WO2017045717A1 - Method and transport control node for transportation of package - Google Patents

Method and transport control node for transportation of package Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2017045717A1
WO2017045717A1 PCT/EP2015/071346 EP2015071346W WO2017045717A1 WO 2017045717 A1 WO2017045717 A1 WO 2017045717A1 EP 2015071346 W EP2015071346 W EP 2015071346W WO 2017045717 A1 WO2017045717 A1 WO 2017045717A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
package
transport
control node
vehicle stop
vehicle
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2015/071346
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Hongxin LIANG
Konstantinos Vandikas
Leonid Mokrushin
Rafia Inam
Keven WANG
Original Assignee
Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ) filed Critical Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
Priority to PCT/EP2015/071346 priority Critical patent/WO2017045717A1/en
Publication of WO2017045717A1 publication Critical patent/WO2017045717A1/en

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
    • G06Q10/083—Shipping
    • G06Q10/0835—Relationships between shipper or supplier and carriers
    • G06Q10/08355—Routing methods
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
    • G06Q10/083—Shipping
    • G06Q10/0836—Recipient pick-ups

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates generally to a method and a transport control node for transportation of a first package from a first vehicle stop to an addressee.
  • a sender of the package needs to visit a post office or post box to drop the package which is collected at some later point to be sorted, typically by humans, for further transportation to another post office which needs to be visited by the receiver in order to collect the package.
  • the latter post office also sends a notification to the receiver informing that the package has arrived and is ready to be collected e.g. within a certain time span.
  • This procedure thus involves several steps that are commonly performed at certain intervals. For example,
  • transportation of packages from one post office to another may be carried out once a day or even more seldom and the transportation of a package may further be divided into several steps or stretches. Sorting of packages and letters must also be carried out at each post office, typically every day, depending on the amount of packages and letters to be handled. In this process, a package may take a quite lengthy detour when being transported from the sender's post office to the receiver's post office, while the sender and the receiver may live quite near one another. It is also a well-known fact that it may take several days, even weeks before a package reaches its final destination, i.e. the receiver.
  • the package can thus be delivered directly to the receiver's home address or to his/her working site, using the latter delivery service. In either case, the package needs to be delivered to the receiver who is typically required to be physically present and receive the package personally.
  • This end-to-end delivery service is rather more expensive than using the regular post service described above since a dedicated vehicle and driver are required to transport the package all the way to the addressee for personal delivery. Summary
  • a method is performed by a transport control node at a first vehicle stop, for transportation of a first package to an addressee.
  • the transport control node receives the first package from a sender, and identifies a second vehicle stop for delivery of the first package to the addressee, based on delivery information on the first package.
  • the transport control node further determines a transport route to be travelled by the first package in order to reach the second vehicle stop, and identifies a first public transport vehicle driving on a predefined route that includes the first vehicle stop and at least a first part of the transport route.
  • the transport control node also enables the first package to be loaded on the first public transport vehicle at the first vehicle stop for transportation of the first package on said at least first part of the transport route.
  • a transport control node is arranged for
  • the transport control node comprises a processor and a memory, which memory comprises instructions executable by said processor whereby the transport control node is operative to:
  • packages can be effortlessly delivered to their addressees by utilizing the regular routes of an already existing and operating public transportation service, instead of using a conventional post service which is typically time-consuming and/or costly.
  • the above method and transport control node may be configured and
  • Fig. 1 is a communication scenario illustrating how a package can be transported from one vehicle stop to another, according to some possible embodiments.
  • Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of how a transport control node may operate, according to further possible embodiments.
  • Fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a procedure in a transport control node, according to further possible embodiments.
  • Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating another example of a procedure in a transport control node, according to further possible embodiments.
  • Fig. 5 is another communication scenario illustrating how a package can be transported over a transport route with multiple parts, according to further possible embodiments.
  • Fig. 6 is a flow chart illustrating yet another example of a procedure in a transport control node, according to further possible embodiments.
  • Fig. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a transport control node in more detail, according to further possible embodiments.
  • a solution is provided herein as a useful alternative to the above-described conventional methods for package delivery which are typically time-consuming or costly or both.
  • a public transportation service for transportation of passengers such as a bus service, is utilized for also
  • the package is loaded onto a suitable public transport vehicle driving on a predefined route that includes the first vehicle stop.
  • This vehicle has been selected by the transport control node because it is able to transport the package towards the addressee such that the package is unloaded at another vehicle stop that is also included on the vehicle's regular route.
  • the package may either be picked up by the addressee if it is the final destination, or the package may be reloaded to another public transport vehicle for further transportation towards the addressee.
  • the intended receiver of a package is referred to as the
  • a "addressee” and the term “vehicle stop” is used herein to represent any stop or station that is comprised in one or more predefined routes taken by one or more vehicles for transporting passengers.
  • a "public transport vehicle” in this context may be any type of vehicle for transporting passengers, typically a bus, train or boat, which basically drives on a predefined route passing a succession of vehicle stops where passengers can get off or be picked up by the vehicle.
  • predefined route indicates a regular, i.e. fixed, route that a public transport vehicle routinely travels according to a time-table and it runs along a succession of predetermined vehicle stops.
  • a vehicle stop can be identified for delivery of the package, i.e. to be picked up by the addressee or other authorized person. Knowing the vehicle stop of delivery, one or more suitable public transport vehicles can also be selected to take the package from the first vehicle stop of departure to the second vehicle stop of delivery. As indicated above, this total journey may require only one public transport vehicle if it drives on a predefined route that includes both the first vehicle stop and the second vehicle stop. If no such single vehicle can be identified for transporting a package from departure to delivery end-to-end, more than one public transport vehicle may be required to reach the final destination such that the package is reloaded from one vehicle to another at an intermediate vehicle stop situated somewhere between the first and second vehicle stops. In this solution, any number of public transport vehicles may be employed, and the solution is not limited in this respect.
  • FIG. 1 A simplified communication scenario is shown in Fig. 1 which illustrates how the solution may be employed for transporting a package 100 to an addressee which may be a subscriber to a delivery service that provides the functionality described herein.
  • a sender first drops the package at a first vehicle stop 102 where a transport control node 104 is implemented. It is assumed that the sender has attached some delivery information to the package, e.g. on a label or the like placed at a suitable position that can be read, e.g. by scanning.
  • This label may specify the addressee's name and/or address explicitly, or it may just specify a code that can be used to retrieve the actual delivery information from a database that may be accessed in a cloud-like environment or from a dedicated data storage that may be arranged for maintaining delivery information for subscribers to the delivery service described herein. It is possible to identify a second vehicle stop 1 10 as a final destination for the package where the addressee can collect the package, based on such delivery information.
  • the label on the package 100 may directly specify a second vehicle stop 1 10 which is the desired destination where the package is to be delivered to the addressee, if the sender has this knowledge about the addressee.
  • this solution may be implemented as a delivery service for subscribers who can register their preferred vehicle stops for delivery of packages.
