Article Delivery Support Device, Article Delivery Support System, and Article Delivery Support Program

Abstract

To provide an article delivery support device, an article delivery support system, and an article delivery support program that enable an appropriate change in a transportation route in order to ensure transportation quality of each article desired by a shipper and a carrier.SOLUTION: An article delivery support device automatically generates, after determining destinations of all articles to be transported by a particular vehicle, a plurality of delivery routes R1 to R5 for each of a plurality of types of search conditions different in conditions that represent transportation quality, selects a specific quality condition according to a user input from among a plurality of types of transport quality conditions P1 to P5 prepared in advance, and presents the generated plurality of delivery routes together with information representing recommended orders L1 to L5 according to the selected specific quality condition. The article delivery support device can easily determine, even when delivering to various delivery destinations in a state where various types of small articles are mixed, an appropriate scheduled delivery route according to the quality conditions P1 to P5 emphasized by each carrier and shipper.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an article delivery support device, an article delivery support system, and an article delivery support program.

Background Art

[0002] In the logistics industry that transports various articles using vehicles such as trucks, in recent years, with the expansion of the e-commerce (EC) market, small-lot article deliveries have tended to increase. Therefore, in the logistics industry, it is desired to reduce the delivery costs in small-lot article deliveries.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an article transportation management method and system that can confirm the location, safety, and security of an article during normal times and when an abnormality occurs during transportation, and can respond quickly when an abnormality occurs.

[0004] In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a demand-for-trucks system that enables the selection of a transporter considering not only the basic requirements for the transportation of goods but also the additional requirements of the shipper. Specifically, when a shipper uses the service, the shipper can select a transporter based on the latest transportation quality result information and propose a transporter having appropriate transportation quality to the shipper.

[0005] Patent Document 3 discloses a logistics management system that contributes to reducing and streamlining the delivery costs of small-lot products. This logistics management system can be connected to a first database that manages operation status information including the location of delivery vehicles and the availability of the cargo decks of the delivery vehicles, and a second database that manages the location of warehouses and the inventory status of products in the warehouses. Further, based on an order from a customer, a warehouse selection unit selects, from the second database, a warehouse that stores the product ordered by the customer and is located near the delivery destination among the warehouses that have the product in stock; a vehicle selection unit selects, from the first database, a delivery vehicle that is located near the warehouse extracted by the warehouse selection unit and has an available cargo deck; and a delivery request unit requests the delivery vehicle selected by the vehicle selection unit to make a delivery based on the order from the customer. Also, even when there are multiple warehouses storing the product ordered by the customer, the combination of these warehouses and the nearest vehicle that can minimize the driving distance z is selected, achieving a reduction in the delivery cost of products ordered via e-commerce or the like.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] For example, the logistics management system of Patent Document 3 focuses only on the obvious part of shortening the driving distance of vehicles, but there are complex problems in actual small-lot logistics. For example, there are cases where it is necessary to transport articles such as daily necessities, fresh foods, and pharmaceuticals in a mixed state using the same vehicle.

[0008] In such a case, if the delivery route of the vehicle is determined with priority given to minimizing the total driving distance for a large number of delivery destinations, the delivery destination of the fresh food may be set at the rear of the delivery route, and it may take a long time until the fresh food is delivered. As a result, the freshness of the fresh food decreases, that is, the transport quality deteriorates. In addition, using a special vehicle with a well-maintained cold storage environment just to transport a very small amount of fresh food increases waste and thus increases the transport cost. That is, when transporting in a state where various articles whose quality may change depending on the environment are mixed, if importance is attached to the transport cost, the transport quality may decrease.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an article delivery support device, an article delivery support system, and an article delivery support program that enable appropriate changes to a delivery route in order to ensure the transport quality of each article desired by a shipper, a transporter, or the like.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] In order to achieve the above-described object, the article delivery support device, the article delivery support system, and the article delivery support program according to the present invention are characterized by the following (1) to (6). (1) An article delivery support device that supports determination of a scheduled delivery route of a vehicle when simultaneously transporting a plurality of types of articles with different shippers and delivery destinations on a common vehicle, After the delivery destinations of all the articles to be transported by a specific vehicle are determined, a delivery route generation unit that generates a plurality of delivery routes for each of a plurality of search conditions having different conditions representing transport quality, A quality condition selection unit that selects a specific quality condition according to user input from among a plurality of types of transport quality conditions that are the same as the plurality of types of conditions representing transport quality that are prioritized in each of the plurality of types of search conditions, A recommended delivery route presentation unit that presents the plurality of delivery routes generated by the delivery route generation unit together with information representing a recommended order according to the selected specific quality condition, and 、 The recommended delivery route presentation unit evaluates each of the generated plurality of delivery routes according to the selected specific quality conditions, determines the recommended order of each of the generated plurality of delivery routes, and arranges and displays the generated plurality of delivery routes in the order of the determined recommended order. Goods delivery support device.

[0011] (2) The delivery route generation unit generates each of the plurality of delivery routes according to a plurality of types of search conditions that prioritize at least distance, required time, Ra If cycle assessment , transportation temperature, and transportation vibration respectively, and the quality condition selection unit selects, as the specific quality condition, a condition that prioritizes one of at least distance, required time, The goods delivery support device according to (1) above. Ra If cycle assessment , transportation temperature, and transportation vibration in the above. The goods delivery support device according to (1) above.

[0012] (3) When the goods to be transported by the target vehicle include cold storage goods that require temperature control, the delivery route generation unit generates another delivery route that satisfies a predetermined cold storage condition. The goods delivery support device according to (2) above.

