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

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus configured to maintain an appropriate state of a commodity, an information processing method, and an information processing program.SOLUTION: The information processing apparatus includes: an output unit which outputs information; a temperature measurement unit which measures a temperature in a predetermined space to generate temperature information; a timer unit which measures the time in which increase of the temperature in the predetermined space is presumed to generate timer information; a first determination unit which determines the necessity to discard a commodity in the predetermined space when the temperature based on the temperature information generated by the temperature measurement unit is equal to or higher than a temperature of a preset first threshold and when the time based on the timer information generated by the timer unit is equal to or longer than a time of a preset second threshold; an output control unit which controls the output unit to output information on the necessity to discard the commodity when the first determination unit determines the necessity to discard the commodity; and a presumption unit which presumes whether the commodity has been discarded or not when the first determination unit determines the necessity to discard the commodity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, facilities that sell and provide products have been required to perform appropriate product management. For example, when the facility is a restaurant, employees perform appropriate management of ingredients. Meanwhile, ingredients used in restaurants may be stored in spaces that require temperature management, such as refrigerators and freezers. The technology described in Patent Document 1 manages such spaces that require temperature management. That is, the technology described in Patent Document 1 measures temperature, etc., using a sensor to generate sensing information, and outputs an alarm if the temperature, etc. based on the sensing information falls outside a set range. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2010-530565 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In restaurants and the like, there may be times when employees are not present, such as closing time. If a power outage occurs during such closing time, the internal temperatures of refrigerators, freezers, etc. may rise. On the other hand, even if such a power outage occurs, when power is restored before opening time, the internal temperatures of refrigerators, freezers, etc. may have dropped to normal temperatures. The technology described in Patent Document 1 may not be able to operate during a power outage and may not be able to output an alarm. In this case, employees may not be able to grasp the situation, i.e., that there was a power outage and the subsequent restoration of power, and may mistakenly believe that appropriate temperature management is being continued.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program capable of maintaining appropriate merchandise. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device of one embodiment includes an output unit that outputs information, a temperature measurement unit that measures the temperature in a specified space and generates temperature information, a timing unit that times the time that the temperature in the specified space is estimated to rise and generates timing information, a first judgment unit that determines that a product in the specified space needs to be disposed of if the temperature based on the temperature information generated by the temperature measurement unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold and the time based on the timing information generated by the timing unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold, an output control unit that controls the output unit to output information indicating that the product needs to be disposed of if the first judgment unit determines that the product needs to be disposed of, and an estimation unit that estimates whether the product has been disposed of if the first judgment unit determines that the product needs to be disposed of.

[0007] In one embodiment of the information processing device, a first judgment unit judges whether disposal is necessary for each product based on a first threshold and a second threshold set according to the products arranged in a specified space, and an output control unit may control the output unit to output information that the product needs to be disposed of after identifying the product that needs to be disposed of.

[0008] An information processing device of one embodiment includes an imaging unit that captures images of a facility including a specified space and generates imaging information, and a timing unit that measures a time when imaging information is not generated by the imaging unit as a time when a temperature rise in the specified space is estimated, and generates the timing information.

[0009] An information processing device of one embodiment includes a second judgment unit that judges whether the number of times the first judgment unit judges that disposal of products in a specified space is necessary is equal to or greater than a preset third threshold, and the output control unit may control the output unit to send information regarding management to a user terminal used by a user who manages the specified space when the second judgment unit determines that the number of times is equal to or greater than the third threshold.

[0010] An information processing device of one embodiment may include a third judgment unit that judges whether a temperature based on temperature information generated by the temperature measurement unit will be equal to or higher than a predetermined fourth threshold, and the output control unit may control the output unit to output warning information regarding a temperature rise when the third judgment unit judges that the temperature based on the temperature information will be equal to or higher than the fourth threshold.

[0011] In one embodiment of the information processing device, the estimation unit may estimate that the product has been discarded when the output unit is controlled by the output control unit to output information indicating that the product needs to be discarded, and then information indicating that the product has been discarded is received from an external terminal outside the information processing device.

[0012] In one aspect of the information processing method, a computer having an output unit that outputs information executes the following steps: a temperature measurement step of measuring the temperature in a specified space and generating temperature information; a timing step of timing the time that the temperature rise in the specified space is estimated and generating timing information; a determination step of determining that disposal of a product in the specified space is necessary if the temperature based on the temperature information generated by the temperature measurement step is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold and the time based on the timing information generated by the timing step is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold; an output control step of controlling the output unit to output information to the effect that disposal of the product is necessary if it is determined by the determination step that disposal of the product is necessary; and an estimation step of estimating whether disposal of the product has been performed if it is determined by the determination step.

[0013] An information processing program of one embodiment causes a computer to realize an output function that outputs information, a temperature measurement function that measures the temperature in a specified space and generates temperature information, a timing function that times the time that the temperature rise in the specified space is estimated and generates timing information, a determination function that determines that a product in the specified space needs to be disposed of if the temperature based on the temperature information generated by the temperature measurement function is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold and the time based on the timing information generated by the timing function is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold, an output control function that controls the output function to output information indicating that the product needs to be disposed of if the determination function determines that the product needs to be disposed of, and an estimation function that estimates whether the product has been disposed of if the determination function determines that the product needs to be disposed of. Effect of the Invention

[0014] An information processing device of one embodiment measures the temperature in a specified space to generate temperature information, times the time that the temperature in the specified space is estimated to rise to generate timing information, and if the temperature based on the temperature information is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold and the time based on the timing information is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold, determines that a product in the specified space needs to be disposed of, and if it is determined that the product needs to be disposed of, controls the device to output information to the effect that the product needs to be disposed of, and if it is determined that the product needs to be disposed of, estimates whether the product has been disposed of, thereby enabling the product to be maintained in an appropriate state. Furthermore, the information processing method and the information processing program according to one aspect can achieve the same effects as the information processing device according to the above aspect. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an information processing device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an information processing device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a screen displayed on a display unit. [Figure 4]1 is a first flowchart illustrating an information processing method according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] 11 is a second flowchart illustrating an information processing method according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described. In this specification, the term "information" is used, but the term "information" can be replaced with "data" and the term "data" can be replaced with "information".

