JP7620162B2 - Information processing device and method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device and method, and is suitable for use, for example, in a delivery planning device that creates delivery plans.

Conventionally, shipments of packages from multiple shippers' bases to the same shipper's base have often been carried out using separate delivery resources (e.g. trucks) for each shipper. This has resulted in low loading rates for delivery resources and poor delivery efficiency depending on the volume of packages to be delivered.

In recent years, various companies have been considering or introducing joint delivery systems in which multiple shippers with nearby shipping bases use the same delivery resources to deliver their packages to the same destination. Such joint delivery systems have the advantage of improving delivery efficiency and reducing the environmental impact.

As a technology related to joint delivery, there is a technology that generates a joint delivery plan for jointly delivering cargo of multiple shippers to each shipper. For example, there is the technology described in Patent Document 1.

JP 2018-180893 A

However, if the volume of packages shipped by each shipper participating in a joint delivery varies from time to time, it is conceivable that on some days the volume of packages to be delivered may exceed the delivery capacity of the delivery resources, or the volume of packages to be delivered may be significantly less than the delivery capacity of the delivery resources. For this reason, it is desirable to devise a way to ensure that the benefits of joint delivery are not lost even in such cases.

Therefore, we propose an information processing device and method that can propose delivery plans for delivery tasks of multiple shippers with high delivery efficiency, thereby contributing to reducing the environmental impact.

In order to solve such problems, the present invention provides an information processing device that accepts delivery tasks from multiple shippers and creates a delivery plan based on the accepted delivery tasks, the information processing device being provided with a memory unit that stores resource information on available delivery resources, which are delivery resources that can be used for the delivery tasks, and inventory information on items to be delivered related to the delivery tasks, a processing unit that identifies demand resources, which are the delivery resources required for the delivery tasks of the multiple shippers within a specified period, and compares the identified demand resources with the available delivery resources, and a presentation unit that presents changes to delivery dates and times for at least some of the delivery tasks of the multiple shippers based on the comparison results of the processing unit and the inventory information.

In addition, the present invention provides an information processing method executed by an information processing device that accepts delivery tasks from multiple shippers and creates a delivery plan based on the accepted delivery tasks, the method including a first step of storing resource information on available delivery resources, which are delivery resources that can be used for the delivery tasks, and inventory information of items to be delivered related to the delivery tasks; a second step of identifying demand resources, which are the delivery resources required for the delivery tasks of the multiple shippers within a specified period, and comparing the identified demand resources with the available delivery resources; and a third step of presenting changes to delivery dates and times for at least some of the delivery tasks of the multiple shippers based on the comparison results of the demand resources and the available delivery resources and the inventory information.

According to the present invention, it is possible to realize an information processing device and method that can propose a delivery plan for delivering tasks of multiple shippers with high delivery efficiency, thereby contributing to reducing the environmental impact.

1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a joint delivery planning system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a shipment-scheduled cargo management table; 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an available delivery resource management table; 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a shipped package management table (before a delivery plan is modified); 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a shipped package management table (after a delivery plan is modified). 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an inventory management table. 4 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a series of processes executed in relation to the creation of a joint delivery plan by the joint delivery plan creation device. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen configuration of a delivery plan screen. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen configuration of a confirmed vehicle dispatch request screen. 13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for joint delivery planning processing. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an inventory management table according to another embodiment. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an area management table;

One embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

(1) Configuration of the Joint Delivery Planning System According to the Present Embodiment Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a joint delivery planning system 1 according to the present embodiment. This joint delivery planning system 1 is configured to include a joint delivery planning device 3 connected to a network 2, one or more shipper information processing terminals 4, one or more consignee information processing terminals 5, and one or more delivery company information processing terminals 6. The shipper information processing terminal 4, the consignee information processing terminal 5, and the delivery company information processing terminal 6 are each connected to the joint delivery planning device 3 via the network 2.

The joint delivery planning device 3 is an information processing device (computer device) owned by a joint delivery platform company that undertakes joint delivery of luggage shipped by multiple shippers, and is configured with a processor 10, memory 11, a storage device 12, a communication device 13, an input device 14 and an output device 15.

The processor 10 is a functional unit that controls the operation of the entire joint delivery plan planning device 3, and is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), etc. The memory 11 is composed of, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory, and is used as a work memory for the processor 10.

Furthermore, the storage device 12 is composed of a non-volatile large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk device or SSD (Solid State Drive), and is used to store various programs and information that needs to be stored for a long period of time.

The communication device 13 is composed of, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) and performs protocol control during communication with the shipper's information processing terminal 4, the consignee's information processing terminal 5, or the delivery company's information processing terminal 6 via the network 2.

The input device 14 is composed of a mouse, keyboard, etc., and is used by the operator to operate the joint delivery plan planning device 3. The output device 15 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, and is used to display necessary information and screens. Note that instead of the input device 14 and the output device 15, a touch panel that integrates these devices may be applied.

The shipper information processing terminal 4 is a computer device provided at each shipper who uses the joint delivery service provided by the joint delivery platform company. The consignee information processing terminal 5 is a computer device provided at each consignee who receives packages from these shippers. The delivery company information processing terminal 6 is a computer device provided at each delivery company that actually delivers the packages shipped by the shippers to the consignees.

(2) Joint delivery plan making function (2-1) Outline of joint delivery plan making function and configuration of various tables Next, the joint delivery plan making function installed in the joint delivery plan making device 3 will be described. This joint delivery plan making function is a function that makes a joint delivery delivery plan so that, when a number of cargoes shipped from each base of a number of shippers are jointly delivered to a consignee, on a day when the amount of cargoes to be delivered is large relative to the delivery capacity of the delivery vehicle secured in advance, the delivery of the cargoes that can be delivered later is postponed (delayed) to the next day or later, and on a day when the amount of cargoes to be delivered is small relative to the delivery capacity of the delivery vehicle, the delivery of the cargoes that can be delivered earlier is brought forward (advance) to that day. There may be one or more consignees. In the following description, the case of the same consignee may be described as an example.

As a means for realizing such a joint delivery planning function, the memory device 12 of the joint delivery planning device 3 stores a processing program 20, a scheduled shipment parcel management table 21, an available delivery resource management table 22, a confirmed shipment parcel management table 23, an inventory management table 24, and an area management table 25.

