Information processing method and information processing system

Abstract

An information processing method comprising: obtaining tractor information including remaining battery of a tractor, a plurality of sets of trailer information including remaining batteries of a plurality of trailers, respectively, and a plurality of sets of delivery information including identification information and destinations of a plurality of deliveries, respectively (step S101); using the tractor information, trailer information, and delivery information to create a delivery plan that satisfies (a) a first condition that during the move of the trailers, the tractor runs using at least one of the battery of a moving trailer of the trailers and the battery of the tractor and (b) a second condition that a state in which the remaining battery of the tractor exceeds a first lower limit is maintained and a state in which the remaining battery of the trailers exceeds a second lower limit is maintained (step S102); and outputting the delivery plan (step S103).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing method and an information processing system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, with the progress of technological development of electric vehicles, the delivery of goods using electric vehicles has been proposed. For example, a configuration has been proposed in which batteries are installed in both the tractor and trailer of a vehicle that runs on batteries within a container terminal (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] On the other hand, for gasoline vehicles, a method has been proposed in which a plan is created in which the towing unit tows another luggage carrying unit while the luggage carrying unit is stopped for loading / unloading, taking into consideration that the towing unit will run independently of the luggage carrying unit (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-111078 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2005-350158 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the conventional technology has a problem in that it is difficult to efficiently deliver deliveries using the batteries of the tractor and trailer.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention provides an information processing method and an information processing system that can efficiently deliver deliveries without depleting at least one of the batteries of the tractor and the trailer connected to the tractor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In one embodiment of the information processing method of the present invention, a computer acquires tractor information including the remaining battery charge of the tractor, multiple trailer information including the remaining battery charges of multiple trailers, and multiple delivery information including the identification information and destination of multiple deliveries, and generates and outputs a delivery plan using the tractor information, trailer information, and delivery information to move the multiple trailers, on which the multiple deliveries are each loaded in a distributed manner, to the destination, wherein the delivery plan satisfies: (a) a first condition that, while the multiple trailers are moving, the tractor runs using at least one of the battery of the trailer that is moving among the multiple trailers and the battery of the tractor; and (b) a second condition that the remaining battery charge of the tractor is maintained in a state exceeding a first lower limit, and a state in which the remaining battery charges of the multiple trailers are maintained in a state exceeding a second lower limit.

[0008] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, an apparatus, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the information processing method of the present invention, deliveries can be delivered efficiently without depleting at least one of the batteries of the tractor and the trailer connected to the tractor. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a delivery system in the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a tractor and a trailer. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the plan creation device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of input data to the plan creating device in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the plan creating device in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a first example of output data of the plan creating device in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a second example of output data of the plan creating device in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a third example of output data of the plan creating device in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of traveling of the tractor in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of traveling of the trailer in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of traveling of a tractor and a trailer in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] (Findings on which the present invention is based) The present inventor has found that the following problems occur with the delivery technology for delivery items using electric vehicles described in the "Background Art" section.

[0012] As described above, the conventional technology has a problem in that it is difficult to efficiently deliver deliveries using the batteries of the tractor and trailer. Note that the tractor and trailer are also referred to as vehicles.

[0013] Specifically, there is a problem in that it is difficult to efficiently deliver goods when batteries are mounted on both the tractor and the trailer without draining the battery of the vehicle (particularly the tractor).

[0014] For example, the conventional technology shown in Patent Document 1 can be applied in cases where a charged trailer is always near a tractor, such as a vehicle traveling inside a container terminal, and the trailer can be replaced whenever the tractor or trailer runs out of charge while traveling. However, this technology has a problem in that it cannot be applied to cases where vehicles travel on public roads connecting distant bases.

[0015] In addition, the conventional method of creating a delivery plan for a towing vehicle, as shown in Patent Document 2, for example, does not take into account the supply of energy for driving, and therefore has the problem that there is a risk of the battery running out when applied to an electric vehicle.

[0016] Thus, in the conventional technology, there is a problem in that it is difficult to efficiently deliver deliveries using the batteries of the tractor and trailer.

[0017] Therefore, the present invention provides an information processing method and an information processing system that can efficiently deliver deliveries without depleting at least one of the batteries of the tractor and the trailer connected to the tractor.

[0018] In order to solve such problems, an information processing method according to one embodiment of the present invention involves a computer acquiring tractor information including the remaining battery charge of the tractor, multiple trailer information including the remaining battery charges of multiple trailers, and multiple delivery information including the identification information and destination of multiple deliveries, and generating and outputting a delivery plan using the tractor information, trailer information, and delivery information to move the multiple trailers, on which the multiple deliveries are each loaded in a dispersed manner, to the destination, wherein the delivery plan satisfies: (a) a first condition that, while the multiple trailers are moving, the tractor runs using at least one of the battery of the trailer that is moving among the multiple trailers and the battery of the tractor, and (b) a state in which the remaining battery charge of the tractor is maintained above a first lower limit, and a state in which the remaining battery charges of the multiple trailers are maintained above a second lower limit.

