Logistics matching system, logistics matching method, and program

Abstract

The present invention provides a logistics matching system comprising an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality pieces of bid information for a logistics-related request and a determination unit that determines a successful bid price to be a price higher than the lowest price among bid prices respectively indicated by the plurality of pieces of bid information acquired by the acquisition unit.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a logistics matching system, a logistics matching method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there is known a technique for matching an orderer of transportation and delivery in logistics with an order recipient such as a transport company (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-259522 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the prior art, there are cases where the winning bid price for a logistics request is not appropriate. It is desirable that the winning bid price be automatically determined to be an appropriate amount, for example. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A logistics matching system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires multiple pieces of bidding information for logistics requests, and a determination unit that determines the winning bid amount to be an amount higher than the lowest bid amount indicated in each of the multiple pieces of bidding information acquired by the acquisition unit, and the determination unit determines the winning bid amount by determining an amount to be added to the bid amount submitted by the bidder based on information about the bidder providing the bidding information. A logistics matching system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires multiple pieces of bidding information for logistics requests, and a determination unit that determines the winning bid amount to be an amount higher than the lowest bid amount indicated in each of the multiple pieces of bidding information acquired by the acquisition unit, and the determination unit determines the winning bidder based on the information of the bidder providing the bidding information, assuming that the bidder has bid an amount lower than the actual bid amount. A logistics matching system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires multiple pieces of bidding information for logistics requests, and a determination unit that determines the winning bid amount to be an amount higher than the lowest bid amount indicated in each of the multiple pieces of bidding information acquired by the acquisition unit, and the determination unit determines the winning bid amount based on information about a successful bidder that is determined from the bidders who provide the bidding information. A logistics matching system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires multiple pieces of bidding information for logistics requests, and a determination unit that determines the winning bid price to be an amount higher than the lowest bid amount indicated in each of the multiple pieces of bidding information acquired by the acquisition unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the winning bid price for a logistics request can be automatically determined to be an appropriate amount. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a bidding system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing of the bidding system according to the embodiment. [Figure 5A] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an order DB according to the embodiment. [Figure 5B] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a bid DB according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for determining a successful bidder and a successful bid amount according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] The following description of the present invention is based on the premise that it complies with the legal requirements of the country or region in which the technology according to the present invention is implemented.

[0009] <System configuration> FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the system configuration of a logistics matching system according to an embodiment. In the following description, the logistics matching system 1 will be referred to as a bidding system 1 as appropriate. In FIG. 1, the bidding system 1 includes an information processing device 10, an order terminal 20A, an order terminal 20B, an order terminal 20C, a bidding terminal 30A, a bidding terminal 30B, and a bidding terminal 30C. In the following description, when the order terminals are not distinguished, any one of the multiple order terminals will be referred to as 20. In the following description, when the order terminals are not distinguished, any one of the multiple bidding terminals will be referred to as 30. Note that the number of order terminals 20 and the number of bidding terminals 30 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 1. Furthermore, at least one of the information processing device 10, the order terminal 20, and the bidding terminal 30 may be the logistics matching system according to an embodiment.

[0010] The information processing device 10 and the order terminal 20 are connected via a network N. The information processing device 10 and the bidding terminal 30 are connected via a network N. The network N includes, for example, one or both of the Internet and a network N such as a mobile phone network.

[0011] The order terminal 20 is an information processing device operated by an orderer who places an order for logistics work such as the transportation and delivery of luggage. The orderer is, for example, a shipper. The bidding terminal 30 is an information processing device operated by a bidder who places a bid in response to an order placed by the orderer. The bidder is, for example, a transportation and delivery company.

[0012] The information processing device 10, for example, conducts competitive bidding based on an order from the orderer, and matches the orderer with the bidders by determining bidders that meet the conditions. The successful bidder is called, for example, the successful bidder, contractor, or recipient. The term "order" may be interpreted as "request" or a synonym thereof as appropriate in this specification.

[0013] <Hardware configuration> FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment. The information processing device according to an embodiment may be referred to as a terminal or a computer system. The information processing device may be a stationary computer such as a desktop PC, or a portable computer such as a laptop, tablet, or smartphone, or may include other types of computers. Here, it is assumed that the information processing device in FIG. 2 is the information processing device 10 shown in FIG. 1. The hardware configuration of the ordering terminal 20 and the hardware configuration of the bidding terminal 30 shown in FIG. 1 may be the same as the hardware configuration of the information processing device 10, or may be different from the hardware configuration of the information processing device 10.

[0014] The information processing device 10 includes a drive device 100, an auxiliary storage device 102, a memory device 103, a CPU 104, an interface device 105, a display device 106, and an input device 107. These components are interconnected by a bus B.

[0015] The information processing device 10 executes various processes according to a program. The program that causes the information processing device 10 to execute the processes is provided by a storage medium 101. The storage medium 101 includes, for example, a portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD disc, or a USB memory. When the storage medium 101 storing the program is set in the drive device 100, the program is installed from the storage medium 101 to the auxiliary storage device 102 via the drive device 100. The auxiliary storage device 102 retains the stored information even when, for example, the power supply is cut off. The auxiliary storage device 102 includes, for example, a rewritable storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or a flash memory.

[0016] The installed program may be provided by a method different from that using the storage medium 101. Various programs according to the embodiments may be provided from another computer via a network. The auxiliary storage device 102 may store other information about the program that causes the information processing device 10 to execute processing. The auxiliary storage device 102 may store information used in processing in the information processing device 10, or may store information generated by processing in the information processing device 10. The storage medium 101 and the auxiliary storage device 102 are each a computer-readable storage medium.

