Transportation management system, transportation management method, and program

Abstract

To provide a transportation management system, a transportation management method, and a program, which improve operational efficiency of an operation plan including a transportation route of a first transportation vehicle and a transportation route of a second transportation vehicle capable of accommodating the first transportation vehicle.SOLUTION: A transportation management system 1000 manages transportation of cargoes by a plurality of transportation vehicles 100 and a transportation vehicle 200 capable of accommodating each of the transportation vehicles 100. The transportation management system 1000 includes a generation section 330 that generates an operation plan including a transportation route of each of the transportation vehicles 100 and a transportation route of the transportation vehicle 200. The generation section 330 generates the operation plan for the case where passing of the cargoes between each of the transportation vehicles 100 inside the transportation vehicle 200.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a transport management system, a transport management method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a transportation management technique for transporting luggage using a small transportation vehicle such as a transportation robot and a large transportation vehicle capable of accommodating the small transportation vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-128801 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When generating an operation plan that includes a transport route of a first transport vehicle and a transport route of a second transport vehicle that can accommodate the first transport vehicle, it is desirable to generate an operation plan that improves operation efficiency.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and aims to provide a transportation management system, a transportation management method, and a program that improve the operation efficiency of an operation plan that includes a transportation route of a first transportation vehicle and a transportation route of a second transportation vehicle capable of accommodating the first transportation vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The transportation management system in this embodiment is as follows: A transportation management system that manages transportation of luggage by a plurality of first transportation vehicles and a second transportation vehicle capable of accommodating each of the first transportation vehicles, The transportation management system includes a generation unit that generates an operation plan including a transportation route by each first transportation vehicle and a transportation route by the second transportation vehicle, The generation unit is The operation plan is generated in the second transport vehicle when the delivery of the cargo between the first transport vehicles is permitted.

[0007] The transportation management method in this embodiment is as follows: A transportation management method for managing transportation of luggage by a plurality of first transportation vehicles and a second transportation vehicle capable of accommodating each of the first transportation vehicles, comprising: A generation step of generating an operation plan including a transportation route by each of the first transportation vehicles and a transportation route by the second transportation vehicle by a computer, The generating step includes: The operation plan is generated in the second transport vehicle when the delivery of the cargo between the first transport vehicles is permitted.

[0008] The program in this embodiment is A program for causing a computer to execute a transportation management method for managing transportation of luggage by a plurality of first transportation vehicles and a second transportation vehicle capable of accommodating each of the first transportation vehicles, The transport management method includes: A generation step of generating an operation plan including a transportation route by each of the first transportation vehicles and a transportation route by the second transportation vehicle, The generating step includes: The operation plan is generated in the second transport vehicle when the delivery of the cargo between the first transport vehicles is permitted. Effect of the Invention

[0009] The present disclosure provides a transportation management system, transportation management method, and program that improve the operation efficiency of an operation plan that includes a transportation route of a first transportation vehicle and a transportation route of a second transportation vehicle that can accommodate the first transportation vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a configuration of a transport management system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a first transport vehicle according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an operation plan generated by the transportation management method according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] EMBODIMENT 1 The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the invention according to the claims is not limited to the following embodiments. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are necessarily essential as means for solving the problems.

[0012] Hereinafter, the transportation management system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of the transportation management system 1000 according to the first embodiment. The transportation management system 1000 includes a plurality of transportation vehicles 100, a plurality of transportation vehicles 200, and a server 300. The transportation vehicles 100 are also referred to as first transportation vehicles, and the transportation vehicles 200 are also referred to as second transportation vehicles. The number of transportation vehicles 200 may be one. The transportation management system 1000 is a system that manages the transportation of luggage by the plurality of transportation vehicles 100 and the transportation vehicles 200 that can accommodate each of the transportation vehicles 100.

[0013] The functions of the server 300 described below may be provided in the transport vehicle 100 or the transport vehicle 200. Therefore, a system that does not include the server 300 may also be included in the transport management system 1000 according to the first embodiment.