[0019] According to the above aspect, a delivery plan is created that takes into account the remaining battery levels of the tractor and trailer, and enables delivery of the delivery while maintaining the remaining battery levels of each battery higher than the lower limit during the delivery period. Then, the tractor and trailer travel according to the created delivery plan, enabling delivery of the delivery while maintaining the remaining battery levels of the tractor and trailer higher than the lower limit during the delivery period. Therefore, according to the above information processing method, delivery can be delivered efficiently without depleting at least one of the batteries of the tractor and the trailer coupled to the tractor.

[0020] For example, generating the dispatch plan may include generating the dispatch plan that further satisfies a third condition that at least one trailer of the plurality of trailers is charged at at least one destination.

[0021] According to the above aspect, a delivery plan is created that takes into consideration that the trailer will be charged at the destination. Therefore, even if the tractor and trailer do not have sufficient battery power at the beginning of the delivery period, delivery of the delivery item can be completed by charging as necessary during the delivery period. In this way, according to the above information processing method, delivery items can be delivered efficiently without depleting at least one of the batteries of the tractor and the trailer coupled to the tractor, more appropriately, taking into consideration charging during the delivery period.

[0022] For example, the charging may occur during the loading or unloading of deliveries transported by the at least one trailer.

[0023] According to the above aspect, since the trailer is charged when the delivery is brought in or taken out, there is no need to reserve dedicated time just for charging the trailer. If dedicated time just for charging were to be reserved, the delivery period may be extended to secure that time. In this way, delivery can be efficiently delivered without depleting at least one of the batteries of the tractor and the trailer coupled to the tractor, while avoiding the need to reserve dedicated time for charging during the delivery period.

[0024] For example, generating the dispatch plan may include generating the dispatch plan that further satisfies a fourth condition that, while the plurality of trailers are moving, the battery of the tractor is charged using a battery of a moving trailer among the plurality of trailers.

[0025] According to the above aspect, since the tractor is charged while towing the trailer, there is no need to reserve dedicated time just for charging. If dedicated time just for charging were to be reserved, there is a possibility that the delivery period would be extended to secure that time. In this way, without setting aside dedicated time for charging during the delivery period, deliveries can be delivered efficiently without depleting at least one of the batteries of the tractor and the trailer coupled to the tractor.

[0026] For example, generating the delivery plan may include generating the delivery plan that further satisfies a fifth condition in which the remaining battery charge of the tractor is maintained at or below a first upper limit, and the remaining battery charge of the multiple trailers is maintained at or below a second upper limit.

[0027] According to the above aspect, the remaining battery charge of each of the tractor and trailer is maintained so as not to exceed the upper limit of the recommended range of the remaining battery charge during the delivery period. This suppresses deterioration of the batteries of the tractor and trailer. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently deliver deliveries without exhausting the batteries while suppressing deterioration of at least one of the batteries of the tractor and the trailer connected to the tractor.

[0028] For example, generating the delivery plan may include, when multiple delivery plan candidates that satisfy at least the first condition and the second condition are generated, generating as the delivery plan a delivery plan candidate from among the multiple delivery plan candidates that satisfies a condition regarding the time required to deliver the multiple deliveries.

[0029] According to the above aspect, a delivery plan with a shorter delivery period is generated preferentially, so that delivery can be completed in a shorter time by delivering the delivery items using a tractor and a trailer according to the generated delivery plan. Therefore, the delivery items can be delivered efficiently in a shorter time without draining the batteries by using vehicles driven by batteries mounted on both the tractor and the trailer coupled to the tractor.

[0030] Moreover, an information processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an acquisition unit that acquires tractor information including the remaining battery charge of the tractor, multiple trailer information including the remaining battery charges of multiple trailers, and multiple delivery information including identification information and a destination of multiple deliveries, respectively; a plan creation unit that generates a delivery plan using the tractor information, the trailer information, and the delivery information to move the multiple trailers, on which the multiple deliveries are each loaded in a dispersed manner, to the destination, satisfying (a) a first condition that, while the multiple trailers are moving, the tractor runs using at least one of the battery of the trailer that is moving among the multiple trailers and the battery of the tractor, and (b) a second condition that the remaining battery charge of the tractor is maintained in a state exceeding a first lower limit, and a state in which the remaining battery charges of the multiple trailers are maintained in a state exceeding a second lower limit; and an output unit that outputs the generated delivery plan.

[0031] The above aspect provides the same effects as the above information processing method.

[0032] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, an apparatus, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium.

[0033] Hereinafter, the embodiment will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0034] The embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component arrangement and connection forms, steps, and order of steps shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in an independent claim showing a top concept are described as optional components.

[0035] (Embodiment 1) In this embodiment, an information processing method and an information processing system that can efficiently deliver deliveries without depleting at least one of the batteries of the tractor and the trailer connected to the tractor will be described.

[0036] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a delivery system 1 in this embodiment. The delivery system 1 is a system for delivering deliveries using a tractor 11 and trailers 12 and 13. The number of trailers is not limited to two, and may be any number equal to or greater than two.

[0037] The tractor 11 and the trailers 12 and 13 are each an electric vehicle. The tractor 11 is equipped with a motor as a power source for traveling and a battery that supplies power to the motor, and travels according to the operation of a driver who sits in the driver's seat. The capacity of the battery equipped in the tractor 11 is relatively small. The reason why the capacity of the battery equipped in the tractor 11 is relatively small is that the space in which the battery of the tractor 11 can be mounted is limited to a relatively small space.

