Maintenance System

Abstract

To provide a maintenance system which can perform maintenance management of any of articles newly installed and articles already installed.SOLUTION: A sensor terminal 2 includes: environmental electric power generation means 22 which generates electric power with an electric wave, vibration, light, or heat therearound; acquisition means 23 which acquires physical quantity information using the electric power generated by the environmental electric power generation means 22; and wireless communication means 24 which transmits the physical quantity information together with identification information of the sensor terminal 2 to a server 4 using the electric power generated by the environmental electric power generation means 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a maintenance system used for the maintenance management of facilities and equipment installed in logistics, commercial environments, offices, etc. [Background technology]

[0002] These include facilities and equipment used by both specified and unspecified people. In logistics, this includes fixtures for holding goods in warehouses; in commercial environments, this includes equipment such as product display fixtures and refrigerators; and in offices, this includes desks, chairs, and partition panels that divide spaces. These facilities and equipment are at risk of damage due to aging caused by usage and the surrounding environment. When facilities and equipment are damaged, they are naturally repaired or replaced, but damage can sometimes be prevented if signs of damage can be detected or predicted. Furthermore, repair efficiency can be improved if the location of damage can be predicted in advance. For this reason, maintenance systems have emerged in recent years that monitor usage and the surrounding environment by attaching sensors to facilities and equipment, thereby predicting the need for maintenance.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a maintenance system for shutters installed in buildings. In this maintenance system, detection data such as drive current, drive voltage, temperature, tilt, vibration, and wind speed during opening and closing operations, detected by detection means installed inside and around the exterior of the electric shutter, is sent to a server via the Internet, and the server can predict the need for maintenance such as replacing shutter parts based on this detection data. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-020105 A (page 19, Figure 5) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] For equipment that runs on commercial power, such as the shutter in Patent Document 1, it is easy to install electrical wiring for using the commercial power source and network wiring for transmitting detection data to a server. However, in the case of existing equipment in which multiple panels are manually moved along rails, such as movable partition panels that divide rooms within a facility, attaching new detection means to the panels and installing new electrical wiring and network wiring would require large-scale construction work and is therefore not realistic, making it difficult to maintain and manage items based on detection data from such existing equipment.

[0006] The present invention has been made in light of these problems, and aims to provide a maintenance system that can perform maintenance management for both newly installed and existing items. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the maintenance system of the present invention comprises: A maintenance system in which physical quantity information acquired by a sensor terminal attached to an item is sent to a server, and the server manages the status of each item, The sensor terminal is characterized by comprising: an environmental power generation means for generating electricity using surrounding radio waves, vibrations, light, or heat; an acquisition means for acquiring the physical quantity information using the power generated by the radio wave power generation means; and a wireless communication means for transmitting the physical quantity information together with identification information of the sensor terminal to the server using the power generated by the environmental power generation means. According to this feature, the sensor terminal generates power using an energy harvesting means, acquires physical quantity information about the attached item using an acquisition means, and transmits this physical quantity information to a server using a wireless communication means. This eliminates the need for electrical wiring or network wiring to connect the sensor terminal to the commercial power source of the facility where the item is installed, and makes it possible to acquire physical quantity information about the attached item and perform maintenance management in both new and existing installations.

[0008] The energy harvesting means is characterized by generating electricity using ambient radio waves. According to this feature, as long as the equipment is within the radio wave area for wireless communication, it is possible to acquire physical quantity information about the installed item and perform maintenance management, regardless of whether the item is a new installation or an existing installation.

[0009] The sensor terminal has the energy-generating means, the acquisition means, and the wireless communication means built into a film-like body, and is characterized by having an adhesive portion on one of the front and back sides of the plate body that can be attached to an object. According to this feature, the sensor terminal is constructed with the energy harvesting means, acquisition means, and wireless communication means built into a film-like body, making it space-saving and highly versatile, and since it can be attached to an object using the adhesive part, it can be easily installed on both new and existing objects.