[0014] The transport vehicle 100 is a transport vehicle smaller than the transport vehicle 200 described later. As shown in the figure, the transport vehicle 100 may be a transport robot or a small automobile. The transport vehicle 100 can be accommodated by the transport vehicle 200 described later. For example, if the transport vehicle 200 has a function of a bus for transporting people, the transport vehicle 100 boards the transport vehicle 200 from an entrance / exit used by people or a dedicated entrance / exit. The transport vehicle 100 may also board a loading platform provided in the transport vehicle 200. The transport vehicle 100 performs transport operations in places where the transport vehicle 200 described later cannot enter (for example, around a house).

[0015] 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the transfer vehicle 100. The transfer vehicle 100 includes a communication unit 110, a sensor 120, a travel control unit 130, a storage unit 140, and a drive arm 150.

[0016] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface. The transport vehicle 100 receives an operation plan from a server 300 (described later) via the communication unit 110. The transport vehicle 100 also transmits position information of the transport vehicle 100 to the server 300 via the communication unit 110. The transport vehicle 100 may further transmit a notification to the server 300 when delivery of the package is completed.

[0017] The sensor 120 collects environmental data around the transport vehicle 100 and outputs the data to the travel control unit 130. The sensor 120 is, for example, a camera, a radar, a LIDAR, etc. The travel control unit 130 autonomously moves the transport vehicle 100 according to an operation plan using the environmental data collected by the sensor 120. The transport vehicle 100 acquires its own position using a GPS (Global Positioning System), the sensor 120, etc.

[0018] The storage unit 140 has a function of storing luggage. The storage unit 140 may be capable of storing a plurality of luggage, and specifically may be a shelf. When the storage unit 140 is a shelf, the luggage may be a box. In this case, the server 300 described later may manage which part of the shelf is being used or not. The storage unit 140 may also be provided with a locking mechanism. In such a case, the transport vehicle 100 executes control to release the locking mechanism of the storage unit 140 when the transport vehicle 100 arrives at the delivery destination or when the transport vehicle 100 transfers luggage to or from another transport vehicle 100.

[0019] The driving arm 150 receives a parcel from a delivery source and stores the received parcel in the storage section 140. The driving arm 150 also removes the parcel from the storage section 140 and stores the parcel in a postbox or the like at the delivery destination. The driving arm 150 is also used to deliver parcels to and from other transport vehicles 100. For example, the driving arm 150 of the transport vehicle 100 removes a parcel from the storage section 140 of the other transport vehicle 100 and stores the parcel in the storage section 140 of the transport vehicle 100. For example, the driving arm 150 may also remove a parcel from a parcel collection point provided in the transport vehicle 200 and store the removed parcel in the storage section 140.

[0020] Returning to FIG. 1, the transport vehicle 100 moves autonomously according to an operation plan generated by the server 300, which will be described later. The transport vehicle 100 first travels to a designated point and boards the transport vehicle 200. The transport vehicle 100 is then transported together with the baggage by the transport vehicle 200. The transport vehicle 100 then disembarks from the transport vehicle 200 at the designated point and transports the baggage to the delivery destination.

[0021] The operation plan allows for the transfer of luggage between the transport vehicles 100 within the transport vehicle 200. The transport vehicles 100 may transfer luggage directly between each other, or may transfer luggage via a luggage collection area (e.g., a shelf). Specifically, a transport vehicle 100 carrying multiple luggage may transfer some of the luggage to another transport vehicle 100. The transport vehicle 100 that receives the luggage disembarks from the transport vehicle 200 according to the operation plan and transports the luggage to the delivery destination. Note that a driver of the transport vehicle 200 may move luggage between the transport vehicles 100 according to the operation plan.

[0022] The transport vehicle 200 is a larger transport vehicle than the transport vehicle 100. The transport vehicle 200 can accommodate each transport vehicle 100. The transport vehicle 200 may be capable of accommodating two or more transport vehicles 100. The transport vehicle 200 may be an unmanned autonomous vehicle called an Electric Vehicle (EV) pallet. A driver may be on board the transport vehicle 200. The driver may check the operation plan based on the display on a display provided in the transport vehicle 200.

