Loading sequence selection device, loading sequence selection method, and program

Abstract

Considering constraints on vehicle dispatch and ensuring safety during transit, the optimal loading sequence for efficiently loading cargo onto the transport vehicle is selected. [Solution] In a means of transport where multiple lanes are arranged so that cargo to be transported by any of multiple vehicles is placed, each lane is provided with a selection unit that selects the loading order of cargo in order from the front to the rear along the lane direction, from the front to the rear in the longitudinal direction of the lane, when cargo is placed in a predetermined position for the cargo; a determination unit that determines whether or not there is cargo that will cause a waiting time, based on predetermined dispatch conditions for the vehicles and the loading order selected by the selection unit; and an update unit that selects cargo that will reduce the waiting time from among the cargo placed in the same lane as the waiting cargo which the determination unit has determined will cause a waiting time, and updates the position of the selected cargo and the waiting cargo, as well as changing the loading order.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a loading order selection device, a loading order selection method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for estimating the actual wave moment generated in a ship from the sea state expected in a sea route and creating a cargo loading plan based on the predicted value of the actual wave moment.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, when loading cargo onto a means of transportation such as a ship, the carrier, such as a shipping company that loads the cargo onto the means of transportation, is determined for each cargo, and there may be restrictions on vehicle allocation, such as the number of vehicles for cargo transportation owned by each carrier being determined in advance.

[0005]

[0006] <000,0031> For example, suppose that while transporting goods according to a loading order, all of carrier A's vehicles become occupied for transporting goods. In this case, if the next goods to be transported, as indicated by the loading order, are to be transported by carrier A, then even if carrier B's vehicles are available, transport of goods cannot proceed until carrier A's vehicles become available. As a result, there will be a waiting time for carrier B's vehicles and the goods being transported by those vehicles. Consequently, the time required to load all the goods will be extended, which is a problem.

[0007] This disclosure is made to solve the above-mentioned problems and aims to provide a loading sequence selection device, a loading sequence selection method, and a program that select a loading sequence for efficiently loading cargo onto a means of transport, while taking into consideration constraints on vehicle dispatch and ensuring safety when the means of transport is in motion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above problems, the loading order selection device according to the present disclosure includes: a selection unit that, when a plurality of lanes are provided in a transport means such that lanes for transporting cargo by any of a plurality of vehicles are arranged in a row, selects the loading order of the cargo in order from the front end along the lane direction from the front end to the rear end in the longitudinal direction of the lane, when the cargo is arranged in each lane based on predetermined arrangement positions for the cargo; a determination unit that determines whether or not there is cargo that will cause a waiting time based on predetermined dispatch conditions for the vehicle and the loading order selected by the selection unit; and an update unit that selects cargo that will reduce the waiting time from among cargo arranged in the same lane as the waiting cargo which the determination unit determines will cause a waiting time, and updates the arrangement positions of the selected cargo and the waiting cargo, as well as updating the loading order.

[0009] The loading order selection device according to this disclosure displays each of the lanes in a transport means, which is provided in a plurality of transport means, in an arrangement provided in the transport means, each of the goods placed in each of the lanes, according to their respective placement positions, superimposed on each of the displayed lanes, and, associated with each of the displayed goods, displays a numerical value indicating the loading order, which is the order in which the goods are loaded in each of the lanes from the leading end to the trailing end in the longitudinal direction of the lane, and while the goods are being transported to the transport means according to the loading order, When an operation is performed to delay the loading order of any of the cargo that is not currently being loaded, and the loading order and placement position are swapped between the delayed cargo (the cargo whose loading order is being delayed) and the untransported cargo that is different from the delayed cargo, the system includes a display unit that displays the swapped placement positions of the cargo that will reduce the waiting time, selected from among the untransported cargo that is placed in the same lane as the waiting cargo (a cargo that is determined to result in a waiting time), and the waiting cargo, based on predetermined dispatch conditions for the vehicle and the loading order in which the delayed cargo's order has been delayed.

[0010] The loading order selection method relating to this disclosure involves selecting the loading order of the cargo in order from the front end along the lane direction from the front end to the rear end in the longitudinal direction of the lane, when the cargo is placed in each of the lanes of a transport means provided such that lanes for cargo to be transported by any of the multiple vehicles are arranged in a row, based on predetermined placement positions for the cargo, and determining whether there is cargo that will cause a waiting time based on predetermined dispatch conditions for the vehicle and the selected loading order, selecting cargo that will reduce the waiting time from among the cargo placed in the same lane as the waiting cargo which is determined to cause a waiting time, and updating the loading order by swapping the placement positions of the selected cargo and the waiting cargo.

[0011] The program relating to this disclosure is a program for causing a computer to function as: a selection means for selecting the loading order of cargo in order from the front end along the lane direction from the front end to the rear end in the longitudinal direction of a lane, when cargo is placed in each lane of a transport means provided in a plurality of transport means such that lanes are arranged in a row in which cargo is transported by any of a plurality of vehicles, based on predetermined placement positions for the cargo; a determination means for determining whether there is cargo that will result in a waiting time, based on predetermined dispatch conditions for the vehicle and the loading order selected by the selection means; and an update means for selecting cargo that will reduce the waiting time from among cargo placed in the same lane as the waiting cargo which the determination means has determined will result in a waiting time, and performing an update that swaps the placement positions of the selected cargo and the waiting cargo, as well as swapping the loading order. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the loading sequence selection device, loading sequence selection method, and program of this disclosure, it is possible to select a loading sequence that efficiently loads cargo onto a means of transport while taking into consideration constraints on vehicle dispatch and ensuring safety when the means of transport is in motion. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a loading sequence selection device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of a scenario in which a loading sequence selection device according to the embodiment of this disclosure is used. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of data stored in the storage unit according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 4] This is a diagram illustrating the contents of the lane range data according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows an example of the operation of a loading sequence selection device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 6]It is a diagram showing an example of a slot set by a slot setting unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] It is a flowchart showing an example of a slot allocation process for cargo according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing an overview of a slot allocation process for cargo according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing an overview of a selection process for the loading order according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] It is a flowchart showing an example of a process for determining the presence or absence of and updating waiting cargo according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing an example of the vehicle usage order according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing an overview of a process for determining the presence or absence of and updating waiting cargo according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] It is a diagram showing an overview of a selection process for the loading order when an obstacle exists in a lane according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] It is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a computer according to at least one embodiment.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Hereinafter, a loading order selection device, a loading order selection method, and a program according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the respective drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0015] (Configuration Example of Loading Order Selection Device) The loading order selection device 1 can be configured using, for example, a computer such as a server, a personal computer, or a microcomputer, a peripheral device of the computer, etc., and is a functional configuration composed of a combination of hardware such as the computer and software such as a program executed by the computer. As shown in FIG. 1, it includes an operation unit 10, a storage unit 11, a selection unit 12, a determination unit 15, an update unit 16, and a display unit 17. The selection unit 12 includes a slot setting unit 13 and a slot selection unit 14.

[0016] While referring to FIG. 2, an example of a scene where the loading order selection device 1 is used will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state where a ship 3 such as a ferry is ashore at a port terminal and a plurality of cargos 6-1, 6-2,..., 6-N are loaded on the ship 3. Here, N is an integer of 2 or more. Hereinafter, when indicating any one of the cargos 6-1 to 6-N, it is referred to as cargo 6.

[0017] In FIG. 2, for the ship 3, a plan view of the deck of the ship 3 observed from above the ship 3 is shown. Therefore, for the cargos 6-1 to 6-8 located inside the ship 3, the shapes of the upper surfaces of each of the cargos 6-1 to 6-8 are shown. On the other hand, for the cargos 6-9 to 6-N located outside the ship 3, the shapes of the side surfaces of each of the cargos 6-9 to 6-N observed from the lateral direction are shown.

[0018] The vessel 3 is provided with seven lanes 4-1, 4-2, ..., 4-7, each containing, for example, multiple cargoes 6-1 to 6-N. Each of the lanes 4-1 to 4-7 is, for example, rectangular or substantially rectangular in shape, with a longitudinal direction corresponding to the shape of the area on the vessel 3 where the lanes 4-1 to 4-7 are located, and is arranged so that their longitudinal directions are aligned in the same direction. In Figure 2, the right side of the vessel 3 is the bow and the left side is the stern, and the lanes 4-1 to 4-7 are arranged such that their longitudinal directions coincide with the direction from the bow to the stern of the vessel 3. Hereafter, any one of the lanes 4-1 to 4-7 will be referred to as lane 4. Figure 2 shows an example where cargo 6-1 to 6-8 are already placed on lane 4. However, all cargo 6-1 to 6-N are placed at the terminal, as shown for cargo 6-10 to 6-N in Figure 2, before being transported to ship 3.

[0019] It is predetermined that cargoes 6-1 to 6-N will be transported to ship 3 by one of several carriers, such as a transportation company. Figure 2 shows an example where there are three carriers, A, B, and C. Each of carriers A, B, and C owns at least one vehicle. Here, a vehicle is, for example, a trailer head that tows cargoes 6-1 to 6-N. Figure 2 shows an example where carrier A owns multiple vehicles 5A-1, 5A-2, ..., carrier B owns multiple vehicles 5B-1, 5B-2, ..., and carrier C owns multiple vehicles 5C-1, 5C-2, .... Hereafter, when referring to any one of the vehicles 5A-1, 5A-2, ..., 5B-1, 5B-2, ..., or 5C-1, 5C-2, ... without specifying carriers A, B, or C, it will be referred to as vehicle 5.

[0020] Vehicle 5C-1, as indicated by the dotted arrow, is shown towing cargo 6-9 to ship 3 and entering ship 3 from the stern. Vehicle 5A-1, as indicated by the dotted arrow, is shown to have finished positioning cargo 6 on lane 4 and is exiting ship 3 from the stern. Vehicles 5A-2,..., 5B-1, 5B-2,..., and 5C-2,... are shown to be waiting at the terminal. However, in actual operation, when one vehicle 5A-1 exits ship 3, the next vehicle 5C-1 does not necessarily enter ship 3. Since some cargo 6-1 to 6-N are towed in parallel by one of several vehicles 5 to ship 3, there may be multiple vehicles 5 inside ship 3, including a vehicle 5 towing cargo 6 and a vehicle 5 from which cargo 6 has been released.

[0021] Cargo items 6-1 to 6-N are arranged sequentially from the front to the rear along the longitudinal direction of each lane 4-1 to 4-7, for example, cargo items 6-1 and 6-8 in lane 4-1. In the example shown in Figure 2, since cargo items 6 are arranged from the bow side of the ship 3, the front of each lane 4-1 to 4-7 in its longitudinal direction is the bow side of the ship 3. Here, the direction from the front to the rear along the longitudinal direction of each lane 4-1 to 4-7 is called the lane direction. In Figure 2, the lane direction is indicated by the dashed arrows shown inside each lane 4-1 to 4-7. In the following, "forward in the lane direction" means the direction towards the tip of the arrow indicating the lane direction, i.e., towards the stern side of the ship 3 in Figure 2. Also, "backward in the lane direction" means the opposite side of the arrow indicating the lane direction, i.e., towards the bow side of the ship 3 in Figure 2.

