JP7796560B2 - Logistics support equipment - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies. Published on November 30, 2021 at the following website address: https://www.nipponexpress-holdings.com/ja/press/2021/20211130-2.html

The present invention relates to a logistics support device.

Conventionally, there is known a technique for calculating environmental loads, such as _CO2 emissions, in the transportation of goods (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The simulation device described in Patent Document 1 displays transportation routes and transportation evaluation indices for each transportation means side by side on a display unit, superimposed on map information.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-003216

However, currently, this is limited to simply grasping the environmental load, and the effect of reducing the environmental load is not sufficient. Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a logistics support device that can visualize the effect of reducing _CO2 emissions in logistics transportation and support the verification of decarbonization effects.

the improved transportation information includes information that customizes a transportation means and a collection and delivery means for the goods for each customer. The improved transportation information includes information that customizes a transportation means and a collection and delivery means for the goods for each customer. The improved transportation information includes information that customizes a transportation means and a collection and delivery means for the goods for each customer. The improved transportation information includes information that customizes a transportation means and a collection _and delivery means for the goods for each customer. The improved transportation information includes information that customizes a transportation means and a collection _and delivery means for the _goods for each customer. The improved transportation information includes information that customizes a transportation means and a collection and delivery means for the goods for each customer.

Furthermore, the improved transportation information preferably includes, as information customized for each customer, at least one of the following: adding a collection and delivery base for collecting and delivering the goods; changing to milk run transportation, in which the goods are collected and delivered at multiple locations while traveling around; changing to consolidated transportation, in which multiple collections and deliveries are made at once; changing transportation, in which one collection and delivery is made at once, to split transportation, in which multiple collections and deliveries are made at once; changing the model and size of the vehicle transporting the goods; and joint delivery, in which the goods are collected and delivered jointly with multiple customers.

Preferably, the environment-related information calculation unit calculates the amount of CO ₂ emissions in the current transportation mode and the amount of CO ₂ emissions after the transportation mode is changed, based on the transportation information and the travel distance related to the transportation.

It is also preferable that the transportation information acquisition unit acquires the current transportation information based on the customer's shipping data and/or billing data.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the current shipping information includes at least the origin address, destination address, shipping date, total weight, total number of items, and shipping mode.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the report indicates the effect of reducing CO ₂ emissions and includes a designated form to be submitted to a public administrative agency, in which the CO ₂ emissions are recorded.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a logistics support device that can visualize the effect of reducing CO ₂ emissions in logistics transportation and support verification of the decarbonization effect.

1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an embodiment of a logistics support system according to the present embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a logistics support device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a terminal device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of adding a collection and delivery base as improved transportation information. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a change to milk run transportation as improved transportation information. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a change to consolidated transportation and split transportation as improved transportation information. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a change in vehicle type and size as improved transportation information. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing examples of an INPUT file or an OUTPUT file. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing examples of an INPUT file or an OUTPUT file. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a report of CO ₂ emission calculation results. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of detailed contents of a report. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of detailed contents of a report. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of detailed contents of a report. This is an example of a logistics efficiency application form (attached sheet) to be submitted to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. This is an example of the specified shipper periodic report (Appendix 3) to be submitted to the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing by the logistics support device according to the present embodiment.

An embodiment of a logistics support system 1 of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an embodiment of a logistics support system 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the logistics support system 1 includes a logistics support device 2 and a terminal device 3.

The logistics support device 2 is a computer device provided for the purpose of visualizing the effect of reducing _CO2 emissions in logistics transportation. The logistics support device 2 is configured to be able to communicate with a terminal device 3 via a network 4. The logistics support device 2 may be configured as a single computer device or may be configured as multiple computer devices. The logistics support device 2 is managed, for example, by a logistics transportation company that transports goods.

The terminal device 3 is a computer device for accessing the logistics support device 2. The terminal device 3 is configured to be able to communicate with the logistics support device 2 via the network 4. The terminal device 3 is operated, for example, by a logistics transportation company that accesses the logistics support device 2, or by a customer (user) who uses the services provided by the logistics support device 2.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the logistics support device 2 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the logistics support device 2 includes a control unit 21, a memory unit 22, and a communication unit 23.

