Information processing method and information processing device

Abstract

To improve a technique for enhancing the quality of delivery.SOLUTION: An information processing device 20 calculates a first time, which is the start time of a first task to pick a delivery item, on the basis of the residual time until the scheduled completion time of the delivery of the delivery item. The information processing device 20 then notifies a first worker, who is responsible for the first task, of the first time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing method and an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known techniques for improving the quality of deliveries. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention that includes a delivery box in which packages are stored and delivered, and a storage cooling rack that is installed at a base and stores the delivery box, the delivery box is loaded with a refrigerant, and the storage cooling rack is equipped with a cooling device, and the inside of the delivery box is cooled by the cooling device while the delivery box is stored therein. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 11-79330 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There was room for improvement in technology to improve the quality of delivery.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the purpose of the present disclosure is to improve the technology for improving the quality of delivery. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: An information processing method implemented by an information processing device, Calculating a first time, which is a start time of a first task of picking the delivery item, based on a scheduled time when delivery of the delivery item will be completed; notifying a first worker who is a worker of the first work of the first time; Includes.

[0007] An information processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: An information processing device including a control unit, Calculating a first time, which is a start time of a first task of picking the delivery item, based on an estimated time when delivery of the delivery item will be completed; The worker of the first work is notified of the first time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an improved technique for improving the handling of refrigerated and frozen goods during delivery is provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a terminal device. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the information processing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

[0011] (Outline of the embodiment) An overview of a system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The system 1 includes a plurality of terminal devices 10 and an information processing device 20. Each of the terminal devices 10 and the information processing device 20 is communicably connected to a network 30 including, for example, the Internet and a mobile communication network.

[0012] The terminal device 10 is a computer such as a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, a tablet terminal, etc. In this embodiment, the terminal device 10 is used by a worker involved in delivering a delivery piece.

[0013] The information processing device 20 is, for example, a computer such as a server device, etc. The information processing device 20 is capable of communicating with a plurality of terminal devices 10 via a network 30.

[0014] First, an overview of this embodiment will be described, and details will be described later. The information processing device 20 calculates a first time, which is the start time of a first task of picking up the delivery item, based on the estimated time when delivery of the delivery item will be completed. Then, the information processing device 20 notifies the first worker, who is the worker of the first task, of the first time.

[0015] In the past, depending on the type of delivery, starting delivery work early could result in a decrease in the quality of the delivery at the time of delivery. For example, if the delivery included refrigerated or frozen items, performing picking work early would result in idle time until the next work, lengthening the overall delivery time for the delivery, and as a result, increasing the likelihood that the delivery would spoil or melt during delivery. In contrast, according to this embodiment, for refrigerated and frozen deliveries, the information processing device 20 notifies the worker of the picking start time calculated based on the remaining time until the delivery destination of the delivery. Therefore, by starting work according to this start time, the likelihood of idle time until the next work would occur is reduced. Therefore, for example, if the delivery included refrigerated or frozen items, spoilage or melting of the delivery is more likely to be prevented. Therefore, according to this embodiment, technology for improving delivery quality is improved in that it may increase the likelihood that the quality of refrigerated and frozen deliveries can be maintained at the time of delivery.

[0016] Next, each component of the system 1 will be described in detail.

[0017] (Terminal Device Configuration) As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal device 10 includes a communication unit 11, an output unit 12, an input unit 13, a storage unit 14, and a control unit 15.

[0018] The communication unit 11 includes one or more communication interfaces connected to the network 40. The communication interfaces correspond to mobile communication standards such as, but not limited to, 4G (4th Generation) or 5G (5th Generation). In this embodiment, the terminal device 10 communicates with the information processing device 20 via the communication unit 11 and the network 30.

[0019] The output unit 12 includes one or more output devices that output information. Examples of the output devices include, but are not limited to, a display that outputs information as a video or a speaker that outputs information as a sound. Alternatively, the output unit 12 may include an interface for connecting an external output device.

[0020] The input unit 13 includes one or more input devices that detect an input operation by a user. Examples of the input devices include, but are not limited to, physical keys, capacitive keys, a mouse, a touch panel, a touch screen integrated with the display of the output unit 12, or a microphone. Alternatively, the input unit 13 may include an interface for connecting an external input device.