[0017] First, an overview of the information processing device 1 will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an information processing device 1 according to an embodiment.

[0018] The information processing device 1 manages products 101 arranged in a predetermined space 100. As a specific example, the information processing device 1 performs temperature management of the products 101 arranged in the predetermined space 100. The predetermined space 100 is, for example, a space in which the internal temperature of a refrigerator, a freezer, a chilled compartment (hereinafter referred to as a "refrigerator"), etc. is managed.

[0019] In the case of a power outage or the like, the internal temperature (internal temperature) of a refrigerator rises. On the other hand, when power is restored, the internal temperature (internal temperature) of the refrigerator drops to a predetermined temperature. For example, in the case where a refrigerator is provided in a store such as a restaurant, if a power outage and restoration both occur during closing time, the internal temperature will have dropped to the predetermined temperature by the time employees arrive at work, and the employees may not notice that a power outage occurred during closing time. However, an upper limit of the storage temperature or the like is set for the products 101 provided in the refrigerator, and some products are required to be stored at a temperature below that upper limit.

[0020] The information processing device 1 measures the temperature of the predetermined space 100 by the temperature measuring unit 20, and when various conditions related to the temperature satisfy predetermined conditions, prompts the disposal of the product 101 placed in the predetermined space 100. Furthermore, when the information processing device 1 prompts the disposal of the product 101, for example, if an input operation indicating that the product 101 has actually been disposed of is performed by a user (for example, a manager or employee, etc.), the information processing device 1 presumes that the product 101 has been disposed of. The information processing device 1 may be disposed in a facility (store) having a predetermined space, or in a management headquarters that manages the facility (store). In this case, the temperature measuring unit 20 and the imaging unit 21 are disposed in the facility (store).

[0021] Next, the information processing device 1 will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an information processing device 1 according to an embodiment.

[0022] The information processing device 1 includes a temperature measuring unit 20, an imaging unit 21, a communication unit 17, a storage unit 18, a display unit 19, a timer unit 11, a first determination unit 12, a second determination unit 13, a third determination unit 14, an output control unit 15, and an estimation unit 16. The communication unit 17, the storage unit 18, and the display unit 19 may be realized as an embodiment of the "output unit" of the present invention. The timer unit 11, the first determination unit 12, the second determination unit 13, the third determination unit 14, the output control unit 15, and the estimation unit 16 may be realized as a function of a control unit 10 (e.g., an arithmetic processing device, etc.) of the information processing device 1.

[0023] The temperature measuring unit 20 measures the temperature in the predetermined space 100 and generates temperature information. As a specific example, the temperature measuring unit 20 may be a temperature sensor or the like. The predetermined space 100 is a space in which temperature control is performed. That is, the predetermined space 100 is a space in which temperature control is performed by various devices including, for example, an air conditioner and a cooling device. As a specific example, the predetermined space 100 may be the inside of a refrigerator as described above, or may be a room or the like. When there are a plurality of predetermined spaces 100, i.e., a plurality of refrigerators, the temperature measuring unit 20 may be provided in each of the predetermined spaces 100 (refrigerators), for example. In this case, different identification information may be attached to each of the plurality of temperature measuring units 20. Furthermore, a plurality of temperature measurement units 20 may be arranged in one predetermined space 100. In this case, different identification information may be attached to each of the plurality of temperature measurement units 20. When a plurality of temperature measurement units 20 are arranged in one predetermined space 100, as an example, at least one temperature measurement unit 20 may be arranged relatively lower in the predetermined space 100, and at least one temperature measurement unit 20 may be arranged relatively higher in the predetermined space 100.

[0024] The temperature measuring unit 20 transmits the temperature information to the information processing device 1. For example, the temperature measuring unit 20 may transmit the temperature information to the information processing device 1 continuously or intermittently. As a specific example, the temperature measuring unit 20 may transmit the temperature information to the information processing device 1 at a predetermined timing, such as every certain time.

[0025] The temperature measurement unit 20 may measure the temperature even during a power outage by having a power source (for example, a primary battery and a secondary battery, etc.), but may not transmit temperature information during the power outage. In this case, when power is restored from a power outage as described above, the temperature measurement unit 20 may transmit temperature information related to the temperature measured after transmitting the temperature information immediately before the power outage to the information processing device 1. Alternatively, the temperature measurement unit 20 may be provided with a power source (for example, a primary battery and a secondary battery) so that the temperature measurement unit 20 can measure the temperature of the specified space 100 and transmit the temperature information to the information processing device 1 even during a power outage.

[0026] The temperature measurement unit 20 may transmit the temperature information to, for example, a server (external server) (not shown) located outside the information processing device 1. When transmitting temperature information to the outside, the temperature measurement unit 20 may include identification information for identifying itself in the temperature information.

[0027] The imaging unit 21 captures an image of the inside of a facility including a predetermined space 100 to generate imaging information. The facility including the predetermined space 100 may be, for example, a store such as a restaurant in which a refrigerator is provided. The imaging unit 21 captures, for example, images of the inside and outside of the facility (store). As a specific example, the imaging unit 21 may be a surveillance camera of the facility (store).

[0028] The imaging unit 21 may be, for example, a camera that captures still images or moving images. When capturing still images as described above, the imaging unit 21 may capture images continuously or intermittently. For example, the imaging unit 21 may or may not include information on the time of capturing images in the imaging information. The imaging unit 21 may transmit the imaging information to the information processing device 1. Alternatively, the imaging unit 21 may transmit the imaging information to, for example, an external server (not shown) or the like.

[0029] The output unit outputs information. As described above, the output unit may be, for example, the communication unit 17, the storage unit 18, and the display unit 19.

