Information processing device, information processing system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To reduce man-hours for raw material search.SOLUTION: An information processing device according to the present invention comprises: information acquisition means for acquiring raw material information indicative of a raw material read from a raw material tag stuck to a container from an information reading device for reading information stored in the tag, and further acquiring place information indicative of a place where the raw material information is read; information association means for associating the acquired raw material information and place information with each other; target reception means for receiving, from a user, the raw material information serving as a place retrieval target; retrieval means for retrieving the place information associated with the raw material information of the retrieval target; and information output means for outputting the raw material information of the retrieval target and the retrieved place information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device that processes information in a factory. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a system that uses multiple tags to manage the production of actual products manufactured in a factory. The system described in Patent Document 1 uses an actual product tag that stores information about the actual product, a location tag that stores information about a location in the factory, a transportation means tag that stores information about a transportation means for transporting the actual product, and a worker tag that stores information about the worker. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-059244 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Even if the location where the actual item is placed is far from the location where the location tag is affixed, if the actual item tag and the location tag are within the detection range of the reader, the reader can read information from the actual item tag and the location tag. In this case, the location of the actual item is determined to be the location of the location tag. However, the location of the actual item is far from the location tag. As a result, factory workers have had to spend time searching for raw materials when moving raw materials, etc.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to reduce the amount of work required to find raw materials. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device in one form of the present disclosure is provided with: an information acquisition means for acquiring ingredient information indicating ingredients read from an ingredient tag affixed to a container from an information reading device that reads information recorded on the tag; and further comprising: an information acquisition means for acquiring location information indicating the location from which the ingredient information was read; an information association means for associating the acquired ingredient information with the location information; a target receiving means for accepting ingredient information to be searched for a location from a user; a search means for searching for location information associated with the ingredient information to be searched; and an information output means for outputting the ingredient information to be searched for and the searched location information.

[0007] An information processing system in one embodiment of the present disclosure includes the information processing device described above, an information reading device that reads ingredient information from the ingredient tag and outputs the ingredient information and location information to the information processing device, and a terminal device that transmits the ingredient information to be searched for to the information processing device.

[0008] An information processing method in one embodiment of the present disclosure obtains ingredient information indicating ingredients read from an ingredient tag affixed to a container and location information indicating the location from which the ingredient information was read from an information reading device that reads information recorded on the tag, associates the obtained ingredient information with the location information, accepts ingredient information to be searched for a location from a user, searches for location information associated with the ingredient information to be searched, and outputs the ingredient information to be searched and the searched location information.

[0009] In one embodiment of the information processing method of the present disclosure, an information processing device executes the above-mentioned information processing method, an information reading device reads ingredient information from an ingredient tag and outputs the ingredient information and location information to the information processing device, and a terminal device transmits the ingredient information to be searched for to the information processing device.

[0010] A program in one embodiment of the present disclosure causes a computer to execute the following processes: acquire ingredient information indicating ingredients read from an ingredient tag affixed to a container and location information indicating the location from which the ingredient information was read from an information reading device that reads information recorded on the tag; associate the acquired ingredient information with the location information; accept ingredient information to be searched for a location from a user; search for location information associated with the ingredient information to be searched; and output the ingredient information to be searched for and the searched location information. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to achieve the effect of reducing the man-hours required for searching for raw materials. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of an information processing device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of an operation of the information processing device. [Diagram 3] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of an information processing device including a raw material management unit. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of an information processing device including a task management unit; [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a factory that uses an information processing system. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an information processing system that uses an information processing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Each drawing is for explaining the embodiments. However, the embodiments are not limited to the description of the drawings.

[0014] In the following description, the information processing device operates using information read from a tag by a device that reads tag information, such as an information reading device (reader) or an information reading / writing device (reader / writer). In the following description, a reader is used as an example. The reader is, for example, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) reader, but is not limited to this.

[0015] The tag from which the information processing device acquires information is, for example, a raw material tag that stores raw material information indicating raw materials, but is not limited to this. For example, the information processing device may acquire information from a worker tag that stores worker information indicating a worker, or a container tag that stores container information indicating a container, as will be described later.

[0016] The tag is, for example, an IC (integrated circuit) tag or an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag, from which information can be read wirelessly, but is not limited to these.

[0017] In chemical plants and the like, the raw materials and intermediates used in each process are placed in containers and moved to storage locations and to the manufacturing sites where the processes are carried out. However, intermediates are also raw materials for the next process to be carried out. Therefore, in the following explanation, raw materials include intermediates.

[0018] First Embodiment 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of an information processing device 10. The information processing device 10 includes an information acquisition unit 110, an information association unit 120, an object receiving unit 130, a search unit 140, and an information output unit 150.

[0019] The information acquiring unit 110 acquires ingredient information and location information. For example, the information acquiring unit 110 acquires ingredient information from a reader. The ingredient information is information stored in an ingredient tag affixed to a container that holds the ingredient, and is information indicating the ingredient contained in the container. The ingredient information is, for example, the name, components, and amount of the ingredient. The ingredient information is not limited to these, and may include other information such as a warning word or the grade of the ingredient.

