Vehicle Monitoring System

Abstract

To provide a vehicle monitoring system that correctly notifies a consignor or the like of a situation of an operation delay if an operation delay has occurred even though a transportation company side has no responsibility.SOLUTION: When an occurrence of a delay in an operation state of a transportation vehicle is expected before arrival of the transportation vehicle at a destination, delay detection units S14 to S17 detect the delay. When the delay is caused by an event where a transportation company side has no responsibility, such as a traffic jam on a road, cause identification units S23 and S24 identify the cause of the delay. Further, a delay certification creation unit S25 creates delay certification information corresponding to the cause of the delay. On a smartphone of an administrator, a delay certification transmission unit S27 automatically transmits the delay certification information to a smartphone of a consignor or the like of a corresponding cargo. Since it can be certified that the cause of the transportation delay is not on the transportation company side during the transportation, reduction of transportation charge at the request of the consignor side can be avoided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle monitoring system that can be used to monitor the transportation status of a vehicle that transports cargo, such as a truck. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, companies such as transportation companies need to properly manage the operation status of the transportation vehicles that transport customer cargo. That is, companies need to transport each cargo quickly, reliably, without damage, and safely. However, if the driver of each vehicle engages in reckless driving such as speeding or neglects to check for safety, the possibility of a traffic accident increases, making it impossible to maintain a reliable and safe transportation state.

[0003] Therefore, it is common for companies such as transportation companies to use on-board devices such as tachographs installed in each vehicle to record the actual driving status of each vehicle and manage the driving status of each driver so that they can understand it.

[0004] For example, the parcel delivery management system in Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for understanding the delivery status of delivery workers (vehicle crew members) in real time and quickly informing customers (delivery destinations) of situations such as operational delays. This parcel delivery management system includes a management server 11 that manages parcel deliveries via a network 13, a mobile terminal 14 that inputs the operation records of parcel delivery vehicles via the network 13, a customer terminal 15 that receives the parcel delivery status via the network 13, and a shipper terminal 16 that registers, via the network, a distribution destination that receives the parcel delivery status information in the management server 11. The management server 11 sends a delivery instruction email to the mobile terminal 14 that includes the URL of a web page that is a delivery instruction screen individually provided for each crew member. The mobile terminal 14 specifies the URL to access the web page and inputs the operation records corresponding to this web page. If the management server 11 determines that a delay has occurred in the operation, it distributes operation delay information to the customer terminal 15.

[0005] Furthermore, the product management system of Patent Document 2 shows a technique for ensuring that parts shipped individually from a plurality of shipping bases can arrive at the destination as a whole.

[0006] Furthermore, the machine installation work management and operation system of Patent Document 3 shows a technology for managing and operating machine installation work in an integrated manner so as to strictly adhere to the machine installation time at each store and ensure speed, efficiency, and accuracy. Specifically, the system is equipped with a delivery status management server 1 that receives location information from the delivery company's mobile phone and converts it into actual location information, determines the current location of the mobile phone from the location information, manages at least the scheduled time for the machine installation work, manages the actual time for the machine installation work transmitted from the mobile phone, compares this actual time with the scheduled time, detects a delay if the difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, and notifies at least one of the delivery company's mobile phone, the salesperson's mobile phone, and the control center terminal of the fact if a delay is detected. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-128252 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-217360 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-232421 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] When a specific shipper contracts with a carrier to transport cargo, the terms of the contract may be determined so that the carrier will receive a reduction in shipping costs if a shipping delay occurs due to the carrier's fault (for example, in certain countries). Furthermore, shipping insurance cannot cover the reduction in shipping costs due to shipping delays.

[0009] In reality, there are various reasons why cargo transportation delays can occur, but in particular in developing countries and other foreign countries, the reality is that transportation delays are often caused by the individual attributes of the driver. In other words, transportation delays are likely to occur because many drivers lack the mindset of managing time according to pre-determined schedules while transporting cargo. In other words, cargo transportation delays occur due to individual driver slacking off during work.

[0010] Therefore, it is important for companies such as transportation companies to manage their operations so that delays in transporting goods do not occur due to driver slacking. Therefore, company managers need to accurately grasp the operating status of each driver and instruct drivers who are prone to slacking to change their behavior.

[0011] However, even when there are no problems attributable to individual drivers, such as slacking off, transport delays can occur for a variety of reasons. For example, natural congestion caused by the concentration of vehicles on a specific section of the road, or congestion caused by a traffic accident or road construction, makes it difficult for vehicles to operate according to the planned transport schedule, resulting in transport delays for cargo.

[0012] On the other hand, when a transportation delay occurs, it is possible to distribute information about the delay to customer terminals by using the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. However, simply informing customers such as shippers of the delay information does not provide any special benefits to the carrier. In other words, when a transportation delay occurs, it is not possible to prevent the transportation fee that the carrier receives from being reduced, even if the carrier is not at fault.

