically traveling and waiting at the meeting place. The display control unit 58 of the portable terminal 16 basically displays the top screen 122 on the display 34 until the PDD 20 leaves the store 22 and comes close to the meeting place.

  FIG. 20 is a representative screen view of the top screen 122 displayed on the display 34. As shown in FIG. The top screen 122 does not include information on the current position of the PDD 20 described later, or an image associated with the current position. The PDD position acquisition unit 124 of the management server 12 acquires the current position of the PDD 20 from the PDD 20 via the network 18. The distance determination unit 126 determines whether the current position of the PDD 20 falls within a predetermined range based on the meeting place of the PDD 20. Specifically, the distance determination unit 126 refers to the order control information holding unit 152, and acquires the approach threshold, the change threshold corresponding to the change candidate, and the cancel threshold. The distance determination unit 126 calculates the distance (the linear distance or the distance) between the acquired current position of the PDD 20 and the position of the meeting place, and compares the calculated distance with each acquired threshold value. In this example, it is assumed that the approach threshold value> the change threshold value and the approach threshold value> the cancellation threshold value.

  While the notification control unit 128 determines that the distance calculated by the distance determination unit 126 is equal to or greater than the approach threshold, the notification control unit 128 does not perform the approach notification of the PDD 20. In this case, the display control unit 58 of the portable terminal 16 displays the top screen 122 on the display 34. In general, it is not necessary for the user 14 to view an image of the position of the PDD 20 and the surroundings when the PDD 20 is near the store 22. Also, from the viewpoint of privacy protection, it is desirable to limit unnecessary presentation of images.

  When it is determined that the distance calculated by the distance determination unit 126 is less than the approach threshold, the notification control unit 128 is screen information for generating the approach notification screen 130 for notifying the user 14 of the approach of the PDD 20. The approach notification screen information is generated, and the information is transmitted to the portable terminal 16 via the network 18. The display control unit 58 of the portable terminal 16 acquires the approach notification screen information, and causes the display 34 to display the approach notification screen 130 according to the acquired approach notification screen information.

  FIG. 21 is a representative screen view of the approach notification screen 130 displayed on the display 34. The approach notification screen 130 includes a message 132 for notifying the user 14 of the approach of the PDD 20. When the user 14 taps the display button 134, the input reception unit 56 of the mobile terminal 16 transmits a display instruction to the management server 12 via the network 18. The notification control unit 128 of the management server 12 receives the display instruction.

  When the display instruction is received, the status notification screen generation unit 136 of the management server 12 refers to the image storage unit 138, and acquires a processed image corresponding to the current position of the PDD 20 acquired by the PDD position acquisition unit 124. . The processed image acquired in this way is not the current image corresponding to the current position, but the past image corresponding to the current position. In other words, the processed image to be acquired is not an image currently acquired by the PDD 20 delivering the product 24 to the user 14 in the order, but the other PDD 20 or the PDD 20 is in operation in another past order etc. It is a processed image of the acquired image. When the processed image corresponding to the current position is not registered, the status notification screen generation unit 136 may acquire another source image if there is another source image. When there is neither a processed image corresponding to the current position nor another source image, the status notification screen generation unit 136 may obtain an original PDD image corresponding to the current position, perform privacy processing, and use it. In the case where there is neither an original PDD image nor a processed image nor any other source image corresponding to the current position, the status notification screen generation unit 136 does not have to acquire an image, and instructs the PDD 20 to capture and send surrounding images. You may

  The status notification screen generation unit 136 refers to the electronic map holding unit 42, and acquires a portion of the electronic map of a size that includes both the current position of the PDD 20 and the meeting place. The status notification screen generation unit 136 acquires the current position of the PDD 20 from the PDD position acquisition unit 124. The status notification screen generation unit 136 refers to the order control information holding unit 152, and acquires the ID of the PDD 20, the planned route, the meeting place, the product, the number, the estimated arrival time, and the change candidate for the meeting place.

  The status notification screen generation unit 136 generates status notification screen information, which is screen information for generating the status notification screen 140, based on the information acquired as described above. The status notification screen generation unit 136 transmits status notification screen information to the portable terminal 16 via the network 18. The display control unit 58 of the portable terminal 16 acquires the situation notification screen information, and causes the display 34 to display the situation notification screen 140 according to the acquired situation notification screen information.

  FIG. 22 is a representative screen view of the status notification screen 140 displayed on the display 34. As shown in FIG. The status notification screen 140 has an image display area 142 and a position display area 144. In the image display area 142, a processed image corresponding to the current position of the PDD 20 is displayed. In the position display area 144, the meeting place 146, the planned route 148 of the PDD 20, the current position 150 of the PDD 20, the change place candidates 156 and 158 for the meeting place, and the cancel button 154 in accordance with the above electronic map. , Will be displayed. In the position display area 144, the meeting place 146 and the change candidates 156 and 158 are displayed in a different manner.

  By looking at the status notification screen 140, the user 14 can grasp in detail where the nearby PDD 20 is actually now, and in particular, by looking at the image display area 142, the user 14 gets a feeling of where the PDD 20 is now. be able to. In addition, since the image displayed in the image display area 142 is a processed image, the privacy problem is also reduced or eliminated.

  When the user 14 taps the cancel button 154 on the status notification screen 140, the input receiving unit 56 of the mobile terminal 16 receives it as an instruction to cancel the order. The input accepting unit 56 transmits the instruction to the management server 12 via the network 18. When the cancellation processing unit 190 of the management server 12 receives the instruction, the cancellation processing unit 190 executes the cancellation processing in a form in which the cancellation fee does not apply.

  When the user 14 taps the image display area 142 in the status notification screen 140, the display control unit 58 of the portable terminal 16 causes the display 34 to display a detailed text screen 160 displaying the details of the order in text.

  FIG. 23 is a representative screen view of the detailed text screen 160 displayed on the display 34. As shown in FIG. The detailed text screen 160 has a text display area 162 and a position display area 144. The text display area 162 is displayed instead of the image display area 142, and displays the ID of the PDD 20, the product name and the number of items relating to the order, the meeting place (destination) and the estimated arrival time in text. According to the detailed text screen 160, the user 14 can confirm the content of his or her order with one tap, that is, with a small amount of operation.

  When the user 14 taps the first change candidate 156 in the status notification screen 140, the display control unit 58 of the portable terminal 16 causes the display 34 to display a reset inquiry screen 164 inquiring whether the meeting place may be reset. The same process is performed when the second change candidate 158 is tapped.

  FIG. 24 is a representative screen view of the resetting inquiry screen 164 displayed on the display 34. As shown in FIG. The reset inquiry screen 164 has an image display area 142, a position display area 144, and a reset inquiry area 166 superimposed on the position display area 144. In the resetting inquiry area 166, a text 168 inquiring whether the tapped first change candidate 156 may be set as a new meeting place, a YES button 170, and a NO button 172 are displayed. When the user 14 taps the NO button 172, the screen transitions to the status notification screen 140 again. When the user 14 taps the YES button 170, the display control unit 58 of the portable terminal 16 causes the display 34 to display a meeting place update screen 174 indicating that the first change candidate 156 has been set as a new meeting place.

  FIG. 25 is a representative screen view of the meeting place update screen 174 displayed on the display 34. As shown in FIG. The meeting place update screen 174 has an image display area 142 and a position display area 144. In the position display area 144, the display that was originally the first change candidate 156 is updated to the meeting place 176, and the planned route 178 is also changed to correspond. A message 180 indicating that the meeting place has been changed is superimposed on the position display area 144 and displayed. At the same time as displaying the meeting place update screen 174 on the display 34, the input receiving unit 56 of the portable terminal 16 receives a tap for the YES button 170 as an instruction for changing the meeting place. The input reception unit 56 transmits an instruction to change the meeting place to the first change candidate 156 to the management server 12 via the network 18. When receiving the instruction, the meeting place change processing unit 182 of the management server 12 updates the order control information holding unit 152. That is, the meeting place change processing unit 182 replaces the meeting place of the corresponding order in the order control information holding unit 152 with the new meeting place (first change candidate 156) included in the instruction, and changes the planned route to the new meeting place. Replace with the new planned route to be the destination, and replace the estimated arrival time with the new estimated arrival time corresponding to the new meeting place. The meeting place change processing unit 182 transmits the new meeting place and the new planned route to the PDD 20 via the network 18. According to the new planned route received, the PDD 20 continues to run automatically toward the new meeting place received.

