RU2639676C2 - Method and system of order distribution control carried by ground transport - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: information technology.

SUBSTANCE: system contains a logistic work place, configured to automatically generate routing sheets. For each task the nearest available vehicle is searched, job lists is automatically sent to drivers' mobile devices, an information message warning about the threat of job disruption, transfer of the task to another driver, and drivers' mobile devices, made to mark the fact of the driver's exit to the route, are receives, monitoring of tasks fulfillment on a given route, forecasting the time of arrival for the next task, forming and transmitting the information message about the threat of a job failure are carried out.

EFFECT: automation of cargo handling process and increasing the level of cargo transportation control.

4 cl, 2 dwg

Description

The invention relates to a system for monitoring and controlling the transportation of goods.

Currently, there are many solutions that allow you to control and track the movement of vehicles, control the movement and location of goods, and respond to unplanned (emergency) situations with vehicles or goods.

The closest analogue of the claimed invention is a method for controlling and monitoring a moving vehicle and a system that implements it, described in patent RU 2254616 C1, G08G 1/01, published 20.06.2005. In a known solution on a mobile vehicle (TS), they receive navigation signals from the satellites of the global radio navigation system, determine the coordinates of the location, time and speed of the vehicle, form a packet of information and transmit this packet through the cellular communication system to the central control center. At the control room, information is periodically received from this and other vehicles, it is processed, stored and displayed on an electronic map of the area, and if an emergency occurs, a corresponding message is sent to the vehicle through a cellular communication system. On the vehicle, the ongoing formation and storing of current events in the form of an electronic journal is carried out.

A disadvantage of the known solution is the inability to distribute orders by finding the nearest available vehicle to the place of origin of the order, distributing orders only to vehicles and drivers who are able to fulfill it, transferring the order to the driver who is able to fulfill it, notifying the dispatcher of the potential threat of order disruption.

The aim of the invention is to remedy these disadvantages by expanding the functionality of monitoring and control systems for the transportation of goods.

Below, in a simplified form, the disclosure of embodiments is provided to provide an understanding of the invention. This disclosure is not an extensive overview and is not intended to identify key or critical elements or limit the scope of the embodiments. The sole purpose is to present some concepts of embodiments in a simplified form.

In the method of controlling the distribution of orders transported by land transport, route sheets are formed at the workplace of the logistician, which includes lists of tasks for drivers. Send job lists to drivers’s mobile devices. The fact of the driver entering the route is noted. Perform monitoring of tasks on a given route. Predict the arrival time for the next mission. Moreover, if the arrival to the next task is predicted later than the time planned in the route sheet, then an information message is generated warning of the threat of job interruption, an information message warning of the threat of job interruption is transmitted to the logistician, and the logistician is asked to transfer the said task to another driver.

When forming route sheets, search for the nearest available vehicle to the place of origin of the order.

Additionally, the vehicle route is compared with the planned route.

When a driver accepts cargo, a unique code is assigned to the cargo, the cargo is marked with a label printed by the driver’s mobile printer, and the cargo is photographed at the time of transfer from the client to the driver.

The control system for the distribution of orders transported by land transport contains a logistic workstation configured to generate route sheets, which include job lists for drivers, send job lists to drivers’s mobile devices, receive an information message warning of the threat of job interruption, and offer the logistician transfer the mentioned task to another driver. The system also contains drivers’s mobile devices, made with the ability to note the driver’s departure on the route, monitor the completion of tasks on a given route, predict the time of arrival on the next task, generate an information message warning about the threat of job interruption, transmit an information message to the workplace of the logistician, warning about the threat of job failure.

The mobile devices of the drivers are additionally configured to compare the vehicle route with the planned route.

The system further comprises driver mobile printers connected to the driver’s mobile devices configured to print labels for marking the cargo.

Mobile devices of drivers are additionally made with the ability to produce photo-fixation of the state of the cargo at the time of transfer from the client to the driver.

The technical result of the invention is the automation of the process of cargo handling and increasing the level of control of cargo transportation.

In FIG. 1 schematically shows the devices that are part of the invention. In FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the operation and components of the invention.

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it is obvious that new embodiments can be practiced without these specific details.

The control system for the distribution of orders transported by land transport consists of the following functional components (Fig. 1).

The control application (APP Server) is the server part of the application that provides coordination of the work of all modules of the system.

Information display - a device that displays the general status of the system.

A mobile application is a device carried by drivers on a route, which in turn controls peripheral equipment located at the driver's side.