  • the sender may be able to look-up the addressee's preferred delivery vehicle stop 1 10 from some database or the like available to subscribers of the delivery service, and put this information on the label.
  • the package 100 may be dropped by the sender into a suitable box or cabinet or similar, arranged so that the transport control node 104 is able to read or detect the delivery information on the package 100.
  • the transport control node 104 determines a transport route 106 to be travelled by the first package in order to reach the second vehicle stop 1 10.
  • the transport route 106 is determined such that one or more public transport vehicles of a transport service are able to transport the package 100 along the transport route 106 according to their predefined or regular routes.
  • the transport control node 104 then checks the one or more predefined routes that include the first vehicle stop 102 and further identifies a public transport vehicle 108 that drives on a predefined route that includes the first vehicle stop 102 and at least a first part of the transport route 106.
  • the predefined route of the transport vehicle 108 includes the entire transport route 106 and thus also both vehicle stops 102, 1 10. Another example involving multiple public transport vehicles and intermediate vehicle stop will be described later below with reference to Fig. 5.
  • An action 1 :1 illustrates that the package 100 is loaded on the identified public transport vehicle 108 when arriving at the first vehicle stop 102.
  • the vehicle 108 then transports the first package on the transport route 106 and delivers the package 100 at the second vehicle stop 1 10 where a corresponding transport control node 1 12 is implemented, indicated as another action 1 :2.
  • the addressee can collect the package 100 at the second vehicle stop 1 10, e.g. after receiving a notification from the transport control node 1 12 informing that the package has arrived at the vehicle stop 1 10.
  • Fig. 2 illustrates a non-limiting detailed example of how the above transport control node 104 may be configured, here denoted 200.
  • the other transport control node 1 12 may be likewise configured in the manner described below.
  • the dropped package 100 has a label 100A attached which specifies the above-described delivery information.
  • a function 200A processes the package 100 to prepare it for transportation towards its destination.
  • the function 200A may include means for scanning the label 100A and a logic for identifying the second vehicle stop 1 10, determining the transport route 106, and identifying the public transport vehicle 108, as described above.
  • the function 200A may also include means for attaching a new label that explicitly specifies one or more of the above second vehicle stop 1 10, transport route 106, and public transport vehicle 108. It was mentioned above that second vehicle stop 1 10 may already be specified on the original label 100A.
  • the package 100 may then be placed in an outgoing box 200B or similar, from which the package 100 can be loaded onto the vehicle 108 when it arrives at the first vehicle stop 102, as of action 1 :1 .
  • An incoming box 200C may also be arranged at the transport control node 200 where any unloaded packages 202 can be placed, waiting to be picked up by their addressees or reloaded onto another public transport vehicle for further transportation towards their respective destinations.
  • Various practical means for physically handling the package may be arranged in the transport control node 200, which are however not necessary to describe here in any detail to understand the functions, embodiments and benefits of the solution.
  • Fig. 3 illustrates a procedure performed by a transport control node operable at a first vehicle stop, for transportation of a first package to an addressee, which procedure can be used to accomplish the functionality described above.
  • the transport control node in this example corresponds to any of the above-described nodes 104, 1 12 and 200. It is assumed that a sender wants to have the first package delivered to an addressee and that the first package has some delivery information attached.
  • a first action 300 illustrates that the transport control node receives the first package from the sender, e.g. when the sender enters it in an outgoing box or the like at the first vehicle stop.
  • the transport control node may first check if the package is deliverable, i.e. if the delivery information is sufficient to identify another vehicle stop for delivery. If not, the process may be terminated from here and a notification may be sent to the sender, in another optional action 304, informing that the package cannot be delivered by the present delivery service. This alternative is however somewhat outside the present solution which assumes that the package can be delivered as follows.
  • the transport control node identifies a second vehicle stop for delivery of the first package to the addressee, based on the delivery
  • the delivery information may identify the second vehicle stop in an explicit manner such as by a name or some code assigned to the second vehicle stop.
  • the delivery information may identify the addressee, e.g. by name, alias, identity code or the like, and in that case the transport control node may identify the second vehicle stop either as a pre- registered delivery stop for said addressee, or the second vehicle stop may be "estimated" from a home address of the addressee, e.g. by selecting the vehicle stop that is nearest to the addressee's home address.
  • the delivery information identifies the delivery information.
  • the transport control node may identify the second vehicle stop as a temporary pick-up point for the first package, based on a current location of the addressee.
  • the transport control node may be able to find a vehicle stop that is reasonably close to the addressee such that he/she can be notified to pick up the package conveniently at the vehicle stop, that is without having to move far from his/her current position.
  • further possible embodiments may include that the current location of the addressee has been preregistered, e.g. by the addressee, or estimated based on recorded habits of the addressee.
  • the current location of the addressee may also be obtained by means of a GPS-based positioning service or the like.
  • the delivery information may be read by scanning a code on the first package, and in that case the scanned code may be used by the transport control node for retrieving information related to the addressee from a cloud-based data storage.
  • a next action 308 illustrates that the transport control node determines a transport route to be travelled by the first package in order to reach the second vehicle stop.
  • This transport route between the first and second vehicle stops can be determined by knowing which regular, i.e. predefined, routes are available in this area by means of a public transport service typically involving various vehicle lines on different predefined routes.
  • a transport route between the first and second vehicle stops may involve any number of public transport vehicles and associated predefined routes.
  • the transport control node identifies a first public transport vehicle driving on a predefined route that includes the first vehicle stop and at least a first part of the transport route. If this predefined route travelled by the first public transport vehicle also includes the second vehicle stop, no further transport vehicle is necessary to involve in the transportation of the package.
  • the transport control node may further send a notification to the first public transport vehicle, as shown in another optional action 312, to indicate that the package is to be loaded on the first public transport vehicle at the first vehicle stop. Thereby, the driver will know that the package is waiting to be loaded for transportation and not just pass the first vehicle stop in case no passenger is leaving or entering the vehicle there.
  • a decision to send the notification or not may be taken based on various things. Some examples of factors that might influence this decision include the current total waiting time of the package, the number of passengers traveling in the first public transport vehicle, whether the vehicle is currently on schedule or not, the total number of stops for package handling, and so forth. These factors may also be considered by the driver, even when receiving the notification, to decide whether to stop only for loading the package. In general, if public transport vehicles frequently stop for package handling even where no passengers are getting on or off, the public transportation service may be considered deteriorated and unattractive. The latter reflections are however outside the scope of the embodiments described herein.
  • a final action 314 illustrates that the transport control node enables the first package to be loaded on the first public transport vehicle at the first vehicle stop, for transportation of the first package on said at least first part of the transport route.
  • the package may be placed in a suitable position, e.g. in an outgoing box or the like, so that it can be picked up e.g. by a person on the first public transport vehicle such as the driver, or it may be arranged to be conveyed automatically onboard the vehicle when the vehicle is placed in a certain position for loading. Any technique for loading the package on the first public transport vehicle may be used in this context, depending on implementation, and the solution is not limited in this respect.
