Logistics system, logistics robot, and logistics robot control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12307407-B2
Application number	US-202217742942-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2022
Priority date	May 14, 2021
Publication date	May 20, 2025
Grant date	May 20, 2025

Abstract

A logistics system provides a logistics service utilizing a logistics robot that delivers packages by autonomous traveling. The logistics system includes one or more processors. When delivery destinations of the packages are dispersedly located on a plurality of floors of a building, the one or more processors execute a priority determination process that determines priority among the plurality of floors. Then, the one or more processors execute a logistics robot control process that controls the logistics robot so as to deliver the packages to the plurality of floors in an order of the priority.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A logistics system providing a logistics service utilizing a logistics robot that delivers packages by autonomous traveling, the logistics system comprising one or more processors, configured to execute:
a priority determination process that, when delivery destinations of the packages are dispersedly located on a plurality of floors of a building, determines priority among the plurality of floors by:
acquiring floor situation information through a plurality of sensors located on each of the plurality of floors indicating a situation of a passage of each of the plurality of floors comprising information indicating whether a door facing the passage is open,
identifying, based on the floor situation information, a number of specific targets existing on each of the plurality of floors, and
setting the priority of each of the plurality of floors based on the number of specific targets existing on each of the plurality of floors, wherein the priority of a floor increases as the number of specific targets decreases, wherein the number of specific targets include a total number of children, disabled persons, and pets; and

a logistics robot control process that controls the logistics robot so as to deliver the packages to the plurality of floors in an order of the priority,
wherein in the priority determination process, the one or more processors are further configured to:
calculate, based on the floor situation information, a predicted congestion degree of the passage of each of the plurality of floors, wherein
the predicted congestion degree indicates a level of crowding of the passage by moving bodies present in the passage of each of the plurality of floors, and

increase or decrease the predicted congestion degree for each of the plurality of floors based on the door being open; and
set the priority of a floor with a lower predicted congestion degree to be higher than the priority of another floor with a higher predicted congestion degree.

2. The logistics system according to claim 1 , wherein in the priority determination process, the one or more processors are configured to:
acquire package information indicating at least one of a weight and a volume of each of the packages; and
determine the priority based on the package information.

3. The logistics system according to claim 2 , wherein in the priority determination process, the one or more processors are further configured to:
calculate, based on the package information, a total weight of one or more packages to be delivered to each of the plurality of floors; and
set the priority of a floor with a heavier total weight to be higher than the priority of another floor with a lighter total weight.

4. The logistics system according to claim 2 , wherein in the priority determination process, the one or more processors are further configured to:
calculate, based on the package information, a total volume of one or more packages to be delivered to each of the plurality of floors; and
set the priority of a floor with a larger total volume to be higher than the priority of another floor with a smaller total volume.

5. The logistics system according to claim 1 , wherein the sensors include cameras, and wherein in the priority determination process, the one or more processors are further configured to identify the specific target by analyzing image information acquired by the cameras.

6. The logistics system according to claim 1 , wherein the moving bodies present in the passage comprise a total number of persons and logistics robots in the passage.

7. A logistics robot that delivers packages by autonomous traveling, the logistics robot comprising one or more processors configured to execute:
a priority determination process that, when delivery destinations of the packages are dispersedly located on a plurality of floors of a building, determines priority among the plurality of floors by:
acquiring floor situation information through a plurality of sensors located on each of the plurality of floors indicating situation of a passage of each of the plurality of floors comprising information indicating whether a door facing the passage is open, and,
identifying, based on the floor situation information, a number of specific targets existing on each of the plurality of floors, and
setting the priority of each of the plurality of floors based on the number of specific targets existing on each of the plurality of floorss, wherein the priority of a floor increases as the number of specific target decreases, wherein the number of specific targets includes a total number of children, disabled persons, and pets; and

a logistics robot control process that controls the logistics robot so as to deliver the to the plurality of floors in an order of the priority,
wherein in the priority determination process, the one or more processors are further configured to:
calculate, based on the floor situation information, a predicted congestion degree of the passage of each of the plurality of floors, wherein
the predicted congestion degree indicates a level of crowding of the passage by moving bodies present in the passage of each of the plurality of floors, and

increase or decrease the predicted congestion degree for each of the plurality of floors based on the door being open; and
set the priority of a floor with a lower predicted congestion degree to be higher than the priority of another floor with a higher predicted congestion degree.

8. A logistics robot control method for controlling a logistics robot that delivers packages by autonomous traveling, the logistics robot control method comprising:
a priority determination process that, when delivery destinations of the packages are dispersedly located on a plurality of floors of a building, determines priority among the plurality of floors by:
acquiring floor situation information through a plurality of sensors located on each of the plurality of floors indicating a situation of a passage of each of the plurality of floors comprising information indicating whether a door facing the passage is open,
identifying, based on the floor situation information, a number of specific targets esxisting on each of the plurality of floors, and
setting the priority of each of the plurality of floors based on the number of specific targets existing on each of the plurality of floors, wherein the priority of a floor increases as the number of specific targets decreases, wherein the number of specific targets includes a total number of children, disabled persons, and pets; and

a logistics robot control process that controls the logistics robot so as to deliver the packages to each of the plurality of floors in an order of the priority,
wherein the setting the priority of each of the plurality of floors comprises:
calculating, based on the floor situation information, a predicted congestion degree of the passage of each of the plurality of floors, wherein
the predicted congestion degree indicates a level of crowding of the passage by moving bodies present in the passage of each of the plurality of floors, and

increase or decrease the predicted congestion degree for each of the plurality of floors based on the door being open; and
setting the priority of a floor with a lower predicted congestion degree to be higher than the priority of another floor with a higher predicted congestion degree.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

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

Classifications

• G05D1/667

  Delivering or retrieving payloads · CPC title

• G05D1/644

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

• G05D1/0217

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

• G05D1/0088

  characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours (using knowledge based models G06N5/00) · CPC title

• G05D1/0297

  by controlling means in a control room · CPC title