The processing program 20 is a program for causing the joint delivery plan planning device 3 to execute various processes related to the above-mentioned joint delivery plan planning function. This processing program 20 is read into the memory 11 when the joint delivery plan planning device 3 is started up or when necessary, and the processor 10 executes the processing program 20 read into the memory 11, thereby executing various processes related to the joint delivery plan planning function of the joint delivery plan planning device 3 as a whole.

The scheduled shipment management table 21 is a table used to hold and manage information on delivery tasks notified by each shipper, specifically, various information on shipments scheduled to be shipped from each base such as a factory in one week. As shown in FIG. 2, the scheduled shipment management table 21 is configured with a quantity management number column 21A, a shipper column 21B, a shipment receipt date column 21C, a sender column 21D, a shipment destination column 21E, and a shipment information column 21F. One record (row) of the scheduled shipment management table 21 corresponds to information on shipments scheduled to be shipped by a shipper (21B) from one base (21D) to a shipper's base (21E) on a certain shipment receipt date (21C). For example, the shipments in one record (row) may be shipments with the same product number (one type) or may include shipments with different product numbers (multiple types), but are assumed to be shipments of the same shipment type (21FD).

The quantity control number field 21A stores the control number assigned to the corresponding parcel by the joint delivery plan making device 3. The shipper field 21B stores identification information such as the name of the shipper who is to ship the parcel, and the receipt date field 21C stores the date (receipt date) on which the delivery company is to receive the parcel, as specified by the shipper. In this embodiment, the receipt date stored in the receipt date field 21C is the shipping date of the parcel, and in principle, the delivery date of the parcel to the destination. The receipt date, shipping date, and delivery date may be in the form of a date, a date and time, or other time divisions (such as morning or afternoon). The receipt date, shipping date, and delivery date may be the receipt date and time, the shipping date and time, and the delivery date and time, respectively. Furthermore, the sender field 21D stores the base from which the shipper ships the parcel, and the destination field 21E stores the base of the consignee to which the parcel is to be delivered. In addition, the destination field 21E may store identification information of the consignee and identification information of the consignee's base to which the package is to be delivered.

The parcel information column 21F is divided into a number column 21FA, a total weight column 21FB, a total volume column 21FC, a parcel type column 21FD, and a delivery vehicle type column 21FE. The number column 21FA, the total weight column 21FB, and the total volume column 21FC store the number of parcels scheduled to be shipped, the total weight of the parcels, and the total volume of the parcels, respectively. The parcel information 21F includes the number column 21FA, the total weight column 21FB, and the total volume column 21FC, but as long as the information is capable of identifying the amount of parcels, it may be some of these pieces of information or may include other information. The parcel type column 21FD stores the type of the parcel. Parcel types include "room temperature" which can be transported at room temperature, "frozen" which must be transported in a frozen state, and "refrigerated" which must be transported in a refrigerated state.

Furthermore, the delivery vehicle type column 21FE stores the type of delivery vehicle (hereinafter, referred to as the delivery vehicle type) as the delivery vehicle for the corresponding cargo. The types of delivery vehicles include "room temperature flatbed" that can only deliver at room temperature and has a flat loading platform, "refrigerated" that has a refrigerated function in the loading compartment, and "room temperature wing" that can only deliver at room temperature among delivery vehicles that can lift up the sides and ceiling of the loading compartment as a whole. The shipping scheduled cargo management table 21 is information on delivery tasks notified by each shipper, and the delivery vehicle type may be information notified by the shipper, or may be information determined by the joint delivery plan making device 3 based on the cargo information (21F). For example, for a cargo with a cargo type (21FD) of "refrigerated", the joint delivery plan making device 3 determines the delivery vehicle type (21FE) to be "refrigerated" so that the delivery vehicle is suitable for transporting the cargo.

Therefore, in the example of Figure 2, for example, a cargo assigned a quantity control number of "1" is a cargo to be received at "Point S" of a shipper called "Shipper A" on "2021/11/11" and delivered to "Point Z" of a consignee, the number of pieces is "10", the total weight is "2 t", the total volume is "5 ^m3 ", the type of cargo is "room temperature", and it is shown that a "room temperature flatbed" is planned to be used as the delivery vehicle for the cargo.

On the other hand, the available delivery resource management table 22 is a table used to hold and manage information on delivery resources notified by each delivery company, as a specific example, information on delivery vehicles that can be provided in one week. As shown in FIG. 3, the available delivery resource management table 22 is configured with a number column 22A, a delivery company column 22B, a delivery resource provision date column 22C, a deliverable area column 22D, a confirmation possible column 22E, and an available delivery resource related information column 22F. In the available delivery resource management table 22, one record corresponds to a delivery resource (22FF) that can be provided on the delivery resource provision date (22C) notified by one delivery company, and information on one type of delivery vehicle (same delivery vehicle type) for each deliverable area.

The number column 22A stores the management number assigned by the joint delivery plan making device 3 to the type of delivery vehicle of the corresponding delivery company. The delivery company column 22B stores identification information such as the name of the corresponding delivery company. The delivery resource provision date column 22C stores the date (delivery resource provision date) notified by the delivery company when the delivery company can provide the corresponding delivery vehicle. The delivery possible area column 22D stores the area where the package can be delivered by the corresponding delivery vehicle.

Furthermore, the confirmation column 22E stores information indicating whether the use and reservation of the corresponding delivery vehicle has been confirmed. For example, if the use and reservation of the corresponding delivery vehicle has been confirmed, "confirmed" is stored, and if the use and reservation of the corresponding delivery vehicle has not been confirmed, "not yet" is stored.