  • a first action 400 in Fig. 4 illustrates an operation of finding a public transport vehicle that drives on a predefined, i.e. regular, route that includes the first vehicle stop.
  • a public transportation service e.g. including a network of bus lines
  • the transport control node compares the found vehicle's predefined route with the transport route to be travelled by the package. If it is determined in a further action 404 that the two routes coincide at least along a first part of the transport route beginning from the first vehicle stop, the transport control node may select this vehicle for transporting the package along the part where the predefined route and the transport route coincide. This coinciding part may be a reasonable stretch for taking the package towards its final destination, or even all the way to the second vehicle stop if the transport route is wholly included in the vehicle's predefined route.
  • the transport control node proceeds to action 406 and enables load of the package onboard the found public transport vehicle, basically as of action 314 above.
  • the transport control node returns to action 400 to find a next public transport vehicle that drives on a predefined route that includes the first vehicle stop.
  • the illustrated evaluation of different public transport vehicles can thus be repeated as above until a suitable vehicle is found for transportation of the package from the first vehicle stop. If no suitable vehicle is found at all in this evaluation, the package will be deemed "undeliverable" and the sender may be notified accordingly, which is however outside the solution.
  • the transport control node at the first vehicle stop may identify a further public transport vehicle that can load the package at an intermediate vehicle stop to take it further on towards the second vehicle stop.
  • it may be left to a corresponding transport control node at the intermediate vehicle stop to find the next public transport vehicle, e.g. following the procedure in Fig. 4.
  • transportation route and required public transport vehicles may thus be planned in stages, or "legs", by successive transport control nodes, or in total by the transport control node at the first vehicle stop.
  • Fig. 5 An example of how this may be carried out is illustrated in Fig. 5 where a package P is to be transported from a first vehicle stop 500 to a second vehicle stop 502.
  • the package needs to be reloaded between different transport vehicles at two intermediate vehicle stations 504A and 504B, since no transport vehicle has been found that drives on a predefined route that includes both vehicle stops 500 and 502.
  • the transport control node, not shown here, at the first vehicle stop 500 has identified a public transport vehicle 506 which drives on a predefined route that includes the first vehicle stop 500 and a first part 508 of the total transport route which ends at the first intermediate vehicle stop 504A. Accordingly, the package P is loaded to the vehicle 506 which unloads it at vehicle stop 504A after transportation thereto.
  • a next public transport vehicle 510 is then identified which drives on a predefined route that includes the first intermediate vehicle stop 504A and a second part 512 of the transport route ending at the second intermediate vehicle stop 504B.
  • the package P can be loaded to the vehicle 510 at stop 504A and vehicle 510 unloads it at vehicle stop 504B after transportation thereto.
  • a next public transport vehicle 514 is also identified driving on a predefined route that includes the second intermediate vehicle stop 504B and a third part 516 of the transport route ending at the second vehicle stop 502 which is the final destination for the package.
  • the package P is thus unloaded by vehicle 514 at stop 502 after transportation thereto and the addressee can collect the package at stop 502, e.g. after receiving a notification.
  • a succession of at least two public transport vehicles may be identified for transportation of the first package on the transport route from the first vehicle stop to the second vehicle stop, wherein the transport route comprises at least one intermediate vehicle stop where the first package is to be reloaded from one public transport vehicle to another.
  • the transport control node may, as mentioned above, attach a label to the first package before loading, said label indicating at least one of the transport route and the second vehicle stop.
  • the transport control node may receive a second package from a second public transport vehicle, for delivery of the second package to an addressee of the second package.
  • the transport control node may be capable of also handling packages that arrive at the first vehicle stop after being transported by the second public transport vehicle in the manner described above, such that the first vehicle stop may correspond to the second vehicle stop in the above examples by being the final destination for the second package.
  • the first vehicle stop may alternatively correspond to any of the intermediate vehicle stops 504A, 504B of Fig. 5.
  • the arriving second package may be placed in the incoming box 200C by the second vehicle's driver, while the first package 100 was loaded from the outgoing box 200B onto the first vehicle 108.
  • further possible embodiments thus include that the transport control node may arrange the second package to be picked up by the addressee of the second package at the first vehicle stop, or to be reloaded to a third public transport vehicle for transportation to a third vehicle stop.
  • a first action 600 illustrates that the transport control node receives a second package from a second public transport vehicle, to be delivered to an addressee.
  • the transport control node checks whether the first vehicle stop is the final vehicle stop or not, i.e. the final destination for collection of the package by the addressee.
  • the transport control node arranges the second package to be picked up by the addressee, in a further action 604.
  • the transport control node may in that case send a notification to the addressee of the second package, as shown in an action 606, to indicate that the second package can be picked up at the first vehicle stop.
  • This notification may further include a code or password that must be entered in order to access the package at the first vehicle stop.
  • the transport control node arranges the second package to be reloaded to a third public transport vehicle for transportation to a third vehicle stop.
  • the first vehicle stop is thus an intermediate vehicle stop for the package such as either of the vehicle stops 504A and 504B in Fig. 5.
  • a transport control node 700 may be structured to bring about the above-described solution and embodiments thereof.
  • the transport control node 700 may be configured to operate according to any of the examples and embodiments of employing the solution as described above, where appropriate, and as follows.
  • the transport control node 700 is shown to comprise a processor "P", a memory "M” and a communication circuit "C" with suitable equipment for transmitting and receiving radio signals in the manner described herein.
  • the communication circuit C in the transport control node 700 comprises equipment configured for communication with one or more transport vehicles, not shown, e.g. over suitable radio interfaces using a suitable protocol for radio communication depending on the implementation. This communication may be performed by means of a cellular network or dedicated radio links.
  • the solution is however not limited to any specific types of communication technology or protocols.
  • the transport control node 700 comprises means configured or arranged to perform at least some of the actions 300-314, 400-406 and 600-608 of the flow charts in Figs 3, 4 and 6, respectively.
  • the transport control node 700 is arranged for transportation of a first package to an addressee from a first vehicle stop.
  • the transport control node 700 thus comprises the processor P and the memory M, said memory comprising instructions executable by said processor, whereby the transport control node 700 is operative as follows.
  • the transport control node 700 is operative to receive the first package from a sender. This receiving operation may be performed by a receiving unit 700A, e.g. in the manner described for action 300 above.
  • the transport control node 700 is also operative to identify a second vehicle stop for delivery of the first package to the addressee, based on delivery information on the first package. This identifying operation may be performed by a logic unit 700B, e.g. in the manner described for action 306 above.
  • the transport control node 700 is also operative to determine a transport route to be travelled by the first package in order to reach the second vehicle stop. This operation may be performed by the logic unit 700B, e.g. in the manner described for action 308 above.
