Information providing method

Abstract

To efficiently deliver a package and alleviate a physical load of a deliverer in a situation where the deliverer delivers a plurality of packages to a plurality of destinations on foot.SOLUTION: First package information indicating sizes or weights of a plurality of packages and first delivery route information indicating a plurality of first delivery routes are acquired from a memory (S1). Each of the plurality of first delivery routes starts from a delivery starting point, passes a plurality of destinations to which the packages are to be delivered, and ends at the delivery starting point, and an evaluation value of each of the plurality of first delivery routes is calculated on the basis of the first package information and the first delivery route information (S2). An optimum first delivery route is specified from among the plurality of first delivery route on the basis of the plurality of calculated evaluation values (S3). Information indicating the specified first delivery route is output to an information terminal (S4). The specified first delivery route is displayed on a display of an information terminal, and a deliverer delivers the plurality of packages to the plurality of destinations along the specified first delivery route.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technology for presenting an optimal delivery route to a delivery person when the delivery person delivers multiple packages to multiple delivery destinations. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology that supports safe and smooth work of delivery personnel who transport packages using delivery vehicles. Specifically, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology that creates a map screen that displays specific cautions for points on a delivery route where the delivery personnel should pay attention, based on driving caution point information including location information where the delivery personnel have experienced danger in the past, and presents the map screen to the delivery personnel.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses a technology for providing delivery personnel with specific delivery van stopping positions corresponding to each customer at each delivery destination with priority order in delivery work using delivery vans. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-352599 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2001-76285 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, none of the above documents take into consideration the situation where the delivery person gets off the delivery vehicle and delivers the package on foot, and the physical burden placed on the delivery person in this situation. This point needs improvement.

[0006] The present disclosure aims to provide a technology for accurately calculating a delivery route that enables a delivery person to efficiently deliver packages while reducing the physical burden on the delivery person when the delivery person delivers multiple packages to multiple destinations on foot. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An information providing method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, comprising: obtaining from the memory first package information indicating a size or weight of each of the plurality of packages and first delivery route information indicating a plurality of first delivery routes, each of the plurality of first delivery routes starting from a delivery start location, passing through a plurality of destinations to which the plurality of packages are to be delivered, and ending at the delivery start location; Calculating an evaluation value for each of the plurality of first delivery routes based on the first package information and the first delivery route information; Identifying an optimal first delivery route from among the plurality of first delivery routes based on the calculated plurality of evaluation values; Outputting information indicating the specified first delivery route to a first information terminal; The specified first delivery route is displayed on a display of the first information terminal, and a delivery person delivers the plurality of packages to the plurality of destinations along the specified first delivery route.

[0008] The general or specific aspects may be realized by an apparatus, a system, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium, or may be realized by any combination of an apparatus, a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes a non-volatile recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory). Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, in a situation where a delivery person delivers multiple packages to multiple destinations on foot, a delivery route can be calculated that enables efficient delivery of the packages while reducing the physical burden on the delivery person.

[0010] Further advantages and benefits of certain aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the specification and drawings, in which such advantages and / or benefits are provided by some of the embodiments and features described in the specification and drawings, respectively, but not necessarily all of which are provided to obtain one or more identical features. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a network configuration of an information providing system according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information providing system shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of a parcel DB and a customer DB stored in the memory of the server. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 shows an example of the data configuration of a parcel-delivery route DB, a delivery route DB, and a multiple parcel DB stored in the memory of the server. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of a route distance DB stored in the memory of the server. [Figure 6] A diagram explaining symbols used to indicate delivery routes stored in a delivery route DB. [Figure 7] A sequence diagram showing an example of data transmission and reception between a server and a deliveryman terminal in the information providing system shown in FIG. [Figure 8] 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of the information providing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen showing an optimal delivery route displayed on a delivery person terminal. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of a delivery start location DB according to the second embodiment; [Figure 11]FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of data transmission and reception between a server and a deliveryman terminal in the information providing system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of an information providing system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of data transmission and reception between a server and a deliveryman terminal in the information providing system according to the third embodiment. [Figure 14] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of an information providing system according to a third embodiment. [Figure 15] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of an information providing system according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of a customer DB according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 17] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of an information providing system according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 23 shows an example of a display screen displayed on a delivery person terminal in the sixth embodiment. [Figure 19] A flowchart showing an example of a process of an information providing system according to a sixth embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of a multiple-package DB stored in the memory of the server in the seventh embodiment. [Figure 21] A flowchart showing an example of a process of an information providing system according to the seventh embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of a multiple package-delivery start location DB stored in the memory of the server in the eighth embodiment. [Figure 23] A flowchart showing an example of a process of an information providing system according to an eighth embodiment. [Figure 24] A flowchart showing details of the delivery start location evaluation subroutine process of S72 in FIG. 23. [Diagram 25] FIG. 23 shows an example of a reason registration screen displayed on a delivery person terminal in the ninth embodiment. [Figure 26] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of a multiple package-delivery start location DB stored in the memory of the server in the ninth embodiment. [Figure 27] A flowchart showing an example of a process of a delivery start location evaluation subroutine according to the ninth embodiment. [Figure 28] FIG. 23 shows an example of an evaluation registration screen displayed on a delivery person terminal in the tenth embodiment. [Figure 29] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of a multiple package-delivery start location DB stored in the memory of the server in the tenth embodiment. [Diagram 30] A flowchart showing an example of the process of a delivery start location evaluation subroutine according to the tenth embodiment. [Diagram 31] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a network configuration of an information providing system according to an eleventh embodiment. [Diagram 32] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of a weather distance DB stored in the memory of the server in the eleventh embodiment. [Diagram 33] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of an information providing system according to an eleventh embodiment. [Diagram 34] A diagram showing the formula for calculating the evaluation value [Diagram 35] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of a size correspondence DB stored in a memory of a server in the thirteenth embodiment. [Diagram 36] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of a type correspondence DB stored in a memory of a server in the fourteenth embodiment. [Figure 37] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of an altitude difference correspondence DB stored in the memory of the server in the fifteenth embodiment. [Figure 38] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a route distance DB stored in the memory of the server and a data configuration of the route distance DB in the sixteenth embodiment. [Figure 39] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of a heart rate correspondence DB stored in a memory of a server in the sixteenth embodiment. [Diagram 40] FIG. 23 shows an example of the data configuration of the upper limit DB and the delivery person DB stored in the memory of the server in the seventeenth embodiment. [Diagram 41] A flowchart showing an example of a process of an information providing system according to a seventeenth embodiment. [Diagram 42] A diagram showing an example of a delivery route [Diagram 43] A probabilistic binary tree representation of the delivery route shown in Figure 42. [Diagram 44] FIG. 44 is a diagram further explaining the binary tree shown in FIG. [Diagram 45] FIG. 45 further explains the binary tree shown in FIG. [Figure 46] FIG. 46 further explains the binary tree shown in FIG. [Figure 47] FIG. 47 is a diagram further explaining the binary tree shown in FIG. [Figure 48] A further explanation of the binary tree shown in FIG. [Figure 49] A probabilistic binary tree representation of a delivery route different from that in Figure 42. [Figure 50] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of a size correspondence DB stored in a memory of a server in the eighteenth embodiment. [Figure 51] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of a type correspondence DB stored in a memory of a server in the eighteenth embodiment. [Figure 52] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of an altitude difference correspondence DB stored in the memory of the server in the eighteenth embodiment. [Figure 53] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of a route distance DB in the eighteenth embodiment. [Figure 54] A flowchart showing an example of a process of an information providing system according to an eighteenth embodiment. [Figure 55] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a network configuration of an information providing system according to a nineteenth embodiment. [Figure 56] FIG. 23 shows an example of a notification screen displayed on a user terminal when notifying the user that a delivery van is heading to a recipient in the nineteenth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] (Background to this disclosure) Recently, the logistics industry has been facing a serious labor shortage. In particular, the shortage of delivery personnel who drive delivery vehicles and deliver packages to destinations is becoming more serious, and it is expected that a large number of new delivery personnel will be hired in the future. Therefore, there is a demand for the development of tools that allow new delivery personnel to perform delivery work as efficiently as experienced delivery personnel.

[0013] Experienced delivery personnel increase throughput by making full use of knowledge and know-how such as (1) where to park the delivery vehicle when carrying packages on foot, (2) how to pack up the packages and in what order to carry them, and (3) which delivery destinations are most likely to be at home at what times. Throughput is the number of deliveries completed per unit time.

[0014] In this way, experienced delivery personnel are well versed in the situation of parking a delivery vehicle and delivering multiple packages on foot to multiple destinations near the starting point of the delivery, which allows for high throughput.

[0015] Therefore, in order to reduce the training cost of new employees and improve throughput, a scheduler that determines the optimal delivery route when delivery personnel carry packages on foot after parking the delivery vehicle is an effective tool. To do this, it is necessary to calculate the delivery route by taking into account not only the travel distance but also package information such as the size or weight of the package that the delivery personnel will actually carry.

[0016] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned situation, when determining the optimal delivery route, if the delivery route is calculated taking into consideration reducing the physical burden on the delivery person, the physical burden on the delivery person can be further reduced.

[0017] The above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 and 2 are both related to a technology for calculating a delivery route for a delivery vehicle, and are not technologies for calculating a delivery route for a delivery person after getting off the delivery vehicle, so the situations in which they are applied are different from those of the present disclosure. Therefore, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the weight or size of the package is not taken into consideration when calculating the delivery route, and it is not possible to calculate the optimal delivery route in the situation targeted by the present application. In addition, since Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not take into consideration the situation targeted by the present application, the problem of determining a delivery route that reduces the physical burden on the delivery person does not arise.

[0018] The present disclosure aims to accurately calculate a delivery route that enables a delivery person to deliver multiple packages efficiently while reducing the physical burden on the delivery person in a situation where the delivery person delivers multiple packages to multiple destinations on foot.

[0019] An information providing method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: The computer of the information provision system, obtaining from the memory first package information indicating a size or weight of each of the plurality of packages and first delivery route information indicating a plurality of first delivery routes, each of the plurality of first delivery routes starting from a delivery start location, passing through a plurality of destinations to which the plurality of packages are to be delivered, and ending at the delivery start location; Calculating an evaluation value for each of the plurality of first delivery routes based on the first package information and the first delivery route information; Identifying an optimal first delivery route from among the plurality of first delivery routes based on the calculated plurality of evaluation values; Outputting information indicating the specified first delivery route to a first information terminal; The specified first delivery route is displayed on a display of the first information terminal, and a delivery person delivers the plurality of packages to the plurality of destinations along the specified first delivery route.

[0020] According to this configuration, the optimal first delivery route is determined based on the evaluation value calculated using the first package information indicating the size or weight of each of the multiple packages. Therefore, this configuration can calculate a low-load delivery route that allows the delivery person to efficiently deliver the multiple packages on foot from the delivery start location.

[0021] The first delivery route calculated in this manner is displayed on the delivery person's information terminal, allowing the delivery person to efficiently deliver multiple packages by walking. As a result, even a novice delivery person can deliver packages as efficiently as an experienced delivery person.

[0022] Furthermore, in this configuration, the optimal first delivery route is determined based on an evaluation value calculated using the first package information related to the size or weight of each of the packages delivered by the delivery person on foot, thereby reducing the physical burden on the delivery person.

[0023] In the above aspect, each evaluation value may represent a physical load on the delivery person.

[0024] According to this configuration, since the evaluation value represents the physical burden on the delivery person, it is possible to calculate a first delivery route that can reduce the physical burden on the delivery person.

[0025] In the above aspect, each time the delivery person delivers a package to the destination, the total size or weight of the remaining packages among the plurality of packages may become smaller, which may be reflected in the evaluation value of each package.

[0026] According to this configuration, each time a package is delivered to the destination, the total size or weight of the remaining packages is reduced and the evaluation value is calculated, so that an evaluation value can be calculated that accurately takes into account the physical burden on the delivery person.

[0027] In the above aspect, the multiple parcels include a first parcel, the multiple destinations include a first destination, and when the delivery person delivers the first parcel to the first destination, the evaluation value is recalculated, and the recalculated evaluation value may be based on information excluding the size or weight of the first parcel from the first parcel information.

[0028] In the above aspect, each evaluation value is calculated as a sum of delivery loads of a plurality of routes including a route connecting the delivery start location and the destinations when the plurality of destinations are connected in order from the delivery start location to the delivery start location and a route connecting the destinations, and a route connecting the destinations, The delivery load may be expressed as the product of a luggage load based on the weight of one or more luggage to be delivered on the i-th route (i is an integer greater than or equal to 0) and a route load based on the distance or travel time of the i-th route.

[0029] According to this configuration, the evaluation value is calculated taking into account the route load according to the distance or travel time of each route that constitutes the first delivery route and the weight of the luggage carried on each route, so that an evaluation value can be calculated that more appropriately takes into account the actual burden on the delivery person.

[0030] In the above aspect, the multiple evaluation values ​​include an evaluation value of any one of the first delivery routes P included in the multiple first delivery routes, and the first delivery route P includes the delivery start location D0, the multiple destinations D1 to Dn, a route starting from the D0 as a starting point and D1 as an end point, a 0th route, a route starting from D1 as a starting point and D2 as an end point, ..., a route starting from Di as a starting point and D(i+1) as an end point, ..., an nth route starting from Dn as a starting point and the D(n+1) as an end point, and the D(n+1) is the D0, (the first delivery route P) = (delivery load of the 0th route) + ··· + (delivery load of the ith route) + ··· + (delivery load of the nth route), (delivery load of the ith route) = (baggage load of the ith route) × (route load of the ith route), the baggage load of the ith route is a value corresponding to the weight of undelivered luggage between Di and D(i+1), the route load of the ith route is a value corresponding to the distance of the ith route or the travel time of the delivery person along the ith route, and 0≦i≦n, the i being an integer, and the n being an integer.

[0031] In the above aspect, the first delivery route information may include at least one of distances of the multiple first delivery routes, travel times of the multiple first delivery routes, and road conditions of the multiple first delivery routes.

[0032] According to this configuration, the first delivery route information includes at least one of the distances of the multiple first delivery routes, the travel times of the multiple first delivery routes, and the road conditions of the multiple first delivery routes, so that the evaluation value of the first delivery route can be calculated more accurately.

