Transport object management system and vehicle management system

Abstract

Provided are a transport object management system with which it is possible to efficiently inspect unique features present in each of a large number of transport objects, and a vehicle management system in which the transport object management system is used. The present invention comprises: a file server 50 that is capable of registering, in advance, transport object information pertaining to a transport object and a transport object image; a branch site terminal 20 that is connected to the file server 50 via a network N, is capable of designating and imaging a designated position P in the transport object image 60, and is capable of registering a captured image 70 to the file server 50 in association with the designated position P; and a manager terminal that is connected to the file server 50 via the network N, downloads the transport object information, the transport object image 60, and the captured image 70 from the file server 50 to display said information and images on a display unit 34, 44, and is capable of displaying the captured image 70 of the designated position P by selecting the designated position P on the transport object image 60 displayed on the display unit 34, 44.

Description

Cargo Management System and Vehicle Management System

[0001] The present invention relates to a cargo management system and a management system for managing a vehicle that transports using the cargo management system.

[0002] Conventionally, when managing cargo such as vehicles, inspections of the cargo are carried out before and after transportation to manage whether damage or the like has occurred during transportation. For example, in Patent Document 1, there are steps of inspecting the condition of an article at a first inspection time point and writing it as first inspection data in a first inspection PDA, transferring the first inspection data from the first inspection PDA to an integration computer and integrating it, transferring the first inspection data from the integration computer to a second inspection PDA, inspecting the condition of the article at a second inspection time point and adding and writing it as second inspection data to the second inspection PDA in which the first inspection data is written, and transferring the data in which the second inspection data is added and written from the second inspection PDA to a comparison computer and integrating it as comparison data. An article inspection system including these steps has been proposed. In this system, inspections of the article are carried out at different time points during storage and transfer, and the inspections are carried out by writing the data of the inspection results at each time point in an integration computer and comparing them.

[0003] Patent No. 4010401

[0004] In such a conventional system for managing cargo, when the cargo is a used vehicle, at each inspection time point, while the on-site staff checks the vehicle, they use a PDA such as a portable mobile computer to input the unique characteristics of each vehicle, such as the degree of damage to the vehicle, the presence or absence of accessories and accessories. For example, for damage, "Scratch (scratches, scratches)", "Scoring (deep scratches)", "Sm Dent (small dents)", "Dent (large deep dents)", "Broken (broken, cracked)", "Paint (colored, faded)", "Missing (missing)", etc. are input and written in a predetermined computer for comparison.

[0005] However, the unique characteristics of each transported item, such as damage, vary widely in terms of location, shape, type, extent, and size, and are all different for each item. Therefore, conventional transported item management systems that classify and systematize the unique characteristics of each transported item also record each unique characteristic of the transported item as an image.

[0006] However, when managing a very large number of transported items, managing the recording of captured images and conducting inspections using a system that manages the transported items is time-consuming for the site, the manager, and the client, and there was a strong need for a system that could improve work efficiency.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a transport management system that can efficiently perform inspections of the unique characteristics of each of the numerous transported items, and a vehicle management system that uses this system, in order to solve the above problems.

[0008] The transport management system that solves the above problems comprises: a file server capable of pre-registering transport information and transport images related to transported goods; a field terminal connected to the file server via a network, capable of specifying and capturing a designated location in the transport image, and registering the captured image to the file server in association with the specified location; and an administrator terminal connected to the file server via a network, capable of downloading transport information, transport images, and captured images from the file server and displaying them on a display unit, and capable of displaying an captured image of a specified location by selecting a designated location on the transport image displayed on the display unit.

[0009] According to the transported goods management system of the present invention, transported goods images are pre-registered in a file server prior to transport, and field terminals can specify and capture images of designated locations in the transported goods images. These captured images can then be registered in the file server, linked to the designated locations. Therefore, even with a large number of transported goods, field terminals can efficiently register captured images for each designated location of the numerous transported goods in the file server. Administrator terminals can download and display the transported goods information, transported goods images, and captured images registered in the file server. When doing so, by selecting a designated location on the displayed transported goods image, the captured image of that location can be displayed, allowing administrator terminals to efficiently and reliably verify captured images for each designated location of numerous transported goods. Accordingly, the present invention provides a transported goods management system that enables efficient inspection of the unique characteristics of numerous transported goods.

[0010] In the transported goods management system of the present invention, it is preferable that the field terminal can download transported goods images from a file server and display them on the display unit, and also specify a designated position on the transported goods image displayed on the display unit. In this way, the field terminal can download and display transported goods images from a file server, and capture images by specifying a designated position on these transported goods images, so that the field terminal can capture and register images of each designated position on a large number of transported goods with greater work efficiency.

[0011] In the transported goods management system of the present invention, the administrator terminal can change the designated position on the transported goods image displayed on the display unit, and the changed designated position is registered in the file server. In this way, the administrator terminal can change the designated position on the transported goods image, and the changed designated position is registered, so if an image is captured with a designated position that was not intended by the inspector, for example, on the field terminal, the administrator terminal can easily correct it to an appropriate position.