[0013] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle monitoring system that makes it easy to correctly communicate the situation to shippers and others when a delay occurs in operation despite the carrier being not at fault. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] The above object of the present invention can be achieved by the following configuration.

[0015] A vehicle monitoring system that monitors the operation status of a transportation vehicle while it is moving along a specific section from a predetermined starting point to a predetermined destination point, a delay detection unit that detects a delay when a delay is expected to occur in the operation state of the transportation vehicle; a cause identification unit that identifies a cause of the delay detected by the delay detection unit; a delay proof generating unit that generates delay proof information corresponding to the cause of the delay detected by the delay detecting unit; a delay certificate transmitting unit that transmits the delay certificate information to a specific user terminal associated with the shipper of the delayed package; Equipped with The delay detection unit detects that the arrival time of the transportation vehicle is earlier than the destination arrival time of the transportation plan determined in advance by a predetermined time. First The time is set as a pre-arrival reference time, and the expected arrival time at the destination is calculated based on the fact that the current time has reached the pre-arrival reference time. Only once and detecting the delay when the predicted arrival time satisfies a predetermined condition. Vehicle monitoring system. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the vehicle monitoring system of the present invention, when a delay occurs in transportation despite no fault being on the part of the carrier, it is possible to properly notify the shipper or other parties of the situation.

[0017] 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]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a smartphone for an administrator. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a time chart showing an example of a transportation plan and an actual transportation state. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the vehicle monitoring system. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a time chart showing an example of the operation of the vehicle monitoring system. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a front view showing an example of a screen display on the administrator's smartphone. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a front view showing an example of a transportation status map display. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] <Vehicle monitoring system configuration> FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a vehicle monitoring system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. <System Overview> 1, this vehicle monitoring system 100 includes an in-vehicle device 10, an administrator terminal 30, an administrator smartphone 20, and a shipper smartphone 40. Of course, it is also possible to use terminals other than smartphones as long as they are capable of communication.

[0021] The vehicle-mounted device 10 is mounted on each transport vehicle, such as a truck, that delivers packages. The manager terminal 30 is located in an office of a company that monitors the transport vehicles. The smartphone 20 is carried by a manager in the company that manages the transport vehicles. The smartphone 40 is a terminal owned by the shipper, and may be a communication-capable terminal other than a smartphone.

[0022] The vehicle-mounted device 10 has a wireless communication function, and can be connected to the Internet 62 via a predetermined wireless communication network 61. The administrator terminal 30 also has a communication function, and can communicate with the vehicle-mounted device 10 and the smartphones 20 and 40, etc., via the Internet 62. The smartphone 20 can also send e-mails to the smartphone 40.

[0023] Therefore, a company manager can monitor the status of the transportation vehicles equipped with the on-board device 10 in real time using the manager terminal 30. For example, by monitoring the current location of each transportation vehicle and any changes therein, it is possible to determine whether the transportation status is significantly deviating from a predetermined transportation plan.

[0024] When transporting customer cargo using a transport vehicle, a transport plan is generally decided in advance, and each transport vehicle transports its cargo according to that time. However, due to various circumstances, each vehicle may transport its cargo at a time that deviates from the transport plan. However, if there is an excessive delay to the transport plan, there is a possibility that the transport company may receive a reduction in the transport fee from the shipper or other customer (in some countries). In particular, if the delay in transporting cargo occurs due to simple driver slacking, the transport company is responsible for the delay, and it is difficult to avoid a reduction in the transport fee.

[0025] On the other hand, if a delay occurs due to reasons unrelated to the carrier's responsibility, such as road congestion, it is possible to avoid a reduction in transportation costs, but it is difficult to confirm or prove whether the reason is true, and generally no evidence remains.

[0026] The vehicle monitoring system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is equipped with a special function that makes it easy to prove the reason for a delay in transportation when the delay is due to reasons unrelated to the carrier's responsibility.

[0027] <Configuration of the in-vehicle device 10> The vehicle-mounted device 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a vehicle stop detection unit 11, a current position detection unit 12, a vehicle information notification unit 13, and a wireless communication module 14.

[0028] Most of the above-mentioned functions of the vehicle-mounted device 10 can be realized by a combination of hardware and software of a microcomputer, or by using dedicated electronic circuits.

[0029] The vehicle stop detection unit 11 has a function of detecting whether the vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device 10 is in a predetermined stopped state. In practice, the vehicle stop detection unit 11 detects the stopped state based on an ignition (IGN) signal SG1 or a vehicle speed signal SG2 output from the vehicle side. The vehicle stop detection signal SG3 output by the vehicle stop detection unit 11 also includes information indicating whether the ignition is on or off and the vehicle speed.

