Management system, management method, and management program

Abstract

To provide a management system, a method for management, and a management program for delivering an item in an appropriate delivery period of time.SOLUTION: A management system 1 manages the order of an item to be consumed on the basis of a delivery period of time 1422. The management system 1 includes: a prediction unit 144 for predicting a consumption completion period of time 1442 as the period of time from when a predetermined amount of items starts being consumed to when the consumption is completed on the basis of an item consumption history 1423; and a determination unit 145 for determining whether the delivery period of time 1422 needs to be changed on the basis of the result of prediction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a management system, a management method, and a management program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a system that delivers products periodically in delivery units and at delivery intervals specified by a consumer. The technology described in Patent Document 1 allows the consumer to change the delivery intervals as needed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-150868 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology described in Patent Document 1 has the problem of stockouts occurring when the delivery interval is longer than the consumption rate of the product. Also, the technology described in Patent Document 1 has the problem of excess inventory occurring when the delivery interval is shorter than the consumption rate of the product.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and provides a management system, a management method, and a management program for delivering products within an appropriate delivery period. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The management system in this embodiment is a management system that manages orders for products to be consumed based on delivery periods, a prediction means for predicting a consumption completion period, which is a period from the start to the completion of consumption of a predetermined amount of the product, based on the consumption history of the product; and a determining means for determining whether or not the delivery period needs to be changed based on the prediction result by the predicting means.

[0007] The management method in this embodiment is a management method for managing orders for products to be consumed based on delivery periods, The computer a prediction step of predicting a consumption completion period, which is a period from the start to the completion of consumption of a predetermined amount of the product, based on the consumption history of the product; and a determining step of determining whether or not the delivery period needs to be changed based on the prediction result from the prediction step.

[0008] The management program in this embodiment is a program for managing orders for products to be consumed based on delivery periods, On the computer, a prediction step of predicting a consumption completion period, which is a period from the start to the completion of consumption of a predetermined amount of the product, based on the consumption history of the product; and a determining step of determining whether or not the delivery period needs to be changed based on the result of the prediction in the predicting step. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The present disclosure makes it possible to provide a management system, a management method, and a management program for delivering products within an appropriate delivery period. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of a management system according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a management server according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a management method according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the invention according to the claims is not limited to the following embodiments. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are necessarily essential as means for solving the problems.

[0012] (Embodiment 1) A management system according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a management system 1 according to an embodiment. The management system 1 is a management system that manages product orders. Here, products are consumable items such as daily necessities and food. Products are also called consumables. The management system 1 manages product inventory in a home. The management system 1 may automatically place orders according to product consumption.

[0013] The management system 1 includes a terminal 11, a shelf 12, a retail server 13, and a management server 14. The shelf 12 includes a control unit 121 that performs various controls. The processing performed by the management system 1 may be performed on the shelf 12 side. Therefore, a system that does not include the management server 14 and in which processing is completed on the shelf 12 may also be included in the management system 1 according to the embodiment.

[0014] The terminal 11, the control unit 121, the retail server 13, and the management server 14 each include a computing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and a storage unit such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores various control programs, data, etc. In other words, the terminal 11, the control unit 121, the retail server 13, and the management server 14 all have computer functions, and perform the following processes based on the various control programs, etc.

[0015] The terminal 11 is a communication terminal that is connected by wire or wirelessly so as to be able to communicate with the management server 14. The terminal 11 is not particularly limited as long as it is able to communicate with the management server 14, but examples of the terminal 11 include a mobile communication terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal, or a PC (Personal Computer) installed indoors.

[0016] 1, the terminal 11 is located in a residential space of a house, but it may be located outside the residential space, such as outdoors or indoors. In this specification, the term "house" includes an apartment building, an office building, etc., and the term "residential space" includes an office space.

[0017] The user inputs a delivery period for each item of merchandise into the terminal 11. When ordering a product, the management system 1 places the order so that the product will be delivered within the delivery period. In other words, the delivery period is the period during which the ordered product is delivered. The management system 1 may be, for example, a system that orders a predetermined amount of merchandise when the inventory of the product decreases by a predetermined amount. The management system 1 may also be a system that orders a predetermined amount of merchandise when the inventory of the product falls below a threshold. The threshold is also referred to as a minimum inventory amount and may be set by the user. The management system 1 may place an order periodically or in response to a user instruction. The input information is transmitted from the terminal 11 to the management server 14.

[0018] For example, a user may set a minimum inventory amount for each product. Then, the user may estimate the period until the minimum inventory amount of the product is used up, and then set the estimated period as the delivery period. As described above, the management system 1 can place an order for the product when the quantity of the product falls below the minimum inventory amount. This allows the management system 1 to prevent the product from running out of stock. Note that the user may estimate the period until the above-mentioned predetermined amount of the product is used up.

