CN108025871A - House the inventory management system and inventory management method in storehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

The system of the invention can manage the inventory of the storage warehouse and improve the convenience of use. The inventory management system according to the present invention manages the articles (9) stored in the storage (1). The inventory management system includes: a first information acquisition unit (42) that acquires storage locations and types of articles from a setting device (3) capable of arbitrarily setting the storage locations and types of articles (9) in the storage (1) The 2nd information obtaining part (41), it obtains the state of article from the sensor (2) that is located at storage; 2. The state of the article acquired by the information acquisition unit (41) to determine the inventory of the article; and the output unit (46), which outputs the judgment result of the judgment unit.

Description

Storage warehouse inventory management system and inventory management method

technical field

The present invention relates to an inventory management system and an inventory management method of a storage warehouse.

Background technique

An inventory management system (Patent Document 1) is known in which sensors and the like are installed in the refrigerator to detect changes in the quantity and quality of articles and notify the detection results.

prior art literature

patent documents

Patent Document 1: JP Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-296904

Contents of the invention

The problem to be solved by the invention

In the prior art, the storage positions of the items in the warehouse are fixed in advance so that they can also function as an automatic inventory system. Therefore, it is difficult for the user to freely arrange articles in places other than the predetermined places, and the usability is low. Furthermore, for all the stored items, their types, quantities, etc. are known by the system, and the user's privacy may be violated.

The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an inventory management system and an inventory management method of a storage that can manage the inventory of a storage and improve usability.

means to solve the problem

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the inventory management system according to the present invention is an inventory management system that manages articles stored in a storage, and includes: a first information acquisition unit that can arbitrarily set the storage position of the articles in the storage; The type setting device acquires the storage location and type of the item; the second information acquisition unit acquires the state of the item from a sensor installed in the storage; the determination unit based on the item type and the second information acquired by the first information acquisition unit 2. The state of the article acquired by the information acquisition unit to determine the inventory of the article; and an output unit that outputs the determination result of the determination unit.

Invention effect

According to the present invention, since the user can arbitrarily set the storage location and type of articles in the storage using the setting device, desired types of articles can be stored at desired locations. Furthermore, since the user can disable the settings for items that do not wish to be managed, the user's privacy can be avoided beforehand, and the usability can be improved.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an inventory management system for a refrigerator according to the embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an overall system including an inventory management system of a refrigerator.

Fig. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of an inventory management server, a user terminal, and a sensor.

Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a standard item list.

Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an inventory management table.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a table for managing areas in which sensors are arranged.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a sensor setting screen.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing inventory management processing.

Fig. 9 is an overall configuration diagram of an inventory management system for the refrigerator according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an order screen.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing inventory management processing.

Fig. 12 is an overall configuration diagram of an inventory management system for a refrigerator according to a third embodiment.

Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram of an order history table.

Fig. 14 is an explanatory diagram of an order screen.

Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram showing an example of arrangement of sensor regions according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of sensor setting information.

Fig. 17 is an overall configuration diagram of an inventory management system for a refrigerator according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of processing for managing the storage period.

Fig. 19 is a flowchart showing the process of automatically ordering and completing electronic settlement when goods are taken out of the refrigerator according to the sixth embodiment.

Fig. 20 is a flowchart showing a process for specifying a storage place by automatically recognizing the name of the item uttered by the user when storing the item in the refrigerator according to the seventh embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a process of specifying a storage location by reading identification information of an article by the user when storing the article in the refrigerator according to the eighth embodiment.

Detailed ways

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. In this embodiment, as an example of storage, the inventory of a refrigerator is managed, or the inventory management is assisted. The inventory management system of this embodiment includes: a sensor 2 that detects the state of an article 9 ; a terminal 3 that a user inputs; and a server 4 that receives information from the sensor 2 and the user terminal 3 .

The user can arbitrarily set the type and storage place of the object article by operating the user terminal 3 . The server 4 judges the inventory based on the information acquired from the sensor 2 and the information set by the user, and outputs the judgment result to the user terminal 3 .

According to the present embodiment, since the user can arbitrarily set the storage position of desired articles, the degree of freedom for the user is increased, and usability is improved. Furthermore, since the user can set in advance the detection position of the sensor in the refrigerator and the type of the target item, it is possible to easily exclude items that are not desired to be managed from the management target, and to avoid the problem of violating the user's privacy.

【Example 1】

The first embodiment will be described using FIGS. 1 to 8 . FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the inventory management system of the refrigerator. This system includes, for example, a refrigerator 1 as an example of a “storage”, a sensor 2 , a user terminal 3 as an example of a “setting device”, and an inventory management server 4 .

Refrigerator 1 includes, for example, refrigerator compartment 10 , vegetable compartment 11 , and freezer compartment 12 . Furthermore, for example, refrigerator compartment 10 has openable and closing doors 101R and 101L, and vegetable compartment 11 and freezer compartment 12 have a drawer-type structure. The structure of refrigerator 1 is not limited to the structure shown in FIG. 1 . The arrangement order of the refrigerator compartment, the vegetable compartment, and the freezer compartment is also not limited. In this embodiment, the inventory management in the refrigerator compartment 10 is mainly described, but it can also be applied to the inventory management in the vegetable compartment 11 and the freezer compartment 12 .

In the refrigerator compartment 10, a plurality of storage parts 102R ( 1 ) to ( 3 ), 102L ( 1 ) to ( 3 ), and 103 ( 1 ) to ( 3 ) are provided. Inside the left and right doors 101R and 101L, a plurality of grooves 102R ( 1 ) to ( 3 ), and 102L ( 1 ) to ( 3 ) are separately arranged in the vertical direction.

Items 9 ( 1 ) such as eggs, milk, soft drinks, butter, and seasonings are accommodated in the grooves 102R ( 1 ) to ( 3 ) and 102L ( 1 ) to ( 3 ). The interior of the refrigerator compartment 10 is divided by a plurality of shelves 103 ( 1 ) to ( 3 ), and items 9 ( 2 ) such as bottled drinks and ready-made non-staple foods 9 ( 3 ) are stored on each shelf. It is the user's freedom to place what kind of items where. The user can also store items other than food such as medicines in the refrigerator 1 .

In the following description, R or L, (1) to (3), etc. will be omitted for description when there is no need to distinguish them in particular. Furthermore, when the groove 102 and the shelf 103 are not distinguished, it is called the accommodating part 102 etc.

Points to be kept in mind regarding storage of articles in the refrigerator 1 are as follows. First: Items with various attributes such as type, purpose of use, frequency of use, and storage period are not limited to being stored in the place desired by the user, and the storage place is not always fixed. Second: It is not limited to the user wishing to perform inventory management for all items stored in the refrigerator.

For example, in response to various environmental changes such as seasonal changes, changes in users (age, gender, nationality, etc.), sales promotions by retailers, and changes in lifestyles, the types, quantities, and storage places of the items 9 stored in the refrigerator 1 will change. change.

The sensor 2 is arranged in advance at a predetermined place in the refrigerator 1, and is a device that detects the state of the article 9 and transmits it to the inventory management server 4 via the communication network CN. At least one sensor 2 is installed in the refrigerator 1 . The sensor 2 is arranged inside the refrigerator 1 , but the sensor may be arranged on the surface of the refrigerator 1 . The state of the article 9 includes, for example, existence, number, weight, shape, color, temperature, etc., and in this embodiment, the existence and weight of the article 9 will be mainly described.