[0012] In the transported goods management system of the present invention, the client terminal is connected to a file server via a network, and transported goods information, transported goods images, and captured images can be downloaded from the file server and displayed on the display unit of the client terminal. The client terminal can then select a specified location on the transported goods image displayed on the display unit to display the captured image of that specified location. Therefore, the client who requested the inspection of transported goods can download the transported goods image from the file server using their terminal and display it. By specifying a location on this transported goods image, they can confirm the captured image as the actual state of the transported goods. This allows for efficient visual confirmation of captured images of each specified location for a large number of transported goods.

[0013] In this case, the administrator terminal should have a public processing unit that restricts the modification of the specified location and captured images registered on the file server, and allows the download of the transported goods information, transported goods images, and captured images registered on the file server to each terminal. This ensures that the requesting terminal cannot download the specified location and captured images captured by the field terminal until the public processing unit of the administrator terminal has restricted their modification. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the specified location or captured images from being changed after the requesting terminal has viewed and confirmed the captured images of the specified location, thereby ensuring the reliability of the captured images of the specified location. This makes it possible to share information with relevant parties while ensuring the reliability of the captured images of the specified location, regardless of, for example, the distance the transported goods travel or the time the transported goods are managed.

[0014] In the transport management system of the present invention, the administrator terminal may include a headquarters administrator terminal and multiple branch administrator terminals installed in multiple different branches. This allows for the display and confirmation of transport information, transport images, and captured images related to transported goods from each branch using the multiple branch administrator terminals, as well as the modification of designated locations and captured images. Since these can be centrally managed by the headquarters administrator terminal, the efficiency of management work can be improved.

[0015] In the transport management system of the present invention, the administrator terminal comprises a headquarters administrator terminal and multiple branch administrator terminals installed in multiple different branches, and it is preferable that the headquarters administrator terminal and the headquarters administrator terminal among the branch administrator terminals have a public processing unit. In this way, multiple branch administrator terminals can display and confirm transport information, transport images, and captured images related to transported goods transported from each branch on a display unit, and change the designated position or captured image. The headquarters administrator terminal can perform a public processing that allows the download of this transport information, transport images, and captured images to each terminal, making it easy to manage the entire system from the headquarters administrator terminal.

[0016] In the cargo management system of the present invention, cargo information and images for multiple cargo items are pre-registered in the file server, with each cargo item assigned an identification number. Field terminals, administrator terminals, and client terminals can then display the cargo information and images for each cargo item using the identification number. This facilitates the management of cargo information, cargo images, and captured images for each cargo item.

[0017] In the transport management system of the present invention, transport images are preferably registered in the file server by selectively selecting from a plurality of schematic diagrams pre-stored in the file server. This allows for efficient preparation work, as fewer transport images need to be prepared in advance on the file server for a large number of transport items.

[0018] In the transported goods management system of the present invention, the designated location is indicated by an icon on the transported goods image displayed on each display unit, and it is preferable that the icon includes information about the captured image. In this way, the designated location and information about the captured image are displayed on the transported goods image by an icon, so that a part of the overview can be grasped without displaying the captured image, thereby making the verification work of each transported goods more efficient.

[0019] The vehicle management system of the present invention, which solves the above problems, is a vehicle management system that uses these transported goods management systems, wherein the transported goods are vehicles, the transported goods image is an image showing a vehicle, and the captured image is a photograph of a recordable object present in the vehicle. According to the vehicle management system of the present invention, it is possible to easily and reliably confirm whether the recordable object present in the vehicle after transport existed before transport or whether its state changed after the start of transport, thereby enabling easy and reliable proof during vehicle transport.

[0020] In the vehicle management system of the present invention, images of transported goods can be registered to the file server by selectively selecting from multiple schematic diagrams commonly used for each vehicle type, which are pre-stored on the file server. This makes it easy to prepare images of transported goods.

[0021] In the vehicle management system of the present invention, designated locations are indicated by icons on the images of transported goods displayed on each display unit, and the icons preferably contain information about the content of the record to be recorded. As a result, the record to be recorded and information about the record to be recorded are displayed on the transported goods images by icons, making the verification work for each vehicle more efficient.

[0022] This is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a block diagram of a vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This shows an example of a vehicle image according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a sedan type and (b) is a van type. This is a diagram showing an example of how a designated position is indicated by an icon in a vehicle image displayed on each display unit of the vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing an example of a photograph of each designated position in Figure 4. This is a flowchart of a vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle list registered on the file server of a vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing the state in which a vehicle image and an icon are displayed on the display unit of a field terminal of a vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing the display unit when the imaging unit is activated on a field terminal of a vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing an example of a display screen registered on the file server of a vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present invention and displayed on the display unit of an administrator terminal.

[0023] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the figures. Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of the cargo management system of this embodiment, and Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram thereof. This embodiment is an example in which the cargo management system is used as a vehicle management system, and is a system for managing when transporting a large number of used cars as cargo by ship from multiple ports of call to a predetermined destination. In this system, information about the record target that exists for each vehicle before transport is registered, and by comparing it with the information registered after transport, it is possible to manage whether or not the state of the record target has changed during transport.