  Referring back to FIG. 22, the status notification screen generation unit 136 of the management server 12 periodically generates, for example, the status notification screen 140 at predetermined time intervals (for example, every one second, every ten seconds, or every one minute). repeat. When the situation notification screen generation unit 136 generates the second or subsequent situation notification screen 140, it is shown in FIG. 22 while the distance calculated by the distance determination unit 126 is determined to be equal to or greater than the change threshold value. Only the display of the current position 150 of the status notification screen 140 is updated. The display control unit 58 of the portable terminal 16 causes the display 34 to display the current position 150 thus updated.

  In the example of FIG. 22, the first change candidate 156 and the second change candidate 158 correspond to the first change threshold and the second change threshold, respectively, and the first change threshold> the second change threshold. . While it is determined that the distance calculated by the distance determination unit 126 is equal to or greater than the first change threshold, both of the first change candidate 156 and the second change candidate 158 are new meeting places on the status notification screen 140. It can be specified as

  It is assumed that the PDD 20 approaches the meeting place 146 from the state of FIG. 22 and it is determined that the distance calculated by the distance determination unit 126 is less than the first change threshold. In this case, the status notification screen generation unit 136 restricts or prohibits re-designation of the meeting place on the status notification screen 140. When it is determined that the distance calculated by the distance determination unit 126 is less than the first change threshold but is equal to or greater than the second change threshold, the status notification screen generation unit 136 designates the first change candidate 156 The status notification screen 140 is updated to prohibit. The display control unit 58 of the portable terminal 16 causes the display 34 to display the status notification screen 140 thus updated.

  FIG. 26 is a representative screen view of the status notification screen 140 when it is determined that the distance between the PDD 20 and the meeting place is less than the first change threshold but greater than or equal to the second change threshold. The current position 150 of the PDD 20 is closer to the meeting place 146 than that of FIG. 22, and accordingly, the first change candidate 184 can not be designated. As a mode indicating that the first change candidate 184 can not be designated, for example, the first change candidate 184 may be displayed in a mode different from the meeting place 146 or the second change candidate 158. Alternatively, the display of the first change candidate 184 may simply be stopped.

  It is assumed that the PDD 20 approaches the meeting place 146 further from the state of FIG. 26 and it is determined that the distance calculated by the distance determination unit 126 is less than the second change threshold. In this case, the status notification screen generation unit 136 updates the status notification screen 140 so as to prohibit the specification of the second change candidate 158. The display control unit 58 of the portable terminal 16 causes the display 34 to display the status notification screen 140 thus updated.

  FIG. 27 is a representative screen view of the status notification screen 140 when it is determined that the distance between the PDD 20 and the meeting place is less than the second change threshold. The current position 150 of the PDD 20 is closer to the meeting place 146 than that of FIG. 26, and accordingly, in addition to the first change candidate 184, the second change candidate 186 can not be specified.

  Since the current position 150 of the PDD 20 is far from the meeting place 146 in the status notification screen 140 of FIG. 22, the cancellation process related to the cancel button 154 is free. On the other hand, since the current position 150 of the PDD 20 is close to the meeting place 146 in the status notification screen 140 of FIG. 27, cancellation is charged. Along with this, the cancel button 154 is replaced with a pay cancel button 188 in the status notification screen 140 shown in FIG.

  The situation notification screen generation unit 136 updates the situation notification screen 140 so that the cancel button 154 is replaced with the pay cancellation button 188 when it is determined that the distance calculated by the distance determination unit 126 is less than the cancellation threshold. When the user 14 taps the pay cancellation button 188 in the status notification screen 140 updated as such, the input reception unit 56 of the mobile terminal 16 receives it as an instruction for canceling an order. The input accepting unit 56 transmits the instruction to the management server 12 via the network 18. When the cancellation processing unit 190 of the management server 12 receives the instruction, the cancellation processing unit 190 executes a cancellation process in the form of a cancellation fee.

  It is assumed that it is determined from the state of FIG. 27 that the PDD 20 further approaches the meeting place 146 and the PDD 20 has arrived at the meeting place 146. In this case, the status notification screen generation unit 136 updates the status notification screen 140 so as to notify that the PDD 20 has arrived at the meeting location 146. The display control unit 58 of the portable terminal 16 causes the display 34 to display the status notification screen 140 thus updated.

  FIG. 28 is a representative screen view of the status notification screen 140 when it is determined that the PDD 20 has arrived at the meeting location 146. In the position display area 144 of the status notification screen 140, a decoration display 192 for highlighting the arrival of the PDD 20 and a message 194 notifying the arrival are displayed. The message 194 also displays the waiting time at the meeting place 146 of the PDD 20.

  The user 14 can know the arrival of the PDD 20 by the status notification screen 140 shown in FIG. 28, and by looking at the image display area 142, it is possible to more accurately grasp where the meeting place is.

  When the management server 12 receives a signal indicating the completion of delivery of the product 24 from the PDD 20 or the mobile terminal 16 of the user 14 via the network 18, transaction completion screen information which is screen information for generating the transaction completion screen 196. Are transmitted to the portable terminal 16 via the network 18. The display control unit 58 of the mobile terminal 16 acquires the transaction completion screen information, stops the display of the status notification screen 140 and causes the display 34 to display the transaction completion screen 196 according to the transaction completion screen information.

  FIG. 29 is a representative screen view of the transaction completion screen 196 displayed on the display 34. As shown in FIG. The transaction completion screen 196 allows the user 14 to no longer view the image associated with the location of the PDD 20, but this is acceptable because the user 14 usually does not care about the return of the PDD 20. Also, from the viewpoint of privacy protection, it is desirable to limit unnecessary presentation of images.

  In this example, as the image to be displayed in the image display area 142, the case of using the past privacy-processed image corresponding to the current position of the PDD 20 has been described. For example, the status notification screen generation unit 136 may acquire an image of the surroundings from the PDD 20 via the network, and perform privacy processing on the acquired images of the surroundings in real time. In this case, the image display area 142 displays the privacy-processed image currently acquired by the PDD 20 delivering the product 24 to the user 14 in the order.

  In this example, although the case where the status notification screen 140 is displayed on the display 34 using the PDD application has been described, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, when the user 14 has registered an e-mail address in the management server 12, the notification control unit 128 determines that the PDD 20 has approached the meeting place, and sends a URL to the e-mail address of the user 14 related to the order. You may send an email containing: The URL specifies a web page on which the status notification screen 140 is displayed. In this case, the user 14 can be notified of the approach of the PDD 20 even if the user 14 has not launched the PDD application.

(Example 4)
Phase: During product delivery Problem: Linkage with delivery truck As described in connection with steps S318, S320, and S322 in FIG. 2, the PDD 20 travels automatically to the destination along the set route. At any time, it measures its own current position and reports it to the management server 12 via the network 18. In addition, in this example, the management server 12 also acquires its current position from the delivery truck loaded with inventory via the network 18. Delivery trucks are typically used to transport goods 24 between a warehouse and a store 22 or to transport goods 24 between a store 22. The delivery truck is configured to be able to deliver and receive the product 24 with the PDD 20 manually or automatically.

  The management server 12 has a display 202, on which a management screen 204 including an electronic map and operating states of the PDD 20 and a delivery truck is displayed. The administrator looks at the management screen 204 displayed on the display 202 and manages the operation of the PDD 20 and the delivery truck.

  FIG. 30 is a representative screen view of the management screen 204 displayed on the display 202. The management server 12 causes the operation state of the PDD 20 and the operation state of the delivery track to be displayed on the electronic map based on the acquired current position of the PDD 20 and the acquired current position of the delivery track. The management server 12 receives, on the management screen 204, designation of a place where the PDD 20 and the delivery track are to meet.

