Information processing apparatus and information processing method

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus that, even when information on the state of delivery vehicles is displayed as a list, can instantly and individually recognize the occurrence of a trouble in every delivery vehicle.SOLUTION: A processing part 10 of a server device SV, on the basis of state information indicating the state of a plurality of delivery vehicles, displays related information including time information indicating the latest reception time of the state information and related to the movement of the delivery vehicles on a display D as a list for every delivery vehicle, while updating the time information correspondingly to the reception of new state information. The processing part performs notification on a delivery vehicle in which the time information is not updated for a prescribed threshold time or more.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of information processing devices and information processing methods, and more particularly to the technical field of information processing devices and information processing methods that display information related to a moving object and notify users of notifications related to the moving object. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the delivery of packages and the like using commercial delivery vehicles has become widespread. In such cases, delivery companies that own these delivery vehicles need to manage the operations and labor of each delivery vehicle and its driver by recording the status (movement status, etc.) of each delivery vehicle. Furthermore, when an urgent delivery is required, it may be necessary to have a nearby delivery vehicle pick up the package. Due to these needs, delivery companies need to keep track of the status of moving delivery vehicles in real time. More specifically, the "status of the delivery vehicle" in this case refers to, for example, whether each delivery vehicle is parked or stopped.

[0003] An example of a prior art document that discloses a technology that meets such a demand is Patent Document 1 listed below. The management system related to the technology described in Patent Document 1 is configured to set up a homepage to obtain information on the progress of vehicle movement (such as predicted arrival times and delays for each cargo item), and to notify the information via the homepage to, for example, the delivery vehicles themselves or a management center. The status of the delivery vehicles is also configured to be displayed as a list for multiple delivery vehicles. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-16573 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1, which has the above-mentioned configuration, has the problem that because a large amount of information regarding the status of multiple delivery vehicles is displayed in a list at once, it is not possible to immediately recognize the individual circumstances of each delivery vehicle, such as the occurrence of communication problems between each delivery vehicle.

[0006] Therefore, the present application has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and one example of the objective thereof is to provide an information processing device and information processing method that can immediately and individually recognize the occurrence of problems in each delivery vehicle, even when information regarding the status of multiple delivery vehicles is displayed in a list. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 1 comprises a receiving means for receiving status information indicating the status of a plurality of moving bodies, a display control means for causing a display means to display a list of related information relating to the movement of the moving bodies, including time information indicating the most recent reception time of the status information based on the received status information, while updating the time information in response to the reception of new status information, for each of the moving bodies, an extraction means for extracting the moving bodies whose time information has not been updated for more than a predetermined threshold time, and an alarm means for issuing an alarm related to the extracted moving bodies.

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 12 is an information processing method executed in an information processing device connected to a display means, and includes: a receiving step of receiving status information indicating the status of a plurality of moving bodies; a display control step of causing the display means to display a list of related information for each moving body, including time information indicating the most recent reception time of the status information and related to the movement of the moving body, based on the received status information, while updating the time information in response to the reception of new status information; an extraction step of extracting moving bodies whose time information has not been updated for more than a predetermined threshold time; and an alarm step of issuing an alarm related to the extracted moving bodies. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a delivery management system according to an embodiment; [Figure 3] 1A and 1B are block diagrams showing the detailed configuration of a delivery management system according to an embodiment, in which FIG. 1A is a block diagram showing the general configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a block diagram showing the general configuration of a server device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the contents of databases according to an embodiment, where FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating a status information database according to an embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating a delivery vehicle database according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a display control process according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram (I) showing a display example according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram (II) showing a display example according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram (III) showing a display example according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing device according to the embodiment.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, an information processing device S according to the embodiment is connected to a display means D, and is configured to include a receiving means 1, a display control means 2, an extracting means 3, and a notifying means 4.

[0012] In this configuration, the receiving means 1 receives status information indicating the status of a plurality of moving bodies. Then, the display control means 2 causes the display means D to display a list of related information relating to the movement of the moving bodies, including time information indicating the latest reception time of the status information, based on the status information received by the receiving means 1, while updating the time information in response to reception of new status information.

[0013] On the other hand, the extraction means 3 extracts moving objects whose time information has not been updated for a predetermined threshold time or longer. The notification means 4 then issues a notification related to the moving objects extracted by the extraction means 3.

[0014] As described above, according to the operation of the information processing device S of the embodiment, related information including time information indicating the latest reception time of the status information based on the status information indicating the status of the mobile object is displayed in a list for a plurality of mobile objects, while updating the time information in response to the reception of new status information. Notifications are then made regarding mobile objects whose time information has not been updated for a predetermined threshold time or longer. Therefore, when related information for each mobile object is displayed in a list, mobile objects whose time information has not been updated in response to the reception of status information can be immediately and individually notified. [Example]

[0015] Next, specific examples corresponding to the above-described embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 8. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the general configuration of a delivery management system according to the embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the delivery management system. Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the contents of a database according to the embodiment, Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing a display control process according to the embodiment, and Figs. 6 to 8 are diagrams showing display examples according to the embodiment. In Fig. 3, the same component numbers as those of the information processing device S according to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 are used for the components of the embodiment corresponding to the components of the information processing device S.

