JP7740499B2 - Material supply support device, method, and program - Google Patents

Description

One aspect of the present invention relates to a material supply support device, method, and program used to support the operation of supplying materials to multiple locations, for example, in the event of a disaster.

The delivery and supply of resources, goods, and other materials to multiple locations by vehicle is an essential task in modern society. In particular, in the event of a large-scale disaster, the transport and supply of necessary supplies such as power supplies, water, and food by vehicle to points of demand is extremely important in extending the time until supplies run out at each location.

For example, when a single vehicle is supplying supplies to multiple locations, it is necessary to supply the supplies before they run out at each location. Patent Document 1, for example, describes a technology for achieving this, which determines a route that will allow the vehicle to arrive at each location within the specified time for the supplies to run out at each location.

Non-patent document 1 also describes a technology that uses a branch-and-bound method, which is commonly used to find an exact solution to a vehicle routing problem (VRP), to search for a route that minimizes the maximum time it takes for supplies to run out at each location.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-333377

M. Ogawa and 3 others, “A route searching method using two-dimensional coordinates”, IEICE, DOI:10.34385/proc.63.E4-3, 2020.

However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 seeks a route that minimizes travel costs within the supply depletion time at each location, before the supply of supplies begins. As a result, the technology described in Patent Document 1 cannot search for a route that takes into account the extended supply depletion time due to the supply of supplies.

Furthermore, the technology described in Non-Patent Document 1 assumes that supplies will run out at a location before the vehicle arrives. As a result, once supplies are delivered, the time of depletion at each location becomes 0, which results in all the evaluation values for each route being the same, making it difficult to search for a route that takes into account the situation after supplies have been delivered.

This invention was made with the above circumstances in mind, and aims to provide technology that makes it possible to set a route that maximizes the extended depletion time, taking into account the period after supplies have been supplied.

In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the material supply support device or method of the present invention comprises, when performing processing to support the task of supplying materials sequentially to a plurality of locations, a first processing unit or process that acquires parameter information related to the supply and depletion of the materials at the plurality of locations; a second processing unit or process that calculates a depletion time, which is the time for which the materials are depleted at the plurality of locations for each of a plurality of material supply routes that can be set to the plurality of locations based on the parameter information, and selects the material supply route with the smallest maximum value of the depletion time as the optimal route; and a third processing unit or process that calculates a point average value of the depletion time from the maximum value of the depletion time on the selected optimal route and the number of locations on the optimal route, and updates the extension time to be given to the plurality of locations on the optimal route based on the point average value of the depletion time, for extending the time when the materials will be depleted . Then, for each of the plurality of locations, the depletion time starting from the time when the extended supply will be depleted is calculated based on the time when the extended supply will be depleted and the arrival time of the supply at the location, and the process of selecting the optimal route and the process of updating the extended time are repeated until the maximum value of the calculated depletion time satisfies a predetermined condition, and the optimal route when the maximum value of the time when the supply will be depleted , reflecting the extended time , satisfies the condition, and the stay time at the plurality of locations calculated as the difference between the extended time and the time when the supply will be depleted before the extension , are output as part of the support information.

One aspect of this invention provides technology that enables the setting of a route that maximizes the extended depletion time, taking into account the period after supplies have been provided.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a materials supply support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of a materials supply support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the overall processing procedure and processing contents executed by the control unit of the materials supply support device shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing content of the exhaustion time optimum value calculation processing of the processing procedure shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing content of the extended time update processing of the processing procedure shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing contents of the optimum route and stay time setting control. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of travel time between points. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the optimum route thus determined.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

[One embodiment]
(Configuration example)
The supplies supply support device SV according to one embodiment of the present invention may be, for example, a server computer that is deployed on the web or in the cloud. Note that the supplies supply support device SV may also be a personal computer dedicated to the use of a local government or a delivery company.

Figures 2 and 3 are block diagrams showing examples of the hardware and software configurations of the material supply support device SV, respectively.

