Inventory management device, inventory management method, and program

Abstract

To provide an inventory management device that accurately estimates a location of a product whose tag information is acquired.SOLUTION: An inventory management device of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit, a location estimation unit, and an update unit. The acquisition unit acquires, from an information acquisition device that acquires tag information stored in product tags attached to each product present in a facility by short-range wireless communication, the tag information acquired by the information acquisition device and acquisition location information indicating the location of the information acquisition device at time when the tag information is acquired. The location estimation unit estimates, on the basis of the acquisition location information acquired from the information acquisition device and an arrangement layout that defines an arrangement location of each of the plurality of products, the location of the product whose tag information is acquired. The update unit updates, on the basis of an estimation result of the location of the product whose tag information is acquired, inventory information indicating inventory status of each product for each location within the facility.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an inventory management device, an inventory management method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Technologies related to the present disclosure are disclosed in Patent Document 1. The system disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a wireless tag, a portable terminal, and an information processing device. The wireless tag is attached to a product. The portable terminal receives tag identification information from the wireless tag. The information processing device estimates in which of a plurality of areas the product is located based on the tag identification information received by the portable terminal and the position information of the portable terminal, and manages the inventory position of the product based on the estimation result.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] There is a technology in which an information acquisition device acquires tag information of a product tag attached to a product by short-range wireless communication, estimates the position of the product that has received the tag information based on the position of the information acquisition device when the tag information is acquired, and manages the position of the product based on the estimation result. In an example of the technology, a product whose tag information is acquired by an information acquisition device existing at a first position is estimated to exist at the first position. However, in the case of this example, there are the following problems.

[0005] When acquiring tag information of product tags by short - range wireless communication, an information acquisition device can acquire tag information from an unspecified number of product tags existing within a predetermined communication distance from the information acquisition device. In this case, the information acquisition device located at the first position may acquire not only the tag information of the product tags existing at the first position but also the tag information of the product tags existing at other positions in its vicinity. For example, an information acquisition device located near the boundary between the first position and the second position may acquire not only the tag information of the product tags existing at the first position but also the tag information of the product tags existing at the second position.

[0006] Despite the fact that such a situation can occur, if, as in the above example, it is presumed that the product from which tag information has been acquired by the information acquisition device located at the first position exists at the first position, the accuracy of that presumption deteriorates. Patent Document 1 does not disclose this problem.

[0007] An example of the object of the present disclosure is, in view of the above - described problems, to provide an inventory management device, an inventory management method, and a program that can accurately estimate the position where a product from which tag information has been acquired exists.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] According to the present disclosure, an acquisition means for acquiring, from an information acquisition device that acquires tag information stored in product tags attached to each product existing in a facility by short - range wireless communication, the tag information acquired by the information acquisition device and acquisition position information indicating the position of the information acquisition device when the tag information was acquired; a position estimation means for estimating the position where the product from which the tag information has been acquired exists based on the acquisition position information acquired from the information acquisition device and an arrangement layout defining the arrangement positions of a plurality of products; an update means for updating inventory information indicating the inventory status of each product for each position in the facility based on the estimation result of the position where the product from which the tag information has been acquired exists; An inventory management device having the above is provided.

[0009] Also, according to the present disclosure, one or more computers acquire, from an information acquisition device that acquires tag information stored in a product tag attached to each product existing in a facility by short-range wireless communication, the tag information acquired by the information acquisition device and acquisition position information indicating the position of the information acquisition device when the tag information was acquired, estimate the position where the product from which the tag information was acquired exists, based on the acquisition position information acquired from the information acquisition device and an arrangement layout defining the arrangement positions of a plurality of products, A stock management method is provided that updates stock information indicating the stock status of each product for each position in the facility based on the estimation result of the position where the product from which the tag information was acquired exists.

[0010] Also, according to the present disclosure, a computer acquisition means for acquiring, from an information acquisition device that acquires tag information stored in a product tag attached to each product existing in a facility by short-range wireless communication, the tag information acquired by the information acquisition device and acquisition position information indicating the position of the information acquisition device when the tag information was acquired, position estimation means for estimating the position where the product from which the tag information was acquired exists, based on the acquisition position information acquired from the information acquisition device and an arrangement layout defining the arrangement positions of a plurality of products, update means for updating stock information indicating the stock status of each product for each position in the facility based on the estimation result of the position where the product from which the tag information was acquired exists, A program is provided that causes the computer to function as such.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an inventory management device, an inventory management method, and a program are realized that enable accurate estimation of the position where a product from which tag information was acquired exists.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

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Figure 13

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present disclosure, the drawings are associated with one or more embodiments. Also, in all the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0014] <<First Embodiment>> FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an overview of the inventory management device 10. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the inventory management device 10.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the inventory management device 10 includes an acquisition unit 11, a position estimation unit 12, and an update unit 13. These functional units execute the processing of the flowchart in FIG. 2.

[0016] In S10, the acquisition unit 11 acquires the tag information acquired by the information acquisition device and the acquisition position information indicating the position of the information acquisition device when the tag information was acquired. The information acquisition device acquires the tag information stored in the product tags attached to each product existing in the facility by short-range wireless communication.

[0017] In S11, based on the acquisition position information acquired from the information acquisition device and the layout defining the arrangement positions of the plurality of products, the position estimation unit 12 estimates the position where the product whose tag information was acquired in S10 exists.

[0018] In S12, based on the estimation result of S11, the update unit 13 updates the inventory information indicating the inventory status of each product for each position in the facility.

[0019] In this way, the inventory management device 10 estimates the position where the product whose tag information was acquired exists based on the position of the information acquisition device when the tag information of each product was acquired and the layout indicating the arrangement positions of the products. For example, when the information acquisition device existing near the arrangement position of the first product indicated by the layout acquires the tag information of the first product, the inventory management device 10 estimates that the first product whose tag information was acquired exists at the arrangement position of the first product indicated by the layout.

[0020] According to such an inventory management device 10, it becomes possible to accurately estimate the position where the product whose tag information was acquired exists.

[0021] <<Second Embodiment>> <Overview> The inventory management device 10 of the second embodiment is a specific implementation of the configuration of the inventory management device 10 of the first embodiment. Details will be described below.

[0022] <Hardware Configuration> Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the inventory management device 10 will be described. Each functional unit of the inventory management device 10 is realized by an arbitrary combination of hardware and software. It is understood by those skilled in the art that there are various modifications to the realization method and device. Software includes programs stored in advance at the stage of shipping the device, programs downloaded from recording media such as CDs (Compact Discs), or servers on the Internet, etc.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the inventory management device 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the inventory management device 10 includes a processor 1A, a memory 2A, an input / output interface 3A, a peripheral circuit 4A, and a bus 5A. The peripheral circuit 4A includes various modules. The inventory management device 10 may not have the peripheral circuit 4A. Note that the inventory management device 10 may be configured by a plurality of physically and / or logically separated devices. In this case, each of the plurality of devices can have the above hardware configuration.

[0024] Bus 5A is a data transmission path for the processor 1A, the memory 2A, the peripheral circuit 4A, and the input / output interface 3A to transmit and receive data with each other. The processor 1A is an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The memory 2A is a memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory). The input / output interface 3A includes an interface for acquiring information from an input device, an external device, an external server, an external sensor, a camera, etc., and an interface for outputting information to an output device, an external device, an external server, etc. Further, the input / output interface 3A includes an interface for connecting to a communication network such as the Internet. The input device is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a physical button, a touch panel, etc. The output device is, for example, a display, a speaker, a printer, a mailer, etc. The processor 1A can issue commands to each module and perform operations based on their operation results.

[0025] <Functional Configuration> Next, the functional configuration of the inventory management device 10 will be described in detail. FIG. 1 shows an example of a functional block diagram of the inventory management device 10. As shown in the figure, the inventory management device 10 includes an acquisition unit 11, a position estimation unit 12, and an update unit 13.