[0022] Returning to Figure 1, the operation unit 10 receives operations from the user of the loading order selection device 1 and performs processes such as writing various data supplied by the user's operations to the storage unit 11, and outputting an instruction signal to the slot setting unit 13 to indicate the start of processing. As shown in Figure 3, the storage unit 11 stores lane range data 21, placement position data 22, dispatch condition data 23, ship area classification data 24, bow area lane priority data 25-1, midship area lane priority data 25-2, stern area lane priority data 25-3, slot range data 26, cargo slot assignment data 27, and loading order data 28.

[0023] Lane range data 21, placement position data 22, dispatch condition data 23, ship area classification data 24, bow area lane priority data 25-1, midship area lane priority data 25-2, and stern area lane priority data 25-3 are pre-generated by the user and recorded in the storage unit 11 by the operation unit 10, which receives user input.

[0024] Lane range data 21 is data indicating the range of lanes 4-1 to 4-7 on vessel 3. The contents of lane range data 21 will be explained with reference to Figure 4. In Figure 4, the symbol 40 indicates the area formed by all lanes 4-1 to 4-7, and this area will be referred to as lane area 40 below. However, since Figure 4 shows only a part of lanes 4-1 to 4-7 shown in Figure 2, and represents the portion from the bow to the vicinity of the center of vessel 3, the range of lane area 40 shown in Figure 4 is the range from the bow to the vicinity of the center of vessel 3.

[0025] A rectangular area encompassing the entire lane region 40 is defined. This rectangular area is divided vertically and horizontally to form a mesh as shown in Figure 4. In the vertical direction, the rectangular area is divided sequentially by straight lines parallel to the two left and right sides that intersect in the lane direction, from the rear to the front in the lane direction, that is, from the bow end to the stern end of the lane region 40, at predetermined fixed lengths. In the horizontal direction, the area is divided by straight lines that extend the boundary lines of each lane region 4-1 to 4-7. Here, the fixed length is, for example, about 1 meter. Also, in Figure 4, the bow end of the lane region 40 coincides with the tip of lane 4-4, and is hereafter referred to as the tip of lane region 40. As shown in Figure 2, the stern end of lane region 40 coincides with the rear end of lane 4-4, and is hereafter referred to as the rear end of lane region 40.

[0026] For each mesh in the horizontal direction, a sequential number is assigned starting from "1" and increasing by 1 from the leading edge of the lane area 40. This assigned number is hereinafter referred to as the mesh number. In Figure 4, the numbers "1", "5", "10", "15", "20", "25", and "30" indicate the location of the mesh assigned to the corresponding mesh number. As described above, the range of the lane area 40 shown in Figure 4 is from the bow to near the center of the ship 3. Therefore, in the entire lane area 40, mesh numbers are also assigned to meshes of the lane area 40 that are not shown in Figure 4, so the mesh number will exceed "30".

[0027] This mesh number allows us to identify the positions of the leading and trailing ends of each lane 4-1 to 4-7, i.e., the range of lanes 4-1 to 4-7. Each of lanes 4-1 to 4-7 is pre-assigned lane identification information to distinguish it from other lanes 4-1 to 4-7. The data in which each lane identification information is associated with two mesh numbers that specify the range of lanes 4-1 to 4-7 corresponding to it constitutes lane range data 21.

[0028] The placement position data 22 is data indicating the placement positions of cargo 6-1 to cargo 6-N for each lane 4-1 to 4-7, which are determined considering the safety of navigation of the vessel 3, such as the left-right balance of the vessel's hull, by, for example, the method described in Patent Document 1 or other methods. Each of cargo 6-1 to cargo 6-N is pre-assigned cargo identification information that identifies each of the cargo 6-1 to 6-N. Therefore, in the placement position data 22, the placement position of a single cargo 6 is represented by data that associates the cargo identification information of the cargo 6 with the lane identification information of the lane 4 in which the cargo 6 is placed, and two mesh numbers corresponding to the mesh containing the position of one end and the mesh containing the position of the other end of the range in which the cargo 6 is placed.

[0029] The dispatch condition data 23 is data indicating the dispatch conditions, and includes data indicating whether each of the cargo 6-1 to 6-N is transported by carrier A, carrier B, or carrier C, the number of vehicles 5 owned by each of carriers A, B, and C, and the vehicle 5 occupancy interval. Here, the vehicle 5 occupancy interval is represented by the time, for example, when one vehicle 5 begins towing a cargo 6 to transport it to a ship 3, and ends when the vehicle has transported the cargo 6, placed it in one of the lanes 4, left the ship 3, arrived near another cargo 6 located at the terminal, and is ready to tow that other cargo 6. Alternatively, the vehicle 5 occupancy interval may be represented by the number of vehicles 5 if the time that one vehicle 5 is occupied for one cargo 6 is constant for all vehicles 5. For example, suppose that once vehicle 5A-1 is used for transport, it cannot be used for transport again until the other nine vehicles 5 have been used for transport. In this case, the interval between vehicles 5 is represented as "10 vehicles".

[0030] Each of the carriers, A, B, and C, is pre-assigned carrier identification information that identifies them as carriers A, B, or C. Therefore, the data indicating whether each of the cargoes 6-1 to 6-N is transported by carrier A, B, or C is data in which one of the carrier identification pieces is associated with the cargo identification information of each of the cargoes 6-1 to 6-N. The data indicating the number of vehicles 5 owned by each of the carriers A, B, and C is data in which a value indicating the number of vehicles 5 owned by each of the carriers A, B, and C is associated with each of the carrier identification pieces.

[0031] The ship area classification data 24 is data that indicates the extent of each predetermined area on ship 3, such that they do not overlap with each other. For example, suppose that in the lane area 40 of ship 3, three areas are predetermined: the bow area, which is closer to the bow; the stern area, which is closer to the stern; and the central hull area, which is not included in the bow or stern areas. The bow area, central hull area, and stern area are defined such that the straight lines extending the boundaries of each area coincide with one of the straight lines extending the boundaries of two meshes corresponding to each of two consecutive mesh numbers. Each of the bow area, central hull area, and stern area is assigned area identification information that identifies each of the three areas. Therefore, the ship area classification data 24 is data in which each of the three area identification information is associated with two mesh numbers that specify the extent of the area corresponding to each.

[0032] The lane priority data 25-1 for the bow area indicates which lane 4 should be prioritized for placing cargo 6 in the bow area. For example, if cargo 6 is placed in the bow area in the order of lane 4-7, lane 4-1, lane 4-4, lane 4-3, lane 4-5, lane 4-6, and lane 4-2, the data representing this order using lane identification information becomes the lane priority data 25-1 for the bow area. Similarly, the lane priority data 25-2 for the midship area indicates which lane 4 should be prioritized for placing cargo 6 in the midship area. The lane priority data 25-3 for the stern area indicates which lane 4 should be prioritized for placing cargo 6 in the stern area. The lane priority data 25-1 for the bow area, lane priority data 25-2 for the midship area, and lane priority data 25-3 for the stern area are predetermined according to the shape of the vessel 3, for example, to prevent the vessel 3 from becoming unstable due to the cargo 6 being unevenly distributed to either the left or right lanes 4-1 or 4-7 during the process of placing the cargo 6 in lane 4.

[0033] Slot range data 26 and cargo slot assignment data 27 are data recorded in the storage unit 11 by the slot setting unit 13. Loading order data 28 is data recorded in the storage unit 11 by the slot selection unit 14.

[0034] The selection unit 12 selects the loading order of cargo 6 in each lane 4 of the ship 3, starting from the leading edge of the lane, based on the placement position data 22. In the selection unit 12, the slot setting unit 13 detects the lane length of the cargo 6 with the shortest lane length among cargo 6-1 to 6-N, and sets the detected length as the slot length. The slot setting unit 13 divides the lane area 40 into slots, each of which is sequentially divided by the slot length from the rear to the front of the lane, that is, from the leading edge to the rear end of the lane area 40. The slot setting unit 13 assigns slot identification information to each slot to identify it. The slot setting unit 13 detects two mesh numbers that specify the range of each slot. The slot setting unit 13 generates slot range data 26, associating each of the two mesh numbers that specify the range of the corresponding slot with each piece of slot identification information.

[0035] The slot setting unit 13 assigns one slot to each cargo 6 so that each cargo 6 placed in the same lane 4 belongs to a different slot, when cargo 6-1 to 6-N are placed according to the placement position data 22. The slot setting unit 13 generates cargo slot assignment data 27 by associating the slot identification information corresponding to the slot assigned to the cargo 6 corresponding to the cargo identification information of each cargo 6-1 to 6-N.

[0036] In the selection unit 12, the slot selection unit 14 sequentially selects slots from rear to front in the lane direction. Each time a slot is selected, the slot selection unit 14 selects the loading order for each of the cargo 6 belonging to the selected slot based on the lane priority, and generates loading order data 28 indicating the selected loading order.

[0037] The determination unit 15 determines the presence or absence of the cargo 6 for which a waiting time occurs based on the vehicle allocation conditions indicated by the vehicle allocation condition data 23 and the loading order selected by the selection unit 12. The update unit 16 selects the cargo 6 that is the same as the waiting cargo, which is the cargo 6 determined by the determination unit 15 to have a waiting time, and the cargo 6 that reduces the waiting time in the same lane 4. The update unit 16 swaps the arrangement positions of the selected cargo 6 and the waiting cargo, and performs an update to swap the loading order with respect to the arrangement position data 22 and the loading order data 28 stored in the storage unit 11.

[0038] The display unit 17 is connected to a display device such as a liquid crystal display, generates an image based on various data stored in the storage unit 11, and displays the generated image on the screen of the display device.

[0039] (Operation example of the loading order selection device) FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed using the loading order selection device 1. The processing performed using the loading order selection device 1 includes six processes performed in the order of a preset process (S1), a slot setting process (S2), a slot allocation process to the cargo 6 (S3), a loading order selection process (S4), a process for determining and updating the presence or absence of waiting cargo (S5), and a display process (S6). Hereinafter, each of the processes of S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, and S6 will be described.

[0040] <S1: Preset process> The user generates lane range data 21, arrangement position data 22, vehicle allocation condition data 23, ship area classification data 24, lane priority data 25-1 for the bow area, lane priority data 25-2 for the hull center area, and lane priority data 25-3 for the stern area (hereinafter, these data are referred to as a preset data group) to be recorded in the storage unit I1 in advance. The user performs an operation on the operation unit 10 to record the generated preset data group in the storage unit 11. When receiving the operation from the user, the operation unit 10 records the preset data group in the storage unit 11.