[0021] The storage unit 14 includes one or more memories. The memories may be, for example, semiconductor memories, magnetic memories, optical memories, etc., but are not limited to these. Each memory included in the storage unit 14 may function, for example, as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 14 stores any information used in the operation of the terminal device 10. The storage unit 14 may store delivery information related to deliveries handled by a worker associated with the terminal device 10. Furthermore, for example, the storage unit 14 may store system programs, application programs, embedded software, etc. For example, the information stored in the storage unit 14 may be updateable with information obtained from the network 40 via the communication unit 11, for example.

[0022] The control unit 15 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor may be, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process, but is not limited to these. The programmable circuit may be, for example, but is not limited to, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The dedicated circuit may be, for example, but is not limited to, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 15 controls the operation of the terminal device 10.

[0023] (Configuration of information processing device) As shown in FIG. 3, the information processing device 20 includes a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a control unit .

[0024] The communication unit 21 includes one or more communication interfaces connected to the network 30. The communication interfaces correspond to, for example, a mobile communication standard, a wired LAN (Local Area Network) standard, or a wireless LAN standard, but are not limited to these and may correspond to any communication standard. In this embodiment, the information processing device 20 communicates with multiple terminal devices 10 via the communication unit 21 and the network 30.

[0025] The storage unit 22 includes one or more memories. Each memory included in the storage unit 22 may function, for example, as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 22 stores any information used in the operation of the information processing device 20. For example, the storage unit 22 may store a system program, an application program, embedded software, a database, etc. In this embodiment, the storage unit 22 stores delivery information related to each of a plurality of deliveries. The information stored in the storage unit 22 may be updatable with information obtained from the network 30 via the communication unit 21, for example.

[0026] "Delivery information" may include any delivery information including, but not limited to, the name of the delivery item, identification information of the product being delivered, attributes of the delivery item, the vehicle making the delivery, the delivery location of the delivery item, the desired delivery time of the delivery item, each task related to the delivery, the worker for each task, the scheduled start time of each task, the start time of each task, the scheduled completion time of each task, and the completion time of each task.

[0027] "Product identification information" is information that allows the picker to uniquely identify the product to be delivered. For example, the product identification information may be the product name itself, or may be information such as a code represented by a combination of alphanumeric characters.

[0028] The "attributes of the delivery item" is information indicating the attributes of the delivery item, such as refrigerated or frozen items. The attributes of the delivery item may further include the specific type of delivery item, such as meat, fish, cake, or ice cream. The attributes of the delivery item may also further include the size of the delivery item.

[0029] "Each task related to delivery" refers to a plurality of tasks required to deliver a delivery item to a recipient, such as picking and transporting the item to the delivery center. The content and number of tasks related to delivery may vary depending on the attribute. In this embodiment, the first task is picking, but there may be another task before picking, or the first task may be a task other than picking.

[0030] The control unit 23 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor may be, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process, but is not limited to these. The programmable circuit may be, for example, but is not limited to, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The dedicated circuit may be, for example, but is not limited to, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 23 controls the overall operation of the information processing device 20.

[0031] (Operation flow of information processing device) The operation of the information processing device 20 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0032] S100: The control unit 23 of the information processing device 20 calculates a first time, which is the start time of a first task of picking up the delivery piece, based on the estimated time when delivery of the delivery piece will be completed.

[0033] Specifically, when it is decided to deliver a delivery item, the control unit 23 acquires each task related to the delivery included in the delivery information for that delivery item stored in the memory unit 22. Next, the control unit 23 adds up the work time for each task to calculate the total work time for the delivery. Next, the control unit 23 checks whether or not a desired delivery time exists among the desired delivery times for that delivery item included in the delivery information.

[0034] If a desired delivery time exists, the control unit 23 sets the desired delivery time as the scheduled time when delivery of the delivery item will be completed (hereinafter also referred to as the scheduled delivery time), subtracts the total delivery work time from the scheduled delivery time, and calculates the first time, which is the scheduled start time of the first work.

[0035] If there is no desired delivery time, the control unit 23 sets a tentative scheduled delivery time by adding the work time required for the entire delivery to the current time. Next, the control unit 23 checks whether there is any delivery information stored in the memory unit 22 whose tentative scheduled delivery time overlaps with the time period between the first time and the scheduled delivery time.

[0036] If there is delivery information with overlapping time periods, the control unit 23 sets the latest scheduled delivery time among the overlapping delivery information as the first time for the delivery, and sets the time obtained by adding the working time to the first time as the scheduled delivery time.If there is no delivery information with overlapping time periods, the control unit 23 determines the tentative scheduled delivery time as the scheduled delivery time, and sets the current time as the first time for the delivery.

