JP7511835B2 - Delivery management system and delivery management method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a delivery management system and a delivery management method.

Conventionally, when sending small parcels, users would bring the parcel to a convenience store or a parcel company's office, or request the parcel company to collect it. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a parcel collection management system that can check that the parcel does not exceed the load capacity of the transport vehicle at the location where the parcel is to be received by the parcel company, does not burden the parcel company with carrying the parcel to the parcel receiving location, and can also calculate the shipping fee for the ordered parcel.

JP 2011-225313 A

In recent years, there has been a demand among consumers for services that offer low delivery fees, even if delivery takes several days. However, conventional delivery services prioritize speed and set delivery periods to a relatively short period (for example, 1-3 days), so deliveries are made sequentially regardless of the loading rate of trucks, etc., which results in higher delivery fees and makes it impossible to meet such needs.

The present invention aims to provide a delivery management system and delivery management method that can meet the needs of those who want to use a service with low delivery fees even if the delivery takes several days.

The delivery management system of the present invention is a delivery management system that manages the process of delivering a large number of deliveries by delivery means including trucks from a receiving location to a delivery location, and includes a collection processing management means that generates instructions to travel around the receiving locations and deliver the deliveries to a primary storage location, a trunk line transport processing management means that generates instructions to transport the deliveries via trunk line from the primary storage location to a secondary storage location, and a delivery processing management means that generates instructions to deliver the deliveries from the secondary storage location to the delivery location.When a delivery is received at the receiving location, if there are five or more days until the delivery deadline of the delivery, the delivery processing management means prioritizes improving the loading rate of the delivery means and sets the shipping deadline of the delivery from the secondary storage location to the delivery location to the day before or the day of the delivery deadline of the delivery, and the trunk line transport processing management means generates a delivery schedule from the primary storage location to the secondary storage location based on the set shipping deadline of the delivery from the secondary storage location.
In the above-mentioned delivery management system, the delivery processing management means can be configured to obtain a required delivery period, which is the number of days required to deliver a delivery item from the secondary storage location to the delivery location, and to set the shipping deadline date of the delivery item from the secondary storage location to the delivery location to the day the specified delivery days before the delivery deadline date of the delivery item.
In the above delivery management system, the delivery processing management means can be configured to, when the total volume of the deliveries to be delivered to the delivery location on a predetermined shipping deadline date is equal to or less than a predetermined value, deliver the deliveries ahead of the shipping deadline date.
In the above-mentioned delivery management system , the collection processing management means can be configured to identify as a destination location those receiving locations among the destination locations where the total volume or total weight of the delivery items stored therein exceeds a predetermined standard volume or standard weight, and to determine a collection route for the delivery means to travel around the destination locations so as to maximize the volume or weight of the delivery items collected by the delivery means.
In the above-mentioned delivery management system, the trunk line transportation processing management means can be configured to calculate the allowable delivery number of days allowed for delivery from the primary storage location to the secondary storage location based on the arrival deadline date of the delivery item at the primary storage location and the shipping deadline date of the delivery item from the secondary storage location in the trunk line transportation, and to create as the trunk line transportation route the route with the lowest delivery costs among the routes that can deliver from the primary storage location to the secondary storage location within the allowable delivery number of days.
In the above-mentioned delivery management system, a plurality of delivery locations to which deliveries can be made from each secondary storage location are set as delivery areas for each secondary storage location, and the trunk line transportation processing management means can be configured to determine the secondary storage location so that, when the delivery location straddles a plurality of delivery areas, delivery is made from the secondary storage location which offers the lowest delivery costs.
In the above-mentioned delivery management system, a plurality of receiving locations to which deliveries can be made to each primary storage location are set as collection areas for each primary storage location, and the collection processing management means can be configured to determine the primary storage location when the receiving location straddles a plurality of collection areas so that the deliveries are made to the primary storage location with the lowest delivery costs.
In the above-mentioned delivery management system, the receiving locations or the delivery locations can be classified according to ease of access, and the size of deliveries that can be delivered or the available delivery means can be limited for each classified receiving location or delivery location.
The above delivery management system further has a receiving processing management means for, when a delivery item is received at the receiving location, associating the identification number of the delivery item with the identification number of the delivery case containing the delivery item and storing the associated number in a server, and the trunk line transport processing management means can be configured to refer to the server, and, when deliveries to be delivered to different delivery locations or deliveries to be delivered via different base-to-base routes are mixed in the same delivery case, output instructions to the management terminal of the delivery base in the trunk line transport so that the deliveries to be delivered to the same delivery location or deliveries to be delivered via the same base-to-base route are contained in the same delivery case.

The present invention can meet the needs of consumers who want to use a service that offers low delivery fees even if delivery takes several days.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a delivery management method according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a delivery management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a delivery information table according to the embodiment. 11 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a base-to-base route delivery time table according to the embodiment; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a delivery base-specific storage days table according to the embodiment. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a delivery means table according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a delivery itinerary table according to the embodiment; 5 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a delivery freight unit price table according to the embodiment; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a storage location storage unit price table according to the embodiment; FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a receiving location table according to the embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overview of a shipping case according to the present embodiment. 1A to 1C are diagrams showing variations of a shipping case according to the present embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing a receiving process according to the embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing a delivery management process according to the embodiment. 11 is a flowchart showing a delivery management process according to the embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing a collection management process according to the embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing a trunk line transportation management process (part 1) according to the present embodiment. 13 is a flowchart showing a trunk line transportation management process (part 2) according to the present embodiment. 13 is a flowchart showing a trunk line transportation management process (part 3) according to the present embodiment.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a delivery management method according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the delivery management system 1 according to this embodiment performs collection management processing to manage the "collection processing" of visiting receiving locations 2 where deliveries are received from senders and collecting deliveries, trunk line transport management processing to manage the "trunk line transport processing" that performs trunk line transport between logistics centers, etc., and delivery management processing to manage the "delivery processing" that delivers the deliveries to the delivery location 6 where the deliveries are handed over to the recipient.

"Collection processing" is a process in which a delivery vehicle such as a truck travels around a number of receiving locations 2 in a specified area (collection area) to collect deliveries, and delivers the collected deliveries to a primary storage location 3 such as a logistics center that serves as a delivery base for trunk line transportation. The receiving location 2 is a delivery base that receives deliveries from the sender, and is, for example, a newspaper store, a gas station, or a branch of JA (agricultural cooperative). It also includes rental car stores, car sharing parking lots, car dealerships, mobile phone stores, auto repair shops, sports clubs, coin parking lots, parking lots for buildings, and even mass retailers, and other stores that have extra space in the loading platform after the delivery vehicle delivers the deliveries. Logistics centers and logistics warehouses can also be set as the receiving location 2 (the same goes for the delivery location 6 described later). Car sharing parking lots, coin parking lots, and parking lots for buildings are usually unmanned, but by placing delivery lockers, they can be used as the receiving location 2 (or delivery location 6). The collection area is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, the range of the same or neighboring city, ward, town, or village.

The "main line transport process" is a process of transporting a delivery from a primary storage location 3, which is located at a relatively long distance such as between logistics centers, to a secondary storage location 5. In this embodiment, the first delivery base in the main line transport where the delivery collected from the receiving location 2 is first stored is called the primary storage location 3, and the last delivery base in the main line transport where the delivery is shipped to the handover location 6 is called the secondary storage location 5. In addition, the delivery base that serves as a relay base from the primary storage location 3 to the secondary storage location 5 in the main line transport is called the relay storage location 4. The primary storage location 3, the secondary storage location 5, and the relay storage location 4 are delivery bases for main line transport such as logistics centers and logistics warehouses that have a relatively large storage space such as a logistics warehouse and can carry in and out delivery items using large delivery means such as large trucks, and correspond to delivery bases to which delivery items are delivered from multiple areas. The primary storage location 3 can also be configured to serve as the relay storage location 4 or the secondary storage location 5. In addition, pay parking lots and underground parking lots in buildings that are not logistics warehouses can also be used as primary storage locations 3, intermediate storage locations 4, or secondary storage locations 5.

The "delivery process" is a process in which deliveries are shipped from a secondary storage location 5, which is a distribution base for main line transport, and the delivery process travels around a number of delivery locations 6 within a specified area (delivery area) to deliver the deliveries to each delivery location 6. The delivery locations 6 are delivery bases where deliveries are handed over to recipients, and are, for example, like the receiving locations 2, newspaper shops, gas stations, and JA (agricultural cooperative) branches. The delivery area is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, the area of the same or neighboring city, ward, town, or village.

In the present invention, the timing for shipping the delivery item from the secondary storage location 5 is set to the day before the delivery deadline of the delivery item, and a delivery itinerary for the delivery item (delivery schedule and delivery route) is set, so that delivery items can be accumulated as much as possible at each delivery base (receiving location 2, primary storage location 3, intermediate storage location 4, secondary storage location 5, handover location 6), and the loading rate of delivery means such as trucks can be increased, making it possible to provide a cheaper delivery service.
In addition, in the present invention, the delivery means such as trucks that deliver deliveries between the delivery bases 2 to 5 are not limited to trucks arranged exclusively by the delivery company, but also include the free space (free capacity) of trucks arranged by companies that do not specialize in the delivery of deliveries, such as the bed of a truck after delivering newspapers from a printing company to a newspaper delivery office, the bed of a truck after delivering food to a JA, or the bed of a so-called return truck after delivering kerosene to a gas station, making it possible to further reduce transportation costs. In addition, by utilizing not only trucks but also transportation vehicles such as cargo trailers and minivans that are not in operation, it is possible to further reduce transportation costs. The delivery means for delivering from the primary storage location 3 to the secondary storage location 5 is not limited to automobiles such as trucks, cargo trailers, and minivans, and may also be motorcycles, bicycles, freight trains, ships, etc.

"System configuration"
A delivery management system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram of the delivery management system 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, the delivery management system 1 according to this embodiment is composed of a delivery management server 10, a WMS (Warehouse Management System) server 20, a TMS (Transport Management System) server 30, a management terminal 41 and a reading terminal 42 arranged at each of the delivery bases 2 to 5, a user terminal 50 owned by a user, and a delivery case 60 for containing delivery items. Each component will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 2, the delivery management server 10 has a database 11, a computing device 12, a storage device 13, and a communication device 14.

The database 11 stores various tables that store information necessary for the delivery management processing according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the database 11 stores a delivery information table 111, a delivery time table by route between bases 112, a storage period table by delivery base 113, a delivery means table 114, a delivery itinerary table 115, a delivery freight unit price table 116, a storage location storage unit price table 117, and a receiving location table 118.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the delivery information table 111. As shown in Figure 3, the delivery information table 111 stores various information related to the delivery of the delivery, such as the identification information (identification number) of the delivery, the weight of the delivery, the size of the delivery, the name and contact information of the sender, the name and contact information of the recipient, and the delivery location. In this embodiment, the size of the delivery can be the size of the delivery case 60 in which the delivery is stored, and is defined as the number of units of the smallest delivery case 60, as described later. In addition, the delivery information table 111 also stores the delivery status (or the location information of the delivery) indicating which delivery base 2 to 5 the delivery is stored at, or which inter-base route D1 to D10 the delivery is being delivered to. Furthermore, the identification information (identification number) of the delivery case 60 in which the delivery is stored is also stored in the delivery information table 111 in association with each delivery.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the base-to-base route delivery time table 112. As shown in Figure 4, the base-to-base route delivery time table 112 stores the delivery time for each base-to-base route. The base-to-base route is a route between the primary storage location 3, the intermediate storage location 4, and the secondary storage location 5 in the trunk line transportation process, and in the example shown in Figure 1, the base-to-base routes D1 to D10 are illustrated. For example, even if a base-to-base route is delivered from one primary storage location 3b, if the delivery destination is different from the intermediate storage location 4b, the secondary storage location 5b, or the intermediate storage location 4c, there will be multiple base-to-base routes D6, D8, and D9. In addition, the delivery time is the time required for the delivery means (vehicles such as trucks, ships, railways, etc.) to deliver the delivery item via each base-to-base route D1 to D10, and does not include the residence time at each delivery base. For example, if it takes truck T1 one hour to deliver a delivery item along base-to-base route D9, the delivery time for base-to-base route D9 is stored as "one hour" in base-to-base route delivery time table 112, as shown in FIG. 4. In this embodiment, the delivery time for each base-to-base route D1-D10 is checked in advance, and the delivery time for each base-to-base route D1-D10 is stored in advance in base-to-base route delivery time table 112. The delivery time can also be calculated based on the distance of each base-to-base route D1-D10 and the average travel speed of the delivery means that delivers along each base-to-base route D1-D10.