[0024] Here, "items to be recorded in a vehicle" include parts or components that require current recording. These parts or components that require current recording may be, for example, those predetermined as items that require recording, or those that the inspector or other personnel deem necessary to record for various reasons during the inspection. Examples of items to be recorded include damaged parts, exterior parts of the vehicle, interior parts of the vehicle, and accessories such as attached cables. Information about the items to be recorded may also include various types of information, such as the location of the item and the type of content to be recorded.

[0025] The vehicle management system, which is a cargo management system in this embodiment, is constructed by connecting a client terminal 10 used by a client such as a shipping company that requests inspection during transport, multiple branch field terminals 20 used by inspectors to perform cargo receiving and inspection work at berths in each port of call, multiple branch manager terminals 30 used by branch management personnel at each port of call, and a headquarters manager terminal 40 used by headquarters management personnel who oversee management work, to a file server 50 via a network N. The file server 50 consists of a computer and server software. Network N may be a well-known computer network, for example, a wide-area network such as the Internet. The branch field terminals 20 may be connected to a wide-area network such as the Internet via a mobile phone network such as 4th generation (referred to as 4G), 5th generation (referred to as 5G), or a locally constructed LAN (Local Area Network) and wireless LAN.

[0026] The file server 50 may be a file server located on the cloud, a file server installed in a building where an administrator is located, or an on-premise file server. The file server 50 is a server for registering various types of transport information and various images related to transported goods and downloading them to each terminal. Transport information related to transported goods includes details such as each delivery point and delivery time. Transport images related to transported goods include images that represent the shape of the transported goods. The file server 50 in this embodiment can register basic information about vehicles, as well as images such as vehicle images and captured images, and download them to each terminal.

[0027] Hereinafter, the file server 50 will be described as a file server located on the cloud. The file server 50 consists of an input / output unit 51 that communicates with the client terminal 10, the branch site terminal 20, the branch administrator terminal 30, and the headquarters administrator terminal 40 via the network N, a storage unit 52 where various information and images of the transported items are registered, and a control unit 53 that controls the function of registering information such as basic information about the vehicle, vehicle images, and captured images. The control unit 53 is equipped with a CPU.

[0028] Basic information about the vehicles includes information that allows for the identification of each vehicle being loaded, such as the vehicle identification number (VIN), manufacturer, model, vessel name, loading port, and unloading port. This basic information should ideally be registered in the file server 50 prior to the receiving and inspection operations. The basic information may also be registered from the branch administrator terminal 30 or the headquarters administrator terminal 40 based on the vehicle list from the client terminal 10.

[0029] A vehicle image is an image representing the shape of a vehicle. In this embodiment, the vehicle image 60 is a diagram that has been pre-registered in the file server 50 for use in common with multiple vehicles. This vehicle image 60 is a schematic diagram consisting of unfolded diagrams prepared for common use for each vehicle type, such as a sedan, coupe, minivan, SUV, compact car, van, or truck, and can be selected from multiple schematic diagrams. For example, the schematic diagram consisting of the unfolded diagram shown in Figure 3(a) may be used for a sedan, and the schematic diagram consisting of the unfolded diagram shown in Figure 3(b) may be used for a van.

[0030] The schematic diagram used for each vehicle may be selected and registered from multiple vehicle images 60 during loading or inspection operations. However, in this embodiment, the vehicle image 60 is configured to be used based on the vehicle type included in the basic information. Furthermore, each vehicle image 60 is configured so that recording targets present in each vehicle can be set as designated positions. If the recording target is not shown in the schematic diagram consisting of an exploded view, in this embodiment, it is possible to set a position corresponding to the part of the recording target as the designated position. For example, if the recording target is an interior part of a vehicle, the designated position may be set to a position on the exterior surface of the vehicle body corresponding to the area where the interior part is placed. Also, if the recording target is an accessory of a vehicle, the designated position may be set to a position on the exterior surface of the vehicle body corresponding to the location where the accessory is used.

[0031] The captured images include images 70 of a predetermined position on the vehicle and images 70 related to the recording target of the vehicle. These captured images 70 are registered by being captured and uploaded by the branch field terminal 20. The captured images 70 related to the recording target are registered in association with the designated position P set in the vehicle image 60 of each vehicle.

[0032] The client terminal 10 is a personal computer or mobile terminal connected to the file server 50 via a network N, and includes an input / output unit 11, a storage unit 12, a control unit 13, and a display unit 14. In this embodiment, the client terminal 10 can send a vehicle inspection request to the branch administrator terminal 30 or the headquarters administrator terminal 40 before the vehicles are transported. When an inspection request is made, the basic information of each vehicle to be loaded is compiled for each port of call C and sent to the branch administrator terminal 30 or the headquarters administrator terminal 40 as a vehicle list. The vehicle list may be registered directly to the file server 50 if it is created in a predetermined format. Normally, the vehicle list is modified or created and registered at the branch administrator terminal 30 or the headquarters administrator terminal 40.