  • the transport control node 700 is also operative to identify a first public transport vehicle driving on a predefined route that includes the first vehicle stop and at least a first part of the transport route. This operation may be performed by the logic unit 700B, e.g. in the manner described for actions 310 and 400-404 above.
  • the transport control node 700 is also operative to enable the first package to be loaded on the first public transport vehicle at the first vehicle stop for transportation of the first package on said at least first part of the transport route. This operation may be performed by a loading unit 700C, e.g. in the manner described for actions 314 and 406 above.
  • Fig. 7 illustrates various functional modules in the transport control node 700, and the skilled person is able to implement these functional modules in practice using suitable software and hardware.
  • the solution is generally not limited to the shown structures of the transport control node 700, and the functional units 700A-C therein may be configured to operate according to any of the features and embodiments described in this disclosure, where appropriate.
  • the functional units 700A-C described above can be implemented in the transport control node 700 by means of program modules of a computer program
  • Each processor P may comprise a single Central Processing Unit (CPU), or could comprise two or more processing units.
  • each processor P may include a general purpose microprocessor, an instruction set processor and/or related chips sets and/or a special purpose microprocessor such as an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC).
  • ASIC Application Specific Integrated Circuit
  • Each processor P may also comprise a storage for caching purposes.
  • Each computer program may be carried by a computer program product in the transport control node 700 in the form of a memory having a computer readable medium and being connected to the processor P.
  • the computer program product or memory M in the transport control node 700 thus comprises a computer readable medium on which the computer program is stored e.g.
  • the memory M in each node may be a flash memory, a Random-Access Memory (RAM), a Read-Only Memory (ROM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM) or hard drive storage (HDD), and the program modules could in alternative embodiments be distributed on different computer program products in the form of memories within the transport control node 700.
  • RAM Random-Access Memory
  • ROM Read-Only Memory
  • EEPROM Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM
  • HDD hard drive storage
  • the solution described herein may be implemented in the transport control node 700 by means of a computer program storage product comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions according to any of the above embodiments, where appropriate.

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Abstract

A method and transport control node (104) for transportation of a package (100) to an addressee from a first vehicle stop (102). When the package is received from a sender, a second vehicle stop (110) is identified for delivery of the package based on delivery information on the package. A transport route (106) is then determined to be travelled by the package in order to reach the second vehicle stop (110), and a public transport vehicle (108) driving on a predefined route that includes the first vehicle stop (102) and at least a first part of the transport route (106), is also identified. The package is then loaded on the public transport vehicle (108) at the first vehicle stop (102) for transportation on the transport route (106) towards the second vehicle stop (110). Thereby, the package can be delivered to its addressee without using a conventional post service which is typically time-consuming and/or costly.

Description

METHOD AND TRANSPORT CONTROL NODE FOR TRANSPORTATION OF
PACKAGE
Technical field
The present disclosure relates generally to a method and a transport control node for transportation of a first package from a first vehicle stop to an addressee.
Background
In a conventional procedure for transportation and delivery of a package, a sender of the package needs to visit a post office or post box to drop the package which is collected at some later point to be sorted, typically by humans, for further transportation to another post office which needs to be visited by the receiver in order to collect the package. Typically, the latter post office also sends a notification to the receiver informing that the package has arrived and is ready to be collected e.g. within a certain time span. This procedure thus involves several steps that are commonly performed at certain intervals. For example,
transportation of packages from one post office to another may be carried out once a day or even more seldom and the transportation of a package may further be divided into several steps or stretches. Sorting of packages and letters must also be carried out at each post office, typically every day, depending on the amount of packages and letters to be handled. In this process, a package may take a quite lengthy detour when being transported from the sender's post office to the receiver's post office, while the sender and the receiver may live quite near one another. It is also a well-known fact that it may take several days, even weeks before a package reaches its final destination, i.e. the receiver.
Online shopping has become increasingly common and purchased or ordered packages need to be transported from their point of dispatch to the addressees of the packages, typically using the above-described procedure. As a result, the need for package transportation has increased significantly. Another way is to use some dedicated or personal transport service which picks up the package from the sender and delivers the package directly to the receiver, also referred to as the addressee, usually at day-time when the receiver is normally at work. Examples of such a delivery service include DHL, Fedex and Postnord.
The package can thus be delivered directly to the receiver's home address or to his/her working site, using the latter delivery service. In either case, the package needs to be delivered to the receiver who is typically required to be physically present and receive the package personally. This end-to-end delivery service is rather more expensive than using the regular post service described above since a dedicated vehicle and driver are required to transport the package all the way to the addressee for personal delivery. Summary
It is an object of embodiments described herein to address at least some of the problems and issues outlined above. It is possible to achieve this object and others by using a method and a transport control node as defined in the attached independent claims. According to one aspect, a method is performed by a transport control node at a first vehicle stop, for transportation of a first package to an addressee. In this method, the transport control node receives the first package from a sender, and identifies a second vehicle stop for delivery of the first package to the addressee, based on delivery information on the first package. The transport control node further determines a transport route to be travelled by the first package in order to reach the second vehicle stop, and identifies a first public transport vehicle driving on a predefined route that includes the first vehicle stop and at least a first part of the transport route. The transport control node also enables the first package to be loaded on the first public transport vehicle at the first vehicle stop for transportation of the first package on said at least first part of the transport route.
According to another aspect, a transport control node is arranged for
transportation of a first package to an addressee from a first vehicle stop. The transport control node comprises a processor and a memory, which memory comprises instructions executable by said processor whereby the transport control node is operative to:
- receive the first package from a sender,
- identify a second vehicle stop for delivery of the first package to the addressee, based on delivery information on the first package,
- determine a transport route to be travelled by the first package in order to reach the second vehicle stop,
- identify a first public transport vehicle driving on a predefined route that includes the first vehicle stop and at least a first part of the transport route, and - enable the first package to be loaded on the first public transport vehicle at the first vehicle stop for transportation of the first package on said at least first part of the transport route.
By using the above method and transport control node, packages can be effortlessly delivered to their addressees by utilizing the regular routes of an already existing and operating public transportation service, instead of using a conventional post service which is typically time-consuming and/or costly.
The above method and transport control node may be configured and
implemented according to different optional embodiments to accomplish further features and benefits, to be described below. Brief description of drawings
The solution will now be described in more detail by means of exemplary embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a communication scenario illustrating how a package can be transported from one vehicle stop to another, according to some possible embodiments. Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of how a transport control node may operate, according to further possible embodiments.
Fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a procedure in a transport control node, according to further possible embodiments. Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating another example of a procedure in a transport control node, according to further possible embodiments.
Fig. 5 is another communication scenario illustrating how a package can be transported over a transport route with multiple parts, according to further possible embodiments. Fig. 6 is a flow chart illustrating yet another example of a procedure in a transport control node, according to further possible embodiments.
Fig. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a transport control node in more detail, according to further possible embodiments.
