JP2021111163A - Article management system and article management method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an article management system for recognizing that a specific article exists in an area, and an article management method.SOLUTION: A commodity management system 1 for managing one or more articles existing in an area includes: a radio tag T which is attached to a commodity in the area, stores unique tag identification information, and operates with energy received from surrounding electric waves; a visitor terminal 4 which receives the tag identification information from the radio tag T within a predetermined distance from the area; and an information processing apparatus 5 which can communicate with the visitor terminal 4, and stores commodity information identifying a commodity in the area in association with tag identification information of the radio tag T attached to the commodity. The information processing apparatus notifies the visitor terminal 4 when there is a commodity identified by commodity information registered in advance in the area, on the basis of the tag identification information of the radio tag T received from the visitor terminal 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an article management system and an article management method.

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags are being used in IoT (Internet of Things) technology, which is being constructed in recent years. The fields that are being considered for utilization are wide-ranging, such as logistics / distribution, transportation, finance, FA, amusement, medical care, and food.
For example, as a form of a system using IoT technology, a product management system as an article using an RFID tag is known (for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, an RFID tag reader / writer is provided on each of a plurality of product shelves at a product display location, antennas arranged on each shelf of each product shelf are connected to the RFID tag reader / writer, and the RFID tag reader / writer is attached to the product. An inventory management system that allows non-contact reading of RFID tags is described.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-158455

By the way, a conventional product management system can determine, for example, whether or not each product is in stock at a store, but the product that is of interest to the visitor is not always in the store. If it is known that a product that is of interest to the visitor is in the store, the visitor can decide whether or not to purchase the product, which is beneficial to the visitor.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make it easier to recognize that there is a specific article in the area.

One aspect of the present invention is an article management system that manages one or more articles existing in an area, which is attached to the articles in the area, stores unique tag identification information, and receives energy from ambient radio waves. A wireless tag that operates by obtaining information, a mobile terminal that moves within a predetermined distance from the area and receives tag identification information from the wireless tag, and a mobile terminal that can communicate with the mobile terminal to identify an article in the area. The information processing device includes an article information and an information processing device that stores the information in association with the tag identification information of the wireless tag attached to the article, and the information processing device is based on the tag identification information of the wireless tag received from the mobile terminal. , An article management system that notifies the mobile terminal when an article specified by pre-registered article information is in the area.

According to an aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily recognize that there is a specific article in the area.

It is a figure which shows schematic system structure of the product management system of 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of each apparatus of the product management system of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the advertising packet transmitted from the IoT tag. It is a figure which shows the data structure example of the inventory database. It is a figure which shows the data structure example of the product registration database. It is a sequence chart which shows the operation of the product management system of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the product confirmation process of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the image displayed on a visitor terminal. It is a figure which shows an example of the image displayed on a visitor terminal. It is a flowchart of the product confirmation process of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows schematic system structure of the product management system of 3rd Embodiment. It is a top view which concerns on an example of a store floor. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of each apparatus of the product management system of 3rd Embodiment. It is a sequence chart which shows the operation of the product management system of 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure explaining another method of specifying the position in the area of a product in the product management system of 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the image displayed on a visitor terminal. It is a part of the sequence chart which shows the operation of the product management system of 4th Embodiment.

In the present disclosure, the term "article" means, for example, a tangible object such as a product, a semi-finished product (an intermediate stage product in the middle of manufacturing), or a product. In the following embodiments, a product is taken as an example of an article.
In the present disclosure, "communicable" is not limited to the case where direct communication is possible, but also includes the case where communication is possible indirectly. For example, "the device A and the device C can communicate" is not limited to the case where the device A and the device C directly establish communication to transmit or receive data, and the device A and the device C are B. It also includes the case of transmitting or receiving data via the device.
In the present disclosure, the "article information" may be any information as long as it can identify the article from other articles, and may be, for example, a code, serial number, model, type, etc. unique to the article. It may be image information of an article.
In the present disclosure, "related information related to article information" or "related article related to article" is not limited to the object information or information previously associated with the article, and may be referred to by a trader or consumer of the article. , Anything that can be recalled to be associated with the intended article information or article. For example, it can be said that products having the same design, products having the same design, products having different colors, or products having different sizes are naturally associated with each other.
The communication distance of the IoT tag in the present disclosure is only an example and is not limited. The communication distance of the IoT tag can be appropriately changed or adjusted according to the use of the IoT tag.

(1) First Embodiment Hereinafter, a product management system, which is an embodiment of an article management system, will be described with reference to drawings. Further, in the product management system 1 of the present embodiment, the IoT tag (hereinafter, appropriately referred to simply as "tag") is an energy harvesting type tag that generates electricity based on radio waves in the surrounding environment and does not have a battery. ) Shall be used.

(1-1) System Configuration of Product Management System First, the system configuration of the product management system 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a system configuration of the product management system 1 of the present embodiment.
In FIG. 1, the product management system 1 of the present embodiment is stocked by an application server 5 connected to a network based on a signal received from an IoT tag T (an example of a wireless tag) attached to each product in a store. It is a cloud-type system that is managed. The application server 5 can manage the inventory of a plurality of stores, but FIG. 1 shows only one store.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the product management system 1, for example, a wireless device 2 is provided in the store, and the visitor CS possesses the visitor terminal 4 (an example of a mobile terminal).
It is assumed that the visitor terminal 4 moves within a predetermined distance from the store area. Here, the "predetermined distance" is a distance at which communication with the tag in the store is possible even when the visitor terminal 4 is located outside the store, and as described above, it is appropriate depending on the use of the tag. A changeable or adjustable distance. The store area may be, for example, a pre-divided area such as a store, or may include a nearby area separated by a predetermined distance from the partitioned area.
Examples of the visitor terminal 4 are not limited to, for example, a laptop personal computer, a tablet terminal, and a smartphone. The store visitor terminal 4 can communicate with the application server 5 via a wireless communication network or an in-store LAN (Local Area Network) (not shown) and a network NW. In FIG. 1, there is one visitor and only one visitor terminal 4 is shown, but when there are a plurality of visitors in the store, there may be a plurality of visitor terminals 4.

The wireless device 2 provided in the store can provide a wireless environment for, for example, the IoT tag T of each product. The wireless device 2 is, for example, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) device, an access point, or the like, but may be a mobile terminal such as a tablet terminal or a smartphone.
As will be described in detail later, the IoT tag T is an energy harvesting type device that generates electricity based on radio waves in the surrounding environment, and does not have a battery. The number of wireless devices 2 is not limited, but it is preferable to be able to provide a wireless environment in which all IoT tags T in the store can generate electricity.