[0041] <S2: Slot setting process> When the operation unit 10 receives a processing start operation from the user, it outputs an instruction signal to the slot setting unit 13 indicating the start of processing. When the slot setting unit 13 receives the instruction signal from the operation unit 10, it detects the lane-direction length of the cargo 6 with the shortest lane-direction length among cargo 6-1 to 6-N. For example, the slot setting unit 13 calculates the lane-direction length of each cargo 6-1 to 6-N by adding "1" to the absolute value of the difference between the values ​​of two mesh numbers that specify the range in which each of cargo 6-1 to 6-N is placed, which is included in the placement position data 22 stored in the storage unit 11. The slot setting unit 13 detects the minimum value from the mesh numbers that represent the calculated lane-direction lengths of each cargo 6-1 to 6-N, and sets the detected minimum value as the lane-direction length of the cargo 6 with the shortest lane-direction length. The slot setting unit 13 sets the lane-direction length of the cargo 6 with the shortest lane-direction length, as indicated by the mesh number, as the slot length. Here, as an example, let's assume that the value set by the slot setting unit 13 as the slot length is "6".

[0042] The slot setting unit 13 divides the lane area 40 by slot lengths, starting from the front end of the lane area 40, i.e., the rearmost point in the lane direction, and moving forward in the lane direction, and designates each of the divided areas as a slot. The specific process for setting slots is as follows: The slot setting unit 13 defines, for example, a variable m and a variable s which will be used as slot identification information, and initializes both variables m and s to "1".

[0043] The slot setting unit 13 sets the (m + slot length - 1)th mesh from the mth mesh as a slot with slot identification information "s". When the slot setting unit 13 sets a slot, it uses the value of the variable s as the slot identification information, associates it with two mesh numbers that specify the range of the slot corresponding to that slot identification information, and records it in the storage unit 11 as slot range data 26. If the value of the variable s is 2 or greater, the slot range data 26 is already stored in the storage unit 11, so the slot setting unit 13 adds the combination of slot identification information and two mesh numbers to the already stored slot range data 26.

[0044] When the recording to the storage unit 11 is completed, the slot setting unit 13 sets a new variable m to the value obtained by adding the slot length to the value of the variable m, and sets a new variable s to the value obtained by adding "1" to the variable s, and then performs the setting of the next slot. In this way, while increasing the variable m and the variable s, the slot setting unit 13 repeatedly performs the setting of the slot until the rear end of the lane area 40 is included in any one of the slots. Note that for the last slot including the rear end of the lane area 40, there may be a case where it cannot be set to include six meshes. In this case, the slot setting unit 13 sets an area including less than six meshes up to the rear end of the lane area 40 as a slot.

[0045] As a result, for example, when the slot length is "6", as shown in FIG. 6, the range of mesh numbers "1" to "6" is set as the first slot 8-1, the range of mesh numbers "7" to "12" is set as the second slot 8-2, the range of mesh numbers "13" to "18" is set as the third slot 8-3, the range of mesh numbers "19" to "24" is set as the fourth slot 8-4, the range of mesh numbers "25" to "30" is set as the fifth slot 8-5, and slots 8-6, 8-7,... are set until reaching the rear end of the lane area 4). Note that in the following description, when indicating any one of the plurality of slots 8-1, 8-2,..., it is referred to as slot 8.

[0046] <S3: Slot Allocation Process for Cargo 6> FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of a subroutine of the slot allocation process for cargo 6 in S3 of FIG. 5. When the process of S2 is completed, the slot setting unit 13 continues to start the process of S3. The slot setting unit 13 selects any one record from the records that are combinations of the cargo identification information included in the arrangement position data 22 of the storage unit 11, the lane identification information corresponding to the cargo identification information, and the two mesh numbers specifying the range of cargo 6 corresponding to the cargo identification information.

[0047] The slot setting unit 13 determines whether the range of cargo 6 is included in the range of one slot 8 based on two mesh numbers that identify the range of each slot 8 shown in the slot range data 26 of the storage unit 11, and two mesh numbers that identify the range of cargo 6 of the record selected from the placement position data 22 (Sa1). Suppose the cargo 6 corresponding to the record selected by the slot setting unit 13 is cargo 6-α shown in Figure 8. The range of cargo 6-α is included in the range of slot 8-4. Therefore, the slot setting unit 13 determines that the range of cargo 6 is included in the range of one slot 8-4 for cargo 6-α (Sa1, Yes), and assigns slot 8-4 to cargo 6-α (Sa2).

[0048] The slot setting unit 13 associates the slot identification information of slot 8 assigned to cargo 6 with the cargo identification information corresponding to cargo 6 to which slot 8 has been assigned, and records this as cargo slot assignment data 27 in the storage unit 11. If cargo slot assignment data 27 is already stored in the storage unit 11, the slot setting unit 13 adds the combination of cargo identification information and slot identification information to the already stored cargo slot assignment data 27 (Sa7).

[0049] Assume that the cargo 6 corresponding to the record selected by the slot setting unit 13 is one of cargo 6-β, 6-γ, or 6-δ shown in Figure 8. The ranges of cargo 6-β, 6-γ, and 6-δ are not included in the range of a single slot 8, but span the ranges of multiple slots 8. Therefore, the slot setting unit 13 determines that the range of cargo 6 for cargo 6-β, 6-γ, and 6-δ is not included in the range of a single slot 8 (Sa1, No). In this case, the slot setting unit 13 detects the slot 8 with the largest area occupied by cargo 6 (Sa3).

[0050] Cargo 6-β occupies three meshes in slot 8-3 and four meshes in slot 8-4. Therefore, in the case of cargo 6-β, the slot setting unit 13 detects one of the meshes in slot 8-4 during the processing of Sa3.

[0051] Cargo 6-γ occupies three meshes in slot 8-3 and three meshes in slot 8-4. Therefore, in the case of cargo 6-β, the slot setting unit 13 detects two slots, slot 8-3 and slot 8-4, during the processing of Sa3.

[0052] Cargo 6-δ occupies one mesh in slot 8-2, six meshes in slot 8-3, six meshes in slot 8-4, and three meshes in slot 8-5. Therefore, in the case of cargo 6-δ, the slot setting unit 13 detects two slots, 8-3 and 8-4, during the processing of Sa3.

[0053] The slot setting unit 13 determines whether the number of detected slots 8 is one or not (Sa4). In the case of cargo 6-β, the slot setting unit 13 has detected one slot 8-4, so it determines that the number of detected slots 8 is one (Sa4, Yes). In this case, the slot setting unit 13 assigns the detected slot 8-4 to cargo 6-β (Sa5) and performs the process in Sa7.

[0054] In the case of cargo 6-γ, the slot setting unit 13 detects slots 8-3 and 8-4, and therefore determines that the number of detected slots 8 is not one (Sa4, No). In this case, the slot setting unit 13 assigns slot 8-3, which is the last slot 8 in the lane direction among the detected slots 8, to cargo 6-γ (Sa6), and then performs the process in Sa7.

[0055] In the case of cargo 6-δ, the slot setting unit 13 detects slots 8-3 and 8-4, and therefore determines that the number of detected slots 8 is not one (Sa4, No). In this case, the slot setting unit 13 assigns slot 8-3, which is the last slot 8 in the lane direction among the detected slots 8, to cargo 6-δ (Sa6), and then performs the process in Sa7.

[0056] When the slot setting unit 13 finishes the processing of Sa7 for the selected record, it selects one record that is not a processing target from the arrangement position data 22 and performs the processing after Sa1 again (loops Lb1s to Lb1e). When the slot setting unit 13 sets all the records included in the arrangement position data 22 as processing targets, it ends the processing of the subroutine. As a result, the cargo slot allocation data 27 indicating that any one slot 8 is allocated as the destination to which each of all the cargos 6-1 to 6-N belongs will be stored in the storage unit 11.

[0057] In the slot setting process of S2 in FIG. 5, the slot setting unit 13 sets the slot 8 with the length indicated by the number of meshes of the length in the lane direction of the cargo 6 having the minimum length in the lane direction as the slot length. Therefore, when the slot setting unit 13 performs the processing shown in FIG. 7, different slots 8 will be allocated as the destinations to which each of the cargos 6 arranged in the same lane 4 belongs.

[0058] <S4: Selection Process of Loading Order> When the processing of S3 is completed, the slot setting unit 13 outputs an instruction signal indicating the start of the processing to the slot selection unit 14. When receiving the instruction signal from the slot setting unit 13, the slot selection unit 14 selects the slots 8 in order from the rear to the front in the lane direction, starting with the slot 8 including the mesh at the tip of the lane area 40, that is, the mesh at the rearmost in the lane direction. In the case of the example shown in FIG. 6, the slot selection unit 14 selects the slots 8-1, slot 8-2, slot 8-3,... in this order.

[0059] In the S2 process, the slot range data 26 generated by the slot setting unit 13 is assigned slot identification information to each of the slots 8 arranged from rear to front in the lane direction, with a sequential number starting from "1" according to the order of arrangement. Therefore, the slot selection unit 14 repeatedly selects slot identification information in the slot range data 26 of the storage unit 11, starting with the slot identification information with a value of "1" and increasing the value by "1" each time. As a result, slots 8-1, 8-2, 8-3, ... are selected in order from rear to front in the lane direction.

[0060] Each time a slot identification piece is selected, the slot selection unit 14 reads two mesh numbers associated with the selected slot identification piece from the slot range data 26 as two mesh numbers that specify the range of the selected slot 8. The slot selection unit 14 then detects all cargo 6 belonging to the selected slot 8 from the cargo slot assignment data 27 in the storage unit 11. Note that cargo 6 belonging to the selected slot 8 refers to cargo 6 that is assigned to the selected slot 8 in the cargo slot assignment data 27.

[0061] The slot selection unit 14 reads two mesh numbers that specify the range of each of the bow area, midship area, and stern area included in the ship area classification data 24 of the storage unit 11. Based on the two mesh numbers that specify the range of the read slot 8 and the two mesh numbers that specify the range of each of the bow area, midship area, and stern area, the slot selection unit 14 determines which of the bow area, midship area, or stern area the selected slot 8 belongs to.

[0062] The slot selection unit 14 determines that the selected slot 8 belongs to any one of the following areas: the bow area, the midship area, and the stern area, if the range of the selected slot 8 is included in that area. If the range of the selected slot 8 spans both the bow area and the midship area, or spans both the midship area and the stern area, the slot selection unit 14 determines which area the selected slot 8 belongs to, for example, as follows: If the range of the selected slot 8 is mostly included in the range of one of the areas, the slot selection unit 14 determines that the selected slot 8 belongs to the area in which it is mostly included. If the range of the selected slot 8 is equally included in the range of both areas, the slot selection unit 14 determines that the selected slot 8 belongs to the area located aft in the lane direction. Furthermore, if both areas are the bow area and the midship area, the area located aft in the lane direction will be the bow area. If both areas are the midship area and the stern area, the area located aft in the lane direction will be the midship area.

[0063] The slot selection unit 14 determines that the selected slot 8 belongs to the bow area. In this case, the slot selection unit 14 selects a loading order for the cargo 6 detected from the cargo slot assignment data 27, according to the lane priority indicated by the lane priority data 25-1 of the bow area in the memory unit 11.

