Merchandise management system, merchandise management method, and merchandise management program

Abstract

To provide a product management system, a product management method, and a product management program configured to check whether displayed prices of products are correct or not in a short time.SOLUTION: A product management system 10 includes: an acquisition processing unit 113 that acquires displayed prices of a plurality of products and identification information of a product group from a camera 27 that reads a two-dimensional code Cr corresponding to the product group including the plurality of products and provided at a predetermined position on a product shelf, and acquires registered prices of the products associated with the identification information of the product group; and a notification processing unit 115 that outputs predetermined information if a displayed price of at least one of the products acquired by the acquisition processing unit 113 does not coincide with a registered price of at least one of the products.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a merchandise management system, a merchandise management method, and a merchandise management program for managing merchandise in a facility. [Background technology]

[0002] In facilities such as retail stores, the prices of products sold to customers may be set lower than the normal prices. For example, the selling price of a specific product may be set at half price (50% OFF) for a specific period of time. In this case, the store clerk places (attaches) discounted price tags on the products or on the product shelves. Here, when the specific period ends, the store clerk may forget to change the discounted price tag back to a normal price tag. In this case, even if a customer tries to purchase a specific product at the discounted price, they will be charged the normal price at the time of payment, which may cause trouble.

[0003] As a technology that can solve the above-mentioned problems, a system has been proposed in which a robot moves around a store, photographs the price tags of products on the shelves, and checks the prices (displayed prices) based on the photographed images (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-198054 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, with conventional technology, the price tags of each product displayed on the shelves must be photographed and checked one by one, which increases the time required for the work.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a merchandise management system, a merchandise management method, and a merchandise management program that are capable of checking in a short period of time whether the displayed price of a merchandise is correct. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A product management system according to one aspect of the present invention is a system comprising: a first acquisition processing unit that acquires the displayed prices of the multiple products and identification information of the product group from a reading unit that reads an information-readable medium provided at a predetermined position on a product shelf corresponding to a product group including multiple products; a second acquisition processing unit that acquires the registered prices of the multiple products associated with the identification information of the product group acquired by the first acquisition processing unit; and a notification processing unit that notifies predetermined information when the displayed price of at least one of the multiple products acquired by the first acquisition processing unit does not match the registered price of at least one of the multiple products acquired by the second acquisition processing unit.

[0008] According to the above configuration, the product management system can read a single information-readable medium (e.g., a two-dimensional code) affixed to a product shelf, and thereby obtain the current displayed prices of multiple products included in a product group corresponding to the information-readable medium. The product management system can also obtain the correct selling price (registered price) associated with the multiple products based on the product group. The product management system can then determine whether the displayed price is correct by comparing the displayed price with the registered price. In this way, the displayed prices of multiple products within a specified range can be checked all at once, making it possible to check the accuracy of the displayed prices of products in a short period of time.

[0009] In the product management system, the product group may include products from the bottom to the top of one vertical row of the product shelf, and the information-readable medium may be configured to include identification information of the product group and information on the current displayed price of each of the multiple products included in the product group.

[0010] According to the above configuration, by reading the information-readable medium, it is possible to acquire the displayed prices of products from the bottom to the top shelf in one vertical row of the product shelf all at once.

[0011] In the product management system, when the sales price of a specific product included in the product group is set at a special price different from the regular price, the information-readable medium may further include information on the period during which the special price is applied.

[0012] According to the above configuration, by reading the information-readable medium, it is possible to determine whether or not the period during which a special price for a specific product is applicable has expired.

[0013] The product management system may further include an output processing unit that outputs a display medium that combines the information-readable medium with a price tag of a displayed price of at least one product included in the product group.

[0014] According to the above configuration, for example, a store clerk can simultaneously change the displayed price of a specific product and change the information-readable medium, thereby preventing the mistake of changing only the displayed price of a specific product and forgetting to change the information-readable medium.

[0015] The product management system may further include a mobile device that autonomously moves within a predetermined area, and the reading unit may be provided in a position on the mobile device where the information-readable medium can be read.

[0016] According to the above configuration, the mobile device can read the information-readable medium while moving autonomously.

[0017] In the product management system, a plurality of the information-readable media may be provided for each row of the product shelves, and each of the plurality of the information-readable media may be provided at the same height from a floor surface. Also, in the product management system, the reading unit of the mobile device may sequentially read the information-readable media provided for each row of the product shelves while the mobile device moves in front of the product shelves.

[0018] This allows the mobile device to quickly read a plurality of the information-readable media while moving autonomously.

[0019] In the product management system, the notification processing unit may be configured to notify information urging the user to change the displayed price of the product, the displayed price of which does not match the registered price, to the registered price.

[0020] According to the above configuration, for example, an error in the displayed price can be notified to a store clerk, so that the store clerk can quickly change the displayed price.

[0021] A product management method according to another aspect of the present invention is a method in which one or more processors execute a first acquisition step in which they acquire the displayed prices of the multiple products and identification information of the product group from a reading unit that reads an information-readable medium provided at a predetermined position on a product shelf corresponding to a product group including multiple products, a second acquisition step in which they acquire the registered prices of the multiple products associated with the identification information of the product group acquired by the first acquisition step, and a notification step in which they notify predetermined information when the displayed price of at least one of the multiple products acquired in the first acquisition step does not match the registered price of at least one of the multiple products acquired in the second acquisition step.

[0022] A product management program according to another aspect of the present invention is a program for causing one or more processors to execute the following steps: a first acquisition step of acquiring the displayed prices of the multiple products and identification information of the product group from a reading unit that reads an information-readable medium provided at a predetermined position on a product shelf corresponding to a product group including multiple products; a second acquisition step of acquiring the registered prices of the multiple products associated with the identification information of the product group acquired by the first acquisition step; and a notification step of notifying predetermined information when the displayed price of at least one of the multiple products acquired in the first acquisition step does not match the registered price of at least one of the multiple products acquired in the second acquisition step. Effect of the Invention

[0023] According to the present invention, it is possible to check in a short time whether the displayed price of a product is correct. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a product management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a facility in which a product management system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the mobile robot according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a product shelf according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of product information used in the product management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of product group information used in the product management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a product group set in the product management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display medium outputted in the product management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of product information used in the product management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display medium outputted in the product management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the operation of checking the displayed price on a product shelf according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen displayed in the product management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a product management process executed in the product management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a two-dimensional code placed on a product shelf according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a travel route of a mobile robot according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a product group set in a product management system according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiment is an example of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0026] [Product Management System 10] 1, a product management system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a product management device 1 and a mobile robot 2. The product management device 1 and the mobile robot 2 are capable of communicating with each other via a communication network N1 such as the Internet, a LAN, a WAN, or a public telephone line. The mobile robot 2 is an example of a mobile device of the present invention.

[0027] The product management system 10 is introduced in a facility (retail store) that sells products, such as a shopping mall, supermarket, or convenience store. The mobile robot 2 moves (autonomously moves) between multiple product shelves within the facility by autonomous driving. For example, as shown in Fig. 2, the mobile robot 2 autonomously moves in a facility SH1 along a preset travel route from a start position S to an end position G along product shelves T1 to T16.