[0010] The server accumulates the physical quantity information received from the sensor terminals and performs a determination process to sequentially determine the current state of the item to which the sensor terminal is attached. This feature allows the server to grasp the current status of the item in real time.

[0011] The server is characterized in that it can output whether or not maintenance is necessary based on the determination process. According to this feature, the maintenance service staff can access the server to find out which items require maintenance, and can provide appropriate maintenance guidance regardless of the staff's level of experience.

[0012] The server manages the identification information of the sensor terminal in association with the property information in which the sensor terminal is installed, and displays a list of items that require maintenance for each piece of property information based on the determination process on an information terminal that is permitted to access the server. According to this feature, maintenance service personnel can access the server to find out which items need maintenance from among the multiple items grouped by property information, and can announce to the property that maintenance for multiple items will be required regardless of the item category, thereby increasing sales effectiveness.

[0013] The server manages the property information by linking it to the terminal information of the person in charge, and if there is an item linked to the property information that requires maintenance based on the judgment process, it notifies the terminal of the person in charge of this. This feature allows the person in charge to know for sure which items require maintenance, and to take prompt and appropriate maintenance action.

[0014] The sensor terminal is assigned with unique identification information, and the item to which the sensor terminal is attached is assigned with a unique identification code, and the identification information and the identification code are linked by the server, and when the server receives the identification code from an information terminal that has accessed it, it discloses to the information terminal the physical quantity information acquired by the corresponding sensor terminal. According to this feature, by reading the identification code attached to the item using the information terminal, it is possible to reliably obtain the physical quantity information of the item from among the plurality of sensor terminals.

[0015] The sensor terminal is assigned unique identification information, and the item to which the sensor terminal is attached is assigned a unique identification code, the server has a reception processing unit that accepts new associations between the identification code and the identification information, and the reception processing unit links the identification code with the identification information of the sensor terminal in which a change in physical quantity information has been detected within a predetermined time after receiving the identification code. According to this feature, after transmitting an identification code, by moving the item to which the identification code is attached, a new link can be reliably and easily made between the identification code attached to the same item and the identification information of the sensor terminal. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a maintenance system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a sensor terminal. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a partition device maintained and managed by a maintenance system. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an initial screen displayed on an information terminal that has accessed the server. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram similarly showing a list of items by property displayed on an information terminal. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram similarly showing a list of items in charge displayed on an information terminal. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram similarly showing a list of notifications displayed on the information terminal. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a top screen of an application started on an information terminal of a person in charge. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A maintenance system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the following embodiments. [Example]

[0018] A maintenance system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 8. As shown in Fig. 1, a maintenance system 1 according to an embodiment includes at least a sensor terminal 2, a communication device 3, a server 4, and an information terminal 5, which are connected via the Internet.

[0019] As shown in Figure 2, the sensor terminal 2 has a film-like main body 21 that incorporates an energy-generating means 22, an acquisition means 23 (described in detail later), a wireless communication means 24, and a capacitor 25, and is provided with an adhesive part 28 on one of the front and back sides of the main body 21 that can be attached to an object.

[0020] The wireless communication means 24 is a transmitter / receiver conforming to a wireless communication standard, and in this embodiment, BLE ("Bluetooth Low Energy" registered trademark) which has low power consumption is adopted.

[0021] The environmental power generation means 22 is a radio wave power generation device equipped with a rectifier 26 and an antenna 27, which converts ambient radio waves of a predetermined frequency (here, 2.4 GHz) such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or Zigbee (registered trademark) into direct current. The generated power is stored in a capacitor 25 and then used by the acquisition means 23 and wireless communication means 24.

[0022] In detail, the sensor terminal 2 is configured to autonomously acquire physical quantity information by the acquisition means 23 and transmit the physical quantity information by the wireless communication means 24, provided that the power required for acquiring physical quantity information by the acquisition means 23 and the power required for transmitting the physical quantity information by the wireless communication means 24 is generated by the energy harvesting means 22 and stored in the capacitor 25.

