Process control system, method, and information processing device

Abstract

To provide an efficient and more flexible process management mechanism.SOLUTION: A process management system manages section data that defines multiple sections, and process data that indicates a planned location where a management object should be located at the time of completion of a work process that involves movement of the management object among the multiple sections. A first reading device reads first identification information for identifying the management object from a first wireless device attached to the management object. The process management system includes a determination unit configured to compare a location of the management object estimated based on results of reading by the first reading device with the planned location to determine a status of the work process regarding the management object. The section data defines first level sections and second level sections that are established at different spatial granularity. The determination unit compares the location of the management object with the planned location at different granularity depending on type information associated with the management object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 20

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a process management system, a method, and an information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) is a technology that enables reading information embedded in a small device, also called a tag, from an external reader via short-range wireless communication. For example, by attaching an RFID tag embedded with unique identification information to an article, it becomes possible to efficiently grasp the location of the article, and it also becomes easy to visualize information of the articles under management. Among these, passive RFID tags, which transmit information using the energy of electromagnetic waves radiated from a reader, do not require a battery, thus have low manufacturing cost and can operate semi-permanently, so their application is expanding in various scenarios.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a management system that utilizes RFID to improve the efficiency of progress management of construction work. In the management system of Patent Document 1, with RFID tags installed at specific locations and RFID tags also attached to building materials, the latest location and status of the building materials are presented to the user based on information read from these RFID tags by a handy terminal.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a technology that combines reading information from RFID tags with a self-position estimation method to estimate the position of a management target without relying on GPS (Global Positioning System) positioning, which tends to be unstable in environments with many obstacles. According to the technology of Patent Document 2, the location of the management target is estimated based on the known positions of fixedly installed position tags and the relative movement amount of a reader calculated according to a self-position estimation method (also called PDR (Pedestrian Dead Reckoning)).

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-129312 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-141415 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] In the management system described in Patent Document 1, at a given time, if a handheld terminal detects the RFID tag of a building material that should be in a predetermined location, and simultaneously detects the RFID tag of the building material itself, the system determines that the building material is in the correct location. However, the spatial granularity required for location determination in typical process management scenarios is not always uniform. For example, one type of building material may only need to arrive at a relatively large construction site, while another type may require delivery to a more specific location. Alternatively, even the same type of building material may be located anywhere in a relatively large area during the initial stages of construction, but may need to be installed in a specific location during the later stages. Existing systems cannot flexibly address these requirements.

[0007] In view of the above-mentioned points, the present invention aims to provide an efficient and more flexible process control system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] From one perspective, a process management system is provided that includes: area data defining a plurality of areas set in real space; process data indicating a planned location where the managed object should be located upon completion of a work process involving the movement of the managed object; a first wireless device attached to the managed object and storing first identification information for identifying the managed object; at least one reader capable of reading the identification information stored in the wireless device from the wireless device; and a determination unit that determines the status of the work process relating to the managed object by comparing the location of the managed object, estimated based on the result of the first reader reading the first identification information from the first wireless device, with the planned location indicated by the process data. The area data defines at least one first level area set in real space at a first spatial granularity, and at least one second level area set in the at least one first level area at a second spatial granularity narrower than the first spatial granularity. The determination unit compares the location of the managed object with the planned location at different granularities depending on the type information associated with the managed object. Corresponding methods and information processing devices are also provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an efficient and more flexible process control system. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] A schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a process control system according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a tag reader included in a mobile system according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a user terminal included in a mobile system according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a management server according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] An explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of a target table according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of an area table according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of configurations of a position tag table and a reader table according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram schematically showing an example of area setting and an example of position tag arrangement corresponding to the data examples in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7(A). [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of a work process table according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a user interface (UI) that can be provided for registering the installation position of a position tag. [Figure 11] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a UI that can be provided for registering a scheduled location of a management target in a certain work process. [Figure 12] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of configurations of a movement amount table and a tag detection table according to an embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing several examples of the configuration of a granularity control table according to an embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a plurality of coordinate areas. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a first example of the configuration of an information browsing screen. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a second example of the configuration of an information browsing screen. [Figure 17] FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display of detailed information on a management target. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of data transmission processing according to an embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of location estimation processing according to an embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of status update processing according to an embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a first example of the flow of display control processing according to an embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a second example of the flow of display control processing according to an embodiment. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiments, not all of the plurality of features are necessarily essential to the invention, and the plurality of features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

[0012] <1. Overview of System> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a configuration of a process management system 1 according to an embodiment. The process management system 1 is a system that tracks the location of a management target that can change daily as work progresses, and supports visualization of information related to work progress. The work handled in the present specification consists of one or more work processes, and at least one work process involves movement of the management target. In the following description, the real space where work is performed is also referred to as a work space. As an example, the work of constructing a building may include a series of work processes such as carrying materials to a site, distributing materials to floors or rooms, and installing the materials. The management target may include at least one of an article located in real space and a user who is active in real space. The article may be an inanimate object (e.g., a machine, device, instrument, material, consumer goods, part, vehicle or robot) or a living organism (e.g., an animal or a plant). In the following, an example of work of constructing a building is mainly described, but the technology according to the present disclosure is also applicable to other types of work such as road construction or event venue installation.

[0013] In the present embodiment, the process management system 1 manages position information indicating the location of each management target. For management of position information, it is assumed that a plurality of sections are set in real space, and these sections serve as candidates for the location of each management target. The position information of each management target further includes two-dimensional or three-dimensional position coordinates of a point where each management target is estimated to be located.

[0014] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the process management system 1 according to this embodiment. In the example of Figure 1, a plurality of areas 10a, 10aa, 10ab, 10ac, 10ad, 10ae, 10b, 10ba, and 10bb are set in real space. Areas 10a and 10b may correspond to, for example, geographically distant districts (e.g., different construction sites). Areas 10aa and 10ad are areas set within area 10a with a spatial granularity narrower than that of area 10a, and may correspond to, for example, separate buildings constructed in a certain district. Areas 10ab and 10ac are areas set within area 10aa with a spatial granularity narrower than that of area 10aa, and may correspond to, for example, separate floors that make up a certain building. Similarly, area 10ae is an area set within area 10ad with a spatial granularity narrower than that of area 10ad. Although not shown in Figure 1, further areas corresponding to rooms may be set within each floor at an even narrower spatial granularity. In this way, multiple areas set in the workspace have a tree-like hierarchical relationship, and the area data described later defines this hierarchical relationship. In the following explanation, in the hierarchical relationship of multiple areas, areas set at a relatively wide spatial granularity are also called upper-level areas, and areas set at a relatively narrow spatial granularity are also called lower-level areas. For example, areas 10aa, 10ab, 10ac, 10ad, and 10ae are lower-level areas for area 10a.

[0015] In the example shown in Figure 1, user 20a moves between multiple areas while carrying the portable system 100. In this specification, the expression "a user carries an object" broadly encompasses various ways in which the user moves with that object (e.g., moving while holding or wearing the object). Furthermore, articles 30a, 30b, and 30c are located in areas 10ab, 10aa, and 10b, respectively. These articles are objects whose location information is managed by the process management system 1. In addition to articles, users (e.g., workers, supervisors, and other related parties) may also be subject to management.

[0016] The process management system 1 utilizes wireless devices, also called tags, to track the location of the managed object. Location tags are wireless devices (second wireless devices) installed in each of the areas that are candidates for the location of the managed object in the process management system 1. In the figure, location tags 40a are installed in area 10a, 40aa in area 10aa, 40ab in area 10ab, 40ac in area 10ac, 40ad in area 10ad, and 40ae in area 10ae. Similarly, location tag 40b is installed in area 10b. More than one location tag may be installed in a single area; in the example in Figure 1, two location tags are installed in area 10ba. Each location tag stores identification information (second identification information) associated with its corresponding installation area in its internal memory.

[0017] The target tag is a wireless device (first wireless device) attached to each of the managed objects in the process management system 1. Figure 1 shows the target tag 50a attached to item 30a, the target tag 50b attached to item 30b, and the target tag 50c attached to item 30c. Each target tag stores identification information (first identification information) in its internal memory to identify the managed object to which the target tag is attached.

[0018] In the following explanation, when there is no need to distinguish between areas 10a to 10bb, the alphabet at the end of the code will be omitted, and they will be collectively referred to as area 10. The same applies to items 30 (items 30a, 30b, ...), location tags 40 (40a, 40b, ...), target tags 50 (target tags 50a, 50b, ...), users 20, and other elements.

[0019] The number of areas set in physical space and the number of items to be managed are not limited to the example shown in Figure 1, but can be any number. Similarly, the number of users utilizing the process management system 1 and the number of portable systems 100 carried by the users (described later) can also be any number. Furthermore, in the hierarchical relationship of multiple areas, the number of hierarchies must be at least two. Several examples of sets of hierarchies when the number of hierarchies is two, three, four, or five are listed below. Note that each list in parentheses represents a set of hierarchies, and the hierarchies on the right in the list are lower hierarchies: • Number of floors = 2: (District, Building), (Building, Floor), (Building, Room), (Floor, Room) • Number of floors = 3: (District, Building, Floor), (District, Building, Room), (Building, Floor, Room) • Number of levels = 4: (District, Building, Floor, Room), (Organization, Building, Floor, Room) • Number of levels = 5: (organization, district, building, floor, room)

[0020] In this embodiment, each of the tags, such as the location tag 40 and the target tag 50, is a passive RFID tag (passive tag). A passive tag consists of a small integrated circuit (IC) chip with built-in memory and an antenna, and stores unique identification information and other information that identifies the tag in the memory. In this specification, the identification information is also referred to simply as ID, and the identification information that identifies the tag is also referred to as tag ID. The tag ID may be considered as information that identifies the object to which the tag is attached. The IC chip of the passive tag operates using the energy of electromagnetic waves radiated from the tag reader, modulating the tag ID and other information stored in the memory into an information signal, and transmitting (returning) the information signal from the antenna.

