Display control device, display control method, and recording medium

Abstract

This display control device comprises: an acquisition unit; a generation unit; and a display control unit. The acquisition unit acquires open information indicating the location and the size of an open area, of a rack, where an article is not disposed. Using the open information, the generation unit makes a user aware of the ratio between the size of the open area and the size of a reference object, and generates provision information including comparison information indicating the location of the open area. The display control unit displays the provision information in a display region.

Description

Display control device, display control method, and recording medium

[0001] The present invention relates to a display control device, a display control method, and a recording medium.

[0002] Warehouses often have shelves for storing goods. Patent Document 1 describes a method for superimposing images of products that can be displayed in a space on an image of a shelf that corresponds to the space when a product is sold out. The images of the products are enlarged or reduced to fit the dimensions of the shelf.

[0003] JP 2012-74014 A

[0004] When using the technology described in Patent Document 1, information indicating the size of the product must be registered in advance in the device. Therefore, if the size of an item is not registered in advance in the device, the shelf user cannot know whether the item can be stored in the available space on the shelf.

[0005] The display control device of the present disclosure comprises: an acquisition means for acquiring vacancy information indicating the position and size of vacant space on a shelf where no items are placed; a generation means for using the vacant space information to generate provided information including comparison information that allows a user to recognize the ratio between the size of the vacant space and the size of a reference object and indicates the position of the vacant space; and a display control means for displaying the provided information in a display area.

[0006] The display control method disclosed herein is a display control method in which a computer acquires vacancy information indicating the position and size of vacant space on a shelf where no items are placed, uses the vacancy information to generate provided information that allows a user to recognize the ratio between the size of the vacant space and the size of a reference object and includes comparison information indicating the position of the vacant space, and displays the provided information in a display area.

[0007] The recording medium in the present disclosure has a program recorded thereon, and the program provides a computer with: an acquisition means for acquiring vacancy information indicating the position and size of vacant space on a shelf where no items are placed; a generation means for using the vacant space information to generate provided information that allows a user to recognize the ratio between the size of the vacant space and the size of a reference object and includes comparison information indicating the position of the vacant space; and a display control means for displaying the provided information in a display area.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, even if the size of an item is not registered in advance in the device, a shelf user can know whether or not the item can be stored in the available space on the shelf.

[0009] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a shelf used together with a display control device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a display control device. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of a display control device. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed in a display area. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed in a display area. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a usage environment of a display control device. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a display control device. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of real space information stored in a vacancy information storage unit. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a comparison information storage unit. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a display control device. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of a display control device. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a usage environment of a display control device. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a display control device. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a reservation information storage unit. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of a display control device. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed in a display area.

[0010] Hereinafter, in this disclosure, the drawings relate to one or more embodiments. In addition, in all drawings, similar components are given similar reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0011] First, an example of a shelf 50 used together with the display control device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 . The shelf 50 is located in a warehouse. An example of this warehouse is a logistics warehouse, but it may also be a store or factory warehouse. A plurality of items 30, for example, luggage, is stored on the shelf 50. A worker working in the warehouse, i.e., a user of the display control device 10, stores a new item 30 in an empty area 54 of the shelf 50 where no item 30 is placed.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2 , the display control device 10 includes an acquisition unit 110 , a generation unit 120 , and a display control unit 130 .

[0013] The acquiring unit 110 acquires vacancy information, which indicates the location and size of the vacant space 54 on the shelf 50.

[0014] The generation unit 120 generates the information to be provided using the availability information. The information to be provided includes comparison information. The generation unit 120 also generates this comparison information, for example. The comparison information allows the user to recognize the ratio between the size of the available space 54 and the size of the reference object 60, and indicates the location of the available space 54. The reference object is an object whose size is known to the user. An example of the reference object is an object used in the warehouse where the shelves 50 are located, such as at least one of a cart, a trolley, a tray, and a standardized container. An example of a standardized container is a cardboard box that conforms to a standard. The reference object may also be a person. In this case, the size of the person that serves as the basis for the comparison information may be set based on the height of the user of the display control device 10.

