Vehicle dispatch planning device, program, and vehicle dispatch planning method

Abstract

To provide a vehicle allocation plan creation device, a program and a vehicle allocation plan creation method capable of creating a vehicle allocation plan with simple implementation and a small amount of calculation.SOLUTION: A vehicle allocation plan creation device (11) comprises: an input part (11a) receiving input values including an initial product transfer plan and a product shipment plan and operation information including each facility information; an operable time calculation part (11b) for calculating an operable time of storehouses; a first work load calculation part (11c) for calculating storage and delivery work time; an evaluation part (11d) for changing the storehouse being a transport destination for product transfer work in which the destination is the storehouse in which a ratio of the storage and delivery work time to the operable time exceeds a first threshold; a second work load calculation part (11e) for calculating a product transfer work completion time being a time required for executing the product transfer work by a transfer vehicle; and a vehicle allocating part (11f) for calculating the number of the transfer vehicles for each product yard for allocating the transfer vehicles to each product yard.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle allocation planning device, a program, and a vehicle allocation planning method. The present disclosure particularly relates to a vehicle allocation planning device, a program, and a vehicle allocation planning method for a transport vehicle that transports products manufactured in a factory to a warehouse building.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, products manufactured in a factory in the manufacturing industry are first stored in the product yard within the factory. Thereafter, the products are loaded onto a transport vehicle and carried into the warehouse building. The products carried into the warehouse building are stored in the warehouse building until they are shipped. In many cases, ceiling cranes for loading and unloading products are installed in the product yard and the warehouse building, and the range in which the ceiling crane can travel within each facility is limited.

[0003] When transporting products from the product yard of the factory to the warehouse building, the products are loaded onto a transport vehicle. Many of the transport vehicles used for product transportation are designed to store a trolley with products inside the vehicle. With this specification, the towing unit can move for other transportation operations while loading and unloading products in the product yard and the warehouse building. Also, there are multiple types of trolleys according to the specifications of the products to be loaded. If the types of trolleys used in the transportation operations assigned to one transport vehicle are diverse, it may be necessary to repeatedly change the types of trolleys to be loaded to carry out the transportation operations, resulting in extra working time.

[0004] Therefore, the type of trolley used is often determined for each product yard of the factory from which products are shipped. By assigning the transportation operations of one product yard building to one transport vehicle, the types of trolleys are less likely to be biased, the travel route of the transport vehicle is also simplified, and a more efficient transportation plan is achieved. However, generally, the number of product yards in the factory from which products are shipped is larger than the number of transport vehicles used for product transportation. Therefore, it is necessary to assign the transportation operations of multiple product yard buildings to one transport vehicle.

[0005] Here, each factory's product yard and warehouse building has a limit on the number of carts that can be installed. Also, while one overhead crane is loading or unloading products onto one cart, the crane cannot perform other loading or unloading operations. Therefore, if a large volume of transport operations are concentrated in one destination warehouse building, delays in the loading and unloading operations may occur. Furthermore, if the number of carts installed in the warehouse building reaches its limit, it may not be possible to install the next cart until the previous cart has been removed, resulting in waiting times for transport vehicles. For this reason, it is desirable to level out the workload at the destination warehouse building during the planning stage so that it is not concentrated in one place.

[0006] To create a feasible vehicle dispatch plan, it is necessary to calculate the workload for each transportation operation from the product transportation plan, and also to calculate the workload for each warehouse building based on the product transportation plan and product shipping plan information. Traditionally, in creating vehicle dispatch plans, such calculations have been estimated by people based on their experience, and decisions regarding vehicle dispatch have been made based on that.

[0007] In recent years, technologies have been proposed to reduce the workload of manual labor by having computers perform planning. For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 propose technologies for automatically creating vehicle dispatch plans using search algorithms such as genetic algorithms. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-219920 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-326711 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0009] Here, search algorithms such as genetic algorithms are useful when maximizing or minimizing a single objective function. However, as mentioned above, when transporting products from a factory's product yard to a warehouse, it is necessary to consider numerous conditions and evaluation indicators, such as the upper limit on the number of carts and the status of the crane, in order to create an operationally favorable plan for the target equipment. Therefore, it is difficult to implement the search algorithms proposed in the prior art when creating a vehicle dispatch plan for transporting products from a factory's product yard to a warehouse. For example, Patent Document 1 describes the drawback that genetic algorithms require a lot of computation time when the solution space to be computed is large. To solve this drawback, the technology in Patent Document 1 uses a processing method that has a first process of narrowing down candidate solutions using a deterministic method, and a second process of discovering the remaining solutions by applying a genetic algorithm to the solution space narrowed down in the first process. Such a processing method requires complex processing, which makes the above adjustments difficult and may cause problems from the standpoint of performance maintainability.