[0017] The memory device 103 reads and stores a program from the auxiliary storage device 102 when an instruction to start the program is received. The CPU 104, for example, realizes functions related to the information processing device 10 in accordance with the program stored in the memory device 103. The interface device 105 is used as an interface for connecting to a network. The display device 106 is a display that displays a graphical user interface (GUI) or the like according to a program. The input device 107 accepts information input by, for example, being operated by a user. The input device 107 includes, for example, a mouse, a touchpad, or a keyboard. The display device 106 and the input device 107 may be integrated into a touch panel.

[0018] <Functional configuration> Next, a functional configuration of the bidding system 1 according to the embodiment will be described. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the information processing device 10 according to the embodiment.

[0019] The information processing device 10 includes a storage unit 11, a transmission / reception unit 12, an acquisition unit 13, a setting unit 14, a determination unit 15, and a control unit 16. These units are referred to as functional units as appropriate. At least one of the functional units may be realized by cooperation between one or more programs installed in the information processing device 10 and a general-purpose processor (e.g., CPU 104) of the information processing device 10. At least some of the functional units may be realized by an application specific integrated circuit.

[0020] The storage unit 11 stores various types of information related to bidding. The storage unit 11 includes, for example, an order database 111 and a bid database 112. In the following description, the database will be referred to as DB where appropriate.

[0021] The transmitting / receiving unit 12 communicates with the ordering terminal 20 and the bidding terminal 30. The acquiring unit 13 acquires data transmitted and received by the transmitting / receiving unit 12 and data stored in the storage unit 11.

[0022] The setting unit 14 sets various pieces of information related to bidding. The determination unit 15 determines various pieces of information related to bidding. The control unit 16 controls each unit of the information processing device 10.

[0023] <Processing> Next, an example of the processing of the bidding system 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the processing of the bidding system 1 according to the embodiment. Note that the order terminal 20 and the bidding terminal 30 may each be authenticated by user authentication or the like and be able to access the information processing device 10. For example, a user may be able to log in to an account managed by the information processing device 10 by providing the identification information and password of the account via the order terminal 20.

[0024] In step S1, the ordering terminal 20 accepts an ordering operation from an orderer. The ordering terminal 20 accepts input of, for example, order details for logistics-related work from the orderer. In this specification, the term "work" may be appropriately interpreted as business, processing, work, or synonyms thereof.

[0025] Next, the ordering terminal 20 transmits the ordering information to the information processing device 10 (step S2). The ordering information includes, for example, order identification information, orderer information, order content, and bidding deadline information. The ordering information does not need to include at least one of these pieces of information, or may include information different from these pieces of information. The order identification information is identification information that can distinguish each order from other orders. In the following description, the identification information will be referred to as an ID as appropriate. The order ID may be generated by the ordering terminal 20 based on an orderer ID for distinguishing the orderer, the time of order, etc. The orderer ID may be an ID used when logging in to an account managed by the information processing device 10 from the ordering terminal 20.

[0026] The orderer information is information about the orderer. The orderer information may include information such as the orderer's name, address, and telephone number. The order content is the content of the ordered logistics work. The order content may include conditions for performing the work. For example, the order content may include information indicating the package to be delivered, the location of the delivery source, the date and time (deadline) for picking up the package at the delivery source, the location of the delivery destination, the date and time (deadline) for delivering the package to the delivery destination, and at least one of the range of remuneration for delivery (range of acceptable bid amounts). The information indicating the range of remuneration includes information specifying either or both of the upper and lower limits of the remuneration. For example, the information indicating the range of remuneration includes either or both of the upper and lower limits of the remuneration. The information indicating the range of remuneration does not have to include either or both of the upper and lower limits of the remuneration. For example, the information indicating the range of remuneration may include a base value for the remuneration and a range relative to the base value. For example, if the standard value of the remuneration is 100,000 yen and the range for the standard value is 30,000 yen, the range of the remuneration is specified as between 70,000 yen and 130,000 yen. The bidding deadline is the deadline for accepting bids. The order information may not include some of the various information described above, or may include information different from the various information described above.

[0027] Next, the control unit 16 of the information processing device 10 records the received order information in the order DB 111 (step S3). FIG. 5A is a diagram showing an example of the order DB 111 according to the embodiment. In the example of FIG. 5A, the order DB 111 stores orderer information, order details, and bidding deadlines in association with an order ID. Note that at least a portion of the information (e.g., orderer information) stored in the order DB 111 shown in FIG. 5A may be registered in advance in the information processing device 10.

[0028] Returning to the explanation of Fig. 4, after the processing of step S2, the transmitter / receiver 12 of the information processing device 10 transmits at least a portion of the information included in the order information to each bidding terminal 30 (step S4). For example, the information processing device 10 transmits to each bidding terminal 30 the order information excluding the range of remuneration specified by the purchaser, the telephone number of the purchaser, etc.

[0029] Next, each bidding terminal 30 determines a bid amount, etc. based on the received order information (step S5). For example, the bidding terminal 30 determines the bid amount based on the dates and times indicated in the order details, the number of personnel performing transportation and delivery, the availability of vehicles, and the order frequency of other projects predicted by AI or the like. If the dates and times indicated in the order details fall within a predetermined period (e.g., a busy season), the bidding terminal 30 may determine the bid amount to be higher than if the dates and times indicated in the order details fall outside the predetermined period. The bidding terminal 30 may also determine the bid amount in other ways. For example, the bidding terminal 30 may determine the bid amount to be the amount specified by the bidder.