[0021] In other embodiments, each tag may be an active RFID tag. If each tag actively (for example, periodically) transmits information to its surroundings using power from a built-in battery, the tag may be called a beacon tag. In yet another embodiment, each tag may be a wireless device that responds to a signal from a reader and returns information, for example, using NFC (Near Field Communication) or Bluetooth®. Each tag may be called by any name, such as IC tag, IC card, or responder.

[0022] The process management system 1 includes a portable system 100 and a management server 200. The portable system 100 and the management server 200 are connected to a network 5. Network 5 may be a wired network, a wireless network, or any combination thereof. Examples of network 5 may include the internet, an intranet, and a cloud network.

[0023] The portable system 100 includes at least a tag reader 110. The tag reader 110 is a reader capable of reading information stored in a wireless device such as an RFID tag. The tag reader 110 can detect the managed object to which the target tag 50 is attached by reading the tag ID from the target tag 50, for example. The tag reader 110 attempts to read periodically or in response to some trigger such as user operation, and transmits the tag reading result to the management server 200. The tag reader 110 may be able to communicate directly with the management server 200, or it may be able to communicate indirectly with the management server 200 via some relay device (for example, a user terminal 160 described later). A specific example of the configuration of the tag reader 110 will be described further later.

[0024] In the example shown in Figure 1, the mobile system 100 further includes a user terminal 160. The user terminal 160 may be any type of terminal device or information processing device, such as a notebook PC (Personal Computer), tablet PC, smartphone, or smartwatch. The user terminal 160 can be used for interaction with the user 20 by the process management system 1. A specific example of the configuration of the user terminal 160 will be described further later.

[0025] The management server 200 is an information processing device that manages location information of managed objects, status regarding the progress of work, and other information in a database. The management server 200 may be implemented as an application server, database server, or cloud server using, for example, a high-performance general-purpose computer. The management server 200 receives tag reading results from the tag reader 110 and updates the database based on the received tag reading results. When updating the status of each managed object, the management server 200 compares the estimated location of each managed object based on the tag reading results with the planned location of that managed object in each work process. A specific example of the configuration of the management server 200 will be described further later.

[0026] Figure 1 shows a single management server 200, but the functions of the management server 200, which will be described in detail later, may be provided by a single device, or by multiple physically separate devices cooperating with each other. Also, in this embodiment, an example is described in which the management server 200 holds the database, but a device separate from the management server 200 may hold part or all of the database. For example, some data may be held by a wireless device (e.g., a location tag or target tag), a tag reader 110, or a user terminal 160.

[0027] Figure 1 shows an example in which the portable system 100 includes a tag reader 110 and a user terminal 160, which are separate devices. However, the portable system 100 is not limited to this example. For example, the tag reader 110 may have some or all of the functions of the user terminal 160 described later, or the user terminal 160 may have some or all of the functions of the tag reader 110 described later. Also, the functions of the management server 200 described in this embodiment may be implemented in the user terminal 160.

[0028] <2. Example of a mobile system configuration> <2-1. Example of Tag Leader Configuration> Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a tag reader 110 included in a portable system 100 according to one embodiment. Referring to Figure 2, the tag reader 110 comprises a control unit 111, a storage unit 112, a communication unit 113, a measurement unit 114, an operation unit 115, and a reading unit 116.

[0029] The control unit 111 consists of a memory for storing computer programs and one or more processors (e.g., a CPU (Central Processing Unit)) for executing computer programs. The control unit 111 controls all the functions of the tag reader 110 as described herein. For example, the control unit 111 causes the reading unit 116 to read RFID tags within the tag reading range and temporarily stores the read information, reading time, and signal reception level as reading result data in the storage unit 112. In parallel with reading the RFID tags, the control unit 111 also causes the measurement unit 114 to measure the position of the tag reader 110 and stores the measurement results in the storage unit 112. The control unit 111 then transmits the reading result data and measurement result data stored in the storage unit 112, along with the reader identification information (also called the reader ID) of its own device, to the management server 200 via the communication unit 113.

[0030] The storage unit 112 may include any type of storage medium, such as semiconductor memory like ROM (Read Only Memory) or RAM (Random Access Memory), an optical disk, or a magnetic disk. In this embodiment, the storage unit 112 stores the read result data, measurement result data, and the reader ID of the tag reader 110.

[0031] The communication unit 113 is a communication interface for the tag reader 110 to communicate with the management server 200. For example, the communication unit 113 may be a WLAN interface for communicating with a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) access point, or a cellular communication interface for communicating with a cellular base station. Alternatively, the communication unit 113 may be a connection interface for connecting to a relay device (for example, a Bluetooth® interface or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface).

[0032] The measurement unit 114 is a unit capable of measuring the position of the tag reader 110. In this embodiment, the measurement unit 114 uses a self-position estimation method, also known as PDR, to measure the relative movement of the tag reader 110 from a certain reference position and outputs the measured movement amount to the control unit 111. The reference position for measuring the relative movement amount may be, for example, the position of the tag reader 110 when the tag reader 110 is activated. The relative movement amount of the tag reader 110 can be treated as a relative position. For example, the measurement unit 114 includes a 3-axis accelerometer 114a, a gyroscope 114b, and a geomagnetic sensor 114c. The 3-axis accelerometer 114a measures the acceleration applied to the tag reader 110 in a device coordinate system specific to the tag reader 110 and outputs first sensor data. The gyroscope 114b measures the angular velocity of the tag reader 110, i.e., the change in the attitude of the tag reader 110, and outputs second sensor data. The geomagnetic sensor 114c measures the orientation of the tag reader 110 in real space and outputs third sensor data. Based on the sensor data from these sensors, the measurement unit 114 can measure the relative movement of the tag reader 110 by accumulating the acceleration while converting the direction of the acceleration of the tag reader 110 to the direction in the coordinate system of real space. The relative movement output from the measurement unit 114 to the control unit 111 may be a two-dimensional vector in the horizontal plane, or a three-dimensional vector that also includes a component in the height direction.

[0033] As will be explained later, in this embodiment, the position coordinates of the installation location of each position tag 40 are known and registered in the database. Therefore, based on the relative amount of movement from the time the tag reader 110 detected a position tag 40 to the present time, and the known position coordinates of the position tag 40, the position coordinates of the location where the tag reader 110 is currently located can be estimated. In this embodiment, an example in which the management server 200 estimates the absolute position of the tag reader 110 will be mainly described, but the control unit 111 or measurement unit 114 of the tag reader 110 may access the database to estimate the absolute position of the tag reader 110.

[0034] Alternatively, instead of the tag reader 110 including the measuring unit 114, the portable system 100 may include a measuring device separate from the tag reader 110 (for example, one capable of measuring relative movement using a self-localization method).

[0035] In one modified example, the measurement unit 114 may further include a pressure sensor 114d, shown by a dashed line in Figure 2. The pressure sensor 114d measures atmospheric pressure and outputs pressure data indicating the measured value to the control unit 111. In this modified example, the pressure data output from the pressure sensor 114d can be used to estimate the altitude of the location where the tag reader 110 is currently located. For example, in a linear pressure-altitude model, the relative altitude of the current location from the reference point can be derived by multiplying the amount of drop in the pressure value at the current location from the pressure value at the reference point by a predetermined coefficient. If the reference point is located on the ground, this relative altitude represents the ground altitude of the current location. An additional pressure sensor for measuring the atmospheric pressure at the reference point may be provided.

[0036] The operation unit 115 receives operations from the user 20. The operation unit 115 includes, for example, a physical input device such as a button, switch, or lever located on the housing of the tag reader 110. The operation unit 115 receives operations from the user 20 via the input device and outputs the operation signal to the control unit 111. The operation unit 115 may also include an audio input interface such as a microphone.

[0037] The reading unit 116 is a unit capable of reading information stored in each of the position tags 40 and target tags 50 under the control of the process management system 1. Referring to Figure 2, the reading unit 116 includes an RF controller 120, a power amplifier 121, a filter 122, a first coupler 123, a second coupler 124, an antenna 125, a power detection unit 126, and a canceller 127. The RF controller 120 outputs a transmission signal (for example, a signal modulated in the UHF band) from the TX terminal to the power amplifier 121 according to the control of the control unit 111. The power amplifier 121 amplifies the transmission signal input from the RF controller 120 and outputs it to the filter 122. The amplification ratio of the transmission signal here may be variably controllable, and the higher the amplification ratio, the higher the output strength of the electromagnetic waves radiated from the tag reader 110. The filter 122 may be, for example, a low-pass filter, and unwanted parts of the transmission signal after amplification by the power amplifier 121 are removed. frequencyThe components are removed. The first coupler 123 distributes the transmitted signal that has passed through the filter 122 to the second coupler 124 and the power detection unit 126. The second coupler 124 outputs the transmitted signal input from the first coupler 123 to the antenna 125, and outputs the received signal input from the antenna 125 to the RF controller 120. The antenna 125 transmits the transmitted signal input from the coupler 124 into the air as an electromagnetic wave. The antenna 125 also receives signals returned from RFID tags within the reading range of the tag reader 110 as a response to the transmitted signal, and outputs the received signal to the coupler 124. The power detection unit 126 detects the power level of the signal input from the first coupler 123 and outputs the signal RF_DETECT indicating the detected power level to the control unit 111. The canceller 127 receives the signal CARRIER_CANCEL indicating the power level of the carrier wave from the control unit 111. The canceller 127 then cancels the carrier component of the transmitted signal based on CARRIER_CANCEL, thereby extracting the desired signal component of the received signal that should be output to the RX terminal of the RF controller 120. The RF controller 120 demodulates the signal input from the RX terminal, obtains the tag ID and other information returned from the RFID tag, and outputs the obtained information to the control unit 111. The RF controller 120 also measures the received level (also called received strength) of the signal input from the RX terminal and outputs the measurement result to the control unit 111.

[0038] In this embodiment, the reading unit 116 may attempt to read the tag periodically (e.g., once every second) without requiring explicit instructions from the user. Data transmission from the communication unit 113 to the management server 200 may also be performed periodically (e.g., once every few seconds) or each time a tag is read, without requiring explicit instructions from the user. The control unit 111 may exclude from the transmitted data any records that are identical to records already transmitted within the most recent predetermined period, in order to reduce the communication load by omitting the transmission of redundant data. In other embodiments, either or both of the tag reading attempts by the reading unit 116 and the transmission of data to the management server 200 may be performed in response to detection of user input via the operation unit 115. When the communication unit 113 communicates indirectly with the management server 200 via a relay device, data transmission to the management server 200 may be performed only while the connection between the communication unit 113 and the relay device is active.