[0064] The slot selection unit 14 determines that the selected slot 8 belongs to the central area of ​​the hull. In this case, the slot selection unit 14 selects a loading order for the cargo 6 detected from the cargo slot assignment data 27, according to the lane priority indicated by the lane priority data 25-2 of the central area of ​​the hull in the memory unit 11.

[0065] The slot selection unit 14 determines that the selected slot 8 belongs to the stern area. In this case, the slot selection unit 14 selects a loading order for the cargo 6 detected from the cargo slot assignment data 27, according to the lane priority indicated by the lane priority data 25-3 of the stern area in the storage unit 11.

[0066] When the slot selection unit 14 selects a loading order for the cargo 6 belonging to the slot 8 selected in the first selection, it associates a numerical value indicating the selected loading order with the cargo identification information of the cargo 6 whose loading order has been selected, and records this as loading order data 28 in the storage unit 11. When the slot selection unit 14 selects a loading order for the cargo 6 belonging to the slot 8 selected in the second and subsequent selections, it adds a combination of the cargo identification information of the cargo 6 whose loading order has been selected and the numerical value indicating the selected loading order to the loading order data 28 stored in the storage unit 11.

[0067] Here, a specific example of how the slot selection unit 14 selects the loading order for the cargo 6 belonging to the selected slot 8 will be explained with reference to Figure 9. Assume that the placement positions of the 11 cargoes 6-n, 6-(n+1), ..., 6-(n+10) are shown in the placement position data 22 of the memory unit 11 as shown in the example in Figure 9. However, each of cargoes 6-n, 6-(n+1), ..., 6-(n+10) is one of the cargo 6s from cargoes 6-1 to 6-N. Here, it is assumed that slots 8-1, 8-2, 8-3, 8-4, and 8-5 shown in Figure 9 all belong to the bow area. Also, the lane priority data 25-1 of the bow area indicates that cargo 6 will be placed in the order described above: lane 4-7, lane 4-1, lane 4-4, lane 4-3, lane 4-5, lane 4-6, and lane 4-2.

[0068] [Processing when slot 8-1 is selected] The slot selection unit 14 defines a variable s that indicates slot identification information and a variable t that indicates the loading order, and initializes both variable s to "1" and variable t that indicates the loading order to "1". The slot selection unit 14 determines that slot 8-1, which corresponds to the "1" indicated by variable s, belongs to the bow area. The slot selection unit 14 detects from the cargo slot assignment data 27 in the storage unit 11 that slot 8-1 belongs to only one cargo, 6-(n+3). Since there is only one cargo detected, the slot selection unit 14 selects the loading order for cargo 6-(n+3) as "number 1", which is the order indicated by the value of variable t. After selection, the slot selection unit 14 adds "1" to the value of variable t to make it the new value of variable t. At this point, the value of variable t becomes "2".

[0069] When the slot selection unit 14 finishes selecting the loading order for one detected cargo 6-(n+3), it records the selected loading order in the storage unit 11. The slot selection unit 14 records data in the storage unit 11 as loading order data 28, associating the cargo identification information of the cargo 6-(n+3) for which the loading order was selected with "1", which indicates "No. 1", the loading order assigned to cargo 6-(n+3). When the slot selection unit 14 finishes recording the loading order in the storage unit 11, it sets the value of variable s to the value of variable s by adding "1". At this point, the value of variable s becomes "2".

[0070] [Processing when slot 8-2 is selected] The slot selection unit 14 determines that slot 8-2, which corresponds to the "2" indicated by the variable s, belongs to the bow area. The slot selection unit 14 detects from the cargo slot assignment data 27 in the storage unit 11 that the cargoes belonging to slot 8-2 are cargo 6-(n+2), cargo 6-(n+4), and cargo 6-(n+5).

[0071] Since there are three detected cargoes, the slot selection unit 14 selects cargo 6-(n+4) to be placed in lane 4-3, which has the highest lane priority among the lanes 4-5, 4-3, and 4-2 where the three cargoes are placed, according to the lane priority data 25-1 of the bow area in the memory unit 11, and assigns it the order "2nd" as indicated by the value of variable t. After selection, it adds "1" to the value of variable t to make it the new value of variable t. At this point, the value of variable t becomes "3".

[0072] The slot selection unit 14 then selects cargo 6-(n+2) to be placed in the next lane with the highest lane priority, lanes 4-5, as "number 3," which is the order indicated by the value of variable t. After selection, it adds "1" to the value of variable t to make it the new value of variable t. At this point, the value of variable t becomes "4."

[0073] The slot selection unit 14 then selects cargo 6-(n+5) to be placed in lane 4-2, which has the next highest lane priority, as "number 4," which is the order indicated by the value of variable t. After selection, it adds "1" to the value of variable t and sets that value as the new value of variable t. At this point, the value of variable t becomes "5." Once the slot selection unit 14 has finished selecting the loading order for the three detected cargoes 6-(n+2), cargo 6-(n+4), and cargo 6-(n+5), it records the selected loading order in the storage unit 11.

[0074] The slot selection unit 14 adds data to the loading order data 28 in the storage unit 11, associating the cargo identification information of cargo 6-(n+4) with the number "2", which indicates the loading order "2" assigned to cargo 6-(n+4). Similarly to cargo 6-(n+4), the slot selection unit 14 also adds data to the loading order data 28 in the storage unit 11 for cargo 6-(n+2) and cargo 6-(n+5), associating the respective cargo identification information with a numerical value indicating the loading order assigned to each. When the slot selection unit 14 has finished recording the loading order to the storage unit 11, it sets the value of variable s to the value of variable s by adding "1". At this point, the value of variable s becomes "3".

[0075] [Processing performed on slot 8-3] The slot selection unit 14 determines that slot 8-3, which corresponds to the "3" indicated by the variable s, belongs to the bow area. The slot selection unit 14 detects from the cargo slot assignment data 27 in the storage unit 11 that the cargo belonging to slot 8-3 are cargo 6-n, cargo 6-(n+1), cargo 6-(n+7), cargo 6-(n+8), cargo 6-(n+9), cargo 6-(n+10), and cargo 6-(n+6).

[0076] Since seven cargoes were detected, the slot selection unit 14, according to the lane priority data 25-1 of the bow area in the memory unit 11, selects cargo 6-n to be placed in lane 4-7, which has the highest lane priority, as "number 5" as indicated by the value of variable t. After selection, it adds "1" to the value of variable t to make it the new value of variable t. At this point, the value of variable t becomes "6".

[0077] The slot selection unit 14 then selects cargo 6-(n+6) to be placed in lane 4-1, which has the next highest lane priority, as "number 6," which is the order indicated by the value of variable t. After selection, it adds "1" to the value of variable t and sets that value as the new value of variable t. At this point, the value of variable t becomes "7".

[0078] The slot selection unit 14 then selects cargo 6-(n+8) to be placed in lane 4-4, which has the next highest lane priority, as "number 7," which is the order indicated by the value of variable t. After selection, it adds "1" to the value of variable t and sets that value as the new value of variable t. At this point, the value of variable t becomes "8."

[0079] The slot selection unit 14 then selects cargo 6-(n+9) to be placed in lane 4-3, which has the next highest lane priority, as "number 8," which is the order indicated by the value of variable t. After selection, it adds "1" to the value of variable t to make it the new value of variable t. At this point, the value of variable t becomes "9".

[0080] The slot selection unit 14 then selects cargo 6-(n+7) to be placed in lane 4-5, which has the next highest lane priority, as "number 9," which is the order indicated by the value of variable t. After selection, it adds "1" to the value of variable t to make it the new value of variable t. At this point, the value of variable t becomes "10."

[0081] The slot selection unit 14 then selects cargo 6-(n+1) to be placed in lanes 4-6, which have the next highest lane priority, as "number 10," which is the order indicated by the value of variable t. After selection, it adds "1" to the value of variable t to make it the new value of variable t. At this point, the value of variable t becomes "11."

[0082] The slot selection unit 14 then selects cargo 6-(n+10) to be placed in lane 4-2, which has the next highest lane priority, as "number 11," which is the order indicated by the value of variable t. After selection, it adds "1" to the value of variable t and sets that value as the new value of variable t.

[0083] Once the slot selection unit 14 has finished selecting the loading order for the seven detected cargoes 6-n, 6-(n+1), 6-(n+7), 6-(n+8), 6-(n+9), 6-(n+10), and 6-(n+6), it records the selected loading order in the storage unit 11.

[0084] The slot selection unit 14 adds data to the loading order data 28 in the storage unit 11, associating the cargo identification information of cargo 6-n with the number "5", which indicates the loading order "5" assigned to cargo 6-n. Similarly to cargo 6-n, the slot selection unit 14 also adds data to the loading order data 28 in the storage unit 11 for each of cargo 6-(n+1), cargo 6-(n+7), cargo 6-(n+8), cargo 6-(n+9), cargo 6-(n+10), and cargo 6-(n+6), associating the cargo identification information of each cargo with a numerical value indicating the loading order assigned to each cargo.

[0085] As a result, the loading order of each of the 11 goods 6-n, 6-(n+1), …, 6-(n+10) is selected as indicated by the numbers shown within each frame in FIG. 9. In FIG. 9, as an example, 11 of the goods 6-1 to 6-N shown in the placement position data 22 are shown. When there is a good 6 belonging to each of the slots 8 after slot 8-4, the above-described process is continuously performed, and the loading order is selected for all the goods 6 shown in the placement position data 22.

[0086] <S5: Determination and Update Process of Existence of Waiting Goods> FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of a subroutine for the determination and update process of the existence of waiting goods in S5 of FIG. 5. Here, assume that the number of vehicles 5 owned by carrier A included in the vehicle allocation condition data 23 is 3, the number of vehicles 5 owned by each of carrier B and carrier C is 4, and the occupancy interval of the vehicles 5 is “10 vehicles”.

[0087] Based on the loading order data 28 in the storage unit 11, the goods identification information of the goods 6-1 to 6-N is arranged in the loading order, and the carrier identification information associated with the arranged goods identification information is specified based on the vehicle allocation condition data 23. As a result, each of carrier A, carrier B, and carrier C can specify the order in which each of their vehicles 5 is used for transporting the goods 6-1 to 6-N. Assume that the specified order of use of the vehicles 5 is, for example, the order shown in FIG. 11.

[0088] When the process of S4 ends, the slot selection unit 14 outputs an instruction signal indicating the start of the process to the determination unit 15. When receiving the instruction signal from the slot setting unit 13, the determination unit 15 defines a variable i indicating the order of the loading order and initializes the variable i to “1” (Sb1).

[0089] The determination unit 15 detects the cargo identification information of records from which the numerical value indicating the loading order matches the variable i, from among the records which are combinations of a numerical value indicating the loading order included in the loading order data 28 of the storage unit 11 and cargo identification information. The determination unit 15 determines whether the vehicle 5 of the carrier that will transport the i-th cargo 6 is available at the time of transporting the i-th cargo 6, based on the detected cargo identification information and the dispatch condition data 23 and loading order data 28 of the storage unit 11 (Sb2).