Also, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the distribution base storage days table 113. As shown in FIG. 5, the distribution base storage days table 113 stores the storage days (average storage days) of deliveries for each of the distribution bases 3 to 5 in the trunk line transport process and for each of the base routes D1 to D10. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the storage days of deliveries are stored for each base route, such as the average storage days of deliveries delivered from the primary storage location 3b via the base route D6 being "4 days" and the average storage days of deliveries delivered via the base route D8 being "3 days". In this embodiment, for each of the base routes D1 to D10, actual data on the storage days of deliveries is statistically compiled, and the average, frequent, and median values of the storage days are calculated as the storage days, and are stored in advance in the distribution base storage days table 113. The distribution base storage days table 113 can be configured so that the storage days are periodically updated using the latest actual data.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the delivery means table 114. As shown in Figure 6, the delivery means table 114 stores information on delivery means (for example, vehicles such as trucks, ships, railways, etc.) that can deliver items on each of the base-to-base routes D1 to D10. Note that in the delivery management system 1 according to this embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, there may be multiple delivery means on one base-to-base route.

In addition, the delivery means table 114 can also store information that changes in real time, such as the location information of the delivery means and the free space of the loading platform of the delivery means. For example, when the delivery means is undergoing receiving or shipping procedures at a delivery base, the location of the delivery base can be stored as the location information of the delivery means, and when the delivery means has completed the shipping procedures and is moving along a route between delivery bases, the location indicating the distance between delivery bases along which the delivery means is traveling, such as while traveling along a route between delivery bases, can be stored as the location information of the delivery means in the delivery means table 114. Alternatively, the delivery management server 10 can update the location information of the delivery means in real time in the delivery means table 114 as shown in FIG. 6 by acquiring GPS location information (latitude and longitude information) of the delivery means from an information terminal installed on the delivery means or a mobile terminal carried by the driver of the delivery means via the TMS server 30. In addition, the free space of the delivery means is information on the size (capacity) of the delivery items that the delivery means can deliver, such as the capacity of 6, 12, or 18 items in the smallest delivery case 60. In this embodiment, the TMS server 30 is aware of the delivery status of the delivery means, and from that delivery status, estimates the free space on the delivery means' berth and transmits it to the delivery management server 10, thereby updating the information on the free space on the delivery means berth in the delivery means table 114 in real time.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the delivery itinerary table 115. As shown in Figure 7, the delivery itinerary table 115 stores the delivery deadline date, the arrival deadline date at the primary storage location 3, and the shipping deadline date from the secondary storage location 5 for each delivery and each delivery case 60. The delivery deadline date can be stored by acquiring the date set by the deliverer in the receiving process, and the number of days until the delivery deadline and the receipt date and time may be stored instead of the delivery deadline date. In this embodiment, the arrival deadline date at the primary storage location 3 and the shipping deadline date from the secondary storage location 5 are determined and stored in the delivery itinerary table 115 in the delivery management process and collection management process described later.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the delivery freight unit price table 116. As shown in Figure 8, the delivery freight unit price table 116 stores the standard delivery freight unit price and the actual delivery freight unit price per unit volume and per unit time (for example, per hour) for each vehicle class and delivery zone. Here, vehicle classes include, for example, light trucks, light cargo trailers, minivans, 1 ton trucks, 2 ton trucks, and 4 ton trucks for automobiles. Also, delivery zones include, for example, the Kanto region, the Tokai region, and the Kinki region. Also, as described above, the "unit volume" is the volume of the smallest delivery case 60, and in this embodiment, since an 80-size delivery case 60 is used as the smallest delivery case 60, the volume of an 80-size delivery case 80 is the unit volume. In this way, in this embodiment, the standard delivery freight unit price and the actual delivery freight unit price are determined based on the vehicle class and delivery zone, regardless of the delivery company. The standard delivery freight unit price is a delivery freight unit price calculated based on delivery records over a certain period (e.g., one month), and is stored in advance in the delivery freight unit price table 116 and updated periodically (e.g., once a month). In this embodiment, the delivery management server 10 sequentially acquires delivery records of deliveries, calculates actual delivery freight unit prices per unit volume for each delivery zone from the most recent (e.g., one week) delivery record data, and sequentially updates the actual delivery cost unit price.

Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the storage location storage unit price table 117. As shown in Figure 9, the storage location storage unit price table 117 stores information on the delivery charges per unit volume and per unit time (e.g., per day) for each of the primary storage location 3, intermediate storage location 4, and secondary storage location 5, which are delivery bases in the trunk line transport process.

10 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the receiving location table 118. As shown in FIG. 10, the receiving location table 118 stores the storage margin capacity for each receiving location 2. The storage margin capacity is the capacity of the storage space for the delivery at the receiving location 2, and by referring to the storage margin capacity, the collection management process is performed so that the delivery is collected at the receiving location 2 whose storage margin capacity is equal to or less than a predetermined value. In this embodiment, when the receiving process for the delivery is performed at the receiving location 2, the calculation device 12 shown in FIG. 2 subtracts the storage margin capacity of the receiving location table 118 by the volume of the newly stored delivery, and when the delivery is shipped from the receiving location 2, the calculation device 12 adds the storage margin capacity of the receiving location 2 by the volume of the newly shipped delivery. As a result, the storage margin capacity is updated in real time in the receiving location table 118. In addition, a delivery locker can be used at the receiving location 2, and when a delivery locker is used, the storage capacity is managed for each delivery locker and for each size of the frontage because the size of the frontage of the delivery locker varies depending on the delivery locker.

To perform the delivery management process according to this embodiment, the computing device 12 executes the delivery management program stored in the storage device 13, thereby executing the functions of receipt management, delivery management, collection management, and trunk line transportation management. These functions are described below.

The receipt management function of the computing device 12 shown in FIG. 2 registers information about the delivery in the database 11 when the delivery is received from the sender at the receiving location 2. Specifically, the receipt management function stores the delivery information of the delivery input by the sender from the user terminal 50 in the delivery information table 111. In this embodiment, when the sender delivers the delivery, first, a dedicated program of the user terminal 50 is started, delivery information of the delivery such as the identification number of the delivery, the sender's name and contact information, the recipient's name and contact information, and the delivery location 6 is input, and the delivery information of the delivery is transmitted to the delivery management server 10. As a result, the receipt management function receives the delivery information such as the identification number of the delivery, the sender's name and contact information, the recipient's name and contact information, and the delivery location 6 from the user terminal 50 via the communication device 14, and stores it in the delivery information table 111 of the database 11. In this embodiment, as described later, at the receiving location 2, a delivery case 60 to accommodate the delivery is determined based on the size and weight of the delivery, and the delivery is accommodated in the corresponding delivery case 60. Therefore, when the delivery management server 10 receives identification information of a delivery case 60 containing a delivery item from the management terminal 41, it can store delivery information such as the weight of the delivery item (set as the upper weight limit of the delivery case 60) and the size of the delivery item (how many items it is in the smallest delivery case 60 unit) in the delivery information table 111 of the database 11 based on the size of the delivery case 60.

In this embodiment, when the QR code 61 (registered trademark) or RF tag 62 on the delivery case 60 containing the delivery item is read by the reading terminal 42 during the receiving procedure or shipping procedure at each of the distribution bases 2 to 6, delivery information for updating the delivery status of the delivery item is transmitted from the management terminal 41 of each of the distribution bases 2 to 6 to the delivery management server 10. When the receipt management function receives delivery information indicating the delivery status of the delivery item from the management terminal 41 of each of the distribution bases 2 to 6, it updates the delivery status of the delivery item in the delivery information table 111 to the delivery status of the delivery item received from the management terminal 41 of each of the distribution bases 2 to 6.

The delivery management function of the computing device 12 performs delivery management processing to manage the "delivery processing" in which deliveries are shipped from the secondary storage location 5, which is the last delivery base of the trunk line transport, and the deliveries are delivered to each delivery location 6 by visiting multiple delivery locations 6 within a specified area. Specifically, the delivery management function sets the day before the delivery deadline date of each delivery as the shipping deadline date from the secondary storage location 5, and determines the delivery location 6 to which the delivery is to be delivered as the delivery location 6' (for example, 6a to 6c, 6e to 6g, 6i, and 6j shown in white among the delivery locations 6a to 6h shown in Figure 1) so that the load capacity of the delivery means performing the delivery is maximized. The delivery management function then creates a route that travels around the determined delivery locations 6' as a delivery route, and issues delivery instructions to the delivery company, shipping instructions to the secondary storage location 5, and receiving instructions to the delivery location 6'. The delivery management processing by the delivery management function will be described in detail later.

The collection management function of the computing device 12 performs collection management processing to manage the "collection processing" in which a delivery means such as a truck travels around a plurality of receiving locations 2 in a predetermined area to collect deliveries, and delivers the collected deliveries to a primary storage location 3, which is a delivery base for main line transportation. Specifically, the collection management function specifies a receiving location 2 where the total volume of the deliveries stored is equal to or greater than a predetermined volume as a route location 2' (for example, 2c, 2d, 2f-2h, and 2j-2l shown in white among receiving locations 2a-2m shown in FIG. 1). The collection management function then determines a collection route for the deliveries based on the delivery deadline of each deliveries so as to maximize the load capacity of the delivery means travelling around the route location 2', and issues collection instructions to the delivery company, shipping instructions to the receiving location 2, and receiving instructions to the primary storage location 3. Details of the collection management processing by the collection management function will be described later.

The trunk line transportation management function of the computing device 12 performs trunk line transportation management processing that manages "trunk line transportation processing" in which deliveries are transported via trunk line from the primary storage location 3, which is located at a relatively long distance, to the secondary storage location 5. Specifically, the trunk line transportation management function calculates the allowable number of days for delivery in trunk line transportation from the shipping deadline date for the delivery to the primary storage location 3 and the shipping deadline date for the secondary storage location 5. The trunk line transportation management function then determines the delivery route that provides the lowest unit price for delivery cost, which is the sum of the storage cost at the relay storage location 4 and the transportation cost for the route between bases, within the allowable number of days for delivery as the main transportation route, and issues trunk line transportation instructions to the delivery company, shipping instructions to the primary storage location 3 and the relay storage location 4, and receiving instructions to the relay storage location 4 and the secondary storage location 5. The above-mentioned "delivery route with the lowest unit delivery cost" can be calculated as the total of the transportation cost and management cost for each route based on the transportation cost of the route between each delivery base, which is determined in advance. In this embodiment, however, a configuration is illustrated in which the route with the largest volume of cargo (lowest transportation cost per item) in the most recent period (e.g., one week, which varies depending on the type of business (e.g., B2B may be longer than one week)) is selected based on the actual data on the volume of cargo on the route between bases. Details of the trunk line transportation management process using the trunk line transportation management function will be described later.