[0030] The current position detection unit 12 can obtain latitude / longitude information representing the current position of the vehicle equipped with this vehicle-mounted device 10 by calculation, for example, based on the time of radio waves received by a specified GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver from multiple GPS satellites.

[0031] The vehicle information notification unit 13 has a function of automatically transmitting operation information necessary for the administrator terminal 30 to manage the vehicle in real time. For example, the vehicle information notification unit 13 can acquire the current position P1, ignition signal SG1, vehicle speed signal SG2, vehicle stop detection signal SG3, etc. output by the current position detection unit 12 and sequentially transmit them to the administrator terminal 30. The information transmitted by the vehicle information notification unit 13 can be delivered to the administrator terminal 30 via the wireless communication module 14, the wireless communication network 61, and the Internet 62.

[0032] The wireless communication module 14 has a function of establishing a wireless communication line with a base station of the wireless communication network 61 in accordance with a communication standard such as LTE (Long Term Evolution). Therefore, by using the wireless communication module 14, communication between the vehicle-mounted device 10 and the administrator terminal 30 becomes possible.

[0033] <Configuration of administrator terminal 30> The administrator terminal 30 shown in Fig. 1 can be configured by installing special application software for monitoring transport vehicles in, for example, a general-purpose personal computer. The administrator terminal 30 in Fig. 1 includes a communication unit 31, a vehicle information receiving unit 32, a vehicle information display unit 33, an operation record DB 34, a transport plan DB (database) 35, a transport time management unit 36, a delay warning transmission unit 37, and a delay certification management unit 38.

[0034] The communication unit 31 of the administrator terminal 30 is connected so as to be able to communicate with each vehicle to be monitored via the Internet 62 and the wireless communication network 61. The administrator terminal 30 and the in-vehicle device 10 may be connected via a server (not shown), or the main functions of the administrator terminal 30 may be located on the server side as a cloud.

[0035] The vehicle information receiving unit 32 has a function for acquiring information necessary for monitoring from the vehicle-mounted device 10 installed in each transport vehicle to be monitored. That is, the vehicle information receiving unit 32 can successively receive the latest information indicating the current position, vehicle speed, ignition on / off status, etc. of each vehicle.

[0036] The vehicle information display unit 33 can display on the screen in almost real time the operation status of each transport vehicle to be monitored, which is received by the vehicle information receiving unit 32. In addition, it can also display the status of a transport plan created in advance for each vehicle and the actual transport status of the vehicle side by side in a state that makes it easy to compare them.

[0037] By constantly checking the screen of the vehicle information display unit 33, the manager of the company that manages each transportation vehicle can easily check whether the actual transportation status of each vehicle deviates significantly from the transportation plan.

[0038] For example, if a particular transport vehicle is stopped for a long time, there is a possibility that the actual transport situation will be significantly delayed compared to the transport plan. Furthermore, if this delay is due to the driver's slacking or other behavior, the transport company is likely to be asked by the shipper to reduce the transport fee. Therefore, the manager must monitor the slacking of the drivers of each vehicle.

[0039] The operation record DB 34 can automatically record and store data indicating the actual operation status of each vehicle received by the vehicle information receiving unit 32 as history. The transportation plan DB 35 stores data on transportation plans that are determined in advance for each vehicle. The transportation time management unit 36 ​​grasps the actual operation status of each vehicle and manages whether there are any delays to the transportation plan.

[0040] The delay warning sending unit 37 has the function of automatically sending a delay warning to the smartphone 20 of a pre-registered administrator when it detects a vehicle whose operating conditions are likely to cause a delay greater than a specified amount relative to the transportation plan.

[0041] When a significant delay in vehicle operation is predicted due to causes unrelated to the carrier's responsibility, the delay certification management unit 38 can generate delay certification information that can be used to prove this and record it in the operation record DB 34. For example, when traffic congestion occurs on a road near the current location of each vehicle, delay certification information is generated that includes information identifying the section where the congestion occurs, the cause of the congestion, the current location of the vehicle, the current time, and the source of the information. Traffic congestion information can be obtained via the Internet 62 from the website of the public operator that manages the road.

[0042] <Functional configuration of the administrator's smartphone> An example of the functional configuration of the administrator's smartphone 20 is shown in FIG.

[0043] The smartphone 20 shown in Figure 2 includes a wireless communication module 21, a delay warning receiving unit 22, a delay warning processing unit 23, a congestion identification unit 24, a traffic information acquisition unit 25, a delay certificate creation unit 26, a display unit 27, an operation unit 28, and a delay certificate transmission unit 29. Each of these components can be realized by incorporating specially prepared application software (apps) into a general smartphone.

[0044] The wireless communication module 21 has a function of establishing a wireless communication line with a base station of the wireless communication network 61 in accordance with a communication standard such as LTE. Therefore, by using the wireless communication module 21, it becomes possible to connect to the Internet 62 via the wireless communication network 61, enabling communication between the smartphone 20 and the in-vehicle device 10 and the administrator terminal 30, and also making it possible to obtain necessary information from various information sources connected to the Internet 62.