[0023] The sensor terminals 2 are attached to multiple items one by one, and a communication device 3, which functions as a central device that aggregates and receives BLE transmission data sent from the multiple sensor terminals 2 that are peripheral devices, is installed within a distance that allows communication with the sensor terminals 2 using BLE.

[0024] The communication device 3 is a gateway terminal installed indoors, and in addition to the BLE transmission and reception function for communicating with the multiple sensor terminals 2 mentioned above, it is equipped with a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi transmission and reception means and an Internet communication means that enables communication with the server 4.

[0025] The server 4 includes a calculation unit 41 and a storage medium 42, and is capable of communicating with the sensor terminal 2 and the information terminal 5 via the Internet.

[0026] Next, we will explain the maintenance of items using the maintenance system 1 based on the usage of this embodiment. Reference numeral 6 shown in Fig. 3 denotes a partition device that is installed to divide an indoor space such as an office, exhibition hall, or conference room, and is mainly composed of a plurality of partition panels 63, 63, ... suspended at their upper ends by suspension members 62, 62 that are movable along rails 61 (ceiling portion) installed across the ceiling portion of the indoor space.

[0027] The partition device 6 can connect the partition panels 63, 63, ... in a row to divide the indoor space by manually moving the partition panels 63, 63, ... stored in a storage rail (not shown) provided at one end of the rail 61 in sequence along the rail 61 to a predetermined position in the direction of the side wall W1. This partition panel 63 is the item that is the target of maintenance in this embodiment.

[0028] The suspension member 62, which will not be described in detail here, is composed of a pair of upper and lower rollers, and a vertically extending suspension rod to which the upper and lower rollers are pivotally supported so that they can rotate horizontally, and suspends the panel main body 64 from the rail 61.

[0029] In this embodiment, the sensor terminals 2 are installed on all of the partition panels 63, 63, ... that make up the partition device 6, and although not shown here, a communication device 3 (see Figure 1) that functions as a central device that can aggregate and receive BLE transmission data transmitted from at least all of the sensor terminals 2 attached to the partition panels 63, 63, ... of the partition device 6 is installed in the room where the partition device 6 is installed.

[0030] The acquisition means 23 of the sensor terminal 2 is a sensor arranged on the rear side of the adhesive portion 28, and is capable of acquiring physical quantity information such as the sway, movement speed, and vibration of the attached item. The sensor terminal 2 is attached to the surface of the panel body 64 of the partition panel 63. The acquisition means includes a sway detection element, a movement speed detection element, and a vibration detection element, but is not limited to these. For example, the acquisition means may include an acceleration detection element and a conversion unit that converts the detection value of the acceleration detection element into values ​​of sway, speed, and vibration. Furthermore, the conversion unit may not be provided in the sensor terminal 2, but may be provided in another device such as a server, and it goes without saying that the physical quantities primarily acquired by the acquisition means are not limited to those described above.

[0031] The sensor terminal 2 generates power using the energy harvesting means 22 by using surrounding radio waves of a predetermined frequency, and acquires physical quantity information of the partition panel 63 using the generated power by the acquisition means 23. The energy harvesting means 22 can also generate power using radio waves from surrounding cellular communications, but since the room in which the partition device 6 is installed is equipped with a communication device 3 that constantly outputs Wi-Fi radio waves, the energy harvesting means 22 can stably generate power using the Wi-Fi radio waves from this communication device 3.

[0032] When the sensor terminal 2 acquires the physical quantity information, it performs a process of transmitting the physical quantity information to the server 4 using the power generated by the energy harvesting means 22 .

[0033] The physical quantity information acquired by the sensor terminal 2 attached to the partition panel 63 includes information on the magnitude of the swinging in the front-to-rear direction of the partition panel 63 when it is moved along the rails when it is unfolded and retracted, and information on the speed of movement. Also, information on the vibration of the partition panel 63 when it is moved along the rails 61 when it is unfolded and retracted, that is, information on the smoothness of movement, is obtained.