[0030] Next, each bidding terminal 30 transmits bidding information including information such as the bid amount to the information processing device 10 (step S6). The bidding information includes, for example, an order ID, a bid ID, bidder information, and bid details. The order ID is the order ID included in the order information received by the bidding terminal 30. The bid ID is identification information for the bid. The bid ID may be generated by the bidding terminal 30 based on a bidder ID for distinguishing bidders, the time of bidding, etc. For example, the bidder ID may be information required for authentication when logging in to an account for a service provided by the bidding system 1.

[0031] The bidder information is information about the bidder. The bidder information includes, for example, the bidder's name, address, and telephone number. The bid content may include the terms of the order submitted by the bidder. For example, the bid content may include information such as the bid amount.

[0032] Next, the control unit 16 of the information processing device 10 records each piece of received bid information in the bid DB 112 (step S7). FIG. 5B is a diagram showing an example of the bid DB 112 according to the embodiment. In the example of FIG. 5B, the bid DB 112 records bidder information and bid details in association with a pair of an order ID and a bid ID. Note that at least a portion of the information (e.g., bidder information) recorded in the order DB 111 shown in FIG. 5A may be registered in advance in the information processing device 10.

[0033] Returning to the explanation of FIG. 4, the information processing device 10 determines a successful bidder and a winning bid amount based on each piece of bidding information (step S8). For example, the setting unit 14 sets at least a part of the conditions for a successful bid, and the determination unit 15 determines the winning bid amount and a successful bidder based on each piece of bidding information that matches the conditions set by the setting unit 14. An example of the processing of step S8 will be described later with reference to FIG. 6. In this specification, the winning bid amount corresponds to the value that the orderer of the work plans to pay as consideration for the work, and may differ from the amount of consideration presented by the successful bidder as a condition for accepting the order.

[0034] The conditions for a successful bid include, for example, a range of acceptable bid prices. For example, the above-mentioned purchaser information includes information specifying a range of remuneration, and the setting unit 14 sets the conditions for a successful bid using the purchaser information. The determination unit 15 determines, for example, the bidder who has submitted the lowest bid among the bid prices indicated in the bidding information that match the conditions set by the setting unit 14 as the successful bidder. Furthermore, the determination unit 15 determines, as the successful bid price, an amount higher than the lowest bid price among the bid prices indicated in the bidding information that match the conditions set by the setting unit 14.

[0035] Next, the transmitter / receiver 12 of the information processing device 10 transmits a successful bid notification to the bidding terminal 30 of the bidder determined as the successful bidder (step S9). Here, the successful bid notification may include, for example, information on the determined successful bid price.

[0036] Next, the transmitter / receiver 12 of the information processing device 10 transmits the winning bid information to the order terminal 20 (step S10). The winning bid information includes, for example, the identification information of the successful bidder and information on the determined winning bid price. The winning bid information does not have to include one or both of the identification information of the successful bidder and information on the determined winning bid price. The winning bid information may include information different from both the identification information of the successful bidder and information on the determined winning bid price. For example, the winning bid information may include a code required to access the identification information of the successful bidder and information on the determined winning bid price.

[0037] Next, an example of the process of step S8 in Fig. 4 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the process of determining a successful bidder and a successful bid price according to the embodiment.

[0038] In step S101, the setting unit 14 sets a range of acceptable bid prices based on the order information received from the ordering terminal 20, etc. The setting unit 14 sets an upper limit and a lower limit of acceptable bid prices as the range of acceptable bid prices. Next, the determination unit 15 excludes bid information with bid prices outside the range of acceptable bid prices (step S102). For example, the determination unit 15 extracts bid information with bid prices within the range from among the bid information received from each bidding terminal 30. The determination unit 15 may treat bid information with bid prices within the range as valid and bid information with bid prices within the range as invalid. By setting a range of bid prices in this way, intentional or negligent bids such as 1 yen or 10 times the normal bid price can be filtered out in advance. This can reduce, for example, bids being awarded at prices that are not profitable for logistics companies (dumping, etc.).

[0039] Next, the determination unit 15 determines the bidder with the lowest bid amount as the successful bidder (step S103). For example, the determination unit 15 identifies the bid information with the lowest bid amount from the bid information extracted in step S102. The determination unit 15 determines the bidder indicated in the identified bid information as the successful bidder. When there is a plurality of bid information with the same bid amount, the determination unit 15 determines the bidder indicated in the bid information with the earliest date and time acquired by the acquisition unit 13 as the successful bidder. When there is a plurality of bid information with the same bid amount, the determination unit 15 may determine the successful bidder from the plurality of bidders indicated in the plurality of bid information with the same bid amount using information other than the date and time acquired by the acquisition unit 13. For example, the determination unit 15 may determine the successful bidder using information about the bidder (e.g., the bidder's work performance, level of safety management).

[0040] Next, the determination unit 15 determines an amount higher than the lowest bid amount as the winning bid amount (step S104). For example, the determination unit 15 determines an amount higher than the lowest bid amount among the bid amounts indicated in the bidding information extracted in step S102 as the winning bid amount. For example, the determination unit 15 selects the winning bid amount from the bid amounts excluding the lowest bid amount among the bid amounts indicated in the bidding information extracted in step S102. For example, the determination unit 15 determines the second lowest bid amount among the bid amounts indicated in the bidding information extracted in step S102 as the winning bid amount. In this way, the determination unit 15 may use the bid amounts indicated in the bidding information extracted in step S102 as a population and select the winning bid amount from this population.