[0028] While moving autonomously along the travel route, the mobile robot 2 sequentially acquires information on the displayed price (sale price) of the product displayed on each product shelf. The product management device 1 manages the price, shelf position (display location), inventory, sales, etc. of each product sold in the facility. The product management device 1 also checks whether the displayed price of each product is correct based on the information acquired from the mobile robot 2.

[0029] A facility may have one or more mobile robots 2. The product management device 1 may be installed inside the facility or outside the facility.

[0030] In this embodiment, the product management device 1 alone corresponds to the product management system according to the present invention, but the product management system according to the present invention may include one or more components of the product management device 1 and the mobile robot 2. For example, when the components of the product management device 1 and the mobile robot 2 cooperate to share and execute various product management processes (see FIG. 13) described below, a system including multiple components that execute the processes can be considered as the product management system according to the present invention. For example, the product management device 1 and the mobile robot 2 may constitute the product management system according to the present invention. Note that the mobile device of the present invention is not limited to an autonomous mobile robot, and may be a mobile body that moves on a traveling rail installed in a facility or on a product shelf.

[0031] [Mobile robot 2] Fig. 1 shows a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the mobile robot 2. Fig. 3 shows a perspective view illustrating the external appearance of the front side of the mobile robot 2. The up-down direction, left-right direction, and front-rear direction of the mobile robot 2 are as shown in Fig. 3.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 3, the mobile robot 2 includes a main body 20 and various functional units provided in the main body 20. Specifically, the main body 20 includes a motor 23 (see Fig. 1), a battery (not shown), an operation display unit 24 (see Fig. 1), a front laser sensor 25, a side laser sensor 26, a camera 27, and a control unit 21 (see Fig. 1), etc. Also, as shown in Fig. 1, the mobile robot 2 includes a memory unit 22, a communication unit 28, etc., connected to the control unit 21.

[0033] 3, a pair of wheels 231 and four casters 232 are provided on the lower part of the main body 20. The wheels 231 and the casters 232 transmit a conveying force in the forward direction to the floor surface while maintaining the traveling posture of the mobile robot 2. When the motor 23 is driven by the control unit 21 and the rotational driving force is transmitted to the wheels 231, the mobile robot 2 travels in a direction corresponding to the rotational direction of the motor 23.

[0034] The operation display unit 24 is a user interface equipped with a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display for displaying various information, and an operation unit such as a touch panel for accepting operations. The operation display unit 24 may be provided, for example, on the upper part of the back surface of the main body unit 20. Information such as a travel area map, a travel route (travel route), and a return position (position of a charging station) to be returned to for charging, which are registered for the mobile robot 2, is input by operating the operation display unit 24. The input information is stored in the RAM and the memory unit 22 provided in the control unit 21, and is used for travel control by the control unit 21.

[0035] A front laser sensor 25 is provided on the front side of the mobile robot 2, and a side laser sensor 26 is provided on the side of the mobile robot 2.

[0036] The front laser sensor 25 is a sensor used to detect the presence or absence of an obstacle ahead when traveling forward. The front laser sensor 25 is provided on the lower front part of the main body 20. The front laser sensor 25 is a sensor that measures the distance to a detection target while scanning a laser beam horizontally ahead, and is also called a side range sensor or a laser range scanner. The front laser sensor 25 acquires measurement data in the horizontal direction ahead. The scanning angle of the front laser sensor 25 is, for example, 120°.

[0037] A side laser sensor 26 is provided on each of both side surfaces of the main body 20. Each side laser sensor 26 has a role of acquiring measurement data of a measurement area extending in front of, below, and behind the mobile robot 2. Each side laser sensor 26 acquires measurement data of the measurement area by scanning a laser beam toward the measurement area extending in front of, below, and behind the mobile robot 2. The scanning angle of the side laser sensor 26 is, for example, 270°.

[0038] When the front laser sensor 25 and the side laser sensor 26 receive the reflected light reflected by the object to be detected in the measurement area, the control unit 21 measures the time it takes for the reflected light to return, and calculates the distance to the object at each scanning position based on the measured value. This allows the control unit 21 to grasp the distance to the object in the measurement area, the position, and the shape and size of the object in the width direction. Therefore, the control unit 21 can make the mobile robot 2 travel along a pre-registered travel route while avoiding the object.

[0039] Camera 27 is a digital camera that captures an image of two-dimensional code Cr affixed to a product shelf and outputs the image as digital image data. The image data captured by camera 27 is transmitted to control unit 21. Control unit 21 reads two-dimensional code information (described later) from the image data and transmits it to product management device 1. Camera 27 may be provided on each of the left and right side surfaces of main body unit 20, or on only one side surface.

[0040] The communication unit 28 is a communication interface for wirelessly connecting the mobile robot 2 to the communication network N1 and for executing data communication with external devices such as the product management device 1 via the communication network N1 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol.

[0041] The storage unit 22 is a non-volatile storage unit such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores various information. The storage unit 22 stores control programs such as a product management program for causing the control unit 21 to execute a product management process (see FIG. 13 ) described below. For example, the control program is non-temporarily recorded in a storage device such as a computer-readable recording medium or cloud storage, and is read out from the storage device and stored in the storage unit 22.

[0042] The control unit 21 has control devices such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various arithmetic processing. The ROM is a non-volatile storage unit in which control programs such as a BIOS and an OS for causing the CPU to execute various arithmetic processing are stored in advance. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile storage unit that stores various information, and is used as a temporary storage memory (work area) for various processes executed by the CPU. The control unit 21 controls the mobile robot 2 by executing, by the CPU, various control programs stored in advance in the ROM or the storage unit 22.

[0043] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 1, the control unit 21 includes various processing units such as a travel processing unit 211, a reading processing unit 212, and an output processing unit 213. The control unit 21 functions as the various processing units by executing various processes according to the product management program with the CPU. Some or all of the processing units may be configured with electronic circuits. The product management program may be a program for causing a plurality of processors to function as the processing units.

[0044] The travel processing unit 211 controls the travel of the mobile robot 2. Specifically, the travel processing unit 211 controls the travel of the mobile robot 2 based on various information such as a travel area map, travel route, return position information, and obstacle information determined based on two-dimensional data from the front laser sensor 25 and the side laser sensor 26, all of which are registered in the mobile robot 2. For example, an operator performs a teaching operation to register a desired travel route. For example, the operator manually moves the mobile robot 2 from a start position S to an end position G within the facility SH1 (see FIG. 2) and registers the movement trajectory as the travel route. The travel processing unit 211 autonomously moves the mobile robot 2 along the travel route while estimating the self-position of the mobile robot 2 in the travel area map based on the two-dimensional data.