[0015] The display control unit 130 displays the provided information in the display area 22. The display area 22 is provided, for example, on the display of a communication device operated by a user. In this case, the display control unit 130 transmits the provided information to the communication device.

[0016] The display control device 10 displays provided information in a plurality of display areas 22. The users of the plurality of display areas 22 are different from each other.

[0017] The display control device 10 operates, for example, as shown in Fig. 3. First, the acquisition unit 110 acquires availability information (step S10). Next, the generation unit 120 generates information to be provided (step S20). Next, the display control unit 130 displays the information to be provided in the display area 22 (step S30).

[0018] In step S30, the display control unit 130 displays, for example, a screen shown in Fig. 4 in the display area 22. In this screen, the comparison information includes information visually indicating the size of the free space 54 when the size of the reference object 60 is used as a reference.

[0019] More specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 4 , the comparison information includes an image of the shelf 50, a mark indicating the empty space 54, and an image of the reference object 60. In the example shown in this figure, the mark indicating the empty space 54 is rectangular. Here, the image of the shelf 50 may be a schematic image of the shelf 50. Furthermore, the image of the reference object 60 may be a schematic image of the reference object 60. The mark indicating the empty space 54 is superimposed on an area of ​​the image of the shelf 50 that corresponds to the empty space 54. Furthermore, the ratio between the size of the image of the shelf 50, the size of the mark indicating the empty space 54, and the size of the image of the reference object 60 is based on the ratio between the size of the shelf 50 in real space, the size of the empty space 54 in real space, and the size of the reference object 60 in real space. For example, the ratio between the size of the mark indicating the empty space 54 and the size of the image of the reference object 60, e.g., the height ratio, is, for example, 0.8 to 1.2 times the ratio between the size of the empty space 54 in real space and the size of the reference object 60 in real space. Furthermore, the ratio of the size of the image of the shelf 50 to the size of the image of the reference object 60 is, for example, 0.8 to 1.2 times the ratio of the size of the shelf 50 in real space to the size of the reference object 60 in real space. Note that height may also be used as the size.

[0020] When the reference object 60 includes a person, the size of the image of the reference object 60 may be set based on the size, for example, height, of the user of the display control device 10. In this case, the size of the user is associated with the user's identification information and stored in a storage unit, for example, the comparison information storage unit 160 described below. The generation unit 120 acquires the user's identification information, for example, from the communication device 20, and reads out the height corresponding to the user's identification information from the storage unit. The generation unit 120 then sets the size of the image of the reference object 60 using the read-out height. For example, the generation unit 120 sets the ratio between the size of the image of the shelf 50 and the size of the image of the reference object 60 so that it is, for example, 0.8 to 1.2 times the ratio between the height of the shelf 50 in real space and the read-out height.

[0021] The comparison information is not limited to the example shown in Fig. 4. For example, as shown in Fig. 5, a first mark 54a indicating the position of the free space 54 may be used. １ , 54b １ and a second mark 54a indicating the size of the free space 54. ２ , 54b ２ For example, the first mark 54a may be separate. １ , 54b １ The second mark 54a is superimposed on the area of ​​the image of the shelf 50 that corresponds to the empty area 54. ２ , 54b ２ is displayed in an area that does not overlap with the shelf 50, for example, closer to the reference object 60 than the shelf 50. If there are multiple empty areas 54, the second mark 54a ３ , 54b ３ Each of the first marks 54a １ , 54b １ It is now possible to see whether the product is compatible with the above.