[0010] In light of these circumstances, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a vehicle dispatch planning device, program, and vehicle dispatch planning method that can create vehicle dispatch plans with simple implementation and minimal computation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] (1) A vehicle dispatch plan creation device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is A dispatch planning device that creates a dispatch plan from the product yard to the warehouse building during a target time period, An input unit that receives input values ​​including the initial product transportation plan and product shipment plan, and operational information including information on each piece of equipment, A usable time calculation unit calculates the usable time of the warehouse building by subtracting the shipping operation usage time from the target time length, which is the length of time between the start and end times of the target time period, based on the input values ​​and the operation information. A first workload calculation unit calculates the product dispatch time at the product yard and the product receiving time at the warehouse building as the receiving and dispatching work time, based on the input values ​​and the operational information. For product transport operations to warehouse buildings where the ratio of the time spent on receiving and shipping operations to the available time exceeds a first threshold, an evaluation unit changes the destination warehouse building based on the priority included in the operational information. A second workload calculation unit calculates the product transport work completion time, which is the time required for the transport vehicle to perform the product transport work, based on the input values ​​and the operation information. The system includes a vehicle allocation unit that calculates and allocates the number of transport vehicles for each product yard based on the input values, the operational information, and the completion time of the product transport work.

[0012] (2) As one embodiment of the present disclosure, in (1), The vehicle allocation unit selects a combination of multiple product yards to which one transport vehicle will be allocated, based on the work time ratio, which is the ratio of the product transport work completion time to the target time length, and a second threshold.

[0013] (3) As one embodiment of the present disclosure, in (2), The vehicle allocation unit determines the product yards to which the same transport vehicle will be assigned, starting with the product yards with the highest work time ratios, such that the sum of the work time ratios in the product yard combinations is less than the second threshold.

[0014] (4) As one embodiment of the present disclosure, in (3), The vehicle allocation unit prioritizes product yards where the type of bogie is the same as the original product yard when determining which product yard to combine with.

[0015] (5) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, in any of (1) to (4), The evaluation unit re-evaluates the ratio of the time spent on receiving and shipping the product to the available time for the product transportation operation, which has been changed to a different warehouse building as the destination. If the evaluation is repeated a predetermined number of times or more, the evaluation unit performs a process to raise the first threshold.

[0016] (6) The program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure causes a vehicle routing plan creation device that creates a vehicle routing plan from a product yard to a warehouse building during a target time period, to receive input values including an initial product transportation plan and a product shipment plan and operation information including each facility information, to calculate the available time of the warehouse building by subtracting the shipping operation usage time from the target time length, which is the time length between the start time and the end time of the target time period, based on the input values and the operation information, to calculate, as the inbound / outbound operation time, the product outbound operation time of the product yard and the product inbound operation time of the warehouse building based on the input values and the operation information, for a product transportation operation with a warehouse building whose ratio of the inbound / outbound operation time to the available time exceeds a first threshold as the destination, to change the destination warehouse building based on the priority included in the operation information, to calculate a product transportation operation completion time, which is the time required for the transport vehicle to perform the product transportation operation, based on the input values and the operation information, and to calculate and allocate the number of transport vehicles for each product yard based on the input values, the operation information, and the product transportation operation completion time.

[0017] (7) The vehicle routing plan creation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a vehicle routing plan creation method executed by a vehicle routing plan creation device that creates a vehicle routing plan from a product yard to a warehouse building during a target time period, and includes receiving input values including an initial product transportation plan and a product shipment plan and operation information including each facility information, calculating the available time of the warehouse building by subtracting the shipping operation usage time from the target time length, which is the time length between the start time and the end time of the target time period, based on the input values and the operation information, calculating, as the inbound / outbound operation time, the product outbound operation time of the product yard and the product inbound operation time of the warehouse building based on the input values and the operation information, Regarding the product transportation operation with the warehouse building where the ratio of the incoming and outgoing operation time to the available time exceeds the first threshold as the destination, change the warehouse building as the destination based on the priority included in the operation information. Based on the input value and the operation information, calculate the product transportation operation completion time, which is the time required for the transport vehicle to perform the product transportation operation. Based on the input value, the operation information, and the product transportation operation completion time, calculate and allocate the number of transport vehicles for each product yard.

Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a vehicle allocation plan creation device, a program, and a vehicle allocation plan creation method that can create a vehicle allocation plan with simple implementation and a small amount of calculation.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a logistics system including a product yard, a warehouse building, and a transport vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the input / output configuration of a vehicle allocation plan creation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle allocation plan creation device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an initial product transportation plan. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a product shipment plan. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the travel time of a transport vehicle between each facility such as a product yard and a warehouse building. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of information on vehicles that can be used for allocation to a product yard. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of information on the priority of transport vehicles that can be allocated to a product yard. [Figure 9]Figure 9 shows an example of information regarding the priority of candidate destination warehouse buildings for each product transportation operation. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows an example of information regarding the number of trolleys that can be accommodated, trolley exchange time, number of products that can be accommodated, overhead crane product transport time, and whether or not an automatic crane is installed for each product yard and warehouse building. [Figure 11] Figure 11 shows an example of a product transportation plan in which a transport vehicle is assigned to transport each product. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the processing of a vehicle dispatch plan creation method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] Figure 13 shows the results of comparing the ratio of transportation work time to the target time length in the examples. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is another figure showing the results of comparing the ratio of transportation work time to the target time length in the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0020] Hereinafter, a vehicle dispatch plan creation device 11 (see Figure 2), a program, and a vehicle dispatch plan creation method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a logistics system including a product yard, warehouse building, and transport vehicles, which are the target of the dispatch plan created by the dispatch plan creation device 11 according to this embodiment. In Figure 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a factory, reference numerals 1a to 1d denotes factory buildings, reference numeral 2 denotes a warehouse, and reference numerals 2a to 2c denotes warehouse buildings (warehouse buildings). Reference numerals 3a to 3d and 4a to 4c denotes overhead cranes, reference numerals 5a and 5b denotes transport vehicles, reference numerals 6a to 6c denotes trolleys for transporting products, reference numeral 7 denotes a loading crane, and reference numeral 8 denotes a transport ship.

[0022] The factory and warehouse consist of buildings (1a-1d, 2a-2c) for storing products. The factory buildings (1a-1d) are also called the "product yard." Each building is equipped with overhead cranes (3a-3d, 4a-4c) for loading and unloading products. Products produced in the factory are loaded onto trolleys (6a, 6b), which are then loaded onto transport vehicles (5a) and transported to the designated warehouse building. As the shipping date approaches, the stored products are either loaded onto the temporary loading area (2d) by the overhead cranes, or loaded onto transport vehicles (5b) along with the trolleys (6c), moved to the quay near the loading crane (7), and loaded onto the transport ship (8).

[0023] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the dispatch plan creation device 11 according to this embodiment. The arrows in Figure 2 and Figure 3, which will be described later, simply show the data input / output and processing flow. As shown in Figure 2, the dispatch plan creation device 11 acquires the initial product transport plan 9 and the product shipment plan 10 as input values ​​and executes the process of assigning transport vehicles. The initial product transport plan 9 is a plan for initial product transport when no transport vehicles have been assigned, and specific examples will be described later. The product shipment plan 10 is a plan for shipment from the warehouse to a transport ship, etc., and specific examples will be described later. Here, the dispatch plan creation device 11 performs processing by referring to the operation database 12. The dispatch plan creation device 11 assigns transport vehicles to each product yard and outputs a product transport plan 13 that levels the workload of the warehouse building, which is the transport destination.

[0024] The vehicle dispatch planning device 11 is composed of an information processing device and performs vehicle dispatch planning for a time period specified by the user (hereinafter referred to as the "target time period"). Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle dispatch planning device 11. As shown in Figure 3, the vehicle dispatch planning device 11 functions as each component by having the arithmetic processing unit (processor) inside the information processing device (computer) read and execute a computer program. In other words, the program causes the arithmetic processing unit to function as an input unit 11a, a usable time calculation unit 11b, a first workload calculation unit 11c, an evaluation unit 11d, a second workload calculation unit 11e, a vehicle allocation unit 11f, and an output unit 11g. The functions of each of these units will be described later.

[0025] The initial product transport plan 9 outlines the planned product transport to be carried out within a certain scheduled work period, and stores information such as the source product yard, destination warehouse building, and type of trolley. Figure 4 shows an example of the initial product transport plan 9. The meaning of each item in the initial product transport plan 9 shown in Figure 4 is as follows:

[0026] The work time (start time) is the scheduled start time for product transportation. The work time (end time) is the scheduled end time for product transportation. The product yard (source) is the name of the product yard from which the product is transported. The warehouse building (destination) is the name of the warehouse building to which the product is transported. The transport vehicle type is the type of transport vehicle used for product transportation. The trolley type is the type of trolley used for product transportation. The number of products is the number of products loaded during product transportation.

[0027] Product shipment plan 10 indicates the number of products scheduled to be shipped from the warehouse to the loading dock during a certain work period. Figure 5 shows an example of product shipment plan 10. The meaning of each item in product shipment plan 10 shown in Figure 5 is as follows:

[0028] The "Working Hours (Start Time)" is the start time of the shipping operations period for the warehouse building. The "Working Hours (End Time)" is the end time of the shipping operations period for the warehouse building. "Warehouse Building" is the name of the warehouse building where the shipping operations are performed. "Number of Products Shipped" is the number of products shipped by the warehouse building within the working hours.

