Operation Management Delegation System

Abstract

To provide an operation management proxy system capable of reducing a load on a manager in a haulage operator and facilitating improvement in transportation quality.SOLUTION: In an operation management proxy system 100, a server 40 provides a communication service so that the server 40 takes care of a part of management of various drivers a transport company 10 uses for driving of a vehicle 20. When the transport company 10 receives a request of a cargo owner 30, the server 40 creates a transport plan. When a package is transported by the vehicle 20, the server 40 monitors position information transmitted by an on-vehicle device of a target vehicle 20 to manage a transport status. When a certain level of an abnormal state is detected, the on-vehicle device and the like give a preliminary alarm and an alarm to a driver according to an instruction by the server 40. The server 40 preferentially notifies a transport management terminal 11 of a status of an important vehicle which must be grasped by a manager of the transport company 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an operation management agency system.

Background Art

[0002] In a transportation company that transports goods requested by various customers (consignors) using vehicles such as trucks, it is required to perform transportation with high transportation quality and safety so as to meet the customers' demands.

[0003] High transportation quality means, for example, loading the customer's goods onto a truck at a predetermined time determined in advance at a certain departure point, maintaining a state where no large impact is applied to the goods, and transporting the truck to arrive at the destination within the allowable range of the predetermined scheduled arrival time. Also, for preventing the occurrence of traffic accidents and reducing the impact on the goods, safe driving operations and economical driving operations for reducing the fuel consumption of the vehicle are important. Whether such requirements can actually be met is considered to mainly depend on the experience, driving ability, motivation, degree of fatigue, etc. of the individual driver who drives the vehicle.

[0004] In addition, a transportation company may conventionally automatically record the position and driving status of each vehicle that is transporting goods on the vehicle, or may monitor the position of each vehicle almost in real time at the company's office or the like. For example, when an existing operation recorder such as a digital tachograph is mounted on a vehicle as an in-vehicle device, various information representing the driving status can be automatically collected and recorded on the vehicle.

[0005] Also, for example, the economic driving evaluation device of Patent Document 1 performs appropriate driving guidance for a driver and reduces the fuel consumption by performing an accurate economic driving evaluation using an operation management meter. Specifically, the number of accelerations is counted using the speed data recorded by the operation management meter, and the economic driving evaluation is performed based on the number of accelerations within a unit travel distance.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Document

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] By the way, in the case of a transportation company (logistics company) that owns or uses a large number of vehicles, the administrator may be constantly busy monitoring the operation status of each vehicle, finding problems such as operation delays of each vehicle, or minimizing such problems on a daily basis.

[0008] For example, in the case of a transportation company that employs many excellent drivers with rich experience and excellent driving skills, problems such as operation delays are less likely to occur, and the work of the administrator to suppress operation delays is also likely to be relatively simple. However, in actual transportation companies, it is difficult to secure drivers with rich experience or excellent driving skills. Therefore, in many transportation companies, the administrator has to continue to be busy.

[0009] In addition, in the case of foreign countries, for example, within India, transportation companies generally tend to employ drivers who are not in an employment relationship as needed and entrust the operation of each vehicle to them. Therefore, especially small - scale transportation companies often do not have a system for managing each driver and often cannot grasp the individual characteristics of each driver, such as the driving ability of the driver and the tendency for behaviors such as slacking to occur.

[0010] Therefore, a carrier cannot anticipate a situation where, for example, a driver wastes an unreasonably long rest period during transportation due to slacking off, or where a reckless driving operation involving speeding, sudden acceleration, or sudden deceleration subjects the cargo such as precision equipment to an abnormally large impact. For this reason, managers within the carrier must continuously monitor the operation status of each vehicle while constantly watching for any abnormalities. In addition, when any problem occurs, it is likely that the manager will have difficulty grasping the situation or will be unable to communicate with the driver. Therefore, the burden on the manager is great, and it is also difficult for the carrier to secure and employ highly capable personnel who can handle such monitoring tasks for exclusive management work.

[0011] The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an operation management proxy system that reduces the burden on managers in carriers and contributes to the improvement of transportation quality.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0012] The above object according to the present invention is achieved by the following configuration.

[0013] (1) A carrier terminal available to a logistics carrier that manages one or more vehicles available for transporting cargo and transports the shipper's cargo using the vehicles, An in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle, including a position detection function for grasping at least the position information of the own vehicle, a notification function capable of notifying an alarm to the driver of the vehicle, and a wireless communication function, A server including a function for substituting at least a part of the management work of the vehicle and the driver in the logistics carrier, The server detects a situation requiring an alarm for each vehicle based on the information transmitted from the in-vehicle device of each vehicle and the operation plan created in advance, and the server directly gives an alarm to the driver of the corresponding vehicle using the notification function without the intervention of the carrier terminal. The server notifies the carrier terminal of information representing the state of the vehicle or the driverShi , The server calculates an ability evaluation value for each driver and an evaluation value of the transportation quality for each logistics operator. For a logistics operator whose transportation quality has improved by a predetermined amount or more, the server performs a profit reduction process for giving an incentive according to the transportation quality from the service operator who operates the server. Operation management agency system. (2) A business operator terminal available to a logistics operator that manages one or more vehicles available for transporting goods and transports the goods of a shipper using the vehicles. An in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle, including a position detection function for grasping at least the position information of the own vehicle, a notification function capable of notifying an alarm to the driver of the vehicle, and a wireless communication function. It has a server including a function of substituting at least a part of the management operations of the vehicle and the driver in the logistics operator. The server detects a situation requiring an alarm for each vehicle based on the information transmitted from the in-vehicle device of each vehicle and the operation plan created in advance, and directly gives an alarm to the driver of the corresponding vehicle by the server using the notification function without the intervention of the business operator terminal. The server notifies the business operator terminal of information indicating the state of the vehicle or the driver. The server monitors the occurrence of rough driving operations and operation delays by the driver based on the information transmitted from the in-vehicle device of each vehicle and the operation plan created in advance, and reflects the monitoring results in the ability evaluation value for each driver. An operation management substitution system. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The traffic management agent system of the present invention can reduce the burden on managers at transportation companies and can also be used to improve transportation quality.