[0045] The reading processing unit 212 acquires image data of the two-dimensional code Cr affixed to the product shelf from the camera 27, and reads (decodes) the two-dimensional code Cr based on the image data. Specifically, the reading processing unit 212 reads the two-dimensional code Cr and acquires information (two-dimensional code information) embedded in the two-dimensional code Cr. The two-dimensional code Cr is an example of an information-readable medium of the present invention. The information-readable medium of the present invention is not limited to a two-dimensional code, and may be various media capable of recording information, such as a one-dimensional code or an AR marker. The camera 27 and the reading processing unit 212 are an example of a reading unit of the present invention.

[0046] Here, a specific example of the two-dimensional code Cr affixed to a product shelf will be described.

[0047] FIG. 4 shows an external view of a product shelf T1 installed in the facility SH1. The product shelf T1 is a storage shelf (display shelf) that is configured with five levels in the vertical direction (Y direction) and six rows in the horizontal direction (X direction) and has a total of 30 storage openings (shelves). Products are stored (displayed) on each shelf. For example, product A11 is stored in the first row of the first row, product A12 is stored in the second row of the first row, and product A65 is stored in the fifth row of the sixth row. In addition, a price tag Mt including the name of the product (product name) and the current selling price (display price) of the product is attached to each shelf. For example, the price tag Mt is a display medium (see FIG. 8) on which the product name and the display price are printed, and can be attached to the front of the shelf (shelf board) by sticking a sticker or inserting it into a folder. For example, a store clerk prints the price tag Mt using the product management device 1 or a printing device (not shown) and attaches it to a predetermined shelf. Furthermore, when changing the selling price of an item, the store clerk prints out a price tag Mt with the new selling price and replaces the price tag Mt affixed to the shelf.

[0048] In addition, a two-dimensional code Cr is attached to each row of the product shelf T1. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, a two-dimensional code Cr is attached to the second shelf of each row of the product shelf T1.

[0049] The two-dimensional code Cr includes identification information (product ID) of each of the multiple products stored on the shelf in the row to which the two-dimensional code Cr is attached, information on the current display price of each product, and identification information (product group ID) of the product group including the multiple products stored on the shelf in that row. For example, as shown in Fig. 7, the two-dimensional code C1 in the first row includes the product IDs of the products A11 to A15 stored on each shelf in the first row, information on the display prices of the products A11 to A15, and the product group ID of the product group G1 including the products A11 to A15. The two-dimensional code C2 in the second row includes the product IDs of the products A21 to A25 stored on each shelf in the second row, information on the display prices of the products A21 to A25, and the product group ID of the product group G2 including the products A21 to A25.

[0050] The product group is a group (a group of products) including a plurality of products arranged in a predetermined range. For example, the product group includes products from the bottom to the top of one vertical row of a product shelf. In the example shown in Fig. 7, each product group includes five types of products from the first to fifth rows of the product shelf T1.

[0051] The output processing unit 213 outputs the information read from the two-dimensional code Cr by the reading processing unit 212 to the product management device 1. Specifically, when the reading processing unit 212 reads the two-dimensional code Cr, the output processing unit 213 outputs to the product management device 1 two-dimensional code information including the product IDs of multiple products stored on the shelf in the row to which the two-dimensional code Cr is affixed, the current displayed prices of each product, and the product group ID of the product group that includes the multiple products stored on the shelf in that row.

[0052] The reading processing unit 212 sequentially reads the two-dimensional codes Cr provided on each row of the product shelves while the mobile robot 2 moves (runs) in front of the product shelves, and the output processing unit 213 outputs the two-dimensional code information (product group ID, product ID, displayed price) embedded in the two-dimensional code Cr to the product management device 1 each time the reading processing unit 212 obtains the two-dimensional code information.

[0053] Here, the two-dimensional code Cr is provided at a position where the mobile robot 2 can read the two-dimensional code Cr while traveling in parallel in front of the product shelves. Specifically, the two-dimensional code Cr is provided for each row of product shelves, and each of the multiple two-dimensional codes Cr is provided at the same height from the floor surface. Also, the height H1 (see FIG. 3) from the floor surface to the camera 27 of the mobile robot 2 is equal to the height H2 (see FIG. 7) from the floor surface to the two-dimensional code Cr. This eliminates the need for the mobile robot 2 to change the height of the camera 27 when reading the two-dimensional code Cr. This allows the mobile robot 2 to be made smaller and lower in height.

[0054] [Product management device 1] As shown in Fig. 1, the product management device 1 is a server including a control unit 11, a memory unit 12, an operation display unit 13, and a communication unit 14. The product management device 1 may be a facility terminal (POS terminal) installed in the facility SH1, or a cloud server installed outside the facility SH1. The product management device 1 is not limited to a single computer, but may be a computer system in which multiple computers operate in cooperation with each other. Furthermore, various processes executed by the product management device 1 may be executed in a distributed manner by one or multiple processors.

[0055] The communication unit 14 is a communication interface for connecting the product management device 1 to the communication network N1 via a wired or wireless connection, and for performing data communication with external devices such as the mobile robot 2 via the communication network N1 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol.

[0056] The operation display unit 13 is a user interface that includes a display unit, such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, that displays various information, and an operation unit, such as a mouse, a keyboard, or a touch panel, that accepts operations.

[0057] The storage unit 12 is a non-volatile storage unit such as an HDD or SSD that stores various information. Specifically, the storage unit 12 stores data such as product information D1 and product group information D2. The product information D1 includes information on each product sold at facility SH1. The product group information D2 includes information on a product group that includes multiple products. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the product information D1, and Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the product group information D2. Figs. 5 and 6 show examples of the product information D1 and product group information D2 corresponding to facility SH1.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 5, the product information D1 includes information such as the corresponding "product ID", "product name", "shelf position", "registered price", "discount information", and "application period" for each product. The product ID is identification information of the product sold at facility SH1, and the product name is the name of the product. The shelf position is information indicating the storage position of the product on the product shelf. For example, the shelf position is represented by the row position in the horizontal direction (X direction) and the row position in the vertical direction (Y direction). For example, the shelf position of product A11 in the first row and first row is represented by [X1, Y1], the shelf position of product A12 in the first row and second row is represented by [X1, Y2], and product A65 in the sixth row and fifth row is represented by [X6, Y5].

[0059] The registered price is a sales price set for a product, and the transaction is made based on the registered price. For example, an information code (one-dimensional code) with the registered price embedded therein is attached to each product, and the transaction terminal reads the one-dimensional code at the cashier to make the transaction at the registered price. In other words, the registered price is associated with price information registered in the POS terminal.

[0060] The discount information is information about a discount price set when discounting the regular price of a product. The applicable period is information about a period during which the discount price is applied. For example, if the regular price of product A33 is "300 yen" and product A33 is to be discounted by 30% only from "March 1" to "March 7", the discounted price "210 yen" is registered as the registered price, "30% OFF" is registered as the discount information, and "March 1 to March 7" is registered as the applicable period. Similarly, if the regular price of product A45 is "600 yen" and product A45 is to be discounted by 50% only from "March 1" to "March 7", the discounted price "300 yen" is registered as the registered price, "50% OFF" is registered as the discount information, and "March 1 to March 7" is registered as the applicable period.

