JP2022131119A - Alternative delivery system - Google Patents

Abstract

To arrange appropriate alternative delivery including general vehicles.SOLUTION: A management center 10 determines a vehicle which performs alternative delivery from among vehicles which desire to perform the alternative delivery when there is a request for the alternative delivery of a luggage. In this case, the vehicle to be offered is determined for the alternative delivery by referring to information regarding the luggage acceptable in the vehicles desiring the alternative delivery.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an alternative delivery system for arranging vehicles for alternative delivery of parcels.

Conventionally, many packages are delivered to their destinations by shipping companies. Here, in an emergency such as when the vehicle that is delivering the package becomes unable to run, it is necessary to arrange alternative delivery by another vehicle. In Patent Document 1, when an emergency (for example, an accident) occurs, an operation control center receives information about it, extracts vehicles capable of alternative delivery from among managed vehicles, and extracts vehicles Send alternative delivery offers to vehicles close to the scene of the accident.

JP-A-2003-6794

In Patent Literature 1, it is assumed that a delivery-only vehicle managed by an operation management center performs alternative delivery. Therefore, the vehicle for alternative delivery is selected based on the pre-registered vehicle type, maximum load capacity, etc., the current position provided from time to time, and the load factor entered by the driver, etc. and make an offer. However, diversification of vehicle usage patterns has been oriented, and in order to improve the efficiency of delivery, it is desirable to expand the target vehicles to general vehicles and the like. When targeting general vehicles, it was difficult to grasp information about acceptable packages, and it was difficult to arrange appropriate alternative delivery.

An alternative delivery system according to the present invention is an alternative delivery system that, when an alternative delivery of a package is requested, determines a vehicle to perform the alternative delivery from among the vehicles that desire to perform the alternative delivery. Then, referring to the information on the package that can be accepted by the vehicle for which the alternative delivery is desired, the vehicle to be offered for the alternative delivery is determined.

The information on the luggage includes at least one of information on presence/absence of refrigeration equipment, glove box availability information, trunk availability information, front passenger seat availability information, rear seat availability information, ceiling height, and loadable weight information. can be done.

The request for alternative delivery can be sent from the operating vehicle when the operating vehicle that is delivering the package cannot continue the delivery due to a failure or the like.

According to the present invention, it is possible to determine suitability of a vehicle based on information on luggage. Therefore, an appropriate offer can be made for alternative deliveries including general vehicles.

It is a figure explaining the whole substitute delivery system composition concerning an embodiment. 4 is a flow chart for explaining a procedure for arranging alternative delivery in the management center 10. FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. It should be noted that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

"overall structure"
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of an alternative delivery system according to an embodiment. The management center 10 is operated by, for example, one carrier, has a server computer, and manages the delivery of packages in the carrier as a whole. For example, it accepts orders for delivery, and manages overall delivery, such as determining routes and vehicles for delivering the ordered packages. For this purpose, the management center 10 has a management database 12, which manages an order database for managing order data about the contents of orders and vehicle data about specifications of vehicles for delivery. It includes a vehicle database that manages vehicles, an operation management database that manages operation data that indicates the operation status of vehicles, a status database that manages data on the status of delivery packages, etc. The management center uses these databases to Develop optimal delivery plans and manage deliveries.

Here, each vehicle 14 managed by the management center 10 has a communication function, and can exchange information with the management center 10 by communication. A smartphone or the like may be used for communication. Therefore, the management center 10 receives current location information, luggage loading information, and the like from the vehicle 14 at any time.

Here, the management center 10 has an undelivered item database 22 and an offer database 24 for alternative delivery arrangements in the event of an emergency. When an emergency such as an accident occurs, information about the occurrence of the emergency is provided to the management center 10 by communication from the vehicle 14, and the management center 10 stores the undelivered item database 22 and the offer database 24. Use it to make alternative delivery arrangements.

The undelivered item database 22 is obtained by extracting data on undeliverable packages from the above-described status database, and stores data on packages to be alternately delivered. That is, for each undelivered delivery item, (i) delivery item ID, (ii) status, (iii) delivery item information, etc. are stored. Here, (ii) the status indicates the status of the delivery, such as awaiting processing, being offered, alternate delivery, or temporary storage; Includes information such as size, weight, type (room temperature, frozen, refrigerated, fragile, top and bottom, etc.).

The offer database 24 stores data on vehicles to be used for alternative delivery of packages registered in the undelivered item database 22, and is a carrier database that manages data on delivery vehicles of carriers. 24-1, a general vehicle database 24-2 that manages data on general vehicles, and a temporary storage database 24-3 that manages data on storage facilities that temporarily store packages.

The carrier database 24-1 is obtained by picking up available vehicles (excludes vehicles under repair) from among the vehicles stored in the vehicle database, and the vehicle database may be used as it is. The carrier database 24-1 includes the carrier vehicle ID, current position, planned route, delivery information, etc. for each vehicle. Such information may be periodically provided by each vehicle and stored in carrier database 24-1.