The material supply support device SV has a control unit 1 that uses a hardware processor such as a central processing unit (CPU). A storage unit having a program storage unit 2 and a data storage unit 3, and a communication interface unit (hereinafter referred to as the communication I/F unit) 4 are connected to this control unit 1 via a bus 5.

Under the control of the control unit 1, the communication I/F unit 4 uses a communication protocol defined by a network (not shown), including the Internet, to send and receive information data, for example, between a management terminal used by a local government or delivery company, or between an on-board terminal installed in a vehicle used as a transportation medium.

The program storage unit 2 is configured, for example, by combining a non-volatile memory such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) as a storage medium that can be written to and read at any time, with a non-volatile memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), and stores middleware such as an OS (Operating System) as well as application programs necessary to execute various control processes in one embodiment of this invention.

The data storage unit 3 is, for example, a combination of a non-volatile memory such as an HDD or SSD as a storage medium that can be written to and read from at any time, and a volatile memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), and is equipped with a parameter information storage unit 31 and an optimal route/stay time storage unit 32 as storage areas in one embodiment.

The parameter information storage unit 31 is used to store parameter information entered from the management terminal of the local government or delivery company. The parameter information includes the remaining time until supplies run out at multiple supply locations, the required stay time for supplying the supplies, and the travel time between multiple locations.

The optimal route/stay time memory unit 32 is used to store the material delivery route (hereinafter simply referred to as the route) obtained by the control unit 1 that maximizes the depletion time after extension, and information representing the stay time at each point on the route.

The control unit 1 includes, as processing functions according to one embodiment of the present invention, a parameter information acquisition processing unit 11, an optimal exhaustion time calculation processing unit 12, an extension time update processing unit 13, an optimal route/stay time setting control unit 14, and a support information output processing unit 15. These processing units and control units 11-14 are all realized by causing the hardware processor of the control unit 1 to execute application programs stored in the program storage unit 2.

In addition, some or all of the above processing units 11 to 14 may be realized using hardware such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

Prior to the delivery of goods, the parameter information acquisition processing unit 11 receives parameter information transmitted via a network, for example, from a management terminal of a local government or delivery company, via the communication I/F unit 4, and performs processing to store the received parameter information in the parameter information storage unit 31.

Based on the parameter information stored in the parameter information storage unit 31, the optimal depletion time calculation processing unit 12 calculates the depletion time of supplies for each location for all routes that can be selected when a single vehicle is moving and delivering supplies to multiple locations in sequence, and finds the maximum value. It then performs a process to select the route with the smallest maximum depletion time as the optimal route. The depletion time can be calculated from the remaining time until supplies are depleted at each location and the arrival time of the vehicle at each location, which are included in the parameter information. The arrival time can be calculated from the travel time between locations and the stay time at each location.

The extension time update processing unit 13 calculates the point average of the depletion time from the maximum value of the depletion time of the optimal route selected by the depletion time optimal value calculation processing unit 12 and the number of points on the optimal route, and updates the extension time for extending the depletion of materials based on this point average value of the depletion time.

The optimal route/stay time setting control unit 14 calculates the maximum exhaustion time reflecting the updated extension time, and repeatedly executes the optimal route selection process by the exhaustion time optimal value calculation processing unit 12 and the extension time update process by the extension time update processing unit 13 until this maximum exhaustion time satisfies a predetermined condition. The optimal route/stay time setting control unit 14 then stores in the optimal route/stay time storage unit 32 the optimal route when the maximum exhaustion time reflecting the updated extension time satisfies the condition, and the duration calculated from the extension time at each point.

The support information output processing unit 15 generates support information to support the supply of goods, including the optimal route and the duration of stay at each point stored in the optimal route/stay time memory unit 32. The generated support information is then transmitted from the communication I/F unit 4 to, for example, a management terminal of a local government or delivery company, or an on-board terminal installed in a delivery vehicle.

(Example of operation)
Next, an example of the operation of the material supply support device SV configured as above will be described.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a materials supply support operation executed by the control unit 1 of the materials supply support device SV.