[0020] The information acquisition unit 110 may acquire location information from the reader, or may acquire location information stored in advance in a storage unit or the like. The location information is information indicating the location where the raw material information is read out. The location information is, for example, a storage location in a warehouse, or a temporary storage location for intermediate products in the middle of production, and is information indicating the location where the tag information is read out. In detail, the location information is, for example, information indicating the location of the antenna used by the reader to read out the information. The information indicating the location of the antenna is not limited to information directly indicating the location, and may be information for acquiring the information indicating the location. For example, an antenna identifier and information on the installation location of the antenna indicated by the identifier may be stored in advance in a storage unit (not shown), etc. In this case, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires the antenna identifier. The information acquisition unit 110 acquires the stored location information using the antenna identifier. When the distance between the antenna and the reader is short, such as when the antenna is installed in the reader, the location information may be information indicating the location of the reader that reads out the information recorded in the tag. In the following description, as an example, information indicating the location of the antenna is used as the location information. For example, the reader may store in advance location information of the antenna used to read information, and when the reader reads the ingredient information, output the ingredient information and location information. That is, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires ingredient information indicating the ingredient read from the ingredient tag attached to the container, and location information indicating the location where the ingredient information was read, from an information reading device that reads information recorded on the tag. In addition to the ingredient information and location information, the information acquisition unit 110 may acquire other information from the reader, such as time information indicating the time when the reader read the ingredient information.

[0021] The information associating unit 120 associates the ingredient information and location information acquired from the reader. The information associating unit 120 may store the associated ingredient information and location information, for example, in a storage unit (not shown). In this case, each component of the information processing device 10 may use the ingredient information and location information stored in the storage unit. However, each component may acquire the ingredient information and location information from the information associating unit 120. When the information acquiring unit 110 acquires other information such as time information, the information associating unit 120 may associate the other information such as time information with the ingredient information and location information.

[0022] The target receiving unit 130 receives, from the user, ingredient information to be searched for a location. The target receiving unit 130 acquires ingredient information to be searched for, for example, from a terminal device operated by the user. Details of this case are, for example, as follows. When a certain ingredient is to be moved from a storage location to a work location of a specific process, the user needs to know the storage location of the container in which the ingredient is stored. Then, the user operates the terminal device to transmit ingredient information indicating the ingredient, that is, ingredient information to be searched for a location, to the target receiving unit 130 of the information processing device 10. In this way, the target receiving unit 130 receives ingredient information indicating an ingredient for which the user wishes to search for a location, as ingredient information to be searched for a location. When the information associating unit 120 associates other information, such as time information, with the ingredient information and the location information, the target receiving unit 130 may receive, from the user, information specifying other information, such as a time range to be searched, in addition to the ingredient information.

[0023] The search unit 140 searches for location information associated with the ingredient information to be searched. In detail, the search unit 140 searches for location information associated with the ingredient information to be searched, using the ingredient information and location information associated by the information association unit 120. For example, when the ingredient information and location information are stored in the storage unit, the search unit 140 may use the stored information. When other information such as time information is associated with the ingredient information and location information, and when information specifying other information such as a time range in addition to the ingredient information is received from the user, the search unit 140 may search for location information associated with both the ingredient information and the other information. For example, when a time range is specified, the search unit 140 may search for location information whose time information is included in the specified time range in the location information associated with the ingredient information. The search unit 140 may search for location information associated with three or more pieces of information including the ingredient information.

[0024] In a factory or the like, the process to be performed at each location may be determined based on the arrangement of piping and equipment, etc. In this case, the search unit 140 may search for process information indicating a process corresponding to the searched location information, using a correspondence relationship between locations and processes that is stored in advance.

[0025] The information output unit 150 outputs the search target ingredient information received by the target receiving unit 130 and the location information searched by the search unit 140. For example, the information output unit 150 may output the search target ingredient information and the searched location information to a terminal device to which a user inputs ingredient information. When the search unit 140 searches for location information associated with both ingredient information and other information such as time information, the information output unit 150 may output the search target ingredient information, the searched location information, and other information such as time information when the ingredient information was read. When the search unit 140 is searching for process information, the information output unit 150 may output the process information in addition to or instead of the location information.

[0026] The information output unit 150 may output location information in association with information such as time information. For example, when there are multiple pieces of location information associated with the ingredient information to be searched, the information output unit 150 may output an ingredient flow line that connects the location information in the order of the time information.

[0027] The operation of the information processing device 10 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing an example of the operation of the information processing device 10. The information acquisition unit 110 acquires, from the reader, ingredient information indicating ingredients read from an ingredient tag attached to a container and location information indicating the location where the ingredient information was read (step S201). The information association unit 120 associates the acquired ingredient information with the location information (step S202). The target receiving unit 130 accepts ingredient information to be searched for a location from the user (step S203). The search unit 140 searches for location information associated with the ingredient information to be searched for (step S204). The information output unit 150 outputs the ingredient information to be searched for and the searched location information (step S205).

[0028] In this manner, the information processing device 10 includes an information acquisition unit 110, an information association unit 120, an object receiving unit 130, a search unit 140, and an information output unit 150. The information acquisition unit 110 acquires ingredient information indicating ingredients read from an ingredient tag attached to a container and location information indicating the location from which the ingredient information was read from an information reading device that reads information recorded on the tag. The information association unit 120 associates the acquired ingredient information with the location information. The object receiving unit 130 accepts ingredient information to be searched for a location from a user. The search unit 140 searches for location information associated with the ingredient information to be searched for. The information output unit 150 outputs the ingredient information to be searched for and the searched location information.

[0029] When searching for the location of an ingredient, the user can obtain location information by a simple task of outputting ingredient information indicating the ingredient to be searched for to the information processing device 10. In this way, the information processing device 10 reduces the user's effort in searching for ingredients.