[0023] The transport vehicle 200 can travel at a higher speed than the transport vehicle 100. For example, the transport vehicle 200 may travel on a roadway, and the transport vehicle 100 may travel on a sidewalk. The transport vehicle 200 may be an autonomous vehicle, or may be a vehicle driven or assisted by a human being.

[0024] As described above, the transport vehicle 200 may have a function as a bus for transporting humans. In such a case, the inside of the transport vehicle 200 may be a shared space for transport robots and humans. The transport vehicle 200, which is a transport robot, may use the same entrance as humans, or may use a dedicated entrance.

[0025] The transportation vehicle 200 receives an operation plan from the server 300 described later and moves according to the operation plan. The transportation vehicle 200 may move autonomously according to the operation plan. Alternatively, a driver may drive the transportation vehicle 200 along a transportation route included in the operation plan. Then, the transportation vehicle 200 transmits position information of the transportation vehicle 200 to the server 300.

[0026] The server 300 is a computer equipped with a memory, a processor, etc. The server 300 manages the position information of each transport vehicle 100 and the position information of the transport vehicle 200. The server 300 also generates a delivery plan for packages based on the position information of each transport vehicle 100 and the position information of the transport vehicle 200. The delivery plan is also called an operation plan, and includes the transport route of each transport vehicle 100 and the transport route of the transport vehicle 200.

[0027] Next, the server 300 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 3. The server 300 includes a communication unit 310, a storage unit 320, and a generation unit 330. The communication unit 310 is a communication interface, and the server 300 communicates with the transport vehicle 100 and the transport vehicle 200 via the communication unit 310.

[0028] The storage unit 320 is a storage device such as a hard disk, a flash memory, etc. The storage unit 320 may also include a volatile storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) that is a storage area for temporarily holding information.

[0029] The storage unit 320 stores package information 321, map information 322, and management information 323. The package information 321 includes delivery origin information and delivery destination information for each of a plurality of packages. The package information 321 may further include a priority of each package.

[0030] The map information 322 is map data including a delivery area, and is used when the generating unit 330 described later generates an operation plan. The map information 322 may be, for example, road map data in which nodes representing intersections and links representing passages are numbered. The map information 322 may also be an environmental map showing the areas of buildings that may be obstacles.

[0031] The management information 323 includes the position information of each transport vehicle 100 and the position information of the transport vehicle 200. The position information may be, for example, GPS position information. The management information 323 may further include first status information indicating whether each transport vehicle 100 is delivering a package or second status information indicating the availability of the storage section 140. A transport vehicle 100 that is not currently delivering a package or a transport vehicle 100 that has availability in the storage section 140 can receive a package from another transport vehicle 100 and perform a delivery operation. The information regarding the availability of the storage section 140 may be information regarding weight or volume.

[0032] The generation unit 330 generates an operation plan for the transport vehicle 100 and the transport vehicle 200 based on the baggage information 321, the map information 322, and the management information 323. The operation plan includes a transport route for each transport vehicle 100 and a transport route for the transport vehicle 200. The operation plan also includes an instruction for handing over baggage between each transport vehicle 100.

[0033] The generation unit 330 generates an operation plan in a case where delivery of luggage between the transport vehicles 100 is permitted within the transport vehicle 200. In such a case, since the multiple transport vehicles 100 can cooperate with each other to transport luggage, the server 300 can improve the efficiency of the operation plan.

[0034] The generating unit 330 may generate, for example, an operation plan in which baggage is handed over and an operation plan in which baggage is not handed over, and may adopt the operation plan with the highest operation efficiency (for example, the operation plan with the shortest transportation time). In the case of baggage handover, for example, the transport vehicle 100 that will hand over the baggage may be selected based on the position information, and the boarding position and disembarking position of the selected transport vehicle 100 may be determined to generate the operation plan. Any known algorithm may be used to generate the operation plan.