The available delivery resource related information column 22F is divided into a loadable weight column 22FA, a number of delivery vehicles column 22FB, a number of delivery vehicle capacity columns 22FC, a delivery vehicle type column 22FD, a loadable volume column 22FE, and a delivery resource column 22FF. The loadable weight column 22FA stores the total weight of luggage that can be loaded onto the corresponding type of delivery vehicle, and the number of delivery vehicles column 22FB stores the number of delivery vehicles that have been confirmed for use on the delivery resource provision date. The delivery vehicle capacity number column 22FC stores the number of delivery vehicles that the delivery company can provide on the delivery resource provision date. The delivery vehicle type column 22FD stores the type of the corresponding delivery vehicle (delivery vehicle type). The loadable volume column 22FE stores the total volume of luggage that can be loaded onto the corresponding type of delivery vehicle. The delivery resource column 22FF stores information (eg, a truck number) that identifies a delivery resource (eg, a delivery vehicle) that can be provided on the delivery resource provision date.

In the example of Figure 3, the record assigned the management number "1" indicates that a delivery company called "Company A" has contacted the joint delivery plan making device 3 to provide "three" vehicles, "Truck 1, Truck 2, and Truck 3," as "room temperature flatbed" delivery vehicles with a load capacity of "2 t" and a load capacity of "10 m3 ^" that can deliver to "Area X" on "2021/11/11." The record also indicates that the joint delivery plan making device 3 will use "three" delivery vehicles on that day and has "confirmed" the reservations for those delivery vehicles.

The shipped confirmed parcel management table 23 is a table used to hold and manage various information regarding parcels whose shipment is confirmed, notified by the shipper on the day before the receipt date, etc. FIGS. 4A and 4B show examples of the configuration of the shipped confirmed parcel management table 23. FIG. 4A shows the shipped confirmed parcel management table 23 before the delivery plan is revised, and FIG. 4B shows the shipped confirmed parcel management table 23 before the delivery plan is revised. As shown in FIG. 4A, the shipped confirmed parcel management table 23 is configured with a quantity management number column 23A, a shipper column 23B, a parcel receipt date column 23C, a specified delivery date column 23D, a sender column 23E, a destination column 23F, a constraint column 23G, a parcel number column 23H, a part number column 23I, a weight column 23J, a volume column 23K, a parcel type column 23L, and a delivery resource column 23M. In the shipped confirmed parcel management table 23, one record corresponds to one type of parcel (e.g., one part number) scheduled to be shipped on the receipt date.

The quantity control number column 23A stores the control number of the parcel. The shipper column 23B, receipt date column 23C, sender column 23E, destination column 23F, and parcel type column 23L store information similar to the information stored in the shipper column 21B, receipt date column 21C, sender column 21D, destination column 21E, and parcel type column 21FD of a record in the quantity control number column 21A that stores the same quantity control number as the quantity control number column 23A in the shipment-scheduled parcel management table 21 (FIG. 2).

The specified delivery date field 23D also stores the delivery date (specified delivery date) specified by the shipper for the corresponding package. The shipper can specify any date after the receipt date as the delivery date (deadline) by which delivery of the corresponding package to the destination should be completed, or can choose not to specify a delivery date. If no delivery date is specified, information to that effect (for example, "none") is stored in the corresponding specified delivery date field 23D.

Furthermore, the constraints column 23G stores constraints on the delivery of the corresponding package notified by the shipper. Such constraints include, for example, time constraints that limit the delivery time to "from XX to XX", and constraints on the weight and size of the delivery vehicle, such as "2 tons or less".

Furthermore, the parcel number column 23H stores the parcel number of the corresponding parcel assigned by the joint delivery plan development device 3. For example, one or more parcel numbers may be assigned for parcels of the same type (e.g., the same product number) that have the same receipt date, sender, and destination, and are loaded onto a single delivery vehicle. Note that when there is a large amount of parcel of the same type, it may be easier to adjust the delivery plan by dividing them into multiple parcel numbers. Parcel numbers may also be assigned in a specified unit, such as the unit in which the parcel is packed, the unit of the basket cart, or the unit of the slip number that manages the parcel.

Furthermore, the part number of the part contained in the package is stored in the product number column 23I, the weight column 23J stores information on the weight of the package, and the volume column 23K stores information on the volume of the package. The delivery resource column 23M stores the identification information of the delivery vehicle (truck number in FIG. 4) assigned by the joint delivery plan planning device 3 to the delivery of the package.

Therefore, in the example of Figure 4A, the parcel assigned the parcel number "1" has a shipper "Shipper A," a receipt date "2021/11/11," a specified delivery date "2021/11/12," a sender "Point S," a destination "Point Z," a product number "A," a weight "0.4 t," a volume " ¹ m3," a parcel type "room temperature," a restriction that it must be delivered to the destination between "○ o'clock and △ o'clock," and "Truck 1" has been assigned as the delivery vehicle by the joint delivery planning device 3.

The inventory management table 24 is a table used to hold and manage the current inventory status of each consignee obtained from that consignee, and is created for each consignee. In this embodiment, the inventory management table 24 is created for each destination (each consignee's base). If there are multiple consignees and destinations, the inventory management table 24 may contain information identifying the consignee and information identifying the destination in association with the information in each of the columns 24A to 24C. As shown in FIG. 5, the inventory management table 24 is configured with a number column 24A, a part number column 24B, and a part inventory days column 24C. In the inventory management table 24, one record corresponds to the current inventory information of the corresponding part for the corresponding consignee.

The number column 24A stores the control number assigned to the corresponding part by the joint delivery plan planning device 3, and the part number column 24B stores the part number of the part. Furthermore, the part inventory days column 24C stores the inventory days (the number of days until the inventory runs out) of the corresponding consignee for the corresponding part.

Therefore, in the example of Figure 5, it is shown that the inventory days of a part with part number "A" assigned with management number "1" is "10", and the inventory days of a part with part number "B" assigned with management number "2" is "20".

The area management table 25 is a table used to hold and manage information related to the areas to which delivery vehicles deliver. As shown in FIG. 11, the area management table 25 has an area column 25A and a location column 25B. The area column 25A stores identification information that identifies an area. The location column 25B stores identification information that identifies a location corresponding to the area. Note that some locations (e.g. location Z) may correspond to multiple different areas (e.g. area X and area Y). Note that the area management table 25 only needs to contain information that associates areas with locations (e.g. bases such as the sender and destination), and may be able to define areas using map information, for example.

(2-2) A series of processing flows related to the joint delivery planning function FIG. 6 shows a series of processing flows related to the above-mentioned joint delivery planning function that are carried out among the shipper's information processing terminal 4, the joint delivery planning device 3 of the joint delivery platform company, the delivery company's information processing terminal 6, and the recipient's information processing terminal 5 of the destination.