[0034] The sensor terminal 2 uses the unique identification information assigned to itself when transmitting data to the server 4. Specifically, the sensor terminal 2 transmits the acquired physical quantity information of the partition panel 63 and its own identification information as BLE transmission data to the communication device 3. The communication device 3 transmits the received physical quantity information and the identification information of the sensor terminal 2 to the server 4 via the Internet.

[0035] When the server 4 receives the physical quantity information and the identification information of the sensor terminal 2, the server 4 stores the physical quantity information and the date and time information when the physical quantity information was received in the storage medium 42, linking them to the corresponding identification information of the sensor terminal 2.

[0036] The maintenance system 1 in this embodiment is a system that enables a supplier who has delivered an item to a customer's facility to predict when maintenance or replacement will be necessary based on the condition of the item, and suggests maintenance or replacement to the customer at the appropriate time, which is used to effectively increase sales and also enables the customer to carry out maintenance or replacement before irreparable damage occurs. Note that the maintenance system 1 is not limited to being used for newly delivered items, but can also be used for maintenance management of existing items that have been delivered previously.

[0037] The following describes the case where a new partition device is delivered. At the time of delivery, an operator or factory worker attaches a sensor terminal 2 to the surface of the panel body 64 of each of the partition panels 63 that make up the partition device 6. In addition, an identification sticker 7, on which a two-dimensional barcode having a unique identification code is printed, is attached near the attached sensor terminal 2.

[0038] The two-dimensional barcode printed on the identification sticker 7 is a converted unique identification code, and the product number of the item to be delivered (here, a partition panel) is stored in advance in the storage medium of the server 4 in association with the identification code.

[0039] When delivering goods, the person in charge carries an information terminal 3A, which has a wireless communication function that can connect to the Internet, like a smartphone, and a function to read two-dimensional barcodes. A specific application is launched on the information terminal 3A. This application can only be used if the user's user ID (here, the person in charge's user ID) and password are correct, and when launched, it reads the identification code from the two-dimensional barcode printed on the identification sticker 7.

[0040] When the identification code is read, the application performs a standby process to wait for a predetermined time to receive BLE communication from the sensor terminal 2, and then transmits to the server 4 the identification information of the sensor terminal 2 that sent the information received by the information terminal within this predetermined time, along with the identification code.

[0041] The server 4 associates the identification information of the sensor terminal 2 that sent the BLE transmission data received from the information terminal with the identification code on the identification sticker 7 and stores it in a storage medium, thereby completing the registration of the newly installed sensor terminal 2.

[0042] The sensor terminal 2 attached to the partition panel 63 generates electricity from radio waves around the partition panel 63 using an environmental power generation means 22, and the acquisition means 23 uses the generated electricity to acquire physical quantities of the partition panel 63.Furthermore, the wireless communication means 24 uses the generated electricity to transmit the acquired physical quantities together with identification information to the communication device 3 via BLE communication.

[0043] Each time the server 4 receives physical quantity information, the calculation unit 41 monitors changes in the physical quantity information using the physical quantity information stored for each piece of identification information and the date and time information when the physical quantity information was received. Specifically, the calculation unit 41 calculates the load amount by performing a predetermined calculation based on the received and accumulated physical quantity information. This load amount is updated sequentially based on the received physical quantity information. The predetermined calculation uses a calculation formula that maximizes the load amount using parameters calculated in advance through experiments: a value obtained from the magnitude of the forward / backward swing when the suspension member 62 or the panel body 64 of the partition panel 63 is damaged, the movement speed, and the vibration value when the movement of the partition panel 63 becomes erratic. The calculation unit 41 then determines whether the load amount exceeds a certain value (e.g., 8), and temporarily stores the identification information of the sensor terminal 2 whose load amount exceeds the certain value, i.e., the sensor terminal 2 that requires maintenance.

[0044] The physical quantity information of the multiple sensor terminals 2 collected in the server 4 can be viewed by the supplier who delivered the goods that operate the maintenance system. The server 4 performs authentication processing on the information terminals 5, such as personal computers and tablet terminals, that access the server 4 via the Internet. In detail, the authentication processing displays a login screen (not shown) and prompts the user to enter a pre-registered user ID and password. If it is confirmed that the user ID and password are appropriate, the initial screen 8 for viewing is displayed.