The workplace of a logistician is a component of the system for managing drivers, tasks and the logisticians themselves.

System for preventing order disruptions - a set of algorithms stored on the server for on-line monitoring of drivers on the route and early notification of drivers and logisticians about the threat of disruption of orders.

The rating system of drivers and forwarders is an element of the motivation system for drivers and logisticians, which is a set of algorithms stored on the server for calculating the rating score of each driver and logistician.

A driver’s personal account is a web-component through which a driver from any point of the world, under his account, can see his tasks, rating, and amount of charges.

API "client" - a means of access to these systems of external systems in order to obtain the current location of the driver, cargo, expected arrival time at the point.

Integration system that implements the integration of the proposed system with a corporate information system.

The following describes in detail the functions and devices of the invention.

The driver’s mobile device is designed to perform the functions of:

confirmation of the route sheet;

work on the route;

clearance of cargo from the client;

clearance delivery to the client.

Tasks of the mobile application:

providing information exchange between logisticians and forwarders;

automation of technological processes;

Ensuring freight forwarders' workday planning through technology automation;

forecasting and planning situations of the production process;

collecting statistics.

During network failures, the mobile application works offline, recording the entire workflow and location (tracking) in the memory of the mobile device, and after the network is detected, the saved data is synchronized with the server.

Functional component of the mobile application:

implementation of geolocation functions of forwarders (drivers) in space and time and further transfer of the collected data to a logistician’s personal computer;

monitoring the implementation of standards for the transportation of goods (average speed, idle time on the spot, deviation from the route, etc.) and analysis of possible threats to miss tasks (pick-up / transportation / delivery of goods) with further notification of administrative personnel about deviations;

prompt transfer of tasks from the logistician to the forwarder;

the ability to exchange text / audio messages between groups of forwarders, forwarders-> logisticians, forwarder-> logistic;

the ability to quickly manage tasks;

the ability to automatically assign cargo indices (markings) and print them on self-adhesive paper using additional technical devices.

Marking.

The label (marking), in the form of a template, is stored in the information system. To maintain the current version of the marking, the software must itself request the version of the existing template and, if necessary, update the marking template.

The unit for recording telephone conversations.

This block records all telephone conversations. An outgoing phone call from a driver’s mobile device is carried out via the telephony API, i.e. the driver calls the client number, the device sends a signal to an external function block (API telephony) and a call back to the driver’s mobile device is already from this block, and the whole conversation is recorded in the telephony API block (third-party system).

The unit for checking the implementation of standards by the driver.

In this block, the current parameters of the task are verified with the standards set for the task.

A block providing information about the driver’s location and applications.

In this block, all information is displayed, in the form of statuses, about the driver's progress, his location, the status of applications.

Route Planning Unit.

The formed route sheet is automatically sent to the forwarders, the forwarders, in turn, confirm the route sheet. After confirmation, the route sheet acquires the status of confirmed and accepted for work. In case of forwarder’s refusal from the proposed route sheet, the logistician is notified (signaling method - pop-up window), the logistician must contact the forwarder by means of mobile communication to solve the current problem individually.

Tracking unit for driver’s routes.

A digital map of the city, broken down by sector, on which the forwarders controlled by the logistic are displayed with tags. The current traffic jams as well as predicted traffic jams can be displayed on a digital map.

Deviation and risk management unit.

Deviations from the set parameters for the task are determined by reconciling the normative and actual indicators. If you deviate from the specified standards, the logistic receives information about the event, to which he must respond within a specified time.

Logistics management unit.

Logistic management is carried out at the expense of a tool for the head of the department, as well as multi-level control of the production process by the managers and directors of the company, which consists in displaying the poor performance of the department, expressed in a large number of problem statuses.

The logistic workstation interface, which is part of a software package designed to automate work and is a logistic tool that allows you to send and edit route sheets (tasks for freight forwarders), monitor and control the work of freight forwarders, respond promptly to changes in the production process, and keep necessary statistics .

An external screen (display on the wall) is designed to automate the work of expeditionary companies and is a tool for administrative personnel, which allows you to:

identify external factors affecting the work of forwarders;

quickly respond to emergency situations while driving

vehicles (TS) on intracity routes, as well as

in the implementation of regional transportation;

reflect the current situation of the process of performing production tasks of the company.

