Work planning system, and work planning method

Abstract

To provide a work planning system capable of automatically planning work by incorporating the know-how of planners of manual work planning.SOLUTION: A work planning system 1 includes: a visualization program 23 that outputs a screen in which the work plan is visualized; a manual planning program 22 that creates a work plan by manually inputting operations for cases narrowed down by manually set conditions; and a plan hybrid planning program 21 that automatically creates a work plan when the number of combinations falls below a certain value and causes the visualization program 23 to visualize the automatically created work plan by using a mathematical optimization technology.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a work planning system and a work planning method. [Background technology]

[0002] In the past, workers were dispatched to social infrastructure facilities such as elevators to inspect them. The facilities that the workers were responsible for could span multiple buildings and multiple regions, and the workers needed time to plan their visit to the facilities in advance, considering travel time and work time.

[0003] In recent years, with the development of mathematical optimization technology, planning work that applies mathematical optimization technology is becoming automated. For example, Patent Document 1 describes that "the suitability of each worker for each task is estimated using a specified algorithm, and worker candidates to be assigned to each task are identified according to the level of the estimated suitability, and based on the information on each task and the information on the candidate workers, a specified work plan formulation algorithm is used to determine the order of tasks and the assigned workers so as to satisfy specified constraints for each task, and a work plan is generated." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-062656 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the planning process still faces the following problems (1) to (3).

[0006] (1) Challenges in automating planning tasks using mathematical optimization technology When there are a large number of cases to be planned, the number of combinations of work sites for each case increases, resulting in combination explosion. For this reason, unless the number of combinations is reduced in pre-processing, the time required to create a plan increases. In order to reduce the number of combinations in pre-processing, the planner's know-how, which is tacit knowledge, must be verbalized and incorporated as a constraint. However, because know-how is tacit knowledge, incorporating the planner's know-how into the constraints is time-consuming. In addition, the results of an automatically created plan may not fully reflect the planner's intentions or the latest situation on that day.

[0007] (2) Issues with traditional manual planning There are cases where the planner, such as a call center operator, is not familiar with the area around the work site. In this case, it is difficult for the planner to create a plan that is highly efficient and productive, taking into account the relative positions and travel time for each case based on the location information of the case. For this reason, unless the planner is accustomed to planning, appropriate planning cannot be done, which causes the work to depend on individual people. Even if the planner knows the area, he or she needs to consider a lot of information, such as the desired date for each task, deadline, work time, travel time between tasks, and worker shifts. With that information in mind, the plan must be created within the available work time of the workers, which increases the amount of planning work required. In addition, it was difficult to create a plan that was highly efficient in terms of travel and productivity.

[0008] (3) Common issues between automatic and manual planning It is possible for a planner to create an individually optimized plan by creating a plan for each worker, but it is difficult to achieve overall optimization that takes into account the movement efficiency and productivity of the entire workforce, as different workers may create plans to handle nearby projects.

[0009] As described above, the maintenance planning work for social infrastructure facilities involves a large number of facilities for which planning is required, and unless the number of combinations is reduced in pre-processing, the planning time will be long. In addition, there is no device that can balance the automation and manual aspects of planning work and apply mathematical optimization technology based on plans created manually.

[0010] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 allows for manual modification of plans based on the results of plans drawn up using mathematical optimization technology. However, it is not possible to apply plan optimization technology based on plans created manually. For this reason, if the results of automatic planning are not satisfactory, it is necessary to manually recreate the plan.

[0011] The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to create an optimal work plan by combining "manual" planning and "automated planning using mathematical optimization technology." [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The work plan creation system of the present invention includes a visualization unit that outputs a screen that visualizes a work plan for assigning workers to work locations; a manual plan creation unit that creates work plans by manually input operations for cases narrowed down by manually set conditions; and a hybrid plan creation unit that repeats the processing of the manual plan creation unit and the processing of the visualization unit outputting the work plans created by the manual plan creation unit on the screen until the number of combinations of a plurality of work locations assigned to the manually created work plans falls below a certain value, and when the number of combinations falls below the certain value, automatically creates a work plan using mathematical optimization technology and causes the visualization unit to visualize the automatically created work plan. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, an optimal work plan can be created by combining "manual" planning and "automated planning using mathematical optimization technology." Problems, configurations and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a planning system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of each data table configured in a storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Diagram 3] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a field configuration of a task data table according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a field configuration of a work plan data table according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 4 is a diagram showing an example of a field configuration of a worker data table according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a field configuration of a worker shift data table according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a field configuration of an area data table according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 8] 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of a visualization program of a planning server and a hybrid planning program according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of an area and date selection screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of a planning screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 5 is a flowchart showing a detailed example of processing of a visualization program according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of a map information display function of an area according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of a Gantt chart display function for a worker according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of a Gantt chart display function for work plan data according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of processing (first half) of a base and activity data display function according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16]13 is a flowchart showing an example of processing (second half) of a base and activity data display function according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of a work data filter function according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of a work plan display function according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of a plan hybrid planning program according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of a manual plan planning program according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a procedure for correcting a patrol route of a worker according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functions or configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0016] [One embodiment] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an operation planning system 1 according to an embodiment. The operation planning system 1 includes a planning server 10 and a client PC 30, which are connected to a network N such as the Internet and can transmit and receive data to and from each other.

[0017] The planning server 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a memory 12, a network interface 14, and a storage device 15, all of which are connected to one another via a bus 13. The planning server 10 is an example of hardware used as a computer capable of operating as a computing device according to this embodiment. The planning server 10 according to this embodiment realizes a work plan planning method in which the programs shown in FIG. 1 work together by causing the computer constituting the planning server 10 to execute a program.

