JP7631037B2 - Information processing device - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to an information processing device .

Conventionally, for example, in stores that sell shoes or clothes, the work involves asking customers for their desired size and color, and then bringing in the appropriate product from the stock. This type of work is done mechanically, so staff do not find it rewarding. For this reason, there is a demand for automating such work.

For example, there is a system such as that described in Patent Document 1. In this system, a transport robot travels between the display shelves and the storage area to transport the products.

However, to introduce a system like the one described above into a store, the sales floor needs to be designed so that the transport robot can move freely, and the inventory storage area needs to be designed so that the transport robot can easily take products in and out. In other words, the introduction costs are high and it is difficult to introduce.

Therefore, there is a need to automate tasks such as bringing in products specified by customers from stock while keeping implementation costs down. There is also a need to automate the process of listening to customers' requests prior to that. There is also a need to automate the process of finding customers with requests and calling out to them. In other words, there is a need for a system that can support or take over the parts of customer service that a small number of staff may not be able to handle.

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to support or substitute for staff in customer service duties, making it possible to operate a store efficiently even with a small number of staff without reducing customer satisfaction.

an information processing device according to an embodiment, the information processing device comprising: a drive unit for self-propelled movement in the sales floor and the back yard; a loading platform on which products can be loaded; a communication unit for enabling communication with an external device; a calling unit for making a voice call to a person matching predetermined conditions when a person matching predetermined conditions is detected in the sales floor; a characteristic acquisition unit for acquiring characteristic information from the appearance of the person when the calling unit makes a call, the characteristic information making it possible to distinguish the person being called from other people; a product identification unit for acquiring product information which is information by which the product can be identified based on the appearance of the product; an additional information acquisition unit for acquiring additional information by voice or operation when the product identification unit acquires the product information; a product ordering unit for showing the product information and the additional information to the external device and placing an order for the product; a product transport unit for controlling the drive unit to transport products loaded onto the loading platform in the back yard to a person matching the characteristic information in the sales floor; and an appeal information recording unit for recording information of products for which the time from when the product was removed from the loading platform to when it was returned exceeds a predetermined threshold after transport by the product transport unit .

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a customer service system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the customer service robot. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a customer service robot. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the customer service robot. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the backyard terminal. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the backyard terminal. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of a process executed by the control unit of the customer service robot. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of a process executed by the control unit of the customer service robot.

(First embodiment)
An embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a customer service system 1 according to the embodiment. The customer service system 1 includes a customer service robot 10, a staff terminal 30, a backyard terminal 40, a sales floor camera 50, a beacon 60, and the like.

The customer service robot 10 is an information processing device that moves autonomously around the sales floor and the backyard, and is responsible for customer service. The sales floor is a place where display shelves 70 displaying products are arranged, and where customers can move freely while looking at the products. The backyard is, for example, a warehouse that stores inventory products.

There may be multiple customer service robots 10 in the store (sales floor and back yard). Figure 1 shows an example in which there are three customer service robots 10 (customer service robot (1) 101 to customer service robot (3) 103). In more detail, Figure 1 shows a situation in which customer service robot (1) 101 and customer service robot (2) 102 exist in the sales floor, and customer service robot (3) 103 exists in the back yard (warehouse).

The staff terminal 30 is a terminal carried by the staff (store clerk) and is realized by, for example, a smartphone or tablet-type information processing device. The staff terminal 30 is equipped with a display unit that displays information for the staff, an operation unit that accepts operations, a speaker that emits sound, etc.

There may be multiple staff terminals 30 in a store. Figure 1 shows an example in which there are three staff terminals 30 (staff terminal (1) 301 to staff terminal (3) 303). In more detail, Figure 1 shows a situation in which staff terminal (1) 301 and staff terminal (2) 302 exist in the sales floor, and staff terminal (3) 303 exists in the back yard.

The backyard terminal 40 is an information processing device installed in the backyard, and is realized by, for example, a personal computer (PC). The backyard terminal 40 controls and instructs the customer service robot 10 and the staff terminal 30 based on information received from the sales floor cameras 50, beacons 60, and customer service robot 10.