[0026] The acquisition unit 11 acquires tag information and acquisition position information from the information acquisition device. The information acquisition device and the inventory management device 10 are connected to be communicable with each other.

[0027] The "information acquisition device" acquires the tag information stored in the product tag attached to each product existing in the facility by short-range wireless communication.

[0028] The information acquisition device performs short-range wireless communication using communication standards such as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. The information acquisition device acquires tag information from product tags located within the communication area. The communication area is an area within a predetermined communication distance from the position of the information acquisition device. The predetermined communication distance is the distance that can be communicated by short-range wireless communication.

[0029] Such an information acquisition device may be a general-purpose communication device such as a smartphone, mobile phone, tablet terminal, smartwatch, etc. Alternatively, the information acquisition device may be a dedicated reader / writer device that communicates with product tags.

[0030] Each of at least one (e.g., a plurality) of employees working in the facility can possess an information acquisition device. Alternatively, each of at least one (e.g., a plurality) of moving means moving within the facility may possess an information acquisition device. The moving means is, for example, an autonomous mobile robot. The moving means includes means for moving on land, in the air, or on a pre-installed rail.

[0031] "Facility" includes any facility where products exist. For example, the facility may be at least one of the following. · A store including a sales floor where products are displayed · A store including a backyard where products are stored · A warehouse including a storage area where products are stored

[0032] "Product" is an object and physically exists within the facility. The type of product is not particularly limited.

[0033] The "product tag" is an electronic tag. The product tag has an IC (Integrated Circuit) chip that stores data and an antenna. The product tag communicates with an information acquisition device via short-range wireless communication. For example, the product tag may be an RFID tag compliant with the RFID standard. Also, the product tag may be an electronic tag that communicates with the information acquisition device using other communication standards such as Bluetooth. An electronic tag that communicates with a reading means via Bluetooth is disclosed, for example, at "https: / / www.sato.co.jp / taggingtown / wiliot.html".

[0034] The product tag is attached to each product. The product tag stores information indicating the product to which it is attached. The "information indicating the attached product" may be the identification information of each product. That is, each product tag may store the identification information of the product to which the product tag is attached. Alternatively, the information indicating the attached product may be identification information unique to each product tag. In this case, a predetermined storage device stores linking information that links the identification information of each product tag and the identification information of the product to which each product tag is attached. Based on the identification information of the product tag stored in each product tag and the linking information, the product to which each product tag is attached can be specified. The storage device that stores the linking information may be provided within the inventory management device 10. Alternatively, the storage device may be provided within an external device configured to be communicable with the inventory management device 10.

[0035] The "tag information" is the information stored in each product tag. The tag information includes at least one of the identification information of each product described above and the identification information of each product tag. The acquisition unit 11 acquires the tag information acquired by the information acquisition device via short-range wireless communication from the information acquisition device.

[0036] The "acquisition position information" indicates the position of the information acquisition device when the tag information is acquired. When acquiring a plurality of tag information from the information acquisition device, the acquisition unit 11 acquires acquisition position information indicating the position of the information acquisition device when each of the plurality of tag information is acquired.

[0037] The information acquisition device has a function of acquiring position information indicating the current position. The information acquisition device uses this function to acquire the position information at the time when the tag information is acquired. The position information acquired in this way becomes the acquired position information.

[0038] The acquisition of the position information indicating the current position by the information acquisition device can be realized, for example, by using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). GNSS is a satellite positioning system and includes GPS (Global Positioning System), GLONASS, Galileo, Quasi-Zenith Satellite (QZSS), etc. There is also a technology for correcting the position information obtained by GNSS to identify the position information with higher accuracy. The position information indicating the current position of the information acquisition device may be acquired by using this technology. The technology for correcting the position information is disclosed, for example, at "https: / / www.ntt.com / business / services / highprecision_gnss_positioning.html".

[0039] The information acquisition device may acquire the tag information and the acquired position information in real time in response to a request from the inventory management device 10, and transmit the acquired information to the inventory management device 10. Alternatively, the information acquisition device may repeatedly acquire the tag information and the acquired position information at a predetermined timing, and accumulate the acquired information in the device itself. Then, the information acquisition device may transmit the information that matches the request among the accumulated information to the inventory management device 10 in response to a request from the inventory management device 10. In the case of this example, the information acquisition device may accumulate only the information within the most recent predetermined period, and delete the old information that is no longer included in the most recent predetermined period. The most recent predetermined period is a predetermined period, for example, several minutes, several tens of minutes, several hours, etc., but is not limited to these.

[0040] "Acquisition" includes at least one of the following: the active acquisition where the device itself goes to retrieve data or information stored in other devices or storage media, and the passive acquisition where the device itself receives data or information output from other devices. Examples of active acquisition include sending requests to other devices and receiving responses, and accessing other devices or storage media to read data. Examples of passive acquisition include receiving information distributed (or transmitted, push-notified, etc.). Furthermore, "acquisition" may involve selecting and acquiring data or information from the received data or information, or selecting and receiving distributed data or information.

[0041] Based on the acquired position information obtained from the information acquisition device and the layout defining the placement positions of each of the plurality of products, the position estimation unit 12 estimates the position where the product with the acquired tag information exists.

[0042] The "layout" is predetermined. Information on the predetermined layout is stored in a predetermined storage device. The storage device may be provided in the inventory management device 10 or in an external device accessible from the inventory management device 10. The information on the layout stored in the storage device may be updated. The layout may be determined by a human or by a computer using an arbitrary algorithm.

[0043] The layout indicates at least one of the following. · Products placed in each of a plurality of small areas within the facility · Products placed on each of at least one shelf installed in the facility · Products placed on each tier of each of at least one shelf installed in the facility · Products placed in each product placement area of each of at least one shelf installed in the facility

[0044] Here, an example of the in-facility map is shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows a facility having a rectangular area. The shape of the area of the facility is not limited to this. The area may be, but is not limited to, the sales floor of a store, the backyard of a store, the storage area of a warehouse, etc.

[0045] And, as shown in FIG. 4, a state where a plurality of shelves are installed in the facility is shown. In FIG. 4, 14 shelves SH1 to SH14 are installed, but the number of shelves to be installed is not limited to this. Also, the arrangement of the shelves is not limited to the illustrated example. The configuration of the shelves is not particularly limited. The shelf may be one-tier or multi-tier. Also, shelves with different configurations may be mixed.

[0046] And, as shown in FIG. 4, the area of the facility is divided into a plurality of small areas. In FIG. 4, it is divided into 12 small areas A1 to A12, but the number of small areas is not limited to this. Also, the size, shape, etc. of the small areas are not limited to this example. Note that the "small area" that appears below all means this small area defined for the inventory management of each product.

[0047] ○First example of information on the placement layout FIG. 5 shows an example of information on the placement layout. The information on the placement layout indicates the products to be placed in each of the plurality of small areas within the facility. Specifically, the information on the placement layout associates the identification information for identifying the plurality of small areas within the facility with the identification information of the products to be placed in each small area.

[0048] ○Second example of information on the placement layout FIGS. 6 and 7 show another example of information on the placement layout. The information in FIG. 6 indicates the shelves to be placed in each of the plurality of small areas within the facility. Specifically, the information associates the identification information for identifying the plurality of small areas within the facility with the identification information of the shelves to be placed in each small area.

[0049] The information in FIG. 7 indicates the products to be placed in each of the plurality of product placement areas on the shelf with identification information SH1. Specifically, the identification information for identifying the plurality of product placement areas on the shelf with identification information SH1 is associated with the identification information of the products to be placed in each product placement area. The information on the layout of the second example has information like that in FIG. 7 for each shelf. A product placement area is an area for placing the products that each shelf has. One type of product is placed in one product placement area.