In this embodiment, each shipper transmits delivery task information regarding cargo scheduled to be shipped on the receiving date (e.g., one week later) each day, such as the shipper, receiving date, sender, destination, number of cargoes, total weight, total volume, and type of cargo (e.g., room temperature, frozen or refrigerated), using his/her own shipper's information processing terminal 4 to the joint delivery planning device 3 of the joint delivery platform company as information on cargo scheduled to be shipped (S1).

Thus, the joint delivery planning device 3 accepts the scheduled shipment parcel information transmitted from each shipper's information processing terminal 4, and registers and manages the accepted scheduled shipment parcel information in the scheduled shipment parcel management table 21 (Figure 2). At this stage, the corresponding information is stored in each field of the scheduled shipment parcel management table 21 except for the delivery vehicle type field 21FE, and the delivery vehicle type field 21FE is left blank.

Each delivery company also transmits to the joint delivery planning device 3 each day, using its own delivery company information processing terminal 6, information such as the number of each type of delivery vehicle (room temperature vehicle, freezer vehicle, refrigerated vehicle, flatbed, etc.) that can be provided on the delivery resource provision date (e.g., one week later), as well as information such as the load capacity and delivery area of each delivery vehicle (e.g., information stored in 22B to 22D, 22FA, 22FC to 22FF in Figure 3) as available delivery resource information (S2).

Thus, the joint delivery plan making device 3 registers and manages the available delivery resource information transmitted from each delivery company's information processing terminal 6 in the available delivery resource management table 22 (Figure 3). At this stage, the corresponding information is stored in each column of the available delivery resource management table 22 other than the confirmation possibility column 22E and the number of delivery vehicles column 22FB, and the confirmation possibility column 22E and the number of delivery vehicles column 22FB are left blank.

The joint delivery planning device 3 then performs a total volume calculation for each delivery area based on the information on each scheduled shipment cargo registered in the scheduled shipment cargo management table 21 to determine how many cargoes are scheduled to be delivered from which point to which point on the receipt date (e.g., one week later) (S3).

Based on the results of the total quantity calculation, the joint delivery planning device 3 also executes a demand resource calculation for each delivery area to calculate demand resources such as the type and number of delivery vehicles required (S4). In this demand resource calculation, the joint delivery planning device 3 determines the type of delivery vehicle (delivery vehicle type) to be used to deliver each package of each shipper, and stores the determined delivery vehicle type in the delivery vehicle type column 21FE of the package scheduled to be shipped management table 21.

Then, based on the results of the demand resource calculation, the joint delivery planning device 3 searches for delivery companies that can provide the type and number of delivery vehicles predicted to be required on the receiving date (e.g., one week later) for each delivery area, based on the available delivery resource information registered in the available delivery resource management table 22. The joint delivery planning device 3 also reserves the delivery vehicles by transmitting information such as the type and number of delivery vehicles desired to be provided on the receiving date and the delivery area of the delivery vehicles (hereinafter referred to as delivery resource reservation information) to the delivery company's information processing terminal 6 of the delivery company detected by the search (S5).

Furthermore, if the delivery company that has received the delivery resource reservation information has no problems with the reservation details recognized based on the delivery resource reservation information, it transmits a response to that effect to the joint delivery plan making device 3 via the delivery company's information processing terminal 6 (S6). Thus, based on the responses from these delivery companies, the joint delivery plan making device 3 stores "confirmed" information in the confirmation possible/not possible column 22E of the record in the available delivery resource management table 22 corresponding to the delivery company and delivery vehicle type for which a vehicle allocation reservation has been confirmed, and stores the number of vehicles of that delivery vehicle type for which a reservation has been confirmed in the delivery vehicle number column 22FB of that record.

On the other hand, each shipper transmits information regarding the shipment of their confirmed parcels each day, such as the shipper, the receipt date (for example, the next day, which as mentioned above will in principle be the delivery date for the parcel), the specified delivery date, the sender, the destination, restrictions, the parcel number, the product number, the weight, the volume and the type of parcel, as confirmed shipment parcel information to the joint delivery planning device 3 using their own shipper information processing terminal 4 (S7).

Thus, the joint delivery plan making device 3 registers and manages the confirmed shipment parcel information transmitted from each shipper's information processing terminal 4 in the confirmed shipment parcel management table 23 (Fig. 4A). At this stage, the corresponding information is stored in each field of the confirmed shipment parcel management table 23 except for the delivery resource field 23M, and the delivery resource field 23M is left blank.

Next, the joint delivery planning device 3 accesses the consignee's information processing terminal 5 of the consignee of the cargo to be delivered on the receipt date (e.g. the next day), obtains the inventory status of the consignee's destination (e.g. parts part numbers and number of days the parts will be in stock) as inventory information, and registers and manages the obtained inventory information in the inventory management table 24 (Figure 5) (S8).

The joint delivery planning device 3 then creates a final delivery plan (S9) specifying which parcels will be delivered, when, and by which delivery vehicle of which delivery company, based on the confirmed shipment parcel information of each shipper registered in the confirmed shipment parcel management table 23 in step S7 and the inventory information registered in the inventory management table 24 in step S8.

In this case, if the amount of cargo to be delivered is greater than the delivery capacity of the delivery vehicle for the pre-booked receipt date (e.g. the next day), the joint delivery plan creation device 3 creates a joint delivery plan to postpone the delivery of cargo that can be delivered until the next delivery date or later, and if the amount of cargo to be delivered is less than the delivery capacity of the delivery vehicle, the joint delivery plan is created to bring forward the delivery of cargo that can be delivered to the receipt date.

Then, based on the joint delivery plan thus prepared, the joint delivery plan preparation device 3 stores the identification information of the delivery vehicle assigned to the corresponding parcel in the delivery resource column 23M of each record in the shipment confirmed parcel management table 23, and transmits the determined delivery plan for each shipper's parcel to the shipper's information processing terminal 4 (S10).

Here, Fig. 7 shows an example of the screen configuration of the delivery plan screen 30 displayed on each shipper's information processing terminal 4 based on the delivery plan. As shown in Fig. 7, the delivery plan screen 30 is configured with a delivery plan list 31 and a send button 32.

