JP2021051812A - Inventory management device, inventory management system, inventory management method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To reduce the burden of a manager who manages a warehouse.SOLUTION: An inventory management system 100 manages an inventory of an article connected to equipment and used when the equipment operates. The inventory management system 100 comprises an acquisition device 110, a reception device 120, and a reporting device 130. The acquisition device 110 acquires inventory information 111 indicating the amount of inventory of the article. The reception device 120 receives operation information 121 related to operation of the equipment. The reporting device 130 reports that the article should be brought into a warehouse when the current amount of inventory of the article indicated by the inventory information 111 and the operation information 121 is included within the range of the amount of inventory specified for recommending that the article is brought into the warehouse promptly.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present disclosure relates to inventory management devices, inventory management systems, inventory management methods and programs.

It is preferable to store a certain amount of articles such as consumables and parts that need to be replaced depending on the state of use in a warehouse at hand. When the amount of goods stored in the warehouse is reduced by using the goods in the warehouse, it is necessary to newly store the goods. Here, it is important to manage the inventory amount in order to determine the appropriate receipt amount.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for performing inventory management and purchase support. In this technique, a sensor is provided for each article, and the remaining amount of the article is managed using a sensor network. Then, an order is placed as needed. As a result, it is possible to manage the inventory amount of the goods and store an appropriate amount.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-12499

In the technique described in Patent Document 1, since a sensor provided for each article is used, it is costly to introduce such a sensor, and complicated work is required. In addition, even if a sensor is provided for each item, if the warehouse itself is small or the number of managers who manage the warehouse is small, frequent orders and warehousing may occur, and management It will be a heavy burden on the person.

This disclosure was made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of this disclosure is to reduce the burden on the administrator who manages the warehouse.

In order to achieve the above object, the inventory management device of the present disclosure is an inventory management device that is connected to a device and manages the inventory of goods used when the device operates, and is an inventory indicating the inventory amount of the goods. In order to recommend that the acquisition means for acquiring information, the receiving means for receiving the operation information related to the operation of the device from the device, and the current inventory amount of the goods indicated by the inventory information and the operation information be promptly received. It is provided with a notification means for notifying that an article should be received when it is included in the specified inventory amount.

According to the present disclosure, the burden on the administrator who manages the warehouse can be reduced.

Diagram showing the outline of the inventory management system Diagram showing the hardware configuration of the devices that make up the inventory management system Diagram showing the functional configuration of the inventory management system Diagram showing an example of inventory information Diagram showing an example of operation information Diagram showing an example of an inventory database Diagram showing an example of a usage database Diagram showing the updated inventory database FIG. 1 for explaining a threshold Second Figure for Explaining Thresholds The first figure for explaining the change of the threshold value. The second figure for explaining the change of the threshold value. The first figure which shows the example of the screen displayed by the notification part FIG. 2 shows an example of a screen displayed by the notification unit. FIG. 3 shows an example of a screen displayed by the notification unit. FIG. 4 shows an example of a screen displayed by the notification unit. Flow diagram showing notification processing The figure which shows an example of the inventory database which concerns on Embodiment 2. The figure which shows an example of the inventory database which concerns on Embodiment 3.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 shows an outline of the inventory management system 100 according to the present embodiment. The inventory management system 100 is a system that manages the inventory of the articles 21 stored in the warehouse 20 and notifies the user to collectively store the articles 21.

Article 21 is a general term for items stored in the warehouse 20, and includes articles 211,212,213. In the present embodiment, the article 211 is shampoo, the article 212 is tea in a PET bottle, and the article 213 is tissue paper. The warehouse 20 is a space for storing goods, and it is not necessary to store all the goods 21 in one partitioned space. For example, article 211, which is shampoo, is stored in a storage space near the bathroom, article 212, which is tea in a PET bottle, is stored in the storage space of the kitchen, and article 213, which is tissue paper, is placed in an empty space in another living room. May be good. The warehouse 20 according to the present embodiment is equivalent to a living space in a house.

In addition, each of the articles 21 is used when the device 30 is operated. The device 30 is a general term for electrical devices installed in a house, and includes devices 31, 32, and 33. The broken line connecting the article 21 and the device 30 in FIG. 1 indicates the correspondence between the operation of the devices 31 to 33 and the use of the articles 211 to 213.

In the present embodiment, the device 31 is a water heater, and when the device 31 operates to execute the hot water supply operation, the article 211, which is shampoo, is consumed by the resident of the house. Here, focusing on one actual hot water supply operation by the device 31, the article 211 is not always used. However, since the article 211 is normally used in an operation including a plurality of hot water supply operations, even if it is considered that the article 211 is used in one hot water supply operation on average, the inventory by the inventory management system 100 There is no problem in management.

Further, the device 32 is a refrigerator, and when the device 32 operates and detects the opening / closing of the door, the article 212, which is tea in a PET bottle, is consumed by the resident. Further, the device 33 is a lighting device, and when the device 33 performs a lighting operation for illuminating the room, the resident in the room consumes the article 213, which is tissue paper, at a constant frequency.