[0038] The trailers 12 and 13 are equipped with a loading platform for accommodating delivery items and a battery. The batteries equipped in the trailers 12 and 13 have a relatively large capacity. The reason why the batteries equipped in the trailers 12 and 13 have a relatively large capacity is that there is little restriction on the space in which the batteries of the trailers 12 and 13 can be mounted, and the space in which the batteries can be mounted is relatively large.

[0039] A trailer 12 and the like can be coupled to the tractor 11. When the trailer 12 and the like are coupled to the tractor 11, the tractor 11 travels while towing the trailer 12. In addition, power can be supplied from the trailer 12 to the tractor 11. Therefore, the tractor 11 travels using power from at least one of a battery mounted on the tractor 11 and a battery mounted on the trailer 12 coupled to the tractor 11. Each of the tractor 11 and the trailers 12 and 13, etc., is also referred to as a vehicle.

[0040] The delivery system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a plan creation device 101, an operation management system 102, and an in-vehicle terminal 105.

[0041] The plan creation device 101 creates a delivery plan. The plan creation device 101 receives data (corresponding to input data 106) from the traffic control system 102, and creates a delivery plan based on the received input data 106. The plan creation device 101 also transmits data (corresponding to output data 107) including the created delivery plan to the traffic control system 102. The plan creation device 101 is, for example, a Web server. Note that the plan creation device 101 may be a server separate from the traffic control system 102, or may be a separate process operating on the same server as the traffic control system 102.

[0042] The on-board terminal 105 is a computer terminal installed in the tractor 11 (for example, the driver's seat of the tractor 11), and is, for example, a car navigation system, a smartphone, or a tablet. The on-board terminal 105 receives a delivery plan from the traffic control system 102 and displays the received delivery plan on a screen. The on-board terminal 105 also transmits to the traffic control system 102 the progress of the transportation work, the current position, the current remaining battery power of each of the tractor 11 and the trailer 12, etc., and other information.

[0043] The traffic management system 102 is a system that manages the operation of a vehicle. The traffic management system 102 is communicably connected to the plan creation device 101 and the in-vehicle terminal 105 via a network. The network includes various networks such as a mobile phone line network, a public network, and the Internet.

[0044] Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the tractor 11 and the trailers 12 and 13. Delivery of an item by the tractor 11 and the trailers 12 and 13 will be described with reference to Fig. 2.

[0045] 2, it is assumed that the tractor 11 and the trailer 12 are storing an item to be delivered to a base 21. It is also assumed that the trailer 13 storing an item to be delivered to a base 23 is placed at the base 22.

[0046] The tractor 11 moves to the base 21 while towing the trailer 12. At the base 21, the tractor 11 and the trailer 12 are separated. The tractor 11 then moves to the base 22. At the base 21, the delivery goods are unloaded from the trailer 12, and the battery of the trailer 12 is charged.

[0047] When the tractor 11 moves to the base 22, it is coupled to the trailer 13 and moves to the base 23 while towing the trailer 13.

[0048] At the base 23, the tractor 11 and the trailer 13 are decoupled. The tractor 11 then moves to the base 24. At the base 23, the delivery goods are unloaded from the trailer 13, and the battery of the trailer 13 is charged.

[0049] When the tractor 11 moves to the base 24, it is coupled to the trailer 12 and moves to the next base (not shown) while towing the trailer 12.

[0050] In this way, the tractor 11 can travel while towing any one of the multiple trailers 12 and 13, and can also travel alone. Note that, although an example will be described in which one tractor 11 can tow one trailer at a time, the same explanation applies when there are two or more trailers.

[0051] 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the plan creation device 101 according to this embodiment. The plan creation device 101 shown in FIG.

[0052] The control unit 109 controls the operation of the plan creation device 101. The control unit 109 can be realized by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program using a memory. The control unit 109 controls the operation of each unit of the plan creation device 101.

[0053] The control unit 109 includes a plan creation unit 110. The plan creation unit 110 creates a delivery plan for deliveries according to a flowchart described later. Here, the delivery plan is a delivery plan for moving the multiple trailers 12 and 13, on which multiple deliveries are respectively loaded in a dispersed manner, to the tractor 11 to a destination. In other words, the delivery plan is information indicating how the tractor 11 and the multiple trailers 12 and 13 move during a delivery period to deliver the deliveries to each destination. Here, the delivery period refers to the period from the start to the end of delivery.

[0054] The communication unit 112 is a communication interface that communicates with the traffic management system 102 via a network. The communication unit 112 receives input data 106. As a result, the communication unit 112, as an acquisition unit, acquires tractor information including the remaining battery charge of the tractor 11, a plurality of trailer information including the remaining battery charges of the plurality of trailers 12 and 13, and a plurality of delivery information including the identification information and destinations of a plurality of delivery items.