For ease of explanation, the backyard terminal 40 in this embodiment is described as a device that is completed within the backyard, but in practice, it may be, for example, an information processing device that links a storage unit and a processing unit that exist on the cloud with a display unit and an operation unit that exist in the backyard.

The backyard terminal 40 may be, for example, a so-called store computer. The store computer manages a sales data processing device installed in the sales floor. The sales data processing device is a POS (Point Of Sales) terminal (not shown) or a customer service robot 10.

The sales floor camera 50 captures images of the sales floor and outputs the captured image data to the backyard terminal 40. The sales floor camera 50 is attached, for example, to the ceiling or display shelves 70 of the sales floor. There may be multiple sales floor cameras 50 in the store. Figure 1 shows an example where there are two sales floor cameras 50 (sales floor camera (1) 501 and sales floor camera (2) 502).

The beacons 60 are attached to each display shelf 70 and transmit a predetermined signal to the customer service robot 10. Figure 1 shows an example in which three beacons 60 (beacon (1) 601 to beacon (3) 603) are attached to each of the three display shelves 70 (display shelf (1) 701 to display shelf (3) 703).

When the customer service robot 10 receives a signal transmitted by the beacon 60, it recognizes from the information contained in the signal which of the beacons 601 to 603 the beacon 60 is. This allows the customer service robot 10 to grasp its approximate location within the sales floor.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the customer service robot 10. The customer service robot 10 is an example of an information processing device that moves autonomously around the sales floor and back yard. The customer service robot 10 is equipped with a pair of drive wheels 21, a pair of driven wheels 22, a loading platform 23 on which products can be loaded, a first display unit 24, a second display unit 25, an operation unit 26, a first camera 27, a second camera 28, etc.

The pair of drive wheels 21 are wheels that rotate when driven by a driving force generated by a motor 20 (see FIG. 2) described below. The pair of driven wheels 22 are freely rotatable wheels that support the four corners of the bottom of the customer service robot 10 together with the pair of drive wheels 21.

The loading platform 23 is a platform on which products such as shoes are loaded, and the customer service robot 10 of this embodiment is equipped with a three-tiered loading platform 23.

The first display unit 24 is a large display device provided on the side of the loading platform 23, and is an example of signage that displays information aimed at people in the sales area.

The second display unit 25 is a display device such as an LCD panel provided on the top of the customer service robot 10, and displays information for the customer service target. The operation unit 26 is an operation device such as a touch panel provided on top of the second display unit 25, and is mainly used to accept operations from the customer service target. The operation unit 26 also includes a sound collection device such as a microphone, and accepts operations according to the operator's speech input from the sound collection device.

The first camera 27 is provided on the top of the customer service robot 10 and is an image sensor such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor, and is used to obtain appearance information sufficient to distinguish the customer service target from other people. Specific examples of appearance information sufficient to distinguish the customer service target include height, clothing, hairstyle, etc. Although it is possible to distinguish the customer service target using facial recognition, it is believed that such detailed recognition and identification will be sufficient for this application.

The second camera 28 is provided on the front side of the customer service robot 10 (the side facing the customer service subject) and is an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS sensor, and is used to capture the exterior of the product. The image data captured and output by the second camera 28 is used to obtain information that can identify the product.

Specifically, for example, if the image data contains a code symbol such as a barcode or two-dimensional code, the code symbol is decoded to obtain the code. Alternatively, the product is identified by object recognition processing. Object recognition processing is a process that extracts the surface features of the product from the image data, calculates the similarity (a numerical value indicating the degree of similarity) between these features and a reference value of the features of each product that is pre-databaseed, and selects products with a high degree of similarity as candidates.