[0022] 6 , the display control unit 130 may display in the display area 22 a mark, such as a rectangle, indicating the size of the item 32 that the user is about to place on the shelf 50. For example, the user inputs information indicating the size of the item 32 to the display control device 10. The display control unit 130 generates a mark indicating the size of the item 32 based on this information and displays it in the display area 22. Here, if the item 32 is a rectangular parallelepiped, the information indicating the size of the item 32 includes values ​​indicating the width, depth, and height of the item 32. Furthermore, if the value indicating the size of the item 32 is registered in a database in association with the identification information of the item 32, the information indicating the size of the item 32 may be the identification information of the item 32. In this case, the display control unit 130 reads out information corresponding to the input identification information from the database and uses it.

[0023] Note that if the mark indicating the size of the item 32 is a rectangle and the ratio between the size of this rectangle and the size of the rectangle indicating the empty space 54 matches the size ratio between the item 32 and the empty space 54 in real space, the mark indicating the size of the item 32 may be configured to be superimposed on the empty space 54 by a user operation. In this way, the user can easily grasp the difference in size between the item 32 and the empty space 54.

[0024] In this way, the display control unit 130 of the display control device 10 displays the comparison information in the display area 22. The comparison information allows the user to recognize the ratio between the size of the free space 54 and the size of the reference object 60, and also indicates the position of the free space 54. This allows the user of the shelf 50 to roughly grasp the size of the free space 54. Therefore, the user of the shelf 50 can determine whether the item 32 can be stored in the free space 54 even if the size of the item 32 is not registered in the display control device 10.

[0025] The display control device 10 will be described in detail below.

[0026] The display control device 10 is used together with a plurality of communication devices 20 and a first sensor 40, for example, as shown in FIG.

[0027] The multiple communication devices 20 are operated by different users. An example of a user is a warehouse worker. The multiple communication devices 20 control different display areas 22. The users of the multiple communication devices 20 are different from each other. Therefore, the users can easily understand the information provided to them by the display control device 10.

[0028] The display area 22 is at least a part of the area of ​​a display controlled by the communication device 20. The communication device 20 may have this display. The communication device 20 may be a portable communication device such as a smartphone or a tablet, or may be a fixed communication device such as a fixed personal computer.

[0029] The first sensor 40 has a detection range that includes the shelf 50 and generates data for detecting an area of ​​the shelf where the item 30 is stored. The first sensor 40 includes at least one of a weight sensor provided on the shelf and an imaging device whose imaging range includes the shelf 50. The display control device 10 processes the data generated by the first sensor 40 to generate and update information indicating unused areas of the shelf 50 where no items are present. Hereinafter, this information will be referred to as real space information. The real space information includes information indicating the position and size of the unused areas.

[0030] In addition, when the first sensor 40 has an imaging device, this imaging device may be attached to a mobile device, for example, a self-propelled robot. In this case, one imaging device can capture images of multiple shelves 50.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 8, the display control device 10 has the acquisition unit 110, generation unit 120, and display control unit 130 shown in FIG. 2, as well as a vacancy information generation unit 140. The display control device 10 can also use a vacancy information storage unit 150 and a comparison information storage unit 160. The vacancy information storage unit 150 stores real space information. This real space information may also be used as vacancy information. The comparison information storage unit 160 stores information used by the generation unit 120 when generating comparison information. The vacancy information storage unit 150 and the comparison information storage unit 160 may be part of the display control device 10, or may be located outside the display control device 10.

[0032] The acquisition unit 110, the generation unit 120, and the display control unit 130 perform the processes described with reference to Figures 2 to 6. Furthermore, when generating availability information, the display control unit 130 uses the real space information stored in the availability information storage unit 150. For example, the display control unit 130 uses an unused area indicated by the real space information as the available area 54.

