Management system and management method

Abstract

To make it possible to easily manage one or more objects to be managed.SOLUTION: A management system 100 is for managing one or more objects to be managed, and includes one or more transmitters 104 that are held respectively by the one or more objects to be managed and wirelessly transmit signals for detection 151, and a plurality of receivers 103 that receive the signals for detection 151. Based on the signals for detection 151 received by the plurality of receivers 103, the management system 100 determines a movement line segment indicating that the transmitter moved from which location 105 of a plurality of locations 105 to which location 105 immediately thereafter for each of the one or more transmitters 104, and detects the frequency of occurrence of movement line segments.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a management system and a management method for managing one or more managed objects. [Background technology]

[0002] As a method for managing the actions of workers, for example, Patent Document 1 describes determining the position and movement trajectory of a worker using optical signals. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6509699 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In such a system, it is desirable to be able to easily manage the managed objects.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to provide a management system or management method that can easily manage managed objects. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a management system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a management system for managing one or more managed objects, and includes one or more transmitters held in each of the one or more managed objects and wirelessly transmitting a detection signal, and a plurality of receivers for receiving the detection signals, and based on the detection signals received by the plurality of receivers, determines for each of the one or more transmitters a movement line indicating which of a plurality of points the object has moved from to which other point immediately after, and detects the frequency of occurrence of the movement line.

[0007] According to this, the occurrence frequency of the detected movement line segments can be referenced to determine the standard work procedure, and therefore the management system can easily manage the managed objects.

[0008] For example, the management system may further extract a movement line segment whose occurrence frequency is greater than a predetermined number as a standard movement line segment, and identify a transmitter from which a movement line segment not included in the standard movement line segment has been detected.

[0009] This allows the management system to detect a managed object that is moving differently from the standard movement.

[0010] For example, the management system may further accept designation of the travel line segment, and based on the detection signals received by the multiple receivers, determine for each of the one or more transmitters the travel time from the origin point to the destination point corresponding to the designated travel line segment.

[0011] This makes it possible to determine the standard travel time for the section corresponding to the specified travel line segment by referring to the determined travel time.

[0012] For example, the management system may further accept the designation of the location and, based on the detection signals received by the multiple receivers, determine the residence time for each of the one or more transmitters, which is the time from when the transmitter arrives at the designated location to when it leaves.

[0013] This allows the standard dwell time at a specified point to be determined by referring to the determined dwell time.

[0014] For example, the management system may further receive the travel line segment, and detect an occurrence frequency of the designated travel line segment for each period.

[0015] According to this, the occurrence frequency of the detected designated movement line segment for each period can be referenced to determine the occurrence frequency of the designated movement line segment for each period. For example, the occurrence frequency of the movement line segment for each period can be referenced to determine a change or improvement in the movement status.

[0016] For example, the management system may further detect the occurrence frequency of a group of movement line segments, which is a combination of a plurality of movement line segments regardless of the order of occurrence.

[0017] This makes it possible to determine the occurrence frequency of a group of movement line segments, which is a combination of multiple movement line segments regardless of the order of occurrence. Therefore, for example, it is possible to detect events that cannot be detected or are difficult to detect by analyzing a single movement line segment.

[0018] For example, the management system may further detect an occurrence frequency of a sequence of movement line segments, which is a combination including an occurrence order of a plurality of movement line segments.

[0019] This makes it possible to determine the occurrence frequency of a sequence of movement line segments, which is a combination including the occurrence order of a plurality of movement line segments, and therefore makes it possible to detect events that cannot be detected or are difficult to detect by analyzing each movement line segment alone.

[0020] For example, the management system may further generate a histogram indicating the occurrence frequency of the detected movement line segments.

[0021] According to this, the standard work procedure can be determined by referring to the generated histogram, and therefore the management system can easily manage the managed objects.

[0022] Moreover, a management method according to one embodiment of the present invention is a management method in a management system for managing one or more managed objects, the management system including one or more transmitters held in each of the one or more managed objects and wirelessly transmitting a detection signal, and a plurality of receivers receiving the detection signals, and the management method determines, based on the detection signals received by the plurality of receivers, for each of the one or more transmitters a movement line indicating which of a plurality of points the object has moved from to which other point immediately after, and detects the frequency of occurrence of the movement line.

[0023] According to this, the standard work procedure can be determined by referring to the occurrence frequency of the detected movement line segments. Therefore, this management method can easily manage the managed object.

[0024] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium. Effect of the Invention

[0025] The present invention can provide a management system or a management method that can easily manage managed objects. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a management system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a transmitter according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a receiver according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a management device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the management device according to the embodiment. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the management device according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of information calculated from information accumulated by the management device according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a movement line segment according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a movement line segment according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a movement line segment according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a histogram of movement line segments according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a histogram of a movement line segment group according to the embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a histogram of a movement line segment sequence according to the embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the abnormal behavior detection process according to the embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of information calculated by the management device according to the embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a histogram of travel time according to the embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a histogram of the dwell time according to the embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a histogram of the frequency for each period according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] Hereinafter, the embodiment will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0028] Note that the embodiments described below each show a specific example of the present invention. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, the arrangement and connection of the components, steps, and the order of steps shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in an independent claim showing a superordinate concept are described as optional components.

[0029] In a factory or the like, when multiple tasks are performed on a product, it is desirable to be able to efficiently move between the locations where the tasks are performed. Specifically, when products or objects to be processed are transported by forklifts, the number of forklifts can be reduced by improving the efficiency of transportation.