In the product management system 1 of the present embodiment, the wireless device 2 is not an indispensable component, and the wireless device 2 is not necessary if sufficient environmental power generation is possible in the store without the wireless device 2. For example, even if there is no wireless device 2, if the IoT tag T can generate energy by the wireless signal radiated by the visitor terminal 4, the wireless device 2 is not necessary. In addition, the IoT tag T can also use radio waves transmitted from devices other than the visitor terminal 4 and the wireless device 2 (for example, a mobile terminal of a clerk) for energy harvesting. In other words, when the radio waves provided by the visitor terminal 4 or a device other than the visitor terminal 4 are not sufficient for energy harvesting, the IoT tag T generates the radio waves radiated from the radio device 2 for energy harvesting. Can be used for.

The communication distance of the IoT tag T is, for example, in the range of 3 to 10 meters. Therefore, when the visitor CS who owns the visitor terminal 4 approaches the store (for example, is located within a predetermined distance from the store area) or is located in the store, it is attached to the product in the store. The IoT tag T and the visitor terminal 4 can communicate with each other.

The IoT tag T is configured to perform low power consumption wireless communication, and examples of communication protocols include Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark) (hereinafter, BLE), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and ZigBee (registered trademark). ) Etc. can be mentioned. In the following, a case of performing communication by BLE will be described as an example.
When the IoT tag T complies with the BLE standard, the IoT tag T broadcasts an advertising packet (described later) to surrounding BLE terminals.

An application program related to store products is installed on the store visitor terminal 4 possessed by the store visitor CS. By executing this application program (hereinafter, simply referred to as "product application"), the visitor CS can, for example, browse the detailed information of various products handled in the store, or like or feel like before coming to the store. You can register the products that will become.

Further, the visitor terminal 4 functions as a BLE terminal. That is, the visitor terminal 4 receives the advertising packet broadcast by the IoT tag T. The advertising packet includes an encrypted tag ID (an example of tag identification information) as unique identification information of the IoT tag T. The visitor terminal 4 transmits the information received from the IoT tag T to the application server 5 via the wireless communication network (not shown), the in-store LAN, and the network NW.

The application server 5 (an example of an information processing device) is, for example, a network server that provides a cloud-type inventory management service to a store and a web service for product information to a visitor CS.
The application server 5 stores an inventory database in which the tag ID held in the store and the product code are associated with each other. In addition, the application server 5 stores a product registration database for users (including visitor CS) who use the product application to register the product.
As will be described later, the application server 5 determines whether or not the product registered in advance through the product application is displayed in the store by the visitor CS, and if it determines that the product is displayed in the store, the visitor CS determines. Notify the visitor terminal 4 of the store. In the following description, the product registered by the user in the product registration database is appropriately referred to as "registered product".

(1-2) Configuration of Each Device of Product Management System Next, the configuration of each device of the product management system 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of each device of the product management system 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of an advertising packet transmitted from the IoT tag T. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of data structure of the inventory database. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of the product registration database.

Referring to FIG. 2, the IoT tag T includes a control unit 11, an antenna 12, a harvesting unit 13, a voltage control unit 14, an RF transceiver 15, and a sensor 16.
Although the overall form of the IoT tag T is not shown, it is a thin film member including, for example, a conductive metal foil having a predetermined pattern on which the antenna 12 and the sensor 16 are formed, and an IC chip connected to the metal foil. be. A control unit 11, a harvesting unit 13, a voltage control unit 14, and an RF transceiver 15 are mounted in the IC chip.

The control unit 11 has a microprocessor and a memory 111, and controls the entire IoT tag T. The memory 111 is a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory), and is a program executed by a microprocessor, a tag ID which is identification information unique to the IoT tag T, and sensor data output by the sensor 16. Remember.

The harvesting unit 13 generates energy harvesting based on radio waves in the surrounding environment (for example, radio waves from ambient wireless communication), and stores the electric power obtained by the power generation in the internal energy storage 131. In the present embodiment, the harvesting unit 13 converts, for example, the radio signal received by the antenna 12 into a DC voltage and stores it in the energy storage 131. The energy storage 131 is, for example, a capacitor. In the case of a capacitor, it may be one configured on a semiconductor chip (that is, an on-die type capacitor).

The radio waves used by the harvesting unit 13 for energy harvesting are radio waves of a plurality of different frequency bands in a wide frequency band. For example, radio waves by wireless communication in the frequency band used in mobile communication systems such as so-called 3G to 5G, and frequency bands used in communication standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Radio waves by wireless communication, radio waves by wireless communication in the 2.4 GHz band represented by communication protocols such as ZigBee (registered trademark) and Thread, frequency bands used in RFID (for example, 900 MHz band, 13.56 MHz band) Radio waves and the like by wireless communication can be mentioned.
Radio waves such as those illustrated here are generally applicable in almost every store. Then, the IoT tag T attached to the product in the store operates with the electric power obtained by the energy harvesting by the harvesting unit 13 based on the radio wave of the surrounding environment. Therefore, it is not necessary to mount the battery on the IoT tag T, and the system cost can be suppressed. Further, since it is not necessary to mount the battery, it is not necessary to replace the battery, so that there is no problem that the tag ID cannot be acquired even though the tag exists.

The voltage control unit 14 supplies the operating voltage to the control unit 11 and the RF transceiver 15, and monitors the voltage of the energy storage 131, and switches the power mode according to the monitoring result. When the voltage of the energy storage 131 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, the power mode is set to the first mode in which only the minimum circuit is operated. At this time, the control unit 11 and the RF transceiver 15 generate packets and wirelessly described later. No signal is transmitted. When the voltage of the energy storage 131 is charged to a predetermined threshold value or more, the power mode is set to the second mode in which the normal processing routine is executed. At this time, the control unit 11 and the RF transceiver 15 generate packets and transmit radio signals. Various processes including transmission are performed.
Note that the control unit 11 detects the sensor data detected by the sensor 16 when the voltage of the energy storage 131 is charged to a predetermined threshold value or higher even when the power mode is, for example, the first mode. It may be stored in the memory 111 together with the data of. In that case, even if the control unit 11 generates and transmits a packet containing the sensor data and the detection time data stored in the memory 111 when the power mode is switched from the first mode to the second mode. good. Thereby, it is possible to provide the wireless device 2 with information regarding the presence or absence of movement of the tag during the period when the charging voltage of the energy storage 131 is relatively low.