[0018] The CPU 11 reads out program code of software for realizing each function according to the present embodiment from the storage device 15, loads it into the memory 12, and executes it. Variables, parameters, etc. generated during the arithmetic processing of the CPU 11 are temporarily written into the memory 12, and these variables, parameters, etc. are read out as appropriate by the CPU 11. However, instead of the CPU 11, an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) may be used, or the CPU 11 and a GPU may be used together.

[0019] The memory 12 is configured by, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The memory 12 includes a hybrid plan planning program 21 (an example of a hybrid plan planning section), a manual plan planning program 22 (an example of a manual plan planning section), and a visualization program 23 (an example of a visualization section) executed by the CPU 11. Detailed operation examples of each program will be described later.

[0020] The network interface 14 may be, for example, a network interface card (NIC), and may transmit and receive various data to and from the client PC 30 via a local area network (LAN) or dedicated line connected to a terminal of the NIC.

[0021] The storage device 15 may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic tape, or a non-volatile memory. In addition to an operating system (OS) and various parameters, a program for making the planning server 10 function as a computer is recorded in this storage device 15. The memory 12 and the storage device 15 record programs, data, and the like required for the CPU 11 to operate, and are used as an example of a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium that stores a program executed by the planning server 10.

[0022] The client PC 30 includes a network interface 31, a memory 32, a display device 33, an I / O (Input / Output) interface 35, a CPU 36, and an input device 37, all of which are connected to one another via a bus 34. In this embodiment, a planner who operates the client PC 30 to plan a work plan (hereinafter also abbreviated as "plan") is called a user. Note that a worker himself may act as a user and operate the client PC 30 to plan a work plan.

[0023] The network interface 31 may be, for example, a NIC, and various data can be transmitted to and received from the planning server 10 via a communication line, a dedicated line, or the like connected to a terminal of the NIC.

[0024] The memory 32 is configured by, for example, a ROM, a RAM, etc. The memory 32 processes a Web browsing program executed by the CPU 36, etc.

[0025] The display device 33 is, for example, a liquid crystal display monitor, and displays to the user the results of the processing performed by the client PC 10. The input device 37 is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, etc., and allows the user to input predetermined operations and give instructions.

[0026] The I / O interface 35 is used to read data from and write data to a portable memory when the memory is plugged in.

[0027] The CPU 36 controls the operation of each part of the client PC 30. The CPU 36 also temporarily writes variables, parameters, etc. generated during the calculation process to the memory 32 and reads them out as appropriate. When the client PC 30 is used in an offline environment in which it cannot communicate with the planning server 10, each program written in the memory 12 of the planning server 10 is stored in the memory 32 and executed as appropriate.

[0028] Next, the data structure of each piece of data stored in the storage device 15 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of each data table configured in the storage device 15. As shown in FIG. The storage device 15 includes a work data table 41, a work plan data table 42, a worker data table 43, a worker shift data table 44, and an area data table 45.

[0030] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a field configuration of the work data table 41. Note that, among the data described below, the number field (indicated with #) is an item number, so the actual data does not necessarily need to have a number field.

[0031] The work data table 41 is composed of fields of a work ID assigned to identify a work, an area ID assigned to identify a work area, a worker ID assigned to identify a worker, a work type (content) indicating the work assigned to the worker, a work time indicating the time required for the work, a deadline for completing the work expressed in days, a desired work date, location information, a plan allocation flag, and a work completion flag. The conditions set by the user to narrow down the works may include travel time to the work site. The conditions may include at least one of the above-mentioned work assigned to the worker, the work type of the worker, the desired work date, work that has exceeded the deadline for the work, the number of days until the deadline, travel time to the work site, and work time. The location information is latitude and longitude information indicating the location of the area, but may also be other coded address information.

[0032] The plan allocation flag is a flag that indicates whether a plan has been assigned to a certain task. If a plan has been assigned, "Done: 1" is stored, and if a plan has not been assigned, "Not yet: 0" is stored.

[0033] The work completion flag is a flag that indicates whether or not a certain task has been completed. If the task has been completed, "Completed: 1" is stored, and if the task has not been completed, "Not yet: 0" is stored. When a work plan is created, the work completion flag is in the "Not yet: 0" state. When a worker finishes work at the work site, the worker inputs the completion of the task from the mobile terminal he or she carries. This input operation stores "Completed: 1" in the work completion flag.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a field configuration of the work plan data table 42. As shown in FIG. The work plan data table 42 is composed of fields for the job ID, worker ID, scheduled work date, which is the planned start date of the job, the job ID of the starting point of the movement, which is the work to be performed at the facility from which the worker will move, the start time of the movement, the end time of the movement, the start time of the work, the end time of the work, the start time of the movement to the base, and the end time of the movement to the base.

[0035] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a field configuration of the worker data table 43. The worker data table 43 is configured with fields for a base ID, location information, and area ID in addition to a worker ID and a worker name.

[0036] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a field configuration of the worker shift data table 44. The worker shift data table 44 is composed of fields for worker ID, date, and shift information.

[0037] The shift information field stores shift information that indicates the time period during which the worker performs maintenance work. Shift information "1" is "morning work", "2" is "afternoon work", "3" is "full day work", and "4" is "non-work".

[0038] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a field configuration of the area data table 45. As shown in FIG. The area data table 45 is made up of fields for area ID and location information.

[0039] Next, an example of the processing of each program of the planning server 10 (one example of a work planning method) will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0040] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the visualization program 23 and the hybrid plan planning program 21 of the planning server 10.

[0041] The planning server 10 first executes the processing of the visualization program 23 (S1). The visualization program 23 outputs a screen that visualizes a work plan for allocating workers to work sites.

[0042] The manual planning program 22 appropriately processes the screen visualized by the visualization program 23. For example, the manual planning program 22 formulates a work plan for cases narrowed down by manually set conditions through manually input operations. Cases narrowed down by certain conditions include information such as a work location, task, and task time associated with the case. Usually, one case includes one work location and one task (maintenance inspection, etc.). However, one case may include two work locations (e.g., multiple elevators in the same building) and one task (maintenance inspection, etc.). Also, one case may include one work location (e.g., one elevator) and multiple tasks (parts replacement, maintenance inspection, etc.).

