Vehicle operation plan creation support system

Abstract

This system provides a vehicle operation plan creation support system that enables the easy and efficient creation of appropriate operation plans that reflect the actual operating status of vehicles. [Solution] The vehicle operation plan creation support system 1 of the present invention comprises a Web server 2 connected to a user terminal 10 via an internet network 11, a storage device 3 connected to the Web server 2, an input device 4 used for inputting various data and commands, a processing device 5 that performs various processing based on the data input from the input device 4, a communication device 6 that transmits and receives data to and from the network 11, a ROM 7 and a RAM 8, and an output device 9 that outputs data read from the storage device 3 and the results processed by the processing device 5.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for facilitating the operation of creating an operation plan, and more particularly to a vehicle operation plan creation work support system capable of efficiently creating an operation plan by using information described in an operation log.

Background Art

[0002] When operating company-owned vehicles, generally, an "operation log" summarizing the driving distance, destination, etc. is created. Conventionally, since this operation log was created on paper, a very large amount of space was required for storage in a cabinet or the like. Also, despite the fact that a huge amount of information is recorded in the operation log, this information has hardly been effectively utilized so far.

[0003] Regarding the technology for creating a plan for running a vehicle, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention related to a "vehicle allocation plan creation system" that creates a plan for circulating a plurality of vehicles so as to pass through a predetermined via point. Patent Document 1 describes that when a vehicle allocation plan creation system determines a route from a departure point to a destination, it assigns a vehicle to be run to each route. Further, it is also described that information such as the amount of fuel in the fuel tank of the vehicle and the amount of electric power stored in the storage battery is stored in the storage unit as information for calculating the magnitude of energy by a necessary energy calculation unit. [[ID=二十]]

[0004] [[ID=二十一]] [[ID=二十二]] [[ID=二十三]] Patent Document 2 describes that when operational information (detailed information of a delivery case) is entered, the vehicle operation plan creation server performs an operation route search based on the departure point (also called the loading or collection point), departure date and time, arrival point (also called the loading / unloading or delivery point), arrival date and time, and operation fee (also called the delivery fee), etc., and creates a vehicle operation plan (table) including the operation route. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-130152 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-60850 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] The invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 can create a vehicle dispatch plan that consumes less energy, but it has the problem of not being able to create a dispatch plan that takes into account the characteristics of the vehicles and the purpose of operation. Furthermore, while the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2 can create a vehicle operation plan that takes into account costs and labor management, it has the problem that it cannot create an appropriate vehicle operation plan that is in line with the actual operating conditions of the vehicles because the characteristics and purpose of operation of the vehicles are not reflected in the vehicle operation plan. This invention addresses these challenges and aims to provide a vehicle operation plan creation support system that can easily and efficiently create appropriate operation plans that reflect the actual operating status of vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the first invention is a vehicle operation plan creation support system that facilitates the creation of vehicle operation logs and operation plans, comprising: an input device used for inputting data to be recorded in the operation log; a storage device on which an operation record database is constructed in which data is stored as operation records; a processing unit that controls the operation of the input device and the storage device; and an output device on which the operation log created by the processing unit is output, wherein the operation record includes the departure point, destination, and purpose of operation as data, and the processing unit comprises: information management means for writing and reading operation records to and from the storage device; operation plan creation means for searching and extracting operation records containing the input departure point, destination, and purpose of operation data from the operation record database of the storage device when the departure point, destination, and purpose of operation are input to the processing unit from the input device; and operation log creation means for creating an operation log based on the data contained in the operation records extracted from the storage device by the operation plan creation means and outputting it to the output device.

[0008] The second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, a vehicle information database is constructed in the storage device in which vehicle information recorded in the operation log is stored, and the information management means performs writing and reading of vehicle information to and from the storage device.

[0009] The third invention is characterized in that, in the second invention, the operation plan creation means searches for the shortest operation route connecting the departure point and the arrival point entered by the information management means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the first invention, when the departure point, destination, and purpose of operation are input from the input device to the processing device, the operation plan creation means searches for and extracts an operation record containing the input data of the departure point, destination, and purpose of operation from the operation record database of the storage device, and the operation log creation means creates an operation log based on the above data contained in the extracted operation record and outputs it to the output device. This has the effect of creating an appropriate operation log that reflects the actual operating status of the vehicle in a shorter time and more easily than when an operator creates an operation log on paper as in the past.