In addition, when there is an offer for alternative delivery, information on whether or not the offer has already been answered is stored together with the data on the offer. Here, the vehicle 14 of the transportation company is equipped with a dedicated communication device for reporting the situation, etc., and the scheduled route is also provided. This scheduled route is updated when it is changed during delivery, and "no route" is registered for idle vehicles. In addition, the delivery information stores the same contents as the undelivered item database for each package, and is updated from time to time based on the delivery schedule and actual results. Since the management center 10 has information such as the loading amount of each vehicle, and information on packages being delivered can be obtained from the delivery information, it is possible to grasp vacant information (furthermore, information on spaces for accommodating packages). can.

The general vehicle database 24-2 stores general vehicle IDs, vehicle specifications such as vehicle types, current locations, delivery information, and information on distances at which alternate deliveries can be made. A general vehicle ID is an ID given when registering in this system. In addition, it is preferable to register the vehicle specifications together with the vehicle ID assigned to the general vehicle for which alternative transportation is desired.

Further, the current position may be automatically transmitted from the system in the vehicle to the management center 10 at any time, or may be responded to an inquiry from the management center 10 . The current position is obtained by an in-vehicle GPS device or the like and provided to the management center 10 .

Here, general vehicles are basically in charge of alternative delivery, and usually do not undertake delivery processing. Therefore, the delivery information of the general vehicle database 24-2 stores information on packages that can be accepted in alternative transportation, that is, information on what kind of packages can be accommodated in accepting alternative delivery.

Information on acceptable luggage includes at least one of the following: availability of refrigeration equipment, availability of glove box, availability of trunk, availability of front passenger seat, availability of rear seat, ceiling height, and loadable weight. should include Information about acceptable packages should be sent along with the current location.

In addition, the delivery information may include information regarding distances, times, etc. that alternative deliveries can accept and deliver. In other words, it is information about the conditions under which alternative delivery is possible, such as the acceptable distance from the current location to the pick-up point and the deliverable distance from the pick-up point to the delivery destination. It may also be information about the time during which the vehicle can take charge of alternative deliveries. These information should be sent together with the current location.

When performing alternative delivery, basically the same information as the delivery information in the carrier database 24-1 may be stored as the delivery information. In addition, when there is an offer for alternative delivery, data about the offer and information on whether or not the offer has been answered are stored in the same manner as the carrier database 24-1. good.

The temporary storage database 24-3 stores a storage person ID and storage information. Here, the storage location information includes the address of the storage location, information about packages that can be accepted at the storage location, the distance to receive the package, and the like.

When temporary storage is performed for alternative delivery, basically the same information as the delivery information in the carrier database 24-1 may be stored as the delivery information. In addition, if there is an offer for alternative delivery (temporary storage), data on the offer and information on whether or not the offer has been answered are stored in the same way as the carrier database 24-1. remembered.

"Overview of Alternate Shipping"
For example, assume that vehicle B becomes unable to travel due to an emergency (accident) occurring at point X while delivering a package to B's delivery destination. Vehicle A is in the process of delivering a package to A's delivery destination through A's scheduled route, and A's delivery route passes relatively close to point x. Also, vehicle C is relatively close to the emergency occurrence point of vehicle B, but the scheduled route is in the opposite direction, and vehicle D is not in delivery and is not far from point x.

In this case, the management center 10 offers vehicles A and D, for example, alternative deliveries. In this case, the proposed route to vehicle A is the delivery destination of point x→B and the delivery destination of →A. Also, the proposed route to vehicle D is the delivery destination of point x→B.

The management center 10 proposes such an alternative delivery, but at this time, general vehicles, temporary storage places, etc. are also subject to the offer.

"Procedures for alternative delivery arrangements"
A procedure for arranging alternative delivery in such a management center 10 will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

The management center 10 determines whether or not there is an emergency contact (S11). For example, when the vehicle 14 that is delivering packages becomes unable to run due to an accident or the like, the driver of the vehicle or the like operates an in-vehicle device or a smart phone to contact the management center 10 . Regarding the notification of the occurrence of an emergency, it is preferable to send an emergency report to the management center 10 by pressing a single button. It's good to be In addition, the emergency report may include a request for alternative delivery, and if not included, a request for alternative delivery is made through another communication. Here, it is assumed that a request for alternative delivery is also included in S11.

If the determination in S11 is NO, no processing is required and the process ends. On the other hand, if the determination in S11 is YES, the parcel information for the vehicle that issued the emergency call is extracted from the undelivered article database 22, and undelivered articles are confirmed (S12).

The undelivered item database 22 stores the destination address, size, weight, necessity of refrigeration/freezing, and other special notes (for example, fragile items) of undelivered items. Information on what undelivered items should be transported from where to where can be obtained from the current location information in the .

Next, the current position of the candidate vehicle or the like is confirmed by the GPS information grasping process (S13).