[0090] If the carrier's vehicle 5 that will transport the i-th cargo 6 is not available at the time of transporting the i-th cargo 6, then the carrier's vehicle 5 that will transport the i-th cargo 6 cannot transport the cargo 6 that is the i-th cargo 6 and subsequent cargo 6 until the vehicle 5 that will transport the i-th cargo 6 becomes available, resulting in a waiting time. Therefore, in the process of Sb2, the determination unit 15 is determining whether or not there is cargo 6 that will cause a waiting time.

[0091] For example, if variable i is "1", then according to the table in Figure 11, the carrier of cargo 6, which is the first to be loaded, is carrier A. At the time cargo 6, which is the first to be loaded, is being transported, none of carrier A's three vehicles 5 are in use. Therefore, the determination unit 15 determines that carrier A's vehicle 5, which will transport cargo 6, is available at the time cargo 6 is being transported (Sb2, Yes), and sets the value of variable i to the value of variable i plus "1" (Sb7).

[0092] The determination unit 15 determines whether the value of variable i exceeds the total number of cargo identification information items shown in the storage unit 11's location data 22, i.e., N, which is the number of cargo items 6-1 to 6-N (Sb8). If the determination unit 15 determines that the value of variable i does not exceed N (Sb8, No), it performs the process in Sb2 again.

[0093] Suppose that the processes Sb2, Sb7, and Sb8 are repeated and the value of variable i becomes "6". In this case, the determination unit 15 determines in the process of Sb2 whether the vehicle 5 of carrier A, which will transport the 6th cargo 6 in the loading order, is available when it is time to transport the 6th cargo 6. From the table shown in Figure 11, the carrier of the 6th cargo 6 is carrier A. However, carrier A's three vehicles 5 have already been used to transport the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd cargo 6, and the vehicle 5 of carrier A, which is being used to transport the 1st cargo 6, will not become available until it is time to transport the 11th cargo 6, since the vehicle 5 is occupied at a interval of "10 vehicles". Therefore, the determination unit 15 determines that the vehicle 5 of carrier A, which will transport the 6th cargo 6 in the loading order, is not available when it is time to transport the 6th cargo 6 (Sb2, No).

[0094] If the determination in Sb2 is "No", the determination unit 15 outputs an instruction signal containing the value of variable i to the update unit 16. When the update unit 16 receives the instruction signal from the determination unit 15, it reads the value of variable i from the received instruction signal. The update unit 16 detects the cargo identification information of the record whose numerical value indicating the loading order matches variable i from the loading order data 28 in the storage unit 11 as the cargo identification information of the waiting cargo. The update unit 16 determines, based on the placement position data 22 in the storage unit 11, whether there is a cargo 6 that is placed in the same lane 4 as the waiting cargo corresponding to the detected cargo identification information, and is placed ahead of the waiting cargo in the lane direction (Sb3).

[0095] If the update unit 16 determines, based on the placement position data 22, that there are no cargo 6 that are placed in the same lane 4 as the waiting cargo and are placed ahead of the waiting cargo in the lane direction (Sb3, No), it outputs a response signal including the value of i to the determination unit 15. When the determination unit 15 receives the response signal from the update unit 16, it reads the value of i from the received response signal and uses the read value of i as the value of the variable i to perform the processing from Sb7 onwards.

[0096] The update unit 16 determines, based on the placement position data 22, that there exists a cargo 6 that is placed in the same lane 4 as the waiting cargo and is positioned further forward in the lane direction than the waiting cargo (Sb3, Yes). In this case, the update unit 16 retrieves cargo identification information for all cargo 6 that are placed in the same lane 4 as the waiting cargo and are positioned further forward in the lane direction than the waiting cargo from the placement position data 22 in the storage unit 11. The update unit 16 then performs the following loop Lb1s to Lb1e processing for each of the detected cargo identification pieces.

[0097] Here, we assume that cargo 6, which is the sixth cargo to be loaded and is a waiting cargo, is cargo 6-(n+6) shown in Figure 12(a). Furthermore, we assume that the update unit 16 has detected cargo 6-η and 6-θ shown in Figure 12(a) as cargo 6 to be placed in lane 4-1 where cargo 6-(n+6) is placed, and that cargo 6 is placed ahead of cargo 6-(n+6) in the lane direction. Note that cargo 6-η and 6-θ are any cargo 6 from cargo 6-1 to 6-N, cargo 6-η is the 19th cargo to be loaded and is transported by transporter A, and cargo 6-θ is the 25th cargo to be loaded and is transported by transporter B.

[0098] The update unit 16 defines a variable j and sets the values ​​of variable j in descending order of the loading sequence corresponding to each of the detected cargoes 6-η and 6-θ. Therefore, in this case, the update unit 16 first sets "19" as the value of variable j, and then sets "25" as the value of variable j.

[0099] The update unit 16 determines whether the carrier of the i-th cargo 6, which is a waiting cargo, is different from the carrier of the j-th cargo 6, based on the cargo identification information of the waiting cargo, the cargo identification information of the j-th cargo 6, and the dispatch condition data 23 in the storage unit 11 (Sb4). When variable i is "6" and variable j is "19", the carrier of the 6th cargo 6-(n+6) and the carrier of the 19th cargo 6-η are the same carrier A, as shown in Figure 12(a). Therefore, the update unit 16 determines that the carriers of the 6th cargo 6-(n+6) and the 19th cargo 6-η are the same (Sb4, No).

[0100] In this case, the update unit 16 takes "25" as the value of the next variable j and performs the process of Sb4 again. The carrier of the 6th cargo 6-(n+6) is carrier A, and the carrier of the 25th cargo 6-θ is carrier B. Therefore, the update unit 16 determines that the carriers of the 6th cargo 6-(n+6) and the 25th cargo 6-η are different (Sb4, Yes).

[0101] If the result in Sb4 is "Yes", the update unit 16 determines whether the vehicle 5 of the carrier transporting the j-th cargo 6 is available when transporting the i-th cargo 6, based on the variable i, the cargo identification information of the j-th cargo 6, and the dispatch condition data 23 and loading order data 28 of the storage unit 11 (Sb5). If the variable i is "6" and the variable j is "25", the update unit 16 will determine in the Sb5 process whether the vehicle 5 of carrier B transporting the 25th cargo 6-θ is available when transporting the 6th cargo 6-(n+6). As shown in the table in Figure 11, prior to the time when transporting the 6th cargo 6-(n+6), carrier B's vehicles 5 are only being used to transport the 4th cargo 6, and 3 vehicles are available. Therefore, the update unit 16 determines that the vehicle 5 of carrier B, which is transporting the 25th cargo 6-θ, is available at the time when it is transporting the 6th cargo 6-(n+6) (Sb5, Yes).

[0102] If the result of processing Sb5 is "Yes", the update unit 16 updates the placement positions of the i-th cargo 6 and the j-th cargo 6, and also updates the loading order (Sb6). If variable i is "6" and variable j is "25", the update unit 16 swaps the placement positions of the 6th cargo 6-(n+6) and the 25th cargo 6-θ in the placement position data 22 of the storage unit 11.

[0103] By the way, as shown in Figure 12(a), the range of cargo 6-(n+6) has 6 meshes, while the range of cargo 6-θ has 7 meshes, so the number of meshes is different. Therefore, when swapping the placement positions, it is also necessary to change the placement position of cargo 6-η, which lies between cargo 6-(n+6) and cargo 6-θ. For this reason, in processing Sb6, the update unit 16 makes the following changes to the placement position data 22, as shown in Figure 12(b): the range of cargo 6-θ is changed from mesh number "12" to mesh number "18", the range of cargo 6-η is changed from mesh number "19" to mesh number "24", and the range of cargo 6-(n+6) is changed from mesh number "25" to mesh number "30".

[0104] The update unit 16 changes the numerical value indicating the loading order associated with the cargo identification information of cargo 6-(n+6) in the loading order data 28 of the storage unit 11 from "6" to "25", and changes the numerical value indicating the loading order associated with the cargo identification information of cargo 6-θ from "25" to "6". As a result, as shown in Figure 12(c), the loading order of cargo 6-θ transported by carrier B becomes "6th", and the loading order of cargo 6-(n+6) transported by carrier A becomes "25th". Therefore, in the table shown in Figure 11, cargo 6 which is the 6th in the vehicle usage order, i.e., the 6th in the loading order, becomes cargo 6-θ transported by carrier B, making it possible to eliminate the waiting time for at least 5 cargo 6 from the 6th to the 10th.

[0105] The circular symbol containing the letter "A" shown in Figure 10 indicates that processing will continue. Therefore, when the update unit 16 performs the processing in Sb6, it exits the loop Lb1s to Lb1e and outputs a response signal containing the value of i to the determination unit 15. When the determination unit 15 receives this response signal from the update unit 16, it reads the value of i from the received response signal, uses the read value of i as the value of variable i, and performs the processing from Sb7 onwards.

[0106] In the process of Sb5, when the update unit 16 determines that the vehicle 5 of the carrier transporting the j-th cargo 6 is not available at the timing of transporting the i-th cargo 6 (Sb5, No), the value of the variable j is set as the numerical value indicating the order of the loading sequence of the next cargo 6 to be processed, and the process of Sb4 is performed again. In the example shown in FIG. 12, since the variable j ends with "25", the update unit 16 ends the processing of loops Lb1s to Lb1e and outputs a response signal including the value of i to the determination unit 15. When receiving the response signal from the update unit 16, the determination unit 15 reads the value of i from the received response signal, and uses the read value of i as the value of the variable i to perform the processing after Sb7.

[0107] In the process of Sb8, when the determination unit 15 determines that the value of the variable i exceeds N (Sb8, Yes), the processing of the subroutine ends.

[0108] <S6: Display Processing> When the processing of S5 ends, the update unit 16 outputs an instruction signal indicating the start of the processing to the display unit 17. When receiving the instruction signal from the update unit 16, the display unit 17 generates a lane image representing the position and range of each of lanes 4-1 to 4-7 based on the lane range data 21 in the storage unit 11, and displays the generated lane image on the screen of the display device in the order of lanes 4-1 to 4-7 on the ship 3. The display unit 17 generates a cargo image representing the range of each of the cargos 6-1 to 6-N based on the arrangement position data 22 in the storage unit 11, and superimposes each of the generated cargo images on the position of the corresponding lane image and displays them on the screen of the display device. The display unit 17 associates each numerical value indicating the order of the loading sequence of the cargos 6-1 to 6-N indicated by the loading sequence data 28 in the storage unit 11 with the corresponding cargo image and displays them on the screen of the display device.

[0109] As a result, all processing is completed, and the display screen will show an image that includes, for example, the frames for lanes 4-1 to 4-7 as shown in Figure 9, the frames showing the distance from the leading end to the trailing end of lanes 4-1 to 4-7, the frames showing the range in which each of the cargo items 6-1 to 6-N placed in lanes 4-1 to 4-7 is positioned, and numerical values ​​indicating the loading order of each of the cargo items 6-1 to 6-N.