[0043] Next, the plan making server 10 performs processing of the plan hybrid planning program 21 (S2) and ends this processing. The plan hybrid planning program 21 repeats processing of the plan manual planning program 22 and processing of the visualization program 23 outputting the work plan made by the plan manual planning program 22 to a screen until the number of combinations of multiple work sites assigned to the manually made work plan becomes a certain value or less. Thereafter, when the number of combinations of multiple work sites becomes a certain value or less, the plan hybrid planning program 21 automatically makes a work plan and makes the visualization program 23 visualize the automatically made work plan using a mathematical optimization technique.

[0044] Before describing the details of the processing of each program, a display example of a screen visualized on the display device 33 of the client PC 30 by the visualization program 23 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0045] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a display example of the area and date selection screen W1. The area and date selection screen W1 includes an area selection section W11 and a date selection section W12. The area selection section W11 is a table consisting of fields for area name and planning target. When the user selects an area for planning, the user clicks a radio button in the planning target field. Here, it is shown that area A has been selected as the planning target.

[0046] The date selection unit W12 displays a monthly calendar. The date W12a (for example, March 2, 2023) selected by the user from the calendar is highlighted. In the subsequent processing, a plan is created for the area and date selected by the user.

[0047] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display example of the planning screen W2. The plan creation screen W2 includes a condition search section W21, a route display section W22, and a worker-specific plan display section W23. The visualization program 23 outputs a screen including the condition search section W21 in which a search instruction for cases is given based on manually selected conditions, the route display section W22 in which work sites for cases that satisfy the conditions and to which plans can be assigned are displayed together with the patrol routes of workers, and the worker-specific plan display section W23 in which details of work plans are displayed for each worker.

[0048] The condition search section W21 displays conditions that the user can input for planning. The conditions include, for example, the worker's work, work type, desired work date, work past the deadline, number of days until the deadline, travel time, and work time, and a radio button is provided for each condition. The user can select one or more conditions by pressing a radio button, and the work data is filtered according to the selected condition. The operation of pressing a radio button is called turning on a radio button. When a radio button is turned on, the display color of the radio button changes from white to black. The work data after filtering contains less data than before filtering, so the number of combinations of work sites is reduced.

[0049] The contents of each condition will be explained. Once the tasks for which the worker is responsible are selected, the list is narrowed down to only those jobs for which the worker for whom the work plan is being drawn up is displayed. When a task type is selected, the results are narrowed down to only those cases that match the task type. When a desired work date is selected, the list is narrowed down to only those cases whose desired work date is set to the work date for which planning is being performed. When overdue tasks are selected, the list is narrowed down to only those tasks whose deadlines have passed as of the task date being planned. When the number of days until the response deadline is selected, the items are narrowed down to only those that, as of the work date for which planning is being performed, fall within the number of days until the response deadline set by the user. When a travel time is selected, the results are narrowed down to only those that fall within the set travel time range. When a work time is selected, the jobs will be narrowed down to only those that fall within the set work time range.

[0050] The user selects a condition by pressing a radio button associated with each condition, and presses the Apply button W21a to start the work plan creation process described below. The visualization program 23 outputs a screen in which the nodes representing the work site are visualized on a map.

[0051] The route display unit W22 displays the work sites and tour routes of the area selected in the area selection unit W11 together with a map. The route display unit W22 in FIG. 10 displays a tour route based on the work plan of worker A. In the route display unit W22, the plan allocation flag is "Not yet: 0", and the work to which a work plan has not been assigned is represented by a node with a white mark 220, and the base of the worker is represented by a node with a star-shaped mark 221. On the other hand, the plan allocation flag is "Completed: 1", and the case to which a work plan has been assigned is represented by a node with a black mark 222. In addition, the node of the work site to which a work plan cannot be assigned is displayed in an inactive state, changing its display from the white mark 220 to a gray mark 225.

[0052] The nodes to which a work plan is assigned to a worker selected by the user are connected by arrows 223. The multiple arrows 223 form a tour route 226 for the worker. The tour route 226 shown in the figure forms a route in which the worker leaves a base, passes through multiple work site nodes, and returns to the base. However, the base from which the worker starts his / her departure may be different from the base to which the worker returns after completing all work.

[0053] A work plan manually created by a user is indicated by an arrow 223 added from a base to some work sites by the manual plan creation program 22. Also, a work plan automatically created by the manual plan creation program 22 is indicated as a tour route candidate 224 indicated by a diagonal line in the figure, and when the user presses the confirm button W26, the tour route candidate 224 is confirmed and an arrow 223 is added. Therefore, the user does not need to create all of the tour routes 226 for the worker, and can confirm the tour route 226 by the automatically created tour route candidate 224 after specifying some work sites.

[0054] The worker-specific plan display section W23 displays, for each worker, the schedules of workers who are available to work on the equipment to be worked on for the date selected by the user. For example, the schedules of three workers, A, B, and C, are displayed. Note that work cannot be assigned to any worker during break time or non-working time. In addition, workers who are not working in the morning or afternoon, and workers who are not in charge of the area selected in the area selection section W11, are not displayed in the worker-specific plan display section W23.

[0055] For this reason, A's work plan is that in the morning (between 8:00 and 12:00), A will travel from the base to the first piece of equipment, work on the first piece of equipment, and then work on the second and third pieces of equipment. After a break, in the afternoon (between 13:00 and 17:00), A will finish the third piece of work he has been continuing from the morning, then work on the fourth and fifth pieces of equipment, and return to the base by 17:00.