[0039] <2-2. Example of User Terminal Configuration> Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a user terminal 160 included in a portable system 100 according to one embodiment. Referring to Figure 3, the user terminal 160 comprises a control unit 161, a storage unit 162, a communication unit 163, a shooting unit 164, an operation unit 165, a display unit 171, an audio output unit 172, and a vibration unit 173.

[0040] The control unit 161 consists of a memory for storing computer programs and one or more processors for executing computer programs. The processor may be a CPU or an IC (Integrated Circuit) such as a microcontroller (e.g., a single-chip microcontroller). The control unit 161 controls all the functions of the user terminal 160 as described herein. For example, in the process management system 1, if the user 20 wishes to view location information or status of a managed object, the control unit 161 causes the display unit 171 to display a screen presenting the requested information. Several examples of screens displayed to the user 20 will be described further later.

[0041] The storage unit 162 may include any type of storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory like ROM or RAM, an optical disk, or a magnetic disk. In this embodiment, the storage unit 162 temporarily stores, for example, map images and information about the location of the managed object received from the management server 200 (described later) for screen display.

[0042] The communication unit 163 is a communication interface for the user terminal 160 to communicate with the management server 200. For example, the communication unit 163 may be a WLAN interface or a cellular communication interface. Although not shown in Figure 3, the user terminal 160 may further include connection interfaces for connecting to peripheral devices (for example, a Bluetooth® interface or a USB interface).

[0043] The imaging unit 164 is a so-called camera unit that captures images of the real world and generates still or video image data. The imaging unit 164 outputs the generated image data to the control unit 161. For example, the image data generated by the imaging unit 164 may be used for optical character recognition or for reading visible codes such as barcodes or QR codes (registered trademarks).

[0044] The operation unit 165 receives operations and information input from the user 20. The operation unit 165 includes, for example, input devices such as a touch sensor, keypad, keyboard, button, or pointing device. The operation unit 165 receives operations from the user 20 via the input device and outputs the operation signal to the control unit 161. The operation unit 165 may also further include other types of input devices, such as an audio input interface like a microphone or a vibration-sensing sensor.

[0045] The display unit 171 displays images and information. The display unit 171 may be, for example, a liquid crystal display or an OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) display. The audio output unit 172 outputs sound. The audio output unit 172 may be, for example, a speaker. The vibration unit 173 vibrates the user terminal 160. The vibration unit 173 may be, for example, a vibrator including an eccentric motor.

[0046] <3. Example configuration of the management server> <3-1. Basic Structure> Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a management server 200 according to one embodiment. Referring to Figure 4, the management server 200 includes a communication unit 210, a work database (DB) 220, and a management unit 230.

[0047] The communication unit 210 is a communication interface for the management server 200 to communicate with other devices. The communication unit 210 may be a wired communication interface or a wireless communication interface. In this embodiment, the communication unit 210 communicates with the mobile system 100 (for example, one or both of the tag reader 110 and the user terminal 160). The work DB 220 is a database accessible from the management unit 230 that stores various data for estimating the location of the managed object and managing the progress of the work. In this embodiment, the work DB 220 includes a target table 310, an area table 320, a location tag table 330, a reader table 340, a work process table 350, a movement amount table 360, a tag detection table 370, and a granularity control table 380. The management unit 230 is a collection of multiple software modules that perform various processes related to location estimation and progress management. Each software module may operate by one or more processors (not shown) of the management server 200 executing a computer program stored in memory (not shown). In this embodiment, the management unit 230 includes a data management unit 231, an estimation unit 232, a status determination unit 233, and a display control unit 234.

[0048] <3-2. Data Management> (1) Target table Figure 5 shows an example of the structure of the target table 310 in the work DB 220. The target table 310 has six data items: tag ID 311, target ID 312, name 313, target type 314, location area 315, and coordinates 316. Tag ID 311 is identification information that uniquely identifies the target tag 50 attached to each managed item. The value of tag ID 311 is the same as the value of the tag ID stored internally by the corresponding target tag 50. Target ID 312 is identification information that uniquely identifies each managed item. Name 313 represents the name of each managed item. In the example in Figure 5, the managed item identified by target ID "IT11" is given the name "Material A1". Target type 314 is one form of type information associated with the managed item. In the example in Figure 5, "Material A1" and "Material A2" are classified under the same target type "T1," while "Material B1" is classified under a different target type "T2." The location area 315 identifies the location area where each managed object is presumed to be located among multiple areas set in the work space, using the value of area ID 321 in the area table 320 described later. In the example in Figure 5, "Material A1" and "Material A2" are presumed to be located in the area identified by area ID "AA21," while "Material B1" is presumed to be located in the area identified by area ID "A000." The coordinates 316 represent the position coordinates of the point where each managed object is presumed to be located. In this specification, the "location" of a managed object means the location of the managed object as represented by the value of the location area 315 or coordinates 316. The values ​​for location area 315 and coordinate 316 can be updated by the estimation unit 232 when the movement of the managed object is detected by the tag reader 110, as will be explained later.

[0049] (2) Area Table Figure 6 shows an example of the configuration of the area table 320 in the work DB 220. The area table 320 contains area data that defines multiple areas set up in the work space. The area table 320 has seven data items: area ID 321, name 322, parent area 323, level 324, map image 325, scale 326, and orientation 327. Area ID 321 is identification information that uniquely identifies each of the multiple areas. Name 322 represents the name of each area. In the example in Figure 6, the area identified by area ID "A000" is given the name "District A". Parent area 323 identifies the area that directly contains each area in the hierarchical relationship of multiple areas set up in the work space, using the value of area ID 321 in other records of the area table 320. In the example in Figure 6, the parent area of ​​the area identified by area ID "AA00" is "A000", which means that "Building A" is contained within "District A". In other words, "District A" is a higher-level area immediately above "Building A". For the highest-level area in the hierarchical relationship of multiple areas, the parent area 323 may be left blank. Level 324 is an indicator of the spatial granularity of each area, representing the depth of that area in the tree-like hierarchical relationship from the highest-level area. In the example of Figure 6, where "District A" is the parent area of ​​"Building A", "Building A" is the parent area of ​​"Floor A2", and "Floor A2" is the parent area of ​​"Room A2-1", the levels of "District A", "Building A", "Floor A2", and "Room A2-1" are 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Map image 325 is a data item for storing map image data when available map image data for each area is registered by the user. Scale 326 represents the ratio for converting the distance on the map image 325 to the distance in real space (for example, how many meters in real space does one pixel of the image correspond to?). Direction 327 is a data item for storing direction information indicating the direction on the map image 325. For example, the direction information may include a vector pointing to a specific direction (e.g., north) in the two-dimensional coordinates of the map image data. Figure 8(A) schematically shows an example of the positional relationship of areas belonging to "District A" among the areas defined by the area data exemplified in Figure 6.

[0050] (3) Location tag table Figure 7(A) shows an example of the configuration of the location tag table 330 of the work DB 220. The location tag table 330 has three data items: tag ID 331, installation area 332, and tag location 333. Tag ID 331 is identification information that uniquely identifies each location tag 40 installed in the work space. The value of tag ID 331 is the same as the value of the tag ID stored internally by the corresponding location tag 40. Installation area 332 identifies the area in which each location tag 40 is installed by the value of area ID 321 in area table 320. That is, the tag ID of each location tag 40 is associated with the installation area corresponding to that location tag 40 in the location tag table 330. Referring to Figure 7(A), for example, tag ID "TG500" is associated with area ID "A000". This indicates that the location tag 40 identified by tag ID "TG500" is installed in the area identified by area ID "A000". Tag position 333 represents the position coordinates of the installation location of each position tag 40.

[0051] Figure 8(B) schematically shows an example of the arrangement of location tags 40 corresponding to the data example of the location tag table 330 in Figure 7(A), assuming the positional relationship of the areas shown in Figure 8(A). In a building like the one shown, walls, floors, and ceilings often shield wireless signals. By installing location tags 40 in each of the areas separated from each other by such shielding, it becomes possible to determine which area the tag reader 110 was located in at the time of detection, based on which location tag 40 the tag reader 110 detected. This embodiment combines a simple determination of the location area based on such tag reading with a more precise location estimation using the self-location estimation method described later. For relatively large areas, the detectable range of one location tag 40 may not cover a sufficient area, so two or more location tags 40 may be installed in one area, as in "Floor A1" in Figure 8(B).

[0052] (4) Leader Table Figure 7(B) shows an example of the configuration of the leader table 340. The leader table 340 has three data items: leader ID 341, name 342, and user 343. Leader ID 341 is identification information that uniquely identifies each tag reader 110 used within the system. Name 342 represents the name of each leader. User 343 is identification information that identifies the user 20 who uses each tag reader 110. In the example in Figure 7(B), the tag reader 110 identified by leader ID "RD01" has the name "Leader A" and is used by the user identified by user ID "UR91".