The sensor 16 detects, for example, the movement of the IoT tag T itself. The detected data (sensor data) is temporarily stored in the memory 111 for inclusion in a packet described later. The sensor data is configured so that it can be determined, for example, whether or not the tag has been moved. The sensor data may be a value indicating the degree of movement of the IoT tag T, or may be a binary value indicating whether or not the IoT tag T has moved.
The sensor 16 may detect the weight and pressure related to the IoT tag T. The sensor 16 may detect the temperature when the temperature sensor is built in the IC chip.

The control unit 11 generates an advertising packet according to the BLE protocol when the power mode is the second mode.
The advertising packet is a packet transmitted using the advertising channel in order to realize broadcast communication in BLE, and has the packet configuration shown in FIG. Advertising packets are, as appropriate, simply referred to as "packets" below.

In FIG. 3, each of the preamble and the address access has a predetermined fixed value. CRC is a cyclic check code, which is check data calculated by using a predetermined generation polynomial for a packet payload (that is, an advertising channel PDU (protocol data unit)).
The advertising channel PDU (hereinafter, simply referred to as "PDU") is composed of a header and a payload, and the payload is composed of an ADV address and ADV data. The ADV address is the address of the advertiser (that is, the IoT tag T that is the subject of notification), but it may be a random value set for each transmission so as not to specify the source. The ADV data is advertiser data (broadcast data), and in the present embodiment, the tag ID and the sensor data output by the sensor 16 are included.

The control unit 11 preferably encrypts the PDU. The encryption method is not limited, but for example, AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) with a key length of 128 bits can be used.

The RF transceiver 15 performs predetermined digital modulation (for example, GFSK (Gaussian Frequency Shift Keying)) on the transmitted packet (baseband signal) and then performs orthogonal modulation to perform a high frequency signal (2.4 GHz in the case of BLE). (Frequency band signal) is sent to the antenna 12.

The antenna 12 includes a transmitting antenna and a power generation antenna.
The transmitting antenna transmits a high frequency radio signal (packet) transmitted by the RF transceiver 15. On the other hand, the power generation antenna receives, for example, radio waves in the surrounding environment or a radio signal transmitted from the wireless device 2, and functions as a rectenna in cooperation with the harvesting unit 13.

As shown in FIG. 2, the wireless device 2 includes a control unit 21, an antenna 22, and an RF transmitter 25.
The control unit 21 includes a microcontroller that controls the RF transmitter 25, and for example, generates a baseband signal, determines a transmission timing, and the like.
In order to transmit the beacon signal from the antenna 22, the RF transmitter 25, for example, quadraturely modulates a baseband signal having a predetermined pattern and transmits it to the antenna 22.

As described above, the IoT tag T generates energy based on the radio waves of the surrounding environment, but when the radio waves of the surrounding environment are low, normal operations such as packet generation and radio signal transmission are not performed. (For example, when the power mode is the first mode). Therefore, the control unit 21 of the wireless device 2 starts wireless transmission by the antenna 22 or starts wireless transmission by the antenna 22 when the state in which communication with the IoT tag T cannot be performed (for example, the state in which the advertising packet cannot be received) continues for a predetermined time or longer. It is preferable to control the RF transmitter 25 so as to increase the transmission power of the antenna 22. As a result, electric power can be stored because the radio waves in the surrounding environment of the IoT tag T increase, and wireless communication with the wireless device 2 can be started or restarted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the store visitor terminal 4 includes a control unit 41, a storage 42, an operation input unit 43, a display unit 44, a first communication unit 45, and a second communication unit 46.

The control unit 41 is mainly composed of a microprocessor and controls the entire visitor terminal 4. For example, the control unit 41 decodes the PDU of the packet received from the IoT tag T, detects an error from the CRC using the same generation polynomial as the IoT tag T side, and then extracts broadcast data from the PDU. The control unit 41 transmits a product confirmation request including the user ID of the visitor terminal 4 and the extracted broadcast data to the application server 5 via the second communication unit 46.
The user ID is unique identification information for identifying the user of the visitor terminal 4. The user ID is determined so as not to be duplicated among the users who use the product application, and is assigned to each user. The user ID is included in the information required when logging in to the product application, for example.

Various programs including the above-mentioned product application and web browser are installed in the visitor terminal 4.
The product application is, for example, a web application and operates on a web browser. The product application performs HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) communication (or more secure HTTPS communication) with the application server 5 via the second communication unit 46, and acquires content related to the product (for example, HTML document). It is displayed on the display unit 44.
The product application requests the application server 5 to register the product code of the product selected by the user in response to a predetermined operation by the user. In response to the request, the registered product code is recorded for each user in the product registration database of the application server 5.
As will be described later, the product application is a message indicating that the registered product is displayed when the registered product of the visitor CS who owns the visitor terminal 4, that is, the product corresponding to the registered product code is displayed. Is displayed.

The storage 42 is a storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive), and stores various programs (for example, a product application, a web browser) executed by the control unit 41. The storage 42 may temporarily hold the broadcast data obtained from each IoT tag T in the store.

The operation input unit 43 is an input interface that receives operation input from a visitor in order to execute various programs, and may be a touch panel input unit provided on the display panel of the display unit 44. The display unit 44 includes a display panel such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Panel) and a drive circuit of the display panel, and displays the execution result of the program by the control unit 41.
The first communication unit 45 performs wireless communication with an object in a narrower communication range than, for example, the second communication unit 46, and is configured to receive packets transmitted from each IoT tag T according to the BLE protocol, for example. Has been done.
The second communication unit 46 is a communication interface for communicating with the application server 5 via the wireless communication network or the in-store LAN and the network NW.

As shown in FIG. 2, the application server 5 includes a control unit 51, a storage 52, and a communication unit 53.
The control unit 51 is mainly composed of a microprocessor and controls the entire application server 5.
The storage 52 includes, for example, a large-scale storage device for HDDs, and stores an inventory database (inventory DB) and a product registration database (product registration DB).