[0050] "The position where the product from which the tag information estimated by the position estimation unit 12 is obtained exists" is at least one of the following. · The small area where the product from which the tag information is obtained exists · The shelf where the product from which the tag information is obtained exists · The tier of the shelf where the product from which the tag information is obtained exists · The product placement area of the shelf where the product from which the tag information is obtained exists

[0051] Next, a process of estimating the position where the product from which the tag information is obtained exists based on "the acquisition position information obtained from the information acquisition device, that is, the information indicating the position of the information acquisition device when the product tag is obtained" and "the layout" will be described.

[0052] The position estimation unit 12 estimates the position where the product from which the tag information is obtained exists on the premise that "each product is placed at the placement position of each product indicated in the layout" (hereinafter, may be referred to as "the first premise").

[0053] That is, in the case where the first premise does not conflict, the position estimation unit 12 estimates that the product from which the tag information is obtained exists at the placement position of that product indicated in the layout.

[0054] On the other hand, in the case where the first premise is contradictory, the position estimation unit 12 does not presume that the product from which the tag information has been acquired exists at the arranged position of that product indicated in the arrangement layout. In this case, the position estimation unit 12 may presume, for example, that the product from which the tag information has been acquired exists at any of the following positions. In this case, although the accuracy of the presumption is worse than in the case where the first premise is non-contradictory, the position of the product from which the tag information has been acquired can be presumed with a certain degree of accuracy.

[0055] · The small area where the information acquisition device existed when the tag information was acquired · The shelf existing in the small area where the information acquisition device existed when the tag information was acquired

[0056] Note that in the case where the first premise is contradictory, the inventory management device 10 may execute a warning process as described in the following embodiments.

[0057] Whether the first premise is contradictory or not is determined based on the positional relationship between "the position of the information acquisition device when a certain tag information was acquired" and "the arranged position of the product specified by the acquired tag information" indicated in the arrangement layout. Hereinafter, a specific example of the process of this determination will be described.

[0058] ○ First determination process In the first determination process, when the distance between "the position of the information acquisition device when a certain tag information was acquired" and "the arranged position of the product specified by the acquired tag information" indicated in the arrangement layout is less than the threshold value, the position estimation unit 12 determines that the first premise is a non-contradictory situation. On the other hand, when the distance is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the position estimation unit 12 determines that the first premise is a contradictory situation.

[0059] The position estimation unit 12 executes, for example, the following process.

[0060] First, based on the tag information acquired by the acquisition unit 11, the position estimation unit 12 identifies the product to which the tag information was acquired. The tag information includes at least one of the identification information of the product with the product tag storing the tag information and the identification information of the product tag storing the tag information.

[0061] When the tag information includes the identification information of the product with the product tag storing the tag information, the position estimation unit 12 identifies the product identified by the identification information as the product to which the tag information was acquired.

[0062] On the other hand, when the tag information includes the identification information of the product tag storing the tag information, the position estimation unit 12 executes the following process. First, the position estimation unit 12 extracts the identification information of the product associated with the identification information of the product tag in the "association information associating the identification information of each product tag with the identification information of the product with each product tag attached". Then, the position estimation unit 12 identifies the product identified by the extracted product identification information as the product to which the tag information was acquired.

[0063] Next, the position estimation unit 12 identifies the "arrangement position of the product identified by the acquired tag information" shown in the arrangement layout.

[0064] Next, the position estimation unit 12 calculates the distance between the "arrangement position of the product identified by the acquired tag information" shown in the arrangement layout and the "position of the information acquisition device when the tag information was acquired".

[0065] In advance, information indicating the absolute position of each placement position of the product shown in the placement layout is stored in a predetermined storage device. The storage device may be provided within the inventory management device 10. Alternatively, the storage device may be provided within an external device configured to be communicable with the inventory management device 10. The information indicating the absolute position indicates the position with information such as, for example, latitude, longitude, and altitude. The placement position of the product may not be a single point but a region having a certain width. In this case, the absolute position of a representative point within the region may be defined as the placement position of the product. The representative point is an arbitrary point (e.g., the center point) within the region. The position estimation unit 12 can specify the absolute position of the "placement position of the product specified by the acquired tag information" shown in the placement layout based on the information.

[0066] Also, the position estimation unit 12 can specify the "position of the information acquisition device when each tag information was acquired" based on the acquisition position information acquired by the acquisition unit 11. As described above, the acquisition position information indicates the position of the information acquisition device with information such as latitude, longitude, and altitude.

[0067] After thus specifying the "placement position of the product specified by the acquired tag information" and the "position of the information acquisition device when the tag information was acquired" shown in the placement layout, the position estimation unit 12 calculates the distance between these two points using any well-known technique.

[0068] Then, the position estimation unit 12 compares the calculated distance with a predetermined threshold value. When the calculated distance is less than the threshold value, the position estimation unit 12 determines that the first premise is in a non-contradictory situation. On the other hand, when the calculated distance is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the position estimation unit 12 determines that the first premise is in a contradictory situation.

[0069] ○Second judgment process In the second determination process, when the "small area where the information acquisition device existed when a certain tag information was acquired" and the "small area where the product specified by the acquired tag information is arranged" shown in the arrangement layout satisfy the first condition, the position estimation unit 12 determines that the first premise is not contradictory. On the other hand, when these two small areas do not satisfy the first condition, the position estimation unit 12 determines that the first premise is contradictory.

[0070] The position estimation unit 12 executes, for example, the following processes.

[0071] First, the position estimation unit 12 specifies the product for which the tag information was acquired by the same process as in the first determination process. Next, the position estimation unit 12 specifies the small area where the product for which the tag information was acquired is arranged based on the information of the arrangement layout described above.

[0072] Also, the position estimation unit 12 can specify the "position of the information acquisition device when the tag information was acquired" based on the acquisition position information acquired by the acquisition unit 11. As described above, the acquisition position information indicates the position of the information acquisition device by information such as latitude, longitude, and altitude. And in this example, information indicating the absolute position of each of the plurality of small areas is stored in a predetermined storage device. The storage device may be provided in the inventory management device 10. Alternatively, the storage device may be provided in an external device configured to be communicable with the inventory management device 10. The position estimation unit 12 specifies the "small area where the information acquisition device existed when the tag information was acquired" based on the "position of the information acquisition device when the tag information was acquired" specified based on the acquisition position information and the information indicating the absolute position of each of the plurality of small areas.

[0073] Next, the position estimation unit 12 determines whether the "small area where the information acquisition device existed when a certain tag information was acquired" and the "small area where the product specified by the acquired tag information is arranged" shown in the arrangement layout satisfy the first condition. And when the position estimation unit 12 satisfies the first condition, it determines that the first premise is not contradictory. On the other hand, when the position estimation unit 12 does not satisfy the first condition, it determines that the first premise is contradictory.

[0074] The first condition is any of the following. · The "small area where the information acquisition device existed when a certain tag information was acquired" coincides with the "small area where the product specified by the acquired tag information is arranged" shown in the layout · The "small area where the information acquisition device existed when a certain tag information was acquired" coincides with, or is in contact with each other at sides or points, the "small area where the product specified by the acquired tag information is arranged" shown in the layout · The distance between the representative point of the "small area where the information acquisition device existed when a certain tag information was acquired" and the representative point of the "small area where the product specified by the acquired tag information is arranged" shown in the layout is less than the threshold value

[0075] Returning to FIG. 1, the update unit 13 updates the inventory information indicating the inventory status of each product for each position in the facility based on the estimation result of the position where the product from which the tag information was acquired exists.

[0076] "Inventory status" indicates at least one of the presence or absence of inventory and the quantity of inventory.

[0077] "For each position in the facility" is a concept including at least one of each small area, each shelf, each shelf level, and each product arrangement area in the facility.

[0078] For example, the inventory information may indicate the inventory status of each product for each small area obtained by dividing a sales floor, a backyard, or a storage area of the facility into a plurality of areas. Further, the inventory information may indicate the inventory status of each product for each shelf installed in the facility. Further, the inventory information may indicate the inventory status of each product for each shelf level installed in the facility. Further, the inventory information may indicate the inventory status of each product for each product arrangement area of the shelf installed in the facility.