The delivery plan list 31 is a list (delivery plan) of each package scheduled for shipment that was notified by the corresponding shipper in S7 of Figure 6, and is configured with, for example, a number column 31A, a package number column 31B, a product number column 31C, a pre-change date column 31D, a post-change date column 31E, a delivery date column 31F, a number of days in stock column 31G, and a pass/fail column 31H.

The number column 31A, parcel number column 31B, product number 31C, pre-change date column 31D, post-change date column 31E, delivery date column 31F and inventory days column 31G respectively store the quantity control number, parcel number, product number of the corresponding parcel, the shipping date of the parcel notified in S7 of Figure 6 (which is in principle the receipt date, hereafter referred to as the pre-determined date), the receipt date determined for the parcel in S9 of Figure 6 (hereafter referred to as the post-determined date), the delivery date (delivery date) if a delivery date was specified for the parcel, and the inventory days at the destination of the parcel (part).

In this case, in the delivery plan list 31, if the post-determination date has been changed relative to the pre-determination date, the pre-determination date and the post-determination date are highlighted by marking or the like. Such pre-determination date and the post-determination date may be highlighted in a color (e.g., red) different from the other pre-determination dates and the post-determination dates.

If the shipper approves the delivery plan (including changes to the delivery date) for each proposed delivery date or package number of the package, he/she enters information to that effect (e.g., "O") in the pass/fail column 31H corresponding to that package on the delivery plan screen 30, or if he/she does not approve, he/she enters information to that effect (e.g., "X") in the pass/fail column 31H and clicks the send button 32. As a result, the entered response is sent from the shipper's information processing terminal 4 to the joint delivery plan planning device 3 (S11).

If the consignee's approval is required for the delivery plan, the joint delivery plan making device 3 transmits the determined delivery plan for each consignee's parcel to the consignee's information processing terminal 5. For example, this delivery plan may be transmitted as a screen in which the delivery plan list 31 on the delivery plan screen 30 shows the delivery plan for the parcel to be shipped for the consignee or destination. The consignee then inputs information indicating approval or disapproval in the pass/fail column 31H corresponding to the parcel on the delivery plan screen 30, and clicks the send button 32. As a result, the input response is transmitted from the consignee's information processing terminal 5 to the joint delivery plan making device 3.

If the joint delivery plan planning device 3 does not obtain approval for the package delivery plan from any of the shippers or consignees, it re-plans a delivery plan using other affiliated joint delivery platform companies (hereinafter referred to as external joint delivery platform companies) or delivery companies that can prepare a delivery vehicle on the delivery date, and repeats the process of sending the re-planned delivery plan to each shipper or consignee.

Then, when the joint delivery plan planning device 3 has obtained approval for the delivery plan from all shippers and receivers who are scheduled to ship their packages on the delivery date (e.g. the next day), it sends a final vehicle dispatch request based on the joint delivery plan drawn up in step S9 (hereinafter referred to as a confirmed vehicle dispatch request) to the delivery company's information processing terminal 6 of the delivery company that booked the vehicle dispatch in step S5 (S12).

Figure 8 shows an example of the screen configuration of a confirmed vehicle dispatch request screen 40 that is displayed on the delivery company's information processing terminal 6 based on such a confirmed vehicle dispatch request. As shown in Figure 8, such a confirmed vehicle dispatch request screen 40 is configured with a confirmed vehicle dispatch request list 41 and an OK button 42.

The confirmed dispatch request list 41 lists, for each type of cargo that the delivery company is requested to deliver, the receipt date (in principle the next day), sender, cargo number, destination, and the identification information (truck number) of the delivery vehicle assigned by the joint delivery planning device 3 to deliver the cargo.

The delivery company, for which the confirmed vehicle dispatch request screen 40 is displayed on the delivery company's information processing terminal 6, can approve the confirmed vehicle dispatch request displayed on the confirmed vehicle dispatch request screen 40 by clicking the OK button 42. In this case, a response to that effect is transmitted to the joint delivery plan making device 3 (S13). Note that, if the delivery company does not approve the confirmed delivery request displayed on the confirmed vehicle dispatch request screen 40, the delivery company contacts the person in charge at the joint delivery platform company by telephone or the like to that effect.

Thus, on the delivery date, the delivery company dispatches a delivery vehicle in accordance with the confirmed dispatch request notified by the joint delivery plan development device 3, thereby executing delivery of the package in accordance with the joint delivery plan developed in step S9 (S14).

(2-3) Joint Delivery Plan Formulation Processing Fig. 9 shows specific processing contents of the joint delivery plan forming processing executed by the joint delivery plan forming device 3 in step S9 described above with reference to Fig. 6. The joint delivery plan forming device 3 forms a joint delivery plan according to the processing procedure shown in Fig. 9.

In practice, when the joint delivery plan making device 3 proceeds to step S9 in Fig. 6, it starts the joint delivery plan making process shown in Fig. 9. First, the joint delivery plan making device 3 makes a delivery plan for parcels that are registered in the shipped parcel management table 23 and whose shipping is confirmed for a certain shipping date (e.g., the next day) (S20).

For example, in the example of FIG. 4A, the joint delivery planning device 3 creates delivery plans for parcel numbers 1 to 6 and 8 to 11, whose receipt date (shipping date) is "2021/11/11". The joint delivery planning device 3 refers to the area management table 25 to identify the corresponding area from the information of the sender and destination of each parcel. The joint delivery planning device 3 refers to the available delivery resource management table 22 to identify the identified area as a deliverable area and the delivery resource that the delivery company can provide on the shipping date. The joint delivery planning device 3 assigns the identified delivery resource to the delivery task of each parcel so as to satisfy the requirements of the delivery task. For example, a vehicle with a delivery vehicle type of "room temperature (room temperature, flatbed, etc.)" is assigned to the delivery task of a parcel whose parcel type is "room temperature", and a vehicle with a delivery vehicle type of "refrigerated" is assigned to the delivery task of a parcel whose parcel type is "refrigerated". In addition, the joint delivery plan making device 3 can create a delivery plan so that, in order to increase delivery efficiency, the same delivery resources (trucks) are allocated as much as possible between delivery tasks that have the same sender or destination or relatively close destination. Here, it is assumed that the delivery resources are allocated as shown in FIG. 4A as a result of S20.