[0045] The delay warning receiving unit 22 can receive a delay warning transmitted from the manager terminal 30 when a transportation delay occurs in each vehicle.

[0046] The delay warning processing unit 23 performs processing to take necessary measures against the delay based on the delay warning received by the delay warning receiving unit 22. Specifically, if the cause of the delay is unrelated to the carrier's responsibility, such as road congestion, the delay warning processing unit 23 creates delay certification information required to prove this and performs processing to transmit it to the shipper's smartphone 40 or the like.

[0047] The congestion identification unit 24 has a function of acquiring information on the current location of the vehicle that is the target of the delay warning, and identifying the presence or absence and type of congestion on the road near the current location. The information on the current location of the target vehicle can be acquired from the in-vehicle device 10 or the administrator terminal 30.

[0048] The traffic information acquisition unit 25 communicates with public information sources on the Internet 62 that provide road traffic information, and acquires road traffic information for the current position of the target vehicle and its vicinity. The road traffic information acquired by the traffic information acquisition unit 25 includes information such as whether there is congestion, location information of the start and end points indicating the section where congestion occurs, the cause of the congestion, and a map.

[0049] When a transportation delay occurs for reasons unrelated to the carrier's responsibility, the delay certificate creation unit 26 creates predetermined delay certificate information based on road traffic information acquired by the traffic information acquisition unit 25. This delay certificate information includes information identifying the date and time, the current location of the subject vehicle, the section where congestion occurred, the cause of the congestion, and the source of information.

[0050] The display unit 27 has a function of displaying, on the screen of the smartphone 20, the delay warning received by the delay warning receiving unit 22, the delay certification information created by the delay certification creating unit 26, and the like. The operation unit 28 can receive input operations from the user via a touch panel placed over the screen of the smartphone 20.

[0051] The delay certificate sending unit 29 can send the delay certificate information created by the delay certificate creating unit 26 to a pre-registered destination such as a smartphone 40, in accordance with an instruction from the delay warning processing unit 23.

[0052] <Example of transportation plan and actual transportation status> Fig. 3 shows an example of the time transition of the vehicle state in the actual transportation state and the transportation plan when the vehicle passes through a congestion area.

[0053] When a transport company transports cargo from a departure point to a destination point using a vehicle such as a truck, a transport plan DS0 such as that shown in the upper part of FIG. 3 is determined in advance.

[0054] <Description of Transportation Plan DS0> An example of the transportation plan DS0 shown in FIG. 3 will be described below. (1) After loading at the departure point, the vehicle starts traveling on Trip 1 at time t01 (9:00). At time t02, the vehicle finishes traveling on Trip 1, stops the engine, and turns off the ignition (IGN).

[0055] (2) After that, the vehicle remains stopped in the stopping section RE1 until time t03. The length of the stopping section RE1 is 0.25 hours in this example. This stopping section RE1 can be used by the driver to take a break as needed to maintain the vehicle in a safe operating state.

[0056] (3) At time t03, the vehicle's ignition is switched on to restart the engine. The vehicle then resumes traveling and continues traveling on the Trip2 section until time t04. At time t04, the vehicle finishes traveling on the Trip2 section, stops the engine, and switches the ignition off.

[0057] (4) After that, the vehicle remains stopped in the stopping section RE2 until time t05. The duration of the stopping section RE2 is 0.25 hours in this example. This stopping section RE2 can be used by the driver to take a break as needed to maintain the vehicle in a safe operating state.

[0058] (5) At time t05, the ignition of this vehicle is switched on to restart the engine. The vehicle then resumes traveling and continues traveling along Trip3 until time t06. At time t06, the vehicle arrives at the destination, ending the traveling along Trip3. The scheduled arrival time t06 is 19:00.

[0059] However, actual vehicle operation is subject to the driver's driving control and is further affected by conditions such as road congestion, so the actual state may differ from the transportation plan DS0 shown in Figure 3. For example, if the driver drives the vehicle recklessly at a speed that exceeds the safe driving speed, the travel of each travel section Trip1 to Trip3 may be completed in a shorter time than transportation plan DS0, but safe driving may not be able to maintain sufficient transportation quality. On the other hand, if the driver slacks off, he or she may ignore the scheduled time of transportation plan DS0 and take a long break, for example, during a stoppage section RE1. In this case, the destination will be arrived at significantly later than transportation plan DS0.

[0060] However, even if the driver does not slack off, there is a possibility that the time t06 at which the vehicle arrives at the destination may be significantly delayed compared to the transportation plan DS0 due to other external factors. One cause of this is a long stop due to passing through a checkpoint during transportation. Another cause is a long stop due to being caught in road congestion during transportation.