The inventory database of FIG. 4 has values of each field of "store ID", "tag ID", "product code", "color", "size", "inventory availability", and "product position" for one record. However, it is a database for managing the availability of products in each store. The store ID is identification information for identifying each of the plurality of stores managed by the application server 5. The product code (an example of article information) is information that identifies a product such as a JAN code. The "color" and "size" fields store values indicating the color and size of the product corresponding to the product code. In the "Inventory" field, a value indicating whether or not the product corresponding to the product code is in stock is stored. In the "product position" field, for example, the shelf ID of the shelf on which the product is arranged is stored. Note that each field shown in FIG. 4 is only an example, and fields related to other data related to the product (for example, product type, product category, distinction between regular product / limited product, etc.) may be provided.
The inventory database is created and updated based on the arrival information of products for the store. For example, when a new product arrives at a store, one record is created in the inventory database. The inventory database also creates when a store runs out of products (for example, when a product is purchased or transferred to another store). ), The record corresponding to the product is deleted from the inventory database.
As shown in FIG. 4, in the inventory database, the tag ID and the content of the product to which the tag of the tag ID is attached are associated with each store ID. Since the tag ID is tag-specific identification information that does not become the same information for two or more tags, if the tag ID is known, the store having the corresponding product is uniquely identified. Therefore, if it is known that the store visitor terminal 4 has received any of the tag IDs included in the inventory database, it is possible to identify the store where the store visitor terminal 4 is visiting or is in the vicinity.

The product registration database of FIG. 5 has values in each field of "user information" and "registered product code" for one record, and the user registers products such as products that the user likes or cares about. It is a database to keep. The details of the "user information" field are not limited, but include subfields such as "user ID", "user name", and "user address".
In order to register the product code in the product registration database, the user (for example, the visitor CS) performs a predetermined process for requesting the registration of the product code on the product application.

For example, the microprocessor of the control unit 51 performs the following processing by executing a predetermined program.
(i) Update the inventory database based on the product information from the store terminal (not shown).
For example, when a new product arrives at a store, one record is created in the inventory database based on the product information from the store terminal.
When a product in a store is purchased or transferred to another store and the product disappears from the store, the record corresponding to the product is deleted based on the product information from the store terminal.

(ii) The tag ID is extracted from the broadcast data included in the product confirmation request received from the visitor terminal 4, and the extracted tag ID is authenticated.
Note that the authentication may be performed, for example, by making an inquiry to an authentication server (not shown) connected to the network NW and acquiring the authentication result from the authentication server. In this case, the authentication server is, for example, a server managed by the manufacturer of the IoT tag T, has a database that stores the tag IDs of all the manufactured IoT tags T, and refers to the database to be an application server. Authenticate the tag ID inquired from 5.

(iii) The product confirmation process is executed based on the user ID and the tag ID for which authentication is successful. The product confirmation process is, for example, a process of confirming whether or not a registered product corresponding to the user ID is present in the store.
The product confirmation process includes referring to the product registration database and specifying the registered product code corresponding to the user ID (that is, the registered product of the visitor terminal 4).
The product confirmation process includes specifying the store ID associated with the tag ID to be processed in the inventory database. Since there are no two or more tag IDs having the same data in the inventory database, any one of the plurality of store IDs is uniquely specified by using the tag ID as a key. Further, by referring to the inventory database, a product code associated with the specified store ID and indicating inventory (that is, a product in the corresponding store) is specified.
By matching the registered product of the visitor terminal 4 with the product in the corresponding store, it is possible to confirm whether or not the registered product of the visitor is in the store. You may check whether or not there is a related product (described later) corresponding to the registered product in the store.

The communication unit 53 functions as a communication interface for communicating with the visitor terminal 4.
For example, when the registered product of the visitor is in the store area, the control unit 51 notifies the visitor terminal 4 that the registered product is in the store area via the communication unit 53. When the related product (described later) corresponding to the registered product of the visitor is in the store area, the control unit 51 indicates that the related product is in the store area via the communication unit 53. It is preferable to notify to.

It is preferable that the control unit 51 executes the product confirmation process based on the tag ID only when the tag ID authentication is successful, and transmits the notification content to the store visitor terminal 4 based on the execution result of the product confirmation request. .. That is, it is preferable that the control unit 51 transmits the notification content to the visitor terminal 4 when the tag ID authentication is successful and the registered product is in the store area. By doing so, it is possible to confirm whether or not the tag ID is genuine by authenticating the tag ID, so that erroneous notification contents are not transmitted to the visitor terminal 4.

(1-3) Operation of Product Management System Next, the operation of the product management system 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 is a sequence chart showing the operation of the product management system 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the product confirmation process of the present embodiment.
The processing of the sequence chart of FIG. 6 is repeated every time the visitor terminal 4 receives a packet from each IoT tag (tags T1, T2, ...) In the store.

The wireless device 2 can provide a wireless environment in which the tags T1, T2, ... Attached to each product in the store can generate electricity, for example, by radiating a beacon signal (step S2). Each tag performs energy harvesting based on the radio waves of the surrounding environment, and stores the electric power obtained by the power generation in an internal energy storage (for example, a capacitor) to operate. Then, the tags T1, T2, ... Generate a packet (step S4) and broadcast the generated packet (step S6).

For example, if the visitor terminal 4 of the visitor CS is located inside the store, or even if it is located outside the store but is close to the store, BLE communication is performed between the visitor terminal 4 and the tag inside the store. It will be possible. That is, the visitor terminal 4 can receive the packet transmitted from the tag. The visitor terminal 4 decodes the PDU included in the received packet and extracts the broadcast data from the PDU. Next, the store visitor terminal 4 transmits a product confirmation request including the user ID and the extracted broadcast data to the application server 5 (step S8).

The broadcast data includes a tag ID and sensor data.
The application server 5 extracts the tag ID from the broadcast data included in the received product confirmation request and authenticates the tag ID (step S10). The tag ID can be authenticated based on the authentication result obtained by making an inquiry to an external authentication server, for example.

When the tag ID authentication is successful, the application server 5 executes a product confirmation process for confirming whether the registered product of the visitor CS (user) is displayed in the store (step S12). The product confirmation process will be described later, but for example, it is confirmed whether or not the registered product of the visitor who is the user of the visitor terminal 4 is displayed in the store.
The application server 5 creates a notification content to be notified to the store visitor terminal 4 based on the processing result of the product confirmation process in step S12 (step S13), and transmits the created notification content to the store visitor terminal 4 (step S14). ..
The visitor terminal 4 displays the content of the notification from the application server 5 (step S16).

Hereinafter, FIG. 7 will be referred to with reference to the detailed contents of the product confirmation process in step S12.
In the following description, the related product is defined in advance to be used in combination with, for example, another product having a different color or size from the registered product, another product that succeeds the registered product, or a registered product. Another product, etc. The product code corresponding to the related product is called "related product code".
In FIG. 7, the application server 5 refers to the product registration database and identifies the registered product code registered by the visitor CS based on the user ID included in the product confirmation request (step S20). Next, the application server 5 refers to the inventory database and identifies the store ID of the store where the visitor is visiting based on the tag ID to be processed (step S22).
As described above, since the inventory of the product (tag ID) is managed for each store in the inventory database of FIG. 4, the store where the visitor is visiting is based on the tag ID acquired from the visitor terminal 4. Store ID can be specified. Next, the application server 5 refers to the inventory database and extracts the product code of the product currently in stock in the store with the store ID based on the specified store ID (step S24).