[0033] The vacancy information generating unit 140 acquires data indicating the detection results of the first sensor 40 and processes this data to generate and update real-space information. For example, if the first sensor 40 has multiple weight sensors installed on a shelf, the vacancy information generating unit 140 determines areas of the shelf where the weight sensors do not detect weight as unused areas. If the first sensor 40 includes an imaging device, the vacancy information generating unit 140 processes images generated by the imaging device to detect areas of the shelf 50 where items 30 are present, and identifies unused areas by excluding these areas from the shelf 50. The vacancy information generating unit 140 associates the generated real-space information with the shelf 50 corresponding to the real-space information and stores the information in the vacancy information storage unit 150. If real-space information corresponding to the shelf 50 has already been stored in the vacancy information storage unit 150, the vacancy information generating unit 140 updates the real-space information stored in the vacancy information storage unit 150 with the newly generated real-space information.

[0034] When the real space information is updated, the display control unit 130 updates the availability information using the updated real space information and displays the updated availability information in the multiple display areas 22. In this way, the user of the communication device can immediately grasp the latest availability area 54.

[0035] The vacancy information storage unit 150 stores, for example, the data shown in Fig. 9. The real space information indicated by this data includes identification information, shelf information, shape information, and detection date and time. In the example shown in this figure, real space information is generated for each unused area.

[0036] The identification information is information that identifies the real space information. In other words, every time the vacancy information generating unit 140 generates real space information, it assigns new identification information to the real space information.

[0037] The shelf information is information that identifies a shelf on which an unused area exists. For example, if identification information is assigned to a shelf, the shelf information includes the identification information of the shelf on which the unused area exists. Note that if one shelf has multiple levels, the shelf information may also include information that identifies the level on which the unused area exists.

[0038] The shape information is information that can identify the position and shape of the unused area. In other words, the shape information also indicates the size of the unused area. For example, the shape information includes coordinate information based on a local coordinate system within the shelf. If the unused area is represented as a rectangle, this coordinate information includes information that can identify the four vertices of the rectangle. In the example shown in FIG. 9 , the first value of "0,0,20,20" is the x-coordinate (width direction) of the start point of the top edge, the second value is the y-coordinate of the start point of the top edge, the third value is the x-coordinate of the end point of the bottom edge, and the fourth value is the y-coordinate of the end point of the bottom edge. In other words, this information indicates the coordinates of the top left and bottom right of the rectangle.

[0039] The coordinates included in the shape information may be generated based on the positions of the pixels that make up the screen, or may be generated based on a coordinate system in real space.

[0040] The shape information may be generated based on a real space coordinate system within the warehouse. In this case, even if the real space information does not include shelf information, it is possible to identify the shelf 50 on which the free space 54 exists.

[0041] In addition, if each of the multiple shelves is partitioned into multiple regions in the width direction in advance and identification information is assigned to each region, this identification information may be used instead of the coordinate information. The regions provided on each shelf may be actual regions in real space or may be virtual regions.

[0042] Furthermore, in a three-dimensional real space, if the entire warehouse is virtually divided into multiple spaces and each space is assigned identification information, this identification information may be used instead of the coordinate information described above.

[0043] The detection date and time shown in FIG. 9 indicates the date and time when the data that is the basis of the real space information was generated.

[0044] The comparison information storage unit 160 stores, for example, the information shown in Fig. 10. This information stores, for each type of shelf 50, i.e., for each size of shelf 50, information indicating the size of the image of the shelf 50 and information indicating the size of the image of the reference object 60. Hereinafter, the former will be referred to as shelf image information, and the latter will be referred to as reference object image information.

[0045] The shelf image information and the reference object image information may be image data itself. In this case, the image data differs for each type of shelf.

[0046] Furthermore, the shelf image information may include, instead of image data, a scaling ratio indicating how much to scale the standard image of the shelf 50. Similarly, the reference object image information may include, instead of image data, a scaling ratio indicating how much to scale the standard image of the reference object 60. In these cases, the comparison information storage unit 160 stores the standard image of the shelf 50 and the standard image of the reference object 60 in addition to the information shown in FIG.

[0047] When the generation unit 120 uses the information stored in the comparison information storage unit 160, the generation unit 120 can generate comparison information for each type of shelf 50. In this case, even if there are multiple types of shelves 50 in the warehouse, the generation unit 120 can generate comparison information tailored to each shelf 50.