In the carrier database 24-1, information on the position of each registered vehicle, the status of whether or not it is being delivered, the planned route if it is being delivered, and the loading status of packages (for example, percentage of cargo occupancy). get These pieces of information are periodically provided by each vehicle and stored in the carrier database 24-1.

The general vehicle database 24-2 registers data on general vehicles. As basic vehicle data, the home where the vehicle is normally parked, the parking lot, etc. are registered. is allowed, the current location information is updated at any time.

The temporary storage database 24-3 stores the address and the like of the temporary storage location.

In this way, when the location information about the alternative delivery candidate is obtained, the offer destination is selected from the accident location (package pick-up location) obtained from the emergency call and the information on the package to be alternatively delivered (S14). ). That is, based on information such as the destination of the undeliverable parcel and the size of the parcel, the target of the alternative delivery offer is selected. At this time, in the case of the vehicles of the carrier, by referring to the scheduled route, vehicles traveling in the opposite direction (vehicle C in FIG. 1) can be excluded from the targets.

Then, the offer is transmitted to the selected offer destination, the reply is received, and the delivery management process regarding the arrangements for the alternative delivery is performed (S15).

In this way, in the present embodiment, among those stored in the offer database 24, vehicles whose current position is relatively close to the pick-up position and whose alternative delivery is considered possible are selected, and an offer is made to these vehicles. . This offer is for parcels requested for alternate delivery in the vehicle in which the emergency has occurred, and is sent including a list of parcels in transit.

In particular, ordinary vehicles are also targeted for alternative delivery. In this case, alternative delivery may not be possible depending on the type or size of the package.

Here, when it is possible for a general car to undertake alternative delivery, it is possible to request and provide information about the package in advance (whether or not there is a refrigeration facility, information on the availability of the glove box, information on the availability of the trunk, information on the availability of the front passenger seat, information including at least one of rear seat vacancy information, ceiling height, and loadable weight information) is registered in advance in a general vehicle database in association with the vehicle ID. If you wish to accept alternative delivery, you should send your current location to the management center at any time, and at that time, you should also send information about your package.

By providing this kind of information, it becomes possible to make offers based on a certain degree of judgment as to whether or not undelivered items can be transported, even in general vehicles. can be prevented from becoming Note that the management center 10 may request a vehicle that is a candidate for alternative delivery to update information, receive a response from the vehicle, and update the registered content.

The vehicle and temporary storage location that receives the offer considers their own additional convenience based on the content of the offer, decides whether to accept the offer, and responds. The answer may be that the offer is acceptable for all of the multiple packages, or that only some of them are acceptable.

The management center 10 selects an appropriate offer acceptance from the offer acceptance based on the reply from the offer destination, determines the alternative delivery, and transmits a request for the alternative delivery to the decided vehicle.

Then, it is determined whether or not there is an undelivered item (S16), and if there is an item, the process returns to S12 and the alternative delivery process is performed.

"others"
The offer for the carrier's vehicle 14 should be provided with a proposed route (including information on delays due to detours) based on traffic conditions. Also, when selecting an offer destination, it is preferable to use a navigation system to check a detour route search for the route for the target vehicle 14 . In addition, it is also possible to judge whether the vehicle falls within the consignment range of idle vehicles that are not in delivery service, and to make an offer if it is.

Also, it is advisable to check whether there is a delivery destination for undelivered items on the planned route. In addition, when an offer is made, it is preferable to update the corresponding parcel in the undelivered parcel database to "on offer".

In the case of an offer to a general vehicle, the management center 10 provides a package list (individual information of packages) for which delivery has not been decided at the time of the offer. Recipients who have received the offer can select a package to receive from the list of packages and reply.

For ordinary vehicles, public offering for registration may be made. A medium such as a web page is usually used, but other mediums may be used. Then, when applying for public offering, it is preferable to have the applicant apply for various specifications of a general vehicle.

In addition, the same tools (smartphones, tablets, etc.) can be used for transportation companies, general vehicles, temporary storage, etc., and the difference in offer destinations is only the difference in the database that is the basis for selection, so versatility is high. It's a system.

Temporary storage can be used when a vehicle capable of alternative delivery to the delivery destination cannot be found for undelivered items. In particular, the temporary storage location has freezing and refrigerating facilities, and it is preferable to accept undelivered items that require freezing or refrigeration. In addition, it is preferable that the temporary storage site has a vehicle or the like for picking up luggage within a predetermined range (10 km perimeter).

10 management center, 12 management database, 14 vehicle, 22 undelivered item database, 24 offer database, 24-1 carrier database, 24-2 general vehicle database, 24-3 temporary storage database.

Claims (1)

An alternative delivery system that, when a request for alternative delivery of a package is received, determines a vehicle for performing the alternative delivery from among vehicles that desire to perform the alternative delivery,
determining a vehicle to offer for the alternate delivery by referring to information about packages acceptable in the vehicle desiring the alternate delivery;
Alternate delivery system.

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