[0016] The following example is an example in which the embodiment is applied to display control when displaying the status of each delivery vehicle on the server device in a delivery management system in which a terminal device mounted on each delivery vehicle and a server device are connected via a network such as the Internet. Here, the status of the delivery vehicle refers to the status of each delivery vehicle, such as driving, parked, taking a break, unloading, loading, returning to the office, etc.

[0017] In this case, the "parked" state refers to a state in which the driver or passenger of the delivery vehicle indicates that the delivery vehicle is parked. In the following description, the driver or passenger of the delivery vehicle will be simply referred to as the "passenger" of the delivery vehicle. The "resting" state refers to a state in which the passenger of the delivery vehicle indicates that the delivery vehicle is stopped because the passenger is taking a scheduled break, such as lunch, and the delivery vehicle is stopped. The "unloading" state refers to a state in which the passenger indicates that the passenger is stopped because the passenger is performing scheduled unloading work and the delivery vehicle is stopped because the passenger is loading the cargo. Finally, the "returning to work" state refers to a state in which the passenger indicates that the delivery vehicle has completed its scheduled delivery work for that day and is returning to work.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the delivery management system SS according to the embodiment includes terminal devices T1, T2, ..., Tn (n is a natural number), a server device SV, and a network NW, such as the Internet, that connects the server device SV to the terminal devices T1, T2, ..., Tn wirelessly or via a wired connection. In the following description, when describing matters common to the terminal devices T1, T2, ..., Tn, these will be collectively referred to as the "terminal device T." In the above configuration, the server device SV is installed, for example, at the location of an administrator who manages the delivery management system SS. Meanwhile, each terminal device T is mounted on each delivery vehicle. Each terminal device T detects the location, direction, and speed of the delivery vehicle using a sensor, such as a GPS (Global Positioning System), and provides guidance for the vehicle's movement. For this reason, each terminal device T is equipped with an interface for acquiring various traffic congestion information, a guidance processing unit for searching for a recommended route, and the like, as described below. Furthermore, each terminal device T transmits, at a preset time interval, status information including location data indicating the location of each delivery vehicle, date data and time data indicating the date and time when the location indicated by the location data was detected, speed data indicating the speed detected by the terminal device T at that time, and status data indicating which of the above-mentioned states the delivery vehicle is in, via the interface and the network NW, in association with a vehicle ID for identifying each delivery vehicle. Here, the time interval is, for example, 1 second, but this time interval can be set arbitrarily by the administrator or the like.

[0019] Next, as shown in FIG. 3(a), each terminal device T according to the embodiment is composed of an interface 15, a guidance processing unit 16 consisting of a CPU, RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. and including the above-mentioned sensors (not shown), a display 19 consisting of an LCD display or the like, an operation unit 17 consisting of a touch panel, operation buttons, a remote control, etc., and a recording unit 18 consisting of an HDD (Hard Disc Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive), etc.

[0020] In the configuration of this terminal device T, the interface 15, under the control of the guidance processing unit 16, acquires various types of congestion information and transmits the status information, including the location data, date data, time data, speed data, and status data, to the server device SV via the network NW in association with the vehicle ID. Meanwhile, the recording unit 18 temporarily stores the location data and the like, non-volatilely records map data and road data for the guidance, and also pre-stores programs and the like for searching the recommended route executed by the guidance processing unit 16 in non-volatile memory. When the passenger performs an operation on the operation unit 17 to input the status data indicating the status of the delivery vehicle or a setting operation for searching the recommended route, the operation unit 17 generates an operation signal indicating the performed operation and outputs it to the guidance processing unit 16. Based on the operation signal, the guidance processing unit 16 performs the search for the recommended route using the map data and the like, displays the search result on the display 19, and transmits the status information via the interface 15.

[0021] 3(b), the server device SV according to the embodiment includes an interface 1, a processing unit 10 including a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., a recording unit 5 including an HDD or SSD, etc., that non-volatilely records the status information database DB1 and the delivery vehicle database DB2 according to the embodiment, a display D including an LCD display, etc., and an operation unit 4 including a keyboard, mouse, etc. The processing unit 10 also includes a display control unit 2, an extraction unit 3, and an alarm unit 4. In this case, the display control unit 2, the extraction unit 3, and the alarm unit 4 that constitute the processing unit 10 may be realized in hardware by logic circuits included in the CPU of the processing unit 10, etc., or may be realized in software by the CPU of the processing unit 10 reading and executing a program corresponding to a flowchart showing the display control process according to the embodiment, which will be described later.