[0048] As an example, when acquiring vacancy information, the acquiring unit 110 acquires information capable of identifying the type of shelf 50 corresponding to the vacancy information. One example of this information is the shelf information shown in the vacancy information storage unit 150. The generating unit 120 then identifies the shelf type using this shelf information and data indicating the type of shelf 50 for each shelf information. The generating unit 120 then reads out shelf image information and reference object image information corresponding to the identified type from the comparison information storage unit 160, and generates comparison information using the read information.

[0049] The display control device 10 has, as a hardware configuration, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, a bus 1010, a processor 1020, a memory 1030, a storage device 1040, an input / output interface 1050, and a network interface 1060.

[0050] The bus 1010 is a data transmission path for transmitting and receiving data among the processor 1020, memory 1030, storage device 1040, input / output interface 1050, and network interface 1060. However, the method of connecting the processor 1020 and the like to each other is not limited to bus connection.

[0051] The processor 1020 is implemented by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or the like.

[0052] The memory 1030 is a main storage device realized by a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like.

[0053] The storage device 1040 is an auxiliary storage device realized by removable media such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or a memory card, or a read-only memory (ROM), and has a recording medium. The recording medium of the storage device 1040 stores program modules that realize each function of the display control device 10 (e.g., the acquisition unit 110, the generation unit 120, the display control unit 130, and the availability information generation unit 140). The processor 1020 loads each of these program modules into the memory 1030 and executes them, thereby realizing each function corresponding to the program module. The storage device 1040 may also function as at least one of the availability information storage unit 150 and the comparison information storage unit 160.

[0054] The input / output interface 1050 is an interface for connecting the display control device 10 to various input / output devices.

[0055] The network interface 1060 is an interface for connecting the display control device 10 to a network. This network is, for example, a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN). The network interface 1060 may connect to the network wirelessly or by wire. The display control device 10 may communicate with the communication device 20 and the first sensor 40 via the network interface 1060.

[0056] The display control device 10 may be realized by a plurality of devices each having the configuration shown in FIG.

[0057] The display control device 10 performs processing, for example, as shown in the flowchart in Fig. 12. In parallel with the processing shown in Fig. 12, the availability information generation unit 140 updates the availability information storage unit 150 every time the first sensor 40 generates new information.

[0058] First, the acquisition unit 110 of the display control device 10 acquires real space information from the availability information generation unit 140 (step S110). The display control unit 130 generates availability information using the real space information acquired by the acquisition unit 110 (step S120). The availability information indicates, for example, unused areas of shelves as availability areas 54. The generation unit 120 then generates comparison information using the availability information, and further generates information to be provided using this comparison information (step S130). The display control unit 130 then displays the information to be provided in the display areas 22 of the multiple communication devices 20 (step S130). An example of the screen displayed here is as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 13 , the display control device 10 may be used in conjunction with a second sensor 70 in addition to the communication device 20 and the first sensor 40. The second sensor 70 is disposed in a warehouse and generates information indicating the size of a reference object 60. For example, while a user of the display control device 10 is working in the warehouse, the second sensor 70 generates information indicating the size of the user, such as information indicating the user's height or information indicating the size of an object used as the reference object 60, and stores the generated information in a storage unit usable by the display control device 10, such as the comparison information storage unit 160. If the reference object 60 is a user and there are multiple users of the display control device 10, the second sensor 70 also generates user identification information and associates the user's identification information with the user's size and stores the information indicating the user's size in a storage unit, such as the comparison information storage unit 160. The generation unit 120 of the display control device 10 then reads the information indicating the user's size from the storage unit as necessary and generates comparison information using the read information. An example of this process is as described above with reference to FIG. 4 .

[0060] The second sensor 70 may be disposed in front of the shelf 50 or may be disposed at a location different from the shelf 50 .

