Near-term delivery system performance simulation

• US 10,346,784 B1
• Filed: 02/09/2014
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Powell, James, Nonemacher, Michael Nathan, Younes, Haakan, Trew, Brandon Kyle
• Primary Examiner(s): Erb, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US14/176,124
• Time in Patent Office: 1,976 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations

Abstract

Receiving an event queue including unprocessed delivery events, each characterized by an event time. Iteratively, until a stopping condition, for an unprocessed event from the queue, setting a simulation time to the earliest event time; processing the unprocessed event; determining at least one simulated performance measure based on characteristics of system agents over the simulation period; and transmitting the determined performance measure for display. Where unprocessed event is a route planning event, processing includes requesting, and receiving, route planning from a shipping system of the near-term delivery system. Processing further comprises identifying events derivative from the unprocessed event, and adding the identified derivative events to the event queue. Processing further comprises updating the status of each agent as a function of derivative events and received route planning information. The updated status is reported to the shipping system, and the technology determines whether the stopping condition obtains.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to simulate near-term delivery system performance, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more computing devices, an event queue comprising a plurality of unprocessed delivery system events, each event characterized by an event time, and the plurality of events generated from a random seed;

iteratively, until a stopping condition obtains, for an unprocessed event from the event queue characterized by the earliest event time;

setting, by the one or more computing devices, a simulation time to the earliest event time;

processing, by the one or more computing devices, the unprocessed event, wherein processing comprises;

for an unprocessed event comprising a route planning event;

requesting, by the one or more computing devices, route planning from a shipping system of a near-term delivery system; and

receiving, by the one or more computing devices, route planning information from the shipping system of the near-term delivery system in response to requesting route planning;

identifying, by the one or more computing devices, one or more events derivative from the unprocessed event, and adding the identified derivative events to the event queue;

updating, by the one or more computing devices, the status of each of a plurality of agents as a function of the identified derivative events and the received route planning information;

reporting, by the one or more computing devices, the updated status to the shipping system; and

determining, by the one or more computing devices, whether the stopping condition obtains;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, at least one simulated performance measure based on characteristics of the agents over the simulation period; and

transmitting, by the one or more computing devices, the determined performance measure for display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying derivative events comprises identifying events derived from the received route planning information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the shipping system is a production shipping system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the stopping condition comprises a predetermined simulation time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the received event queue is an initial event queue, and the stopping condition comprises processing all events in the initial event queue.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the stopping condition comprises a predetermined event.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined event comprises one of:

a last system agent logging out, wherein a system agent is one of a courier or a hub operator; and

a last drop off being completed.

8. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage device storing computer-executable program instructions thereon that, upon execution by a computer, cause the computer to simulate the performance of a near-term delivery system, by performing a method comprising;

receiving an event queue comprising a plurality of unprocessed delivery system events, each event characterized by an event time, and the plurality of events generated from a random seed;

iteratively, until a stopping condition obtains, for an unprocessed event from the event queue characterized by the earliest event time;

setting a simulation time to the earliest event time;

processing the unprocessed event, wherein processing comprises;

for an unprocessed event comprising a route planning event;

 

requesting route planning from a shipping system of the near-term delivery system; and

 

receiving route planning information from the shipping system of the near-term delivery system in response to requesting route planning;

identifying one or more events derivative from the unprocessed event, and adding the identified derivative events to the event queue;

updating the status of each of a plurality of agents as a function of the identified derivative events and the received route planning information;

reporting the updated status to the shipping system; and

determining whether the stopping condition obtains;

determining at least one simulated performance measure based on characteristics of the agents over the simulation period; and

transmitting the determined performance measure for display.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein identifying derivative events comprises identifying events derived from the received route planning information.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the shipping system is a production shipping system.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the stopping condition comprises a predetermined simulation time.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the received event queue is an initial event queue, and the stopping condition comprises processing all events in the initial event queue.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the stopping condition comprises a predetermined event.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the predetermined event comprises one of:

a last system agent logging out, wherein a system agent is one of a courier or a hub operator; and

a last drop off being completed.

15. A computing system to operate delivery systems, comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the storage device, wherein the processor executes application code instructions that are stored in the storage device to cause the computing system to;

receive an event queue comprising a plurality of unprocessed delivery system events, each event characterized by an event time, and the plurality of events generated from a random seed;

iteratively, until a stopping condition obtains, for an unprocessed event from the event queue characterized by the earliest event time;

set a simulation time to the earliest event time;

process the unprocessed event, wherein processing comprises;

for an unprocessed event comprising a route planning event;

 

requesting route planning from a shipping system of a near-term delivery system; and

 

receiving route planning information from the shipping system of the near-term delivery system in response to requesting route planning;

identify one or more events derivative from the unprocessed event, and adding the identified derivative events to the event queue;

update the status of each of a plurality of agents as a function of the identified derivative events and the received route planning information;

report the updated status to the shipping system; and

determine whether the stopping condition obtains;

determine at least one simulated performance measure based on characteristics of the agents over the simulation period; and

transmit the determined performance measure for display.

16. The computing system of claim 15, wherein identifying derivative events comprises identifying events derived from the received route planning information.

17. The computing system of claim 15, wherein the shipping system is a production shipping system.

18. The computing system of claim 15, wherein the received event queue is an initial event queue, and the stopping condition comprises processing all events in the initial event queue.

19. The computing system of claim 15, wherein the stopping condition comprises a predetermined event.

20. The computing system of claim 19, wherein the predetermined event comprises one of:

a last system agent logging out, wherein a system agent is one of a courier or a hub operator; and

a last drop off being completed.