[0041] The determination unit 15 may calculate the winning bid price using one or more bid prices included in the population as parameters. For example, the determination unit 15 may calculate the average of two or more bid prices included in the population and determine this average as the winning bid price. The determination unit 15 may perform an operation including at least one of the four arithmetic operations on one bid price included in the population and determine the result of the operation as the winning bid price. The coefficient used in the four arithmetic operations may be a fixed value or a variable value. If a successful bidder is determined before the winning bid price, the variable value may be determined based on information about the successful bidder. The determination unit 15 may determine the winning bid price to be an amount higher than the lowest bid price, including bid prices outside the range of bid prices. The bidding system 1 may not include the setting unit 14, and the processes of steps S101 and S102 may not be executed. The determination unit 15 may determine a successful bidder excluding bid information whose bids are determined to be invalid, and may determine the winning bid price excluding bid information whose bids are determined to be invalid. The determination unit 15 may determine the successful bidder by excluding bidding information for which the bid is determined to be invalid, and may determine the successful bid amount using bidding information for which the bid is determined to be valid and bidding information for which the bid is determined to be invalid.

[0042] In an embodiment, the determination unit 15 determines the winning bid price to be higher than the lowest bid price among the bid prices indicated in each of the multiple bid information. This, for example, reduces winning bids at prices that put pressure on businesses (e.g., unprofitable bids) and reduces practices such as cutting back on logistics companies' wages and benefits, thereby improving the quality of services in transportation and delivery, etc. Furthermore, if the winning bid price for a bidder is higher than the bid price, bidding is expected to be promoted. When bidding is promoted, for example, the number of bidders who are potential winners increases, improving the success rate of matching orders with orders. This prevents logistics companies that can perform transportation and delivery from waiting without receiving an order, improving the utilization rate of logistics companies. Therefore, stable logistics can be maintained, even in a society with a declining labor force. Furthermore, improving the success rate of matching may allow a contractor to reduce the cost of securing logistics companies. The bidding system 1 according to the embodiment automatically executes at least a portion of the above-described process related to matching orders with orders, thereby reducing the human burden involved in matching, for example. Furthermore, since matching can be done faster than when a human performs the process, missed timing for receiving orders is reduced.

[0043] The setting unit 14 may set only the upper limit of the acceptable bid price, or may set only the lower limit of the acceptable bid price. When a range of remuneration is specified by the purchaser, the setting unit 14 may set the range of acceptable bid prices based on the specified range of remuneration. For example, when only an upper limit of the remuneration is specified by the purchaser, the setting unit 14 may set the upper limit as the upper limit of the range of acceptable bid prices.

[0044] The setting unit 14 may infer a range of market prices for bids and set the inferred range as the range of acceptable bids. For example, the setting unit 14 may derive the range of bids using an inference model that uses machine learning such as deep learning. This inference model is obtained by machine learning using learning data in which information indicating the content of work previously ordered is used as input data and the winning bid amount is used as output data. The machine learning may be performed by an information processing device included in the bidding system 1 or by an information processing device external to the bidding system 1. The bidding system 1 may include a storage unit that stores at least one of information on work previously ordered, information on bids for the work, and information on successful bids for the work. The storage unit may provide information used in the machine learning to the information processing device that performs the machine learning.

[0045] In addition, the setting unit 14 may not use purchaser information or may use information other than purchaser information in the process of setting the conditions for successful bids. For example, the setting unit 14 may use bid information to set at least a part of the conditions for successful bids. For example, the setting unit 14 may calculate a range of possible successful bid prices using statistical values ​​of multiple bid prices indicated in multiple pieces of bid information. The statistical values ​​may include at least one of the mean, median, mode, standard deviation, and variance. The setting unit 14 may calculate the average of the multiple bid prices as a reference value for the range of bid prices, and calculate a predetermined ratio of the average value as the width (full width or half width) of the range of bid prices. For example, if the average bid price is 100,000 yen and the predetermined ratio is 25%, the setting unit 14 may calculate the half width of the range of bid prices as 50,000 yen and the range of bid prices as between 50,000 yen and 150,000 yen. In addition, the information processing device 10 may not set the conditions for successful bids, and may not include the setting unit 14.

[0046] The determination unit 15 may select the winning bid amount from the bid amounts excluding the lowest bid amount among the bid amounts indicated in each of the multiple pieces of bidding information. Here, it is assumed that the bid amounts indicated in the multiple pieces of bidding information are 10,000 yen, 30,000 yen, 70,000 yen, and 80,000 yen, respectively. The determination unit 15 excludes the lowest bid amount of 10,000 yen and selects the winning bid amount from 30,000 yen, 70,000 yen, or 80,000 yen. For example, the determination unit 15 determines the Nth lowest bid amount among the bid amounts indicated in each piece of bidding information as the winning bid amount. N is an integer equal to or greater than 2 and is set arbitrarily. N may be a fixed value, a variable value, or may be specified in the order information. When N=2, the determination unit 15 determines the second lowest bid amount of 30,000 yen as the winning bid amount.