[0110] (Effects / Actions) In the loading order selection device 1, the selection unit 12 selects the loading order of cargo 6 in each lane 4 of the ship 3, starting from the end of the lane in the direction of the lane, based on the placement position data 22. The determination unit 15 determines whether there are any cargo 6 that will cause a waiting time, based on the dispatch condition data 23 and the loading order selected by the selection unit 12. The update unit 16 selects cargo 6 that will reduce the waiting time from among the cargo 6 that are in the same lane 4 as the waiting cargo 6 which the determination unit 15 has determined will cause a waiting time, and updates the loading order by swapping the placement positions of the selected cargo and the waiting cargo.

[0111] Due to constraints on vehicle dispatching indicated by dispatch condition data 23, if it becomes necessary to change the placement position and loading order of cargo 6 indicated by placement position data 22, for example, the placement position and loading order of cargo 6 placed in lane 4-1 at the starboard end of ship 3 and cargo 6 placed in lane 4-7 at the port end can be swapped. However, if such a swap occurs, and there is a large difference in weight between the cargo 6 placed in lane 4-1 at the starboard end and the cargo 6 placed in lane 4-7 at the port end, there is a risk of disrupting the balance of ship 3. In response to this, the loading order selection device 1 of this disclosure swaps the placement position and loading order of cargo 6, limited to cargo 6 located in the same lane 4, in order to reduce the waiting time of cargo 6 and vehicle 5. This ensures that the navigational safety of ship 3 obtained by using placement position data 22 is not compromised by the swapping of placement position and loading order. In other words, by using the loading sequence selection device 1, it is possible to select a loading sequence that efficiently loads cargo 6 onto the vessel 3 while taking into account constraints on vehicle dispatch and ensuring safety when the vessel 3 is in motion.

[0112] (Supplemental configuration example of the embodiment) While embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments and may include designs and other elements that do not depart from the gist of this disclosure.

[0113] (If there is a manned cargo) In the embodiment described above, all cargo 6-1 to 6-N are towed by vehicle 5 and transported to ship 3, and when they are placed in any lane 4 of ship 3, the towing is released and vehicle 5 exits ship 3. In contrast, cargo 6-1 to 6-N may include cargo 6 that is towed by vehicle 5 and transported to ship 3, but the towing is not released even when it is placed in any lane 4 of ship 3, and the vehicle 5 that towed the cargo 6 is transported together with the cargo 6 by ship 3. Hereinafter, cargo 6 transported together with the towing vehicle 5 will be referred to as manned cargo, and cargo 6 other than manned cargo in cargo 6-1 to 6-N will be referred to as unmanned cargo.

[0114] If cargo 6-1 to 6-N includes both unmanned and manned cargo, the number of vehicles 5 owned by each of carriers A, B, and C included in the dispatch condition data 23 is predetermined to represent the number of vehicles 5 used for transporting unmanned cargo, and the vehicle 5 occupancy interval is predetermined to represent the occupancy interval of vehicles 5 used for transporting unmanned cargo. The determination unit 15 and the update unit 16 perform the processing shown in Figure 10 for unmanned cargo, excluding manned cargo from cargo 6-1 to 6-N. That is, the rearrangement of placement positions and the rearrangement of loading order are performed among the unmanned cargo.

[0115] (If cargo 6 arrives late) In the embodiment described above, it is assumed that all cargo 6-1 to 6-N are located at the terminal. However, there are cases where the transport of cargo 6 located at the terminal to the ship 3 begins while some cargo 6 have not yet arrived at the terminal. In this case, if it is expected that cargo 6 that has not arrived at the terminal will not be present at the time of loading, the user may instruct the operation unit 10 to have the determination unit 15 perform a re-determination. When performing this operation, the user supplies the operation unit 10 with the cargo identification information of the cargo 6 with the smallest numerical value indicating its loading order among the cargo 6 that has not yet been transported to the ship 3 (hereinafter referred to as "unstarted cargo identification information") and the cargo identification information of the cargo 6 that has not arrived at the terminal (hereinafter referred to as "unarrived cargo identification information"). Upon receiving this operation, the operation unit 10 outputs an update instruction signal to the update unit 16 that includes the unstarted cargo identification information and the unarrived cargo identification information.

[0116] When the update unit 16 receives an update instruction signal from the operation unit 10, it reads out the unstarted cargo identification information and the unarrived cargo identification information included in the received update instruction signal. The update unit 16 detects all cargo 6 from the storage unit 11's placement position data 22 that are located in the same lane 4 as the cargo 6 corresponding to the read-out unarrived cargo identification information and are transported by the same carrier as the cargo 6 corresponding to the unarrived cargo identification information. From all the detected cargo 6, the update unit 16 selects a cargo 6 that is located ahead of the placement position of the cargo 6 corresponding to the unarrived cargo identification information in the lane direction of lane 4 where the cargo 6 corresponding to the unarrived cargo identification information is located. It is more preferable to select a cargo 6 that is located ahead of the placement position of the cargo 6 corresponding to the unarrived cargo identification information and is closest to the front end in the lane direction, as this allows for the latest loading order.

[0117] When making this selection, if the re-determination instruction signal contains multiple unarrived cargo identification information, the update unit 16 excludes the cargo 6 corresponding to each of the unarrived cargo identification information other than the unarrived cargo identification information to be processed. The update unit 16 rewrites the placement position data 22 and loading order data 28 in the storage unit 11 to swap the placement position and loading order of the selected cargo 6 and the cargo 6 corresponding to the unarrived cargo identification information. This makes it possible to delay the timing of transporting the cargo 6 corresponding to the unarrived cargo identification information.

[0118] The update unit 16 detects a numerical value indicating the loading order corresponding to the unstarted cargo identification information read from the re-determination instruction signal from the loading order data 28 in the storage unit 11, and outputs a re-determination instruction signal containing the detected numerical value to the determination unit 15. When the determination unit 15 receives a re-determination instruction signal from the update unit 16, it assigns the numerical value included in the received re-determination instruction signal to the variable i and performs the processing from Sb2 onwards in Figure 10. This makes it possible to delay the timing of transporting cargo 6 that has not yet arrived, exclude cargo 6 that has already been transported to the ship 3, and re-select a loading order that efficiently loads cargo 6 onto the ship 3. Furthermore, when the display unit 17 performs the processing in S6, the loading order and placement position of cargo 6 that has not yet arrived are swapped, and an image in which the loading order and placement position of waiting cargo that the determination unit 15 has determined to have a waiting time are swapped is displayed on the display device screen.

[0119] (If the tolerance for cargo 6 is widened to reduce waiting time) Suppose that cargo 6-η shown in Figure 12(a) is not the 19th cargo 6 transported by carrier A, but rather the 10th cargo 6 transported by carrier B. In this case, the processing for i=6 in Figure 10 will change the loading order of cargo 6-(n+6) transported by carrier A from the 6th to the 10th. Even with the change to the 10th, cargo 6-(n+6) transported by carrier A will still have a waiting time for one cargo 6 because there will be no available space in carrier A's vehicle 5 until the loading order becomes the 11th timing. Therefore, the processing for i=10 in Figure 10 will further change the placement position and loading order. However, by changing the loading order of cargo 6-(n+6) from the 6th to the 10th, the waiting time for five cargo 6 is reduced to the waiting time for one cargo 6. Therefore, cargo 6, which reduces waiting time in this way, may be excluded from the Sb2 determination and its placement and loading order may not be changed.

[0120] (Selection of loading order when obstacles are present in the lane) In actual vessels 3, obstacles such as casings may be installed in some lanes 4, preventing cargo 6 from being placed. If casings or similar obstacles are installed, and the loading order for cargo 6 in each slot 8 is selected based on the lane priority described above, the casings may become an obstacle during actual loading, preventing cargo 6 from being loaded in the specified order.

[0121] For example, consider a case where casing 50 is provided in the middle lane 4-4, as shown in Figure 13. In this example, the area from the bow to one end of casing 50 is defined as the bow area, the area including casing 50 is defined as the midship area, and the area from the other end of casing 50 to the stern is defined as the stern area.

[0122] For example, suppose the slot selection unit 14 selects a loading order such that, in the area close to the casing 50 in the bow area, cargo 6 is placed in lanes 4-3 and 4-5, which are adjacent to lane 4-4, before cargo 6 is placed in lane 4-4. In this case, the area of ​​lane 4-4 is surrounded by the casing 50 and cargo 6 placed in lanes 4-3 and 4-5, making it impossible to place cargo 6 in lane 4-4 during actual loading.

[0123] Therefore, for example, the bow area is further divided into bow area B, which is closer to the casing 50, and bow area A, which is the range of the bow area excluding bow area B. In slot 8p-1, which belongs to bow area A, the lane priority is applied to determine the loading order in the order of lanes 4-7, 4-1, 4-4, 4-3, 4-5, 4-6, and 4-2 as described above. In Figure 13, the level of this lane priority is indicated by arrows, and these arrows mean that the lane priority of lane 4 where the arrowhead is located is higher than the lane priority of lane 4 where the circle indicated at the opposite end of the arrowhead is located.

[0124] On the other hand, in slots 8p-(L-2), 8p-(L-1), and 8p-L (where L is the total number of slots in the bow area) belonging to bow area B, lane priority is not applied to each slot 8p-(L-2), 8p-(L-1), and 8p-L separately, but rather the following lane priority is applied. For example, across consecutive slots 8p-(L-2), 8p-(L-1), and 8p-L, the lane priority of lane 4-4 is set higher, so that the placement of cargo 6 located in an area close to casing 50 is prioritized over the placement of cargo 6 located in either lane 4-3 or 4-5. Figure 13 shows an example where the lane priority of lane 4-3 is lower than that of lane 4-4.

[0125] The slot selection unit 14 first selects the loading order for slot 8p-(L-2) in the order of lane 4-7, lane 4-1, and lane 4-4, then selects the loading order for cargo 6 to be placed in lane 4-4 of slot 8p-(L-1), and then selects the loading order for cargo 6 to be placed in lane 4-4 of slot 8p-L. After that, the slot selection unit 14 returns to slot 8p-(L-2) and selects the loading order in the order of lane 4-3, lane 4-5, lane 4-6, and lane 4-2. For lanes other than lane 4-4 in slots 8p-(L-1) and 8p-L, the slot selection unit 14 selects the loading order in the order of, for example, lane 4-7, lane 4-1, lane 4-3, lane 4-5, lane 4-6, and lane 4-2. By applying such lane priorities in the bow area B, it is possible to generate loading order data 28 that allows cargo 6 to be placed during actual loading.

[0126] In Figure 13, as an example of the lane priority indicated by the lane priority data 25-2 for the central area of ​​the hull, slot 8q-1 shows the lane priority in the order of lanes 4-7, 4-1, 4-3, 4-5, 4-6, and 4-2, excluding lane 4-4 where casing 50 is located. Also, as an example of the lane priority indicated by the lane priority data 25-3 for the stern area, slot 8r-1 shows the lane priority in the order of lanes 4-7, 4-1, 4-3, 4-5, 4-6, 4-2, and 4-4.