Next, the WMS server 20 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the WMS server 20 has a calculation device 21, a storage device 22, and a communication device 23, and executes the warehouse management program stored in the storage device 22 by the calculation device 21, thereby performing the warehouse management process described below.

For example, in the delivery management process, collection management process, and trunk line transportation management process, the delivery management server 10 sends shipping instructions and receiving instructions to the WMS server 20, including information on the delivery item to be shipped, information on the delivery base of the sender, and information on the delivery base of the destination. The WMS server 20 receives shipping instructions for the delivery base of the sender and receiving instructions for the delivery base of the destination from the delivery management server 10 via the communication device 23, and sends shipping instructions to a management terminal 41 deployed at the delivery base of the sender, and also sends receiving instructions to a management terminal 41 deployed at the delivery base of the destination, as shown in FIG. 2. As a result, the delivery procedure is carried out at the delivery base of the sender, and the receiving procedure is carried out at the delivery base of the destination.

Next, the TMS server 30 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the TMS server 30 has a calculation device 31, a storage device 32, and a communication device 33. The TMS server 30 also executes the transportation and delivery management program stored in the storage device 32 with the calculation device 31, thereby executing the transportation and delivery management process described below.

For example, in the delivery management process, collection management process, and trunk line transportation management process, the delivery management server 10 transmits delivery instructions (delivery instructions, collection instructions, or trunk line transportation instructions) for the delivery item to the TMS server 30, including information on the delivery item to be shipped, information on the delivery base of the shipping source, information on the delivery base of the shipping destination, information on the delivery route for delivering the delivery item, or information on the delivery means capable of delivering the delivery item. When the TMS server 30 receives a delivery instruction from the delivery management server 10, it identifies a delivery means capable of delivering the delivery item based on the delivery instruction, and issues a delivery instruction to the delivery means so that the delivery means delivers the delivery item. In this embodiment, an information terminal is installed in the delivery means, or the driver of the delivery means has a mobile terminal, and by transmitting transportation information from the TMS server 30 to the information terminal of the delivery means or the mobile terminal of the driver, each delivery means can perform transportation and delivery procedures (collection of the delivery item at the delivery base of the shipping source, delivery of the delivery item on the route between bases, and handover of the delivery item at the delivery base of the shipping destination). In addition, the TMS server 30 can send information such as the scheduled delivery date and the total amount of deliveries to the server or computer of the delivery company to perform delivery matching. In delivery matching, vehicles can be prioritized based on factors such as safe driving and on-time delivery, and routes can be allocated preferentially to vehicles with higher priorities.

Next, the management terminal 41 and the reading terminal 42 according to this embodiment will be described. In the delivery management system 1, the management terminal 41 and the reading terminal 42 are provided at each of the delivery bases 2 to 6. The management terminal 41 and the reading terminal 42 are connected by wire or wirelessly, and information read by the reading terminal 42 is transmitted to the management terminal 41. The management terminal 41 is also connected to the delivery management server 10 via an electric communication line, and is capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the delivery management server 10. For example, when the sender brings the delivery to the receiving location 2, the reading terminal 42 at the receiving location 2 reads the identification information of the delivery (for example, an identification number) and transmits it to the management terminal 41. As a result, the management terminal 41 transmits the identification information of the delivery and information indicating the delivery status of the delivery, "being stored at receiving location 2", to the delivery management server 10. As a result, the delivery status of the delivery is updated to "being stored at receiving location 2" in the delivery information table 111 of the delivery management server 10. The information read by the reading terminal 42 can also be configured to be sent directly to the delivery management server 10.

At the receiving location 2, the delivery item is stored in a delivery case 60. As shown in FIG. 11, a QR code 61 and an RF tag 62 storing the identification information of the delivery case 60 are attached to the delivery case 60, and the delivery item B can be associated with the delivery case 60. That is, the management terminal 41 can associate the identification information of the delivery case 60 storing the delivery item stored in the QR code 61 or the RF tag 62 with the identification information of the delivery item and transmit it to the delivery management server 10, and the identification information of the delivery item is also stored as the delivery information of the delivery item in the delivery information table 111. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an overview of the delivery case 60 according to this embodiment. As described above, a delivery box may be installed at the receiving location 2, and the delivery item may be received in the delivery box.

The reading terminal 42 is a device for reading the QR code 61 and/or the RF tag 62, and can read the QR code 61 and/or the RF tag 62 without contact. By setting the reading range of the reading terminal 42 to several to several tens of meters, the reading terminal 42 can read the identification information of multiple delivery cases 60 at once. In this embodiment, a terminal capable of reading both the QR code 61 and the RF tag 62 is exemplified as the reading terminal 42, but this configuration is not limited to this, and a configuration using a reading terminal 42 for reading the QR code 61 and a reading terminal 42 for reading the RF tag 62 may be used. The reading terminal 42 may also be configured using a smartphone. For example, by attaching an attachment for reading the RF tag 62 to a smartphone capable of reading the QR code 61 with a camera, the smartphone can be used as the reading terminal 42 capable of reading the QR code 61 and the RF tag 62. The reading terminal 42 may be a handheld terminal device, or may be a terminal device fixed to, for example, the top of a conveyor along which the delivery case 60 is transported.

The management terminal 41 of each of the distribution bases 2 to 6 receives the receiving instruction and the shipping instruction of the delivery item from the WMS server 20. Based on the received receiving instruction and the shipping instruction, each of the distribution bases 2 to 5 performs the receiving procedure of receiving the delivery item delivered by the delivery means at the distribution base, and the shipping procedure of handing over the delivery item to the delivery means. In this embodiment, when performing the receiving procedure, the identification information of the delivery case 60 that contains the delivery item to be received is read all at once by the reading terminal 42. The management terminal 41 can sort the received delivery items by the inter-base route by receiving the delivery information of each delivery item from the delivery management server 10 based on the acquired identification information of the delivery case 60. In addition, the management terminal 41 can update the delivery status of the delivery item stored in the delivery information table 111, for example, from "moving along the inter-base route D8" to "storing in the secondary storage location 5b", by transmitting the identification information of the delivery case 60 to the delivery management server 10. Similarly, when carrying out the shipping procedure, the identification information of the delivery cases 60 that contain the delivery items to be shipped is simultaneously read by the reading terminal 42. This allows the management terminal 41 to send the identification information of the delivery cases 60 to the delivery management server 10, thereby updating the delivery status of the delivery items stored in the delivery information table 111, for example, from "stored in primary storage location 3b" to "in transit between bases D8", etc.

Next, the user terminal 50 according to this embodiment will be described. The user terminal 50 is an information terminal owned by the sender and the recipient, and may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet, or a personal computer. The user terminal 50 can communicate with the delivery management server 10 via an electric communication line, and can transmit the delivery information of the delivery to the delivery management server 10 by inputting the delivery information of the delivery on the user terminal 50. The user terminal 50 can also receive a receipt notification of the delivery, a shipping notification to the delivery location of the delivery, or an arrival notification from the delivery management server 10. The user terminal 50 can be configured to input the delivery information of the delivery and transmit it to the delivery management server 10 by installing a program dedicated to delivery management processing and starting the program, or to input the delivery information of the delivery on the web browser on the user terminal 50 and transmit the delivery information of the delivery to the delivery management server 10. The user terminal 50 can also have a function of paying the cost related to the delivery by the delivery management system 1 according to this embodiment.

The delivery case 60 is a dedicated packaging material for containing the delivery item when the delivery item is delivered, and is used repeatedly. As shown in FIG. 11, a QR code 61 is drawn on the outer surface of the delivery case 60, and the QR code 61 can be read by the reading terminal 42. Also, as shown in FIG. 11, an RF tag 62 is attached to the delivery case 60, and the information stored in the RF tag 62 can be read by the reading terminal 42. The QR code 61 and the RF tag 62 store identification information of the delivery case 60, and the reading terminal 42 can obtain the identification information of the delivery case 60 by reading the QR code 61 and the RF tag 62. Therefore, by containing the delivery item in the delivery case 60, it becomes possible to identify the delivery item by the delivery case 60. The identification information of the delivery case 60 read by the reading terminal 42 is transmitted to the delivery management server 10 via the management terminal 41 and stored in the delivery information table 111 in association with the delivery information of the delivery item contained in the delivery case 60.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 12, a number of different sizes of delivery cases 60 are used. Here, Figure 12 (A) shows a size 80 delivery case, the smallest of the delivery cases 60 according to this embodiment, with a total height, width and depth of approximately 80 cm. Also, in Figure 12, (B) shows a size 100 delivery case 60 (with a total height, width and depth of approximately 100 cm), which is large enough to hold two size 80 delivery cases 60. Similarly, (C) is a 120 size (height, width, and depth total of about 120 cm) delivery case 60 large enough to hold four 80 size delivery cases 60, (D) is a 140 size (height, width, and depth total of about 140 cm) delivery case 60 large enough to hold eight 80 size delivery cases 60, and (E) is a 160 size (height, width, and depth total of about 160 cm) delivery case 60 large enough to hold 16 80 size delivery cases 60. In this embodiment, the capacity of the 80 size delivery case 60 shown in FIG. 12(A) is the smallest unit capacity standard. The 80 size delivery case 60 can be partitioned internally, making it possible to store multiple small products.

In this embodiment, in principle, a delivery item that can be put into a 60-size delivery case 60 is delivered in the 60-size delivery case 60, and a delivery item that cannot be accommodated in the 60-size delivery case 60 is accommodated in the delivery case 60 with the smallest capacity that can accommodate the delivery item. In addition, in this embodiment, an upper limit value for the weight of the delivery item that can be accommodated is set for each delivery case 60. For example, 2 kg for a 60-size delivery case 60, 5 kg for an 80-size delivery case 60, and 10 kg for a 100-size delivery case 60. As a result, even if a delivery item has a capacity that can be accommodated in a 60-size delivery case 60, if its weight is 3 kg, it will exceed the weight upper limit value of the 60-size delivery case 60, so the delivery item will be accommodated in the 80-size delivery case 60. By setting an upper limit value for the weight of the delivery item that can be accommodated for each size of the delivery case 60 in this way, it is possible to effectively prevent the delivery means that transports the delivery item from being overloaded.

Next, the processing of the delivery management system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 13 to 19. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing the delivery receipt processing, and Figs. 14 to 19 are flowcharts showing the delivery management processing.

First, the receiving process shown in FIG. 13 will be described. The receiving process shown in FIG. 13 is executed when the delivery is received from the sender at the receiving location 2. First, in step S101, the delivery information of the delivery is input by the user terminal 50. For example, the sender can input the delivery information required for the delivery of the delivery from the user terminal 50 by installing a dedicated program in advance in the user terminal 50 and starting the dedicated program. The delivery information input at the user terminal 50 includes the identification number of the delivery, the receiving location 2, the delivery location 6, the sender's name and contact information, the recipient's name and contact information, etc. The delivery information of the delivery input at the user terminal 50 is transmitted to the delivery management server 10 via an electric communication line and stored in the delivery information table 111 of the database 11. In addition, in this embodiment, in order to facilitate the receiving process of the delivery at the receiving location 2, the identification number of the delivery is stored in the user terminal 50 to identify the delivery information of the delivery stored in the delivery management server 10. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the delivery information of the delivery item can include delivery information such as the delivery deadline date, the number of days until the delivery deadline, and the date and time when the delivery item was received at the receiving location 2, and this delivery information can also be stored in the delivery itinerary table 115. Then, after the delivery information of the delivery item is registered in the database 11, the delivery person brings the delivery item to the nearest receiving location 2, and the process proceeds to step S102. Note that the number of days until the delivery deadline (initial number of days until the delivery deadline) is not particularly limited, but since the delivery management system 1 according to this embodiment meets the needs of those who want to use a service with low delivery fees even if it takes a long time for delivery, the number of days until the delivery deadline is set to 3 days or more, preferably 5 days or more, and more preferably 10 days or more.