[0056] Below the worker-specific plan display section W23, a confirm button W26, a correction button W27, and a comparison button W28 are provided. The user looks at the display contents of the route display section W22 and the worker-specific plan display section W23, and if the user judges that there is no problem with the work plan, he or she presses the confirm button W26. When the confirm button W26 is pressed, the work plan is confirmed, and the work plan is distributed to the mobile terminal or the like carried by the worker. On the other hand, if the user judges that there is a problem with the work plan, he or she presses the correction button W27 to correct the work plan. Correcting the work plan is, for example, a process of making corrections to a work plan that has been confirmed, such as adding or deleting a work site, changing a shift, etc. The comparison button W28 is a button that displays the tour routes 226 of multiple workers in a comparative manner. An example of the tour routes 226 compared by the comparison button W28 will be described later in FIG. 21.

[0057] It is assumed that all the workers shown in the worker-specific plan display section W23 in Fig. 10 belong to the same base. However, the schedules of workers who belong to different bases may be displayed in the worker-specific plan display section W23. In this case, the condition search section W21 is provided with a button for selecting bases, and when the user selects multiple bases, the schedules of the workers who belong to the selected bases are displayed.

[0058] As described above, Fig. 10 shows the patrol route based on the work plan of Person A. When the user creates a work plan for Person B, the user must manually create the work plan after selecting the worker name of Person B in the worker name display section W24.

[0059] Furthermore, when the user selects one of the nodes displayed in the worker-specific plan display section W23, information about the work at that node is displayed in a balloon as the work display section W22a. The work display section W22a displays the specific details of the travel time required for the user to travel to the work site, the work time, the desired work date, the deadline, and the work type selected in the condition search section W21. This allows the user to check the work content, the time required for the work, etc. for each node.

[0060] Next, an example of the processing of the visualization program 23 will be described. In the following description, the processing in which the visualization program 23 creates screen data for the screens shown in Fig. 9 and Fig. 10, transmits the screen data to the client PC 30 via the network interface 14, and displays the screen on the display device 33 may be described as "the visualization program 23 displays." In addition, the reception by the visualization program 23 via the network interfaces 31, 14 of operation data in which the user has made some selection using the input device 37 based on the screen displayed on the client PC 30 may be described as "the visualization program 23 selects."

[0061] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a detailed example of the processing of the visualization program 23. First, the visualization program 23 creates data for an area selection screen (area and date selection screen W1 shown in FIG. 9). After that, the visualization program 23 transmits data for the area selection section W11 screen to the client PC 30, and displays the area selection section W11 on the display device 33 (S11).

[0062] Next, the visualization program 23 transmits data of a screen for the user to select a date to the client PC 30, and displays a date selection section W12 on the display device 33 of the client PC 30 (S12).

[0063] Next, the visualization program 23 executes an area map information display function (S13). The area map information display function is a function in which the visualization program 23 displays map information of an area selected by a user on the route display unit W22. The area map information display function will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 12.

[0064] Next, the visualization program 23 executes a Gantt chart display function for workers (S14). The Gantt chart display function for workers is a function in which the visualization program 23 displays workers who can work in an area selected by a user in a Gantt chart in the worker-by-worker plan display unit W23. The visualization program 23 outputs a screen including a Gantt chart that indicates the work site and the work time of the work to be performed at the work site for each worker. This Gantt chart also includes information to which no case can be assigned (for example, break time, non-working text). The Gantt chart display function for workers will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 13, which will be described later.

[0065] Next, the visualization program 23 executes a Gantt chart display function of the work plan data (S15). The Gantt chart display function of the work plan data is a function in which the visualization program 23 displays the work plan for each worker in a Gantt chart in the worker-by-worker plan display unit W23. The Gantt chart display function of the work plan data will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 14.

[0066] Next, the visualization program 23 executes a base and work data display function (S16). The base and work data display function is a function in which the visualization program 23 displays the base of the worker and work data indicating the content of the work in the route display section W22. In the route display section W22, the base and work data are displayed as nodes of marks 220, 221, and 222, for example. The base and task data display function will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 15 and FIG.

[0067] Next, the visualization program 23 determines whether or not to filter the work data (S17). When a condition is set in the condition search section W21 of FIG. 10 (for example, a radio button corresponding to any of the conditions is turned on), the work data is filtered. Therefore, when filtering the work data (YES in S17), the visualization program 23 executes a work data filter function (S18). The work data filter function is a function that displays the work data in an inactive state in the worker-specific plan display section W23 when the visualization program 23 determines that the work data does not meet the search conditions. The work data filter function will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 17, which will be described later.

[0068] If no conditions are set in the condition search unit W21 in Fig. 10, the work data is not filtered. Therefore, if the work data is not filtered (NO in S17), or after step S18, the visualization program 23 determines whether or not there is work data that has been planned and allocated (S19). If there is no work data that has been planned and allocated (NO in S19), the visualization program 23 ends this process.

[0069] On the other hand, if there is work data that has been plan-allocated (YES in S19), the visualization program 23 executes a work plan display function (S20) and ends this process. The work plan display function is a function in which the visualization program 23 displays, as a work plan, arrows 223 indicating the patrol order of workers displayed on the Gantt chart in the route display section W22. The work plan display function will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 18.

[0070] Next, an example of detailed processing of each function will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the area map information display function. First, the user selects the area for which a plan is to be created from the area selection section W11 of the area and date selection screen W1 shown in FIG. 9 (S21), and operation data including the selected area is input from the client PC 30 to the visualization program 23.

[0071] The visualization program 23 acquires the position information of the selected area from the area data table 45 based on the area ID of the selected area included in the operation data (S22).

[0072] Next, the visualization program 23 acquires map information of the corresponding area based on the location information acquired from the area data table 45, displays it on the route display unit W22 (S23), and proceeds to step S14 in FIG.