[0030] In addition, when multiple operations are performed, it is necessary to prevent the operations from being performed in the wrong order. For example, when a product flows through a production line, there are cases where the product is temporarily removed from the line according to the results of an inspection, corrected or adjusted, and then returned to the line. In such cases, the product needs to be returned to a predetermined process, but it may be returned to the wrong process.

[0031] Furthermore, in such a system, for example, it is necessary to register correct work procedures in advance and to determine whether the procedures actually being performed match the correct procedures. In other words, there is a problem in that it takes time and effort to register in advance according to the conditions of each facility, etc.

[0032] In this embodiment, a management system that can manage whether the movement of such objects is being performed correctly and efficiently and that can facilitate the introduction of the system will be described.

[0033] [Management system configuration] First, the configuration of the management system according to the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a management system 100 according to the present embodiment. This management system 100 manages the actions (movements) of one or more managed objects. Fig. 1 shows an example in which a mobile object 101 to be managed is a forklift. Note that the managed object is not limited to a forklift, and may be a mobile object (vehicle, person, etc.) or an article, etc.

[0034] Here, an example will be described in which a work process including multiple tasks is performed on an object in a factory or the like. The object is transported between work locations by a forklift, and tasks are performed on the object at each location. Here, the tasks include processing, assembly, inspection, adjustment, etc. of the object.

[0035] The applications described here are merely examples, and the method of this embodiment can be applied to any system that manages one or more managed objects.

[0036] The management system 100 includes a management device 102, a plurality of receivers 103, and a plurality of transmitters 104. Note that the number of each element shown in FIG.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 1, a plurality of points 105 are set in an area managed by the management system 100. Here, the point 105 is an area (area) where work is performed, and one receiver 103 is set for each point 105. Note that the shape of the area corresponding to the point 105 does not need to be rectangular. Furthermore, the multiple points 105 may be disposed apart from each other, adjacent to each other, or partially overlapping with each other.

[0038] Each of the multiple transmitters 104 is mounted (attached) on the mobile object 101 to be managed. The transmitter 104 may be held (carried or attached) by an operator who operates the mobile object 101. Alternatively, the transmitter 104 may be attached to an object transported by the mobile object 101. Furthermore, the mobile object 101 that transports the object is not limited to a forklift. For example, the mobile object may be a vehicle, a dolly, or the like.

[0039] The transmitter 104 periodically wirelessly transmits a detection signal 151. The multiple receivers 103 receive the detection signal 151 periodically wirelessly transmitted from the transmitter 104. The multiple receivers 103 transmit a notification signal 153 including information related to the received detection signal 151 to the management device 102.

[0040] The management device 102 detects and manages the positions and operations (movements) of the multiple mobile objects 101 using the information contained in the notification signal 153 .

[0041] [Transmitter configuration] 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of transmitter 104. This transmitter 104 includes an ID storage unit 121, a control unit 122, a wireless transmission unit 123, a communication unit 124, a presentation unit 125, and a power supply unit 126.

[0042] The ID storage unit 121 stores a transmitter ID (transmitter identifier) ​​that is information for uniquely identifying the transmitter 104 in question.

[0043] The control unit 122 wirelessly transmits the detection signal 151 including the transmitter ID via the wireless transmission unit 123 .

[0044] The wireless transmission unit 123 transmits the detection signal 151. The detection signal 151 is, for example, a wireless signal conforming to IEEE802.15.4, and is a wireless signal in the 920 MHz band, the 950 MHz band, or the 2.4 GHz band. Note that a LPWA (Low Power, Wide Area) wireless signal may be used for the detection signal 151. Furthermore, the detection signal 151 may be a wireless signal of any type other than those mentioned above.

[0045] The communication unit 124 communicates with the management device 102. The method of communication between the transmitter 104 and the management device 102 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a public telephone network, an Internet line (including wireless or LAN, or Wi-Fi (registered trademark), etc.), or a unique wireless network, etc. The communication unit 124 receives a presentation signal 152, which will be described later, from the management device 102.

[0046] The presentation unit 125 is a device for presenting information, such as a display and / or a microphone.

[0047] The power supply unit 126 is a power supply that supplies power to the transmitter 104, and is, for example, a cell or a battery.

[0048] The transmitter 104 may include an operation unit such as a button or a touch panel that accepts user operations.

[0049] [Receiver configuration] 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of receiver 103. Receiver 103 includes ID storage section 131, control section 132, wireless receiving section 133, and communication section .

[0050] The ID storage unit 131 stores a receiver ID (receiver identifier) ​​that is information for uniquely identifying the receiver 103 in question.

[0051] The wireless receiving unit 133 receives the detection signal 151 wirelessly transmitted from the transmitter 104 .

[0052] When the wireless receiving unit 133 receives the detection signal 151 , the control unit 132 generates a notification signal 153 and transmits it to the management device 102 via the communication unit 134 .

[0053] The notification signal 153 includes, for example, the transmitter ID of the transmitter 104 that is the transmission source of the received detection signal 151, the receiver ID of the receiver, the arrival time which is the time when reception of the detection signal 151 started, and the departure time which is the time when reception of the detection signal 151 ended. Note that receiving the detection signal 151 means that the received radio wave intensity of the detection signal 151 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. In addition, it may be determined that reception has started when reception of the detection signal 151 continues for a certain period of time. Similarly, it may be determined that reception has ended when reception of the detection signal 151 has continued and then the detection signal 151 has not been received for a certain period of time.