[0035] The generation unit 330 transmits the generated operation plan to the transport vehicle 100 and the transport vehicle 200. The transport vehicle 100 and the transport vehicle 200 move autonomously according to the operation plan and deliver the package to the delivery destination. As described above, the driver may drive the transport vehicle 200 along the transport route.

[0036] The generating unit 330 may generate an operation plan based on the first status information, the second status information, and the priority of the parcel. When the priority of the parcel is low, the generating unit 330 generates an operation plan using, for example, only the position information of the transport vehicle 100 that is not performing delivery operations. When the priority of the parcel is high, the generating unit 330 generates an operation plan by taking into consideration the position information of the transport vehicle 100 that has vacant space in the storage unit 140 among the transport vehicles 100 that are performing delivery operations.

[0037] The generation unit 330 may update the operation plan as needed in response to updates to the management information 323. This allows efficient transport of luggage using the transport vehicles 100 that have completed their transport operations or the transport vehicles 100 that have moved to the vicinity of the transport vehicle 200. For example, the generation unit 330 may change the operation plan when the efficiency of the newly generated operation plan is higher than the efficiency of the original operation plan. The generation unit 330 may change the operation plan when the delivery time of luggage with a high priority is shortened.

[0038] Next, a specific example of an operation plan generated by the server 300 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 shows an operation plan for delivering package a to delivery destination A and package b to delivery destination B. The transport vehicle 100a is located at a point close to the delivery source (e.g., a warehouse or a house), and the transport vehicle 100b is located at a point away from the delivery source. The transport vehicle 100a is also referred to as transport vehicle A, and the transport vehicle 100b is also referred to as transport vehicle B.

[0039] In such a case, first, the transport vehicle 100a receives the packages a and b from the delivery source and boards the transport vehicle 200. The transport vehicle 100a may collect the packages a and b at a collection point (e.g., a shelf) in the transport vehicle 200, or may hold the packages a and b. The transport vehicle 100a may collect only the package a to be delivered at the collection point.

[0040] Next, the transfer vehicle 200 moves to a point X around the transfer vehicle 100b. Then, the transfer vehicle 100b gets on the transfer vehicle 200 at the point X.

[0041] Next, inside the transport vehicle 200, the transport vehicle 100b receives the package a from the transport vehicle 100a. The transport vehicle 100b may, for example, access the storage unit 140 of the transport vehicle 100a using the drive arm 150 to receive the package a. The transport vehicle 100b may also receive the package a from a package collection location. The delivery of the package a may be performed when the transport vehicle 200 is stopped, or may be performed when the transport vehicle 200 is traveling.

[0042] When receiving and delivering luggage, the transport vehicle 100a may execute control to unlock the storage unit 140 in response to a request from the transport vehicle 100b. In addition, if a lock is provided on a shelf (accumulation point) in the transport vehicle 200, the transport vehicle 200 may execute control to unlock the shelf.

[0043] In such a case, since it is preferable that no unspecified person is aboard the transport vehicle 200, the transport vehicle 200 may perform control to close the entrance and exit of the transport vehicle 200. After the transport vehicle 100b receives the baggage a, the transport vehicle 100a may lock the storage section 140. As described above, the delivery of the baggage may be performed by a driver who has confirmed the operation plan.

[0044] Next, the transport vehicle 200 travels to a point Y in the vicinity of the delivery destination of the package a. The transport vehicle 100b gets off at the point Y and delivers the package a to the delivery destination A. After delivering the package a, the transport vehicle 100b transmits a message to the server 300 indicating that the delivery of the package a has been completed. After delivering the package a, the transport vehicle 100b may autonomously move to a predetermined base, or may start a new delivery job according to a new operation plan.

[0045] When the transport vehicle 100a delivers both packages a and b, the transport vehicle 200 needs to wait at point Y until the transport vehicle 100a returns. However, according to the transport management system of the first embodiment, the transport vehicle 200 does not need to wait at point Y, and therefore the efficiency of the operation plan can be improved.