The sensor 2 has a wireless communication function, and regularly communicates with the inventory management server 4 via the communication network CN. The communication interval between the sensor 2 and the inventory management server 4 may be set to an initial value in advance, or may be set to an arbitrary value by the user. Alternatively, the sensor 2 may start communication with the server 4 when detecting the opening and closing of the door 101 of the refrigerator 1 . Furthermore, the communication from the sensor 2 to the server 4 may be started when the sensor 2 detects a state change of the object to be detected. The communication network CN may be a public communication line like the Internet, or may be a dedicated line. In addition, the sensor 2 may be wired to a wireless communication device provided in the refrigerator 1, and may be connected to the communication network CN from the wireless communication device.

Here, in this embodiment, as the sensor 2, a sensor that detects the weight of the article is taken as an example for description, but it is not limited thereto. For example, a limit switch, a capacitance type proximity switch, an ultrasonic switch, a level sensor, Other types of sensors such as cameras, microphones, and light sensors may be combined with a plurality of types of sensors. Furthermore, as mentioned above, the sensor 2 may be installed in the refrigerator 1, and may be installed outside. The sensor 2 may have a built-in storage battery, or may be configured to receive power from the outside through wires or wirelessly, or may be configured to charge the storage battery by light energy such as lighting.

User terminal 3 is a terminal used by a user who utilizes refrigerator 1 or a user who manages refrigerator 1 . The user terminal 3 is an example of a "setting device". In addition, in other Examples described later, a microphone, a barcode reader, and the like attached to the refrigerator 1 are used in addition to the user terminal 3 as the "setting device". The user terminal 3 is configured, for example, as a so-called tablet terminal, a mobile phone (including a smart phone), a notebook personal computer, a watch, and a wearable terminal such as glasses.

By accessing the inventory management server 4 using the user terminal 3 , the user can input the types, storage locations, management units, storage expiration dates, and the like of the articles 9 stored in the refrigerator 1 into the inventory management server 4 . Furthermore, the user terminal 3 can receive the notification sent from the inventory management server 4 and can display it on the terminal screen. The user can confirm, for example, the stock status of a given item in the refrigerator 1 by watching the notification displayed on the screen of the user terminal 3 . Since the user terminal 3 is configured as a separate device from the refrigerator 1, the user can perform setting and confirmation regarding inventory management of the refrigerator at a place away from the refrigerator 1.

The inventory management server 4 is a server constituting the core of the inventory management system. Hereinafter, it may be abbreviated as server 4 in some cases. In FIG. 1 , the server 4 appears to manage the inventory of one refrigerator 1 , but actually manages the inventory of a plurality of refrigerators 1 .

From the computer resources possessed by the server 4, the server 4 realizes a plurality of functions. That is, for example, the server 4 includes functions such as a sensor data receiving unit 41 , an input data receiving unit 42 , a comparison unit 43 , a setting unit 44 , a determination unit 45 , and a display unit 46 , and a database T.

The sensor data reception unit 41 serving as a “second information acquisition unit” receives data from each sensor 2 . The sensor data receiving unit 41 regularly or irregularly receives data from each sensor 2 via the communication network CN.

The input data reception unit 42 serving as the "first information acquisition unit" receives data from the user terminal 3 via the communication network CN. As described above, the user inputs the type of article 9 , storage place, management unit, storage period, etc. to the inventory management server 4 . In addition, the communication network connecting the sensor 2 and the server 4 and the communication network connecting the user terminal 3 and the server 4 may be common or different. The input data receiving unit 42 sends the received information to the collation unit 43 .

The collating unit 43 collates an item to be subject to inventory management (hereinafter also referred to as a target item) input from the user terminal 3 with the storage content of the item database T. As shown in FIG. The storage content of the article database T will be described later.

The setting unit 44 sets a threshold for determining the state of the article 9 detected by the sensor 2 . For example, a case will be described in which a user associates a certain sensor 2 with a bottled drink as an item 9 and further inputs from the user terminal 3 to output an alarm when the number of bottled drinks becomes N bottles.

The collation unit 43 reads out the standard weight of the bottled beverage from the article database T. The setting unit 44 sets a value N times the standard weight as a threshold value for alarm output. The determination unit 45 compares the weight detected by the sensor 2 with a threshold value set for the bottled beverage, and outputs an alarm when the weight detected by the sensor 2 is lower than the threshold value.

In addition, the unit of the threshold value differs depending on the unit of the value detected by the sensor 2 . When a weight sensor is used as the sensor 2, the unit of the threshold value is weight. When the sensor 2 detects a state or quantity other than the weight, the unit of the threshold can also vary depending on the type of sensor. Furthermore, in order to suppress the output of an alarm due to a slight change in weight detected by the sensor 2, the threshold value may be given a range.

The determination unit 45 compares the threshold value of the sensor data set in the setting unit 44 with the sensor data received from the sensor data receiving unit 41 to make a determination. The judging unit 45 notifies the user that the input data receiving unit 42 takes a preset action when the data from the sensor data receiving unit 41 is smaller than the threshold value specified in the setting unit 44 . This notification is performed from the display unit 46 via the user terminal 3 .

Furthermore, the judging unit 45 judges the state of the article 9 detected by the sensor 2 with reference to the standard information (for example, standard weight) of the target article extracted by the collation unit 43 . For example, when the weight detected by the sensor 2 is 750 g, the determination unit 45 determines that there are three bottled beverages within the detection range of the sensor 2 because the standard weight of the bottled beverage is 250 g.

The display unit 46 transmits display information to the user terminal 3 to display the determination result by the determination unit 45 on the user terminal 3 . The display information can be configured to include at least one of characters, still images, moving images, graphics, and sounds. For example, a message such as "The stock of bottled drinks has become 2 bottles." is transmitted from the display unit 46 to the user terminal 3 .

FIG. 2 shows an overall outline of the overall system including the inventory management system of refrigerator 1 . This overall system includes, for example, an e-commerce system 6 and a warehouse management system 7 in addition to the refrigerator 1, the sensor 2, the user terminal 3, and the server 4. The overall system can also be called, for example, a distribution management system, an integrated inventory management system, and the like. The electronic commerce system 6 and the warehouse management system 7 can also be referred to as supplementary systems 8 .

The electronic commerce system 6 is a computer system managed by a business operator who sells items 9 to users. The electronic commerce system 6 may include a settlement system. The electronic commerce system 6 can also communicate with an external settlement system (not shown). The warehouse management system 7 is a computer system managed by a business operator who manages storage, storage, and delivery of the articles 9 . The manager of the e-commerce system 6 and the manager of the warehouse management system 7 may be different or the same.

In FIG. 2 , one e-commerce system 6 and one warehouse management system 7 are shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and a plurality of e-commerce systems 6 and warehouse management systems 7 may be provided. For example, the server 4 can be communicatively connected to a plurality of e-commerce systems 6 and a plurality of warehouse management systems 7 , and the e-commerce system 6 can be communicatively connected to a plurality of warehouse management systems 7 . In refrigerator 1 , articles 9 purchased from a plurality of different e-commerce systems 6 can be stored at the same time.

The flow of the overall system is explained here. As a premise, it is assumed that the user has registered in the server 4 information necessary for inventory management, such as the type and threshold value of the object item, using the user terminal 3 .