[0061] The manager of facility SH1 registers information about each product in product information D1. When a sale such as a discount service is implemented, the manager changes the registered price and registers the discount information and the applicable period in the product information D1. When the sale period (the applicable period) ends, the manager changes the registered price and deletes the discount information and the applicable period. When the sale period ends, the control unit 11 may automatically execute a process of changing the registered price and a process of deleting the discount information and the applicable period. In addition to the above-mentioned information, the product information D1 may include information such as product code, inventory, and sales record. The product information D1 may be stored in a POS terminal of facility SH1.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 6, the product group information D2 includes information such as a "product group ID," "two-dimensional code ID," and "product ID" corresponding to each product group. The product group ID is identification information for a product group (product group) including a plurality of products. The two-dimensional code ID is identification information for a two-dimensional code Cr affixed to a product shelf. For example, a two-dimensional code ID "C001" (two-dimensional code C1) and product IDs "0001" to "0005" (products A11 to A15) are associated and registered with a product group ID "G001" (product group G1). Also, for example, a two-dimensional code ID "C002" (two-dimensional code C2) and product IDs "0006" to "00010" (products A21 to A25) are associated and registered with a product group ID "G002" (product group G2).

[0063] The two-dimensional code Cr is affixed to a product shelf corresponding to the product group information D2 shown in Fig. 6. For example, the two-dimensional code C1 with the two-dimensional code ID "C001" contains the product IDs "0001" to "0005" of the products A11 to A15 stored in the first row of the product shelf T1, the registered price information of each product (see Fig. 5), and the product group ID "G001" of the product group G1 that includes each product, and this two-dimensional code C1 is affixed to the shelf in the first row and second tier of the product shelf T1 (see Fig. 7). For example, the two-dimensional code C4 with the two-dimensional code ID "C004" contains the product IDs "0016" to "0020" of the products A41 to A45 stored in the fourth row of the product shelf T1, the registered price information of each product (see Figure 5), and the product group ID "G004" of the product group G4 that includes each product, and the two-dimensional code C4 is affixed to the shelf in the fourth row and second level of the product shelf T1 (see Figure 7).

[0064] The administrator can determine the products to be grouped and register the product group information D2. The administrator can generate one product group for each column, or one product group for each set of columns.

[0065] In another embodiment, some or all of the product information D1 and the product group information D2 may be stored in another server (e.g., a POS terminal or a cloud server) accessible via the communication network N1 from the product management device 1. In this case, the control unit 11 of the product management device 1 may acquire the information from the other server and execute various processes such as the product management process (see FIG. 13) described below.

[0066] Furthermore, the storage unit 12 stores control programs such as a product management program for causing the control unit 11 to execute a product management process (see FIG. 13) described below. For example, the product management program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or DVD, and is read by a reading device (not shown) such as a CD drive or DVD drive provided in the product management device 1 and stored in the storage unit 12.

[0067] The control unit 11 has control devices such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various arithmetic processes. The ROM is a non-volatile storage unit in which control programs such as a BIOS and an OS for causing the CPU to execute various arithmetic processes are stored in advance. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile storage unit that stores various information, and is used as a temporary storage memory (work area) for various processes executed by the CPU. The control unit 11 controls the product management device 1 by executing, by the CPU, various control programs stored in advance in the ROM or the storage unit 12.

[0068] In conventional technology, the price tags of each product on the product shelves must be photographed and checked one by one, which creates the problem of the time it takes to check whether the displayed price on the price tags is correct. In contrast, the product management device 1 of this embodiment makes it possible to check whether the displayed price of products is correct in a short time.

[0069] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 1, the control unit 11 includes various processing units such as a reception processing unit 111, an output processing unit 112, an acquisition processing unit 113, a determination processing unit 114, and a notification processing unit 115. The control unit 11 functions as the various processing units by executing various processes according to the product management program with the CPU. Some or all of the processing units may be configured with electronic circuits. The product management program may be a program for causing a plurality of processors to function as the processing units.

[0070] The reception processing unit 111 accepts various operations from the manager, store clerk, etc. of the facility SH1. For example, the reception processing unit 111 accepts an operation to register product information D1 and product group information D2. When the reception processing unit 111 accepts the operation, it stores the product information D1 and the product group information D2 in the memory unit 12. Also, for example, when a special sale such as a discount service is implemented, the manager changes the registered price in the product information D1 and registers the discount information and the applicable period. Also, when the special sale period (the applicable period) ends, the manager changes the registered price and deletes the discount information and the applicable period. When the reception processing unit 111 accepts these operations, it changes the product information D1.

[0071] The output processing unit 112 outputs the price tag Mt and the two-dimensional code Cr based on the product information D1 and the product group information D2. For example, when the manager issues an output instruction (print instruction) after registering the product information D1 and the product group information D2, the output processing unit 112 causes the product management device 1 or a printer (not shown) to output a display medium Ps (see FIG. 8) on which the price tag Mt and the two-dimensional code Cr are displayed. Here, the output processing unit 112 outputs the price tag Mt and the two-dimensional code Cr for each product group. For example, the output processing unit 112 outputs one display medium Ps in which each price tag Mt of the products A11 to A15 in the first row of the product shelf T1 is paired with the two-dimensional code C1, and outputs one display medium Ps in which each price tag Mt of the products A21 to A25 in the second row of the product shelf T1 is paired with the two-dimensional code C2. The output processing unit 112 is an example of the output processing unit of the present invention. The display medium Ps is an example of the display medium of the present invention. The display medium of the present invention may be a paper medium such as a price tag sticker, or may be a display tag equipped with a display screen.

[0072] A clerk at facility SH1 affixes price tags Mt to each shelf for products A11-A15 in the first row, for example, and affixes a two-dimensional code C1 to the second shelf in the first row. The clerk also affixes price tags Mt to each shelf for products A21-A25 in the second row, for example, and affixes a two-dimensional code C2 to the second shelf in the second row.

[0073] Here, when the administrator implements a sale such as a discount service for a specific product, the administrator changes the registered price in the product information D1 and registers the discount information and the applicable period. The administrator also prints a price tag Mt showing the registered discounted price (discounted price) of the specific product, and a two-dimensional code Cr including the product group ID of the product group to which the specific product belongs, the product ID of each product included in the product group, and information on the registered price of each product (two-dimensional code information). Figure 5 shows the discounted product information D1 for the specific products A33, A34, A45, and A61. The discounted price is an example of a special price of the present invention.