[0037] The "work time of each task" can be any time expressed in hours, minutes, and seconds, such as 2 hours, 2.5 hours, 3 hours 30 minutes, or 3 hours 45 minutes 30 seconds. The work time of each task may be predetermined for each task. Alternatively, the work time of each task may be changeable.

[0038] Furthermore, when performing the above processing, the control unit 23 may perform each of the above calculations using any time, such as slack time, business hours, break time, or vehicle availability, which can be expressed in hours, minutes, and seconds, such as 2 minutes 30 seconds, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, or 30 minutes. For example, if a desired delivery time does not exist and 10 minutes is set as slack time, the control unit 23 may set a tentative scheduled delivery time by adding 10 minutes to the current time. In this case, the control unit 23 may also set the first time to the time calculated in the above processing plus 10 minutes. Note that these any time may be changeable. The control unit 23 may also use multiple any time, such as slack time and business hours, for each of the above calculations.

[0039] Alternatively, the operation time of each task may be calculated from past delivery information. Specifically, the control unit 23 calculates the operation time of each task as the time between the start time and the completion time of each task included in the past delivery information.

[0040] Furthermore, the work time for each task may be calculated by excluding past delivery information in which there was an accident involving a delivery item.

[0041] The control unit 23 may also calculate the first time based on the attributes of the piece.

[0042] For example, specifically, the working time for each task may differ depending on the attributes of the delivery piece, and when performing S100, the control unit 23 may acquire the attributes of the delivery piece contained in the delivery information related to the delivery piece, and calculate the first time by using the time required for each task associated with the acquired attributes of the delivery piece.

[0043] Furthermore, for example, specifically, if the delivery item is neither frozen nor refrigerated, the control unit 23 may set the first time to a time earlier than the result calculated by performing S100. This is because if the attribute of the delivery item is neither frozen nor refrigerated, the quality of the delivery item is unlikely to be affected even if the worker starts work earlier. This type of processing can be useful when the first times of multiple deliveries overlap.

[0044] S101: The control unit 23 of the information processing device 20 notifies a first worker who is a worker of a first task of a first time.

[0045] Specifically, the control unit 23 notifies the terminal device 10 associated with the first worker of the first time via the communication unit 21. The control unit 15 of the terminal device 10 receives the notification of the first time via the communication unit 11 and performs output using the output unit 12. The output may be, for example, displaying a message on the screen of the terminal device 10, emitting a sound such as an alarm, or both.

[0046] The notification of the first time may be made at any timing, such as immediately after S100 is performed, 5 minutes or 10 minutes before the first time, etc. Furthermore, the notification of the first time may be made multiple times, for example, immediately after S100 is performed and 5 minutes before the first time.

[0047] As described above, the information processing device 20 calculates the first time, which is the start time of the first task of picking up the delivery item, based on the time remaining until the scheduled completion time of delivery of the delivery item. Then, the information processing device 20 notifies the first worker who is the worker of the first task of the first time.

[0048] Depending on the type of delivery, starting delivery work early may result in a decrease in the quality of the delivery. For example, if the delivery includes refrigerated or frozen items, performing picking work early results in idle time until the next work, lengthening the overall delivery time for the delivery, and as a result, increasing the likelihood that the delivery will spoil or melt during delivery. However, according to this embodiment, for refrigerated and frozen deliveries, the information processing device 20 notifies the worker of the picking start time calculated based on the remaining time until the delivery destination of the delivery. Therefore, by starting work according to this start time, the likelihood of idle time until the next work will occur is reduced. Therefore, for example, if the delivery includes refrigerated or frozen items, there is a high probability that spoilage or melting of the delivery will be prevented. Therefore, according to this embodiment, technology for improving delivery quality is improved in that it may increase the likelihood that the quality of the delivery will be maintained at the time of delivery.

[0049] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or step can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple components or steps can be combined or divided into one.

[0050] For example, in the above-described embodiment, an embodiment is also possible in which the configuration and operation of the information processing device 20 are distributed among multiple computers that can communicate with each other. Also, for example, an embodiment is also possible in which some or all of the components of the information processing device 20 are provided in the terminal device 10. For example, the terminal device 10 may be provided with some or all of the components of the information processing device 20. Also, for example, the information processing device 20 according to the above-described embodiment may be used to provide MaaS (Mobility as a Service), a service that utilizes mobility.