[0054] Also, here, an example is described in which the receiver 103 determines the arrival time and the departure time, but the notification signal 153 includes, instead of the arrival time and the departure time, information indicating the received radio wave strength of the detection signal 151 for each hour, or information indicating whether or not the detection signal 151 has been received for each hour (information indicating whether or not the received radio wave strength is above a threshold), and the arrival time and the departure time may be determined in the management device 102 using this information.

[0055] In addition, instead of transmitting the arrival time and departure time together to the management device 102, the receiver 103 may transmit the arrival time to the management device 102 when it starts receiving the detection signal 151, and transmit the departure time to the management device 102 when it finishes receiving the detection signal 151.

[0056] The communication unit 134 communicates with the management device 102. The method of communication between the receiver 103 and the management device 102 is not particularly limited, but for example, a method similar to that of the communication unit 124 included in the transmitter 104 can be used. The communication between the receiver 103 and the management device 102 may be performed via another device such as a repeater. The receiver 103 may also relay the presentation signal 153 transmitted from the management device 102 to the transmitter 104.

[0057] [Management device configuration] Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the management device 102. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management device 102. The management device 102 includes a communication unit 141, a storage unit 142, a management unit 143, and a display unit 144.

[0058] The communication unit 141 receives a notification signal 153 transmitted from the receiver 103. The communication unit 141 also transmits a presentation signal 152 that instructs the transmitter 104 to present a warning or the like.

[0059] The storage unit 142 stores information included in the notification signals 153 transmitted from the multiple receivers 103. The storage unit 142 also stores various pieces of information calculated by the management device 102.

[0060] The management unit 143 manages the movement of the transmitter 104 using the information stored in the storage unit 142. The display unit 144 displays information related to the movement of the transmitter 104.

[0061] The configuration of the management system 100 is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 1. For example, the management system 100 may include multiple management devices 102. Furthermore, the functions of the management device 102 may be realized by multiple devices. For example, some of the functions of the management device 102 may be realized by a PC, and the other parts may be realized by a mobile terminal such as a smartphone.

[0062] Furthermore, the receiver 103 may have at least a part of the functions of the management device 102, or the management device 102 may have at least a part of the functions of the receiver 103. For example, the receiver 103 may have all of the functions of the management device 102, and the management system 100 may not include the management device 102.

[0063] Furthermore, when the management device 102 and the receiver 103 are realized as a single device, the signal transmission between the management device 102 and the receiver 103 is performed within the device. In other words, the transmission of the notification signal 153 described above is not limited to the transmission between devices via a network or the like, but also includes the transmission of a signal within the device.

[0064] [Operation of the management system] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the management system 100. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the management device 102. First, the management device 102 receives a plurality of notification signals 153 from a plurality of receivers 103 during a predetermined period, and accumulates information included in the received plurality of notification signals 153 (S101).

[0065] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the management device 102. As shown in FIG. 6, the transmitter ID of the transmitter 104 that is the transmission source of the detection signal 151, the process type ID, the receiver ID of the receiver 103 that received the detection signal 151, the arrival time that is the time when the reception of the detection signal 151 started, and the departure time that is the time when the reception of the detection signal 151 ended are stored in association with each other. The process type ID is an identifier that indicates the type of the work process, and is included in the detection signal 151, for example. For example, when a plurality of types of work processes are performed in a factory (for example, when the types of objects are different or when the contents of the work processes are different), the process type ID is used to distinguish each work process. When the work processes are common, the process type ID does not need to be used.

[0066] The transmitter ID may also be a set of multiple IDs indicating multiple classifications. For example, one or multiple classifications (attributes) may be indicated by the most significant bits of the ID. For example, classifications include purpose of use, type of object, place of use, etc.

[0067] Next, the management device 102 determines the movement line segment using the accumulated information (S102). That is, the management device 102 determines the movement line segment for each of the multiple transmitters 104 based on the detection signals 151 received by the multiple receivers 103. Here, the movement line segment is information indicating which of the multiple points 105 the device moved from and which other point 105 it moved to immediately after.

[0068] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of information calculated from information accumulated by the management device 102. As shown in FIG. 7, the management device 102 determines a line segment ID indicating a movement line segment for each data set (one row of information in FIG. 6) shown in FIG. 6. First, the management device 102 sorts multiple data sets having the same transmitter ID by arrival time or departure time, and extracts consecutive data sets to determine the origin point and the destination point. The management device 102 determines a line segment ID that is preset for a pair of the origin point (origin receiver) and the destination point (destination receiver).

[0069] In addition, the management device 102 calculates a travel time, which is the difference between the departure time at the origin point and the arrival time at the destination point. In other words, the travel time is the time it takes for the transmitter 104 to travel from the origin point to the destination point.

[0070] The management device 102 calculates the dwell time, which is the difference between the arrival time and the departure time at the origin point. In other words, the dwell time is the time that the transmitter 104 stayed at the origin point. Note that the difference between the arrival time and the departure time at the destination point, instead of the origin point, may be calculated as the dwell time corresponding to the movement line segment.