[0015] The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the following detailed description of the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the respective drawings.

[0018] <Configuration of the System> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an operation management agency system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] The transportation company 10 generally owns or manages a large number (for example, dozens) of vehicles 20, that is, trucks, which can be used for transporting customers' luggage. There are also a shipper 30 and a consignee 31 who entrust the transportation company 10 with the transportation of luggage. Although companies are assumed as the shipper 30 and the consignee 31, individuals may also be acceptable.

[0020] On the other hand, in the transportation company 10, since various external persons who are not employed within the company may be used as needed as drivers required to operate each vehicle 20, in order to improve the quality of luggage transportation, the operation management of the vehicle 20 and the management of the driver are essential.

[0021] For example, if a driver takes a rest time longer than necessary during vehicle operation due to slacking off, it is expected that a significant delay will occur in the time when the luggage arrives at the consignee 31. Also, in the case of a driver with a lack of awareness of safe driving, reckless driving operations such as exceeding the specified speed, sudden acceleration, and sudden deceleration may be repeated, which may cause a large impact on the luggage or increase the risk of traffic accidents.

[0022] Therefore, when the administrator within the transportation company 10 conducts operations such as simultaneously monitoring the operating states of a large number of vehicles 20 and sequentially giving instructions to each driver, the burden on the administrator increases. Also, it is often difficult for the transportation company 10 to secure and employ a dedicated administrator who can appropriately perform such operations.

[0023] In the operation management agency system 100 shown in FIG. 1, the server 40 can provide a communication service that substitutes for at least a part of the management tasks that should be performed by the administrator within the transportation company 10. Therefore, by using the server 40, the transportation company 10 can significantly reduce the burden on the administrator.

[0024] The server 40 is managed by a predetermined agency service provider that provides this communication service. The server 40 can provide a communication-based agency service to various transportation companies 10 respectively. The agency service provider that operates the server 40 provides an agency service by the server 40 to the pre-contracted transportation company 10, and collects usage fees from the transportation company 10 as the consideration.

[0025] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the server 40 has the functions of an order reception management agency unit 41, a transportation management agency unit 42, a driver management agency unit 43, and an operation management DB (database) 44. Note that part of these agency functions may be changed in the system configuration so that the in-house system of the transportation company 10 implements them. In this case, the server 40 acquires data obtained by implementing the functions of the system of the transportation company 10 from the transportation company 10. As an example, instead of creating a transportation plan described later, the server 40 may acquire it from the transportation company 10.

[0026] The order reception management agency unit 41 has a function to receive orders on behalf of the transportation company 10 for transportation services requested by various shippers 30 from various transportation companies 10.

[0027] The transportation management agency unit 42 creates an appropriate transportation plan according to the requirements of the shipper 30 for each of the transportation services received by each transportation company 10 from various shippers 30, and assigns a specific vehicle 20 and a specific driver who drives it to this transportation plan.

[0028] In addition, when the transportation management agency department 42 transports the shipper 30's goods with a specific vehicle 20 according to each transportation plan, it monitors the actual operation status of the vehicle 20 based on the information obtained from the in-vehicle device of the corresponding vehicle 20. Also, according to the actual operation status, the transportation management agency department 42 performs processes to give a precaution for alerting the driver and a warning for suppressing transportation troubles. Moreover, the transportation management agency department 42 also provides a function for the transportation company 10, the shipper 30, and the consignee 31 to monitor the actual operation status of the vehicle 20.

[0029] The driver management agency department 43 has a function for automatically evaluating the driving ability and the like of each of the numerous drivers used by each transportation company 10 in order to achieve high-quality transportation. Also, the driver management agency department 43 has a function of reflecting the evaluation results of each driver in incentives for the transportation company 10 and each driver.

[0030] For example, by the server 40 or the transportation company 10 giving a reward such as money as an incentive to a driver whose driving ability for transporting goods with high quality has improved, the motivation of the driver can be enhanced, contributing to the realization of a more favorable goods transportation state.

[0031] The operation management DB 44 holds and manages the transportation plans of goods in each of the various transportation companies 10 using the server 40's services, the actually grasped transportation status on a regular basis, the historical data in past transports, the evaluation values for each driver to be managed, the information affecting them, and their histories.

[0032] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the transportation company 10 has a transportation management terminal 11 and a smartphone 12. The transportation management terminal 11 is constituted by, for example, a personal computer (PC) having a communication function and can be connected to the server 40 via the Internet 51. By the transportation company 10 previously contracting with a proxy service provider that operates the server 40, the transportation management terminal 11 can receive the communication service of the server 40.

[0033] The smartphone 12 can be connected to the server 40 via a wireless communication network 52 that provides a public wireless communication service and the Internet 51 by using a wireless communication function such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) provided by itself. Also, by incorporating dedicated application software necessary for using the server 40 as an administrator into the smartphone 12 and making a predetermined contract, the smartphone 12 can use the communication service of the server 40. Thereby, the vehicle 20 can be managed with the smartphone 12. Note that the transportation company 10 may use only one of the transportation management terminal 11 and the smartphone 12.

[0034] The vehicle 20 shown in FIG. 1 is equipped with an in-vehicle GPS device 21, a notification device 22, and a wireless communication unit 23 as in-vehicle devices.