[0033] In the above aspect, the first delivery route information may include at least one of (i) to (iii), where (i) may be the distance of the 0th route, ..., the distance of the nth route, (ii) may be the travel time of the delivery person on the 0th route, ..., the travel time of the delivery person on the nth route, and (iii) may be the road conditions of the 0th route, ..., the road conditions of the nth route.

[0034] In the above aspect, the baggage load is represented by a sum of values ​​obtained by multiplying a weight of each of the bags delivered by the delivery person on the i route by a first load coefficient of each of the bags; The first load coefficient may be set to a larger value as the size of the luggage increases.

[0035] According to this configuration, the evaluation value increases as the size of the package increases, so that an evaluation value can be calculated that more appropriately takes into account the physical burden on the delivery person.

[0036] In the above embodiment, if the undelivered parcels between Di and D(i+1) are the first parcel, ..., the mth parcel, the weight of the first parcel is W1, ..., the weight of the mth parcel is Wm, the first load coefficient corresponding to the first parcel is β1, ..., and the first load coefficient βm corresponding to the mth parcel, then (parcel load on the i route) = (W1 x β1) + ··· + (Wm x βm), and if βj > βk, then (size of the jth parcel) may be > (size of the kth parcel).

[0037] In the above configuration, the luggage load may differ depending on whether a dolly is used or not.

[0038] According to this configuration, since the luggage load differs depending on whether a dolly is used or not, the evaluation value can be calculated taking into consideration whether the delivery person can deliver the luggage using a dolly.

[0039] In the aforementioned configuration, the first delivery route information may include information regarding the availability of the cart.

[0040] According to this configuration, the first delivery route information includes information regarding whether a cart can be used, so that the delivery person can easily know whether a cart can be used on the first delivery route, thereby enabling efficient delivery.

[0041] In the above configuration, the first delivery route information may include a first route in which the delivery person uses the dolly, and a second route in which the delivery person does not use the dolly.

[0042] According to this configuration, the first delivery route information includes a first route that uses a cart and a second route that does not use a cart, so that the delivery person can easily understand which routes on the first delivery route can use a cart and which routes cannot use a cart, thereby achieving efficient delivery.

[0043] In the above aspect, the baggage load is represented by a sum of values ​​obtained by multiplying the weight of each of the bags carried by the delivery person on the i route by a second load coefficient of each of the bags; The second load coefficient may be set to a value according to the type of the luggage.

[0044] According to this configuration, the evaluation value is calculated taking into account the type of package, so that an evaluation value that more appropriately takes into account the actual burden on the delivery person can be calculated.

[0045] In the above embodiment, if the undelivered parcels between Di and D(i+1) are the first parcel, ..., the mth parcel, the weights of the first parcels are W1, ..., the weight of the mth parcel is Wm, the second load coefficients corresponding to the first parcels are γ1, ..., and the second load coefficient γm corresponding to the mth parcel, then the parcel load on the i route is (W1 x γ1) + ... + (Wm x γm), and each of the second load coefficients γ1, ..., and the second load coefficient γm may be a value according to the type of the corresponding parcel.

[0046] In the above aspect, the first delivery route information includes a distance of each of the routes and an altitude difference of each of the routes, the route load is expressed as a sum of values ​​obtained by multiplying the distance of the i-th route by a third load coefficient; The third load coefficient may be set to a larger value as the altitude difference increases in an ascending direction.

[0047] According to this configuration, the evaluation value is calculated to be higher for the first delivery route that includes a route in which the altitude difference increases in the ascending direction, so that an evaluation value that more appropriately takes into account the actual burden on the delivery person can be calculated.

[0048] In the above aspect, the first delivery route information includes the distance L0 and altitude difference of the 0th route, ..., and the distance Ln and altitude difference of the nth route, and if the third load coefficient corresponding to the 0th route is δ0, ..., and the third load coefficient corresponding to the nth route is δn, then (route load of the 0th route) = (L0 × δ0), ..., (route load of the nth route) = (Ln × δn), and if δj > δk, then (altitude difference of the jth route) > (altitude difference of the kth route), and (altitude difference of the jth route) = {(altitude of the D(j+1)) - (altitude of the Dj)}.

[0049] In the above aspect, the first delivery route information includes a distance of each of the routes and an average increase rate of the heart rate of the delivery person on each of the routes, the route load is expressed as a sum of values ​​obtained by multiplying the distance of the i-th route by a fourth load coefficient; The fourth load coefficient may be set to a larger value as the average rate of increase of the heart rate increases.

[0050] According to this configuration, the first delivery route including a route with a larger average increase rate of the heart rate is calculated to have a higher evaluation value, so that an evaluation value that more appropriately takes into account the actual burden on the delivery person can be calculated.

[0051] In the above aspect, the first delivery route information includes the distance L0 of the 0th route, the average increase rate of the delivery person's heart rate on the 0th route, ..., the distance Ln of the nth route, and the average increase rate of the delivery person's heart rate on the nth route, and if the fourth load coefficient corresponding to the 0th route is ε0, ..., and the fourth load coefficient corresponding to the nth route is εn, then (route load of the 0th route) = (L0 × ε0), ..., (route load of the nth route) = (Ln × εn), and if εj > εk, (average increase rate of the delivery person's heart rate on the jth route) > (average increase rate of the delivery person's heart rate on the kth route).

[0052] In the above aspect, the first package information includes a delivery destination of each of the plurality of packages, extracting, from among the plurality of delivery destinations, a plurality of delivery destinations whose distance from the delivery start location is equal to or less than a threshold value based on the first package information; Each evaluation value may be calculated for each of a plurality of first delivery routes that include the extracted plurality of delivery destinations as the plurality of destinations.

[0053] According to this configuration, an evaluation value is calculated for each of a plurality of first delivery routes including a delivery destination whose distance from the delivery start location is equal to or less than a threshold as a destination, and an optimal first delivery route is calculated using the calculated evaluation values. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a delivery destination whose distance from the delivery start location is greater than the threshold and which is difficult to deliver to on foot from being set as a destination.

[0054] In the above aspect, delivery start location information is further acquired from the memory, the delivery start location information being stored in association with a plurality of delivery start location candidates and a location; Further acquiring the current location of the delivery person; The delivery start location candidate that is closest to the current location of the delivery person may be further determined as the delivery start location from among the plurality of delivery start location candidates.

[0055] According to this configuration, from among the candidate delivery start locations, the candidate delivery start location that is closest to the current location of the delivery person is determined as the delivery start location, so even if the delivery person does not know the delivery start location, he or she can start delivering the package on foot from an appropriate delivery start location nearby.

[0056] In the above-mentioned embodiment, when information indicating that the delivery vehicle of the delivery person could not be stopped at the delivery start location is obtained from the information terminal via the network, The delivery start location may further be determined to be the next closest delivery start location candidate to the current location of the delivery person from among a plurality of delivery start location candidates.

[0057] According to this configuration, if the delivery vehicle cannot be stopped at the delivery start location, the next closest delivery start location from the current location is determined, so that the delivery person can park the delivery vehicle at an easy delivery start location and deliver the package efficiently.

[0058] In the above aspect, the information indicating that the delivery vehicle of the delivery person could not be stopped at the delivery start location may include the reason why the delivery vehicle could not be stopped.

[0059] According to this configuration, if the delivery vehicle cannot be stopped, the delivery person's terminal notifies the delivery person of the reason, so that information can be collected to determine whether the location is an appropriate place to start delivery.

[0060] In the above aspect, when the delivery vehicle of the delivery person can be stopped at the delivery start location, information regarding the suitability of the delivery start location may further be acquired from the first information terminal via a network.

[0061] According to this configuration, when the delivery van can be stopped, the first information terminal notifies the driver whether the location is suitable for stopping the delivery van or not, so that the driver can gather information to determine whether the location is suitable for starting delivery.

[0062] In the above aspect, when the delivery person visits a first destination included in the plurality of destinations, if the delivery person acquires information from the first information terminal via a network indicating that a first recipient is absent at the first destination, Obtaining from the memory a plurality of second delivery route information indicating a plurality of second delivery routes that sequentially connect the first destination to the remaining destinations and return to the delivery start location; Calculating an evaluation value for each of the plurality of second delivery routes based on the first package information and the plurality of second delivery route information; Identifying an optimal second delivery route from among the plurality of second delivery routes based on the calculated plurality of evaluation values; outputting information indicating the specified second delivery route to the first information terminal; The identified second delivery route may be displayed on a display of the first information terminal.

[0063] According to this configuration, if the first recipient of the parcel is absent from the first destination, an optimal second delivery route connecting the first destination to the remaining destinations in order is rescheduled, and the optimal second delivery route is determined taking into account the weight or size of the undelivered parcel.

[0064] In the above aspect, history information indicating a past redelivery ratio corresponding to each of the plurality of destinations is read from the memory, The evaluation value of each of the plurality of first delivery routes may be calculated based on the history information.

[0065] According to this configuration, since the evaluation value is calculated taking into account the history information indicating the percentage of past redeliveries, it is possible to calculate an evaluation value that is more in line with the actual situation, thereby improving the reliability of the first delivery route that is finally determined.

[0066] In the above aspect, when the delivery person visits a first destination included in the plurality of destinations, and delivers a first package included in the plurality of packages and acquires information indicating that the delivery person has collected a second package from the first information terminal via a network, acquiring second package information relating to a size or weight of the second package from the first information terminal via a network; Obtaining from the memory a plurality of second delivery route information indicating a plurality of second delivery routes that sequentially connect the first destination to the remaining destinations and return to the delivery start location; Calculating an evaluation value for each of the plurality of second delivery routes based on the first package information, the second package information, and the plurality of second delivery route information; Identifying an optimal second delivery route from among the plurality of second delivery routes based on the calculated plurality of evaluation values; outputting information indicating the specified second delivery route to the first information terminal; The identified second delivery route may be displayed on a display of the first information terminal.

[0067] According to this configuration, if a second package is collected during the delivery of a first package, the second delivery route connecting the first destination to the remaining destinations in order is rescheduled taking into account the size or weight of the second package, and an optimal second delivery route is determined taking into account the weight or size of the collected second package.

[0068] In the above aspect, when information indicating that the delivery person delivers the first package included in the plurality of packages and collects the second package at a first destination included in the plurality of destinations is stored in advance in the memory, Obtaining second package information related to a size or weight of the second package from the memory; The evaluation value of each of the plurality of first delivery routes may be calculated based on the first package information and the second package information.

[0069] According to this configuration, when the size or weight of the second parcel to be collected is known in advance, the optimal delivery route is determined taking into consideration not only the first parcel to be delivered but also the second parcel to be collected, thereby determining the first delivery route that can deliver parcels with higher efficiency.

[0070] In the above aspect, information indicating that the delivery person has got off the delivery vehicle is obtained from the first information terminal, outputting information indicating that the delivery person is heading to a first destination included in the plurality of destinations to a second information terminal held by a recipient at the first destination; Information indicating that the delivery person is heading to the first destination may be displayed on a display of the second information terminal.

[0071] According to this embodiment, when the delivery person gets off the delivery vehicle, a message indicating that the delivery person is on his / her way is output to the second information terminal carried by the recipient of the package, so that the recipient can receive the package more reliably.

[0072] In the above aspect, the first delivery route information includes a distance of each of the plurality of first delivery routes, Obtaining from the memory upper limit distance information including a first upper limit distance for the delivery person on foot and a second upper limit distance that is smaller than the first upper limit distance; When information indicating bad weather is acquired via the network, the second upper limit distance is set; When the distance of the specified first delivery route is equal to or greater than the second upper limit distance, the destination included in the first delivery route may be deleted so that the distance of the first delivery route becomes shorter than the second upper limit distance.

[0073] According to this configuration, in case of bad weather, the second upper limit distance, which is shorter than the first upper limit distance, is selected.

[0074] Then, when the distance of the first delivery route is equal to or greater than the second upper limit distance, the destination is deleted so that the distance of the first delivery route is shorter than the second upper limit distance. This makes it possible to prevent the burden on the delivery personnel from increasing due to bad weather and ensure the safety of the delivery personnel.

[0075] In the above aspect, an upper limit evaluation value according to an age or sex of the delivery person is obtained from the memory, When the evaluation value of the identified first delivery route is equal to or greater than the upper limit evaluation value, destinations included in the first delivery route may be deleted so that the evaluation value of the first delivery route becomes smaller than the upper limit evaluation value.

[0076] According to this configuration, an upper limit evaluation value according to age or gender is selected, and if the evaluation value of the first delivery route is equal to or greater than the upper limit evaluation value, destinations are deleted so that the evaluation value of the first delivery route becomes smaller than the upper limit evaluation value. Therefore, a delivery route with an appropriate load according to the age or gender of the delivery person is presented.

[0077] The present disclosure can also be realized as a computer program that causes a computer to execute each of the characteristic steps included in such a method, or as a system operated by this computer program. Furthermore, it goes without saying that such a computer program can be distributed on a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM or via a communication network such as the Internet.

[0078] Note that each of the embodiments described below shows a specific example of the present disclosure. The numerical values, shapes, components, steps, and order of steps shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in an independent claim showing the highest concept are described as optional components. Furthermore, in all of the embodiments, the respective contents can be combined.

[0079] (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a network configuration of an information provision system according to a first embodiment. The information provision system is a system that presents an appropriate delivery route that enables efficient delivery of packages to a delivery person who delivers multiple packages to multiple destinations on foot. The information provision system includes a server 1 and a delivery person terminal 2 (an example of a first information terminal). The server 1 and the delivery person terminal 2 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a network NT. As the network NT, for example, an Internet communication network, a mobile phone communication network, or the like is adopted.

[0080] The server 1 is composed of, for example, one or more computers, and is responsible for the overall control of this information provision system. The deliveryman terminal 2 is composed of, for example, a portable information processing device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal, and displays various messages to the deliveryman who delivers the package. Here, the deliveryman terminal 2 may be composed of an information processing device mounted on the delivery vehicle in which the deliveryman rides, and may be implemented, for example, in an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) or car navigation system provided in the delivery vehicle. The deliveryman terminal 2 may also be composed of a dedicated portable information processing device developed for deliverymen of packages.