The object recognition process is a process of identifying an object based on its external appearance characteristics using a technique called generic object recognition. Generic object recognition is explained in the following document:
Keiji Yanai, "Current status and future of general object recognition", Transactions of the Information Processing Society of Japan, Vol. 48, No. SIG16 [Retrieved August 10, 2010], Internet <URL: http://mm.cs.uec.ac.jp/IPSJ-TCVIM-Yanai.pdf >
Jamie Shotton et al., "Semantic Texton Forests for Image Categorization and Segmentation", [Retrieved August 10, 2010], Internet <URL: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.145.3036&rep=rep1&type=pdf >

The first camera 27 and the second camera 28 may be the same camera device. In other words, the functions of the first camera 27 and the second camera 28 may be combined into one camera device.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the customer service robot 10. The customer service robot 10 further includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a storage unit 14, and a communication I/F (Interface) 15. The customer service robot 10 also includes a motor 20, which is an example of a drive unit for self-propelled movement, and a speaker 29.

The motor 20 drives and rotates the drive wheels 21 under the control of the CPU 11. The speaker 29 produces sound under the control of the CPU 11. The sound may be words or a beep.

The communication I/F 15 is an example of a communication unit that enables wireless communication with external devices, and mediates communication with the staff terminal 30, backyard terminal 40, sales floor camera 50, beacon 60, etc.

The memory unit 14 stores programs and various files. The memory unit 14 may be any storage device, and may be a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). The programs stored in the memory unit 14 are executed in whole or in part by the CPU 11 when the customer service robot 10 is started. Examples of files stored in the memory unit 14 are a product master file and a dictionary file. The product master file and the dictionary file are distributed to the backyard terminal 40 at a predetermined timing, such as before the store opens, and are stored in the memory unit 14.

The ROM 12 stores the programs executed by the CPU 11. The RAM 13 is used to expand the programs executed by the CPU 11 and temporarily store various values. The CPU 11 functions as the control unit 110 by executing the programs stored in the ROM 12 and the storage unit 14. The control unit 110 has various functional units (see FIG. 4, described below).

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the customer service robot 10. The control unit 110 of the customer service robot 10 includes a customer recognition unit 111, a customer service processing unit 112, a product identification unit 113, an additional information acquisition unit 114, an inventory confirmation unit 115, a product ordering unit 116, a product transport unit 117, an appeal information recording unit 118, an accounting processing unit 119, and the like.

The customer recognition unit 111 recognizes a person (a person to be served) who meets a predetermined condition in the sales floor based on information received from the backyard terminal 40. The above-mentioned predetermined condition is, for example, as follows.
Condition 1: Looking at the same display shelf 70 for a predetermined period of time or more Condition 2: Returning to a display shelf 70 that was once left Condition 3: A person who takes the above-mentioned action of picking up a product is recognized as a target for customer service in this embodiment. Note that the above-mentioned conditions 1 to 3 are shown as examples, and it is not intended that the predetermined conditions for implementation be limited to these, and other conditions may be used. For example, a case where the customer himself/herself calls out to the customer service robot 10 using a pre-stored pattern of words such as "I'm sorry" may be included in the above-mentioned predetermined conditions.

The customer service processing unit 112 functions as an example of a calling unit and a feature acquisition unit. When the customer recognition unit 111 recognizes a customer service target, the customer service processing unit 112 controls the speaker 29 to call out to the customer service target by voice. The voice at this time may be, for example, a call in words such as "Would you like to try on shoes?" or "Shall I help you find your size?", or it may be an electronic sound to notify the customer service target of the customer's presence. In the latter case (electronic sound), it is preferable to display a message such as "Would you like to try on shoes?" or "Shall I help you find your size?" on the second display unit 25. The above words and phrases are shown as examples, and are not intended to be limited to these in practice, and other words may be used.

When the customer service processing unit 112 makes the above-mentioned call, it acquires characteristic information from the appearance of the person to whom the call is addressed (customer service target) that enables the person to be distinguished from other people. Specific examples of characteristic information (the same as the above-mentioned appearance information) include height, clothing, hairstyle, etc. The appearance of the person is acquired from image data captured and output by the first camera 27.

In addition, while serving a specific person, the customer service processing unit 112 notifies the customer through the first display unit 24, which is a signage, that the acceptance of new business is currently suspended.