When the server 4 receives the sensor data sent from the sensor 2 (S1), it analyzes the inventory of the target article (S2), and transmits the analysis result (judgment result) to the user terminal 3 (S3). The user confirms the information displayed on the user terminal 3 (S4). The user accesses the electronic commerce system 6 as needed, and places an order for a desired article 9 (S5). The user can place an order including items other than the target item.

If the e-commerce system 6 confirms the order from the user terminal 3, it will settle the payment by communicating with the internal or external settlement system of the e-commerce system 6 (S6), and instruct the warehouse management system 7 to deliver the goods 9 ordered by the user. (S7). The warehouse management system 7 sends the article 9 to the place designated by the user (S8). The user stores the received article 9 in the refrigerator 1 (S9).

Here, when the user stores the article 9 in the refrigerator 1, it can also be stored in the same place as the previous time, or can be stored in a different place from the previous time. When the user stores the article 9 in a place different from the previous time, the user inputs the relationship between the place and the article 9 into the user terminal 3 and notifies the server 4 . Thereby, the server 4 can remotely manage the inventory of the articles 9 stored in a place different from the previous one. Furthermore, the user can also exclude the item 9 from the object of inventory management by storing the item 9 in an area deviated from the detection range of the sensor 2 . In addition, in other embodiments described later, the user can freely turn on and off the function of a desired sensor 2 among the sensors 2 .

Then, the operator who manages the electronic commerce system 6 and the operator who operates the inventory management server 4 can also conclude a contract on inventory management in advance (S0). For example, instead of having the operator of the specific e-commerce system 6 bear at least a part of the cost of inventory management of the refrigerator 1, the information of the specific e-commerce system 6 can be included in the information sent from the server 4 to the user terminal 3. advertise. Alternatively, as in other embodiments described later, the orderer of the article 9 from the user terminal 3 can be fixed in advance in a specific electronic commerce system 6 .

In addition, the case where the article 9 is replenished via the electronic commerce system 6 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the operator of the warehouse management system 7 may send the article 9 directly to the user. For example, when the server 4 notifies the warehouse management system 7 of the inventory status of the refrigerator 1 (S7A), the manager of the warehouse management system 7 may send the article 9 to the user.

The operator of the server 4, the operator of the e-commerce system 6, and the operator of the warehouse management system 7 may be different or common. For example, the operator of the e-commerce system 6 and the operator of the warehouse management system 7 may be the same, or the operator of the server 4 may be the same as the operator of the e-commerce system 6 or the operator of the warehouse management system 7 .

FIG. 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the inventory control system. The sensor 2 includes, for example, a control circuit 201 , a communication interface (abbreviated as communication I/F in the figure) 202 , a detection unit 203 , and a power supply unit not shown. The control circuit 201 stores the value detected by the detection unit 203 in a predetermined packet, and sends it to the server 4 from the communication interface 202 .

The user terminal 3 includes, for example, a microprocessor (hereinafter referred to as a processor) 301 , a communication interface 302 , a memory 303 , an input device 304 , and an output device 305 .

A computer program for inputting information used for inventory management from the user terminal 3 to the server 4 such as a web browser is stored in the memory 303 . The communication interface 302 communicates with the server 4 via the communication network CN.

The input device 304 is a device for the user to input or instruct information to the user terminal 3 . As the input device 304 , for example, a physical or virtual keyboard, a touch panel, an audio input device, a motion detection device, and the like can be used. The output device 305 is a device for presenting information to the user from the user terminal 3 . For the output device 305, for example, a display, a speaker, a voice synthesis device, etc. can be used.

The server 4 includes, for example, a processor 401 , a communication interface 402 , a memory 403 , an input device 404 , and an output device 405 .

A predetermined computer program (not shown) and a database T for realizing each of the functions 41 to 46 described in FIG. 1 are stored in the memory 403 . The processor 401 realizes the functions 41 to 46 described in FIG. 1 by reading and executing these given computer programs. The memory 403 is not limited to RAM (Random Access Memory, random access memory) or ROM (ReadOnly Memory, read only memory), and may include storage devices such as hard disk devices or flash memory devices.

The communication interface 402 communicates with the sensor 2 and the user terminal 3 via the communication network CN. The server 4 can manage the inventory of the multi-user refrigerator 1 . The server 4 can communicate with a plurality of user terminals 3 and a plurality of sensors 2 .

The input device 404 is a device for the server administrator to input information or instructions to the server 4 . The output device 405 is a device for providing information from the server 4 to the server administrator. Specific examples of the input device 404 and the output device 405 are the same as those described for the user terminal 3 , and thus the above description is omitted.

Replenishment system 8 is a system for replenishing object articles to refrigerator 1 . The supplementary system 8 can be constituted by, for example, the electronic commerce system 6 and the warehouse management system 7 as described in FIG. 2 . The target item can also be replenished according to the user's instruction, and can be replenished automatically according to the determination result of the server 4 .

FIG. 4 shows an example of the standard item list T1 stored in the database T. As shown in FIG. The standard article list T1 stores information indicating a standard state for each article.

The standard item list T1 associates and manages, for example, identification information (hereinafter referred to as ID) C10, item name C11, standard weight C12, standard unit C13, and standard storage period C14. Items other than these can also be included for management.

Here ID C10 is information for identifying an item. The item name C11 is the name of the item. The standard weight C12 is the standard weight of the article. The standard unit C13 is a management unit and a disposal unit of an item. The standard storage period C14 is the period within which the article can be stored, for example, the expiration date.

An example will be described. For example, "egg" is registered with the item name C11 identified by "ID1". Since the weight of one normal egg is 60 grams, "60 g" is set for the standard weight C12. Furthermore, since eggs are often sold in units of 10, "10" is set to the standard unit C13.

In this embodiment, since the sensor 2 for detecting the weight is used, the weight is exemplified as the standard state of the article. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. When the sensor 2 detects the shape and color of an article, the standard shape and color of the article may be registered in the list T1.

The comparison unit 43 shown in FIG. 1 searches the list of standard items in the database T for items corresponding to the user and the sensor 2, and reads out the standard weight, standard unit, and standard storage period of the matched items. The setting unit 44 sets a display unit for each sensor 2 based on the comparison result in the comparison unit 43 , or sets an action (Action) of the server 4 based on the detection result. For example, as described later in FIG. 7, when the user sets the management threshold of "eggs" to "2", if the number of eggs in stock becomes 2 or less, an action specified by the user in advance is performed. In the case where the action specified by the user is "replenishment", the server 4 sends a given notice to the supplementary system 8 .

In addition, the inventory quantity of the target item can be managed by quantity or quantity. For example, items such as soybean paste and soy sauce can also manage inventory in units of several grams or several liters.

FIG. 5 shows an example of an inventory management table T2 included in the database T. As shown in FIG. Inventory management table T2 stores information for managing the inventory of target articles in refrigerator 1 .

Inventory management table T2, for example, associates and manages sensor area numbers (numbers are abbreviated with "#" in the figure) C20, item names C21, display methods C22, thresholds C23, and behaviors C24.

The sensor area number C20 is information for specifying an area detectable by the sensor 2 . The detectable area (detectable range) of the sensor 2 differs depending on the type, performance, and the like of the sensor. In the present embodiment, the server 4 grasps in advance the installation position of the sensor 2 and the range detectable by the sensor 2 .