Detailed description
A solution is provided herein as a useful alternative to the above-described conventional methods for package delivery which are typically time-consuming or costly or both. In the solution described herein, a public transportation service for transportation of passengers, such as a bus service, is utilized for also
transporting packages from vehicle stops where the respective sender drops the package, to vehicle stops where the respective receiver can pick up his/her package. Thereby, it is an advantage that the package can be delivered to its addressee as rapidly as possible by utilizing the regular routes of an already existing and operating public transportation service, without relying on a
conventional post service which is typically time-consuming and/or costly. The solution will now be described in terms of functionality in a "transport control node" which contains useful logic that can be implemented at a vehicle stop, basically providing functions of a processor, a memory and a communication circuit. Briefly described, the package is loaded onto a suitable public transport vehicle driving on a predefined route that includes the first vehicle stop. This vehicle has been selected by the transport control node because it is able to transport the package towards the addressee such that the package is unloaded at another vehicle stop that is also included on the vehicle's regular route. At this vehicle stop, the package may either be picked up by the addressee if it is the final destination, or the package may be reloaded to another public transport vehicle for further transportation towards the addressee.
In this description, the intended receiver of a package is referred to as the
"addressee", and the term "vehicle stop" is used herein to represent any stop or station that is comprised in one or more predefined routes taken by one or more vehicles for transporting passengers. Further, a "public transport vehicle" in this context may be any type of vehicle for transporting passengers, typically a bus, train or boat, which basically drives on a predefined route passing a succession of vehicle stops where passengers can get off or be picked up by the vehicle. Still further, the term "predefined route" indicates a regular, i.e. fixed, route that a public transport vehicle routinely travels according to a time-table and it runs along a succession of predetermined vehicle stops.
By recognizing the addressee or destination address of the package, a vehicle stop can be identified for delivery of the package, i.e. to be picked up by the addressee or other authorized person. Knowing the vehicle stop of delivery, one or more suitable public transport vehicles can also be selected to take the package from the first vehicle stop of departure to the second vehicle stop of delivery. As indicated above, this total journey may require only one public transport vehicle if it drives on a predefined route that includes both the first vehicle stop and the second vehicle stop. If no such single vehicle can be identified for transporting a package from departure to delivery end-to-end, more than one public transport vehicle may be required to reach the final destination such that the package is reloaded from one vehicle to another at an intermediate vehicle stop situated somewhere between the first and second vehicle stops. In this solution, any number of public transport vehicles may be employed, and the solution is not limited in this respect.
A simplified communication scenario is shown in Fig. 1 which illustrates how the solution may be employed for transporting a package 100 to an addressee which may be a subscriber to a delivery service that provides the functionality described herein. A sender first drops the package at a first vehicle stop 102 where a transport control node 104 is implemented. It is assumed that the sender has attached some delivery information to the package, e.g. on a label or the like placed at a suitable position that can be read, e.g. by scanning. This label may specify the addressee's name and/or address explicitly, or it may just specify a code that can be used to retrieve the actual delivery information from a database that may be accessed in a cloud-like environment or from a dedicated data storage that may be arranged for maintaining delivery information for subscribers to the delivery service described herein. It is possible to identify a second vehicle stop 1 10 as a final destination for the package where the addressee can collect the package, based on such delivery information.
Alternatively or additionally, the label on the package 100 may directly specify a second vehicle stop 1 10 which is the desired destination where the package is to be delivered to the addressee, if the sender has this knowledge about the addressee. For example, this solution may be implemented as a delivery service for subscribers who can register their preferred vehicle stops for delivery of packages. In that case, the sender may be able to look-up the addressee's preferred delivery vehicle stop 1 10 from some database or the like available to subscribers of the delivery service, and put this information on the label. The package 100 may be dropped by the sender into a suitable box or cabinet or similar, arranged so that the transport control node 104 is able to read or detect the delivery information on the package 100. If the delivery information specifies the addressee and/or a home address, it would be possible for the transport control node 104 to identify the second vehicle stop 1 10 as being close to the addressee, e.g. his/her home address. Thus, the transport control node 104 is somehow able to identify the second vehicle stop 1 10 based on the delivery information on the package 100, e.g. according to any of the alternatives outlined above. The transport control node 104 also determines a transport route 106 to be travelled by the first package in order to reach the second vehicle stop 1 10. The transport route 106 is determined such that one or more public transport vehicles of a transport service are able to transport the package 100 along the transport route 106 according to their predefined or regular routes. The transport control node 104 then checks the one or more predefined routes that include the first vehicle stop 102 and further identifies a public transport vehicle 108 that drives on a predefined route that includes the first vehicle stop 102 and at least a first part of the transport route 106. In this example, the predefined route of the transport vehicle 108 includes the entire transport route 106 and thus also both vehicle stops 102, 1 10. Another example involving multiple public transport vehicles and intermediate vehicle stop will be described later below with reference to Fig. 5.
An action 1 :1 illustrates that the package 100 is loaded on the identified public transport vehicle 108 when arriving at the first vehicle stop 102. The vehicle 108 then transports the first package on the transport route 106 and delivers the package 100 at the second vehicle stop 1 10 where a corresponding transport control node 1 12 is implemented, indicated as another action 1 :2. Thereby, the addressee can collect the package 100 at the second vehicle stop 1 10, e.g. after receiving a notification from the transport control node 1 12 informing that the package has arrived at the vehicle stop 1 10. Fig. 2 illustrates a non-limiting detailed example of how the above transport control node 104 may be configured, here denoted 200. The other transport control node 1 12 may be likewise configured in the manner described below. It is shown here that the dropped package 100 has a label 100A attached which specifies the above-described delivery information. When the sender enters the package 100 at the transport control node, a function 200A processes the package 100 to prepare it for transportation towards its destination. The function 200A may include means for scanning the label 100A and a logic for identifying the second vehicle stop 1 10, determining the transport route 106, and identifying the public transport vehicle 108, as described above. The function 200A may also include means for attaching a new label that explicitly specifies one or more of the above second vehicle stop 1 10, transport route 106, and public transport vehicle 108. It was mentioned above that second vehicle stop 1 10 may already be specified on the original label 100A.
The package 100 may then be placed in an outgoing box 200B or similar, from which the package 100 can be loaded onto the vehicle 108 when it arrives at the first vehicle stop 102, as of action 1 :1 . Several packages are shown in the outgoing box 200B waiting to be loaded for transportation. An incoming box 200C may also be arranged at the transport control node 200 where any unloaded packages 202 can be placed, waiting to be picked up by their addressees or reloaded onto another public transport vehicle for further transportation towards their respective destinations. Various practical means for physically handling the package may be arranged in the transport control node 200, which are however not necessary to describe here in any detail to understand the functions, embodiments and benefits of the solution. An example of how the solution may be employed in terms of actions will now be described with reference to the flow chart in Fig. 3 which illustrates a procedure performed by a transport control node operable at a first vehicle stop, for transportation of a first package to an addressee, which procedure can be used to accomplish the functionality described above. The transport control node in this example corresponds to any of the above-described nodes 104, 1 12 and 200. It is assumed that a sender wants to have the first package delivered to an addressee and that the first package has some delivery information attached.