[0127] In other words, the lane priority is set such that, if an obstacle such as casing 50 is present in lane 4, the loading order that can actually be loaded is selected in slots 8p-(L-2), 8p-(L-1), and 8p-L which are affected by the obstacle, while in slots 8p-1, 8q-1, and 8r-1 which are not affected by the obstacle, priority is given to the lanes at both ends, 4-1 and 4-7. By setting the lane priority in this way, it is possible to prevent the cargo 6 from being unevenly distributed to either the left or right lanes 4-1 or 4-7 during the process of placing the cargo 6 in lane 4, thereby preventing an imbalance in the ship's hull.

[0128] (Other configuration examples) Figure 2 shows an example where lanes 4-1 to 4-7 are arranged such that the longitudinal direction of lanes 4-1 to 4-7 coincides with the direction from the bow to the stern of the vessel 3. In contrast, lanes 4-1 to 4-7 may be arranged so that the longitudinal direction of lanes 4-1 to 4-7 does not coincide with the direction from the bow to the stern of the vessel 3. Furthermore, it is assumed that each of lanes 4-1 to 4-7 is arranged so that their respective longitudinal directions are aligned in the same direction. In contrast, each of lanes 4-1 to 4-7 may be arranged so that their respective longitudinal directions are aligned in approximately the same direction to the extent that slot 8 can be defined.

[0129] Figure 2 shows an example where seven lanes 4, labeled 4-1 to 4-7, are provided. However, the number of lanes 4 can be any number, as long as it is two or more. Figure 2 also shows an example where there are three carriers, A, B, and C. However, the number of carriers can be any number, as long as it is two or more.

[0130] The selection unit 12 comprises a slot setting unit 13 and a slot selection unit 14. The slot setting unit 13 sets slot 8 through the process in S2 and assigns slot 8 to cargo 6 through the process in S3. The slot selection unit 14 selects slot 8 through the process in S4 to select the loading order of cargo 6. In contrast, the slot setting unit 13 may employ a method other than the processes in S2 and S3, as long as it is a method in which each of the multiple ranges arranged along the lane direction, where each cargo 6 placed in the same lane 4 belongs to a different range, is designated as a slot. Furthermore, the selection unit 12 may employ a method other than the processes in S2, S3, and S4 by the slot setting unit 13 and the slot selection unit 14, as long as it is a method in which, when cargo 6 is placed in each lane 4 of the ship 3 based on the placement position data 22, the cargo 6 is placed in order from the leading edge of the lane along the lane direction.

[0131] In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the lane area 40 is divided into three areas: the bow area, the midship area, and the stern area. However, the lane area 40 can be divided in any way as long as it is divided into multiple areas. Alternatively, the lane area 40 can be treated as a single area without being divided into multiple areas, and a single lane priority can be applied. In this case, it is not necessary to store the ship area division data 24 in the storage unit 11. Instead of the lane priority data 25-1 for the bow area, the lane priority data 25-2 for the midship area, and the lane priority data 25-3 for the stern area, the storage unit 11 will be pre-stored lane priority data indicating a single lane priority to be applied to the entire lane area 40. In the processing of S4, the slot selection unit 14 does not need to determine whether the slot 8 belongs to the bow area, the midship area, or the stern area. Instead, it will select the loading order for the selected slot 8 according to the lane priority indicated by the lane priority data stored in the storage unit 11.

[0132] In the above embodiment, the cargo 6 is loaded onto the ship 3, but any means of transport, including the ship 3, such as an aircraft, may also be used as the loading destination for the cargo 6.

[0133] (Computer configuration) Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a computer according to at least one embodiment. The computer 100 comprises a processor 101, main memory 102, storage 103, and interface 104. The loading order selection device 1 described above is implemented in the computer 100. The operation of each of the above-described processing units, namely the operation unit 10, selection unit 12, determination unit 15, update unit 16, and display unit 17, is stored in the storage 103 in the form of a program. The processor 101 reads the program from the storage 103, expands it into the main memory 102, and executes the above processing according to the program. The processor 101 also reserves a storage area corresponding to the above-described storage unit 11 in the main memory 102 or storage 103 according to the program. The processor 101 connects the display unit 17 to the display device via the interface 104 according to the program.

[0134] The program may be for implementing a part of the functions that the computer 100 is to perform. For example, the program may perform functions in combination with other programs already stored in the storage 103, or in combination with other programs implemented in other devices. In other embodiments, the computer may include a custom LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit) such as a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) in addition to, or instead of, the above configuration. Examples of PLDs include PAL (Programmable Array Logic), GAL (Generic Array Logic), CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), etc. In this case, some or all of the functions implemented by the processor may be implemented by the integrated circuit.

[0135] Examples of storage 103 include HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), magnetic disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), and semiconductor memory. Storage 103 may be an internal medium directly connected to the bus of computer 100, or an external medium connected to computer 100 via interface 104 or a communication line. Furthermore, if this program is distributed to computer 100 via a communication line, computer 100 that receives the distribution may expand the program into main memory 102 and execute the above processing. In at least one embodiment, storage 103 is a tangible storage medium that is not temporary.

[0136] <Note> The loading sequence selection device 1 described in the embodiment of this disclosure can be understood, for example, as follows:

[0137] (1) The loading order selection device 1 according to the first embodiment includes a selection unit 12 that, when a plurality of lanes 4 are provided in a transport means (e.g., a ship 3) in which cargo 6 to be transported by any of a plurality of vehicles 5 are arranged in a row, and the cargo is arranged in each lane based on a predetermined arrangement position for the cargo (e.g., arrangement position indicated by arrangement position data 22), selects the loading order of the cargo in order from the front end along the lane direction from the front end to the rear end in the longitudinal direction of the lane; a determination unit 15 that determines whether or not there is cargo that will cause a waiting time based on predetermined dispatch conditions for the vehicles (e.g., dispatch conditions indicated by dispatch condition data 23) and the loading order selected by the selection unit; and an update unit 16 that selects cargo that will reduce the waiting time from among cargo arranged in the same lane as the waiting cargo which the determination unit determines will cause a waiting time, swaps the arrangement positions of the selected cargo and the waiting cargo, and updates the loading order. According to this embodiment and the embodiments described below, it is possible to select a loading sequence that efficiently loads cargo onto the means of transport, while taking into account the constraints on vehicle dispatch indicated by the dispatch conditions and ensuring safety when the means of transport is in motion.

[0138] (2) The loading order selection device 1 according to the second embodiment is the loading order selection device of (1), wherein each of the cargoes is predetermined to be transported by a vehicle owned by one of several carriers (for example, carrier A, carrier B, carrier C), and the update unit selects cargoes that will reduce the waiting time from among cargoes that are placed in the same lane as the waiting cargoes, whose placement position is located ahead of the placement position of the waiting cargoes in the lane direction, and which are transported by a carrier different from the carrier transporting the waiting cargoes. According to this embodiment, cargoes 6 that will reduce the waiting time are selected from among cargoes 6 that are located in the same lane 4 as the waiting cargoes, whose probability of reducing the waiting time of cargo 6 is high, and which are transported by a carrier different from the waiting cargoes, and the placement position and loading order of the selected cargo 6 and the waiting cargoes are swapped. As a result, it is possible to identify candidate cargoes 6 whose placement position and loading order will be swapped with the waiting cargoes in a shorter amount of time.

[0139] (3) The loading order selection device 1 according to the third embodiment is the loading order selection device of (1) or (2), wherein all of the cargo is cargo that is released from being towed by the vehicle and exits the means of transport when it is placed in the lane, the dispatch conditions are conditions indicated by the correspondence between the carrier and the cargo, which indicates which of the multiple carriers will transport each of the cargoes, the number of vehicles owned by each of the carriers, and the occupancy interval of the vehicles.

[0140] (4) The loading order selection device 1 according to the fourth embodiment is the loading order selection device of (1) or (2), wherein the cargo includes a first cargo (e.g., unmanned cargo) which is released from the vehicle when it is placed on the lane and the vehicle exits the means of transport, and a second cargo (e.g., manned cargo) which is transported together with the vehicle that transports the cargo by the means of transport, the dispatch conditions are conditions indicated by the correspondence between the carrier and the cargo, which indicates which of the multiple carriers transports each of the cargoes, the number of vehicles owned by each of the carriers which are used to transport the first cargo, and the occupancy interval of the vehicles used to transport the first cargo, the determination unit determines whether there is a first cargo that will cause the waiting time based on the dispatch conditions and the loading order, and the update unit selects a first cargo that will reduce the waiting time from among the first cargoes that are placed on the same lane as the waiting cargo. According to this embodiment, even if cargo 6 contains a mixture of cargo 1 and cargo 2, with respect to cargo 1, it is possible to select a loading order that efficiently loads the cargo onto the means of transport while considering the constraints on vehicle dispatch indicated by the dispatch conditions and ensuring safety when the means of transport is in motion.

[0141] (5) The loading order selection device 1 according to the fifth embodiment is any one of the loading order selection devices from (1) to (4), wherein the selection unit includes a slot setting unit 13 that sets each of a plurality of ranges arranged along the lane direction, such that each of the cargoes to be placed in the same lane belongs to a different range, as a slot, and a slot selection unit 14 that sequentially selects the slots from rear to front in the lane direction and selects the loading order of the cargoes belonging to the selected slots based on lane priority, which of the plurality of lanes should be given priority for placing the cargoes. According to this embodiment, by setting slots 8 arranged in the lane direction and sequentially selecting the set slots 8 from rear to front in the lane direction, it is possible to select a loading order such that cargoes 6 are loaded sequentially from rear to front in the lane direction in each of the lanes 4, and furthermore, by using lane priority, it is possible to select the loading order among cargoes 6 belonging to one slot 8.

[0142] (6) The loading order selection device 1 according to the sixth embodiment is the loading order selection device of (5), wherein the slot setting unit divides the lane area formed by all the lanes from rear to front in the lane direction by the lane direction length of the cargo with the shortest length in the lane direction among the cargo, and assigns each of these areas as a slot, and if the cargo is included in one slot, assigns that slot as the destination to the cargo, and if the cargo is included in multiple slots, assigns that slot as the destination to the cargo if there is one slot with the largest area occupied by the cargo, and assigns the last slot in the lane direction among the multiple slots as the destination to the cargo. According to this embodiment, the length of the slot 8 such that each cargo 6 placed in the same lane 4 belongs to a different slot 8 can be set based on the lane direction length of the cargo 6.

[0143] (7) The loading order selection device 1 according to the seventh embodiment is the loading order selection device of (5) or (6), wherein the lane priority is predetermined for each of a plurality of predetermined areas in the transport means, and the slot selection unit selects the loading order of the cargo belonging to the selected slot based on the lane priority determined in the area to which the selected slot belongs. According to this embodiment, it becomes possible to use the lane priority determined for each of the plurality of areas of the transport means for the cargo 6, so for example, different loading orders can be selected for each of the plurality of areas for the cargo 6 belonging to one slot 8.

