Commodity transporting apparatus, commodity transporting apparatus method, and commodity transporting system

A commodity transporting system, comprising:

• a server apparatus configured to, in response to a plurality of orders for purchasing commodities to be picked up by a store clerk from a plurality of customers, issue:
• order information indicating the commodities to be picked up by the store clerk in a store in response to the plurality of orders from the plurality of customers, and
• path information indicating a movement path in the store for picking up all of the commodities indicated by the order information;
• and
• a commodity transporting apparatus that is movable within the store and accommodates the commodities to be picked up by the store clerk in the store, the commodity transporting apparatus including:
• a plurality of accommodation portions each accommodating one or more commodities,
• a communication interface configured to communicate with the server apparatus,
• a plurality of imaging devices each configured to capture an image of an object in a corresponding one of the plurality of accommodation portions,
• a sensor configured to detect a current position of the commodity transporting apparatus in the store,
• a display device, and
• a controller configured to:
• acquire the order information and the path information from the server apparatus,
• set each of the plurality of accommodation portions as an accommodation portion for accommodating one or more commodities ordered by a corresponding one of the plurality of customers,
• control the display device to display a screen indicating a plurality of commodity lists and a store map, wherein each of the plurality of commodity lists shows the one or more commodities ordered by the corresponding one of the customers and is positioned on the screen corresponding to the position of the corresponding accommodation portion for accommodating the one or more commodities ordered by the corresponding one of the customers, and the store map shows the movement path,
• upon receipt of the image from one of the plurality of imaging devices, determine whether a commodity is in the image, and upon determining that a commodity is in the image, determine whether the commodity in the image is a first commodity, which is one of the commodities indicated by the order information,
• upon determining that the commodity in the image is the first commodity, store, in a memory, commodity information indicating the first commodity,
• based on the commodity information stored in the memory, determine one or more second commodities that are indicated by the order information but have not been picked up,
• determine one of the one or more second commodities to be picked up next based on the current position detected by the sensor, and
• control the display device to update the screen such that the plurality of commodity lists and the store map indicate the first commodity, said one of the one or more second commodities to be picked up next, and other second commodities not to be picked up next in a distinguishable manner.

A method for a commodity transporting apparatus that is movable within a store and has a plurality of accommodation portions each accommodating one or more commodities to be picked up by a store clerk in a store in response to a plurality of orders for purchase from a plurality of customers, the method comprising:

• acquiring order information and path information from another apparatus, wherein the order information indicates the commodities to be picked up by the store clerk in the store, and the path information indicates a movement path in the store for picking up all of the commodities indicated by the order information;
• setting each of the plurality of accommodation portions as an accommodation portion for accommodating one or more commodities ordered by a corresponding one of the plurality of customers,
• displaying a screen indicating a plurality of commodity lists and a store map, wherein each of the plurality of commodity lists shows the one or more commodities ordered by the corresponding one of the customers and is positioned on the screen corresponding to a position of the corresponding accommodation portion for accommodating the one or more commodities ordered by the corresponding one of the customers, and the store map shows the movement path;
• upon receipt of the image from one of the plurality of imaging devices, determining whether a commodity is in the image, and upon determining that a commodity is in the image, determining whether the commodity in the image is a first commodity, which is one of the commodities indicated by the order information;
• upon determining that the commodity in the image is the first commodity, storing commodity information indicating the first commodity;
• based on the stored commodity information, determining one or more second commodities that are indicated by the order information but have not been picked up;
• determining one of the one or more second commodities to be picked up next based on the current position detected by a sensor;
• and
• updating the screen such that the plurality of commodity lists and the store map indicate the first commodity, said one of the one or more second commodities to be picked up next, and other second commodities not to be picked up next in a distinguishable manner.