[0047] The determination unit 15 may calculate the winning bid price from the bid prices excluding the lowest bid price among the bid prices indicated in each of the multiple pieces of bid information. For example, the determination unit 15 may calculate the average value of the bid prices excluding the lowest bid price, and determine the average price or a value obtained by rounding the average price as the winning bid price. For example, the determination unit 15 may exclude the lowest bid price of 10,000 yen, and determine the winning bid price to be 60,000 yen, which is the average of the bid prices of 30,000 yen, 70,000 yen, and 80,000 yen.

[0048] The determination unit 15, for example, determines the winning bid price by excluding bid prices outside the range set by the setting unit 14 from among the bid prices indicated in the multiple pieces of bidding information. For example, the determination unit 15 may invalidate bids with bid prices outside the range set by the setting unit 14 and determine the winning bid price. Here, the range set by the setting unit 14 is assumed to be 20,000 yen or more. The determination unit 15 may exclude 10,000 yen, which is a bid price outside the range, and determine an amount higher than the lowest of the remaining bid prices of 30,000 yen, 70,000 yen, and 80,000 yen as the winning bid price. For example, the determination unit 15 may exclude bid prices outside the range from among the bid prices indicated in each piece of bidding information and determine the Mth lowest amount as the winning bid price. M is an integer equal to or greater than 1. M may be a fixed value, a variable value, or may be specified in the order information. When M=1, the determination unit 15 excludes the bid price of 10,000 yen and determines the lowest bid price of 30,000 yen as the winning bid price.

[0049] The determining unit 15 may determine the winning bid amount using a function and change the function based on the bid information acquired by the acquiring unit 13. For example, the first function is a function that excludes bid amounts outside the range set by the setting unit 14 from among the bid amounts indicated in the plurality of bid information, identifies the lowest bid amount from among the remaining bid amounts, and determines the identified amount as the winning bid amount. If there are no bid amounts outside the range set by the setting unit 14, assuming that the determining unit 15 uses the first function, the winning bid amount is determined to be the lowest bid amount from among the bid amounts indicated in the plurality of bid information. In such a case, the determining unit 15 determines the winning bid amount using a second function different from the first function so that the winning bid amount is higher than the lowest bid amount from among the bid amounts indicated in each of the plurality of bid information. The second function is, for example, a function that excludes bid amounts outside the range set by the setting unit 14 from among the bid amounts indicated in the plurality of bid information, identifies the M-th lowest bid amount from among the remaining bid amounts, and determines the M-th lowest bid amount as the winning bid amount, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The second function may be a function that determines the successful bid price without excluding bid prices outside the range set by the setting unit 14 from among the bid prices indicated in the plurality of pieces of bid information.

[0050] The function for determining the winning bid amount is not limited to the above example and may be determined arbitrarily. For example, the first function may be a function that calculates the winning bid amount (e.g., the average of the bid amounts) from two or more bid amounts indicated in the plurality of pieces of bidding information, and the second function may be a function that selects the winning bid amount from two or more bid amounts indicated in the plurality of pieces of bidding information. When the successful bidder is determined before the winning bid amount, the determination unit 15 may determine the winning bid amount based on the information about the successful bidder. The information about the successful bidder may include at least one piece of information about the track record of work that the successful bidder has received in the past, the number of times that the successful bidder has won bids in the past, and safety management when the successful bidder performs the work.

[0051] The condition for switching the function for determining the winning bid amount is not limited to the above example and can be determined arbitrarily. The condition for switching the function may be a condition related to the number of bids received this time. For example, the determination unit 15 may determine the winning bid amount using a first function when the number of bids is less than a threshold, and may determine the winning bid amount using a second function when the number of bids is equal to or greater than the threshold. The condition for switching the function may include a condition related to the work to be ordered. The condition for the work to be ordered may include a condition related to at least one of the importance, difficulty, and priority of the work. When a successful bidder is determined before the winning bid amount, the condition for switching the function may include a condition related to the successful bidder. The condition related to the successful bidder may include a condition related to at least one of the bidder's track record of past work orders, the number of times the successful bidder has won bids in the past, and safety management when the successful bidder performs the work. For example, the second function may be a function that determines a winning bid amount higher than the first function. The determination unit 15 may determine the winning bid price using a first function if the level of safety management when the successful bidder performs the work is below a threshold, and may determine the winning bid price using a second function if the level of safety management when the successful bidder performs the work is above the threshold.

[0052] The determination unit 15 may determine the winning bid price based on the second lowest bid price among the bid prices indicated in each of the extracted multiple pieces of bid information. In this case, the determination unit 15 may determine the second lowest bid price as the winning bid price, or may determine the amount calculated using the second lowest bid price as a parameter as the winning bid price. The determination unit 15 may determine the winning bid price using a calculation method according to the number of pieces of extracted bid information. When the number of bids is small, the variance in bid prices may become large, and for example, the difference between the lowest bid price and the second lowest bid price may become large. In such a case, the determination unit 15 may switch the logic for determining the winning bid price (e.g., a function, a formula for calculating the winning bid price) according to the number of pieces of bid information so as to determine the winning bid price taking into account the variance in bid prices (e.g., the difference between bid prices).

[0053] For example, when the number of pieces of extracted bid information is one, the determination unit 15 may determine the successful bid price based on the bid price indicated in the bid information. Also, when the number of pieces of extracted bid information is two, the determination unit 15 may determine the successful bid price based on the average value of the bid prices indicated in the two pieces of extracted bid information. Also, when the number of pieces of extracted bid information is three or more, the determination unit 15 may determine the successful bid price by excluding the lowest bid price.