When the customer service processing unit 112 (calling unit) issues a call, the product identification unit 113 acquires product information that is information that can identify the product based on the appearance of the product. The product information is, for example, a product code obtained by decoding a barcode or two-dimensional code contained in the image data captured and output by the second camera 28, or a feature of the product's surface extracted from the image data.

When the product identification unit 113 acquires product information, the additional information acquisition unit 114 acquires, via the operation unit 26, information indicating the customer's preference for the product being served, that is, additional information to be added to the product information. Specific examples of additional information include the size of the product and the desired color.

The inventory confirmation unit 115 sends a product inventory confirmation request to the backyard terminal 40, indicating the product information and additional information. The backyard terminal 40, which has received the inventory confirmation request, sends candidates for products to recommend to the person being served. The inventory confirmation unit 115, which has received the candidates, uses the second display unit 25 or the like to present the candidates to the person being served. Here, if there is a product desired by the person being served, it will be included in the candidates. Also, if the product desired by the person being served is not available, similar products will be included in the candidates. Note that "similar" here means products that are the same size but different colors, or products with a similar design, etc. If there are many candidates, best-selling products and products on sale will be presented preferentially. The store can set the priority order.

When the person being served selects one of the products presented by the inventory confirmation unit 115, the product ordering unit 116 places an order for the product by displaying information (product information) and additional information about the product selected by the person being served to the backyard terminal 40. Upon receiving the product order, the backyard terminal 40 transmits the information related to the order to each staff terminal 30.

The product transport unit 117 controls the motor 20 to move the customer service robot 10 and transport the products. More specifically, the product transport unit 117 transports the products that have been loaded onto the loading platform 23 in the back yard to a person who matches the characteristic information of the sales floor.

The appeal information recording unit 118 records information about products (i.e., appeal information) for which the time between when the product is removed from the loading platform 23 and when it is returned exceeds a predetermined threshold after the product is transported by the product transport unit 117. This recording is performed by storing the information in a predetermined memory unit. The predetermined memory unit is, for example, the memory unit 44 (described later) of the backyard terminal 40. In this case, the appeal information recording unit 118 transmits the appeal information to the backyard terminal 40, and the backyard terminal 40 that receives the information stores the appeal information in the memory unit 44.

The appeal information recording unit 118 recognizes that a product has been removed from the loading platform 23 and that a product has been returned to the loading platform 23 based on the output of a sensor provided on the loading platform 23. The sensor provided on the loading platform 23 may be, for example, a weight sensor or an optical sensor.

The accounting processing unit 119 performs accounting for the product based on the operation received by the operation unit 26. The accounting processing unit 119 performs accounting for the product in a cashless manner. Cashless accounting is, for example, payment by credit card or electronic money.

Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the backyard terminal 40. The backyard terminal 40 includes a CPU 41, a ROM 42, a RAM 43, a storage unit 44, a communication I/F 48, a display unit 45, an operation unit 46, a speaker 49, etc.

The display unit 45 is a display device such as a liquid crystal panel, and displays information for the operator (store clerk). The operation unit 46 is an operation device such as a keyboard or mouse, and is used to accept operations. Note that the operation unit 46 may also accept operations according to the contents of the operator's speech input from a sound collection device such as a microphone.

The speaker 49 emits sound under the control of the CPU 41. The sound may be words or a beep. The communication I/F 48 is an example of a communication unit that enables communication with an external device, and mediates communication with the customer service robot 10, staff terminal 30, sales floor camera 50, beacon 60, etc.

The memory unit 44 stores programs and various files. The memory unit 44 may be any storage device, and may be a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). When the backyard terminal 40 is started up, all or part of the programs stored in the memory unit 44 are executed by the CPU 41. Examples of files stored in the memory unit 44 are product master files and dictionary files.

The ROM 42 stores the programs executed by the CPU 41. The RAM 43 is used to expand the programs executed by the CPU 41 and temporarily store various values. The CPU 41 functions as the control unit 410 by executing the programs stored in the ROM 42 and the storage unit 44. The control unit 410 has various functional units (see FIG. 6, described below).