In step S102, the reading terminal 42 at the receiving location 2 reads the delivery information of the delivery. For example, in this embodiment, the identification information of the delivery is stored in the sender's user terminal 50, and the identification information of the delivery can be displayed on the display of the user terminal 50 in the form of, for example, a QR code. In this case, the reading terminal 42 obtains the identification information of the delivery by scanning the QR code displayed on the display of the user terminal 50, and transmits it to the management terminal 41. The management terminal 41 can obtain the delivery information of the delivery based on the identification information of the delivery by accessing the delivery management server 10. In addition, at the receiving location 2, a delivery case 60 that will accommodate the delivery is determined based on the weight and size of the delivery. Specifically, the smallest size delivery case 60 among the delivery cases 60 that has a capacity that can accommodate the delivery and whose weight does not exceed the upper weight limit is determined as the delivery case 60 corresponding to the delivery. As a result, the management terminal 41 transmits identification information of the delivery case 60 that contains the delivery item to the delivery management server 10, and the delivery management server 10 stores delivery information such as the weight and size of the delivery item (how many items fit into the smallest delivery case 60 unit) in the delivery information table 111 based on the size of the delivery case 60.

In step S103, the delivery management server 10 uses its receipt management function to associate the identification information of the delivery item with the identification information of the delivery case 60 that contains the delivery item. The delivery case 60 has a QR code 61 attached to it, and the management terminal 41 can obtain the identification information of the delivery case 60 by reading the QR code 61 attached to the delivery case 60 that contains the delivery item using the reading terminal 42. The management terminal 41 then associates the identification information of the delivery item obtained in step S102 with the identification information of the delivery case 60 obtained in step S103, and transmits them to the delivery management server 10. As a result, the delivery management server 10 associates the identification information of the delivery case 60 that contains the delivery item with the delivery information of the delivery item and stores them in the delivery information table 111. In the following step S104, the delivery management server 10 updates the delivery status of the delivery item in the delivery information table 111 to "kept at receiving location 2".

As described above, the receiving process according to this embodiment is performed. Next, the delivery management process according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 14. As shown in FIG. 14, the delivery management process according to this embodiment executes a delivery management process that manages a "delivery process" for delivering the delivery item to the handover location 6, a collection management process that manages a "collection process" for collecting the delivery item from the receiving location 2, and a trunk transport management process that manages a "trunk transport process" for transporting the delivery item along a trunk line from the primary storage location 3 to the secondary storage location 5. In this embodiment, the processes are performed in the order of the delivery management process, the collection management process, and the trunk transport management process, but the order of the delivery management process and the collection management process may be reversed. In addition, the delivery management process according to this embodiment can be repeatedly performed at regular intervals (for example, once a day).

As shown in FIG. 14, in the delivery management process according to this embodiment, first, a delivery management process (step S2) is performed to manage the "delivery process" of delivering the delivery item to the delivery location 6. Here, FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the delivery management process shown in step S2.

As shown in FIG. 15, first, in step S201, the delivery deadline date of each delivery item is obtained by the delivery management function of the delivery management server 10. For example, in the receiving process shown in FIG. 13, if the delivery deadline date is stored in the delivery itinerary table 115 as the delivery information of the delivery item, the delivery management function can refer to the delivery information table 111 to obtain the delivery deadline date of each delivery item. Also, if the delivery deadline number of days and the receipt date and time when the delivery item was received from the sender at the receiving location 2 are stored in the delivery information table 111 as the delivery information of the delivery item, the delivery management function can calculate and obtain the delivery deadline date of each delivery item based on the delivery deadline number of days and the receipt date and time of each delivery item.

In step S202, the delivery management function performs a process of setting the day before the delivery deadline of each delivery item as the shipping deadline of the delivery item from the secondary storage location 5. For example, if the delivery deadline of the delivery item obtained in step S201 is December 10, the delivery management function sets the previous day, December 9, as the shipping deadline for shipping the delivery item from the secondary storage location 5. In addition, in this embodiment, the configuration is exemplified in which the day before the delivery deadline is set as the shipping deadline of the delivery item from the secondary storage location 5, but it is also possible to obtain in advance the number of delivery days required for delivery from the secondary storage location 5 to the delivery location 6, and set the day before the delivery deadline by that number of delivery days as the shipping deadline from the secondary storage location 5.

Then, in step S203, the delivery management function creates a delivery route for each delivery from the secondary storage location 5 to the delivery location 6 for each shipping deadline date based on the shipping deadline date from the secondary storage location 5 for each delivery set in step S202. Specifically, the delivery management function identifies the delivery location 6 to which the delivery is to be delivered on the shipping deadline date as the delivery location 6' for each shipping deadline date. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the delivery location 6 set as the delivery location 6' is displayed in white, and the delivery location 6 not set as the delivery location 6' is displayed in gray. Then, the delivery management function sets a delivery route that travels around the delivery locations 6' as the delivery route so that the loading rate of the delivery means is maximized for each shipping deadline date. For example, when creating a delivery route for December 10th, the delivery management function first identifies the delivery location 6 to which the delivery is to be delivered for which December 10th is set as the shipping deadline date from the secondary storage location 5 in step S202. The delivery management function can set a delivery route that travels around the delivery location 6' so as to maximize the loading rate of the delivery means, for example by setting the basic delivery pattern disclosed in JP 2017-091409 A and rearranging the basic delivery route using dynamic routing.

In this embodiment, for each of the secondary storage locations 5a and 5b, secondary storage locations 6a and 6b are specified to deliver the deliveries to the respective delivery locations 6a to 6k. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 1, multiple delivery locations 6a to 6e to which deliveries are delivered from the secondary storage location 5a are specified as the delivery area of the secondary storage location 6a, and multiple delivery locations 6e to 6k to which deliveries are delivered from the secondary storage location 5b are specified as the delivery area of the secondary storage location 5b. In addition, as in the case of the delivery location 6e shown in FIG. 1, a delivery location 6 may be set across two delivery areas. Therefore, in step S204, the delivery management function determines whether there is a delivery location 6' whose delivery area overlaps. If there is no delivery location 6' whose delivery area overlaps, the process proceeds to step S206 to deliver the deliveries via the delivery route determined in step S203. On the other hand, if there is a delivery location 6' whose delivery area overlaps, the process proceeds to step S205.

In step S205, the delivery management function performs processing to determine from which secondary storage location 5 the delivery will be made for the delivery location 6' with overlapping delivery areas. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 1, when the delivery location 6e is identified as the delivery location 6', the delivery management function determines whether to deliver the delivery from the secondary storage location 5a to the delivery location 6e or from the secondary storage location 5b to the delivery location 6e based on the delivery cost (total cost), which is the sum of the transportation cost and the storage cost. That is, when the delivery cost is cheaper to deliver the delivery from the secondary storage location 5a to the delivery location 6e, the delivery management function sets the secondary storage location 5a as the secondary storage location 5 that is the delivery source of the delivery, and when the delivery cost is cheaper to deliver the delivery from the secondary storage location 5b to the delivery location 6e, the delivery management function sets the secondary storage location 5b as the secondary storage location 5 that is the delivery source of the delivery. The delivery cost (as well as the transportation cost and management cost) can be calculated in the same way as the delivery cost is calculated in the trunk line transportation management process (step S408) described below. For example, the delivery cost for each secondary storage location 5 can be calculated by referring to the delivery freight unit price table 116 and the storage location storage unit price table 117 and calculating the storage cost for each secondary storage location 5 and the transportation cost for each secondary storage location 5.

In step S206, the delivery management function stores the shipping deadline date of the delivery item set in step S203 or step S205 in the delivery itinerary table 115. This makes it possible to obtain the shipping deadline date of the delivery item from the secondary storage location 5 when setting the trunk transport route of the delivery item in the trunk transport management process described below.

In step S207, the delivery management function issues delivery instructions to the delivery company. Specifically, the delivery management function transmits delivery information, such as the delivery route for each shipping deadline, the total volume of deliveries to be delivered along the delivery route, and the delivery location 6' where each deliveries will be handed over, to the TMS server 30. The TMS server 30 also transmits this delivery information to delivery companies that operate delivery means such as trucks (for example, delivery-only companies participating in the delivery management system 1 according to this embodiment, and companies that deliver goods to newspaper delivery offices, JAs, gas stations, etc.). As a result, each delivery company can determine, based on the received delivery information, which delivery route to use and how much volume of deliveries to deliver for each shipping deadline, and can prepare for the dispatch of delivery means and the like required for the delivery of the deliveries. The delivery management system 1 can also be configured to give delivery instructions only for deliveries on the current day or the next day, but in the delivery management process according to this embodiment, the shipping deadline date and delivery route for the delivery from the secondary storage location 5 can be determined to some extent at the time the delivery is received at the receiving location 2, so it is preferable to provide the delivery company with delivery information for deliveries three or more days, more preferably five or more days, in consideration of the vehicle dispatch preparation period of each delivery company, so that the delivery company can prepare for vehicle dispatch with plenty of time.

In step S208, the delivery management function issues a shipping instruction to the secondary storage location 5 for the delivery of the delivery. Specifically, the delivery management function transmits delivery information, such as the shipping deadline date of each delivery and the delivery location 6' to which each delivery is to be handed over, to the management terminal 41 of the secondary storage location 5 via the WMS server 20. As a result, the delivery is prepared for shipping at the secondary storage location 5 so that the delivery can be shipped on the shipping deadline date. Similarly, in step S209, the delivery management function transmits delivery information, such as information on the delivery to be handed over at the delivery location 6' and the date and time of delivery to the delivery location 6', to the management terminal 41 arranged at the delivery location 6 via the WMS server 20. As a result, the delivery receipt procedure is carried out so that the delivery can be received at the delivery location 6' on the scheduled delivery date of the delivery. In this way, the delivery management process of step S2 shown in FIG. 15 is carried out.

Next, we will explain the collection management process (step S3 in FIG. 14) that manages the "collection process" of collecting the delivery from the receiving location 2. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the collection and delivery management process shown in step S3.

In step S301, first, the collection management function obtains the storage margin capacity (the margin capacity in which deliveries can be stored at the receiving location 2) for each receiving location 2. In this embodiment, when the delivery status of a delivery is updated to being stored at the receiving location 2 in the receiving process shown in FIG. 13, the storage margin capacity of the receiving location 2 is subtracted by the volume of the newly stored delivery in the receiving location table 118, and when a delivery is shipped from the receiving location 2 based on a shipping instruction described below, the storage margin capacity of the receiving location 2 is added by the volume of the newly shipped delivery. In this way, the collection management function can obtain the latest storage margin capacity at each receiving location 2 by referring to the receiving location table 118.

In step S302, the collection management function identifies the receiving locations 2 whose storage capacity is equal to or less than a predetermined value as the round locations 2' based on the storage capacity of each receiving location 2 acquired in step S301. Here, the predetermined value may be a certain capacity (e.g., four 60-size delivery cases 60), or a predetermined percentage (e.g., 20%) of the storage capacity of the receiving location 2 (the capacity that can be stored when nothing is stored). In receiving locations 2 whose storage capacity is equal to or less than a predetermined value, there is a risk that new deliveries will not be received unless the deliveries are shipped to the primary storage location 3, so the receiving locations 2 are set as round locations 2' where the delivery means will round to collect deliveries. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the receiving locations 2 set as the round locations 2' are displayed in white, and the receiving locations 2 that were not set as the round locations 2' are displayed in gray.