[0055] The storage unit 113 is, for example, a semiconductor memory, and stores various information. For example, the storage unit 113 stores map data commonly used in each plan creation by the plan creation unit 110. The storage unit 113 also stores intermediate information temporarily output by the plan creation unit 110 during plan creation. When the storage unit 113 stores tractor information, multiple trailer information, and multiple delivery information, the plan creation unit 110, as an acquisition unit, acquires these pieces of information from the storage unit 113.

[0056] The output unit 114 outputs various information, such as the created delivery plan, a log of the delivery plan creation, and error messages, to a file.

[0057] 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of input data 106 of the plan creation device 101 in this embodiment. The input data 106 is input from the traffic control system 102 to the plan creation device 101. The input data 106 includes at least (1) vehicle information, (2) baggage information, and (3) information on the location where the baggage is loaded and unloaded. Here, the vehicle information corresponds to tractor information and trailer information. Moreover, the baggage information and the information on the location where the baggage is loaded and unloaded correspond to identification information of the delivery and the destination.

[0058] For example, FIG. 4 shows an example of the input data 106 in the case where one tractor 11 and two trailers 12 and 13 are used to transport two loads.

[0059] The vehicle information shown in (1) of Fig. 4 includes battery information, current location information, and work start time for each vehicle. The battery information includes the battery capacity, current charge amount, and power consumption of each vehicle. For the tractor 11, the power consumption is the distance that the tractor 11 can travel on a certain amount of power (e.g., 1 kWh of power) when traveling alone. For the trailer 12 or 13, the power consumption is the distance that the trailer 12 or 13 can travel on a certain amount of power (e.g., 1 kWh of power) when the trailer 12 or 13 is towed by the tractor 11 and travels with power supplied from the battery of the trailer 12 or 13.

[0060] The information on the cargo shown in FIG. 4(2) includes the loading location, the time required for loading, the unloading location, and the time required for unloading for each cargo.

[0061] The loading and unloading location information shown in (3) of Fig. 4 includes coordinates of each location where the luggage is loaded or unloaded. The coordinates are, for example, coordinates on a map, but may be latitude and longitude, or may be replaced by an address.

[0062] Hereinafter, the process in which the plan creation unit 110 creates a delivery plan will be described using the example of the input data 106 shown in FIG.

[0063] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the plan creating device 101 in this embodiment.

[0064] In step S101, the communication unit 112 receives the input data 106. As a result, the communication unit 112 acquires tractor information including the remaining battery charge of the tractor, a plurality of trailer information items including the remaining battery charges of a plurality of trailers, and a plurality of pieces of delivery information items including the identification information and destinations of a plurality of delivery items.

[0065] In step S102, the plan creation unit 110 creates a delivery plan using the input data 106 received by the communication unit 112 in step S101.

[0066] The creation of the delivery plan in step S102 will now be described. The delivery plan can be obtained, for example, by constructing a graph in which the vertices are the states of whether or not each vehicle has completed its arrival and departure at each loading / unloading location for each time, and the transitions between these states are the edges, and solving the minimum cost flow problem on the graph. The minimum cost flow problem is a type of mixed integer programming problem, and can be solved, for example, by using a commercially available mixed integer programming problem solver.

[0067] When formulating the minimum cost flow problem, the plan creation unit 110 can create a delivery plan that prevents each vehicle from running out of battery by considering, for example, constraints on the amount of power consumed when passing through each edge of the graph. In addition to the above, the constraints can include conditions that indicate various vehicle driving methods or vehicle battery charging.

[0068] When creating a delivery plan using the minimum cost flow problem, various delivery plans can be created by changing the costs of the edges of the graph and the constraint conditions. Depending on the constraint conditions, multiple delivery plans may be created. In that case, an objective function can be used to give priority to the creation of a delivery plan that satisfies a specified condition. For example, the distance between loading and unloading points is set as a cost, the sum of these costs is set as an objective function, and a delivery plan that can minimize the travel distance of vehicles can be obtained by solving the minimum cost flow problem to minimize the objective function.

[0069] As a result of the process in step S102, the plan creation unit 110 either creates a feasible delivery plan or is unable to create a feasible delivery plan.

[0070] In step S103, the plan creation unit 110 receives the result of the process in step S102 and branches the process depending on whether or not an executable delivery plan has been created. If an executable delivery plan has been created (Yes in step S103), the process proceeds to step S104, and if an executable delivery plan has not been created (No in step S103), the process proceeds to step S105.

[0071] In step S104, the output unit 114 outputs the created delivery plan as output data 107, and transmits the output data 107 to the traffic management system 102.

[0072] In step S105, the output unit 114 transmits an error message to the traffic control system 102 indicating that a feasible delivery plan cannot be created.

[0073] Through the processing of steps S101 to S105, the plan creation device 101 outputs a delivery plan or outputs an error message.

[0074] The creation of the delivery plan in step S102 above will now be described in more detail.

[0075] In step S102, the plan creation unit 110 generates a delivery plan for moving a plurality of trailers, on which a plurality of deliveries are respectively loaded in a dispersed manner, to a destination by a tractor. This delivery plan satisfies (a) a first condition indicating that, while the plurality of trailers are moving, the tractor runs using at least one of the battery of the trailer that is moving among the plurality of trailers and the battery of the tractor, and (b) a second condition indicating that the state in which the remaining battery charge of the tractor exceeds a first lower limit is maintained, and the state in which the remaining battery charge of the plurality of trailers exceeds a second lower limit is maintained. The plan creation unit 110 generates the delivery plan using the tractor information, the trailer information, and the delivery information. Note that "the remaining battery charge exceeds the lower limit" means that the remaining battery charge is greater than the lower limit.