[0022] Furthermore, the display D corresponds to an example of the display means D according to the embodiment, the interface 1 corresponds to an example of the receiving means 1 according to the embodiment, the display control unit 2 corresponds to an example of the display control means 2 according to the embodiment, the extraction unit 3 corresponds to an example of the extraction means 3 according to the embodiment, and the notification unit 4 corresponds to an example of the notification means 4 according to the embodiment. Furthermore, the processing unit 2 corresponds to an example of the "progress detection means" according to the present application, and the recording unit 5 corresponds to an example of the "storage means" according to the present application. Furthermore, as shown by the dashed lines in Figure 3(b), the interface 1, the display control unit 2, the extraction unit 3, and the notification unit 4 constitute an example of the information processing device S according to the embodiment.

[0023] In the configuration of this server device SV, the interface 1 controls the exchange of the status information with each terminal device T via the network NW under the control of the processing unit 10. On the other hand, the recording unit 5 non-volatilely records the status information database DB1 and the delivery vehicle database DB2.

[0024] The status information database DB1 is a database that records, for each delivery vehicle, the vehicle ID and other information included in the status information acquired (received) from each terminal device T, along with reception time data indicating the time the status information was received by the server device SV. The delivery vehicle database DB2 is a database that associates the delivery vehicles equipped with each terminal device T, the organizations to which they belong, and the planned routes planned for each day for each delivery vehicle. The planned route for each delivery vehicle is the planned route along which the corresponding delivery vehicle should operate (i.e., travel) on that day. This planned route includes destination information indicating the locations and names of destinations that the corresponding delivery vehicle should reach on the planned route, along with order information indicating the order of arrival at each destination and designated time information indicating the designated arrival time at each destination. Note that a planned route typically includes one or more destinations that the delivery vehicle should reach in the order of arrival. After the corresponding delivery vehicle arrives at a destination, the next destination to be reached in the order of arrival becomes the new destination at that time in the guidance process for that delivery vehicle.

[0025] On the other hand, when the manager or the like performs a necessary instruction operation on the operation unit 4, the operation unit 4 outputs an operation signal corresponding to the instruction operation to the processing unit 10. As a result, the processing unit 10 performs management processing as the server device SV, including display control processing according to the embodiment, based on the contents recorded in the status information database DB1 and the delivery vehicle database DB2 and the operation signal, while displaying information to be presented to the manager or the like on the display D. At this time, the display control processing according to the embodiment includes processing to display on the display D a list of the progress of the movement of the delivery vehicle according to the embodiment for each scheduled course.

[0026] Next, the contents of the state information database DB1 will be explained with reference to an example in FIG. 4(a).

[0027] As illustrated in FIG. 4(a), the status information database DB1 stored in the recording unit 5 includes the date data, time data, location data, speed data, and status data transmitted as status information from each terminal device T via the network NW. The date data, time data, location data, speed data, and status data are associated with a vehicle ID for identifying the vehicle on which the terminal device T is installed, and are recorded in the order of time indicated by the time data and for each vehicle ID (i.e., for each terminal device T). The date data, etc., is also associated with the reception time data indicating the time at which the status information including the date data, etc., was received by the server device SV. The location data may be data indicated by coordinates within a coordinate plane previously set in association with a map, as illustrated in FIG. 4(a), or simply latitude / longitude data. In the example illustrated in FIG. 4(a), the location data for a delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 1" indicates that the delivery vehicle is gradually decelerating from the location indicated by the coordinates (x1, y1) and has stopped at the location indicated by the coordinates (x4, y4) (i.e., its speed is 0). It can also be seen that the content of the status data input by the occupant of the delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 1" at 10:00:04 in the terminal device T of the delivery vehicle is "taking a rest." In the example shown in Figure 4(a), the status data up until the delivery vehicle stopped at 10:00:04 is "in motion," but this is not because the occupant input "in motion" into the terminal device T of the delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 1," but because the processing unit 10 of the server device SV detected that the speed data was not "0" (i.e., significant), and recorded it as "in motion" in the status information database DB1.

[0028] Next, the contents of the delivery vehicle database DB2 will be explained with reference to FIG. 4(b).

[0029] As shown in FIG. 4(b), the delivery vehicle database DB2 recorded in the recording unit 5 stores data on the name of the scheduled route assigned to each delivery vehicle for each day, data on a destination list that lists each destination included in the scheduled route, and date data indicating the date on which the scheduled route will be applied, in association with the vehicle ID (i.e., the terminal device T) and recorded in the order of the vehicle ID. Each destination list contains the destination information, order information, and designated time information for the corresponding scheduled route. Although not shown in FIG. 4(b), the vehicle ID is associated with vehicle information including the vehicle number of the delivery vehicle associated with the vehicle ID and the driver's name for that day (see FIGS. 6 to 8). The "vehicle number" here refers to the vehicle registration number or vehicle number of the delivery vehicle.