[0029] The operation database 12 stores information (operational information) related to the operation of each target facility. Examples of operational information in this embodiment are shown in Figures 6 to 10.

[0030] Figure 6 shows "Transport Vehicle Travel Time Information," which is information on the travel time of transport vehicles between various facilities such as product yards and warehouse buildings. The source and destination are indicated by the product yard name or warehouse building name. Travel time (loaded with products) is the travel time when products are loaded. Travel time (empty trolley transport) is the travel time when an empty trolley is transported. Travel time (unloaded trolley) is the travel time when no trolley is loaded. Here, each travel time may be a value that does not depend on the type of transport vehicle. For example, an average value of transport vehicle travel times based on past performance without distinguishing by vehicle type may be used, or an estimated or calculated value from a driving simulator may be used.

[0031] Figure 7 shows "Available Transport Vehicle Information," which is information about vehicles that can be used for allocation to a product yard. In the example in Figure 7, the vehicle information includes the vehicle type and the transport vehicle.

[0032] Figure 8 shows "transport vehicle priority information," which is information about the priority order of transport vehicles that can be assigned to the product yard. A lower priority number indicates higher priority. For example, transport vehicle (priority 1) has higher priority than transport vehicle (priority 2).

[0033] Figure 9 shows "destination priority information," which is information about the priority of candidate warehouse buildings for product transport operations from the product yard. A lower number of candidates indicates a higher priority. For example, destination (candidate 1) has a higher priority than destination (candidate 2).

[0034] Figure 10 shows "Equipment Information" for each product yard (factory building) and warehouse building, including the number of carts that can be accommodated, the cart exchange time for each building, the number of products that can be stored, the overhead crane product transport time, and whether or not an automatic crane is installed.

[0035] Product transportation plan 13 is the result of the dispatch planning device 11 assigning transportation vehicles to each product transportation based on the initial product transportation plan 9. Figure 11 shows an example of product transportation plan 13 with transportation vehicles already assigned. The assigned transportation vehicles in Figure 11 are the names of the vehicles assigned to the product transportation work.

[0036] The dispatch plan creation device 11 can create and output a product transportation plan 13 that equalizes the workload of each piece of equipment by performing the following processes. The operation of the dispatch plan creation device 11 will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 12.

[0037] Figure 12 is a flowchart of the processing (dispatch plan creation process) of the dispatch plan creation method according to this embodiment. The flowchart shown in Figure 12 starts when the dispatch plan creation device 11 receives input (including the specification of the target time period) from the user. First, the dispatch plan creation process proceeds to step S1. The dispatch plan creation device 11 extracts information related to the operation of each piece of equipment from the operation database 12 and acquires the extracted information as operation information. The dispatch plan creation device 11 also acquires input values. Here, the input values ​​are the initial plans before the workload load of each piece of equipment is leveled, and specifically include the initial product transport plan 9 and the product shipment plan 10. In this embodiment, the input values ​​also include input from the user, and specifically include the specified target time period.

[0038] In step S1, the input unit 11a receives the input value and the operation information in the operation database 12, and outputs the received input value and operation information to the available time calculation unit 11b.

[0039] Furthermore, in step S1, the available time calculation unit 11b calculates the time that the warehouse building will be used for shipping operations based on the product shipping plan 10 (Figure 5). The time that the warehouse building will be used for shipping operations is calculated by multiplying the number of products to be shipped from each warehouse building by the overhead crane product transport time for the warehouse building, which is extracted from the equipment information (Figure 10) in the operation database 12. This value will be referred to below as the shipping operation usage time for each warehouse building. The available time calculation unit 11b calculates the available time (receiving operation usage time) for each warehouse building by subtracting the shipping operation usage time from the target time length, which is the length of time between the start and end times of the target time period.

[0040] In warehouses without automated cranes, the overhead cranes are operated manually. In contrast, in warehouses equipped with automated cranes, the overhead cranes are operated automatically. Therefore, warehouses without automated cranes cannot continue operating during the operators' meal and rest periods (hereinafter referred to as "rest periods, etc."). However, warehouses equipped with automated cranes can continue operating even during rest periods, etc.

[0041] If the warehouse building is not equipped with an automated crane and the target time period includes break times, the usable time for the warehouse building can be obtained by subtracting the shipping operation time and break times from the target time period. On the other hand, if the warehouse building is equipped with an automated crane, the usable time for the warehouse building can be obtained by subtracting the shipping operation time from the target time period. Here, whether or not the warehouse building is equipped with an automated crane can be determined based on the equipment information in the operation database 12 (Figure 10). With this, the processing of step S1 is completed, and the dispatch plan creation process proceeds to the processing of step S2.