A first action 300 illustrates that the transport control node receives the first package from the sender, e.g. when the sender enters it in an outgoing box or the like at the first vehicle stop. In an optional action 302, the transport control node may first check if the package is deliverable, i.e. if the delivery information is sufficient to identify another vehicle stop for delivery. If not, the process may be terminated from here and a notification may be sent to the sender, in another optional action 304, informing that the package cannot be delivered by the present delivery service. This alternative is however somewhat outside the present solution which assumes that the package can be delivered as follows.
In a further action 306, the transport control node identifies a second vehicle stop for delivery of the first package to the addressee, based on the delivery
information on the first package. Various embodiments are possible to use in this action, and some alternatives have already been discussed above. In one possible embodiment, the delivery information may identify the second vehicle stop in an explicit manner such as by a name or some code assigned to the second vehicle stop. In another possible embodiment, the delivery information may identify the addressee, e.g. by name, alias, identity code or the like, and in that case the transport control node may identify the second vehicle stop either as a pre- registered delivery stop for said addressee, or the second vehicle stop may be "estimated" from a home address of the addressee, e.g. by selecting the vehicle stop that is nearest to the addressee's home address. In a third alternative embodiment, if the delivery information identifies the
addressee, the transport control node may identify the second vehicle stop as a temporary pick-up point for the first package, based on a current location of the addressee. In other words, the transport control node may be able to find a vehicle stop that is reasonably close to the addressee such that he/she can be notified to pick up the package conveniently at the vehicle stop, that is without having to move far from his/her current position. In this case, further possible embodiments may include that the current location of the addressee has been preregistered, e.g. by the addressee, or estimated based on recorded habits of the addressee. The current location of the addressee may also be obtained by means of a GPS-based positioning service or the like. For example, if an addressee is currently moving it may be possible to estimate or predict a future position for the addressee such that the package can be delivered near this position and be conveniently collected by the addressee at an estimated time. In this way, the addressee could e.g. pick up ordered goods on the way home from work. In other possible embodiments, the delivery information may be read by scanning a code on the first package, and in that case the scanned code may be used by the transport control node for retrieving information related to the addressee from a cloud-based data storage.
Returning to Fig. 3, a next action 308 illustrates that the transport control node determines a transport route to be travelled by the first package in order to reach the second vehicle stop. This transport route between the first and second vehicle stops can be determined by knowing which regular, i.e. predefined, routes are available in this area by means of a public transport service typically involving various vehicle lines on different predefined routes. As described above, a transport route between the first and second vehicle stops may involve any number of public transport vehicles and associated predefined routes.
In a further action 310, the transport control node identifies a first public transport vehicle driving on a predefined route that includes the first vehicle stop and at least a first part of the transport route. If this predefined route travelled by the first public transport vehicle also includes the second vehicle stop, no further transport vehicle is necessary to involve in the transportation of the package. In a possible embodiment, the transport control node may further send a notification to the first public transport vehicle, as shown in another optional action 312, to indicate that the package is to be loaded on the first public transport vehicle at the first vehicle stop. Thereby, the driver will know that the package is waiting to be loaded for transportation and not just pass the first vehicle stop in case no passenger is leaving or entering the vehicle there. He/she may then also be able to read on the label at which stop the package is to be unloaded from the first public transport vehicle. A decision to send the notification or not may be taken based on various things. Some examples of factors that might influence this decision include the current total waiting time of the package, the number of passengers traveling in the first public transport vehicle, whether the vehicle is currently on schedule or not, the total number of stops for package handling, and so forth. These factors may also be considered by the driver, even when receiving the notification, to decide whether to stop only for loading the package. In general, if public transport vehicles frequently stop for package handling even where no passengers are getting on or off, the public transportation service may be considered deteriorated and unattractive. The latter reflections are however outside the scope of the embodiments described herein.
A final action 314 illustrates that the transport control node enables the first package to be loaded on the first public transport vehicle at the first vehicle stop, for transportation of the first package on said at least first part of the transport route. In this action, the package may be placed in a suitable position, e.g. in an outgoing box or the like, so that it can be picked up e.g. by a person on the first public transport vehicle such as the driver, or it may be arranged to be conveyed automatically onboard the vehicle when the vehicle is placed in a certain position for loading. Any technique for loading the package on the first public transport vehicle may be used in this context, depending on implementation, and the solution is not limited in this respect.
An example of how the above action 310 of identifying the first public transport vehicle may be performed by the transport control node, will now be described in more detail with reference to the flow chart in Fig. 4. It is thus assumed that the second vehicle stop and the transport route have been identified and determined as of actions 306, 308. A first action 400 in Fig. 4 illustrates an operation of finding a public transport vehicle that drives on a predefined, i.e. regular, route that includes the first vehicle stop. In a public transportation service, e.g. including a network of bus lines, there may be a number of public transport vehicles with different predefined routes which include the first vehicle stop, and those vehicles are thus able to at least load and transport the package from the first vehicle stop without departing from their respective predefined route.
In a next action 402, the transport control node compares the found vehicle's predefined route with the transport route to be travelled by the package. If it is determined in a further action 404 that the two routes coincide at least along a first part of the transport route beginning from the first vehicle stop, the transport control node may select this vehicle for transporting the package along the part where the predefined route and the transport route coincide. This coinciding part may be a reasonable stretch for taking the package towards its final destination, or even all the way to the second vehicle stop if the transport route is wholly included in the vehicle's predefined route.
If this vehicle can be selected as suitable for transportation of the package, the transport control node proceeds to action 406 and enables load of the package onboard the found public transport vehicle, basically as of action 314 above. On the other hand, if it is determined in action 404 that the two routes do not reasonably coincide, the vehicle cannot transport the package towards its destination and the transport control node returns to action 400 to find a next public transport vehicle that drives on a predefined route that includes the first vehicle stop. The illustrated evaluation of different public transport vehicles can thus be repeated as above until a suitable vehicle is found for transportation of the package from the first vehicle stop. If no suitable vehicle is found at all in this evaluation, the package will be deemed "undeliverable" and the sender may be notified accordingly, which is however outside the solution.
Different variants of the process in Fig. 4 are possible within this solution. For example, if the selected vehicle can only transport the package a first part of the total transportation route and not all the way to the second vehicle stop, the transport control node at the first vehicle stop may identify a further public transport vehicle that can load the package at an intermediate vehicle stop to take it further on towards the second vehicle stop. Alternatively, it may be left to a corresponding transport control node at the intermediate vehicle stop to find the next public transport vehicle, e.g. following the procedure in Fig. 4. The
transportation route and required public transport vehicles may thus be planned in stages, or "legs", by successive transport control nodes, or in total by the transport control node at the first vehicle stop.