[0079] FIG. 8 shows an example of inventory information. The illustrated inventory information shows the inventory status of each product for each small area. That is, it shows the identification information of the products existing in each small area, the quantity thereof, etc. Note that, as illustrated, the inventory information may show the update timing of each piece of information. In FIG. 8, the latest update timing is shown for each small area.

[0080] FIG. 9 shows another example of inventory information. The illustrated inventory information shows the inventory status of each product for each small area, each shelf, each tier of the shelf, and each product placement area. The number included in the identification information of the product placement area is the number identifying the tier. Note that, as illustrated, the inventory information may show the update timing of each piece of information. In FIG. 9, the latest update timing is shown for each product placement area.

[0081] The update unit 13 acquires the estimation result of the position estimation unit 12 based on the tag information and the acquisition position information acquired at the same timing from one information acquisition device. Then, based on the acquired estimation result, the update unit 13 counts the "number of products from which tag information was acquired" estimated to exist at each position in the facility for each position and each product in the facility. Then, the update unit 13 updates the "inventory status for each position and each product in the facility" shown in the inventory information with the result of the above counting. Also, the update unit 13 can register the date and time at that time as the update timing. By processing the information acquired from each information acquisition device separately in this way, it is possible to suppress the inconvenience of double-counting the products from which tag information was acquired by a plurality of information acquisition devices.

[0082] Next, an example of the processing flow of the inventory management device 10 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 2.

[0083] In S10, the inventory management device 10 acquires the tag information acquired by the information acquisition device and the acquisition position information indicating the position of the information acquisition device when the tag information was acquired. The information acquisition device acquires the tag information stored in the product tag attached to each product existing in the facility by short-range wireless communication.

[0084] In S11, based on the acquired position information obtained from the information acquisition device and the layout defining the arrangement positions of each of the plurality of products, the inventory management device 10 estimates the position where the product from which the tag information was acquired in S10 exists. The inventory management device 10 estimates at least one of the small area, shelf, shelf level, and product arrangement area on the shelf where the product from which the tag information was acquired in S10 exists.

[0085] In S12, based on the estimation result of S11, the inventory management device 10 updates the inventory information indicating the inventory status of each product for each position within the facility.

[0086] <Effect> According to the inventory management device 10 of the present embodiment, the same effects as those of the inventory management device 10 of the first embodiment are achieved.

[0087] Further, the inventory management device 10 can manage the inventory status of each product for each small area obtained by dividing the sales floor, backyard, or storage area of the facility into a plurality of areas. According to such an inventory management device 10, the user can grasp which products remain in which small areas within the facility and to what extent.

[0088] Further, the inventory management device 10 can manage the inventory status of each product for each shelf, each shelf level, or each product arrangement area installed in the facility. According to such an inventory management device 10, the user can grasp which products remain on which shelves within the facility and to what extent. Also, the user can grasp which products remain on which levels of which shelves within the facility and to what extent. Also, the user can grasp which products remain in which product arrangement areas of which shelves within the facility and to what extent.

[0089] Further, when the following conditions are satisfied, the inventory management device 10 can estimate that the product from which the tag information was acquired exists at the "arrangement position of the product specified by the acquired tag information" indicated by the layout. · The distance between "the position of the information acquisition device when a certain tag information is acquired" and "the placement position of the product specified by the acquired tag information" shown in the layout is less than the threshold value · "The small area where the information acquisition device existed when a certain tag information was acquired" and "the small area where the product specified by the acquired tag information is placed" shown in the layout satisfy the above-mentioned first condition

[0090] For example, due to the customer's actions such as returning the product taken in hand to a location different from the placement position of the product, there are also products existing at positions different from the placement positions shown in the layout. However, such products in this situation are rare, and most products exist at the placement positions shown in the layout. Based on such a premise, when the above-mentioned conditions are satisfied, according to the inventory management device 10 that estimates that the product whose tag information has been acquired exists at the "placement position of the product specified by the acquired tag information" shown in the layout, the position of the product can be accurately estimated.

[0091] <<The Third Embodiment>> The inventory management device 10 of this embodiment selects an information acquisition device that executes the acquisition of tag information from among a plurality of information acquisition devices, and causes the selected information acquisition device to execute the processing. The following will be described in detail.

[0092] The acquisition unit 11 selects at least one information acquisition device from among at least one (for example, a plurality) of information acquisition devices, and requests the selected information acquisition device to acquire tag information. Then, the acquisition unit 11 acquires the tag information and the acquisition position information that the information acquisition device has acquired and returned in response to the request.

[0093] The acquisition unit 11 first determines the position within the facility where the inventory status is updated based on the inventory information (Figs. 8, 9, etc.). Then, the acquisition unit 11 selects an information acquisition device for acquiring tag information based on the determined position within the facility.

[0094] ○ Processing for determining the position within the facility where the inventory status is updated The acquisition unit 11 can determine the location within the facility for updating the inventory status based on at least one of the following. · Whether the inventory status is registered at each location within the facility · The elapsed time since the latest update timing of the inventory status at each location within the facility · Whether there is a change in the arranged products determined by the layout at each location within the facility

[0095] "Determination based on whether the inventory status is registered at each location within the facility" In this case, the acquisition unit 11 checks the inventory status of the inventory information (Figs. 8, 9, etc.) and identifies the locations within the facility where the inventory status is not registered (small areas, shelves, shelf tiers, product arrangement areas on the shelves, etc.). For example, immediately after starting the use of the inventory management device 10 or immediately after resetting the inventory information to erase all inventory information, there may be locations within the facility where the inventory status is not registered. Then, the acquisition unit 11 determines the identified locations within the facility as the locations within the facility for updating the inventory status.

[0096] According to this process, the acquisition unit 11 can determine the locations within the facility where the inventory status is not registered as the locations within the facility for updating the inventory status.

[0097] "The elapsed time since the latest update timing of the inventory status at each location within the facility" In this case, the acquisition unit 11 calculates the elapsed time since the latest update timing of each location within the facility (small areas, shelves, shelf tiers, product arrangement areas on the shelves, etc.) registered in the inventory information based on the latest update timing and the current time. Then, the acquisition unit 11 determines the locations within the facility where the calculated elapsed time is equal to or greater than the threshold as the locations within the facility for updating the inventory status.

[0098] According to this process, the acquisition unit 11 can determine the locations within the facility where the registered inventory status has become old as the locations within the facility for updating the inventory status.

[0099] "Presence or absence of change in the products to be arranged as determined by the layout at each position within the facility" In this case, the acquisition unit 11 compares the previous layout and the latest layout, and identifies the positions within the facility where the products to be arranged have changed (small areas, shelves, tiers of shelves, product arrangement areas on shelves, etc.). In addition, when information indicating the positions within the facility where the products to be arranged have changed is input to the inventory management device 10, the acquisition unit 11 may identify the positions within the facility where the products to be arranged have changed based on that information. Then, the acquisition unit 11 determines the positions within the facility where the products to be arranged have changed as the positions within the facility for updating the inventory status.

[0100] According to this process, the acquisition unit 11 can determine the positions within the facility where the products to be arranged as determined by the layout have changed as the positions within the facility for updating the inventory status.

[0101] ○ Process of selecting an information acquisition device for acquiring tag information After determining the positions within the facility for updating the inventory status, the acquisition unit 11 selects an information acquisition device for acquiring tag information based on the determined positions within the facility. The acquisition unit 11 can select an information acquisition device for acquiring tag information based on at least one of the following. · Current position of the information acquisition device identified by the position information acquisition function provided in the information acquisition device · History of the positions of the information acquisition device within the most recent predetermined period identified by the position information acquisition function provided in the information acquisition device · Current position of the employee who holds the information acquisition device identified in the facility image · History of the positions of the employee who holds the information acquisition device within the most recent predetermined time identified in the facility image · Current position of the employee who holds the information acquisition device identified by the shift information indicating the work location · History of the positions of the employee who holds the information acquisition device within the most recent predetermined time identified by the shift information indicating the work location

[0102] "Current position of the information acquisition device identified by the position information acquisition function provided in the information acquisition device" The information acquisition device can acquire position information indicating the current position by the method described in the second embodiment.