[0042] In step S2, the input unit 11a outputs the received input values ​​and operation information to the first workload calculation unit 11c. Here, the first workload calculation unit 11c may obtain the input values ​​and operation information via the available time calculation unit 11b.

[0043] The first workload calculation unit 11c calculates the overhead crane operating time at each product yard (source) and each warehouse building (destination) for each product transport during the target time period, based on the initial product transport plan 9 (Figure 4). Specifically, the overhead crane operating time is calculated by multiplying the number of products transported by the overhead crane by the product transport time using the overhead crane.

[0044] The overhead crane operating times at the source and destination for each product transport, as determined above, are added together for each product yard (source) and each warehouse building (destination). The combined result is considered to be the product dispatch time using overhead cranes at each product yard and the product inbound time using overhead cranes at each warehouse building during the target time period. Here, the product dispatch time at each product yard and the product inbound time at each warehouse building are sometimes collectively referred to as the inbound / outbound time for each piece of equipment. With this, the processing in step S2 is completed, and the dispatch plan creation process proceeds to the processing in step S3.

[0045] In step S3, a change in the destination warehouse building is determined. The change determination is performed based on the input values ​​and operation information received by the input unit 11a, the available time for each warehouse building calculated by the available time calculation unit 11b, and the loading / unloading work time for each piece of equipment calculated by the first workload calculation unit 11c.

[0046] In step S3, the evaluation unit 11d evaluates the ratio of inbound and outbound work time. Specifically, the evaluation unit 11d determines whether the ratio of inbound and outbound work time to the usable time of each warehouse building is below a threshold (first threshold). If even one warehouse building exceeds the threshold in step S3 (No. in step S3), the process proceeds to step S4. Here, the ratio of inbound and outbound work time to the usable time of a warehouse building represents the workload of the overhead crane in the warehouse building. The threshold is 50% as an example, but it is not limited to a specific value and can be determined based on data such as past work performance.

[0047] In step S4, the evaluation unit 11d changes the destination warehouse for product transport operations whose destination warehouse exceeds the threshold. The product transport operations targeted for the destination warehouse change process are at least a portion of the product transport operations whose destination warehouse exceeds the threshold, and may be, for example, just one product transport operation. In this embodiment, the product transport operation with the shortest product retrieval time at the source product yard is selected as the target for the destination warehouse change process. Furthermore, the candidate new destination warehouse for the selected product transport operation is determined based on destination priority information (Figure 9).

[0048] After changing the destination warehouse building for product transport in step S4, the process returns to step S3 to determine whether the ratio of inbound / outbound work time to the available time of each warehouse building is below a threshold. If the evaluation in step S3 is repeated a predetermined number of times (for example, 5 times), that is, if the workload of the overhead cranes in the warehouse buildings remains above the threshold for an extended period, the threshold may be raised (for example, changed from 50% to 60%).

[0049] The process of step S4 is described in detail below. As shown above, Figure 4 is an example of the initial product transport plan 9. Figure 5 is an example of the product shipment plan 10. Figures 6 to 10 are examples of data stored in the operation database 12. Figure 11 is an example of the product transport plan 13 with assigned transport vehicles. In the initial product transport plan 9 in Figure 4, the ratio of the time spent on receiving and shipping operations to the available time at the destination warehouse building "T3" exceeds a threshold, and product transport operations that use "T3" as their destination are candidates for changing the destination warehouse building. In Figure 4, there are product transport operations that use "T3" as their destination, in the 4th and 6th positions from the top. Of the 4th and 6th product transport operations from the top, the product transport operation with the smallest product shipping operation time at the source product yard (sum of overhead crane operating time for each product yard) is selected. The overhead crane operating time is calculated by multiplying the number of products in each product transport by the overhead crane product transport time, as shown above. Here, as shown in Figure 10, there is no difference in the overhead crane product transport time between product yards "F3" and "F5". Therefore, the fourth product transport operation from the top, with product yard "F3" being the source, is selected. According to the destination priority information (Figure 9), the candidate for changing the destination of product yard "F3" is "T4". Therefore, for the selected product transport operation, the destination warehouse building is changed from "T3" to "T4". In the product transport plan 13 shown in Figure 11, the change is reflected in the fourth product transport operation from the top, and the warehouse building (destination) column is "T4".

[0050] In step S3, if the ratio of inbound / outbound work time to available time in all warehouse buildings is below the threshold (Yes in step S3), the dispatch plan creation process proceeds to step S5.

[0051] In step S5, the input unit 11a outputs the received input values ​​and operation information to the second workload calculation unit 11e. Here, the second workload calculation unit 11e may acquire the input values ​​and operation information via the available time calculation unit 11b and the first workload calculation unit 11c.