[0074] 8 shows the price tag Mt and two-dimensional codes C3, C4, and C5 reflecting the discounted registered prices (sale prices) of products A33, A34, A45, and A61. The two-dimensional code C3 includes the discounted registered prices of products A33 and A34, the registered prices (regular prices) of products A31, A32, and A35, the product group ID "G003" of the product group G3, and the two-dimensional code ID "C003" of the two-dimensional code C3. The two-dimensional code C4 includes the discounted registered price of product A45, the registered prices (regular prices) of products A41 to A44, the product group ID "G004" of the product group G4, and the two-dimensional code ID "C004" of the two-dimensional code C4. The two-dimensional code C6 also includes the registered discounted price of the product A61, the registered prices (regular prices) of the products A62 to A65, the product group ID "G006" of the product group G6, and the two-dimensional code ID "C006" of the two-dimensional code C6.

[0075] The output processing unit 112 outputs one display medium Ps1 that pairs the price tag Mt of product A33, the price tag Mt of product A34, and the two-dimensional code C3, outputs one display medium Ps2 that pairs the price tag Mt of product A45 and the two-dimensional code C4, and outputs one display medium Ps3 that pairs the price tag Mt of product A61 and the two-dimensional code C6. In this way, the output processing unit 112 outputs a display medium that pairs the two-dimensional code Cr and the price tag Mt of the displayed price of at least one product included in the product group.

[0076] When the store clerk receives the display medium Ps1, he replaces the regular price tags Mt of products A33 and A34 affixed to the product shelf T1 with the discounted price tags Mt on the display medium Ps1, and further replaces the two-dimensional code C3 affixed to the second shelf with the two-dimensional code C3 on the display medium Ps1. Similarly, the store clerk replaces the price tag Mt and two-dimensional code C4 of product A45, and replaces the price tag Mt and two-dimensional code C6 of product A61. Figures 4 and 7 show the state in which the discounted price tags Mt and two-dimensional codes Cr have been affixed.

[0077] When the discount service period ends, the store clerk changes the discount price of the specific product to the regular price.

[0078] For example, when the applicable period ends, the control unit 11 executes a change process to change the registered price, discount information, and applicable period of the product information D1. The control unit 11 may execute the change process when the applicable period ends, or may execute the change process in response to a change operation by an administrator. Figure 9 shows the product information D1 in a state in which the change process has been executed. By changing the product information D1, the cash register processes the transaction for the discounted product at the changed registered price (here, the normal price).

[0079] Furthermore, when the applicable period ends, the control unit 11 prints a price tag Mt corresponding to the normal price and a two-dimensional code Cr for the specific product to which the discounted price tag Mt is affixed. The control unit 11 may execute the printing process when the applicable period ends, or may execute the printing process in response to a print operation by the manager. Fig. 10 shows display media Ps1, Ps2, and Ps3 on which the normal price tags Mt and two-dimensional codes C3, C4, and C5 of products A33, A34, A45, and A61 are printed. The output processing unit 112 outputs one display medium Ps1 which pairs the regular price tag Mt of product A33 and the regular price tag Mt and two-dimensional code C3 of product A34, outputs one display medium Ps2 which pairs the regular price tag Mt and two-dimensional code C4 of product A45, and outputs one display medium Ps3 which pairs the regular price tag Mt and two-dimensional code C6 of product A61.

[0080] The two-dimensional code C3 includes the registered regular prices of products A33 and A34, the registered prices of products A31, A32, and A35, the product group ID "G003" of product group G3, and the two-dimensional code ID "C003" of the two-dimensional code C3. The two-dimensional code C4 includes the registered regular price of product A45, the registered prices of products A41 to A44, the product group ID "G004" of product group G4, and the two-dimensional code ID "C004" of the two-dimensional code C4. The two-dimensional code C6 includes the registered regular price of product A61, the registered prices of products A62 to A65, the product group ID "G006" of product group G6, and the two-dimensional code ID "C006" of the two-dimensional code C6.

[0081] When the store clerk receives each display medium Ps, he or she performs the task of changing the discount price of the specific product to the regular price. Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, if the store clerk forgets to replace the price tag Mt of the discounted price ("300 yen") for product A45 with the price tag Mt of the regular price ("600 yen"), the following problem may occur. For example, a customer looks at the current displayed price of product A45 and decides that product A45 can be purchased for 300 yen, and goes to the register to purchase product A45. The register obtains the registered price (here, "600 yen") registered in product information D1 (see FIG. 9) from the one-dimensional code of product A45, and settles the payment for 600 yen. If a situation occurs in which the displayed price (discounted price) affixed to product A45 differs from the correct registered price (regular price), this can cause trouble.

[0082] To avoid such a situation, the product management device 1 according to this embodiment is configured to check whether the displayed price on the product is correct based on the two-dimensional code information acquired from the mobile robot 2, as described below. The checking operation is performed, for example, after the facility SH1 closes or before it opens.

[0083] Specifically, the acquisition processing unit 113 acquires information output from the mobile robot 2. Specifically, the acquisition processing unit 113 acquires two-dimensional code information including a product group ID, a product ID, and a displayed price that the reading processing unit 212 of the mobile robot 2 reads from an image of the two-dimensional code Cr captured by the camera 27. For example, when the camera 27 of the mobile robot 2 captures an image of the two-dimensional code C1 (see FIG. 11) attached to the product shelf T1 and the reading processing unit 212 reads the two-dimensional code C1 to acquire two-dimensional code information including the product group ID "G001" of the product group G1, the product IDs "0001" to "0005" of the products A11 to A15, and the displayed prices of the products A11 to A15, and when the output processing unit 112 outputs the two-dimensional code information to the product management device 1, the acquisition processing unit 113 acquires the product group ID "G001", the product IDs "0001" to "0005", and the displayed prices of the products A11 to A15. Similarly, the acquisition processing unit 113 acquires from the mobile robot 2 two-dimensional code information associated with the two-dimensional codes C2 to C6 in order.

[0084] Furthermore, the acquisition processing unit 113 acquires the registered prices of multiple products associated with the acquired product group ID. Specifically, the acquisition processing unit 113 refers to product information D1 (see, for example, FIG. 9) to acquire the registered prices of multiple products associated with the product group ID. For example, when the acquisition processing unit 113 acquires the product group ID "G003" of the product group G3 from the mobile robot 2, it acquires the registered prices of the products A31 to A35 associated with the product group ID "G003." Furthermore, for example, when the acquisition processing unit 113 acquires the product group ID "G004" of the product group G4 from the mobile robot 2, it acquires the registered prices of the products A41 to A45 associated with the product group ID "G004."

[0085] The acquisition processing unit 113 is an example of the first acquisition processing unit and the second acquisition processing unit of the present invention. Note that the acquisition processing unit 113 may be distributed into a processing unit corresponding to the first acquisition processing unit and a processing unit corresponding to the second acquisition processing unit.

[0086] The determination processing unit 114 determines whether or not at least any of the displayed prices of the multiple products acquired by the acquisition processing unit 113 matches at least any of the registered prices of the multiple products acquired by the acquisition processing unit 113. In other words, the determination processing unit 114 determines whether the displayed prices affixed to the product shelves or products are correct.