[0071] Furthermore, the management device 102 determines a process ID for identifying a work process. This process ID is used to identify each work process, for example, when the same work process is repeatedly performed by the same mobile body 101. For example, a process start point and a process end point are set in advance for each type of work process. The management device 102 sorts multiple data sets having the same transmitter ID by arrival time or departure time, and associates the data set from when the transmitter 104 is detected by the receiver 103 with the receiver ID corresponding to the process start point to when the transmitter 104 is detected by the receiver 103 with the receiver ID corresponding to the process end point with one process ID.

[0072] The management device 102 also adds date and time information to each data set. Note that, although date and time information is added in days in Fig. 7, the unit is not limited to days, and may be hours, weeks, months, or any other arbitrary unit.

[0073] Also, although an example is shown here in which one task is performed at one location 105, multiple tasks may be performed at one location 105, and there may be a location 105 where no task is performed. For example, a location 105 where no task is performed is a route located between two locations 105 where tasks are performed.

[0074] In addition, although an example in which one receiver 103 is arranged for one location 105 is shown here, multiple receivers 103 may be arranged for one location 105. Also, a number of receivers 103 less than the number of the multiple locations 105 may be arranged for the multiple locations 105. In this case, the position of the transmitter 104 can be estimated based on a combination of the received radio wave strengths received by the multiple receivers 103. For example, when the received radio wave strength is equal to or greater than a threshold value in two receivers 103, it can be estimated that the transmitter 104 is present in an area between the two receivers 103. Furthermore, a more detailed position can be estimated based on the strength of the received radio wave strength. Also, when the locations 105 and the receivers 103 do not correspond one-to-one, the management device 102 converts the information for each receiver 103 into information for each location 105.

[0075] 8 to 10 are diagrams showing examples of movement segments. In these diagrams, receivers 103A to 103F are provided at six points 105A to 105F, respectively. For example, point 105A is the process start point, and point 105F is the process end point.

[0076] 8, the transmitter 104 (mobile body 101) moves to point 105A (S201), moves from point 105A to point 105B (S202), moves from point 105B to point 105C (S203), and moves from point 105C to point 105F (S204). In this case, three movement line segments with line segment IDs = 001, 002, and 003 are detected.

[0077] In the example shown in FIG. 9, the transmitter 104 moves to the point 105A (S211), moves from the point 105A to the point 105B (S212), moves from the point 105B to the point 105E (S213), moves from the point 105E to the point 105B (S214), moves from the point 105B to the point 105C (S215), and moves from the point 105C to the point 105F (S216). In this case, five movement line segments with line segment IDs = 001, 004, 005, 002, and 003 are detected. Here, the example shown in FIG. 8 and the example shown in FIG. 9 are both the same type of work process. For example, in this example, the work performed at the point 105B is an inspection, and if the inspection is passed, the transmitter moves to the point 105C, and if the inspection is not passed, the transmitter is adjusted at the point 105E and then inspected again at the point 105B. In this way, even if the work process is the same, the movement route may differ depending on the situation.

[0078] In the example shown in FIG. 10, the transmitter 104 moves to the point 105A (S221), moves from the point 105A to the point 105B (S222), moves from the point 105B to the point 105E (S223), moves from the point 105E to the point 105C (S224), and moves from the point 105C to the point 105F (S225). In this case, four movement line segments with line segment IDs = 001, 004, 006, and 003 are detected. This example is, for example, an example in which a movement different from the original route has been made, and the movement shown in FIG. 9 should be made correctly, but the movement from the point 105E to the point 105C has been made without passing through the point 105B. In this case, the movement line segment with line segment ID = 006, which does not usually occur, is detected.

[0079] In order to detect such erroneous movements, the management device 102 generates a histogram of the detected movement line segments (S103). Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a histogram of the generated movement line segments. In the histogram shown in Fig. 11, the horizontal axis represents line segment ID, and the vertical axis represents frequency (occurrence frequency of the movement line segments).

[0080] The management device 102 uses this histogram to determine standard movement line segments that may occur in a normal work process and other abnormal movement line segments (S104). For example, the management device 102 determines movement line segments whose frequency is equal to or greater than a threshold Th1 as standard movement line segments, and determines the rest (movement line segments whose frequency is less than the threshold Th1) as abnormal movement line segments. For example, the threshold Th1 may be set as a ratio to the number of data sets.

[0081] By the above processing, even if the work process is complicated, for example, it is possible to automatically determine a movement that is different from the normal movement. In addition, there are cases where a branch occurs at the destination of the movement as described above, and there are also cases where a plurality of tasks are determined but the order of the tasks is not determined. For example, when three tasks, task A, task B, and task C, are to be performed, there are also cases where the tasks may be performed in the order of task A, task B, and task C, or in the order of task B, task C, and task A. In such cases, if the number of tasks increases, it becomes difficult to define a movement that is different from the normal movement. Even in such cases, the present method can be used to automatically determine a movement that is different from the normal movement.

[0082] Although the above shows an example of using a movement line segment, a movement line group or a movement line sequence may be used instead of or in addition to the movement line segment. A movement line group is a set of two or more movement line segments. Specifically, a movement line group is two or more movement lines extracted from multiple movement lines obtained in one work process. Multiple movement lines obtained in one work process are movement lines associated with the same process ID. Note that the movement line group does not take into account the order of occurrence and continuity of occurrence of the movement lines. In other words, a movement line group is a combination of multiple movement lines regardless of the order of occurrence.