[0030] When a tag affixed to a specific location is used as the source of location information, the distance between the antenna and the tag is, at most, the maximum detection range of the reader. Furthermore, the distance between the ingredient tag and the antenna is also, at most, the maximum detection range of the reader. Therefore, when a tag is used as the source of location information, the distance between the ingredient tag and the location indicated by the location information is, at most, twice the maximum detection range of the reader. In order to shorten this distance, it is envisioned that the maximum detection range of the reader will be narrowed. However, narrowing the maximum detection range of the reader is desirably avoided, as it would also narrow the detection range of the ingredient tag.

[0031] Meanwhile, the information processing device 10 uses, for example, information indicating the location of the antenna used to read information from the ingredient tag as the location information. Therefore, even when the distance between the ingredient tag location and the location indicated by the location information is at its maximum, it is the maximum detection range of the reader. In this way, the information processing device 10 can indicate the location of the ingredient more accurately. As a result, the user can reduce the labor required to search for ingredients using the information processing device 10.

[0032] When using a paper list or the like, the user needs a lot of man-hours to find the location of the raw material. On the other hand, when using the information processing device 10, the user can obtain the location of the raw material by a simple operation of transmitting the raw material information to be searched to the information processing device 10. In this way, the information processing device 10 reduces the man-hours required to search for raw materials compared to when using a paper list. Alternatively, when tracing raw materials using a paper list, the user needs to trace using multiple paper lists. In this case, since multiple lists are used, more man-hours are required by the user and the possibility of errors occurring is also increased. On the other hand, the information processing device 10 can automatically generate raw material flow lines. Therefore, by using the raw material flow lines generated by the information processing device 10, the user can reduce the man-hours required for raw material traceability and further improve the reliability of traceability. And by improving the reliability of traceability, the user can improve the quality assurance level of products and the like. In this way, the information processing device 10 provides effects such as facilitating the determination of the location of raw materials, improving the reliability of raw material traceability, and providing evidence in manufacturing.

[0033] [Variations] A modification of the information processing device 10 will be described.

[0034] (1) Time information As described above, the information processing device 10 may use time information. For example, the information acquisition unit 110 may acquire time information indicating the time when the ingredient information was read from the reader. Then, the information association unit 120 may associate the ingredient information, the location information, and the time information. Then, the target acceptance unit 130 may accept the ingredient information to be searched and the time range to be searched from the user. Then, the search unit 140 may search for the location information whose associated time information is included in the time range to be searched in the searched location information. Then, the information output unit 150 may output the ingredient information, the location information, and the time information. For example, when there are multiple containers containing the same ingredient, the user can acquire the location information of the required ingredient by using the time information when the container was stored in the storage location.

[0035] First-in, first-out means that the raw material brought in first is taken out first. In other words, when using raw materials on a first-in, first-out basis, the user needs to use the raw material stored at the oldest time first. Therefore, the information processing device 10 may execute an operation related to first-in, first-out. For example, when a plurality of pieces of raw material information with the same raw material are associated with the location of the location information searched by the search unit 140, the search unit 140 may search for the raw material information associated with the oldest time information from among the plurality of pieces of raw material information. In this case, the raw material information may include information for distinguishing each piece of raw material information in the plurality of pieces of raw material information. For example, the raw material information may include an identifier of the raw material such as a serial number. Alternatively, the information output unit 150 may output information for distinguishing raw materials in addition to the raw material information and the location information. For example, when the information acquisition unit 110 acquires container information to be described later, and the container information includes information for distinguishing containers, the information output unit 150 may output the container information in addition to the raw material information and the location information. The user can realize first-in, first-out of raw materials by using the oldest raw material using the output information.

[0036] (2) Raw material management The information processing device 10 may include a raw material determination unit 160 that determines the quality of the location of the raw materials, such as the storage location of the raw materials or the destination of the raw materials. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device 11 that includes the raw material determination unit 160. The information processing device 11 includes the raw material determination unit 160 in addition to the configuration of the information processing device 10.

[0037] For example, the ingredient judgment unit 160 may judge whether the first-in, first-out of ingredients is being performed correctly. An example of the operation in this case will be described. It is assumed that a plurality of the same ingredients are stored in the same location. However, it is assumed that each ingredient information is associated with different time information. When the first-in, first-out is performed correctly, the time indicated by the time information associated with the ingredient information whose location information has changed is earlier than any of the times indicated by the time information associated with other ingredient information whose location information has not changed. On the other hand, when the time indicated by the time information associated with the ingredient information whose location information has changed is later than at least one of the times indicated by the time information associated with other ingredient information whose location information has not changed, the first-in, first-out of ingredients is not being performed correctly.

[0038] Therefore, the ingredient judgment unit 160 performs, for example, the following judgment operation. When the location information related to any one of the ingredient information has changed, the ingredient judgment unit 160 compares the time information of the ingredient information whose location information has changed with the time information of the ingredient information whose location information has not changed. Specifically, the ingredient judgment unit 160 judges whether the time indicated by the time information associated with the ingredient information whose location information has changed is earlier than all the times indicated by the time information associated with the other ingredient information whose location information has not changed. Then, the information output unit 150 may output an alert when the first-in, first-out of the ingredient is not correctly performed. For example, when the ingredient judgment unit 160 judges that the time indicated by the time information associated with the ingredient information whose location information has changed is later than at least one of the time information associated with the other ingredient information whose location information has not changed, the information output unit 150 may output an alert. Hereinafter, the alert in this case is referred to as a first-in, first-out alert. For example, the information output unit 150 outputs a first-in, first-out alert to a predetermined device or system, such as a user's terminal device or a management system.