In step S303, the collection management function sets a collection route that visits the patrol locations 2' set in step S302. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the receiving locations 2 that are relatively close to each other are grouped by area, and the collection management function can set a route that visits the patrol locations 2' that belong to the same area among the patrol locations 2' set in step S302 as a collection route. The method of setting a route to visit patrol locations in the same area is not particularly limited, but for example, a collection route can be set by setting a basic delivery pattern and dynamic routing disclosed in JP 2017-091409 A, similar to the delivery process. This allows the delivery company to collect the delivery based on the collection route. In addition, in a manned receiving location 2, the delivery item is placed in a delivery case 60 by an employee of the receiving location 2, but if the receiving location 2 is an unmanned delivery base using a parcel locker, the delivery company can bring in a delivery case 60 and place the delivery item in the delivery case 60. In this case, information about the size of the entrance to the delivery locker used is sent to the delivery company in advance as delivery information, and the delivery company can bring in a delivery case 60 that matches the size of the entrance to the delivery locker.

In this embodiment, the primary storage locations 3a and 3b to which the deliveries collected at the receiving locations 2a to 2m are delivered are specified for each of the primary storage locations 3a and 3b. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the multiple receiving locations 2a to 2f to which the deliveries are delivered to the primary storage location 3a are specified as the collection area of the primary storage location 3a, and the multiple receiving locations 2f to 2m to which the deliveries are delivered to the primary storage location 3b are specified as the collection area of the primary storage location 3b. In addition, as in the case of the receiving location 2f shown in FIG. 1, the receiving location 2 may be set across two collection areas. Therefore, in step S304, the collection management function determines whether or not there is a route location 2' whose collection area overlaps. If there is no route location 2' whose collection area overlaps, the process proceeds to step S306 to collect the deliveries using the collection route determined in step S303. On the other hand, if there is a collection location 2' whose collection area overlaps, the process proceeds to step S305.

In step S305, the collection management function performs processing to determine which primary storage location 3 to deliver to for the round locations 2' with overlapping collection areas. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 1, when the receiving location 2f is identified as the round location 2', the collection management function determines whether to deliver the delivery from the receiving location 2f to the primary storage location 3a or to the primary storage location 3b from the receiving location 2f based on the delivery cost (total cost), which is the sum of the transportation cost and the storage cost. That is, when the delivery cost is cheaper to deliver the delivery from the receiving location 2f to the primary storage location 3a, the delivery management function sets the primary storage location 3a as the primary storage location 3 that is the delivery source of the delivery, and when the delivery cost is cheaper to deliver the delivery from the receiving location 2f to the primary storage location 3b, the delivery management function sets the primary storage location 3b as the primary storage location 3 that is the delivery source of the delivery. The delivery cost (as well as the transportation cost and management cost) can be calculated in the same way as the delivery cost is calculated in the trunk line transportation management process (step S408) described below. For example, the delivery cost for each primary storage location 3 can be calculated by referring to the delivery freight unit price table 116 and the storage location storage unit price table 117 and calculating the storage cost for each primary storage location 3 and the transportation cost for each primary storage location 3.

The collection management function can also refer to the delivery means table 114 and set a collection route for circulating the patrol location 2' based on the number of delivery means that can circulate around the patrol location 2', the volume of deliveries that each delivery means can collect (free space in the loading platform for each delivery), and the time that each delivery means can collect (operating time). For example, if the free space in the loading platform of the delivery means is small compared to the total volume of deliveries to be collected at all patrol locations 2' in the area, one delivery means cannot collect deliveries from all patrol locations. Therefore, in such a case, it is preferable to configure the system so that multiple delivery means are dispatched to the same area and each delivery means sets a collection route for collection. The collection management function can also calculate the total volume of deliveries to be collected along the set collection route and the time required for collection (operating time) in order to notify the delivery company that requests collection.

In step S306, the collection management function stores the arrival deadline date of the delivery item at the primary storage location 3 in the delivery itinerary table 115. When the collection route is set in step S303, the arrival deadline date for each delivery item at the primary storage location 3 is determined. The collection management function stores the determined arrival deadline date in the delivery itinerary table 115. This makes it possible to obtain the arrival deadline date for the delivery item at the primary storage location 3 when setting the trunk transport route for the delivery item in the trunk transport management process described below.

In step S307, the collection management function issues a collection instruction to the delivery company to collect the deliveries along the collection route set in step S303. Specifically, the collection management function transmits information such as the number of delivery means for collecting deliveries by patrolling the patrol location 2' in each area, the collection route of each delivery means, the number (volume) of deliveries to be collected, and the time required for collection to the TMS server 30. As a result, the TMS server 30 transmits this information to delivery companies that operate vehicle dispatching means (for example, delivery-only companies participating in the delivery management system 1 according to this embodiment, and delivery companies that deliver goods to newspaper delivery offices, JA, gas stations, etc.), so that each delivery company prepares the necessary vehicle dispatching means, etc. In this embodiment, the delivery management system 1 can be configured to issue a collection instruction for collection on the day, but it is preferable to provide information about collection 1 to 3 days later, taking into account the vehicle dispatch preparation period of each delivery company.

In step S308, the collection management function issues a shipping instruction for the receiving location 2 to the delivery location. Specifically, the collection management function transmits collection information, such as the scheduled collection date for each delivery and the round location 2' that will receive each delivery, to the management terminal 41 of the receiving location 2 via the WMS server 20. As a result, the delivery is prepared so that the delivery can be shipped on the scheduled collection date at the receiving location 2. Similarly, in step S309, the collection management function transmits information about the delivery to be received at the primary storage location 3, the arrival deadline date for the delivery at the primary storage location 3, and other information to the management terminal 41 arranged at the primary storage location 3 via the WMS server 20. As a result, the delivery procedure is carried out so that the delivery can be received at the primary storage location 3 on the arrival deadline date for the delivery. In this way, the collection management process of step S3 shown in FIG. 16 is carried out.

Next, we will explain the trunk line transportation management process (step S4 in FIG. 14) that manages the "trunk line transportation process" that transports deliveries via trunk line from the primary storage location 3 to the secondary storage location 5. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the trunk line transportation management process shown in step S4.

First, in step S401, the trunk line transportation management function of the delivery management server 10 calculates the total volume of deliveries for each of the delivery bases 3 to 5 and each of the inter-base routes D1 to D10 in the trunk line transportation. For example, the trunk line transportation management function identifies the inter-base route that the deliveries will take on the trunk line transportation based on delivery information such as the receiving location, handover location, and delivery status (the delivery base where the deliveries are stored) stored in the delivery information table 111. The trunk line transportation management function then divides the deliveries by inter-base route, and calculates the total volume of the deliveries for each inter-base route based on delivery information such as the volume of each deliveries.

In FIG. 2, when a delivery item is delivered from the receiving location 2k to the delivery location 6j, trunk transport is performed from the primary storage location 3b to the secondary storage location 5b. In this case, the trunk transport routes that the delivery item passes through include: (1) a route that passes only the inter-base route D8, which moves the delivery item directly from the primary storage location 3b to the secondary storage location 5b; (2) a route that passes only the inter-base routes D6 and D7, which moves the delivery item from the primary storage location 3b to the secondary storage location 5b via the intermediate storage location 4b; and (3) a route that passes only the inter-base routes D9 and D10, which moves the delivery item from the primary storage location 3b to the secondary storage location 5b via the intermediate storage location 4c. In this case, the trunk transport management function calculates the total volume of the delivery item on each of the inter-base routes D1 to D10, assuming that the delivery item is delivered via any of the trunk transport routes. Also, if the delivery item is stored in the intermediate storage location 4c based on the delivery status of the delivery item, the inter-base route that the delivery item passes through is specified to be only the inter-base route D10.

In step S402, the trunk line transportation management function acquires the delivery time for each inter-base route. In this embodiment, the trunk line transportation management function can acquire the delivery time for each inter-base route by referring to the inter-base route delivery time table 112. In addition, in step S403, the trunk line transportation management function acquires the number of storage days at each distribution base. The trunk line transportation management function can acquire the number of storage days at each distribution base for the trunk line transportation by referring to the distribution base storage days table 113.

In step S404, the trunk line transportation management function obtains the delivery fare (charter fee) of the delivery means for each base-to-base route. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the delivery fare unit price table 116 prestores the actual delivery fare unit price (charter fee per unit capacity and per unit time) by vehicle type and delivery zone for each base-to-base route, and the trunk line transportation management function can obtain the most recent actual delivery fare unit price for each base-to-base route of each delivery means by referring to the delivery fare unit price table 116.

In step S405, the trunk line transportation management function calculates the transportation cost per unit volume of the delivery item for each base-to-base route. Specifically, the trunk line transportation management function can calculate the transportation cost per unit volume of the delivery item for each base-to-base route by multiplying the most recent actual delivery freight unit price of each delivery means for each base-to-base route acquired in step S404 by the delivery time (travel time) for each base-to-base route. The delivery time for each base-to-base route can be checked in advance and stored in the database 11 or the like. For example, in the example shown in Figures 1 and 4, when determining the transportation cost for the base-to-base route D8, the trunk line transportation management function first refers to the delivery means 114 in Figure 6 to detect a delivery means that can be delivered on the base-to-base route D8. For example, if a 4-ton truck is available for the base-to-base route D8 and the base-to-base route D8 is in the Kanto region, the trunk line transportation management function next refers to the delivery freight unit price table 116 in Figure 8 to determine that the actual delivery freight unit price for the 4-ton truck for the base-to-base route D8 is 18 yen. Furthermore, if the delivery time on the base-to-base route D8 is 5 hours, the trunk line transportation management function can calculate the transportation cost per unit volume of the delivery item on the base-to-base route D8 as 90 yen (5 hours x 18 yen). Similarly, the trunk line transportation management function calculates the transportation cost per unit volume for other delivery means. If there are different types of delivery means on the base-to-base route and the actual delivery freight rate varies depending on the type of vehicle, the trunk line transportation management function can be configured to preferentially use the type of vehicle with the lowest actual delivery freight rate.

In addition, in step S406, the trunk line transportation management function calculates the storage cost per unit volume of the delivery item for each relay storage location 4. For example, by preparing a storage location storage unit cost table 117 in which the storage unit cost per unit time (e.g., per day) and per unit volume for each relay storage location 4 is stored in advance in the database 11, the trunk line transportation management function can obtain the storage unit cost per day and per unit volume for the relay storage location 4.

Then, in step S407, the trunk transportation management function extracts candidate routes that are candidates for the trunk transportation route. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the trunk transportation management function can extract three routes as candidate routes for the trunk transportation route from the primary storage location 3b to the secondary storage location 5b: a trunk transportation route that delivers directly from the primary storage location 3b to the secondary storage location 5b (a trunk transportation route via the inter-site route D8), a trunk transportation route via the relay storage location 4b (a trunk transportation route via the inter-site routes D6 and D7), and a trunk transportation route via the relay storage location 4c (a trunk transportation route via the inter-site routes D9 and D10).

In step S408, the trunk line transportation management function calculates the total cost for each candidate route extracted in step S407. Specifically, the trunk line transportation management function sums up the transportation cost per unit capacity for each base-to-base route calculated in step S405 and the storage cost per unit capacity for each base-to-base route calculated in step S406 for the entire base-to-base route that is passed through the candidate route. For example, in the example shown in Figures 1 and 9, in the candidate route that delivers from the primary storage location 3b via the relay storage location 4c to the secondary storage location 5b, the total transportation cost T1 for the base-to-base routes D9 and D10 and the management cost T2 for the intermediate storage location 4c (5 yen in the example shown in Figure 9) are added together to calculate the amount T3 (T1 + T2) as the delivery cost for the candidate route.