[0053] (5) Work process table Figure 9 shows an example of the configuration of the work process table 350. The work process table 350 is a table that stores data on the progress of a task, which includes at least one work process involving the movement of the managed object. In this embodiment, the work process table 350 includes work process data (also called process data) that indicates the planned location where the managed object handled in each task should be located upon completion of each work process that constitutes the task. The work process table 350 has nine data items: work ID 351, location 352, process ID 353, due date 354, target 355, planned location 356, process status 357, completion date 358, and auxiliary status 359. The work ID 351 is identification information for uniquely identifying each task. The location 352 identifies the location where each task is performed by the value of one of the area IDs 321 in the area table 320, which is set at the broadest spatial granularity. The process ID 353 is identification information for uniquely identifying each of the work processes that constitute each task. There may be one or more work processes for a single task. The due date 354 represents the due date for the completion of each work process. The target 355 identifies each managed object handled in each work process by the value of the target ID 312 in the target table 310. One or more managed objects may be handled in a single work process. The planned location 356 represents the location where the managed object identified by the value of target 355 should be located upon completion of each work process, using the value of the area ID 321 in the area table 320 or the location coordinates. The process status 357 represents the status regarding the movement of each managed object to the planned location in each work process. For example, the process status 357 may be a binary flag indicating whether or not the movement of each managed object to the planned location has been completed. The value of the process status 357 may be updated by the status determination unit 233 as a result of matching the location value of each managed object with the planned location, as will be explained later. The completion date 358 represents the date on which it was determined that the movement of each managed object to the planned location was completed. Auxiliary status 359 represents an auxiliary status for each managed object in each work process, which can be set arbitrarily by the user. As will be explained later, auxiliary status 359 may, for example, indicate whether or not acceptance confirmation (e.g., visual) has been completed to confirm that each managed object is actually present at the planned location.In this case, auxiliary status 359 may also be called acceptance status. In the example in Figure 9, the task identified by task ID "P1" includes multiple work processes identified by process IDs "P11" to "P19". In the work process identified by process ID "P11", the managed objects identified by target IDs "IT11", "IT12", and "IT21" are scheduled to move to the area identified by area ID "AA00". The value of process status 357 indicates "completed", which shows that the movement of these managed objects has already been completed.

[0054] (6) Data registration The data management unit 231 manages various data stored in the work database 220 as described above. The data to be registered in each table of the work database 220 may be generated, for example, by a user or engineer. The data management unit 231 may receive data files describing such data via the communication unit 210 and register the data in each table. The map image data for each area may be data based on CAD (Computer-Aided Design) drawings, for example. The data management unit 231 may also provide a user interface (UI) to accept data registration, modification, or deletion, for example, to the user terminal 160.

[0055] Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a UI that may be provided for registering the installation location of a location tag. The location tag registration screen 510 shown in Figure 10 may be called, for example, when a user installs a location tag 40 at a point in the workspace, and may be displayed on the display unit 171 of the user terminal 160. The location tag registration screen 510 includes a district selection field 511, a building selection field 512, a floor selection field 513, a map display button 514, and a map display area 515. When the user selects the district, building, and floor of the location where the location tag 40 was installed in fields 511, 512, and 513, and operates the map display button 514 (for example, by touching or clicking), a map image of that floor is displayed in the map display area 515. The displayed map image shows that the floor contains two rooms, and an icon 531 representing the installed and registered location tag 40 is superimposed on the map image. The location tag registration screen 510 further includes a location tag selection field 521 and a button 551. When a user selects the tag ID of a newly installed location tag 40 in the location tag selection field 521, an icon 532 representing the selected location tag 40 is displayed near the map display area 515. The user specifies the installation location of the new location tag 40 by moving this icon 532 to the location where the location tag 40 was installed (for example, by dragging and dropping) (see arrow 540). Then, when the user operates button 551, registration information including the selected or specified tag ID and installation location is sent from the user terminal 160 to the management server 200. Based on the registration information received in this way, the data management unit 231 can register a new record related to the location tag 40 in the location tag table 330.

[0056] Figure 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a UI that may be provided for registering a planned site to be managed in a certain work process. The planned site registration screen 610 shown in Figure 11 may be called, for example, when a work plan is decided and displayed on the display unit 171 of the user terminal 160. The planned site registration screen 610 includes a building selection field 611, a floor selection field 612, a map display button 613, and a map display area 614. When the user selects the building and floor of the target planned site in fields 611 and 612 and operates the map display button 613, a map image of that floor is displayed in the map display area 614. The planned site registration screen 610 further includes a process selection field 621, a target selection field 622, and a button 641. When the user selects the target work process in the process selection field 621, the managed objects handled in that work process become selectable in the target selection field 622. Then, when the user selects the target managed object in the target selection field 622, an icon 631 representing the selected managed object is displayed near the map display area 614. The user specifies the planned location of the managed object in the selected work process by moving this icon 631 to the planned location where the corresponding managed object should be moved (see arrow 640). When the user operates button 641, registration information including the selected or specified target ID, work ID, process ID, and planned location is sent from the user terminal 160 to the management server 200. Based on the registration information received in this way, the data management unit 231 can register the planned locations corresponding to each combination of work process and managed object in the work process table 350.

[0057] The configuration of the database managed by the management server 200 is not limited to the configuration described herein. Two or more of the above-mentioned tables may be merged into one table, or one of the above-mentioned tables may be separated into two or more tables. Each table may have additional data items, or it may not have one or more of the above-mentioned data items.

[0058] For example, the target table 310 may have additional data items such as the manufacturer and owner of the items under management, and the organization to which the user belongs. Also, the data items described as being held by the work process table 350 may be integrated into the target table 310. In that case, the target table 310 may have pairs of data items indicating the destination and process status for each of the multiple work processes. Instead of multiple data items indicating the status of each of the multiple work processes, a single data item may be used that selectively indicates one of multiple status values ​​related to the multiple work processes (e.g., "Process A Completed," "Process B Completed," etc.).

[0059] Furthermore, the area table 320 may have a data item indicating the ground height of each floor. The area table 320 may also have a data item indicating the elevation of the ground surface of each district or building. Such ground height or elevation may be used, for example, when deriving the height of a location where a managed object is situated from atmospheric pressure measurements.

[0060] <3-3. Estimation of Location> The estimation unit 232 estimates the location of the managed object to which the target tag 50 is attached, based on the results of reading the tag ID from the target tag 50 by the tag reader 110 (first reading device) and the results of reading the tag ID from the location tag 40 by the same tag reader 110. The movement amount table 360 ​​and the tag detection table 370 of the work DB 220 are used for this location estimation.

[0061] (1) Movement amount table Figure 12(A) shows an example of the configuration of the movement amount table 360. The movement amount table 360 ​​is a table for storing records of measurement result data received from the tag reader 110 (hereinafter referred to as measurement result records). The movement amount table 360 ​​has three data items: measurement time 361, reader ID 362, and movement amount 363. Measurement time 361 represents the time when the measurement was performed for the measurement result shown by each measurement result record. Reader ID 362 indicates the tag reader 110 that performed the measurement for the measurement result shown by each measurement result record, using the value of reader ID 341 in the reader table 340. In the example in Figure 12(A), the six records in the movement amount table 360 ​​show the results of movement amount measurements performed by the tag reader 110 identified by reader ID "RD01" at six different times "ymd1" to "ymd6". Movement amount 363 represents the relative movement amount as a measurement result. Here, the displacement 363 represents the relative displacement in the form of a three-dimensional vector in the coordinate system of the workspace.

[0062] (2) Tag detection table Figure 12(B) shows an example of the configuration of the tag detection table 370. The tag detection table 370 is a table for storing records of read result data received from the tag reader 110 (hereinafter referred to as read result records). The tag detection table 370 has four data items: read time 371, tag ID 372, reader ID 373, and received strength 374. The read time 371 represents the time when the tag ID was read for each read result record. The tag ID 372 represents the tag ID read for each read result record. The reader ID 373 indicates the tag reader 110 that performed the tag reading for each read result record, using the value of reader ID 341 in the reader table 340. In the example in Figure 12(B), the first record in the tag detection table 370 indicates that the tag reader 110, identified by reader ID "RD01", read tag ID "TG511" (for example, the tag ID of location tag 40 for "Floor A1") at time "ymd1". The second record indicates that the tag reader 110 read tag ID "TG011" (for example, the tag ID of target tag 50 for "Material A1") at time "ymd5". The third record indicates that the tag reader 110 read tag ID "TG021" (for example, the tag ID of target tag 50 for "Material B1") at time "ymd6". The received strength 374 represents the received level of the signal received by the tag reader 110 at the time of tag reading for each reading result record.

[0063] (3) Estimation of location Let's assume that a tag reader 110 reads a tag ID from a target tag 50 at a first time point, and then reads a tag ID from a location tag 40 at a second time point. The second time point may be before or after the first time point. Based on the relative movement of the tag reader 110 between the first and second time points and the known location of the detected location tag 40, the estimation unit 232 can estimate the location coordinates of the managed object to which the detected target tag 50 is attached.

[0064] Specifically, the estimation unit 232 adds each record of the measurement result data received from the mobile system 100 via the communication unit 210 to the movement amount table 360 ​​as a measurement result record. The estimation unit 232 also adds each record of the reading result data received from the mobile system 100 via the communication unit 210 to the tag detection table 370 as a reading result record. When the target tag 50 is detected by the tag reader 110, the estimation unit 232 can estimate the position coordinates (u,v,h) of the location where the target tag 50 is located at that time according to the following calculation formula: (u,v,h)=(U0+(X-X0),V0+(Y-Y0),H0+(Z-Z0)) Here, (X,Y,Z) represents the amount of movement of the tag reader 110 at the time the tag ID is read from the target tag 50. Also, (X0,Y0,Z0) represents the amount of movement of the tag reader 110 at the time the tag ID is read from the location tag selected as the basis for estimation (hereinafter referred to as the reference location tag). Also, (U0,V0,H0) represents the known location coordinates of the installation location of the reference location tag. In the modified example described above, the height component H may be derived by applying the measured atmospheric pressure value to the relational expression representing the pressure-height model, instead of using the calculation formula described above. The estimation unit 232 updates the column for coordinates 316 in the target table 310 with the latest location coordinates of the managed object estimated in this way.

[0065] The estimation unit 232 may estimate the position coordinates of the corresponding managed object based on the relative movement of the tag reader 110 at the time when the signal reception strength was highest, if the same target tag 50 is detected multiple times within a certain period. Alternatively, the estimation unit 232 may estimate that the corresponding managed object is located at the center (e.g., the centroid) of multiple detection locations derived using the above-described calculation formula, if the same target tag 50 is detected multiple times within a certain period.