[0030] The communication unit 17 transmits and receives information. For example, the communication unit 17 may receive temperature information transmitted from the temperature measurement unit 20. For example, the communication unit 17 may receive imaging information transmitted from the imaging unit 21. Note that, when at least one of the temperature information and the imaging information is stored in an external server, the communication unit 17 may acquire the information stored in the external server. In addition, the communication unit 17 may be configured to send and receive information between a server (external server) (not shown) external to the information processing device 1, a terminal 40 (see FIG. 1) (e.g., a computer located in the facility, and a smartphone and tablet used by employees of the facility), and a device (e.g., a terminal for managing kitchen appliances and refrigerators located in the facility, and a terminal (cash register) for accounting located in the facility, etc.).

[0031] In addition, the communication unit 17 may transmit information indicating that the product needs to be disposed of, information regarding management, and warning information to the above-mentioned terminal 40 outside the information processing device 1, as described below.

[0032] The storage unit 18 stores, for example, various information and programs. For example, the storage unit 18 may store information indicating that the product needs to be disposed of, information regarding management, and warning information, which will be described later.

[0033] The display unit 19 displays, for example, characters, symbols, images, etc. For example, the display unit 19 may display information indicating that the product needs to be disposed of, information regarding management, and characters, symbols, images, etc. based on warning information, which will be described later.

[0034] The timing unit 11 measures the time during which a temperature rise in the predetermined space 100 is estimated, and generates timing information. The timing unit 11 measures the time during which a temperature rise in the predetermined space 100 is estimated, using various information. For example, the timing unit 11 may measure the time during which no imaging information is generated by the imaging unit 21 as the time during which a temperature rise in the predetermined space 100 is estimated, and generate timing information. When a power outage occurs in a facility, the imaging unit 21 cannot generate imaging information. Also, when a power outage occurs in a facility, there is a high possibility that the temperature of a specific space 100 disposed in the facility will rise. For this reason, the timing unit 11 generates timing information by regarding a time during which imaging information is not generated by the imaging unit 21 as a time during which the temperature rise in the specific space 100 is estimated.

[0035] The timekeeping unit 11 measures time, for example, as follows. When the imaging unit 21 is a surveillance camera or the like, the imaging unit 21 generates imaging information continuously in time or intermittently in time (at relatively short intervals). The imaging unit 21 transmits imaging information to the information processing device 1 (or an external server) continuously in time, or transmits imaging information to the information processing device 1 (or an external server) intermittently in time (at relatively short intervals). The timekeeping unit 11 measures a time during which imaging information transmitted from the imaging unit 21 is not received by the information processing device 1 (or an external server) as a time during which imaging information is not generated by the imaging unit 21. That is, the timekeeping unit 11 measures a difference time from a time when reception of imaging information is interrupted to a time when imaging information is next received. In this case, when imaging information is transmitted by the imaging unit 21 intermittently (for example, at regular intervals), the timekeeping unit 11 may start timing if imaging information is not received by the communication unit 17 for a period of time longer than the regular interval. In this case, the timekeeping unit 11 may start timing based on, for example, the time when imaging information was last received by the communication unit 17. Furthermore, for example, when imaging information is transmitted continuously over time by the imaging unit 21, the timekeeping unit 11 may start measuring time based on the time when the imaging information cannot be received by the communication unit 17. In addition, the clock unit 11 may be disposed in an external server when, for example, imaging information is transmitted from the imaging unit 21 to the external server. In this case, the clock unit 11 transmits the timing information to the information processing device 1.

[0036] Alternatively, the information processing device 1 may acquire imaging information from an external server (or the imaging unit 21) before the opening time of the facility (for example, a preset time such as the arrival time of employees, etc.). That is, the information processing device 1 may acquire imaging information captured after the facility closes (for example, after employees leave the facility) until the above-mentioned opening time, all at once. In this case, the timing unit 11 may acquire the time during which no imaging is performed by the imaging unit 21 (the time during which no imaging information is generated) based on information related to the imaging time recorded in the imaging information.

[0037] The first determination unit 12 determines that disposal of products in the specified space 100 is necessary when the temperature based on the temperature information generated by the temperature measurement unit 20 is equal to or greater than a preset first threshold value and the time based on the timing information generated by the timing unit 11 is equal to or greater than a preset second threshold value. In this case, the first determination unit 12 may determine whether disposal of each product is necessary based on the first threshold value and the second threshold value set according to the products arranged in the specified space 100.

[0038] The first threshold value may be, for example, the upper limit temperature of a normal temperature range in the predetermined space 100 where temperature management is performed. Or, the first threshold value may be, for example, the upper limit temperature for a product placed in the predetermined space 100 when temperature management is performed for the product. In other words, the upper limit temperature for the product may be, for example, the upper limit temperature when the product is stored.

[0039] The second threshold, for example, specifies the time during which temperature control cannot be performed for the specified space 100. For example, when temperature control cannot be performed by various devices due to a power outage or the like, the temperature of the specified space 100 rises. Since the products placed in the specified space 100 are cooled, etc., even if the temperature of the specified space 100 becomes equal to or higher than the first threshold, the temperature of the products does not immediately rise, so there is no need to immediately discard the products. In other words, when the temperature of the products placed in the specified space 100 continues to be equal to or higher than the first threshold for a specified period of time, the temperature of the products rises and exceeds the upper limit of the storage temperature. Therefore, the second threshold may be set appropriately, for example, taking into consideration the temperature rise of the products themselves when temperature control of the specified space 100 is not performed.

[0040] When the temperature of the specified space 100 (temperature based on temperature information) is equal to or higher than a first threshold value and the time during which temperature control of the specified space 100 cannot be performed (temperature based on timing information) is equal to or higher than a second threshold value, the first judgment unit 12, for example, presumes that temperature control of the products placed in the specified space 100 is not possible, i.e., the temperature of the products has exceeded the upper storage temperature limit, and judges that the products in the specified space 100 need to be disposed of.