[0035] The in-vehicle GPS device 21 is a commercially available general GPS device and can grasp information such as the latitude and longitude of the current position, the current time, the moving speed, and the moving direction by performing predetermined calculation processing based on radio waves received from a plurality of GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites.

[0036] The notification device 22 is necessary for notifying the driver of information such as an alarm and has at least one of a speaker that outputs guiding voice and a display that displays character information and the like.

[0037] The wireless communication unit 23 has a function for performing wireless communication in accordance with standards such as LTE with a wireless base station of a wireless communication network 52 that provides a public wireless communication service. Note that if the vehicle 20 is pre-equipped with a function equivalent to that of the wireless communication unit 23, it is not necessary to add the wireless communication unit 23.

[0038] Also, it is possible to replace the in-vehicle GPS device 21, the notification device 22, and the wireless communication unit 23 with a general smartphone. In that case, it is necessary to incorporate dedicated application software into the smartphone so that the communication service of the server 40 can be used as a user interface device for the driver.

[0039] Also, it is possible to replace the in-vehicle GPS device 21, the notification device 22, and the wireless communication unit 23 with an in-vehicle device such as a commercially available digital tachograph. When using an in-vehicle device such as a digital tachograph, since communication with the vehicle-side system can be performed via a communication interface such as CAN (Controller Area Network), more information such as vehicle speed, engine rotational speed, acceleration, and the state of the transmission can be easily collected.

[0040] The shipper 30 and the consignee 31 can know the delivery status of the requested goods, specifically the current position of the goods, by accessing the server 40 using the shipper terminal 30a and the consignee terminal 31a, respectively. As the shipper terminal 30a and the consignee terminal 31a, general personal computers or smartphones can be used.

[0041] <Outline of System Operation> Figure 2 is a sequence diagram showing the outline of the operation of the operation management proxy system 100. The operations shown in Figure 2 will be described below.

[0042] The shipper 30 who wishes to transport goods places an order for transportation with the transportation company 10 using the shipper terminal 30a (S11). At this time, when the transportation company 10 has contracted for the agency service of the server 40, the order receiving management agency section 41 of the server 40 substitutes the order placed by the shipper 30 to the transportation company 10 and receives the order (S12). The information on the transportation request received by the server 40 on behalf of the order is registered in the operation management DB44 and further notified to the transportation management terminal 11 of the transportation company 10.

[0043] The transportation management agency section 42 of the server 40 creates a transportation plan according to the requirements of the shipper 30 for the goods transportation received by the order receiving management agency section 41 (S13). This transportation plan includes information such as the location of the loading place, the scheduled loading time, the location of the unloading place, the scheduled arrival time at the unloading place, the driving route, and the rest points. The information on the transportation plan created by the server 40 is registered in the operation management DB44 and further transmitted to the transportation management terminal 11 of the transportation company 10.

[0044] The transportation management agency section 42 of the server 40 appropriately assigns from among the candidate groups that have previously secured the vehicle 20 required for the actual goods transportation and the driver who drives it for the created transportation plan.

[0045] In the transportation company 10, based on the transportation plan determined by the server 40, the actual goods transportation operation is carried out using the specific vehicle 20 and the specific driver assigned to it. Then, when the vehicle 20 completes loading the goods at the loading place designated by the shipper 30 in advance and starts running, the in-vehicle device 24 detects it and notifies the server 40 (S15).

[0046] The in-vehicle device 24 mounted on the vehicle 20 during goods transportation transmits information such as the latest current position, current time, driving speed, and speed change detected by the in-vehicle GPS device 21 to the server 40 every time a certain period of time, such as a 10-minute cycle, elapses (S16).

[0047] Server 40 collects information transmitted from each vehicle 20 during cargo transportation and stores it in the operation management DB 44 (S17). Further, the server 40 continuously monitors whether the driver operating each vehicle 20 is performing rough driving operations that may affect the transportation quality based on the information transmitted from the in-vehicle device 24 (S18). Specifically, the server 40 detects driving operations such as exceeding the specified speed, sudden acceleration, and sudden deceleration, and records the number of times for each driver in the operation management DB 44.

[0048] In addition, the server 40 monitors the actual operation delay of each vehicle 20 with respect to the operation plan (S19). Specifically, the server 40 grasps the presence or absence and degree of delay regarding the time when each vehicle 20 passes through a plurality of checkpoints provided on the movement route of the operation plan.

[0049] The server 40 identifies the presence or absence of abnormalities by comparing the current state of each vehicle 20 or driver to be monitored with a predetermined threshold value set in advance (S20). Then, when the server 40 detects a situation that may reduce the transportation quality and a situation where the transportation quality has deteriorated, it transmits instructions to the in-vehicle device 24 to give a pre-alarm and an alarm to the driver, respectively (S21).

[0050] When the in-vehicle device 24 is instructed to output a pre-alarm from the server 40, it controls the notification device 22 to give a pre-alarm to the driver, and when instructed to output an alarm, it controls the notification device 22 to give an alarm to the driver (S22).

[0051] Note that, for relatively minor events among rough driving operations such as speed exceeding, sudden acceleration, and sudden deceleration, initially only a pre-alarm is given to the driver to prompt attention, and the number of occurrences is stored on the server 40 side. Then, when the number of minor events exceeds a certain number, the server 40 controls to give an alarm to the driver. Note that the thresholds for the pre-alarm and the alarm may be set separately, and when the threshold for the alarm is exceeded, an alarm may be given without giving a pre-alarm.