[0030] The delivery vehicle database DB2 also stores data indicating the name of the organization to which each delivery vehicle belongs ("Sales Department 1" in the example shown in FIG. 4(b)). The organization in this case corresponds to an example of a "management unit" according to the present application. Furthermore, delivery vehicles for which no scheduled route is set and only a destination list is recorded (in the example shown in FIG. 4(a), delivery vehicles with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 3" and delivery vehicles with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 4") are scheduled to travel to only one destination on that day (in the example shown in FIG. 4(b), "XX-cho, Bunkyo-ku"). Furthermore, delivery vehicles for which neither a scheduled route nor a destination list is recorded (in the example shown in FIG. 4(a), delivery vehicles with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 1" and delivery vehicles with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 2") are not scheduled to travel toward a predetermined route or destination on that day. Note that even delivery vehicles that do not travel toward a predetermined route or destination may still be traveling (operating) for various purposes.

[0031] Next, the display control process according to the embodiment, which is mainly executed by the processing unit 10 of the server device SV, will be specifically described with reference to Figures 5 to 8. The display control process according to the embodiment is a process that is constantly executed as part of the management process of the server device SV.

[0032] A flowchart corresponding to the display control process according to the embodiment is shown in Figure 5. As part of the display control process according to the embodiment, the processing unit 10 first receives the status information transmitted from the terminal device T of each delivery vehicle via the interface 15 for each delivery vehicle (step S1), and records each time the status information is received in the status information database DB1 as the progress of movement of the delivery vehicle that sent the information (step S2; see Figure 4(a)). At this time, the status information is transmitted from each terminal device T, for example, every second. The processing unit 10 then records the date data and the like contained in the received status information in the status information database DB1 together with the corresponding reception time data.

[0033] Next, the extraction unit 3 of the processing unit 10 checks for each delivery vehicle based on the reception time data in the status information database DB1 to determine whether status information has been received for a predetermined threshold time or longer corresponding to the status or speed data indicated by the status data included in the most recently received status information (step S3). If the determination in step S3 is that there is a delivery vehicle for which status information has not been received for a threshold time or longer corresponding to each status (step S3: YES), the display control unit 2 of the processing unit 10 updates the list display on the display D of the movement progress of each delivery vehicle based on the new status information, including a message indicating that the delivery vehicle is experiencing a communication abnormality (step S4). The list display at this time and the message indicating that the delivery vehicle is experiencing a communication abnormality will be described in detail later using Figures 6 to 8.

[0034] Here, the threshold time is a threshold time preset for each state of the delivery vehicle to determine whether the delivery vehicle is experiencing a communication abnormality. For example, communication may be temporarily interrupted when the delivery vehicle is traveling through a tunnel, or may be interrupted for a longer period of time if the delivery vehicle's engine is stopped for a passenger's break or work. Therefore, it is preferable to set a threshold time from when communication is interrupted until a communication abnormality is determined to exist for each state of the delivery vehicle. If status information is not received from a delivery vehicle that should be in that state for the threshold time corresponding to that state, the display control unit 2 and the notification unit 4 of the processing unit 10 display a message indicating this on the display D so that the delivery vehicle can be distinguished from other delivery vehicles. More specifically, the threshold time is set to, for example, 5 minutes when the speed data included in the most recently received status information is significant and the delivery vehicle is in a moving state. Furthermore, the threshold time is set to, for example, 30 minutes when the status data included in the most recently received status information indicates that the delivery vehicle is parked. Furthermore, when the status data included in the most recently received status information indicates that the delivery vehicle is stopped because the passenger is taking a break, the threshold time is, for example, 1 hour. Furthermore, when the status data included in the most recently received status information indicates that the delivery vehicle is stopped because the passenger is unloading or loading, the threshold time is, for example, 2 hours. Finally, when the status data included in the most recently received status information indicates that the delivery vehicle has returned to the company, the threshold time is, for example, 24 hours. These threshold times are basically set in advance empirically or experimentally, for example, using statistical methods that take into account the normal movement (operation) status of each delivery vehicle.

[0035] On the other hand, if the judgment in step S3 is that there is no delivery vehicle that has not received status information for more than the threshold time corresponding to each status (step S3: NO), the extraction unit 3 next checks whether there is a progress abnormality in any delivery vehicle, where the progress of the delivery vehicle's movement indicated by the above-mentioned status data contained in the status information received from the terminal device T of each delivery vehicle differs from the content of the scheduled route assigned to that delivery vehicle for that day (step S5).

