Delivery method, delivery management server, and mobile body

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12062006-B2
Application number	US-202217732689-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2022
Priority date	May 14, 2021
Publication date	Aug 13, 2024
Grant date	Aug 13, 2024

Abstract

A delivery method according to the present disclosure includes a step of delivering packages to designated destinations by mobile bodies traveling autonomously, each of the packages having a delivery priority level. The delivery method further includes a step of, when a number of mobile bodies gathered in a bottleneck section is larger than a number of mobile bodies capable of passing through the bottleneck section at the same time, preferentially causing a mobile body delivering a package of which the delivery priority level is higher than a package delivered by another mobile body to pass through the bottleneck section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A delivery method implemented by one or more hardware processors, the delivery method comprising:
controlling mobile bodies to deliver, by traveling autonomously, packages to designated destinations, each of the packages having a delivery priority level, and the mobile bodies are ground vehicles;
determining whether a number of the mobile bodies gathered in a bottleneck section is larger than a number of the mobile bodies capable of passing through the bottleneck section at a same time, and
when it is determined that the number of the mobile bodies gathered in the bottleneck section is larger than the number of the mobile bodies capable of passing through the bottleneck section at the same time, preferentially controlling, of the mobile bodies and the packages, a mobile body delivering a package of which the delivery priority level is higher than a package delivered by another mobile body to pass through the bottleneck section.

2. The delivery method according to claim 1 , further comprising changing the delivery priority level of a package depending on a residence time of a mobile body delivering the package in the bottleneck section.

3. The delivery method according to claim 1 , further comprising changing the delivery priority level of a package over time depending on a content of the package.

4. The delivery method according to claim 1 , further comprising changing the delivery priority level of a package depending on a time remaining until a reserved delivery time of the package.

5. The delivery method according to claim 1 , further comprising changing the delivery priority level of a package depending on a scheduled stay period of a resident in a destination to which the package is delivered.

6. The delivery method according to claim 1 , further comprising changing the delivery priority level of a package depending on a scheduled return home time of a resident in a destination to which the package is delivered.

7. The delivery method according to claim 1 , further comprising changing the delivery priority level of a package depending on an elapsed time from departure of a mobile body delivering the package from a delivery source.

8. The delivery method according to claim 1 , further comprising changing the delivery priority level of a package depending on an elapsed time from an order from a resident in a destination to which the package is delivered.

9. The delivery method according to claim 1 , further comprising, when there is no difference in delivery priority levels of packages among the mobile bodies gathered in the bottleneck section, requesting remote assistance from an operator to determine an order of passing through the bottleneck section.

10. The delivery method of claim 1 , wherein the bottleneck section is a section of a street.

11. A delivery management server connected via a communication network to a plurality of mobile bodies traveling autonomously and delivering packages to designated destinations, the delivery management server comprising:
one or more memories storing a delivery priority level of each of the packages; and
one or more processors configured to:
control the mobile bodies to deliver, by traveling autonomously, the packages to the designated destinations, each of the packages having a delivery priority level, and the mobile bodies are ground vehicles
determine whether a number of the mobile bodies gathered in the bottleneck section is larger than a number of the mobile bodies capable of passing through the bottleneck section at a same time; and
when it is determined that the number of mobile bodies gathered in the bottleneck section is larger than the number of mobile bodies capable of passing through the bottleneck section at the same time, preferentially controlling, of the mobile bodies and the packages, a mobile body delivering a package of which the delivery priority level is higher than a package delivered by another mobile body to pass through the bottleneck section.

12. The delivery management server according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are configured further to change the delivery priority level of a package depending on a residence time of a mobile body delivering the package in the bottleneck section.

13. The delivery management server according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are configured further to change the delivery priority level of a package over time depending on a content of the package.

14. The delivery management server according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are configured further to change the delivery priority level of a package depending on a time remaining until a reserved delivery time of the package.

15. The delivery management server according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are configured further to change the delivery priority level of a package depending on a scheduled stay period of a resident in a destination to which the package is delivered.

16. The delivery management server according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are configured further to change the delivery priority level of a package depending on a scheduled return home time of a resident in a destination to which the package is delivered.

17. The delivery management server according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are configured further to change the delivery priority level of a package depending on an elapsed time from departure of a mobile body delivering the package from a delivery source.

18. The delivery management server according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are configured further to change the delivery priority level of a package depending on an elapsed time from an order from a resident in a destination to which the package is delivered.

19. The delivery management server according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are configured further to, when there is no difference in delivery priority levels of packages among the mobile bodies gathered in the bottleneck section, requesting remote assistance from an operator to determine an order of passing through the bottleneck section.

20. A mobile body configured to travel autonomously and deliver a package to a designated destination, the mobile body comprising:
a memory storing a delivery priority level of the package; and
a processor configured to:
control the mobile body to deliver, by traveling autonomously, the package to the designated destination, the package having a delivery priority level, and the mobile body is a ground vehicle;
determining whether a number of mobile bodies, including the mobile body, gathered in a bottleneck section is larger than a number of the mobile bodies capable of passing through the bottleneck section at a same time; and
when it is determined that the number of the mobile bodies gathered in the bottleneck section is larger than the number of the mobile bodies capable of passing through the bottleneck section at the same time:
compare the priority level of the package between the mobile bodies gathered in the bottleneck section; and
cause the mobile body to pass through the bottleneck section prior to one or more other mobile bodies delivering packages having lower priority levels than the mobile body after one or more other mobile bodies delivering packages having higher priority levels than the mobile body have passed the bottleneck section.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Otsuki Nobuhisa
• Lee Haeyeon
• Iwamoto Kunihiro
• Oishi Kota

Classifications

• G05D1/644

  Optimisation of travel parameters, e.g. of energy consumption, journey time or distance · CPC title

• G05D1/693

  for avoiding collisions between vehicles · CPC title

• G06Q10/0833

  Tracking · CPC title

• G05D1/0217

  in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria · CPC title

• G05D1/0289

  with means for avoiding collisions between vehicles (vehicle fittings for automatically controlling speed including means for detecting potential obstacles B60K31/0008; avoiding obstacles by action on the steering system B62D; radar, sonar, lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93) · CPC title