[0087] For example, when the acquisition processing unit 113 acquires the display prices of products A31 to A35 of product group G3 (see FIG. 11; product A31 "200 yen", product A32 "310 yen", product A33 "300 yen", product A34 "400 yen", product A35 "390 yen") and the registered prices of products A31 to A35 (see FIG. 9; product A31 "200 yen", product A32 "310 yen", product A33 "300 yen", product A34 "400 yen", product A35 "390 yen"), the determination processing unit 114 compares the display price and the registered price for each product and determines whether they match. Here, the determination processing unit 114 determines that the display prices and registered prices of products A31 to A35 match.

[0088] In contrast, for example, when the acquisition processing unit 113 acquires the displayed prices of products A41 to A45 in product group G4 (see FIG. 11; product A41 "650 yen", product A42 "540 yen", product A43 "520 yen", product A44 "620 yen", product A45 "300 yen") and the registered prices of products A41 to A45 (see FIG. 9; product A41 "650 yen", product A42 "540 yen", product A43 "520 yen", product A44 "620 yen", product A45 "600 yen"), the determination processing unit 114 compares the displayed price with the registered price for each product to determine whether they match. Here, the determination processor 114 determines that the displayed prices and registered prices of products A41-A44 match, and that the displayed price ("300 yen") and registered price ("600 yen") of product A45 do not match. From this determination result, it is found that the price tag Mt of product A45 has been forgotten to be replaced with the regular price price tag, even though the discount price application period has passed.

[0089] In this way, the determination processing unit 114 determines whether the displayed price of the current price tag Mt affixed to the product shelf T1 is the correct price (registered price) or not (correct or incorrect). Furthermore, when the displayed price of at least one product among the multiple products included in the product group does not match the registered price, the determination processing unit 114 determines that the displayed price is incorrect. Furthermore, when the displayed prices of all products included in the product group match the registered prices, the determination processing unit 114 determines that the displayed price is correct.

[0090] Furthermore, the determination processing unit 114 executes the determination process for each product group. According to the configuration of this embodiment, the processing load can be reduced compared to the case where the determination process is executed by reading the two-dimensional code Cr attached to each product, for example.

[0091] As another embodiment, when the two-dimensional code Cr includes information on the applicable period during which the discount price is applied, the determination processing unit 114 may determine whether the displayed price is correct or not based on the applicable period. For example, when the applicable period read from the two-dimensional code C3 affixed to the product shelf T1 has passed the current date and time, the displayed price (e.g., the discounted price) on the current price tag Mt is no longer applicable, and the determination processing unit 114 determines that the displayed price is incorrect.

[0092] The notification processing unit 115 notifies predetermined information when at least one of the display prices of a plurality of products acquired by the acquisition processing unit 113 does not match at least one of the registered prices of a plurality of products acquired by the acquisition processing unit 113. Specifically, the notification processing unit 115 notifies information urging the display price (see FIG. 11) of the product whose display price does not match the registered price to be changed to the registered price (see FIG. 9). For example, the notification processing unit 115 may display a notification screen P1 shown in FIG. 12 on the operation display unit 13. The notification screen P1 displays information such as the product name of the product whose display price is incorrect, the shelf position of the product, the incorrect price (displayed price), and the correct price (registered price). When the store clerk checks the notification screen P1, he or she presses the confirmation button K1. Also, when the store clerk presses the print button K2 on the notification screen P1, the notification processing unit 115 outputs one display medium Ps in which the price tag Mt on which the registered price is displayed and the two-dimensional code Cr are paired.

[0093] In the above example, the notification processing unit 115 notifies information urging the user to change the displayed price of product A45 ("300 yen") to the registered price ("600 yen"). The notification processing unit 115 also outputs one display medium Ps that pairs a price tag Mt showing the correct price of product A45 ("600 yen") with a two-dimensional code C4. In this case, the two-dimensional code C4 includes the product IDs "0016" to "0020" of products A41 to A45, the displayed prices of each product (see FIG. 9; product A41 "650 yen", product A42 "540 yen", product A43 "520 yen", product A44 "620 yen", product A45 "600 yen"), and the product group ID "G004" of product group G4. When the store clerk receives the display medium Ps, he replaces the price tag Mt of the product A45 on the shelf T1 and also replaces the two-dimensional code C4 affixed to the second shelf. This causes the correct selling price to be displayed on the product A45.

[0094] The notification processing unit 115 may execute a process of outputting one display medium Ps that combines the price tag Mt with the correct price and the two-dimensional code C4, on the condition that the judgment processing unit 114 judges that the displayed price is incorrect. The notification processing unit 115 may also output the predetermined information (notification screen P1) to a mobile terminal (such as a handheld terminal) carried by the store clerk.

[0095] [Product Management Processing] An example of the product management process executed by the control unit 11 of the product management device 1 will be described below with reference to Fig. 13. For example, the product management process is started by the control unit 11 when the autonomous movement of the mobile robot 2 is started.

[0096] The present invention may be understood as an invention of a product management method in which the control unit 11 executes part or all of the product management processing, or an invention of a product management program for causing the control unit 11 to execute part or all of the product management method. Also, the present invention may be an invention of a product management method in which one or a plurality of processors execute the product management processing.

[0097] In step S1, the control unit 11 judges whether or not the information (two-dimensional code information) of the two-dimensional code Cr affixed to the product shelf T1 by the mobile robot 2 has been acquired. Specifically, the control unit 11 judges whether or not the information (two-dimensional code information) embedded in the two-dimensional code Cr has been acquired from the mobile robot 2. For example, the mobile robot 2 starts the task of checking the displayed price from the start position S (see FIG. 2) of the facility SH1. When the mobile robot 2 reads the two-dimensional code C1 (see FIG. 11) affixed to the second shelf in the first row of the product shelf T1, the mobile robot 2 acquires two-dimensional code information including the product group ID "G001" of the product group G1, the product IDs "0001" to "0005" of the products A11 to A14, and the displayed prices of the products A11 to A14. The mobile robot 2 outputs the acquired two-dimensional code information to the product management device 1. When the control unit 11 acquires the two-dimensional code information from the mobile robot 2 (S1: Yes), the process proceeds to step S2. The control unit 11 waits until the two-dimensional code information is acquired from the mobile robot 2 (S1: No). Step S1 is an example of a first acquisition step of the present invention.

[0098] In step S2, the control unit 11 acquires the registered prices of multiple products associated with the acquired product group ID. Specifically, the control unit 11 refers to product information D1 (see FIG. 9) to acquire the registered prices of multiple products associated with the acquired product group ID. For example, when the control unit 11 acquires the product group ID "G001" of the product group G1 from the mobile robot 2, it acquires the registered prices of the products A11 to A15 associated with the product group ID "G001." Step S2 is an example of a second acquisition step of the present invention.

[0099] Next, in step S3, the control unit 11 compares the displayed prices of the multiple products acquired in step S1 with the registered prices of the multiple products acquired in step S2. For example, the control unit 11 compares the displayed prices of the products A11 to A15 (see FIG. 11) with the registered prices of the products A11 to A15 (see FIG. 9).