[0011] In the second invention, since the writing and reading of vehicle information to and from the vehicle information database constructed in the storage device is performed by the information management means, vehicle information can be retrieved quickly and efficiently. Therefore, in addition to the effects of the first invention, the second invention has the effect of easily and efficiently creating operation plans that reflect vehicle information.

[0012] According to the third invention, since the shortest route connecting the departure and arrival points entered by the information management means is searched for by the route planning means, even if a route record including the departure and arrival points is not found in the route record database of the storage device, the shortest route can be searched for by the route planning means, thus further enhancing the effect of the second invention, which is that an appropriate route plan can be easily and efficiently created. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] (a) is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle operation plan creation support system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a user terminal shown in Figure (a). [Figure 2] This diagram shows the information stored in a database built on a storage device connected to a web server. [Figure 3] This flowchart shows the operating procedure for the vehicle operation plan creation support system of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a block diagram for explaining the functions of the processing device shown in Fig. 1(a). [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing an example of an operation log. [Figure 6] It is a flowchart showing the processing procedure by the operation plan creation means. [Figure 7] (a) to (c) are conceptual diagrams showing the content of operation plan candidates, and (d) is a diagram showing an example of an operation plan table.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

Examples

[0014] As shown in Fig. 1(a), the vehicle operation plan creation work support system 1 of the present invention is composed of a personal computer, a workstation, a mainframe, etc., and is connected to a user terminal 10 via a network 11 of the Internet such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network). It includes a Web server 2 and a storage device 3 composed of a storage such as a NAS (Network Attached Storage) and connected to the Web server 2 via a SAN (Storage Area Network).

[0015] The Web server 2 is composed of, in addition to a keyboard and a mouse, an optical reading device, a reception terminal from an information communication network, etc. It includes an input device 4 into which various data and commands are input, a processing device 5 that performs various processes based on the data input from the input device 4, a communication device 6 that transmits and receives data to and from the network 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 7 and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 8, and an output device 9 composed of a display, a printer, etc., and outputs the data read from the storage device 3 and the results processed by the processing device 5.

[0016] The input device 4 is composed of a mode selection means 4a for selecting any one of a "vehicle information input mode", "operation record input mode", "operation log creation mode", and "operation plan creation mode", and an information input means 4b into which vehicle information d1, operation records d2, and format information d3 are input. The processing device 5 is composed of a control means 5a for controlling the operations of each device, an information management means 5b for writing and reading information input from the information input means 4b and the user terminal 10 to and from the storage device 3, an operation log creation means 5c for creating an operation log based on the operation records d2 and format information d3 read from the storage device 3, and an operation plan creation means 5d for searching for an operation route and selecting a vehicle based on the vehicle information d1 and operation records d2 read from the storage device 3.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 1(b), the user terminal 10 connected to the Internet network 11 via a communication carrier including a transmission / reception antenna, a wireless base station, and an exchange is provided with a processing unit 10a, a communication unit 10b for transmitting and receiving data to and from the network 11, an input unit 10c composed of a touch panel, a keyboard, etc., an audio output unit 10d composed of a speaker, a display unit 10e composed of a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, etc., a storage device 10f composed of a hard disk, a flash memory, or a memory card, a ROM 10g, and a RAM 10h. Note that the processing unit 10a expands and executes the computer program stored in the ROM 10g in the RAM 10h. The communication unit 10b accesses the Web server 2 of the vehicle operation plan creation work support system 1 via the communication carrier, transmits the data input from the input unit 10c to the communication device 6 of the Web server 2, and receives the data executed by the Web server 2 and sent through the communication device 6. Also, the processing unit 10a causes the display unit 10e to display the data received by the communication unit 10b and generates sound with the audio output unit 10d as necessary.