[0019] The shelves 12 store items including products used in the house. The following description focuses on the case where the shelves 12 store multiple types of products. The shelves 12 may also be installed outside the house. The quantity of products stored therein is managed by a management server 14, which will be described later. The shelves 12 are equipped with sensors 122 that measure the quantity of products removed from the shelves 12 and the quantity of products stored therein. The sensors 122 may be weight sensors or cameras. The control unit 121 of the shelves 12 transmits the inventory amount and consumption amount of each product to the management server 14.

[0020] The retail server 13 is a server operated by a retailer. The retail server 13 is, for example, a server constituting an e-commerce site operated by an e-commerce (electronic commerce) company on the Internet. The retail server 13 is communicatively connected to the management server 14 and receives order information. The management system 1 may also include a delivery robot that receives products from the retailer and delivers them to the shelves 12. Of course, product delivery may also be performed by a human. The management server 14, which will be described later, may have a function to create a delivery plan for autonomous moving bodies or vehicles driven by humans.

[0021] The management server 14 manages orders for products stored on the shelves 12. The management server 14 places orders for the products stored on the shelves 12 based on a set delivery period. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the management server 14. The management server 14 includes an input unit 141, a memory unit 142, an ordering unit 143, a prediction unit 144, a determination unit 145, and an output unit 146.

[0022] The input unit 141 registers in the storage unit 142 an item name 1421 and a delivery period 1422 in association with each other in response to an input from the user to the terminal 11. The item 1421 is also referred to as an item ID. As described above, the delivery period 1422 indicates a period during which the ordered item should be delivered. A minimum stock amount (not shown) indicating the lower limit of the stock amount may also be registered in association with the item 1421.

[0023] The storage unit 142 stores product items 1421 and delivery periods 1422 in association with each other. The storage unit 142 also stores product items 1421 and product consumption histories 1423 in association with each other. The consumption histories 1423 are generated based on the detection results of the sensors 122 on the shelves 12. The consumption histories 1423 may be calculated based on changes in the inventory amount of each product. The consumption histories 1423 may be data recording the consumption amount of each product on a weekly or daily basis, for example. The consumption histories 1423 may also be calculated based on the number of times the shelves 12 are used (for example, the number of times the door is opened and closed).

[0024] The storage unit 142 may further store a prediction history (not shown) that is a history of prediction results from the prediction unit 144, which will be described later.

[0025] The ordering unit 143 manages the inventory of each product based on the detection result of the sensor 122 provided on the shelf 12. The ordering unit 143 may automatically order each product based on a minimum inventory amount (not shown) and a delivery period 1422. Specifically, the ordering unit 143 may automatically order a product when the inventory amount of the product falls below the minimum inventory amount (not shown). Furthermore, the ordering unit 143 may order a predetermined amount of the product when the inventory amount of the product decreases by a predetermined amount.

[0026] Here, the ordering unit 143 places an order for the product so that it will be delivered within the delivery period 1422. For example, if the delivery period 1422 is one week, the ordering unit 143 places an order so that the product will be delivered within one week. The ordering unit 143 may, for example, place an order by specifying a delivery date. Furthermore, the ordering unit 143 may place an order at a timing such that the product will be delivered within the delivery period 1422, taking the delivery date into consideration.

[0027] As described above, the user can estimate the period until a predetermined amount (e.g., minimum stock amount) of products is used up and set that period as the delivery period 1422. Therefore, the management system 1 can maintain the inventory amount of products stored on the shelves 12 within a certain range as long as the consumption rate of the products does not change.

[0028] The prediction unit 144 predicts a consumption completion period 1442 for each item 1441 based on the consumption history 1423. The item 1441 corresponds to the item 1421 described above. The consumption completion period 1442 is a period from the start to the completion of consumption of a predetermined amount (e.g., minimum stock amount) of product. For example, if the minimum stock amount (not shown) of masks is set to one box, the prediction unit 144 may calculate the period required to consume one box of masks as the consumption completion period 1442. The prediction unit 144 may calculate a consumption rate of the product based on the consumption history 1423 and predict the consumption completion period 1442 based on the consumption rate. Note that the prediction unit 1444 may predict the period until all the products stored on the shelf 12 are used up, or may predict the period until all the products in a predetermined delivery unit are used up.

[0029] The prediction unit 144 may predict the consumption completion period 1442 for each item 1441 at predetermined intervals, that is, periodically. For example, the prediction unit 144 may predict the consumption completion period 1442 for each week or each day. The prediction unit 144 may also predict the consumption completion period 1442 in response to acquisition of the inventory amount from the sensor 122. The prediction unit 144 outputs the prediction result to the determination unit 145.