[0052] For each vehicle 20 whose transportation status is being monitored, the server 40 transmits the vehicle status representing the latest status to the transportation management terminal 11 or the smartphone 12 of the transportation company 10 to notify the administrator (S23). Here, the server 40 takes into account the priority of the vehicle status to be transmitted to the transportation management terminal 11 or the smartphone 12. For example, when the server 40 is monitoring a plurality of vehicles 20 simultaneously, among these plurality of vehicles 20, information processing such as rearrangement of a plurality of items, highlighting by differences in coloring, and explicit indication of the priority for each item is performed so that a specific vehicle 20 with the highest priority for the administrator to handle becomes clear.

[0053] Typical vehicle statuses include, for example, information indicating that a delay has occurred with respect to the operation plan for each vehicle, the running / stopping status of the vehicle, the continuous running time, the duration of the stopped state, and the like.

[0054] The transportation management terminal 11 or the smartphone 12 of the transportation company 10 displays the vehicle status transmitted from the server 40 on the screen together with the priority (S24). Therefore, the administrator of the transportation company 10 can easily grasp the current situation from the screen display of the transportation management terminal 11. For example, among a plurality of vehicles 20 operating simultaneously, a specific vehicle 20 with the largest delay time compared to the transportation plan can be easily found on the screen of the transportation management terminal 11.

[0055] For example, when the administrator's intervention is necessary to suppress the significant impact of the current transportation delay in a specific vehicle 20 on the scheduled arrival time, the administrator contacts the driver of the corresponding vehicle 20 by phone or the like using, for example, the smartphone 12 (S25). As a result, the administrator can grasp the current situation more accurately, take measures to reduce the delay in the scheduled arrival time, or contact the shipper 30 and the consignee 31 in advance to inform them of the delay before arrival.

[0056] Upon arriving at the destination, the in-vehicle device 24 of each vehicle 20 notifies the server 40 of this (S26). After detecting in S27 that each vehicle 20 has arrived at the destination, the server 40 updates the evaluation value of the driver so as to reflect the result of the current luggage transportation (S28). Regarding the evaluation of the driver, it is possible to reflect the shipper-side evaluation input by the shipper 30 from the shipper terminal 30a and the consignee-side evaluation input by the consignee 31 from the consignee terminal 31a.

[0057] <Example of the operation state and the display of the management screen> FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation state and the display of the management screen of a plurality of vehicles 20 (trucks A, B, and C).

[0058] In the example shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that three trucks A, B, and C transport the luggage requested by the shipper 30 at different time zones along the same driving route from the loading area PL to the unloading area PU. In this example, the distance from the loading area PL to the unloading area PU is 1500 [km], and three checkpoints P1, P2, and P3 are defined between them.

[0059] The positions of the respective checkpoints P1, P2, and P3 are the points that have traveled for 1 hour (H), 2 hours, and 3 hours from the loading area PL in the operation plan, respectively. Also, the distances from the loading area PL to the respective checkpoints P1, P2, and P3 are 375 [km], 750 [km], and 1125 [km], respectively. Geofences corresponding to the areas of the respective checkpoints P1, P2, and P3 are determined in advance.

[0060] Therefore, the server 40 can grasp the times when each of the trucks A, B, and C actually passed through the respective checkpoints P1, P2, and P3 by comparing the latitude and longitude of the current positions acquired from each of the trucks A, B, and C with the geofences of the respective checkpoints P1, P2, and P3.

[0061] Based on the times when each of the trucks A, B, and C actually passed each checkpoint P1, P2, and P3, the average driving speed, the past operation history, etc., the server 40 can obtain the estimated arrival time tea at which each of the trucks A, B, and C arrives at the unloading place PU which is the destination through a predetermined calculation. Also, based on the latest current position, the remaining driving distance DR to the unloading place PU can be easily calculated.

[0062] In the example shown in FIG. 3, the situations of the trucks A, B, and C that have passed through the checkpoints P1, P2, and P3 are respectively displayed on the management screens 12a, 12b, and 12c of the smartphones 12. That is, for the truck A that has passed through the checkpoint P1, on the management screen 12a, the estimated arrival time tea is 23:20 and the remaining driving distance DR is 1125 [km].

[0063] Also, for the truck B that has passed through the checkpoint P2, on the management screen 12b, the estimated arrival time tea is 21:45 and the remaining driving distance DR is 750 [km]. For the truck C that has passed through the checkpoint P3, on the management screen 12c, the estimated arrival time tea is 0:30 and the remaining driving distance DR is 375 [km].

[0064] <Configuration example of management data> FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of the management data D10.

[0065] The management data D10 shown in FIG. 4 includes management data items iA, iB, and iC corresponding to each of the trucks A, B, and C, and includes items such as information for identifying the vehicles of each of the trucks A, B, and C, the driving time TR, the estimated arrival time tea, the remaining time tR, the remaining driving distance DR, the repair time value Trec, and the corresponding priority PRI. The contents of these items can be easily calculated based on information such as the current position transmitted from each vehicle.

[0066] The repair time value Trec represents the number of hours required per 1 [km] necessary to recover the current vehicle operation delay with respect to the operation plan. Therefore, when the repair time value Trec is small, it is easy to return to the operation state as per the operation plan.

[0067] The response priority PRI represents the priority of each management data item iA, iB, and iC to be monitored. That is, when it is difficult to return to the operation state as per the operation plan and the administrator's response is required, the rank of the response priority PRI becomes higher. In practice, the server 40 can determine the response priority PRI by comparing the magnitude relationship of the repair time values Trec for the multiple management data items iA, iB, and iC.

[0068] In the management data D10 shown in FIG. 4, among the management data items iA, iB, and iC, the repair time value Trec of the management data item iC is the largest. Therefore, the response priority PRI of the management data item iC is No. 1, and the response priority PRI of the management data item iA is No. 2.