[0033] On the other hand, after vehicle inspection, for example after management commencement and after transportation, the client terminal 10 can download information such as basic information of each vehicle registered in the file server 50, as well as images such as vehicle images and captured images, and display them on the display unit 14. The downloaded information and images of each vehicle can be identified and retrieved and displayed by the vehicle identification number. In this embodiment, captured images 70 related to the recording target are registered in association with designated positions P set in the vehicle image 60. Therefore, for example, as shown in Figure 4, by selecting a designated position P of the vehicle image 60 displayed on the display unit 14, captured images 70 of each designated position P can be displayed, for example, as shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b).

[0034] The branch field terminal 20 is a mobile terminal or the like connected to the file server 50 via a network N. The system of this embodiment has multiple branch field terminals 20, with one branch field terminal 20 provided at each berth in a port of call. The branch field terminal 20 includes an input / output unit 21, a storage unit 22, a control unit 23, a display unit 24, and an imaging unit 25. Each branch field terminal 20 can download basic vehicle information and vehicle images 60 registered in the file server 50, identify a vehicle by, for example, its vehicle identification number, and display it on the display unit 24.

[0035] The branch field terminal 20 is configured to capture images using an imaging unit 25. In this embodiment, the branch field terminal 20 captures images 70 of a plurality of predetermined locations on the vehicle, as well as images 70 of the recording target present on the vehicle. Each branch field terminal 20 can specify a designated location P in the vehicle image 60 displayed on the display unit 24, for example, as shown in Figure 4. It can also capture an image of the designated location P and acquire an image, for example, as shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b). Each image 70 can be registered in the file server 50 in association with the designated location P, and after being registered in the file server 50, it is displayed on the display unit of other terminals as an image of the designated location P.

[0036] In this embodiment, the branch field terminal 20 has a display unit 24 which is a touch panel. With a vehicle image 60 displayed on the display unit 24, the user can specify a position on the vehicle image 60 by touch input, thereby using the coordinates on the display unit 24 to specify a designated position P of the captured image 70. Furthermore, by specifying a designated position P of the captured image 70 on the display unit 24 and capturing the captured image 70 with the imaging unit 25, the data of the captured image 70 and the data of the designated position P can be linked, making it possible to associate each captured image 70 with the designated position P. The order of specifying the designated position P and capturing the image is not specified, but for example, by displaying the vehicle image 60 on the display unit 24, specifying the designated position P, and then capturing the image, the captured image 70 and the designated position P can be linked and stored in the storage unit 22, and further registered in the file server 50.

[0037] In addition, in the branch field terminal 20 of this embodiment, when a designated location P is specified, as shown in Figure 4, the designated location P indicating the recording target is shown by an icon 80 on the vehicle image 60 displayed on the display unit 24. Preferably, this icon 80 includes information about the captured image 70, such as information about the recording content of the recording target and an indication 81 showing the number of captured images. In this embodiment, the information about the recording content of the recording target includes an indication 81 showing the type of damage and the number of captured images 70 for the damaged area. The type of damage is indicated by, for example, "A" for Scratch, "U" for Dent, "T" for Tear, "X" for Damage, "P" for Painted, "PO" for PaintOff, "Z" for Missing, and "AD" for Additional. The number of images taken can be indicated by a numerical value, for example, but it is not necessary to take any images, in which case the number of images taken will not be displayed. These icons 80 can also be input by touching the icon selection list displayed when specifying a designated position P on the vehicle image 60 displayed on the display unit 24 of the branch field terminal 20.

[0038] In this embodiment, the administrator terminal comprises multiple branch administrator terminals 30 installed in multiple different branches, and a headquarters administrator terminal 40. Each branch administrator terminal 30 and headquarters administrator terminal 40 is a personal computer or the like connected to the file server 50 via a network N, and has input / output units 31, 41, storage units 32, 42, control units 33, 43, and display units 34, 44, etc. In this embodiment, of the multiple branch administrator terminals 30 and headquarters administrator terminal 40, only the headquarters administrator terminal 40 has a public processing unit.

[0039] Each branch administrator terminal 30 and headquarters administrator terminal 40 can receive inspection requests from each branch at each port of call via the requester terminal 10, and can register basic information of the vehicle list for each vehicle loaded at each port of call C in the file server 50. After management begins, each branch administrator terminal 30 and headquarters administrator terminal 40 can download the basic information and vehicle images 60 registered in the file server 50, as well as various captured images 70 registered in the file server 50 from each branch field terminal 20, and display them on the display units 34 and 44. Each branch administrator terminal 30 and headquarters administrator terminal 40 can identify each vehicle by its vehicle identification number and display the basic information and vehicle image 60 for each vehicle on the display units 34 and 44. Furthermore, each branch administrator terminal 30 and headquarters administrator terminal 40 can also display the basic information and vehicle images 60 of multiple vehicles under management in a list format on the display units 34 and 44. For example, information on multiple vehicles can be displayed collectively for all vehicles to be transported, for each branch, for various requesters, and for each transport destination.

[0040] In this embodiment, the captured images 70 related to the recording target are registered in the file server 50 and linked to the designated position P set on the vehicle image 60. Therefore, when each branch administrator terminal 30 and the headquarters administrator terminal 40 display the captured images 70 of each vehicle on the display units 34 and 44, for example as shown in Figure 4, the captured images 70 of each designated position P can be displayed by selecting the designated position P on the vehicle image 60 displayed on the display units 34 and 44, for example as shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b).