[0018] As shown in Figures 1(a) and 2, the storage device 3 contains a vehicle information database 3a where vehicle information d1 is stored, an operation record database 3b where operation records d2 are stored, a format information database 3c where the "operation log format" is stored as format information d3, and an operation plan database 3d where operation plan information d4 is stored. The vehicle information database 3a stores the following as vehicle information d1: "Vehicle No." which is the vehicle identification number; "Vehicle Deployment Location" which indicates the location where the vehicle is deployed, such as a power plant or construction site; "Vehicle Type" which indicates the type of vehicle, such as a chemical water tanker, water tanker, or hose deployment vehicle; "Maintenance Status" which indicates the date of the last maintenance; "Fuel Type" which indicates whether the fuel is gasoline or diesel; and "Tire Type" which indicates whether summer tires or winter tires are installed. Furthermore, within the "vehicle categories," "passenger cars" are divided into four types: buses, minibuses, regular cars, and light vehicles; "cargo vehicles" are divided into five types: large, medium, semi-medium, regular cars, and light vehicles; and "special vehicles" are divided into two types: large and small.

[0019] The operation record database 3b stores the following as operation record d2: "Vehicle No.", "Date of Operation", "Purpose of Operation", "Driver's Name", "Departure Time", "Departure Point", "Inspector's Name", and "Pre-Operation Inspection Results" which are entered before operation; "Return Time", "Via Points", and "Return Point" which are entered after operation; "Number of Return Instructions" which indicates the distance displayed on the odometer; "Distance Traveled" which is calculated from the difference between the "Number of Return Instructions" of the previous and current operation; "Amount of Fuel Added" which indicates the amount of fuel added during operation; "Number of ETC Usages" which indicates the amount of fuel added during operation; "ETC Card Location Confirmation Results" which are entered before or after operation; "Total Distance Traveled", "Total Amount of Fuel Added", and "Total Operating Days", which are the sum of "Distance Traveled", "Amount of Fuel Added", and "Operation Days" for the current month; and "Distance Traveled at the End of the Previous Month", which corresponds to the "Total Distance Traveled" of the previous month. Furthermore, the format information database 3c stores the "operation log format," and the operation plan database 3d stores the data included in the operation plan table, which will be described later. Furthermore, the operation record database 3b stores data from operation record d2, excluding "Vehicle No.", "Date of Operation", and "Destination", in a manner that is associated with "Vehicle No.", "Date of Operation", and "Destination".

[0020] The operating procedure for the vehicle operation plan creation support system 1 will be explained using Figures 3 and 4. First, the "vehicle information input mode" is selected by operating the mode selection means 4a of the input device 4. Then, vehicle information d1, including "vehicle no.", is input from the information input means 4b to the processing unit 5 as indicated by arrow A in Figure 4. The information management means 5b then stores the vehicle information d1 in the vehicle information database 3a of the storage device 3 as indicated by arrow B in Figure 4 (step S1 in Figure 3). Next, after the "driving record input mode" is selected by operating the mode selection means 4a of the input device 4, the driving record d2 is input from the information input means 4b to the processing device 5 as shown by arrow A in Figure 4. Then, the information management means 5b stores the driving record d2 in the driving record database 3b of the storage device 3 as shown by arrow B in Figure 4 (step S2 in Figure 3).

[0021] Furthermore, input of vehicle information d1 and operation record d2 into the processing unit 5 can also be performed using the user terminal 10. That is, after a user of the user terminal 10 starts the application for using the vehicle operation plan creation support system 1, they operate the input unit 10c to input vehicle information d1 and operation record d2 into the processing unit 10a. The vehicle information d1 and operation record d2 sent from the processing unit 10a to the communication unit 10b are then transmitted from the communication unit 10b to the network 11, and then, as shown by arrow D in Figure 4, are transmitted to the control means 5a of the processing unit 5 via the communication device 6. The vehicle information d1 and operation record d2 sent from the control means 5a to the information management means 5b are then sent to the storage device 3, as shown by arrow B in Figure 4, and the vehicle information d1 is stored in the vehicle information database 3a and the operation record d2 is stored in the operation record database 3b. Furthermore, the input of vehicle information d1 and operation records d2 by the input device 4 and user terminal 10 can be performed not only by inputting data one by one into the processing device 5 through keyboard or mouse operations, but also by having an electronic file containing multiple data entries read into the input unit 10c of the input device 4 or user terminal 10, and then having all of that data imported into the processing device 5 or processing unit 10a at once.