[0052] The second workload calculation unit 11e calculates the time required for each product transport operation to be performed by the transport vehicle based on the input values ​​and operational information. The calculated value is referred to as the product transport operation completion time below. The specific calculation method is as follows.

[0053] The completion time for product transportation operations is calculated by adding the travel time (driving time) of the transport vehicle when transporting the product-loaded carts from the source product yard to the destination warehouse building, as well as the time required to procure the carts. In other words, the driving time of the transport vehicle when transporting product-loaded carts is added to the driving time of the transport vehicle when transporting empty carts or when moving carts without any loads, and the cart exchange time required at the product yard or warehouse building. Here, the driving time for each operation can be extracted from the transport vehicle driving time information (Figure 6). Also, the cart exchange time at each building can be extracted from the equipment information (Figure 10). Once the second workload calculation unit 11e calculates the completion time for each product transportation operation, the processing in step S5 is completed, and the dispatch plan creation process proceeds to the processing in step S6.

[0054] In the process of step S6, the vehicle allocation unit 11f obtains the input value, the operation information, and the completion time for each product transport operation calculated by the second workload calculation unit 11e.

[0055] The vehicle allocation unit 11f calculates the number of transport vehicles for each product yard based on the acquired information. First, a threshold (second threshold) is set to control the number of transport vehicles assigned to each product yard, based on the value of the product transport work completion time for each product yard. The value of the product transport work completion time for each product yard may be, for example, the total time obtained by summing the product transport work completion times of product transport operations originating from a particular product yard. Also, the threshold set as an initial value is 50% as an example, but is not limited to a specific value.

[0056] The ratio of the time taken to complete product transport operations at each product yard to the total time is calculated and determined as the work time ratio for each product yard. The number of transport vehicles assigned to each product yard is adjusted according to the relationship between this work time ratio and the threshold mentioned above, as explained below.

[0057] For each product yard, if a transport vehicle was assigned to it in the previous time slot, that vehicle will be given priority for assignment. However, if one transport vehicle was assigned to two product yards in the previous time slot, the transport vehicle will only be assigned to the product yard with the higher proportion of working time. After the assignment of transport vehicles that were assigned in the previous time slot is completed, new transport vehicles will be assigned to product yards that were not assigned a vehicle. The vehicles to be newly assigned here are determined according to the transport vehicle priority information (Figure 8) in the operation database 12.

[0058] If the work time ratio of a particular product yard is smaller than a threshold, one transport vehicle may be allocated to it in conjunction with other product yards that also have small work time ratios. In other words, a combination of multiple product yards to which one transport vehicle is allocated may be selected. However, if the sum of the work time ratios of two product yards exceeds the threshold, there is a possibility that one transport vehicle may not be able to complete the transport work for both product yards within the target time period. Therefore, it is preferable to select a combination of two product yards such that the sum of their work time ratios is less than the threshold.

[0059] Furthermore, if the types of trolleys used for transportation differ between the two product yards, the task of procuring empty trolleys will occur frequently, potentially making it impossible to complete transportation operations for both product yards within the target time frame using a single transport vehicle. Therefore, it is preferable to select two product yards that use the same type of trolley, or to select them so that the total proportion of work time is sufficiently small compared to the threshold.

[0060] The vehicle allocation unit 11f first extracts product yard groups that correspond to the case where one transport vehicle is allocated to two product yards. The extracted product yard groups are sorted in descending order of working time ratio. The vehicle allocation unit 11f then determines which product yard will be paired with the product yard to which the same transport vehicle (one common transport vehicle) will be allocated, starting with the product yard with the highest working time ratio. If the working time ratio of the product yard to be combined is less than or equal to half of the threshold, the product yard with the higher working time ratio may be selected as the pairing candidate. If the working time ratio of the product yard to be combined exceeds half of the threshold, the product yard with the lower working time ratio may be selected as the pairing candidate. If the type of trolley in the pairing candidate product yard is the same as the product yard to be combined and the working time ratio does not exceed half of the threshold, the pairing may be immediately determined. If there are no pairing candidate product yard with a working time ratio of less than or equal to half of the threshold, the product yard with the lowest working time ratio among the product yards with the same type of trolley as the product yard to be combined. If no product yard has the same type of trolley as the source yard, the combination with the minimum work time ratio may be used. In other words, when combining products, priority is given to product yards that have the same type of trolley as the source yard.

[0061] The sum of the work time percentages for each combination of product yards created by the above process is evaluated against a threshold. Here, the sum of the work time percentages is calculated to include the travel time for empty carts and unloaded carts when transporting products from two product yards to two buildings using one transport vehicle. If the sum of the work time percentages exceeds the threshold, the combination is changed so that the sum of the work time percentages becomes smaller. Here, for combinations with different types of carts, the sum of the work time percentages may be multiplied by a gain value greater than 1 before being compared with the threshold in order to evaluate more strictly. Here, if a combination is changed, the changed combination may be evaluated again.