  The management screen 204 has an electronic map display area 206 and a detail display area 208. In the electronic map display area 206, along with the electronic map, the current position 210 of the PDD 20, the planned route 212 of the PDD 20, the destination (meeting place) 214 of the PDD 20, the store 216 to which the PDD 20 returns, and the present of the delivery truck. The position 218, the planned route 222 of the delivery truck, and the candidate 220 of the meeting place between the PDD 20 and the delivery truck are displayed. The detail display area 208 displays a PDD information display area 224 displaying the ID and state of the PDD 20 displayed in the electronic map display area 206 and the ID and state of the delivery track displayed in the electronic map display area 206. It has a track information display area 226, and a PDD detail display area 228 for displaying the ID of the PDD 20 selected in the PDD information display area 224, the product name and number related to the order, the destination and the estimated arrival time in text. . The track information display area 226 includes a link to a screen indicating the stock of delivery trucks. The candidate 220 may be determined by the management server 12 based on the current position of the PDD 20 and the planned route and the current position of the delivery track and the planned route.

  The administrator looks at the management screen 204 shown in FIG. 30, and determines whether it is beneficial to have the PDD 20 and the delivery track meet. If it is useful, determine where to place the PDD 20 and the delivery track in a meeting, and process to guide both to the determined location. For example, the management server 12 may transmit an instruction for setting a new destination (= determined place) to the target PDD 20 via the network 18. Similarly, the management server 12 may transmit the same information to the delivery truck via the network 18, or the administrator may direct the driver of the delivery truck by telephone or the like. When these instructions are completed, the management server 12 receives the designation of the place where the PDD 20 and the delivery track are scheduled to meet, and updates the display of the electronic map display area 206.

  Alternatively, the administrator may designate the candidate 220 displayed in the electronic map display area 206 with a mouse or the like. In this case, the management server 12 receives the designated candidate 220 as a place where the PDD 20 and the delivery track are scheduled to meet. The process for guiding the target PDD 20 and delivery track to the designated place is the same as described above.

  According to this example, the manager can guide the delivery truck loaded with the stock to a predetermined point depending on the order status. As a result, by loading the product 24 into the PDD 20 at the relay location, more rapid delivery is possible.

  In this example, the management screen 204 is displayed on the display 202 of the management server 12. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the management screen 204 may be displayed on the POS of the store 22. It may be displayed on the sixteen displays 34.

(Example 5)
Phase: Waiting at Destination Problem: Identification of PDD at Delivery As described in connection with step S322 in FIG. 2, when the PDD 20 arrives at the set meeting place, it waits there. Here, in the case where a plurality of PDDs 20 meet the user 14 at the same meeting place and the same time zone, a situation may occur in which the user 14 can not identify its own PDD 20. So, in this example, the color (painting) of PDD20 itself and the color of the light which light emission means, such as LED with which PDD20 is emitted, are used as identification information of PDD20. For example, when a plurality of PDDs 20 stand by at the same meeting place in the same time zone, the color of light emitted from each PDD 20 is adjusted so as not to overlap within a predetermined range (for example, a range of 100 m in radius).

  FIG. 31 is a representative screen view of the approach notification screen 230 displayed on the display 34 of the portable terminal 16. The approach notification screen 230 corresponds to the approach notification screen 130 shown in FIG. On the approach notification screen 230, a message 132 for notifying the user 14 of the approach of the PDD 20 and a message 232 for notifying the color of light emitted by the PDD 20 corresponding to the user 14 are displayed. By referring to the information shown in the approach notification screen 230, the user 14 can easily identify his / her PDD 20 even when a plurality of PDDs 20 are waiting at the meeting place. In the example of FIG. 31, the user 14 recognizes the PDD 20 emitting red light as the own PDD 20 at the meeting location. Here, although the color of the light emitting means is used for the identification method, it may be identified by the type of blink timing.

Note that other information that can be perceived by a person, such as sound and shape may be used as identification information.
Alternatively, identification of the PDD 20 by the user 14 may be facilitated by the plurality of PDDs 20 recognizing each other's distance at the meeting place and stopping at a predetermined distance. In this case, when it is determined that the PDD 20 has arrived at the destination, the PDD 20 is provided with means for performing processing for causing itself to stand by at a position other than the standby position of the other PDD 20 at the destination. For example, the PDD 20 has a means for performing peer-to-peer communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and infrared communication. The PDD 20 cooperates with other PDDs 20 by peer-to-peer communication to determine its own waiting position.

  Alternatively, when there is a possibility that a plurality of PDDs 20 arrive at the same meeting place in the same time zone, the arrival time of the later PDD 20 may be shifted.

(Example 6)
Phase: Waiting at Destination Problem: The user does not come to the delivery As described in connection with step S 322 in FIG. 2, when the PDD 20 arrives at the set meeting place, it waits there. Here, it may happen that the user 14 who ordered does not come to the meeting place for some reason. In this example, the actions taken by the PDD system 10 in such a case will be described.

  FIG. 32 is a flow chart showing the flow of a series of processing in the PDD system 10. The PDD 20 arrives at the meeting place (S402). The PDD 20 times the waiting time at the meeting place. When the PDD 20 and the user 14 meet before the waiting time exceeds the first threshold (N in S404), a normal delivery process (for example, steps S328 and S330 in FIG. 3) of the product 24 occurs. If the waiting time exceeds the first threshold without a meeting (Y in S404), the PDD 20 transmits a confirmation message addressed to the user 14 via the network 18 via the management server 12 (S406). When the PDD 20 and the user 14 meet before the waiting time exceeds the second threshold (> first threshold) (“meeting of meeting” in S408), normal product 24 delivery processing occurs. If there is a response from the user 14 to the confirmation message before the waiting time exceeds the second threshold (S408: “Replaced”), the PDD 20 or the management server 12 indicates that the response is not in time for waiting. It is determined whether or not (S410). If it is in time (N in S410), the PDD 20 continues waiting and meets the user 14. If not (Y in S410), the PDD 20 or the management server 12 performs processing for setting the meeting place and the meeting time again (S412). Alternatively, the PDD 20 or the management server 12 may perform order cancellation processing instead of such reconfiguration processing. For example, if there is another delivery destination in the PDD 20, the resetting process may be a process of resetting the planned route of the PDD 20 so as to return to that route again, or the same on another date and time. Or it may be processing for delivering the same goods at another meeting place.

  If the waiting time exceeds the second threshold without any response or meeting in step S408 (Y in S408), the PDD 20 transmits a reconfirmation message for the user 14 via the management server 12 via the network 18. (S414). When the PDD 20 and the user 14 meet before the waiting time exceeds the third threshold (> the second threshold) (“Meeting Present” in S416), a normal product 24 delivery process occurs. If the user 14 responds to the reconfirmation message before the waiting time exceeds the third threshold ("A response is received" in S416), the PDD 20 or the management server 12 may not receive the response in time. It is determined whether it is indicated (S410).

  If the waiting time exceeds the third threshold without any response or meeting in step S416 (Y in S416), the PDD 20 or the management server 12 automatically calls the portable terminal 16 of the user 14 (S418). If there is a response to the call (N in S420), the process proceeds to step S410. If there is no response to the call (Y in S420), the PDD 20 stops waiting at the meeting place, starts the automatic movement for the next destination if there is one, and returns to the store 22 otherwise. It starts (S422). The management server 12 executes penalty processing for imposing a financial or procedural penalty on the user 14 (S424). The penalty process may be, for example, collection of an extra cancellation fee for cancellation without prior notification, or may be a process for rejecting an order after the next time by registering the user in the blacklist.

  In addition, in step S420, when there is no response to the automatic call, confirmation may be triggered manually by inquiring of the administrator. In this case, the manager checks whether the PDD 20 has returned by checking the order status etc., and calls the portable terminal 16 as needed.