[0061] An example of the second sensor 70 is an imaging device. In this case, the second sensor 70 may be a depth camera that generates the distance to the reference object 60, i.e., the depth, or may be a LiDAR. Furthermore, when the reference object 60 is a user and the second sensor 70 is an imaging device, the user's identification information may be generated based on the user's facial information or may be generated by reading a code or characters attached to an item worn by the user.

[0062] In this way, the burden on the user when storing the size of the reference object 60 in the storage means is reduced.

[0063] The display control device 10 may have a reservation information storage unit 170 as shown in FIG. 14 . The reservation information storage unit 170 stores reservation information. The reservation information indicates at least one free space 54 occurring on the shelf 50 and indicates that an item is planned to be stored in the free space 54. Hereinafter, the free space 54 to be reserved will be referred to as a reserved area 56. It is preferable that the reservation information further includes information that can identify the position of the reserved area 56.

[0064] The acquisition unit 110 acquires reservation information from, for example, the communication device 20 and stores it in the reservation information storage unit 170. When generating availability information, the availability information generation unit 140 uses the real space information stored in the availability information storage unit 150 and the reservation information stored in the reservation information storage unit 170. For example, the display control unit 130 sets an area of ​​the unused area indicated by the real space information that is not reserved by the reservation information as the available area 54. In this way, it is possible to increase the accuracy with which the available area 54 is actually available.

[0065] As shown in Figure 15, the reservation information storage unit 170 stores, as reservation information, the identification information of the real-space information that is the subject of the reservation information, the identification information of the user corresponding to the reservation information, the selection information, and the selection date and time, in correspondence with each other.

[0066] Since the reservation information includes identification information of the real space information, the display control device 10 can use the availability information storage unit 150 to identify the position and size of the available space 54 reserved by the reservation information from the reservation information.

[0067] The selection information indicates whether the reservation information is confirmed or unconfirmed. Unconfirmed indicates that the reservation information is in a provisional reservation state. The selection date and time indicates the date and time when the reservation information was created, i.e., the date and time when the user selected the free space 54 that is the subject of the reservation information.

[0068] The display control device 10 performs processing, for example, as shown in the flowchart in Fig. 16. In parallel with the processing shown in Fig. 16, the acquisition unit 110 updates the availability information generation unit 140 every time the first sensor 40 generates new information, and also updates the reservation information storage unit 170 every time new reservation information is acquired from the communication device.

[0069] First, the acquisition unit 110 of the display control device 10 acquires real space information from the availability information generation unit 140 and reservation information from the reservation information storage unit 170 (step S112). The generation unit 120 generates availability information using the real space information and reservation information acquired by the acquisition unit 110 (step S120). This availability information indicates available spaces 54 within unused areas of the shelf 50 that can be reserved, and includes identification information for the available spaces 54. The generation unit 120 further generates comparison information and generates information to be provided using this comparison information (step S130). The display control unit 130 then displays the information to be provided in the display areas 22 of the multiple communication devices 20 (step S140). At this time, the available spaces 54 included in the availability information are displayed in a selectable manner. An example of the screen displayed here is as described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0070] The user of the communication device 20 selects an area that they wish to reserve from among the free areas 54 displayed in the display area 22. The communication device 20 then transmits information indicating the selected area, for example, identification information for that area, to the display control device 10 along with information identifying the user of the communication device 20. The acquisition unit 110 of the display control device 10 uses the information acquired from the communication device 20 to generate new reservation information and stores this reservation information in the reservation information storage unit 170.

[0071] Note that the reservation of the free space 54 may be configured to allow a formal reservation to be made after a provisional reservation. For example, when a user of the communication device 20 selects an area to be reserved from the free space 54 displayed in the display area 22, the communication device 20 transmits information indicating the selected area and information identifying the user of the communication device 20 to the display control device 10 as provisional reservation information. The acquisition unit 110 of the display control device 10 then stores the selected area as a provisional reservation in the reservation information storage unit 170. Thereafter, the user inputs information to the communication device 20 indicating that the selected area will be formally reserved. This input is, for example, by selecting a confirmation button displayed in the display area 22. The communication device 20 then transmits information to the display control device 10 indicating that the provisional reservation will be changed to a formal reservation. The acquisition unit 110 of the display control device 10 then updates the selection information in the reservation information storage unit 170 from a provisional reservation to a formal reservation.