[0061] <Description of actual transportation status DS2> The actual transportation state DS2 shown in the lower part of Fig. 3 represents the transition of the actual transportation state when the vehicle passes through a congestion area during transportation. The actual transportation state DS2 in Fig. 3 will be explained below.

[0062] (1) After completing loading at the departure point, the vehicle starts traveling in the travel section Trip1 at time t21 (9:00). At time t22, the vehicle reaches an area where congestion is occurring, ending the travel in the travel section Trip1 and transitioning to the stationary section RE1. Therefore, the vehicle stops the engine and switches the ignition IGN to off.

[0063] (2) In addition, since the vehicle cannot resume traveling during the stopping section RE1 due to road congestion, the duration of the stopping section RE1 is expected to be as long as, for example, one hour. Therefore, the duration of the stopping section RE1 in the actual transportation state DS2 will deviate significantly from that in the transportation plan DS0.

[0064] (3) Then, at time t23 when the traffic congestion on the road clears, the vehicle's ignition is switched on to restart the engine. The vehicle then resumes traveling and continues traveling on Trip2 until time t24. At time t24, the vehicle finishes traveling on Trip2, stops the engine, and switches the ignition off.

[0065] (4) After that, the vehicle remains stopped in the stopping section RE2 until time t25. The duration of the stopping section RE2 is 0.25 hours in this example. This stopping section RE2 can be used by the driver to take a break as needed to maintain the vehicle in a safe operating state.

[0066] (5) At time t25, the ignition of this vehicle is switched on to restart the engine. The vehicle then resumes traveling and continues traveling along Trip3 until time t26. At time t26, the vehicle arrives at the destination, ending the traveling along Trip3. In this case, the arrival time t26 is 19:30.

[0067] In other words, in the actual transportation state DS2, a transportation delay of 30 minutes occurs compared to the transportation plan DS0, but the cause of this is unrelated to the driver's slacking.

[0068] <Example of vehicle monitoring system operation> <Operation procedure> An example of the characteristic operation of each part in the vehicle monitoring system 100 is shown in FIG.

[0069] 4 can be performed by any of the administrator terminal 30 in FIG. 1, the vehicle-mounted device 10, or a server (not shown) on the Internet 62. In the following explanation, it is assumed that the administrator terminal 30 executes S11 to S18.

[0070] The administrator terminal 30 acquires the estimated arrival time t0 in the transportation plan DS0 for each transportation vehicle to be monitored from the transportation plan DB 35 (S11).

[0071] The manager terminal 30 determines the pre-arrival reference time t1 based on the scheduled arrival time t0 of the transportation plan DS0 (S12). Specifically, the pre-arrival reference time t1 is set to a time that is a certain time (for example, 30 minutes) earlier than the scheduled arrival time t0. The administrator terminal 30 waits in S13 until the current time reaches the pre-arrival reference time t1.

[0072] When the current time reaches the pre-arrival reference time t1, the administrator terminal 30 acquires information on the actual transportation status of the vehicle in question in S14. For example, the vehicle information receiving unit 32 in the administrator terminal 30 acquires information such as the current position P1 and vehicle speed of the vehicle at the current time from the in-vehicle device 10.

[0073] The administrator terminal 30 calculates an estimated value of the expected arrival time t2 at which the vehicle is expected to actually arrive at the destination in S15. For example, the administrator terminal 30 calculates a remaining required time Tr from the remaining distance from the current position of the vehicle to the destination and the average traveling speed of the vehicle, and adds the remaining required time Tr to the current time to obtain the expected arrival time t2.

[0074] In the next step S16, the administrator terminal 30 calculates the expected delay time Td for the vehicle in question as the difference between the scheduled arrival time t0 and the expected arrival time t2. That is, since it is estimated that the vehicle in question will arrive at the destination delayed by the expected delay time Td compared to the transportation plan DS0, it is currently predicted that the transport of the package will be delayed by the expected delay time Td.

[0075] In the next step S17, the administrator terminal 30 compares the expected delay time Td with a predetermined threshold value Tth, and if the condition "Td>Tth" is satisfied, the administrator terminal 30 executes the process of step S18. The threshold value Tth is set to, for example, two hours.

[0076] The administrator terminal 30 automatically transmits an arrival delay warning to the smartphone 20 of the administrator who manages the vehicle in question. Information on the destination of the delay warning is registered in the administrator terminal 30 in advance.

[0077] Meanwhile, the delay warning sent by the administrator terminal 30 is received by the smartphone 20 in S21. Upon receiving this delay warning, the application on the smartphone 20 executes the processes from S22 onwards.

[0078] The smartphone 20 acquires information on the current position P1 of the vehicle that is the target of the delay warning in S22. The information on the current position P1 may be acquired directly from the vehicle-mounted device 10 or from the administrator terminal 30.