[0069] In practice, the server 40 transmits the management data D10 as the vehicle status to the transportation management terminal 11 in a state where it instructs to highlight the management data item iC with the highest response priority PRI in red or the like (S23). Alternatively, the data arrangement of the management data items iA, iB, and iC is rearranged so that the management data item iC with the highest response priority PRI is at the top, and the management data D10 is transmitted to the transportation management terminal 11 as the vehicle status.

[0070] Therefore, the administrator can easily recognize the vehicle status of truck C where transportation delays or the like have occurred from the content displayed on the screen of the transportation management terminal 11 and quickly perform operations such as contacting the driver of truck C.

[0071] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the process for incentive granting in the server 40.

[0072] The transportation quality of the transportation company 10 largely depends on the capabilities and motivations of each individual driver who actually drives each vehicle 20. Therefore, if the transportation company 10 pays, for example, special money as an incentive to a driver whose personal evaluation regarding the operation of the vehicle 20 has been greatly improved, the motivation of the corresponding driver will increase, and further improvement in the transportation quality for each driver can be expected. Then, the transportation quality of the entire transportation company 10 will also increase, and the reliability of the shipper 30 who entrusts the transportation of goods will also increase.

[0073] Therefore, in order to enable the giving of incentives to each driver, in this embodiment, the server 40 performs the processing shown in FIG. 5. The processing in FIG. 5 will be described below. The server 40 calculates a driver evaluation value Vd for each driver at an appropriate timing (S31). This driver evaluation value Vd is calculated based on past operation history data and the like when each driver actually drives the vehicle 20 to transport goods, and is recorded and stored in an evaluation value DB44a which is a part of the operation management DB44.

[0074] The server 40 calculates a transportation company evaluation value Vc for each transportation company 10 at an appropriate timing (S32). This transportation company evaluation value Vc reflects the result of aggregating the driver evaluation values Vd of all the drivers actually used for the transportation of goods for each transportation company 10. For example, the average value of the entire driver evaluation value Vd becomes the transportation company evaluation value Vc. The calculated transportation company evaluation value Vc is recorded and stored in the evaluation value DB44a.

[0075] The server 40 refers to the history of the transportation company evaluation value Vc recorded in the evaluation value DB44a for each transportation company 10 to detect the change in the transportation company evaluation value Vc, and compares the change in the transportation company evaluation value Vc with a threshold value predetermined in S33 to identify whether the transportation company evaluation value Vc has been sufficiently improved. If it has been sufficiently improved, the process proceeds to the processing from S34 to S35.

[0076] Server 40 grants an incentive Ic according to the improvement margin to the transportation company 10 whose transportation company evaluation value Vc has been sufficiently improved (S35). As a representative example of the incentive Ic in this case, it is assumed that a part of the service usage fee received by the agency service provider operating Server 40 from the transportation company 10 side is returned by cashback.

[0077] Server 40 notifies the transportation management terminal 11 of the transportation company 10 of the incentive Ic granted to the transportation company 10 in S35, the driver evaluation value Vd for each driver belonging to the transportation company 10, and its change (S36).

[0078] Regarding the incentive Ic granted by Server 40 to each transportation company 10, it is assumed that the incentive Ic is distributed within the company according to the company's criteria, and a part of it is paid to the corresponding driver in cash or the like.

[0079] In addition, the granting of incentives to drivers can also be done on behalf of Server 40. That is, when the transportation company 10 has previously instructed Server 40 to act on behalf of granting incentives to drivers, the processing of Server 40 proceeds from S37 to S38.

[0080] Server 40 automatically grants, as an incentive Id, a part (such as an amount) allocated from the incentives Ic given to the corresponding transportation company 10 to the drivers whose driver evaluation value Vd has improved by a predetermined amount or more (S38).

[0081] Server 40 notifies the corresponding drivers of the granted incentive Id, the driver evaluation value Vd, and its change (S39). Thereby, the motivation of the corresponding drivers can be further increased, leading to an improvement in the transportation quality of the goods.

[0082] In addition, for drivers who do not meet the conditions for being assigned an incentive ID, the server 40 notifies the in-vehicle device 24 or a personal smartphone of the standard information indicating how much improvement in evaluation is required to obtain the incentive ID. For example, the server 40 notifies the standard information such as the need to shorten the rest time by 30 minutes per operation or the need to reduce the number of hard accelerations by 2 times per operation. This encourages further efforts and enhances the motivation of drivers who have not received the incentive ID to improve their evaluation and obtain the incentive.

[0083] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a list of main elements that can be used for driver evaluation.

[0084] The evaluation item of "scheduled operation" shown in FIG. 6 is an item for evaluating each driver whether problems such as delays occurred during the actual operation with respect to the transportation plan determined in advance by the server 40 or the like. This "scheduled operation" evaluation item can include elements such as route deviation, operation time, rest, and arrival time.

[0085] In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, in addition to "scheduled operation", drivers can also be evaluated for each item of "quality", "safety", and "economy". Specifically, the server 40 can monitor and evaluate the driver based on the information obtained from the in-vehicle device 24, such as hard deceleration (= hard brake), hard acceleration, sharp turn, impact, and speed overrun, which are caused by the driver's actual driving operations during cargo transportation.

[0086] When evaluating "route deviation", if the deviation distance between the pre-determined delivery route as the transportation plan and the current position of the vehicle 20 is greater than or equal to the deviation warning distance, it is determined that the route deviation is within the warning range. Specifically, the server 40 sets a geofence within which the distance from the pre-determined delivery route is within the deviation warning distance, and determines whether the current position of the vehicle 20 is within this geofence.

[0087] When evaluating the "operation time", the server 40 determines whether the driver is driving based on the history of the current position. If it is determined that the driver is driving, it is determined whether the current time is within a predetermined drivable time (for example, 15:00 - 6:00).