[0046] Next, the transport vehicle 200 travels to a point Z in the vicinity of the delivery destination B of the package b. The transport vehicle 100a disembarks at the point Z and delivers the package b to the delivery destination B. After delivering the package b, the transport vehicle 100b may autonomously move to a predetermined base or may start a new delivery task according to a new operation plan.

[0047] According to the transport management system of the first embodiment, the parcels can be handed over between the first transport vehicles in the second transport vehicle, so that the parcels can be delivered more efficiently.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the present disclosure has been described as a hardware configuration, but is not limited to this. Any process in the present disclosure can be realized by causing a CPU to execute a computer program.

[0049] In the above examples, the program includes instructions (or software code) that, when loaded into a computer, cause the computer to perform one or more functions described in the embodiments. The program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium or a tangible storage medium. By way of example and not limitation, the computer-readable medium or tangible storage medium includes random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, solid-state drive (SSD) or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray® disk or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage device. The program may be transmitted on a transitory computer-readable medium or communication medium. By way of example and not limitation, the transitory computer-readable medium or communication medium includes electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals.

[0050] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1000 Transport Management System 100, 100a, 100b Transport vehicles 110 Communications Department 120 Sensors 130 Driving control unit 140 Storage unit 150 Drive arm 200 Transport vehicles 300 Servers 310 Communications Department 320 Storage section 321 Baggage Information 322 Map Information 323 Management information 330 Generation part

Claims

1. A transportation management system that manages transportation of luggage by a plurality of first transportation vehicles and a second transportation vehicle capable of accommodating each of the first transportation vehicles, The transportation management system includes a generation unit that generates an operation plan including a transportation route by each first transportation vehicle and a transportation route by the second transportation vehicle, The generation unit is generating the operation plan in a case where the delivery of the luggage between the first transport vehicles is permitted in the second transport vehicle; The second transport vehicle includes: It functions as a bus to transport people, When the luggage is handed over between the first transport vehicles, a control is executed to close an entrance of the second transport vehicle. Transportation management system.

2. The transportation management system includes: A storage unit that stores position information of each of the first transport vehicles as management information; Equipped with The generation unit is generating the operation plan based on the management information; The transportation management system according to claim 1 .

3. The management information is Further including at least one of first status information indicating whether each of the first transport vehicles is in a state of delivering a package and second status information indicating an empty state of a storage unit of each of the first transport vehicles; The generation unit is generating the operation plan based on at least one of the first status information and the second status information; The transport management system according to claim 2 .

4. The management information is including both the first status information and the second status information; The generation unit is generating the operation plan further based on a priority of the load; The transport management system according to claim 3 .

5. A transportation management method for managing transportation of luggage by a plurality of first transportation vehicles and a second transportation vehicle capable of accommodating each of the first transportation vehicles, comprising: A generation step of generating an operation plan including a transportation route by each of the first transportation vehicles and a transportation route by the second transportation vehicle by a computer; The generating step includes: generating the operation plan in a case where the delivery of the luggage between the first transport vehicles is permitted in the second transport vehicle; The second transport vehicle includes: It functions as a bus to transport people, When the luggage is handed over between the first transport vehicles, a control is executed to close an entrance of the second transport vehicle. Transportation management methods.

6. A program for causing a computer to execute a transportation management method for managing transportation of luggage by a plurality of first transportation vehicles and a second transportation vehicle capable of accommodating each of the first transportation vehicles, the program comprising: The transport management method includes: A generation step of generating an operation plan including a transportation route by each of the first transportation vehicles and a transportation route by the second transportation vehicle, The generating step includes: generating the operation plan in a case where the delivery of the luggage between the first transport vehicles is permitted in the second transport vehicle; The second transport vehicle includes: It functions as a bus to transport people, When the luggage is handed over between the first transport vehicles, a control is executed to close an entrance of the second transport vehicle. program.

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