Arrival / Departure Determination System

Abstract

To provide a technique for changing an arrival / departure determination logic in accordance with a parking manner for loading at a delivery point.SOLUTION: An arrival / departure determination system comprises: a delivery point information acquisition section for acquiring a position of a delivery point included in a delivery plan and site information indicating whether entering to a site of the delivery point for loading at the delivery point is required; a logic selection section for selecting one or more arrival determination logics and one or more departure determination logics at the delivery point from the plurality of arrival determination logics and the plurality of departure determination logics based on the site information; and a determination section for determining that a delivery vehicle arrives at the delivery point with the use of the selected arrival determination logics and determining that the delivery vehicle departs from the delivery point with the use of the selected departure determination logics.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a departure determination system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, various methods have been proposed as methods for determining whether a vehicle has arrived at a target point or has departed from a target point. In Patent Document 1, when it is determined that a moving body has exited from a predetermined determination area with respect to a determination target point based on the position information of the determination target point, the determination conditions, and the position information of the moving body, it is described that it is determined that the moving body has departed from the destination (0006). In Patent Document 2, it is described that when the travel distance of a vehicle becomes equal to or greater than a preset determination value, it is determined that the vehicle has departed from a luggage collection and delivery destination (0023). In Patent Document 3, it is described that when the current position has entered a polygon of a destination a predetermined number of times in an extended polygon obtained by expanding the polygon of the destination, it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at the destination (0007). In Patent Document 4, it is described that when the distance between a guidance point and the position of the host vehicle is within a predetermined distance, it is determined that the vehicle has arrived (0036). In Patent Document 5, it is described that when a perpendicular line is drawn from a destination to the link closest to the destination and the distance between the current position of the vehicle and the destination becomes equal to or less than a predetermined distance obtained from the length of the perpendicular line, it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at the destination (0025).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Patent Document 5

Summary of the Invention

[0004] Ensuring the quality of labor management for drivers performing delivery operations is desirable. To this end, it is necessary to ensure accuracy in determining when a delivery vehicle has arrived at a delivery point and when it has departed from a delivery point, without fail. Furthermore, it is necessary to ensure accuracy in determining the time considered as arrival or departure at each delivery point (time determination accuracy). Loading and unloading operations at delivery points can be carried out in various ways. For example, there may be numerous delivery points scattered within a large factory site, requiring drivers to load and unload cargo by traveling between each delivery point in a delivery vehicle. Alternatively, for example, in the case of stores in urban areas, loading and unloading may be carried out by temporarily parking the delivery vehicle on a road facing the delivery point without entering the delivery point's premises. It has been difficult to ensure both accuracy in determining both the actual operation and the time determination using the same logic whether or not it is necessary to enter the delivery point's premises. This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a technology that can change the departure and arrival determination logic according to the parking arrangement for loading and unloading at the delivery point. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the arrival / departure determination system includes: a delivery location information acquisition unit that acquires the location of a delivery location included in the delivery plan and site information indicating whether or not it is necessary to enter the site of the delivery location for cargo handling; a logic selection unit that selects one or more arrival determination logics and one or more departure determination logics for the delivery location from among a plurality of arrival determination logics and a plurality of departure determination logics based on the site information; and a determination unit that determines whether a delivery vehicle has arrived at the delivery location using the selected arrival determination logic and whether a delivery vehicle has departed from the delivery location using the selected departure determination logic.

[0006] In other words, the arrival / departure determination system selects arrival and departure determination logics for a given delivery point from multiple logics based on site information indicating whether or not it is necessary to enter the delivery point premises for cargo handling. Multiple arrival and departure determination logics may be selected. If the same logic were used for determination whether or not it is necessary to enter the delivery point premises, it would be difficult to ensure both the accuracy of actual arrival / departure determination and the accuracy of arrival / departure time determination in both cases. This arrival / departure determination system allows the departure and arrival determination logic to be changed according to the parking arrangements for cargo handling at the delivery point. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] A block diagram showing the configuration of the arrival / departure determination system. [Figure 2] A diagram showing an example of the structure of delivery plan information. [Figure 3] Figure 3A shows an example of the configuration of delivery point information, Figure 3B shows an example of logic information, and Figure 3C explains the content of each logic. [Figure 4] A diagram explaining the decision logic. [Figure 5] A diagram illustrating the decision-making logic when there are multiple delivery points on the same site. [Figure 6] A diagram showing an example of a delivery management screen. [Figure 7] A flowchart for determining arrival and departure times. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Here, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order. (1) System configuration: (1-1) Configuration of the operations manager terminal: (1-2) Driver terminal configuration: (1-3) Configuration of the arrival / departure determination system: (2) Arrival / Departure Determination Processing: (3) Other embodiments:

[0009] (1) System configuration: Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the arrival / departure determination system 10 according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the arrival / departure determination system 10 cooperates with a driver terminal 100 and a dispatch manager terminal 200 via communication. The driver terminal 100 is a terminal used by each of the multiple delivery vehicles. In this embodiment, the driver terminal 100 may be portable or mounted on the delivery vehicle, or it may be in any configuration. In this embodiment, the delivery vehicles to be driven by each of the multiple drivers are predetermined, and the delivery points to be visited by each delivery vehicle, the order of visits, and the cargo to be delivered to each delivery point are predetermined. The dispatch manager terminal 200 is a terminal used by a dispatch manager who manages the operation of the delivery plan. The dispatch manager uses the dispatch manager terminal 200 to create a delivery plan, and the driver terminal 100 provides guidance for carrying out deliveries according to the delivery plan. The driver terminal 100 periodically transmits the current location of the delivery vehicle to the arrival / departure determination system 10, and the arrival / departure determination system 10 determines the progress of the delivery plan based on the driving record of the delivery vehicle and the delivery plan. Specifically, the system determines whether delivery vehicles have arrived at or departed from the delivery point, and the time of these departures. Progress information is transmitted to the dispatch manager terminal 200 and the driver terminal 100, and displayed on the respective terminals.