[0144] (8) The loading order selection device 1 according to the eighth embodiment is a loading order selection device of any one of (1) to (7), wherein, while the cargo is being transported to the transport means according to the loading order updated by the update unit, an operation is performed to delay the loading order of any cargo that is not being transported, and the loading order and placement position are swapped between the delayed cargo, which is the cargo whose loading order is being delayed, and the cargo that is not being transported, which is different from the delayed cargo, the determination unit determines, based on the dispatch conditions and the loading order in which the delayed cargo's order has been delayed, whether or not there is cargo that will cause a waiting time for the cargo that is not being transported, and the update unit selects cargo that will reduce the waiting time from among the cargo that is not being transported and is placed in the same lane as the waiting cargo, which is the cargo that the determination unit has determined will cause a waiting time, and performs an update that swaps the placement position of the selected cargo and the waiting cargo, and also swaps the loading order. According to this embodiment, for example, it is possible to delay the timing of transporting cargo 6 that has not yet arrived, while excluding cargo 6 that has already been transported to the means of transport, and to reselect the loading order in which cargo 6 can be efficiently loaded onto the means of transport.

[0145] (9) The loading order selection device 1 according to the ninth embodiment is a loading order selection device of any one of (1) to (8), which displays each of the lanes in the order provided on the transport means, displays each of the cargoes to be placed in each of the lanes based on the arrangement position updated by the update unit superimposed on each of the lanes to be displayed, and includes a display unit 17 that displays a numerical value in relation to each of the cargoes to be displayed, which is the corresponding loading order and indicates the order of the loading order updated by the update unit. According to this embodiment, the arrangement position of the cargoes 6 in each of the lanes 4 and the loading order can be made visually easy to understand.

[0146] (10) The loading order selection device 1 according to the tenth embodiment is a selection unit 12 that, when a plurality of lanes 4 are provided in a transport means (e.g., a ship 3) in which cargo 6 to be transported by any of a plurality of vehicles 5 are arranged, and the cargo is arranged in each of the lanes based on a predetermined arrangement position for the cargo (e.g., an arrangement position indicated by arrangement position data 22), the selection unit 12 selects the loading order of the cargo in order from the front end along the lane direction from the front end to the rear end in the longitudinal direction of the lane, and the plurality of ranges arranged along the lane direction are the same The system includes a selection unit having a slot setting unit 13 which sets slots 8 based on the length of the cargo, with each of the cargoes placed in the lane being defined as belonging to a different range, and a slot selection unit 14 which sequentially selects the slots from rear to front in the lane direction and selects the loading order of the cargoes belonging to the selected slots based on lane priority, which of the multiple lanes is given priority for placing the cargoes, and a display unit 17 which displays the cargoes placed in the slots and the loading order of the cargoes. According to this embodiment, the length of the slots 8 is set based on the length of the cargo 6 in the lane direction so that each of the cargoes 6 placed in the same lane 4 belongs to a different slot 8, and by sequentially selecting the set slots 8 from rear to front in the lane direction, a loading order can be selected so that the cargoes 6 are loaded sequentially from rear to front in the lane direction in each lane 4. Furthermore, by using lane priority, the loading order among cargoes 6 belonging to one slot 8 can be selected, and furthermore, the cargoes 6 placed in the slots 8 and the loading order of the selected cargoes 6 can be displayed. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0147] 1...Loading order selection device 3…Ship 4...Lane 5…Vehicles 6…Freight 8... Slot 10...Operation unit 11...Storage section 12…Selection department 13... Slot setting section 14... Slot selection section 15…Judgment section 16…Update section 17…Display section 21…Lane range data 22…Placement location data 23… Dispatch Conditions Data 24... Ship Area Classification Data 25-1…Lane priority data for the bow area 25-2…Lane priority data for the central area of ​​the hull 25-3…Lane priority data for the stern area 26…Slot range data 27…Cargo slot allocation data 28…Loading order data 40...Lane area

Claims

1. In a means of transport where multiple lanes are arranged so that cargo to be transported by any of multiple vehicles is placed, a selection unit is provided for selecting the loading order of the cargo in order from the front end along the lane direction from the front end to the rear end in the longitudinal direction of the lane, when the cargo is placed in each lane based on predetermined placement positions for the cargo. A determination unit determines whether or not there is cargo that will cause a waiting time, based on predetermined dispatch conditions for the vehicle and the loading order selected by the selection unit. When the aforementioned waiting time occurs, the determination unit determines that a cargo is a waiting cargo and selects a cargo that will reduce the waiting time from among the cargo placed on the same lane as the waiting cargo, and performs an update that swaps the placement positions of the selected cargo and the waiting cargo, as well as swapping the loading order. A loading sequence selection device equipped with the following features.

2. Each of the aforementioned goods is predetermined to be transported by a vehicle owned by one of the multiple carriers. The aforementioned update unit is From among the cargo that is placed in the same lane as the waiting cargo, whose placement position is located forward in the lane direction from the placement position of the waiting cargo, and which is transported by a different carrier than the carrier transporting the waiting cargo, the cargo is selected to reduce the waiting time. The loading sequence selection device according to claim 1.

3. If all of the aforementioned cargo is cargo that is released from being towed by the vehicle and the vehicle exits the means of transport when it is placed in the lane, The aforementioned dispatch conditions are: The conditions are indicated by the correspondence between the carriers and the cargo, which shows which of the multiple carriers each of the cargoes is transported by, the number of vehicles owned by each of the carriers, and the interval between the vehicles. A loading sequence selection device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. If the cargo includes a first cargo which is released from the vehicle's towing and the vehicle exits the transport means when it is placed in the lane, and a second cargo which is transported together with the cargo by the transport means, The aforementioned dispatch conditions are: The conditions are indicated by the correspondence between the carriers and the cargo, which shows which of the multiple carriers each of the cargoes is transported by; the number of vehicles owned by each of the carriers, the number of vehicles used to transport the first cargo; and the occupancy interval of the vehicles used to transport the first cargo. The determination unit, Based on the aforementioned dispatch conditions and the aforementioned loading order, it is determined whether or not there is a first cargo that will cause the aforementioned waiting time. The aforementioned update unit is From among the first cargoes arranged in the same lane as the aforementioned waiting cargo, select the first cargo that will reduce the waiting time. A loading sequence selection device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

5. The aforementioned selection unit is A slot setting unit sets each of a plurality of ranges arranged along the lane direction, where each of the ranges is defined as a slot, such that each of the cargoes placed in the same lane belongs to a different range. A slot selection unit selects the slots sequentially from rear to front in the lane direction, and selects the loading order of the cargo belonging to the selected slots based on lane priority, which lane among the multiple lanes is given priority for placing the cargo. A loading sequence selection device according to claim 1, comprising:

6. The aforementioned slot setting unit is The lane region formed by all the lanes is divided from rear to front in the lane direction by the lane direction length of the cargo with the shortest length in the lane direction, and each of these regions is designated as a slot. If the cargo is contained in one slot, that slot is assigned as the destination for the cargo. If the cargo is contained in multiple slots, and there is one slot that occupies the largest area, that slot is assigned as the destination for the cargo. If there are multiple slots that occupy the largest area, the slot furthest back in the lane direction among the multiple slots is assigned as the destination for the cargo. The loading sequence selection device according to claim 5.

7. The aforementioned lane priority is, The means of transport are predetermined for each of the predetermined areas, The aforementioned slot selection unit is Based on the lane priority established in the area to which the selected slot belongs, the loading order of the cargo belonging to the selected slot is selected. A loading sequence selection device according to claim 5 or claim 6.

8. If, while the cargo is being transported to the transport means in accordance with the loading order updated by the update unit, an operation is performed to delay the loading order of any of the cargo that is not being transported, and the loading order and placement position are swapped between the delayed cargo (the cargo whose loading order is being delayed) and the other cargo that is not being transported, The determination unit, Based on the aforementioned dispatch conditions and the loading order which delays the order of the delayed cargo, it is determined whether there is any cargo that will cause a waiting time for the cargo that has not yet been transported. The aforementioned update unit is When the aforementioned waiting time occurs, the determination unit determines that a cargo is a waiting cargo and selects a cargo that will reduce the waiting time from among the cargo that is not being transported and is located on the same lane as the waiting cargo. The selected cargo and the waiting cargo are swapped in their positions, and the loading order is also changed. The loading sequence selection device according to claim 1.

9. A display unit that displays each of the lanes in the order provided on the transport means, displays each of the cargoes placed in each of the lanes based on the arrangement position updated by the update unit superimposed on each of the displayed lanes, and displays a numerical value associated with each of the displayed cargoes that represents the corresponding loading order, which is the order of the loading order updated by the update unit. A loading sequence selection device according to claim 1, comprising:

10. In a means of transport where multiple lanes are arranged so that cargo to be transported by any of multiple vehicles is placed, a selection unit selects the loading order of the cargo in order from the front end along the lane direction from the front end to the rear end in the longitudinal direction of the lane, when the cargo is placed in each lane based on a predetermined placement position for the cargo, A slot setting unit sets slots based on the length of cargo, with each of the multiple ranges arranged along the lane direction, where each cargo placed in the same lane is determined to belong to a different range; A selection unit having a slot selection unit that sequentially selects the slots from rear to front in the lane direction, and selects the loading order of the cargo belonging to the selected slots based on lane priority, which lane among the multiple lanes is given priority for placing the cargo; A display unit that displays the cargo placed in the aforementioned slots and the loading order of said cargo, A loading sequence selection device equipped with the following features.

11. In a means of transport where multiple lanes are arranged so that cargo to be transported by any of multiple vehicles is placed, when cargo is placed in each lane based on a predetermined placement position for the cargo, the loading order of the cargo is selected sequentially from the front end along the lane direction from the front end to the rear end in the longitudinal direction of the lane. Based on predetermined dispatch conditions for the aforementioned vehicle and the selected loading order, it is determined whether or not there is cargo that will result in a waiting time. The system selects cargo that will reduce the waiting time from among the cargo that is placed on the same lane as the cargo that is determined to be subject to the aforementioned waiting time, and updates the placement of the selected cargo and the cargo that is subject to the waiting time, as well as the loading order. Method for selecting the loading order.

12. Computers, In a transport means provided with multiple lanes arranged in a row, where cargo to be transported by any of multiple vehicles is placed, a selection means selects the loading order of the cargo in each lane, in which the cargo is placed according to a predetermined placement position for the cargo, along the lane direction from the leading end to the trailing end in the longitudinal direction of the lane, starting from the leading end. A determination means that determines whether or not there is cargo that will cause a waiting time, based on predetermined dispatch conditions for the vehicle and the loading order selected by the selection means. When the aforementioned waiting time occurs, the update means selects cargo that will reduce the waiting time from among the cargo placed on the same lane as the cargo that the determination means has determined to be waiting cargo, swaps the placement positions of the selected cargo and the waiting cargo, and updates the loading order. A program designed to function as such.

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