[0066] The estimation unit 232 may select a reference location tag to use for estimating the location of a managed object based on the correlation between the result of reading the tag ID from a managed object tag 50 and the result of reading the tag ID from one or more location tags 40. This correlation may include either or both temporal and spatial correlations. For example, the estimation unit 232 may focus on each location tag 40 in order of the smallest difference in tag ID reading time for a given object tag 50, and initially select the location tag 40 that satisfies both of the following conditions 1 and 2 as the reference location tag: Condition 1: The straight-line distance between the estimated positions of the tag reader at two reading times is below the first threshold (the threshold determination may be performed separately for the distance in the horizontal plane and the distance in the vertical direction). Condition 2: The cumulative distance traveled by the tag reader between the two reading times (total distance traveled along the travel path) falls below the second threshold.

[0067] The estimation unit 232 estimates that the corresponding managed object is located in the area associated with the tag ID of the reference location tag selected according to the above-described conditions. That is, the value of the installation area 332 in the location tag table 330 for the reference location tag selected for a target tag 50 of a managed object identifies the location area of ​​that managed object. The estimation unit 232 updates the location area 315 column in the target table 310 with the area ID of the latest location area of ​​the managed object estimated in this way. The estimation unit 232 may determine that the location is unknown for managed objects for which a reference location tag cannot be selected because there is no location tag 40 that satisfies the above-described conditions, and may leave the location area 315 and coordinate 316 columns blank.

[0068] <3-4. Updating the process status> The status determination unit 233 determines the status of the work process for the managed object by comparing the estimated location of each managed object, based on the result of reading the tag ID from the target tag 50 by the tag reader 110, with the planned location indicated by the work process table 350. In this embodiment, the status determination unit 233 compares the estimated location of each managed object with the planned location of the work process at different granularities depending on the type information associated with each managed object. That is, in this embodiment, the granularity of the comparison between the location of each managed object and the planned location (hereinafter also referred to as the comparison level) is variable. The granularity control table 380 of the work DB 220 is a table that holds a mapping between the type information associated with each managed object and the comparison level.

[0069] For example, suppose the particle size control table 380 defines that for a certain type, the location is matched with the planned location at the first level. In this case, the status determination unit 233 can determine that the work process has been completed with respect to the managed object if the location of the managed object is equal to the first level area corresponding to the planned location in a certain work process, or to any lower level area belonging to the first level area.

[0070] In the first embodiment, the type information that determines the granularity of matching the location with the planned location includes the target type that indicates the type of each managed object (for example, the value of target type 314 in the target table 310). In this case, the status determination unit 233 matches the location of the first managed object whose target type indicates the first type with the planned location at a first spatial granularity, and matches the location of the second managed object whose target type indicates a second type different from the first type with the planned location at a second spatial granularity different from the first spatial granularity.

[0071] Figure 13(A) shows an example of the configuration of the granularity control table 380a according to the first embodiment. Here, the granularity control table 380a has three data items: target type 381, type name 383, and matching level 385. Target type 381 is identification information for uniquely identifying each of the target types that can be selected as the type of managed object. Type name 383 represents the name of each target type. Matching level 385 represents the granularity of matching that is set in advance for each target type. The value of matching level 385 corresponds to the value of level 324 in the area table 320, that is, it indicates the depth of the matching level in the tree-like hierarchical relationship of multiple areas. In the example in Figure 13(A), the matching level of the managed object classified as target type "T1" is "2". Therefore, the status determination unit 233 performs matching for the managed object classified as target type "T1" at the granularity of the area in the area table 320 where level 324 is "2". For example, suppose the type of object to be managed is "T1", and the planned location of this object in a certain work process is "Building A". In the example of the area table 320 in Figure 6, the value of level 324 for "Building A" is equal to "2". Therefore, the status determination unit 233 determines that the work process is complete with respect to the object if the estimated location area for this object is equal to "Building A" or any of the lower-level areas belonging to "Building A". Here, "lower-level areas" for "Building A" include "Floor A1", "Floor A2", "Room A2-1", "Room A2-2", etc.

[0072] So-called general-purpose materials are used in various parts of a building and are interchangeable among similar materials; therefore, when they are moved, their destination is often specified at a relatively coarse level of detail. In contrast, custom-made products are intended for use at specific locations, so when they are moved, their destination can be specified at a relatively fine level of detail. There are also items that play an intermediate role between general-purpose materials and custom-made products. The first embodiment described here can flexibly address the diverse requirements for status updates that depend on the type of item or item being managed.

[0073] In the second embodiment, the type information that determines the granularity of matching the location with the planned location includes process types (for example, types shown by the work process table 350) that indicate the type of each of the multiple work processes associated with each managed object. In this case, when the status determination unit 233 updates the status related to the first work process, if the process type of the first work process indicates the first type, it matches the location of the managed object with the planned location at a first spatial granularity. Furthermore, when the status determination unit 233 updates the status related to the second work process, if the process type of the second work process indicates a second type different from the first type, it matches the location of the managed object with the planned location at a second spatial granularity that is narrower than the first spatial granularity. Typically, the second work process here may be a work process that follows the first work process.

[0074] Figure 13(B) shows an example of the configuration of the particle size control table 380b according to the second embodiment. Here, the particle size control table 380b has three data items: process type 382, ​​type name 384, and matching level 385. The process type 382 is identification information for uniquely identifying each candidate for the type of work process. The type name 384 represents the name of each process type. In the example in Figure 13(B), the process type 382 is defined as a string representing the pattern of the process ID 353 in the work process table 350, where x can be any character. For example, process ID "P11" matches process type "Px1" and is classified as a process type named "On-site delivery". Similarly, process ID "P12" matches process type "Px2" and is classified as a process type named "Floor distribution". In the example in Figure 13(B), the matching level for the process type classified as process type "Px2" is "3". Therefore, when updating the status of a work process identified by process ID "P12", the status determination unit 233 performs a match at the granularity of the area in the area table 320 where level 324 is "3". For example, suppose the planned location of a certain managed object in this work process is "Floor A2". In the example of area table 320 in Figure 6, the value of level 324 for "Floor A2" is equal to "3". Therefore, the status determination unit 233 determines that this work process is complete with respect to the managed object if the estimated location area for this managed object is equal to "Floor A2" or any of the lower-level areas belonging to "Floor A2". Here, "lower-level areas" for "Floor A2" include "Room A2-1", "Room A2-2", etc.

[0075] In many tasks such as the construction of buildings or transportation infrastructure, or the setup of event venues, the locations where the relevant items should be placed change as the work progresses. In the first half of the work, individual items may only need to be delivered to the work site at a relatively coarse level, while in the latter half, individual items may need to be delivered to specific locations according to their intended use. The second embodiment described here can flexibly address these diverse requirements for the placement of managed items at each stage of the work process.

[0076] A combination of the first and second embodiments described above can also be conceived. Figure 13(C) shows an example of the configuration of the particle size control table 380c relating to the combination of the first and second embodiments. In the example of Figure 13(C), the particle size control table 380c has three data items: target type 381, process type 382, ​​and matching level 385. By using such a particle size control table 380c, it is possible to match the location of each managed object with the planned location using different particle sizes for each target type and process type.

[0077] The status determination unit 233 may, when the type information associated with a certain managed object indicates a predetermined type, compare the location of the managed object with the planned location at the position coordinate level. For example, suppose the process ID "P19" in the example in Figure 9 indicates the predetermined type. In the work process table 350, the column for the planned location 356 of the managed object associated with process ID "P19" contains the three-dimensional position coordinates (u5, v5, h5). In this case, the status determination unit 233 can determine that the work process is complete for the managed object if the distance between the estimated position coordinates and the position coordinates (u5, v5, h5) of the planned location falls below a preset distance threshold. By incorporating this detailed matching at the position coordinate level rather than just the location area, it is possible to automatically determine whether a specific item (e.g., a custom-made item) is installed or attached to the designated location in a given work process and reflect the result in the status.

[0078] The status determination unit 233 compares the latest location of each managed object handled in each work process with the planned location, according to the method described in this section, and updates the value of the process status 357 of the managed object that is determined to have moved appropriately to the planned location to "Completed".

[0079] <3-5. Displaying Location Information> The display control unit 234 can display information about each of the multiple managed objects on the display unit 171 of the user terminal 160 in order to assist the user in understanding the location and status of the managed objects. In particular, in this embodiment, the workspace is regularly divided into multiple coordinate regions (also called grids) in order to enable a broad or general understanding of the location of the managed objects. The display control unit 234 is capable of displaying coordinate region information on the screen regarding the coordinate region to which the estimated position coordinates of each managed object belong. In addition, the display control unit 234 is capable of displaying location region information on the screen regarding the estimated location area of ​​each managed object. Since the display control unit 234 can control the display of such information about managed objects, the process management system 1 can also be called the display control system 1.

[0080] Figure 14 shows an example of multiple coordinate regions set in a workspace. Region 10c shown in Figure 14 corresponds to one floor of a building. Region 10c includes regions 10ca, 10cb, 10cc, and 10cd, which correspond to rooms within the floor. In the figure, a total of four 2x2 rectangular coordinate regions GR1 to GR4 are regularly set in region 10c. The shapes of these coordinate regions may be uniform, and the spacing of the boundary lines between the coordinate regions may be constant along each coordinate axis. The boundary lines of the coordinate regions shown with dashed lines in the figure do not necessarily coincide with the boundary lines of the sub-regions (regions 10ca, 10cb, 10cc, and 10cd) in the space shown with thick lines in the figure.

[0081] The number and size of coordinate regions set in the workspace are not limited to the example shown in Figure 14. The size of the coordinate regions may be fixed in advance. Alternatively, the display control unit 234 may set the size of the coordinate regions to a different value depending on the size of the area to be displayed. Furthermore, the display control unit 234 may set the size of the coordinate regions variably according to user settings (for example, settings specified by user input or settings described in a user-saved settings file). This allows the user to view the coordinate region information, described later, at various levels of granularity suitable for their viewing purpose.

[0082] Figure 14 also shows icons representing the installation locations of multiple location tags (e.g., location tags 40ca, 40cf) installed in area 10c. In addition, icons representing the estimated locations of multiple managed items (e.g., item 30ca) located in area 10c are also shown. For example, item 30ca is located outside area 10cc, but near the door of area 10cc. Therefore, if the tag reader 110, passing through the door of area 10cc, detects the target tags of location tag 40cf and item 30ca installed in area 10cc in a short time, there is a risk that the area where item 30ca is located may be mistakenly identified as area 10cc. Displaying information in coordinate area units, as described later, is beneficial because it is not affected by such errors in recognizing the location area.