[0081] For convenience of explanation, only one deliveryman terminal 2 is illustrated in Fig. 1, but multiple deliveryman terminals 2 may be included. In this case, data transmitted from the deliveryman terminal 2 is managed for each deliveryman using a deliveryman ID individually assigned to the deliveryman terminal 2.

[0082] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information providing system shown in Fig. 1. The server 1 includes a memory 11, an evaluation value calculation unit 12, a communication unit 13, a delivery route identification unit 14, and a control unit 15. The evaluation value calculation unit 12, the delivery route identification unit 14, and the control unit 15 may be configured, for example, by a processor such as a CPU, or may be configured by a dedicated hardware circuit. In this case, these components may each be configured by separate hardware, or may be configured by a single processor executing a predetermined program.

[0083] The memory 11 is configured, for example, by a semiconductor memory, and stores in advance parcel information (an example of first parcel information) relating to the size or weight of each of a plurality of parcels that a delivery person delivers from a delivery start location to a plurality of destinations. The memory 11 also stores in advance a plurality of pieces of delivery route information (an example of first delivery route information) indicating a plurality of delivery routes (an example of first delivery routes) that sequentially connect a plurality of destinations from a delivery start location. Here, the parcel information is configured, for example, by a parcel DB 31, which will be described later in FIG. 3. The plurality of pieces of delivery route information is configured, for example, by a delivery route DB 42, which will be described later in FIG. 4.

[0084] The evaluation value calculation unit 12 calculates an evaluation value for each of a plurality of delivery routes based on the package information and the delivery route information. Here, the plurality of delivery route information stores distance information for the delivery route. The distance information for the delivery route is composed of, for example, a route distance DB 51 and a route distance DB 52, which will be described later in FIG. 5. The evaluation value is a value that evaluates the physical burden on the delivery person when carrying the package, and the greater the burden, the greater the value. Therefore, the smaller the evaluation value of a delivery route, the easier it is for the delivery person to carry the package, and the smaller the physical burden on the delivery person. In this way, a delivery route that can reduce the physical burden on the delivery person is calculated.

[0085] In this embodiment, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 reflects in the evaluation value that the total size or weight of the remaining packages among the multiple packages becomes smaller every time a package is delivered to the destination, thereby making it possible to calculate an evaluation value that accurately takes into account the physical load on the delivery person.

[0086] For example, the evaluation value is expressed as the sum of the delivery loads of multiple routes, including routes connecting the delivery start location and destinations and routes connecting the destinations themselves, when traveling from the delivery start location through multiple destinations in order and returning to the delivery start location again.

[0087] The delivery load is expressed as the product of the luggage load according to the weight or size of one or more luggage to be delivered along the i-th route (i is an index specifying the route and is an integer equal to or greater than 0) indicating a certain route, and the route load according to the distance or the time required for travel (travel time) of the i-th route. The weight or size of the luggage is identified from the luggage DB 31. The route load takes a larger value as the distance or required time is longer. The distance of the i-th route is identified using the route distance DB 51 and DB 52. The time required for the i-th route is calculated by dividing the distance of the i-th route by the walking travel speed of the delivery person. The calculation of the evaluation value will be described in detail in the embodiment described later.

[0088] The delivery route identification unit 14 identifies an optimal delivery route from among the multiple delivery routes based on the evaluation value of each of the multiple delivery routes calculated by the evaluation value calculation unit 12. Here, the delivery route with the smallest evaluation value is identified as the optimal delivery route.

[0089] The communication unit 13 is composed of a communication device that connects the server 1 to the network NT, and the delivery route specification unit 14 transmits information indicating a specific optimum delivery route to the deliveryman terminal 2. The control unit 15 is responsible for the overall control of the server 1.

[0090] The deliveryman terminal 2 includes a memory 21, a GPS 22, a control unit 23, a reading unit 24, a communication unit 25, a display unit 26, and an input unit 27. The memory 21 is configured, for example, by a semiconductor memory, and stores applications and the like for displaying information indicating the delivery route and the like transmitted from the server 1.

[0091] The GPS (Global Positioning System sensor) 22 uses radio waves from GPS satellites to calculate the current location of the deliveryman terminal 2. Here, the GPS 22 may calculate the current location at a predetermined time interval (for example, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 10 minutes, etc.), for example.

[0092] The reading unit 24 is configured with, for example, a barcode reader that reads a barcode or a QR code (registered trademark) written on a baggage slip attached to the baggage. Here, the barcode or the QR code (registered trademark) includes at least a baggage ID that is an identifier of the baggage.

[0093] The reading unit 24 is used, for example, to read the barcode or QR code (registered trademark) written on the baggage slip of the loaded baggage when a delivery person loads the baggage into a delivery vehicle at a delivery center. This allows the delivery person terminal 2 to obtain information such as the destination (delivery destination) and recipient from the server 1 using the baggage ID read by the reading unit 24 as a key, and manage the baggage to be delivered.

[0094] The reading unit 24 is also used to read a barcode or a QR code (registered trademark) written on a package slip when a delivery person hands over a package to a user. This allows the server 1 to manage whether or not the delivery of the package has been completed.

[0095] The communication unit 25 is configured with a communication device that connects the deliveryman terminal 2 to the network NT, and receives information indicating an optimal delivery route and the like transmitted from the server 1. In addition, the communication unit 25 transmits the current location detected by the GPS 22 to the server 1.

[0096] The display unit 26 is configured with a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and displays various images including information indicating the optimal delivery route transmitted from the server 1. The input unit 27 is configured with, for example, a touch panel, and accepts various operations from the user. The control unit 23 is configured with a processor such as a CPU, and is responsible for the overall control of the deliveryman terminal 2.

[0097] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the parcel DB 31 and customer DB 32 stored in the memory 11 of the server 1. The parcel DB 31 is a database that stores parcel information related to parcels delivered by delivery personnel, with one record assigned to one parcel. The parcel DB 31 stores "parcel ID," "delivery origin customer ID," "delivery destination customer ID," "size," and "weight" in association with each other.

[0098] "Parcel ID" indicates an identifier assigned to uniquely identify a parcel. "Sender customer ID" indicates the identifier of the customer who is the sender of the parcel. "Destination customer ID" indicates the identifier of the customer who will receive the parcel. "Size" indicates the size of the parcel. Here, the size of the parcel is expressed as the product of the width, height, and depth of the parcel. Therefore, the larger this product, the larger the size of the parcel. "Weight" indicates the weight of the parcel.

[0099] The customer DB32 is a database that stores personal information of customers who will be the recipients of packages, with one record assigned to each customer. The customer DB32 stores a "customer ID," an "address," and a "recipient name" in association with each other. The "address" indicates the address of the recipient, i.e., the delivery destination (destination) of the package. The "recipient name" indicates the name of the recipient.

[0100] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the parcel-delivery route DB41, delivery route DB42, and multiple parcel DB43 stored in the memory 11 of the server 1. The parcel-delivery route DB41 is a database that associates multiple parcels carried on foot by a delivery person with delivery routes stored in the delivery route DB42, and stores a "multiple parcel ID" and a "delivery route ID" in association with each other. The "multiple parcel ID" indicates an identifier assigned to multiple parcels that have been grouped together in advance. The "delivery route ID" indicates the identifier of the delivery route assigned to the multiple parcels indicated by the "multiple parcel ID".

[0101] The delivery route DB42 is a database that stores delivery route information indicating the delivery route indicated by the "delivery route ID" of the parcel-delivery route DB41, and one record is assigned to one piece of delivery route information. Specifically, the delivery route DB41 stores a "delivery route ID" and a "delivery route" in association with each other. The "delivery route" indicates the contents of the delivery route. The contents of the "delivery route" will be described later with reference to FIG. 6.

[0102] The multiple-baggage DB 43 is a database showing the contents of multiple bags grouped together under a "multiple-baggage ID," and stores the "multiple-baggage ID" in association with a "baggage ID." The "multiple-baggage ID" indicates an identifier assigned to the entire group of multiple bags grouped together in advance. The "baggage ID" indicates the baggage ID of each individual baggage grouped under the "multiple-baggage ID."

[0103] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the route distance DB51 stored in the memory 11 of the server 1. The route distance DB51 is a database that stores information about routes connecting destinations that make up the delivery route indicated by the delivery route information stored in the delivery route DB42, and stores "Destination 1," "Destination 2," "Route between Destination 1 and Destination 2," and "Distance" in association with each other. "Destination 1" indicates a destination on the upstream side of the route. Here, the user ID of the recipient of the package is stored in the "Destination 1" field. "Destination 2" indicates a destination downstream on the route. Here, the "Destination 2" field stores the user ID of the recipient of the package. The "Route between Destination 1 and Destination 2" field stores identifiers of routes connecting the destinations indicated by Destination 1 and the destinations indicated by Destination 2, such as "DR0001" and "DR0002." "Distance" indicates the distance of the route. Note that the "distance" may be the straight-line distance between the destinations, or the distance of the optimal route connecting the destinations identified from a map image using a route search algorithm, that is, the distance of the route that the delivery person actually travels on foot. The same applies to the "distance" in the route distance DB52.

[0104] The route distance DB52 is a database that stores information about the route connecting the delivery start location and the destination that constitutes the delivery route indicated by the delivery route information stored in the delivery route DB42, and stores a "delivery start location," a "destination," a "route between the delivery start location and the destination," and a "distance" in association with each other. The "delivery start location" indicates a predetermined location where the delivery person stops the delivery vehicle and starts delivering the package on foot. The "destination" indicates a destination located next to the delivery start location. Here, the "destination" field stores the user ID of the recipient. The "route between the delivery start location and the destination" field stores an identifier of the route connecting the delivery start location and the destination, such as "SR0001" and "SR0002." The "distance" indicates the distance of the route.

[0105] FIG. 6 is a diagram explaining symbols used to indicate delivery routes stored in the delivery route DB 42. FIG. 6 illustrates a delivery route indicated by the delivery route ID "TR0001" stored in the first row of the delivery route DB 42. A symbol beginning with "S", such as "S0001", indicates the identifier of the delivery start location. A symbol beginning with "SR", such as "SR0001", indicates the identifier of the route connecting the delivery start location and the destination. A symbol beginning with "GUEST", such as "GUEST0001", indicates the customer ID of the recipient, i.e., the destination.

[0106] Therefore, the delivery route of "TR0001" represents a route that starts from the delivery start location "S0001", goes to the destination "GUEST0001" via route "SR0001", goes to the destination "GUEST0002" via route "DR0001", and returns to the delivery start location "S0001" via route "SR0002".

[0107] Fig. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of data transmission and reception between the server 1 and the deliveryman terminal 2 in the information provision system shown in Fig. 1. For example, when a deliveryman stops a delivery van at a delivery start location, the server 1 identifies an optimal delivery route with the smallest evaluation value from among multiple delivery routes corresponding to the delivery start location, and transmits information indicating the delivery route to the deliveryman terminal 2.

[0108] 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of the information providing system according to the embodiment 1. In S1, the control unit 15 of the server 1 acquires the package DB 31 and the package-delivery route DB 41 from the memory 11.

[0109] In S2, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 acquires from the delivery route DB 42 a plurality of delivery routes corresponding to a plurality of packages delivered by a delivery person on foot, and calculates an evaluation value for each delivery route. For example, it is assumed that the package IDs of the plurality of packages to be delivered are "1234-5678-90" and "1234-5678-89". In this case, the multiple package DB 43 is referenced to identify the multiple package ID "P0001". Next, the package-delivery route DB 41 is referenced to identify the delivery route IDs "TR0001" and "TR0002" corresponding to the multiple package ID "P0001". Next, the delivery route DB 42 is referenced to identify the two delivery routes indicated by the delivery route IDs "TR0001" and "TR0002" as the plurality of delivery routes to be subject to the calculation of the evaluation value. Then, an evaluation value is calculated for each of the two identified delivery routes. Although an example in which two delivery routes are specified has been shown here, the present disclosure is not limited to this, and three or more delivery routes may be specified.

[0110] In S3, the delivery route identification unit 14 identifies, as the optimal delivery route, the delivery route with the smallest evaluation value among the multiple delivery routes whose evaluation values ​​were calculated in S2.

[0111] In S4, the communication unit 13 transmits information indicating the optimal delivery route to the deliveryman terminal 2. As a result, the deliveryman terminal 2 displays an image indicating the optimal delivery route, and the optimal delivery route is presented to the deliveryman.

[0112] In addition, in S2, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 may, for example, extract multiple packages indicated by multiple package IDs that include more destinations closer to the delivery person's current delivery start location from the multiple package DB 43, and determine them as the packages to be delivered.

[0113] 9 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen G1 showing an optimal delivery route displayed on the delivery person terminal 2. Here, the delivery route shown is for two packages L1 and L2, identified by package IDs "1234-5678-90" and "0987-6543-21", to be delivered by a delivery person on foot. A display field R11 displays a map image showing the destinations of delivery destinations of package L1 and package L2, so that the delivery person can grasp the overall picture of the delivery route. The display section R12 displays an enlarged map image of the route R0001 from the delivery start location SA to the destination of the package L1, which is the map image displayed in the display section R11. The map image shown in the display section R12 may be an enlarged image of the map image displayed in the display section R11 so as to include the current location and the destination, according to the location information indicating the current location transmitted from the delivery person terminal 2.

[0114] In the display field R13, the package IDs of multiple packages that the delivery person will deliver on foot are displayed in delivery order from top to bottom. In this way, the display screen G1 displays the destinations of multiple packages, the delivery order and routes of the multiple packages on a map image, so that the delivery person can be appropriately guided to deliver the packages via the optimal delivery route.

[0115] In this way, according to this embodiment, the evaluation value of each of multiple delivery routes that start from a delivery start location, pass multiple destinations in order, and return to the delivery start location is calculated using not only distance information for the multiple delivery routes, but also package information related to the size or weight of each of multiple packages that the delivery person delivers on foot, and the optimal delivery route is determined based on the calculated evaluation value. Therefore, this embodiment can accurately calculate a low-load delivery route that allows the delivery person to efficiently deliver multiple packages on foot from the delivery start location.

[0116] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the optimal delivery route is determined based on an evaluation value calculated using parcel information, so that an optimal delivery route can be determined that can reduce the physical burden on the delivery person.