[0041] In addition, various products may be stored in the predetermined space 100. For this reason, for example, when a product to be placed in the predetermined space 100 is input to the information processing device 1 based on an input unit (not shown) such as a keyboard and a mouse arranged in the information processing device 1 being operated by a user (such as an employee), the first determination unit 12 may determine the temperature in the predetermined space 100 based on a first threshold value corresponding to the product, and may determine the time during which temperature management of the predetermined space 100 cannot be performed based on a second threshold value corresponding to the product. In this case, for example, the storage unit 18 may store threshold value information regarding the first threshold value and the second threshold value corresponding to each of a plurality of products. That is, the first determination unit 12 may perform a determination regarding the temperature and time based on, for example, reading out from the storage unit 18 the first threshold value and the second threshold value corresponding to each of one or a plurality of products input by the input unit.

[0042] As described above, when there are a plurality of predetermined spaces 100, i.e., a plurality of refrigerators, a temperature measuring unit 20 is provided in each of the predetermined spaces 100. In this case, the first determination unit 12 may determine, for each predetermined space 100 (temperature measuring unit 20), whether the temperature based on the temperature information is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and whether the time based on the timing information is equal to or greater than the second threshold value.

[0043] Furthermore, there may be cases where a plurality of temperature measuring units 20 are arranged in one predetermined space 100. In this case, the storage unit 18 may store association information that associates the identification information of the plurality of temperature measuring units 20 with the predetermined space 100 in which the temperature measuring units 20 are arranged. When the first determination unit 12 acquires temperature information from each of the plurality of temperature measurement units 20, the first determination unit 12 identifies the predetermined space 100 in which the plurality of temperature measurement units 20 are arranged, based on the association information stored in the storage unit 18. For example, the first determination unit 12 may determine whether the temperature of the predetermined space 100 is equal to or higher than a first threshold value, based on the temperature information acquired from each of the plurality of temperature measurement units 20 arranged in the identified predetermined space 100. As an example, the first determination unit 12 may take an arithmetic average of temperatures based on the temperature information acquired from each of the plurality of temperature measurement units 20 arranged in the specified predetermined space 100, and determine whether the average temperature obtained by the arithmetic average is equal to or higher than a first threshold value. Alternatively, as an example, the first determination unit 12 may determine whether at least one of the temperatures based on temperature information acquired from each of the plurality of temperature measurement units 20 arranged in one predetermined space 100 is equal to or greater than the first threshold. In this case, the first determination unit 12 may determine that each of the temperatures based on temperature information acquired by a number of temperature measurement units 20 equal to or greater than a fifth threshold among the plurality of temperature measurement units 20 is equal to or greater than the first threshold. The fifth threshold is appropriately set, for example, by a person in charge of the facility (store) and a user (employee) belonging to a management headquarters that manages the facility (store). Even in such a case, the first determination unit 12 determines whether the temperature is equal to or higher than the first threshold value as described above and the time based on the timing information is equal to or higher than the second threshold value.

[0044] The second determination unit 13 may determine whether the number of times that the first determination unit 12 determines that the product in the predetermined space 100 needs to be discarded is equal to or greater than a third threshold value set in advance. The third threshold value is a number of times that is appropriately set, and is set to one or more times. For example, the third threshold value is appropriately set by a person in charge of a facility (store) that manages the predetermined space 100, or a user (employee) belonging to a management headquarters that manages the facility (store). When the number of times that the first determination unit 12 determines that the product in the predetermined space 100 needs to be discarded is equal to or greater than the third threshold value, the information processing device 1 estimates that there may be a defect in the product in the predetermined space 100, i.e., the refrigerator, or that the user (employee, etc.) is not able to properly manage the predetermined space 100.

[0045] The third determination unit 14 may determine whether the temperature based on the temperature information generated by the temperature measurement unit 20 is equal to or higher than a fourth threshold value set in advance. The fourth threshold value may be, for example, an upper limit of the temperature when the temperature of the predetermined space 100 is managed. That is, when the predetermined space 100 is a refrigerator, if the refrigerator door is left open for a relatively long time, the temperature inside the refrigerator rises. The fourth threshold value is set, for example, in order to output a warning by the output control unit 15 described later when the refrigerator door is left open for a relatively long time, or when the refrigerator door is forgotten to be closed. The fourth threshold value may be the same value as the first threshold value, or may be a different value.

[0046] When the first determination unit 12 determines that the product needs to be discarded, the output control unit 15 controls the output unit to output information (disposal information) indicating that the product needs to be discarded. In this case, the output control unit 15 may control the output unit to output information (disposal information) indicating that the product needs to be discarded, after identifying the product that needs to be discarded. That is, for example, when the first determination unit 12 sets a first threshold value and a second threshold value for each product, the output control unit 15 may include information identifying the product that needs to be discarded in the discard information. Furthermore, for example, as described above, when a temperature measuring unit 20 is arranged in each of the plurality of predetermined spaces 100, and when a plurality of temperature measuring units 20 are arranged in one predetermined space 100, the output control unit 15 can identify the predetermined space 100 for which the first determination unit 12 has determined that disposal of the product is necessary, based on association information that associates the identification information of the plurality of temperature measuring units 20 with the predetermined spaces 100 in which the temperature measuring units 20 are arranged, stored in the storage unit 18. Therefore, for example, the output control unit 15 may include information (identification information) that identifies the predetermined space 100 for which disposal of the product is determined to be necessary, in the disposal information.

[0047] The output unit may be, for example, the communication unit 17, the storage unit 18, and the display unit 19, as described above. For example, the output control unit 15 controls the communication unit 17 to transmit the disposal information to the outside of the information processing device 1. As an example, the output control unit 15 may control the communication unit 17 to transmit the disposal information to an external server (not shown) and the terminal 40, etc. The above-mentioned external server may, for example, accumulate the disposal information and transmit the disposal information to the terminal 40. For example, when the terminal 40 receives the disposal information, it displays characters, symbols, images, etc. based on the disposal information on the terminal display unit 41, etc. That is, the terminal 40 may, for example, display characters, symbols, images, etc. indicating that the product needs to be disposed of based on the disposal information on the terminal display unit 41, etc.