The control unit 21 is realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or they may be realized by a combination of software and hardware.

The program may be stored in advance in the storage unit 22 (a storage device with a non-transitory storage medium), or may be stored on a removable storage medium (non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed when the storage medium is inserted into the drive device.

The storage unit 22 is realized, for example, by a storage device equipped with a non-transitory storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD), flash memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or read-only memory (ROM), or by a random access memory (RAM).

Specifically, the memory unit 22 includes a mileage database (DB) 221 that stores mileage data related to the transportation of goods. For example, the mileage database (DB) 221 stores collection and delivery distances as mileage data related to collection and delivery, and trunk line distances as mileage data related to trunk lines.

For collection and delivery distances, the work area of each collection and delivery center is specified for each transport mode, and the distance between each collection and delivery center's postal code and all postal codes within the work area is compiled into a database. The distance between postal codes corresponds to a national road map, and uses actual road distances calculated using road map data that is updated annually.

For trunk line distances, the National Freight Truck Operating Kilometer Chart is used for chartered transport and small-lot corporate cargo transport, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's registered shipping route plan is used for domestic shipping, government statistical data (domestic scheduled airline routes) is used for domestic aviation, and the Freight Operating Kilometer Chart is used for rail transport.

The memory unit 22 also stores various information for calculating or generating transport distances, output information, reports, etc., as described below.

The communication unit 23 is a communication interface for communicating with external devices via a network.

The control unit 21 also includes a transportation information acquisition unit 211 , a transportation information generation unit 212 , a transportation distance calculation unit 213 , an environment-related information calculation unit 214 , and an information presentation unit 215 .
The transport information acquisition unit 211 acquires current transport information including the transport record of transporting the customer's goods and/or the current transport status.

Specifically, the transportation information acquisition unit 211 acquires current transportation information based on the customer's shipping data and/or billing data. The current transportation information also includes at least the origin address, destination address, shipping date, total weight, total number, and transportation mode.

The transport information generating unit 212 generates improved transport information based on the current transport performance information.
The transport distance calculation unit 213 calculates the transport distance for transporting the item based on the current transport information, the improved transport information, and the travel distance related to the transport.

Specifically, current transportation information and improved transportation information are input by uploading an INPUT file to the logistics support device 2, as described below. For example, the INPUT file is generated by a user operating the terminal device 3. The INPUT file includes the current transportation information and improved transportation information described above.

In other words, the user operating the terminal device 3 inputs the current transportation information and improved transportation information of the INPUT file into the logistics support device 2 by storing (uploading) the INPUT file in a specified path on the logistics support device 2.

The logistics support device 2 also generates an OUTPUT file containing output information and a report, and stores them in a specified path. The user operating the terminal device 3 downloads the OUTPUT file and report file from the specified path.

The environment-related information calculation unit 214 calculates the CO2 emissions for each of a plurality of transport modes for transporting goods based on the current transport information, the improved transport information, and the transport distance. Specifically, the environment-related information calculation unit 214 calculates the _CO2 emissions for the current transport mode and the _CO2 emissions after changing the transport mode based on the transport information and _the travel distance related to the transport.

The information presentation unit 215 generates output information including the amount of CO ₂ emissions for each of a plurality of transport modes and a report showing the effect of reducing CO ₂ emissions, and presents the output information and the report.

The improved transportation information is customized for each customer and includes at least one of the following: adding a collection and delivery point for collecting and delivering goods; milk run transportation, in which goods are collected and delivered at multiple locations while traveling around; consolidated transportation, in which multiple collections and deliveries are made at once; split transportation, in which a single collection and delivery is split into multiple trips; changing the model and size of the vehicle transporting the goods; and joint delivery, in which goods are collected and delivered jointly with multiple customers.

The report also indicates the effect of reducing CO ₂ emissions and includes a designated form to be submitted to a public administrative agency, which lists the CO ₂ emissions.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal device 3 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the terminal device 3 includes a control unit 31, a memory unit 32, a communication unit 33, a display unit 34, and an operation unit 35.

The control unit 31 is realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI, ASIC, FPGA, or GPU, or by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance on a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory (a storage device with a non-transitory storage medium), or it may be stored on a removable storage medium (non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed when the storage medium is inserted into a drive.