[0117] The delivery route thus determined is displayed on the deliveryman terminal 2, so that the deliveryman can efficiently deliver multiple packages on foot. As a result, even a novice deliveryman can deliver packages as efficiently as an experienced deliveryman.

[0118] (Embodiment 2) In the second embodiment, an optimal delivery route is specified using a delivery start location DB that stores a predetermined delivery start location. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of a delivery start location DB100 according to the second embodiment. The delivery start location DB100 is a database that stores delivery start locations that are stored in advance in the memory 11 of the server 1, and one record is assigned to one delivery start location. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof are omitted. In this embodiment, the network configuration diagram and block diagram are shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. These are the same in the following embodiments unless otherwise specified.

[0119] The delivery start location DB100 stores a "delivery start location ID" and an "address" in association with each other. The "delivery start location ID" indicates an identifier of a delivery start location managed by the server 1. The "address" indicates the address of each delivery start location. Here, the delivery start locations stored in the delivery start location DB100 are predetermined locations where delivery vehicles have been parked in the past, for example, locations such as parking lots where it is easy to park delivery vehicles.

[0120] 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of data transmission and reception between the server 1 and the deliveryman terminal 2 in the information provision system according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the deliveryman knows the delivery start location to which he / she should go among the delivery start locations managed by the server 1. Then, when the delivery van arrives at the delivery start location, the deliveryman terminal 2 transmits the delivery start location to the server 1 (S1101). Here, the deliveryman terminal 2 stores the delivery start location in advance in the memory 21, compares the current location detected by the GPS 22 with the delivery start location stored in the memory 21, and transmits the delivery start location to the server 1 when it detects that the deliveryman terminal 2 has arrived at the delivery start location.

[0121] Next, the server 1 identifies an optimal delivery route using the delivery start location transmitted from the deliveryman terminal 2, and transmits the optimal delivery route to the deliveryman terminal 2 (S1102).

[0122] 12 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the information provision system according to the embodiment 2. In S11, the control unit 15 of the server 1 acquires the delivery start location transmitted from the deliveryman terminal 2 using the communication unit 13. In S12, the control unit 15 acquires the package DB 31 and the delivery start location DB 100 from the memory 11.

[0123] In S13, the control unit 15 calculates the distance between the delivery start location acquired in S11 and each of the multiple package destinations stored in the package DB 31. The multiple package destinations are identified by referencing the "address" in the customer DB 32 using the "shipping customer ID" in the package DB 31 as a key. The location information of the delivery start location and the destination may be the latitude and longitude associated with the "address" in the map information. The distance between the delivery start location and each of the multiple destinations may be calculated using location information including the latitude and longitude.

[0124] In S14, the control unit 15 extracts a destination where the distance between the delivery start location and the destination calculated in S13 is equal to or less than a threshold. As a result, parcels whose destination is a location where the distance from the delivery start location is equal to or less than a threshold are extracted from the multiple parcels stored in the parcel DB 31. As the threshold, a predetermined distance that is appropriate for a delivery person carrying the parcel to travel on foot is adopted, such as 10 m, 50 m, 100 m, or 500 m.

[0125] In S15, the control unit 15 extracts multiple delivery routes connecting the multiple destinations extracted in S14 from the delivery start location. Here, the control unit 15 extracts multiple package IDs consisting of packages whose delivery destinations are the destinations extracted in S14 from the multiple package DB 43, and extracts delivery routes corresponding to the extracted multiple package IDs from the delivery route DB 42, thereby extracting the multiple delivery routes.

[0126] In S16, process A is executed for the multiple delivery routes extracted in S15. Process A is the process shown in S2 to S4 in FIG.

[0127] In this manner, according to the present embodiment, an evaluation value is calculated for each of a plurality of delivery routes including a delivery destination whose distance from the delivery start location is equal to or less than a threshold, and an optimal delivery route is calculated using the calculated evaluation values. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a delivery destination whose distance from the delivery start location is greater than the threshold and which is difficult to deliver to on foot from being set as a destination.

[0128] (Embodiment 3) In the third embodiment, a delivery start location candidate that is closest to the current location of the delivery person is determined as the delivery start location from among the delivery start location candidates stored in the delivery start location DB 100. Fig. 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of data transmission and reception between the server 1 and the delivery person terminal 2 in the information provision system according to the third embodiment.

[0129] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the delivery person does not know the delivery start location managed by the server 1. When the delivery person terminal 2 receives an input from the delivery person to notify the current location, it transmits the current location detected by the GPS 22 to the server 1 (S1301). Then, the server 1 determines the delivery start location located closest to the current location, and identifies the optimal delivery route from the delivery start location, and transmits it to the delivery person terminal 2 (S1302).

[0130] The deliveryman terminal 2 displays on the display unit 26 a display screen showing the delivery start location and the optimal route transmitted from the server 1. The deliveryman who views this display screen drives the delivery van to the delivery start location shown on the display screen, stops the delivery van, and delivers the package along the delivery route shown on the display screen.

[0131] Here, the delivery person's terminal 2 transmits the current location to the server 1 in response to an instruction from the delivery person to notify the current location. However, this is just one example, and the current location may also be transmitted to the server 1 in response to detection that a delivery truck has stopped.

[0132] 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of the information provision system according to the embodiment 3. In S21, the control unit 15 of the server 1 acquires the current location transmitted from the deliveryman terminal 2 using the communication unit 13. In S22, the control unit 15 acquires the delivery start location DB 100 from the memory 11.

[0133] In S23, the control unit 15 calculates the distance between the current location and each of all delivery start locations stored in the delivery start location DB 100. Here, the control unit 15 may calculate, for example, the straight-line distance between the current location and the delivery start location as the distance, or may calculate the distance of an optimal route connecting the current location and the delivery start location as the distance.

[0134] In S24, the delivery start location that is closest in distance to the current location is extracted from the multiple delivery start locations whose distances were calculated in S23.

[0135] In S25, the control unit 15 specifies the delivery start location extracted in S24 as the delivery start location to be notified to the delivery person.

[0136] In S26, process B is executed using the delivery start location identified in S25. Process B is the process of S11 to S16 in FIG.

[0137] In this manner, according to the present embodiment, the delivery person is notified of the delivery start location that is closest to the current location of the delivery person from the delivery start location DB100. Therefore, even if the delivery person does not know the delivery start location, the delivery person can start delivering the package on foot from an appropriate delivery start location nearby.

[0138] (Embodiment 4) In the fourth embodiment, when a recipient is absent at a destination when a delivery person visits the destination, the delivery route is rescheduled. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of the information provision system according to the fifth embodiment.

[0139] In S31, process B is executed. Process B is the process from S11 to S16 in FIG. In step S31, an optimal delivery route is specified, which starts from a delivery start location, passes through a plurality of destinations, and returns to the delivery start location.

[0140] In S32, the control unit 15 detects that the delivery person has started delivery along the delivery route identified in S31. In S33, the control unit 15 detects that the delivery person has arrived at the destination. Here, the control unit 15 may detect that the delivery person has started delivery and that the delivery person has arrived at the destination by, for example, monitoring the location information periodically transmitted from the delivery person terminal 2.

[0141] In S34, the control unit 15 judges whether the delivery person has made the delivery. Here, when the delivery person has completed the delivery of the package to the recipient, the delivery person has the reading unit 24 read the barcode or QR code (registered trademark) written on the package slip to obtain the package ID, and has the delivery person terminal 2 transmit information including the package ID and indicating that the delivery of the package has been completed to the server 1. Therefore, the control unit 15 may judge that the package has been delivered when the communication unit 13 receives this information.

[0142] If delivery is possible in S34 (YES in S34), the process proceeds to S37, and if delivery is not possible in S34 (NO in S34), the process proceeds to S35.

[0143] In S35, the control unit 15 extracts one or more delivery routes using one or more remaining destinations where delivery has not been completed on the delivery route identified in S31 and the delivery start location. Here, the control unit 15 extracts all combinations of delivery routes that pass through all of the remaining destinations and return to the delivery start location. For example, if the remaining destinations are destinations M1 and M2, the current location is M0, and the delivery start location is S0, two delivery routes are extracted: M0-M1-M2-S0 and M0-M2-M1-S0. Here, the destination located at the current location M0 corresponds to an example of the first destination, and the recipient of this destination corresponds to an example of the first recipient. The delivery route extracted in S35 is an example of the second delivery route.

[0144] In S36, process A is executed for the delivery routes extracted in S35, the evaluation value of each delivery route is calculated, and the delivery route with the smallest evaluation value is identified as the optimal delivery route. Process A is the process of S1 to S4 in FIG. 8.

[0145] In S37, the control unit 15 judges whether there is a next destination. For example, if the above M0-M1-M2-S0 is specified as the optimal delivery route at the current location M0, if delivery of packages to the destinations M1 and M2 is not completed, the result of S37 is YES and the process returns to S33. On the other hand, in the above example of M0-M1-M2-S0, if delivery to M2 is completed, the result of S37 is NO and the process ends.

[0146] If the recipient of a package is not present at the destination, the delivery person must carry the extra package and deliver it to the remaining destinations, which may result in the initially calculated delivery route being invalid.

[0147] Therefore, in this embodiment, when a recipient of a package is absent from a certain destination, the delivery route that connects the remaining destinations in order is rescheduled, so that the optimal delivery route can be determined taking into account the weight or size of the undelivered package.

[0148] (Embodiment 5) In the fifth embodiment, an evaluation value is calculated using history information indicating the ratio of past redeliveries at the destination. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the customer DB 160 stored in the memory 11 of the server 1 in the fifth embodiment. The customer DB 160 further includes an "absent probability" in addition to the customer DB 32 shown in FIG. 3. The "absent probability" indicates the probability that the recipient was absent when the package was delivered, that is, the ratio of past redeliveries. Here, the memory 11 stores a delivery log (not shown) in which the date and time of delivery of the package and information indicating whether the package was delivered or not are associated with each other for each recipient (customer). This delivery log is created by the server 1 acquiring the delivery results input by the delivery person to the delivery person terminal 2 each time the delivery person visits the destination. Therefore, the "absent probability" is obtained by calculating the ratio of the number of absentees to the total number of deliveries stored in the delivery log for each customer. Here, the customer DB 160 is an example of history information.

[0149] 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of the information providing system according to the embodiment 5. In S41, the control unit 15 acquires the package DB 31, the package-delivery route DB 41, and the customer DB 160 from the memory 11.

[0150] In S42 to S44, process A is executed using the "probability of absence" stored in the customer DB 160, and the optimal delivery route is calculated. Process A is S2 to S4 in Fig. 8. The evaluation value considering the probability of absence will be explained in the section on specific examples of delivery routes described later.

[0151] In this way, according to the present embodiment, the evaluation value is calculated taking into account the probability of absence, so that it is possible to calculate an evaluation value that is more in line with the actual situation. This makes it possible to increase the reliability of the finally determined delivery route.

[0152] (Embodiment 6) In the sixth embodiment, when a package is collected at a destination, the delivery route is rescheduled on the spot. Fig. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen G2 displayed on the delivery person terminal 2 in the sixth embodiment. The display screen G2 is a screen for notifying the server 1 that a package has been collected at a destination. Collection refers to a delivery person visiting a destination and picking up a package from a customer at the destination.

[0153] The display screen G2 has an input field R21 for the delivery source ID, an input field R22 for the delivery destination ID, an input field R23 for the dimensions (size) and weight of the collected package, a back button B21, and a register button B22. In the input field R21, the delivery person inputs the customer ID of the delivery source of the collected package. In the input field R22, the delivery person inputs the customer ID of the recipient of the collected package. In the input field R23, the delivery person inputs the width (W), height (H), depth (D), and weight of the collected package.

[0154] The back button B21 is a button for returning the display screen G2 to the previously displayed display screen. When the delivery person collects the package at the destination, the delivery person inputs the necessary information into each input field of the display screen G2 and presses the registration button B22. Then, the communication unit 25 of the delivery person terminal 2 transmits the information input into each field to the server 1.

[0155] Fig. 19 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the information provision system according to the sixth embodiment. S51 to S53 are the same as S31 to S33 in Fig. 15. In S54 following S53, the control unit 15 judges whether or not the package has been collected. Here, the control unit 15 may judge that the package has been collected when information indicating the collection of the package is transmitted from the deliveryman terminal 2 together with a delivery result indicating whether or not the package has been handed over to the recipient at the destination.

[0156] If the package has not been collected (NO in S54), the process proceeds to S58, and if the package has been collected (YES in S54), the process proceeds to S55.

[0157] In S55, the control unit 15 acquires package information (an example of second package information) related to the collected package from the deliveryman terminal 2 using the communication unit 13, and stores it in the memory 11. Here, the control unit 15 acquires information input to the display screen G2 shown in FIG.

[0158] In S56, one or more delivery routes connecting the remaining destinations are extracted. The details of this process are the same as S35 in FIG.

[0159] In S57, the process A is executed by applying the package information acquired in S55 to the delivery route extracted in S56, the evaluation value of each delivery route is calculated, and the optimal delivery route that minimizes the evaluation value is specified. S58 is the same as S37 in FIG. 15.

[0160] If a package is collected at an intermediate destination, the addition of the package may make it impossible to deliver the package efficiently along the original delivery route.

[0161] Therefore, in this embodiment, when a package is collected at a destination, the delivery route connecting the remaining destinations in order from the destination is rescheduled in consideration of the size or weight of the collected package, and therefore the optimal delivery route is determined taking into consideration the weight or size of the collected package.

[0162] The collected packages are transported to the delivery start location, loaded onto a delivery vehicle, transported to a distribution center, and then delivered to the corresponding destination by another delivery vehicle.

[0163] (Embodiment 7) The seventh embodiment is directed to identifying an optimal delivery route when package information on packages to be collected at a destination is stored in advance in memory 11. Fig. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of a multiple package DB 200 stored in memory 11 of the server 1 in the seventh embodiment.

[0164] The multiple package DB 200 further includes a "collected package ID" in addition to the multiple package DB 43. The "collected package ID" indicates the package ID of a package scheduled to be collected at a certain destination. In the first row of the multiple package DB 200, three packages, namely, two packages stored in the "package ID" field and one package stored in the "collected package ID" field, are grouped together and assigned a "multiple package ID."