The item name C21 is the name of the target item placed in the sensor area. The display method C22 is a display method of the unit of the target article. Examples of display methods include "number" and "quantity". When specifying to display by "number", for example, the inventory of the target article is displayed on the user terminal 3 such as how many bottles, how many bags, how many bags. When specifying to display by "quantity", for example, the inventory of the target article is displayed on the user terminal 3 such as how many grams or how many liters.

The threshold C23 is the threshold of the inventory of the target item. Behavior C24 is an action of the server 4 that starts when the inventory of the target item reaches the threshold. As actions, there are, for example, "alert", "notify supplementary system", and the like. The "alert" is an action in which the server 4 notifies the user terminal 3 that the stock of the target item is below the threshold. The "notification to the replenishment system" is an action in which the server 4 notifies the replenishment system 8 that the stock of the target item is below the threshold value.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the area management table T3 included in the database T. As shown in FIG. The area management table T3 manages the arrangement of sensor areas, the storage capacity of target items, and the like.

In the area management table T3, for example, the sensor area number C30, the internal division C31, the space size C32, and the storage capacity C33 are associated and stored.

The sensor area number C30 is set to the same value as the sensor area number C20 of the inventory control table T2 described in FIG. 5 . In-storage category 31 is information for specifying a storage space where sensor 2 is installed. Values such as "the shelf of the refrigerator compartment" and "the right recess of the refrigerator compartment" are set in the compartment C31 in the storeroom, for example.

The space size C32 is the size of the storage space specified by the storage compartment C31. The space size can be obtained from the specification information of the refrigerator 1 . The storage capacity C33 is the number of items that can be stored in the storage space determined by the storage division C31. Set how many items that have a high possibility of being stored in the storage space can be stored. The storage capacity of C33 can be expressed either in quantity or in quantity.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the sensor setting screen G1. The user can display the sensor setting screen G1 provided by the server 4 on the user terminal 3 by accessing the server 4 using the user terminal 3 .

The sensor setting screen G1 includes, for example, a sensor area display area GP11, a target item name display area GP12, a threshold value display area GP13, a condition display area GP14, an action display area GP15, a call button GP16, a registration button GP17, and a cancel button GP18.

The sensor area display area GP11 displays information (for example, a sensor area number) for specifying a sensor area which is an area detectable by the sensor 2 . Instead of the sensor area number, a sensor name, an in-store classification (see C11 in FIG. 6 ), and the like may be used.

The target article name display area GP12 displays the article name for specifying the article 9 stored in the sensor area displayed in the sensor area display area GP11. Not only the name of the item 9 but also an icon image showing the outline of the item 9 may be displayed.

The threshold value display area GP13 displays the threshold value set regarding the inventory of the target item. The condition display area GP14 displays the condition for performing an action when the inventory of the target item reaches the threshold value. Usually, the condition of "below the threshold value" is displayed, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the condition of "if it becomes above the threshold value" may be displayed.

The action display area GP15 displays the name of the action executed when the condition is satisfied. Examples of behaviors include "supplement", "alert". "Replenishment" means to replenish the target article 9 by placing an order with the replenishment system 8 . Orders to the replenishment system 8 can be made either from the server 4 or from the user terminal 3 . Furthermore, the user may confirm the order content after the automatic order is made to the replenishment system 8, or the order may be ordered to the replenishment system 8 after the user confirms the confirmation of the order content in advance. The so-called "alarm" is to send a given message to a destination designated in advance. The destination of the given message is usually the user terminal 3 of the user who uses or manages the refrigerator 1 , but the given message may be sent to devices other than the user terminal 3 .

The recall button GP16 is a button for recalling previously registered setting contents. The server 4 holds, for example, a sensor setting history for each user ID, and the user can call and use the sensor setting history as a prototype. The register button GP17 is a button for registering the contents set on the sensor setting screen G1 to the server 4 . The cancel button GP18 is a button for canceling the content set on the sensor setting screen G1.

An example in which the user makes settings on the sensor setting screen G1 will be described with reference to FIG. 7 . A sensor 2 capable of detecting bottled beverages is preset in the sensor area A1 of FIG. 7 .

On the sensor setting screen G1 displayed on the user terminal 3, the user selects a bottled drink for the sensor area A1 from among the candidate items. Candidate items can be freely selected by the user from a pull-down menu or the like, for example. The server 4 lists and holds a plurality of item names that can be stored in the refrigerator 1, and provides the names of items that are candidates for these items to the user.

The general name of the item is usually registered in the list of candidate items. Instead, it is also possible to allow the user to add a desired brand item name from the end. When the user registers an item that does not exist in the list of candidate items, the user can input the item name (either a general name or a brand name) from a text box or the like.

Then, the user sets the action content to be performed corresponding to the state of the item. In the example shown in FIG. 7 , the user sets an action content such that when the number of bottled beverages stored in the area corresponding to the sensor area A1 becomes 2 or less, the user will replenish the beverage. In addition, the user sets action details such that an alarm is notified to the user when the number of eggs stored in the area corresponding to the sensor area A2 becomes three or less. In addition, the action content is not limited to "replenishment" and "warning". For example, actions such as "starting power saving of the refrigerator", "locking the refrigerator", and "unlocking the refrigerator" may be defined, and multiple actions may be set to be executed.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the overall operation of the inventory management system. As described above, the user uses the user terminal 3 to input the correspondence relationship between the sensor 2 of the refrigerator 1 and the article 9 and the action content when the inventory of the article 9 reaches the threshold value to the server 4 ( S11 ).

The server 4 compares the name of the article 9 input by the user with the contents of the article list T1 stored in the database T, and acquires standard information (standard weight, standard shelf life, etc.) for the article 9 (S12). Then, the server 4 sets thresholds, conditions, and actions input by the user in association with the items 9 (S13).

The sensor 2 sends the sensor data to the server 4 spontaneously or periodically or irregularly at the request of the server 4 (S14). The server 4 compares the sensor data with the conditions input by the user, and determines whether or not the conditions input by the user are satisfied (S15). The server 4 transmits display data showing the result of the judgment to the user terminal 3 (S16). When the action set by the user is "replenishment", although omitted in FIG. 8 , the server 4 issues an order to the refill system 8 or sends a message to the user terminal 3 to prompt an order.

According to this embodiment thus constituted, since the user can arbitrarily set the storage place of the object article by operating the user terminal 3, the usability of the refrigerator 1 having the automatic inventory management function is improved.

Furthermore, since the user can exclude items that do not wish to be automatically managed from the management target, the privacy of the user can be protected, and the usability is further improved.

[Example 2]

The second embodiment will be described using FIGS. 9 to 11 . Each of the following examples including this example corresponds to a modified example of the first example, and the description will focus on differences from the first example. In this embodiment, when the inventory of the target item becomes below the threshold, the target item is ordered from the user terminal 3 or the server 4A to the electronic commerce system 6 .

FIG. 9 shows an overall configuration diagram of the inventory management system of the refrigerator according to the present embodiment. In the present example and each of the following examples, illustration of the refrigerator 1 is omitted in the overall configuration diagram.

The inventory management server 4A of this embodiment has functions 41 to 46 and a database T similarly to the server 4 shown in FIG. 1 . Furthermore, the inventory management server 4A includes a notification unit 47 .

When the determination unit 45 determines that the stock of the target item is below the threshold, the notification unit 47 can transmit order information for the target item to the electronic commerce system 6 .