[0039] The raw material determination unit 160 may determine other states of the raw materials, not limited to first-in, first-out. For example, the raw material determination unit 160 may determine the route of the raw materials. For example, the raw material determination unit 160 may compare the route set for the raw materials with the raw material flow line to determine whether the route and the raw material flow line match. If the raw material flow line does not match the set route, the information output unit 150 may output an alert. The alert in this case is a route alert. For example, the information output unit 150 outputs a route alert to a predetermined device or system.

[0040] In a process such as a chemical plant, the container into which the raw material is put may be determined for that process. Therefore, the raw material determination unit 160 may determine the container into which the raw material is put for that process. However, if the product to be manufactured does not change, the process to be performed at each location is determined. Therefore, hereinafter, a case where location information is used will be described as an example of container determination. For example, in addition to the raw material tag, a container may be affixed with a container tag that stores container information indicating the container. The container information is, for example, the name, type, material, and capacity of the container. The container information is not limited to these, and may include other information such as the purchase date and time or the manufacturer name. Furthermore, the location information is associated with container information indicating the container to be used at that location. The information acquisition unit 110 acquires the container information read from the container tag along with the raw material information. Then, the raw material determination unit 160 judges whether the container information is appropriate for the location information. For example, the raw material determination unit 160 may judge whether the container information acquired by the information acquisition unit 110 is included in the container information preset in the location information. Then, when it is determined that the acquired container information is not included in the container information set in the location information, the information output unit 150 may output an alert. The alert in this case is referred to as a container alert. For example, the information output unit 150 outputs a container alert to a predetermined device or system. In the above description, the location information is used, but the raw material determination unit 160 may make a determination using process information. For example, the process information may be associated with container information used in the process. In this case, the raw material determination unit 160 may use the correspondence information between the location and the process to obtain the process information from the location information, and determine the container associated with the process information corresponding to the obtained process information. In this case, the information output unit 150 may also output a container alert.

[0041] A storage location may be specified for raw materials such as hazardous materials. Therefore, the raw material determination unit 160 may determine whether or not the raw materials are stored in an appropriate location based on the raw material information and the location information. For example, the raw material determination unit 160 may determine whether or not the location information associated with the raw material information is included in the storage location information previously set for each piece of raw material information. Then, if the location information associated with the raw material information is not included in the previously set location information, the information output unit 150 may output an alert. The alert in this case is referred to as a storage location alert. For example, the information output unit 150 outputs a storage location alert to a predetermined device or system.

[0042] The ingredient determination unit 160 may determine the storage of ingredients based on the mutual associations between multiple ingredients. For example, depending on the ingredient, storage in the same place or in a nearby place may be prohibited. Therefore, the ingredient determination unit 160 may determine whether or not at least a part of multiple ingredient information items associated with the same storage information forms a set of ingredient information items that are prohibited from being stored in the same storage place or in a nearby storage place. In this case, the ingredient determination unit 160 may use, for example, information on a set of ingredient information items that are prohibited from being stored in the same storage place or in a nearby storage place, which is stored in advance in a storage unit or the like. Then, when at least a part of multiple ingredient information items associated with the same storage information forms a set of ingredient information items that are prohibited from being stored in the same storage place or in a nearby storage place, the information output unit 150 may output an alert. The alert in this case is a nearby storage alert. For example, the information output unit 150 outputs a nearby storage alert to a predetermined device or system.

[0043] (3) Worker relations The information processing device 10 may use worker information indicating a worker who performs a task such as moving a container containing raw materials. For example, the information acquisition unit 110 may acquire, from a reader, the worker information read from a worker tag carried by the worker along with the raw material information, etc. In this case, the information association unit 120 associates the raw material information, the location information, and the worker information. The search unit 140 searches for the location information and the worker information associated with the raw material information to be searched. Then, the information output unit 150 outputs the raw material information, the location information, and the worker information. From the output information, the user can know the worker who worked at the location indicated by the location information. For example, when tracing a manufacturing process using raw materials in a factory, the user can perform a more detailed trace using the output location information as well as the worker information. The worker information is, for example, the name and employee number of the worker. The worker information is not limited to these, and may include other information such as affiliation or job title.

[0044] The information processing device 10 may include a work judgment unit 170 that judges the process performed by the worker or the location where the worker worked. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device 12 that includes the work judgment unit 170. The information processing device 12 includes the work judgment unit 170 in addition to the configuration of the information processing device 10. The information processing device 12 may include a raw material judgment unit 160.

[0045] The work judgment unit 170 judges the worker information associated with the raw material information and the location information. In a factory, the processes performed at each location may be fixed. In addition, as information for managing products, the process information may be more important than the location information. Therefore, in the following explanation, it is assumed that the work judgment unit 170 uses the process information.

[0046] There are cases where the workers for a process are limited, such as those who have a qualification. Therefore, the work determination unit 170 may use worker information indicating a worker who can work in the process indicated by the process information to determine whether or not the worker is suitable. For example, the work determination unit 170 determines whether the worker indicated by the worker information can or cannot work in the process indicated by the process information associated with the location information. Then, if the worker cannot work in the process indicated by the process information, the information output unit 150 may output an alert. The alert in this case is referred to as a worker alert. The information output unit 150 outputs the worker alert to a predetermined device or system.