[0073] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the Gantt chart display function of a worker. First, the user selects a work date for which a plan is to be created (S31), and operation data including the selected work date is input from the client PC 30 to the visualization program 23.

[0074] Next, the visualization program 23 acquires a worker ID and a worker name from the worker data table 43 based on the area ID acquired in step S22 of FIG. 12 (S32).

[0075] Next, the visualization program 23 acquires shift information linked to the worker ID from the worker shift data table 44 based on the worker ID acquired in step S32 and the operation date included in the operation data (S33).

[0076] Next, the visualization program 23 displays the worker name obtained in step S32 in the worker name display section W24 of the worker-specific plan display section W23, and displays the shift information obtained in step S33 in the Gantt chart display section W25 of the worker-specific plan display section W23 (S34).

[0077] Here, the visualization program 23 displays break times and non-working times in an inactive state so that work cannot be assigned to those times (S35). Then, the visualization program 23 proceeds to step S15 in Fig. 11. The worker name display section W24 displays the names of three workers, A, B, and C. Furthermore, the Gantt chart display section W25 displays, as shift information, that B is not working in the afternoon and C is not working in the morning.

[0078] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the Gantt chart display function of the work plan data. First, when the user selects a worker name displayed on the Gantt chart (S41), operation data including the selected worker name is input from the client PC 30 to the visualization program 23.

[0079] Next, the visualization program 23 refers to the work plan data table 42 based on the worker ID and the work date of the selected worker, which are included in the operation data (S42).

[0080] Next, the visualization program 23 determines whether or not there is null data associated with the work ID of the movement start point in the work plan data table 42 (S43). If there is no null data associated with the work ID of the movement start point (NO in S43), the work plan for the worker identified by the worker ID has ended, so this process ends and the process proceeds to step S16 in FIG.

[0081] On the other hand, if there is data in which the work ID of the movement start point is null (YES in S43), the work plan of the worker identified by the worker ID has not been completed. Therefore, the visualization program 23 obtains the movement start time, movement end time, work start time, and work end time from the work plan data table 42, and displays a Gantt chart in which these times are associated (S44).

[0082] Next, the visualization program 23 determines whether or not the data linked to the work ID of the movement starting point includes data that matches the work ID acquired from the work plan data table 42 (S45). If there is data in which the work ID of the movement starting point matches the acquired work ID (YES in S45), the visualization program 23 acquires the movement start time, movement end time, work start time, and work end time from the work plan data table 42 and displays them on the Gantt chart (S46). Thereafter, the visualization program 23 returns to step S45 and repeats the determination process for the work ID of another movement starting point.

[0083] In step S45, if there is no data linked to the work ID of the start point of the movement that matches the acquired work ID (NO in step 45), the visualization program 23 acquires the start time of the movement to the base and the end time of the movement to the base from the work plan data table 42, displays them on the Gantt chart (S47), and proceeds to step S16 in Figure 11.

[0084] 15 and 16 are flowcharts showing an example of processing of the base and task data display function. First, when the user selects a worker name displayed on the Gantt chart of the Gantt chart display unit W25 (S51), operation data including the selected worker name is input from the client PC 30 to the visualization program 23. Note that since the worker name has already been acquired by the visualization program 23 in step S41 of Fig. 14, the processing of step S51 may not be performed.

[0085] Next, the visualization program 23 acquires, based on the worker ID of the selected worker included in the operation data, from the worker data table 43, the position information of the base identified by the base ID (S52).

[0086] Next, the visualization program 23 displays the bases in node form on the map information based on the location information of the bases acquired from the worker data table 43 (S53). As described above, in the route display section W22 of Fig. 10, the bases of the workers are shown as nodes with star-shaped marks 221.

[0087] Next, the visualization program 23 acquires the location information of the task from the task data table 41 based on the selected worker ID and area ID (S54). Next, the visualization program 23 determines whether the planned allocation flag in the task data table 41 is “not yet” (S55).

[0088] If the plan allocation flag is "not yet" (YES in S55), the visualization program 23 displays the work data as a node on the map information so that the user can know that a work plan has not been assigned (S56). As described above, an item to which a work plan has been assigned is displayed as a node with a white mark 220 in the route display section W22 in FIG. 10.

[0089] Next, the visualization program 23 creates a combination of work sites to which the worker can move using the position information of the movement starting point and the position information of the work data (S57). The work sites to which the worker can move correspond to, for example, the work sites of the work whose planned allocation flag is "Not yet: 0" and which are represented by the nodes of the white marks 220 in the route display section W22 of Fig. 10.

[0090] Next, the visualization program 23 calculates the travel time for each combination of work sites (S58). For example, the visualization program 23 inputs the position information of the work site where the worker starts moving and the position information of the work site where the worker ends moving, which were created in step S57, into a map API (not shown) to calculate the travel time. The visualization program 23 can also input each piece of position information into a map API (not shown) to find the travel distance.

[0091] On the other hand, if the plan allocation flag is not "not yet" (NO in S55), the visualization program 23 displays the work data as a node on the map information so that the user can know that a work plan has been assigned (S59). As described above, an item to which a work plan has been assigned is displayed as a node with a black mark 222 in the route display section W22 in FIG. 10.

[0092] After step S58 or S59, the visualization program 23 proceeds to step S60 in FIG.

[0093] Next, the visualization program 23 determines whether or not a node displayed in the map information has been selected by the user (S60). If the node has not been selected by the user (NO in S60), the visualization program 23 proceeds to step S62.

[0094] If a node has been selected by the user (YES in S60), the visualization program 23 displays the data obtained from the task data table 41 and the travel time to the selected node (S61). The travel time displayed in step S61 is the one calculated in step S58. Fig. 10 shows how the task time, desired task date, deadline, task type (contents) obtained by the visualization program 23 from the task data table 41, and the travel time calculated from the position information of each task site are displayed in a balloon for the node selected by the user in the route display section W22.