[0030] The prediction unit 144 may acquire consumption histories 1423 of products at residences other than the residence for which orders are managed by the management system 1, and predict the consumption completion period 1442 based on the acquired results. The prediction unit 144 can improve prediction accuracy by learning consumption trends at multiple residences.

[0031] The determination unit 145 determines whether or not the delivery period 1422 needs to be changed based on the prediction result by the prediction unit 144. The determination unit 145 may compare the consumption completion period of the product during a predetermined period in the past (e.g., several months) with the consumption completion period 1442 predicted by the prediction unit 144, and determine whether or not the delivery period 1422 needs to be changed based on the comparison result. For example, the determination unit 145 may perform a process of calculating the difference between the average value of the consumption completion period during the predetermined period in the past and the consumption completion period 1442, and determine that the delivery period 1422 needs to be changed if the difference exceeds a threshold. The consumption completion period of the product during the predetermined period in the past may be acquired from the storage unit 142.

[0032] The determination unit 145 may determine whether or not the delivery period 1422 needs to be changed by comparing the consumption completion period for a predetermined period in the past (e.g., several months) with the consumption completion period for a most recent predetermined period (e.g., several weeks). The consumption completion period for the most recent predetermined period includes the prediction result (consumption completion period 1442) by the prediction unit 144. Specifically, when the prediction unit 144 predicts the consumption completion period for each day, if each of the consumption completion periods for the most recent week is different from the average value of the consumption completion periods for the past several months, the determination unit 145 may determine that the delivery period 1422 needs to be changed. In such a case, the determination unit 145 can determine that the delivery period 1422 needs to be changed if the change in the consumption rate has continued for a certain period.

[0033] Furthermore, the determination unit 145 may determine whether or not the delivery period 1422 needs to be changed based on past prediction results by the prediction unit 144 and new prediction results by the prediction unit 144. For example, the determination unit 145 may determine whether or not the delivery period needs to be changed by comparing a predicted value (prediction result) for a predetermined period in the past with a predicted value for a most recent predetermined period. The predicted value for the most recent predetermined period includes a new predicted value. The determination unit 145 may determine whether or not the delivery period 1422 needs to be changed by comparing a predicted value for a predetermined period in the past with a new predicted value.

[0034] Furthermore, the determining unit 145 may calculate the difference between the predicted consumption completion period 1442 and the set delivery period 1422, and determine that the delivery period 1422 needs to be changed if the difference is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

[0035] When the determination unit 145 determines that the delivery period 1422 needs to be changed, the output unit 146 generates a message prompting the user to change the delivery period 1422 setting, and outputs the message to the terminal 11. The user who has confirmed the message can set a new delivery period 1422. Here, the management server 14 may calculate an appropriate delivery period and recommend it to the user. Note that when the management server 14 determines that the delivery period 1422 needs to be changed, the management server 14 may set an appropriate delivery period 1422.

[0036] The management system according to the embodiment predicts the time it will take to use up a product based on the consumption history and determines whether the delivery period is appropriate. Therefore, the management system according to the embodiment can prompt the user to change the delivery period setting when the consumption rate changes. For example, the management system according to the embodiment can prompt the user to set a shorter delivery period for masks and tissues during hay fever season.

[0037] 3 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the management method according to the embodiment. It is assumed that a delivery period 1422 is set for each product based on a user input.

[0038] First, the prediction unit 144 acquires the consumption history 1423 of the products stored on the shelf 12 (step S101). Next, the prediction unit 144 calculates the consumption completion period 1442, which is the period until a predetermined amount (e.g., minimum stock amount) of the products is used up, based on the consumption history 1423 (step S102).

[0039] Next, the determination unit 145 determines whether or not the delivery period 1422 needs to be changed (step S103). The determination unit 145 may, for example, compare the consumption completion period 1442 calculated in step S102 with a past prediction result by the prediction unit 144 to determine whether or not the consumption completion period 1442 has changed. Note that the determination unit 145 may also obtain the period required to actually use up a predetermined amount of product from the consumption history 1423 and compare it with the prediction result of step S102.

[0040] If the delivery period 1422 does not need to be changed (No in step S103), the management server 14 ends the process. On the other hand, if the delivery period needs to be changed (Yes in step S103), the output unit 146 of the management server 14 outputs a message to the terminal 11 prompting the terminal 11 to change the delivery period 1422 (step S104).

[0041] The effects of the embodiment will be described below. The management system according to the embodiment predicts a consumption completion period based on consumption history, and determines whether or not a change to the delivery period is necessary based on the prediction result. Therefore, the management system according to the embodiment can promote appropriate setting of the delivery period.

[0042] Furthermore, the management device according to the embodiment can accurately predict the period during which products will be consumed at home based on the detection results of the sensor, even when products are purchased in bulk. Furthermore, since the management device according to the embodiment sets a delivery period for each product, it can recommend changes to the delivery period for each product to different people. For example, beer may be classified by brand and recommendations may be made to a father or a mother depending on the brand.