When the application server 5 determines that the registered product code specified in step S20 is included in the product code extracted in step S24 (step S26: YES), the registered product code registered by the visitor CS It is determined that the product (registered product) corresponding to the above is displayed in the store (is in the store) (step S28).
The application server 5 determines that the registered product code specified in step S20 is not included in the product code extracted in step S24 (step S26: NO), and includes the related product code corresponding to the registered product code. If it is determined that the product is displayed (step S30: YES), it is determined that the related product is displayed in the store (step S32). When the application server 5 determines that the related product code is not included in the product code extracted in step S24 (step S30: NO), the application server 5 determines that neither the registered product nor the related product is displayed in the store. (Step S34).
If there are a plurality of registered product codes and / or related product codes, the determination in steps S26 and S32 is performed for each registered product code and / or related product code, and the registration displayed in the store. The quantity of goods and / or related goods may be specified. In that case, the number of records including the same registered product code and / or related product code is counted in the inventory database.

8A and 8B are examples of notification contents to the visitor terminal 4 created by the application server 5. The visitor terminal 4 displays, for example, screens G1 to G5 on the display unit as a screen including the notification content. Each of the screens G1 to G5 is a separate display example of the screen including the notification content.
For example, the screen G1 includes a notification content indicating that the registered product of the visitor is displayed on the shelf having a predetermined shelf number of the store. Here, the shelf number corresponds to the product position in the inventory database (see FIG. 4).
The screen G2 includes a notification content indicating that the store does not have the registered product of the visitor and products of different sizes of the registered product of the visitor are displayed in the store as related products. In addition, the screen G2 may include information such as the expected arrival date of the registered product of the visitor.
The screen G3 includes a notification content indicating that the visitor's registered product is not in the store and a product similar to the visitor's registered product (for example, a successor model of the registered product) is displayed in the store as a related product. This message contains, for example, information on the quantity of related goods. If the successor model product has not been released and is not displayed in the store on the screen G3, information such as the planned release date of the product may be included.
The screen G4 includes a notification content indicating that the visitor's registered product is not in the store and another product defined in advance to be used in combination with the visitor's registered product is displayed in the store as a related product. ..
If the registered product is not in the store, the notification content may include information on other stores that have the registered product in stock.
The screen G5 includes a notification content including an image of another product recommended to be combined with the target product as a related product corresponding to the registered product, and a store map M1 showing the product position of each related product. In this example, the store map M1 shows the position of the shelf corresponding to the product position for each of the two related products.
In this way, when the visitor CS receives the tag ID in the store or near the store, if the product (registered product) registered in advance by the visitor CS is in the store, the visitor may be in the store. The terminal 4 will be notified.

As described above, in the product management system 1 of the present embodiment, for example, the product code of the product registered as a favorite before the visitor visits the store or the product code of the product that the store wants to check by hand is registered in advance. Then, the visitor terminal 4 is notified of information such as being displayed in the store. Since the visitor can recognize, for example, that the registered product is displayed in the store, the visitor can check the actual product by picking up the product.
According to the product management system 1 of the present embodiment, even if the store visitor does not visit the store, the store visitor terminal 4 communicates with the tag in the store, so that the store visitor displays his / her registered product in the store. If so, you will be notified that it is on display. For example, a visitor can see that his / her registered product is displayed in the store even if he / she just passes by the store. Therefore, there is an advantage that the visitor can save the trouble of patrolling and checking whether or not the registered product is in stock in the store. For example, a visitor can save the labor of patrolling a large store and searching for the desired registered product in the store.
In addition, the visitor can obtain information related to the registered product and information on other stores in which the registered product is in stock even when the registered product is not displayed in the store.

(2) Second Embodiment Next, the product management system according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the product confirmation process of the second embodiment.
In the product management system of the present embodiment, the product confirmation process (step S12 in FIG. 6) executed by the application server 5 is different from that of the first embodiment.

In the product management system of the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, when the visitor patrols the inside of the store and the visitor reaches the vicinity of the registered product, the registered product is in the vicinity. It is configured to notify the visitor terminal 4. Therefore, for example, even when a visitor comes to the store without intending to purchase a specific product, the visitor can be alerted that the registered product is in the vicinity at an appropriate timing. Therefore, the store can promote the purchase of the product by the visitor, and the visitor has an opportunity to immediately confirm the registered product on the spot.
The vicinity of the product means that it is close to the product to the extent that it is located within the communication distance of the tag attached to the product, and can be adjusted or changed as appropriate according to the communication distance of the tag. Is.

In order to notify that the registered product is in the vicinity of the visitor, it is preferable that the communicable distance between the visitor terminal 4 of the visitor and the tag corresponding to the registered product is not too long. If the communication range is too long, it takes time for the notified visitor to search for his / her registered product. In the present embodiment, the communication distance of the tag is, for example, in the range of 2 to 5 meters, but is not limited to this.
In the present embodiment, when the registered product of the visitor is displayed in the store, the distance at which the visitor patrols the store and the visitor terminal 4 can communicate with the tag attached to the registered product. When the visitor approaches the registered product, the visitor terminal 4 can receive the packet transmitted from the tag. This packet reception triggers the application server 5 to notify the store visitor terminal 4 that the registered product is in the vicinity of the store visitor terminal 4. That is, the application server 5 notifies the visitor terminal 4 when the registered product is in the vicinity of the visitor terminal 4 based on the tag ID received from the visitor terminal 4.

In FIG. 9, in the product confirmation process of the present embodiment, the application server 5 refers to the product registration database and specifies the registered product code corresponding to the user ID included in the product confirmation request received in step S8 (step S40). ). The application server 5 refers to the inventory database and identifies the product code corresponding to the tag ID authenticated in step S10 (FIG. 6) (step S42).
Next, the application server 5 determines whether or not the product code specified in step S42 matches the registered product code specified in step S40. If they match (step S44: YES), it is determined that the registered product is in the vicinity of the visitor terminal 4 (step S46). On the contrary, when the two do not match (step S44: NO), it is determined whether or not the product code specified in step S42 matches the related product code of the related product corresponding to the registered product of the visitor.
If the product code specified in step S42 matches the related product code (step S48: YES), it is determined that the related product is in the vicinity of the visitor terminal 4 (step S50). On the contrary, when the two do not match (step S48: NO), it is determined that neither the registered product nor the related product is in the vicinity of the visitor terminal 4 (step S52). The notification content including the determination results of steps S46, S50, and S52 is transmitted to the visitor terminal 4.
When there are a plurality of registered product codes, the determination in steps S44 and S48 is performed for each registered product code or for each related product code corresponding to each registered product code.