[0045] As shown in Figure 4, the initial screen 8 displays a property search button 81 for searching for properties, a list of assigned items button 82 for displaying a list of physical quantity information of the sensor terminals grouped by assigned person, and a notification list button 83 for displaying a list of notifications.

[0046] When the property search button 81 is selected, the server 4 causes the information terminal 5 of the person in charge who has accessed the server 4 to display a property search screen (not shown) on the information terminal 5. On the search screen, properties can be searched for using multiple conditions such as region and genre, and when the person in charge selects a property from the search results, the server 4 transmits data on all items maintained and managed at the property to the information terminal 5, and a property-based item list 9 (see FIG. 5 ), which is a list of items maintained and managed at the property, is displayed on the information terminal 5.

[0047] As shown in Figure 5, the property-based item list 9 displays the identification information of all sensor terminals 2 installed in the property selected by the person in charge through a search, the product model numbers of the products to which these sensor terminals 2 are attached, the latest reception which is the date and time when physical quantity information was last received from these sensor terminals 2, the load amount calculated by a predetermined calculation based on the received physical quantity information, and the maintenance forecast which is the date when maintenance of the item is predicted to be required based on the received physical quantity information.

[0048] For a sensor terminal 2 whose load amount exceeds a certain value, the "load amount" column displays "10", and it can be determined that the urgency of maintenance is lower as the load amount number becomes smaller.

[0049] By accessing the server 4 and viewing the property-specific item list 9, the person in charge can find out which items (products) need maintenance from among the multiple items (products) organized by property information. This makes it possible to send advance notices of maintenance for items installed in multiple rooms at once, for example. Therefore, advance notices of maintenance for multiple items can be announced to the property regardless of the item category, thereby improving sales effectiveness.

[0050] When the responsible item list button 82 is selected on the initial screen 8, the server 4 sends data constituting information on all sensor terminals 2 linked to the user ID of the person who logged in to the information terminal 5 of the person who accessed the screen, and the responsible item list 10 (see Figure 6) is displayed on the information terminal 5, displaying a list of information on the sensor terminals 2 linked to the user ID of the person in question.

[0051] As shown in Figure 6, the list 10 of items in charge displays the identification information of all sensor terminals 2 linked to the user ID of the logged-in person in charge, the names of the properties where these sensor terminals 2 are installed, the product number of the products to which these sensor terminals 2 are attached, the latest reception which is the date and time when physical quantity information was last received from these sensor terminals 2, the load calculated by a predetermined calculation based on the received physical quantity information, and the maintenance forecast which is the date and time when maintenance of the item is predicted to be required based on the received physical quantity information.

[0052] By accessing the server and viewing the list of items in charge 10, the person in charge can view information on all items for which he is in charge, regardless of the property, which prevents the omission of advance notice of maintenance and improves sales effectiveness.

[0053] When the notification list button 83 is selected on the initial screen 8, the server 4 transmits to the information terminal 5 of the person who has accessed the server data of all sensor terminals linked to the user ID of that person, which have observed changes exceeding a predetermined threshold and have been marked by the calculation unit, and the information terminal 5 displays a notification list 11 (see Figure 7) that lists the sensor terminals linked to the user ID of that person.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 7, the notification list 11 displays, among all the sensor terminals 2 linked to the user ID of the logged-in person, the identification information of the sensor terminals 2 that have observed a change exceeding a predetermined threshold from the received physical quantity information, the product model numbers of the products to which these sensor terminals 2 are attached, the names of the properties to which these sensor terminals 2 are installed, and the latest reception, which is the date and time when physical quantity information was last received from these sensor terminals 2.

[0055] By accessing the server 4 and viewing the notification list 11, the person in charge can be sure to know all the items that need maintenance among the items that he is responsible for maintaining, and can provide prompt maintenance guidance, thereby improving sales effectiveness.