Various further embodiments are possible to employ in the above-described procedures. For example, it was mentioned above that more than one public transport vehicle may be needed to transport the package all the way to the second vehicle stop. An example of how this may be carried out is illustrated in Fig. 5 where a package P is to be transported from a first vehicle stop 500 to a second vehicle stop 502. In this example, the package needs to be reloaded between different transport vehicles at two intermediate vehicle stations 504A and 504B, since no transport vehicle has been found that drives on a predefined route that includes both vehicle stops 500 and 502. Using the procedure described above with reference to Fig. 3, the transport control node, not shown here, at the first vehicle stop 500 has identified a public transport vehicle 506 which drives on a predefined route that includes the first vehicle stop 500 and a first part 508 of the total transport route which ends at the first intermediate vehicle stop 504A. Accordingly, the package P is loaded to the vehicle 506 which unloads it at vehicle stop 504A after transportation thereto. A next public transport vehicle 510 is then identified which drives on a predefined route that includes the first intermediate vehicle stop 504A and a second part 512 of the transport route ending at the second intermediate vehicle stop 504B.
Thereby, the package P can be loaded to the vehicle 510 at stop 504A and vehicle 510 unloads it at vehicle stop 504B after transportation thereto. Further, a next public transport vehicle 514 is also identified driving on a predefined route that includes the second intermediate vehicle stop 504B and a third part 516 of the transport route ending at the second vehicle stop 502 which is the final destination for the package. The package P is thus unloaded by vehicle 514 at stop 502 after transportation thereto and the addressee can collect the package at stop 502, e.g. after receiving a notification.
Thus in one possible embodiment, a succession of at least two public transport vehicles may be identified for transportation of the first package on the transport route from the first vehicle stop to the second vehicle stop, wherein the transport route comprises at least one intermediate vehicle stop where the first package is to be reloaded from one public transport vehicle to another. An example of how this embodiment may be realized was thus described above with reference to Fig. 5. In further possible embodiments, the transport control node may, as mentioned above, attach a label to the first package before loading, said label indicating at least one of the transport route and the second vehicle stop.
In another possible embodiment, the transport control node may receive a second package from a second public transport vehicle, for delivery of the second package to an addressee of the second package. This means that the transport control node may be capable of also handling packages that arrive at the first vehicle stop after being transported by the second public transport vehicle in the manner described above, such that the first vehicle stop may correspond to the second vehicle stop in the above examples by being the final destination for the second package. The first vehicle stop may alternatively correspond to any of the intermediate vehicle stops 504A, 504B of Fig. 5. For example referring to Fig. 2, the arriving second package may be placed in the incoming box 200C by the second vehicle's driver, while the first package 100 was loaded from the outgoing box 200B onto the first vehicle 108. In this case, further possible embodiments thus include that the transport control node may arrange the second package to be picked up by the addressee of the second package at the first vehicle stop, or to be reloaded to a third public transport vehicle for transportation to a third vehicle stop. An example of how the latter embodiments may be realized will now be described with reference to the flow chart in Fig. 6 showing a procedure performed by a transport control node at a first vehicle stop. A first action 600 illustrates that the transport control node receives a second package from a second public transport vehicle, to be delivered to an addressee. In a next action 602, the transport control node checks whether the first vehicle stop is the final vehicle stop or not, i.e. the final destination for collection of the package by the addressee. This may be checked based on delivery information on the package such as information about the addressee, the transport route, and/or the final vehicle stop. If the first vehicle stop is the final vehicle stop, the transport control node arranges the second package to be picked up by the addressee, in a further action 604. In yet another possible embodiment, the transport control node may in that case send a notification to the addressee of the second package, as shown in an action 606, to indicate that the second package can be picked up at the first vehicle stop. This notification may further include a code or password that must be entered in order to access the package at the first vehicle stop. On the other hand, if the first vehicle stop is not the final vehicle stop, the transport control node arranges the second package to be reloaded to a third public transport vehicle for transportation to a third vehicle stop. In this case, the first vehicle stop is thus an intermediate vehicle stop for the package such as either of the vehicle stops 504A and 504B in Fig. 5.
In any of the examples described above, It may further be possible to provide information about the package transportation on a web-based application or the like which the addressee, and possibly also the sender, can access to see where the package is currently located, more or less in real-time. Further, the total transportation route and any involved vehicle stops and public transport vehicles may be displayed on such a web-based application, and also an estimated arrival time for the package. The block diagram in Fig. 7 illustrates a detailed but non-limiting example of how a transport control node 700 may be structured to bring about the above-described solution and embodiments thereof. The transport control node 700 may be configured to operate according to any of the examples and embodiments of employing the solution as described above, where appropriate, and as follows. The transport control node 700 is shown to comprise a processor "P", a memory "M" and a communication circuit "C" with suitable equipment for transmitting and receiving radio signals in the manner described herein.
The communication circuit C in the transport control node 700 comprises equipment configured for communication with one or more transport vehicles, not shown, e.g. over suitable radio interfaces using a suitable protocol for radio communication depending on the implementation. This communication may be performed by means of a cellular network or dedicated radio links. The solution is however not limited to any specific types of communication technology or protocols.
The transport control node 700 comprises means configured or arranged to perform at least some of the actions 300-314, 400-406 and 600-608 of the flow charts in Figs 3, 4 and 6, respectively. The transport control node 700 is arranged for transportation of a first package to an addressee from a first vehicle stop. The transport control node 700 thus comprises the processor P and the memory M, said memory comprising instructions executable by said processor, whereby the transport control node 700 is operative as follows.
The transport control node 700 is operative to receive the first package from a sender. This receiving operation may be performed by a receiving unit 700A, e.g. in the manner described for action 300 above. The transport control node 700 is also operative to identify a second vehicle stop for delivery of the first package to the addressee, based on delivery information on the first package. This identifying operation may be performed by a logic unit 700B, e.g. in the manner described for action 306 above. The transport control node 700 is also operative to determine a transport route to be travelled by the first package in order to reach the second vehicle stop. This operation may be performed by the logic unit 700B, e.g. in the manner described for action 308 above.
The transport control node 700 is also operative to identify a first public transport vehicle driving on a predefined route that includes the first vehicle stop and at least a first part of the transport route. This operation may be performed by the logic unit 700B, e.g. in the manner described for actions 310 and 400-404 above. The transport control node 700 is also operative to enable the first package to be loaded on the first public transport vehicle at the first vehicle stop for transportation of the first package on said at least first part of the transport route. This operation may be performed by a loading unit 700C, e.g. in the manner described for actions 314 and 406 above.
It should be noted that Fig. 7 illustrates various functional modules in the transport control node 700, and the skilled person is able to implement these functional modules in practice using suitable software and hardware. Thus, the solution is generally not limited to the shown structures of the transport control node 700, and the functional units 700A-C therein may be configured to operate according to any of the features and embodiments described in this disclosure, where appropriate.