(1) Acquisition of parameter information: For example, in the event of a disaster, a local government or a delivery company selects all locations where supplies need to be supplied, and inputs parameter information into a management terminal, including travel time between each location, the remaining time until supplies run out at each location, and the time required to supply supplies. The parameter information is then transmitted from the management terminal to the supplies supply support device SV via a network (not shown).

In response to this, in step S10, the control unit 1 of the material supply support device SV, under the control of the parameter information acquisition processing unit 11, receives the parameter information sent from the management terminal via the communication I/F unit 4 and stores the received parameter information in the parameter information storage unit 31.

For example, suppose there are n+1 locations to which supplies are to be delivered on a two-dimensional plane representing the disaster area, and these locations are represented as v _i , i∈{0, 1, ..., n}, n∈Z. In this case, the travel time t(v _i , v _j )∈R _{> 0} between each location v _i , the remaining time d _i ∈R _{> 0} until supplies run out at each location v _i when the starting time t = 0 is used as the base point, and the stay time p _i ∈R _{> 0} at each location v _i are input into the management terminal, and these are sent as parameter information from the management terminal to the supplies supply support device SV and stored in the parameter information storage unit 31.

(2) Calculation of the optimal value of depletion time When the above parameter information is acquired, the control unit 1 of the material supply support device SV first performs the following process in step S20: calculates the depletion time at each point for each route under the control of the depletion time optimal value calculation processing unit 12, and selects the route with the smallest maximum value of the depletion time.

Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing content of the exhaustion time optimal value calculation processing performed by the exhaustion time optimal value calculation processing unit 12.

The optimal depletion time calculation processing unit 12 first selects one route r from all selectable routes in step S21, and then calculates the depletion time T _i (r) of the material at each point v _i on the route r in step S22.

This depletion time T _i (r) is calculated from the remaining time d _i (r) at each point and the time a _i (r) when the vehicle arrives at that point, as follows:
The arrival time a _i (r) of the vehicle at each point v _i can be calculated from the travel time and stay time p _i of the vehicle.

Then, in step S23, the optimum exhaustion time calculation processing unit 12 calculates the maximum value of the exhaustion time T _i (r) of each point v _i as follows:
The maximum value of the exhaustion time _Ti (r) (hereinafter also referred to as the maximum exhaustion time) _Tmax (r) corresponds to the maximum difference between the exhaustion time given by the route r and the arrival time of the vehicle.

When the maximum value of exhaustion time T _max (r) for the selected route r is found, the optimum exhaustion time calculation processing unit 12 determines in step S24 whether or not the selection of all routes r has been completed. If the result of this determination is that there is an unselected route r, the process returns to step S21 to select the next route, and the process of calculating the maximum value of exhaustion time T _max (r) is performed in steps S22 to S24. Thereafter, the process of calculating the maximum value of exhaustion time T _max (r) for all routes r is repeated in the same manner.

Then, when the calculation of the maximum value T _max (r) of the exhaustion time for all the routes r is completed, the optimum exhaustion time calculation processing unit 12 selects the route r* that minimizes the maximum value T _max (r) of the exhaustion time in step S25.
It is calculated by:

The route r* that minimizes this maximum value of exhaustion time T _max (r) is the optimal route with the least exhaustion time, and the minimum value is the optimal value of the maximum exhaustion time T _max (r). Note that the above-mentioned optimal route r* can be calculated using well-known methods such as a method of counting all routes r to find the optimal one, or a branch-and-bound method.

(3) Updating the Extension Time Next, in step S30, the control unit 1 of the materials supply support device SV, under the control of the extension time update processing unit 13, executes the process of updating the extension time to be assigned to each point v _i on the above-mentioned optimal route r* as follows.

In order to maximize the depletion time after extension at each point v _i , ideally, it is necessary to find a route and extension time that will make the depletion times at each point the same after extension. Therefore, in this example, we find a route and extension time that will average the depletion times at each point v _i after extension.

Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing content of the extended time update processing performed by the extended time update processing unit 13.