[0041] In this embodiment, the branch administrator terminal 30 and the headquarters administrator terminal 40 are configured to allow the change of a designated position P indicated by an icon 80 on the vehicle image 60 of the display units 34 and 44. This allows the change of the position of the designated position P and the change of information such as the number of images included in the icon. Furthermore, when the designated position P is changed in the branch administrator terminal 30 and the headquarters administrator terminal 40, the changed designated position P can be registered in the file server 50.

[0042] The public processing unit provided in the head office manager terminal 40 can perform public processing on the basic information, vehicle images 60, designated positions P, and imaging images 70 registered in the file server 50. The public processing unit can restrict all of these data from being modified. By restricting modification of these data registered in the file server 50, it is possible to prevent intentional rewriting of data information and ensure reliability, and then allow downloading to each terminal including the requester terminal 10. When this public processing is performed, the requester terminal 10 and each branch manager terminal 30 can display and view the basic information, vehicle images 60, and imaging images 70 registered in the file server 50 in an unmodifiable state on the display units 14 and 34.

[0043] Next, the operation of the vehicle management system of this embodiment having such a configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6. First, a vehicle inspection request is transmitted from the requester terminal 10 to the head office manager terminal 40 or each branch manager terminal 30 (S101). In this embodiment, the vehicles transported for each port of call C are specified, and the basic information of each vehicle loaded for each port of call is transmitted to each branch manager terminal 30 (S102). The basic information of each vehicle may be transmitted to the branch manager terminal 30 in the form of a vehicle list.

[0044] Each branch manager terminal 30 receives and accepts the inspection request from the requester terminal 10 (S201), and uploads the basic information for each vehicle to the file server 50 for all the vehicles loaded for each port of call C (S202). The basic information for each vehicle is created and uploaded in a unified format as a vehicle list, for example, as shown in FIG. 7. In the file server 50, the basic information is registered when the vehicle list is uploaded from the branch manager terminal 30 (S301).

[0045] At each branch's field terminal 20, once the basic information of each vehicle is registered in the file server 50, it becomes possible to download the basic information of all vehicles loaded at each port of call from the file server 50. The inspector at each berth downloads the basic information and performs the loading and inspection work for the vehicles (S401). At this time, each branch's field terminal 20 also downloads a vehicle image 60 corresponding to the basic information from among the multiple vehicle images 60 that are pre-registered in the file server 50. If the vehicle type in the basic information differs from the actual vehicle, the field terminal 20 at each branch can re-select the vehicle type during the inspection work.

[0046] During receiving and inspection operations, the inspector can input the vehicle identification number (VIN), which is the identification number for each vehicle, into the branch field terminal 20, and the basic information of the vehicle will be displayed on the display unit 24 of the branch field terminal 20 for verification. During the inspection operation, the inspector takes photographs of multiple designated locations as captured images 70 (S402). The designated locations can be predetermined, and for example, the transport information mark displayed on the vehicle, the front left, front right, rear left, rear right, and the interior can be photographed in any order. The transport information mark is a mark displayed on the vehicle to identify each vehicle, and the captured images 70 of each part of the vehicle indicate that they are images of that vehicle.

[0047] The inspector inspects the vehicle to determine whether or not there is any damage (S403). If the inspector determines during the inspection that it is necessary to record the current state of the vehicle to be recorded, the vehicle image 60 is displayed on the display unit 24 of the branch field terminal 20, and the designated position P is specified by placing an icon 80 on the vehicle image 60 on the display unit 24. At this time, the type and condition of the damage are determined and entered (S404). With this arrangement, as shown in Figure 8, only an icon 80 indicating the type of damage is displayed on the display unit 24 of the branch field terminal 20 as information related to the content to be recorded, such as the type of damage.

[0048] Next, by selecting the icon 80 on the display unit 24, the imaging unit 25 is activated as shown in FIG. 9, and the imaging image 70 of the recording target is captured. By storing this imaging image 70 in the storage unit 22, the imaging image 70 of the recording target can be stored in association with the designated position P. Each imaging image 70 is checked, and appropriate corrections, changes, etc. are made and finalized (S405). Then, on the display unit 24 of the branch site terminal 20, as shown in FIG. 8, an icon 80 including a display 81 indicating the damage type and the number of captured images with respect to the recording content of the recording target is displayed at the designated position P of the vehicle image 60. When the inspection of each vehicle is completed, the imaging image 70 at the specified position and the imaging image 70 of the recording target for each vehicle are corrected as necessary, and then uploaded to the file server 50 as the inspection result (S). After the upload, the imaging image 70 of the vehicle cannot be displayed on each branch site terminal 20.

[0049] When the inspection results are uploaded from each branch site terminal 20 to the file server 50, each imaging image 70 is registered. At this time, the imaging image 70 of the recording target is registered in the file server 50 with the designated position P associated (S302). When the imaging image 70 is uploaded to the file server 50, each branch manager terminal 30 and the head office manager terminal 40 can download the basic information of each vehicle, the imaging image 70 at the specified position of the inspection result, and the imaging image 70 at the designated position P (S203, S204).