In step S409, the trunk line transportation management function calculates the number of days required for delivery along the candidate route. Specifically, the trunk line transportation management function calculates the total number of days required for delivery as the total number of days including the delivery time along each base-to-base route along the candidate route obtained in step S402 and the storage period along the candidate route obtained in step S403. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 1, in the case of a candidate route that delivers from the primary storage location 3b via the relay storage location 4c to the secondary storage location 5b, the total number of days is calculated as the number of days required for delivery along the candidate route, which is the total number of days including the storage days of the primary storage location 3b, the delivery time along the base-to-base route D9, the storage days of the relay storage location 4c, the delivery time along the base-to-base route D10, and the storage days of the secondary storage location 5b. For example, if the storage days at primary storage location 3b are 3 days, the delivery days for inter-base route D9 are 1 day, the storage days at relay storage location 4c are 2 days, the delivery time for inter-base route D10 is 2 hours, and the storage days at secondary storage location 5b are 3 days, the trunk line transportation management function does not include the delivery time in the number of required delivery days because it is short, and can calculate the total number of storage days as 3 + 2 + 3 = 8 days as the number of required delivery days. Note that the trunk line transportation management function can be configured to add 1 day to the number of required delivery days every time the total delivery time exceeds, for example, 6 hours.

In step S410, the trunk line transportation management function acquires information on the arrival deadline date of each delivery item at the primary storage location 3 and the shipping deadline date from the secondary storage location 5. Specifically, the trunk line transportation management function refers to the delivery itinerary table 115 to acquire the shipping deadline date of the delivery item from the secondary storage location 5 stored in step S206 of FIG. 15 and the arrival deadline date of the delivery item at the primary storage location 3 stored in step S306 of FIG. 16.

Then, proceed to step S411 in FIG. 18. Steps S411 to S416 are performed for each delivery item, while steps S412 to S414 are performed for each candidate route that is a candidate for the trunk transportation route. In the following, the delivery item that is processed in steps S411 to S416 is referred to as the target delivery item, and the candidate route that is processed in steps S412 to S414 is referred to as the target candidate route.

First, in step S411, the trunk line transportation management function calculates the allowable delivery days for the target delivery item. Specifically, the trunk line transportation management function calculates the number of days from the arrival deadline date of the target delivery item at primary storage location 3 obtained in step S407 to the shipping deadline date of the target delivery item from secondary storage location 5 as the allowable delivery days for the target delivery item. For example, if the arrival deadline date of the target delivery item at primary storage location 3 is December 3rd and the shipping deadline date from secondary storage location 5 is December 27th, the trunk line transportation management function can calculate "24 days" as the allowable delivery days for the target delivery item.

In step S412, the trunk line transportation management function selects, from among the candidate routes extracted in step S407, a route that can deliver the target delivery item as a target candidate route. For example, if the target delivery item is a delivery item to be delivered from primary storage location 3b to secondary storage location 5b, the trunk line transportation management function selects, as target candidate routes, three routes: a route that delivers directly from primary storage location 3b to secondary storage location 5b (route via inter-base route D8), a route that passes through relay storage location 4b (route via inter-base routes D6 and D7), and a route that passes through relay storage location 4c (route via inter-base routes D9 and D10).

In step S413, the trunk line transport management function determines whether the number of delivery days for the target candidate route calculated in step S409 exceeds the allowable number of delivery days for the target delivery item calculated in step S411. If the number of delivery days for the target candidate route exceeds the allowable number of delivery days for the target delivery item, the target delivery item cannot be delivered via the target candidate route, so the process proceeds to step S414, where the target candidate route is excluded from the candidate routes for trunk line transport routes. On the other hand, if the number of delivery days for the target candidate route does not exceed the allowable number of delivery days for the target delivery item, the process proceeds directly to step S415.

Then, in step S415, the trunk line transportation management function determines whether or not the processing of steps S413 and S414 has been performed for all target candidate routes. If there are target candidate routes for which the processing of steps S413 and S414 has not been performed, the process returns to step S413, and the processing of steps S413 and S414 is performed for the target candidate routes for which the processing has not been performed. On the other hand, if the processing of steps S413 and S414 has been performed for all target candidate routes, the process proceeds to step S416.

In step S416, the trunk transport management function sets the target candidate route of the target delivery item that has the lowest total cost calculated in step S408 as the trunk transport route of the target delivery item.

In step S417, the trunk line transportation management function calculates the number of days remaining for the target delivery item. Specifically, the trunk line transportation management function first calculates the number of remaining days for delivery of the target delivery item. The number of remaining days for delivery is, for example, the number of days available to deliver the target delivery item to the secondary storage location 5. For example, if the current date is December 3rd and the shipping deadline from the secondary storage location 5 is December 23rd, the remaining number of days for delivery can be calculated as "20 days." The trunk line transportation management function then calculates the difference between the calculated remaining number of days for delivery of the target delivery item and the number of days required for delivery of the target delivery item to the secondary storage location 5 via the trunk line transportation route set in step S416 (remaining number of days for delivery - required number of days for delivery) as the number of days remaining for delivery. For example, if the number of days required for delivery of a target delivery item stored in primary storage location 3b to secondary storage location 5b via inter-base routes D9 and D10 is 10 days, and the number of days remaining until the target delivery item is shipped from secondary storage location 5b is 20 days, the trunk line transportation management function calculates the number of remaining delivery days as 20 days minus the number of required delivery days of 10 days = 10 days as the number of days remaining for retention. The trunk line transportation management function can also calculate the number of days from the current time to the day before the delivery deadline of the target delivery item as the number of days remaining for delivery.

In step S418, the trunk line transport management function determines whether steps S411 to S417 have been performed for all deliveries. If there are deliveries for which steps S411 to S417 have not been performed, the process returns to step S411, and steps S411 to S417 are performed for the deliveries for which steps S411 to S417 have not been performed. On the other hand, if steps S411 to S417 have been performed for all deliveries, the process proceeds to step S419 shown in FIG. 19.

In step S419, trunk transport routes have been set for all deliveries, and the total volume of deliveries for each inter-base route is calculated based on the set trunk transport routes. In step S401, if there are multiple inter-base routes from one delivery base in the trunk transport, the total volume of deliveries for each inter-base route is calculated assuming that the deliveries will be delivered via any of the trunk transport routes. In contrast, in step S419, the total volume of deliveries for each inter-base route is calculated assuming that all deliveries will pass through the inter-base routes in the trunk transport route set in step S406.

In steps S420 to S424, processing is performed for each inter-base route. In the following, the inter-base route for which processing in steps S420 to S424 is performed will be referred to as the target inter-base route.

First, in step S420, the trunk line transportation management function determines whether the total volume of the delivery items on the target base route calculated in step S419 exceeds a predetermined standard capacity set based on the free capacity of the delivery means. For example, in this embodiment, the trunk line transportation management function refers to the delivery means table 114 to identify delivery means that can deliver on the target base route. In addition, the trunk line transportation management function sets a standard capacity for each delivery means that can deliver on the target base route based on the information on the free capacity of each delivery means stored in the delivery means table 114. For example, the trunk line transportation management function can set 80% of the capacity of the free space (free capacity) of the delivery means as the standard capacity. In addition, if there are multiple delivery means that can deliver the delivery items from delivery base N to the next delivery base N+1, the trunk line transportation management function can set a standard capacity for each delivery means based on the free space of each delivery means.

Then, the trunk line transportation management function allows delivery of the delivery on the target base route if the total volume of the delivery on the target base route exceeds the set predetermined reference volume. For example, when a delivery is delivered from the primary storage location 3b to the secondary storage location 5b via the base route D8, if the only delivery means capable of delivering the base route D8 is the truck T1, and the reference volume set based on the free volume of the truck T1 is the capacity of 80 delivery cases 60, the trunk line transportation management function judges whether the delivery delivered on the base route D8 from the primary storage location 3b to the secondary storage location 5b exceeds the capacity of 80 delivery cases 60. If the delivery delivered on the base route D8 exceeds the capacity of 80 delivery cases 60, the trunk line transportation management function allows delivery of the delivery on the base route D8 by the truck T1. On the other hand, if the number of deliveries to be delivered on the base-to-base route D8 is 80 or less in the delivery cases 60, the delivery feasibility determination function does not permit delivery on the base-to-base route D8 by truck T1, and determines that the deliveries should be stored as is in the primary storage location 3d. If the trunk line transportation management function permits delivery of the deliveries, processing proceeds to step S422. On the other hand, if the total volume of the deliveries on the target base-to-base route is equal to or less than the predetermined reference volume, processing proceeds to step S421.

In this embodiment, as described above, a plurality of different sizes of delivery cases 60 are used (see FIG. 11). When a plurality of sizes of delivery cases 60 are used, the capacity of the delivery item, the free capacity of the delivery means, and the reference capacity are set with the smallest size of the delivery case 60 as a unit. For example, when a delivery item is delivered from the primary storage location 3b to the secondary storage location 5b via the base-to-base route D8, if the reference capacity set based on the free capacity of the delivery means capable of delivering the base-to-base route D8 is the capacity of 80 items for the smallest size 60 delivery case 60, the trunk line transportation management function judges whether the delivery item delivered on the base-to-base route D8 from the primary storage location 3b to the secondary storage location 5b exceeds the capacity of 80 items for the size 60 delivery case 60. If the delivery item delivered on the base-to-base route D8 exceeds the capacity of 80 items for the size 60 delivery case 60, the delivery possibility judgment function will permit the delivery of the delivery item on the base-to-base route D8 by the truck T1. In this case, if there is one size 80 delivery case 60 (details to be described later) that can hold two size 60 delivery cases 60 at the delivery base, the trunk line transportation management function will make a delivery judgment assuming that there are two size 60 delivery cases 60 at the delivery base.

Furthermore, in the case where there are multiple delivery means capable of delivering one base-to-base route, the trunk line transportation management function can be configured to set a standard capacity for each delivery means based on the free capacity of each delivery means, and to permit delivery of the delivery items to the delivery means whose total capacity of the delivery items exceeds the standard capacity. In addition, in the case where delivery of the delivery items is permitted for multiple delivery means, the trunk line transportation management function may permit delivery to the delivery means with the largest free capacity of the loading platform, or may permit delivery by the delivery means closest to the current delivery base N. In addition, in this embodiment, the trunk line transportation management function is configured to set a standard capacity for each delivery means by acquiring information on the free capacity of the loading platform of each delivery means in real time from the TMS server 30, but is not limited to this configuration, and for example, a configuration can be made in which free capacity for delivering the delivery items is reserved in advance for each delivery means. In this case, the standard capacity of each delivery means can be stored in advance in the delivery means table 114 based on the free capacity reserved in advance, and the delivery means permitted to deliver the delivery items can be selected by acquiring the standard capacity for each delivery means from the delivery means table 114.

In step S421, the trunk line transportation management function determines whether there is a delivery on the target base route whose retention allowance days calculated in step S417 are less than the predetermined reference number of days. If there is a delivery whose retention allowance days are less than the predetermined reference number of days, the process proceeds to step S422 to deliver the delivery on the target base route. On the other hand, if there is no delivery whose retention allowance days are less than the predetermined reference number of days, the process proceeds to step S425. As a result, even if the total volume of the delivery delivered on the base route from the current delivery base N to the next delivery base N+1 does not exceed the predetermined reference capacity set based on the free capacity of each delivery means, if there is a delivery whose retention allowance days are less than the predetermined reference number of days, the delivery of the delivery is permitted for the base route to which the delivery is delivered. On the other hand, for inter-base routes where there are no deliveries with a retention allowance of less than a specified reference number of days, the delivery feasibility determination function keeps the deliveries stored at the current delivery base N as long as the total volume of deliveries delivered on the inter-base route from the current delivery base N to the next delivery base N+1 does not exceed a specified reference volume set based on the available capacity of each delivery means.

For example, suppose that one delivery B1, among the deliveries stored in the primary storage location 3b, which is delivered via inter-base route D8, has a dwell time of 2 days and a predetermined reference time of 3 days. In this case, the delivery feasibility determination function determines that the dwell time of 2 days for delivery B1 is less than the reference time of 3 days, and allows the delivery of not only delivery B1, but also deliveries stored in the primary storage location 3b and delivered via inter-base route D8. The predetermined reference time can be set appropriately according to the delivery management method.