First, in step S31, the extension time update processing unit 13 receives the maximum value T _max (r*) of the exhaustion time of the selected optimum route r* from the exhaustion time optimum value calculation processing unit 12. Next, in step S32, the extension time update processing unit 13 calculates the extension time X at each point v _i on the selected optimum route r* as follows:
Update by.

Here, the extended time X is the time after extension from the departure time t = 0 of the vehicle, n is the number of points, and k is the ratio of the exhausted time after extension to the extended time. The value of k is a constant value at each point v _i (i = 1, ..., n) and is a value that does not depend on the remaining time d _i .

That is, the extension time update processing unit 13 updates the extension time X by subtracting the point average value of the maximum exhaustion time T _max (r*) in the above equation (1) from the pre-update extension time X. The extension time update processing unit 13 outputs the updated extension time X obtained by the above calculation to the optimal route/stay time setting control unit 14 in step S33.

(4) Setting the optimal route and stay time Once the updated extension time is obtained by the extension time update processing unit 13, the control unit 1 of the material supply support device SV then, in step S40, executes control using the optimal route/stay time setting control unit 14 to determine the optimal route and the stay time at each point when the extension time is reflected, as follows.

Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the control procedures and processing contents executed by the optimal route/stay time setting control unit 14.

The optimum route/stay time setting control unit 14 first receives the updated extension time X from the extension time update processing unit 13 in step S41, and then in step S42 calculates the maximum availability time T _max (r*) reflecting the extension time X. The maximum availability time T _max (r*) reflecting the extension time X can be calculated, for example, as follows.

That is, first, the stay time _p at each point _v is calculated from the difference between the extension time X and the exhaustion time at each point _v , and the arrival time a at each point _v is calculated from the calculated stay time _p and the travel time to each point _v . Then, the exhaustion time _T at each point _v is calculated from the calculated arrival time _a and the exhaustion time, and _{the maximum exhaustion time T max (} r*) on route r* can be obtained from each calculation result.

In step S43, the optimum route/stay time setting control unit 14 next compares the absolute value of the maximum exhaustion time T _max (r*) reflecting the calculated extension time X with a threshold value preset as an update condition, and determines whether the absolute value of the maximum exhaustion time T _max (r*) is less than the threshold value. If the absolute value of the maximum exhaustion time T _max (r*) is not less than the threshold value, it instructs the exhaustion time optimum value calculation processing unit 12 to recalculate the maximum exhaustion time T _max (r*) reflecting the updated extension time X and to reselect the optimum route r*.

Upon receiving the above instruction, the exhaustion time optimum value calculation processor 12 recalculates the exhaustion time for each of all routes r, reflecting the updated extended time X for each point v _i , in steps S21 to S25. Then, based on the results of this recalculation, the maximum exhaustion time T _max (r) is calculated, and the route r* for which this maximum exhaustion time T _max (r) is smallest is reselected. The exhaustion time optimum value calculation processor 12 then passes the reselected route r* and the maximum exhaustion time T _max (r) to the extended time update processor 13.

5, the extension time update processing unit 13 receives the maximum exhaustion time T _max (r) and updates the extension time X based on this maximum exhaustion time T _max (r), and then notifies the optimum route and stay time setting control unit 14 of the updated extension time X.

6, the optimum route/stay time setting control unit 14 calculates the maximum exhaustion time T max (r*) reflecting this extension time X based on the updated extension time notified by the extension time update processing unit 13, and determines again whether the calculated maximum exhaustion time T _max (r*) is less than the threshold value. If the result of this determination is that the maximum exhaustion time T _max (r*) has still not decreased to less than the _threshold value, the process returns to the optimum route reselection processing by the exhaustion time optimum value calculation processing unit 12.

Similarly, the control unit 1 of the material supply support device SV, under the control of the optimal route/stay time setting control unit 14, repeatedly executes the optimal route reselection process by the optimal depletion time calculation processing unit 12 and the extension time update process by the extension time update processing unit 13 until the maximum depletion time T _max (r*) becomes less than the threshold value.