The functional units 700A-C described above can be implemented in the transport control node 700 by means of program modules of a computer program
comprising code means which, when run by the processor P causes the transport control node 700 to perform the above-described actions and procedures. Each processor P may comprise a single Central Processing Unit (CPU), or could comprise two or more processing units. For example, each processor P may include a general purpose microprocessor, an instruction set processor and/or related chips sets and/or a special purpose microprocessor such as an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). Each processor P may also comprise a storage for caching purposes. Each computer program may be carried by a computer program product in the transport control node 700 in the form of a memory having a computer readable medium and being connected to the processor P. The computer program product or memory M in the transport control node 700 thus comprises a computer readable medium on which the computer program is stored e.g. in the form of computer program modules or the like. For example, the memory M in each node may be a flash memory, a Random-Access Memory (RAM), a Read-Only Memory (ROM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM) or hard drive storage (HDD), and the program modules could in alternative embodiments be distributed on different computer program products in the form of memories within the transport control node 700.
The solution described herein may be implemented in the transport control node 700 by means of a computer program storage product comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions according to any of the above embodiments, where appropriate.
While the solution has been described with reference to specific exemplifying embodiments, the description is generally only intended to illustrate the inventive concept and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the solution. For example, the terms "transport control node", "public transport vehicle", "vehicle stop", "delivery information" and "transport route" have been used throughout this disclosure, although any other corresponding entities, functions, and/or
parameters could also be used having the features and characteristics described here. The solution is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1 . A method performed by a transport control node (200) at a first vehicle stop, for transportation of a first package to an addressee, the method comprising:
- receiving (300) the first package from a sender, - identifying (306) a second vehicle stop for delivery of the first package to the addressee, based on delivery information on the first package,
- determining (308) a transport route to be travelled by the first package in order to reach the second vehicle stop,
- identifying (310) a first public transport vehicle driving on a predefined route that includes the first vehicle stop and at least a first part of the transport route, and
- enabling (314) the first package to be loaded on the first public transport vehicle at the first vehicle stop for transportation of the first package on said at least first part of the transport route.
2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the delivery information identifies the second vehicle stop.
3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the delivery information identifies the addressee, and wherein the second vehicle stop is identified as pre-registered for said addressee or as estimated from a home address of the addressee.
4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the delivery information identifies the addressee, and wherein the second vehicle stop is identified as a temporary pick-up point for the first package based on a current location of the addressee.
5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the current location of the addressee has been preregistered or estimated based on recorded habits of the addressee.
6. A method according to any of claims 1 -5, wherein the delivery
information is read by scanning a code on the first package.
7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the scanned code is used for retrieving information related to the addressee from a cloud-based data storage.
8. A method according to any of claims 1 -7, wherein a succession of at least two public transport vehicles (506, 510, 514) is identified for transportation of the first package on the transport route from the first vehicle stop to the second vehicle stop, and wherein the transport route comprises at least one intermediate vehicle stop (504A, 504B) where the first package is to be reloaded from one public transport vehicle to another.
9. A method according to any of claims 1 -8, wherein the transport control node attaches a label to the first package before loading, said label indicating at least one of the transport route and the second vehicle stop.
10. A method according to any of claims 1 -9, the method further comprising sending (312) a notification to the first public transport vehicle to indicate that the package is to be loaded on the first public transport vehicle at the first vehicle stop.
1 1 . A method according to any of claims 1 -10, wherein the transport control node receives (600) a second package from a second public transport vehicle, for delivery of the second package to an addressee of the second package.
12. A method according to claim 1 1 , wherein the transport control node arranges the second package to be picked up (604) by the addressee of the second package at the first vehicle stop, or to be reloaded (608) to a third public transport vehicle for transportation to a third vehicle stop.
13. A method according to claim 1 1 or 12, wherein the transport control node sends (606) a notification to the addressee of the second package to indicate that the second package can be picked up at the first vehicle stop.
14. A transport control node (700) arranged for transportation of a first package to an addressee from a first vehicle stop, the transport control node (700) comprising a processor (P) and a memory (M), said memory comprising
instructions executable by said processor whereby the transport control node (700) is operative to:
- receive (700A) the first package from a sender,
- identify (700B) a second vehicle stop for delivery of the first package to the addressee, based on delivery information on the first package,
- determine (700B) a transport route to be travelled by the first package in order to reach the second vehicle stop,
- identify (700B) a first public transport vehicle driving on a predefined route that includes the first vehicle stop and at least a first part of the transport route, and
- enable (700C) the first package to be loaded on the first public transport vehicle at the first vehicle stop for transportation of the first package on said at least first part of the transport route.
15. A transport control node (700) according to claim 14, wherein the delivery information identifies the second vehicle stop.
16. A transport control node (700) according to claim 14, wherein the delivery information identifies the addressee, and wherein the second vehicle stop is identified as pre-registered for said addressee or as estimated from a home address of the addressee.
17. A transport control node (700) according to claim 14, wherein the delivery information identifies the addressee, and wherein the second vehicle stop is identified as a temporary pick-up point for the first package based on a current location of the addressee.
18. A transport control node (700) according to claim 17, wherein the current location of the addressee has been preregistered or estimated based on recorded habits of the addressee.
19. A transport control node (700) according to any of claims 14-18, wherein the transport control node (700) is configured to read the delivery information by scanning a code on the first package.
20. A transport control node (700) according to claim 19, wherein the transport control node (700) is configured to use the scanned code for retrieving information related to the addressee from a cloud-based data storage.
21 . A transport control node (700) according to any of claims 14-20, wherein the transport control node (700) is configured to identify a succession of at least two public transport vehicles (506, 510, 514) for transportation of the first package on the transport route from the first vehicle stop to the second vehicle stop, and wherein the transport route comprises at least one intermediate vehicle stop (504A, 504B) where the first package is to be reloaded from one public transport vehicle to another.
22. A transport control node (700) according to any of claims 14-21 , wherein the transport control node (700) is configured to attach a label to the first package before loading, said label indicating at least one of the transport route and the second vehicle stop.
23. A transport control node (700) according to any of claims 14-22, wherein the transport control node (700) is configured to send a notification to the first public transport vehicle to indicate that the package is to be loaded on the first public transport vehicle at the first vehicle stop.
24. A transport control node (700) according to any of claims 14-23, wherein the transport control node (700) is configured to receive a second package from a second public transport vehicle, for delivery of the second package to an addressee of the second package.
25. A transport control node (700) according to claim 24, wherein the transport control node (700) is configured to arrange the second package to be picked up by the addressee of the second package at the first vehicle stop, or to be reloaded to a third public transport vehicle for transportation to a third vehicle stop.
26. A transport control node (700) according to claim 24 or 25, wherein the transport control node (700) is configured to send a notification to the addressee of the second package to indicate that the second package can be picked up at the first vehicle stop.
27. A computer program storage product comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 -13.
PCT/EP2015/071346 2015-09-17 2015-09-17 Method and transport control node for transportation of package WO2017045717A1 (en)

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