[0036] Here, the above-mentioned progress abnormality may be, for example, when a delivery vehicle is moving without stopping at one of the destinations included in the scheduled route (i.e., not arriving at that destination), or when the guidance processing by the terminal device T indicates that the vehicle will arrive at the destination later than the designated arrival time indicated by the above-mentioned designated time information.

[0037] If it is determined in step S5 that a delivery vehicle is experiencing a progress abnormality (step S5: YES), the display control unit 2 proceeds to step S4 and updates the list display based on the new status information, including a display indicating that the delivery vehicle is experiencing a progress abnormality. The list display and the display indicating the progress abnormality will be described in detail later using Figures 6 to 8.

[0038] On the other hand, if the determination in step S5 shows that no delivery vehicle is experiencing a progress abnormality (step S5: NO), the display control unit 2 of the processing unit 10 updates the list display based on the new status information in a normal state that does not include a display indicating that the delivery vehicle is experiencing a communication abnormality (see step S3 above) or a display indicating that the delivery vehicle is experiencing a progress abnormality (see step S5 above). The normal list display at this time will also be described in detail later using Figures 6 to 8.

[0039] Next, the processing unit 10 determines whether an operation to change the list display on the display D by sorting has been performed on the operation unit 4, focusing on delivery vehicles experiencing a communication abnormality related to step S3 or delivery vehicles experiencing a progress abnormality related to step S5 (step S7). In the following description, the operation to change the list display by sorting will be simply referred to as a "sort operation." If the determination in step S7 is that the sort operation has not been performed (step S7: NO), the processing unit 10 proceeds to the determination in step S9, which will be described later. On the other hand, if the determination in step S7 is that the sort operation has been performed (step S7: YES), the display control unit 2 updates the list display on the display D in accordance with the sort operation (step S8). The update of the list display at this time will be described in detail later using Figures 7 and 8.

[0040] Thereafter, the processing unit 10 determines whether or not to terminate the display control process according to the embodiment, for example, when the power supply of the server device SV is turned off (step S9), and if it is to be terminated (step S9: YES), the display control process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S9 that the display control process according to the embodiment is to be continued (step S9: NO), the processing unit 10 returns to step S1 and repeats the display control process according to the embodiment. By repeating this display control process according to the embodiment, the update of the list display of progress according to the embodiment and the update of the list display based on the sort instruction are repeated in real time based on the status information newly received from each terminal device T (see step S1).

[0041] Next, using Figures 6 to 8, we will explain an example of the display of the progress of the movement of each delivery vehicle in the embodiment, which is displayed on display D as a result of the display control processing in the embodiment described using Figure 5, and an example of updating the list display based on the above sorting instruction.

[0042] First, the display control unit 2 displays the progress of movement along the scheduled route for that day for each delivery vehicle as shown in FIG. 6, as a display of the progress in the normal state described as step S6 above. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the movement progress of each delivery vehicle belonging to the first sales department and having vehicle IDs "Vehicle 1" through "Vehicle 11" is displayed in a list. In this list display, the display control unit 2 displays one horizontal line corresponding to one delivery vehicle. For each delivery vehicle, the vehicle information including the organization to which it belongs, the vehicle ID, vehicle number, and driver's name, the most recent time status information was received from the delivery vehicle, a status display indicating the status of the delivery vehicle, the name of the scheduled route assigned to the delivery vehicle, the current location of the delivery vehicle, and the progress of the delivery vehicle in order of its movement to its destination are displayed.

[0043] At this time, the display control unit 2 alternates filling in the background for each line in the list display to improve visibility, etc. Next, for each delivery vehicle in the list display, the display control unit 2 reads corresponding data from the delivery vehicle database DB2 regarding the organization to which it belongs, its vehicle information, and the name of the scheduled route assigned to it, and reflects this data in the list display. In addition, the latest reception time is the reception time indicated by the reception time data recorded for each delivery vehicle in the status information database DB1.

[0044] Furthermore, the display control unit 2 displays the status of each delivery vehicle, indicated by the status data recorded for each delivery vehicle in the status information database DB1, using arrows or marks as exemplified in FIG. 6 for easy recognition. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 1" is returning to the office, indicated by an "x" mark and a mark containing the characters "return to office." Additionally, the delivery vehicles with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 2," "Vehicle No. 3," "Vehicle No. 6," "Vehicle No. 7," and "Vehicle No. 9" through "Vehicle No. 11" are currently traveling, indicated by arrow marks. At this time, the display control unit 2 displays the speed of each delivery vehicle, indicated by the speed data recorded for each delivery vehicle in the status information database DB1, at a position corresponding to each arrow mark (specifically, below the arrow mark).

[0045] On the other hand, in the example shown in Figure 6, the delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 4" is stopped because its passenger is unloading, as indicated by the mark shown in Figure 6, and the delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 8" is stopped because its passenger is taking a break, as indicated by the mark shown in Figure 6. Furthermore, the delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 5" is parked, as indicated by the mark shown in Figure 6.