The joint delivery plan making device 3 refers to the available delivery resource management table 22 and the shipped parcel management table 23 to determine whether there is a capacity overload for the delivery plan (S21). In the example of Fig. 4, it is determined that there is a capacity overload for parcel numbers 8 to 11, which have delivery resources that are "unassigned". Specifically, of the delivery resources that can deliver to the area (X area) corresponding to the sender (point U) and destination (point Z) of parcel numbers 8 to 11, only "truck 3" is unassigned. The joint delivery plan making device 3 then refers to the available delivery resource management table 22 and the shipped package management table 23 to determine whether the total weight (23J) of the packages with the target package numbers 8 to 11, "0.5+1+0.5+0.5=2.5t," or the total volume (23K) "1+2+2+1= ^6m3 ," exceeds the loadable weight "2t" (22FA) or loadable volume " ^10m3 " (22FE) of the unassigned "Truck 3." If they do, it is determined that the capacity is exceeded, and if they do not, it is determined that the capacity is not exceeded. In this example, the total weight of the packages, "2.5t," exceeds the loadable weight "2t" of the unassigned "Truck 3," and is therefore determined to be over capacity. In addition, if the ratio of the total weight of the packages to the loadable weight of the unallocated delivery resource or the ratio of the total volume of the packages to the loadable volume of the unallocated delivery resource exceeds a predetermined loading rate upper limit (threshold value), it may be determined that the capacity is exceeded, and if not, it may be determined that the capacity is not exceeded. The storage device 12 stores the loading rate upper limit value. If the determination in step S21 is negative, step S22 is executed.

On the other hand, if the judgment in step S21 is positive, this means that all of the packages to be delivered on the receiving date requested by each shipper cannot be loaded onto the delivery vehicle to be used for delivery on the receiving date. Thus, the joint delivery plan making device 3 judges whether or not to procure a delivery vehicle from an affiliated external joint delivery platform company to deliver the packages that cannot be loaded onto the delivery vehicle to be used for delivery on the receiving date (hereinafter, referred to as surplus packages) (S26).

Then, in such a case (when all of the packages to be delivered on the receiving date requested by each shipper cannot be loaded onto the truck to be used for delivery on the receiving date), if a setting has been made in advance to procure a delivery vehicle to deliver the surplus packages from an external joint delivery platform company (step S26: YES), the joint delivery plan making device 3 procures a delivery vehicle to deliver the surplus packages among the packages to be delivered on the receiving date from an affiliated external joint delivery platform company, and makes a joint delivery plan for the packages based on the status after procurement (S27).The joint delivery plan making device 3 then executes step S22.

On the other hand, when a setting has been made in advance from an affiliated external joint delivery platform company that a delivery vehicle should not be procured to deliver the surplus parcels (step S26: NO), the joint delivery plan making device 3 refers to the available delivery resource management table 22, the shipped confirmed parcel management table 23, and the inventory management table 24, and modifies the joint delivery plan so that parcels scheduled for delivery on the day are delivered in order of the number of days of inventory, starting with the parcels with the longest inventory days, while strictly adhering to the designated deadline for each parcel, until the loading rate of the delivery vehicle used for delivery on the day of receipt falls below the upper loading rate limit (S28). The joint delivery plan making device 3 then executes step S22.

For example, the joint delivery planning device 3 refers to the shipment confirmed parcel management table 23 (Figure 4A) to identify the parcel product numbers (D to G) and the designated delivery dates of the parcels with parcel numbers 8 to 11. The joint delivery planning device 3 refers to the inventory management table 24 among the delivery tasks that can comply with the designated delivery date even if the delivery date is postponed, and modifies the delivery plan so that the delivery task of the parcel (product number G) with a longer parts inventory period for the identified part number is delivered later. As a result, for the delivery task of parcel number 11, the delivery date was "2021/11/11" in Figure 4A, but by executing S28, the delivery date is postponed to "2021/11/12" as shown in Figure 4B. The delivery tasks of parcel numbers 8 to 10 are then assigned to "Truck 3" by the joint delivery planning device 3.

The joint delivery plan creation device 3 determines whether the loading rate of each delivery resource (each truck) when loaded with each package assigned in the delivery plan exceeds a preset threshold (hereinafter, referred to as the loading rate threshold) (S22). If the loading rates of all trucks exceed the loading rate threshold, the determination in step S22 is positive, and the joint delivery plan creation process is terminated.

If the loading rate of any truck exceeds the loading rate threshold, the judgment in step S22 is negative, and step 23 is executed. Obtaining a negative result in this judgment in step S22 means that there is still room for cargo on the truck (delivery vehicle) used for delivery on the receipt date. Thus, at this time, the joint delivery plan making device 3 judges whether or not to acquire a delivery task for additional cargo from an external joint delivery platform company with which it is affiliated (S23).

Then, when the joint delivery plan making device 3 is set in advance to acquire additional delivery tasks from the affiliated external joint delivery platform company (step S23: YES), it accepts delivery requests from the external joint delivery platform company until the loading rate of the delivery vehicle used for delivery on the receipt date reaches the loading rate threshold, and makes a joint delivery plan including the packages (S24). Then, the joint delivery plan making device 3 ends the joint delivery plan making process.

In response to this, when the joint delivery plan development device 3 has been set in advance to not acquire additional delivery tasks from an affiliated external joint delivery platform company (step S23: NO), it refers to the available delivery resource management table 22, the shipped confirmed parcel management table 23, and the inventory management table 24, and modifies the joint delivery plan so that parcels with the fewest days of inventory are delivered first until the loading rate of the truck used for delivery on the receipt date reaches the loading rate threshold (S25), and then terminates the joint delivery plan development process.