[0103] In one example, at the timing of selecting the information acquisition device, the acquisition unit 11 requests position information from all the information acquisition devices. Then, the acquisition unit 11 can acquire the position information indicating the current position returned from each information acquisition device in response to the request.

[0104] In another example, the information acquisition device repeatedly acquires the position information indicating the current position at a predetermined timing and transmits the position information indicating the current position to the inventory management device 10. Then, the acquisition unit 11 can manage the latest position of each information acquisition device based on the position information repeatedly transmitted from each information acquisition device in this way. The predetermined timing is, for example, but not limited to, the timing every predetermined time.

[0105] Then, the acquisition unit 11 selects the information acquisition device that acquires the tag information based on the positional relationship between the current position of each information acquisition device and the position within the facility where the inventory status is updated.

[0106] For example, when the position within the facility where the inventory status is updated is a predetermined small area, the acquisition unit 11 compares the position of the small area with the current position of each information acquisition device and identifies the information acquisition device existing within the small area where the inventory status is updated. Then, the acquisition unit 11 selects the identified information acquisition device as the information acquisition device that acquires the tag information.

[0107] In addition, when the position within the facility where the inventory status is updated is a shelf, a shelf level, a product arrangement area of the shelf, etc., the acquisition unit 11 calculates the distance between the position within the facility where the inventory status is updated and the current position of each information acquisition device. Then, the acquisition unit 11 selects the information acquisition device whose distance from the position within the facility where the inventory status is updated is equal to or less than the threshold value as the information acquisition device that acquires the tag information.

[0108] "The history of the position of the information acquisition device specified by the position information acquisition function provided in the information acquisition device within the most recent predetermined period" The information acquisition device can acquire position information indicating the current position by the method described in the second embodiment.

[0109] In one example, the information acquisition device repeatedly acquires position information indicating the current position at a predetermined timing, and accumulates the history of position information within the most recent predetermined period in the device itself. The acquisition unit 11 may, for example, request the history of position information within the most recent predetermined period from all information acquisition devices at the timing of selecting the information acquisition device. Then, the acquisition unit 11 may acquire the history of position information within the most recent predetermined period returned from each information acquisition device in response to the request. The most recent predetermined period is a predetermined period, for example, several minutes, several tens of minutes, several hours, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0110] In another example, the information acquisition device repeatedly acquires position information indicating the current position at a predetermined timing, and may transmit the position information indicating the current position to the inventory management device 10. Then, the acquisition unit 11 accumulates the position information repeatedly transmitted from each information acquisition device in this way.

[0111] Then, the acquisition unit 11 selects an information acquisition device that acquires tag information based on the positional relationship between the position of each information acquisition device within the most recent predetermined period and the position within the facility where the inventory status is updated.

[0112] For example, when the position within the facility where the inventory status is updated is a predetermined small area, the acquisition unit 11 compares the position of the small area with the position of each information acquisition device within the most recent predetermined period, and identifies the information acquisition device that has been present within the small area where the inventory status is updated within the most recent predetermined period. Then, the acquisition unit 11 selects the identified information acquisition device as the information acquisition device that acquires tag information.

[0113] In addition, when the location within the facility where the inventory status is updated is a shelf, a shelf level, a product placement area on the shelf, etc., the acquisition unit 11 calculates the distance between the location within the facility where the inventory status is updated and the location of each information acquisition device within the most recent predetermined period. Then, the acquisition unit 11 selects, as the information acquisition device from which to acquire tag information, the information acquisition device whose distance from the location within the facility where the inventory status is updated has been less than or equal to the threshold value within the most recent predetermined period.

[0114] "The current location of the employee who holds the information acquisition device identified in the facility image" and "the history of the locations of the employee who holds the information acquisition device identified in the facility image within the most recent predetermined time" In the above example, the acquisition unit 11 specified the current location and the location history of the information acquisition device by using the location information acquisition function provided in the information acquisition device. In this example, the acquisition unit 11 specifies the current location and the location history of the information acquisition device based on the current location of the employee who holds the information acquisition device identified in the facility image. Other processes are the same as in the above example.

[0115] The "facility image" is an image taken inside the facility. A plurality of surveillance cameras are installed inside the facility. The images captured by each surveillance camera are input into the inventory management device 10 as facility images.

[0116] In this example, information for specifying in advance the employee who holds each information acquisition device is stored in a predetermined storage device. In this information, for example, the identification information of each information acquisition device and the identification information of the employee who holds each information acquisition device are registered in association with each other. The storage device for storing this information may be provided inside the inventory management device 10. Alternatively, the storage device may be provided inside an external device configured to be communicable with the inventory management device 10.

[0117] In addition, in this example, information for detecting each employee within an image is stored in advance in a predetermined storage device. In this information, for example, features of the appearance of each employee are shown. The features of the appearance include, but are not limited to, the face, body shape, and gait. The storage device for storing this information may be provided within the inventory management device 10. Alternatively, the storage device may be provided within an external device configured to be communicable with the inventory management device 10.

[0118] The acquisition unit 11 detects each employee in the facility image based on the features of the appearance of each employee. Then, based on the detection result, the acquisition unit 11 identifies the current position of each employee. Specifically, the acquisition unit 11 identifies the position within the facility where the surveillance camera that captured the facility image in which an employee was detected is located as the current position of that employee. In advance, information indicating the positions within the facility that each surveillance camera captures is stored in a predetermined storage device. The storage device for storing this information may be provided within the inventory management device 10. Alternatively, the storage device may be provided within an external device configured to be communicable with the inventory management device 10.

[0119] Next, the acquisition unit 11 identifies the information acquisition device held by the employee whose current position has been identified based on the above information. Then, the acquisition unit 11 identifies the current position of that employee as the current position of the identified information acquisition device.

[0120] "The current position of an employee who holds an information acquisition device specified by shift information indicating a holding location" and "The history of the positions of an employee who holds an information acquisition device specified by shift information indicating a holding location within a recent predetermined period of time" In the above example, the acquisition unit 11 identified the current position and the position history of the information acquisition device by using the position information acquisition function and the facility image provided in the information acquisition device. In this example, the acquisition unit 11 identifies the current position and the position history of the information acquisition device based on the shift information indicating the holding location of each employee. Other processes are the same as in the above example.

[0121] "Shift information" indicates the work area of each employee. The shift information may indicate the work area of each employee for each time period. The work areas are classified, for example, as a men's clothing sales area, a women's clothing sales area, a children's clothing sales area, etc. Each work area includes at least one small area.

[0122] In this example, information for identifying the employee who holds each information acquisition device is stored in a predetermined storage device in advance. In this information, for example, the identification information of each information acquisition device and the identification information of the employee who holds each information acquisition device are registered in association with each other. The storage device for storing this information may be provided inside the inventory management device 10. Alternatively, the storage device may be provided inside an external device configured to be communicable with the inventory management device 10.

[0123] Based on the shift information, the acquisition unit 11 identifies the work area of each employee, that is, the current location, at the timing of selecting the information acquisition device. Next, the acquisition unit 11 identifies the information acquisition device held by each employee based on the above information. Then, the acquisition unit 11 identifies the current location of each employee as the current location of the information acquisition device held by each employee.

[0124] Next, an example of the processing flow of the inventory management device 10 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 10.

[0125] In S20, the inventory management device 10 identifies the location within the facility where the inventory status is to be updated. For example, the inventory management device 10 monitors whether there is a location within the facility in a state where the inventory status is to be updated. Then, when the inventory management device 10 detects a location within the facility in a state where the inventory status is to be updated, it identifies that location within the facility as the location within the facility where the inventory status is to be updated.