On the other hand, if the maximum exhaustion time T _max (r*) reflecting the updated extended time X falls below the threshold, the optimum route/stay time setting control unit 14 determines that the exhaustion time difference after the extension between the points on the selected optimum route r* has approached 0. In other words, it determines that the exhaustion times after the extension between the points on the optimum route have been averaged, and proceeds to step S44.

In step S44, the optimal route/stay time setting control unit 14 calculates the stay time Pi at each point vi based on the extension time X at each point _vi of the optimal route r* finally obtained by the _exhaustion time optimal value calculation processing unit ₁₂ and the extension time update processing unit 13. The stay time _Pi is calculated as the difference between the extension time X and the exhaustion time. Then, in step S45, the optimal route/stay time setting control unit 14 stores information representing the final optimal route r* and the stay time _Pi in the optimal route/stay time storage unit 32 as information representing the optimal route that maximizes the exhaustion time after extension and the stay time at each point thereof.

(5) Generation and Output of Support Information Finally, in step S50, under the control of the support information output processing unit 15, the control unit 1 of the supplies supply support device SV reads information representing the optimal route r* and the stay time _Pi at each point v _i thereof from the optimal route/stay time storage unit 32, and generates support information including the read information representing the optimal route r* and the stay time _Pi at each point v _i thereof. In addition to the information representing the optimal route and stay time _Pi , the support information may also include, for example, the supply amount corresponding to the stay time _Pi , road information and weather information corresponding to the optimal route, etc. Note that the road information and weather information, etc., can be obtained, for example, from a website.

(Specific example of operation)
Next, a specific example of the processing operation described above will be explained.

Let us assume that the points scattered in the disaster area are _v0 , _v1 , _v2 , _v3 , _v4 , _v5 , and _v6 . The remaining time until supplies run out at these points _v1 , _v2 , _v3 , _v4 , _v5 , and _v6 is _d1 = 17, _d2 = 19, _d3 = 18, _d4 = 18, _d5 = 18, and _d6 = 19, respectively. The initial value of the extension time X given to each point _v1 , _v2 , _v3 , _v4 , _v5 , and _v6 is X = 25, and the residence time required to supply supplies at each point _v1 , _v2 , _v3 , _v4 , _v5 , and _v6 is _p1 = 8, _p2 = 6, _p3 = 7, _p4 = 7, _p5 = ₇ , and p6 = 6, respectively.

FIG. 7 shows an example of travel times between the points v ₁ , v ₂ , v ₃ , v ₄ , v ₅ and v ₆ in this case, in units of hours (h).

Assume that the departure time is t = 0 o'clock, and one vehicle will sequentially supply goods to points _v1 , _v2 , _v3 , _v4 , _v5 , and _v6 . Under these conditions, the optimal depletion time calculation processing unit 12 calculates the maximum depletion time _Tmax (r), and obtains _Tmax (r) = 23.45 hours.

Next, the extension time update processing unit 13 applies the maximum depletion time T _max (r) to the above equation (1) to recalculate the extension time X, as follows:
is obtained.

The optimum route/stay time setting control unit 14 then calculates the maximum exhaustion time T _max (r) reflecting the recalculated extension time X = 21.1, resulting in T _max (r) = 3.9 hours. The optimum route/stay time setting control unit 14 then compares the maximum exhaustion time T _max (r) reflecting the extension time X = 21.1 with a threshold value to determine whether the maximum exhaustion time T _max (r) is less than the threshold value.

For example, suppose the threshold value is set to 0.1. In this case, the maximum exhaustion time T _max (r) = 3.9 hours reflecting the extension time X is not less than the threshold value of 0.1. Therefore, the optimal route/stay time setting control unit 14 causes the exhaustion time optimum value calculation processing unit 12 to reselect a route with the shortest maximum exhaustion time for all routes. Then, it causes the extension time update processing unit 13 to perform processing to update the extension time X for each point on the reselected route. As a result, the extension time update processing unit 13 substitutes the recalculated extension time X = 21.1 into equation (1) to recalculate the extension time X.