In step S422, the trunk line transportation management function issues a trunk line transportation instruction for the delivery item on the target base route. Specifically, the trunk line transportation management function transmits a trunk line transportation instruction to the TMS server 30 for delivering the delivery item on the target base route. When the TMS server 30 receives the trunk line transportation instruction from the delivery management server 10, the TMS server 30 transmits a trunk line transportation instruction for the delivery item to the delivery company via the communication device 33. For example, if there is a base route where the total capacity of the delivery item exceeds the reference capacity of the delivery means (step S420 = Yes), the trunk line transportation management function can transmit a trunk line transportation instruction to the TMS server 30 so that the delivery item is delivered to the delivery means that delivers the base route. In addition, if there is a base route where there is a delivery item whose retention allowance days are less than a predetermined reference number (step S421 = Yes), the trunk line transportation management function can transmit a trunk line transportation instruction to the TMS server 30 so that the delivery item is delivered to the delivery means that delivers the base route. As a result, the delivery company dispatches the necessary delivery means, and the dispatched delivery means transports the delivery items along the route between the target bases. Note that if there are multiple delivery means capable of delivering the delivery items along one route between the bases, the system can be configured to issue a trunk transport instruction to one delivery means based on a predetermined priority order, etc.

In addition, in steps S423 and S424, the trunk line transportation management function transmits the receiving instruction and shipping instruction of the delivery item on the route between the target bases to the WMS server 20. When the WMS server 20 receives the receiving instruction from the delivery management server 10, it transmits the shipping instruction of the delivery item to the management terminal 41 arranged at the delivery base of the shipper via the communication device 23. As a result, the delivery base of the shipper performs shipping procedures such as sorting and loading of the delivery item based on the received shipping instruction. In addition, when the WMS server 20 receives the receiving instruction from the delivery management server 10, it transmits the receiving instruction of the delivery item to the management terminal 41 arranged at the delivery base of the destination via the communication device 23. As a result, the delivery base of the destination performs receiving procedures such as securing a storage space, unloading the delivery item, and storing the delivery item based on the received receiving instruction. Then, the process proceeds to step S425.

In the shipping procedure at the shipping base of the shipper, the RF tags 62 attached to the shipping cases 60 containing the items to be shipped are read all at once by the reading terminals 42 installed at the shipping base of the shipper, and the identification information of the shipping cases 60 containing the items to be shipped is transmitted to the shipping management server 10 via the management terminal 41. As a result, the shipping management server 10 can identify the item to be shipped based on the received identification information of the shipping case 60, and the shipping status of the item to be shipped is updated to "moving along the next inter-base route" or the like. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 1, when the item is shipped from the primary storage location 3b to the secondary storage location 5b, the shipping status of the item is updated to "moving along the inter-base route D8" or the like. In addition, in the receiving procedure at the shipping base of the shipping destination, the RF tags 62 attached to the shipping cases 60 containing the received deliveries are read all at once by the reading terminals 42 installed at the shipping base of the shipping destination, and the identification information of the shipping cases 60 containing the received deliveries is transmitted to the shipping management server 10 via the management terminal 41. As a result, the delivery management server 10 can identify the received deliveries based on the received identification information of the delivery cases 60, and the delivery status of the received deliveries is updated to "stored at the shipping base of the shipping destination" or the like. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 1, when delivery B is received at the secondary storage location 5b, the delivery status of the delivery is updated to "stored at the secondary storage location 5b" or the like.

In step S425, the trunk line transportation management function determines whether steps S420 to S424 have been performed for all base-to-base routes. If steps S420 to S424 have not been performed for all base-to-base routes, the base-to-base route for which no processing has been performed is treated as the target base-to-base route, and steps S420 to S424 are performed. If steps S420 to S424 have been performed for all base-to-base routes, the trunk line transportation management processing shown in Figures 17 to 19 is terminated.

As described above, in the delivery management system 1 according to this embodiment, even if there are five or more days until the delivery deadline of a delivery item when the delivery item is received at the receiving location 6, the shipping deadline date of the secondary storage location 5b is set as the day before the delivery deadline date of the delivery item (or the number of days before the delivery deadline to the handover location 6), with the priority being given to improving the loading rate of the delivery means, and the delivery process (delivery schedule and delivery route) for the collection process, main line transportation process, and/or delivery process is set. In this way, even if there is sufficient time left until the delivery date of the delivery item, the delivery item is not delivered sequentially, but the delivery process is arranged to deliver the delivery item from the secondary storage location 5b one day before the delivery deadline date so as to improve the loading rate of the delivery means. This allows deliveries to be accumulated as much as possible at each delivery base, increases the loading rate of the delivery means, and a cost-saving delivery service can be provided.

That is, in the delivery management system 1 of this embodiment, in the delivery process, by setting a delivery route so that the delivery item is delivered from the secondary storage location 5 on the day before the delivery deadline date of the delivery item, as many deliveries as possible can be collected at the secondary storage location 5, and the loading rate of the delivery means that delivers along the delivery route can be increased. In addition, in the collection process, among the receiving locations 2, the receiving locations 2 where the total volume of the stored deliveries exceeds a predetermined reference volume are specified as the patrol locations, and a route that patrols the patrol location 2' is set as the collection route, so that the receiving locations with a large number of deliveries can be patrolled preferentially, and the loading rate of the delivery means that patrols the collection route can be increased. Furthermore, in the trunk transport process, the allowable number of delivery days for the trunk transport route is calculated based on the arrival date and time of the deliveries at the primary storage location and the shipping date and time of the deliveries from the secondary storage location 5, and the total of the transport cost and the storage cost is calculated as the delivery cost for each candidate of the trunk transport route. Then, the candidate of the trunk transport route whose required number of delivery days does not exceed the allowable number of delivery days and whose delivery cost is the lowest is set as the trunk transport route. This allows the route that provides the lowest cost of delivery within the delivery deadline to be set as the main transportation route.

In addition, in this embodiment, in the trunk line transportation process, if either of the following conditions is met for each base route in the trunk line transportation process: the total volume of the delivery exceeds the standard capacity of the delivery means (condition 1), or there is a delivery whose retention allowance is less than a predetermined standard number of days (condition 2), the delivery is permitted to be delivered on the base route. If neither condition is met, it is determined that the delivery cannot be delivered on the base route, and the delivery to be delivered on the base route is kept stored at the current delivery base N. In this way, by permitting delivery of the delivery when the total volume of the delivery exceeds the standard capacity of the delivery means (if condition 1 is met), the loading rate of the delivery means can be increased, and the need to use a service with low delivery fees even if it takes a long time to deliver can be met. Also, if there is a delivery whose retention allowance is less than a predetermined standard number of days (if condition 2 is met), even if the total volume of the delivery does not exceed the predetermined standard capacity, delivery of the delivery is permitted on the base route, which effectively prevents the delivery from exceeding the initially set delivery deadline.

Furthermore, in the delivery management system 1 according to this embodiment, the sender S brings the delivery item B to the receiving location 2, and the recipient goes to the handover location 6 to pick up the delivery item, so the overall workload of the delivery business can be reduced, which can respond to the recent situation in which the number of people working in the delivery industry is decreasing, and can also meet the needs of customers who want to use a cheap service.

In addition, in the delivery management system 1 according to this embodiment, the delivery company is not limited to a specialized delivery company, and the empty loading space of trucks arranged by other companies can also be used, making it possible to keep transportation costs low. In other words, in addition to the delivery means of specialized delivery companies, the delivery management system 1 according to this embodiment can manage delivery means that regularly deliver to newspaper delivery offices, JA, gas stations, etc., and can issue transportation and delivery instructions to these delivery means, so deliveries can be delivered using the loading bed of a truck after delivering newspapers from a printing company to a newspaper delivery office, the loading bed of a truck after delivering food to a JA, or the loading bed of a truck after delivering kerosene to a gas station. In this way, by utilizing the empty capacity of the loading bed of a delivery means that has not been used until now, it is possible to provide delivery services at a lower cost.

The above describes preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above description of the embodiments. Various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments, and such modifications or improvements are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, a configuration was exemplified in which the shipping deadline date from the secondary storage location is set to the day before the delivery deadline date of the delivery item, but this is not limited to the configuration, and the shipping deadline date from the secondary storage location may be set to the day of the delivery deadline date of the delivery item (for example, including the date and time when delivery can be made to the delivery location 6).

In the above embodiment, the delivery items are stored at the delivery base N until the total volume of the delivery items to be delivered from each delivery base N to the next delivery base N+1 exceeds a predetermined standard volume, and when the total volume of the delivery items exceeds the predetermined standard volume, the delivery items are permitted to be delivered from the delivery base N to the next delivery base N+1. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the delivery items may be stored at the delivery base N until the total weight of the delivery items to be delivered from each delivery base N to the next delivery base N+1 exceeds a predetermined standard weight, and when the total weight of the delivery items exceeds the predetermined standard weight, the delivery items may be permitted to be delivered from the delivery base N to the next delivery base N+1. Furthermore, for each inter-base route connecting the delivery base N and the next delivery base N+1, it may be determined whether the total weight of the delivery items exceeds a predetermined standard weight, and when the total weight of the delivery items on the inter-base route exceeds the predetermined standard weight, the delivery items on the inter-base route may be permitted. In this case, the total weight of the delivery items is preferably the sum of the weight of the delivery items and the delivery case 60 that contains the delivery items. In such a case, for example, a weight scale can be provided on the conveyor that transports the delivery items, and the weight of the delivery items can be actually measured, but it is preferable to determine the weight of each delivery case 60 by using the weight of the delivery items as the upper limit of the weight of the delivery items that can be accommodated in the delivery case 60. For example, in a 60-size delivery case 60, if the upper limit of the weight of the delivery items is 2 kg and the weight of the delivery case 60 is 2 kg, even if the weight of the delivery items accommodated in this delivery case 60 is 1 kg, the weight of the delivery items (including the delivery case 60) can be calculated as 4 kg, and based on the total weight of the delivery items thus calculated, it can be determined whether or not to deliver the delivery items. Similarly, in the above embodiment, a configuration was exemplified in which a receiving location 2 where the total volume of stored deliveries exceeds a predetermined reference volume is identified as a patrol location, and a route that travels around the patrol location 2' is set as a collection route, but this configuration is not limited to this. For example, a receiving location 2 where the total weight of stored deliveries exceeds a predetermined reference weight can be identified as a patrol location 2', and a route that travels around the patrol location 2' can be set as a collection route.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, a configuration is exemplified in which it is determined whether or not a delivery item may be delivered only when the delivery is made from the primary storage location 3 to the secondary storage location 5, but this configuration is not limited to this. For example, when delivering from the receiving location 2 to the primary storage location 3, or when delivering from the secondary storage location 5 to the handover location 6, it is possible to determine whether the total volume of the delivery items exceeds a predetermined standard volume (such as 80% of the free space in the truck's loading compartment) based on the free space of the delivery means such as a truck (Condition 1), or whether there is a delivery item whose retention allowance, which is the difference between the delivery deadline days of the delivery item and the number of days required for delivery, is less than a predetermined standard number of days (Condition 2), and if either of the conditions is met, the delivery item is delivered to the next delivery base.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the delivery management server 10 transmits the base-to-base route along which the delivery item can be delivered to the delivery company via the TMS server 30, and the delivery company dispatches a delivery vehicle to deliver the delivery item along the base-to-base route and has the delivery vehicle deliver the delivery item. However, this configuration is not limited to this, and for example, the delivery management server 10 or the TMS server 30 may identify a delivery vehicle to deliver the delivery item along the base-to-base route, and transmit the base-to-base route and the delivery vehicle together in a trunk line transport instruction to the delivery vehicle, causing the delivery company to deliver the delivery item using the delivery vehicle included in the trunk line transport instruction.