[0047] The manufacturing process of a product has an appropriate execution order. And the location of the process is usually fixed. Therefore, the work determination unit 170, for example, determines whether the worker flow line obtained from the raw material information, location information, and time information associated with the worker information matches the appropriate flow line set in advance for the worker. Alternatively, the work determination unit 170 may determine whether the process order corresponding to the worker flow line matches the appropriate process order set in advance for the worker. Then, if the worker flow line or the process order does not match, the information output unit 150 may output an alert. The alert in this case is a process order alert. For example, the information output unit 150 outputs a process order alert to a predetermined device or system.

[0048] [Hardware configuration] Next, the hardware configuration of the information processing devices 10 to 12 will be described. Each component of the information processing devices 10 to 12 may be configured by a hardware circuit. Alternatively, each component of the information processing devices 10 to 12 may be configured using a plurality of devices connected via a network. For example, the information processing devices 10 to 12 may be configured by using cloud computing. Alternatively, each component of the information processing devices 10 to 12 may be configured by a single piece of hardware. Alternatively, the information processing devices 10 to 12 may be realized as a computer device including a central processing unit (CPU), a memory, and a network interface (NI). The memory is, for example, a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM), but is not limited to these.

[0049] 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a computer 600 which is an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing devices 10 to 12. The computer 600 includes a CPU 610, a ROM 620, a RAM 630, a storage device 640, and an NI 650.

[0050] The CPU 610 reads a program from at least one of the ROM 620 and the storage device 640. The CPU 610 then controls the RAM 630, the storage device 640, and the NI 650 based on the read program. The computer 600 including the CPU 610 controls these components to realize the functions of each component shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4. Each component is an information acquisition unit 110, an information association unit 120, an object reception unit 130, a search unit 140, an information output unit 150, a raw material judgment unit 160, and an operation judgment unit 170. In this way, the computer 600 may realize its functions as a combination of hardware and software.

[0051] The CPU 610 may read a program contained in a recording medium 690 that stores the program in a computer-readable manner, using a recording medium reading device (not shown). Alternatively, the CPU 610 may receive a program from an external device (not shown) via the NI 650, store the program in the RAM 630 or the storage device 640, and operate based on the stored program.

[0052] The ROM 620 stores programs and fixed data executed by the CPU 610. The ROM 620 is, for example, a programmable ROM (P-ROM) or a flash ROM. The RAM 630 temporarily stores programs and data executed by the CPU 610. The RAM 630 is, for example, a dynamic RAM (D-RAM). The storage device 640 stores data and programs that the computer 600 stores for a long period of time. The storage device 640 may also operate as a temporary storage device for the CPU 610. The storage device 640 is, for example, a hard disk device, a magneto-optical disk device, a solid state drive (SSD), or a disk array device.

[0053] ROM 620 and storage device 640 are non-volatile (non-transitory) recording media. On the other hand, RAM 630 is a volatile (transitory) recording media. CPU 610 can operate based on programs stored in ROM 620, storage device 640, and RAM 630. In other words, CPU 610 can operate using either a non-volatile recording medium or a volatile recording medium. When realizing each function, CPU 610 may use at least one of RAM 630 and storage device 640 as a temporary storage medium for programs and data.

[0054] The NI 650 relays data exchange with external devices (not shown) via a network. The NI 650 is, for example, a local area network (LAN) card. The NI 650 is not limited to being wired, and may be wireless.

[0055] The computer 600 configured in this manner executes the operations of the components in the information processing devices 10 to 12 to realize the functions of the information processing devices 10 to 12.

[0056] [Information Processing System] An example of an information processing system using information processing devices 10 to 12 will be described. In the following description, the information processing system may include information processing device 11 or 12 instead of information processing device 10.

[0057] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a factory using an information processing system. The factory shown in FIG. 6 is, for example, a chemical factory. In FIG. 6, a container containing raw materials is first placed in a raw material storage area. When a process of generating intermediate A from raw materials is executed in manufacturing site A, a worker moves the container containing raw materials from the raw material storage area to manufacturing site A. When the process in manufacturing site A is completed, the worker moves the container containing intermediate A from manufacturing site A to the intermediate A storage area. Then, when a process of generating intermediate B from intermediate A is executed in manufacturing site B, the worker moves the container containing intermediate A from the intermediate A storage area to manufacturing site B. The process in manufacturing site B is a process of generating intermediate B using intermediate A as a raw material. When the process in manufacturing site B is completed, the worker moves the container containing intermediate B from manufacturing site B to the intermediate B storage area. Then, when a process of generating a product from intermediate B is executed in manufacturing site C, the worker moves the container containing intermediate B from the intermediate B storage area to manufacturing site C. The process at manufacturing site C is a process for producing a product using intermediate B as a raw material. When the process at manufacturing site C is completed, the worker moves the container containing the product from manufacturing site C to the product storage area.

[0058] In such a chemical factory, for example, a manager creates a list of raw materials and workers and searches for the location of the raw materials by referring to the list. On the other hand, by using the information processing device 10, a user can reduce the man-hours required to search for the location of raw materials as follows.

[0059] 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system 30 that uses the information processing device 10 in the above-mentioned factory. The information processing system 30 in FIG. 7 includes the information processing device 10, a container 310, a tag 320, an antenna 330, a reader / writer 340, a terminal device 350, and a network 360.

[0060] The tag 320 is attached to the container 310 that holds the ingredients, and stores ingredient information that indicates the ingredients contained in the container 310. The tag 320 is an example of an ingredient tag, and is, for example, an IC tag.

[0061] The reader / writer 340 stores location information of the antenna 330 that receives information from the tag 320 using radio waves. Then, the reader / writer 340 reads out the ingredient information stored in the tag 320 using the antenna 330, and outputs the ingredient information and location information to the information processing device 10 via the network 360. The reader / writer 340 is an example of an information reading device. The information processing system 30 may use a reader without a writing function instead of the reader / writer 340.

