Control system and control method of an automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle

{
  "publication_number": "US11846951B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Control system and control method of an automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle",
  "abstract": "There is provided a control system that manages running of an automatic driving home delivery locker going around in a specified region by automatic driving. The control system includes a communication unit that receives notification showing that the automatic driving home delivery locker has received a home delivery article, and a control unit that makes control such that an inquiry is made to a terminal device of a consignee of the home delivery article via the communication unit in accordance with reception of the notification so as to estimate a current position of the consignee, and when the consignee is in the specified region, a new running path on which the automatic driving home delivery locker travels a vicinity of the current position of the consignee or a sending destination of the home delivery article is generated and is transmitted to the automatic driving home delivery locker via the communication unit.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A control system configured to manage running of an automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle in a specified region by automatic driving, the control system comprising: a communication interface configured to receive a notification that indicates that the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle has received a plurality of home delivery articles; and a central processing unit (CPU) configured to: control transmission of an inquiry to a plurality of terminal devices of a plurality of consignees of the plurality of home delivery articles via the communication interface based on the reception of the notification; estimate current positions of the plurality of consignees based on the transmission of the inquiry; calculate a first running path on which the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle travels a vicinity of the current positions of the plurality of consignees, wherein the first running path is calculated based on the current positions of the plurality of consignees; transmit the calculated first running path to the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle via the communication interface, wherein the automatic driving of the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle is controlled based on the transmitted calculated first running path, the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle switches from a specific steady route to a route corresponding to the transmitted first calculated running path, and the communication interface is further configured to receive, from the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle, a receipt notification of a first home delivery article of the plurality of home delivery articles by a first consignee of the plurality of consignees; and transmit, based on the receipt notification of the first home delivery article by the first consignee, a reroute instruction to the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle, wherein the reroute instruction corresponds to an instruction to return to the specific steady route in the specified region; monitor the current position of a second consignee of the plurality of consignees; calculate a second running path on which the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle travels the vicinity of a sending destination of a second home delivery article of the plurality of home delivery articles within a specific time interval before the second consignee arrives at the sending destination of the second home delivery article; and transmit the calculated second running path to the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle via the communication interface.",
    "2. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the CPU is further configured to transmit the second running path to the first consignee of the plurality of consignees via the communication interface.",
    "3. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the CPU is further configured to: receive the current position of the first consignee of the plurality of consignees, receive a current position of the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle, and notify the first consignee of an approach of the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle based on the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle has approached the first consignee.",
    "4. The control system according to claim 1, wherein based on the current position of the first consignee among the plurality of consignees is in the specified region and a current position of the second consignee is outside the specified region, the CPU is further configured to: calculate a third running path that allows travelling of the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle in the vicinity of the current position of the first consignee; and transmit the calculated third running path to the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle via the communication interface, and based on sensing that the second consignee has returned to the specified region, the CPU is further configured to: calculate a fourth running path that allows travelling of the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle in a vicinity of the current position of the second consignee; and transmit the calculated fourth running path to the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle via the communication interface.",
    "5. The control system according to claim 1, wherein based on the first consignee is on a way home and comes within a specific distance from a dwelling place, the CPU is further configured to: confirm intent of the first consignee to receive the first home delivery article of the plurality home delivery articles via the communication interface; calculate, based on the first consignee has the intent of receipt, the second running path on which the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle travels the vicinity of the sending destination of the first home delivery article of the plurality home delivery articles at a time instant when the first consignee arrives at the sending destination of the first home delivery article of the plurality home delivery articles; and transmit the calculated second running path to the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle via the communication interface.",