[0013] (4) The delivery route generation unit acquires the position information of the target vehicle from the target vehicle traveling on the selected delivery route, and if the cold storage condition for the cold storage goods is not satisfied as a result of comparing the delivery plan based on the delivery route with the position information, regenerates the delivery route so as to satisfy the cold storage condition. The goods delivery support device according to (3) above.

[0014] (5) A shipper terminal available to a shipper who orders the delivery of goods, A customer terminal available to a customer at the delivery destination of the goods, An in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle that transports the goods, A management device that manages the transportation of the goods and is capable of communicating with the shipper terminal, the customer terminal, and the in-vehicle device, A goods delivery support system including The management device is When a plurality of types of articles with different shippers and consignees are simultaneously transported by a common vehicle, after determining the consignees of all the articles to be transported by a specific vehicle, for each of a plurality of search conditions with different conditions representing transport quality, a delivery route generation unit that generates a plurality of delivery routes; A quality condition selection unit that selects a specific quality condition according to user input from among a plurality of types of transport quality conditions that are the same as the plurality of types of conditions representing transport quality that are prioritized in each of the plurality of types of search conditions; A recommended delivery route presentation unit that presents the plurality of delivery routes generated by the delivery route generation unit together with information representing a recommended order according to the selected specific quality condition; Comprising 、 The recommended delivery route presentation unit evaluates each of the generated plurality of delivery routes according to the selected specific quality conditions, determines the recommended order of each of the generated plurality of delivery routes, and arranges and displays the generated plurality of delivery routes in the order of the determined recommended order. Article delivery support system.

[0015] (6) An article delivery support program executable by a computer of a management device that supports the determination of a planned delivery route of a vehicle when a plurality of types of articles with different shippers and consignees are simultaneously transported by a common vehicle, In the computer, After determining the consignees of all the articles to be transported by a specific vehicle, for each of a plurality of search conditions with different conditions representing transport quality, a delivery route generation procedure that generates a plurality of delivery routes; A quality condition selection procedure that selects a specific quality condition according to user input from among a plurality of types of transport quality conditions that are the same as the plurality of types of conditions representing transport quality that are prioritized in each of the plurality of types of search conditions; A recommended delivery route presentation procedure that presents the generated plurality of delivery routes together with information representing a recommended order according to the selected specific quality condition; Causing to execute 、 The recommended delivery route presentation procedure evaluates each of the generated plurality of delivery routes according to the selected specific quality conditions, determines the recommended order of each of the generated plurality of delivery routes, and arranges and displays the generated plurality of delivery routes in the order of the determined recommended order. Article delivery support program.

[0016] According to the article delivery support device configured as described in (1) above, a user such as a shipper or a carrier can select one delivery route from among the multiple delivery routes presented by the recommended delivery route presentation unit. Moreover, since information on the recommended ranking according to the specific quality conditions determined by the user's own selection is also presented, the user can easily select an appropriate delivery route so as to obtain the desired transport quality conditions.

[0017] According to the article delivery support device configured as described in (2) above, no matter which of the following cases the user desires: giving priority to the distance condition, giving priority to the required time condition, or giving priority to the life cycle assessment condition, if the user selects the specific quality conditions according to the desire, multiple delivery routes will be presented in an appropriate order that matches the desire. Therefore, it is possible to easily select a delivery route that can obtain the desired transport quality.

[0018] According to the article delivery support device configured as described in (3) above, when the articles to be transported include cold storage articles, it becomes possible to easily select a new delivery route suitable for preventing the quality degradation of the cold storage articles during transportation.

[0019] According to the article delivery support device configured as described in (4) above, after actually starting the delivery according to the planned delivery route determined in advance in the delivery plan, if there is a possibility that the transport quality may deteriorate due to unexpected road conditions such as road construction or traffic congestion during transportation, it can be automatically changed to an appropriate delivery route during transportation.

[0020] According to the goods delivery support system configured as described in (5) above, a user such as a shipper or a carrier who uses the management device can select one delivery route from among the plurality of delivery routes presented by the recommended delivery route presenting unit. Moreover, since information on the recommended ranking according to the specific quality conditions determined by the user's own selection is also presented, the user can easily select an appropriate delivery route so as to obtain the desired transport quality conditions. In addition, since the management device can communicate with the in-vehicle device, it becomes easy to grasp environmental conditions such as the temperature during transportation that affect the transport quality, and the environmental conditions of each location on the delivery route. Furthermore, it also becomes possible to notify the shipper terminal and the customer terminal of information on the actual environmental conditions during transportation.

[0021] According to the goods delivery support program configured as described in (6) above, when executed by a computer, a user such as a shipper or a carrier can select one delivery route from among the plurality of delivery routes presented by the recommended delivery route presenting procedure. Moreover, since information on the recommended ranking according to the specific quality conditions determined by the user's own selection is also presented, the user can easily select an appropriate delivery route so as to obtain the desired transport quality conditions.

Effects of the Invention

[0022] According to the goods delivery support device, the goods delivery support system, and the goods delivery support program of the present invention, an appropriate change to the transport route can be made in order to ensure the transport quality of each item desired by shippers, carriers, etc.

[0023] The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through the embodiments (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") for carrying out the invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0025] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to each figure.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an article delivery support system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] The article delivery support system 100 can be used to support article delivery, for example, when articles such as goods purchased by various general consumers using web services on the Internet are transported from the warehouses of each store to the delivery destinations of each consumer via a desired transportation and delivery carrier, or when transported from the warehouses of wholesalers to each store of retailers via a desired transportation and delivery carrier.