In the above-described embodiment, the delivery management server 10 is configured to be independent of the WMS server 20 and the TMS server 30, but the WMS server 20 may have the functions of the delivery management server 10, or the TMS server 30 may have the functions of the delivery management server 10. The WMS server 20 and the TMS server may be configured to be integrated, or the delivery management server 10, the WMS server 20, and the TMS server may be configured to be integrated.

In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the number of days to wait is calculated in days has been exemplified, but the number of days to wait can be calculated in hours. That is, in the present invention, the "time to wait" can include the number of days to wait. When the time to wait is calculated in hours, the database 11 stores a delivery time table 112 for each base route that stores the delivery time for each base route D1 to D10, and a storage time table 113 for each distribution base that acquires the storage time of the delivery item for each of the distribution bases 2 to 5 and the inter-base routes D1 to D10. The function for calculating the number of days to wait (the function for calculating the number of days to wait) acquires the delivery time for each of the base routes D1 to D10 from the delivery time table 112 for each base route, and acquires the storage time of the delivery item for each of the distribution bases 2 to 5 and the inter-base routes D1 to D10 from the storage time table 113 for each distribution base. Then, for each delivery item, the total delivery time for one or more inter-base routes that the delivery item takes from the delivery base where it is currently stored to the delivery location 6 plus the total storage time at one or more delivery bases that the delivery item takes is calculated as the required delivery time. Then, the difference between the preset delivery deadline and the required delivery time (delivery deadline - required delivery time) is calculated as the waiting time margin. The delivery feasibility determination function determines for each delivery item whether the waiting time margin for the delivery item is less than a predetermined reference time, and if there is a delivery item whose waiting time margin is less than the predetermined reference time, it can permit delivery of the delivery item along the inter-base route along which the delivery item is delivered.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the delivery management system 1 is configured to perform collection processing, trunk line transportation processing, and delivery processing, but it can also be configured to perform any one of collection processing, trunk line transportation processing, and delivery processing.

In addition to the above-mentioned embodiment, the stores and offices serving as the receiving location 2 and the handover location 6 can be divided into front bases and middle bases, and collection and delivery processing can be performed. Here, the front base is a delivery base such as a store in a shopping district that has no parking lot nearby and is accessed by the sender or recipient on foot or bicycle, and the middle base is a delivery base that has a parking lot nearby and can be accessed by car. For example, if the delivery item requested by the sender is of a size that is difficult to deliver without a car (for example, a size larger than 80), the calculation device of the delivery management server 10 presents delivery bases excluding the front base as the receiving location 2. This makes it possible to prevent delivery items of a size that are difficult to deliver without a car from having to be collected on foot or by two-wheeled vehicles such as bicycles. Note that deliveries received at the middle base are collected by a car and delivered to the primary storage location 3. On the other hand, deliveries received at the front base are collected by two-wheeled vehicles such as bicycles and motorcycles because it is difficult to collect them by car. Also, the configuration may be such that the items are collected from the front base to the middle base using two-wheeled vehicles such as bicycles or motorcycles, and then delivered from the middle base to the primary storage location 3 using automobiles. Furthermore, depending on the delivery base, only light vehicles can be parked, or there may be a coin parking lot nearby. At such bases, collection is performed using light vehicles (light cargo trailers or light trucks), but only deliveries of size 80 or less can be received, and the deliveries can be delivered to the middle base or the primary storage location 3. Similarly, the handover location 6 can be divided into a front base and a middle base, and the size of deliveries that can be handled and the delivery means that can be delivered can be specified. In addition to the classification into the front base and the middle base, the configuration may be such that there is no parking lot available for users (senders and recipients) and the delivery company cannot park there either (type A), there is no parking lot available for users, but the delivery company can park there (including nearby parking), and there is a delivery base (type C) where both the user and the delivery company can park there. In this case, the configuration may be such that the size of deliveries that can be handled and the delivery means can be specified for each of types A, B, and C.

In addition to the above-described embodiment, the delivery management function can perform processing to improve the loading rate of deliveries on a certain delivery deadline date by advancing the delivery deadline date of the deliveries when the total volume of deliveries to be delivered to a certain delivery location 6' on a certain shipping deadline date is small. For example, if there is a delivery B1 whose shipping deadline date is February 16th and a delivery B2 whose shipping deadline date is February 17th in the secondary storage location 5, in the above-described embodiment, delivery B1 is delivered on February 16th and delivery B2 is delivered on February 17th. However, if there is room on the truck bed for delivery B1 on February 16th alone, delivery B2 to be delivered on February 17th can also be delivered on February 16th. To carry out this type of processing, the following cases are possible: (1) as a result of main line transportation, delivery item B2 to be delivered the day before has arrived at the secondary storage location 5 by the day before, (2) there is still room in the load capacity of the delivery route on the day before, and there is room to partially load delivery item B2 to be delivered the day before, and (3) a certain standard has been set for the storage space at the delivery location 6, and there is room in the storage space, so delivery item B2 to be delivered the day before and delivery item B1 to be delivered the day before can be delivered together and stored.

In addition to the above-mentioned embodiment, the primary storage location 3, the intermediate storage location 4, or the secondary storage location 5 may be configured to perform the sorting work as follows. That is, the delivery case 60 according to this embodiment can divide the storage space by a partition, and the worker who receives the delivery at the receiving location 2 can store the delivery received from a different sender in another storage space of the same delivery case 60 separated by a partition. In this case, it is determined whether the delivery items to be sent to different delivery locations 6 (or to be delivered via different base routes) are mixed in the same delivery case 60 at the primary storage location 3, the intermediate storage location 4, or the secondary storage location 5. That is, in this embodiment, the primary storage location 3, the intermediate storage location 4, or the secondary storage location 5 has a reading terminal 42, and by reading the QR code 61 or RF tag 62 of the delivery case 60, it can be determined whether the delivery items to be sent to different delivery locations 6 (or to be delivered via different base routes) are mixed in the same delivery case 60. Therefore, when deliveries to be sent to different delivery locations 6 (or delivered via a base-to-base route) are mixed in the same delivery case 60, the trunk line transportation management function of the delivery management server 10 can send instructions to the management terminal 41 to consolidate deliveries to the same delivery location 6 (or delivered via the same base-to-base route) into the same delivery case 60.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a configuration is exemplified in which a delivery schedule is generated from the primary storage location 3 to the secondary storage location 5 based on the shipping deadline date of the delivery from the secondary storage location 5 to the delivery location 6, but the "scheduled shipping date" of the delivery from the secondary storage location 5 to the delivery location 6 may be used as the "shipping deadline date" of the delivery in the present invention. Similarly, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a configuration is exemplified in which a delivery schedule is generated from the primary storage location 3 to the secondary storage location 5 based on the arrival deadline date of the delivery at the primary storage location 3, but the "scheduled arrival date" of the delivery at the primary storage location 3 may be used as the "arrival deadline date" of the delivery in the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the timing for shipping the delivery from the secondary storage location 5 is set to the day before the delivery deadline of the delivery, and the delivery itinerary (delivery schedule and delivery route) of the delivery is set, so that delivery items can be accumulated as much as possible at each delivery base (receiving location 2, primary storage location 3, intermediate storage location 4, secondary storage location 5, handover location 6), and the loading rate of delivery means such as trucks can be increased, thereby making it possible to provide a cheaper delivery service. However, when transporting between areas of relatively short distances, there are cases where the delivery item is delivered to the secondary storage location 6 without waiting until the day before the delivery deadline. In such cases, it is also possible to set a delivery route together with deliveries that arrive by other delivery deadlines.

Reference Signs List 1: Delivery management system 10: Delivery management server 11: Database 12: Computing device 13: Storage device 14: Communication device 20: WMS server 21: Computing device 22: Storage device 23: Communication device 30: TMS server 31: Computing device
32: storage device 33: communication device 41: management terminal 42: reading terminal 50: user terminal 60: delivery case 61: QR code 62: RF tag 2: receiving location 3: primary storage location 4: relay storage location 5: secondary storage location 6: delivery location S: sender R: recipient B: delivery item

Claims (9)

A delivery management system that manages a process for delivering a large number of deliveries from a receiving location to a delivery location by a delivery means including a truck,
A collection and processing management means for generating instructions for visiting the receiving locations and delivering the deliveries to the primary storage location;
a trunk transportation processing management means for generating instructions for trunk transportation of the delivery from the primary storage location to the secondary storage location;
a delivery processing management means for generating an instruction for delivery from the secondary storage location to a delivery location;
When the delivery item is received at the receiving location, if there are five or more days until the delivery deadline of the delivery item, the delivery processing management means prioritizes improving the loading rate of the delivery means and sets the shipping deadline of the delivery item from the secondary storage location to the delivery location to the day before or the day of the delivery deadline of the delivery item;
The trunk transportation processing management means generates a delivery schedule from the primary storage location to the secondary storage location based on a set shipping deadline date of the delivery from the secondary storage location. 2. The delivery management system according to claim 1, wherein the delivery processing management means acquires a required delivery period, which is the number of days required to deliver a delivery item from the secondary storage location to the delivery location, and sets a shipping deadline date for the delivery item from the secondary storage location to the delivery location to a day that is the specified number of delivery days before the delivery deadline date for the delivery item. 3. The delivery management system according to claim 1, wherein the delivery processing management means, when a total volume of the deliveries to be delivered to the delivery location on a predetermined shipping deadline date is equal to or less than a predetermined value, delivers the deliveries ahead of the shipping deadline date. 4. The delivery management system according to claim 1 , wherein the collection processing management means identifies as a destination location a receiving location among the destination locations where the total volume or total weight of the delivery items stored therein exceeds a predetermined standard volume or standard weight, and determines a collection route for the delivery means to travel around the destination locations so as to maximize the volume or weight of the delivery items to be collected by the delivery means. 5. The delivery management system according to claim 1, wherein the trunk line transportation processing management means calculates an allowable number of delivery days allowed for delivery from the primary storage location to the secondary storage location based on the arrival deadline date of the delivery item at the primary storage location and the shipping deadline date of the delivery item from the secondary storage location in the trunk line transportation, and creates, as the trunk transportation route, a route that has the lowest delivery costs among the routes that can deliver from the primary storage location to the secondary storage location within the allowable number of delivery days. A plurality of said delivery locations to which deliveries can be delivered from each secondary storage location are set as a delivery area for each secondary storage location,
6. A delivery management system according to claim 1, wherein the trunk line transportation processing management means determines the secondary storage location when the delivery location straddles a plurality of delivery areas, so that delivery is made from the secondary storage location that offers the lowest delivery cost. A plurality of receiving locations capable of delivering the delivery items to each primary storage location are set as collection areas for each primary storage location,
7. A delivery management system according to claim 1, wherein the collection processing management means determines the primary storage location when the receiving location straddles a plurality of collection areas, so that the delivery is made to the primary storage location with the lowest delivery cost. A delivery management system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which classifies the receiving locations or the handover locations according to ease of access, and limits the size of deliverable items or available delivery means for each classified receiving location or handover location. The method further comprises a receiving process management means for, when a delivery item is received at the receiving location, associating an identification number of the delivery item with an identification number of a delivery case containing the delivery item, and storing the associated identification number in a server;
The trunk line transportation processing management means refers to the server, and when deliveries to be delivered to different delivery locations or deliveries to be delivered via different base-to-base routes are mixed in the same delivery case, outputs instructions to a management terminal of a delivery base in trunk line transportation so that deliveries to be delivered to the same delivery location or deliveries to be delivered via the same base-to-base route are stored in the same delivery case. A delivery management system as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.