[0076] Here, the first lower limit is, for example, zero. In this way, the remaining battery charge of the tractor is maintained greater than zero during the delivery period, that is, the tractor's battery can be prevented from running out of power. Moreover, the second lower limit is, for example, zero. In this way, the remaining battery charge of the trailer is maintained greater than zero during the delivery period, that is, the trailer's battery can be prevented from running out of power.

[0077] The first lower limit may be, for example, the lower limit of a recommended range of the battery charge remaining in the tractor battery and may be a value greater than zero. The recommended range here refers to a range in which the battery does not enter an over-discharged state when battery deterioration may occur due to over-discharge of the battery. In this way, the tractor battery can be kept in a state in which it is not over-discharged during the delivery period. The second lower limit may be, for example, the lower limit of a recommended range of the battery charge remaining in the trailer battery and may be a value greater than zero. In this way, the trailer battery can be kept in a state in which it is not over-discharged during the delivery period.

[0078] At this time, the plan creation unit 110 may generate a delivery plan that satisfies a condition (corresponding to the fourth condition) indicating that the battery of the tractor is charged using the battery of a moving trailer among the multiple trailers while the multiple trailers are moving.

[0079] In addition, the plan creation unit 110 may generate a delivery plan that satisfies a condition (corresponding to the fifth condition) indicating that the remaining battery charge of the tractor is maintained at or below a first upper limit, and that the remaining battery charges of multiple trailers are maintained at or below a second upper limit.

[0080] In addition, when multiple delivery plans that satisfy the constraint conditions can be generated, the plan generation unit 110 may generate a delivery plan that takes a shorter time to deliver multiple deliveries among the multiple delivery plans that can be generated. The generation can be performed by solving a minimum cost flow problem so as to minimize the objective function, which is the time required to deliver multiple deliveries.

[0081] Figures 6, 7, and 8 are explanatory diagrams showing examples of output data 107 of the plan creation device 101 in this embodiment. The delivery plans shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8 list work for each vehicle, the tractor 11, the trailer 12, and the trailer 13, respectively, and include the start time and end time of each work, and the location where each work is performed.

[0082] For example, the work shown in #1 in FIG. 6 shows work in which the tractor 11 moves from base 20 to base 21 while towing the trailer 12. The start time of the move is 9:00, and the end time of the move is 9:20. Moreover, the work shown in #1 in FIG. 7 shows work in which the trailer 12 moves from base 20 to base 21 while being towed by the tractor 11. The start time of the move is 9:00, and the end time of the move is 9:20. The same applies to the other works shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8.

[0083] 9 and 10 are explanatory diagrams showing an example of traveling of the tractor 11 and the trailers 12 and 13. In FIG.

[0084] 9(a) shows a schematic diagram of how the tractor 11 moves between bases such as bases 20 and 21. For example, the diagram shows that the tractor 11 moves from base 20 to base 21 (corresponding to the solid arrow A1) and then moves from base 21 to base 20 (corresponding to the dotted arrow A2).

[0085] Also, Fig. 9(b) is a graph showing the movement of the tractor 11 at each time. A number of vertices 31 of this graph correspond to the state whether or not each vehicle has completed its loading (corresponding to arrival) and unloading (corresponding to departure) at each loading and unloading location at each time. The arrows (such as arrow A1) in Fig. 9(b) are given the same reference numerals as the corresponding movements in Fig. 9(a).

[0086] Figures 10 (a) and (b) show a schematic diagram of how trailers 12 and 13 move between bases such as bases 20, 21, and the representation is the same as Figures 9 (a) and (b).

[0087] Next, the constraints on the delivery plan will be explained in relation to (b) of Figure 9. The same explanation also applies to (b) of Figure 10.

[0088] First the variable

[0089]

number

[0090] In (b) of Figure 9, vertices connected by arrows mean that there is a transition between states corresponding to the vertices. Also, vertices not connected by arrows mean that there is no transition between states corresponding to the vertices. For example, when state i and state j are connected by an arrow, it means that a transition from state i to state j occurs.

[0091]

number

[0092]

number

[0093]

number

[0094]

number

[0095]

number

[0096]

number

[0097] Constraints that can be expressed using the above variables are described below.

[0098] The constraint conditions that define the change in the remaining battery charge of the trailer and the tractor when the trailer is towed by the tractor and transitions from state i to state j are expressed as the following (Equation 1) and (Equation 2).

[0099]

number

[0100] In the above formula (1),

[0101]

number

[0102] Under the constraints of the above (Equation 1),

[0103]

number

[0104] In the above formula 2, Pmin and Pmax respectively indicate the lower and upper limits of the recommended range of the trailer battery remaining capacity. Also, Qmin and Qmax respectively indicate the lower and upper limits of the recommended range of the tractor battery remaining capacity. In other words, the part of the conditions included in the above formula 2 that corresponds to the following formula 3 corresponds to the second condition.