[0028] Also, since basically a plurality of articles to be transported are each in small lots, various types of articles such as various daily necessities, various foodstuffs including fresh food, and pharmaceuticals are loaded and transported on one truck vehicle in a state where they are mixed together. Therefore, the delivery routes of each truck vehicle need to be sequentially determined so as to sequentially pass through each of various delivery destinations designated by various customers.

[0029] In addition, since the delivery routes of each truck vehicle need to be determined so that efficient delivery can be performed in order to reduce the delivery cost, they are usually determined in consideration of the driving distance of each truck vehicle and the designated time of the customer.

[0030] Furthermore, when perishable foods or the like are included in the items to be transported, there is a risk that the freshness will deteriorate if the transportation takes a long time, so a certain degree of temperature control is required. In addition, there may be items that are likely to malfunction or experience a decline in function when large vibrations are applied during transportation. However, since such items are often transported simultaneously with general items that do not require temperature or vibration control, when using dedicated transport vehicles with a cold insulation function or vibration countermeasures for delivery, the costs associated with the operation of these transport vehicles will be wasted.

[0031] In addition, regarding the quality required when transporting various items, it often varies for each shipper, customer, or transporter. Therefore, especially when transporting a large number of items of different types in a mixed load on the same truck vehicle, it is very difficult to determine the delivery route. Therefore, although the details will be described later, the item delivery support system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is also equipped with a function for supporting the determination of the delivery route.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 1, the item delivery support system 100 includes a Web server 10, a shipper terminal 21, a transporter terminal 22, a customer terminal 23, and an in-vehicle device 24. Each of the shipper terminal 21, the transporter terminal 22, and the customer terminal 23 can be realized by incorporating software for using the services of the Web server 10 into, for example, a general personal computer capable of communication.

[0033] The Web server 10 is configured by, for example, a computer system installed in a predetermined data center and is connected to the Internet. In addition, the Web server 10 includes a WEB-API (Application Programming Interface) for using various Web services and is configured to be able to communicate with various terminals. In addition, various software for realizing the main functions of the item delivery support system 100 is incorporated into the Web server 10.

[0034] The shipper can connect to the Web server 10 via the Internet using the shipper terminal 21 and utilize various functions of the article delivery support system 100. Also, the transportation carrier can connect to the Web server 10 via the Internet using the transportation carrier terminal 22 and utilize various functions of the article delivery support system 100. The shipper and the transportation carrier associated with each other can share various data via the Web server 10, thereby enabling prompt trouble response.

[0035] As a specific example, the shipper and the transportation carrier can use the Web server 10 to monitor the goods in transit in real time. This monitoring function includes functions such as automatically notifying various information such as the occurrence of abnormalities, outputting the position information of the vehicle, i.e., the goods, by map display, monitoring the cumulative temperature of the goods, and monitoring multi-channel information.

[0036] Retailers, general consumers, etc., who are the delivery destinations of each piece of goods, can connect to the Web server 10 via the Internet using the customer terminal 23 and utilize various functions of the article delivery support system 100. Specifically, they can use the service that provides the traceability of the purchased articles in a visualized state. Also, functions such as inquiring about the management status of the purchased items and a goods tracking service can be used. Moreover, data such as the position information of the goods, the sensor history, and the past transportation performance of the transportation carrier can be referred to.

[0037] The transportation and delivery carrier manages each piece of goods 26 carried on the transport vehicle 25 in a state of being housed in a portable box in units of portable boxes. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of sensors 27 are installed for each portable box. The sensor 27 can detect, for example, the temperature, humidity, vibration, radio tag information, etc. of each part.

[0038] The in-vehicle device 24 mounted on each transport vehicle 25 collects information on the transport vehicle 25 and constantly monitors, during transportation, information that can be obtained from the sensors 27 installed in each portable box. Also, the in-vehicle device 24 is connected to the Web server 10 via the Internet by wireless communication and sequentially transmits and receives necessary data. Further, the in-vehicle device 24 manages so that no loss of goods or loss of data occurs when the goods are transferred to another vehicle together with the portable box.

[0039] Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the order processing procedure. That is, when each consumer or the like who purchases an article operates the customer terminal 23 to input order information to the Web server 10 of the article delivery support system 100, the order processing PR1 in Figure 2 is executed by the Web server 10 for the order information from each customer. The order processing PR1 in Figure 2 will be described below.

[0040] When the order information is input in S01, the Web server 10 records the desired delivery date and time zone in the corresponding order (S02). The customer information DB (database) 31 accessible by the Web server 10 holds information representing the delivery destination address and the like for each pre-registered customer.

[0041] The Web server 10 acquires information on the delivery destination address of the corresponding customer from the customer information DB 31 in S03 and performs sorting of the delivery area based on this delivery destination address. That is, a certain range including the delivery destination address is determined as a specific delivery area to be processed.

[0042] Also, the inventory information DB 32 accessible by the Web server 10 manages the inventory status of each of various stores and warehouses where the goods to be ordered may exist, for each product. Also, information representing the location of each store and each warehouse is registered in the inventory information DB 32.

[0043] The web server 10 accesses the inventory information DB32 to search for stores or warehouses with the inventory of the ordered products, and secures the corresponding products (S04). Here, when there are multiple stores or warehouses with the inventory of the corresponding products, the store or warehouse located closer to the delivery destination of the customer who ordered the product is preferentially selected.

[0044] In particular, when the product to be purchased is a product that is managed in a refrigerated or frozen state, such as fresh food, based on the specific delivery area determined in S03, if possible, the delivery route is arranged so that the corresponding product can be secured by stopping at a store or warehouse closer to the address of the delivery destination during delivery. Thereby, the transport quality of fresh food and the like can be improved.

