Luggage management system and luggage management method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10958880-B2
Application number	US-202016793490-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 18, 2020
Priority date	Dec 12, 2017
Publication date	Mar 23, 2021
Grant date	Mar 23, 2021

Abstract

A luggage management system includes: a locking/unlocking device mounted in a vehicle and configured to lock and unlock the vehicle in response to a request from a terminal, the terminal being used by a user who delivers luggage; an imaging device configured to capture an image of an inside of a predetermined area located in the vehicle, the predetermined area being used as a delivery place of the luggage; a control device configured to cause the imaging device to capture the image in the predetermined area when the locking/unlocking device locks or unlocks the vehicle in response to the request, and store the image; and a determination unit configured to determine, based on a result of comparison between a reference image and a comparison image, whether the luggage has been carried away from the predetermined area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A server, comprising:
a processor configured to:
communicate with a communication device mounted on a vehicle,
obtain a first image and a second image from the communication device, and
determine whether a luggage has been carried away from an inside of a predetermined area of the vehicle based on a result of comparison between the first image and the second image, wherein

the predetermined area is used as a delivery place of the luggage,
the first image is an image captured by an imaging device at a previous locking-associated time associated with a time at which the vehicle is locked previously,
the second image is an image captured by an imaging device at a current locking-associated time associated with a time at which the vehicle is locked currently,
the processor is configured not to determine whether the luggage has been carried away from the inside of the predetermined area of the vehicle in a case where the vehicle is unlocked in response to a request from a request user terminal, and
the request user terminal is a terminal used by a user who receives the luggage delivered to the predetermined area, and the request user terminal is configured to request a locking/unlocking device mounted in the vehicle to lock and unlock the vehicle.

2. The server according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor is configured to
send an inquiry to a request user terminal about whether the luggage has been taken out from the predetermined area when the vehicle is unlocked in response to a request from the request user terminal and
not to determine whether the luggage has been carried away from the inside of the predetermined area of the vehicle based on the first image in a case where the request user terminal returns a response indicating that the luggage has been taken out in response to the inquiry.

3. The server according to claim 2 , wherein
the processor is configured to perform a predetermined notification process to the request user terminal when the processor determines that the luggage has been carried away from the predetermined area.

4. The server according to claim 1 , wherein
the previous unlocking-associated time and the current unlocking-associated time are respective times at which a detection unit detects that the predetermined area is opened.

5. The server according to claim 1 , wherein
the previous unlocking-associated time and the current unlocking-associated time are respective times at which a detection unit detects that the predetermined area is closed.

6. A server, comprising:
a processor configured to:
communicate with a communication device mounted on a vehicle,
obtain a first image and a second image from the communication device, and
determine whether a luggage has been carried away from an inside of a predetermined area of the vehicle based on a result of comparison between the first image and the second image, wherein

the predetermined area is used as a delivery place of the luggage,
the first image is an image captured by an imaging device at a locking-associated time associated with a time at which the vehicle is locked,
the second image is an image captured by the imaging device at an unlocking-associated time associated with a time at which the vehicle is unlocked,
the processor is configured not to determine whether the luggage has been carried away from the inside of the predetermined area of the vehicle in a case where the vehicle is unlocked in response to a request from a request user terminal, and
the request user terminal is a terminal used by a user who receives the luggage delivered to the predetermined area, and the request user terminal is configured to request a locking/unlocking device mounted in the vehicle to lock and unlock the vehicle.

7. The server according to claim 6 , wherein
the previous unlocking-associated time and the current unlocking-associated time are respective times at which a detection unit detects that the predetermined area is opened.

8. The server according to claim 6 , wherein
the previous unlocking-associated time and the current unlocking-associated time are respective times at which a detection unit detects that the predetermined area is closed.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kanaoka Kei
• Maeda Shun
• Murozaki Yoshihiro
• Tsujimura Hiroko
• Kaneichi Daiki
• Jinnai Kuniaki

Classifications

• B60R25/01 Primary

  operating on vehicle systems or fittings, e.g. on doors, seats or windscreens · CPC title

• H04N7/188 Primary

  Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position (signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253) · CPC title

• G06V20/59

  inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions · CPC title

• H04N23/57

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · CPC title

• B65G61/00 Primary

  Use of pick-up or transfer devices or of manipulators for stacking or de-stacking articles not otherwise provided for · CPC title