[0062] The terminal device 350 is a device operated by a user, and transmits ingredient information to be searched for a location to the information processing device 10 via the network 360. The terminal device 350 may obtain location information corresponding to the transmitted ingredient information from the information processing device 10 via the network 360.

[0063] The information processing device 10 operates as already described. That is, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires ingredient information and location information from the reader / writer 340. The information association unit 120 associates the ingredient information with the location information. The target receiving unit 130 receives ingredient information to be searched for a location from the terminal device 350. The search unit 140 searches for location information associated with the ingredient information to be searched for. Then, the information output unit 150 outputs the ingredient information to be searched for and the searched location information to the terminal device 350.

[0064] The network 360 is a communication path that realizes the exchange of information among the above-mentioned devices or equipment, and the configuration is not limited as long as the exchange of information can be realized. For example, the network 360 may be the Internet, an intranet, or a dedicated line.

[0065] In such an information processing system 30, a user can obtain the location of an ingredient from the information processing device 10 by a simple operation of inputting ingredient information to be searched for into the terminal device 350. In this way, by using the information processing system 30 including the information processing device 10, a user can reduce the amount of work required to search for ingredients.

[0066] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but is not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0067] (Appendix 1) an information acquisition means for acquiring ingredient information indicating an ingredient read from an ingredient tag attached to a container from an information reading device that reads information recorded on the tag, and further acquiring location information indicating a location where the ingredient information was read; an information associating means for associating the acquired raw material information with location information; a target receiving means for receiving information on raw materials to be searched for a location from a user; A search means for searching for location information associated with the raw material information to be searched; An information output means for outputting the searched raw material information and the searched location information; An information processing device comprising:

[0068] (Appendix 2) The information acquiring means acquires, from the information reading device, time information indicating a time when the raw material information was read, The information associating means associates the raw material information, the location information, and the time information, The target receiving means receives, from a user, the raw material information to be searched and the time range to be searched, The search means searches for location information whose associated time information is included in the time range to be searched, from the searched location information; the information output means outputs the searched raw material information, the searched location information, and time information associated with the searched location information; 2. An information processing device according to claim 1.

[0069] (Appendix 3) When a plurality of pieces of ingredient information about the same ingredient are associated with the searched location information, the search means searches for ingredient information associated with the oldest time information from among the plurality of pieces of ingredient information. 3. An information processing device according to claim 2.

[0070] (Appendix 4) A raw material determination means for determining whether the first-in, first-out of the raw material is being performed correctly is further provided, the information output means outputs an alert when the first-in, first-out of the raw materials is not being properly performed; 4. The information processing device according to claim 2 or 3.

[0071] (Appendix 5) The information acquiring means acquires container information indicating the container read from a container tag attached to the container; The raw material determination means determines whether the acquired container information is included in the container information set in the location information, the information output means outputs an alert when the acquired container information is not included in the set container information. 5. The information processing device according to claim 4.

[0072] (Appendix 6) The ingredient determination means determines whether or not location information associated with the ingredient information to be searched is included in storage location information previously set in the ingredient information; the information output means outputs an alert when location information associated with the search target raw material information is not included in storage location information previously set in the raw material information; 6. The information processing device according to claim 4 or 5.

[0073] (Appendix 7) The ingredient determination means determines whether or not at least a part of the plurality of ingredient information items associated with the same location information forms a set of ingredient information items that are prohibited from being stored in the same storage location or in adjacent storage locations; the information output means outputs an alert when at least a part of the plurality of pieces of ingredient information associated with the same location information forms a set of ingredient information that is prohibited from being stored in the same storage location or in adjacent storage locations; 7. The information processing device according to claim 4,

[0074] (Appendix 8) When there are multiple pieces of location information associated with the ingredient information to be searched, the ingredient determination means determines whether or not the route set for the ingredient information matches the ingredient flow line that connects the location information associated with the ingredient information in the order of the time information; The information output means outputs an alert when the route and the raw material flow line do not match. 8. An information processing device according to any one of claims 4 to 7.

[0075] (Appendix 9) The information acquiring means acquires, from the information reading device, worker information indicating the worker read from a worker tag carried by the worker; The information associating means associates the worker information, the raw material information, and the location information, The search means searches for location information and worker information associated with the raw material information to be searched, The information output means outputs raw material information, location information, and worker information. An information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

[0076] (Appendix 10) The search means searches for process information associated with the location information and indicating a process to be performed at a location indicated by the location information; The information output means outputs the raw material information, location information, and process information of the search target. 10. The information processing device according to claim 9.

[0077] (Appendix 11) The system further includes a worker determination means for determining whether a worker indicated by the worker information is capable of performing a task indicated by the task information associated with the location information, The information output means outputs an alert when the work is impossible. 11. The information processing device according to claim 10.

[0078] (Appendix 12) The worker determination means determines whether or not the process sequence through which the worker has gone through coincides with the process sequence set for the worker; The information output means outputs an alert when there is a mismatch. 12. The information processing device according to claim 11.

[0079] (Appendix 13) An information processing device according to any one of appendix 1 to 12, an information reading device that reads out ingredient information from the ingredient tag and outputs the ingredient information and location information to an information processing device; A terminal device that transmits raw material information to be searched to an information processing device; An information processing system comprising:

[0080] (Appendix 14) Acquire ingredient information indicating the ingredient read from an ingredient tag attached to the container and location information indicating the location where the ingredient information was read from an information reading device that reads information recorded on the tag; Associating the acquired raw material information with location information; Accept information on raw materials to be searched for from users, Search for location information associated with the searched raw material information; Output the searched raw material information and the searched location information. Information processing methods.