[0079] The traffic information acquisition unit 25 of the smartphone 20 acquires road traffic information corresponding to the current position P1 of the target vehicle in S23. The traffic congestion identification unit 24 of the smartphone 20 identifies whether or not a traffic congestion has occurred based on the road traffic information acquired in S23 by the traffic information acquisition unit 25. If a traffic congestion has occurred, the smartphone 20 identifies in S24 whether or not the current position P1 acquired in S22 is included in the area of ​​the traffic congestion section.

[0080] If the current position P1 is within the area of ​​the congestion section, the delay certificate generation unit 26 generates delay certificate information in the next S25, and the display unit 27 automatically displays a screen including this delay certificate information. In this case, when the administrator presses the send button displayed on the same screen, the operation of the smartphone 20 proceeds from S26 to S27.

[0081] The delay certificate sending unit 29 of the smartphone 20 automatically sends the congestion certificate information created by the delay certificate creating unit 26 to the shipper's smartphone 40 in S27. The destination of the congestion certificate information representing the shipper's smartphone 40, etc., is registered in advance on the smartphone 20 or in the administrator terminal 30.

[0082] <Time series state changes> 5 shows an example of time-series state changes in the vehicle monitoring system 100. The state changes shown in FIG. 5 will be explained below.

[0083] As shown in Figure 5, in the transportation plan DS0, the estimated arrival time t0 at which each transportation vehicle will arrive at the destination is determined in advance. Therefore, the driver of each transportation vehicle operates the vehicle so that there is no significant time deviation from the schedule of the transportation plan DS0.

[0084] However, if there is road congestion or the like on the vehicle's route, the expected arrival time t2 of the actual transportation state DS2 may be delayed by an expected delay time Td relative to the scheduled arrival time t0 of the transportation plan DS0, as shown in FIG.

[0085] The manager terminal 30 estimates the expected arrival time t2 in the actual transportation status DS2 at the pre-arrival reference time t1, which is a certain time T1 before the expected arrival time t0 in the transportation plan DS0. The manager terminal 30 can also calculate the expected delay time Td as the difference between the expected arrival time t0 and the expected arrival time t2.

[0086] If the expected delay time Td is greater than the threshold value, the administrator terminal 30 automatically transmits a delay warning to the smartphone 20 as shown in FIG.

[0087] Furthermore, the smartphone 20 that has received the delay warning acquires road traffic information to identify the cause of the delay. If a traffic jam occurs at the current position P1 of the target vehicle, the delay certificate creation unit 26 creates traffic jam certificate information, and the delay certificate transmission unit 29 transmits the traffic jam certificate information to the smartphone 40 of the shipper.

[0088] The shipper's smartphone 40 receives the congestion certification information transmitted from the manager's smartphone 20. The timing at which the smartphone 40 receives the congestion certification information is before the scheduled arrival time t0 and the expected arrival time t2. Therefore, based on the received congestion certification information, the shipper can obtain current road traffic information to check the congestion situation and confirm that the congestion certification information is correct.

[0089] <Administrator smartphone screen display> An example of the screen display of the manager's smartphone 20 is shown in Fig. 6. Also, an example of the display of the transportation status map 51 is shown in Fig. 7. Based on the delay warning from the administrator terminal 30, the administrator's smartphone 20 can display, for example, the screen shown in FIG. 6 in S25 of FIG.

[0090] The screen shown in Figure 6 includes a transportation status map 51, date 52, departure point 53, departure time 54, cause of delay 55, estimated arrival time 56, current location 57, comment field 58, send button 59, and print button 60.

[0091] The transportation status map 51 shows the current vehicle status to be certified on a road map, and in the example shown in Figure 7, it includes a route 51a, a congested section 51b, a status display 51c, a departure point display 51d, and a destination display 51e.

[0092] The congested section 51b represents the range from the start point to the end point of the section where congestion actually occurs on the road of the travel route 51a. The status display 51c shows that the road in this section is congested by using an icon pattern so that it can be easily visually understood.

[0093] The date 52 on the screen in FIG. 6 is the date on which this certification information was created, expressed as a combination of day (d) / month (m) / year (y). Furthermore, the departure point 53 indicates the location of the departure point of the vehicle transporting the corresponding cargo, and the departure time 54 indicates the time when this vehicle actually departed.

[0094] The content of the delay cause 55 on the screen indicates the reason for the delay identified based on road traffic information acquired by the smartphone 20, and in the example of Figure 6, the reason is shown to be "traffic congestion."

[0095] The estimated arrival time 56 on the screen is the same as the estimated arrival time t2 estimated by the administrator terminal 30 in the process of S15. The current location 57 on the screen is substantially the same as the latest information on the current location P1 transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 10 of the vehicle.