For example, in S22, the joint delivery planning device 3 determines that the loading rate of trucks 1 and 3 exceeds the loading rate threshold when each of the packages allocated in the delivery plan is loaded, but determines that the loading rate of trucks 2 does not exceed the loading rate threshold. At this time, by referring to the available delivery resource management table 22 and the shipped package management table 23, the total weight and volume of packages that can be additionally allocated to truck 2 are calculated from the loadable weight "2t" (22FA) and loadable volume "10m ³ " (22FE) of truck 2 and the total weight and volume of packages (package numbers 4 to 6) already allocated to truck 2. Based on this calculated value, the joint delivery planning device 3 assigns unassigned delivery tasks to truck 2 until the loading rate of truck 2 reaches the loading rate threshold, within the range of not exceeding the capacity. At this time, in order to maintain delivery efficiency, the joint delivery planning device 3 can preferentially assign delivery tasks with the same sender or destination or relatively close destination. In addition, the joint delivery planning device 3 can preferentially allocate delivery tasks with upcoming receipt dates or delivery tasks with upcoming designated delivery dates. From the above viewpoint, when there are multiple delivery tasks that are candidates for additional allocation, the joint delivery planning device 3 allocates the additional tasks in order of delivery tasks for packages with fewer days of inventory, so as to deliver them ahead of schedule.

For example, if there are multiple delivery tasks (package numbers 4 to 6) assigned to truck 2 that have the same sender and destination and package type as the delivery tasks assigned to truck 2 as candidates for additional delivery tasks to be assigned, the inventory management table 24 is referenced and the delivery plan is modified to additionally assign a delivery task for a product number (product number A) with a fewer number of days of parts in stock to truck 2. As a result, for the delivery task with package number 7, the receipt date was "2021/11/12" in Figure 4A, but by executing S25, the receipt date is brought forward to "2021/11/11" as shown in Figure 4B, and the task is additionally assigned to truck 2.

For the delivery plan drawn up in S20, the shipped confirmed parcel management table 23 before the delivery plan is modified is illustrated in Figure 4A, and for this example, the shipped confirmed parcel management table 23 after the delivery plan is modified in S28 or S25 is illustrated in Figure 4B.

In addition, in S25, if there are no suitable additional delivery tasks to assign, it is possible to terminate the process without assigning additional delivery tasks, for example.

(3) Effect of this embodiment As described above, the joint delivery plan planning device 3 of this embodiment plans a joint delivery plan so that, when jointly delivering parcels shipped from each of the base stations of multiple shippers to a consignee, on a day when the amount of parcels to be delivered is greater than the delivery capacity of the delivery vehicle secured in advance, the delivery of parcels that can be delivered later is postponed to the next day or later, and on a day when the amount of parcels to be delivered is less than the delivery capacity of the delivery vehicle, the delivery of parcels that can be delivered forward is brought forward to that day.

Therefore, according to the joint delivery plan development device 3 of this embodiment, it is possible to propose a joint delivery plan for always jointly delivering cargo with high delivery efficiency regardless of the amount of cargo shipped by each shipper, thereby contributing to reducing the environmental burden.

(4) Other embodiments In the above embodiment, the inventory management table 24 is configured as shown in Fig. 5, and the number of inventory days for each part is managed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the inventory management table 24' may be configured as shown in Fig. 10, in which the same reference numerals as those in Fig. 5 are marked with "'", and the standard number of inventory days for each part (the number of inventory days stored in the standard number of inventory days column 24D in Fig. 10, hereinafter referred to as the standard number of inventory days) and the current number of inventory days with respect to the standard number of inventory days (the number of inventory days stored in the surplus number of inventory days column 24E in Fig. 10, hereinafter referred to as the surplus number of inventory days) may be acquired from each consignee and managed. The inventory management table 24' is configured with a number column 24A', a part number column 24B', a part number of inventory days column 24C', a standard number of inventory days column 24D, and a surplus number of inventory days column 24E.

Then, based on this inventory management table 24', the joint delivery planning device 3 may, in S28, select parcels with a large inventory amount (parcels with a large number of days of inventory with margin) as parcels for which delivery should be delayed with higher priority, or, in S25 of Figure 9, may select parcels with a small inventory amount (parcels with a small number of days of inventory with margin) as parcels for which delivery should be advanced with higher priority.

In the above embodiment, the joint delivery plan making device 3 is configured from one computer device, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and the joint delivery plan making device 3 may be configured from a distributed computing system. In this case, the following functional units to be installed in the joint delivery plan making device 3 may be distributed and arranged in multiple computer devices constituting such a distributed computing system: a reception unit that receives delivery tasks of multiple shippers; a processing unit that identifies demand resources that are delivery resources required from the delivery tasks of multiple shippers within a predetermined period and compares the identified demand resources with available delivery resources; and a presentation unit that presents changes to delivery dates and times for at least some of the delivery tasks of the multiple shippers based on the comparison results of the processing unit and inventory information.

Furthermore, the information processing device and information processing method of the present invention may have, for example, the configuration described below.

For example, an information processing device (e.g., joint delivery plan making system 1 or joint delivery plan making device 3) accepts delivery tasks (delivery requests) from multiple shippers and makes a delivery plan based on the accepted delivery tasks. The information processing device includes a memory unit (e.g., storage device 12), a processing unit (e.g., processor 10), and a presentation unit. The memory unit stores resource information (e.g., available delivery resource management table 22) related to available delivery resources, which are delivery resources (delivery vehicles) available for delivery tasks, and inventory information (e.g., inventory management tables 24, 24') of items to be delivered related to delivery tasks. The processing unit identifies demand resources, which are delivery resources required by delivery tasks of multiple shippers within a specified period, and compares the identified demand resources with the available delivery resources. The presentation unit presents changes to delivery dates and times for at least some of the delivery tasks of multiple shippers based on the comparison results of the processing unit and the inventory information. The presentation unit may be, for example, the processor 10, or may be realized by a configuration including, in addition to the processor 10, an output device 15, information processing terminals (shipper's information processing terminal 4, delivery company's information processing terminal 5, consignee's information processing terminal 6), and at least a part of the communication device 13.

When demand resources are greater than available delivery resources, the presentation unit presents a change to delay the delivery date and time of some items that have a greater number of days of inventory or inventory amount (e.g., parts inventory days or excess inventory days) at the destination of the delivery task.

When demand resources are less than available delivery resources, the presentation unit presents a change to an earlier delivery date and time for some items that have fewer days of inventory or less inventory at the destination of the delivery task.