[0054] The determination unit 15 may determine the winning bid price according to the degree of discrepancy between the lowest bid price and the second lowest bid price. The degree of discrepancy may be, for example, the ratio between the lowest bid price and the second lowest bid price, or the difference between the lowest bid price and the second lowest bid price. If the degree of discrepancy is equal to or greater than a threshold, the determination unit 15 may determine the winning bid price based on the average value of the lowest bid price and the second lowest bid price. Here, the ratio between the lowest bid price and the second lowest bid price is the degree of discrepancy, and the threshold is 1.4. If the lowest bid price is 100,000 yen and the second lowest bid price is 200,000 yen, the degree of discrepancy is 1.5, which is equal to or greater than the threshold. In this case, the determination unit 15 may determine the winning bid price to be 150,000 yen, which is the average value of the two bid prices.

[0055] The determination unit 15 may determine the winning bid amount based on the bid amount by each bidder and the bidder information. For example, the acquisition unit 13 may acquire the bidder information from the bid DB 112 shown in FIG. 5B , and the determination unit 15 may determine the winning bid amount using the bidder information acquired by the acquisition unit 13. For example, the determination unit 15 may determine a first amount (e.g., the second lowest bid amount) as the winning bid amount when the bidder information does not satisfy a predetermined condition, and may determine a second amount higher than the first amount as the winning bid amount when the bidder information satisfies the predetermined condition.

[0056] For example, the bidder information may include information indicating whether the bidder has implemented a vehicle status monitoring system that monitors the vehicle status (e.g., maintenance status), and the predetermined condition may include a condition that the vehicle status monitoring system has been implemented. Furthermore, the bidder information may include information whether the bidder has implemented a health status monitoring system that monitors the health status (e.g., break taking status) of personnel engaged in transportation and delivery, and the predetermined condition may include a condition that the successful bidder has implemented a health status monitoring system. Furthermore, the bidder information may include information whether the bidder has implemented a driving status management system that manages the driving status of vehicles used for transportation and delivery, and the predetermined condition may include a condition that the successful bidder has implemented a driving status management system. The information indicating the driving status may include information regarding vehicle behavior and information regarding specific driving operations.

[0057] The bidder information may also include information indicating whether the vehicle used by the bidder for transportation or delivery complies with exhaust gas regulations, and the predetermined conditions may include a condition that the vehicle used by the successful bidder for transportation or delivery complies with exhaust gas regulations. The bidder information may also include information regarding the performance of the vehicle used by the bidder for transportation or delivery, and the predetermined conditions may include a condition that the performance of the vehicle used by the successful bidder for transportation or delivery meets a standard. The information regarding the vehicle performance may also include information regarding autonomous driving performance, and may also include the number of accidents per mileage for vehicles of the same model.

[0058] The bidder information may also include information indicating the number and type of incidents the bidder has had in the past during a specified period, and the specified condition may include a condition that the number and type of incidents the successful bidder has had in the past during a specified period are below a certain standard. The incidents may include dangerous driving behaviors such as forward collision warnings, impacts, and following distance warnings. The incidents may include violations of laws and regulations such as looking away, stopping, and speeding. The incidents may also include non-eco-driving operations such as sudden acceleration, sudden deceleration, and abrupt steering.

[0059] The determination unit 15 may determine a successful bidder based on the bid amount and bidder information of each bidder. For example, the acquisition unit 13 may acquire bidder information from the bid DB 112 shown in FIG. 5B, and the determination unit 15 may determine a successful bidder using the bidder information acquired by the acquisition unit 13. For example, the determination unit 15 calculates an index value using the bid amount and the bidder information, and determines a successful bidder using a ranking of the index values. The index value is calculated, for example, by setting the bid amount as a reference value and subtracting the reference value when the various predetermined conditions described above are met. For example, if the bid amount is 100,000 yen, the reference value is 100,000 points, and if one of the predetermined conditions described above is met, the index value is calculated as 95,000 points, which is obtained by subtracting 5,000 points from the reference value. For example, the determination unit 15 uses the index value instead of the bid amount and determines the bidder with the lowest index value as the successful bidder. In this case, a bidder whose bidder information satisfies the above-mentioned predetermined conditions is treated as having bid a lower amount than the actual bid amount in the process of determining the successful bidder, increasing the probability that the bidder will be determined as the successful bidder. The index value is used to determine the successful bidder, and the successful bid amount is determined using the actual bid amount. A bidder whose bidder information satisfies the above-mentioned predetermined conditions is, for example, a reputable business operator with high quality service, and this embodiment can increase the probability that a reputable business operator will win the bid.

[0060] The determination unit 15 may not determine a successful bidder. The information processing device 10 may generate a list of bidders using the bidding information acquired by the acquisition unit 13 and provide the generated list to the order terminal 20. The purchaser may select a successful bidder from the list of bidders displayed by the order terminal 20. The order terminal 20 may notify the information processing device 10 of the selected successful bidder. The information processing device 10 may narrow down candidates for the successful bidder from multiple bidders indicated in multiple pieces of bidding information and provide information on the candidates for the successful bidder to the order terminal 20. For example, the information processing device 10 may generate a list of candidates for the successful bidder, from the bidder with the lowest bid amount to the bidder with the Kth lowest bid amount as candidates for the successful bidder. K is an integer equal to or greater than 2 and may be a fixed value or a value specified in the order information. The determination unit 15 may determine the successful bid amount before determining the successful bidder. The determination unit 15 may extract bidding information with bid amounts lower than the determined successful bid amount and determine the successful bidder from the bidders in the extracted bidding information. The decision unit 15 may extract bidding information with bid prices lower than the decided successful bid price, and provide a list of bidders of the extracted bidding information to the ordering terminal 20 as a list of candidates for successful bidders.