[0105]

number

[0106] Among the conditions included in the above (Formula 2), the part corresponding to the following (Formula 4) corresponds to the fifth condition.

[0107]

number

[0108] In addition, the constraint condition that specifies the change in the remaining battery charge of the trailer and tractor when the trailer is towed by the tractor and transitions from state i to j, when traveling using only power from the trailer battery, is expressed as follows (Equation 5).

[0109]

number

[0110] The constraint condition indicating that the tractor always moves when the trailer moves is expressed as follows (Equation 6).

[0111]

number

[0112] Regarding the transition from state i to state j, the constraint condition indicating that the transition sequence or the time required for the transition is not feasible, taking into account the visit order, travel time, and unloading time, is expressed as shown below (Equation 7).

[0113]

number

[0114] The constraint condition indicating that after the trailer arrives at each base, the trailer departs from the base at which it arrived is expressed as shown below (Equation 8).

[0115]

number

[0116] Furthermore, the constraint condition indicating that the battery of the tractor is charged using the battery of the moving trailer while the trailer is moving is expressed as in the following (Equation 9). This constraint condition corresponds to the fourth condition.

[0117]

number

[0118] In the above formula (9),

[0119]

number

[0120] As an example of the objective function, the objective function for minimizing the tractor's working time is expressed as in (Equation 10), where t is the end state.

[0121]

number

[0122] The delivery plan created by the plan creating unit 110 will be described below.

[0123] A dispatch plan for the tractor 11 is shown in FIG. 6, and the travel of the tractor 11 according to this dispatch plan is shown in FIG.

[0124] First, the tractor 11 tows the trailer 12 from base 20 to base 21. During this time, the tractor 11 travels by receiving power from the trailer 12. This movement of the tractor 11 is shown by #1 in Fig. 6 and arrow A1 in (a) and (b) in Fig. 9. The movement of the trailer 12 is shown by #1 in Fig. 7 and arrow B1 in (a) and (b) in Fig. 10.

[0125] Next, while the trailer 12 is loading the load at the base 21, the tractor 11 travels alone, consuming power from its own battery, and returns to the base 20. This movement of the tractor 11 is shown by #2 in Fig. 6 and arrow A2 in Figs. 9(a) and (b). The loading operation of the trailer 12 is shown by #2 in Fig. 7 and arrow B2 in Fig. 10(b).

[0126] Next, the tractor 11 tows the trailer 13 from base 20 to base 22. During this time, the tractor 11 runs on power supplied from the trailer 13 and charges its own battery. This movement of the tractor 11 is shown by #3 in Fig. 6 and arrow A3 in Figs. 9(a) and (b). In addition, the movement of the trailer 13 is shown by #1 in Fig. 8 and arrow B3 in Figs. 10(a) and (b).

[0127] Next, while the trailer 13 is loading the load at the base 22, the tractor 11 travels alone to the base 21. This movement of the tractor 11 is shown by #4 in Fig. 6 and arrow A4 in Figs. 9(a) and (b). The loading operation of the trailer 13 is shown by #2 in Fig. 8 and arrow B4 in Fig. 10(b).

[0128] Similarly, thereafter, while the trailer 12 is stopped for loading and unloading work, the tractor 11 moves while towing another trailer. Also, when the tractor 11 runs independently, it consumes its own battery, and when towing, it runs with power supplied from the trailer and charges its own battery.

[0129] According to this configuration, it is possible to create a delivery plan for traveling long distances while avoiding a situation where the tractor 11 is stopped and unable to move because it is waiting for the completion of loading and unloading of the trailer, or a situation where the tractor 11 is stopped only for charging. In addition, by having the vehicle travel according to the created delivery plan, it is possible to increase the vehicle operation rate.

[0130] In addition, since loading and unloading a trailer requires a time longer than zero, the delivery period can be shortened by having the tractor 11 pull a trailer at another base to deliver the parcel while the trailer is being loaded and unloaded. When the tractor 11 delivers parcels as described above, the parcels delivered by the first trailer among the multiple trailers are delivered by a second trailer other than the first trailer among the multiple trailers before all the parcels delivered by the first trailer among the multiple trailers are delivered to their respective delivery destinations. In other words, by delivering parcels by the first trailer and the second trailer as described above, the delivery system 1 can deliver deliveries efficiently.

[0131] (Embodiment 2) In this embodiment, an information processing method and information processing system that can efficiently deliver deliveries without depleting at least one of the batteries of the tractor and the trailer connected to the tractor, taking into account charging at a charging station, will be described.

[0132] In the first embodiment, the trailer traveled so as to finish transporting all cargo within the charge amount at the work start time. However, in the present embodiment, in addition to the charge amount at the work start time, the trailer travels while charging at a charging station set up at the loading and unloading site during loading and unloading operations to replenish power.

[0133] In this embodiment, the configuration of the delivery system 1, the operation of the tractor and trailer, the configuration of the plan creation device 101, and the like are common to those in the first embodiment (see Figs. 1 to 5), but the creation process in the plan creation device 101 is different from that in the first embodiment. The differences from the first embodiment will be described below.