[0056] As described above, the sensor terminal 2 of the maintenance system 1 is configured to generate power using the energy harvesting means 22, acquire physical quantity information about the attached item using the acquisition means 23, and transmit this physical quantity information to the server using the wireless communication means 24. This eliminates the need for electrical wiring or network wiring to use the commercial power source of the facility where the item is installed for the sensor terminal 2, and as long as it is within the area of ​​radio waves for wireless communication, it is possible to acquire physical quantity information about the attached item and perform maintenance management, regardless of whether it is a new installation or an existing installation.

[0057] Furthermore, the sensor terminal 2 is constructed with the energy-generating means 22, the acquisition means 23, and the wireless communication means 24 built into the film-like main body 21, making it space-saving and highly versatile, and since it can be attached to an object using the adhesive part 28, it can be easily installed on both new and existing objects.

[0058] Furthermore, the calculation unit 41 of the server 4 performs a predetermined calculation process using the physical quantity information received from the sensor terminal 2, and performs a determination process to determine whether the item to which the sensor terminal is attached will require maintenance within a predetermined period from that point in time. If maintenance is required, the calculation unit 41 displays this information on the information terminal 5 that is permitted to access the server 4. In this embodiment, for a sensor terminal 2 whose load amount exceeds a certain value (e.g., 8), the information terminal 5 displays a message indicating that maintenance is required in the property-based item list 9, assigned item list 10, and notification list 11. Alternatively, a maintenance forecast, which is the date and time when maintenance of the item is predicted to be required based on the received physical quantity information, is displayed. This allows a maintenance service staff member to know which items require maintenance by accessing the server 4, and can provide appropriate maintenance guidance regardless of the staff member's level of experience.

[0059] The calculation unit 41 of the server 4 has a function as a reception processing unit that can link the identification code with the identification information of the sensor terminal 2 in which a change in physical quantity information has been detected within a predetermined time after receiving the identification code. For example, a person in charge can use an information terminal such as a smartphone to take a photo of the identification code on the identification sticker 7 and send it to the server 4, and then move the partition panel 63 to which the identification sticker 7 has been attached, thereby enabling a new link between the identification code attached to the same partition panel 63 and the identification information of the sensor terminal 2 to be performed reliably and easily without error.

[0060] While the above has described the registration of the identification information of the sensor terminal 2 when performing maintenance on a newly delivered partition panel 63, the sensor terminal 2 can also be registered correctly on the server 4 side by following the procedure below when performing maintenance on an existing item that has already been installed. First, the sensor terminal 2 is attached to the item using the adhesive portion 28, and a newly prepared identification sticker 7 linked to the product number of the item is attached. After that, a photograph of the identification code on the identification sticker 7 is taken using an information terminal such as a smartphone with a specified application running, and the partition panel 63 with the identification sticker 7 attached is then moved. In this way, the maintenance system 1 in this embodiment can acquire physical quantity information about the installed item and perform maintenance management, whether it is a new installation or an existing installation.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the energy harvesting means 22 of the sensor terminal 2 generates power using Wi-Fi radio waves from the communication device 3 installed in the same room as the partition device 6 to which it is attached. However, if the operator of the partition device 6 carries a mobile communication terminal 3B such as a smartphone, stable power generation is possible using the radio waves emitted by this mobile communication terminal 3B, regardless of the radio wave strength affected by the distance from the communication device 3. It is preferable that an app capable of communicating with the sensor terminal 2 and the server 4 is registered in the mobile communication terminal 3B, in which case the communication device 3 does not need to be installed.

[0062] Furthermore, if maintenance is performed after checking the property-based item list 9, assigned item list 10, and notification list 11, the person in charge may be able to access the server 4 and input the details of the maintenance that was performed. Based on the input that maintenance has been performed, the server 4 displays the date and time of the last maintenance performed in the property-based item list 9 and assigned item list 10, linked to the item for which maintenance was performed and the attached sensor terminal 2, and deletes the information on the item for which maintenance was performed and the attached sensor terminal 2 from the notification list 11.