[0095] Next, the visualization program 23 sums up the "travel time from the departure point to the work site", the "work time", and the "travel time from the work site to the base" obtained from the work data table 41 (S62).

[0096] Next, the visualization program 23 determines whether the total time calculated in step S62 is outside the range of the worker's available work time (S63). If the total time is not outside the range of the worker's available work time (NO in S63), the visualization program 23 ends this process and proceeds to step S17 in FIG.

[0097] On the other hand, if the total time is outside the range of the worker's available work time (YES in S63), the visualization program 23 displays the node in an inactive state to prevent the node from being assigned to a work plan (S64), terminates this process, and proceeds to step S17 in Fig. 11. Displaying in an inactive state refers to a display method in which the node is grayed out to prevent the user from selecting the node, and in Fig. 10, it is displayed with a gray mark 225.

[0098] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the work data filter function. First, the user operates the client PC 30 to set the data items, travel time, etc., set in the task data table 41 as search conditions in the condition search section W21, and presses the apply button W21a. The operation data including the search conditions set by the user is input to the visualization program 23, and the visualization program 23 searches each table for data that matches the search conditions (S71).

[0099] Next, the visualization program 23 determines whether or not the task data searched from the task data table 41 meets the search conditions (S72). If the task data does not meet the search conditions (NO in S72), the visualization program 23 performs the following to prevent the task data from being assigned to the plan: Operation data that does not meet the search criteria is displayed in an inactive state (S73).

[0100] After step S73, or if the work data meets the search condition (YES in S72), the visualization program 23 ends this process and proceeds to step S19 in FIG.

[0101] FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the work plan display function. First, the user selects a worker name displayed in the worker-by-worker plan display section W23 (S81). Operation data including the worker name selected by the user is input to the visualization program 23.

[0102] Next, the visualization program 23 acquires the work ID of the movement starting point from the work plan data table 42 based on the worker ID and work date of the selected worker (S82). Next, the visualization program 23 displays arrows 223 indicating the patrol order of the workers between the nodes on the map in the route display unit W22 (S83), and ends this processing. Thereafter, the processing of the visualization program 23 ends, including the processing shown in FIG. 11.

[0103] FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of the hybrid plan formulation program 21. First, the hybrid plan creation program 21 determines whether there is a case to which the plan can be assigned (S91). If there is no case to which the plan can be assigned (NO in S91), the hybrid plan creation program 21 ends this process. When there is no case to which the plan can be assigned, it is assumed that, for example, the search conditions are not met. In addition, it is assumed that there is no case that satisfies the following conditions. Projects that the worker is in charge of or projects in the area to which the worker belongs -Projects with the Planned Allocation flag set to "Not Yet" and the Work Completion flag set to "Not Yet" - Cases where the total time of "travel time from the starting point to the work site", "work time", and "travel time from the work site to the base" is within the range of the worker's available work time.

[0104] On the other hand, if there is an item to which a plan can be assigned (YES in S91), the plan hybrid planning program 21 calculates the number of combinations of task data displayed on the map whose plan assignment flag is "Not yet" (S92). In other words, the plan hybrid planning program 21 calculates the number of task combinations for tasks other than those whose plan assignment flag has been updated to "Completed."

[0105] Next, the hybrid plan creation program 21 judges whether the number of combinations of task data is equal to or less than a certain value (S93). The certain value is, for example, 10. If the number of combinations of task data is not equal to or less than the certain value (NO in S93), the hybrid plan creation program 21 assigns the task data manually selected by the user to the plan (S94). Next, the hybrid plan creation program 21 executes the manual plan creation program 22 (S95), and returns to step S91 to continue the process again.

[0106] If the number of combinations of work data is equal to or less than a certain value (YES in S93), the hybrid plan creation program 21 automatically creates and visualizes a plan using a mathematical optimization technique (S96). The plan automatically created by the hybrid plan creation program 21 is stored in the storage device 15 in FIG. 1 as a candidate work plan.

[0107] Usually, the more work sites a worker can visit in a day, the higher the productivity. In addition, workers can increase sales by proposing repairs, part replacements, and equipment upgrades in addition to inspections. For this reason, in step S96, the plan hybrid planning program 21 uses the productivity or sales of each worker as an evaluation index to plan using mathematical optimization technology. The visualization program 23 uses the candidates read from the storage device 15 to configure a screen including a tour route, and transmits the data of the screen to the client PC 30. The display device 33 displays the route candidates 224 visualized on the plan planning screen W2 by the visualization program 23. After step S96, the plan hybrid planning program 21 ends this process.

[0108] When the user selects a candidate 224 of a tour route presented by the automatically created plan, information such as work locations, travel time, and work time that correspond to the selected tour route is reflected in the Gantt chart in the Gantt chart display section W25. Also, arrows 223 are displayed between the work sites according to the candidate 224 of the tour route.

[0109] Thereafter, if the user confirms that there is no problem with the work plan based on the confirmed candidates, he / she presses the Confirm button W26 in Fig. 10. When the Confirm button W26 is pressed, the work plan creation process by the plan hybrid creation program 21 ends.

[0110] FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of the manual project planning program 22. First, the manual planning program 22 assigns work to a work plan by an operation of arranging a node selectable for the work plan on the Gantt chart or an operation of connecting a node to another node. For example, the manual planning program 22 acquires operation data of an operation in which the user uses the input device 37 of the client PC 30 to select a node of work data to be assigned to the work plan that is displayed on the route display unit W22 and dragged and dropped onto the Gantt chart in the Gantt chart display unit W25. Alternatively, the manual planning program 22 can acquire operation data of an operation in which the user selects a node of a movement start point and connects the node of work data to be assigned to the work plan using the mouse cursor (S101).