[0134] When creating a delivery plan in step S102 (see FIG. 4), the plan creation device 101 creates a delivery plan that takes into consideration that the tractors charge during loading and unloading operations, and that prevents each vehicle from running out of charge.

[0135] Specifically, when formulating the minimum cost flow problem, in addition to the constraint conditions used in the first embodiment, a constraint condition is added that specifies that the amount of power to be charged during loading / unloading is set on each side connecting the loading / unloading start state and the loading / unloading end state of the tractor, and that the cumulative result of the power consumption amount and the charging amount on each side included in the flow for each vehicle is equal to or greater than 0. This enables the plan creation device 101 to create a delivery plan that prevents each vehicle from running out of charge.

[0136] In other words, the plan creation unit 110 generates a delivery plan that satisfies a condition (corresponding to the third condition) indicating that at least one trailer among the multiple trailers is charged at at least one of the destinations, where charging may be performed during the loading or unloading of deliveries transported by the at least one trailer.

[0137] More specifically, the above third condition is expressed as shown in the following (Equation 11).

[0138]

number

[0139] In the above formula (11),

[0140]

number

[0141] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of traveling of the tractor 11 and trailer according to this embodiment.

[0142] Fig. 11(a) shows the movement of the tractor 11 and corresponds to Fig. 9(a) of the first embodiment. Fig. 11(b) shows the movement of the trailers 12 and 13 and corresponds to Fig. 10(a) of the first embodiment.

[0143] Here, the difference from the first embodiment is that the batteries of the trailers 12 and 13 are charged during loading and unloading operations. The other traveling methods are the same as those in Fig. 10(a) or Fig. 11(a), so the explanation will be omitted.

[0144] According to this configuration, the trailer is charged while loading and unloading cargo, so that the trailer can travel longer distances between base stations than in the first embodiment, and cargo can be transported over a wider area.

[0145] (Modification) In the second embodiment, the trailer battery is charged, but the remaining battery charge of the tractor and the remaining battery charge of the multiple trailers may be maintained below the upper limit. For example, when creating a delivery plan by solving a mixed integer programming problem, variables representing the remaining battery charge of the tractor and the remaining battery charge of the multiple trailers may be added to the mixed integer programming problem, and a constraint condition may be added that prevents the remaining battery charge from exceeding the upper limit. This makes it possible to suppress the progression of battery deterioration due to overcharging of the battery.

[0146] In addition, in the first embodiment, the total remaining battery charge of the tractor and the remaining battery charge of the multiple trailers is maintained above the lower limit, but each of the remaining battery charge of the tractor and the remaining battery charge of the multiple trailers may be maintained above the lower limit. For example, when creating a delivery plan by solving a mixed integer programming problem, variables representing the remaining battery charge of the tractor and the remaining battery charge of the multiple trailers may be added to the mixed integer programming problem, and a constraint condition that does not allow these to fall below the lower limit may be added. This makes it possible to suppress the progression of battery deterioration due to over-discharging of the battery.

[0147] As described above, the information processing method according to each of the above embodiments creates a delivery plan that takes into account the remaining battery charge of each of the tractor and trailer, and enables delivery of the delivery while maintaining the remaining battery charge of each of the tractor and trailer above the lower limit during the delivery period. Then, by having the tractor and trailer travel according to the created delivery plan, the delivery can be delivered while maintaining the remaining battery charge of each of the tractor and trailer above the lower limit during the delivery period. Therefore, according to the above information processing method, the delivery can be delivered efficiently without depleting at least one of the batteries of the tractor and the trailer coupled to the tractor.

[0148] In addition, a delivery plan is created that takes into consideration that the trailer will be charged at the destination. Therefore, even if the tractor and trailer do not have sufficient battery power at the beginning of the delivery period, delivery of the delivery item can be completed by charging as necessary during the delivery period. In this way, according to the above information processing method, delivery items can be delivered efficiently without depleting at least one of the batteries of the tractor and the trailer coupled to the tractor, more appropriately, taking into consideration charging during the delivery period.

[0149] In addition, since the trailer is charged when the delivery is brought in or taken out, there is no need to reserve dedicated time just for charging the trailer. If dedicated time just for charging were to be reserved, the delivery period may be extended to secure that time. In this way, delivery can be efficiently delivered without depleting at least one of the batteries of the tractor and the trailer coupled to the tractor, while avoiding the need to reserve dedicated time for charging during the delivery period.

[0150] In addition, since the tractor is charged while towing the trailer, there is no need to reserve dedicated time just for charging. If dedicated time just for charging were to be reserved, there is a possibility that the delivery period would be extended to secure that time. In this way, deliveries can be delivered efficiently without depleting at least one of the batteries of the tractor and the trailer coupled to the tractor, without setting aside dedicated time for charging during the delivery period.

[0151] In addition, the remaining battery power of each of the tractor and trailer is maintained so as not to exceed the upper limit of the recommended range of remaining battery power during the delivery period. This prevents deterioration of the batteries of the tractor and trailer. Therefore, deliveries can be delivered efficiently without exhausting the batteries while preventing deterioration of the batteries of the tractor and trailer.

