US 12,346,872 B2
Product sales system
Kenichiro Hiroto, Tokyo (JP); Haruki Shimada, Tokyo (JP); and Kojiro Kato, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to Nomura Research Instituted, Ltd., Tokyo (JP)
Filed by Nomura Research Institute, Ltd., Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Sep. 3, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/466,585.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-196288 (JP), filed on Nov. 26, 2020; and application No. 2020-196289 (JP), filed on Nov. 26, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0164767 A1, May 26, 2022
Int. Cl. G06Q 10/087 (2023.01); B25J 9/00 (2006.01); B25J 9/16 (2006.01); B25J 11/00 (2006.01); B25J 13/08 (2006.01); B25J 15/00 (2006.01); B25J 15/06 (2006.01); B25J 19/02 (2006.01); B65G 1/04 (2006.01); B65G 1/137 (2006.01); G06K 7/10 (2006.01); G06Q 10/0631 (2023.01); G06Q 20/18 (2012.01); G06Q 30/0601 (2023.01); G06V 10/10 (2022.01); G06V 20/10 (2022.01)
CPC G06Q 10/087 (2013.01) [B25J 9/0093 (2013.01); B25J 9/162 (2013.01); B25J 9/1661 (2013.01); B25J 9/1697 (2013.01); B25J 11/008 (2013.01); B25J 13/08 (2013.01); B25J 15/00 (2013.01); B25J 15/0616 (2013.01); B25J 19/021 (2013.01); B65G 1/0492 (2013.01); B65G 1/1373 (2013.01); B65G 1/1376 (2013.01); G06K 7/10861 (2013.01); G06Q 10/06315 (2013.01); G06Q 20/18 (2013.01); G06Q 30/0633 (2013.01); G06V 10/10 (2022.01); G06V 20/10 (2022.01); G05B 2219/50391 (2013.01); Y10S 901/01 (2013.01)] 4 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A product sales system that sells a product displayed on a display shelf in a store to a customer outside manned opening hours of the store, the product sales system comprising:
a store server that includes an information processing system; and
a picking robot that is movable in the store, wherein the store server includes:
an order reception unit that receives an order of a product from an information processing terminal of the customer via a network, and
a picking processing unit that instructs the picking robot to pick the product related to the order from the display shelf and convey the product to a predetermined delivery place,
the picking robot includes:
an arm that is able to move a tip end portion to a desired position,
a picking means for picking a product, the picking means being installed at the tip end portion of the arm, and
a sensor having an image-capturing function, the sensor being installed near the tip end portion of the arm, the picking robot:
moves to the display shelf on which the product related to the order is displayed based on identification information for specifying the display shelf stored in a database,
photographs, by the sensor, an image of a display level of the display shelf on which the product related to the order is displayed,
detects one or more objects by image processing from the photographed image of the display level of the display shelf on which the product related to the order is displayed,
identifies the product related to the order among the one or more objects and a position of the identified product related to the order by image recognition processing of the photographed image based on a recognition model set for each product with respect to each object,
moves the picking means to the identified position of the identified product related to the order, and
picks up the identified product related to the order by the picking means, and
the picking robot
acquires the recognition model set for a product related to the order from the store server when the picking robot moves for a predetermined distance toward the display shelf on which a product related to the order is displayed.