[0165] Note that package information regarding the packages to be collected is stored in advance in the package DB 31 shown in FIG. 3, and the destination, which is the collection location of the packages to be collected, and the delivery destination of the packages to be collected are identified from this package information.

[0166] 21 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of the information providing system according to the embodiment 7. In S61, the control unit 15 acquires the package DB 31, the package-delivery route DB 41, and the multiple package DB 43 from the memory 11.

[0167] In steps S62 to S64, process A is executed. However, in step S62, the evaluation value of each delivery route is calculated taking into consideration the weight or size of the package to be collected in addition to the package to be delivered.

[0168] In this way, according to this embodiment, when the size or weight of the package to be collected is known in advance, the optimal delivery route is determined taking into consideration not only the package to be delivered but also the package to be collected. This makes it possible to present a highly efficient delivery route to the delivery person without the need for rescheduling.

[0169] (Embodiment 8) In the eighth embodiment, when the delivery van cannot be stopped at the delivery start location, the next closest delivery start location from the current location is determined.

[0170] 22 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of the multiple package-delivery start location DB 220 stored in the memory 11 of the server 1 in the eighth embodiment. The multiple package-delivery start location DB 220 is a database that stores information indicating whether or not the delivery van was able to stop at the delivery start location, and stores "multiple package IDs," "delivery start location IDs," and "results" in association with each other.

[0171] The "Multiple Package ID" is the same as that shown in the multiple package DB 43 shown in Fig. 4. "Delivery Start Location ID" indicates the identifier of the delivery start location of the multiple packages identified by the "Multiple Package ID". "Result" indicates whether the delivery truck was able to stop at the delivery start location.

[0172] 23 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of the information providing system according to the embodiment 8. In S71, a process C is executed. The process C corresponds to S21 to S25 in FIG.

[0173] In S72, a delivery start location evaluation routine is executed, the details of which will be explained later with reference to FIG.

[0174] In S73, the control unit 15 judges whether the result of the routine in S72 is YES or not. If the result of the routine in S72 is YES (YES in S73), the process ends, and if the result of the routine in S72 is NO (NO in S73), the process proceeds to S74. That is, if the delivery van is stopped at the delivery start location determined in process C, the next delivery start location needs to be determined, so the process proceeds to S74. Note that the judgment of whether the result of the routine is YES or NO uses the information stored in the "Result" column of the multiple package-delivery start location DB 220.

[0175] In S74, the control unit 15 refers to the delivery start location DB 100 and determines whether or not there is another delivery start location within a distance equal to or less than the threshold from the current location. If there is another delivery start location (YES in S74), the process proceeds to S75, and if there is no other delivery start location (NO in S74), the process ends. Here, the current location corresponds to, for example, a location where the delivery person parked the delivery truck near the original delivery start location after attempting to stop the delivery truck at the original delivery start location but being unable to do so.

[0176] In S75, the control unit 15 extracts from the delivery start place DB 100 the delivery start place that is the second closest in distance to the current location to the original delivery start place.

[0177] In S76, the control unit 15 specifies the delivery start location extracted in S75 as a new delivery start location, and advances the process to S73.

[0178] Fig. 24 is a flowchart showing details of the process of the delivery start location evaluation subroutine of S72 in Fig. 23. In S81, the control unit 15 judges whether or not the delivery van was able to park at the delivery start location. Here, the control unit 15 may judge that the delivery van was unable to be parked at the delivery start location, for example, when the location information periodically transmitted from the deliveryman terminal 2 indicates that the delivery van has been stopped near the delivery start location for a certain period of time or more. On the other hand, the control unit 15 may judge that the delivery van was able to be parked at the delivery start location, when the location information periodically transmitted from the deliveryman terminal 2 indicates that the delivery van has been stopped at the delivery start location for a certain period of time or more.

[0179] In S81, when it is determined that the delivery vehicle was able to be parked at the delivery start location (YES in S81), the control unit 15 registers YES in the "Result" column of the corresponding delivery start location in the multiple package-delivery start location DB 220 (S83). On the other hand, when it is determined that the delivery vehicle was not able to be parked at the delivery start location (NO in S81), the control unit 15 registers NO in the "Result" column of the corresponding delivery start location in the multiple package-delivery start location DB 220. When the processes of S82 and S83 are completed, the process returns to FIG. 23.

[0180] Thus, according to this embodiment, if the delivery truck cannot be stopped at the delivery start location, the next closest delivery start location to the current location after the original delivery start location is determined, so that the delivery person can park the delivery truck at an easy delivery start location and deliver the package efficiently.

[0181] (Embodiment 9) In the ninth embodiment, when a delivery vehicle cannot be stopped at a delivery start location, the delivery person is prompted to input the reason why the delivery vehicle could not be stopped.

[0182] 25 is a diagram showing an example of a reason registration screen G3 displayed on the delivery person terminal 2 in the embodiment 9. The reason registration screen G3 is a screen displayed on the delivery person terminal 2 when the delivery van cannot be stopped at the delivery start location.

[0183] The reason registration screen G3 includes a delivery start location ID display field R31, a multiple package ID display field R32, a stopping result input field R33, a reason input field R34, a back button B31, and a registration button B32.

[0184] The display field R31 displays the delivery start location ID where the delivery van could not be stopped. Here, the server 1 may specify the delivery start location ID of the delivery start location where it is determined that the delivery van could not be stopped, and display it in advance in the display field R31. The display field R32 displays multiple package IDs. Here, the server 1 may specify the multiple package IDs corresponding to the delivery start location where it is determined that the delivery van could not be stopped, and display it in advance in the display field R32. In the input field R33, if the delivery van could be stopped, the "OK" field is selected by the delivery person, and if the delivery van could not be stopped, the "NOT" field is selected by the delivery person.

[0185] The input field R34 is a field where the delivery person inputs the reason why the delivery person could not stop. Here, a mode is adopted in which the delivery person selects one reason from three options: "Parked vehicle," "Under construction," and "Other." The option "Parked vehicle" is selected when another vehicle is parked at the delivery start location, the option "Under construction" is selected when the delivery start location is under construction, and the option "Other" is selected when the delivery person could not stop for a reason other than the above two reasons.

[0186] The back button B31 is a button that is pressed to return the reason registration screen G3 to the previously displayed screen. If the delivery person is unable to stop the delivery truck at the delivery start location, the delivery person enters the necessary information in each input field of the reason registration screen G3 and presses the registration button B32. Then, the communication unit 25 of the delivery person terminal 2 transmits the information entered in each field to the server 1.

[0187] Fig. 26 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the multiple package-delivery start location DB 260 stored in the memory 11 of the server 1 in the ninth embodiment. The multiple package-delivery start location DB 260 further includes a "reason" in addition to the multiple package-delivery start location DB 220 in Fig. 22. The "reason" indicates the reason why the delivery van could not be stopped, which is input by the delivery person using the reason registration screen G3.

[0188] For example, the delivery start location on the first line was able to stop the delivery vehicle, so the "reason" column is blank. The delivery start location on the second line was unable to stop the delivery vehicle because another vehicle was parked there, so the "reason" column is recorded as "Parked vehicle."

[0189] Fig. 27 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of the delivery start location evaluation subroutine according to the embodiment 9. Note that the main routine of this embodiment uses Fig. 23. In addition, in the flow of Fig. 27, the same processes as those in Fig. 24 are given the same step numbers.

[0190] In S84, the control unit 15 displays the reason registration screen G3 on the display unit 26 of the delivery person terminal 2. In S85, the control unit 15 registers the reason why the delivery vehicle selected by the delivery person on the reason registration screen G3 could not be stopped in the "reason" field of the multiple package-delivery start location DB 260. When the processes of S83 and S85 are completed, the process returns to FIG. 23.

[0191] In this way, according to this embodiment, if the delivery vehicle cannot be stopped, the reason is notified from the deliveryman terminal 2 and registered in the multiple parcels-delivery start location DB 260. Therefore, it is possible to collect information to determine whether the location is a valid delivery start location.

[0192] (Embodiment 10) In the tenth embodiment, when the delivery van can be stopped at the delivery start location, the delivery person is prompted to input whether or not the delivery start location is a desirable location for the delivery van to stop.

[0193] 28 is a diagram showing an example of an evaluation registration screen G4 displayed on the delivery person terminal 2 in the tenth embodiment. The evaluation registration screen G4 is a screen that allows the delivery person to input an evaluation regarding the delivery start location when the delivery van can be stopped at the delivery start location.

[0194] The evaluation registration screen G4 is provided with an evaluation input field R41 instead of the reason input field R34 of the reason registration screen shown in Fig. 25. Otherwise, the evaluation registration screen G4 is the same as the reason registration screen G3.

[0195] In the input field R41, the delivery person inputs an evaluation regarding the ease of parking at the delivery start location. Here, the input field R41 displays evaluation items such as "Is it easy to park?" and "Is it easy to walk to the destination?" If parking was easy, the delivery person selects the "good" field for the evaluation item "Is it easy to park?", and if parking was difficult, the delivery person selects the "poor" field.

[0196] If the delivery route to the destination is easy to walk, the delivery person selects the "good" column for the evaluation item "Is it easy to walk to the destination?", and if it is difficult to walk, the delivery person selects the "poor" column.

[0197] Furthermore, the input field R41 is provided with a comment input field. The delivery person inputs a comment about the delivery start location in the comment input field. In this case, the delivery person inputs a comment such as "There is a slope to the XX apartment." In this way, the delivery person inputs any message in the comment input field.

[0198] When the delivery person is able to stop the delivery vehicle at the delivery start location, he / she enters the necessary information into each input field on the evaluation registration screen G4 and presses the registration button B32. Then, the communication unit 25 of the delivery person terminal 2 transmits the information entered into each field to the server 1.

[0199] Fig. 29 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the multiple package-delivery start location DB290 stored in the memory 11 of the server 1 in the tenth embodiment. The multiple package-delivery start location DB290 further includes "ease of parking", "ease of delivery", and "comments" in addition to the multiple package-delivery start location DB260 in Fig. 26. The "ease of parking", "ease of delivery", and "comments" columns respectively store the evaluation results of the delivery person for "ease of parking", "ease of delivery", and "comments" entered using the evaluation registration screen G4.

[0200] For example, since the delivery vehicle could be parked at the delivery start location on the first line, the "ease of parking", "ease of delivery", and "comments" columns store the evaluation results by the delivery person. Also, since the delivery vehicle could not be parked at the delivery start location on the second line, the "ease of parking", "ease of delivery", and "comments" columns are blank.

[0201] Fig. 30 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of the delivery start location evaluation subroutine according to embodiment 10. Note that the main routine of this embodiment uses Fig. 23. In addition, in the flow of Fig. 30, the same processes as those in Fig. 24 are given the same step numbers.

[0202] In S91, the control unit 15 displays the evaluation registration screen G4 on the display unit 26 of the delivery person terminal 2. In S92, the control unit 15 registers the evaluation result input by the delivery person on the evaluation registration screen G4 in the "reason" field of the multiple package-delivery start location DB 290. When the processing of S82 and S92 is completed, the processing returns to FIG.

[0203] In this manner, according to this embodiment, when the delivery truck can be stopped, the user is notified of whether or not the location is suitable for starting delivery, so that information can be gathered to determine whether or not the location is suitable for starting delivery.

[0204] (Embodiment 11) In the eleventh embodiment, the total walkable distance of a delivery route is changed depending on the weather. Fig. 31 is a diagram showing an example of a network configuration of an information provision system according to the eleventh embodiment. The total walkable distance is the upper limit distance of a delivery route.

[0205] In this embodiment, the system further includes a weather information providing server 3. The weather information providing server 3 is connected to the server 1 and the deliveryman terminal 2 via a network NT so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0206] The weather information providing server 3 is a server that provides weather information including weather forecasts such as sunny, cloudy, etc. Fig. 32 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of the weather distance DB 320 stored in the memory 11 of the server 1 in the eleventh embodiment.

[0207] The weather distance DB320 is a database that stores the total walkable distance, which is the upper limit distance of the delivery route according to the weather, and stores "weather" and "total walkable distance" in association with each other. Here, for "bad weather", "0.5 km" is stored as the "total walkable distance", and for "others", "0.8 km" is stored as the "total walkable distance". In FIG. 32, the "total walkable distance" for "bad weather" corresponds to an example of the second upper limit distance, and the "total walkable distance" corresponding to the other conditions corresponds to an example of the first upper limit distance. In this way, in the weather distance DB320, the total walkable distance is set shorter in bad weather than in other cases.

[0208] Incidentally, "bad weather" includes, for example, rain, strong winds, and snow, while "other" includes, for example, sunny and cloudy weather.

[0209] 33 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of the information providing system according to the embodiment 11. In S101, the control unit 15 acquires the package DB 31, the package-delivery route DB 41, and the weather distance DB 320 from the memory 11.

[0210] In S102, the control unit 15 of the server 1 acquires weather information from the weather information providing server 3 using the communication unit 13. Here, the weather information transmitted is current weather information. In S103, the control unit 15 uses the weather information acquired in S102 to determine whether or not the weather is bad.

[0211] In S104, the control unit 15 refers to the weather distance DB 320 and sets the total walkable distance according to the determination result of S103. Here, if the determination result of S103 is bad weather, the total walkable distance is set to 0.5 km, and if the determination result of S103 is not bad weather, the total walkable distance is set to 0.8 km.

[0212] In S105, process A is executed to identify the delivery route. Process A is the process of S2 to S4 in FIG. 8. In S106, the control unit 15 calculates the total distance of the delivery route identified in S105. Here, the control unit 15 identifies the distance of each route included in the delivery route identified in S105 by referring to the route distance DBs 51 and 52, and calculates the total distance of the delivery route by finding the sum of the distances of the identified routes. For example, in the example of the delivery route in FIG. 6, the distances of the routes "SR0001", "DR0001", and "SR0002" included in this delivery route are identified from the route distance DBs 51 and 52, and the total distance is calculated.

[0213] In S107, the control unit 15 determines whether the total distance calculated in S106 is less than the total walkable distance set in S104. If the total distance is less than the walkable distance (YES in S107), the delivery route identified in S105 has a total distance appropriate for the current weather, so it is determined as the optimal delivery route, and the process ends.