[0010] (1-1) Configuration of the operations manager terminal: The dispatch manager terminal 200 is a terminal used by the dispatch manager responsible for delivery planning. The dispatch manager terminal 200 includes a control unit 220 equipped with a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., a recording medium 230, a communication unit 240, and a UI unit 242. The UI unit 242 is an interface unit for inputting instructions from the user (dispatch manager) and providing the user with various information, and includes a display unit consisting of a touch panel display (not shown), input units such as switches, and an audio output unit such as a speaker.

[0011] The communication unit 240 is a device for communicating with other devices. In the present embodiment, the control unit 220 can communicate with the departure / arrival determination system 10 via the communication unit 240. The control unit 220 can execute a program (not shown) recorded on the recording medium 230. In the present embodiment, information indicating the delivery plan transmitted from the departure / arrival determination system 10 is displayed on the display of the UI unit 242. Details of the displayed content will be described later.

[0012] (1-2) Configuration of the driver terminal: The driver terminal 100 is a terminal used in a delivery vehicle. The driver terminal 100 includes a control unit 120 having a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., a recording medium 130, a communication unit 140, a GNSS receiving unit 141, and a UI unit 142. The UI unit 142 is an interface unit for inputting instructions from the user (driver) and providing various types of information to the user, and includes a display unit composed of a touch panel display (not shown), an input unit such as a switch, and an audio output unit such as a speaker.

[0013] The GNSS receiving unit 141 is a device that receives signals of the Global Navigation Satellite System, receives radio waves from navigation satellites, and outputs a signal for calculating the current location of the vehicle via an interface (not shown).

[0014] The communication unit 140 is a device for communicating with other devices. In the present embodiment, the control unit 120 can communicate with the departure / arrival determination system 10 via the communication unit 140. The control unit 20 can execute a program (not shown). In the present embodiment, information indicating the delivery plan transmitted from the departure / arrival determination system 10 is displayed on the display of the UI unit 142. Details of the content of the displayed screen will be described later.

[0015] Various types of information can be recorded on the recording medium 130. In this embodiment, delivery plan information 130a and map information 130b are recorded. The delivery plan information 130a has the same content as the delivery plan information 30b recorded in the arrival / departure determination system 10, and the details will be described later. The delivery plan information 130a only needs to show the delivery plan for each delivery vehicle, and does not need to include the delivery plans of other delivery vehicles.

[0016] Map information 130b includes node data, shape interpolation point data, link data, and feature data indicating the locations of roads and surrounding features. Furthermore, map information 130b includes information for rendering intersections indicated by node data, road sections indicated by shape interpolation data and link data, and features indicated by feature data.

[0017] The control unit 120 can perform various functions by executing a program (not shown) recorded on the recording medium 130. In this embodiment, the control unit 120 uses a program (not shown) to acquire the current location of the delivery vehicle and to provide route guidance and delivery support guidance. The control unit 120 periodically acquires the current location of the delivery vehicle based on the output of the GNSS receiver 141 and periodically transmits it to the arrival / departure determination system 10 via the communication unit 140.

[0018] Route guidance is a guide for driving the vehicle according to the delivery route indicated by the delivery plan information 130a. The control unit 120 displays a map on the display unit of the UI unit 142 based on the map information 130b, and displays the current location of the delivery vehicle and the delivery route from the current location on the map. Delivery support guidance is a guide to support delivery to the delivery point. The control unit 20 displays information on the display unit of the UI unit 142 indicating arrival at the delivery point and departure from the delivery point, as well as information indicating cargo to be unloaded at the delivery point and cargo to be collected at the delivery point.

[0019] (1-3) Configuration of the arrival / departure determination system: The arrival / departure determination system 10 includes a control unit 20 equipped with a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., a recording medium 30, and a communication unit 40. The communication unit 40 includes a circuit for exchanging information with the driver terminal 100 and the operations manager terminal 200. The control unit 20 can communicate with the driver terminal 100 and the operations manager terminal 200 via the communication unit 40.

[0020] Furthermore, the recording medium 30 stores driving record information 30a, delivery plan information 30b, delivery point information 30c, logic information 30d, and map information (not shown). The map information (not shown) has the same configuration as map information 130b. The map information includes information showing the shape of the facility site.

[0021] The driving record information 30a records the current location history of each delivery vehicle. That is, the location of the delivery vehicle and the time when the delivery vehicle was at that location are stored in association. In the driving record information 30a, the current location of the delivery vehicle is updated at predetermined time intervals (for example, every few seconds) using location information transmitted from the driver terminal 100 of the delivery vehicle.

[0022] The delivery plan information 30b is information that shows the delivery plan for each of the multiple delivery vehicles, and is generated, for example, by an administrator inputting the delivery plan using the dispatch manager terminal 200 and transferring it to the arrival / departure determination system 10. Of course, the delivery plan information 30b may also be generated by solving a delivery plan problem based on delivery conditions.

[0023] In this embodiment, the delivery plan information 30b includes information related to the delivery vehicle, information related to the delivery point, and information related to the cargo. Specifically, the information related to the delivery vehicle is the identification information (vehicle ID) of the delivery vehicle. The vehicle ID is associated with the delivery plan's freight ID. The information related to the delivery point includes the identification information, location, name of each delivery point, estimated arrival time at each delivery point, estimated departure time from each delivery point, and information indicating the delivery route between points. The information related to the cargo includes information indicating the cargo to be delivered to each delivery point.