(Example 7)
Phase: Order Acceptance Problem: Notification to other party upon PDD delivery of gift As described in connection with step S302 in FIG. 2, the user 14 designates a meeting place to meet with the PDD 20 when ordering the product 24. Here, as in the case of gift delivery, the orderer and recipient of the item 24 may be different. In this case, the recipient does not necessarily know that the delivery will be performed by the PDD 20. Therefore, there is a need for a mechanism for informing the receiver different from the orderer that the delivery will be performed by the PDD 20.

  In this example, when the orderer and the receiver receive orders different from each other, the management server 12 inquires the receiver, and performs delivery by the PDD 20 when consent for delivery by the PDD 20 is obtained. If you do not agree, normal delivery will take place.

  FIG. 33 is a flowchart showing the flow of a series of processes in the management server 12. The management server 12 receives order information specifying a recipient different from the orderer from the terminal of the orderer via the network 18 (S502). When the order is confirmed by the completion of the settlement process, the management server 12 transmits a consent confirmation message for inquiring as to whether or not to agree with the reception to the terminal of the receiver via the network (S504). As a method of identifying the recipient's terminal, for example, when the recipient is already registered in the PDD system 10, the recipient's terminal may be identified by the registration information. The management server 12 may send a consent confirmation message to the recipient's terminal if the recipient's terminal is online. When the e-mail address of the recipient's terminal is registered, the management server 12 may send a consent confirmation message to that address. Alternatively, if the recipient is not registered in the PDD system 10, the management server 12 may query the orderer's terminal for the recipient's email address. Alternatively, when obtaining order information from the orderer, the orderer may be made to input information for specifying the recipient's terminal.

  The management server 12 receives a response to the consent confirmation message from the terminal of the recipient via the network 18. If the response indicates that the user does not agree (N in S506), or if a response to the consent confirmation message is not obtained within a predetermined period, processing for normal delivery is executed (S508). The normal delivery may be any delivery method other than delivery using the PDD 20.

  If the response to the agreement confirmation message indicates agreement (Y at S508), the management server 12 starts processing for directing the PDD 20 to the destination corresponding to the recipient. The management server 12 determines whether the recipient is already registered in the PDD system 10, that is, whether the recipient has received the delivery by the PDD system 10 (S510). For example, since the order control information holding unit 152 shown in FIG. 19 holds the history of orders, the management server 12 determines whether or not the ID of the recipient is registered in the order control information holding unit 152. If the recipient is already registered (Y in S510), the management server 12 executes processing for delivery by the PDD 20 using the information on the registered recipient (S512). When the recipient is not registered (N in S510), the management server 12 performs delivery verification (S514). Thereafter, the processing proceeds to step S512.

(Example 8)
Phase: In case of PDD failure Problem: Repair / recovery of PDD and delivery of goods in the failed PDD As PDD 20 runs automatically without a driver, handling of failure during delivery or return becomes a problem. There are two problems, the first one is how to recover the broken PDD 20, and the second one is how to deliver the goods 24 loaded on the broken PDD 20. is there.

  The PDD 20 according to this example monitors the PDD 20 itself, generates failure information indicating the detected failure location and failure content when detecting a failure, and transmits the generated failure information to the management server 12 via the network 18.

  FIG. 34 is a flowchart showing the flow of a series of processes in the management server 12. The management server 12 receives failure information from the PDD 20 via the network 18 (S602). The management server 12 is provided with a failure handling holding unit (not shown) that associates and holds failure information and failure levels in advance. The failure levels are represented, for example, by four levels 1 to 4. Level 1 is "business can be continued", level 2 is "returnable", level 3 is "immediately saveable", and level 4 is "immediately power failure". The administrator assigns any one of levels 1 to 4 to the assumed fault content and fault location, and registers it in the fault handling holding unit.

  The management server 12 refers to the failure handling holding unit and acquires a failure level corresponding to the received failure information (S604). The management server 12 determines, based on the acquired failure level, whether or not the failed PDD 20 can run freely (S606). For example, if the failure level is level 1 or level 2, the management server 12 determines that self-propelled is possible. When the failure level is level 3 or level 4, the management server 12 determines that self-propelled is impossible. When it is determined that the self-running is possible (Y in S606), the management server 12 transmits a return instruction to the failed PDD 20 via the network 18 (S608). When it is determined that the self-running is impossible (N in S606), the management server 12 performs a collection process for collecting the failed PDD 20 by the collection means such as another PDD 20 or a delivery track (S610). For example, the management server 12 transmits, via the network 18, a recovery instruction including the position of the failed PDD 20 to another PDD 20 waiting at the store 22. The PDD 20 having received the collection instruction automatically travels to the designated position, connects the failed PDD 20 (such as wire connection), and takes it back to the store 22.

  Alternatively, the management server 12 transmits a recovery instruction including the position of the failed PDD 20 to the nearby delivery truck via the network 18. The delivery truck having received the recovery instruction presents the position of the broken PDD 20 to the driver by the navigation system or the like. The driver goes to the presented position and loads the broken PDD 20 onto the delivery truck.

  The management server 12 performs an alternative delivery process for delivering the product 24 loaded on the failed PDD 20 to the user 14 (S612). For example, the management server 12 transmits an instruction to load the same product 24 as the product 24 loaded in the failed PDD 20 in another PDD 20 to the store 22 via the network 18. In addition, the management server 12 transmits the meeting place of the failed PDD 20 to the other PDD 20 via the network 18. The store clerk of the store 22 loads the goods 24 into the other PDD 20, and the other PDD 20 starts automatic traveling to the designated meeting place.

  Alternatively, the management server 12 transmits an alternative delivery instruction including the location of the failed PDD 20 and the meeting place of the failed PDD 20 to the other PDDs 20 waiting at the store 22 via the network 18. The PDD 20 having received the alternative delivery instruction automatically travels to the position of the failed PDD 20, receives and stores the goods 24 from the failed PDD 20, and automatically travels to the designated meeting place instead of the failed PDD 20. This is particularly effective in the case where the product 24 loaded in the broken PDD 20 is a missing product or a unique product.

  Although the failure level is determined in the management server 12 in this example, the present invention is not limited to this. The PDD 20 may report the failure level to the management server 12 after determining the failure level in the PDD 20.

(Example 9)
Phase: During product delivery or return Problem: Product delivery between PDDs As mentioned in Example 8, delivery of the product 24 between PDDs 20 is advantageous in various situations. For example, if the returning PDD 20 having the empty accommodation space 26 and the PDD 20 loading the articles 24 in all the accommodation spaces 26 and heading for the meeting place pass each other, the latter PDD 20 to the former PDD 20 may enter the article 24. If you can pass some, delivery efficiency will improve.

  In Example 8, the case where the PDDs 20 automatically deliver the product 24 has been described. In order to do this, it is necessary to provide a mechanism dedicated to delivery to the PDD 20, which is a trade-off with cost. In this example, for example, the case where a person delivers goods 24 between the PDDs 20 in a place where there is a person such as a convenience store will be described. This reduces the cost issue, instead of limiting the deliverable locations.

  FIG. 35 is a representative screen view of the management screen 234 displayed on the display 202 of the management server 12. The management screen 234 corresponds to the management screen 204 shown in FIG. The management screen 234 has an electronic map display area 236 and a detail display area 238. In the electronic map display area 236, together with the electronic map, the current position 240 of the PDD 20, the planned route 242 of the PDD 20, the destination (meeting place) 244 of the PDD 20, the store 246 of the return destination of the PDD 20, and the meeting of the PDD 20 The candidate site 248 and the delivery store 254 associated with the candidate 248 are displayed. The detail display area 238 includes a PDD information display area 250 for displaying the ID and status of the PDD 20 displayed in the electronic map display area 236, and the ID of the PDD 20 selected in the PDD information display area 250 and a product name related to an order. And a PDD detail display area 252 displaying in text the number, the destination, and the estimated time of arrival.