[0214] On the other hand, if the total distance is equal to or greater than the walkable distance (NO in S107), the process proceeds to S108. In S108, the control unit 15 identifies the longest route among the routes constituting the delivery route identified in S105.

[0215] For example, in the above-mentioned example of the delivery route, since it is composed of three routes, "SR0001", "DR0001", and "SR0002", the route with the longest distance among these routes is identified.

[0216] In S109, the control unit 15 deletes one of the destinations located on the upstream and downstream sides of the longest route identified in S108 from the delivery route identified in S105. Here, the control unit 15 deletes the destination if the longest route is a route connecting the delivery start location to the destination, deletes the downstream destination if the longest route is a route connecting two destinations, and deletes the destination if the longest route is a route connecting the destination to the delivery start location.

[0217] When the process of S109 is completed, the process returns to S106. In S106, the total distance for the delivery route excluding the destination deleted in S109 is calculated. In the above example of the delivery route, if the route "DR0001" is determined to be the longest route, the total distance for the delivery route excluding the destination "GUEST0002" located downstream is calculated. That is, the flow of FIG. 33 is a process of deleting the destination corresponding to the longest route until the total distance of the delivery route becomes less than the total walkable distance according to the weather.

[0218] In this way, according to the present embodiment, in bad weather, the total walkable distance is set to a shorter distance than in other weather conditions, and destinations are deleted so that the total distance of the delivery route is shorter than the set distance. This makes it possible to prevent the burden on delivery personnel from increasing due to bad weather and ensure the safety of delivery personnel.

[0219] (Embodiment 12) The twelfth embodiment embodies a method for calculating an evaluation value of a delivery route. FIG. 34 is a diagram showing a formula for calculating an evaluation value. Formula (2) is a formula for calculating an evaluation value of a certain delivery route. Formula (1) is a formula for calculating Wi in formula (2). The calculation of the evaluation value using formulas (1) and (2) is performed by the evaluation value calculation unit 12.

[0220] In formula (2), E indicates an evaluation value. Wi indicates the baggage load according to the weight of the baggage carried by the delivery person while moving along the i-th route, which is the i-th route constituting the delivery route. Di indicates the route load according to the distance or required time of the i-th route. For example, if the distance of the i-th route is 100 m, the route load Di is 100. Alternatively, if the delivery person needs to walk the i-th route in 5 minutes, the route load Di is 5. N indicates the total number of routes included in a certain delivery route. In the example of the delivery route in Figure 6, the total number of routes is 3.

[0221] That is, the evaluation value E shown in formula (2) indicates the sum of the delivery load (= Wi·Di) over all routes, which is the product of the baggage load Wi and the route load Di.

[0222] In formula (1), wik indicates the load (e.g., weight) of one piece of luggage k carried by the delivery person while moving along the i-th route. Ki indicates the total number of pieces of luggage carried by the delivery person while moving along the i-th route. Therefore, the luggage load Wi in formula (1) indicates the total load of luggage carried by the delivery person on the i-th route.

[0223] In this way, the evaluation value E increases as the distance of each route constituting the delivery route increases and as the weight of the package carried on each route increases. Therefore, by identifying the delivery route that minimizes the evaluation value E as the optimal delivery route, it is possible to present a delivery route that places a low physical burden on the delivery person. In addition, the evaluation value E takes into account the baggage load Wi of the package carried by the delivery person on foot, and therefore has a value that accurately reflects the burden on the delivery person.

[0224] (Embodiment 13) In the thirteenth embodiment, the evaluation value is calculated taking into consideration the size of the luggage. FIG. 35 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the size-corresponding DB 350 stored in the memory 11 of the server 1 in the thirteenth embodiment. The size-corresponding DB 350 is a database that stores load coefficients according to the size of the luggage, and stores the "total value of the three sides (W+H+D)" in association with the "load coefficient." The "total value of the three sides (W+H+D)" is the total value of the width (W), height (H), and depth (D) of the luggage, and represents the size of the luggage. The "load coefficient" is a coefficient used when calculating wik shown in formula (1), and is set to a larger value as the size of the luggage increases. This load coefficient is an example of the first load coefficient.

[0225] Here, in size correspondence DB 350, evaluation value calculation unit 12 may select a load coefficient of 0.5 if the total value of the three sides is 60 or less, select a load coefficient of 1 if the total value of the three sides is greater than 60 and less than 80, select a load coefficient of 1.5 if the total value of the three sides is greater than 80 and less than 120, and select a load coefficient of 3.0 if the total value of the three sides is greater than 120 and less than 160. Note that if the total value of the three sides is greater than 160, evaluation value calculation unit 12 may select, for example, 3.0 as the load coefficient.

[0226] For example, referring to equation (1), an example will be described for luggage k with a weight of α kg and a size of 60. In this case, since the load coefficient is 0.5 according to the size correspondence DB 350, wik is calculated by wik = α × 0.5. wik is similarly calculated for luggage other than luggage k by weight × correction coefficient. Then, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 substitutes wik calculated for each luggage in this way into equation (1) to find the luggage load Wi, and calculates the evaluation value E using equation (2).

[0227] In this manner, according to this embodiment, the evaluation value increases as the size of the package increases, so that an evaluation value can be calculated that more appropriately takes into account the actual delivery load of the delivery person.

[0228] (Embodiment 14) In the fourteenth embodiment, the evaluation value is calculated taking into consideration the type of the luggage. FIG. 36 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the type-associated DB 360 stored in the memory 11 of the server 1 in the fourteenth embodiment. The type-associated DB 360 is a database that stores load coefficients according to the type of luggage, and stores "type" and "load coefficient" in association with each other. "Type" indicates the type of luggage, such as "normal", "fragile, no need to turn upside down", "cool", and "golf". "Fragile, no need to turn upside down" indicates the type of luggage, such as glass, ceramics, and precision machinery, which is likely to break if turned upside down or thrown. "Cool" indicates the type of luggage that needs to be cooled, such as fresh food and frozen food. "Golf" indicates the type of luggage, such as a golf bag that stores multiple golf clubs. "Normal" indicates the type of luggage other than these.

[0229] The "load coefficient" is a coefficient used to calculate wik shown in formula (1), and a larger value is set for types of luggage that are difficult to carry or require careful handling, which places a greater burden on the delivery person when carrying them. This load coefficient is an example of the second load coefficient.

[0230] For example, referring to formula (1), an explanation will be given of an example of luggage k weighing α kg and classified as cool. In this case, since the load coefficient is 2 according to the type correspondence DB 360, wik is calculated by wik = α × 2. Similarly, wik for luggage other than luggage k is calculated by weight × correction coefficient. Then, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 substitutes wik calculated for each luggage in this way into formula (1) to find the luggage load Wi, and calculates the evaluation value E using formula (2).

[0231] In this way, according to this embodiment, an appropriate evaluation value is calculated that takes into consideration the delivery load on the delivery person according to the type of package.

[0232] (Embodiment 15) In the fifteenth embodiment, the evaluation value is calculated taking into account the altitude difference of each route constituting the delivery route. FIG. 37 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the altitude difference correspondence DB 370 stored in the memory 11 of the server 1 in the fifteenth embodiment. The altitude difference correspondence DB 370 is a database that stores load coefficients according to altitude differences, and stores "altitude differences" and "load coefficients" in association with each other. The "altitude difference" indicates the altitude difference of the i-th route. Here, the altitude difference may be the difference between the maximum altitude and the minimum altitude in the i-th route. Alternatively, the altitude difference may be the total value of the differences between the maximum altitude and the minimum altitude calculated for each of the uphill and downhill sections included in the i-th route. Therefore, the altitude difference takes a positive value if it is an uphill section, and takes a negative value if it is a downhill section. The altitude difference of each route may be stored in advance in the route distance DB 51 and the route distance DB 52 shown in FIG. 5.

[0233] The "load coefficient" is a coefficient used when calculating the route load Di shown in formula (2), and is set to a larger value as the altitude difference in the ascending direction increases. This load coefficient is an example of the third load coefficient.

[0234] Here, in the altitude difference correspondence DB370, if the altitude difference is -3 m or less, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 selects a load coefficient of 0.5, if the altitude difference is greater than -3 m and less than or equal to 0 m, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 selects a load coefficient of 1, if the altitude difference is greater than 0 m and less than or equal to 3 m, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 selects a load coefficient of 1.5, and if the altitude difference is greater than 3 m, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 selects a load coefficient of 2.

[0235] For example, with reference to formula (2), an i-th route with a distance of 100 m and an altitude difference of 3 m will be described as an example. In this case, since the load coefficient is 1.5 from the altitude difference correspondence DB 370, the route load Di is calculated by Di = 100 x 1.5. Then, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 substitutes the route load Di calculated for each route in this manner into formula (2) to calculate the evaluation value E. Note that in this embodiment, the baggage load Wi calculated by any of the methods of embodiments 12 to 14 is used.

[0236] Thus, according to this embodiment, the evaluation value is calculated to be higher for delivery routes that include routes in which the altitude difference increases in the upward direction, making it possible to calculate an appropriate evaluation value that takes into greater consideration the actual burden on delivery personnel.

[0237] (Embodiment 16) In the sixteenth embodiment, an evaluation value is calculated taking into consideration the average rate of increase in the heart rate of the delivery person on each route constituting the delivery route. Fig. 38 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the route distance DB381 and the route distance DB382 stored in the memory 11 of the server 1 in the sixteenth embodiment. The route distance DB381 and DB382 further include "average heart rate increase rate" in addition to the route distance DB51 and DB52 shown in Fig. 5.

[0238] The "average heart rate increase rate" was calculated by measuring the heart rate of the delivery person using a sensor when delivering the package along each route. Specifically, the difference between the heart rate at the start of delivery and the heart rate at the arrival at the destination along each route was divided by the time required for the journey, and the average value of the obtained values ​​for all delivery people was calculated.

[0239] To achieve this, the delivery person is assumed to wear a sensor for measuring the heart rate during delivery. The delivery person terminal 2 periodically transmits the heart rate obtained by the sensor to the server 1 in association with the measurement time and the current location, and the control unit 15 of the server 1 correlates the heart rate transmitted from the delivery person terminal 2, the measurement time, and the current location, and accumulates them in the memory 11 as a heart rate log. The control unit 15 then refers to the heart rate log to appropriately calculate the average heart rate increase rate for each route, and stores it in the route distance DB381 and DB382.

[0240] 39 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of a heart rate correspondence DB 390 according to embodiment 16. The heart rate correspondence DB 390 is a database that stores load coefficients corresponding to average heart rate increase rates, and stores "average heart rate increase rates" and "load coefficients" in association with each other.

[0241] The "average heart rate increase rate" corresponds to the "average heart rate increase rate" stored in the route distance DB 381 and the DB 382. The "load coefficient" is a coefficient used when calculating the route load Di shown in the formula (2), and is set to a larger value as the average heart rate increase rate increases. This load coefficient is an example of a fourth load coefficient.

[0242] Here, in the heart rate correspondence DB390, if the average heart rate is 0 or less, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 selects a load coefficient of 1; if the average heart rate increase rate is greater than 0 and less than 20, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 selects a load coefficient of 1.2; if the average heart rate is greater than 20 and less than 40, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 selects a load coefficient of 1.5; and if the average heart rate is greater than 40, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 selects a load coefficient of 2.

[0243] For example, with reference to formula (2), an i-th route with a distance of 100 m and an average heart rate increase rate of 20 will be described as an example. In this case, since the load coefficient is 1.2 from the heart rate correspondence DB 390, the route load Di is calculated by Di = 100 x 1.2. Then, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 substitutes the route load Di calculated for each route in this manner into formula (2) to calculate the evaluation value E. Note that in this embodiment, the baggage load Wi calculated by any of the methods of embodiments 12 to 14 is used.

[0244] According to this embodiment, the delivery route including a route with a larger average heart rate increase rate is calculated to have a higher evaluation value, so that an evaluation value that more appropriately takes into account the actual burden on the delivery person can be calculated.

[0245] In this embodiment, the delivery route is calculated taking into consideration the rate of increase in the heart rate of the delivery person along a given delivery route. Meanwhile, deliveries after parking the delivery vehicle usually occur multiple times a day. Therefore, if it is found that the delivery load along a certain delivery route is high due to an increase in heart rate, etc., it is possible to calculate the next delivery route with a higher load coefficient. This makes it possible to select a delivery route taking into consideration the degree of fatigue that accumulates in the afternoon from deliveries that occur throughout the day.

[0246] (Embodiment 17) In the seventeenth embodiment, a delivery route is specified taking age into consideration. FIG. 40 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the upper limit DB 401 and the delivery person DB 402 stored in the memory 11 of the server 1 in the seventeenth embodiment. The upper limit DB 401 is a database that stores the upper limit evaluation value of a delivery route according to the age of the delivery person, and stores "age", "gender" and "upper limit evaluation value" in association with each other. "Age" indicates the age of the delivery person. "Gender" indicates the gender of the delivery person. "Upper limit evaluation value" indicates the evaluation value of the delivery route to be restricted. Here, the upper limit evaluation value is set so that the value decreases as the age increases for the same gender. In addition, here, the upper limit evaluation value is set so that the value is smaller for women than for men for the same age. This is in consideration of the fact that the physical strength of delivery people decreases as they grow older, and that women have less physical strength than men. In addition, here, age is divided into categories such as 25 years old or younger, between 25 and 34 years old, between 34 and 44 years old, ..., and an upper limit evaluation value is set for each category. However, this classification is just one example.

[0247] Delivery person DB402 is a database that stores personal information of delivery persons, and stores "delivery person ID", "name", "age", and "gender" in association with each other. "Delivery person ID" indicates the identifier of the delivery person. "Name" indicates the name of the delivery person. "Age" indicates the age of the delivery person. "Gender" indicates the gender of the delivery person.

[0248] 41 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of the information providing system according to the embodiment 17. In S111, the control unit 15 acquires the package DB 31, the package-delivery route DB 41, the upper limit DB 401, and the delivery person DB 402 from the memory 11.

[0249] In S112, the control unit 15 refers to the delivery person DB 402 to identify the age and sex of the delivery person, and refers to the upper limit DB 401 to set an upper limit evaluation value corresponding to the age and sex of the delivery person.