[0024] The recording methods for each piece of information can vary. Figure 2 shows an example of delivery plan information 30b. In Figure 2, the delivery vehicle "T001" is associated with a plan to deliver to delivery points P101 to P106 in that order. In other words, the order of visits in the delivery plan is determined for each delivery point.

[0025] The location of each delivery point is defined by coordinates. The location and name of each delivery point are associated with a point ID (not shown in Figure 2). The delivery route is information indicating the path between points, and in the example shown in Figure 2, it is defined by a permutation of links (link L1, L2, etc.), but it may also be a permutation of nodes, or a permutation of nodes and links. A point can be a starting point, a delivery point, or a destination point. For example, the delivery route to the first delivery point is a permutation of links that must be traversed from the starting point to the delivery point. Note that the starting point and destination point of a delivery vehicle may be the same or different. A package is identification information for a package to be delivered to each delivery point, or a package to be picked up from each delivery point.

[0026] The delivery plan information 30b also records the actual delivery plan being executed by each delivery vehicle. In this embodiment, progress is identified for each delivery vehicle by recording the arrival time and departure time for each delivery point. The arrival time is the time when each delivery vehicle arrives at each delivery point. The departure time is the time when each delivery vehicle arrives at each delivery point. Information indicating the arrival time and departure time for each delivery point in the delivery plan is called the plan progress information. The plan progress information is transmitted to the driver terminal 100 of the delivery vehicle and the dispatch manager terminal 200 used by the administrator, and the progress of the delivery plan is displayed on the display of these terminals.

[0027] In this embodiment, the arrival time is determined using an arrival determination logic selected for each delivery point. Similarly, the departure time is determined using a departure determination logic selected for each delivery point. Figure 2 shows the process by which the determined departure and arrival times are recorded in the delivery plan information 30b. Delivery points without numerical entries indicate that the arrival or departure is incomplete.

[0028] Incidentally, the actual delivery data against the delivery plan requires high accuracy for use in driver labor management and other purposes. In other words, it is necessary to be able to determine without fail that a delivery vehicle has arrived at the delivery point, and to determine that it has departed from the delivery point if it has actually departed. However, for example, if a delivery point has multiple entrances to its premises and the vehicle enters from an entrance other than the one planned, it is possible that the vehicle may not be determined to have arrived even though it has actually arrived. To address this problem, for example, setting an area such as a circle that encloses the delivery point's premises and determining that the vehicle has arrived when it enters this area is likely to prevent missed detections. However, as a result, the difference between the arrival time considered to be the arrival time at the delivery point and the actual arrival time tends to increase. Thus, it is desirable to satisfy both the need to prevent missed detections of arrivals and departures (hereinafter referred to as "actual performance determination accuracy") and the need to improve the accuracy of the time considered to be the arrival time and the time considered to be the departure time (hereinafter referred to as "time determination accuracy").

[0029] Furthermore, some delivery locations, like factories, have large premises that require delivery vehicles to enter for loading and unloading, while others, like stores in urban areas, require delivery vehicles to be temporarily parked on the side of a nearby road for loading and unloading without entering the premises. For these various types of delivery locations, it is desirable to improve the accuracy of performance determination and time determination as described above. Therefore, in this embodiment, delivery location information 30c, which includes information about the delivery location's premises, is pre-set for each delivery location.

[0030] Figure 3A shows an example of delivery point information 30c. In the example shown in Figure 3A, each delivery point is associated with site information and a site group. Site information indicates whether or not it is necessary to enter the site for loading and unloading. "Yes" indicates that it is necessary to enter the site, and "No" indicates that it is not necessary to enter the site. The site group indicates the group of sites in which the delivery points are located. Delivery points located on the same site are assigned a common group code. For example, P103 to P106 are four delivery points located on the same site.

[0031] In this embodiment, the departure determination logic for determining departure and the arrival determination logic for determining arrival are configured to select from a plurality of logics based on whether or not it is a delivery point where it is necessary to enter the premises for cargo handling.

[0032] Figure 3B shows the logic information 30d in this embodiment. For each of the four combinations of type (departure and arrival) and whether or not entry into the site is required, the logic to be selected is predetermined as shown in Figure 3B. The four combinations are identified by model codes. Model code M001 defines the logic used to determine departure for delivery points that need to enter the site. Note that model code M001 has exception rules for delivery points up to the N-1th delivery point in the case where there are multiple delivery points (N delivery points (N is an integer of 2 or more)) in the same site. Model code M002 defines the logic used to determine departure for delivery points that do not need to enter the site. Model code M003 defines the logic used to determine arrival for delivery points that need to enter the site. Note that model code M003 has exception rules for the second and subsequent delivery points in the case where there are multiple delivery points in the same site. Model code M004 defines the logic used to determine arrival for delivery points that do not need to enter the site. Each model code is associated with one or more logics. Figure 3C shows a list of the decision logics used in this embodiment.

[0033] Logic A (first logic) is a determination method using a mesh and is selected as one of the departure determination logics when entry into the site is required (M001). It is also selected as the arrival determination logic for the second and subsequent delivery points when there are multiple delivery points within the same site and entry into the site is required for cargo handling at each delivery point (M003). Logic B is a determination method using an effective circle set based on the delivery point and is selected as one of the departure determination logics when entry into the site is required (M001). Logic B is also selected as one of the arrival logics regardless of whether entry into the site is required or not. Logic C is a determination method based on travel distance and is selected as the departure determination logic for delivery points where entry into the site is not required. In this embodiment, there is only one departure determination logic, Logic C, for delivery points where entry into the site is not required. Logic D is a determination method using an arrival link and, in this embodiment, is selected as one of the arrival determination logics regardless of whether entry into the site is required or not.