[0063] Furthermore, the information terminal 5, such as a smartphone, operated by the person in charge is able to receive notifications from the server 4 through an application running on this information terminal 5. The server 4 manages information on destinations to which data is sent via the Internet to the information terminal 5 of the person in charge, linked to the user ID of the person in charge.

[0064] When the person in charge starts up the application on the information terminal 5, a top screen 12 is displayed as shown in Fig. 8. The top screen 12 displays a sensor terminal registration button 13 for registering the sensor terminal 2 described above, and a notification button 14, which will be described later.

[0065] The server 4 performs a transmission process to transmit information about the sensor terminal 2, which has been temporarily held by the calculation unit 41 when the load amount exceeds a certain numerical value (for example, 8), to the information terminal of the person in charge linked to this sensor terminal 2. Although not shown here, when the notification button 14 is selected, the information displayed in the notification list 11 described above is displayed on the information terminal of the person in charge. Also, a counter 15 is displayed near the notification button 14, counting and displaying the number of notified sensor terminals, i.e., the number of items requiring maintenance, so that the person in charge can immediately recognize the items for which a maintenance announcement needs to be made.

[0066] Furthermore, the sensor terminal 2 autonomously acquires physical quantity information by the acquisition means 23 and transmits the physical quantity information by the wireless communication means 24, provided that electricity is generated by the energy harvesting means 22 and stored in the capacitor 25. Therefore, the sensor terminal 2 can reliably perform a series of processes, such as acquiring physical quantity information by the acquisition means and transmitting the acquired physical quantity information to a server by the wireless communication means, while adopting a compact structure that minimizes the use of storage means.

[0067] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention also includes modifications and additions that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0068] For example, in the above embodiment, the partition panel 63 constituting the partition device 6 was used as an example of an item to be maintained and managed, to which the sensor terminal 2 is attached. However, the present invention is not limited to this example and can be used for the maintenance and management of various items. For example, in an emergency situation where a road is flooded or a heavy rainfall causes a large amount of water to overflow, more than expected, into a house, building, underground parking lot, subway, or other structure, a waterproof board is normally placed on the floor of the entrance to the structure to prevent water from entering the structure through the entrance and exit. In the event of a flood, the waterproof board can be raised to block the entrance and exit. Such a waterproof board device does not have electricity except in an emergency, and an emergency power source may be used. Therefore, maintenance and management using conventional technology is difficult. However, by attaching the sensor terminal of this embodiment to the backside of the waterproof board and using a vibration sensor as an acquisition means, the load caused by pedestrians walking on the fallen waterproof board during normal times can be acquired as physical quantity information.

[0069] In commercial environments, for example, in supermarkets, convenience stores, etc., there are sliding shelf devices that have a shelf body that is supported so that it can slide back and forth, and physical quantity information can be obtained by attaching a sensor terminal to this shelf body or the movable part that slides.

[0070] In an office environment, physical quantity information can be obtained by attaching a sensor terminal to the seat of a chair or the legs of a tabletop, for example.

[0071] In a logistics environment, for example, physical quantity information can be acquired by attaching a sensor terminal to a conveyor that constitutes a transport device. It goes without saying that the physical quantity acquired by the acquiring means 23 is not limited to vibration, etc., and that a suitable configuration of the acquiring means can be adopted depending on, for example, temperature or the article to be attached.

[0072] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the environmental power generation means 22 was described as a radio wave power generation device that converts ambient radio waves of a predetermined frequency into direct current, but it may also be configured to generate power from sources other than radio waves, such as a vibration power generation device that generates power from vibrations, a device that generates power from light like a solar panel, or a thermal power generation device that generates power from heat.