[0062] Through the above process, transport vehicles are assigned to each product yard in such a way that the constraint condition "the percentage of work time or the sum of the percentages of work time for all transport vehicles is less than the threshold" is met. If the constraint on the threshold is not met in the subsequent evaluation, the threshold may be raised, similar to the evaluation in step S3, or the process may be terminated when the number of combination trials reaches a certain number. This completes the process in step S6, and the output unit 11g outputs the result.

[0063] The output unit 11g outputs a product transport plan 13, which assigns transport vehicles to each product transport operation in the initial product transport plan 9 according to the product yard from which the transport originates.

[0064] The effects of this disclosure will be described in detail below based on the examples provided, but this disclosure is not limited to these examples.

[0065] This embodiment shows the results of creating a vehicle dispatch plan for transporting products from the product factory to the warehouse building where the products are stored, using the method described in the above embodiment. Dispatch plans were created for 44 target time periods, and as a comparative example, dispatch plans were also created manually for the same 44 target time periods.

[0066] A simulator was used that models logistics facilities and allows for the simulation of product logistics on a computer. The dispatch plan results obtained using the method described in the above embodiment were input into the simulator, and simulation results were obtained. In the simulation, the time taken for all transport vehicles to complete all transport operations from the start of product transport in each target time period was calculated. Hereafter, this time value will be referred to as the transport operation time for each target time period. Similarly, the dispatch plan results created manually were input into the simulator, and simulation results were obtained. The transport operation time for each target time period was calculated in the same way and used as a comparison.

[0067] Figure 13 shows the ratio of transportation work time to the total target time on the horizontal axis, divided into predetermined ranges. The number of applicable cases is shown as a histogram relative to the total number of cases (44 cases) in the target time period, and the comparative example and the example are compared within each range. Parts exceeding 100% on the horizontal axis indicate that transportation work time exceeded the target time (excess).

[0068] As shown in Figure 13, in manual dispatch planning, approximately 30% of the transportation work time exceeds the set time, whereas in dispatch planning using the method of the above embodiment, this is reduced to approximately 16%.

[0069] Figure 14 shows a scatter plot comparing the transportation work time for all target time periods. The horizontal axis represents the ratio of transportation work time to the target time period length for each target time period in the manually planned vehicle dispatching schedule. The vertical axis represents the ratio of transportation work time to the target time period length for each target time period in the vehicle dispatching schedule using the method of the above embodiment.

[0070] Points in the area above the diagonal in Figure 14 indicate that the transportation work time is shorter with manual vehicle dispatch planning. Points in the area below the diagonal indicate that the transportation work time is shorter (improved compared to the comparative example) with vehicle dispatch planning using the method of the above embodiment.

[0071] Furthermore, points within the area shown in Figure 14(A) indicate that the transportation work time for the manually planned vehicle dispatch is shorter than (does not exceed) the target time. Points within the area shown in Figure 14(B) indicate that the transportation work time for the vehicle dispatch plan using the method of the above embodiment is shorter than (does not exceed) the target time. Points outside both areas (A) and (B) indicate the possibility that the workload is excessive at the initial product transportation plan 9 stage.

[0072] As shown in Figure 14, in the comparative example, the load distribution of the transport vehicles was insufficient, resulting in a strong tendency for transport work time to exceed the target time length. Significant exceedances were also observed in the comparative example. On the other hand, in the example, there were few cases where the transport work time was greater than the target time length, and there were several cases where the transport work time was significantly reduced. Therefore, it is considered that the example makes it possible to stably create a vehicle dispatch plan with appropriate load leveling compared to the comparative example.

[0073] As described above, the vehicle dispatch planning device 11, program, and vehicle dispatch planning method according to this embodiment perform calculations without relying on genetic algorithms, etc., through the above configuration and process, enabling the creation of vehicle dispatch plans with simple implementation and minimal computation. The vehicle dispatch planning device 11, program, and vehicle dispatch planning method according to this embodiment enable the automatic allocation of vehicles for product transportation work from the product yard to the warehouse building, thereby eliminating the burden of conventional manual vehicle dispatch planning. Furthermore, by quantitatively calculating the workload of each piece of equipment, such as the transportation workload of each transport vehicle, it is possible to perform appropriate leveling.