  The management server 12 includes a transferable location holding unit (not shown) that holds the locations of a plurality of delivery stores 254 that can transfer products 24 between the PDDs 20. The management server 12 receives each current position from the both of the delivering PDD 20 (No. 63) and the returning PDD 20 (No. 52) via the network 18. The management server 12 selects a place where the two PDDs 20 should meet from among the plurality of places held by the transferable holding unit, based on the acquired current position. For example, the management server 12 selects the location of the delivery store 254 closest to one of the received two current locations from the locations held by the available-to-be and delivered location holding unit. The management server 12 selects the location of the delivery store 254 closest to the other of the two received current locations from the locations held by the available-to-be-received location holding unit. The management server 12 causes the electronic map display area 236 to display the selected two places as the candidate 248 of the meeting place of the PDDs 20.

  When one of the two displayed candidate locations 248 is designated, the management server 12 sends the PDD 20 (No. 63) in delivery and the PDD 20 (No. 52) in return via the network 18 respectively. And sends an instruction to go to the designated candidate 248. When the two PDDs 20 meet at the designated candidate 248, the management server 12 transmits an instruction including information specifying the item to be delivered to the POS of the delivery store 254 via the network 18. Upon receiving the instruction, the POS causes the display to display a screen prompting delivery of goods. The store clerk of the delivery store 254 sees the screen and performs delivery of the product 24 between the two PDDs 20. Here, the POS may be a portable POS terminal, and the status may be changed to the status that the selected product 24 is stored in the PDD 20 of the delivery destination by the employee reading the barcode of the selected product 24. Alternatively, the PDD may be provided with a camera or a barcode function, and the barcode of the item 24 selected by the camera or the barcode function may be read and the status change similarly performed.

(Example 10)
Phase: Commodity delivery / standby at destination Problem: Effective promotion The PDD 20 has a plurality of accommodation spaces 26 each capable of accommodating an article 24 or a package. When the user 14 receives an order and goes to a designated meeting place, it is useless to leave the storage space 26 other than the storage space 26 for storing the product 24 related to the order empty. In this example, for a user who can deliver on the determined route, a product that matches the vacant accommodation space 26 or a product that is derived from a past order history of the target user is proposed. Although the case of loading the goods 24 related to the recommendation into the vacant storage space 26 will be described below, the present invention is not limited to this, and even if the user proposes a collection to the user and loads the luggage from the user into the vacant storage space 26 Good.

  FIG. 36 is a block diagram showing the function and configuration of the management server 12 according to the tenth example. The management server 12 includes a user information storage unit 256, an order control information storage unit 152, a destination / route determination unit 258, a sales promotion target identification unit 260, a recommendation generation unit 262, and a recommendation distribution unit 264. .

  FIG. 37 is a data structure diagram showing an example of the user information holding unit 256 of FIG. The user information holding unit 256 includes the user ID of the user 14, the terminal ID for identifying the portable terminal 16 of the user 14, the electronic mail address of the user 14, and the latest position of the portable terminal 16 received from the portable terminal 16 of the user 14 , The previous meeting place which is the meeting place in the previous order of the user 14, the frequent meeting place which is the meeting place which is the most frequent meeting place in the user 14 's order, and the order which the user 14 made in the past The order ID is associated with and held. The previous meeting place and the frequent meeting place are appropriately added and updated as the order information analysis unit (not shown) analyzes the order control information holding unit 152.

  Returning to FIG. 36, the destination / route determination unit 258 receives order information including the information on the product 24 selected by the user 14 and the information on the designated meeting place from the portable terminal 16 via the network 18. . The destination / route determination unit 258 extracts the information on the meeting place from the received order information, and sets it as the PDD 20 destination. The destination / route determination unit 258 uses a predetermined navigation algorithm to determine the route between the store 22 where the PDD 20 stands by and the designated meeting place.

  The sales promotion object identification unit 260 refers to the user information holding unit 256, and based on the location of at least one of the destination and the route determined by the destination / route determination unit 258, a user who can meet with the PDD 20 (hereinafter , Designated as a sales target user).

  FIG. 38 is an explanatory diagram for describing a specifying process in the sales promotion object specifying unit 260. It is assumed that the destination / route determination unit 258 sets the destination 268 and the planned route 270. The sales promotion object identification unit 260 sets a predetermined area based on the destination 268. In the example of FIG. 38, the sales promotion object identification unit 260 sets a circular area 272 centered on the destination 268. The sales promotion object identification unit 260 sets a predetermined area based on the planned route 270. In the example of FIG. 38, the sales promotion object identification unit 260 sets a band area 274 centered on the planned route 270. The promotion target specifying unit 260 refers to the user information holding unit 256 and acquires the latest position of the user. If the latest position is not available, the promotion target identification unit 260 acquires the previous meeting place. If the previous meeting place is not available, the promotion target identification unit 260 acquires the frequent meeting place. In FIG. 38, open circles and closed circles both indicate the position of the user acquired as described above. The promotion target identification unit 260 compares the acquired position of the user with the circular area 272 and the band area 274. If the position of the user falls into both of the circular area 272 and the band area 274, the promotion target specifying unit 260 specifies the user as the promotion target user. Otherwise, the sales promotion target identification unit 260 does not set the user as the sales promotion target user. In the example of FIG. 38, the user corresponding to the position indicated by a solid circle is identified as the user to be promoted.

  In addition, if the position of the user falls within at least one of the circle area 272 and the band area 274, the sales promotion target specifying unit 260 may specify the user as the sales target user. Alternatively, the user to be promoted may be specified in an inclusive relation to the circular area 272 without setting the band area 274. The sales promotion target user may be specified by the inclusion relation to the band area 274 without setting the circular area 272.

Referring back to FIG. 36, the recommendation generating unit 262 generates recommendation information related to the sale of the product 24. In this example, the following two are adopted as the criteria of recommendation.
(1) Matching with the size of the empty accommodation space 26 (2) Matching with the order history of the user targeted for promotion

  (1) Regarding matching with the size of the empty accommodation space 26, the recommendation generation unit 262 is a size matching table in which whether or not the product 24 enters the empty accommodation space 26 is organized for each accommodation space 26 and for each commodity. Generate 276.

  FIG. 39 is a data structure diagram showing an example of the size matching table 276. As shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 39, there are five accommodation spaces, and among these, the articles 24 are accommodated in the accommodation space “2”. The remaining accommodation spaces "1", "3", "4" and "5" are empty. The recommendation generation unit 262 compares the size of each of the empty accommodation spaces with the size of the product, and accommodates the case where the former is larger than the latter including the margin (“o”), otherwise accommodates Do not register ("x"). In the example of FIG. 39, since the product “1” is small, it can be accommodated in all of the accommodation spaces “1”, “3”, “4”, “5”, while the product “11” is large so that the accommodation space “1” "," "3," "4," "5" can be accommodated only in the largest accommodation space "5". The recommendation generating unit 262 refers to the size matching table 276, and specifies a product that can be accommodated as a candidate for a product to be promoted.

  (2) Regarding matching with the order history of the sales promotion target user, the recommendation generation unit 262 acquires the past order history of the sales promotion target user specified by the sales promotion target specifying unit 260 from the order control information holding unit 152. The recommendation generating unit 262 analyzes the acquired order history. The recommendation generating unit 262 specifies a product to be promoted that matches the user to be promoted from among the candidates for products to be promoted identified above based on the analysis result. For example, from the order history, the recommendation generating unit 262 specifies a product that is highly likely to be purchased by the user targeted for promotion by the scheduled delivery time of the product 24 stored in the storage space “2”. When the product thus identified is a candidate for a product to be promoted, the recommendation generating unit 262 identifies the candidate as a product to be promoted. As a result, the specified sales promotion target product can be stored in the empty storage space 26 and conforms to the preferences of the sales promotion target user.

  The recommendation generating unit 262 includes the information of the identified sales promotion target product in the recommendation information. The recommendation generating unit 262 calculates, based on the destination and the route determined by the destination / route determining unit 258, a plurality of different scheduled delivery times of the product to be promoted. The destination / route determination unit 258 determines a delivery charge for each of the calculated plurality of scheduled delivery times. The recommendation generation unit 262 includes the plurality of calculated estimated delivery times and the determined delivery charges in the recommendation information.