The optimum route/stay time setting control unit 14 calculates the maximum exhaustion time T _max (r) reflecting the recalculated extension time X, and again determines whether the calculated maximum exhaustion time T _max (r) is less than the threshold value 0.1. If the maximum exhaustion time T _max (r) is not less than the threshold value, the optimum exhaustion time calculation processing unit 12 executes the route reselection process again, and the extension time update processing unit 13 executes the process of updating the extension time X at each point again. Thereafter, the optimum route/stay time setting control unit 14 similarly repeatedly executes the route reselection process and the extension time update process until the maximum exhaustion time T _max (r) becomes less than the threshold value 0.1.

By the above repeated control, for example, the maximum depletion time T _max (r) is
3.9 → 0.65 → 0.11 → 0.02
When the maximum exhaustion time T _max (r) reaches 0.02, the optimum route/stay time setting control unit 14 ends the process of selecting the optimum route r* and the process of updating the extension time X because this value is less than the threshold value 0.1.

Then, the optimum route and sojourn time setting control unit 14 sets the sojourn times _p i at each of the points v ₁ , v 2 , v ₃ , v ₄ , v ₅ , and v ₆ to, for example, p ₁ =5.3, p 2 =1.3, p 3 =2.3, p ₄ = _2.3 , p ₅ =2.3, p ₆ =1.3, based on the final extension time X=20.3 when the maximum exhaustion time T max (r) becomes _0.02 , which is _less than _{the threshold value} .
It is calculated as follows.

The optimum route and staying time setting control unit 14 also calculates the optimum route r* in the order of v ₀ → v ₄ → v ₁ → v ₃ → v ₅ → v ₂ → v ₆
FIG. 8 shows an example of the determined optimum route r* shown on a two-dimensional plane.

(Actions and Effects)
As described above, in one embodiment, the optimum depletion time calculation processing unit 12 first calculates the depletion time T _i (r) of the commodity at each point v _i for all possible routes based on parameter information related to material supply, and determines the maximum value T _max (r). The route with the smallest maximum depletion time T _max (r) is selected as the optimum route r*. Next, the extension time update processing unit 13 updates the extension time X based on the maximum depletion time T _max (r) and the number of points on the optimum route r*. The optimum route/stay time setting control unit 14 then repeatedly executes the optimum route selection process and the extension time X update process until the absolute value of the maximum depletion time T _max (r) reflecting the updated extension time becomes less than a threshold value. When the absolute value of the maximum depletion time T _max (r) reflecting the extension time X becomes less than the threshold value, the final route r* and the stay time point p _i at each point v _i calculated from the extension time X are set as the optimum route and the optimum stay time for each point.

Therefore, it is possible to determine the route that maximizes the extended depletion time and the time spent at each point, taking into account the period after supplies have been supplied.

[Other embodiments]
(1) In the above embodiment, a route that maximizes the extended depletion time and the sojourn time at each of the supply points are calculated for all supply points. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to specify points among the supply points to which no supplies are to be supplied, and calculate a route that maximizes the extended depletion time and the sojourn time at each of the supply points for the remaining set of points excluding the specified points.

In this way, it is possible to exclude, for example, locations where there is no time left until the supply of supplies will be insufficient, or locations where there is sufficient time until the supply of supplies will be insufficient for the time being, and to efficiently supply supplies to as many remaining locations as possible before supplies run out.

(2) In the above embodiment, an example was given in which the entire series of processes from parameter acquisition processing to support information output processing was executed by a material supply support device SV consisting of a single server computer. However, all or part of the series of processes from the parameter acquisition processing to support information output processing may be distributed among multiple server computers or personal computers. In this case, the information processing device that performs the processing is not limited to a server computer or personal computer, but may also be a mobile information terminal such as a smartphone or tablet terminal.

(3) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which supplies are supplied to multiple locations in the event of a disaster. However, this invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied as a support system for delivering goods to multiple stores during normal times, for example.