[0126] "The location within the facility in a state where the inventory status is to be updated" is, for example, at least one of the following. · A location within the facility where the inventory status has not been registered · A location within the facility where the elapsed time from the latest update timing of the inventory status is equal to or greater than the threshold · The position within the facility where the merchandise to be arranged, as determined by the layout, has changed

[0127] In S21, the inventory management device 10 selects an information acquisition device that requests acquisition of tag information based on the position within the facility where the inventory status determined in S20 is to be updated.

[0128] In S22, the inventory management device 10 requests the information acquisition device selected in S21 to acquire tag information.

[0129] Upon receiving the request, the information acquisition device acquires tag information in response to the request. That is, the information acquisition device acquires tag information from an unspecified number of product tags existing within the communication range by short-range wireless communication. Also, the information acquisition device acquires position information indicating its current position at that time. This position information is used as acquisition position information indicating the position at the time when the tag information was acquired. Then, the information acquisition device transmits the acquired tag information and acquisition position information to the inventory management device 10.

[0130] Note that upon receiving the request, the information acquisition device can perform the above processing without an operation from the worker holding the information acquisition device. That is, the information acquisition device can perform the above processing without being noticed by the worker.

[0131] In S23, the inventory management device 10 acquires the tag information acquired by the information acquisition device and acquisition position information indicating the position of the information acquisition device at the time when the tag information was acquired from the information acquisition device requested in S22.

[0132] In S24, the inventory management device 10 estimates the position where the product from which tag information was acquired in S23 exists based on the acquisition position information acquired from the information acquisition device and the layout that defines the arrangement position of each of the plurality of products. The inventory management device 10 estimates at least one of the small area, shelf, shelf level, and product arrangement area on the shelf where the product from which tag information was acquired in S23 exists.

[0133] In S25, based on the estimation result of S24, the inventory management device 10 updates inventory information indicating the inventory status of each product for each location within the facility.

[0134] Other configurations of the inventory management device 10 in this embodiment are the same as those of the inventory management device 10 in the first and second embodiments.

[0135] According to the inventory management device 10 of this embodiment, the same operational effects as those of the inventory management device 10 in the first and second embodiments are achieved.

[0136] Also, the inventory management device 10 of this embodiment can cause only the necessary information acquisition device to execute the acquisition and transmission of tag information. As a result, the processing load on the information processing device is reduced. Further, the inventory management device 10 can avoid the inconvenience of receiving an unnecessarily large amount of information from an unnecessarily large number of information processing devices. As a result, the processing load on the inventory management device 10 is also reduced.

[0137] Also, the inventory management device 10 can select an information acquisition device that executes the acquisition and transmission of tag information by means of the characteristic method as described above. According to such an inventory management device 10, the processing can be executed on the truly necessary information acquisition device, and truly necessary information can be received. As a result, the inventory information can be put in an appropriate state.

[0138] <<Fourth Embodiment>> The information acquisition device of this embodiment repeatedly acquires tag information at a predetermined timing and accumulates it in its own device. Then, the inventory management device 10 of this embodiment acquires tag information from the information acquisition device that has accumulated the desired information. This will be described in detail below.

[0139] The information acquisition device repeatedly acquires tag information at a predetermined timing and stores it in the device itself. That is, the information acquisition device repeatedly acquires tag information from an unspecified number of product tags existing within the communication range by short-range wireless communication at a predetermined timing. Further, the information acquisition device acquires position information (acquisition position information) indicating its current position at that time. Then, the information acquisition device stores the acquired tag information, acquisition position information, and acquisition date and time information in the device itself. The predetermined timing is, for example, but not limited to, the timing every predetermined time.

[0140] FIG. 11 shows an example of the information accumulated by each information acquisition device. The illustrated information associates an acquisition number for identifying multiple acquisition processes with each other, information indicating the acquisition date and time, information indicating the acquisition position, and the acquired tag information with each other.

[0141] The acquisition unit 11 determines the position within the facility where the inventory status is updated by the method described in the third embodiment. Next, the acquisition unit 11 requests the information acquisition device for the tag information of the products existing at the determined position within the facility. The acquisition unit 11 can, for example, make such a request to all information acquisition devices.

[0142] The information acquisition device extracts tag information whose acquisition position information satisfies a predetermined condition from the accumulated tag information. Then, when tag information whose acquisition position information satisfies a predetermined condition is extracted, the information acquisition device transmits the extracted tag information, acquisition position information, and acquisition date and time information to the inventory management device 10. The acquisition unit 11 acquires the tag information, acquisition position information, and acquisition date and time information thus transmitted from the information acquisition device. Note that when tag information whose acquisition position information satisfies a predetermined condition is not extracted, the information acquisition device does not perform the above transmission process.

[0143] The predetermined condition includes at least one of the following. · The small area including the acquisition position indicated by the acquisition position information coincides with the small area that is the position within the facility where the inventory status is updated ·The small area containing the acquisition position indicated by the acquisition position information coincides with the small area that is the position within the facility where the inventory status is updated, and the acquisition date and time are within the most recent predetermined time ·The distance between the acquisition position indicated by the acquisition position information and the position within the facility where the inventory status is updated is within the threshold value ·The distance between the acquisition position indicated by the acquisition position information and the position within the facility where the inventory status is updated is within the threshold value, and the acquisition date and time are within the most recent predetermined time

[0144] Note that the acquisition unit 11 may acquire tag information, acquisition position information, and acquisition date and time information from a plurality of information acquisition devices in response to a single request. In this case, the acquisition unit 11 may extract one piece of information from the information acquired from the plurality of information acquisition devices as the processing target and acquire it. And the extracted one piece of information may be used to update the inventory information. That is, the position estimation unit 12 may estimate the position where the product corresponding to the extracted tag information exists based on the extracted tag information. And the update unit 13 may update the inventory information based on the estimation result of the position where the product corresponding to the extracted tag information exists.

[0145] For example, the acquisition unit 11 may extract and acquire the information with the most recent acquisition date and time from the information acquired from the plurality of information acquisition devices. The acquisition unit 11 compares the acquisition date and time information included in the information acquired from the plurality of information acquisition devices with each other and extracts the information with the most recent acquisition date and time.

[0146] In addition, the acquisition unit 11 may extract and acquire the information whose acquisition position is closer to the center of the small area within the facility where the inventory status is updated. In this case, for each piece of information acquired from the plurality of information acquisition devices, the acquisition unit 11 calculates the distance between the acquisition position and the center of the small area within the facility where the inventory status is updated. And the acquisition unit 11 extracts the information with the smallest calculated distance.

[0147] In addition, the acquisition unit 11 may extract and acquire information whose acquisition position is within a predetermined distance from the center of a small area within the facility where the inventory status is updated and whose acquisition date and time are the latest. The acquisition unit 11 can realize the extraction according to the above processing.

[0148] Next, an example of the processing flow of the inventory management device 10 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 12.

[0149] In S30, the inventory management device 10 specifies the position within the facility where the inventory status is updated. This processing may be the same as the above-described S20.

[0150] In S31, the inventory management device 10 requests at least one information processing device (for example, all information processing devices) for the tag information of the products existing at the position determined in S30.

[0151] Each information processing device extracts, in response to the request, information that satisfies the predetermined conditions as described above from the information accumulated so far. Then, each information processing device transmits the extracted information to the inventory management device 10. Note that if each information processing device fails to extract information that satisfies the predetermined conditions, it does not transmit information to the inventory management device 10.

[0152] When receiving the request, the information acquisition device can perform the above processing without an operation from the worker who holds the information acquisition device. That is, the information acquisition device can perform the above processing without being noticed by the worker.

[0153] In S32, the inventory management device 10 acquires the tag information, acquisition position information, and acquisition date and time information transmitted from the information acquisition device in response to the request in S31.

[0154] In S33, the inventory management device 10 extracts the tag information to be processed from the acquired tag information.

[0155] In S34, based on the acquired position information obtained from the information acquisition device and the layout that determines the arrangement positions of each of the plurality of products, the inventory management device 10 estimates the position where the product for which the tag information extracted in S33 exists. The inventory management device 10 estimates at least one of the small area, shelf, shelf level, and product arrangement area on the shelf where the product for which the tag information extracted in S33 exists is present.