When demand resources are greater than available delivery resources, a decision is made as to whether or not to procure additional delivery resources from outside, and if it is decided not to procure them, a change is proposed to delay the delivery date and time of some items with a higher inventory days or inventory amount at the destination of the delivery task.

When demand resources are less than available delivery resources, a decision is made as to whether to acquire additional delivery tasks from outside (e.g., other affiliated joint delivery platform companies or other delivery companies), and if it is decided not to acquire additional delivery tasks, a change is made to an earlier delivery date and time for some items with fewer days of inventory or inventory amounts at the destination of the delivery tasks.

The information processing method is executed by an information processing device (e.g., joint delivery plan making system 1 or joint delivery plan making device 3) that accepts delivery tasks (delivery requests) of multiple shippers and makes a delivery plan based on the accepted delivery tasks. The method includes a first step of storing resource information (e.g., available delivery resource management table 22) on available delivery resources, which are delivery resources (delivery vehicles) that can be used for delivery tasks, and inventory information (e.g., inventory management tables 24, 24') on items to be delivered related to the delivery tasks, a second step of identifying demand resources, which are delivery resources required for delivery tasks of multiple shippers within a predetermined period, and comparing the identified demand resources with available delivery resources, and a third step of presenting changes to delivery dates and times for at least some of the delivery tasks of the multiple shippers based on the comparison results of the demand resources and the available delivery resources and the inventory information.

In a third step, when demand resources are greater than available delivery resources, the information processing device proposes changes to delay the delivery date and time of some items that have a greater number of days of inventory or inventory amount (e.g., parts inventory days or excess inventory days) at the destination of the delivery task.

In a third step, when the demand resources are less than the available delivery resources, the information processing device proposes changes to advance the delivery date and time of some items that have fewer days of inventory or less inventory at the destination of the delivery task.

In a third step, when the demand resources are greater than the available delivery resources, the information processing device determines whether to procure additional delivery resources from outside (e.g., from other affiliated joint delivery platform companies or other delivery companies), and when it is determined not to procure them, presents a change to delay the delivery date and time of some items that have a larger inventory days or inventory amount at the destination of the delivery task.

In the third step, when the demand resources are less than the available delivery resources, the information processing device determines whether to acquire additional delivery tasks from outside, and if it determines not to acquire them, presents a change to an earlier delivery date and time for some items that have a lower inventory days or inventory amount at the destination of the delivery task.

The joint delivery plan development device 3 can be widely applied to various information processing devices having the function of developing joint delivery plans for goods.

1...Joint delivery planning system, 3...Joint delivery planning device, 4...Shipper's information processing terminal, 5...Consignee's information processing terminal, 6...Distributor's information processing terminal, 10...Processor, 20...Processing program, 21...Scheduled shipment cargo management table, 22...Available delivery resource management table, 23...Confirmed shipment cargo management table, 24...Inventory management table, 30...Delivery plan screen, 40...Confirmed vehicle dispatch request screen.

Claims (10)

An information processing device that receives delivery tasks from a plurality of shippers and creates a delivery plan based on the received delivery tasks,
A storage unit that stores resource information on available delivery resources that are delivery resources that can be used for the delivery task, and inventory information on items to be delivered for the delivery task;
A processing unit that identifies demand resources, which are the delivery resources required by the delivery tasks of the multiple shippers within a predetermined period, and compares the identified demand resources with the available delivery resources;
and a presentation unit that presents a change in delivery date and time for at least some of the delivery tasks of the multiple shippers based on the comparison result of the processing unit and the inventory information. The presentation unit is
The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the demand resources are greater than the available delivery resources, a change is presented to delay the delivery date and time of some of the items with a larger inventory number or inventory amount at the destination of the delivery task. The presentation unit is
The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the demand resources are less than the available delivery resources, a change to an earlier delivery date and time is presented for some of the items with a shorter inventory days or inventory amount at the destination of the delivery task. The information processing device according to claim 2, characterized in that, when the demand resources are greater than the available delivery resources, a determination is made as to whether or not to procure additional delivery resources from outside, and when it is determined not to procure additional delivery resources, a change is presented to delay the delivery date and time of some of the items that have a larger inventory day or inventory amount at the destination of the delivery task. The information processing device according to claim 3, characterized in that, when the demand resources are less than the available delivery resources, it determines whether to acquire additional delivery tasks from outside, and when it is determined not to acquire them, it presents a change to an earlier delivery date and time for some of the items with a smaller inventory day or inventory amount at the destination of the delivery task. An information processing method executed by an information processing device that receives delivery tasks of a plurality of shippers and creates a delivery plan based on the received delivery tasks, comprising:
A first step of storing resource information on available delivery resources that are delivery resources available for the delivery task and inventory information of items to be delivered for the delivery task;
A second step of identifying demand resources, which are the delivery resources required by the delivery tasks of the multiple shippers within a predetermined period, and comparing the identified demand resources with the available delivery resources;
and a third step of proposing changes to delivery dates and times for at least some of the delivery tasks of the multiple shippers based on the comparison results between the demand resources and the available delivery resources and the inventory information. In the third step, the information processing device
The information processing method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of presenting a change to delay the delivery date and time of some of the items with a larger inventory number or inventory amount at the destination of the delivery task when the demand resources are greater than the available delivery resources. In the third step, the information processing device
The information processing method according to claim 6, characterized in that, when the demand resources are less than the available delivery resources, a change to an earlier delivery date and time is proposed for some of the items with a shorter inventory days or inventory amount at the destination of the delivery task. In the third step, the information processing device
The information processing method according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of: determining whether to procure additional delivery resources from outside when the demand resources are greater than the available delivery resources; and, if it is determined that additional delivery resources should not be procured, presenting a change to delay the delivery date and time of some of the items that have a larger inventory number or inventory amount at the destination of the delivery task. In the third step, the information processing device
The information processing method according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of: determining whether to acquire additional delivery tasks from outside when the demand resources are less than the available delivery resources; and, if it is determined not to acquire additional delivery tasks, presenting a change to an earlier delivery date and time for some of the items with a smaller inventory days or inventory amount at the destination of the delivery tasks.

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