(4) In addition to road vehicles such as trucks, it is possible to selectively use railroads, ships, and flying objects such as drones as transportation means. Furthermore, the functions of the material supply support device, processing procedures and processing content, types of materials, content of support information, etc. can be modified and implemented in various ways without departing from the spirit of this invention.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the above description is merely an example of the present invention in every respect. It goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. In other words, when implementing the present invention, specific configurations corresponding to the embodiments may be adopted as appropriate.

In short, this invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be embodied by modifying the components in the implementation stage without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be created by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all of the components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

SV...material supply support device 1...control unit 2...program storage unit 3...data storage unit 4...communication I/F unit 5...bus 11...parameter information acquisition processing unit 12...depletion time optimal value calculation processing unit 13...extension time update processing unit 14...optimum route/stay time setting control unit 15...support information output processing unit 31...parameter information storage unit 32...optimum route/stay time storage unit

Claims (4)

A supplies supply support device that supports a task of sequentially supplying supplies to a plurality of locations,
a first processing unit that acquires parameter information related to the supply and depletion of the material at the plurality of locations;
a second processing unit that calculates a depletion time, which is the time it takes for the material to be depleted at each of a plurality of material supply routes that can be set to the plurality of locations, based on the parameter information, and selects the material supply route that has the smallest maximum value of the calculated depletion time as an optimal route;
a third processing unit that calculates a point average value of the depletion time from the maximum value of the depletion time on the selected optimal route and the number of points on the optimal route, and updates an extension time to be given to the plurality of points on the optimal route based on the point average value of the depletion time in order to extend the time at which the material will be depleted ;
a fourth processing unit that calculates, for each of the plurality of points, a depletion time starting from the time the extended supply time will be depleted based on the time the supply will be depleted after being extended to the extension time and the arrival time of the supply at the point, causes the second processing unit to repeatedly select the optimum route and the third processing unit to repeatedly update the extension time until the maximum value of the calculated depletion time satisfies a predetermined condition, and outputs the optimum route when the maximum value of the depletion time starting from the time the extended supply time will be depleted after being extended to the extension time satisfies the condition, and a stay time at the plurality of points calculated as the difference between the extension time and the time the supply will be depleted before the extension ;
a fifth processing unit that generates and outputs support information including information representing the output optimum route and the stay time. The material supply support device of claim 1, wherein the second processing unit calculates arrival times at the plurality of locations from the travel times and stay times between the plurality of locations defined by the parameter information, and calculates the depletion times of the materials at the plurality of locations from the calculated arrival times and the remaining time until depletion defined by the parameter information. A materials supply support method in which an information processing device executes a process for supporting a task of sequentially supplying materials to a plurality of locations, the method comprising:
obtaining parameter information relating to the supply and depletion of said material at said plurality of locations;
a step of calculating a depletion time, which is the time it takes for the material to run out at each of a plurality of material supply routes that can be set to the plurality of locations, based on the parameter information, and selecting the material supply route that minimizes the maximum value of the calculated depletion times as an optimal route;
a step of calculating a point average value of the depletion time from the maximum value of the depletion time on the selected optimal route and the number of points on the optimal route, and updating an extension time to be given to the plurality of points on the optimal route based on the point average value of the depletion time in order to extend the time at which the material will run out ;
a step of calculating, for each of the plurality of points, a depletion time starting from the time when the extended supply time will be depleted based on the time when the extended supply time will be depleted and the arrival time of the supply at the point, repeatedly selecting the optimum route and updating the extension time until the maximum value of the calculated depletion time satisfies a predetermined condition, and outputting the optimum route when the maximum value of the depletion time starting from the time when the extended supply time will be depleted satisfies the condition, and a stay time at the plurality of points calculated as the difference between the extension time and the time when the supply will be depleted before the extension ;
generating and outputting support information including information representing the output optimum route and the stay time. 3. A program for causing a processor included in the materials supply support device to execute all of the processes executed by the first to fifth processing units included in the materials supply support device according to claim 1 or 2 .