[0050] At each branch administrator terminal 30 and headquarters administrator terminal 40, after downloading, as shown in Figure 10, the basic information of each vehicle, the image captured at the specified position 70, the vehicle image 60 with the designated position P displayed as an icon 80, and the image captured at the designated position P 70 are displayed on the display units 34 and 44, and the headquarters administrator or branch administrator checks these display screens (S205, S206). The headquarters administrator or branch administrator considers whether any changes to the display are necessary (S207, S208). If the inspection results need to be corrected, for example, if the designated position P needs to be changed, the headquarters administrator or branch administrator improves the inspection accuracy by making the change on the screen of the display units 34 and 44, and uploads the changed designated position and image to the file server 50 (S209, S210). These designated positions and images are registered on the file server 50 (S303).

[0051] Subsequently, the headquarters administrator uses the public processing unit of the headquarters administrator terminal 40 to restrict the basic information of each vehicle registered in the file server 50, the captured image 70 of the specified location, the vehicle image 60 with the designated location P displayed as an icon 80, and the captured image 70 of the designated location P, making them unchangeable. This process allows downloading of this information and images from the file server 50 to each terminal (S211). The file server 50 registers that this public processing has been performed (S304).

[0052] After the publication process, the client terminal 10 can download the information and display it on the display unit 14 (S103). The client terminal 10 can display basic information such as the vehicle information, vehicle images 60, and images 70 of each location, and by comparing this with the condition of each vehicle after transport, it can confirm whether the condition of the recorded object changed during transport, for example, whether or not damage occurred (S104). In addition, the headquarters administrator terminal 40 and each branch administrator terminal 30 can also download the information and display it on the display units 34 and 44 as needed for confirmation (S212, S213).

[0053] For example, if a discrepancy is found between the information registered in the file server 50, such as the recording target, information about the recording content of the recording target, and captured images, on the client terminal 10 and the condition of each vehicle after transport, the administrator terminals 30 and 40 can display and verify the information registered in the file server 50 in response to the information from the client terminal 10, and provide or certify the correct information.

[0054] The file server 50 has the following functions to realize the processing shown in the flowchart of Figure 6: registration of basic information and vehicle images (S301), registration of the captured image 70 to be recorded linked to a specified location P (S302), registration of the specified location and image (S303), and registration of publicly available information (S304). The above functions are performed when the program of the transport management system of the present invention is stored in the storage unit 52 of the file server 50 and executed by the control unit 53.

[0055] By using the vehicle management system of this embodiment to inspect numerous vehicles transported from each port of call to destination D, clients and managers can easily and accurately confirm the condition of each vehicle before transport at each port of call. Therefore, clients and managers can accurately determine whether the condition of each vehicle after arrival at destination D has changed during transport.

[0056] According to the vehicle management system of this embodiment, vehicle images 60 representing the shape of a vehicle are pre-registered in the file server 50, and branch field terminals 20 can specify and capture images of designated locations P in the vehicle images 60, and the captured images 70 can be registered in the file server 50 linked to the designated locations P. Therefore, even with a large number of vehicles, the branch field terminals 20 can efficiently register captured images 70 for each designated location P of a large number of vehicles in the file server 50. The headquarters administrator terminal 40 and each branch administrator terminal 30 can download and display the basic information, vehicle images 60, and captured images 70 registered in the file server 50. At that time, by selecting a designated location P on the displayed vehicle image 60, the captured image 70 of that designated location P can be displayed, so that the headquarters administrator terminal 40 and each branch administrator terminal 30 can efficiently check the captured images 70 for each designated location P of a large number of vehicles. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently perform inspections regarding the unique characteristics of each of the many vehicles.

[0057] In particular, in this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a vehicle management system, where the transported item is a vehicle, the vehicle image 60 is an image showing the vehicle, and the captured image 70 is a photograph of the recordable item present on the vehicle. In this case, it is possible to easily and reliably confirm whether the condition of the vehicle has changed, such as whether any damage present on the vehicle after transport existed before transport or occurred after transport began, thus facilitating proof during vehicle transport.

[0058] In the vehicle management system of this embodiment, the branch field terminal 20 can download vehicle images 60 from the file server 50 and display them on the display unit 24, and can also specify a designated position P on the vehicle image 60 displayed on the display unit 24. Therefore, the branch field terminal 20 can download and display vehicle images 60 from the file server 50, and capture images 70 by specifying a designated position P on these vehicle images 60. This allows the headquarters administrator terminal 40 and each branch administrator terminal 30 to more efficiently check the captured images 70 of each designated position P in a large number of vehicles.

[0059] In the vehicle management system of this embodiment, the headquarters administrator terminal 40 and each branch administrator terminal 30 can change the designated position P on the vehicle image 60 displayed on the display units 34 and 44, and by changing the designated position P, the changed designated position P is registered in the file server 50. Therefore, by changing the designated position P on the vehicle image 60 using the headquarters administrator terminal 40 and each branch administrator terminal 30, the changed designated position P can be registered. As a result, if an image 70 is captured with a designated position P that was not intended by the inspector at the branch field terminal 20, the headquarters administrator terminal 40 and each branch administrator terminal 30 can easily correct it to the appropriate position.