[0083] Figure 15 shows a first example of the configuration of an information viewing screen 700 that may be provided by the display control unit 234 in this embodiment. The information viewing screen 700 can be invoked, for example, in response to user input via the operation unit 165 of a user terminal 160, and can be displayed by the display unit 171 of the user terminal 160. Referring to Figure 15, the information viewing screen 700 includes a building selection field 701, a floor selection field 702, function buttons 705, 706, 707, a map display area 710, and a list display area 720. When the user selects a building and floor for which they wish to view location information in fields 701 and 702, a map image of the selected floor is displayed in the map display area 710. The display control unit 234 superimposes boundary lines (dashed lines in the figure) representing the boundaries of multiple coordinate regions onto this map image, and further superimposes coordinate region information. In the example in Figure 15, a total of nine 3x3 coordinate regions are set on the selected floor.

[0084] For example, the coordinate region information displayed on the screen may include statistical information about the object being managed that is estimated to be located within each coordinate region. This statistical information may include, for example, one or more of the following: 1) The estimated number of objects currently located in each coordinate region. 2) The estimated number of managed objects by category currently located in each coordinate region. 3) The number of objects estimated to be located in each coordinate region over a certain period in the past. 4) The estimated number of managed objects, by category, located in each coordinate region over a certain period in the past. 5) The number of items from 1) to 4) that meet the specific filtering conditions. Filtering conditions may include one or more of the following: conditions related to the managed object, conditions related to the work process, and conditions related to the tag reader that detected the managed object. For example, conditions related to the managed object may include conditions related to the name or type of the managed object. Conditions related to the work process may include conditions related to the process ID, due date, planned location, process status, completion date, or auxiliary status. Conditions related to the tag reader may include conditions that only include managed objects detected by a specific tag reader (for example, the tag reader used by the logged-in user).

[0085] The function button 705 on the information viewing screen 700 is a button that calls a UI for allowing the user to specify the filtering conditions described above. Since such a UI may be configured according to any known method, a detailed explanation is omitted here. In the example in Figure 15, boxes 711 are superimposed on each of the nine coordinate regions of the map display area 710. Each box 711 shows the estimated number of items and the number of users currently located in the corresponding coordinate region. By presenting statistical information on a coordinate region basis, users can easily and quickly grasp an overview of the location of the managed items at the latest time or at a time specified by the user. It also helps to avoid information congestion on the screen when there are many managed items.

[0086] As shown in Figure 15, the display control unit 234 may display coordinate area information in the first part (map display area 710) of the information viewing screen 700, while simultaneously displaying location area information in the second part (list display area 720) of the same screen. As an example, the location area information may include a list of managed objects that are presumed to be located in each area. In the example in Figure 15, the list display area 720 includes expandable and collapsible list items 721a, 721b, 721c, 721d, and 721e. List item 721a corresponds to "Floor 1F" selected in the floor selection field 702. List items 721b, 721c, 721d, and 721e correspond to the four rooms within "Floor 1F," respectively. When a user operates on any of the list items 721, a list of managed objects located in the area corresponding to the operated list item 721 is displayed (if the same list item 721 is operated on again, the list of managed objects that was previously displayed is hidden). In the example in Figure 15, list item 721c, corresponding to "Room 102," is expanded, and list items 725a and 725b, corresponding to two items located in "Room 102," are displayed. By providing this parallel display of coordinate area information and location area information, users can compare two different displays and examine in more detail where each managed item is located within the workspace.

[0087] Function button 706 is a button that invokes a UI that allows the user to change information display-related settings. Function button 707 is a button that invokes a UI that allows the activation of some auxiliary function. These UIs may be configured according to any known method, so a detailed description of them is omitted here. Information display-related settings may include, for example, the size of the coordinate area described above. Auxiliary functions may include, for example, the download of a list data file about the displayed managed object.

[0088] Unlike the example in Figure 15, the location information may include statistical information about the managed objects that are presumed to be located in each area. This statistical information may include, for example, one or more of the following: 1) The estimated number of items under management currently located in each area 2) The estimated number of managed items currently located in each area, categorized by type. 3) The number of items under management estimated to be located in each area during a certain period in the past. 4) The estimated number of managed items by category located in each area during a certain period in the past. 5) The number of items from 1) to 4) that meet the specific filtering conditions. The filtering conditions here may be the same as those described above in relation to coordinate region information.

[0089] Figure 16 shows a second example of the configuration of the information viewing screen 700 that may be provided by the display control unit 234 in this embodiment. In the second example, the display control unit 234 displays one of the coordinate area information and the location area information superimposed on the map image in the map display area 710, according to the user's selection. Referring to Figure 16, the information viewing screen 700 includes a display switching button 703 in addition to the components described in relation to Figure 15. The display switching button 703 is a button for switching the information displayed in the map display area 710 between coordinate area information and location area information. For example, if the user operates the display switching button 703 while the coordinate area information is displayed in the map display area 710, the display control unit 234 displays the location area information in the map display area 710 instead of the coordinate area information. If the user operates the display switching button 703 while the location area information is displayed in the map display area 710, the display control unit 234 displays the coordinate area information in the map display area 710 instead of the location area information. In the example in Figure 16, the coordinate area boundaries and box 711 have been removed in the map display area 710, and instead, five boxes 731 have been superimposed on the map image. Each box 731 indicates the estimated number of items and the number of users currently located in the corresponding area.

[0090] In this example, we have described a case where either a first display mode, which overlays coordinate area information onto the map image, or a second display mode, which overlays location area information onto the map image, is selectable. However, a third display mode, which overlays the individual location coordinates of the managed objects, may also be selectable. In the third display mode, the display control unit 234 may, for example, place icons representing each managed object at points within the map display area 710 corresponding to the location coordinates of the managed objects that meet the specified filtering conditions.

[0091] Generally, position coordinates based on self-localization methods are susceptible to cumulative errors in sensor output and may not accurately capture the location of the managed object. Therefore, by enabling the display of location area information in the map display area 710 according to user selection, as shown in the example in Figure 16, useful information can be provided to the user even when the accuracy of the position coordinates is insufficient, effectively supporting the identification of the location of the managed object.

[0092] The display control unit 234 may display detailed information on the screen regarding a specific managed object designated by the user. Figure 17 shows an example of such detailed information display. For example, when the user operates on list item 725b in the information viewing screen 700 of Figure 15, the display control unit 234 transitions the list display area 720 of the information viewing screen 700 to the detailed display area 740 of Figure 17. The detailed display area 740 displays detailed information about "Material B7," which is a managed object designated by the user. For example, this detailed information includes the type of "Material B7," its location area, location coordinates, last detection date and time, and status information.

[0093] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 17, an auxiliary status field 741 and a button 742 are located in the detailed display area 740. The user can select one of several pre-set candidate status values ​​in the auxiliary status field 741. The status value selected in the auxiliary status field 741 can be reflected in the auxiliary status 359 column of the work process table 350, as described above, depending on the operation of button 742, for example. In the example shown in Figure 17, the status value "Acceptance Complete" is selected in the auxiliary status field 741. For example, the completion of registration of acceptance confirmation via the auxiliary status field 741 in a certain work process may be a condition for initiating the status update of a subsequent work process.

[0094] The display control unit 234 may display a marker in the map display area 710 that indicates the coordinate region (or area) where the selected managed object is estimated to be located, in response to the user selecting a specific managed object on the screen. In the example in Figure 17, since the position coordinates of "Material B7" are included in the upper right coordinate region of the nine coordinate regions, a marker 712 that emphasizes the frame is added to the box 711 superimposed on the upper right coordinate region. This marker 712 may also be a type of coordinate region information. A user who sees the marker 712 can easily find out where the managed object of interest is located in the workspace.

[0095] <4. Processing Flow> This section describes some examples of processing flows that can be executed in process control system 1, using the flowcharts in Figures 18 to 22. In the following description, processing steps will be abbreviated as S (step).

[0096] <4-1. Data transmission process> Figure 18 is a flowchart showing an example of the data transmission process performed by the mobile system 100.

[0097] First, in S11, the reading unit 116 of the tag reader 110 attempts to read the tag ID from a nearby RFID tag by emitting electromagnetic waves within the reading range. If, as a result of the tag reading attempt, the tag ID is received from a nearby RFID tag using the energy of the electromagnetic waves (S12-YES), the process proceeds to S16. On the other hand, if the tag ID is not received (S12-NO), the process proceeds to S13.

[0098] In S13, the measurement unit 114 of the tag reader 110 measures the relative movement of the tag reader 110 based on sensor data output from, for example, a 3-axis accelerometer, a gyro sensor, and a geomagnetic sensor. Here, the measurement unit 114 may also have a barometric pressure sensor measure atmospheric pressure. Next, in S14, the control unit 111 obtains the current time as the measurement time by, for example, referring to an internal real-time clock. Next, in S15, the control unit 111 transmits measurement result data, including the relative movement (and barometric pressure value) measured by the measurement unit 114, the measurement time, and the reader ID of the tag reader 110, to the management server 200 via the communication unit 113.

[0099] In S16, the control unit 111 obtains the current time as the time the tag ID was read. Then, in S17, the control unit 111 transmits the read result data, including the read tag ID, read time, reception level, and the reader ID of the tag reader 110, to the management server 200 via the communication unit 113.

[0100] The process then returns to S11. This data transmission process may be performed repeatedly during the period when tag reading attempts are activated in the mobile system 100.

[0101] <4-2. Location Estimation Process> Figure 19 is a flowchart showing an example of the location estimation process performed by the management server 200. At the start of the location estimation process in Figure 19, it is assumed that several measurement result records have been stored in the movement amount table 360 ​​and several reading result records have been stored in the tag detection table 370.