[0022] After the mode selection means 4a of the input device 4 is operated to select the "operation log creation mode," the "vehicle number," "operation date," and "destination" from the operation record d2 that should be entered in the operation log are input from the information input means 4b to the processing device 5 as shown by arrow A in Figure 4. Then, the information management means 5b reads other operation records d2 corresponding to this "vehicle number," "operation date," and "destination" from the operation record database 3b of the storage device 3, along with "vehicle number," "operation date," and "destination," as shown by arrow C in Figure 4. Furthermore, vehicle information d1 corresponding to "vehicle number" is read from the vehicle information database 3a of the storage device 3, and the "operation log format" is read from the format information database 3c as format information d3. Subsequently, the operation log creation means 5c creates an operation log (see Figure 5) based on the vehicle information d1, operation records d2, and format information d3 read from the storage device 3 (step S3 in Figure 3). Note that in Figure 5, the operation log is displayed in three sections for space limitations, but in reality, each data item is created in a continuous sequence. The "Vehicle Name" from the vehicle information d1 read from the storage device 3 is recorded as the "Vehicle Type" along with the "Vehicle No." at the top of the operation log. The "Operation Date" from the operation record d2 read from the storage device 3 is recorded as "Month and Day" and "Day of the Week," and the result of the vehicle inspection, whether it was good or bad, is recorded as "Inspection Result" along with the "Inspector's Name." Furthermore, based on the "ETC Card Location Confirmation Result" from the operation record d2 read from the storage device 3, the timing of the ETC card location confirmation is recorded as "Card Confirmation" in the operation log.

[0023] After the mode selection means 4a of the input device 4 is operated to select the "operation plan creation mode," operation plan information d5, including the "scheduled operation date," "departure point," "return destination," and "purpose of operation," is input from the information input means 4b to the processing device 5 as shown by arrow A in Figure 4, the operation plan creation means 5d creates the operation plan table described later (step S4 in Figure 3). Here, the processing performed by the operation plan creation means 5d will be explained using Figure 6. As shown in Figure 6, the operation plan creation means 5d first determines that the "departure point," "return destination," and "purpose of operation" have been entered in step S4-1, then proceeds to the process in step S4-2. If it does not determine that these data have been entered, it returns to the process before step S4-1.

[0024] In step S4-2, the operation plan creation means 5d searches for the shortest route from the "departure point" to the "return destination" using a known algorithm, and then in step S4-3, it creates a candidate operation plan (see Figure 7(a)) in which the "travel distance" obtained by this search is included in both the "departure point" and the "return destination". Next, in step S4-4, the operation plan creation means 5d searches the operation record database 3b of the storage device 3 for operation records d2 that contain the aforementioned "departure point," "destination point," and "purpose of operation" input to the processing device 5 from the information input means 4b, using these as keys. After that, the operation plan creation means 5d extracts the operation records d2 found through the search as shown by arrow C in Figure 4. Then, in step S4-5, if it determines that an operation record d2 containing the same data as the above-mentioned "departure point" and "destination point" has been found, it creates an operation plan candidate (see Figure 7(b)) based on this operation record d2 in step S4-6 and overwrites the operation plan candidate (see Figure 7(a)) created in step S4-3.

[0025] If the operation plan creation means 5d determines in step S4-7 that it has found an operation record d2 containing the same data as the "purpose of operation" among the operation records d2 found in step S4-5, it will create a candidate operation plan (see Figure 7(c)) in step S4-8 based on this operation record d2, overwrite the candidate operation plan (see Figure 7(c)) created in step S4-6, and then proceed to the process in step S4-9. If the operation plan creation means 5d does not determine in step S4-5 that it has found an operation record d2 containing the same data as the "departure point" and "return destination," it will bypass the processes in steps S4-6 to S4-8 and proceed to the process in step S4-9. If it does not determine in step S4-7 that it has found an operation record d2 containing the same data as the "purpose of operation," it will bypass the process in step S4-8 and proceed to the process in step S4-9.

[0026] In step S4-9, the operation plan creation means 5d sends vehicle information d1 and operation record d2 to the output device 9, as shown by arrow E in Figure 4, and displays the various data included in the vehicle information d1 along with the aforementioned operation plan candidate on the display screen. As shown in Figure 7(c), if multiple route plan candidates are displayed on the display screen, and one of them is selected, or if only one route plan candidate is displayed on the display screen, and that route plan candidate is selected, the route plan creation means 5d determines in step S4-10 that a route plan candidate has been selected and proceeds to the process in step S4-11.