[0096] The comment field 58 on the screen can be used to write a message of apology to the shipper for the delivery delay. In the case of traffic congestion, the carrier is not responsible, but it is expected that a predetermined formal message of apology will be automatically added to the delay certificate information.

[0097] The send button 59 on the screen is used to accept a transmission confirmation operation from the administrator in S26 of Fig. 4. Also, the print button 60 is used to accept an input operation to print the delay certification information displayed on the screen of Fig. 6.

[0098] The delay proof information sent by smartphone 20 to smartphone 40 includes, for example, the following information shown in Figure 6: transportation status map 51, date 52, departure point 53, departure time 54, cause of delay 55, estimated arrival time 56, current location 57, and comment section 58.

[0099] In addition to general traffic congestion, transit delays can also be caused by passing through a checkpoint. In some foreign countries, checkpoints are located at borders that cross state lines. Each vehicle passing through a checkpoint must fill out necessary documents related to state taxes, and its luggage may be inspected as necessary. Therefore, each vehicle must wait for a relatively long time while passing through the checkpoint, which can cause transit delays.

[0100] Since the location of each checkpoint is known, the smartphone 20 or administrator terminal 30 can automatically identify whether or not the vehicle is passing through the checkpoint by comparing the location information of the checkpoint area registered in advance with the vehicle's current position P1.

[0101] As described above, in the vehicle monitoring system 100 according to this embodiment, when a transportation delay occurs due to reasons unrelated to the carrier's responsibility, such as road traffic congestion, information that can be used to prove the reason can be automatically sent from the manager's smartphone 20 to the shipper's smartphone 40. Furthermore, the delay certification information can be sent at the time a delay is expected, before the cargo transportation is completed. Therefore, it is easy for the shipper to check whether the delay certification information is correct, and the delay certification information can be used effectively. Therefore, it is possible to avoid deductions from transportation costs due to transportation delays for which the carrier is not responsible.

[0102] In addition, vehicle information transmitted from the onboard device 10 installed in each vehicle and delay certification information grasped by the delay certification management unit 38 can be recorded and stored in the operation record DB 34. By analyzing the information in the operation record DB 34 as needed, it becomes possible to accurately grasp and correctly evaluate the capabilities of each individual driver. For example, it becomes easy to find drivers who tend to slack off during transportation work or who tend to engage in reckless driving such as speeding, and this can be used to improve transportation quality through appropriate guidance.

[0103] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. Furthermore, the material, shape, size, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary and not limited as long as they can achieve the present invention.

[0104] Here, the features of the vehicle monitoring system according to the embodiment of the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [5]. [1] A vehicle monitoring system that monitors the operating status of a transportation vehicle while it is traveling a specific section from a predetermined starting point to a predetermined destination point, a delay detection unit (transportation time management unit 36, S14 to S17) that detects a delay when a delay is expected to occur in the operation state of the transportation vehicle; a cause identification unit (traffic congestion identification unit 24, S22 to S24) that identifies the cause of the delay detected by the delay detection unit; a delay proof creating unit (delay proof managing unit 38, S25) that creates delay proof information corresponding to the cause of the delay detected by the delay detecting unit; A delay certificate sending unit (delay certificate sending unit 29, S26, S27) that sends the delay certificate information to a specific user terminal (smartphone 40) associated with the shipper of the delayed package; A vehicle monitoring system (100) comprising:

[0105] According to the vehicle monitoring system configured as described above in [1], when a transportation delay occurs due to reasons unrelated to the carrier's responsibility, such as road traffic congestion, information that can be used to prove the reason can be automatically sent to the shipper. Moreover, the delay proof information can be sent at the time when a delay is expected, before the transportation of the cargo is completed. Therefore, it is easy for the shipper to check whether the delay proof information is correct, and the delay proof information can be used effectively. Therefore, it is possible to avoid deductions from transportation costs due to transportation delays for which the carrier is not responsible.

[0106] [2] The cause identification unit includes a traffic congestion information acquisition unit (traffic information acquisition unit 25, S23) that acquires information on traffic congestion areas where a long-term stopping state is expected on a road, The delay certificate generating unit generates delay certificate information indicating road congestion when the current location of the transportation vehicle is within the congestion area (S24, S25). The vehicle monitoring system according to [1] above.

[0107] According to the vehicle monitoring system configured as described above in [2], when a transport delay is expected due to traffic congestion on a road along the transport vehicle's route, information that can be used to prove that the transport delay is due to traffic congestion can be automatically created.

[0108] [3] The delay detection unit estimates an expected arrival time (t2) at the destination before the destination arrival time (estimated arrival time t0) of the transportation plan determined in advance for the transportation vehicle, and if the expected arrival time satisfies a predetermined condition (S17), detects the delay before the transportation vehicle arrives at the destination and outputs an alarm (S18). A vehicle monitoring system according to the above [1] or [2].