As an example of the use of the article 21, it has been explained that the article 21 is consumed by the resident when the device 30 is operated, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the device 30 is a car and the car is driven by a resident to perform air conditioning in the car, the filter built into the car may be used. Further, the operation of the device 30 is not limited to the operation by the operation of the resident, and may be the autonomous operation of the device 30. Further, the case where the warehouse 20 is a house and the device 30 is an electric device installed in the house has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the warehouse 20 may be the storage space of the office and the equipment 30 may be information equipment installed in the office, or the warehouse 20 may be a dedicated warehouse provided in the factory and the equipment 30 may be the factory. It may be the equipment installed in.

The inventory management system 100 stores the acquisition device 110 that acquires inventory information indicating the inventory amount of the goods 21 of two or more types, the receiving device 120 that receives the operation information regarding the operation of the device 30 from the device 30, and the goods 21. It has a notification device 130 that notifies the user of the inventory management system 100 what to do.

The acquisition device 110, the reception device 120, and the notification device 130 communicate with each other via the network NW. The network NW according to the present embodiment is a wired or wireless LAN (Local Area Network) installed in a house. However, the network NW is not limited to this, and may be a wide area communication network represented by the Internet. The acquisition device 110, the reception device 120, and the notification device 130 are connected to the network NW. Further, since the device 30 is connected to the network NW, the inventory management system 100 is connected so as to be able to communicate with the device 30.

FIG. 2 shows the hardware configurations of the acquisition device 110, the reception device 120, and the notification device 130. As shown in FIG. 2, these devices are configured as a computer having a processor 41, a main storage unit 42, an auxiliary storage unit 43, an input unit 44, an output unit 45, and a communication unit 46. The main storage unit 42, the auxiliary storage unit 43, the input unit 44, the output unit 45, and the communication unit 46 are all connected to the processor 41 via the internal bus 47.

The processor 41 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The processor 41 executes the processing described later by executing the program 48 stored in the auxiliary storage unit 43.

The main storage unit 42 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory). The program 48 is loaded into the main storage unit 42 from the auxiliary storage unit 43. Then, the main storage unit 42 is used as a work area of the processor 41.

The auxiliary storage unit 43 includes a non-volatile memory typified by a hard disk and a flash memory. In addition to the program 48, the auxiliary storage unit 43 stores various data used in the processing of the processor 41. The auxiliary storage unit 43 supplies the data used by the processor 41 to the processor 41 according to the instruction of the processor 41, and stores the data supplied from the processor 41.

The input unit 44 includes an input key, a pointing device, and an input device typified by a microphone. The input unit 44 acquires the information input by the user and notifies the processor 41 of the acquired information.

The output unit 45 includes an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and an output device typified by a speaker. The output unit 45 presents various information to the user according to the instruction of the processor 41.

The communication unit 46 includes a NIC (Network Interface Controller) for communicating with an external device via the network NW. The communication unit 46 receives a signal from the network NW and outputs the data included in this signal to the processor 41. Further, the communication unit 46 transmits a signal indicating the data output from the processor 41 to the network NW.

The acquisition device 110, the reception device 120, and the notification device 130 that make up the inventory management system 100 exhibit various functions by cooperating with the above-mentioned hardware configurations. FIG. 3 shows the functional configuration of the inventory management system 100.

In the present embodiment, the acquisition device 110 is a mobile terminal represented by a smart phone with a camera and a tablet terminal. The acquisition device 110 acquires the image data of the article 21 by urging the user to take a picture of the package of the article 21 in stock. By inquiring about this image data to an external server, the acquisition device 110 acquires inventory information 111 indicating the inventory amount of the photographed article 21 from the server. Then, the acquisition device 110 transmits the acquired inventory information 111 to the notification device 130.

However, the acquisition of inventory information 111 by the acquisition device 110 is not limited to the acquisition of the package. For example, the acquisition device 110 may acquire inventory information 111 by photographing a receipt, a receipt, or a delivery statement and performing character recognition. Further, the acquisition device 110 may acquire the inventory information 111 directly input by the user by operating the input key or the pointing device, or may acquire the inventory information 111 by recognizing the voice signal emitted by the user. You may get it.

It is desirable that the acquisition of the inventory information 111 by the acquisition device 110 is executed by the user each time the article 21 is received. However, there may be a case where the user forgets to input the inventory information 111 at the time of warehousing. In order to deal with such a case, the acquisition device 110 may prompt the user to input the inventory information 111 when a certain period of time has elapsed since the previous acquisition of the inventory information 111. This fixed period is, for example, one week, one month, or half a year.