The logist’s personal computer automatically generates route sheets, which include a list of tasks, but in addition to automatically generating route sheets with third-party software, the application allows you to create a task package manually, taking into account the tolerances of drivers for certain tasks, driver ratings, the ability of a driver to take a car on board this or that cargo, the driver’s territorial binding, to compare the time windows of the car’s supply with the time of the car’s delivery to ongoing tasks. Also, on a personal computer, depending on the type of user, additional functionality can be enabled, allowing you to add / remove drivers to the territorial sector, or to a logistician who can monitor the work of a particular driver. On the personal computer screen of the logistician, all information on the driver assigned to him is displayed. Any deviation from the route or failure to complete the task is transmitted to the logistician in the form of statuses that are displayed on an external screen, personal computer and stored in the information database. In case of alarming statuses, the logistician has the opportunity to call the driver for voice communication, which is recorded and also stored in the database.

At the end of the working day or the beginning of a new logistician located in the company’s office, a set of tasks is sent to the driver’s mobile device, which in turn has software and hardware that allows you to view the tasks sent to him and perform a number of actions with them: change the task (i), abandon tasks (i), view job descriptions with all the characteristics, and also accept the tasks sent from the logistician’s computer and take them to work. After the driver has accepted the task from a mobile device, a report on the acceptance of tasks, date, time is sent to the information base and stored in it. The invention will allow to predict the approximate time when the driver enters the route by comparing the current time, the time of the first task, and focuses on the analytical indicators of Yandex Traffic or other similar public services. If the software detects that the driver has not yet reported through the mobile device that he has reached the route, the mobile device starts ringing like an alarm clock, displaying the corresponding message on the screen, and the corresponding status will be displayed on the logistic computer. Once on the route, the application on the mobile device guides the driver according to a predetermined algorithm that helps the driver complete all scheduled tasks. When completing tasks, the driver must print stickers on a mobile printer that interacts with the mobile device. If the cargo is damaged, the driver can photograph the cargo, and the photo will automatically attach to the unique code and go to the information base. Stickers are printed with a unique number, which was previously generated in the company's internal information system and uploaded to the information database. For each task, the number of cargoes that the driver must pick up is planned, and in accordance with this, the number of unique numbers for goods is calculated (each cargo has its own unique number). If the client handed the driver less cargo than indicated in the application, the driver prints a smaller number of stickers, and the difference in the number of cargo (determined by the number of printed stickers) is sent to the database and stored there.

When the driver approaches the client, a message about the driver’s arrival is sent to the client’s mobile phone, and after completing the order, a message is sent to the client’s phone asking about the driver’s work quality. According to these data, as well as others, a driver rating is formed, which you can then focus on during the distribution of orders. The rating is formed from various indicators characterizing the forwarder's work, but also the rating is formed when performing photo reports of the driver and vehicle conditions before entering the route. Photos are sent to the logistician, who, in turn, can set a rating for the condition of the driver and his vehicle, but the driver still gets a rating score simply for the fact that his condition was photographed.

The driver has the opportunity to call the client through a mobile device and record the entire telephone conversation. The driver has the opportunity to see earnings for completed tasks and potential earnings if he performs additional tasks, as well as view the history of his earnings and tasks in his personal account.

At the beginning of each working day, the forwarder, entering the route, notes the fact that the route has been reached. During the mark on entering the route the forwarder can take a photo of himself or his car and thereby accumulate points in the rating system (Performing a task from the route sheet leads to changes in the rating of the forwarder). The “mark” on entering the route is necessary for working with tasks on the route in the working interface for completing tasks. The mobile application analyzes the time windows for passing the task and predicts the driver’s exit on the route. If less than N time is left before the machine is delivered to the point (task), the mobile application displays an information message on the screen warning of the threat of job failure. The same pop-up window appears in the logistic interface, warning about the failure of the routing list. Also, a message is sent to the logistician about a possible disruption of the route sheet or task in case the vehicle deviates from the planned route. Having received such messages, the logistician can pick up the task from one driver and transfer it to another driver.

The invention allows to reduce the cost of excess mileage of rolling stock by distributing orders by finding the nearest available vehicle to the place of origin of the order, and the search is provided by comparing the current location of all vehicles to the place of origin of the order.

The invention allows to reduce the number of errors in the distribution of orders between vehicles by comparing the characteristics of the order with the ability of drivers of vehicles to fulfill orders with similar characteristics and the distribution of orders only for vehicles and drivers who are able to fulfill it.