[0156] In S35, based on the estimation result of S34, the inventory management device 10 updates the inventory information indicating the inventory status of each product for each position within the facility.

[0157] Other configurations of the inventory management device 10 in the present embodiment are the same as those of the inventory management device 10 in the first to third embodiments.

[0158] According to the inventory management device 10 of the present embodiment, the same operational effects as those of the inventory management device 10 in the first to third embodiments are realized.

[0159] Further, the inventory management device 10 of the present embodiment can acquire the tag information acquired at a desired position from among the tag information accumulated by the information acquisition device. When it is desired to acquire the tag information at a certain position and none of the information acquisition devices are present at that position, the tag information at that position cannot be acquired. In this case, the inventory information at that position cannot be updated.

[0160] As in the present embodiment, when acquiring the tag information acquired at a desired position from among the tag information accumulated so far, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of the inconvenience that the tag information at the desired position cannot be acquired and the inventory information at that position cannot be updated.

[0161] Here, a modification example of the present embodiment will be described.

[0162] The inventory management device 10 selects, by the method described in the third embodiment, an information acquisition device that executes acquisition of tag information from among a plurality of information acquisition devices, and causes the selected information acquisition device to execute the process. Then, when the inventory management device 10 cannot select any information acquisition device, that is, when there is no information acquisition device that satisfies the selection conditions, the process of this embodiment is executed. Such an inventory management device 10 is premised on acquiring tag information indicating the latest inventory status of a position via an information acquisition device existing in the vicinity of the position in the facility where the inventory status is updated. And when there is no information acquisition device in the vicinity of the position in the facility where the inventory status is updated and the tag information indicating the latest inventory status of that position cannot be acquired, the inventory management device 10 can acquire tag information indicating the inventory status at a certain past time accumulated until then.

[0163] <<Fifth Embodiment>> In the case of a situation where the first premise described in the second embodiment is contradictory, the inventory management device 10 of this embodiment executes a warning process. This will be described in detail below.

[0164] FIG. 13 shows another example of a functional block diagram of the inventory management device 10. As shown in the figure, the inventory management device 10 includes an acquisition unit 11, a position estimation unit 12, an update unit 13, and a warning unit 14.

[0165] The warning unit 14 executes a warning process in the case of a situation where the first premise described in the second embodiment is contradictory. The warning unit 14 can detect that it is a situation where the first premise is contradictory based on at least one of the first determination process and the second determination process described in the second embodiment.

[0166] A situation where the first premise is contradictory is, for example, a situation where the distance between the position of the information acquisition device when acquiring the tag information stored in the product tag attached to the first product and the position where the first product indicated by the layout is arranged is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

[0167] In addition, a situation where the first premise is contradictory is, for example, a situation where the small area where the information acquisition device was present when acquiring the tag information stored in the product tag attached to the first product and the small area where the first product indicated in the layout is placed do not satisfy the first condition. The first condition is as described in the second embodiment.

[0168] The warning process is a notification to the employee. In the warning process, the occurrence of a situation where the first premise is contradictory is notified to the employee. A situation where the first premise is contradictory is a situation where "a certain product is not placed at the placement position of that product indicated in the layout". In the warning process, at least one of the identification information of the product in which the situation has occurred, the position of the information acquisition device when the tag information of that product was acquired, and the date and time when the tag information of that product was acquired may be further notified to the employee.

[0169] The notification to the employee is realized via a mobile terminal possessed by the employee, a terminal device for employees installed in the facility, a speaker installed in the facility, etc.

[0170] The mobile terminal is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a mobile phone, a smartwatch, a wearable terminal, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0171] The terminal device for employees installed in the facility is a POS (point of sales) register, a personal computer, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0172] The speaker installed in the facility is, for example, a speaker installed in the facility for in-house broadcasting, but is not limited thereto.

[0173] Other configurations of the inventory management device 10 of the present embodiment are the same as those of the inventory management device 10 of the first to fourth embodiments.

[0174] According to the inventory management device 10 of the present embodiment, the same operational effects as those of the inventory management device 10 of the first to fourth embodiments are realized.

[0175] In addition, when the first premise is in a contradictory situation, the inventory management device 10 of the present embodiment can execute a warning process. An employee of the facility can recognize the occurrence of a situation where the first premise is contradictory based on the warning process. Then, the employee of the facility can take measures to improve the situation.

[0176] <<Modification Example>> A modification example applicable to the first to fifth embodiments will be described.

[0177] The information acquisition device may transmit only the tag information with a signal strength equal to or greater than a threshold value among the tag information acquired by short-range wireless communication to the inventory management device 10.

[0178] Alternatively, the information acquisition device may transmit all of the tag information acquired by short-range wireless communication to the inventory management device 10. And the information acquisition device may transmit information indicating the signal strength of each of the acquired tag information to the inventory management device 10. And the acquisition unit 11 may extract and acquire those with a signal strength equal to or greater than the threshold value from the received tag information.

[0179] Even in this modification example, the same operational effects as those of the inventory management device 10 of the first to fifth embodiments can be obtained. Also, by using only the tag information with a progress strength equal to or greater than the threshold value, the accuracy of the process is improved.

[0180] As described above, the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiments, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present disclosure within the scope of the present disclosure. And each embodiment can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate.

[0181] Also, in the plurality of flowcharts used in the above description, a plurality of steps (processes) are described in order. However, the execution order of the steps executed in each embodiment is not limited to the described order. In each embodiment, the order of the illustrated steps can be changed within a range that does not interfere with the content.