FIG. 4 shows an example of inventory information 111. As shown in FIG. 4, the inventory information 111 is table data including one or a plurality of rows in which an article name, an inventory amount, a warehousing date, and an expiration date are associated with each other. If the exact warehousing date is not known, the warehousing date may be the date when the acquisition device 110 acquires the inventory information 111. Further, when the exact expiration date is not known, the acquisition device 110 may inquire about the article name from an external server and set the expiration date calculated from the warehousing date as the expiration date. For example, for the “shampoo” in FIG. 4, the acquisition device 110 obtains data from an external server that the expiration date is 3 years after the warehousing date, and sets the expiration date.

The receiving device 120 is a server device on the network NW. The receiving device 120 receives the operation information 121 indicating at least one of the operating state and the operating time of the device 30 from the device 30. Specifically, the receiving device 120 receives a signal indicating the operating status of the device 30 detected by the detector attached to the device 30. Then, the receiving device 120 transmits the operation information 121 to the notification device 130.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the operation information 121. As shown in FIG. 5, the operation information 121 corresponds to the identification number of the device 30, the operating state of the device 30, and the operating time including the start date and time and the end date and time of the operation of the device. Table data containing multiple rows. The identification number of the device 30 shown in FIG. 5 corresponds to the reference numeral of the device 31 to 33 shown in FIG. 1 for convenience. The operating state includes operation modes typified by cooling operation and heating operation when the device 30 is an air conditioner, illuminance when the device 30 is a lighting device, and thermal power when the device 30 is a cooking device. A representative driving intensity may be included. Further, the operating state may include the result of detection by the sensor included in the device 30.

The notification device 130 is a mobile terminal carried by the user. The notification device 130 may be the same terminal as the acquisition device 110, or may be a terminal different from the acquisition device 110. The notification device 130 includes a storage unit 131 that stores various data, a usage amount estimation unit 132 that estimates the usage amount of the article 21 used by the operation of the device 30, and an inventory that calculates the current inventory amount of the article 21. The quantity calculation unit 133, the threshold value changing unit 134 for changing the threshold value for collectively storing a plurality of types of articles 21, and the reference amount setting unit 135 for setting the reference amount for determining the amount to be stored. It has a prediction unit 136 for predicting the time when future notification is made by predicting the inventory of the article 21, and a notification unit 137 for notifying the user that the article 21 should be stored.

The storage unit 131 is mainly realized by the auxiliary storage unit 43 of the notification device 130. The storage unit 131 contains inventory information 111 received from the acquisition device 110 by the notification device 130, operation information 121 received from the reception device 120 by the notification device 130, an inventory database 51 for managing the article 21, and an inventory database 51. A usage database 52 showing the usage of the article 21 used when the device 30 is operated is stored.

The inventory database 51 is a database generated by accumulating inventory information 111. FIG. 6 shows an example of the inventory database 51. As shown in FIG. 6, the inventory database 51 has a "type number", "article name", "classification", "inventory amount", "receipt date", etc. for identifying the type of the article 21. "Expiration date", "first range" of inventory amount to recommend warehousing, "second range" of inventory amount to prevent out of stock by urgently warehousing, and the standard of warehousing amount It is table data including a plurality of rows associated with a "reference amount". When the inventory information 111 is stored in the storage unit 131, the storage unit 131 adds new row data. However, in FIG. 6, the “type number”, “article name”, “classification”, “first range” and “second range”, and “reference amount” of the article are not related to the inventory information 111. Since it is specified for each type, multiple lines are grouped together.

The "type number" usually has a one-to-one correspondence with the "article name". For the "article name", "inventory amount", "receipt date", and "expiration date", the data of inventory information 111 is used. The "classification" is a category defined for classifying the article 21, and may be defined according to a rule set in advance in the notification device 130, or may be defined according to a rule specified by the user. ..

The “first range” is the range of the inventory amount specified for recommending that the goods 21 of a plurality of types are collectively stored. For example, in the case shown in FIG. 6, the shampoo having the "type number" of 1 has a total inventory amount of 900 ml (= 600 ml + 300 ml), and this total is within 500-1000 ml of the "first range". , It is recommended to store the goods together with other types of goods 21.

The "second range" is the range of the inventory amount specified for recommending the prompt warehousing of the article 21 that is about to be out of stock. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the tissue paper having the "type number" of 3 has a total inventory amount of 4 boxes (= 1 box + 3 boxes), and this total is 0- in the "second range". Since it is in 5 boxes, it is recommended to store it early regardless of the stock amount of other types of articles 21.

For each type, the upper limit of the second range is specified to be smaller than the upper limit of the first range, and the lower limit of the second range is specified to be smaller than the lower limit of the first range. .. Further, the first range and the second range may partially overlap, but usually, the upper limit value of the second range is defined to be equal to or less than the lower limit value of the first range. The first range and the second range are defined for each type of article 21. The upper limit value and the lower limit value of each of the first range and the second range may be defined by the notification device 130 according to the rules referenced from the external server, or may be defined by the user.

The "reference amount" is an appropriate amount of inventory that should be stored in the warehouse 20 when the goods are received. The "reference amount" for each type of article 21 is set by the reference amount setting unit 135.