[0034] The control unit 20 can execute programs stored in the recording medium 30 or ROM. In this embodiment, the arrival / departure determination program 21 can be executed as this program. The arrival / departure determination program 21 is a program that causes the control unit 20 to execute a function that selects an arrival determination logic and a departure determination logic according to the delivery location and sequentially performs arrival / departure determination for the delivery locations indicated in the delivery plan based on the driving record of the delivery vehicle. When the arrival / departure determination program 21 is executed, the control unit 20 functions as a delivery location information acquisition unit 21a, a logic selection unit 21b, and a determination unit 21c.

[0035] The delivery point information acquisition unit 21a enables the control unit 20 to acquire the location of the delivery points included in the delivery plan and site information indicating whether or not it is necessary to enter the site of the delivery point for cargo handling. Specifically, the control unit 20 acquires the location of each delivery point included in the delivery plan information 30b and the delivery point information 30c for each delivery point.

[0036] The logic selection unit 21b enables the control unit 20 to select one or more arrival determination logics and one or more departure determination logics for a delivery point from among multiple arrival determination logics and multiple departure determination logics, based on site information. In this embodiment, the control unit 20 selects one or more logics from the four logics shown in Figure 3C as the arrival determination logic for the delivery point, based on site information of the delivery point. The control unit 20 also selects one or more logics from the four logics shown in Figure 3C as the departure determination logic for the delivery point, based on site information of the delivery point.

[0037] Each logic will be explained in detail with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the content of the decision logic selected for each model code. As shown in M001 of Figure 3B, logic A and logic B are selected as the departure decision logic for delivery points that require entry into the premises.

[0038] Logic B is a method that sets an effective circle based on the delivery point and uses the effective circle to determine arrival or departure. When used to determine departure from a delivery point that requires entry into a site, as in model code M001, the effective circle is set as an inclusion area that encompasses the site. The method of determining departure using Logic B when entry into a site is required is to determine that the delivery vehicle has departed from the delivery point when the current location of the delivery vehicle changes from inside to outside the inclusion area.

[0039] In Figure 4, at M001, the rectangular area A1, shown by a solid line, represents the site of a facility such as a factory. The circular area A2, shown by a dashed line, is an example of an inclusion area. The black circles in the figure indicate delivery points. For delivery points that require entry into the site, the inclusion area is set to encompass site A1, as shown in A2. The control unit 20 obtains the shape of the facility site of the delivery point by referring to map information and sets an inclusion area that encompasses the site. In this embodiment, the inclusion area is circular, but it may be rectangular or have other shapes. When using logic B, based on the driving record of the delivery vehicle, it can be considered that the delivery vehicle has departed the delivery point when it leaves the inclusion area A2 from within the inclusion area A2. Leaving the inclusion area A2 means that it has also left the site A1, which is contained within the inclusion area A2. Therefore, even if the delivery vehicle leaves site A1 from an entrance or exit different from the planned one, for example, it is possible to prevent the departure from being missed.

[0040] Furthermore, in Figure 4, the rectangular areas M1 to M4, indicated by dotted lines, correspond to the areas of the mesh defined in the map information. While various sizes of unit sections are defined for the mesh, in this embodiment, a mesh with a side length of approximately 125m is assumed. Since these meshes do not overlap, each delivery point is included in one of the meshes. In this example, the combined rectangular area of ​​meshes M1 to M4 is the area that encompasses site A1, and each of the areas M1 to M4 corresponds to a divided area obtained by dividing the rectangular area that encompasses site A1.

[0041] Logic A is a method of determining departure from a delivery point based on the driving history of the delivery vehicle. When it is detected that the delivery vehicle has left the mesh containing the delivery point, it is determined that the delivery vehicle has departed from that delivery point. For example, in M001 in Figure 4, the delivery point is included in mesh M2. Therefore, when it is detected that the delivery vehicle has left mesh M2, it can be considered that the delivery vehicle has departed from the delivery point, and the time it left mesh M2 can be considered the departure time. The inclusion area A2 is larger than the divided area, i.e., the mesh. In other words, since the mesh is smaller than the inclusion area A2, the time from when the vehicle actually departs from the delivery point until it passes the boundary of the mesh containing the delivery point is shorter than the time from when the vehicle departs from the delivery point until it passes the boundary of the inclusion area A2 that encompasses the site of the delivery point. Therefore, the accuracy of the departure time can be improved by determining the departure time using Logic A.

[0042] As shown in Figure 3B, in this embodiment, as an exception rule to M001, if there are N delivery points (where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2) within the same site, for the N-1 and earlier delivery points within the same site (i.e., all but the last delivery point), logic A (first logic) is selected as the departure determination logic, and logic B is not selected as the arrival determination logic. Figure 5 shows an example where M001 includes four delivery points P1 to P4 within the same site (N=4). The arrows indicate the order of visits. For delivery point P4, the last of the four delivery points to be visited, as explained in Figure 4's M001, both logic B and A are selected as departure determination logics. Logic B determines that departure has occurred, and logic A determines the departure time. For the departure determination of the other four delivery points, i.e., P1, P2, and P3, only logic A is used. That is, departure is determined when the delivery vehicle leaves the mesh containing each of these delivery points, and the time when it leaves the mesh is determined as the departure time. For example, P1, the first of the four delivery points, is included in mesh M1. Therefore, when it is detected that the delivery vehicle has left mesh M1, it is considered that the delivery vehicle has departed from delivery point P1, and the time it left mesh M1 is considered the departure time. Determination of departure from delivery points prior to the (N-1)th point does not require the use of the inclusion area in logic B, as the movement is within the site. Determination of departure from delivery points prior to the (N-1)th point is determined by determining that the delivery vehicle has departed from the delivery point prior to the (N-1)th point when the delivery vehicle leaves the divided area that includes the delivery point prior to the (N-1)th point (i.e., logic A), thereby ensuring accuracy in both actual performance and time determination, and the use of logic B is not selected.