The invention improves the quality of execution of orders by constantly monitoring the location of the vehicle and calculating the expected time for fulfilling orders, if the required time for fulfilling the order does not match the standard, timely delivery of the order to the driver is able to fulfill it.

The invention improves the quality of execution of orders by constantly comparing the vehicle route with the planned route, and in case of deviations from the optimal route in the form of downtime, descent from the route, and emergency situations, the dispatcher is immediately notified of the potential threat of order disruption.

The invention allows to reduce the cost of managing the personnel of drivers by accruing positive points, in case of fulfilling orders according to previously set standards, and negative points, in case of failure to complete tasks according to set standards, which allows ranking employees of the company and identifying those who prefer to give orders .

The invention allows to reduce the cost of processing orders and reduce the number of errors by assigning a unique cargo code received from the central control system, marking and photographing the state of the cargo at the time of sending the parcel from the client to the forwarder, which will automate the processing of cargo.

The terms “component” and “system” used in this application refer to a computer entity, which is either hardware, or a combination of hardware and software, or software, or executable software. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, a hard disk drive, multiple drives (optical and / or magnetic media), an object, an executable module, a thread of execution, a program, and / or a computer. By way of illustration, the component can be either an application running on a server or the server itself. One or more components may be located in the process and / or thread of execution, and the component may be located on one computer and / or distributed between two or more computers.

Although the above description relates generally to computer instructions that can be executed on one or more computers, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the new embodiment can also be implemented in conjunction with other software modules and / or as a combination of hardware and software.

In general, program modules include procedures, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In addition, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the methods of the invention can be practiced by other computer system configurations, including single-processor or multi-processor computer systems, minicomputers, universal computers, as well as personal computers, handheld computing devices, microprocessor or programmable consumer electronic devices, etc., each of which can be connected to one or more guide means.

The illustrated aspects can also be applied in practice in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices connected to each other via a data network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in local and remote memory storage devices.

A computer typically includes various computer-readable media. Computer-readable media can be any available media that a computer can access, and includes both volatile and non-volatile media, removable and stationary media. By way of example, but not limitation, computer-readable media may include computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and fixed media implemented using any method or technology for storing information, such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disks, magnetic tapes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk drive or other magnetic storage devices or any other medium that can be used to store useful information and to which the computer can access.

An exemplary computing system for implementing various aspects includes a computer, the computer including a processor, system memory, and a system bus. The system bus provides an interface for system components, including, but not limited to, system memory to the processor. The processor may be any of various commercially available processors. Dual microprocessors and other multiprocessor architectures can also be used as a processor.

A system bus can be any of several types of bus structures and can optionally be connected to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures. System memory includes read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM). The basic input / output system (BIOS) is stored in non-volatile memory, for example, ROM, EEPROM, EEPROM, and the BIOS contains basic procedures that help transfer information between computer elements, for example, at startup. RAM may also include high-speed RAM, for example, static RAM for caching data.

The computer further includes an internal hard disk drive (HDD) (for example, EIDE, SATA), and the internal hard disk drive can also be adapted for external use in a suitable case (not shown), a magnetic floppy disk drive (FDD), (for example , for reading from or writing to a removable diskette) and an optical disk drive (for example, reading a CD-ROM or for reading from or writing to other high-capacity optical media, such as DVD). The hard disk drive, the magnetic disk drive, and the optical disk drive can be connected to the system bus via the hard disk drive interface, the magnetic disk drive interface, and the optical drive interface, respectively. The interface for external drive implementations includes at least one or both of the universal serial bus (USB) technologies and the IEEE 1394 interface.

Drives and associated computer storage media provide a non-volatile storage of data, data structures, computer instructions, etc. For computers, drives and media provide the storage of any data in a suitable digital format. Although the above description of computer-readable media refers to HDD, removable magnetic floppy disk and removable optical media, such as CD or DVD, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other types of computer-readable media, such as zip disks, magnetic tapes, flash cards, cartridges, and the like are also mono use in an illustrative operating environment, and moreover, any such media may contain computer instructions for implementing new methods of the disclosed architecture.

A number of software modules can be stored on drives and RAM, including the operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data. In whole or in part, the operating system, applications, modules and / or data can also be cached in RAM. It is also obvious that the disclosed architecture can also be implemented with various commercially available operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

A user can enter commands and information into a computer through one or more wired / wireless input devices, such as a keyboard and pointing device, such as a mouse. I / O devices can include a microphone / speakers and another device, for example, an IR remote control, joystick, game pad, stylus, touch screen, etc. These and other input devices are often connected to the processor through the interface of input devices, which is connected to system bus, but can be connected via other interfaces, for example, parallel port, IEEE 1394 serial port, game port, USB port, IR interface, etc.