The data in the inventory database 51 is updated by the inventory amount calculation unit 133 based on the data in the operation information 121 and the usage amount database 52. Details of this update will be described later.

The usage database 52 is a database generated using the usage estimated by the usage estimation unit 132. FIG. 7 shows an example of the usage database 52. As shown in FIG. 7, the usage amount database 52 describes the "type number", "article name", "corresponding device", "usage amount for operating state or operating time", and "unit" for each type of article 21. It is table data including a plurality of rows associated with "usage per hour". The "type number" and "article name" of the usage amount database 52 correspond to the "type number" and "article name" of the inventory database 51.

The "corresponding device" is an identifier indicating a device 30 that operates in conjunction with the use of the article 21. This "corresponding device" may be set in the notification device 130 in advance, or may be designated by the user. Further, in the processor 41 of the notification device 130, when a certain amount of inventory information 111 and operation information 121 are stored in the storage unit 131, the operation of the device and the warehousing as a result of using the article 21 are performed. You may analyze the correlation and find a "corresponding device". Further, the notification device 130 may present the candidate of the "corresponding device" obtained as a result of such analysis to the user, and the user may select the device that is considered to actually correspond.

The "operating state or usage amount with respect to the operating time" is set by the above-mentioned analysis by the notification device 130 that compares the operation history of the "corresponding device" with the warehousing history of the article 21. Here, the operation history means the operation information 121 stored in the storage unit 131, and the warehousing history means the inventory information 111 or the inventory database 51 stored in the storage unit 131. Specifically, the usage amount estimation unit 132 divides the warehousing amount of the article 21 in a certain long period by the number of operations, the operation time, or the number of detections by the sensor to obtain the "usage amount with respect to the operation state or the operation time". Calculate and estimate. Further, the usage amount estimation unit 132 may present the once calculated usage amount to the user, and adopt a value adjusted by the user for the presented usage amount as the calculation result.

The "usage per unit time" is the amount used per day in the present embodiment, but is not limited to this, and the unit time is one hour, one week, one month, or one year. You may. The "usage per unit time" is estimated by the usage estimation unit 132 from the "operating state or the usage for the operating time" and the operation history of the device 30. The "usage amount per unit time" is used to determine the number of days until the inventory amount falls within the first range or the second range, and to predict the time when warehousing is recommended.

Returning to FIG. 3, the usage estimation unit 132 is mainly realized by the processor 41 of the notification device 130. The usage amount estimation unit 132 updates the usage amount database 52 by calculating the average usage amount associated with the operation of the equipment and the usage amount per unit time for each type of article 21. The usage amount estimation unit 132 periodically calculates the usage amount based on the latest data. For example, the usage amount estimation unit 132 calculates the usage amount every month based on the data of the past two months.

The inventory amount calculation unit 133 is mainly realized by the processor 41 of the notification device 130. The inventory amount calculation unit 133 updates the current inventory amount included in the inventory database 51 by reading the usage amount stored in the usage amount database 52 for each type of article 21.

FIG. 8 shows an inventory database 51 updated from the state shown in FIG. 6 by the inventory amount calculation unit 133. The inventory amount calculation unit 133 refers to the operation information 121 stored in the storage unit 131 after the inventory database 51 was last updated, and the "usage amount with respect to the operation state or the operation time" of the usage amount database 52. Then, the inventory amount calculation unit 133 calculates the inventory amount of the goods used by the operation shown in the operation information 121, and calculates the inventory amount included in the inventory database 51 in order from the inventory amount with the oldest receipt date. Update or delete the data corresponding to the inventory amount. As can be seen by comparing FIGS. 6 and 8, the stock amount of shampoo corresponding to the warehousing date of “2016/12/26” has decreased from 300 ml to 282 ml. As a result, the inventory amount calculation unit 133 calculates the current inventory amount of shampoo as 882 ml (= 600 ml + 282 ml).

However, the inventory amount calculation unit 133 may update or delete the data corresponding to the inventory amount having an old expiration date in preference to the data corresponding to the inventory amount having an old receipt date. Further, it is preferable that the inventory amount calculation unit 133 calculates the current inventory amount according to the actual operation of the device 30 based on the "usage amount with respect to the operating state or the operating time". The current inventory amount may be calculated based on the "usage amount per unit time" and the time elapsed from the previous warehousing date.

The threshold value changing unit 134 is mainly realized by the processor 41 of the notification device 130. The threshold value changing unit 134 changes the threshold value for collectively storing a plurality of types of articles 21.

Here, the threshold value changed by the threshold value changing unit 134 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12. FIG. 9 simply shows the relationship between the inventory amount of the plurality of types of articles 21 and the first range 71 and the second range 72. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the inventory amount of the article 21 of the type number "1" is within the first range 71, but the inventory amount of the article 21 of another type is outside the first range 71. It is not in a state suitable for storing articles 21 in bulk.