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the backyard terminal 40. As shown in FIG.
The control unit 410 of the backyard terminal 40 includes a target detection unit 411, a customer service instruction unit 412, a candidate selection unit 413, a work ordering unit 414, a terminal position detection unit 415, a customer position detection unit 416, a terminal guidance unit 417, and the like.

The target detection unit 411 detects a person who meets certain conditions (for example, conditions 1 to 3 described above) based on an image captured of the sales floor, and sets the person as the target of customer service. The target detection unit 411 performs the above detection by using an existing technology called OpenPose, for example. OpenPose is a system that estimates a person's skeleton using deep learning, and detects the skeleton of a person from images and videos in real time. This makes it possible to estimate a person's three-dimensional body movements and posture in real time from images and videos. The image captured of the sales floor is obtained from image data captured and output by the sales floor camera 50, for example, but it may also be an image obtained from image data captured and output by the first camera 27 or the second camera 28 of the customer service robot 10.

The customer service robot 10 may be equipped with a function equivalent to the target detection unit 411. However, since the sales floor camera 50 has a higher viewpoint and a wider field of view than the first camera 27 and the second camera 28 of the customer service robot 10, it is currently considered more efficient to detect the target to be served using image data output by the sales floor camera 50.

When the target detection unit 411 detects a target of service, the customer service instruction unit 412 instructs the customer service robot 10 to start serving the target. When giving instructions, the customer service instruction unit 412 adds information indicating the location of the target of service. The instructions output by the customer service instruction unit 412 are transmitted to the customer recognition unit 111 by the control unit 110 of the customer service robot 10.

The candidate selection unit 413 selects candidate products to recommend to the customer service target from the information on products in stock based on the information received from the customer service robot 10, and transmits information on the selected products to the customer service robot 10. The information output by the candidate selection unit 413 is transmitted to the inventory confirmation unit 115 by the control unit 110 of the customer service robot 10. Here, the information on the products in stock may include not only products stored in the back yard of this store, but also information on products that can be ordered, such as those stored in a nearby affiliated store.

The work ordering unit 414 issues an order to a staff member via the staff terminal 30 to load the items corresponding to the information received from the customer service robot 10.

The terminal position detection unit 415 tracks the positions of the customer service robot 10 and the staff terminal 30 based on information received from the customer service robot 10, the staff terminal 30, the sales floor camera 50, and the beacon 60.

The customer position detection unit 416 tracks the position of the customer being served by the customer service robot 10 based on information received from the customer service robot 10 and the sales floor camera 50.

The terminal guidance unit 417 guides the customer service robot 10, which is returning from the back yard to the sales floor loaded with merchandise, to the location of the customer to be served.

In the customer service system 1 configured as above, the customer service robot 10 and the backyard terminal 40 operate as described below. Figures 7 and 8 are flowcharts showing an example of the process flow executed by the control unit 110 of the customer service robot 10.

In the customer service system 1, when the target detection unit 411 detects a person who meets the predetermined conditions (described above) and determines that this person is the target of customer service, the customer service instruction unit 412 instructs the customer service robot 10 located near the location of the target person to begin serving the customer. For example, in FIG. 1, when the target of customer service is customer (1), the customer service robot (1) 101 is instructed to begin serving the customer.

The control unit 110 waits for an instruction to start serving customers (No in step S1). When an instruction to start serving customers is received in step S1 (Yes in step S1), the control unit 110, as the customer recognition unit 111, refers to the location information of the person to be served received from the service instruction unit 412, recognizes a person matching the information as the person to be served, and proceeds to step S2.

In step S2, the control unit 110, as the customer service processing unit 112, calls out to the person being served (step S2). If the person being served expresses a desire to try on the shoes after the call (Yes in step S3), the control unit 110 advances the process to step S4. If the person does not express a desire to try on the shoes in step S3 (No in step S3), the control unit 110 returns the process to step S1.

During steps S2 and S3, the control unit 110, which functions as the customer service processing unit 112, acquires characteristic information (height, clothing, hairstyle, etc.) that enables the customer service target person to be distinguished from other people from the appearance of the person captured by the first camera 27.