[0060] In this embodiment of the vehicle management system, a client terminal 10 is connected to a file server 50 via a network N and is capable of downloading basic information, vehicle images 60, and captured images 70 from the file server 50 and displaying them on a display unit 14. The client terminal 10 can display the captured image 70 of a specified location P by selecting that location P on the vehicle image 60 displayed on the display unit 14. Therefore, the client terminal 10 can download and display the vehicle image 60 from the file server 50, and then confirm the captured image 70 as if it were the actual vehicle by specifying the location P on the vehicle image 60. This allows the client terminal 10 to efficiently confirm the captured image 70 of each specified location P for a large number of vehicles.

[0061] In the vehicle management system of this embodiment, the headquarters administrator terminal 40 has a public processing unit that restricts the modification of the designated location P and captured image 70 registered in the file server 50, and allows the download of basic information, vehicle images 60, and captured images 70 registered in the file server 50 to each terminal. Therefore, the designated location P and captured image 70 captured by the branch field terminal 20 cannot be downloaded by the requester terminal 10 until the public processing unit of the headquarters administrator terminal 40 has restricted their modification. This ensures that the designated location P and captured image 70 are not altered after they have been displayed and made verifiable on the requester terminal 10, and enables information sharing with relevant parties while guaranteeing the reliability of the captured image 70 of the designated location P, regardless of the distance traveled by the transported goods or the time the transported goods are managed.

[0062] In this embodiment of the vehicle management system, the administrator terminals include a headquarters administrator terminal 40 and multiple branch administrator terminals 30 installed in multiple different branches. Therefore, the multiple branch administrator terminals 30 can display and confirm basic information, vehicle images 60, and captured images 70 regarding vehicles transported from each branch on the display unit 34, and change designated locations P and captured images 70, while the headquarters administrator terminal 40 can centrally manage and efficiently manage all of these.

[0063] In this embodiment of the vehicle management system, the administrator terminal comprises a headquarters administrator terminal 40 and multiple branch administrator terminals 30 installed in multiple different branches. The headquarters administrator terminal 40 has a public processing unit. Therefore, the multiple branch administrator terminals 30 can display and confirm basic information, vehicle images 60, and captured images 70 regarding vehicles transported from each branch on the display unit 34, and can also change the designated location P and captured images 70. The headquarters administrator terminal 40 performs a public processing that allows the download of this basic information, vehicle images 60, and captured images 70 to each terminal. In this way, the headquarters administrator terminal 40 can easily manage the entire system.

[0064] In the vehicle management system of this embodiment, basic information and vehicle images 60 for multiple vehicles are pre-registered in the file server 50, with each vehicle assigned a vehicle identification number. Branch field terminals 20, branch administrator terminals 30, headquarters administrator terminal 40, and client terminals 10 can display the basic information and vehicle images 60 for each vehicle using the vehicle identification number. Therefore, it is easy to centrally manage the basic information, vehicle images 60, and captured images 70 for each vehicle.

[0065] In the vehicle management system of this embodiment, vehicle images 60 are registered in the file server 50 by selectively selecting from multiple types of schematic diagrams pre-stored in the file server 50. Therefore, fewer vehicle images 60 need to be prepared in advance in the file server 50 for a large number of vehicles, allowing for efficient preparation work.

[0066] In particular, in the vehicle management system of this embodiment, vehicle images 60 can be registered in the file server 50 by selectively selecting from multiple schematic diagrams that are commonly used for each vehicle type, which are pre-stored in the file server 50. Therefore, the preparation work for vehicle images 60 can be carried out very easily.

[0067] In the vehicle management system of this embodiment, the designated location P is indicated by an icon 80 on the vehicle image 60 displayed on each display unit, and the icon 80 includes a display 81 of information such as the type of damage and the number of images taken related to the captured image 70. Therefore, since the information regarding the designated location P and the captured image 70 is displayed on the vehicle image 60 by the icon 80, a part of the overview can be grasped without displaying the captured image 70, and the inspection work for each vehicle can be performed efficiently.

[0068] In the vehicle management system of this embodiment, a designated position P is indicated by an icon 80 on the vehicle image 60 displayed on each display unit, and the icon 80 includes a display 81 that shows information about the recording content to be recorded and the number of images taken. Therefore, information such as the recording content to be recorded and the number of images taken is displayed on the vehicle image 60 by the icon 80, improving the efficiency of the verification work for each vehicle.