[0102] First, in S21, the estimation unit 232 of the management server 200 focuses on one managed object and obtains a read result record for the target tag 50 attached to that managed object from the tag detection table 370. Next, in S22, the estimation unit 232 extracts read result records for one or more location tags 40 received from the same tag reader 110 as the obtained read result record from the tag detection table 370. Then, in S23, the estimation unit 232 selects one reference location tag to be used as the basis for location estimation based on the correlation between the read result record for the target tag 50 and the read result records for one or more location tags 40.

[0103] Next, in S24, the estimation unit 232 calculates the relative movement of the tag reader 110 between the reading time of the target tag 50 and the reading time of the reference position tag by referring to the measurement result record in the movement amount table 360. Then, in S25, the estimation unit 232 estimates the location coordinates of the target object based on the calculated relative movement of the tag reader 110 and the known position of the reference position tag. Furthermore, in S26, the estimation unit estimates that the area associated with the reference position tag in the location tag table 330 is the location area of ​​the target object.

[0104] Then, in S27, the estimation unit 232 updates the columns for coordinates 316 and location area 315 in the target table 310 with the coordinate values ​​of the location coordinates estimated in S25 and the area ID of the location area estimated in S26, respectively.

[0105] The estimation unit 232 may sequentially focus on each of the one or more managed objects that may have moved within a certain period and repeat the process described above. By performing this process periodically, location information indicating the latest location of each managed object can be maintained in the work DB 220.

[0106] <4-3. Status Update Process> Figure 20 is a flowchart showing an example of the status update process performed by the management server 200. The status update process in Figure 20 may be performed periodically, for example, similar to the location estimation process in Figure 19, or it may be performed in response to a status update instruction being entered at the user terminal 160.

[0107] First, in S31, the status determination unit 233 selects a work process from among the work processes defined in the work process table 350 whose progress should be updated. The work process selected here may be, for example, a work process associated with a managed object whose location has changed, a work process specified by the user, or a work process whose due date has arrived. Next, in S32, the status determination unit 233 selects one managed object whose status is incomplete for the selected work process.

[0108] Next, in S33, the status determination unit 233 determines a matching level for matching the location with the planned location by referring to the particle size control table 380, based on either or both of the selected target type and the work process type of the work process. Next, in S34, the status determination unit 233 obtains the latest location (location area or position coordinates) of the selected target from the target table 310. The status determination unit 233 also obtains the planned location of the target in the selected work process from the work process table 350.

[0109] Next, in S35, the status determination unit 233 compares the location of the selected managed object with the planned location using the matching level determined in S33. For example, if the planned location is represented by an area ID and the level of that area is equal to the matching level, the location may be determined to match the planned location if the area ID of the area where the managed object is located is equal to the area ID of the planned location or any lower-level area belonging to the planned location. If the planned location is represented by position coordinates and the matching level indicates a matching at the position coordinate level, the location may be determined to match the planned location if the distance between the position coordinates of the managed object and the position coordinates of the planned location is below a predetermined distance threshold. If the location matches the planned location (S36-YES), in S37, the status determination unit 233 updates the status of the selected managed object in the selected work process to "Completed". If the matching fails (S36-NO), S37 is skipped and the status is not updated.

[0110] Next, in S38, the status determination unit 233 determines whether there are any remaining managed objects with an incomplete status for the work process selected in S31. If there are any remaining managed objects with an incomplete status, the process returns to S32, and the status determination unit 233 selects a new managed object with an incomplete status from the remaining managed objects and repeats steps S33 to S38. If there are no remaining managed objects with an incomplete status, the status update process for the work process selected in S31 is terminated. Although not shown in the diagram, the status update process described above may be repeated for other work processes.

[0111] <4-4. Display Control Processing> (1) Example 1 Figure 21 is a flowchart illustrating a first example of the flow of display control processing performed by the cooperation of the user terminal 160 and the management server 200. In this example, the information viewing screen 700, which was described using Figure 15, is called by the user and displayed by the display unit 171 under the control of the control unit 161 of the user terminal 160.

[0112] First, in S41, the display control unit 234 of the management server 200 obtains location information of one or more managed objects from the target table 310 that match the filtering conditions that can be specified on the user terminal 160. For example, the display control unit 234 may obtain the location area and position coordinates of managed objects that are currently estimated to be located in the specified area from the target table 310. Next, in S42, the display control unit 234 obtains map image data of the specified area from the area table 320. Then, in S43, the display control unit 234 sets up multiple coordinate areas in the specified area.

[0113] Next, in S44, the display control unit 234 generates a list of managed objects by location area as location area information, based on the location area of ​​one or more managed objects acquired in S41. Also, in S45, the display control unit 234 generates statistical information of managed objects by coordinate area as coordinate area information, based on the position coordinates of one or more managed objects acquired in S41.

[0114] Next, in S46, the display control unit 234 transmits the generated location area information to the user terminal 160 via the communication unit 210. The control unit 161 of the user terminal 160 controls the display unit 171 to display a list of managed items by location area in the list display area 720 of the information viewing screen 700. Also, in S47, the display control unit 234 transmits the generated coordinate area information together with the map image data to the user terminal 160 via the communication unit 210. The control unit 161 of the user terminal 160 controls the display unit 171 to display the coordinate area-specific statistical information superimposed on the map image in the map display area 710 of the same information viewing screen 700.

[0115] If the filtering conditions for the managed items to be displayed are changed, the display control processing from S41 onwards may be re-executed and the screen display updated. In addition, the display control unit 234 may monitor the location information stored in the target table 310, and if there is a change in the location information, it may re-execute the display control processing and cause the control unit 161 of the user terminal 160 to update the screen display.

[0116] (2) Second example Figure 22 is a flowchart illustrating a second example of the flow of display control processing performed by the user terminal 160 and the management server 200 working together. In this example, the information viewing screen 700, which was described using Figure 16, is called by the user and displayed by the display unit 171 under the control of the control unit 161 of the user terminal 160.

[0117] First, in S51, the display control unit 234 of the management server 200 obtains one or more location information of managed objects that match the filtering conditions that can be specified on the user terminal 160 from the target table 310. Next, in S52, the display control unit 234 obtains map image data of the specified area from the area table 320. Next, in S53, the display control unit 234 sets up multiple coordinate areas in the specified area.

[0118] Next, in S54, the display control unit 234 generates a list of managed objects by location area based on the location area of ​​the managed objects. Also in S55, the display control unit 234 generates statistical information of managed objects by location area as location area information, also based on the location area of ​​the managed objects. Furthermore, in S56, the display control unit 234 generates statistical information of managed objects by coordinate area as coordinate area information, based on the position coordinates of the managed objects.

[0119] Next, in S57, the display control unit 234 transmits the generated list of managed objects by location area to the user terminal 160 via the communication unit 210. The control unit 161 of the user terminal 160 controls the display unit 171 to display the list of managed objects by location area in the list display area 720 of the information viewing screen 700. Next, in S58, the control unit 161 accepts the user's specification of the display mode via the operation unit 165. If the first display mode, which superimposes the coordinate area information onto the map image, is specified (S59-YES), the process proceeds to S60. On the other hand, if the second display mode, which superimposes the location area information onto the map image, is specified (S59-NO), the process proceeds to S61.

[0120] In S60, the display control unit 234 transmits the coordinate area information along with the map image data to the user terminal 160 via the communication unit 210. The control unit 161 of the user terminal 160 controls the display unit 171 to display the coordinate area-specific statistical information superimposed on the map image in the map display area 710 of the information viewing screen 700.

[0121] Similar to the first example described above, if the filtering conditions for the managed items to be displayed are changed, the display control processing from S51 onwards may be re-executed and the screen display updated. In addition, the display control unit 234 may monitor the location information stored in the target table 310, and if there is a change in the location information, it may re-execute the display control processing to cause the control unit 161 of the user terminal 160 to update the screen display.

[0122] <5. Summary> Up to this point, various embodiments, examples, and modifications of the technology relating to this disclosure have been described in detail with reference to Figures 1 to 22. In the embodiments described above, the area data defines a plurality of areas set in real space at multiple different spatial granularities. The plurality of areas includes at least one first-level area set in real space at a first spatial granularity, and at least one second-level area set in at least one first-level area at a second spatial granularity that is narrower than the first spatial granularity. The location of the managed object is then matched with the planned location of the work process at different granularities depending on the type information associated with the managed object of the process management system, and the status of the work process is updated based on the result of the match. With this configuration, the spatial granularity of the match between the location of the managed object and the planned location can be automatically switched depending on which managed object or which work process is to update the status of, and the status can be determined. Therefore, it is possible to flexibly address the requirements regarding the granularity of location matching, which are not necessarily uniform in general process management scenarios, and improve the efficiency of process management.

[0123] To give a non-limiting example, for so-called general-purpose materials, the destination can be specified with a broader spatial granularity compared to custom-made products with individual specifications. Alternatively, the granularity for location matching may be coarser (i.e., broader spatial granularity) at the beginning of the work and become finer (i.e., narrower spatial granularity) as the work progresses. In the embodiment described above, when matching with a broad spatial granularity is permitted, the work process can be determined to be completed with respect to the managed object when the location of the managed object is equal to a higher-level area corresponding to the planned site or any lower-level area belonging to that higher-level area. Therefore, the status of the work process can be automatically updated to completed regardless of where the managed object moves to, as long as it is a point belonging to a higher-level area. As a result, the constraints imposed on the movement of managed objects are relaxed, which increases the degree of freedom in the placement of managed objects during the progress of the work and can also improve the efficiency of the work itself.

[0124] Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, a first wireless device (target tag) storing first identification information for identifying the managed object is attached to the managed object, and a second wireless device (location tag) storing second identification information associated with the corresponding installation area is installed in each area. Based on the results of reading the identification information from the first and second wireless devices by the first reader, the area in which the managed object is located is estimated. In particular, reading the identification information from the wireless devices does not require communication with external devices such as GPS satellites or wireless base stations. Therefore, even in environments where external communication is difficult, such as indoors, underground, or in tunnels, records for location estimation can be reliably collected and used for later status updates and viewing of location information.