[0046] As shown in Figure 6, the system may be configured to display text specifically indicating the status of the delivery vehicle indicated by each mark (i.e., "unloading," "taking a break," or "parked," etc.) together with each mark.

[0047] On the other hand, the display control unit 6 displays the position of each delivery vehicle indicated by the position data recorded for each delivery vehicle in the status information database DB1 as the "current location" for each delivery vehicle.

[0048] Furthermore, the display control unit 6 displays the progress of travel for each destination for that day for each delivery vehicle and for each destination, based on the list of destinations for the planned route recorded in the delivery vehicle database DB2. For example, in the case of a delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 5" shown in FIG. 6, the planned route for May 11, 2016, is to travel in the following order: Head Office → MD Office → KF Office → K1 Office → K2 Office → K3 Office. The designated arrival time specified by the designated time information for each destination is displayed for each destination. In this case, on the terminal device T of the delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 5," guidance processing is performed by the guidance processing unit 16 so that the delivery vehicle arrives at each destination at the designated arrival time, and the arrival time is input each time the delivery vehicle arrives at a destination. This is the same for each delivery vehicle. The display control unit 2 then displays the current destination in a different manner from other destinations. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the current destination (e.g., "Head Office" for the delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 5") is displayed for each delivery vehicle by cross-hatching, along with the word "Destination" and a mark indicating it.

[0049] Furthermore, the display control unit 2 distinguishably displays, for each delivery vehicle, whether the destination has already been reached or not, based on the location data recorded for each delivery vehicle in the status information database DB1, for example. More specifically, the display control unit 2 displays the destinations that have not yet been reached, with the text "Not yet arrived" in the background color of the row in the list display, while the destinations that have already been reached are displayed with the text "Arrived" using a darker background color. Note that, in addition to using the location data described above, the distinction between whether the destination has already been reached or not may also use the arrived / not yet arrived data shown as the status data based on input operations by the passengers of the delivery vehicle.

[0050] Next, in the normal list display described above, the notification unit 4 displays a message indicating that a delivery vehicle experiencing a communication anomaly related to step S3 in FIG. 5 (see step S3 in FIG. 5: YES) is experiencing the anomaly, so that the vehicle can be distinguished from delivery vehicles not experiencing the anomaly (see step S4 in FIG. 5). For example, in the case of a delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 4" shown in FIG. 6, the delivery vehicle status is "unloading," and the threshold time corresponding to this status is two hours. However, status information has not been received for more than two hours since 1:00 PM, the update time for the entire list display (see step S3 in FIG. 5: YES). Therefore, the notification unit 4 displays the occurrence of the communication anomaly for this delivery vehicle, for example, by hatching as shown in FIG. 6 (see step S4 in FIG. 5). Furthermore, in the case of a delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 5" shown in FIG. 6, the delivery vehicle status is "parked," and the threshold time corresponding to this status is 30 minutes. However, status information has not been received for more than 30 minutes since 1:00 PM (see step S3 in FIG. 5: YES). Therefore, the notification unit 4 displays, for example, the hatching shown in FIG. 6, that the communication abnormality has occurred for this delivery vehicle (see step S4 in FIG. 5). Furthermore, in the case of the delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 8" shown in FIG. 6, the delivery vehicle's status is "resting," and the threshold time corresponding to that status is one hour, but status information has not been received for more than one hour since 1:00 PM (see step S3 in FIG. 5: YES). Therefore, the notification unit 4 displays, for example, the hatching shown in FIG. 6, that the communication abnormality has occurred for this delivery vehicle (see step S4 in FIG. 5). Finally, in the case of the delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 11" shown in FIG. 6, the delivery vehicle's status is "traveling," and the threshold time corresponding to that status is five minutes, but status information has not been received for more than five minutes since 1:00 PM (see step S3 in FIG. 5: YES). Therefore, the notification unit 4 displays, for example, the hatching shown in FIG. 6, that the communication abnormality has occurred for this delivery vehicle (see step S4 in FIG. 5).