[0045] After the delivery items of each order information are determined for the products with inventory, the web server 10 searches for the presence or absence of products that require temperature control or are delicate to vibration among them in the following S05 to S08.

[0046] The product information DB33 accessible by the web server 10 manages information on the products ordered by each customer. Specifically, in addition to the name of the product and simple product classification, information indicating whether the product is in a refrigerated or frozen state and information indicating whether the product requires attention to vibration during transportation are also managed in the product information DB33.

[0047] The web server 10 refers to the information held by the product information DB33 for the products ordered this time, and identifies in S05 whether the products in a refrigerated or frozen state are included in the order. And when the products in a refrigerated or frozen state are included, a "temperature flag" is set in S06.

[0048] Also, the web server 10 refers to the information held by the product information DB33 for the products ordered this time, and identifies in S07 whether the products that require attention to vibration are included in the order. And when the products that require attention to vibration are included, a "vibration flag" is set in S08.

[0049] On the other hand, the delivery vehicle DB 34 accessible to the Web server 10 manages information on the transport vehicles (trucks) secured by each of a plurality of pre-registered delivery operators. Also, information representing the past delivery performance of each delivery operator is accumulated as a database. Further, the past delivery performance includes information indicating the presence or absence of the "temperature flag", "vibration flag", etc.

[0050] For each product for which delivery has been determined by the above processing, the Web server 10 selects a delivery vehicle in S09. Specifically, an appropriate delivery operator is selected from among the plurality of delivery operators registered in the delivery vehicle DB 34 based on past delivery performance, and the vehicle of the selected delivery operator is secured for product delivery. Also, for orders with the "temperature flag" or "vibration flag" set, the delivery operator with the highest number of actual cases of the target flag is preferentially selected as an appropriate delivery operator with high transport quality.

[0051] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the delivery plan processing PR2. That is, in response to order information inputs from various customers, the order processing PR1 in Figure 2 is executed respectively. After the delivery operator and delivery vehicle for actually delivering each product are determined (S10), the delivery plan processing PR2 in Figure 3 is executed by the Web server 10 for each delivery vehicle.

[0052] Also, this delivery plan processing PR2 is executed after all delivery destinations, delivery areas, items, and loading points (store) operators for each delivery vehicle (vehicle a) have been determined (S11). This delivery plan processing PR2 will be described below.

[0053] In the delivery plan processing PR2, each of the steps S12A, S12B, and S12C is executed by the Web server 10. In S12A, based on the information determined so far, a delivery schedule route R1 for vehicle a is generated as a candidate according to the search condition that gives priority to minimizing the driving distance of vehicle a.

[0054] In S12B, based on the information determined so far, a delivery schedule route R2 of vehicle a is generated as a candidate according to the search condition that prioritizes minimizing the travel time in the corresponding vehicle a.

[0055] In S12C, based on the information determined so far, a delivery schedule route R3 of vehicle a is generated as a candidate according to the search condition that prioritizes minimizing the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the corresponding vehicle a.

[0056] For example, in the basic guidelines regarding the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the Ministry of the Environment (Fuel Efficiency Law), the following concept is presented. CO2 emissions = Σ[{(transportation distance) / (fuel efficiency)} × (emission factor)] ···(1)

[0057] Therefore, in S12C, a delivery schedule route R3 is generated under the condition of prioritizing minimizing the carbon dioxide emissions based on the above formula (1). Note that the fuel efficiency can be obtained from the vehicle information. Also, the transportation distance can be calculated based on the address registered in the customer information DB31.

[0058] In the next S13, it is identified whether there is a delivery destination among various delivery destinations of vehicle a with a "temperature flag" set. If the "temperature flag" is set, the processes of S14 and S15 are executed.

[0059] In S14, based on the multiple delivery routes generated in any of S12A, S12B, and S12C, a rerouting process is executed so that the delivery order of a specific delivery destination with a "temperature flag" is advanced even by one stop to generate a new delivery route. Also, the new delivery route generated in S14 is defined as the delivery schedule route R4 for transportation quality (temperature priority) (S15).

[0060] In the next S16, it is identified whether there is a delivery destination among various delivery destinations of vehicle a with a "vibration flag" set. If the "vibration flag" is set, the process proceeds to S17. In S17, it is identified whether among the delivery schedule route R4 determined in S15 or among the plurality of delivery routes generated in any of S12A, S12B, and S12C, there is a road significantly affected by vibration. If there is a road significantly affected by vibration, proceed to S18; if not, proceed to S20.

[0061] In S18, based on the delivery schedule route R4 determined in S15 or on the plurality of delivery routes generated in any of S12A, S12B, and S12C, rerouting processing is executed to generate a new delivery route so that the influence of vibration is reduced until reaching the delivery destination with the "vibration flag" set. Also, the new delivery route generated in S18 is defined as the delivery schedule route R5 for transport quality (vibration priority) (S19).

[0062] On the other hand, the delivery operator who conducts the delivery business with the vehicle a can, if necessary, select a delivery route that is considered more appropriate based on the company's policy and the requirements of each shipper. That is, the delivery operator determines an appropriate delivery route in S20 from among the respective delivery schedule routes R1 to R5 of the vehicle a generated by the above processing. Details will be described later.

[0063] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the details of the route determination process (S20). The procedure of Figure 4 will be described below.