The memory unit 32 is realized, for example, by a storage device equipped with a non-transitory storage medium such as an HDD, flash memory, EEPROM, or ROM, or by RAM, etc.

The communication unit 33 is a communication interface for communicating with external devices via a network.
The display unit 34 is a device that displays images, and is, for example, an LCD or an organic EL display.

The operation unit 35 is composed of buttons and the like for operating the display unit 34. The display unit 34 and operation unit 35 may also be a touch panel that integrates these functions. In this case, the operation unit 35 may be a GUI switch displayed on the display unit 34. The operation unit 35 may also be a mechanical button.

Figures 4A to 4D are diagrams showing specific examples of improved transportation information. The improved transportation information screens shown in Figures 4A to 4D are screens that output improved transportation information as a calculation result summary based on current transportation performance information, and are displayed, for example, on the display unit 34 of the terminal device 3. On the improved transportation information screen, the current transportation performance information that is input can be edited and changed, and the edited and changed improved transportation information can be output.

Figure 4A is a diagram showing an example of adding a collection and delivery point as improved transportation information. As shown in Figure 4A, the improved transportation information screen 5A indicates in item 51 that the collection and delivery point "Okayama DC" will be added to location 4. Adding a collection and delivery point means that collection and delivery will be carried out at a new centralized relay point, instead of at each individual point in the current transportation information, and collection and delivery will be carried out from that relay point to various locations.

Figure 4B is a diagram showing an example of a change to milk run transport as improved transport information. As shown in Figure 4B, improved transport information screen 5B indicates a change to milk run transport in item 52. Milk run transport is a transport method in which collection and delivery (increases or decreases in cargo and loading rate) occur at various locations while traveling around multiple nearby locations for either collection or delivery. With milk run transport, any desired location must be visited in any order, and the loading rate will change each time, but essentially the same vehicle will travel around the milk run transport area.

Figure 4C is a diagram showing an example of a change to consolidated transportation and split transportation as improved transportation information. As shown in Figure 4C, improved transportation information screen 5C indicates changes to consolidated transportation and split transportation in items 53 and 54. Consolidated transportation is a transportation method in which collections and deliveries that are currently carried out multiple times and using multiple vehicles are collected and delivered at once for multiple vehicles (multiple trips). Consolidated transportation reduces the number of trips, but requires the vehicle size to be scaled up. Split transportation is a transportation method in which collections and deliveries that are currently carried out at one time are split into multiple trips or multiple vehicles (multiple vehicles). Split transportation increases the number of trips, but allows the vehicle size to be scaled down.

Figure 4D shows an example of a change in vehicle type and size as improved transportation information. On the improved transportation information screen 5D shown in Figure 4D, transportation information No. 1-1 is selected using the checkbox. Then, by selecting the "Edit Route" button on the improved transportation information screen 5D, the vehicle type and size shown in item 55 can be changed using item 56, and item 57 shows details of the vehicle type and size shown in item 55.

Figures 5A and 5B show examples of an INPUT file or an OUTPUT file. Figure 5A shows a portion (left half) of an INPUT file or an OUTPUT file made up of a single file, and Figure 5B shows the remaining portion (right half) of the INPUT file or the OUTPUT file. As shown in Figures 5A and 5B, the INPUT file contains the data that make up the current transportation information and improved transportation information.

The INPUT file contains identification information organized as items for data processing, and current and improved transportation information organized as items for address information and cargo information. In addition to the contents of the INPUT file, the OUTPUT file also contains output information organized as items for output.

6 is a diagram showing an example of a report of the estimated _CO2 emissions. As shown in Fig. 6, the estimated _CO2 emissions report 82 presents the _CO2 emissions of the current transportation mode, the _CO2 emissions of the comparison transportation mode, the environmental contribution effect related to the _CO2 emissions, and the environmental contribution rate related to the _CO2 emissions to the customer operating the terminal device 3.

7A, 7B, and 7C are diagrams showing examples of detailed contents of the report. Reports 83, 84, and 85 of the estimated _CO2 emission amount calculation results shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C are detailed reports following on from FIG. 6.