[0088] If the server 40 is not within the drivable time, it determines that the operation time is within the warning range. Regarding breaks, the server 40 determines whether the driver is stopped based on the history of the current position, the on / off state of the ignition switch, the speed, the engine speed, etc. The server 40 counts the time from when the stopped state continues for a predetermined time or more until it is determined that the driver is no longer stopped as the stop time. The server 40 determines that the break is within the warning range if the stop time exceeds the stop warning time.

[0089] When evaluating the "arrival time", if the server 40 determines that the state of being more than the arrival warning distance away from the loading location or the destination continues for the first arrival warning time even after the predetermined arrival time has passed, it determines that the arrival time is within the warning range.

[0090] When evaluating "sudden deceleration" and "sudden acceleration", the server 40 obtains the deceleration and acceleration based on the vehicle speed history of the corresponding vehicle 20, and determines that the sudden deceleration and sudden acceleration are within the warning range if the obtained deceleration and acceleration exceed the warning values. Regarding sudden turning and impact, the server 40 determines that the sudden turning and impact are within the warning range if the G value in the rotational direction and the G value in the vertical direction of the vehicle 20 exceed the warning values. Regarding speed exceeding, the server 40 determines that the speed is within the warning range if the speed exceeds the warning value.

[0091] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing a list of detailed elements when evaluating the items of the fixed-time system.

[0092] Among the items of "fixed-time system", "quality", "safety", and "economy" shown in Figure 6, specific examples when the server 40 evaluates the item of the "fixed-time system" will be described below.

[0093] In this embodiment, the server 40 performs evaluation using a point deduction method and does not deduct points when a first warning (pre-warning) is issued. The server 40 obtains warning information as to whether a second warning (warning) has occurred based on the collected data of the driving behavior received from the in-vehicle device 24, and deducts points if the second warning has occurred. For example, when a state where route deviation, operation time, and rest are within the warning range continues for a predetermined time or more, the server 40 deducts 1 point, and further deducts 1 point each time it continues for a certain time or more. Also, when a state where the vehicle is still at a distance greater than the arrival warning distance even after the arrival time has passed continues for a second warning time or more, the server 40 deducts 1 point, and further deducts 1 point each time it continues for a certain time or more. For example, if the second warning time is 20 minutes and the certain time is 10 minutes, when a state where the vehicle is still at a distance greater than the arrival warning distance even after the arrival time has passed continues for 40 minutes, the server 40 deducts (40 - 20) / 10 = 2 points.

[0094] The server 40 calculates a comprehensive evaluation score by adding the values obtained by multiplying the points deducted from the full score for each evaluation item by a predetermined weighting factor. That is, the server 40 calculates the comprehensive evaluation score for the regular schedule according to the following formula (1).

[0095] (Full score - Points deducted for route deviation) × Weight of route deviation+(Full score - Points deducted for operation time) × Weight of operation time+(Full score - Points deducted for rest) × Weight of rest+(Full score - Points deducted for arrival time at the loading / unloading location) × Weight of arrival time at the loading / unloading location+(Full score - Points deducted for arrival time at the destination) × Weight of arrival time at the destination...(1)

[0096] Note that the server 40 functions as a setting unit and can freely set the weights according to the wishes of the transportation company 10. The weights for the evaluation items considered important by the transportation company 10 can be set to be large.

[0097] On the one hand, the "Quality" item shown in FIG. 6 is a comprehensive evaluation value calculated based on two evaluation items: cargo damage and quantity. Also, "Cargo Damage" is a comprehensive evaluation value calculated based on six evaluation items: sudden deceleration, sudden acceleration, sharp turning, impact, shipper evaluation, and consignee evaluation. For sudden deceleration, sudden acceleration, sharp turning, and impact, the server 40 evaluates them in a point deduction method in the same way as the "Fixed Time System". In the state where the first warning is generated, no points are deducted, and in the state where the second warning is generated, points are deducted. The shipper evaluation is an evaluation of the loading state of the goods loaded on the vehicle 20 by the shipper 30. The shipper evaluation can be selected and evaluated by the shipper 30 from, for example, three ranks: dangerous, ordinary, and careful. The consignee evaluation is an evaluation of the state of the received goods by the consignee 31. The consignee evaluation can be selected and evaluated by the consignee 31 from, for example, three ranks: severe, ordinary, and neat.

[0098] The quantity is evaluated by the consignee evaluation. The consignee evaluation of the quantity is an evaluation of the quantity of the goods by the consignee 31. The consignee evaluation of the quantity can be selected and evaluated by the consignee from, for example, two ranks: as ordered and below order. The server 40 calculates the comprehensive evaluation score of the quality by adding the values obtained by multiplying the scores of each evaluation item by weights in the same way as the fixed time system.

[0099] On the other hand, the "Safety" item shown in FIG. 6 is a comprehensive evaluation value calculated based on five evaluation items: sudden deceleration, sudden acceleration, sharp turning, drinking, and speeding. The economy is a comprehensive evaluation calculated based on two evaluation items: fuel consumption and vehicle body damage. The fuel consumption is obtained from the engine speed and speed, and the better the fuel consumption, the higher the evaluation. The vehicle body damage is a comprehensive evaluation of three evaluation items: sudden deceleration, sudden acceleration, and impact.

[0100] FIG. 8 is a front view showing an example of the display of the driver's evaluation result.

[0101] When the server 40 evaluates an operation, it transmits the evaluation result to the transportation management terminal 11 of the transportation company 10 or the like linked to the driver's ID. When the transportation management terminal 11 receives the evaluation result, it displays the evaluation result. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, in order to make it easy to understand the evaluation of the driver, a radar chart for each item of regular schedule, quality, safety, and economy may be displayed.