Next, consider the case where the article 21 is used and the inventory amount is as shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the inventory amount of the articles of the type numbers "1" and "2" is within the first range 71. Here, if the threshold value is 1, the number of types of articles 21 whose current inventory amount is within the first range 71 is 2, which exceeds the threshold value 1. That is, it is in a state suitable for collectively storing the articles 21. Therefore, the notification device 130 notifies that the goods 21 of the type numbers "1" and "2" should be stored.

If the goods 21 of the type numbers "1" and "2" are not received and the goods 21 of each type are used, it is predicted that the inventory amount will be as shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the inventory amount of the articles of the type numbers "1", "2" and "3" is within the first range 71. Therefore, it is more suitable than the example shown in FIG. 10 to store the articles 21 together. However, if the goods 21 of the type numbers "1" and "2" are received at the time shown in FIG. 10, the state shown in FIG. 11 does not occur. Therefore, when it is predicted that the threshold value changing unit 134 will be in a state suitable for warehousing of more types of goods 21 as shown in FIG. 11 at the time shown in FIG. 10, the threshold value is set. To a larger value.

If the threshold value is changed from 1 to 2, the state shown in FIG. 10 is not determined to be a state suitable for collectively warehousing the articles 21, and the warehousing is not performed until the state shown in FIG. 11 is reached. It will be judged that the state is suitable for.

Specifically, the threshold value changing unit 134 has a first inventory amount based on the difference between the current inventory amount and the upper limit value of the first range 71 and the usage amount per unit time for each type of article 21. Obtain the length of time remaining before entering the range 71 of. The threshold value changing unit 134 may calculate the length of the remaining time by dividing the difference obtained by subtracting the upper limit value of the first range 71 from the current inventory amount by the usage amount per unit time. , The length of the remaining time may be obtained by referring to the table in which the difference is associated with the usage amount and the length of the remaining time. Then, the threshold value changing unit 134 changes the threshold value according to the length of the remaining time for each type of article 21.

In the example shown in FIG. 10, the length of the remaining time obtained for the article 21 of the type number “3” is within the first range 71 at the time shown in FIG. 10, the type numbers “1” and “2”. When the inventory amount of the article 21 is shorter than any of the lengths of the remaining time until the article 21 falls within the second range 72, the threshold value changing unit 134 increases the threshold value. The remaining time until the inventory amount falls within the second range 72 is derived in the same manner as the remaining time until the inventory amount falls within the first range 71. However, the conditions for increasing the threshold value are not limited to this, and the threshold value changing unit 134 defines in advance the length of the remaining time for the article 21 of the type number “3” in the example shown in FIG. The threshold may be increased if it is less than the value given.

Further, although the example in which the threshold value changing unit 134 increases the threshold value has been described, the threshold value changing unit 134 may decrease the threshold value. In the example shown in FIG. 12, if the threshold value is changed from 2 to 1, it is determined that the articles 21 are in a state suitable for collectively warehousing. Specifically, the type number "1" in which the remaining time until the inventory amount of the article 21 of the type number "3" falls within the first range 71 is within the first range 71 at the time shown in FIG. And, when the inventory amount of the article of "2" is longer than any of the remaining times until it falls within the second range 72, the threshold value changing unit 134 reduces the threshold value. However, the conditions for reducing the threshold value are not limited to this, and the threshold value changing unit 134 has a predetermined length of the remaining time obtained for the article 21 of the type number “3” in the example shown in FIG. The threshold may be reduced if it is longer than the specified value. The threshold value is an integer of 1 or more, and even if the condition is satisfied when the threshold value is 1, the threshold value does not become zero.

Returning to FIG. 3, the reference amount setting unit 135 is mainly realized by the processor 41 of the notification device 130. The reference amount setting unit 135 sets the reference amount of the article 21 for each type of article 21 based on at least one of the usage amount per unit time and the warehousing history. For example, it is preferable that the larger the usage amount per unit time is, the larger the inventory amount is. Therefore, when the usage amount per unit time is larger than the specified value, the reference amount setting unit 135 sets the reference amount to a relatively large value. Set. Further, if the warehousing frequency shown in the warehousing history is higher than the specified value, the reference amount setting unit 135 reduces the warehousing frequency by increasing the reference amount.

Further, the reference amount setting unit 135 may set the reference amount based on the user's life pattern, the spatial occupancy range of the article 21, or the remaining time until the expiration date. For example, in the case of a lifestyle pattern in which eating out is frequent, the reference amount setting unit 135 may set the reference amount of food to a small value. Further, for the article 21 having a large spatial occupancy range, the reference amount setting unit 135 may set the reference amount to a small value in order to avoid storing the inventory and increasing the occupancy space.

Further, the reference amount setting unit 135 may set the reference amount according to the season or the month on the current calendar. It is not necessary to change the reference amount for the article 21 that is regularly used throughout the year, but since there are an article 21 whose use or non-use changes depending on the season and an article 21 whose usage amount changes, the reference amount setting unit 135 , The inventory amount is changed by changing the standard amount according to the season.