[0109] According to the vehicle monitoring system configured as described above in [3], the delay certification information can be transmitted at the time when a delay is predicted based on the estimated expected arrival time, before the transport vehicle arrives at the destination, i.e., before the transport of the cargo is completed. Therefore, it is easy for the shipper to check whether the delay certification information is correct, and the delay certification information can be used effectively.

[0110] [4] After the alarm is generated, the delay certificate transmission unit executes transmission of the delay certificate information (S27) when a predetermined input operation is received from a manager who monitors the transportation vehicle (S26). The vehicle monitoring system according to [3] above.

[0111] According to the vehicle monitoring system configured as in [4] above, an administrator can check the contents of the delay certificate before it is sent to the shipper, which makes it easy to avoid sending worthless delay certificate information or delay certificate information with erroneous contents to the shipper.

[0112] [5] The delay certificate creation unit creates delay certificate information (see FIG. 6) including a road map of a predetermined range including the current location (P1) of the transportation vehicle and the congestion status of roads at least in the vicinity of the current location. A vehicle monitoring system according to any one of [1] to [4] above.

[0113] According to the vehicle monitoring system configured as described above in [5], the contents of the created delay certification information enable the transport company manager or shipper to easily understand the current location of the monitored vehicle and its relative position to the area that may be causing the delay. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 10 Onboard equipment 11 Stop detection unit 12 Current location detection unit 13 Vehicle Information Notification Department 14,21 Wireless communication module 20,40 Smartphone 22 Delay warning receiver 23 Delayed alarm processing unit 24 Traffic jam identification unit 25 Traffic information acquisition department 26 Delay Certificate Creation Department 27 Display section 28 Control section 29 Delay Proof Transmission Department 30 Administrator terminal 31 Communications Department 32 Vehicle information receiving unit 33 Vehicle information display unit 34 Operation record DB 35 Transportation Planning DB 36 Transportation Time Management Department 37 Delayed alarm transmission unit 38 Delay Certification Management Department 51 Transportation Status Map 51a Route 51b Congested section 51c Status Display 51d Departure point display 51e Destination display 52 Date 53 Departure point 54 Departure time 55 Cause of delay 56 Estimated arrival time 57 Current Location 58 Comments 59 Send button 60 Print button 61 Wireless communication network 62 Internet 100 Vehicle Monitoring System DS0 Transportation Planning DS2 Actual transportation status P1 Current position RE1, RE2 Stopped section SG1 Ignition signal SG2 Vehicle speed signal SG3 Stop detection signal SG21 Delayed Warning Signal SG22 Traffic information SG23,SG24 Delay proof signal t0 Estimated arrival time t1 Pre-arrival reference time t2 Estimated arrival time Td Expected delay time Trip 1, Trip 2, Trip 3 travel sections

Claims

1. A vehicle monitoring system that monitors the operation status of a transportation vehicle while it is moving along a specific section from a predetermined starting point to a predetermined destination point, a delay detection unit that detects a delay when a delay is expected to occur in the operation state of the transportation vehicle; a cause identification unit that identifies a cause of the delay detected by the delay detection unit; a delay proof generating unit that generates delay proof information corresponding to the cause of the delay detected by the delay detecting unit; a delay certificate transmitting unit that transmits the delay certificate information to a specific user terminal associated with the shipper of the delayed package; Equipped with The delay detection unit sets a pre-arrival reference time to a time that is earlier than the destination arrival time of the transportation plan that is pre-determined for the transportation vehicle by a predetermined time, estimates an expected arrival time at the destination only once based on the current time becoming the pre-arrival reference time, and detects the delay when the expected arrival time satisfies a predetermined condition. Vehicle monitoring system.

2. the cause identification unit includes a congestion information acquisition unit that acquires information on a congestion area on a road where a long-term stopping state is expected to occur, the delay certificate generating unit generates delay certificate information indicating road congestion when the current location of the transportation vehicle is within the congestion area; The vehicle monitoring system of claim 1 .

3. the delay detection unit detects the delay and outputs an alarm before the transportation vehicle arrives at the destination when the expected arrival time satisfies the predetermined condition.

3. A vehicle monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The delay detection unit transmits the alarm to a terminal operated by a manager who monitors the transportation vehicle, the delay certification transmitting unit provided in the terminal does not transmit the delay certification information until an input operation to the terminal is accepted after receiving the alarm, and transmits the delay certification information based on the acceptance of the input operation. The vehicle monitoring system of claim 3 .

5. the delay certificate generating unit generates delay certificate information including a road map of a predetermined range including the current location of the transportation vehicle and a traffic congestion status of at least a road in the vicinity of the current location; The vehicle monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The terminal operated by the manager who monitors the transportation vehicle has a button that accepts an input operation for printing the delay certificate information. The vehicle monitoring system of claim 5 .

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