  The recommendation distribution unit 264 transmits the recommendation information generated by the recommendation generation unit 262 to the portable terminal of the sales promotion target user specified by the sales promotion target specifying unit 260 via the network 18. When the mobile terminal of the sales promotion target user has launched the PDD application, the recommendation distribution unit 264 may transmit the recommendation information using the terminal ID registered in the user information holding unit 256. Alternatively, the recommendation distribution unit 264 may transmit an e-mail including recommendation information to the e-mail address registered in the user information storage unit 256.

  FIG. 40 is a representative screen view of the recommendation screen 278 displayed on the display 34 of the portable terminal 16. The transmission / reception unit 54 of the portable terminal 16 receives the recommendation information via the network 18. The display control unit 58 causes the display 34 to display the recommendation screen 278 based on the received recommendation information. The recommendation screen 278 includes a message display area 280 displaying a message recommending an order for a product, a product image display area 282 displaying an image of a product to be promoted, and product information such as a price and a name of the product to be promoted. It has a product information display area 284 to be displayed, a delivery information display area 286 on which delivery schedule time and delivery charge candidates are displayed, and another user information display area 288. The candidates displayed in the delivery information display area 286 correspond to the plurality of scheduled delivery times and delivery charges obtained by the recommendation generating unit 262. The other user information display area 288 shows the number of other users who are referring to the recommendation screen 278 corresponding to the recommendation information. This allows the user to understand that the promotion is limited in number and limited in time.

  FIG. 41 is a flowchart showing the flow of a series of processes in the management server 12. The management server 12 determines the destination and route involved in the order (S702). The management server 12 specifies a sales promotion target user based on the determined destination and route (S704). The management server 12 confirms the free storage space 26 of the PDD 20 to which the ordered item 24 is delivered (S706). When there is a vacant storage space 26 (Y in S 708), the management server 12 selects a product matching the size of the checked vacant storage space 26 as a candidate for a product to be promoted (S 710). The management server 12 narrows down the candidates obtained in step S710 by analyzing the order history of the sales promotion target user (S712). The management server 12 generates recommendation information including the information on the sales promotion target product obtained as a result of the narrowing down in step S 712, and transmits the recommendation information to the mobile terminal of the sales promotion target user (S 714). The management server 12 receives the order according to the recommendation information (S716). The process returns to step S706, and the management server 12 confirms the free storage space 26 of the PDD 20 again. If there is an empty storage space 26, the above process is repeated, and if there is no space (N at S708), the process ends.

  According to this example, it is possible to effectively promote other users who are in the vicinity of the meeting place and the planned route in accordance with the order of the product by the user 14. In particular, since a highly probable product conforming to the intention of another user is promoted, the probability of receiving an order can be increased. Also, as the administrator side, the vacant accommodation space 26 of the PDD 20 can be reduced.

  Note that in this example, there is a risk that it will become complicated if you promote each delivery schedule of PDD, so the number of times of principle may be determined. Alternatively, the user may actively access and use it.

  Moreover, although the case where management server 12 transmits recommendation information to portable terminal 16 before PDD 20 leaves store 22 was explained in this example, it is not restricted to this, for example, management server 12 can recommend information, After the PDD 20 departs, it may be transmitted via the network 18 to the mobile terminal of the sales target user. In this case, since the PDD 20 can be started without waiting for a response to the recommendation information, the operation of the PDD 20 can be speeded up. In this modification, although a request has not yet been made, a product highly likely to be purchased by a sales promotion target user is loaded on the PDD 20 and the PDD 20 is started. After the launch, the sales promotion target user is promoted as follows: "A water yokan arrives after 5 minutes. It is 100 yen after discount. It is free of charge. How is it?"

  In this example, although the case where the user 14 is recommended when there is a space in the accommodation space 26 has been described, the aspect of the recommendation is not limited to this. For example, the management server 12 may acquire information on the weather around the user 14, and if it is rain or snow, may propose a meeting place closer to the current position of the user 14 together with a higher delivery fee. Alternatively, the management server 12 may suggest a near meeting place with a higher delivery fee if the item ordered by the user 14 is heavier than the standard. Alternatively, from the analysis result of the order control information holding unit 152, the management server 12 may predict, for the specific user 14, the current position and the current time of the user 14 highly probable goods that the user 14 orders. . The management server 12 may make a recommendation of the predicted product before receiving an order from the user 14. For example, when the analysis of the order control information holding unit 152 reveals that the user 14 tends to order a rice ball at around 11:30, the management server 12 detects the portable terminal 16 of the user 14 at around 11:25. Send a recommendation to recommend the purchase of rice balls. Also, if it is determined by the analysis of the order control information holding unit 152 that the user 14 tends to purchase stationery collectively at the end of every month, the management server 12 sends a stationery coupon to the user 14 several days before the end of the month. May be distributed.

  In this example, although the case where recommendation was made to the sales promotion target user was explained, it is not restricted to this, for example, management server 12 may perform group recommendation to the same department etc. of a company. In this case, the management server 12 may be configured to allow reception by a specific person in the group, such as a new person. The management server 12 receives the order, and transmits information (meeting place, time) for reception to the terminal of the designated payee (new person). In this case, the efficiency can be improved since the products can be collectively delivered. Here, even if it is recommended to a group, each group member carries out ordering and settlement, and only the receiving method, any one member of the group, any one member of the group among the members ordered this time, a specific member of the group member Decide in groups. To determine in the group, for example, the person who ordered the receiver set by the person who ordered the first person can make the setting change, and similarly, the following orderer can make the receiver setting change . When changing the receiver setting, processing may be performed to confirm in advance the person set as the receiver.

  In the above embodiment, examples of the holding unit are a hard disk and a semiconductor memory. Also, based on the description in this specification, each unit may be a CPU (not shown), a module of an installed application program, a module of a system program, a semiconductor memory that temporarily stores the contents of data read from a hard disk, etc. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that have been described herein what can be done.

  The configuration and operation of the PDD system 10 according to the embodiment have been described above. This embodiment is an exemplification, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the combination of each component and each processing, and such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention.

The embodiment may be expressed by the following items.
(PDD basic operation 0 (waiting place specification), <operation upon request acceptance>)
(Item 1)
A computer program related to a system for realizing transfer of articles between a user and a store through an unmanned transport apparatus,
A function of acquiring from the user specification of the destination type of the unmanned transport device,
A computer program for causing a terminal to display a screen for allowing a user to specify a place where the user and the unmanned transport apparatus meet when the designated type satisfies the criteria regarding the size of the site .
(Item 2)
The computer program according to Item 1, wherein the screen includes a map of a site of a destination of an unmanned transport apparatus, and at least one meeting place candidate displayed in relation to the map.
(Item 3)
The computer program according to Item 2, wherein the screen includes, in association with the candidate, an index indicating the number of times the candidate is designated as a meeting place.
(Item 4)
The computer program according to Item 2 or 3, wherein the screen includes an image around the candidate in association with the candidate.
(Item 5)
If the specified type meets the criteria for the size of the site and a map of the destination site of the unmanned transport device is not available, the screen may be a computer program according to item 1 including a map around the site .
(Item 6)
The screen can be specified as a place to meet any place on the site,
The computer program further comprises
The computer program according to any one of Items 1 to 5, which causes the terminal to realize a function of rejecting the designation when a place designated by the user on the screen satisfies a criterion regarding the designation refusal.
(Item 7)
An unmanned transport apparatus that mediates the exchange of articles between a user and a store,
Moving means for realizing automatic movement to a destination using position information from the positioning means;
Accepting means for accepting designation of the registration mode by the user;
An unmanned transport apparatus comprising: acquisition means for acquiring, in the registration mode, information identifying a location arriving according to a user's guidance as information identifying a candidate for a location where the user and the unmanned transporter meet.
(Item 8)
A server related to a system for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus,
Acquisition means for acquiring designation of the type of destination of the unmanned transport apparatus from the user's terminal via the network;
A determination unit that determines whether the designated type satisfies the criteria for the size of the site;
A server including: transmission means for transmitting screen information for generating a screen for the user to specify a place where the user and the unmanned transport apparatus meet when it is determined that the condition is satisfied, to the terminal via the network .
(Item 9)
A terminal related to a system for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus,
Acquisition means for acquiring from the user specification of the type of destination of the unmanned transport apparatus;
A terminal comprising: display control means for displaying on the display a screen for the user to designate a place where the user and the unmanned transport apparatus meet when the designated type satisfies the standard concerning the size of the site.