[0061] The bidding system 1 may determine that the bid is not successful if the bid information does not satisfy the acceptance conditions. The acceptance conditions include, for example, a condition that the number of bid information acquired by the acquisition unit 13 during a predetermined period is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The predetermined value is a value that is set arbitrarily and may be 1 or 10. Here, it is assumed that the predetermined value is 1. The determination unit 15 determines that the bid is not successful if the number of bid information acquired by the acquisition unit 13 is 0. The acceptance conditions may include conditions other than the number of bid information acquired by the acquisition unit 13, and may include, for example, a condition that the number of bid information with a bid amount within the range of bid amounts set by the setting unit 14 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0062] If the bidding system 1 determines that the bid is not successful, it may change the conditions for accepting bids and accept bids again. For example, the bidding system 1 sets the range of bid amounts to a non-disclosed state by the setting unit 14 and accepts bid information, and if it determines that the bid is not successful, sets the range of bid amounts to a public state by the setting unit 14 and accepts bid information.

[0063] The non-disclosure state is a state in which the range of bid prices is not disclosed to bidders who provide bidding information. When the non-disclosure state is set, the transmitter / receiver 12 transmits order information that does not include information about the range of acceptable bid prices to each of the multiple bidding terminals 30 in the processing of step S4 shown in Fig. 4. The information processing device 10 may obtain order information that includes the range of acceptable bid prices from the order terminal 20, and provide order information that does not include the range of acceptable bid prices to the bidding terminals 30.

[0064] The open state is a state in which the range of bid prices is not made public to bidders who provide bidding information. After the information processing device 10 executes the process of step S4 in Fig. 4 in the closed state, if the decision unit 15 determines that the bid is unsuccessful, the setting unit 14 sets the state to the open state and executes the process of step S4 again. If the closed state is set, the transmitting / receiving unit 12 transmits order information including information on the range of bid prices that can be accepted to each of the multiple bidding terminals 30 in the process of step S4 shown in Fig. 4.

[0065] If the range of acceptable bid prices is not made public, bid prices will not be influenced by the range of bid prices, and fairness between the purchaser and bidders will be maintained. Also, if the range of acceptable bid prices is made public, those considering bidding can refer to this information to make it easier for them to decide whether to bid and what price to bid. According to the above-mentioned form, fairness between the purchaser and bidders can be maintained in a non-disclosed state, and by setting the range to a public state when it is determined that a bid is not successful, those considering bidding can be provided with information to make a decision.

[0066] Note that the bidding system 1 does not have to set the bid to a public state when it determines that the bid is unsuccessful. Regardless of the process when it determines that the bid is unsuccessful, the bidding system 1 can maintain fairness between the purchaser and the bidder by setting the bid to a private state.

[0067] <Modification of system configuration> Each functional unit of the information processing device 10 may be realized, for example, by cloud computing provided by one or more computers. The order terminal 20 and the information processing device 10 may be integrated into one device. At least one storage destination for information according to the embodiment may be a single storage device or may include multiple storage devices. At least one storage destination for information according to the embodiment may be a distributed ledger. The bidding system 1 may store order information and bid information in a distributed ledger. The information processing device 10 may provide, as a successful bid notification, an order ID of the order information stored in the distributed ledger to the bidding terminal 30 associated with the bidding information corresponding to the successful bidder among the bidding information stored in the distributed ledger. The information processing device 10 may provide, as successful bid information, the order ID of the order information stored in the distributed ledger and at least a portion of the bidding information corresponding to the successful bidder among the bidding information stored in the distributed ledger to the order terminal 20 associated with the order ID. The distributed ledger may include a part of the bidding system 1 (e.g., a storage unit of the information processing device 10).

[0068] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the aspects described in the above-mentioned embodiments. One or more of the requirements described in the above-mentioned embodiments may be omitted. The requirements described in the above-mentioned embodiments may be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, to the extent permitted by the laws and regulations of the country or region to which this specification applies, the disclosures of all documents cited in the above-mentioned embodiments are incorporated by reference into this specification. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 1. Bidding System 10. Information processing equipment 11 Storage section 111 Order DB 112 Bidding DB 12 Transmitter / Receiver 13 Acquisition Department 14 Setting section 15 Decision Section 16 Control Unit 20 Ordering terminal 30 Bidding Terminals

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of pieces of bidding information for requests related to logistics; a determination unit that determines a winning bid price to be higher than the lowest bid price indicated in each of the plurality of bid information items acquired by the acquisition unit, the determination unit determines the successful bid price using a first function when the number of bids for the request is less than a threshold, and determines the successful bid price using a second function different from the first function when the number of bids is equal to or greater than the threshold; the first function is a function that excludes bid amounts outside a set range from among the bid amounts indicated in the plurality of pieces of bid information, identifies the lowest bid amount from among the remaining bid amounts, and determines this amount as the successful bid amount; The second function is a function that, when M is an integer equal to or greater than 2, excludes bid amounts outside a set range from among the bid amounts indicated in the plurality of pieces of bid information, identifies the Mth lowest bid amount from among the remaining bid amounts, and determines this amount as the successful bid amount. Logistics matching system.