[0048] The output control unit 15 may also control the storage unit 18 that stores the discard information.

[0049] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of a screen displayed on the display unit 19. As shown in FIG. The output control unit 15 may control the display unit 19 to display characters, symbols, images, etc. based on the disposal information. As shown in an example in Fig. 3, the output control unit 15 may cause the display unit 19 to display, based on the disposal information, that a power outage has occurred and, in response to the power outage, among a plurality of products arranged in a predetermined space 100, products that need to be disposed of.

[0050] The output control unit 15 may control the communication unit 17 to transmit control information for controlling various devices (processing unit 30) disposed in the facility (store) as information (disposal information) indicating that the product needs to be disposed of. The various devices (processing unit 30) described above may be, for example, a locking device disposed on the door of a refrigerator, an order accounting device used for ordering and accounting for products (a POS (Point of Sale) system is one example), and a cooking device in the case where the facility (store) is a restaurant. The locking device described above may lock the refrigerator door when it receives the control information. In this case, the locking device may unlock the door when, for example, a PIN number is entered by a person in charge of the facility (store). The person in charge, for example, confirms a warning that the product needs to be disposed of based on disposal information transmitted to terminal 40, etc. The person in charge, for example, understands that the product needs to be disposed of, and therefore unlocks the door to dispose of the product. Furthermore, when the order accounting device receives the control information, it is prevented from accepting orders or performing accounting. For example, as described above, the person in charge or the like understands that the product needs to be discarded by checking the terminal 40, and after discarding the product, performs a recovery operation of the order accounting device. In addition, the cooking device may be configured to be unable to perform cooking operations upon receiving the control information. As described above, by checking the terminal 40, the user understands that the product needs to be discarded, and after discarding the product, the cooking device performs a recovery operation.

[0051] When the second determination unit 13 determines that the number of occurrences is equal to or greater than the third threshold, the output control unit 15 may control the output unit to transmit information related to management to a user terminal (e.g., terminal 40, etc.) used by a user who manages the specified space 100. The user terminal (e.g., terminal 40, etc.) may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, etc. The user who manages the specified space 100 may be, for example, a person in charge of a facility (store), or an employee belonging to a management headquarters that manages the facility (store).

[0052] The information on management may be, for example, information encouraging the user to visit a facility (store) determined by the second determination unit 13 to be a third threshold or more in number of visits. That is, the information on management may include, for example, information specifying a facility (store) determined by the second determination unit 13 to be a third threshold or more in number of visits. For example, when an application for managing a user's schedule is installed in a user terminal (for example, terminal 40, etc.), the information on management may include information for registering, in the schedule book, the date and time of visiting the facility (store) determined by the second determination unit 13 to be a third threshold or more in number of visits. That is, when the user terminal (for example, terminal 40, etc.) receives information on management, for example, the user terminal may register, in the schedule book, the date and time of visiting the facility (store) described above based on the information on management. In this case, the user terminal (for example, terminal 40, etc.) may, for example, refer to the schedule information registered in the schedule book and register a schedule for visiting the store on a relatively early date and time when the user's schedule is free.

[0053] The output control unit 15 may, for example, obtain schedule information registered in a schedule book of a user terminal (such as the terminal 40), and create a schedule for visiting a plurality of facilities (stores) based on location information of the facilities (stores) to be visited in advance registered in the schedule book, location information of the facilities (stores) to be visited by the second determination unit 13 at least once a third threshold value, and transportation information such as public transportation and road maps, so that at least one of the travel distance and travel time between the facilities (stores) to be visited already registered in the schedule book and the facilities (stores) to be visited by the second determination unit 13 at least once a third threshold value is relatively short (so that at least one of them is shortest), so that the travel distance between the facilities (stores) to be visited by the user on the same day is relatively short (so that the user can efficiently visit a plurality of facilities (stores) on the same day). The user terminal (such as the terminal 40) may create the above-mentioned schedule for visiting the plurality of facilities (stores).

[0054] The output control unit 15 may control the output unit to output warning information regarding a temperature rise when the third determination unit 14 determines that the temperature based on the temperature information is equal to or higher than the fourth threshold. For example, when the temperature of the specified space 100 rises, the output control unit 15 controls the output unit to output warning information when the refrigerator door is open for a relatively long time and when the refrigerator door is forgotten to be closed. That is, the output control unit 15 may control the communication unit 17, the storage unit 18, and the display unit 19 as described above. As a result, for example, when the user confirms the temperature rise based on the warning information, the user can check the specified space 100 and improve the cause of the temperature rise.

[0055] When the first determination unit 12 determines that the product needs to be disposed of, the estimation unit 16 estimates whether the product has been disposed of. In this case, the estimation unit 16 may estimate that the product has been disposed of when the output unit is controlled by the output control unit 15 to output information that the product needs to be disposed of and then information that the product has been disposed of (product disposal information) is received from an external terminal outside the information processing device.

[0056] For example, when the output control unit 15 transmits control information to the various devices (such as a locking device, an order accounting device, and a cooking device) (processing unit 30) described above, when an unlocking and restoration operation is performed, the various devices (processing unit 30) transmit recovery information indicating that the unlocking and restoration operation has been performed to the information processing device 1. When the estimation unit 16 receives the recovery information via the communication unit 17, it estimates that the product has been discarded. In this case, the estimation unit 16 may regard the recovery information as information indicating that the above-mentioned product has been discarded (product disposal information).

[0057] In addition, the estimation unit 16 may estimate that a product has been discarded when an input unit (not shown) arranged on the information processing device 1 is operated to input information indicating that a product has been discarded (for example, when a "Product Discarded" button is operated), and when information indicating that a product has been discarded is input into the terminal 40 and information (product disposal information) indicating that the product has been discarded is received from the terminal 40.

[0058] The estimation unit 16 may store the estimation result, i.e., information indicating that the product has been disposed of (or restoration information), in association with the above-mentioned disposal information in the storage unit 18. This allows the information processing device 1 to record the information indicating that the product has been disposed of (or restoration information) and the disposal information in the storage unit 18 as history.