FIG. 10 shows an example of the order screen G2. The order screen G2 is generated by the server 4A and provided to the user terminal 3 . The order screen G2 includes, for example, a check box display area GP21, a target item name display area GP22, a stock status display area GP23, an order button GP24, and an order content display area GP25.

The check box display area GP21 is an area for displaying check boxes for selecting items to be ordered. The target item name display area GP22 is an area for displaying the name of the target item. The inventory state display area GP23 is an area showing the inventory state of the target article. The order button GP24 is a button for ordering. The order content display area GP25 is an area for displaying order content.

A specific example will be described. In FIG. 10 , the server 4A calculates the number of bottles in stock of the bottled beverage based on the weight detected by the sensor 2, and displays "2 bottles remaining" on the order screen G2. Similarly, the server 4A calculates the number of eggs in stock based on the detected weight of the sensor 2, and displays the number on the order screen G2. Thus, in this embodiment, instead of displaying the physical quantity itself detected by the sensor 2, the inventory quantity is converted into an appropriate unit according to the type of the article 9 and displayed on the order screen G2. Therefore, the user can intuitively grasp the inventory.

In FIG. 7, since the bottled beverage becomes "replenishment" if it becomes below a threshold value, order screen G2 is displayed. When the user instructs an order from the order screen G2, order information is sent to the electronic commerce system 6. FIG.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing inventory management processing in this embodiment. This processing includes all of the respective steps S11 to S16 described in FIG. 8 . Furthermore, steps S17 to S19 described later are included in this process. Depending on the situation, step S20 described later may also be included.

When the user terminal 3 receives the display data indicating the inventory determination result from the server 4A ( S16 ), it displays it on the output device 305 of the user terminal 3 . The user confirms the determination result of the inventory of the server 4A (S17), and places an order with the electronic commerce system 6 ("EC system" in the drawing) using the order screen G2 (S18). When the electronic commerce system 6 receives an order from the user terminal 3, it executes an order acceptance process (S19). In the order receiving process, for example, the electronic commerce system 6 communicates with the settlement system to confirm the payment from the user, and then instructs the warehouse management system 7 to ship.

The above has described the case where an order for the object article is placed after confirmation by the user. On the other hand, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 11 , if the server 4A determines that the inventory of the target item is below the threshold value, it may automatically place an order with the electronic commerce system 6 (S20). Then, the server 4A transmits display data including the fact that the automatic order has been made to the user terminal 3 (S16).

The present embodiment thus constituted also exhibits the same effects as those of the first embodiment. Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the inventory of the target item is below the threshold value, an order can be made from either the user terminal 3 or the server 4A to the e-commerce system 6, and the risk of running out of inventory can be suppressed, improving usability.

[Example 3]

A third embodiment will be described using FIGS. 12 to 14 . In this embodiment, ordering of items is assisted based on order history.

Fig. 12 is an overall configuration diagram of the inventory management system of the refrigerator according to the present embodiment. The server 4B of the present embodiment includes the functions 41 to 47 and the database T described in FIG. 9 . Furthermore, the server 4B of the present embodiment includes an analysis unit 48 and an order history database T4.

The order history database T4 stores information on orders from the user terminal 3 (order information). The analysis unit 48 searches the order history database T4 according to the determination result of the determination unit 45 to generate information to assist the user in ordering, and provides the order support information to the user terminal 3 through the display unit 46 .

FIG. 12 shows an example of the order history database T4. The order history database T4 associates and manages, for example, user IDC40, item name C41, brand C42, quantity C43, price C44, order date C45, and discount C46.

The user ID C40 is information for identifying a user. Item name C41 is the name of the ordered item. Trademark C42 is a trademark of the ordered item. Quantity C43 is the ordered quantity. Price C44 is an order unit price. Order date C45 is the date of order. Privileges C46 represent privileges at the time of ordering. The benefits include, for example, the acquisition of points that can be used to purchase other products or services, the right to receive discounts, the right to apply for prizes, and the like. In addition to these items C40 to C46, for example, an order amount, payment period, etc. may be added.

User ID C40 , item name C41 , trademark C42 , quantity C43 , price C44 , order date C45 , etc. are input by the user from the user terminal 3 to the electronic commerce system 6 . Simultaneously with placing an order from the user terminal 3 to the electronic commerce system 6, the order information is also sent to the server 4 and stored in the order history database T4. The discount C46 may be input by the user from the user terminal 3 to the server 4, or the server 4 may inquire about the contents of the discount to the electronic commerce system 6. In addition, instead of transmitting the order information to the server 4 every time an order is placed from the user terminal 3 to the electronic commerce system 6, the order information may be stored in the user terminal 3 in advance, and the stored order information may be transmitted at a given timing. to server 4.

The analysis unit 48 reads out the order information of the target user accumulated in the order history database T4, and searches for the trademark of the item that the target user has ordered in the past. Among the trademarks ordered by the target user in the past, the most ordered trademark can be extracted, and the most recently ordered trademark can also be extracted. The analysis result of the analysis unit 48 is sent to the display unit 46 .

The display unit 46 transmits and displays order support information to the user terminal 3 when the user intends to place an order for the article 9 using the user terminal 3 . One or more trademarks that the user has ordered in the past are included in the ordering auxiliary information. Thereby, the user can easily specify the name of the item to be ordered based on the order support information, and can easily place an order. Therefore, the inventory management system of this embodiment further improves user convenience.

However, although the types of articles are the same as those at the time of the previous order, it is considered that the user wishes to order another brand. Therefore, the analysis unit 48 reads the past order history information of users other than the target user from the order history database T4, and extracts one or more frequently purchased popular brands. For example, the analyzing unit 48 may extract the most ordered trademark among the trademarks purchased by a plurality of users in the past in descending order.

Alternatively, the analysis unit 48 may sequentially extract trademarks with many recent orders by narrowing the search range to only recent purchase history records. The analysis unit 48 may extract a certain brand that has been ordered in the past limited to the target user. The analysis unit 48 transmits the extracted plurality of brand candidates to the user terminal 3 via the display unit 46 as order support information.

There is also a case where the user wishes to place an order for an item other than the target item detected by the sensor 2 . In this case, information on other items related to the target item, items ordered by the user in the past, or recommended items may be obtained from the electronic commerce system 6 and included in the order support information.

FIG. 11 shows an order screen G2B according to this embodiment. The order screen G2B has the same display elements GP21 to GP25 as those of the order screen G2 described in FIG. 10 . Furthermore, the order screen G2B of the present embodiment includes an order support information display area GP26 for displaying order support information.

Information for assisting the user in ordering is displayed in the order support information display area GP26. As the order support information, there are, as described above, information on brands ordered by other users, popularity of the brands (size of order quantity), benefits, and the like. Trademarks analyzed from the user's order history are displayed in the area GP25 for displaying order contents. If the user changes the trademark based on the order support information, the display content of the area GP25 is also changed.

The present embodiment thus constituted also exhibits the same effects as those of the first embodiment. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since the past order history records of each user of each refrigerator 1 under the management of the server 4 are collectively managed, it is possible to store orders based on the order history records of the target user and the order history records of other users. Recorded to generate information to assist in ordering, and provided to target users. Therefore, even when the user accidentally forgets the brand he likes, he can place an order with the usual brand, and the usability is improved. It is also possible to place orders for new trademarks by referring to the ordering tendencies of other users, further improving the convenience of use.