[0074] While embodiments relating to this disclosure have been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art will find it easy to make various modifications or alterations based on this disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications or alterations are included within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or step can be rearranged in a logically consistent manner, and multiple components or steps can be combined into one or divided. Embodiments relating to this disclosure can also be realized as storage media recording programs executed by a processor in the device. It should be understood that these are also included within the scope of this disclosure. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0075] 1 factory 1a-1d Factory building (product yard) 2 Warehouse 2a-2c Warehouse building (Warehouse building) 2d Temporary loading area 3a-3d, 4a-4c Overhead cranes 5a, 5b Transport vehicles 6a~6c Trolley 7. Ship loading cranes 8. Carrier 9. Initial Product Transportation Plan 10. Product Shipment Plan 11. Vehicle dispatch planning device 11a Input section 11b Usable time calculation section 11c 1st workload calculation section 11d Evaluation Department 11e 2nd workload calculation section 11f Vehicle Allocation Department 11g output section 12. Operations Database 13. Product Transportation Plan

Claims

1. A dispatch planning device that creates a dispatch plan from the product yard to the warehouse building during a target time period, An input unit that receives input values ​​including the initial product transportation plan and product shipment plan, and operational information including information on each piece of equipment, A usable time calculation unit calculates the usable time of the warehouse building by subtracting the shipping operation usage time from the target time length, which is the length of time between the start and end times of the target time period, based on the input values ​​and the operation information. A first workload calculation unit calculates the time required for product dispatch from the product yard and the time required for product reception from the warehouse building as the time required for receiving and dispatching goods, based on the input values ​​and the operational information. For product transport operations to warehouse buildings where the ratio of the time spent on receiving and shipping operations to the available time exceeds a first threshold, an evaluation unit changes the destination warehouse building based on the priority included in the operational information. A second workload calculation unit calculates the product transport work completion time, which is the time required for the transport vehicle to perform the product transport work, based on the input values ​​and the operation information. A vehicle allocation planning device comprising: a vehicle allocation unit that calculates and allocates the number of transport vehicles for each product yard based on the input values, the operational information, and the completion time of the product transport work.

2. The vehicle allocation unit selects a combination of multiple product yards to which one transport vehicle will be allocated, based on a work time ratio, which is the ratio of the product transport work completion time to the target time length, and a second threshold, according to claim 1.

3. The vehicle allocation unit determines the product yards to which the same transport vehicle will be assigned in combination, starting with the product yards with the highest work time ratios, such that the sum of the work time ratios in the combination of product yards is less than the second threshold, as described in claim 2.

4. The vehicle allocation unit prioritizes product yards where the type of bogie is the same as the original product yard as the product yard to be combined, according to claim 3, the vehicle allocation device.

5. The dispatch planning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the evaluation unit re-evaluates the ratio of the loading / unloading work time to the available time for the product transportation work with a changed warehouse building as the destination, and if the evaluation is repeated a predetermined number of times or more, it executes a process to raise the first threshold.

6. A dispatch planning device that creates a dispatch plan from the product yard to the warehouse building during the target time period, The system receives input values ​​including the initial product transportation plan and product shipment plan, as well as operational information including information on each piece of equipment. Based on the input values ​​and the operational information, the usable time of the warehouse building is calculated by subtracting the shipping operation usage time from the target time length, which is the length of time between the start and end times of the target time period. Based on the input values ​​and operational information, the time required for receiving and shipping goods is calculated as the time required for shipping goods from the product yard and the time required for receiving goods from the warehouse building. For product transportation operations to warehouse buildings where the ratio of the time spent on receiving and shipping operations to the available time exceeds the first threshold, the destination warehouse building is changed based on the priority included in the operational information. Based on the input values ​​and the operational information, the product transport operation completion time, which is the time required for the transport vehicle to perform the product transport operation, is calculated. A program that calculates and allocates the number of transport vehicles for each product yard based on the input values, the operational information, and the completion time of the product transport work.

7. A dispatch plan creation method executed by a dispatch plan creation device that creates a dispatch plan from a product yard to a warehouse building during a target time period, The system receives input values ​​including the initial product transportation plan and product shipment plan, as well as operational information including information on each piece of equipment. Based on the input values ​​and the operational information, the usable time of the warehouse building is calculated by subtracting the shipping operation usage time from the target time length, which is the length of time between the start and end times of the target time period. Based on the input values ​​and operational information, the time required for receiving and shipping goods is calculated as the time required for shipping goods from the product yard and the time required for receiving goods from the warehouse building. For product transportation operations to warehouse buildings where the ratio of the time spent on receiving and shipping operations to the available time exceeds the first threshold, the destination warehouse building is changed based on the priority included in the operational information. Based on the input values ​​and the operational information, the product transport operation completion time, which is the time required for the transport vehicle to perform the product transport operation, is calculated. A method for creating a vehicle dispatch plan, comprising: calculating and allocating the number of transport vehicles for each product yard based on the input values, the operational information, and the time required to complete the product transport work.

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