[0059] Next, an information processing method according to an embodiment will be described. First, as an information processing method, a method for determining whether or not it is necessary to dispose of products placed in a predetermined space 100 will be described. FIG. 4 is a first flowchart illustrating an information processing method according to an embodiment.

[0060] In step ST101, the temperature measuring unit 20 generates temperature information by measuring the temperature in a predetermined space 100. The temperature measuring unit 20 transmits the temperature information to the information processing device 1, for example.

[0061] In step ST102, the timer unit 11 generates timing information by timing a time for estimating whether a temperature rise has occurred in the predetermined space 100. For example, the timer unit 11 may measure a time during which imaging information is not generated by the imaging unit 21 due to a power outage or the like as a time during which a temperature rise in the predetermined space 100 is estimated, and generate timing information.

[0062] In step ST103, the first determination unit 12 determines whether the temperature based on the temperature information generated in step ST101 is equal to or greater than a first threshold value set in advance, and whether the time based on the timekeeping information generated in step ST102 is equal to or greater than a second threshold value set in advance. In this case, the first determination unit 12 may perform the determination for each product based on the first and second threshold values ​​set for each of the multiple products arranged in the predetermined space 100. The first determination unit 12 may perform the determination in step ST103, for example, after recovery from a power outage. If the temperature is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and the timekeeping time is equal to or greater than the second threshold value (Yes), the process proceeds to step ST104. If the temperature is less than the first threshold value or the timekeeping time is less than the second threshold value (No), the process ends.

[0063] In step ST104, since the first judgment unit 12 judges that the product needs to be discarded based on the judgment in step ST103, the output control unit 15 controls the output unit to output information that the product needs to be discarded (disposal information). In this case, the output control unit 15 may control the output unit to output information that the product needs to be discarded when the product that needs to be discarded is identified. In this case, the output unit is, for example, the communication unit 17, the storage unit 18, the display unit 19, etc. The output control unit 15 may control the communication unit 17 to transmit control information for controlling various devices (such as a locking device, an order accounting device, and a cooking device) (processing unit 30) arranged in the facility (store) as information (disposal information) indicating that the product needs to be disposed of.

[0064] In step ST105, the estimation unit 16 determines whether the product has been disposed of. For example, when an unlocking and restoration operation is performed, various devices (such as a locking device, an order accounting device, and a cooking device) (processing unit 30) transmit restoration information indicating that the unlocking and restoration operation has been performed to the information processing device 1. When the estimation unit 16 receives the restoration information via the communication unit 17, it estimates that the product has been disposed of. Alternatively, when information indicating that a product has been discarded is input by operating an input unit (not shown) arranged on the information processing device 1, and when information indicating that a product has been discarded is input into the terminal 40 and information indicating that the product has been discarded is received from the terminal 40, the estimation unit 16 may estimate that the product has been discarded. If it is estimated that the product has been disposed of (Yes), the process proceeds to step ST106. If it is estimated that the product has not been disposed of (No), the process returns to step ST104.

[0065] In step ST106, the second judgment unit 13 judges whether the number of times that the first judgment unit 12 judges that the product in the predetermined space 100 needs to be disposed of is equal to or greater than a third threshold. If the number of times is equal to or greater than the third threshold (Yes), the process proceeds to step ST107. If the number of times is less than the third threshold (No), the process ends.

[0066] In step ST107, the output control unit 15 may control the output unit to transmit information related to management to a user terminal (e.g., the terminal 40, etc.) used by a user who manages the predetermined space 100. This allows the information processing device 1 to prompt the user to visit a facility (store) in which the predetermined space 100 is located.

[0067] Next, a method for prompting confirmation of a predetermined space 100 will be described as an information processing method. FIG. 5 is a second flowchart illustrating the information processing method according to an embodiment.

[0068] In step ST201, the temperature measuring unit 20 generates temperature information by measuring the temperature in the predetermined space 100. The temperature measuring unit 20 transmits the temperature information to the information processing device 1, for example.

[0069] In step ST202, the third determination unit 14 determines whether the temperature based on the temperature information generated in step ST201 is equal to or higher than the fourth threshold. If the temperature is equal to or higher than the fourth threshold (Yes), the process proceeds to step ST203. If the temperature is lower than the fourth threshold (No), the process ends.

[0070] In step ST203, the output control unit 15 controls the output unit to output warning information regarding a temperature rise. For example, when the temperature of the specified space 100 rises, for example, when the refrigerator door is open for a relatively long time and when the refrigerator door is forgotten to be closed, the output control unit 15 controls the communication unit 17, the storage unit 18, and the display unit 19 to output warning information. As a result, as an example, when the user confirms the temperature rise based on the warning information, the user can check the specified space 100 and improve the cause of the temperature rise.

[0071] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. The information processing device 1 includes a temperature measuring unit 20 that measures the temperature within a specified space 100 and generates temperature information, a timing unit 11 that times the time that the temperature rise in the specified space 100 is estimated and generates timing information, a first judgment unit 12 that judges that a product within the specified space 100 needs to be disposed of if the temperature based on the temperature information generated by the temperature measuring unit 20 is equal to or higher than a predetermined first threshold and the time based on the timing information generated by the timing unit 11 is equal to or higher than a predetermined second threshold, an output control unit 15 that controls the output unit to output information to the effect that the product needs to be disposed of if the first judgment unit 12 determines that the product needs to be disposed of, and an estimation unit 16 that estimates whether the product has been disposed of if the first judgment unit 12 determines that the product needs to be disposed of. Even if the temperature of the specified space 100 cannot be controlled due to a power outage or the like, the information processing device 1 can determine whether or not products placed in the specified space 100 need to be discarded, thereby maintaining the appropriate condition of the products.