[0081] (Appendix 15) acquiring time information indicating the time when the raw material information was read from the information reading device; The raw material information, the location information, and the time information are associated with each other, The system accepts the raw material information to be searched and the time range to be searched from the user, Searching for location information whose associated time information is included in the search target time range in the searched location information; outputting the raw material information to be searched, the location information searched, and time information associated with the location information searched; 15. An information processing method according to claim 14.

[0082] (Appendix 16) If multiple pieces of ingredient information for the same ingredient are associated with the searched location information, the ingredient information associated with the oldest time information is searched for from among the multiple pieces of ingredient information. 16. The information processing method according to claim 15.

[0083] (Appendix 17) Determine whether the first-in, first-out order of ingredients is being carried out correctly, Output an alert if the first-in, first-out of ingredients is not being performed correctly. 17. The information processing method according to claim 15 or 16.

[0084] (Appendix 18) Obtaining container information indicating the container read from a container tag attached to the container; determining whether the acquired container information is included in the container information set in the location information; If the acquired container information is not included in the configured container information, an alert is output. 18. An information processing method according to claim 17.

[0085] (Appendix 19) Determine whether or not location information associated with the search target raw material information is included in storage location information previously set in the raw material information; outputting an alert when location information associated with the search target raw material information is not included in storage location information previously set in the raw material information; 19. The information processing method according to claim 17 or 18.

[0086] (Appendix 20) Determining whether at least a portion of the plurality of pieces of ingredient information associated with the same location information forms a set of ingredient information that is prohibited from being stored in the same storage location or in adjacent storage locations; outputting an alert when at least a part of the plurality of pieces of ingredient information associated with the same location information forms a set of ingredient information that is prohibited from being stored in the same storage location or in adjacent storage locations; 20. An information processing method according to any one of appendix 17 to 19.

[0087] (Appendix 21) When there are multiple pieces of location information associated with the ingredient information to be searched, determine whether or not the route set for the ingredient information matches a raw material flow line that connects the location information associated with the ingredient information in the order of the time information; If the route and the raw material flow line do not match, an alert is issued. 21. An information processing method according to any one of appendix 17 to 20.

[0088] (Appendix 22) acquiring worker information indicating the worker read from a worker tag carried by the worker from the information reading device; Linking worker information, raw material information, and location information; Search for location information and worker information associated with the raw material information to be searched; Output raw material information, location information, and worker information. An information processing method according to any one of appendices 14 to 21.

[0089] (Appendix 23) Retrieving process information associated with the location information and indicating a process to be performed at the location indicated by the location information; Output the raw material information, location information, and process information of the search target. 23. An information processing method according to claim 22.

[0090] (Appendix 24) determining whether a worker indicated by the worker information is available or unavailable to perform a task indicated by the task information associated with the location information; If work is not possible, an alert is output. 24. An information processing method according to claim 23.

[0091] (Appendix 25) Determine whether the process sequence that the worker has gone through matches the process sequence that has been set for the worker; If they do not match, an alert will be generated. 25. An information processing method as described in Supplementary Note 24.

[0092] (Appendix 26) An information processing device executes the information processing method according to any one of appendices 13 to 25, The information reading device reads out the ingredient information from the ingredient tag, and outputs the ingredient information and the location information to the information processing device; The terminal device transmits the raw material information to be searched to the information processing device. Information processing methods.

[0093] (Appendix 27) A process of acquiring ingredient information indicating an ingredient read from an ingredient tag attached to a container and location information indicating a location where the ingredient information was read from the ingredient tag, from an information reading device that reads information recorded on the tag; A process of associating the acquired raw material information with location information; A process of receiving information on raw materials to be searched for from a user; A process of searching for location information associated with the search target raw material information; A process of outputting the searched raw material information and the searched location information; A program that causes a computer to execute the following.

[0094] (Appendix 28) A process of acquiring time information indicating a time when the raw material information was read from the information reading device; A process of associating the raw material information, the location information, and the time information; A process of receiving from a user information on ingredients to be searched and a time range to be searched; A process of searching for location information whose associated time information is included in the time range of the search target in the searched location information; outputting the searched raw material information, the searched location information, and time information associated with the searched location information; 28. The program according to claim 27, which causes a computer to execute the above steps.

[0095] (Appendix 29) When multiple pieces of information on the same ingredient are associated with the searched location information, a process of searching for the ingredient information associated with the oldest time information from among the multiple pieces of information on the ingredient; 29. The program according to claim 28, which causes a computer to execute the above steps.

[0096] (Appendix 30) A process for determining whether the first-in, first-out of the raw materials is being performed correctly; A process to output an alert if the first-in, first-out of raw materials is not being performed correctly; 30. The program according to claim 28 or 29, which causes a computer to execute the above steps.

[0097] (Appendix 31) A process of acquiring container information indicating the container read from a container tag attached to the container; A process of determining whether the acquired container information is included in the container information set in the location information; A process of outputting an alert when the acquired container information is not included in the configured container information; 31. The program according to claim 30, which causes a computer to execute the above.

[0098] (Appendix 32) A process of determining whether or not location information associated with the search target raw material information is included in storage location information previously set in the raw material information; A process of outputting an alert when location information associated with the search target raw material information is not included in storage location information previously set in the raw material information; 32. The program according to claim 30 or 31, which causes a computer to execute the above.