(3) Third Embodiment Next, the product management system 1A according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 14, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing a system configuration of the product management system 1A of the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a plan view of an example of an exemplary store floor. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of each device of the product management system 1A of the present embodiment. FIG. 13 is a sequence chart showing the operation of the product management system 1A of the present embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating another method of specifying a position in an area of a product in the product management system 1A of the present embodiment.

When the registered product of the visitor is displayed in the store, the product management system 1A of the present embodiment also notifies the visitor terminal 4 of information (location information) that identifies the position where the registered product is displayed. Can be done. In the product management system 1A of the present embodiment, a plurality of wireless devices 2 are provided in the store, and the application server 5 specifies the location information of the registered product based on the device ID and the tag ID received from each wireless device 2. Then, the specified location information is notified to the visitor terminal 4. The mode of notifying the position of the registered product is not limited, but for example, it is preferable to display it on the visitor terminal 4 so that the position of the registered product can be seen on the store map. By notifying the visitor terminal 4 of the location information of the registered product, the visitor can easily find the registered product in the store, so that the purchase of the product can be completed in a short time, which is convenient for the visitor and the store. It is also possible to promote the sale of products.

As described above, in the product management system 1A of the present embodiment, a plurality of wireless devices 2 are arranged in the store. As shown in FIG. 10, each wireless device 2 can communicate with the application server 5 via the network NW.
For example, in the plan view of the store shown in FIG. 11, when six areas R1 to R6 for dividing the area of the store are provided, six wireless devices 2-1 to 2-6 are arranged corresponding to each area. NS. A unique device ID (an example of device identification information) is assigned to each of the wireless devices 2-1 to 2-6. In the example shown in FIG. 11, device IDs: G1 to G6 are assigned to the wireless devices 2-1 to 2-6, respectively.

Each of the wireless devices 2-1 to 2-6 is set with a range (communicable range) CA1 to CA6 capable of wireless communication with the tag T so as to generally cover the corresponding area. For example, the tag T attached to the product arranged in the area R4 in the store is set so as to enable wireless communication with the wireless devices 2-4. Note that FIG. 11 is only an example, and the number of wireless devices 2 arranged in the store, the number of areas for dividing the area of the store, or the position where the wireless devices 2 are arranged is determined by, for example, the communication of the IoT tag T. It can be optimized as appropriate according to the possible range and the communication environment in the store.
When the store is wide and a large number of tags T are distributed and arranged in the store, communication with all the tags T in the store is covered by arranging the plurality of wireless devices 2 in the store in a distributed manner. can do.

As shown in FIG. 12, the configuration of the wireless devices 2-1 to 2-6 is the same as that of the wireless device 2 shown in FIG. 2, but is configured to be communicable with the application server 5 via the network NW. Hereinafter, when the matters common to the wireless devices 2-1 to 2-6 are referred to, they are appropriately referred to as "wireless device 2".

In the product management system 1A of the present embodiment, when the wireless device 2 receives a packet from the tag T, the broadcast data acquired from the packet is associated with its own device ID and transmitted to the application server 5. Based on the device ID received from the wireless device 2, the application server 5 can recognize in which area in the store area the product corresponding to the tag ID included in the broadcast data is arranged.
When dividing a store area into a plurality of areas, it can be performed based on various criteria. For example, each of the plurality of areas R1 to R6 may be set in association with different shelves on which products are arranged. In this case, the application server 5 can recognize which shelf in the store the product is placed on. In another example, even if a part of the plurality of areas R1 to R6 is allocated to the area where the visitor can move (in-store area) and a part of the area is allocated to the backyard area (backyard area). good. In this case, the application server 5 can recognize whether the product is in the store area or the backyard area.

The sequence chart of FIG. 13 is different from the sequence chart of the first embodiment (FIG. 6) in that part A is mainly added.
In FIG. 13, the process of the part A is a process of sequentially updating the inventory database based on the communication between each tag in the store and the wireless device 2. That is, the wireless device 2 provides a wireless environment in which the tags T1, T2, ... Attached to each product in the store can generate electricity by radiating, for example, a beacon signal (step S2). Can be done. Each tag performs energy harvesting based on the radio waves of the surrounding environment, and stores the electric power obtained by the power generation in an internal energy storage (for example, a capacitor) to operate. When the voltage of the energy storage is charged to a predetermined threshold value or more, a packet including the tag ID and the sensor data as broadcast data is generated and transmitted (steps S4 and S5).
When the wireless device 2 recognizes and receives the packet transmitted from each tag, it decodes the PDU included in the packet and extracts the broadcast data contained in the PDU. The wireless device 2 transmits its own device ID and broadcast data to the application server 5 (step S9).

The application server 5 authenticates the tag ID included in the received broadcast data (step S10). The tag ID is authenticated based on the authentication result obtained by making an inquiry to an external authentication server, for example. If the tag ID authentication is successful, the application server 5 updates the inventory database (step S11).
When updating the inventory database, the value in the "Inventory" field of the record corresponding to the tag ID to be processed is left as "Yes" (value at the time of product arrival), and the "Inventory" of the record corresponding to the tag ID that is not received for a certain period of time is left. Set the value of the "Presence" field to "None". That is, the application server 5 identifies the products existing in the store area based on the tag ID included in the packet received by the wireless device 2. In the inventory database, it can be seen that the product corresponding to the product code of the record in which the value of the "Inventory" field is "Yes" remains in the store.
Further, in the application server 5, the area in the store corresponding to the device ID received in step S9 (for example, any of R1 to R6; see FIG. 11) is a product having a product code corresponding to the tag ID to be processed. Update the inventory database so that it is in the product position.

The process of part A in FIG. 13 can be executed when the wireless device 2 is also used in the product management system of another embodiment. By executing the process of Part A, it is possible to sequentially update the presence or absence of inventory of each product in the store and the product position when the product is in stock.