[0069] Next, an example will be described. (Example) The transport management system of the present invention was configured using the following equipment: ・File server: Sakura Cloud Server (VPS) OS: Windows Server 2022 Datacenter Edition Database: Microsoft SQL Server 2022 Web Edition ・Headquarters administrator terminal, branch administrator terminal and client terminal: Commercially available personal computer (PC) Recommended specifications: CPU 8th generation Core i5 or higher, memory 8GB or more, storage 1GB or more, OS: Windows 11 ・Field terminal: OS: Android 11 For example, Panasonic FZ-N1

[0070] (Comparative Example) Although it varies depending on the number of items to be inspected and the uniformity of the transported goods, compared to conventional paper processing and other systems, the personnel required for inspection can be reduced by approximately two-thirds, and the time required for inspection, which previously took one day (approximately 7 hours of actual work), can now be reduced to approximately half a day (approximately 4 hours). Furthermore, while conventional paper processing and other systems required inspection by skilled personnel, the transported goods management system, thanks to adjustments made considering the screen layout and usability of mobile terminals, can now be operated by beginners with only a 5 to 10 minute lecture.

[0071] The above embodiments can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present invention. In the above embodiments, an example was described in which a transport management system is applied to a vehicle management system and used cars are transported by ship as the transported goods, but the transported goods are not limited in any way. For example, even when transporting new cars instead of used cars, or when transporting by car carriers instead of ships, the present invention can be applied in exactly the same way as in the above embodiments. Furthermore, the transported goods do not have to be cars, and the present invention can also be applied when transporting industrial products such as various equipment, or various agricultural, forestry, and fisheries products.

[0072] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which vehicles, which are the transported goods, are loaded at multiple locations. However, the present invention can also be applied when loading and transporting goods at a single location. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which a headquarters administrator terminal 40 and multiple branch administrator terminals 30 are provided as administrator terminals. However, it is also possible to manage with a single administrator terminal. In that case, each process from receiving inspection requests (S201) to publishing (S211) at the headquarters administrator terminal 40 and the multiple branch administrator terminals 30 can be processed by a single administrator terminal. In the above embodiment, the icon 80 displays information about the captured image 70, including information about the content of the recording target and the number of captured images. However, this is not particularly limited, and for example, only the type may be displayed. It is also possible not to display this information on the icon 80, or to display information different from this information.

[0073] 10: Client terminal, 20: Branch field terminal, 30: Branch administrator terminal, 40: Headquarters administrator terminal, 50: File server, 60: Vehicle image, 70: Captured image, 80: Icon, 81: Display of information regarding the content of the recorded object and the number of captured images, N: Network, P: Designated location, C: Port of call, D: Destination

Claims

1. A transported goods management system comprising: a file server in which transported goods information and transported goods images are pre-registered; a field terminal connected to the file server via a network, capable of specifying a location in the transported goods image, capturing an image of the specified location, and registering the acquired image in association with the specified location on the file server; and an administrator terminal connected to the file server via a network, capable of downloading the transported goods information, transported goods images, and captured images from the file server and displaying them on a display unit, and displaying the image of the specified location by selecting the specified location on the transported goods image displayed on the display unit.

2. The transported goods management system according to claim 1, wherein the field terminal is capable of downloading the transported goods image from the file server and displaying it on the display unit, and is capable of specifying the designated position on the transported goods image displayed on the display unit.

3. The transported goods management system according to claim 1, wherein the administrator terminal can change the designated position on the transported goods image displayed on the display unit, and when the designated position is changed, the changed designated position is registered in the registration unit of the file server.

4. The transport management system according to claim 1, comprising a client terminal connected to the file server via a network, capable of downloading the transport information, the transport image, and the captured image from the file server and displaying them on a display unit, wherein the client terminal can display the captured image at a specified position by selecting the specified position on the transport image displayed on the display unit.

5. The transport management system according to claim 4, wherein the administrator terminal has a public processing unit that restricts the modification of the designated location and the captured image registered in the file server, and allows the download of the transport information, transport image, and captured image registered in the file server to each of the terminals.

6. The transport management system according to claim 1, wherein the administrator terminal comprises a headquarters administrator terminal and a plurality of branch administrator terminals installed in a plurality of different branches.

7. The transport management system according to claim 5, wherein the administrator terminal comprises the headquarters administrator terminal and the plurality of branch administrator terminals installed in a plurality of different branches, and the headquarters administrator terminal and the headquarters administrator terminal among the branch administrator terminals have the public processing unit.

8. The transport management system according to claim 1, wherein the file server has transport information and transport images for multiple transport items, each with an identification number assigned to it, and the field terminal, the administrator terminal, and the client terminal can display the transport information and transport images for each transport item using the identification number.

9. The transported goods management system according to claim 1, wherein the transported goods image is registered in the file server by selectively selecting one for each transported goods from a plurality of schematic diagrams pre-stored in the file server.

10. The designated position is indicated by an icon on the transported object image displayed on each of the display units, and the icon includes information about the captured image, as described in claim 1.

11. A vehicle management system using the transported goods management system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the transported goods are a vehicle, the transported goods image is an image showing the vehicle, and the captured image is a photograph of a recordable object present in the vehicle.

12. The vehicle management system according to claim 11, wherein the images of the transported goods are pre-stored in the file server as multiple types of schematic diagrams used commonly for each vehicle type, and can be registered in the file server by selectively selecting from the multiple schematic diagrams.

13. The vehicle management system according to claim 11, wherein the designated position is indicated by an icon on the image of the transported object displayed on each of the display units, and the icon includes information relating to the recorded content of the record target.

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