[0051] Furthermore, in the normal list display described above, the notification unit 4 displays a progress abnormality related to step S5 of FIG. 5 (see step S5: YES in FIG. 5 ) in a manner that distinguishes it from delivery vehicles that are not experiencing the progress abnormality (see step S4 in FIG. 5 ). For example, in the case of the delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 10" shown in FIG. 6 , a progress abnormality has occurred in which the estimated arrival time in the guidance process is 30 minutes later than the specified arrival time for the current destination "K1 Office" (see step S5: YES in FIG. 5 ). Therefore, the notification unit 4 displays the communication abnormality for this delivery vehicle, for example, by using a dashed box F2 as shown in FIG. 6 (see step S4 in FIG. 5 ). Furthermore, in the case of the delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 11" shown in FIG. 6 , a progress abnormality has occurred in which the destination "MD Office" has not arrived and the next destination has arrived (see step S5: YES in FIG. 5 ). Therefore, the notification unit 4 displays the progress abnormality for this delivery vehicle, for example, by using a solid box F1 as shown in FIG. 6 (see step S4 in FIG. 5 ). In this case, the specific details of the progress abnormality differ between the delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 10" and the delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 11." From the perspective of delivery vehicle management, arriving at the next destination without arriving at the intended destination is considered a more serious progress abnormality than arriving late at the destination. Therefore, the notification unit 4 displays the progress abnormality display (boxed display F1) for the delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 11" more prominently than the progress abnormality display (boxed display F2) for the delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 10." The display control unit 2 may display the boxed displays F1 and F2 in a color, for example, red, that more easily attracts the manager's attention.

[0052] In the list display exemplified in Fig. 6, the list display on display D may be changed to another display mode by using a selection button such as the one shown in the example aligned horizontally to the left of the "Back" button in the upper right corner. In the list display exemplified in Fig. 6, the progress of travel is sorted by vehicle ID, but in addition to vehicle ID, for example, "vehicle number (automobile registration number)," "passenger name (driver name)," "latest reception time of status information," or "planned course" may be preset as a "sort" pull-down menu, and the sorting order of the list display may be changed and displayed using these.

[0053] On the other hand, when a sorting operation according to step S7 in Fig. 5 is performed, for example, in the case of a sorting operation that prioritizes delivery vehicles experiencing the communication abnormality, the display control unit 2 changes the list display exemplified in Fig. 6 to, for example, a list display exemplified in Fig. 7 (see step S8 in Fig. 5). In the list display exemplified in Fig. 7, delivery vehicles experiencing communication abnormalities (delivery vehicles with vehicle IDs "Vehicle No. 4," "Vehicle No. 5," "Vehicle No. 8," and "Vehicle No. 11") are displayed at the top without changing other display modes.

[0054] Furthermore, in the case of a sorting operation that prioritizes delivery vehicles experiencing the above-mentioned progress abnormality, the display control unit 2 changes the list display exemplified in Fig. 6 to, for example, a list display exemplified in Fig. 8 (see step S8 in Fig. 5). In the list display exemplified in Fig. 8, delivery vehicles experiencing progress abnormalities (delivery vehicles with vehicle IDs "Vehicle No. 11" and "Vehicle No. 10") are displayed at the top without changing other display modes. In this case, the display control unit 2 rearranges and displays delivery vehicles experiencing more serious progress abnormalities in terms of delivery vehicle management (in the example shown in Fig. 8, the delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 11") at a higher position.

[0055] 6 to 8, the delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 3" and the delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 4" are scheduled to travel to only one destination on that day, so the name of the scheduled route including multiple destinations is not set, and other destinations are not displayed. Also, the delivery vehicle with vehicle ID "Vehicle No. 2" is not traveling to a preset route or destination on that day, so the only indication that it is traveling is the corresponding mark and speed.

[0056] As described above, according to the display control process of the embodiment, the progress of movement of multiple delivery vehicles, including the latest reception time of the status information, is displayed in a list based on status information indicating the status of each delivery vehicle, while the reception time data is updated in response to the reception of new status information. Notification is then made regarding delivery vehicles whose reception time data has not been updated for a predetermined threshold time or longer. Therefore, when the progress of movement of each delivery vehicle is displayed in a list, delivery vehicles whose reception time data has not been updated can be immediately and individually notified.

[0057] Furthermore, the progress of movement of delivery vehicles, which indicates at least whether they are in a running or stopped state, is displayed in a list based on status information that is generated based on input operations by the passengers of each delivery vehicle and includes at least status data indicating that the delivery vehicle is in a scheduled stopped state (such as "parked" or "stopped" for unloading or loading). Therefore, when the progress of movement of each delivery vehicle, which indicates at least whether it is in a running or stopped state, is displayed in a list, delivery vehicles whose reception time data of the status information has not been updated can be immediately and individually notified.

[0058] Furthermore, the progress of movement is displayed using marks corresponding to whether the delivery vehicle is moving or stopped, so that the progress of movement showing at least the moving or stopped state of each delivery vehicle can be displayed in an easy-to-read list, and delivery vehicles whose status information reception time data has not been updated can be notified immediately and individually.

[0059] Furthermore, delivery vehicles whose reception time data is not updated are extracted using threshold times that correspond to the different states of each delivery vehicle, so by using different threshold times depending on the state of the delivery vehicle, delivery vehicles whose reception time data is not updated can be appropriately and individually extracted.