2. an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of pieces of bidding information for requests related to logistics; a determination unit that determines a winning bid price to be higher than the lowest bid price indicated in each of the plurality of bid information items acquired by the acquisition unit, When a successful bidder is determined before the successful bid price, the determination unit determines the successful bid price using a first function if the information of the successful bidder does not satisfy a predetermined condition, and determines the successful bid price using a second function if the information of the successful bidder satisfies the predetermined condition; the first function is a function that excludes bid amounts outside a set range from among the bid amounts indicated in the plurality of pieces of bid information, identifies the lowest bid amount from among the remaining bid amounts, and determines this amount as the successful bid amount; The second function is a function that determines a winning bid price higher than the first function. Logistics matching system.

3. The logistics matching system of claim 2, wherein the information about the successful bidder includes at least one of the following information: the track record of work that the successful bidder has received in the past; the number of times that the successful bidder has won bids in the past; and safety management when the successful bidder carries out the work.

4. the determination unit selects a winning bid price from bid prices excluding the lowest bid price among the bid prices indicated in each of the plurality of pieces of bid information.

3. A logistics matching system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. a setting unit for setting a range of bid prices; the determining unit determines the successful bid price by excluding bid prices indicated in the plurality of pieces of bid information that fall outside the range set by the setting unit.

3. A logistics matching system according to claim 1 or 2.

6. a setting unit for setting a range of bid prices; the determining unit determines the successful bid price by excluding bid prices indicated in the plurality of pieces of bid information that fall outside the range set by the setting unit; the setting unit sets the range of bid prices to a private state in which the range is not disclosed to bidders who provide the bid information, and if a successful bidder is not determined in the private state, sets the range of bid prices to a public state in which the range is disclosed to bidders.

3. A logistics matching system according to claim 1 or 2.

7. the determination unit determines the bidder who has submitted the lowest bid price among the bid prices indicated in each of the plurality of pieces of bid information as the successful bidder; 3. A logistics matching system according to claim 1 or 2.

8. the determination unit determines a successful bidder by determining that the bidder has bid an amount lower than the actual bid amount when the bidder's information satisfies a predetermined condition based on the information of the bidder providing the bidding information.

3. A logistics matching system according to claim 1 or 2.

9. The logistics matching system of claim 8, wherein the bidder information includes at least one of the bidder's track record of past work orders, the number of times the bidder has won bids in the past, and safety management when the bidder carries out the work.

10. The information processing device acquiring a plurality of pieces of bidding information for a request related to logistics; determining a winning bid price that is higher than the lowest bid price indicated in each of the plurality of pieces of acquired bid information; the determining step includes a step of determining the successful bid price using a first function when the number of bids for the request is less than a threshold, and determining the successful bid price using a second function different from the first function when the number of bids for the request is equal to or greater than the threshold; the first function is a function that excludes bid amounts outside a set range from among the bid amounts indicated in the plurality of pieces of bid information, identifies the lowest bid amount from among the remaining bid amounts, and determines this amount as the successful bid amount; The second function is a function that, when M is an integer equal to or greater than 2, excludes bid amounts outside a set range from among the bid amounts indicated in the plurality of pieces of bid information, identifies the Mth lowest bid amount from among the remaining bid amounts, and determines this amount as the successful bid amount. Logistics matching method.

11. The information processing device acquiring a plurality of pieces of bidding information for a request related to logistics; determining a winning bid price that is higher than the lowest bid price indicated in each of the plurality of pieces of acquired bid information; the determining step includes a step of determining the winning bid price by a first function when the successful bidder is determined before the successful bid price and when the information of the successful bidder does not satisfy a predetermined condition, and determining the winning bid price by a second function when the information of the successful bidder satisfies the predetermined condition; the first function is a function that excludes bid amounts outside a set range from among the bid amounts indicated in the plurality of pieces of bid information, identifies the lowest bid amount from among the remaining bid amounts, and determines this amount as the successful bid amount; The second function is a function that determines a winning bid price higher than the first function. Logistics matching method.

12. On the computer, acquiring a plurality of pieces of bidding information for a request related to logistics; determining a winning bid price that is higher than the lowest bid price indicated in each of the plurality of pieces of bid information that have been acquired; the determining step includes a step of determining the successful bid price using a first function when the number of bids for the request is less than a threshold, and a step of determining the successful bid price using a second function different from the first function when the number of bids for the request is equal to or greater than the threshold, the first function is a function that excludes bid amounts outside a set range from among the bid amounts indicated in the plurality of pieces of bid information, identifies the lowest bid amount from among the remaining bid amounts, and determines this amount as the successful bid amount; The second function is a function that, when M is an integer equal to or greater than 2, excludes bid amounts outside a set range from among the bid amounts indicated in the plurality of pieces of bid information, identifies the Mth lowest bid amount from among the remaining bid amounts, and determines this amount as the successful bid amount. program.

13. On the computer, acquiring a plurality of pieces of bidding information for a request related to logistics; determining a winning bid price that is higher than the lowest bid price indicated in each of the plurality of pieces of bid information that have been acquired; the determining step includes a step of determining the winning bid price by a first function when the successful bidder is determined before the successful bid price and when the information of the successful bidder does not satisfy a predetermined condition, and determining the winning bid price by a second function when the information of the successful bidder satisfies the predetermined condition; the first function is a function that excludes bid amounts outside a set range from among the bid amounts indicated in the plurality of pieces of bid information, identifies the lowest bid amount from among the remaining bid amounts, and determines this amount as the successful bid amount; The second function is a function that determines a winning bid price higher than the first function. program.

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