[0099] (Appendix 33) A process of determining whether or not at least a portion of a plurality of pieces of ingredient information associated with the same location information forms a set of ingredient information that is prohibited from being stored in the same storage location or in a nearby storage location; A process of outputting an alert when at least a part of a plurality of pieces of ingredient information associated with the same location information forms a set of ingredient information that is prohibited from being stored in the same storage location or in a nearby storage location; 33. The program according to any one of appendices 30 to 32, which causes a computer to execute the program.

[0100] (Appendix 34) When there are multiple pieces of location information associated with the raw material information to be searched, a process of determining whether or not a route set for the raw material information matches a raw material flow line that connects the location information associated with the raw material information in the order of time information; a process of outputting an alert when the route and the raw material flow line do not match; 34. The program according to any one of claims 30 to 33, which causes a computer to execute the program.

[0101] (Appendix 35) A process of acquiring worker information indicating the worker, which is read from a worker tag carried by the worker, from an information reading device; A process of associating worker information, raw material information, and location information; A process of searching for location information and worker information associated with the raw material information to be searched; A process of outputting raw material information, location information, and worker information; 22. The program according to any one of claims 14 to 21, for causing a computer to execute the above.

[0102] (Appendix 36) A process of searching for process information associated with the location information and indicating a process to be performed at a location indicated by the location information; A process of outputting the raw material information, location information, and process information of the search target; 36. The program according to claim 35, which causes a computer to execute the above steps.

[0103] (Appendix 37) A process of determining whether a worker indicated by the worker information is capable of performing work on a process indicated by the process information associated with the location information; A process to output an alert when the task is not possible; 34. The program according to claim 33, which causes a computer to execute the above steps.

[0104] (Appendix 38) A process of determining whether or not the process sequence through which the worker has been processed matches the process sequence set for the worker; If they do not match, an alert is output. 38. The program according to claim 37, which causes a computer to execute the above steps.

[0105] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] 10. Information processing device 11 Information processing equipment 12 Information processing equipment 110 Information Acquisition Department 120 Information Association Department 130 Target Reception Department 140 Search Department 150 Information output section 160 Raw Material Judgment Department 170 Work judgment section 30 Information Processing Systems 310 Container 320 Tags 330 Antenna 340 Reader / Writer 350 Terminal Equipment 360 Network 600 Computers 610 CPU 620 ROM 630 RAM 640 Storage device 650 NI 690 Recording media

Claims

1. an information acquisition means for acquiring ingredient information indicating an ingredient read from an ingredient tag attached to a container from an information reading device that reads information recorded on the tag, and further acquiring location information indicating a location where the ingredient information was read; an information associating means for associating the acquired raw material information with the location information; a target receiving means for receiving the raw material information to be searched for a location from a user; A search means for searching the location information associated with the raw material information to be searched; an information output means for outputting the raw material information to be searched and the location information searched; An information processing device comprising:

2. The information acquiring means acquires, from the information reading device, time information indicating a time when the ingredient information was read, the information associating means associates the raw material information, the location information, and the time information; The target receiving means receives, from a user, the raw material information to be searched and a time range to be searched, The search means searches for location information whose associated time information is included in the time range to be searched, the information output means outputs the raw material information to be searched, the location information searched, and the time information associated with the location information searched. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. When the searched location information is associated with a plurality of pieces of ingredient information about the same ingredient, the search means searches for the ingredient information associated with the oldest time information from among the plurality of pieces of ingredient information. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

4. A raw material determination means for determining whether the first-in, first-out of the raw material is being performed correctly is further provided, the information output means outputs an alert when the first-in, first-out of the raw materials is not being performed correctly. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

5. The information acquiring means acquires container information indicating the container read from a container tag attached to the container, The raw material determination means determines whether the acquired container information is included in the container information set in the location information, The information output means outputs an alert when the acquired container information is not included in the set container information. The information processing device according to claim 4.

6. The ingredient determination means determines whether or not the location information associated with the ingredient information to be searched is included in storage location information previously set in the ingredient information, the information output means outputs an alert when the location information associated with the raw material information to be searched is not included in the location information for storage previously set in the raw material information. The information processing device according to claim 4.

7. An information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, an information reading device that reads the ingredient information from the ingredient tag and outputs the ingredient information and the location information to an information processing device; A terminal device that transmits the raw material information to be searched to an information processing device; An information processing system comprising:

8. Acquire ingredient information indicating the ingredient read from an ingredient tag attached to the container and location information indicating the location where the ingredient information was read from an information reading device that reads information recorded on the tag; Associating the acquired raw material information with the location information; receiving, from a user, the raw material information to be searched for a location; Searching for the location information associated with the raw material information to be searched; outputting the raw material information to be searched and the location information searched for; Information processing methods.

9. An information processing device executes the information processing method according to claim 8, an information reading device reads the ingredient information from the ingredient tag, and outputs the ingredient information and the location information to an information processing device; The terminal device transmits the raw material information to be searched to an information processing device. Information processing methods.

10. A process of acquiring ingredient information indicating an ingredient read from an ingredient tag attached to a container and location information indicating a location where the ingredient information was read from an information reading device that reads information recorded on the tag; A process of associating the acquired raw material information with the location information; A process of receiving the raw material information to be searched for from a user; A process of searching for the location information associated with the ingredient information to be searched; A process of outputting the raw material information to be searched and the location information searched; A program that causes a computer to execute the following.

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