[0060] In addition, the threshold times corresponding to each state of the delivery vehicle are as follows: The threshold time (e.g., 24 hours) when a delivery vehicle is indicated as having returned to the office A threshold time (e.g., 2 hours) when a delivery vehicle is indicated as being stopped while passengers are unloading or loading A threshold time (e.g., 1 hour) when a passenger is resting and the delivery vehicle is indicated as stopped The threshold time (e.g., 30 minutes) for a delivery vehicle's status to be indicated as parked The threshold time (e.g., 5 minutes) for a delivery vehicle to be considered in a moving state Since the relationship is such that the reception time data is not updated, delivery vehicles can be extracted more appropriately and individually.

[0061] Furthermore, the progress of the movement of each delivery vehicle in relation to the scheduled course corresponding to each delivery vehicle is detected for each delivery vehicle, and the detected progress is displayed on the display D together with the corresponding vehicle information, etc. (see Figures 6 to 8). Therefore, when the progress of the movement of each delivery vehicle is displayed together with the vehicle information, etc., delivery vehicles whose reception time data of the status information has not been updated can be immediately and individually notified.

[0062] Furthermore, based on the delivery vehicle database DB2 that associates each delivery vehicle with the organization to which it belongs, the movement progress of each delivery vehicle under the management of that organization is displayed for each organization. Therefore, while the movement progress of each delivery vehicle is displayed for each organization to which it belongs, delivery vehicles whose status information reception time data has not been updated can be immediately and individually notified.

[0063] In addition, delivery vehicles that are in a predetermined notification state (for example, a communication abnormality state or a progress abnormality state) that should be notified are extracted, and the extracted delivery vehicles are notified according to the attributes of the notification state (see Figures 6 to 8), so that delivery vehicles that are in a state that should be notified can be notified individually and in an easy-to-understand manner.

[0064] Furthermore, the notification of a delivery vehicle in a reporting state is updated based on the extraction results based on the status information received successively (see processing in step S9: NO → step S1 in Figure 5), so that delivery vehicles in a reporting state can be notified individually and clearly in real time.

[0065] Furthermore, in the list display of movement progress, the movement progress of a delivery vehicle in a notification state is notified in a manner that makes it distinguishable from the movement progress of other delivery vehicles (see Figures 6 to 8), so that the movement progress of the delivery vehicle in the notification state can be notified individually in a more easily understandable manner.

[0066] In addition, based on the extraction results based on the status information received successively for delivery vehicles in a notification state, identifiable notifications of the movement progress of the delivery vehicle are updated (see processing in Figure 5, step S9: NO → step S1), so that the movement progress of delivery vehicles in a state that should be notified can be individually notified in an easy-to-understand manner in real time.

[0067] In the above-described embodiment, a delivery vehicle experiencing a progress abnormality is notified by displaying the enclosed display F1 or the enclosed display F2, and a delivery vehicle experiencing a communication abnormality is notified by displaying the hatched display. However, in addition to these, each notification may be made by, for example, emitting a warning sound from a speaker (not shown) of the server device SV. Furthermore, the display of the enclosed display F1 or the hatched display and the sounding of the warning sound may be performed in parallel.

[0068] In the above-described embodiment, a delivery vehicle database DB2 was used, which associates each delivery vehicle with the organization that manages it, but a passenger database may also be used, which associates the passengers of each delivery vehicle with the organization that manages them. In this case, the passenger database may be a database that associates the passengers of delivery vehicles equipped with each terminal device T, the organization to which they belong, and the planned route planned for each passenger on a daily basis, similar to the delivery vehicle database DB2 in the embodiment.

[0069] Furthermore, in the above-described examples, the embodiment is applied to display control of the progress of movement of a vehicle as a moving body, but the embodiment may also be applied to display control of the progress of movement of a two-wheeled vehicle, bicycle, or person as a moving body.

[0070] In addition, a program corresponding to the flowchart shown in Figure 5 can be recorded on a recording medium such as an optical disk or a hard disk, or obtained via a network such as the Internet, and then read out and executed by a general-purpose microcomputer or the like, thereby causing the microcomputer or the like to function as the processing unit 10 according to the embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 1 Receiving means (interface) 2. Display control means (display control unit) 3 Extraction means (extraction part) 4. Notification means (notification unit) 5 Recording section 10 Processing section T1, T2, Tn terminal equipment SV server device NW Network DB1 State Information Database DB2 Delivery Vehicle Database S Information processing device SS delivery management system D Display F1, F2 box display

Claims

[Claim 1] receiving means for receiving status information indicating the statuses of a plurality of moving bodies; a display control means for displaying a list of related information relating to the movement of the moving object on a display means based on the received status information, the related information including time information indicating the latest reception time of the status information, while updating the time information in response to reception of new status information; and extraction means for extracting the moving object whose time information has not been updated for a predetermined threshold time or longer; a notification means for issuing a notification related to the extracted moving object; An information processing device comprising:

Images