[0125] Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the real space is regularly divided into multiple coordinate regions, and coordinate region information relating to the coordinate region to which the estimated position coordinates of each of the multiple managed objects belong can be displayed by the display device. With this configuration, the user can easily and quickly grasp the general location of the managed object at the most recent point in time or at a point in time specified by the user. In addition, by making it possible to display coordinate region information and location region information relating to the location area (in parallel or selectively), the user's ability to grasp the location of the managed object can be further effectively supported.

[0126] <6. Other Embodiments> The above embodiment can also be implemented in the form of a process in which a program that implements one or more functions is supplied to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be implemented by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0127] The disclosures herein include at least the following process control systems, methods, and information processing devices. (Item 1) A management unit manages area data that defines multiple areas set in real space, and process data that indicates the planned location where the managed object should be located upon completion of a work process involving the movement of the managed object, among the multiple areas. A first wireless device that is attached to the aforementioned managed object and stores first identification information for identifying the aforementioned managed object, A wireless device comprising at least one reader capable of reading identification information stored in the wireless device, A determination unit determines the status of the work process relating to the managed object by comparing the location of the managed object, estimated based on the result of reading the first identification information from the first wireless device by the first reading device, with the planned location indicated by the process data. Includes, The area data defines at least one first level area set in the real space with a first spatial granularity, and at least one second level area set in the at least one first level area with a second spatial granularity narrower than the first spatial granularity. The determination unit compares the location of the managed object with the planned location at different levels of granularity depending on the type information associated with the managed object. Process control system. (Item 2) The aforementioned type information includes the target type indicating the type of the managed object, The determination unit compares the location of the first managed object whose target type is the first type with the planned site at the first spatial granularity, and compares the location of the second managed object whose target type is a second type different from the first type with the planned site at the second spatial granularity. The process management system described in item 1. (Item 3) The aforementioned type information includes a process type that indicates the type of each of the multiple work processes associated with the managed object, The determination unit, when the process type of the first work process among the plurality of work processes indicates a first type, compares the location of the object to be managed with the planned location at a first spatial granularity, and when the process type of the second work process indicates a second type different from the first type, compares the location of the object to be managed with the planned location at a second spatial granularity. The process management system described in item 1. (Item 4) The process management system according to item 2 or 3, wherein the determination unit determines that the work process has been completed with respect to the managed object when the location of the managed object, whose type information indicates the first type, is the same as the location of the managed object, which is indicated by the type information, in the first level area corresponding to the planned site indicated by the process data or in any of the lower level areas belonging to the first level area. (Item 5) The second work process is a work process that follows the first work process, and is the process management system described in item 3. (Item 6) The aforementioned process management system is A second wireless device installed in one or more of the aforementioned multiple areas and storing second identification information associated with the corresponding installation area, An estimation unit that estimates the location of the managed object based on the results of reading the first identification information from the first wireless device by the first reading device and the results of reading the second identification information from the second wireless device by the first reading device, A process management system described in any one of items 1 to 5, further including the following: (Item 7) The estimation unit estimates the position coordinates of the location of the managed object based on the amount of movement of the first reader between the time when the first identification information is read from the first wireless device by the first reader and the time when the second identification information is read from the second wireless device by the first reader. The determination unit, when the type information associated with the managed object indicates a predetermined type, compares the location of the managed object with the planned location at the level of position coordinates. The process management system described in item 6. (Item 8) The process management system described in any one of items 1 to 7, wherein the first level area and the second level area correspond to any two of the districts, buildings, floors, and rooms. (Item 9) A method for determining the status of work processes for work performed in multiple areas set up in real space, using an information processing device, The information processing device is capable of accessing area data that defines the plurality of areas, and process data that indicates the planned location where the managed object should be located upon completion of the work process involving the movement of the managed object, among the plurality of areas. The area data defines at least one first level area set in the real space with a first spatial granularity, and at least one second level area set in the at least one first level area with a second spatial granularity narrower than the first spatial granularity. The information processing device is capable of communicating with at least one reader capable of reading identification information stored in a wireless device from the wireless device, The aforementioned method, Obtaining the result of reading first identification information for identifying the managed object from the first wireless device attached to the managed object by the first reading device, Based on the results of the acquired readings, the location of the managed object is estimated, The estimated location of the managed object is compared with the planned location indicated by the process data at a different granularity depending on the type information associated with the managed object, and the status of the work process relating to the managed object is determined. Methods that include... (Item 10) A management unit manages area data that defines multiple areas set in real space, and process data that indicates the planned location where the managed object should be located upon completion of a work process involving the movement of the managed object, among the multiple areas. A communication unit receives the result of reading the first identification information from a first reading device that reads first identification information identifying the managed object from a first wireless device assigned to the managed object, An estimation unit estimates the location of the managed object based on the reading results received by the communication unit, A determination unit determines the status of the work process related to the managed object by comparing the location of the managed object estimated by the estimation unit with the planned location indicated by the process data, Equipped with, The area data defines at least one first level area set in the real space with a first spatial granularity, and at least one second level area set in the at least one first level area with a second spatial granularity narrower than the first spatial granularity. The determination unit compares the location of the managed object with the planned location at different levels of granularity depending on the type information associated with the managed object. Information processing device.

[0128] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0129] 1: Process management system, 5: Network, 10 (10a, 10b, ...): Area, 20 (20a): User, 30 (30a, 30b, ...): Item, 40 (40a, 40b, ...): Location tag (second wireless device), 50 (50a, 50b, ...): Target tag (first wireless device), 100: Portable system, 110: Tag reader (reading device), 160: User terminal (terminal device / information processing device), 161: Control unit, 163: Communication unit, 171: Display unit (Display device), 200: Management server (information processing device), 210: Communication unit, 220: Work DB (database), 231: Data management unit, 232: Estimation unit, 233: Status determination unit, 234: Display control unit, 320: Area table (area data), 350: Work process table (process data), 357: Process status, 381: Target type (type information), 382: Process type (type information), 385: Matching level, 700: Information viewing screen, GR1~GR4: Coordinate area

Claims

1. A management unit manages area data that defines multiple areas set in real space, and process data that indicates the planned location where the managed object should be located upon completion of a work process involving the movement of the managed object, among the multiple areas. A first wireless device that is attached to the aforementioned managed object and stores first identification information for identifying the aforementioned managed object, A wireless device comprising at least one reader capable of reading identification information stored in the wireless device, A determination unit determines the status of the work process relating to the managed object by comparing the location of the managed object, estimated based on the result of reading the first identification information from the first wireless device by the first reading device, with the planned location indicated by the process data, Includes, The area data defines at least one first level area set in the real space with a first spatial granularity, and at least one second level area set in the at least one first level area with a second spatial granularity narrower than the first spatial granularity. The determination unit compares the location of the managed object with the planned location at different levels of granularity depending on the type information associated with the managed object. Process control system.

2. The aforementioned type information includes the target type indicating the type of the managed object, The determination unit compares the location of the first managed object whose target type is the first type with the planned site at the first spatial granularity, and compares the location of the second managed object whose target type is a second type different from the first type with the planned site at the second spatial granularity. The process control system according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned type information includes a process type that indicates the type of each of the multiple work processes associated with the managed object, The determination unit, when the process type of the first work process among the plurality of work processes indicates a first type, compares the location of the object to be managed with the planned location at a first spatial granularity, and when the process type of the second work process indicates a second type different from the first type, compares the location of the object to be managed with the planned location at a second spatial granularity. The process control system according to claim 1.

4. The process management system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the determination unit determines that the work process has been completed with respect to the managed object when the location of the managed object, whose type information indicates the first type, is the same as the location of the managed object, which is indicated by the type information, in the first level area corresponding to the planned site indicated by the process data or in any lower level area belonging to the first level area.

5. The process management system according to claim 3, wherein the second work step is a work step that follows the first work step.

6. The aforementioned process management system is A second wireless device is installed in one or more of the aforementioned multiple areas and stores second identification information associated with the corresponding installation area. An estimation unit that estimates the location of the managed object based on the results of reading the first identification information from the first wireless device by the first reading device and the results of reading the second identification information from the second wireless device by the first reading device, The process control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

7. The estimation unit estimates the position coordinates of the location of the managed object based on the amount of movement of the first reader between the time when the first identification information is read from the first wireless device by the first reader and the time when the second identification information is read from the second wireless device by the first reader. The determination unit, when the type information associated with the managed object indicates a predetermined type, compares the location of the managed object with the planned location at the level of position coordinates. The process control system according to claim 6.

8. The process management system according to claim 1, wherein the first level area and the second level area correspond to any two of the following: district, building, floor, and room.

9. A method for determining the status of work processes for work performed in multiple areas set up in real space, using an information processing device, The information processing device is capable of accessing area data that defines the plurality of areas, and process data that indicates the planned location where the managed object should be located upon completion of the work process involving the movement of the managed object, among the plurality of areas. The area data defines at least one first level area set in the real space with a first spatial granularity, and at least one second level area set in the at least one first level area with a second spatial granularity narrower than the first spatial granularity. The information processing device is capable of communicating with at least one reader capable of reading identification information stored in a wireless device from the wireless device, The aforementioned method, The first reading device obtains the result of reading first identification information that identifies the managed object from the first wireless device attached to the managed object, Based on the results of the acquired readings, the location of the managed object is estimated, The estimated location of the managed object is compared with the planned location indicated by the process data at a different granularity depending on the type information associated with the managed object, and the status of the work process relating to the managed object is determined. Methods that include...

10. A management unit manages area data that defines multiple areas set in real space, and process data that indicates the planned location where the managed object should be located upon completion of a work process involving the movement of the managed object, among the multiple areas. A communication unit receives the result of reading the first identification information from a first reading device that has read first identification information for identifying the target object from a first wireless device that is subject to the aforementioned management object, An estimation unit estimates the location of the managed object based on the reading results received by the communication unit, A determination unit determines the status of the work process related to the managed object by comparing the location of the managed object estimated by the estimation unit with the planned location indicated by the process data, Equipped with, The area data defines at least one first level area set in the real space with a first spatial granularity, and at least one second level area set in the at least one first level area with a second spatial granularity narrower than the first spatial granularity. The determination unit compares the location of the managed object with the planned location at different levels of granularity depending on the type information associated with the managed object. Information processing device.

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