[0072] In the information processing device 1, the first determination unit 12 may determine whether disposal is necessary for each product based on a first threshold value and a second threshold value set according to the product arranged in the predetermined space 100. In this case, the output control unit 15 may control the output unit to output information indicating that disposal of the product is necessary when a product that needs disposal is identified. When multiple products are arranged in a given space 100, the temperature range to be managed may differ for each product. Even in such a case, the information processing device 1 can perform temperature management for each product. That is, the information processing device 1 can determine whether or not each of multiple products arranged in the given space 100 needs to be disposed of, for example, and therefore can maintain the appropriate state of each product. Furthermore, the information processing device 1 can relatively reduce the disposal loss of products.

[0073] The information processing device 1 may include an imaging unit 21 that captures an image of the inside of a facility including the predetermined space 100 and generates imaging information. In this case, the timing unit 11 may time a time during which imaging information is not generated by the imaging unit 21 as a time during which a temperature rise in the predetermined space 100 is estimated, and generate timing information. The imaging unit 21 may be a surveillance camera or the like arranged in the facility. In this case, the imaging unit 21 (surveillance camera or the like) is likely to already be arranged in the facility. In addition, since the imaging unit 21 (surveillance camera or the like) is likely to be operating 24 hours a day, the information processing device 1 can obtain the time of power outage, that is, the time when the temperature rise in the specified space 100 is estimated, even during a time when there are no employees in the facility (closing time, etc.). Therefore, the information processing device 1 uses an existing device (imaging unit 21) in the facility to measure the time when the temperature rise in the specified space 100 is estimated, and therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the products arranged in the specified space 100 need to be disposed of at a relatively low cost.

[0074] The information processing device 1 may include a second determination unit 13 that determines whether the number of times that the first determination unit 12 determines that the products in the predetermined space 100 need to be disposed of is equal to or greater than a preset third threshold value. In this case, when the second determination unit 13 determines that the number of times is equal to or greater than the third threshold value, the output control unit 15 may control the output unit to transmit information related to management to a user terminal (e.g., terminal 40, etc.) used by a user who manages the predetermined space 100. This allows the information processing device 1 to prompt the user to visit the facility in which the predetermined space 100 is located.

[0075] The information processing device 1 may include a third determination unit 14 that determines whether the temperature based on the temperature information generated by the temperature measurement unit 20 is equal to or higher than a fourth threshold value set in advance. In this case, the output control unit 15 may control the output unit to output warning information regarding a temperature rise when the third determination unit 14 determines that the temperature based on the temperature information is equal to or higher than the fourth threshold value. This allows the information processing device 1 to warn employees of the facility in which the specified space 100 is located that the temperature in the specified space 100 is rising. That is, the information processing device 1 can prompt the user to check the specified space 100 and improve the cause of the temperature rise.

[0076] In the information processing device 1, the estimation unit 16 may estimate whether the product has been disposed of when information that the product has been disposed of is received from a terminal 40 outside the information processing device 1 after the output unit is controlled by the output control unit 15 to output information that the product needs to be disposed of. The information processing device 1 can, for example, prevent various devices (processing unit 30) in the facility from operating until the products arranged in a predetermined space 100 are discarded. The information processing device 1 presumes that the products have been discarded when, for example, a return process is performed for such various devices (processing unit 30) and when an operation that confirms the disposal of the products (such as a button operation, for example) is performed on the terminal 40. Therefore, the information processing device 1 can reliably discard the products that are determined to require disposal by the first determination unit 12.

[0077] In the information processing method, a computer executes the following steps: a temperature measurement step of measuring the temperature within a specified space 100 and generating temperature information; a timing step of timing the time for which the temperature rise in the specified space 100 is estimated and generating timing information; a determination step of determining that disposal of a product within the specified space 100 is necessary if the temperature based on the temperature information generated by the temperature measurement step is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold and the time based on the timing information generated by the timing step is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold; an output control step of controlling an output unit to output information indicating that disposal of the product is necessary if it is determined by the determination step that disposal of the product is necessary; and an estimation step of estimating whether disposal of the product has been performed if it is determined by the determination step that disposal of the product is necessary. The information processing method can determine whether or not products placed in the specified space 100 need to be disposed of even if it is not possible to control the temperature of the specified space 100 due to a power outage or the like, thereby enabling the products to be maintained in an appropriate condition.

[0078] An information processing program of one embodiment causes a computer to realize a temperature measurement function that measures the temperature within a specified space 100 and generates temperature information, a timing function that times the time that the temperature rise in the specified space 100 is estimated and generates timing information, a determination function that determines that a product within the specified space 100 needs to be disposed of if the temperature based on the temperature information generated by the temperature measurement function is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold and the time based on the timing information generated by the timing function is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold, an output control function that controls the output function to output information indicating that the product needs to be disposed of if the determination function determines that the product needs to be disposed of, and an estimation function that estimates whether the product has been disposed of if the determination function determines that the product needs to be disposed of. The information processing program can determine whether or not products placed in the specified space 100 need to be discarded even if it is not possible to control the temperature of the specified space 100 due to a power outage or the like, thereby enabling the products to be maintained in an appropriate condition.