【Example 4】

4th Example is demonstrated using FIG.15, FIG.16. In the present embodiment, the user sets only the sensor 2 provided in a desired sensor area among the plurality of sensor areas in the refrigerator 1 to be operable.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of sensor areas A1 to A11 provided in refrigerator 1 . Different sensors 2 are responsible for each sensor area. In this case, it is also possible for one sensor (camera) to be responsible for a plurality of sensor fields, for example, as is the case in the case of detecting the stock of items 9 by processing images captured with a camera. In FIG. 15 , three shelves are taken as an example of the storage space in refrigerator 1 , and each shelf 103 is divided into a plurality of sensor areas. In FIG. 15 , the groove 102 of the refrigerator 1 is omitted.

How many sensor areas are set in the storage space (shelves, recesses, etc.) of the refrigerator 1 can be fixed at the time of factory shipment, or can be changed by the user later. The user can also set the sensor area in any place according to the type of sensor, installation place, etc., or delete the set sensor area.

For example, the user can interactively set the sensor area on the user terminal 3 through the screen provided by the server 4 , and then associate the sensor 2 with each set sensor area. In this case, after the user sets the sensor area, the service personnel of the seller of the refrigerator may install the sensor 2 in the refrigerator 1 as set by the user. Alternatively, before the factory shipment of the refrigerator, the factory worker may install the sensor 2 on the refrigerator 1 as set by the user, and then ship the refrigerator 1 to the user. Furthermore, a portable sensor 2 that can be freely attached and detached may be prepared, and the user or service personnel may install the portable sensor 2 in the refrigerator 1 as set by the user.

FIG. 16 shows an example of sensor setting information T5. The sensor setting information T5 is a table for managing the setting state of each sensor 2 and is stored in the database T. As shown in FIG. The sensor setting information T5 associates and manages, for example, storage place name C50, sensor area number C51, sensor state C52, target item name C53, unit C54, and automatic order mark C55.

The storage place name C50 is information for identifying the storage place of the article 9 . As storage places, there are, for example, the shelf 103, the recess 102, and the like. The sensor area number C51 is information for identifying the sensor area. The sensor status C52 is information indicating the status of the sensor 2 . As the sensor state, there are, for example, on (ON: on) and off (OFF: off). In the ON state, the sensor 2 works, sending the detected value to the server 4 . In the case of the off state, the sensor 2 stops.

The target item name C53 is information for identifying an item associated with the sensor area. A unit C54 represents a management unit of an article. The automatic order flag C55 is information for controlling whether to perform automatic order. When the automatic order flag is set to ON, if the action selected by the user is "automatic replenishment", the server 4 automatically places an order with the electronic commerce system 6 when the inventory of the item falls below the threshold value.

In the example of FIG. 16 , the sensor state C52 is set to off in both sensor areas A1 and A2 of "shelf 1". Since the sensor 2 corresponding to the sensor area A1, A2 stops functioning, sensor data is not sent to the server 4 about the article stored in the sensor area A1, A2. Therefore, remote inventory management by the server 4 is not performed on the items stored in the sensor areas A1 and A2.

In the sensor area A3 of "Shelf 1", since the sensor state C52 is set to ON, sensor data is sent from the sensor 2 in charge of the sensor area A3 to the server 4 . The server 4 determines the stock status based on sensor data and information previously input by the user. In the sensor area A3, since the automatic order flag is set to ON, the server 4 automatically orders the item in the electronic commerce system 6 when the inventory of the item stored in the sensor area A3 becomes below the threshold value. At this time, the server 4 notifies the user terminal 3 that the stock is below the threshold and that the automatic order has been placed in the display data.

Since the sensor area A4 of the "shelf 2" is also the same as the sensor area A3, and the sensor state C52 is set to ON, sensor data is sent from the sensor 2 in charge of the sensor area A4 to the server 4 . The server 4 determines the stock status based on sensor data and information previously input by the user. When the server 4 determines that the inventory has become below the threshold value, the server 4 transmits a warning to the user terminal 3 including the display data. Since the automatic order flag of the sensor area A4 is set to off, the server 4 does not automatically order the electronic commerce system 6 .

The present embodiment thus constituted also exhibits the same effects as those of the first embodiment. Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, since the user can turn on and off the function for each sensor area, only desired items can be targeted for remote inventory management by the server 4 . Therefore, for example, the user can exclude items whose consumption amount or frequency of consumption has decreased due to changes in lifestyle, etc., from inventory management, thereby improving usability.

【Example 5】

5th Example is demonstrated using FIG.17, FIG.18. The server 4C of this embodiment also manages the inventory in consideration of the storage period of the item.

Fig. 17 is an overall configuration diagram of the inventory management system of the refrigerator according to the present embodiment. The server 4C of the present embodiment includes the respective functions 41 to 46 and the database T described in FIG. 1 . Furthermore, 4 C of servers are equipped with the expiration date determination part 49 and the sensor data history database T6.

The sensor data history database T6 which is an example of a "sensor information history management part" stores the sensor data received from each sensor 2. As shown in FIG. In detail, the sensor data history database T6 manages the result of determination by the determination part 45 (target item name, stock quantity of a target item) for each sensor. Therefore, the quantity change of each object item is accumulated in the sensor data history database T6.

The deadline determination unit 49 calculates the period during which the object item is stored in the refrigerator 1 based on the history of sensor data stored in the sensor data history database T6, that is, the history of data on state changes of the object object. items, an alarm is output to the user terminal 3 through the display unit 46 .

Specifically, the expiration date judging unit 49 reads the accumulation data of the state change (quantity change) of the target article from the sensor data history database T6. Furthermore, the expiration date determination unit 49 reads the standard storage expiration date information C14 of each article from the standard article list T1 shown in FIG. 4 . Then, the expiration date determination unit 49 obtains the period when the target item is stored in the refrigerator 1 based on the state change of the target item.

For example, when the sensor 2 is a sensor that detects weight, the deadline determination unit 49 estimates the time when the weight of the object to be detected decreases and then suddenly increases as the time to store the object to be detected. Here, it is not limited to replenishment after all the target items are consumed. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the expiration date determination unit 49 detects the date and time when the value of the severity detected by the sensor 2 changes rapidly as the storage start date and time. The weight value indicated by the sensor data is converted into the standard unit C13 of the target article. The expiration date determination unit 49 can estimate the first date and time when the target item is stored in the refrigerator 1 based on the differential change in the quantity of the target item in a standard unit.

This process will be described by taking as an example a case where the stock of a certain item is increased to 10 from the state where the stock is 1. Let the time when the stock increases from 1 to 10 be T1. The time at which the weight detected by the sensor 2 changes after the time T1 and the determination unit 45 determines that the inventory has decreased by two is defined as T2. At the point of time T2, the inventory of items is 8. The storage period of these eight stocks is (T2-T1).

Next, let T3 be the time when 6 items were newly added to the refrigerator 1 after the inventory of items decreased by 3 items. At this time, the storage period of the three articles stored continuously from time T1 is (T3-T1).

