Delivery route information output method, information output apparatus, and recording medium

1 . An information output method for use in an information output apparatus, the information output method comprising:

obtaining delivery destination information concerning at least one delivery destination to which an article is delivered by an autonomous vehicle;

obtaining merchandise history information concerning a sales history of items sold to a user living at the at least one delivery destination;

calculating, for each of a plurality of merchandise items that the user may purchase, purchase probability information based on the merchandise history information, the purchase probability information indicating purchase probability that the user will purchase the merchandise item;

selecting one or more candidate articles included in the plurality of merchandise items, based on the purchase probability information;

obtaining supplier information concerning suppliers of the one or more candidate articles;

generating, based on the delivery destination information and the supplier information, delivery route candidates which are routes along which the article is delivered by the autonomous vehicle and along which the one or more candidate articles are loaded onto the autonomous vehicle;

evaluating each of the delivery route candidates based on at least two criteria from among (i) a traveling time taken for the autonomous vehicle to travel along the delivery route candidate, (ii) a traveling distance of the delivery route candidate for the autonomous vehicle to travel, and (iii) the purchase probability information, each of the at least two criteria having weights that are adjusted based on an importance of the criteria to the evaluating;

determining one or more of the delivery route candidates having a result of evaluation satisfying a predetermined condition as a delivery route to be traveled by the autonomous vehicle; and

outputting the delivery route to the autonomous vehicle to cause the autonomous vehicle to travel the outputted delivery route.

2 . The information output method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the purchase probability information is calculated using a model trained based on the merchandise history information, delivery history information concerning a delivery history of the user living at the at least one delivery destination, and user information concerning the user.

3 . The information output method according to claim 2 ,

wherein the model is retrained when a predetermined update condition is satisfied.

4 . The information output method according to claim 1 ,

wherein users living at delivery destinations are formed into groups, and the one or more candidate articles are selected for each of the groups based on the purchase probability information calculated for the corresponding one of the groups, the delivery destinations being the at least one delivery destination.

5 . The information output method according to claim 1 ,

wherein in the selecting of the one or more candidate articles, one or more candidate articles included in a predetermined number of top-ranking positions of the purchase probability indicated in the purchase probability information are selected among a plurality of candidate articles.

6 . The information output method according to claim 1 ,

wherein in the evaluating of each of the delivery route candidates, a delivery route candidate having a higher purchase probability is ranked in a higher position, the purchase probability being included in the purchase probability information.

7 . The information output method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the one or more candidate articles include a proposed article proposed by an article vendor based on user information of the user.

8 . The information output method according to claim 1 ,

wherein in the evaluating of each of the delivery route candidates, a delivery route candidate having a shorter traveling time is ranked in a higher position.

9 . The information output method according to claim 1 ,

wherein in the evaluating of each of the delivery route candidates, a delivery route candidate having a shorter traveling distance is ranked in a higher position.

10 . The information output method according to claim 1 ,

wherein information promoting purchase of the one or more candidate articles loaded onto the autonomous vehicle is output.

11 . The information output method according to claim 1 ,

wherein when a delivery destination of one autonomous vehicle and a delivery destination of an other autonomous vehicle are a same delivery destination, a delivery route of the one autonomous vehicle and a delivery route of the other autonomous vehicle are updated to cause only the one autonomous vehicle to travel to the same delivery destination, the same delivery destination being included in the at least one delivery destination.

12 . The information output method according to claim 1 ,

wherein when a supplier of one autonomous vehicle and a supplier of an other autonomous vehicle are a same supplier, a delivery route of the one autonomous vehicle and a delivery route of the other autonomous vehicle are updated to cause only the one autonomous vehicle to travel to the same supplier and briefly meet the other autonomous vehicle after traveling to the same supplier, the same supplier being included in the suppliers.

13 . The information output method according to claim 1 , comprising:

obtaining change information including a change in situation in the delivery route; and

updating the delivery route based on the change information.

14 . The information output method according to claim 1 , comprising:

obtaining space information concerning a situation of a vacant space of the autonomous vehicle; and

updating the one or more candidate articles and the delivery route based on the space information.

15 . The information output method according to claim 1 , comprising:

obtaining space availability information concerning space availability in a plurality of autonomous vehicles for the one or more candidate articles, the plurality of autonomous vehicles each being the autonomous vehicle; and

adjusting a space for the one or more candidate articles of each of the plurality of autonomous vehicles based on the space availability information of the autonomous vehicle.

16 . An information output apparatus comprising:

a delivery destination information obtainer that obtains delivery destination information concerning at least one delivery destination to which an article is delivered by an autonomous vehicle;

a merchandise history information obtainer that obtains merchandise history information concerning a sales history of items sold to a user living at the at least one delivery destination;

a purchase probability calculator that calculates, for each of a plurality of merchandise items that the user may purchase, purchase probability information based on the merchandise history information, the purchase probability information indicating purchase probability that the user will purchase the merchandise item;

a selector that selects one or more candidate articles included in the plurality of merchandise items that the user may purchase, based on the purchase probability information;

a supplier information obtainer that obtains supplier information concerning suppliers of the one or more candidate articles;

a delivery route candidate generator that generates, based on the delivery destination information and the supplier information, delivery route candidates which are routes along which the article is delivered by the autonomous vehicle and along which the one or more candidate articles are loaded onto the autonomous vehicle;

an evaluator that (A) evaluates each of the delivery route candidates based on at least two criteria from among (i) a traveling time taken for the autonomous vehicle to travel along the delivery route candidate, (ii) a traveling distance of the delivery route candidate for the autonomous vehicle to travel, and (iii) the purchase probability information, each of the at least two criteria having weights that are adjusted based on an importance of the criteria to the evaluation, and (B) determines one or more of the delivery route candidates having a result of evaluation satisfying a predetermined condition as a delivery route to be traveled by the autonomous vehicle; and

an outputter that outputs the delivery route to the autonomous vehicle to cause the autonomous vehicle to travel the outputted delivery route.

17 . A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to execute the information output method according to claim 1 .