Figure 7A compares actual and predicted _CO2 emissions to specifically show the reduction in annual _CO2 emissions. Figure 7B shows the annual reduction in annual freight charges and annual _CO2 emissions between the current and proposed transport modes. Figure 7C shows the reduction in total freight charges, total _CO2 emissions, and average transport days for each origin area. Such detailed reports allow customers to clearly understand the reduction in _CO2 emissions, freight charges, and other factors.

7D and 7E are diagrams showing examples of recording _CO2 emissions in a designated form to be submitted to a public administrative agency, which is added as an option to the report. Fig. 7D is an example of a logistics efficiency improvement application form (attached sheet) that a business customer submits to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. As shown in Fig. 7D, the logistics support device 2 records (i.e., inputs) the calculated _CO2 emissions for the current transportation mode and after the change in transportation mode in the logistics efficiency improvement application form (attached sheet).

Figure 7E is an example of a designated shipper periodic report (Appendix 3) that a business customer submits to the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy. Note that Figure 7E is an excerpt from a portion of the designated shipper periodic report (Appendix 3). The logistics support device 2 records the calculated _CO2 emissions for the current transport mode and for after the transport mode change in the designated shipper periodic report (Appendix 3) shown in Figure 7E. By recording the _CO2 emissions in a designated form to be submitted to a public administrative agency as an option in this report, the administrative workload of business customers can be reduced.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing by the logistics support device 2 according to this embodiment.
In step S1, the transportation information acquisition unit 211 acquires current transportation information including the transportation record of the customer's goods and/or the current transportation status.

In step S2, the transportation information generation unit 212 generates improved transportation information based on the current transportation performance information.

In step S3, the transport distance calculation unit 213 calculates the transport distance for transporting the item based on the current transport information, the improved transport information, and the travel distance related to the transport.

In step S4, the environment-related information calculation unit 214 calculates the amount of CO ₂ emissions for each of a plurality of transportation modes for transporting the goods, based on the current transportation information, the improved transportation information, and the transportation distance.

In step S5, the information presentation unit 215 generates output information including the CO ₂ emissions for each of the plurality of transport modes and a report showing the CO ₂ emission reduction effect, and presents the output information and the report.

As described above, the logistics support device 2 according to this embodiment includes a transport information acquisition unit 211 that acquires current transport information including transport performance data and/or current transport status data for transporting a customer's goods; a transport information generation unit 212 that generates improved transport information based on current transport performance data; a mileage database 221 that stores travel distances related to transporting goods; a transport distance calculation unit 213 that calculates the transport distance for transporting goods based on the current transport information, the improved transport information, and the travel distances related to transport; an environment-related information calculation unit 214 that calculates the amount of _CO2 emissions for each of a plurality of transport modes for transporting goods based on the current transport information, the improved transport information, and the transport distances; and an information presentation unit 215 that generates output information including the amount of _CO2 emissions for each of the plurality of transport modes and a report showing the _CO2 emission reduction effect, and presents the output information and the report, and the improved transport information includes information customized for each customer regarding the means of transport and collection and delivery of goods.

With this configuration, the logistics support device 2 can visualize the _CO2 emission reduction effect in logistics transportation and support verification of decarbonization effects by presenting output information including _CO2 emissions, etc. to a user, etc., operating the terminal device 3. In particular, the logistics support device 2 can customize the means of transportation and collection/delivery of goods for each customer, thereby enabling proposals that combine work improvements with decarbonization effects, such as visualizing the reduction in the number of vehicles through a milk run system, etc., and the _CO2 emissions.

In addition, the improved transportation information includes at least one of the following customized information for each customer: adding a collection and delivery center for collecting and delivering goods; changing to milk run transportation, which travels around multiple locations and collects and delivers goods at each location; changing to consolidated transportation, which collects and delivers multiple goods at once; changing from transportation that collects and delivers goods at one time to split transportation, which splits transportation into multiple trips; changing the type and size of the vehicle transporting the goods; and joint delivery, which collects and delivers goods jointly with multiple customers. With this configuration, the logistics support device 2 can customize collection and delivery centers, milk run transportation, split transportation, changes to the type and size of the vehicle, and joint delivery, which collects and delivers goods jointly with multiple customers, for each customer and propose them to the customer.