[0027] In step S4-11, the operation plan creation means 5d creates an operation plan table based on the operation plan candidates. At this time, when operation schedule information d5, which includes data for supplementing or correcting the operation plan table, is input from the information input means 4b to the processing unit 5, the operation plan creation means 5d corrects the operation plan table using that data. If the operation plan creation means 5d does not determine in step S4-10 that an operation plan candidate has been selected, it returns to the process before step S4-10. Finally, in step S4-12, the operation plan creation means 5d sends operation plan information d4, which consists of various data included in the operation plan table, to the output device 9 as indicated by arrow E in Figure 4, displays the operation plan table created in step S4-11 (see Figure 7(d)) ​​on the display screen, and stores the operation plan information d4 in the operation plan database 3d of the storage device 3 as indicated by arrow B in Figure 4. Based on this operation plan, the operation log creation means 5c creates an operation log and outputs it to the output device 9.

[0028] Thus, in the vehicle operation plan creation support system 1, when the "departure point," "return destination," and "purpose of operation" are input from the input device 4 to the processing device 5, the operation plan creation means 5d searches for and extracts an operation record d2 containing the input data of "departure point," "return destination," and "purpose of operation" from the operation plan database 3d in the storage device 3. Based on the above data contained in the extracted operation record d2, the operation log creation means 5c creates an operation log and outputs it to the output device 9. As a result, an appropriate operation log that reflects the actual operating status of the vehicle can be created easily and in a shorter time compared to the conventional method where an operator creates an operation log on paper.

[0029] Furthermore, in the vehicle operation plan creation support system 1, the information management means 5b performs the writing and reading of vehicle information d1 to and from the vehicle information database 3a built on the storage device 3, so that the vehicle information d1 can be queried quickly and efficiently. As a result, an operation plan that reflects the vehicle information d1 can be easily and efficiently created. Furthermore, in the vehicle operation plan creation support system 1, the shortest route connecting the "departure point" and "return point" entered by the information input means 4b is searched for by the operation plan creation means 5d. Therefore, even if the operation record d2 including the aforementioned departure point and return point is not found in the operation record database 3b of the storage device 3, the shortest route is searched for by the operation plan creation means 5d, thus further demonstrating the effect of easily and efficiently creating an appropriate operation plan. [Industrial applicability]

[0030] The vehicle operation plan creation support system of the present invention can be used when creating vehicle operation logs and operation plans. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0031] 1…Vehicle operation plan creation support system 2…Web server 3…Storage device 3a…Vehicle information database 3b…Operation record database 3c…Format information database 3d…Operation plan database 4…Input device 4a…Mode selection means 4b…Information input means 5…Processing device 5a…Control means 5b…Information management means 5c…Operation log creation means 5d…Operation plan creation means 6…Communication device 7…ROM 8…RAM 9…Output device 10…User terminal 10a…Processing unit 10b…Communication unit 10c…Input unit 10d…Audio output unit 10e…Display unit 10f…Storage device 10g…ROM 10h…RAM 11…Network d1…Vehicle information d2…Operation record d3…Format information d4…Operation plan information d5…Scheduled operation information

Claims

1. A vehicle operation plan creation support system that facilitates the creation of vehicle operation logs and operation plans, An input device used for inputting data recorded in the aforementioned operation log, A storage device on which a traffic record database is constructed in which the aforementioned data is stored as a traffic record, A processing unit that controls the operation of the input device and the storage device, The processing device comprises an output device that outputs the operation log created by this processing device, The aforementioned operation record includes the departure point, arrival point, and purpose of operation as data. The aforementioned processing apparatus is Information management means for writing and reading the aforementioned operation record to and from the storage device, When the departure point, destination point, and purpose of operation are input from the input device to the processing device, the operation plan creation means searches for and extracts the operation record, which includes the input data of the departure point, destination point, and purpose of operation, from the operation record database in the storage device. A vehicle operation plan creation support system characterized by comprising: an operation log creation means that creates an operation log based on the data contained in the operation record extracted from the storage device by the operation plan creation means and outputs it to the output device.

2. The aforementioned storage device has a vehicle information database in which the vehicle information recorded in the operation log is stored. The vehicle operation plan creation support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the information management means writes and reads the vehicle information to and from the storage device.

3. The vehicle operation plan creation support system according to claim 2, characterized in that the operation plan creation means searches for the shortest operation route connecting the departure point and the arrival point entered by the information management means.

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