[0064] The Web server 10 receives in S21 the input of the transport quality conditions that the delivery operator, who is the user, etc. values. That is, the transport quality conditions are input from the transport business operator terminal 22 or the shipper terminal 21. The transport quality conditions that can be input here can be selected from among "distance priority", "time priority", "LCA priority", "transport temperature priority", and "transport vibration priority".

[0065] The Web server 10 executes any one of steps S23, S24, S25, S26, and S27 according to the result of identifying the transport quality conditions selected by the user in S22. In S23, the Web server 10 evaluates each of the already generated delivery schedule routes R1 to R5 under the condition of prioritizing shortening the distance, and determines the recommended order of the delivery schedule routes R1 to R5 respectively.

[0066] In S24, the Web server 10 evaluates each of the already generated delivery schedule routes R1 to R5 under the condition of prioritizing shortening the time, and determines the recommended order of the delivery schedule routes R1 to R5 respectively.

[0067] In S25, the Web server 10 evaluates each of the already generated delivery schedule routes R1 to R5 under the condition of prioritizing the optimization of LCA (minimization of CO2 emissions), and determines the recommended order of the delivery schedule routes R1 to R5 respectively.

[0068] In S26, the Web server 10 evaluates each of the already generated delivery schedule routes R1 to R5 under the condition of prioritizing the minimization of temperature change for the delivery destinations where the "temperature flag" is set, and determines the recommended order of the delivery schedule routes R1 to R5 respectively.

[0069] In S27, the Web server 10 evaluates each of the already generated delivery schedule routes R1 to R5 under the condition of prioritizing the minimization of the influence of vibration applied during delivery to the products at the delivery destinations where the "vibration flag" is set, and determines the recommended order of the delivery schedule routes R1 to R5 respectively.

[0070] In the next S28, the Web server 10 displays a list of the plurality of delivery schedule routes R1 to R5 arranged in the order of the recommended order on the screen of the terminal so that the respective recommended orders determined in any of S23 to S27 can be known.

[0071] A user such as a delivery operator can operate the transport operator terminal 22 to select any one from among the delivery schedule routes R1 to R5 listed on the screen of the transport operator terminal 22 in S28 and give an instruction to the Web server 10. The Web server 10 selects one delivery schedule route in S29 according to this selection instruction from the user.

[0072] An example of the relationship between the plurality of delivery schedule routes R1 to R5 generated by the Web server 10 in the above-described delivery plan processing PR2, the priority designation items P1 to P5 specified by the user, and the recommended levels L1 to L5 is shown in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, the recommended levels L2, L3, L4, and L5 are represented by "◎", "○", "△", and "×", respectively.

[0073] For example, when the user selects the priority designation item P1 representing prioritizing shortening of "distance" at S21 in FIG. 4, evaluation is performed for each of the delivery schedule routes R1 to R5 according to that condition. Then, one of the recommended levels L1 to L5 representing the ranking with good evaluation results is assigned to each of the delivery schedule routes R1 to R5.

[0074] Similarly, when the user selects each of the priority designation items P2 to P5, evaluation is performed for each of the delivery schedule routes R1 to R5 according to the conditions of prioritizing "time", "LCA", "temperature", and "vibration".

[0075] In the example shown in FIG. 5, when the user selects the priority designation item P1, the recommended levels L1, L2, L3, L3, and L5 are assigned to the delivery schedule routes R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5, respectively.

[0076] That is, the highest recommended level L1 is assigned to the delivery schedule route R1 generated under the condition of prioritizing distance, the second highest recommended level L2 is assigned to the delivery schedule route R2 generated under the condition of prioritizing time, the third highest recommended level L3 is assigned to the delivery schedule route R3 generated under the condition of prioritizing LCA, the third highest recommended level L3 is assigned to the delivery schedule route R4 generated under the condition of prioritizing the transport quality of temperature, and the lowest recommended level L5 is assigned to the delivery schedule route R5 generated under the condition of prioritizing the transport quality of vibration.

[0077] Also, in the example of FIG. 5, when the user selects the priority designation item P2, recommended levels L3, L1, L3, L3, and L5 are assigned to the delivery schedule routes R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5, respectively.

[0078] Also, in the example of FIG. 5, when the user selects the priority designation item P3, recommended levels L4, L5, L1, L3, and L4 are assigned to the delivery schedule routes R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5, respectively.

[0079] Also, in the example of FIG. 5, when the user selects the priority designation item P4, recommended levels L3, L2, L4, L1, and L5 are assigned to the delivery schedule routes R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5, respectively.

[0080] Also, in the example of FIG. 5, when the user selects the priority designation item P5, recommended levels L4, L5, L2, L3, and L1 are assigned to the delivery schedule routes R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5, respectively.

[0081] For example, when the delivery schedule route R1 generated under the condition of prioritizing distance is evaluated under the condition of the priority designation item P5, the driving distance of the delivery vehicle is the shortest among the delivery schedule routes R1 to R5, but the evaluation regarding carbon dioxide emissions and the evaluation regarding the transport quality of vibration are low, so the overall evaluation is low and it becomes the fourth recommended level L4 (△).

[0082] Therefore, when the user selects the priority designation item (distance priority) P1 at S21 in the situation shown in FIG. 5, the recommended order is visually grasped in the order of the distance priority route (R1), the time priority route (R2), the LCA priority route (R3), the transport quality (temperature) priority route (R4), and the transport quality (vibration) priority route (R5), and is displayed in a list on the screen at S28.

[0083] Also, when the user selects the priority item (vibration priority) P5 at S21, it is visually displayed on the screen at S28 in the order of the transportation quality (vibration) priority route (R5), the LCA priority route (R3), the transportation quality (temperature) priority route (R4), the distance priority route (R1), and the time priority route (R2) so that the recommended order can be grasped.