In FIG. 13, the process of the B part is a process when the visitor terminal 4 receives the packet transmitted from the tag in the store. The processing of the B portion is basically the same as the processing of FIG. 6, but the processing of steps S12A to S16 is different from the case of FIG.
In the present embodiment, in step S12A, the application server 5 confirms whether the registered product of the visitor is displayed in the store as in step S12 of FIG. 6, and when the registered product is displayed in the store. In, the product position of the registered product is specified by referring to the inventory database. Further, when the registered product is not displayed in the store, the application server 5 confirms whether the related product corresponding to the registered product is displayed in the store, and if it is displayed in the store, the inventory database is displayed. Refer to it to identify the product position of related products. The application server 5 creates the notification content based on the confirmation result of the product confirmation process in step S12A (including the information on the product position of the registered product of the visitor or the related product of the registered product) (step S13). The created notification content is transmitted to the visitor terminal 4 (step S14).
Based on the notification content received in step S14, the store visitor terminal 4 displays various notification contents as illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B (step S16). In the present embodiment, since the information on the product position of the registered product of the visitor or the product position of the related product of the registered product is included in the confirmation result in step S14, the position of the product in the store is set on the store visitor terminal 4. As can be seen, it is preferable to display a map of the floor of the store, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 8B.

Next, another method of identifying the position of the product in the area will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 illustrates a case where six wireless devices 2-1 to 2-6 are arranged in a store area, as in FIG. 11.
In this method, when each wireless device 2 receives a packet from a tag, each wireless device 2 receives its own device ID, the received signal strength (RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) value) when the packet is received from the tag, and the packet. The obtained broadcast data is transmitted to the application server 5. For example, in FIG. 14, the RSSI values when a packet is received from the tag T are S _R1 , S _R2 , S _R4 , and S _{R 5 in the wireless devices 2-1, 2-2, 2-4, and 2-5, respectively.} Is. In this example, the RSSI value in the wireless devices 2-3 and 2-6 is assumed to be very small and ignored.
When the application server 5 acquires the RSSI value of each wireless device 2, it identifies the wireless device 2 having the maximum RSSI value, and the area in the store corresponding to the device ID of the specified wireless device 2 (for example, in FIG. 14). The area R2) is specified.

It is also possible to specify the product position with higher accuracy by using the RSSI values in the plurality of wireless devices 2. Specifically, the distance between the tag T and each wireless device 2 is estimated based on the RSSI value at each terminal by using the attenuation characteristic of the radio wave according to the distance, and the tag T is positioned by the triangulation method.
For example, in FIG. 14, after acquiring the RSSI value of each wireless device 2, the application server 5 has three RSSI values (for example, S _R1 , S _R2 , S _{R 5} ) and a wireless device corresponding to each RSSI value in descending order. The tag T can be positioned by the triangulation method based on the known position information of 2. Further, since the radio wave propagation environment in the store is generally not an ideal free space, the positioning of the tag T can be further performed by using four or more arbitrary numbers of wireless devices 2 for the positioning of a single tag T. You can also improve the accuracy.

The application server 5 positions the registered product and also positions the visitor terminal 4, so that the shortest route from the current position of the visitor terminal 4 to the display position of the registered product is acquired, and the information of the shortest route is obtained by the visitor. The terminal 4 may be notified. In that case, the product application of the visitor terminal 4 may display the information of the shortest route acquired from the application server 5 on the store map.
That is, the visitor terminal 4 can be positioned in the same manner as the tag T by using the RSSI value of the received signal from the visitor terminal 4 in the plurality of wireless devices 2. The application server 5 sets a predetermined route from the position of the visitor terminal 4 to the display position of the registered product based on the location information of the visitor terminal 4, the location information of the registered product, and the known store map. Execute the search program to get it. The application server 5 includes the information of the shortest route as the execution result of the route search program in the notification content created in step S13 of FIG.
FIG. 15 shows a display example of the notification content including the shortest path information. The screen G6 of FIG. 15 illustrates the content of the notification including the information of the shortest path RT from the position of the visitor terminal 4 (“current position”) to the display position (shelf SA2) of the registered product of the visitor in the store map M1. ing

(4) Fourth Embodiment Next, the product management system according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 16, focusing on the differences from the third embodiment. FIG. 16 is a part of a sequence chart showing the operation of the product management system of the present embodiment.
In the product management system 1A of the third embodiment, the inventory database showing the product inventory in the store is sequentially updated by the processing of part A in FIG. In this update of the product inventory, the case where the product with the product code corresponding to the tag ID for which the authentication was successful in step S10 is in stock has been described. Unlike the third embodiment, the product management system of the present embodiment does not determine that the product is in stock when the product is moved, for example, the product is picked up by a visitor or a clerk. .. That is, in the present embodiment, it is determined that only the products that are not moved in the store are in stock. When a product is moved, for example, there is a possibility that a visitor tries on or purchases the product, or a clerk is performing a product replacement work. Therefore, for example, it is convenient for the clerk to be able to grasp the products that have not been moved in order to inform the visitor of the inventory of the products that can be purchased reliably.

The operation of the product management system of the present embodiment includes a part C between step S10 and step S11A instead of step S11, as shown in FIG. 16, as compared with part A of the sequence chart of FIG. The point is different. Focusing on this part C, it will be described below.
When the tag ID authentication is successful, the application server 5 refers to the sensor data included in the received broadcast data and determines the value of the inventory flag based on whether or not the tag has been moved. As described above, the tag attached to the product detects the movement (motion) of the tag itself, that is, the movement of the product. Therefore, when the product is moved by a visitor or a clerk, sensor data is used. By referring to it, it can be determined whether or not the tag has been moved.
When the value of the inventory flag is "1", it means that the product corresponding to the target tag is placed on the shelf and is not moved. Specifically, the application server 5 is inventoried only when the condition that the tag has not been moved and a predetermined time has elapsed since the tag was moved is satisfied (step S60: NO and step S64: YES). The value of the flag is set to "1" (step S66). If the application server 5 does not satisfy the condition, the value of the inventory flag is set to "0" (step S62).
In addition, the condition that a predetermined time has passed since the tag was moved is included, if it can be confirmed that the predetermined time has not been moved, it can be determined that the moved product is also returned to the shelf and stopped moving. Because. However, this is not the case, and the value of the inventory flag may be determined only by step S60.

The application server 5 updates the inventory database based on the tag ID and the inventory flag (step S11A). In the update of the inventory database of the present embodiment, when the value of the inventory flag is "1", the value of the "inventory availability" field of the record corresponding to the tag ID to be processed is set to "yes". On the contrary, when the value of the inventory flag is "0", the value of the "inventory availability" field of the record corresponding to the tag ID to be processed is set to "none".