[0043] In the above examples, various control programs can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer-readable media. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic storage media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical storage media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, CD-R / Ws, and semiconductor memories (e.g., mask ROMs, programmable ROMs (PROMs), erasable PROMs (EPROMs), flash ROMs, and RAMs). Furthermore, programs may be supplied to a computer by various types of transitory computer-readable media. Examples of transitory computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer-readable media can supply the programs to a computer via wired communication paths such as electrical wires and optical fibers, or wireless communication paths.

[0044] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 Management System 11 Terminals 12 shelves 121 Control Unit 13 Retail Server 14 Management Server 141 Input section 142 Storage section 1,421 items 1422 shipping period 1423 Consumption History 143 Ordering Department 144 Prediction Department 1,441 items 1442 Consumption completion period 145 Judgment section 146 Output section

Claims

1. A management system for ordering products to be consumed based on delivery periods, a prediction means for predicting a consumption completion period, which is a period from the start to the completion of consumption of a predetermined amount of the product, based on the consumption history of the product; a determination means for determining whether or not the delivery period needs to be changed based on the prediction result by the prediction means; Equipped with The delivery period and minimum stock amount are set for the product, The prediction means predicting the consumption completion period, which is the period from the start to the completion of consumption of the minimum inventory amount of the product, based on the consumption history; The management system includes: an ordering means for ordering the product so that it will be delivered within the delivery period when the inventory amount of the product falls below the minimum inventory amount; a shelf for storing the product; Equipped with a sensor for measuring consumption or inventory of the product is attached to the shelf; The consumption history is generated based on the measurement results of the sensor, The minimum inventory amount is set by a user; The delivery period is set by the user; The management system includes: The delivery system further includes an output unit that outputs a message to the user to prompt the user to change the delivery period setting when the determination unit determines that the delivery period needs to be changed. Management system.

2. The determination means comparing the consumption completion period for a predetermined period in the past with the consumption completion period predicted by the prediction means, and determining whether or not the delivery period needs to be changed based on the comparison result; The management system according to claim 1 .

3. The determination means comparing a consumption completion period in a past predetermined period with the consumption completion period in a most recent predetermined period, and determining whether or not the delivery period needs to be changed based on the comparison result; The management system according to claim 1 .

4. The determination means determining whether or not the delivery period needs to be changed based on past prediction results by the prediction means and new prediction results by the prediction means; The management system according to claim 1 .

5. The prediction means calculating a consumption rate of the product based on the consumption history, and predicting the consumption completion period based on the consumption rate; The management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The prediction means acquiring a consumption history of the product at a residence other than the residence where the management system manages orders, and predicting the consumption completion period based on the acquired results; The management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A method for managing orders for products to be consumed based on delivery periods, comprising: The computer a prediction step of predicting a consumption completion period, which is a period from the start to the completion of consumption of a predetermined amount of the product, based on the consumption history of the product; a determination step of determining whether or not the delivery period needs to be changed based on the prediction result obtained by the prediction step; Including, The delivery period and minimum stock amount are set for the product, The prediction step predicting the consumption completion period, which is the period from the start to the completion of consumption of the minimum inventory amount of the product, based on the consumption history; The management method includes: an ordering step in which, when the inventory amount of the product falls below the minimum inventory amount, the computer orders the product so that it will be delivered within the delivery period; Including, a sensor for measuring consumption or inventory of the product is attached to the shelf storing the product; The consumption history is generated based on the measurement results of the sensor, The minimum inventory amount is set by a user; The delivery period is set by the user; The management method includes: and an output step of outputting a message to the user to prompt the user to change the delivery period setting when it is determined in the determining step that the delivery period needs to be changed. Management method.

8. A program for ordering products to be consumed based on delivery periods, comprising: On the computer, a prediction step of predicting a consumption completion period, which is a period from the start to the completion of consumption of the product, based on the consumption history of the product; a determination step of determining whether or not the delivery period needs to be changed based on the prediction result obtained by the prediction step; Execute The delivery period and minimum stock amount are set for the product, the prediction step predicts the consumption completion period, which is a period from the start to the completion of consumption of the minimum inventory amount of the product, based on the consumption history; causing the computer to execute an ordering step of ordering the product so that it will be delivered within the delivery period when the inventory amount of the product falls below the minimum inventory amount; a sensor for measuring consumption or inventory of the product is attached to the shelf storing the product; The consumption history is generated based on the measurement results of the sensor, The minimum inventory amount is set by a user; The delivery period is set by the user; and causing the computer to execute an output step of outputting a message prompting the user to change the setting of the delivery period when it is determined in the determination step that the delivery period needs to be changed. Management program.

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