[0084] Therefore, each user such as a delivery company that determines a delivery route using the service of the Web server 10 specifies an item (any one of P1 to P5) to be prioritized according to their respective values, and then, referring to these recommended orders, can easily select an optimal delivery schedule route (any one of R1 to R5: usually the route at the recommended level L1) from among the plurality of delivery schedule routes R1 to R5 displayed on the screen.

[0085] Also, for example, when goods that require temperature control and goods that cannot be vibrated for a long time are mixed and delivered simultaneously by the same delivery vehicle, it is assumed that the delivery schedule route R4 or R5 is selected. That is, by selecting the delivery schedule route R4, the order of heading to the delivery destinations of the goods that require temperature control can be changed to a higher position compared to the state of the delivery schedule route R1 with a short distance, and the transportation quality can be improved. Also, by selecting the delivery schedule route R5, the order of heading to the delivery destinations of the goods that cannot be vibrated for a long time can be changed to a higher position, and the transportation quality can be improved.

[0086] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the in-transit process RP3. In the article delivery support system 100 shown in FIG. 1, after determining the delivery schedule route in the above-described delivery plan process PR2, a large number of goods designated for the corresponding vehicle a are loaded, and the vehicle a is actually operated to start delivery so as to sequentially pass through the routes according to the delivery schedule route. During this actual delivery, the Web server 10 or the in-vehicle device 24 executes the in-transit process PR3 shown in FIG. 6.

[0087] When actually operating a vehicle to deliver goods, for example, due to unexpected road conditions such as traffic jams or road construction, the delivery time may be significantly extended compared to the prior prediction. In such a case, by executing the in-transit processing PR3, the deterioration of the transport quality of the goods can be suppressed.

[0088] That is, when the delivery time is significantly extended due to road conditions, the remaining cold storage time is predicted from the temperature information, and a mechanism is realized by the in-transit processing PR3 such that a reroute of the delivery schedule route, such as returning to the own store or stopping by other stores, can be proposed to the driver of the vehicle, the manager of the delivery company, etc. The case where the Web server 10 executes the in-transit processing PR3 in FIG. 6 will be described below.

[0089] After the vehicle starts delivery at S30, the Web server 10 determines at S31 whether the "temperature flag" is set for each good being delivered by the vehicle. If the "temperature flag" is set, the process proceeds to S32. Also, if it is in the state of being in the middle of delivery and not yet having visited all delivery destinations, the process proceeds from S32 to the processes of S33A and S33B.

[0090] In S33A, the Web server 10 acquires the length of the remaining delivery time expected until the good with the "temperature flag" actually reaches the delivery destination. This remaining delivery time can be calculated and estimated based on, for example, the distance from the current location to the delivery destination, the average traveling speed of the vehicle, the actual road conditions, etc. Also, in S33B, the Web server 10 measures the current temperature using the sensor 27 installed in the cargo compartment of the vehicle and acquires the temperature information.

[0091] Even in the case of delivering with a general truck vehicle, for goods that require temperature management, usually, the goods are delivered in a state of being housed in a simple cold storage box. Therefore, the rise in the temperature of the goods during delivery can be suppressed for a certain period of cold storage time according to the capacity of the cold storage box, but if the delivery takes time, the temperature of the goods may rise and the quality may deteriorate.

[0092] In S34, the web server 10 compares the remaining delivery time of the products that require temperature management with the remaining estimated cold storage time. Note that the remaining estimated cold storage time can be estimated based on the capacity of the cold storage box, the detected temperature change trend, etc.

[0093] If the length of the remaining delivery time is within the remaining estimated cold storage time, the process proceeds from S34 to S35. In this case, the delivery continues as it is. Also, when the length of the remaining delivery time exceeds the remaining estimated cold storage time, the process proceeds from S34 to S36. In S36, the web server 10 compares the required time expected when returning to the store (the own store) that the vehicle just stopped at on the planned delivery route with the required time expected when moving to another store. And when it is possible to move to another store in a shorter time than returning to the own store, the process proceeds from S36 to S38. In this case, reroute the planned delivery route so that the vehicle stops at a specific other store that can be reached in the shortest time from the current position of the vehicle, and update this planned delivery route.

[0094] On the other hand, when it is expected that it will take less time to return to the previous own store than to move to another store, the process proceeds from S36 to S37. In this case, reroute the vehicle so that it returns from the current position to the previous own store on the planned delivery route, and update this planned delivery route.

[0095] Also, when S37 is executed, redo the delivery plan to enable more efficient product delivery. That is, re - execute S03, S09 of the order processing PR1, the delivery plan processing PR2, etc. Note that since the product securing and flag processing have already been completed, these processes can be omitted. By reviewing this delivery plan, it becomes possible to add new delivery destinations and items to the products to be delivered by the vehicle that has returned to the own store.

[0096] As described above, according to the article delivery support system 100 according to the present embodiment, it becomes easy to appropriately determine the scheduled delivery route of the vehicle that delivers the goods. That is, a plurality of types of scheduled delivery routes R1 to R5 (see FIG. 5) that are searched based on different priorities and automatically generated are automatically evaluated based on the priority designation items (any of P1 to P5) of the transport quality designated by the user, and the recommended order of each delivery route is displayed. Therefore, the user can immediately grasp the best scheduled delivery route in consideration of the priorities to be emphasized from the perspective of each delivery company from the displayed recommended order. Therefore, various delivery companies can use the same article delivery support system 100 to determine a scheduled delivery route suitable for each of them.