[0072] In addition, if the provisionally reserved area does not become a formal reservation even after a predetermined time has passed, the acquisition unit 110 may cancel the provisional reservation and return the provisionally reserved area to a normal free area 54.

[0073] When the availability information generating unit 140 or the reservation information storage unit 170 is updated (step S150), the acquiring unit 110 of the display control device 10 acquires the updated information from the availability information generating unit 140 or the reservation information storage unit 170. Then, the display control unit 130 updates the availability information, comparison information, and information to be provided using the updated real space information or reservation information (step S160), and displays the updated information to be provided in the display areas 22 of the multiple communication devices 20 (step S170).

[0074] In step S170, the display control unit 130 preferably differentiates the display mode of the reserved area 56 from the display mode of the unreserved free area 54, as shown in FIG. 17 , for example. The display mode may include, for example, at least one of color, hatching, and line thickness. The display mode may also include a mark or text displayed in association with each free area 54. The displayed text indicates, for example, whether the free area 54 (or the reserved area 56) is reserved. The display control unit 130 further prevents the user from selecting the reserved area 56.

[0075] When the reservation information includes two levels of information, tentative reservation and formal reservation, the display control unit 130 may display the tentatively reserved area and the formally reserved area in different ways. For example, the display control unit 130 may differentiate at least one of the color, hatching, and line thickness of these two types of areas.

[0076] As described above, according to this embodiment, the generation unit 120 of the display control device 10 generates comparison information, and the display control unit 130 of the display control device 10 displays the comparison information in the display area 22. The comparison information allows the user to recognize the ratio between the size of the free space 54 and the size of the reference object 60, and also indicates the position of the free space 54. This allows the user of the shelf 50 to roughly grasp the size of the free space 54. Therefore, the user of the shelf 50 can determine whether the item 32 can be accommodated in the free space 54, even if the size of the item 32 is not registered in the display control device 10.

[0077] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present disclosure within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, each embodiment can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate.

[0078] In addition, although the flowcharts used in the above description show a sequence of steps (processes), the order of steps executed in each embodiment is not limited to the sequence shown in the flowcharts. In each embodiment, the order of steps shown in the diagrams can be changed as long as it does not cause any problems in terms of the content.

[0079] Some or all of the above embodiments can be described as in the following supplementary notes, but are not limited to them. 1. A display control device comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring vacancy information indicating the position and size of vacant space on a shelf where no items are placed; a generation means for using the vacancy information to generate provided information including comparison information that makes a user aware of the ratio between the size of the vacant space and the size of a reference object and indicates the position of the vacant space; and a display control means for displaying the provided information in a display area. 2. The display control device described in above 1, further comprising: a vacancy information generation means for generating the vacancy information using a detection result of a first sensor whose detection range is the shelf. 3. The display control device described in above 2, wherein the vacancy information generation means generates the vacancy information using reservation information indicating that an item is scheduled to be stored in the vacant space. 4. The display control device described in any one of above 1 to 3, wherein the comparison information includes an image of the shelf, a mark indicating the size of the vacant space, and an image of the reference object. 5. 1. The display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the shelf is located within a warehouse, and the comparison information is generated using a detection result of a second sensor arranged within the warehouse to generate information indicating the size of the reference object. 2. The display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the shelf is located within a warehouse, and the comparison information is generated using a detection result of a second sensor arranged within the warehouse to generate information indicating the size of the reference object. 3. The display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the second sensor includes an imaging means for imaging the reference object.10. A display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 above, wherein the shelf is located in a warehouse, and the reference object includes at least one of a person and an object used in the warehouse. 11. A display control method in which at least one computer acquires vacancy information indicating the position and size of empty space on the shelf where no item is placed, uses the vacancy information to generate provided information which makes a user aware of the ratio between the size of the empty space and the size of a reference object and includes comparison information indicating the position of the empty space, and displays the provided information in a display area. 12. A recording medium having a program recorded thereon, the program causing a computer to have: acquisition means for acquiring vacancy information indicating the position and size of empty space on the shelf where no item is placed; generation means for using the vacancy information to generate provided information which makes a user aware of the ratio between the size of the empty space and the size of a reference object and includes comparison information indicating the position of the empty space; and display control means for displaying the provided information in a display area. 13. The program according to claim 12.