Furthermore, the environment-related information calculation unit 214 calculates the _CO2 emissions in the current transportation mode and the _CO2 emissions after changing the transportation mode based on the transportation information and the travel distance related to the transportation. With this configuration, the logistics support device 2 can calculate the _CO2 emissions before and after the change and compare the _CO2 emissions before and after the change, allowing the user to more clearly recognize the _CO2 emission reduction effect and to verify the decarbonization effect in detail.

Furthermore, the transportation information acquisition unit 211 acquires current transportation information based on the customer's shipping data and/or billing data, which allows the logistics support device 2 to acquire transportation information required for calculating _CO2 emissions, etc., from past shipping data, billing data, etc.

The current transportation information includes at least the origin address, destination address, shipping date, total weight, total number of items, and transportation mode. This allows the logistics support device 2 to use appropriate data to more accurately calculate _CO2 emissions and present them to the user.

The report also indicates the effect of reducing _CO2 emissions and includes a designated form that describes the _CO2 emissions and is to be submitted to a public administrative agency. This allows the logistics support device 2 to reduce the effort required for the user to enter data into the designated form.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Furthermore, the effects described in these embodiments are merely a list of the most favorable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in these embodiments.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Logistics support system 2 Logistics support device 3 Terminal device 4 Network 21 Control unit 22 Memory unit 23 Communication unit 31 Control unit 32 Memory unit 33 Communication unit 34 Display unit 35 Operation unit 211 Transport information acquisition unit 212 Transport information generation unit 213 Transport distance calculation unit 214 Environment-related information calculation unit 215 Information presentation unit 221 Travel distance database

Claims (4)

a transportation information acquisition unit that acquires current transportation information including transportation records of the customer's goods and/or current transportation status;
a transport information generation unit that generates improved transport information based on the current transport performance information;
a control unit that outputs an improved transportation information screen that outputs the improved transportation information as a calculation result summary to a display unit in an editable and changeable manner;
a travel distance storage unit that stores a travel distance related to transportation for transporting the item;
a transport distance calculation unit that calculates a transport distance for transporting the item based on the current transport information, the improved transport information, and a travel distance related to the transport;
an environment-related information calculation unit that calculates _CO2 emissions for each of a plurality of transportation modes for transporting the goods based on the current transportation information, the improved transportation information, and the transportation distance;
an information presentation unit that generates output information including the _CO2 emissions for each of the plurality of transportation modes and a report showing the _CO2 emission reduction effect, and presents the output information and the report;
Equipped with
The improved transportation information includes information that customizes the transportation means and collection/delivery means of the goods for each customer, and includes at least one of the following: addition of a collection/delivery base for collecting and delivering the goods; change to milk run transportation in which the goods are collected and delivered at each of multiple points while traveling around the country; change to consolidated transportation in which multiple collections and deliveries are made at once; change to split transportation in which transportation in which multiple collections and deliveries are made at once is made in multiple separate trips; change to the type and size of the vehicle that transports the goods; and joint delivery in which the goods are collected and delivered jointly with multiple customers.
The control unit outputs the improved transportation information screen to the display unit in accordance with each of the addition of the collection and delivery base, the change to the milk run transportation, the change to the consolidated transportation, the change to the split transportation, the change in the vehicle type and size, or information regarding the joint delivery,
The report indicates the effect of reducing _CO2 emissions and includes a designated form to be submitted to a public administrative agency, which describes the amount of _CO2 emissions;
The information presentation unit presents the calculated CO2 emissions of the current transportation mode and the _CO2 emissions after the change of transportation mode in a state where the CO2 emissions are input into the report.
Logistics support equipment. The logistics support device according to claim 1 , wherein the environment-related information calculation unit calculates the amount of CO ₂ emissions in the current transportation mode and the amount of CO ₂ emissions after changing the transportation mode based on the transportation information and the travel distance related to the transportation. 3. The logistics support device according to claim 1, wherein the transportation information acquisition unit acquires the current transportation information based on shipping data and/or billing data of the customer. The logistics support device according to claim 1 , wherein the current transportation information includes at least a departure address, a destination address, a shipping date, a total weight, a total number of items, and a transportation mode.