[0083] For example, if movement line segment A, movement line segment B, and movement line segment C occur in this order in one work process, the movement line segment groups obtained are movement line segment group a (a combination of movement line segment A and movement line segment B), movement line segment group b (a combination of movement line segment A and movement line segment C), movement line segment group c (a combination of movement line segment B and movement line segment C), and movement line segment group d (a combination of movement line segment A, movement line segment B, and movement line segment C). Also, if movement line segment B, movement line segment C, and movement line segment A occur in this order in one work process, similar movement line segment groups a to d are obtained.

[0084] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a histogram of a movement line segment group generated by the management device 102. In the histogram shown in Fig. 12, the horizontal axis represents the line segment group ID, and the vertical axis represents the frequency (frequency of occurrence of the movement line segment group). The line segment group ID is an identifier uniquely associated with the movement line segment group.

[0085] Furthermore, the management device 102 uses this histogram to determine whether a standard movement line group that may occur in a normal work process is a standard movement line group, or whether the other movement line group is an abnormal movement line group. For example, the management device 102 determines a movement line group whose frequency is equal to or greater than a threshold value Th2 as a standard movement line group, and determines the other movement line group (a movement line group whose frequency is less than the threshold value Th2) as an abnormal movement line group. For example, the threshold value Th2 may be set as a ratio to the number of data sets of the movement line group used to generate the histogram.

[0086] By using the group of movement lines in this way, it is possible to identify unusual movements that cannot be detected by analyzing movement lines. For example, it is possible to extract movement lines that can occur as individual movement lines but cannot occur as a combination during a single work process.

[0087] Similarly to a group of moving lines, a moving line sequence is a set of two or more moving lines. Specifically, a moving line sequence is obtained by extracting two or more moving lines from multiple moving lines obtained in one work process. Multiple moving lines obtained in one work process are moving lines that are associated with the same process ID. Unlike a group of moving lines, a moving line sequence takes into account the order of occurrence and continuity of occurrence of the moving lines. In other words, the multiple moving lines included in a moving line sequence are multiple moving lines that occur consecutively. A moving line sequence is also a combination that includes the order of occurrence of multiple moving lines.

[0088] For example, if movement line segment A, movement line segment B, and movement line segment C occur in this order in one work process, the movement line segment sequence a (a combination of movement line segment A and movement line segment B), movement line segment sequence b (a combination of movement line segment B and movement line segment C), and movement line segment sequence c (a combination of movement line segment A, movement line segment B, and movement line segment C) are obtained. Also, if movement line segment B, movement line segment C, and movement line segment A occur in this order in one work process, unlike the above, movement line segment sequence b (a combination of movement line segment B and movement line segment C), movement line segment sequence d (a combination of movement line segment C and movement line segment A), and movement line segment sequence e (a combination of movement line segment B, movement line segment C, and movement line segment A) are obtained.

[0089] For example, there are six movement lines (lines A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2) for three points α, β, and γ. Line A1 is movement from point α to point β, line A2 is movement from point α to point γ, line B1 is movement from point β to point γ, line B2 is movement from point β to point α, line C1 is movement from point γ to point α, and line C2 is movement from point γ to point β.

[0090] In addition, when moving freely between three points α, β, and γ, there are 15 (=6×5 / 2) possible groups of moving lines consisting of two moving lines. In addition, there are 20 (=6×5×4 / 3 / 2) possible groups of moving lines consisting of three moving lines. Therefore, when extracting both groups of moving lines consisting of two moving lines and groups of moving lines consisting of three moving lines, there are 35 possible groups of moving lines.

[0091] In this case, there are 12 types of movement line segment sequences consisting of two movement line segments. Specifically, there are 12 types of movement line segment sequences: from line segment A1 to line segment B1, from line segment A1 to line segment B2, from line segment A2 to line segment C1, from line segment A2 to line segment C2, from line segment B1 to line segment A1, from line segment B1 to line segment A2, from line segment B2 to line segment C1, from line segment B2 to line segment C2, from line segment C1 to line segment A1, from line segment C1 to line segment A2, from line segment C2 to line segment B1, and from line segment C2 to line segment B2. There are 24 types of movement line segment sequences consisting of three movement line segments, which is twice as many as the number of movement line segment sequences consisting of two movement line segments.

[0092] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a histogram of movement line segment sequences generated by the management device 102. In the histogram shown in Fig. 13, the horizontal axis represents line segment sequence ID, and the vertical axis represents frequency (frequency of occurrence of movement line segment sequences). The line segment sequence ID is an identifier uniquely associated with the movement line segment sequence.

[0093] Furthermore, the management device 102 uses this histogram to determine standard movement line segment sequences that may occur in a normal work process and other abnormal movement line segment sequences. For example, the management device 102 determines a movement line segment sequence whose frequency is equal to or greater than a threshold Th3 as a standard movement line segment sequence, and determines the rest (movement line segment sequences whose frequency is less than the threshold Th3) as abnormal movement line segment sequences. For example, the threshold Th3 may be set as a ratio to the number of data sets of the movement line segment sequence used to generate the histogram.

[0094] By using the sequence of movement lines in this way, it is possible to determine unusual movements that cannot be determined by analyzing movement lines. For example, it is possible to extract movement lines that can occur as individual movement lines but cannot occur as a combination (including sequence and continuity) during a single work process.

[0095] [Abnormal behavior detection processing] Information on the standard movement line segment and the abnormal movement line segment determined above is stored in the management device 102. The management device 102 uses the information to detect abnormal behavior of the transmitter 104. Fig. 14 is a flowchart of this abnormal behavior detection process. Note that the process shown in Fig. 14 is repeatedly performed at a predetermined time interval. Alternatively, the process may be triggered by the reception of a notification signal.