[0080] Furthermore, some or all of the configurations described in Supplementary Notes 2 to 10, which are dependent on Supplementary Note 1, may also be dependent on Supplementary Notes 11 to 13 in the same dependent relationship as Supplementary Notes 2 to 10. Furthermore, not limited to Supplementary Notes 1 and Supplementary Notes 11 to 13, some or all of the configurations described as Supplements may be made dependent on various hardware, software, various recording means for recording software, or systems, within the scope of each of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0081] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Display control device 20 Communication device 22 Display area 30 Item 32 Item 40 First sensor 50 Shelf 60 Reference object 70 Second sensor 110 Acquisition unit 120 Generation unit 130 Display control unit 140 Availability information generation unit 150 Availability information storage unit 160 Comparison information storage unit 170 Reservation information storage unit

Claims

1. An acquisition means for acquiring vacancy information indicating the position and size of a vacant area in the shelf where no articles are placed; a generation means for generating provision information including comparison information for causing a user to recognize the ratio of the size of the vacant area to the size of a reference object and indicating the position of the vacant area by using the vacancy information; and a display control means for displaying the provision information on a display area. A display control device comprising the above.

2. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising a vacancy information generation means for generating the vacancy information by using a detection result of a first sensor having the shelf as a detection range.

3. The display control device according to claim 2, wherein the vacancy information generation means generates the vacancy information by using reservation information indicating that an article is to be stored in the vacant area.

4. The display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the comparison information includes an image of the shelf, a mark indicating the size of the vacant area, and an image of the reference object.

5. The display control device according to claim 4, wherein the ratio of the size of the image of the shelf, the size of the mark, and the size of the image of the reference object is based on the ratio of the size of the shelf in the real space, the size of the vacant area in the real space, and the size of the reference object in the real space.

6. The display control device according to claim 5, wherein there are a plurality of types of the shelves having different sizes from each other, and the generation means generates the comparison information for each type of the shelf.

7. The display control device according to claim 6, wherein the generation means generates the comparison information for each type of the shelf by using a comparison information storage means that stores information for generating the comparison information for each type of the shelf.

8. The display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the shelf is located in a warehouse, and the comparison information is generated by using a detection result of a second sensor that is a sensor disposed in the warehouse and generates information indicating the size of the reference object.

9. The display control device according to claim 8, wherein the second sensor includes a photographing means for photographing the reference object.

10. In the display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the shelf is located inside the warehouse, and the reference object includes at least one of a person and an object used inside the warehouse.

11. A display control method, in which a computer acquires vacancy information indicating the position and size of a vacant area where no articles are placed among the shelves, generates provision information including comparison information that causes a user to recognize the ratio of the size of the vacant area to the size of a reference object and indicates the position of the vacant area by using the vacancy information, and displays the provision information in a display area.

12. A recording medium having a program recorded thereon, the program causing a computer to have acquisition means for acquiring vacancy information indicating the position and size of a vacant area where no articles are placed among the shelves, generation means for generating provision information including comparison information that causes a user to recognize the ratio of the size of the vacant area to the size of a reference object and indicates the position of the vacant area by using the vacancy information, and display control means for displaying the provision information in a display area.

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