[0051] Also, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 23 may notify the first worker of the identification information of the product that is the delivery piece a predetermined time before the first time.

[0052] Specifically, the control unit 23 notifies the terminal device 10 associated with the first worker of the identification information of the product that is the delivery via the communication unit 21 a predetermined time before the first time. This may be the first time that the identification information of the product is notified to the worker. If the worker knows the product to be delivered, there is a risk that the worker will start work before the scheduled start time. Therefore, by not informing the worker of the identification information of the product until just before the start of work, the worker can be made to adhere to the scheduled start time, which may increase the likelihood that the quality of the delivery can be maintained.

[0053] The "predetermined time" is any time that can be expressed in hours, minutes, and seconds, such as 2 minutes 30 seconds, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, etc. The predetermined time may differ depending on the attributes of the delivery. The predetermined time may also be changeable.

[0054] The control unit 23 may also calculate the predetermined time using past delivery information in which an accident occurred with a delivery item. Specifically, the control unit 23 obtains the scheduled start time and actual start time of the first task of a past delivery in which an accident occurred with a delivery item from the scheduled start time and start time of each task included in the past delivery information. If there is a time difference between the scheduled start time and start time of each task, the control unit 23 may set the predetermined time to a time shorter than the difference.

[0055] Also, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 23 of the information processing device 20 may calculate the start time of each of one or more second tasks related to the delivery of the delivery piece based on the remaining time until the scheduled completion time of delivery of the delivery piece, and notify each worker of the one or more second tasks of the start time of each of the one or more second tasks.

[0056] Specifically, the control unit 23 calculates the start time of each of the one or more second tasks depending on the order in which each of the one or more second tasks is performed relative to the first task. For example, if one of the one or more second tasks is the task performed after the first task, the control unit 23 may calculate the start time of one of the one or more second tasks by adding the work time of the first task to the start time of the first task. For example, if another of the one or more second tasks is the task performed third after the first task, the control unit 23 may calculate the start time of another of the one or more second tasks by adding the work time of the first task and the work time of the task following the first task to the start time of the first task.

[0057] Then, the control unit 23 notifies the terminal devices 10 associated with the one or more second workers of each of the one or more second times via the communication unit 21. The control units 15 of the terminal devices 10 each receive the notification of the one or more second times via the communication unit 11 and perform output using the output unit 12. The output may be, for example, displaying a message on the screen of each of the terminal devices 10, emitting a sound such as an alarm, or both.

[0058] The notification of each of the one or more second times may be made at any timing, such as immediately after each of the one or more second times is calculated, or five or ten minutes before each of the one or more second times. The notification of each of the one or more second times may be made multiple times, for example, immediately after each of the one or more second times is calculated and five minutes before each of the one or more second times. The number of notifications may be different for each of the one or more second times.

[0059] Also, for example, an embodiment is possible in which a general-purpose computer functions as the information processing device 20 according to the above-described embodiment. Specifically, a program describing the processing content for realizing each function of the information processing device 20 according to the above-described embodiment is stored in the memory of the general-purpose computer, and the program is read and executed by a processor. Therefore, the present disclosure can also be realized as a program executable by a processor, or a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the program. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1 System 10 Terminal Equipment 11 Communications Department 12 Output section 13 Input section 14 Storage section 15 Control Unit 20 Information processing equipment 21 Communications Department 22 Memory section 23 Control Unit 30 Network

Claims

1. An information processing method implemented by an information processing device, Calculating a first time, which is a start time of a first task of picking the delivery item, based on an estimated time when delivery of the delivery item will be completed; notifying a first worker who is a worker of the first work of the first time; An information processing method, including:

2. 2. The information processing method according to claim 1, notifying the first worker of identification information of the product that is the delivery a predetermined time before the first time; The information processing method further comprises:

3. 2. The information processing method according to claim 1, Calculating start times of one or more second tasks related to the delivery of the delivery items based on the scheduled time; notifying each worker of the one or more second jobs of a start time of each of the one or more second jobs; The information processing method further comprises:

4. 2. The information processing method according to claim 1, The information processing method further comprises: calculating the first time based on an attribute of the delivery piece;

5. An information processing device including a control unit, Calculating a first time, which is a start time of a first task of picking the delivery item, based on a scheduled time when delivery of the delivery item will be completed; notifying a worker of the first work of the first time; Information processing device.

6. A method for providing MaaS (Mobility as a Service) using the information processing device according to claim 1.

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