[0096] First, the management device 102 receives a plurality of notification signals 153 (S111) and determines a movement line segment (S112). Next, the management device 102 determines whether the determined movement line segment is a standard movement line segment (S113). If the movement line segment is not a standard movement line segment, that is, if the movement line segment is an abnormal movement line segment (No in S113), the management device 102 notifies the moving object 101 of a warning (S114). For example, the management device 102 transmits a presentation signal 152 to the transmitter 104 to instruct the presentation of a warning. The transmitter 104 that receives the presentation signal 152 presents a warning. For example, the transmitter 104 presents a warning to the operator operating the moving object 101 by an image, a video, light emission, sound, vibration, or a combination of these.

[0097] On the other hand, if the movement line segment is a standard movement line segment (Yes in S113), the management apparatus 102 ends the process.

[0098] Although an example in which the transmitter 104 issues a warning has been shown here, if the worker who operates the mobile body 101 carries a separate terminal device, the management device 102 may instruct the terminal device to issue a warning. Alternatively, the warning may be issued on a device (such as a display) that is fixedly installed in the work area.

[0099] The above processing may be performed in real time, or data may be accumulated for a predetermined period of time and the accumulated data may be processed collectively.

[0100] Also, instead of or in addition to the moving line segment, a similar process may be performed using a moving line segment group or a moving line segment sequence. Similarly, in the following description, the process for the moving line segment may be applied to a moving line segment group or a moving line segment sequence.

[0101] Furthermore, the work process identified by the process ID may be a work process that includes all work that may occur, including work for dealing with exceptions (for example, corrective work when an inspection is not passed), or a work process that includes work that occurs as a regular (normal) work process. In other words, different process IDs may be assigned to regular work processes and work processes for dealing with exceptions.

[0102] In the latter case, the situation can be managed more meticulously. Specifically, if the inspection is not passed, a work change instruction (correction process instruction) is displayed automatically or manually on the transmitter 104 or a terminal device (tablet, smartphone, etc.) carried by the worker. The correction process instruction is also transmitted to the management device 102, and the process ID is changed to a new process ID (process ID of a work process for handling the exception), and the work is continued until completion.

[0103] It should be noted that if new work occurs to deal with an exception, the process ID is changed again. Information such as the new process ID is, for example, included in the presentation signal 152 and transmitted from the management device 102 to the transmitter 104 or the like. The new process ID is treated as a derivative of the original process ID. In other words, the new process ID is associated with the original process ID. As a result, the new process ID and the original process ID are treated as the same in various sorting processes.

[0104] [Show histogram] The histogram generated as described above may be displayed to an operator of the management device 102. In this case, for example, the management device 102 may set the above-mentioned threshold values ​​Th1 to Th3 based on an operation of the operator. The operator may set the standard movement line segment or the abnormal movement line segment while referring to the histogram. Alternatively, the set standard movement line segment or the abnormal movement line segment may be changed based on an operation of the operator.

[0105] In this case, the management device 102 may display various information in addition to the histogram. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of information calculated by the management device 102. For example, the management device 102 may calculate an average travel time and an average dwell time for each travel line segment. The average travel time and the average dwell time may be calculated for each period. The average travel time is the average value of travel times included in multiple data sets having the same line segment ID. The average dwell time is the average value of dwell times included in multiple data sets having the same line segment ID. Note that a median or the like may be used instead of the average value.

[0106] Similarly, the average travel time and the average dwell time of the moving line group or moving line sequence may be calculated. For example, the average travel time of the moving line group or moving line sequence is the sum of the average travel times of the multiple moving lines included in the moving line group or moving line sequence, and the average dwell time of the moving line group or moving line sequence is the sum of the average dwell times of the multiple moving lines included in the moving line group or moving line sequence.

[0107] The method of displaying the above information is not particularly limited, and may be displayed as a list or may be superimposed on a histogram.

[0108] Furthermore, the management device 102 may receive a designation of a movement line segment (e.g., designation of a line segment ID) from an operator, generate a histogram of the movement time of the received movement line segment, and display the histogram. Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a histogram of movement time. In the histogram shown in Fig. 16, the horizontal axis represents the movement time, and the vertical axis represents the frequency (frequency of occurrence of the movement time), and data on the movement line segment with line segment ID=011 is shown. Note that, although the movement times are classified in minutes here, the unit of classification may be arbitrary.

[0109] The management device 102 may also determine the standard travel time and abnormal travel time for each travel line segment from the travel time histogram. For example, the management device 102 determines a travel time whose frequency is equal to or greater than a threshold as a standard travel time, and determines the rest (travel time whose frequency is less than the threshold) as an abnormal travel time. The management device 102 may also determine an abnormality and notify a warning by a process similar to that shown in FIG. 14 using the determined standard travel time and abnormal travel time. Note that this determination may take into account not only the frequency but also the difference from the average travel time. For example, if the frequency is less than a first threshold and the difference from the average travel time is equal to or greater than a second threshold, it may be determined to be abnormal. The operator of the management device 102 may also set the standard travel time or abnormal travel time while referring to the histogram.

[0110] The management device 102 may also receive a designation of a point 105 from an operator, generate a histogram of the stop time at the received point 105, and display the histogram. Note that a work line segment may be designated instead of the point 105, and for example, a start point of the designated work line segment may be selected. Alternatively, a destination point of the designated work line segment may be selected.