[0102] As described above, in the operation management agency system 100 of the present embodiment, the agency service provider operating the server 40 can easily increase profits through a business model that provides agency services to various users such as companies.

[0103] Also, even when each transportation company 10 employs a person it does not currently hire and uses them as a driver of the vehicle 20 as needed, by using the agency service of the server 40, it is possible to improve the quality of cargo transportation without increasing the burden on the administrator. Therefore, it is no longer necessary for the transportation company 10 to secure a dedicated administrator.

[0104] In addition, by the server 40 giving an appropriate incentive Ic to the transportation company 10 with improved evaluation, an improvement in the overall transportation quality of the transportation company 10 can be expected. Also, by the transportation company 10 or the server 40 giving an appropriate incentive Id to the driver with improved evaluation, it is possible to enhance the motivation of each driver and lead to further improvement in transportation quality.

[0105] Also, shippers 30 and consignees 31 such as companies can easily secure a means of high-quality cargo delivery by entrusting the transportation of cargo to the transportation company 10 using the agency service of the server 40. Also, by the shipper 30 and the consignee 31 correctly evaluating the driver, it is possible to improve the accuracy in evaluating the driver.

[0106] 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.

[0107] For example, in FIG. 3, the case where the geofences corresponding to the regions of the checkpoints P1, P2, and P3 are set, and the server 40 calculates the estimated arrival time tea at the unloading place PU by comparing the latitude and longitude of the current position acquired from each of the trucks A, B, and C with these geofences was described. However, instead of setting the geofences, the server 40 calculates the traveling distance based on the output of the in-vehicle GPS device 21 from the timing when each of the trucks A, B, and C enters the geofence of the departure point such as the loading place PL, and every time each of the trucks A, B, and C travels a certain distance, the remaining traveling distance and the time required until arrival at the unloading place PU may be calculated. Also, from the timing when each of the trucks A, B, and C enters the geofence of the departure point such as the loading place PL, the remaining traveling distance and the time required until arrival at the unloading place PU may be calculated at regular intervals (for example, every hour). Of course, the server 40 may implement a combination of these logics. According to the logic of calculating the remaining traveling distance etc. every time a certain distance is traveled, the server 40 can easily grasp the situation where each of the trucks A, B, and C is not traveling at all due to some factor. Also, according to the logic of calculating the remaining traveling distance etc. at regular intervals, the server 40 can suppress the communication frequency with the in-vehicle device 24.

[0108] In addition, in the above embodiment, the case where the server 40 performs evaluation by a point deduction method was described. However, if a simple point deduction method is adopted, the driver with a longer traveling distance will have more opportunities for point deduction, and there is a possibility that the fairness of the evaluation cannot be maintained. Therefore, the number of points deducted by the warning may be corrected according to the traveling distance. For example, as the evaluation value, the value obtained by dividing the number of points deducted by the traveling distance may be used.

[0109] In the above-described embodiment, the case where the driver evaluation value Vd is calculated for each driver has been described. However, if there is a one-to-one relationship between a vehicle such as a truck and a driver, the driver evaluation value Vd may be associated with the vehicle. Also, when traveling a long distance, a plurality of drivers may ride in the vehicle. In this case, the server 40 identifies which driver is driving and distinguishes the evaluations for each driver. As a method for identifying a driver, for example, ID authentication using a fingerprint or character input can be performed with a terminal such as a smartphone carried by the driver during transportation, or an image of the driver can be acquired using an in-vehicle camera for image authentication. For image authentication, for example, the server 40 records an image of the driver in advance in the operation management DB 44 or the like, and the server 40 compares the image acquired from the vehicle 20 with the recorded image.

[0110] In the above-described embodiment, it has been explained that the server 40 can act on behalf of giving incentives to the driver. However, when the server 40 does not act on behalf of giving incentives, for example, the server 40 may generate information such as which driver should be given an incentive or how to distribute the incentives to the drivers, and provide the information to the transportation company. In this case, the transportation company can independently give incentives to the drivers based on the provided information.

[0111] Here, the features of the operation management agency system according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention are briefly summarized and listed as follows [1] to [5]. [1] A logistics company (transportation company 10) that manages one or more vehicles (20) available for transporting goods and transports the goods of a shipper (30) using the vehicle, and a business operator terminal (transportation management terminal 11 or smartphone 12) available to the logistics company, An in-vehicle device (24) mounted on the vehicle, including a position detection function (in-vehicle GPS device 21) for grasping at least the position information of the own vehicle, a notification function (notification device 22) capable of notifying an alarm to the driver of the vehicle, and a wireless communication function (wireless communication unit 23). A server (40) including a function of substituting at least a part of the management operations of the vehicle and the driver in the logistics operator. The server detects, for each vehicle, a situation requiring an alarm based on the information transmitted from the in-vehicle device of each vehicle and the operation plan created in advance (S17 to S20), and directly gives an alarm to the driver of the corresponding vehicle by using the notification function without the intervention of the operator terminal (S21). The server notifies the operator terminal of information indicating the state of the vehicle or the driver (S23). An operation management substitution system (100).

[0112] According to the operation management substitution system having the configuration of [1] above, for example, even when a driver whose abilities and behavior tendencies are not grasped, such as a person not employed by the transportation company 10, is employed each time to drive the vehicle 20 and transport the goods, by using the substitution service provided by the server 40, it becomes easy to improve the quality of goods transportation. In particular, since an alarm can be given to the driver under the control of the server 40, the burden on the administrator who monitors each driver and each vehicle at the transportation management terminal 11 can be significantly reduced. In addition, the administrator can easily perform operations such as necessary communication based on the information notified from the server 40 to the transportation management terminal 11.