[0250] Here, the control unit 15 refers to the delivery person DB 402 using the delivery person ID of the delivery person who owns the delivery person terminal 2 transmitted from the corresponding delivery person terminal 2 as a key, and identifies the age and gender of the corresponding delivery person. For example, since the delivery person in the delivery person DB 402 is 38 years old and male, the upper limit DB 401 is referred to and the upper limit evaluation value is set to 8.0.

[0251] In S113, process A is executed to determine a delivery route. Process A is the process of S2 to S4 in Fig. 8. In S114, the control unit 15 judges whether the evaluation value of the delivery route identified in S113 is less than the upper limit evaluation value set in S112. If the evaluation value is less than the upper limit evaluation value (YES in S114), the delivery route identified in S113 has an appropriate load for the corresponding delivery person, so it is determined as the optimal delivery route, and the process ends.

[0252] On the other hand, if the evaluation value is equal to or greater than the upper limit evaluation value (NO in S114), the process proceeds to S115. In S115, the control unit 15 identifies the route with the highest load among the routes constituting the delivery route identified in S113. Here, as the load, the baggage load Wi shown in formula (2) may be adopted, the route load Di may be adopted, or the delivery load shown by Wi × Di may be adopted. Since the delivery route in Fig. 6 is composed of three routes, "SR0001", "DR0001", and "SR0002", the route with the highest load among these routes is identified.

[0253] In S116, the control unit 15 deletes one of the destinations located upstream and downstream on the route with the highest load identified in S115 from the delivery route identified in S113. Details of this process are the same as S109 in Fig. 33. That is, the flow in Fig. 41 is a process of deleting destinations corresponding to the route with the highest load until the evaluation value of the delivery route becomes less than the upper limit evaluation value according to the age and sex of the delivery person.

[0254] In this way, according to the present embodiment, an upper limit evaluation value is selected according to age and sex, and if the evaluation value of a delivery route is equal to or greater than the upper limit evaluation value, destinations are deleted so that the evaluation value of the delivery route becomes smaller than the upper limit evaluation value. Therefore, a delivery route with an appropriate load according to the age of the delivery person is presented.

[0255] In this embodiment, information that contributes to the workload of the delivery person, such as age and / or gender, is input, and a delivery route is selected based on that information. Meanwhile, the physical condition of the delivery person changes from day to day. Therefore, it is also possible to have the delivery person input "good health", "normal health", "bad health", etc., regarding the physical condition of the delivery person before the start of delivery, and to calculate the delivery route according to that physical condition.

[0256] In addition, since the physical condition of a delivery person may change during the day, for morning deliveries, a delivery route may be selected based on the condition "good health", but if the delivery person begins to feel unwell in the afternoon, the delivery route may be selected based on the condition "bad health". This makes it possible to calculate a delivery route that takes into account the physical condition of the delivery person, which changes on a daily basis.

[0257] (Embodiment 18) In the eighteenth embodiment, in addition to the thirteenth embodiment, the evaluation value is calculated by taking into consideration that the delivery person carries the package using a dolly.

[0258] FIG. 50 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of a size-correspondence DB 350A stored in the memory 11 of the server 1 in the eighteenth embodiment. The size-correspondence DB 350A includes a "load coefficient (walking)" and a "load coefficient (cart)" instead of the "load coefficient" in the size-correspondence DB 350 shown in FIG. 35. The "load coefficient (walking)" is the load coefficient when a delivery person carries a package on foot, and is the same as the "load coefficient" in the size-correspondence DB 350. The "load coefficient (cart)" is the load coefficient when a delivery person carries a package using a cart.

[0259] The dolly includes a plate portion on which the package is placed, a number of rollers attached to the underside of the plate portion, and a handle portion that extends upward from the plate portion and is used by the delivery person to push the dolly. The dolly is used when transporting a number of packages taken out of a delivery vehicle to a number of destinations. The handle portion of the dolly is attached so as to be freely rotatable relative to the plate portion, and the dolly is configured to be foldable. When traveling by delivery vehicle, the dolly is loaded into the delivery vehicle in a folded state.

[0260] The dolly may have an assist function that assists the delivery person in pushing the dolly with a motor or the like. Furthermore, the dolly may be a cart. The cart is a tower-type dolly with a lattice-shaped side wall erected around a plate portion.

[0261] The physical burden on the delivery person when carrying a package on a dolly is smaller than when carrying the package on foot. Therefore, in the size-based DB350A, when the size of the package is the same, the "load coefficient (dolly)" value is set to a smaller value than the "load coefficient (foot)" value.

[0262] The "load coefficient (walking)" and "load coefficient (cart)" are coefficients used when calculating wik shown in formula (1), and are set to larger values ​​as the size of the luggage increases.

[0263] Here, in the size correspondence DB 350A, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 may select 0.1 as the load coefficient (cart) if the total value of the three sides is 60 or less, select 0.2 as the load coefficient (cart) if the total value of the three sides is greater than 60 and less than 80, select 0.4 as the load coefficient (cart) if the total value of the three sides is greater than 80 and less than 120, and select 0.5 as the load coefficient (cart) if the total value of the three sides is greater than 120 and less than 160. Note that if the total value of the three sides is greater than 160, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 may select, for example, 0.5 as the load coefficient (cart).

[0264] For example, referring to formula (1), a case where luggage k weighing α kg and size 60 is carried by a dolly will be described as an example. In this case, since the "load coefficient (dolly)" is 0.1 according to the size correspondence DB 350A, wik is calculated by wik = α × 0.1. On the other hand, if luggage k is carried by foot, since the "load coefficient (walking)" is 0.5 according to the size correspondence DB 350A, wik is calculated by wik = α × 0.5. Then, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 substitutes wik calculated for each luggage in this way into formula (1) to obtain the luggage load Wi on the i-th route, and substitutes the luggage load Wi into formula (2) to calculate the evaluation value E.

[0265] In this embodiment, wik may be calculated using a type correspondence DB 360A shown in FIG. 51 instead of the size correspondence DB 350A.

[0266] Fig. 51 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of a type correspondence DB 360A stored in the memory 11 of the server 1 in the eighteenth embodiment. The type correspondence DB 360A includes a "load coefficient (walking)" and a "load coefficient (cart)" instead of the "load coefficient" in the type correspondence DB 360 shown in Fig. 36. The "load coefficient (walking)" is the load coefficient when a delivery person carries a package on foot, and is the same as the "load coefficient" in the type correspondence DB 360. The "load coefficient (cart)" is the load coefficient when a delivery person carries a package using a cart.

[0267] The physical burden on a delivery person when carrying a package on a cart is smaller than when carrying the package on foot. Therefore, in the type-based DB360A, when the type of package is the same, the value of the "load coefficient (cart)" is set to a smaller value than the value of the "load coefficient (foot)."

[0268] The "load coefficient (walking)" and "load coefficient (cart)" are coefficients used when calculating wik shown in formula (1), and larger values ​​are set for types of luggage that are more difficult to carry or require careful handling, making it a greater burden for the delivery person to carry.

[0269] For example, referring to formula (1), a case will be described in which luggage k weighing α kg and classified as "cool" is transported by a dolly. In this case, the load coefficient (cart) is 1.2 according to the type correspondence DB 360A, so wik is calculated by wik = α × 1.2. On the other hand, if this luggage k is transported on foot, the load coefficient (walking) is 2, so wik is calculated by wik = α × 2. Then, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 substitutes wik calculated for each luggage in this way into formula (1) to obtain the luggage load Wi on the i-th route, and substitutes the luggage load Wi into formula (2) to calculate the evaluation value E.

[0270] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the evaluation value E may be calculated by calculating the route load Di using the altitude difference corresponding DB 370A shown in FIG. 52 for the wki calculated using the size corresponding DB 350A or the type corresponding DB 360A.

[0271] Fig. 52 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of altitude difference correspondence DB 370A stored in memory 11 of server 1 in embodiment 18. Altitude difference correspondence DB 370A includes "load coefficient (walking)" and "load coefficient (cart)" instead of "load coefficient" in altitude difference correspondence DB 370 shown in Fig. 37. "Load coefficient (walking)" is the load coefficient when a delivery person carries a package on foot, and is the same as the "load coefficient" in altitude difference correspondence DB 370. "Load coefficient (cart)" is the load coefficient when a delivery person carries a package using a cart.

[0272] The physical burden on the delivery person when carrying a package on a cart is smaller than when carrying the package on foot. Therefore, in the altitude difference compatible DB370A, when the altitude difference is the same, the value of "load coefficient (cart)" is set to a smaller value than the value of "load coefficient (walking)".

[0273] Here, when a delivery person uses a cart to transport a package, in the altitude difference corresponding DB370A, if the altitude difference is -3 m or less, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 selects a load coefficient of 0.1, if the altitude difference is greater than -3 m and less than or equal to 0 m, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 selects a load coefficient of 0.2, if the altitude difference is greater than 0 m and less than or equal to 3 m, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 selects a load coefficient of 0.3, and if the altitude difference is greater than 3 m, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 selects a load coefficient of 0.5.

[0274] For example, with reference to formula (2), a case will be described in which luggage is transported by a dolly on the i-th route with a distance of 100 m and an altitude difference of 3 m. In this case, the load coefficient (cart) is 0.3 according to the altitude difference correspondence DB 370A, so the route load Di is calculated as Di = 100 x 0.3. On the other hand, if luggage is transported on foot on this i-th route, the load coefficient (walking) is 1.5, so the route load Di is calculated as Di = 100 x 1.5. Then, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 substitutes the route load Di calculated for each route in this manner into equation (2) to calculate the evaluation value E.

[0275] In this embodiment, the route distance of the i-th route is calculated using a route distance DB 51A and a route distance DB 52A shown in FIG. 53, instead of the route distance DB 51 and the route distance DB 52 shown in FIG.

[0276] FIG. 53 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the route distance DB51A and the route distance DB52A in the eighteenth embodiment. The route distance DB51A is a database that stores information about routes connecting destinations that constitute a delivery route indicated by the delivery route information stored in the delivery route DB42. The route distance DB51A is the route distance DB51 shown in FIG. 5 to which "use of dolly" has been added. "Use of dolly" indicates whether or not a dolly can be used on the corresponding route. For example, the route "DR0001" in the first row is available for use with a dolly, so "available" is written in the "use of dolly" field, and the route "DR0002" in the second row is unavailable for use with a dolly, so "not available" is written in the "use of dolly" field.

[0277] The route distance DB52A is a database that stores information about the routes connecting the delivery start locations and destinations that constitute the delivery route indicated by the delivery route information stored in the delivery route DB42, and the route distance DB52 shown in FIG. 5 further includes an item "use of dolly". The item "use of dolly" indicates whether or not a dolly can be used on the corresponding route. For example, the route "SR0001" in the first row can use a dolly, so "possible" is written in the "use of dolly" item, and the route "SR0002" in the second row cannot use a dolly, so "not possible" is written.

[0278] For example, if the i-th route is the route “DR0001”, a trolley is available, so wik in formula (1) is calculated using the value of the “load coefficient (trolley)” in the size-compatible DB350A or the type-compatible DB360A, and the route load Di in formula (2) is calculated using the value of the “load coefficient (trolley)” in the altitude difference-compatible DB.

[0279] Examples of routes on which carts cannot be used include routes whose road width is narrower than the width of a cart, routes whose ground is soft and makes it difficult for a cart to move, routes that include stairs, and routes whose slopes are so steep that it makes it difficult for a cart to move.

[0280] 54 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the information providing system according to the embodiment 18. In S121, the control unit 15 of the server 1 acquires from the memory 11 the package DB 31, the package-delivery route DB 41, the size correspondence DB 350A or the type correspondence DB 360A, the altitude difference correspondence DB 370A, the route distance DB 51A, and the route distance DB 52A.

[0281] In S122, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 extracts a plurality of delivery routes corresponding to a plurality of packages to be delivered collectively by a delivery person on foot or with a cart. In this case, package IDs corresponding to the plurality of packages to be delivered are identified from the multiple package DB 43, delivery route IDs corresponding to the package IDs are identified from the package-delivery route DB 41, and a plurality of delivery routes corresponding to the delivery route IDs are identified from the delivery route DB 42.

[0282] In S123, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 refers to the route distance DB 51A and the route distance DB 52A, and extracts routes that can be used by carts for each delivery route. A case will be described in which one of the extracted delivery routes is the delivery route shown in Fig. 6, and the route distance DB 51A and the route distance DB 52A are applied to this delivery route. In this case, carts can be used for the route "SR0001" and the route "DR0001", but carts cannot be used for the route "SR0002", so the route "SR0001" and the route "DR0001" are extracted.

[0283] In S124, the evaluation value calculation unit 12 refers to the size correspondence DB 350A or the type correspondence DB 360A and the altitude difference correspondence DB 370A to determine the load coefficient of the route that can be used by the cart. In the example of the delivery route in Fig. 6, for each of the route "SR0001" and the route "DR0001", the size correspondence DB 350A or the type correspondence DB 360A is referred to to obtain the value of "load coefficient (cart)", and the altitude difference correspondence DB 370A is referred to to obtain the value of "load coefficient (cart)".

[0284] In S125, process A is executed in which the load coefficient determined in S124 is applied to the multiple delivery routes extracted in S122. Process A corresponds to S2 to S4 in FIG. 8. However, since multiple delivery routes are extracted in S122 here, the process of extracting multiple delivery routes in S2 is omitted, and an evaluation value is calculated for each of the multiple delivery routes extracted in S122. In addition, in S4, a delivery route is output in which the availability of a cart is indicated for each route. The delivery routes output here include routes where carts can be used for all routes, routes where carts can be used for some routes, and routes where carts cannot be used for all routes.

[0285] In the above explanation, if there is a route within the delivery route where carts cannot be used, no specific mention was made about how to handle the carts. However, the evaluation value may be calculated by handling the carts as follows.

[0286] For example, in the example of the delivery route in FIG. 6, assume that a cart can be used for the route "SR0001" and the route "SR0002", but a cart cannot be used for the route "DR0001". In this case, when the delivery of the package to the destination "GUEST0001" is completed, the delivery person leaves the cart there and carries the remaining packages to the destination "GUEST0002" on foot. Then, when the delivery to the destination "GUEST0002" is completed, the delivery person returns to the destination "GUEST0001" to pick up the cart again, and returns to the delivery start location "S0001" via the route "SR0001". Therefore, the delivery route in this case is, for example, the first route "SR0001", the second route "DR0001", the third route "DR0001", and the fourth route "SR0001".