[0073] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the sensor terminal 2 is attached to all the partition panels 63 that make up one partition device 6, but the present invention is not limited to this, and since this partition device 6 is designed to divide a space by unfolding all the partition panels 63 and to make full use of the space by storing all the partition panels 63, all the partition panels 63 are basically moved the same number of times and roughly similar physical quantity information can be obtained, so that maintenance and management of the partition device 6 can be performed even in an embodiment in which the sensor terminal 2 is attached to only one partition panel 63. In this way, it is not limited to partition devices, and as long as it is an item that performs a similar operation, it is not necessary to attach the sensor terminal 2 to all of the separate members that make up the device.

[0074] Furthermore, when a person in charge uses an information terminal to read the two-dimensional code on the identification sticker 7 attached to the item, the server 4 may disclose the physical quantity information acquired by the corresponding sensor terminal 2 to the information terminal 5. In this way, by reading the identification code attached to the item, the physical quantity information of the item can be reliably known from among multiple sensor terminals 2.

[0075] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the calculation unit 41 is described as being configured to calculate the load amount by performing a predetermined calculation process based on the received and accumulated physical quantity information, but the calculation unit is not limited to this and may be configured to absorb all information, such as the difference between the predicted maintenance time based on physical quantity information from multiple sensor terminals 2 and the actual time of failure, perform machine learning, and update the calculation formula to a highly accurate formula. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1 Maintenance System 2. Sensor terminals 3. Communications equipment 4 Server 5. Information terminals 6 Partition device 7 Identification sticker 8 Initial screen 9. List of items per property 10 List of items in charge 11 Notification List 12 TOP screen 13 Sensor device registration button 14 Notification button 15 Counter 21 Main Unit 22 Energy Harvesting Methods 23 Acquisition means 24 Wireless communication means 25 capacitors 26 Rectifier 27 Antenna 28 Adhesive part 41 Calculation unit (reception processing unit) 42 Storage medium 61 Rail 62 Hanging support material 63 Partition Panel 64 Panel body 81 Property search button 82 List of items in charge button 83 Notification list button

Claims

1. A maintenance system that sends physical quantity information acquired by a sensor terminal attached to movable fixtures to a server and manages the status of the movable fixtures on the server, The sensor terminal is characterized in that it comprises: an environmental power generation means for generating power using ambient radio waves, vibrations, light, or heat; an acquisition means for acquiring the physical quantity information using the power generated by the environmental power generation means; and a wireless communication means for transmitting the physical quantity information together with identification information of the sensor terminal to the server each time it is acquired using the power generated by the environmental power generation means.

2. The maintenance system described in claim 1, characterized in that the sensor terminal has the energy harvesting means, the acquisition means, and the wireless communication means built into a film-like main body, and has an adhesive part on one of the front and back of the main body that can be attached to movable furniture.

3. The maintenance system described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the server accumulates the physical quantity information received from the sensor terminal and performs a determination process to sequentially determine the current state of the movable fixture to which the sensor terminal is attached.

4. 4. The maintenance system according to claim 3, wherein the server is capable of outputting whether or not maintenance is required based on the determination process.

5. The maintenance system described in claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the server manages the identification information of the sensor terminal in association with the property information in which the sensor terminal is installed, and causes an information terminal permitted to access the server to display a list of movable fixtures that require maintenance for each piece of property information based on the determination process.

6. The maintenance system described in claim 5 is characterized in that the server manages the property information by linking it to the terminal information of the person in charge, and if there is any movable fixture linked to the property information that requires maintenance based on the judgment process, the server notifies the person in charge of this fact on their terminal.

7. A maintenance system as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the sensor terminal is assigned unique identification information, the movable fixture to which the sensor terminal is attached is assigned a unique identification code, the identification information and the identification code are linked by the server, and when the server receives the identification code from an information terminal that has accessed it, it discloses to the information terminal the physical quantity information acquired by the corresponding sensor terminal.

8. A maintenance system as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the sensor terminal is assigned unique identification information, and the movable fixture to which the sensor terminal is attached is assigned a unique identification code, the server has a reception processing unit that accepts new associations between the identification code and the identification information of the sensor terminal, and the reception processing unit associates the identification code with the identification information of the sensor terminal in which a change in physical quantity information is detected within a predetermined time after receiving the identification code.

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