[0043] Next, we will explain the departure determination logic for delivery locations that do not require entry into the premises. Delivery locations that do not require entry into the premises may be, for example, stores such as convenience stores in urban areas. As shown in M002 of Figure 3B, logic C is selected as the departure determination logic for delivery locations that do not require entry into the premises.

[0044] Logic C, as indicated in Figure 3C as "Distance Determination," is a logic that determines whether a delivery vehicle has departed a delivery point if the distance traveled since it started moving again from a previously arrived delivery point exceeds a predetermined distance. As shown in the example M002 in Figure 4, depending on the road conditions around the delivery point, the distance traveled may extend within a range where the straight-line distance from the delivery point (indicated by the black circle) is below a certain level. If Logic B were used to determine departure in such a case, the time lag between actually departing the delivery point and crossing the boundary of the effective circle set with the delivery point as the center (determining that departure has occurred) would be large, reducing the accuracy of departure time determination. Therefore, by selecting Logic C as the departure determination logic for delivery points that do not require entry into the premises, the accuracy of departure time determination can be increased compared to Logic B. In addition, for delivery points that do not require entry into the premises, determining departure records using Logic C prevents missed detections of departure records. Therefore, for delivery points that do not require entry into the premises, both time determination accuracy and actual record determination accuracy can be ensured with just Logic C.

[0045] Next, we will explain the arrival determination logic for delivery points that require entry into the premises. As shown in M003 of Figure 3B, in this embodiment, logic B and logic D are selected as the arrival determination logic for delivery points that require entry into the premises.

[0046] Logic B, as shown in Figure 3C, is a method of determining arrival by setting an inclusion area that encompasses the site including the delivery point and using the inclusion area. In other words, the method of determining that a delivery vehicle has arrived at the delivery point when the delivery vehicle moves from outside the inclusion area into the inclusion area is the arrival determination method using Logic B when entry into the site is required. For example, as shown in M003 in Figure 4, by determining that an arrival has occurred when the delivery vehicle enters the inclusion area A2, it is possible to increase the likelihood of preventing missed detections of arrival records.

[0047] Logic D is a logic that determines that a delivery vehicle has arrived at a delivery point when the delivery vehicle is located on the arrival link, as shown in Figure 3C. In this embodiment, the arrival link is the last link among the links that make up the route to the delivery point. The configuration of the roads within site A1 may not be recognized by the arrival / departure determination system 10, and therefore the arrival link is, for example, the L shown as M003 in Figure 4. 01 This link is located outside of site A1. The delivery vehicle's location is at arrival link L. 01 The time shown above is determined to be the arrival time at the delivery location. Arrival Link L 01 If the destination is inside the containment area A2 of Logic B, the accuracy of the arrival time is higher than when using Logic B. In other words, Logic D can be expected to have higher time determination accuracy than Logic B. Furthermore, if there are multiple arrival links connected to entrances that can be entered within site A1, all of these arrival links may be included in the determination. Doing so prevents missed arrival time determinations.

[0048] As shown in Figure 3B, in this embodiment, as an exception rule to M003, if there are N delivery points (where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2) within the same site, the control unit 20 selects logic A (first logic) as the arrival determination logic for the second and subsequent delivery points within the same site (i.e., all delivery points except the first one), and does not select logic B and logic D as arrival determination logics. Figure 5 shows an example where M003 includes four delivery points P1 to P4 within the same site (N=4). The arrows indicate the order of visits. For delivery point P1, the first of the four delivery points to be visited, logics B and D are selected as arrival determination logics, similar to the example of M003 in Figure 4. That is, logic B determines the actual arrival, and logic D determines the arrival time. For the other four delivery points, i.e., P2, P3, and P4, it is necessary to determine movement within the site. The configuration of roads within the site may not be recognized by the arrival / departure determination system 10. Therefore, logic A is selected for the second and subsequent delivery points. In other words, for each delivery point from the second onward, arrival is determined when the delivery vehicle enters the mesh containing the delivery point from outside the mesh. The time the vehicle enters the mesh from outside is determined as the arrival time. For example, P2, the second of the four delivery points, is included in mesh M2. Therefore, when it is detected that the delivery vehicle's position has moved from outside to inside mesh M2 (in this case, from mesh M1 to mesh M2), the vehicle is considered to have arrived at delivery point P2, and the time the vehicle entered mesh M2 is considered the arrival time. The arrival determination for the second and subsequent delivery points is determined when the delivery vehicle enters the divided area containing the second and subsequent delivery points (logic A), which ensures accuracy in both actual and time determination. Therefore, the control unit 20 does not select to use logics B and D for determination.