[0079] Each unit of the information processing device 1 described above may be realized as a function of a computer's arithmetic processing device, etc. In other words, the timing unit 11, the first judgment unit 12, the second judgment unit 13, the third judgment unit 14, the output control unit 15, and the estimation unit 16 of the information processing device 1 may be realized as a timing function, a first judgment function, a second judgment function, a third judgment function, an output control function, and an estimation function, respectively, by the computer's arithmetic processing device, etc. The information processing program can cause a computer to realize each of the above-mentioned functions. The information processing program may be recorded in a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, such as an external memory or an optical disk. As described above, each unit of the information processing device 1 may be realized by a computer arithmetic processing device or the like. The arithmetic processing device or the like is configured by, for example, an integrated circuit or the like. Therefore, each unit of the information processing device 1 may be realized as a circuit constituting the arithmetic processing device or the like. That is, the clock unit 11, the first judgment unit 12, the second judgment unit 13, the third judgment unit 14, the output control unit 15, and the estimation unit 16 of the information processing device 1 may be realized as a clock circuit, a first judgment circuit, a second judgment circuit, a third judgment circuit, an output control circuit, and an estimation circuit constituting the arithmetic processing device or the like of a computer. The temperature measurement unit 20, the imaging unit 21, the communication unit 17, the storage unit 18, the display unit 19, and the output unit of the information processing device 1 may be realized as, for example, a temperature measurement function, an imaging function, a communication function, a storage function, a display function, and an output function including the functions of an arithmetic processing device, etc. The temperature measurement unit 20, the imaging unit 21, the communication unit 17, the storage unit 18, the display unit 19, and the output unit of the information processing device 1 may be realized as, for example, a temperature measurement circuit, an imaging circuit, a communication circuit, a storage circuit, a display circuit, and an output circuit by being configured by an integrated circuit, etc. The temperature measurement unit 20, the imaging unit 21, the communication unit 17, the storage unit 18, the display unit 19, and the output unit of the information processing device 1 may be realized as, for example, a temperature measurement device, an imaging device, a communication device, a storage device, a display device, and an output device by being configured by a plurality of devices. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1. Information processing device 10 Control section 11 Timing section 12 1st Judgment Section 13 Second Judgment Section 14 Third Judgment Section 15 Output control section 16 Estimation part 17 Communications Department 18 Memory section 19 Display section 20 Temperature measurement section 21 Imaging unit

Claims

1. An output unit including a communication unit for transmitting and receiving information and for outputting information; a temperature measuring unit that measures a temperature in a predetermined space in a store and generates temperature information; an imaging unit arranged in the store and configured to capture images of the inside of the store and generate imaging information; a timing unit that acquires imaging information captured between the time an employee of the store leaves the store and the time the employee arrives at work from among the imaging information, and generates timing information by timing a time during which imaging information is not generated by the imaging unit based on an imaging time recorded in the acquired imaging information; a first determination unit that determines that disposal of products in the specified space is necessary when a temperature based on the temperature information generated by the temperature measurement unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold and a time based on the timing information generated by the timing unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold; an output control unit that controls the output unit to output information indicating that the product needs to be disposed of when the first determination unit determines that the product needs to be disposed of; an estimation unit that estimates whether the product has been disposed of when the first determination unit determines that disposal of the product is necessary; Equipped with The estimation unit estimates that the product has been discarded when, after the output unit is controlled by the output control unit to output information that the product needs to be discarded, content indicating that the product has been discarded is input by an external operation, or when content indicating that the product has been discarded is input in an external terminal located outside and information to the effect that the product has been discarded is received from the external terminal. Information processing device.

2. The first determination unit determines whether or not disposal is necessary for each product based on a first threshold value and a second threshold value that are set according to the products arranged in a predetermined space; The output control unit controls the output unit to output information indicating that a product that needs to be discarded is required when the product that needs to be discarded is identified. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. a second determination unit that determines whether the number of times that the first determination unit determines that disposal of the products in the predetermined space is necessary is equal to or greater than a preset third threshold value; When the second determination unit determines that the number of times is equal to or greater than a third threshold, the output control unit controls the output unit to transmit information regarding management to a user terminal used by a user who manages a predetermined space.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a third determination unit that determines whether a temperature based on the temperature information generated by the temperature measurement unit is equal to or higher than a fourth threshold value that is set in advance; The output control unit controls the output unit to output warning information regarding a temperature rise when the third determination unit determines that the temperature based on the temperature information will be equal to or higher than a fourth threshold value.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1.

5. An information processing device described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a plurality of the temperature measuring units are arranged within the specified space.

6. A computer including a communication unit for transmitting and receiving information and an output unit for outputting information, a temperature measuring step of measuring a temperature in a predetermined space arranged in the store and generating temperature information; an imaging step of imaging the inside of the store and generating imaging information; a timing step of acquiring imaging information captured between the time when an employee of the store leaves the store and the time when the employee arrives at work, and generating timing information by timing a time during which imaging information is not generated by the imaging step based on an imaging time recorded in the acquired imaging information; a determination step of determining that disposal of the product in the specified space is necessary when the temperature based on the temperature information generated by the temperature measurement step is equal to or higher than a predetermined first threshold and the time based on the time measurement information generated by the time measurement step is equal to or higher than a predetermined second threshold; an output control step of controlling the output unit to output information indicating that disposal of the product is necessary when the determination step determines that disposal of the product is necessary; an estimation step of estimating whether the product has been disposed of if it is determined that disposal of the product is necessary by the determination step; Run The estimation step estimates that the product has been disposed of when, after the output control step controls the output unit to output information indicating that the product needs to be disposed of, content indicating that the product has been disposed of is input by an external operation, or when content indicating that the product has been disposed of is input in an external terminal located outside and information indicating that the product has been disposed of is received from the external terminal. Information processing methods.

7. On the computer, An output function including a communication function for transmitting and receiving information and outputting information; A temperature measurement function for measuring the temperature in a predetermined space in the store and generating temperature information; An imaging function that is arranged in the store and captures an image of the inside of the store to generate imaging information; a timing function that acquires, from among the imaging information, imaging information captured between the time when an employee of the store leaves the store and the time when the employee arrives at work, and generates timing information by timing a time during which imaging information is not generated by the imaging function based on an imaging time recorded in the acquired imaging information; a determination function that determines that disposal of products in the specified space is necessary when a temperature based on the temperature information generated by the temperature measurement function is equal to or higher than a first threshold value set in advance and a time based on the timing information generated by the timing function is equal to or higher than a second threshold value set in advance; an output control function that controls the output function to output information indicating that the product needs to be disposed of when the determination function determines that the product needs to be disposed of; an estimation function for estimating whether the product has been disposed of when the determination function determines that the product needs to be disposed of; Realize this, The estimation function estimates that the product has been discarded when, after the output function has been controlled by the output control function to output information indicating that the product needs to be discarded, content indicating that the product has been discarded is input by an external operation, or when content indicating that the product has been discarded is input in an external terminal located outside and information indicating that the product has been discarded transmitted from the external terminal is received. Information processing program.

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