(PDD basic operation 1 (PDD current position display), <operation upon request acceptance>)
(Item 1)
A computer program related to a system for realizing transfer of articles between a user and a store through an unmanned transport apparatus,
A function to obtain the current position of the user's terminal;
The function of accepting the specification of the destination of the unmanned transport device,
A computer for causing the terminal to display a screen indicating refusal of a request for delivery of an article when the acquired current position and the designated destination are apart from a predetermined reference. program.
(Item 2)
A terminal related to a system for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus,
Acquisition means for acquiring the current position of the user's terminal;
Accepting means for accepting designation of a destination of the unmanned transport apparatus;
A display control means for displaying on the display a screen indicating refusal of a request for delivery of an article when the acquired current position and the designated destination are apart from a predetermined reference.
(Item 3)
A server related to a system for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus,
Acquisition means for acquiring the current position of the user's terminal from the terminal via the network;
Accepting means for accepting specification of a destination of the unmanned transport apparatus from the terminal via the network;
A determination unit that determines whether the acquired current position and the designated destination are farther than a predetermined reference;
A server comprising: transmission means for transmitting information to the terminal via the network when it is determined that they are separated, for refusing the request for the exchange of articles.

(PDD basic operation 1 (PDD current position display), <moving in transit / waiting in destination>)
(Item 1)
A computer program related to a system for realizing transfer of articles between a user and a store through an unmanned transport apparatus,
A function of acquiring an image corresponding to the current position of the unmanned transport device obtained using positioning means provided in the unmanned transport device;
A computer program for causing a terminal to realize a function of displaying an acquired image on a display.
(Item 2)
The display function is a function of displaying the image on the display in association with an electronic map including at least one of a route of an unmanned transport apparatus, a current position of the unmanned transport apparatus, and a destination of the unmanned transport apparatus. The computer program according to item 1 comprising.
(Item 3)
The computer program according to Item 1 or 2, wherein the image is displayed as one of the conditions that the current position of the unmanned transfer device is within a predetermined range based on the destination of the unmanned transfer device.
(Item 4)
The computer program according to any one of Items 1 to 3, which causes the terminal to further realize the function of stopping the display of the image when the exchange of an article between the user and the unmanned transport apparatus is completed.
(Item 5)
The image is an image obtained by performing processing for protecting privacy on an image obtained by imaging the surroundings at the current position by the unmanned transport apparatus, according to any one of items 1 to 4. Computer program as described.
(Item 6)
The computer program according to any one of Items 1 to 4, wherein the image is a past image corresponding to a current position of an unmanned transport apparatus.
(Item 7)
A terminal related to a system for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus,
Acquisition means for acquiring an image corresponding to the current position of the unmanned transport apparatus obtained using the positioning means provided in the unmanned transport apparatus;
A display control unit configured to display an acquired image on a display.
(Item 8)
A server related to a system for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus,
First acquisition means for acquiring information on the current position of the unmanned transport apparatus from the unmanned transport apparatus via the network;
A second acquisition unit configured to acquire an image corresponding to the current position of the unmanned transport apparatus, the image being subjected to processing for protecting privacy;
A transmitting unit that transmits the acquired image to a terminal of a user via a network.
(Item 9)
A computer program related to a system for realizing transfer of articles between a user and a store through an unmanned transport apparatus,
If the current position of the unmanned transport device obtained using positioning means provided in the unmanned transport device and the destination of the unmanned transport device are separated from a predetermined reference, the destination of the unmanned transport device A function that provides an interface that enables re-specification;
A computer program for causing a terminal to realize a function of acquiring a new destination designated through the interface.
(Item 10)
The interface presents candidate destinations that can be specified,
The computer program according to Item 9, wherein the function to acquire includes a function of acquiring a candidate specified by a user as a new destination.
(Item 11)
Item 9 or 10 to make the terminal further realize a function of restricting or prohibiting re-designation of the destination in the interface when the current position of the UAV and the destination of the UAV become closer than the predetermined reference. The computer program described in.
(Item 12)
A terminal related to a system for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus,
If the current position of the unmanned transport device obtained using positioning means provided in the unmanned transport device and the destination of the unmanned transport device are separated from a predetermined reference, the destination of the unmanned transport device Providing means for providing an interface enabling re-designation;
An acquisition unit configured to acquire a new destination designated via the interface.
(Item 13)
A server related to a system for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus,
Determining means for determining whether or not the current position of the unmanned transport apparatus obtained using the positioning means provided in the unmanned transport apparatus and the destination of the unmanned transport apparatus are greater than a predetermined reference;
Transmission means for transmitting information for providing an interface enabling re-designation of the destination of the unmanned transport apparatus to the user's terminal via the network, when it is determined that the user is separated;
A acquiring unit configured to acquire a new destination designated via the interface from the terminal via the network.

(PDD basic operation 2 (cooperation with delivery truck), <management device>)
(Item 1)
A management apparatus for managing a system that realizes the exchange of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus, comprising:
First acquisition means for acquiring the current position of the unmanned transport apparatus from the unmanned transport apparatus via the network;
Second acquisition means for acquiring from a delivery vehicle the current position of the delivery vehicle capable of exchanging articles with the unmanned transport apparatus from the delivery vehicle;
A display control unit configured to display the operation state of the unmanned transport apparatus and the operation state of the delivery vehicle on the electronic map based on the acquired current position of the unmanned transport apparatus and the acquired current position of the delivery vehicle;
A management device comprising: reception means for receiving designation of a place where the unmanned transport apparatus and the delivery vehicle are scheduled to meet.
(Item 2)
To a management device for managing a system for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus,
A function of acquiring the current position of the UAV from the UAV via a network;
A function of acquiring from a delivery vehicle the current position of the delivery vehicle capable of exchanging articles with the unmanned transport apparatus via the network;
A function of causing the operation state of the unmanned transport apparatus and the operation state of the delivery vehicle to be displayed on the electronic map based on the acquired current position of the unmanned transport apparatus and the acquired current position of the delivery vehicle;
A computer program for realizing a function of receiving designation of a place where an unmanned transport apparatus and a delivery vehicle are scheduled to meet.

(PDD basic operation 3 (PDD transfer problem), <passing and waiting operation>)
(Item 1)
A computer program related to a system for realizing transfer of articles between a user and a store through an unmanned transport apparatus,
A function of acquiring information on the operation status of the unmanned transport apparatus via a network;
A computer program for causing a terminal to realize a function of providing a user with identification information of an unmanned transport apparatus corresponding to a user in accordance with acquired information.
(Item 2)
An unmanned transport apparatus that mediates the exchange of articles between a user and a store,
Moving means for realizing automatic movement to a destination using position information from the positioning means;
An unmanned transport apparatus comprising: standby means for performing processing for causing the unmanned transport apparatus to stand by at a position avoiding the standby position of the other unmanned transport apparatus at the destination when it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at the destination .
(Item 3)
A terminal related to a system for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus,
A means for acquiring information on the operation status of the unmanned transport apparatus via a network;
And a means for providing the user with identification information of the unmanned transport apparatus corresponding to the user in accordance with the acquired information.