[0111] Here, the manual node selection method shown in step S101 will be described. For example, when a user selects a node of a work site displayed on a map, the travel time to the work site and the work time are displayed on the Gantt chart of the worker. Next, the user connects the nodes of the work sites to which the workers are to be moved with an arrow 223 so that the order of the workers' rounds can be understood. For example, when a user selects a node of a work site and then selects a node of another work site, an arrow 223 is displayed between the nodes. After that, the display of the node is changed. For example, the display color of the node or the mark shape of the node is changed, so that the user can recognize whether or not a work plan has been drawn up for a certain work site.

[0112] Next, the manual plan creation program 22 updates the plan allocation flag in the work data table 41 to "Done" using the work ID of the work to which the user has manually assigned a work plan (S102).

[0113] Next, the manual plan creation program 22 updates the work plan data table 42 using the task ID of the movement start point, the task ID of the task data assigned to the plan by the user, the movement time to the work site, and the movement time to the base (S103). In step S103, the manual plan creation program 22 calculates the "movement end time to the base" based on the "movement start time to the base" and "movement time" in the work plan data table 42 in Fig. 4, and updates the work plan data table 42 with the calculated "movement end time to the base".

[0114] Next, the manual project planning program 22 updates the information to be displayed on the Gantt chart by using the Gantt chart display function of the visualization program 23 for the work plan data, which has been described with reference to FIG. 14 (S104).

[0115] Next, the manual planning program 22 uses the base and work data display function of the visualization program 23 described with reference to Figure 15 to calculate the travel time from the starting point of travel to the work site to the next destination, and updates the visualized information (S105).

[0116] Next, the manual plan planning program 22 uses the work plan display function of the visualization program 23 described with reference to Figure 18 to display an arrow 223 indicating the travel order on the map from the node of the start point of the movement to the node of the work data (S106), and terminates this process.

[0117] <Correction of patrol route based on movement efficiency> Here, the user can compare and evaluate the movement routes of each worker because the movement routes of the plans drawn up for each worker are visualized on the map of the route display unit W22. In addition, the user may be able to modify the patrol routes of the workers based on the comparison results of the movement routes and the movement efficiency of the workers.

[0118] 21 is a diagram showing an example of a procedure for correcting a patrol route of a worker. The visualization program 23 outputs, for each worker, a screen showing the patrol route of the work plan formulated by the plan hybrid formulation program 21. In the following diagrams, the reference symbols of the arrow 223 and the mark 225 are omitted.

[0119] (1) Example of A’s patrol route The example of the route 226A of person A shown in Fig. 21 is the same as the route 226 shown in the route display section W22 in Fig. 10. For the following explanation, a mark 222A(1) is added to one of the work locations on the upper side of the route 226A.

[0120] (2) Example of B's ​​patrol route B's route 226B is created so that B can visit the work places in the upper right range of the route display section W22 in the morning. However, the mark 222B(1) of the lower work place of B's ​​route 226B is located away from other work places. After B goes to the lower work place indicated by the mark 222B(1) and works there, it takes time to travel to the next work place. Therefore, after B visits and works at all the work places on the route 226B, it may take longer than 12 o'clock to return to the base mark 221, and the work place indicated by the mark 222B(1) causes B's travel efficiency to decrease. On the other hand, the work place indicated by the mark 222B(1) is close to A's route 226A, and even if the work place is included in A's route 226A, it is expected that A's travel time will not be so long as to affect the travel efficiency.

[0121] Therefore, when the user presses the comparison button W28 in Fig. 10, the visualization program 23 creates a screen (not shown) that simultaneously displays the tour route 226A of Person A and the tour route 226B of Person B in the route display section W22, and displays it on the display device 33. The tour routes 226A and 226B may be different in color. Therefore, the user can compare the tour routes 226A and 226B and consider a tour route that improves the movement efficiency of each worker.

[0122] (3) Example of the revised route for A and B 10. After that, the user performs an operation of incorporating the node of the work place indicated by the mark 222B(1), which reduces the movement efficiency of person B, into person A's tour route 226A by a drag-and-drop operation. The one work place added to person A's tour route 226A is indicated by the mark 222A(2). The process of correcting the nodes of the work places of the tour routes 226A and 226B is performed by the manual plan creation program 22.

[0123] On the other hand, since one work location has been added to Person A's circular route 226A, it is necessary to subtract one work location that was originally included in Person A's circular route 226A. Conversely, one work location needs to be added to Person B's circular route 226B. Therefore, the user incorporates the node of the work location that was subtracted from Person A's circular route 226A into Person B's circular route 226B. For example, the work location added to Person B's circular route 226 is indicated by mark 222B(2). As a result, work locations that reduce movement efficiency are removed from both Person A's circular route 226A and Person B's circular route 226B.

[0124] In this way, when a work site that reduces the movement efficiency of a worker is included in a patrol route, the manual plan creation program 22 modifies the work plan by incorporating the work site into the patrol route of other workers. This enables the user to focus on the "job that reduces the movement efficiency" of a worker and modify the work plan. When a plan has been created in which different workers handle nearby jobs, the user can change the plan to one in which one worker handles all the jobs at once, thereby contributing to improving the movement efficiency and productivity of the workers. As a result, the movement time of the entire workers can also be reduced.

[0125] In the work plan making system 1 according to the embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 19, the user manually makes plans until the number of combinations of data displayed on the map of the route display unit W22 and with the plan allocation flag for each node of the case being "not yet" becomes equal to or less than a certain value. In the manual planning by the user, various conditions are input to the condition search unit W21 to narrow down the target cases and manually select nodes. In response to these user operations, the manual planning program 22 and the visualization program 23 operate, and the results are displayed on the screen. After that, when the number of combinations of data with the plan allocation flag being "not yet" becomes equal to or less than a certain value, the hybrid planning program 21 automatically makes plans using mathematical optimization technology. In this way, the work plan making system 1 realizes the overall optimization of the maintenance plan making work by making plans using a hybrid of "automation using mathematical optimization technology" and "manual by human beings."