For example, the standard amount setting unit 135 sets the standard amount of tea in a PET bottle to a value larger than zero in the summer, but sets the standard amount of tea in a PET bottle to zero in the winter and tea leaves. The reference amount of may be set to a value larger than zero. In addition, the reference amount setting unit 135 sets the reference amount of the filter of the mask, the air conditioner, and the air purifier to a value larger than zero during the scattering period of allergens such as pollen or the epidemic period of the pathogen such as influenza. May be set to. Further, the reference amount setting unit 135 may set a large reference amount of the bath salt when it is frequently used in winter. Further, the reference amount setting unit 135 may set a large reference amount of the ink of the printer used for printing the greeting card for the year-end and New Year holidays and the consumable cleaning tool at the end of the year. The reference amount setting unit 135 may determine the season based on the water entry temperature detected by the device 30 which is a water heater or the outside air temperature detected by the air conditioning device.

The prediction unit 136 is mainly realized by the processor 41 of the notification device 130. The prediction unit 136 predicts the future transition of the inventory amount from the current inventory amount and the usage amount per unit time. Then, the prediction unit 136 predicts the time when the notification by the notification device 130 occurs.

The notification unit 137 is realized mainly by the cooperation of the processor 41 and the output unit 45 of the notification device 130. When the number of types of articles 21 whose current inventory amount is within the first range exceeds the threshold value, the notification unit 137 notifies that the articles should be stored together with the amount to be stored. The quantity to be stocked is the difference between the current stock quantity and the standard quantity. The notification unit 137 may calculate the quantity to be stocked by subtracting the current stock quantity from the reference quantity, or refers to a table in which the reference quantity, the current stock quantity, and the stock quantity to be stocked are associated with each other. You may get the amount to be stocked.

The notification unit 137 according to the present embodiment has, for all types including the type of the article 21 to be stored, the article name, the current inventory amount, the first range and the second range, the reference amount, and the reference amount. By displaying a screen showing the above and highlighting the article 21 to be warehousing, the user is notified that the article 21 should be warehousing.

FIG. 13 shows an example of a screen displayed by the notification unit 137. As shown in FIG. 13, by displaying a check mark in the box next to the article name of the article 21 whose current inventory is within the first range, and by framing the second range for that article. , Articles 21 to be stocked are highlighted. In addition, by clearly indicating the current inventory amount and the reference amount of these articles 21, the amount to be stocked is also shown.

Further, in FIG. 13, a button 81 for collectively storing the goods 21 of the type with the check mark is displayed. When the button 81 is clicked, tapped, or pressed to be selected, the screen displayed by the notification unit 137 transitions to the screen shown in FIG. In FIG. 14, the details of the quantity to be stocked are shown as "purchased quantity" in the white box. The user may adjust the actual warehousing amount by adjusting the width of this box.

Further, in FIG. 13, a button 82 for displaying the result of predicting the future transition of the inventory amount is displayed. When this button 82 is selected, the screen displayed by the notification unit 137 transitions to the screen shown in FIG. In FIG. 15, the predicted inventory amount after one week is displayed, and a check mark is displayed for the article 21 whose predicted inventory amount is within the first range. When the button 81 displayed on this screen is selected, the screen for purchasing the item with the check mark is displayed.

The notification unit 137 basically does not display the screen shown in FIG. 13 when it does not notify that the goods should be stored. However, when the user confirms the inventory amount, the notification unit 137 displays the screen shown in FIG. 16 as a screen showing the inventory amount by the operation of the user. In the example shown in FIG. 16, the inventory amount of only "aluminum foil" is within the first range, and it is not recommended to purchase a plurality of types of goods 21 at once. However, the message box 83 at the top of the screen indicates the time predicted by the prediction unit 136.

Subsequently, the notification process executed by the notification device 130 will be described with reference to FIG. The notification process shown in FIG. 17 is executed at a predetermined time every day.

In the notification process, the notification device 130 estimates the usage amount of each type of article 21 from the history of the operation information 121 and the inventory database 51 (step S1). Specifically, the usage estimation unit 132 estimates the usage and updates the usage database 52.

Next, the notification device 130 calculates the current inventory amount of each type of article 21 (step S2). Specifically, the inventory amount calculation unit 133 calculates the inventory amount by referring to the history of the operation information 121 and the usage amount database 52, and updates the inventory database 51.

Next, the notification device 130 changes the threshold value (step S3). Specifically, the threshold value changing unit 134 changes the threshold value according to the length of the remaining time until the inventory amount falls within the first range.

Next, the notification device 130 sets a reference amount (step S4). Specifically, the reference amount setting unit 135 sets the reference amount for each type of article 21 with reference to the latest warehousing history or the usage amount per unit time.

Next, the notification unit 137 of the notification device 130 determines whether or not the number of types of articles 21 whose current inventory amount is within the first range exceeds the threshold value (step S5). When it is determined that the number of this type does not exceed the threshold value (step S5; No), the notification unit 137 determines whether or not the current inventory amount of any type of goods is within the second range. (Step S6). When it is determined that the current inventory amount is not within the second range for any of the types (step S6; No), the notification process ends.