    "6. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the CPU is further configured to: receive a request from the first consignee via the communication interface; calculate the first running path on which an unmanned transporter runs to a vicinity of the current position of the first consignee; and transmit the calculated first running path to the unmanned transporter via the communication interface.",
    "7. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle carries a purchasable commodity.",
    "8. The control system according to claim 1, wherein based on a request from a terminal device of a home delivery agent, the CPU is further configured to: settle a meeting point for the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle and the home delivery agent in the specified region based on a current position of the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle and a current position of the home delivery agent; transmit information of the settled meeting point to the terminal device of the home delivery agent via the communication interface; calculate a new running path based on the settled meeting point; and transmit the calculated new running path to the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle via the communication interface.",
    "9. The control system according to claim 1, wherein based on a request for stopping received from the first consignee in response to notification that the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle has approached the first consignee, the CPU is further configured to transmit a control signal of an instruction to stop travel to the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle.",
    "10. A control method that manages running of an automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle in a specified region by automatic driving, the control method comprising: receiving, by a processor via a communication interface, notification that indicates that the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle has received a plurality of home delivery articles, controlling transmission, by the processor, of an inquiry to a plurality of terminal devices of a plurality of consignees of the plurality of home delivery articles via the communication interface based on the reception of the notification; estimating, by the processor, current positions of the plurality of consignees based on the transmission of the inquiry; calculating, by the processor, a first running path on which the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle travels a vicinity of the current positions of the plurality of consignees, wherein the first running path is calculated based on the current positions of the plurality of consignees; transmitting, by the processor, the calculated first running path to the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle via the communication interface, wherein the automatic driving of the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle is controlled based on the transmitted calculated first running path, and the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle switches from a specific steady route to a route corresponding to the transmitted calculated first running path; receiving, by the processor via the communication interface, from the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle, a receipt notification of a first home delivery article of the plurality of home delivery articles by a first consignee of the plurality of consignees; and transmitting, by the processor, based on the receipt notification of the first home delivery article of the plurality of home delivery articles by the first consignee, a reroute instruction to the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle, wherein the reroute instruction corresponds to an instruction to return to the specific steady route in the specified region; monitoring the current position of a second consignee of the plurality of consignees; calculating a second running path on which the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle travels the vicinity of a sending destination of a second home delivery article of the plurality of home delivery articles within a specific time interval before the second consignee arrives at the sending destination of the second home delivery article; and transmit the calculated second running path to the automatic driving home delivery locker vehicle via the communication interface."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present disclosure relates to a control system and a control method.\n\nThese days, the number of delivery articles is increasing year by year due to the spread of the Internet shopping, etc., but the cost of redelivery when the consignee is absent has been a problem. In a multiple dwelling house equipped with delivery boxes, sending to the delivery boxes is possible; however, in a case where a delivery box is not installed, particularly in a private house or the like, it has been necessary to redeliver again in a case where the consignee is absent upon a redelivery.\n\nHere, for delivery automation technology, for example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a technology in which, in self-guided vehicle home delivery service, the positions of consignees are specified from the positions of mobiles that correspond to information of access to a plurality of delivery boxes provided on a loading platform of a truck, and the destination is updated automatically.\n\nFurther, Patent Document 2 below discloses a technology in which, in automatic home delivery service, the destination is updated automatically from the position of a mobile of a consignee.\n\nFurther, Patent Document 3 below discloses a technology in which, in a small-sized unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that performs automatic home delivery, the destination is updated in accordance with the current position of a user.\n\nHowever, all the technologies are technology in which delivery is started after the current position of a consignee is set as the destination, and a system using an automatic home delivery locker that goes around in a region has not been studied.",
  "cpc": [
    "G05D 1/0276",
    "B60W 60/001",
    "B65G 61/00",
    "G01C 21/3407",
    "G05D 1/0088",
    "G05D 2201/0213",
    "G06Q 10/047",
    "G06Q 10/08",
    "G06Q 10/0833",
    "G06Q 10/0836"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "G01C 21/34",
    "G05D 1/00",
    "G05D 1/02",
    "G06Q 10/047",
    "G06Q 10/0833",
    "G06Q 10/0836"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Sony Corp"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Hideyuki Ono"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2018-05-22",
  "publication_date": "2023-12-19",
  "grant_date": "2023-12-19",
  "priority_date": "2017-08-24",
  "application_number": "US-201816639219-A",
  "family_id": "65438570",
  "cited_by_count": 0,
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}