[0100] Next, in step S4, the control unit 11 determines whether the displayed prices of the multiple products match the registered prices of the multiple products. That is, the control unit 11 determines whether the displayed prices affixed to the product shelves or products are correct. For example, the control unit 11 determines whether the displayed prices of products A11 to A15 (see FIG. 11) match the registered prices of products A11 to A15 (see FIG. 9). If the displayed prices of all products included in the product group match the respective registered prices (S4: Yes), the process proceeds to step S5. On the other hand, if the displayed prices of at least any of the products included in the product group do not match the registered prices (S4: No), the process proceeds to step S41.

[0101] For example, since the displayed prices of the products A11 to A15 (see FIG. 11) match the registered prices of the products A11 to A15 (see FIG. 9), the process proceeds to step S5.

[0102] In step S5, the control unit 11 judges whether the task of checking the displayed price has been completed. For example, when the control unit 11 acquires information indicating that the mobile robot 2 has reached the end position G (see FIG. 2) of the facility SH1, the control unit 11 judges that the task has been completed. The end position G corresponds to the position where the two-dimensional code Cr in the last row of the product shelf T6 is read. When the task is completed (S5: Yes), the control unit 11 ends the product management process. When the task is not completed (S5: No), the control unit 11 returns the process to step S1.

[0103] For example, when the mobile robot 2 reads the two-dimensional code C1 in the first row and the control unit 11 finishes checking the accuracy of the displayed prices of the products A11 to A15, the control unit 11 returns to step S1 and waits until it acquires the next two-dimensional code information.

[0104] Here, the display price is checked for each column in turn on the product shelf T1, and if an error is found in the display price when checking the fourth column (see FIG. 11) (S4: No), the control unit 11 executes the following process in step S41.

[0105] For example, in step S1, the control unit 11 acquires the displayed prices of the products A41 to A45 in the product group G4 (see FIG. 11; product A41 "650 yen", product A42 "540 yen", product A43 "520 yen", product A44 "620 yen", product A45 "300 yen"). In addition, in step S2, the control unit 11 acquires the registered prices of the products A41 to A45 (see FIG. 9; product A41 "650 yen", product A42 "540 yen", product A43 "520 yen", product A44 "620 yen", product A45 "600 yen"). In this case, the control unit 11 determines that the displayed prices of the products A41 to A44 match the registered prices, and determines that the displayed price of the product A45 ("300 yen") does not match the registered price ("600 yen") (S4: No).

[0106] In step S41, the control unit 11 notifies information (change information) urging the user to change the displayed price of the product whose displayed price does not match the registered price to the registered price. For example, the control unit 11 causes the operation display unit 13 to display a notification screen P1 shown in FIG. 12, urging the user to change the displayed price of the product A45 ("300 yen") to the registered price ("600 yen"). After checking the notification screen P1, the store clerk presses the confirmation button K1. When the store clerk presses the print button K2 on the notification screen P1, the control unit 11 outputs one display medium Ps that combines a price tag Mt showing the correct price of the product A45 ("600 yen") with a two-dimensional code C4. In this case, the two-dimensional code C4 contains the product IDs "0016" to "0020" of products A41 to A45, the displayed prices of each product (see Figure 9; product A41 "650 yen", product A42 "540 yen", product A43 "520 yen", product A44 "620 yen", product A45 "600 yen"), and the product group ID "G004" of product group G4.

[0107] When the store clerk receives the display medium Ps, he replaces the price tag Mt of the product A45 on the shelf T1 and also replaces the two-dimensional code C4 affixed to the second shelf. This causes the correct selling price to be displayed on the product A45. Step S41 is an example of a notification step of the present invention.

[0108] After the process of step S41, the process proceeds to step S5. In this manner, the control unit 11 of the product management device 1 executes the process of checking the accuracy of the displayed price of the product each time the mobile robot 2 reads the two-dimensional code Cr while autonomously moving within the facility SH1. When the work of checking the accuracy of the displayed prices of all the products stored on each product shelf within the facility SH1 is completed (S5: Yes), the control unit 11 ends the product management process.

[0109] As described above, the product management system 10 according to this embodiment acquires the display prices of the multiple products and the identification information of the product group from a reading unit that reads an information-readable medium (e.g., a two-dimensional code Cr) provided at a predetermined position on a product shelf corresponding to a product group including multiple products, and acquires the registered prices of the multiple products associated with the acquired identification information of the product group. Then, if the display price of at least one of the acquired multiple products does not match the registered price of at least one of the acquired multiple products, the product management system 10 notifies predetermined information.

[0110] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the product management system 10 can read one two-dimensional code Cr affixed to a product shelf to obtain the current display prices of multiple products included in a product group corresponding to the two-dimensional code Cr. Furthermore, the product management system 10 can obtain the correct selling price (registered price) associated with the multiple products based on the product group. The product management system 10 can then determine whether the displayed price is correct by comparing the displayed price with the registered price. In this way, the display prices of multiple products included in a specified range (product group) can be checked collectively, making it possible to check the accuracy of the displayed prices of products in a short period of time.

[0111] The product management system 10 also has a configuration in which an autonomously mobile robot 2 equipped with a camera 27 reads each two-dimensional code Cr while autonomously moving around the area where the product shelves are arranged. This configuration eliminates the need for store clerks to manually check the displayed prices. It also makes it possible to prevent mistakes such as missing a check. Furthermore, by placing each two-dimensional code Cr at a fixed height (height H2 in FIG. 7), the mobile robot 2 does not need to drive the reading unit (camera 27) up and down when reading each two-dimensional code Cr, so that the driving load can be reduced and the structure can be simplified. It also makes it possible to shorten the operation time.

[0112] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when changing the displayed price of a specific product, one display medium (price tag sticker) is output that combines the price tag Mt and the two-dimensional code Cr, so that the store clerk can change the displayed price of the specific product and the two-dimensional code Cr at the same time. This makes it possible to prevent the mistake of changing only the displayed price of the specific product and forgetting to change the two-dimensional code Cr. Therefore, it is possible to always keep the price of each product in the product group included in the two-dimensional code Cr consistent with the displayed price of each product displayed on the product shelf. By employing such a display medium Ps, it is possible to check the accuracy of the displayed price of the product with high accuracy.

[0113] [Other embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be embodied as follows.

[0114] In the above embodiment, one two-dimensional code Cr is provided for each row of one product shelf (see FIG. 4), but in another embodiment, one two-dimensional code Cr may be provided for one product shelf. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, one two-dimensional code Cr may be provided for a product shelf T1. In this case, the two-dimensional code Cr is affixed, for example, to a side surface of the product shelf T1 at the same height as the height H1 (see FIG. 3) of the camera 27 of the mobile robot 2.

[0115] In this case, the two-dimensional code Cr of the product shelf T1 is embedded with the product ID of each product (30 products) on the product shelf T1, information on the displayed price of each product, and the product group ID of the product group that includes each product. The control unit 11 of the product management device 1 checks whether the displayed price of each product on the product shelf T1 included in the product group is correct, based on the two-dimensional code information of one two-dimensional code Cr.