The expiry date determination unit 49 assumes a first-in-first-out habit of consuming the item stored in the refrigerator 1 first, and estimates the storage period of the inventory. Thereby, the expiration date determination unit 49 can manage the storage expiration date of the article without recording detailed information about the time when the article is stored in the refrigerator 1 and the time when it is consumed. Then, the expiration date determination unit 49 outputs an alarm to the display unit 46 when the calculated storage period passes the standard storage date C14 or when the remaining time until the standard storage date C14 is reached is equal to or less than a predetermined time.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing processing for managing the storage period. As described above, the deadline determination unit 49 acquires the history of the quantity change of the target article from the sensor data history database T6 ( S30 ). Next, the expiration date judging unit 49 estimates the storage start time of the object article according to the above-mentioned algorithm (S31), and calculates the storage period from the difference between the storage start time and the current time (S32).

Then, the expiration date determination unit 49 compares the storage period with the standard storage period C14 (S33), and if it is determined that the storage period of the target article expires or the storage period expires, it will be less than a predetermined time ( S33 "Yes"), an alarm is output to the user terminal 3 through the display unit 46 (S34). The display unit 46 transmits, to the user terminal 3 , display data including information that items whose storage period has expired or items nearing the expiration of the storage period exist in the refrigerator 1 . At this time, the stock quantity of the item to be alerted may also be displayed.

The present embodiment thus constituted also exhibits the same effects as those of the first embodiment. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since the storage period of the object item can also be managed, the inventory in the refrigerator 1 can be managed more appropriately, and the usability of the user is improved.

[Example 6]

A sixth embodiment will be described using FIG. 19 . In the present embodiment, when an item is taken out of the refrigerator 1D, the item is settled.

Fig. 19 is a flowchart showing inventory management processing in the refrigerator according to the present embodiment. The user inputs information necessary for inventory management into the server 4D in advance, as described in steps S11 to S13 of FIG. 8 .

Refrigerator 1D of this embodiment is provided with information reading device 13 for electronic settlement. The information reading device 13 is connected to the electronic commerce system 6 (or settlement system). For example, when a magnetic card or IC card approaches the information reading device 13, the price of the article is deducted from the amount information stored in the card, or the price of the article is deducted from the bank account corresponding to the card.

The information reading device 13 is not limited to cards. Any device may be used as long as it can input information necessary for settlement of the price of the article. Furthermore, the information reading apparatus 13 may be provided in refrigerator 1D, and may be provided separately from refrigerator 1D. The information reading device 13 may be provided in the user terminal 3, or may be provided in other portable information terminals, personal computers, or the like.

Here, the user who takes out the target article from refrigerator 1D and consumes it may be the same as or different from the user who manages refrigerator 1 . Hereinafter, the user (consumer) and the user (responsible person) will be described separately.

The user (consumer) takes out the target article from the refrigerator 1D. Each sensor 2 of refrigerator 1D transmits sensor data to server 4D (S40). The server 4D judges the inventory of the target article in the same manner as described in step S15 of FIG. 8 (S41), and transmits display data from the display unit 46 to the user terminal 3 owned by the user (person in charge) (S42).

When the user (consumer) takes out the target article from the refrigerator 1D, the server 4D detects this as a decrease in the number of the target article, and notifies the electronic commerce system 6 from the server 4D (S43).

The user (consumer) voluntarily brings a card or the like close to the information reading device 13, and pays for the item taken out (S44). The electronic commerce system 6 checks the notification from the server 4D and the notification from the information reading device 13, and settles the price of the article taken out from the refrigerator 1D (S45). When the settlement is completed, the electronic commerce system 6 notifies the user terminal 3 held by the user (person in charge) that the settlement has been completed (S46).

The present embodiment thus constituted also exhibits the same effects as those of the first embodiment. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when an item is taken out from the refrigerator 1D, the server 4D detects that the item has been taken out, and the user (consumer) who has taken out the item pays for the item. As a result, according to this embodiment, not only the inventory of articles in refrigerator 1D can be managed, but also settlement can be made individually every time articles are taken out.

[Example 7]

A seventh embodiment will be described using FIG. 20 . In the present embodiment, when the user puts an article in the refrigerator 1E, the type of the article is specified and input to the server 4E.

Fig. 20 is a flowchart showing inventory management processing of the refrigerator according to the present embodiment. Refrigerator 1E of the present embodiment includes microphone (hereinafter, microphone) 14 and speaker 15 .

When the user puts an item into the refrigerator 1E, the user utters the type and quantity of the item, such as "1 bottle of milk" and "1 bag of eggs". The voice uttered by the user is detected by the microphone 14 and transmitted to the server 4E (S51). The server 4E analyzes the input voice data and converts it into text data. On the other hand, sensor 2 of refrigerator 4E detects the state (for example, weight) of the article put in by the user, and transmits it to server 4E (S52).

The server 4E determines in which sensor area the user has stored the article based on the sensor data received from the sensor 2 (S53). The server 4E compares the standard data of the items stored in the refrigerator 1E based on the recognition result of the sound detected by the microphone 14 and the sensor data from the sensor 2 (S54), and associates the sensor area with the type of the item, the management unit, etc. (S55).

However, if the user forgets to read the name, quantity, etc. of the item when putting the item in the refrigerator 1E, only the sensor data received by the server 4E from the sensor 2 changes suddenly (S56). Therefore, the server 4E determines that the user has forgotten to register the item by voice when the value detected by any sensor 2 changes rapidly even though there is no voice input from the microphone 14 for a predetermined period of time (S57). The server 4E transmits data to the speaker 15, and outputs from the speaker 15 a message for calling attention that the item has been forgotten to be read aloud (S58).

The present embodiment thus constituted also exhibits the same effects as those of the first embodiment. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the user puts an item into the refrigerator 1E, the relationship between the item and the sensor area can be registered in the server 4E by simply reading the type (or trademark) and quantity of the item. Therefore, the user does not need to spend time operating the user terminal 3, and the user's usability is further improved. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the server 4E automatically detects and draws the user's attention even when the user forgets to read aloud the type of the item, the usability is improved.

[Embodiment 8]

An eighth embodiment will be described using FIG. 21 . In this embodiment, when the user puts an item in refrigerator 1F, the item is registered in server 4F by acquiring information from identification information recording medium 91 such as a barcode attached to the item.

In refrigerator 1F of the present embodiment, speaker 15 and information reading device 16 are added as compared with refrigerator 1 in FIG. 1 . The information reading device 16 is a device that reads information from the identification information recording medium 91 included in the article 9 . For example, when the identification information recording medium 91 is a barcode, the information reading device 16 is configured as a barcode reader. When the identification information recording medium 91 records information in a built-in memory like an RFID (Radio Frequency IDentifier, radio frequency identification) tag, the information reading device is configured as an RFID tag reader. The types of the identification information recording medium 91 and the information reading device 16 are not limited. The barcode is used as an example for explanation below.

When the user puts an article in the refrigerator 1F, the barcode reader 16 reads information from the barcode 91 of the article 9 and sends it to the server 4F (S61).

The server 4F analyzes the data from the barcode reader 16, and specifies the name and quantity of the article 9 put into the refrigerator 1F (S62). If the article 9 is stored in the sensor area, the sensor 2 detects the state (for example, weight) of the article, and sends the sensor data to the server 4F (S63).

The server 4F determines the storage destination of the article 9 based on the sensor data, that is, the sensor area (S64), compares the determined article with the standard article list T1 (S65), and sets the sensor area and threshold for storing the article (S66) . The threshold value can be input from the user terminal 3 to the server 4F by the user in advance or afterwards. Alternatively, an initial value prepared in advance for each standard article can also be set as the threshold value.