Another type of monitor or display device is also connected to the system bus via an interface, such as a video adapter. In addition to the monitor, the computer usually includes other peripheral output devices, such as speakers, printers, etc.

A computer can operate in a network environment using logical connections through wired and / or wireless communication with one or more remote computers, for example, remote computer (s). The remote computer (s) may be a workstation, a server computer, a router, a personal computer, a laptop computer, a microprocessor-based entertainment device, a peer device or another common network node, and usually includes many or all of the elements, described above with reference to a computer, although, for brevity, only a storage device is shown. The described logical connections include a wired / wireless connection to a local area network (LAN) and / or to larger networks, such as a wide area network (WAN). Such LAN and WAN networking environments typically occur in institutions and companies and provide enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, that can all connect to a global communications network, such as the Internet.

When used in a LAN network environment, the computer is connected to the LAN via a wired and / or wireless interface or a communication network adapter. The adapter may provide a wired or wireless LAN connection, which may also include a wireless access point to communicate with the wireless adapter.

When used in a WAN network environment, a computer may include a modem, or connect to a communications server in a WAN, or may have other means of establishing communications in a WAN, such as the Internet. The modem, which can be internal or external and wired and / or wireless, is connected to the system bus via the serial port interface. In a networked environment, program modules described with reference to a computer, or some of them, may be stored in a remote storage device. Note that the network connections shown are illustrative, and other means of establishing a communication link between computers can be used.

The computer is capable of communicating with any wireless devices or entities that quickly support wireless communication, for example, a printer, scanner, desktop and / or laptop computer, personal digital assistant, communication satellite, any equipment or installation associated with a wireless registration tag (for example, a kiosk , a news board, a lounge), and a telephone. This includes at least Wi-Fi and Bluetooth ™ wireless technology. Thus, the communication can be a predetermined structure, as in a traditional network, or simply a special communication channel between at least two devices.

The system also includes one or more servers. The server (s) may also be hardware and / or software (e.g., threads, processes, computing devices). The servers can host the streams of transmission through the use of, for example, architecture. One possible form of communication between a client and a server may be the exchange of data packets between two or more computer processes. The data packet may include, for example, cookies and / or relevant contextual information. The system includes a communications infrastructure (e.g., a global communications network, e.g., the Internet), which can be used to provide communications between client (s) and server (s).

For communication, you can use wired (including fiber optic) and / or wireless technology. The client is operatively connected to one or several client data stores that can be used to store information locally on the client (s) (for example, cookies and / or relevant contextual information). Similarly, servers are operatively connected to one or more server data storages that can be used to store information locally on servers.

Examples of the disclosed architecture have been described above. Of course, it is impossible to describe all conceivable combinations of components or methods, but it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that many additional combinations and permutations are possible. Accordingly, the new architecture is intended to cover all such changes, modifications and variations that meet the essence and scope of the claims. In addition, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in the detailed description or in the claims, such a term is intended to be included in the same way as the term “comprising” because “comprising” is interpreted when used as a transition word in the claims.

Claims (6)

1. The control system for the distribution of orders transported by land transport, containing: logistician’s workstation, configured to automatically generate route sheets, which include lists of tasks for drivers, and for each task, search for the nearest available vehicle by comparing the current location of all vehicles to the place of origin of the order and comparing the characteristics of the order with the possibility of drivers of vehicles fulfill orders with similar characteristics, automatically send job lists to drivers’s mobile devices, gender amb information message, warning about the threat of job disruption, and offer logisticians transmitting said job to another driver; mobile devices of drivers, made with the ability to note the fact that the driver entered the route by sending a report on the acceptance of tasks from the driver’s mobile device, monitor the fulfillment of tasks along the given route by constantly comparing the vehicle’s route with the planned route, predict the arrival time for the next task, form an informational message warning of the threat of job failure, to transmit an informational message to the workplace of the logistician ahead of the threat of job failure. 2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that when the driver accepts the cargo, the cargo is assigned a unique code. 3. The system of claim 2, further comprising driver mobile printers connected to the driver’s mobile devices configured to print labels for marking the cargo. 4. The system according to p. 1, characterized in that the mobile devices of the drivers are made with the ability to photofix the state of the cargo at the time of transfer from the client to the driver.

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