[0116] Furthermore, as described above, when a two-dimensional code Cr is placed on the side of each product shelf installed in the facility SH1, the mobile robot 2 can read the two-dimensional code Cr of each product shelf while autonomously moving along the travel route shown in Fig. 15. This allows the travel route (travel distance) of the mobile robot 2 to be shortened, and therefore the work time required to check the accuracy of the displayed prices can be shortened.

[0117] In the above embodiment, the two-dimensional codes Cr are arranged in a row in the horizontal direction (X direction) on the product shelf (see FIG. 7), but in another embodiment, the two-dimensional codes Cr may be arranged in the vertical direction (Y direction) on the product shelf. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, the two-dimensional codes Cr may be arranged in one row in the vertical direction at the end of the product shelf T1. In this case, the product group includes products in one row in the horizontal direction of the product shelf. In the example shown in FIG. 16, each of the product groups G1 to G5 includes multiple products in each row from the first row to the sixth row of the product shelf T1. With this configuration, the mobile robot 2 can read multiple two-dimensional codes Cr at the end of the product shelf T1, so that the travel distance of the mobile robot 2 can be shortened. Therefore, the work time for checking the accuracy of the displayed price can be shortened. In the above configuration, the mobile robot 2 may be provided with a mechanism that allows the camera 27 to move up and down.

[0118] In another embodiment, the reading unit of the present invention may be a camera installed in the facility SH1. For example, a camera installed on the ceiling of the facility SH1 may capture an image of the two-dimensional code Cr affixed to a product shelf and output the captured image data to the product management device 1. In this case, the control unit 11 of the product management device 1 can check whether the displayed price is correct by obtaining the two-dimensional code information based on the image data obtained from the camera. The camera may be a surveillance camera already installed in the facility SH1.

[0119] In another embodiment, the reading unit of the present invention may be a camera mounted on a mobile terminal (e.g., a smartphone) carried by a store clerk. In this case, the store clerk takes a picture of the two-dimensional code Cr placed on the product shelf with the camera of his / her mobile terminal when checking the displayed price. In this case, the mobile terminal reads the two-dimensional code Cr and outputs the two-dimensional code information to the product management device 1. With this configuration, it is possible to shorten the work time and reduce the work burden compared to the conventional work in which a store clerk checks the displayed price for each product.

[0120] In another embodiment, the control unit 21 of the mobile robot 2 may execute each process of the control unit 11 of the product management device 1. Specifically, the control unit 21 of the mobile robot 2 acquires the display prices of the multiple products and the identification information of the product group from a reading unit (e.g., a camera 27) that reads an information-readable medium (e.g., a two-dimensional code Cr) provided at a predetermined position on a product shelf corresponding to a product group including multiple products, and acquires the registered prices of the multiple products associated with the acquired identification information of the product group. Then, the control unit 21 notifies predetermined information when the display price of at least one of the acquired multiple products does not match the registered price of at least one of the acquired multiple products. The product information D1 and the product group information D2 may be stored in the storage unit 22 of the mobile robot 2 or in an external server (e.g., a cloud server). That is, the product management system of the present invention may be configured by the mobile robot 2 alone. [Explanation of symbols]

[0121] 1:Product management device 2: Mobile robot 10: Product management system 27: Camera 111: Reception department 112: Output processing section 113: Acquisition processing unit 114: Judgment processing unit 115: Notification processing unit 211: Driving processing unit 212: Reading processing unit 213: Output processing section Cr: 2D code

Claims

1. a first acquisition processing unit that is provided at a predetermined position on the product shelf corresponding to a product group including a plurality of products, and that acquires the current display price of each of the plurality of products and the identification information of the product group from an information-readable medium that includes identification information of the product group and information of the current display price of each of the plurality of products included in the product group; a second acquisition processing unit that acquires registered prices of the plurality of products associated with the identification information of the product group acquired by the first acquisition processing unit; a notification processing unit that notifies predetermined information when a display price of at least one of the plurality of products acquired by the first acquisition processing unit does not match a registered price of at least one of the plurality of products acquired by the second acquisition processing unit; Equipped with The product shelf has a plurality of storage openings, and the products are arranged in each storage opening; The information-readable medium is provided for each of the storage ports, A product management system in which a plurality of the information-readable media corresponding to each of the plurality of storage openings are arranged in a vertical row on one of the product shelves.

2. The product group includes a plurality of products in one horizontal row of the product shelf, The merchandise management system according to claim 1 .

3. If the sales price of a specific product in the product group is set at a special price different from the regular price, The information-readable medium further includes information on a period during which the special price is applied. The merchandise management system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. an output processing unit that outputs a display medium that combines the information-readable medium with a price tag of the current display price of each of the multiple products included in the product group; The merchandise management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A mobile device that autonomously moves within a predetermined area is further provided, the reading unit is movable in a vertical direction so as to be able to read the information-readable medium arranged vertically in the moving device; The merchandise management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The reading unit of the moving device reads the information-readable medium provided on each stage of the product shelf in order while moving in a vertical direction. The merchandise management system according to claim 5 .

7. the notification processing unit notifies information urging the user to change the displayed price of the product, the displayed price of which does not match the registered price, to the registered price; The merchandise management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. one or more processors, a first acquisition step of acquiring the current display price of each of the plurality of products and the identification information of the product group from a reading unit that is provided at a predetermined position on the product shelf corresponding to a product group including a plurality of products and that reads an information-readable medium that includes identification information of the product group and information on the current display price of each of the plurality of products included in the product group; a second acquisition step of acquiring registered prices of the plurality of products associated with the identification information of the product group acquired by the first acquisition step; a notification step of notifying predetermined information when a display price of at least one of the plurality of products acquired in the first acquisition step does not match a registered price of at least one of the plurality of products acquired in the second acquisition step; A product management method for carrying out the above steps, The product shelf has a plurality of storage openings, and the products are arranged in each storage opening; The information-readable medium is provided for each of the storage ports, A product management method, wherein on one of the product shelves, a plurality of the information-readable media corresponding to each of the plurality of storage openings are arranged in a vertical row.

9. a first acquisition step of acquiring the current display price of each of the plurality of products and the identification information of the product group from a reading unit that is provided at a predetermined position on the product shelf corresponding to a product group including a plurality of products and that reads an information-readable medium that includes identification information of the product group and information on the current display price of each of the plurality of products included in the product group; a second acquisition step of acquiring registered prices of the plurality of products associated with the identification information of the product group acquired by the first acquisition step; a notification step of notifying predetermined information when a display price of at least one of the plurality of products acquired in the first acquisition step does not match a registered price of at least one of the plurality of products acquired in the second acquisition step; A product management program for causing one or more processors to execute the above, The product shelf has a plurality of storage openings, and the products are arranged in each storage opening; The information-readable medium is provided for each of the storage ports, A product management program, in which a plurality of the information-readable media corresponding to each of the plurality of storage openings are arranged in a vertical row on one of the product shelves.

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