[0111] Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a histogram of dwell times. In the histogram shown in Fig. 17, the horizontal axis represents dwell time, and the vertical axis represents frequency (frequency of occurrence of dwell time), and data on dwell times at point A is shown. Note that here, dwell times are classified in minutes, but the unit of classification may be arbitrary.

[0112] The management device 102 may also determine the standard dwell time and the abnormal dwell time for each point (or each moving line segment) from the histogram of the dwell time. For example, the management device 102 determines the dwell time whose frequency is equal to or greater than the threshold as the standard dwell time, and determines the rest (the dwell time whose frequency is less than the threshold) as the abnormal dwell time. The management device 102 may also determine an abnormality and notify a warning by a process similar to that shown in FIG. 14 using the determined standard dwell time and abnormal dwell time. Note that this determination may take into account not only the frequency but also the difference from the average dwell time. For example, if the frequency is less than the first threshold and the difference from the average dwell time is equal to or greater than the second threshold, it may be determined to be abnormal. The operator of the management device 102 may also set the standard dwell time or the abnormal dwell time while referring to the histogram.

[0113] Furthermore, the management device 102 may receive a designation of a movement line segment (e.g., designation of a line segment ID) from an operator, generate a histogram of the frequency of the received movement line segment for each period, and display the histogram. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a histogram of the frequency for each period. In the histogram shown in FIG. 18, the horizontal axis represents the period, and the vertical axis represents the frequency (frequency of occurrence of the movement line segment in the period), and data on the movement line segment with line segment ID=011 is shown. Note that, although the period is set in months here, the unit of the period may be arbitrary.

[0114] When generating a histogram, the period during which the target data was acquired may be specified. Alternatively, the type of the target work process (process type ID) may be specified. Alternatively, an individual transmitter 104 may be specified, or the attributes of the transmitter 104 (mobile object 101) may be specified. Also, a combination of two or more of these may be specified.

[0115] The attribute of the transmitter 104 (mobile body 101) may include the designation of the worker who uses the mobile body 101 or the object transported by the mobile body 101. Information indicating the attribute may be included in the transmitter ID, or the correspondence may be managed in the management device 102. For example, at the start of a work process, a worker reads tags attached to the transmitter 104 (or the mobile body 101) and the object with a terminal device carried by the worker to obtain the transmitter ID and the identifier of the object, and transmits the obtained transmitter ID and identifier of the object and the identifier of the terminal device (or the worker's identifier) ​​to the management device 102. This allows the management device 102 to manage the correspondence between the worker, the transmitter, and the object in the work process. The method of associating the worker, the transmitter, and the object is not limited to this, and any method may be used, such as the worker inputting the information into the terminal device.

[0116] Furthermore, when generating a histogram using a group of moving line segments or a sequence of moving line segments, the number (or range of numbers) of moving line segments included in the group of moving line segments or the sequence of moving line segments used to generate the histogram may be specified.

[0117] Furthermore, the following method may be used when analyzing the behavior of a worker. For example, the management device 102 may extract where a worker (mobile body 101) who passed a certain point α (i.e., performed work at this point α) stopped off. Specifically, the management device 102 accepts the designation of the point α, generates a histogram of a movement line segment included in a work process including the designated point α, and displays the generated histogram. This allows an operator of the management device 102 to understand the status of movement that passed the point α. Note that the management device 102 may not generate a histogram for all movement line segments, but may instead accept the designation of multiple movement line segments and generate histograms for the multiple designated movement line segments.

[0118] Furthermore, the management device 102 may extract the point from which a worker who passed through a certain point α came (or the point to which the worker moved). Specifically, the management device 102 accepts the designation of the point α, generates a histogram of movement line segments with the point α as the destination (or the origin), and displays the generated histogram. This allows the operator of the management device 102 to know the point from which a worker who passed through the point α came (or the point to which the worker moved). Note that the management device 102 may generate a histogram of a movement line sequence including a movement line segment with the point α as the destination (or the origin) instead of the histogram of the movement line segment. In this case, the number of movement line segments included in the movement line sequence may be designated by the operator.

[0119] Also, a comparison of occurrence frequencies under specified conditions may be performed. For example, the management device 102 receives the number of movement lines included in the movement line sequence (or movement line group) to be extracted, and generates a histogram of the movement line sequence (or movement line group) including the received number of movement lines.

[0120] Alternatively, the management device 102 accepts the designation of a plurality of movement line segment sequences (or a plurality of movement line segment groups) and displays information (e.g., a histogram) indicating the occurrence frequency of the designated plurality of movement line segment sequences (or a plurality of movement line segment groups). This allows the operator to compare the occurrence frequency of the designated plurality of movement line segment sequences (or a plurality of movement line segment groups).

[0121] In this case, a wildcard may be used to specify the movement line segment sequence, that is, the management device 102 may generate a histogram indicating the occurrence frequency of movement line segment sequences that include the specified wildcard.

[0122] Alternatively, a wildcard may be used for the source or destination of a movement line segment. In other words, the management device 102 may generate a histogram of a movement line sequence (or a group of movement line segments) including a movement line segment having one or more designated points as the source or destination.

[0123] In addition, the management device 102 may accept the specification of a start point and an end point among multiple points included in a work process, and generate a histogram of a movement line segment, a group of movement line segments, or a sequence of movement line segments included between the start point and the end point.