[0152] In addition, since a delivery plan with a shorter delivery period is generated preferentially, delivery can be completed in a shorter time by delivering the delivery items using a tractor and trailer according to the generated delivery plan. Therefore, the delivery items can be delivered efficiently in a shorter time without draining the batteries by using vehicles driven by batteries mounted on both the tractor and the trailer.

[0153] In each of the above embodiments, each component may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory. Here, the software for realizing the information processing device of each of the above embodiments is a program such as the following.

[0154] In other words, this program is a program that causes a computer to execute an information processing method in which the computer acquires tractor information including the remaining battery charge of the tractor, multiple trailer information including the remaining battery charges of multiple trailers, and multiple delivery information including the identification information and destination of multiple deliveries, and generates and outputs a delivery plan using the tractor information, trailer information, and delivery information to move the multiple trailers on which the multiple deliveries are each loaded in a dispersed manner to the destination, wherein the delivery plan satisfies: (a) a first condition that, while the multiple trailers are moving, the tractor runs using at least one of the battery of the trailer that is moving among the multiple trailers and the battery of the tractor, and (b) a state in which the remaining battery charge of the tractor is maintained above a first lower limit, and a state in which the remaining battery charges of the multiple trailers are maintained above a second lower limit.

[0155] Although the information processing method according to one or more aspects has been described based on the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. As long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention, various modifications conceived by a person skilled in the art to this embodiment and forms constructed by combining components in different embodiments may also be included within the scope of one or more aspects. [Industrial Applicability]

[0156] The technology according to the present invention is useful as a driving method for a towing vehicle using an electric vehicle and a delivery plan creation method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0157] 1. Delivery System 11 Tractor 12, 13 Trailer 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 locations 31 Vertex 101 Planning device 102 Traffic control system 105 Vehicle-mounted terminal 106 Input Data 107 Output Data 109 Control Unit 110 Planning Department 112 Communications Department 113 Storage section 114 Output section A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, B2, B3, B4 arrow

Claims

1. The computer Acquire tractor information including a remaining battery charge of the tractor, a plurality of trailer information including respective remaining battery charges of a plurality of trailers, and a plurality of delivery information including respective identification information and destinations of a plurality of delivery items; A delivery plan for moving the plurality of trailers, on which the plurality of delivery items are respectively distributed and loaded, to a destination by a tractor, (a) a first condition that, while the plurality of trailers are moving, the tractor runs using at least one of a battery of a trailer that is moving among the plurality of trailers and a battery of the tractor; (b) a second condition that the state in which the remaining battery charge of the tractor exceeds a first lower limit is maintained, and a state in which the remaining battery charges of the plurality of trailers exceed a second lower limit is maintained; and Using the tractor information, the trailer information, and the delivery information, generate and output a delivery plan that satisfies the above. Generating the Dispatch Plan comprises: and generating the delivery plan by using a process for solving a problem of minimizing an objective function indicating a cost required for delivering the plurality of deliveries, using a graph representing the movement of the tractor and the trailer when delivering the plurality of deliveries. Information processing methods.

2. Generating the Dispatch Plan comprises: generating the dispatch plan further satisfying a third condition that at least one trailer of the plurality of trailers is charged at at least one destination. The information processing method according to claim 1 .

3. The charging is performed when a delivery carried by the at least one trailer is delivered or undelivered. The information processing method according to claim 2 .

4. Generating the Dispatch Plan comprises: and generating the delivery plan that further satisfies a fourth condition that a battery of the tractor is charged using a battery of a moving trailer among the plurality of trailers while the plurality of trailers are moving. The information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. Generating the Dispatch Plan comprises: and generating the delivery plan that further satisfies a fifth condition that the remaining battery charge of the tractor is maintained at a first upper limit or less, and the remaining battery charges of the trailers are maintained at a second upper limit or less. The information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. Generating the Dispatch Plan comprises: When a plurality of candidates for a delivery plan that satisfies at least the first condition and the second condition are generated, a candidate for a delivery plan that satisfies a condition related to a time required for delivery of the plurality of deliveries is generated as the delivery plan from among the plurality of candidates for the delivery plan. The information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. an acquisition unit that acquires tractor information including a remaining battery charge of the tractor, a plurality of trailer information including respective remaining battery charges of a plurality of trailers, and a plurality of delivery information including respective identification information and destinations of a plurality of delivery items; A delivery plan for moving the plurality of trailers, on which the plurality of delivery items are respectively distributed and loaded, to a destination by a tractor, (a) a first condition that, while the plurality of trailers are moving, the tractor runs using at least one of a battery of a trailer that is moving among the plurality of trailers and a battery of the tractor; (b) a second condition that the state in which the remaining battery charge of the tractor exceeds a first lower limit is maintained, and a state in which the remaining battery charges of the plurality of trailers exceed a second lower limit is maintained; and A plan creation unit that uses the tractor information, the trailer information, and the delivery information to create a delivery plan that satisfies the above. An output unit that outputs the generated delivery plan, The plan creation unit The delivery plan is generated by using a graph representing the movement of the tractor and the trailer when delivering the plurality of deliveries, and by using a process for solving a problem of minimizing an objective function indicating a cost required for delivering the plurality of deliveries. Information processing system.

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