[0049] Next, we will explain the arrival determination logic for delivery points that do not require entry into the premises. As shown in M004 of Figure 3B, logic B and logic D are selected as the arrival determination logic for delivery points that do not require entry into the premises, similar to the case of M003. As shown in M004 of Figure 4, logic B determines that an arrival has occurred when the vehicle enters the effective circle A3 centered on the delivery point indicated by the black circle. In addition, logic D determines that the current location of the delivery vehicle is linked to the arrival link L 02 The time at which this occurs is determined to be the arrival time.

[0050] Thus, in this embodiment, the control unit 20, using the function of the logic selection unit 21b, selects a combination of logic (logic D) with relatively high accuracy in determining arrival time (time determination accuracy) and logic (logic B) with relatively high accuracy in determining actual arrival (actual determination accuracy) as the arrival determination logic. In addition, for the exception of M003, one logic (logic A) with relatively high time determination accuracy and relatively high actual determination accuracy is selected. Furthermore, using the function of the logic selection unit 21b, the control unit 20 selects a combination of logic (logic A) with relatively high accuracy in determining departure time (time determination accuracy) and logic (logic B) with relatively high accuracy in determining actual departure (actual determination accuracy) as the departure determination logic for M001. In addition, for the exception of M001, one logic (logic A) with relatively high time determination accuracy and relatively high actual determination accuracy is selected. For M002, the control unit 20 selects one logic (logic C) as the departure determination logic that has relatively high accuracy in determining the departure time (time determination accuracy) and also relatively high accuracy in determining whether the departure actually occurred (actual determination accuracy). In this way, by using a combination of a logic that can be expected to have time determination accuracy and a logic that can be expected to have actual determination accuracy, or by using a single logic that can be expected to have both time determination accuracy and actual determination accuracy, both time determination accuracy and actual determination accuracy can be ensured.

[0051] Furthermore, as described above, the control unit 20 selects two logics (M001) for determining departure when it is necessary to enter the premises of the delivery point for cargo handling: Logic A, which determines that the delivery vehicle has departed the delivery point when the delivery vehicle leaves the divided area that includes the delivery point, and Logic B, which determines that the delivery vehicle has departed the delivery point when the delivery vehicle leaves the inclusive area that includes the delivery point. Regarding departure determination for delivery points that require entry into the premises, by using Logic B, which is expected to have accuracy in determining actual departures, and Logic A, which is expected to have accuracy in determining the time of departures, both accuracy in determining actual departures and accuracy in determining the time of departures can be ensured. On the other hand, as a departure determination logic (M002) when it is not necessary to enter the premises of the delivery point for cargo handling, the control unit 20 selects one logic (Logic C), which determines that the delivery vehicle has departed when the distance traveled since the delivery vehicle started moving again from the delivery point exceeds a predetermined distance. Regarding departure determination for delivery points that do not require entry to the premises, by selecting logic C, which is expected to have both accuracy in determining actual departures and accuracy in determining departure times, both accuracy in determining actual departures and accuracy in determining departure times can be ensured.

[0052] The determination unit 21c determines, using the selected arrival determination logic, that a delivery vehicle has arrived at the delivery point, and the control unit 20 determines, using the selected departure determination logic, that a delivery vehicle has departed from the delivery point. According to this embodiment, the departure and arrival determination logic can be changed according to the parking arrangement for loading and unloading at the delivery point. By using the determination logic selected as described above, it is possible to increase the likelihood of accurately determining arrivals and departures for delivery points that do not require entry into the site, as well as for delivery points that do not. Furthermore, even when there are multiple delivery points on the site, it is possible to increase the likelihood of accurately determining arrivals and departures for those delivery points.

[0053] The control unit 20 determines, based on the progress of the delivery plan, which item should be determined next, i.e., which is the next delivery point, and whether the next determination should be an arrival or a departure, and then makes the determination. The control unit 20 then updates the plan progress information by recording the determined arrival time or departure time in the delivery plan information 30b.

[0054] Figure 6 shows an example of a screen displayed on the driver terminal 100 and the operations manager terminal 200. The driver terminal 100 and the operations manager terminal 200 can receive updated delivery plan information 30b from the arrival / departure determination system 10, and display a screen based on the updated delivery plan information 30b. In the example shown in Figure 6, the screen shows the progress of an arbitrary delivery plan, with the current location of the delivery vehicle, the delivery route, and the delivery points superimposed on the map displayed on the right. On the map, the current location is indicated by an icon with a black circle inside a circle. The delivery route is shown by a line thicker than the road, with gray indicating the traveled portion and black indicating the untraveled portion. White circles with numbers indicate delivery points, and the numbers indicate the delivery order. S and E are the departure point and the arrival point.

[0055] Furthermore, in the left-hand screen of Figure 6, the delivery order is schematically represented by arranging the delivery points from top to bottom in order of delivery. In this screen as well, the icon with a black circle inside indicates the current location, the gray lines schematically represent completed delivery routes, and the black lines represent uncompleted delivery routes. In addition, the white circles with numbers indicate delivery points, and the numbers indicate the delivery order. Each delivery point is associated with a name of that delivery point.

[0056] On the left-hand screen, the estimated arrival and departure times are shown in association with each delivery point. The estimated arrival and departure times are shown to the left of the line indicating the delivery route. Specifically, on the delivery route, white circles are placed above and below the white circles with numerical values; the upper white circle schematically represents arrival, and the lower white circle represents departure. For example, the estimated arrival time at delivery point 11, the first delivery point in the delivery sequence, is 7:00, and the estimated departure time is 7:10.