In step S4, the control unit 110 acquires product information as the product identification unit 113, acquires additional information as the additional information acquisition unit 114, and sends an inventory confirmation request to the backyard terminal 40 as the inventory confirmation unit 115. When it receives information on candidate products from the backyard terminal 40, the control unit 110 presents the received product information as candidates to the person being served so that a selection operation can be accepted (step S4). Specifically, it displays the candidate products on the second display unit 25 and accepts a selection operation via the operation unit 26. The control unit 110 then advances the process to step S5.

In step S5, the control unit 110 accepts the selection of the presented candidates. If no candidate is selected in step S5 (No in step S5), the control unit 110 returns the process to step S1.

When a candidate is selected in step S5 (Yes in step S5), the control unit 110, as the product ordering unit 116, places an order for the product at the backyard terminal 40 by adding the additional information acquired in step S4 to the information about the product selected by the person being served (product information) (step S6).

The backyard terminal 40 that receives an order for a product transmits information related to the order to each staff terminal 30. The staff terminal 30 notifies the staff of the received information. For example, this notification is made by displaying on the display unit information that allows the staff to recognize the work content, a button for accepting the work, and a button for declining the work, and the operation of the buttons is accepted by the operation unit. The staff indicates to the staff terminal 30 their intention as to whether or not they will accept the work related to the order.

The staff member who has been contracted to carry out the work related to the order goes to the back yard and loads the ordered products onto the loading platform 23 of the customer service robot 10. At that time, it may be at the discretion of the staff member as to which products are actually loaded onto the loading platform 23 in response to the designation of the person to be served.

Next, the control unit 110, as the product transport unit 117, transports the product (step S7). That is, the control unit 110 controls the motor 20 to move from the sales floor to the back room, receive the products loaded by the staff, return to the sales floor, and search for the person who was the previous target of the customer service (No in step S8).

In step S8, when the person to be served is found (Yes in step S8), the control unit 110 proceeds to step S9 and determines whether or not there is a purchase or order. If there is a purchase or order in step S9 (Yes in step S9), the control unit 110 asks the person to be served whether they would like to make a cashless payment on the spot (step S10). If cashless payment is selected in step S10 (Yes in step S10), the control unit 110 performs accounting as the accounting processing unit 119 (step S11) and ends the process.

If cashless payment is not selected in step S10 (No in step S10), the control unit 110 guides the person being served to the cash register (step S12) and ends the process.

If there is no purchase or order in step S9 (No in step S9), the control unit 110 returns the product returned by the person being served to the back yard (step S13) and ends the process.

Thus, according to this embodiment, by introducing the customer service robot 10 and staff terminal 30, it is possible to realize a customer service system 1 that takes over the parts of customer service that staff find less rewarding or that a small number of staff cannot handle, without renovating the sales floor or backroom. This reduces implementation costs and makes it possible to automate tasks such as bringing in products specified by customers from stock. It also makes it possible to automate the process of listening to customer requests prior to this. Furthermore, it makes it possible to automate the process of finding customers with requests and calling out to them. Thus, according to this embodiment, the customer service tasks are supported or taken over by the staff, making it possible to operate a store efficiently even with a small number of staff without reducing customer satisfaction.

The customer service robot 10 that performs steps up to S6 and the customer service robot 10 that performs steps S7 and after may not be the same, but may be separate. In other words, the product ordered by one customer service robot (1) 101 in step S6 may be transported by another customer service robot (3) 103. In this way, the customer service robot (3) 103 or staff in the back yard, or the customer service robot (2) 102 or staff near the back yard, can transport the product, which can further improve work efficiency.

The program executed by the customer service robot 10 of this embodiment is provided in advance in a ROM or the like.