[0287] The evaluation value in this case is estimated as follows. For the luggage load W1 and route load D1 on the first route "SR0001", the luggage load and route load are calculated when all luggage is carried by cart. For the luggage load W2 and route load D2 on the second route "DR0001", the luggage load and route load are calculated when the remaining luggage is carried on foot. For the luggage load W3 and route load D3 on the third route "DR0001", the luggage load and route load are calculated when the remaining luggage, or luggage bags, etc. are carried on foot if there is no luggage. For the luggage load W4 and route load D4 on the fourth route "SR0001", the luggage load is calculated when the remaining luggage, or luggage bags, etc. are carried on a cart if there is no luggage.

[0288] In the above description, the size correspondence DB 350A and the type correspondence DB 360A are used alternatively, but the present embodiment is not limited to this, and both the size correspondence DB 350A and the type correspondence DB 360A may be used. In this case, wik shown in formula (1) may be calculated as follows. For example, assume that a package k with a total value of W+H+D of 60, a type of cool, and a weight of α kg is carried by a cart. In this case, a load coefficient of "0.1" is obtained from the size correspondence DB 350A, and a load coefficient of "1.2" is obtained from the type correspondence DB 360A. Then, wik may be calculated as wik=α*(0.1*1.2) or wik=α*(0.1+1.2).

[0289] In this way, according to this embodiment, the evaluation value is calculated taking into consideration whether the package can be transported by a dolly, so that the physical load of the delivery person can be more accurately reflected. Also, in this embodiment, the delivery route showing which routes the dolly can be used for and which routes the dolly cannot be used for is presented to the delivery person, so that the delivery person can use the dolly appropriately to efficiently deliver the package.

[0290] (Embodiment 19) In the nineteenth embodiment, when a delivery person is heading to a first destination that is included in a plurality of destinations, information indicating that fact is notified to a recipient at the first destination. Fig. 55 is a diagram showing an example of a network configuration of an information provision system according to the nineteenth embodiment. In this embodiment, a user terminal 4 (an example of a second information terminal) is further added to the information provision system shown in Fig. 1.

[0291] The user terminal 4 is a terminal of a recipient of a package. The user terminal 4 may be, for example, a mobile information terminal such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, or a tablet terminal, or may be a stationary information processing terminal.

[0292] In this embodiment, when a delivery person gets off the delivery vehicle to carry a package, the server 1 obtains information indicating this from the delivery person terminal 2 via the network NT. Here, the delivery person terminal 2 obtains location information of the delivery vehicle from a GPS sensor equipped in the delivery vehicle, and when the location information indicates that the delivery vehicle has been stopped for a predetermined period or more, it may determine that the delivery person has got off the delivery vehicle and transmit a dismounting signal to the server 1. Alternatively, the delivery person terminal 2 may transmit a dismounting signal to the server 1 when, for example, a signal indicating that the engine of the delivery vehicle has been stopped is obtained from the delivery vehicle instead of or in addition to the case where the location information of the GPS sensor indicates that the delivery vehicle has been stopped. Alternatively, the delivery person terminal 2 may transmit a dismounting signal to the server 1 when, instead of or in addition to the above conditions, a signal indicating that the door of the delivery vehicle has been opened or closed is obtained from the delivery vehicle.

[0293] When the control unit 15 of the server 1 receives the disembarking signal transmitted from the delivery person terminal 2, it identifies one or more recipients of the package to be delivered to the delivery person by the disembarking indicated by the disembarking signal, and transmits information indicating that the delivery person is heading to the user terminal 4 of the identified recipient via the communication unit 13.

[0294] Here, when the mode of delivering multiple packages by stopping a delivery van at a predetermined delivery start location as shown in embodiment 2 is adopted, the control unit 15 extracts packages whose destinations are locations that are less than a threshold distance from the delivery start location based on the package DB 31 and the customer DB 32, and identifies the recipients of the extracted packages from the customer DB 32.

[0295] On the other hand, when the mode in which the delivery person does not know the delivery start location shown in the third embodiment is adopted, the control unit 15 may identify the recipient as follows. First, when the control unit 15 detects the stopping of the delivery van from the delivery person terminal 2, it guides the delivery van to the predetermined delivery start location as explained in the third embodiment. Next, after the control unit 15 detects that the delivery van has reached the delivery start location, the control unit 15 may obtain a disembarking signal from the delivery person terminal 2 and identify the recipient using the above-mentioned method.

[0296] FIG. 56 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen G56 displayed on the user terminal 4 when notifying the user of information indicating that a delivery van is on its way to the recipient in the nineteenth embodiment. The notification screen G56 has a heading "Delivery Notice." Below this heading, a message is displayed indicating that the package will be delivered shortly. Here, the message displayed is "Delivery will be made shortly. We will arrive at Mr. Sato's house after visiting three other customers. Please wait a little longer."

[0297] In this way, this message contains information indicating how many remaining packages the delivery person will deliver before visiting the recipient at home. Therefore, the recipient can know the approximate time from now when the delivery person will visit the recipient at home. This allows the recipient to prepare to receive the package and receive it in plenty of time, making it more likely that the package will be received.

[0298] Thus, according to this embodiment, when the delivery person gets off the delivery vehicle, a message is sent to the user terminal 4 held by the recipient of the package indicating that the delivery person is on his / her way, thereby preventing the recipient from being absent when the package is delivered.

[0299] (Specific examples of delivery routes) Next, a specific example of a delivery route will be described. Fig. 42 is a diagram showing an example of a delivery route RO. This delivery route RO is a delivery route that starts from point X, which is the delivery start location, passes through home A, which is the destination, and home B, which is the next destination, and returns to point X.

[0300] Here, a package LA weighing 4 kg is delivered to house A, and a package LB weighing 7 kg is delivered to house B. The delivery person puts package LA and package LB in a 1 kg bag and delivers the package on foot. The probability that the recipient at house A will be absent is 80%, and the probability that the recipient at house B will be absent is 10%. Furthermore, the travel cost from point X to house A is 5, the travel cost from house A to house B is 3, and the travel cost from house B to point X is 6. Here, the travel cost indicates the load of the delivery person taking into account the packages to be carried, and corresponds to, for example, the route load Di in formula (2).

[0301] Fig. 43 is a diagram showing the delivery route RO shown in Fig. 42 as a probabilistic binary tree T1. The binary tree T1 is represented by seven paths P1 to P7 according to whether the recipient is at home or not, such as a path P1 connecting point X to house A, a path P2 connecting house A to house B when house A is at home, and a path P3 connecting house A to house B when house A is not at home.

[0302] Fig. 44 is a diagram further explaining the binary tree T1 shown in Fig. 43. As shown in Fig. 44, for example, since the probability of absence at home A is 80%, the probability that the delivery person will take path P2 is 20%, and the probability that the delivery person will take path P3 is 80%. Furthermore, since the probability of absence at home B is 10%, the probability that the delivery person will take path P4 is 18%, which is the product of the probability of path P2 (20%) multiplied by the probability of path P4 (90%). In this manner, the probability that the delivery person will take each path is calculated.

[0303] FIG. 45 is a diagram further explaining the binary tree T1 shown in FIG. 44. If A's house is at home, the 4 kg package LA is delivered to A's house, so the weight of the package carried by the delivery person on path P2 is 8 kg, which is the sum of the 7 kg package LB and the 1 kg package bag. On the other hand, if A's house is not at home, the 4 kg package LA is not delivered to A's house, so the weight of the package carried by the delivery person on path P3 is 12 kg, which is the sum of the 4 kg package LA, the 7 kg package LB, and the 1 kg package bag. Also, since packages are delivered to both A's house and B's house on path P4, the weight of the package carried by the delivery person is 1 kg of the package bag. In this way, the probability that the delivery person will pass through each of paths P1 to P7 and the weight of the package carried by the delivery person are calculated.

[0304] FIG. 46 is a diagram further explaining the binary tree T1 shown in FIG. 45. Here, the evaluation value EXA of the path P1 between point X and house A is explained. The weight of the luggage carried by the delivery person between point X and house A is the sum of 4 kg of luggage LA, 7 kg of luggage LB, and 1 kg of luggage bag. In addition, the travel cost between point X and house A is "5". Therefore, the evaluation value EXA is EXA=5*(4+7+1)=60.

[0305] FIG. 47 is a diagram further explaining the binary tree T1 shown in FIG. 46. Here, the evaluation value EAB between house A and house B is explained. The weight of the luggage carried by the delivery person on path P2 is the sum of 7 kg of luggage LB and 1 kg of luggage bag. Also, the weight of the luggage carried by the delivery person on path P3 is the sum of 4 kg of luggage LA, 7 kg of luggage LB, and 1 kg of luggage bag. Also, the travel cost between house A and house B is "3". Therefore, the evaluation value EAB is EAB=3*{0.2*(7+1)+0.8*(4+7+1)}=33.6.

[0306] FIG. 48 is a diagram further explaining the binary tree T1 shown in FIG. 47. Here, the evaluation value EBX between the B house and the X point is explained. In the path P4, the weight of the luggage carried by the delivery person is 1 kg of the luggage bag. In addition, in the path P5, the weight of the luggage carried by the delivery person is the sum of 7 kg of the luggage LB and 1 kg of the luggage bag. In addition, in the path P6, the weight of the luggage carried by the delivery person is the sum of 4 kg of the luggage LA and 1 kg of the luggage bag. In addition, in the path P7, the weight of the luggage carried by the delivery person is the sum of 4 kg of the luggage LA, 7 kg of the luggage LB, and 1 kg of the luggage bag. In addition, the travel cost between the B house and the X point is "6". Therefore, the evaluation value EBX is EAB=6*{0.18*1+0.02*(7+1)+0.72*(4+1)+0.08*(4+7+1)}=29.4. From the above, the evaluation value EXABX of the delivery route RO is 60+33.6+29.4=123.

[0307] Fig. 49 is a diagram showing a delivery route R1 different from that in Fig. 42, expressed as a probabilistic binary tree T2. Delivery route R1 is a delivery route in which the delivery order of house A and house B is swapped with respect to delivery route RO shown in Fig. 42. In binary tree T2, the weight of the package carried by the delivery person and the probability that the delivery person will pass through each of paths P1 to P7 differ from those of binary tree T1 due to the swapping of the order of house A and house B, but the weight of the package and the probability are calculated using the same concept as binary tree T1.

[0308] As a result, the evaluation value EXB is calculated as 72, the evaluation value EBA is calculated as 17.1, and the evaluation value EAX is calculated as 24.5. The evaluation value XBAX of the delivery route RO is calculated as 72+17.1+24.5=113.6.

[0309] From this result, when comparing the delivery route RO and the delivery route R1, although both routes pass through the same destination, the evaluation value EXBAX of the delivery route R1 is smaller than the evaluation value EXABX of the delivery route RO, and it can be seen that the delivery route R1 is a delivery route that places less of a burden on the delivery person. Therefore, in this case, the delivery route R1 is identified as the optimal delivery route and is notified to the delivery person.

[0310] (Modification) In the above embodiment, the optimal delivery route is identified using the evaluation value, but the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the optimal delivery route may be identified using other indices.

[0311] Furthermore, the altitude difference in the altitude difference correspondence DB 370 may be treated as information indicating road conditions included in the first transportation route information. [Industrial Applicability]

[0312] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to present an efficient delivery route when a delivery person carries a package on foot, which is useful for improving the efficiency of the delivery person's transportation work. [Explanation of symbols]

[0313] 1: Server 2: Delivery staff terminal 3: Weather information server 11: Memory 12: Evaluation value calculation unit 13: Communications Department 14: Delivery route determination department 15: Control section 21: Memory 22: GPS 23: Control section 24: Reading unit 25: Communications Department 26:Display section 27: Input section

Claims

1. The computer of the information provision system, Acquire information about a delivery person who delivers multiple packages by delivery vehicle, Obtain first delivery route information including a plurality of destinations to which the plurality of packages should be delivered; Identifying a first delivery route passing through the plurality of destinations from an evaluation value calculated based on the first delivery route information; outputting information indicating the specified first delivery route to a first information terminal used by the delivery person; The first delivery route information calculates the evaluation value based on road conditions of the first delivery route. Information provision method.

2. The information providing method according to claim 1, The evaluation value is set to an upper limit evaluation value based on information about the delivery person, and a first delivery route that passes through the plurality of destinations and has an evaluation value smaller than the upper limit evaluation value is identified. Information provision method.

3. 2. The information providing method according to claim 1, The specified first delivery route is displayed on a display of the first information terminal. Information provision method.

4. 2. The information providing method according to claim 1, The first delivery route starts from a delivery start location, passes through a plurality of destinations to which the plurality of packages are to be delivered, and ends at the delivery start location. Information provision method.

5. 5. The information providing method according to claim 4, wherein the delivery start location is a location where the delivery person stops the delivery vehicle, and the first delivery route starts from the location where the delivery person stops the delivery vehicle, passes through the plurality of destinations on foot by the delivery person, and ends at the location where the delivery person stops the delivery vehicle. Information provision method.

6. 2. The information providing method according to claim 1, The first delivery route information calculates the evaluation value based on road conditions of the first delivery route and a distance of the first delivery route, The road condition of the first delivery route is an altitude difference of the first delivery route, The evaluation value is calculated so as to become higher as the altitude difference increases in an ascending direction. Information provision method.

7. 2. The information providing method according to claim 1, Identifying the first delivery route includes: calculating an evaluation value of the first delivery route based on first parcel information and the first delivery route information, and when the calculated evaluation value is equal to or greater than an upper limit evaluation value, deleting at least one destination from among the plurality of destinations so that the evaluation value becomes smaller than the upper limit evaluation value. Information provision method.

8. 8. The information providing method according to claim 7, The first delivery route information calculates the evaluation value based on road conditions of the first delivery route and a distance of the first delivery route, retrieving from a memory an upper limit distance of a delivery route according to weather conditions; The distance of the first delivery route is set to an upper limit distance according to the weather. Information provision method.

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