[0113] [2] The server preferentially notifies the operator terminal of at least information on a vehicle with a high priority or a driver with a high priority (management data D10) based on the information transmitted from the in-vehicle device of each vehicle and the operation plan created in advance (S23). The operation management substitution system according to [1] above.

[0114] According to the operation management substitution system having the configuration of [2] above, the administrator of the transportation company 10 can instantaneously grasp the situation of a specific vehicle or a specific driver that should be preferentially dealt with, such as a vehicle in which a large transportation delay is occurring, based on the information notified from the server 40 to the transportation management terminal 11 or the like. Therefore, the burden on the administrator for improving the quality of goods transportation can be reduced.

[0115] [3] The server calculates an ability evaluation value (driver evaluation value Vd) for each driver (S31), and calculates an evaluation value of the transportation quality (transportation company evaluation value Vc) for each logistics company (S32). For a logistics company whose transportation quality has improved by a predetermined amount or more, a profit reduction process for giving an incentive (Ic) according to the transportation quality from the service provider that operates the server is performed (S34, S35). The operation management agency system according to the above [1] or [2].

[0116] According to the operation management agency system having the configuration of the above [3], a logistics company whose transportation quality has improved by a predetermined amount or more can reduce a part or all of the incentive Ic returned from the server 40 to the driver who actually transported the luggage as an incentive Id. By giving the incentive Id, the motivation of the driver is increased, and a further improvement in transportation quality is expected.

[0117] [4] The server provides the calculated ability evaluation value for each driver and information on its change to the business operator terminal (S36). The operation management agency system according to the above [3].

[0118] According to the operation management agency system having the configuration of the above [4], the logistics company can easily grasp a specific driver who has actually contributed to the incentive Ic and the degree thereof based on the information notified from the server 40 to the transportation management terminal 11 or the like. Therefore, it becomes easy for the logistics company to distribute an appropriate incentive Id to an appropriate specific driver.

[0119] [5] The server monitors the occurrence of rough driving operations and operation delays by the driver based on the information transmitted from the in-vehicle device of each vehicle and the operation plan created in advance (S18, S19), and reflects the monitoring results in the ability evaluation value for each driver (S28). The operation management agency system according to any one of the above [1] to [4].

[0120] According to the operation management agency system with the above configuration [5], logistics companies and the like can give a proper evaluation to drivers with a high ability to transport the goods in transit while maintaining a safer state, and drivers who do not increase their rest time more than necessary due to laziness.

Explanation of symbols

[0121] 10 Shipping company 11 Transportation management terminal 12 Smartphone 12a, 12b, 12c Management screens 20 Vehicle 21 In-vehicle GPS device 22 Notification device 23 Wireless communication unit 24 In-vehicle unit 30 Shipper 30a Shipper terminal 31 Consignee 31a Consignee terminal 40 Server 41 Order acceptance management agency department 42 Transportation management agency department 43 Driver management agency department 44 Operation management DB 44a Evaluation value DB %51 Internet 52 Wireless communication network 100 Operation management agency system DR Remaining driving distance iA, iB, iC Management data items Ic, Id Incentive PL Loading location PU Unloading location P1, P2, P3 Checkpoints PRI Response priority tea Estimated arrival time tR Remaining time TR Driving time Trec Repair time value Vc Shipping company evaluation value Vd Driver evaluation value

Claims

1. One or more vehicles available for transporting goods, an operator terminal available to a logistics operator who manages the vehicles and transports the shipper's goods using the vehicles, An in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle, including at least a position detection function for grasping the position information of the vehicle itself, a notification function capable of notifying an alarm to the driver of the vehicle, and a wireless communication function, A server including a function of substituting at least a part of the management operations of the vehicle and the driver in the logistics operator, The server detects a situation requiring an alarm for each vehicle based on the information transmitted from the in-vehicle device of each vehicle and the operation plan created in advance, and directly gives an alarm to the driver of the corresponding vehicle using the notification function by the server without the intervention of the operator terminal. The server notifies the operator terminal of information indicating the state of the vehicle or the driver. The server calculates an ability evaluation value for each driver and calculates an evaluation value of the transportation quality for each logistics operator. For a logistics operator whose transportation quality has improved by a predetermined level or more, the server performs a profit reduction process for giving an incentive according to the transportation quality from the service operator operating the server. An operation management substitution system.

2. Based on the information transmitted from the in-vehicle device of each vehicle and the operation plan created in advance, the server preferentially notifies the operator terminal of information on at least the vehicle with a high priority or the driver with a high priority. The operation management substitution system according to Claim 1.

3. The server provides the operator terminal with the calculated ability evaluation value for each driver and information on its change. The operation management substitution system according to Claim 1.

4. One or more vehicles available for transporting goods, an operator terminal available to a logistics operator who manages the vehicles and transports the shipper's goods using the vehicles, An in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle, including at least a position detection function for grasping the position information of the vehicle itself, a notification function capable of notifying an alarm to the driver of the vehicle, and a wireless communication function, A server including a function of substituting at least a part of the management operations of the vehicle and the driver in the logistics operator, The server detects, for each vehicle, a situation in which an alarm is necessary based on the information transmitted from the in-vehicle device of each vehicle and the operation plan created in advance, and the server directly gives an alarm to the driver of the corresponding vehicle by using the notification function without the intervention of the operator terminal. The server notifies the operator terminal of information indicating the state of the vehicle or the driver. Based on the information transmitted from the in-vehicle device of each vehicle and the operation plan created in advance, the server monitors rough driving operations by the driver and the occurrence of operation delays, and reflects the monitoring results in the ability evaluation value for each driver. Operation management agency system.

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