In addition, the server 4F determines that a reading error of the barcode 91 occurs when the data from the sensor 2 monitoring a certain sensor area changes rapidly (S67) although the data from the barcode reader 16 has not been received. S68). The server 4F outputs a message for attention from the speaker 15 (S69). For example, it is possible to output an attention message such as "The reading of the barcode has failed. Please make the barcode reader 16 read the barcode 91".

The present embodiment thus constituted also exhibits the same effects as those of the first embodiment. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the barcode 91 of the article 9 is read by the barcode reader 16, the user can register the article 9 to the server 4F without operating the user terminal 3, and user convenience is improved. Furthermore, when the user forgets to read the barcode, the server 4F automatically detects it and draws the user's attention, thereby improving the usability of the user.

The above completes the description of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modified examples. For example, each of the above-mentioned embodiments has been described in detail for better understanding of the present invention, but is not necessarily limited to all the configurations described above.

It is also possible to replace a part of the configuration of a certain embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment. It is also possible to add the configuration of other embodiments to the configuration of a certain embodiment. It is also possible to delete a part of the configuration of each embodiment, add another configuration, or replace it with another configuration.

A part or all of the above-mentioned configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. can be realized by hardware, for example, by designing with an integrated circuit. In addition, the above-mentioned configurations, functions, and the like may be realized by software by interpreting and executing a program for realizing each function by a processor. Information such as programs, forms, and files that realize various functions can be stored in storage disks such as non-volatile semiconductor memories, hard disk drives, and SSDs (Solid State Drives) or computer-readable non-volatile memory such as IC cards, SD cards, and DVDs. Temporary data storage medium.

In addition, the control line and the information line show what is considered necessary for explanation, and not necessarily all the control lines and information lines are shown on the product. In fact, almost all of the components can be considered to be interconnected.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined appropriately, and the combination of these embodiments is also included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the fourth embodiment can be combined with all other embodiments. The fifth embodiment can also be combined with all other embodiments. The sixth embodiment can also be combined with all other embodiments. The seventh and eighth embodiments can be combined with any of the first to sixth embodiments. A system including both the configuration of the seventh embodiment and the configuration of the eighth embodiment is also possible. It is also possible to appropriately combine three or more embodiments, and such a combination is also included in the scope of the present invention.

The refrigerator described in the above-mentioned embodiments can also be expressed as follows, for example.

"Representation 1. A storage warehouse capable of communicating with an inventory management server, equipped with a sensor that detects the state of stored items and sends it to the inventory management server, and the inventory management server includes: a first information acquisition unit that receives from A setting device capable of arbitrarily setting the storage location and type of the article in the storage warehouse acquires the storage location and type of the article; a second information acquisition unit that acquires the state of the article from the sensor; a determination unit that determines inventory of the item based on the type of the item acquired by the first information acquisition unit and the state of the item acquired by the second information acquisition unit; and an output unit that outputs Judgment result of the judging unit"

Explanation of labels

1, 1E, 1F cold storage

2 sensors

3 user terminal

4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 4F Inventory Management Server

9 items

41 Sensor data receiving part

42 Input data receiving part

43 control department

44 Setting section

45 Judgment Department

46 Display

Claims (15)

1. a kind of inventory management system for housing storehouse, the article that storehouse is housed to being contained in are managed,

The inventory management system possesses：

1st information acquiring section, the setting of its from the storage position and species that can arbitrarily set the article in the collecting storehouse fill Put the storage position and species for obtaining the article；

2nd information acquiring section, it obtains the state of the article from the sensor arranged on the collecting storehouse；

Determination unit, its species based on the article acquired by the 1st information acquiring section and the 2nd information acquiring section institute The state of the article obtained judges the stock of the article；With

Output section, it exports the judgement result of the determination unit.

2. the inventory management system according to claim 1 for housing storehouse, wherein,

The setting device can also set the unit of the article in addition to the storage position and species of the article,

1st information acquiring section can obtain storage position, species and the unit of the article from the setting device,

The state of species of the determination unit based on the article, unit and the article, judges institute with the unit of the article State the stock of article.

3. the inventory management system according to claim 2 for housing storehouse, wherein,

The sensor is arranged to detect the given area in the collecting storehouse,

The storage position of the article is included in the given area.

4. the inventory management system according to claim 1 for housing storehouse, wherein,

The determination unit makes to preset in the case where the stock of the article becomes below given threshold value set in advance Given notice exported from the output section.

5. the inventory management system according to claim 4 for housing storehouse, wherein,

The threshold value and the given notice can be set by each species of the article.

6. the inventory management system according to claim 5 for housing storehouse, wherein,

The given notice includes the relevant alarm of stock with the article.

7. the inventory management system according to claim 5 for housing storehouse, wherein,

The given notice is the notice for external system,

The external system is that the replenishment system of the article is supplemented to the collecting storehouse,

Notice for the external system is the order for the replenishment system.

8. the inventory management system according to claim 5 for housing storehouse, wherein,

The given notice is the notice for external system,

The external system is the settlement system for the clearing for carrying out the article,

Notice for the external system is the clearing notice for the settlement system.

9. the inventory management system according to claim 7 for housing storehouse, wherein,

The inventory management system for housing storehouse is also equipped with：

Order history management portion, its historical record to the order are managed；With

Analysis portion, it analyzes the order historical record managed by the order history management portion,

The judgement result that the analysis portion corresponds to the determination unit is ordered from order history management portion extraction is past Goods information, and the past order historical record for making to extract is exported from the output section.

10. according to the inventory management system in collecting storehouse according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein,

The sensor it is described collecting storehouse be equipped with it is multiple,

The setting device can be set, and be worked as so that the 2nd information acquiring section does not obtain from the multiple sensor In the information of sensor specified by user.

11. according to the inventory management system in collecting storehouse according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein,

The inventory management system for housing storehouse is also equipped with：

Sensor information history management portion, its historical record to the information from the sensor are managed；With

Time limit determination unit, it is by analyzing the information from sensor managed by the sensor information history management portion Historical record is come during estimating the keeping of the article, and by it with comparing the article retention period set in advance Compared with,

The judgement result of the time limit determination unit is exported from the output section.

12. according to the inventory management system in collecting storehouse according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein,

The setting device includes：

Type of goods identification device, it identifies that the species of the article in the collecting storehouse is arrived in keeping,

Recognition result and the sensor of the setting device based on the type of goods identification device detect the article When information detect and set the species of the storage position of the article and the article.

13. the inventory management system according to claim 12 for housing storehouse, wherein,

The type of goods identification device is the identification that the article is obtained from the identification information recording medium arranged on the article The voice recognition device of sound when the identification information reading device or discriminating user of information read aloud the title of the article is appointed Anticipate a side or two sides.

14. the inventory management system according to claim 13 for housing storehouse, wherein,

Although the sensor detect the article keeping it is described collecting storehouse the type of goods identification device not In the case of the species that can identify the article, output is used for the information to arouse attention.

15. a kind of inventory management method for housing storehouse, is to being contained in the stock for housing the article in storehouse and being managed with server Management method,

The server is handled as follows：

The article is obtained from the storage position of article and the setting device of species that can arbitrarily set in the collecting storehouse Storage position and species,

The state of the article is obtained from the sensor arranged on the collecting storehouse,

The state of species and the article based on the article judges the stock of the article,

The judgement result of the stock of the article is set to be exported from output section.