[0124] Alternatively, the management device 102 may generate a histogram of all the movement line segments, the group of movement line segments, or the sequence of movement line segments included in the work process. In this case, the end point may differ due to the occurrence of defective products, etc.

[0125] In addition, the above-mentioned methods may be combined. This allows the operator to extract data in various combinations. In addition, the management device 102 may generate a histogram for the travel time or the stay time by the above-mentioned methods.

[0126] In the above description, the management device 102 generates a histogram of the detected movement line segments, etc., but the generated information is not limited to a histogram, and may be information indicating the occurrence frequency (occurrence count) of a movement line segment, a movement time, a stop time, a movement line segment group, a movement line segment sequence, etc. For example, this information may be a graph such as a line graph or a bar graph, or may be a list showing the occurrence frequency as a numerical value.

[0127] Although the management system according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

[0128] For example, each processing unit included in each device included in the management system according to the above embodiment is typically realized as an LSI, which is an integrated circuit. These may be individually implemented as single chips, or may be integrated in part or all of them as a single chip.

[0129] The integrated circuit is not limited to an LSI, but may be realized by a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. A field programmable gate array (FPGA) that can be programmed after the LSI is manufactured, or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connections and settings of the circuit cells inside the LSI may also be used.

[0130] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of each device included in the management system according to the above-described embodiment may be realized by a processor such as a CPU executing a program.

[0131] Furthermore, the present invention may be the above-mentioned program, or a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having the above-mentioned program recorded therein. Needless to say, the above-mentioned program can be distributed via a transmission medium such as the Internet.

[0132] The present invention can be realized not only as a management system, but also as a transmitter, a receiver, or a management device included in the management system. The present invention can also be realized as a management method having characteristic means included in such a management system as steps, or as a program that causes a computer to execute such characteristic steps.

[0133] Furthermore, all the numbers used above are merely examples for the purpose of specifically explaining the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the numbers exemplified.

[0134] In addition, the division of functional blocks in the block diagram is an example, and multiple functional blocks may be realized as one functional block, one functional block may be divided into multiple blocks, or some functions may be transferred to another functional block. Furthermore, the functions of multiple functional blocks having similar functions may be processed in parallel or in a time-sharing manner by a single piece of hardware or software.

[0135] The order in which the steps are performed as shown in the above flowchart is merely an example for specifically explaining the present invention, and the steps may be performed in an order other than the above. Also, some of the steps may be performed simultaneously (in parallel) with other steps.

[0136] Although the management system according to one or more aspects has been described based on the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. As long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention, various modifications conceived by a person skilled in the art to this embodiment and forms constructed by combining components in different embodiments may also be included within the scope of one or more aspects. [Industrial Applicability]

[0137] The present invention can be applied to a management system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0138] 100 Management Systems 101 Mobile 102 Management device 103, 103A, 103B, 103C, 103D, 103E, 103F Receivers 104 Transmitter 105, 105A, 105B, 105C, 105D, 105E, 105F points 121, 131 ID storage section 122, 132 Control unit 123 Radio transmitter 124, 134, 141 Communications Department 125 Presentation section 126 Power supply section 133 Radio receiving unit 142 Storage section 143 Management Department 144 Display section 151 Detection Signal 152 Presentation signal 153 Notification signal

Claims

1. A management system for managing one or more managed objects, comprising: one or more transmitters that are held in each of the one or more managed objects and wirelessly transmit a detection signal; a plurality of receivers for receiving the detection signals; determining, for each of the one or more transmitters, a movement line segment indicating from which point among a plurality of points the vehicle has moved to which other point immediately after that, based on the detection signals received by the plurality of receivers; Detect the occurrence frequency of the movement line segment Management system.

2. The management system further comprises: extracting the detected movement line segment having an occurrence frequency greater than a predetermined number as a standard movement line segment; Identifying a transmitter that detects a moving line segment that is not included in the standard moving line segment The management system according to claim 1.

3. The management system further comprises: Accepting the designation of the movement line segment; Based on the detection signals received by the plurality of receivers, a travel time from a source point to a destination point corresponding to the designated travel line segment is determined for each of the one or more transmitters. The management system according to claim 1.

4. The management system further comprises: Accept the designation of the location, A residence time, which is a time from when a transmitter arrives at the designated location until when the transmitter leaves the designated location, is determined for each of the one or more transmitters based on the detection signals received by the multiple receivers. The management system according to claim 1.

5. The management system further comprises: Accepting the movement line segment; Detect the occurrence frequency of the specified movement line segment for each period. The management system according to claim 1.

6. The management system further comprises: Detect the occurrence frequency of a group of moving line segments, which is a combination of multiple moving line segments regardless of the order of occurrence The management system according to claim 1.

7. The management system further comprises: Detect the occurrence frequency of a sequence of moving line segments, which is a combination including the order of occurrence of multiple moving line segments The management system according to claim 1.

8. The management system further comprises: A histogram is generated that indicates the occurrence frequency of the detected movement line segments. The management system according to claim 1.

9. A management method in a management system for managing one or more managed objects, comprising: The management system includes: one or more transmitters that are held in each of the one or more managed objects and wirelessly transmit a detection signal; a plurality of receivers for receiving the detection signals; The management method includes: determining, for each of the one or more transmitters, a movement line segment indicating from which point among a plurality of points the vehicle has moved to which other point immediately after that, based on the detection signals received by the plurality of receivers; Detect the occurrence frequency of the movement line segment Management method.

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