[0057] Furthermore, when a delivery vehicle arrives at a delivery location and departs from it, the time is displayed on the screen. In the screen shown on the left side of Figure 6, the arrival and departure times are shown to the right of the line indicating the delivery route. For example, the arrival time at the first delivery location 11 is 7:01, which is 1 minute later than the scheduled arrival time. Also, the departure time from the first delivery location 11 is 7:10, which matches the scheduled departure time of 7:10. In the screen shown in Figure 6, the current location is between the first and second delivery locations, so the arrival time at the second delivery location 12 and the departure time from delivery location 12 are not displayed.

[0058] As shown in Figure 6, a screen similar to the one displayed on the operations manager terminal 200 is also shown. Operations managers can view highly accurate plan progress information, which can be used to help manage the labor of drivers.

[0059] (2) Arrival / Departure Determination Processing: Next, the arrival / departure determination process performed by the control unit 20 will be explained with reference to Figure 7. The driving record information 30a is updated at predetermined intervals based on information transmitted from each driver terminal 100. The arrival / departure determination process starts when the delivery plan is executed and is repeated at predetermined intervals by a timer. The updating of the driving record information 30a and the arrival / departure determination process are not synchronized; they are executed at independent times.

[0060] When the arrival / departure determination process begins, the control unit 20 acquires delivery plan information 30b (step S100). If multiple delivery plans are executed in parallel, the control unit 20 acquires delivery plan information for each of the multiple flights. Next, the control unit 20 activates a timer (step S105). The control unit 20 starts counting on the timer that measures the predetermined time T so that steps S105 to S125 are executed each time a predetermined time T has elapsed. If arrival / departure determination is performed for each of the multiple flights, the control unit 20 repeats steps S110 to S115 for the number of flights.

[0061] Following step S105, the control unit 20 refers to the delivery location information 30c and selects the logic to be determined next (step S110). That is, it refers to the delivery plan information 30b and identifies the next delivery location to be determined based on the progress of the flight subject to arrival / departure determination, and obtains the delivery location information 30c of the identified delivery location. For example, in the case of flight 1001 in Figure 2, since the determination has been completed up to departure from location P101, the control unit 20 considers that the arrival at location P102 should be determined next. Then, the control unit 20 obtains the delivery location information 30c (site information, site group) for location P102. Furthermore, the control unit 20 refers to the logic information 30d and selects the logic based on the site information and site group of the next location to be determined, and the distinction between arrival and departure (see Figure 3B).

[0062] Next, the control unit 20 performs an arrival / departure determination using the selected logic (step S115). That is, the control unit 20 acquires the delivery vehicle's driving record information 30a and performs an arrival or departure determination based on the delivery vehicle's driving record and the selected logic. If it can be determined from the delivery vehicle's driving record that there is an arrival record (or departure record) at the target location, and the arrival time (or departure time) can be determined, the control unit 20 updates the progress by recording the time in the arrival time (or departure time) for the corresponding location in the delivery plan information 30b. Steps S105 to S125 are executed periodically by a timer. In cycles where it is not determined that there is an arrival record (or departure record) and the arrival time (or departure time) cannot be determined, the arrival time (or departure time) is not recorded in the delivery plan information 30b, and the arrival determination (or departure determination) for the same location is performed again in the next cycle. Note that, for example, if two logics are used for determining arrival at a certain location, it is not always the case that both logics determine that the vehicle has arrived in the same processing cycle. Specifically, for example, if a logic with relatively high accuracy in determining actual arrival time determines that the delivery arrived first, the arrival time determined by that logic is temporarily recorded in the delivery plan information 30b. Then, in a subsequent cycle, if a logic with relatively high accuracy in determining the time of arrival determines that the delivery arrived, the arrival time already recorded in the delivery plan information 30b is overwritten with the arrival time determined by the logic with relatively high accuracy.

[0063] Next, the control unit 20 determines whether all flights have been determined (step S120). If they have not been determined, it returns to step S110 and performs arrival and departure determination for any flights that have not been determined in the same cycle. If it determines in step S120 that all flights have been determined, the control unit 20 waits until the waiting time set by the timer has elapsed (step S125). If it determines in step S125 that a predetermined time T has elapsed, the control unit 20 returns to step S105 and performs the processing of steps S105 to S125 of the next cycle.

[0064] (3) Other embodiments: The embodiments described above are merely examples for carrying out the present invention, and various other embodiments can be adopted. For example, each system constituting the above embodiments may consist of fewer devices. One such example is when at least one device shown in Figure 1 is the same as one or more other devices. For example, the arrival / departure determination system 10 and the operation manager terminal 200 may be configured as a single device, or the arrival / departure determination system 10 and the driver terminal 100 may be configured as a single device. Some functions of the arrival / departure determination system 10 may be implemented in the operation manager terminal 200 or the driver terminal 100. For example, arrival and departure times may be determined in the driver terminal 100 rather than in the arrival / departure determination system 10. Furthermore, the system shown in Figure 1 may consist of more systems. For example, at least some functions of the arrival / departure determination system 10 may be configured in a cloud server.

[0065] Furthermore, at least a portion of each component constituting the arrival / departure determination system 10 (delivery point information acquisition unit 21a, logic selection unit 21b, determination unit 21c) may be divided among multiple devices. Also, configurations in which some of the components of the above-described embodiment are omitted, or configurations in which processing is varied or omitted, are conceivable. In addition, either loading or collection of goods may be performed at the delivery point or other facility, or both may be performed.

[0066] The logic used for departure and arrival determination may be other than those listed in the above embodiments. For example, as the departure determination logic for a delivery point that requires entry into a site, a logic may be adopted in which, after it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at the delivery point, the system determines that the vehicle has departed when the link connecting to the site (departure link) matches with the delivery vehicle. It is desirable to determine the expected accuracy of various logics other than those described above and to configure the system to use in combination logic with relatively high performance determination accuracy and logic with relatively high time determination accuracy.