The program executed by the customer service robot 10 of this embodiment may be configured to be provided by recording it in an installable or executable format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

Furthermore, the program executed by the customer service robot 10 of this embodiment may be configured to be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. Also, the program executed by the customer service robot 10 of this embodiment may be configured to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

The program executed by the customer service robot 10 of this embodiment has a modular configuration including the above-mentioned units (customer recognition unit 111, customer service processing unit 112, product identification unit 113, additional information acquisition unit 114, inventory confirmation unit 115, product ordering unit 116, product transport unit 117, appeal information recording unit 118, and accounting processing unit 119). The CPU (processor) loads the above-mentioned units onto the main memory device by reading and executing the program from the above-mentioned storage medium. As a result, the customer recognition unit 111, customer service processing unit 112, product identification unit 113, additional information acquisition unit 114, inventory confirmation unit 115, product ordering unit 116, product transport unit 117, appeal information recording unit 118, and accounting processing unit 119 are generated on the main memory device.

The backyard terminal 40 of this embodiment also includes a control device such as a CPU, a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or RAM, an external storage device such as a HDD or CD drive, a display device such as a display device, and input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, and has a hardware configuration that utilizes a normal computer.

The program executed by the backyard terminal 40 in this embodiment is provided as a file in an installable or executable format recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

The program executed by the backyard terminal 40 of this embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by downloading it via the network. The program executed by the backyard terminal 40 of this embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

The program of this embodiment may also be configured to be provided pre-installed in a ROM or the like.

The program executed by the backyard terminal 40 in this embodiment has a modular structure including the above-mentioned units (target detection unit 411, customer service instruction unit 412, candidate selection unit 413, work ordering unit 414, terminal position detection unit 415, customer position detection unit 416, and terminal guidance unit 417). The CPU (processor) loads the above-mentioned units onto the main memory device by reading and executing the program from the above-mentioned memory device. As a result, the target detection unit 411, customer service instruction unit 412, candidate selection unit 413, work ordering unit 414, terminal position detection unit 415, customer position detection unit 416, and terminal guidance unit 417 are generated on the main memory device.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

1. Customer service system,
10, 101-103: Customer service robots,
11 ... CPU,
110...control unit,
111: customer recognition unit, 112: customer service processing unit, 113: product identification unit,
114: additional information acquisition unit, 115: inventory confirmation unit, 116: product ordering unit,
117: Product transport section, 118: Appeal information recording section, 119: Accounting section,
12...ROM, 13...RAM, 14...storage unit, 15...communication I/F,
20 ... motor, 21 ... driving wheel, 22 ... driven wheel, 23 ... loading platform,
24...first display section, 25...second display section, 26...operation section,
27 ... first camera, 28 ... second camera, 29 ... speaker,
30, 301 to 303: Staff terminals,
40 ... backyard terminal,
41 ...CPU,
410...control unit,
411: target detection unit, 412: customer service instruction unit, 413: candidate selection unit,
414: Work ordering unit, 415: Terminal position detection unit, 416: Customer position detection unit,
417...Terminal guidance unit,
42...ROM, 43...RAM, 44...storage section,
45: display unit, 46: operation unit, 48: communication I/F, 49: speaker,
50, 501, 502...Sales floor cameras,
60, 601 to 603... Beacon,
70, 701-703...Display shelves.

JP 2008-87892 A

Claims (2)

A drive unit for moving autonomously around the sales floor and the back yard;
A loading platform on which goods can be loaded;
A communication unit that enables communication with an external device;
a calling unit that, when a person matching a predetermined condition is detected in the sales floor, calls the person by voice;
a feature acquisition unit that acquires, when the call unit issues a call, feature information that enables the person being called to be distinguished from other people from the appearance of the person;
a product identification unit that acquires product information that is information that can identify a product based on an appearance of the product;
an additional information acquisition unit that acquires additional information to be added to the product information by voice or operation when the product identification unit acquires the product information;
a product ordering unit that indicates the product information and the additional information to the external device and orders the product;
a product transport unit that controls the drive unit to transport the products loaded on the loading platform in the back yard to a person who matches the characteristic information of the sales floor;
an appeal information recording unit that records information about a product that has been removed from the loading platform and then returned after the product has been transported by the product transport unit, the time exceeding a predetermined threshold;
An information processing device comprising: Further comprising a signage for displaying information for people in the sales area;
The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the signage notifies the customer that acceptance of new business is suspended during a customer service session for a specified person.

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