[0182] Some or all of the above embodiments may be described as follows in the appended claims, but are not limited thereto. 1. An acquisition means for acquiring, from an information acquisition device that acquires tag information stored in a product tag attached to each product existing in a facility by short-range wireless communication, the tag information acquired by the information acquisition device and acquisition position information indicating the position of the information acquisition device when the tag information was acquired; A position estimation means for estimating the position where the product from which the tag information was acquired exists, based on the acquisition position information acquired from the information acquisition device and an arrangement layout defining the arrangement positions of a plurality of products; An update means for updating inventory information indicating the inventory status of each product for each position in the facility based on an estimation result of the position where the product from which the tag information was acquired exists; An inventory management device having the above. 2. The facility is A store including a sales floor for displaying products, A store including a backyard for storing products, or A warehouse including a storage area for storing products, The inventory information is the inventory management device according to 1 above, which indicates the inventory status of each product for each small area obtained by dividing the sales floor, the backyard, or the storage area into a plurality of parts. 3. The acquisition means is The current position of the information acquisition device specified by the position information acquisition function provided in the information acquisition device, A history of the positions of the information acquisition device within a recent predetermined period specified by the position information acquisition function provided in the information acquisition device, The current position of an employee who holds the information acquisition device specified in a facility image, A history of the positions of an employee who holds the information acquisition device within a recent predetermined time specified in a facility image, The current position of an employee who holds the information acquisition device specified by shift information indicating a holding area, and A history of the positions of an employee who holds the information acquisition device within a recent predetermined time specified by shift information indicating a holding area, Request the information acquisition device selected based on at least one of the above to acquire the tag information, and acquire the tag information and the acquisition position information that the information acquisition device has acquired and returned in response to the request. The inventory management device according to 1 or 2 above. 4. The acquisition means Whether the inventory status is registered at each position in the facility, The elapsed time from the latest update timing of the inventory status at each position in the facility, and Whether there is a change in the products to be arranged determined by the arrangement layout at each position in the facility, Based on at least one of the above, determine the position in the facility where the inventory status is to be updated, request the information acquisition device selected based on the determined position in the facility to acquire the tag information, and acquire the tag information and the acquisition position information that the information acquisition device has acquired and returned in response to the request. The inventory management device according to any one of 1 to 3 above. 5. The position estimation means When the distance between the position of the information acquisition device when the tag information stored in the product tag attached to the first product is acquired and the position in the facility where the first product indicated by the arrangement layout is arranged is less than the threshold value, it is estimated that the first product from which the tag information has been acquired exists at the arrangement position of the first product indicated by the arrangement layout. The inventory management device according to any one of 1 to 4 above. 6. When the distance between the position of the information acquisition device when the tag information stored in the product tag attached to the first product is acquired and the position where the first product indicated by the arrangement layout is arranged is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the inventory management device according to any one of 1 to 5 above, further comprising warning means for executing a warning process. 7. The information acquisition device repeatedly acquires and accumulates the tag information and the acquisition position information at a predetermined timing, The acquisition means Request the tag information of the products existing at a predetermined position in the facility from a plurality of the information acquisition devices, The inventory management device according to any one of 1 to 6, which acquires the tag information of a product existing at a predetermined position in the facility from the information acquisition device among the accumulated tag information. 8. The information acquisition device accumulates the tag information and the acquisition position information repeatedly acquired at a predetermined timing by attaching acquisition date and time information indicating the acquisition date and time. The acquisition means In response to a request for the tag information of a product existing at a predetermined position in the facility, extracts the tag information with the latest acquisition date and time from among the tag information acquired from a plurality of information processing devices. The position estimation means Estimates the position where the product corresponding to the extracted tag information exists. The update means The inventory management device according to 7, which updates the inventory information based on the estimation result of the position where the product corresponding to the extracted tag information exists. 9. One or more computers From an information acquisition device that acquires tag information stored in a product tag attached to each product existing in a facility by short-range wireless communication, acquires the tag information acquired by the information acquisition device and acquisition position information indicating the position of the information acquisition device when the tag information was acquired. Based on the acquisition position information acquired from the information acquisition device and an arrangement layout that determines the arrangement positions of a plurality of products, estimates the position where the product corresponding to the acquired tag information exists. An inventory management method for updating inventory information indicating the inventory status of each product for each position in the facility based on the estimation result of the position where the product corresponding to the acquired tag information exists. 10. A computer An acquisition means for acquiring, from an information acquisition device that acquires tag information stored in a product tag attached to each product existing in a facility by short-range wireless communication, the tag information acquired by the information acquisition device and acquisition position information indicating the position of the information acquisition device when the tag information was acquired. Position estimation means for estimating the position where the product from which the tag information has been obtained exists, based on the acquired position information acquired from the information acquisition device and the layout defining the arrangement positions of the plurality of products respectively. Updating means for updating inventory information indicating the inventory status of each product for each position in the facility, based on the estimation result of the position where the product from which the tag information has been obtained exists. A program that functions as.

[0183] Part or all of Appendices 2 to 8 that are subordinate to the inventory management device of Appendix 1 described above may also be subordinate to the inventory management method of Appendix 9 and the program of Appendix 10 in the same subordinate relationship as Appendix 1 and Appendices 2 to 8. Further, within the scope not departing from the above-described respective embodiments, in various hardware, software, various recording means for recording software, or systems, part or all of the configurations described as appendices can be realized.

Explanation of Signs

[0184] 10 Inventory management device 11 Acquisition unit 12 Position estimation unit 13 Updating unit 14 Warning unit 1A Processor 2A Memory 3A Input / output I / F 4A Peripheral circuit 5A Bus

Claims

1. An acquisition means for acquiring, from an information acquisition device that acquires tag information stored in a product tag attached to each product existing in a facility by short-range wireless communication, the tag information acquired by the information acquisition device and acquisition position information indicating the position of the information acquisition device when the tag information was acquired; A position estimation means for estimating the position where the product from which the tag information was acquired exists based on the acquisition position information acquired from the information acquisition device and an arrangement layout that determines the arrangement positions of a plurality of products; An update means for updating inventory information indicating the inventory status of each product for each position in the facility based on the estimation result of the position where the product from which the tag information was acquired exists; An inventory management device having the above.

2. The facility is A store including a sales floor for displaying products, A store including a backyard for storing products, or A warehouse including a storage area for storing products, The inventory information is the inventory management device according to claim 1, which indicates the inventory status of each product for each small area obtained by dividing the sales floor, the backyard, or the storage area into a plurality of areas.

3. The acquisition means The current position of the information acquisition device specified by the position information acquisition function provided in the information acquisition device, The history of the positions of the information acquisition device within a recent predetermined period specified by the position information acquisition function provided in the information acquisition device, The current position of an employee who holds the information acquisition device specified by an image within the facility, The history of the positions of an employee who holds the information acquisition device specified by an image within the facility within a recent predetermined time, The current position of an employee who holds the information acquisition device specified by shift information indicating a work area, and The history of the positions of an employee who holds the information acquisition device specified by shift information indicating a work area within a recent predetermined time, Request the information acquisition device selected based on at least one of the above to acquire the tag information, and acquire the tag information and the acquisition position information acquired and returned by the information acquisition device in response to the request. The inventory management device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The acquisition means The presence or absence of registration of the inventory status at each position within the facility, The elapsed time from the latest update timing of the inventory status at each position within the facility, and The presence or absence of a change in the products to be arranged determined by the arrangement layout at each position within the facility, Based on at least one of them, determine the location within the facility where the inventory status is to be updated, request the information acquisition device selected based on the determined location within the facility to acquire the tag information, and acquire the tag information and the acquisition location information that the information acquisition device has acquired and returned in response to the request. The inventory management device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The position estimation means When the distance between the position of the information acquisition device when the tag information stored in the product tag attached to the first product is acquired and the position within the facility where the first product indicated by the layout is arranged is less than the threshold value, it is estimated that the first product from which the tag information has been acquired exists at the arrangement position of the first product indicated by the layout. The inventory management device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. When the distance between the position of the information acquisition device when the tag information stored in the product tag attached to the first product is acquired and the position where the first product indicated by the layout is arranged is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the inventory management device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising warning means for executing a warning process.

7. The information acquisition device repeatedly acquires and accumulates the tag information and the acquisition position information at a predetermined timing, The acquisition means Request the tag information of the product existing at a predetermined position within the facility from a plurality of the information acquisition devices, Acquire the tag information of the product existing at a predetermined position within the facility from among the tag information accumulated from the information acquisition device. The inventory management device according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The information acquisition device attaches acquisition date and time information indicating the acquisition date and time to the tag information and the acquisition position information repeatedly acquired at a predetermined timing and accumulates them, The acquisition means Extract the tag information with the latest acquisition date and time from among the tag information acquired from a plurality of information processing devices in response to a request for the tag information of the product existing at a predetermined position within the facility, The position estimation means Estimate the position where the product from which the extracted tag information has been acquired exists, The update means Update the inventory information based on the estimation result of the position where the product from which the extracted tag information has been acquired exists. The inventory management device according to claim 7.

9. One or more computers From an information acquisition device that acquires tag information stored in a product tag attached to each product existing in a facility by short-range wireless communication, the tag information acquired by the information acquisition device and acquisition position information indicating the position of the information acquisition device when the tag information was acquired are obtained. Based on the acquisition position information acquired from the information acquisition device and an arrangement layout that determines the arrangement positions of a plurality of products, the position where the product from which the tag information was acquired exists is estimated. An inventory management method for updating inventory information indicating the inventory status of each product for each position in the facility based on the estimation result of the position where the product from which the tag information was acquired exists.

10. A computer An acquisition unit that acquires, from an information acquisition device that acquires tag information stored in a product tag attached to each product existing in a facility by short-range wireless communication, the tag information acquired by the information acquisition device and acquisition position information indicating the position of the information acquisition device when the tag information was acquired. A position estimation unit that estimates the position where the product from which the tag information was acquired exists based on the acquisition position information acquired from the information acquisition device and an arrangement layout that determines the arrangement positions of a plurality of products. An update unit that updates inventory information indicating the inventory status of each product for each position in the facility based on the estimation result of the position where the product from which the tag information was acquired exists. A program that causes the computer to function as such.

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