[0097] Also, when the scheduled delivery route R1 that prioritizes distance is selected, the driving distance of the delivery vehicle is shortened, so it becomes easy to reduce the delivery cost. Also, when the scheduled delivery route R2 that prioritizes time is selected, it becomes possible to deliver the goods to the delivery destination in a shorter overall time. Also, when the scheduled delivery route R3 that prioritizes LCA is selected, the amount of carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced, so it becomes easy to realize delivery considering the environmental load. Also, when the scheduled delivery route R4 that prioritizes the temperature of the transport quality is selected, it becomes easy to prevent the quality deterioration of the goods during delivery due to temperature changes even when delivering goods such as fresh food products. Also, when the scheduled delivery route R5 that prioritizes the vibration of the transport quality is selected, it becomes easy to deliver goods that are easily affected by vibration in a state where they are less likely to be affected by vibration.

[0098] Also, when implementing the order processing PR1 shown in FIG. 2, for the ordered goods, not only the inventory of one store but also the inventory status of multiple stores centered on the consumer location is recognized respectively. Therefore, for example, it is possible to secure the goods at a store that is close and can efficiently deliver to the customer.

[0099] Also, even when various types of small items such as products that require temperature management and products that are easily affected by vibration are mixed and delivered in the same vehicle, by selecting, at S09, a carrier with top performance in line with the characteristics of the products from among a number of carriers, it becomes easy to prevent a decline in transport quality.

[0100] Also, even when various types of small items such as products that require temperature management and products that are easily affected by vibration are mixed and delivered in the same vehicle, by adopting the delivery schedule routes R4 or R5 generated at S13 to S19, it is possible to prevent a decline in transport quality.

[0101] Also, after actually starting delivery according to the delivery schedule route determined in the delivery plan in advance, if there is a possibility that the transport quality may decline due to unexpected road conditions such as road construction or traffic congestion, by executing the in-transit process PR3 in FIG. 6, it is possible to automatically change to an appropriate delivery route. Thereby, even when delivering in a state where various types of small items such as products that require temperature management and products that are easily affected by vibration are mixed, it is possible to prevent a decline in transport quality. Moreover, since it is not necessary to use a dedicated delivery vehicle suitable for temperature management or vibration management, the delivery cost can be reduced.

[0102] Also, since multiple ordered products are automatically grouped together and a common vehicle delivery schedule route is automatically generated, the labor of determining a delivery route for each order can be reduced. Also, since it is easy to automate delivery considering the transport quality of various types of products, both the customers who order the products and the carriers who deliver the products can gain a sense of security regarding the transport quality.

[0103] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited.

[0104] Here, the features of the article delivery support device, the article delivery support system, and the article delivery support program according to the above-described embodiments of the present invention are briefly summarized and listed in [1] to [6] below, respectively. [1] An article delivery support device (Web server 10) that supports the determination of the delivery schedule route of a vehicle when transporting a plurality of types of articles (cargo 26) with different shippers and delivery destinations at the same time using a common vehicle (transport vehicle 25), After the delivery destinations of all the articles to be transported by a specific vehicle are determined, for each of a plurality of search conditions with different conditions representing transport quality, a delivery route generation unit (S11, S12A, S12B, S12C) that generates a plurality of delivery routes; A quality condition selection unit (S21) that selects a specific quality condition according to user input from a plurality of types of pre-prepared transport quality conditions (priority designation items P1 to P5); A recommended delivery route presentation unit (S23 to S28) that presents the plurality of delivery routes generated by the delivery route generation unit together with information representing a recommended order (recommended levels L1 to L5) according to the selected specific quality condition; An article delivery support device comprising the above.

[0105] [2] The delivery route generation unit generates the plurality of delivery routes respectively according to a plurality of types of search conditions that prioritize at least distance, required time, and life cycle assessment (S12A, S12B, S12C), The quality condition selection unit selects a condition that prioritizes at least one of distance, required time, and life cycle assessment as the specific quality condition (S21 to S25), The article delivery support device according to [1] above.

[0106] [3] When the articles to be transported by the target vehicle include cold storage articles that require temperature control, the delivery route generation unit generates another delivery route that satisfies a predetermined cold storage condition (S13 to S15), The article delivery support device according to [2] above.

[0107] [4] The delivery route generation unit acquires the position information of the target vehicle while the target vehicle is traveling on the selected delivery route, and if the cold storage condition for the cold storage article is not satisfied as a result of comparing the delivery plan based on the delivery route with the position information, regenerates the delivery route so as to satisfy the cold storage condition (in-transit processing PR3). The article delivery support device according to [3] above.

[0108] [5] A shipper terminal (21) available for a shipper who orders the delivery of articles, A customer terminal (23) available for a customer at the delivery destination of the articles, An in-vehicle device (24) mounted on a vehicle that transports the articles, An article delivery support system (100) including a management device (Web server 10) that manages the transportation of the articles and is capable of communicating with the shipper terminal, the customer terminal, and the in-vehicle device, wherein the management device has a delivery route generation unit (S11, S12A, S12B, S12C) that generates a plurality of delivery routes for each of a plurality of search conditions with different conditions representing transportation quality after the delivery destinations of all the articles to be transported by a specific vehicle are determined when transporting a plurality of types of articles with different shippers and delivery destinations simultaneously by a common vehicle; a quality condition selection unit (S21) that selects a specific quality condition according to user input from among a plurality of types of pre-prepared transportation quality conditions (priority designation items P1 to P5); a recommended delivery route presentation unit (S23 to S28) that presents the plurality of delivery routes generated by the delivery route generation unit together with information (recommended levels L1 to L5) representing recommended rankings according to the selected specific quality condition; An article delivery support system comprising.