[0067] Furthermore, the inclusion area should be set to be larger than the division area. The inclusion area should be set to be larger than the collection of division areas that include at least a part of the site. For example, as shown in M001 in Figure 5, the inclusion area A2 is set so that the collection area of ​​meshes M1, M2, M3, and M4 lies inside the inclusion area A2. The division area can be any region obtained by dividing the area that includes the site containing the delivery points, and in addition to using meshes, for example, the division area can be set by simply dividing the shape of the site. When the division area is set by dividing the shape of the site, the inclusion area should be set to be even larger than the site. The division areas should be arranged without gaps and without overlapping, and their shape is not limited to squares or rectangles. The division areas do not all have to be the same shape or size. When meshes are used as division areas and two or more delivery points are included in the same mesh, it is preferable to select a mesh size such that there is one or fewer delivery points in one mesh. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, as shown in M001 of Figure 4, there is one delivery point within the site, and in the case where it is necessary to enter the site for cargo handling at the delivery point, logic A is selected as the dividing area for determining departure. However, if there is only one delivery point within the site, a logic may be adopted that considers departure to have occurred when the vehicle leaves site A1 from inside site A1.

[0068] Furthermore, the methods of the present invention can also be applied as programs and methods. Moreover, such systems, programs, and methods may be implemented as standalone devices, or they may be implemented using parts shared with various components of a vehicle, encompassing a variety of embodiments. They can also be modified as appropriate, such as being partly software and partly hardware. Furthermore, the invention also functions as a recording medium for a program that controls the system. Of course, the recording medium for the program may be a magnetic recording medium, a semiconductor memory, or any recording medium developed in the future can be considered in exactly the same way. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0069] 10...Arrival / Departure Determination System, 11...Delivery Point, 12...Delivery Point, 20...Control Unit, 21...Arrival / Departure Determination Program, 21a...Delivery Point Information Acquisition Unit, 21b...Logic Selection Unit, 21c...Determination Unit, 30...Recording Medium, 30a...Driving Performance Information, 30b...Delivery Plan Information, 30c...Delivery Point Information, 30d...Logic Information, 40...Communication Unit, 100...Driver Terminal, 120...Control Unit, 130...Recording Medium, 130a...Delivery Plan Information, 130b...Map Information, 140...Communication Unit, 141...GNSS Receiver Unit, 142...UI Unit, 200...Operation Manager Terminal, 220...Control Unit, 230...Recording Medium, 240...Communication Unit, 242...UI Unit, L 01 ,L 02 ...Arrival link, M1, M2, M3, M4...Mesh (divided area), A1...Site, A2...Inclusion area, A3...Effective circle

Claims

1. A delivery location information acquisition unit acquires the location of a delivery point included in the delivery plan, and site information indicating whether or not it is necessary to enter the site of the delivery point for cargo handling. A logic selection unit selects one or more arrival determination logics and one or more departure determination logics at the delivery point based on the site information, from among a plurality of the arrival determination logics and a plurality of the departure determination logics. A determination unit that determines whether the delivery vehicle has arrived at the delivery point using the selected arrival determination logic, and determines whether the delivery vehicle has departed from the delivery point using the selected departure determination logic, A system for determining arrival and departure times.

2. The delivery locations are assigned a specific order of visit according to the delivery plan. In the aforementioned delivery plan, if N delivery points (where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2) are located within the same site and it is necessary to enter the site for loading and unloading, then for the second and subsequent delivery points within the same site, the first logic is selected as the arrival determination logic, and for the N-1 and earlier delivery points within the same site, the first logic is selected as the departure determination logic. The first logic is a determination logic that determines that the delivery vehicle has arrived at the second or later delivery point when the delivery vehicle enters a divided area that includes the second or later delivery point among the divided areas obtained by dividing an area that includes the site containing the multiple delivery points, and determines that the delivery vehicle has departed from the N-1 or earlier delivery point when the delivery vehicle leaves the divided area that includes the N-1 or earlier delivery point. The arrival / departure determination system according to claim 1.

3. In the logic selection unit, As the arrival determination logic, one of the following is selected: a combination of a logic with relatively high accuracy in determining the arrival time and a logic with relatively high accuracy in determining the actual arrival; or a logic with relatively high accuracy in determining the arrival time and also relatively high accuracy in determining the actual arrival. As the departure determination logic, one of the following is selected: a combination of a logic with relatively high accuracy in determining the departure time and a logic with relatively high accuracy in determining whether a departure has actually occurred, or a logic with relatively high accuracy in determining the departure time and also with a reasonably high accuracy in determining whether a departure has actually occurred. The arrival / departure determination system according to claim 1.

4. In the logic selection unit, As the departure determination logic when it is necessary to enter the site of the delivery point for loading and unloading, two logics are selected: one that determines that the delivery vehicle has departed the delivery point when the delivery vehicle leaves the divided area that includes the delivery point, which is obtained by dividing the area that includes the site that includes the delivery point; and another that determines that the delivery vehicle has departed the delivery point when the delivery vehicle leaves the inclusive area that includes the site that includes the delivery point. As the departure determination logic when it is not necessary to enter the premises of the delivery point for loading and unloading, one logic is selected that determines that the delivery vehicle has departed when the distance traveled by the delivery vehicle since it started moving again from the delivery point exceeds a predetermined distance. The arrival / departure determination system according to claim 1.

5. The inclusion area is larger than the division area. The arrival / departure determination system according to claim 4.

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