(PDD basic operation 4 (PDD receipt absence problem) <passing standby operation>)
(Item 1)
An unmanned transport apparatus that mediates the exchange of articles between a user and a store,
Moving means for realizing automatic movement to a destination using position information from the positioning means;
Clocking means for clocking the waiting time at the destination,
And a confirmation means for performing processing for confirming to the user when the waiting time exceeds the threshold value.
(Item 2)
The unmanned operation apparatus according to Item 1, further comprising standby stop means for performing processing for stopping standby at the destination when it is determined that confirmation can not be obtained from the user.
(Item 3)
A server related to a system for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus,
Acquisition means for acquiring the waiting time at the destination of the unmanned transport apparatus;
And a confirmation unit that performs processing for confirming the user when the acquired standby time exceeds a threshold.
(Item 4)
The server according to Item 3, further comprising penalty means for performing processing to penalize the user when it is determined that confirmation can not be obtained from the user.
(Item 5)
The server according to Item 3 or 4, further comprising changing means for changing the route of the unmanned operation device to revisit the destination when receiving a response from the user to the confirmation.

(PDD basic operation 5 (PDD delivery of gift) <Operation upon request acceptance>)
(Item 1)
A server related to a system for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus,
Reception means for receiving a request for delivery of the article to the receiving user from the terminal of the requesting user via the network;
Transmitting means for transmitting a message for inquiring as to whether or not to accept the request to the terminal of the receiving user via the network in response to acceptance of the request;
A processing means for performing processing for directing the UAV to a destination corresponding to the receiving user if the response to the sent message is an agreement.
(Item 2)
A process for delivering an item using a predetermined delivery method other than delivery using the UAV if it is determined that there is no response to the sent message, or if the response to the sent message is disagreed The server according to Item 1, further comprising means for performing.
(Item 3)
Further comprising holding means for holding the delivery history;
The server according to Item 1 or 2, wherein the processing means performs delivery verification when the receiving user is not registered in the holding means.

(PDD basic operation 6 (operation at the time of failure))
(Item 1)
A server related to a system for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus,
Reception means for receiving information indicating failure of the unmanned transfer device detected by the unmanned transfer device from the unmanned transfer device via the network;
Obtaining means for obtaining a level indicating a degree of failure based on the received information;
A determination unit that determines whether or not a failure handling process is necessary according to the acquired level.
(Item 2)
The server according to Item 1, wherein the failure handling process includes a process for transporting an article equivalent to an article loaded in the unmanned transport apparatus in which the fault has been detected by another unmanned transport apparatus.
(Item 3)
The server according to Item 1, wherein the failure handling process includes a process for transferring an article loaded on the unmanned transport apparatus in which the fault has been detected to another unmanned transport apparatus for transportation.

(PDD basic operation 7 (pass between PDD))
(Item 1)
A server related to a system for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus,
Holding means for holding a plurality of predetermined places where delivery of articles between the unmanned transport apparatus is possible;
Acquisition means for acquiring respective current positions from two or more unmanned transport apparatuses via a network,
A server comprising: selection means for selecting a place where the two or more unmanned transport apparatuses should meet from among a plurality of places held by the holding means based on the acquired current position.

(PDD basic operation 8 (promotion on PDD delivery decision route) <operation in transit / while waiting for destination>)
(Item 1)
A server related to a system for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus,
Determining means for determining the destination and route of the unmanned transport device;
Specifying means for specifying a user capable of meeting with the unmanned transport apparatus based on the determined destination and at least one position of the route;
A transmission unit that transmits recommendation information related to sales of goods or collection of goods to a terminal of a specified user via a network.
(Item 2)
The unmanned transport apparatus has a plurality of storage spaces each capable of storing an article;
The server according to Item 1, further comprising means for including, in the recommendation information, an article which can be accommodated in an empty accommodation space among a plurality of accommodation spaces of the unmanned transport apparatus, as the article to be sold.
(Item 3)
Means for calculating a plurality of different estimated delivery times of the article to be sold based on at least one of the determined destination and route.
The server according to Item 1 or 2, further comprising: means for including the plurality of calculated estimated delivery times in the recommendation information.
(Item 4)
A means for determining a delivery charge for each of the plurality of estimated delivery times calculated;
The server according to Item 3, further comprising: means for including the determined delivery charge in the recommendation information.
(Item 5)
Holding means for holding the delivery history;
The server according to any one of Items 1 to 4, further comprising: means for specifying an article to be sold corresponding to a specified user based on the history held in the holding means.
(Item 6)
The server according to Item 5, wherein the transmission means transmits recommendation information related to the identified item to be sold to the terminal of the identified user via the network after the unmanned transport apparatus containing the item departs. .

  10 PDD systems, 12 management servers, 14 users, 16 mobile terminals, 18 networks, 20 PDDs, 22 stores.

Claims (10)

A computer program related to a system for realizing transfer of articles between a user and a store through an unmanned transport apparatus,
A function of acquiring from the user specification of the destination type of the unmanned transport device,
A computer program for causing a terminal to display a screen for allowing a user to specify a place where the user and the unmanned transport apparatus meet when the designated type satisfies the criteria regarding the size of the site . A computer program related to a system for realizing transfer of articles between a user and a store through an unmanned transport apparatus,
A function to obtain the current position of the user's terminal;
The function of accepting the specification of the destination of the unmanned transport device,
A computer for causing the terminal to display a screen indicating refusal of a request for delivery of an article when the acquired current position and the designated destination are apart from a predetermined reference. program. A computer program related to a system for realizing transfer of articles between a user and a store through an unmanned transport apparatus,
A function of acquiring an image corresponding to the current position of the unmanned transport device obtained using positioning means provided in the unmanned transport device;
A computer program for causing a terminal to realize a function of displaying an acquired image on a display. A management apparatus for managing a system that realizes the exchange of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus, comprising:
First acquisition means for acquiring the current position of the unmanned transport apparatus from the unmanned transport apparatus via the network;
Second acquisition means for acquiring from a delivery vehicle the current position of the delivery vehicle capable of exchanging articles with the unmanned transport apparatus from the delivery vehicle;
A display control unit configured to display the operation state of the unmanned transport apparatus and the operation state of the delivery vehicle on the electronic map based on the acquired current position of the unmanned transport apparatus and the acquired current position of the delivery vehicle;
A management device comprising: reception means for receiving designation of a place where the unmanned transport apparatus and the delivery vehicle are scheduled to meet. A computer program related to a system for realizing transfer of articles between a user and a store through an unmanned transport apparatus,
A function of acquiring information on the operation status of the unmanned transport apparatus via a network;
A computer program for causing a terminal to realize a function of providing a user with identification information of an unmanned transport apparatus corresponding to a user in accordance with acquired information. An unmanned transport apparatus that mediates the exchange of articles between a user and a store,
Moving means for realizing automatic movement to a destination using position information from the positioning means;
Clocking means for clocking the waiting time at the destination,
And a confirmation means for performing processing for confirming to the user when the waiting time exceeds the threshold value. A server related to a system for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus,
Reception means for receiving a request for delivery of the article to the receiving user from the terminal of the requesting user via the network;
Transmitting means for transmitting a message for inquiring as to whether or not to accept the request to the terminal of the receiving user via the network in response to acceptance of the request;
A processing means for performing processing for directing the UAV to a destination corresponding to the receiving user if the response to the sent message is an agreement. A server related to a system for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus,
Reception means for receiving information indicating failure of the unmanned transfer device detected by the unmanned transfer device from the unmanned transfer device via the network;
Obtaining means for obtaining a level indicating a degree of failure based on the received information;
A determination unit that determines whether or not a failure handling process is necessary according to the acquired level. A server related to a system for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus,
Holding means for holding a plurality of predetermined places where delivery of articles between the unmanned transport apparatus is possible;
Acquisition means for acquiring respective current positions from two or more unmanned transport apparatuses via a network,
A server comprising: selection means for selecting a place where the two or more unmanned transport apparatuses should meet from among a plurality of places held by the holding means based on the acquired current position. A server related to a system for realizing delivery of articles between a user and a store via an unmanned transport apparatus,
Determining means for determining the destination and route of the unmanned transport device;
Specifying means for specifying a user capable of meeting with the unmanned transport apparatus based on the determined destination and at least one position of the route;
A transmission unit that transmits recommendation information related to sales of goods or collection of goods to a terminal of a specified user via a network.

Images