[0126] In the manual planning program 22, when planning is performed "manually by human beings," the user can select a node for each case displayed on a map, thereby incorporating manual planning that utilizes the know-how of the planner, which is tacit knowledge. The planning screen W2 displays the area for which the plan is to be created and the workers who are available to work on the scheduled work date, so that the user can create work plans for multiple workers in parallel. The user can also create a plan taking into consideration the shift information (morning off, afternoon off, etc.) and break time of the workers. In addition, if there is a case with a set work start time, the user can also select only the cases for which the workers can make it to the work start time from the planning screen W2, taking into consideration the travel time to the work site of the case. Conversely, the planning screen W2 can take into consideration the travel time to the work site of the next case, the work time, and the travel time from the work site to the base, and the planning screen W2 can prevent the selection of a case in which the time required by the worker does not fall within the available work time of the worker.

[0127] In addition, when planning, the route display unit W22 displays the cases and work site information for each area in which the worker selected by the user is in charge by nodes on the map. In addition, when the mouse cursor is placed on the node of the work site, the case information is displayed, making it easier for the user to grasp detailed information for each case. In addition, in "manual" planning, the user filters the work data based on conditions such as the desired work date and response deadline of the case, so it is possible to display only the cases for which planning is to be performed that meet the search conditions, and there is no need to consider unnecessary information.

[0128] In addition, the hybrid plan planning program 21 can incorporate the planner's intentions, the workers on the work day, and the latest status of the project when planning a project using "automation using mathematical optimization technology." In addition, the user can plot the travel time to the project site and the work time on the worker's Gantt chart by selecting a presented plan.

[0129] The above-mentioned mathematical optimization technique does not derive multiple solutions, so the plan hybrid planning program 21 automatically plans one worker's tour route using the mathematical optimization technique. However, multiple candidates for the worker's tour route may be displayed using an optimization technique that derives multiple solutions. In this case, the user may select one candidate from the multiple candidates and confirm the selected candidate as the worker's tour route.

[0130] In addition, when multiple tasks are required at one work site, no travel time is required, but each task requires work time. Even in areas that include such work sites, a work plan is created that takes into account the efficiency of worker travel.

[0131] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various other applications and modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention as set forth in the claims. For example, the above-mentioned embodiments have described the configuration of the device and system in detail and specifically in order to explain the present invention in an easily understandable manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all of the configurations described. In addition, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of the embodiment described here with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. In addition, it is also possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration. In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and not all control lines and information lines in the product are necessarily shown. In reality, it can be considered that almost all components are connected to each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0132] 1...work planning system, 10...planning server, 21...plan hybrid planning program, 22...plan manual planning program, 23...visualization program, 33...display device, 37...input device, W1...date selection screen, W2...planning screen, W21...condition search section, W22...route display section, W23...worker-specific plan display section, W24...worker name display section, W25...Gantt chart display section

Claims

1. a visualization unit that outputs a screen that visualizes a work plan for allocating workers to work sites; a manual planning unit that creates a work plan by a manually input operation for cases narrowed down by manually set conditions; and a hybrid plan creation unit that repeats processing of the manual plan creation unit and processing of the visualization unit outputting the work plan created by the manual plan creation unit to the screen until a number of combinations of a plurality of work sites assigned to the manually created work plan becomes equal to or less than a certain value, and when the number of combinations becomes equal to or less than the certain value, automatically creates the work plan using a mathematical optimization technique and causes the visualization unit to visualize the automatically created work plan. Work planning system.

2. The visualization unit outputs the screen including a Gantt chart showing, for each worker, the work site, the work time of the work to be performed at the work site, and information to which the case cannot be assigned. The work planning system according to claim 1 .

3. The manual planning unit updates a plan assignment flag of the work to which the work plan has been assigned to a completed flag, The plan hybrid planning unit calculates the number of combinations of the operations other than the operations whose plan allocation flags have been updated to "completed." The work plan making system according to claim 2 .

4. The visualization unit visualizes a node representing the work site on a map; The manual planning unit assigns the work to the work plan by an operation of arranging the node selectable for the work plan on the Gantt chart or an operation of connecting the node to another node. The work planning system according to claim 3 .

5. The visualization unit outputs the screen including a condition search unit that issues a search instruction for the case based on a manually selected condition, a route display unit that displays work sites of the cases that satisfy the condition together with the patrol route of the worker, and a worker-specific plan display unit that displays details of the work plan for each worker. The work plan planning system according to claim 4.

6. The visualization unit outputs a screen showing the patrol route of the work plan formulated by the plan hybrid formulation unit for each worker, When the work site that reduces the movement efficiency of the worker is included in the tour route, the manual planning unit modifies the work plan by incorporating the work site into the tour route of another worker. The work planning system according to claim 5 .

7. The conditions include at least one of the work of the worker, the type of work of the worker, the desired work date, the work that has exceeded the deadline, the number of days until the deadline, the travel time to the work site, and the work time. The work planning system according to claim 6.

8. A planning method performed in an operation planning system including a visualization unit, a manual planning unit, and a hybrid planning unit, a step of outputting a screen in which a work plan for allocating workers to work sites is visualized by the visualization unit; creating the work plan by a manually input operation for cases narrowed down by manually set conditions; The process of the manual plan creation unit and the process of the visualization unit outputting the work plan created by the manual plan creation unit to the screen are repeated until the number of combinations of a plurality of work sites assigned to the work plan created manually by the plan hybrid creation unit becomes equal to or less than a certain value, and when the number of combinations becomes equal to or less than the certain value, the work plan is automatically created using a mathematical optimization technique, and the automatically created work plan is visualized by the visualization unit. How work plans are developed.

Images