[0109] [6] An article delivery support program (see FIGS. 2 to 5) executable by a computer (Web server 10) of a management device that supports the determination of a planned delivery route of a vehicle when transporting a plurality of types of articles with different shippers and delivery destinations simultaneously by a common vehicle. After determining the delivery destinations of all the articles to be transported by a specific vehicle, for each of a plurality of types of search conditions with different conditions representing transport quality, a delivery route generation procedure (S11, S12A, S12B, S12C) for generating a plurality of delivery routes, a quality condition selection procedure (S21) for selecting a specific quality condition according to user input from among a plurality of types of transport quality conditions (priority designation items P1 to P5) prepared in advance, and a recommended delivery route presentation procedure (S23 to S28) for presenting the generated plurality of delivery routes together with information (recommended levels L1 to L5) representing recommended ranks according to the selected specific quality condition to be executed by an article delivery support program.

Explanation of Signs

[0110] 10 Web server 21 Shipper terminal 22 Carrier terminal 23 Customer terminal 24 On-vehicle unit 25 Transport vehicle 26 Luggage 27 Sensor 31 Customer information DB 32 Inventory information DB 33 Product information DB 34 Delivery vehicle DB 100 Article delivery support system L1, L2, L3, L4, L5 Recommended levels P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 Priority designation items PR1 Order processing PR2 Delivery plan processing PR3 In-transit processing R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 Scheduled delivery routes​

Claims

1. An article delivery support device that supports determination of a delivery schedule route of a vehicle when transporting a plurality of types of articles with different shippers and consignees simultaneously in a common vehicle, comprising: a delivery route generation unit that generates a plurality of delivery routes for each of a plurality of search conditions with different transport quality conditions after the delivery destinations of all articles to be transported by a specific vehicle are determined; a quality condition selection unit that selects a specific quality condition according to user input from among a plurality of types of transport quality conditions that are prioritized in each of the plurality of types of search conditions; a recommended delivery route presentation unit that presents the plurality of delivery routes generated by the delivery route generation unit together with information indicating a recommended order according to the selected specific quality condition; and the recommended delivery route presentation unit evaluates each of the generated plurality of delivery routes according to the selected specific quality condition, determines a recommended order for each of the generated plurality of delivery routes, and displays the generated plurality of delivery routes arranged in the determined order of the recommended order. Article delivery support device.

2. The delivery route generation unit generates the plurality of delivery routes according to a plurality of types of search conditions that prioritize at least distance, required time, life cycle assessment, transport temperature, and transport vibration respectively. The quality condition selection unit selects, as the specific quality condition, a condition that prioritizes at least one of distance, required time, life cycle assessment, transport temperature, and transport vibration. The article delivery support device according to claim 1.

3. When the articles to be transported by the target vehicle include cold storage articles that require temperature control, the delivery route generation unit generates another delivery route that satisfies a predetermined cold storage condition. The article delivery support device according to claim 2.

4. The delivery route generation unit acquires the position information of the target vehicle while the target vehicle is traveling on the selected delivery route, and if the cold storage condition for the cold storage article is not satisfied as a result of comparison between the delivery plan based on the delivery route and the position information, regenerates the delivery route so as to satisfy the cold storage condition. The article delivery support device according to claim 3.

5. A shipper terminal available to a shipper who orders the delivery of articles; A customer terminal available to a customer who is the delivery destination of the articles; An in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle that transports the articles; A management device that manages the transportation of the articles and enables communication with the shipper terminal, the customer terminal, and the in-vehicle device, An article delivery support system including: The management device When transporting a plurality of types of articles with different shippers and delivery destinations simultaneously in a common vehicle, after determining the delivery destinations of all the articles to be transported by a specific vehicle, for each of a plurality of search conditions with different conditions representing transport quality, a delivery route generation unit that generates a plurality of delivery routes; A quality condition selection unit that selects a specific quality condition according to user input from among a plurality of types of transport quality conditions that are the same as the plurality of types of conditions representing transport quality that are prioritized in each of the plurality of types of search conditions; A recommended delivery route presentation unit that presents the plurality of delivery routes generated by the delivery route generation unit together with information representing a recommended order according to the selected specific quality condition; Comprising: The recommended delivery route presentation unit evaluates each of the generated plurality of delivery routes according to the selected specific quality condition, determines the recommended order of each of the generated plurality of delivery routes, and arranges and displays the generated plurality of delivery routes in the determined order of the recommended order. Article delivery support system.

6. An article delivery support program executable by a computer of a management device that supports the determination of a scheduled delivery route of a vehicle when transporting a plurality of types of articles with different shippers and delivery destinations simultaneously in a common vehicle, The computer is caused to After determining the delivery destinations of all the articles to be transported by a specific vehicle, for each of a plurality of search conditions with different conditions representing transport quality, a delivery route generation procedure for generating a plurality of delivery routes; A quality condition selection procedure for selecting a specific quality condition according to user input from among a plurality of types of transport quality conditions that are the same as the plurality of types of conditions representing transport quality that are prioritized in each of the plurality of types of search conditions; A recommended delivery route presentation procedure for presenting the generated plurality of delivery routes together with information representing a recommended order according to the selected specific quality condition; Execute, The recommended delivery route presentation procedure evaluates each of the generated plurality of delivery routes according to the selected specific quality condition, determines the recommended order of each of the generated plurality of delivery routes, and arranges and displays the generated plurality of delivery routes in the determined order of the recommended order. Article delivery support program.

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