When it is determined in step S5 that the number of types exceeds the threshold value (step S5; Yes), or when it is determined in step S6 that the current inventory amount is within the second range for any of the types. , The notification unit 137 notifies that the goods whose current inventory amount is within the first range and the goods whose current inventory amount is within the second range should be stored together with the amount to be stored. Specifically, the notification unit 137 calls the user's attention by displaying a push notification or playing an alarm sound on the screen of the notification device 130, and displays the screen shown in FIG. 13. After that, the notification process ends.

As described above, the notification device 130 has notified that the article should be stocked when the number of types of the article 21 whose current inventory amount is within the first range exceeds the threshold value. For this reason, a certain amount of warehousing is required for one warehousing, and the frequency of warehousing is reduced. Therefore, the burden on the administrator who manages the warehouse can be reduced. The manager is usually a part of the users of the inventory management system 100.

In addition, the notification device 130 notifies that the goods should be stocked when the current inventory amount is included in the second range for any type of goods. This makes it possible to prevent the article 21 from being out of stock. Further, when the current inventory amount of any type of goods is included in the second range, the notification device 130 is an article in which the current inventory amount is included in the first range in addition to the goods. Notified that it should be stocked. As a result, the burden on the administrator can be further reduced.

Further, the notification device 130 stores more types of articles 21 than when the threshold value is not changed by changing the threshold value according to the length of the remaining time until the inventory amount falls within the first range. I notified you what to do. As a result, the burden on the administrator can be further reduced.

In addition, the notification device 130 notified that the article 21 should be stored together with the amount to be stored. As a result, the user who receives the notification can promptly proceed with the procedure for storing the article 21.

Further, the notification device 130 sets a reference amount for warehousing the article 21 based on at least one of the usage amount of the article 21 per unit time and the warehousing history of the article. As a result, the inventory amount can be made appropriate.

Further, the notification device 130 calculated the current inventory amount by referring to the usage amount database 52 generated from the operation history and the warehousing history of the past device 30. This makes it possible to estimate the current inventory amount with some accuracy.

Embodiment 2.
Subsequently, the second embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment described above. For the same or equivalent configuration as that of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are used, and the description thereof will be omitted or abbreviated. The inventory management system 100 according to the present embodiment is different from that according to the first embodiment in that a group to which the article 21 belongs is set.

FIG. 18 shows an inventory database 51a according to this embodiment. This inventory database 51a includes "type number", "article name", "group number", "inventory amount", "receipt date", "expiration date", "first range", "second range", It is table data including a plurality of rows associated with "reference amount". The "group number" is, for example, a number preset so as to correspond to a user who owns the article 21. The users who own the article 21 are, for example, a father, a mother, a son, and a daughter.

When the number of types of goods 21 whose current inventory amount is within the first range among the types of goods 21 belonging to each group exceeds the threshold value, the notification unit 137 according to the present embodiment is concerned with the goods 21. Notify the user corresponding to the group number that the goods should be received. The first range, the second range, the reference amount, and the threshold value may be set for each group.

As described above, the notification device 130 notifies the user that the articles 21 should be stored together when it is recommended to store the articles 21 only in the articles 21 belonging to the predetermined group. .. As a result, when articles 21 having different managers are stored in the warehouse 20, the burden on the manager for each group can be reduced.

The group is not limited to the one corresponding to the user or the manager, and may correspond to the source of the article 21. The acquisition source includes, for example, a store that sells the article 21 and a carrier.

Embodiment 3.
Subsequently, the third embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment described above. For the same or equivalent configuration as that of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are used, and the description thereof will be omitted or abbreviated. The inventory management system 100 according to the present embodiment is different from that according to the first embodiment in that the importance is set for the article 21.

FIG. 19 shows an inventory database 51b according to this embodiment. This inventory database 51b contains "type number", "article name", "importance", "inventory amount", "receipt date", "expiration date", "first range", "second range", It is table data including a plurality of rows associated with "reference amount". The "importance" indicates the degree of importance to the user of the article 21, and may be set in advance or may be set by the user.

As shown in FIG. 19, for shampoo and tissue paper having a normal "importance", the row data is the same as in the first embodiment, while the tea in a PET bottle in which the "importance" is important. The first range and the second range are set wider than those according to the first embodiment, and the reference amount is set larger than that according to the first embodiment.

As described above, the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the first range and the second range, and the reference amount are determined according to the importance. Thereby, for example, in the summer when a large amount of water is required, the importance of the article 21 which is a beverage is set to be important, so that the inventory amount of the article 21 can be kept to a certain extent.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

For example, the case where the acquisition device 110, the reception device 120, and the notification device 130 constituting the inventory management system 100 have separate configurations has been mainly described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, as described above, the acquisition device 110 and the notification device 130 may be the same terminal, but the acquisition device 110 and the reception device 120 may be integrally configured, or the reception device 120 and the reception device 120. The notification device 130 may be integrally configured. Further, the acquisition device 110, the reception device 120, and the notification device 130 may all be integrally configured.

Further, in the above embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the inventory database 51 has only one of "classification", "group number", and "importance". Not limited. A database having two or more of "classification", "group number", and "importance" may be configured, or a database having all three may be configured.

The functions of the acquisition device 110, the reception device 120, and the notification device 130 according to the above embodiment can be realized by dedicated hardware or by a normal computer system.

For example, the program 48 stored in the auxiliary storage unit 43 may be stored in a computer-readable recording medium and distributed, and the program 48 may be installed in the computer to configure a device for executing the above-described processing. it can.

Further, the program 48 may be stored in a disk device of a server device on a communication network represented by the Internet, superimposed on a carrier wave, and downloaded to a computer, for example.

The above process can also be achieved by starting and executing the program 48 while transferring it via the communication network.

Further, the above-mentioned processing can also be achieved by executing all or a part of the program 48 on the server device and executing the program 48 while the computer sends and receives information about the processing via the communication network. ..

If the above-mentioned functions are shared by the OS (Operating System) or realized by collaboration between the OS and the application, only the parts other than the OS may be stored in the medium and distributed. You can also download it to your computer.

Further, the means for realizing the function of the inventory management system 100 is not limited to software, and a part or all thereof may be realized by dedicated hardware including a circuit.

The present disclosure allows for various embodiments and variations without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Moreover, the above-described embodiment is for explaining the present disclosure, and does not limit the scope of the present disclosure. That is, the scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the scope of claims, not by the embodiment. And various modifications made within the scope of the claims and within the equivalent meaning of disclosure are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure is suitable for inventory management.

100 Inventory management system, 110 Acquisition device, 111 Inventory information, 120 Receiver, 121 Operation information, 130 Notification device, 131 Storage unit, 132 Usage estimation unit, 133 Inventory calculation unit, 134 Threshold change unit, 135 Reference amount setting Unit, 136 Prediction unit, 137 Notification unit, 20 Warehouse, 21,21 to 213 Articles, 30 to 33 equipment, 41 Processor, 42 Main storage unit, 43 Auxiliary storage unit, 44 Input unit, 45 Output unit, 46 Communication unit, 47 internal bus, 48 programs, 51, 51a, 52b inventory database, 52 usage database, 71 first range, 72 second range, 81, 82 buttons, 83 message box, NW network.

Claims (8)

An inventory management device that is connected to a device and manages the inventory of goods used when the device operates.
An acquisition means for acquiring inventory information indicating the inventory amount of the goods, and
A receiving means for receiving operation information regarding the operation of the device from the device, and
The goods should be stocked when the current stock quantity of the goods indicated by the inventory information and the operation information is within the range of the stock quantity specified to recommend prompt stocking. Notification means to notify that,
An inventory management device. When the current inventory amount of the article is within the range of the inventory amount specified for recommending the prompt receipt of the article, the notification means notifies the amount of the article to be stored.
The inventory management device according to claim 1. The notification means sets an inventory amount to be stored of the article based on at least one of the usage amount of the article per unit time and the receipt history of the article, and the set inventory to be stored. Notify the difference between the quantity and the current inventory quantity of the article as the quantity to be stocked of the article.
The inventory management device according to claim 2. When the warehousing frequency of the goods shown in the warehousing history of the goods is higher than a predetermined value, the notification means sets the amount of inventory to be stored, and the warehousing frequency is more than the predetermined value. Set to a value larger than the value set when it is small,
The inventory management device according to claim 3. The receiving means receives the operation information indicating at least one of the operation time and the operation state of the device, and receives the operation information.
The notification means reads data in which at least one of the operating time and the operating state of the device and the amount of the article used when the device is operating is read from the storage means, so that the current state of the article is present. Calculate the amount of stock in
The inventory management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. An inventory management system that is connected to a device and manages the inventory of goods used when the device operates.
An acquisition device that acquires inventory information indicating the inventory amount of the goods, and
A receiving device that receives operation information regarding the operation of the device from the device, and
The inventory information is received from the acquisition device via the network, the operation information is received from the receiving device via the network, and the current inventory amount of the article indicated by the inventory information and the operation information is calculated. , A notification device that notifies that the goods should be stocked when they are included in the inventory amount specified to recommend prompt stocking.
Inventory management system. An inventory management method performed by an inventory management device that manages the inventory of goods used when the equipment is in operation.
When the current inventory amount of the goods indicated by the past inventory amount of the goods and the operation information regarding the operation of the equipment is included in the range of the inventory amount specified to recommend prompt warehousing. An inventory management method for notifying that the goods should be received. A computer that manages the inventory of goods used when the equipment is in operation,
When the current inventory amount of the goods indicated by the past inventory amount of the goods and the operation information regarding the operation of the equipment is included in the range of the inventory amount specified to recommend prompt warehousing. A program for notifying that the goods should be stored in the goods.

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