By executing the above processing, in the product confirmation process (step S12A in FIG. 13), a notification based on the determination of whether or not the registered product of the visitor or the related product corresponding to the registered product is in the vicinity (notification based on the determination of whether or not the registered product of the visitor is nearby. Step S14) in FIG. 13 is more effective for the visitor. That is, for the visitor, for example, since the registered product currently being operated by another person cannot be picked up by himself / herself, such a registered product can be prevented from being notified to the visitor.

As described above, the product management system 1 of each embodiment uses the IoT tag T, and the advantages thereof are as follows.
Generally, as RFID tags, an active tag having a battery inside and a passive tag having no battery inside are known. Although the active tag has a relatively wide communication range, it is expensive and requires battery replacement, so it is not realistic to attach it to each of a large number of products handled in stores.
In the conventional product management system, it is assumed that a passive tag having no battery is attached to the product, and the communicable range is as short as about 3 to 8 m in the UHF band (for example, 900 MHz band). Therefore, like the system described in Patent Document 1, in order to read all the products in the store, a large number of antennas are arranged in the store at short intervals, and a large number of reader / writers accommodating a large number of antennas are installed in the store. It is done to be placed inside. On the other hand, unlike the passive tag, the disclosed IoT tag T operates by being fed by radio waves existing in the surrounding environment, so that it is not necessary to always arrange a reader / writer in the vicinity for feeding.
In a conventional product management system using a passive tag as an RFID tag, a reader / writer is provided on each of a plurality of product shelves at a product display location, and the position of each reader / writer is known, so that each reader / writer receives the information. There is a possibility that the position of each tag, that is, the position of each product can be estimated based on the signal of the RFID tag. However, even if such position estimation is possible, as described above, a large number of reader / writers must be placed in the store due to the short communication range of the passive tag, and the system There is a disadvantage that the overall installation cost increases.
Further, NFC (Near field communication) such as FeliCa (registered trademark) is known as a short-range wireless communication method different from RFID, but the communication distance is as short as 50 cm or less and it is expensive, so it is not suitable for inventory management. Is.
In view of the above viewpoint, the product management system of each embodiment uses an IoT tag, which is an energy harvesting type tag that generates electricity based on radio waves in the surrounding environment and does not have a battery. As a result, for example, since power is generated and operated by omnidirectional radio waves radiated from a wireless device in the store, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to arrange a large number of reader / writers in the store.

Although the embodiment of the article management system and the article management method has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Further, the above-described embodiment can be improved or modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the IoT tag can generate electricity based on radio waves radiated from at least one of the wireless device 2, the clerk terminal, and the visitor terminal 4.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the visitor terminal 4 or the wireless device 2 may be able to receive only packets from the IoT tag T having access authority. In the store, a mobile terminal or wireless tag unrelated to this system transmits data using the same protocol as the wireless communication protocol used between the wireless device 2 and the IoT tag T, such as the BLE protocol. There is a possibility that the visitor terminal 4 or the wireless device 2 receives the data. Therefore, in order to distinguish between the packets that should be received by the visitor terminal 4 and the wireless device 2 and the data that do not need to be received, the packets transmitted from the IoT tag T include data indicating access authority (access authority data). ) Is included. In this case, in the above-described embodiment, each time the store visitor terminal 4 or the wireless device 2 receives a packet, it confirms the access authority data included in the received packet and discards the packet for which it does not have the access authority.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the application server 5 stores a product registration database including a user's registered product code for each user, and acquires a user ID and a tag ID from the visitor terminal 4 of the visitor CS. Then, it is confirmed whether the product code corresponding to the tag ID and the registered product code match. However, it is not limited to such a processing method. The visitor terminal 4 may store the registered product code instead of the application server 5. In that case, the application server 5 identifies the product code corresponding to the tag ID acquired from the store visitor terminal 4 by referring to the inventory database and returns it to the store visitor terminal 4, and the store visitor terminal 4 is the registered product. It is confirmed whether the code and the product code received from the application server 5 match, and the confirmation result is displayed.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the notification content transmitted by the application server 5 based on the execution result of the product confirmation process is displayed on the visitor terminal 4 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The notification method for the visitor terminal 4 is not limited to the case where the display is performed, and may be performed by the voice output by the visitor terminal 4 or the vibration output of the visitor terminal 4. A visitor can perceptually recognize, for example, that a registered product is in the vicinity by an output mode other than the display.

1 ... Product management system T ... IoT tag 11 ... Control unit 111 ... Memory 12 ... Antenna 13 ... Harvesting unit 131 ... Energy storage 14 ... Voltage control unit 15 ... RF transceiver 16 ... Sensor 2 ... Radio device 21 ... Control unit 22 ... Antenna 25 ... RF transmitter 4 ... Visitor terminal 41 ... Control unit 42 ... Storage 43 ... Operation input unit 44 ... Display unit 45 ... 1st communication unit 46 ... 2nd communication unit 5 ... Application server 51 ... Control unit 52 ... Storage 53 ... Communication unit NW ... Network

Claims (10)

An article management system that manages one or more articles existing in an area.
A wireless tag that is attached to an article in the area, stores unique tag identification information, and operates by obtaining energy from surrounding radio waves.
A mobile terminal that receives tag identification information from the wireless tag within a predetermined distance from the area, and
An information processing device that can communicate with the mobile terminal and identifies an article in the area and stores the information in association with the tag identification information of the wireless tag attached to the article.
The information processing device notifies the mobile terminal when an article specified by the article information registered in advance is in the area based on the tag identification information of the wireless tag received from the mobile terminal.
Goods management system. The information processing device stores the article information and the tag identification information in association with each other for each area identification information that identifies each of the plurality of areas including the area, and based on the tag identification information received from the mobile terminal, the information processing device has previously described the information. When the article specified by the registered article information is in the area among the plurality of areas, the mobile terminal is notified.
The article management system according to claim 1. Based on the tag identification information received from the mobile terminal, the information processing device notifies the mobile terminal when an article specified by the pre-registered article information is in the vicinity of the mobile terminal.
The article management system according to claim 1 or 2. When the related article related to the article specified by the pre-registered article information is in the area, the information processing device notifies the mobile terminal that the related article is in the area. ,
The article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The article management system further includes a plurality of wireless devices capable of communicating with the information processing device.
Each wireless device is associated with unique device identification information and is capable of communicating with the wireless tag.
The information processing device identifies the position of the article specified by the pre-registered article information based on the device identification information and the tag identification information received from each wireless device, and the information about the specified position is transmitted to the mobile terminal. Notify to
The article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Each of the plurality of wireless devices starts wireless transmission or increases the transmission power when the state of being unable to communicate with the wireless tag continues for a predetermined time or longer.
The article management system according to claim 5. The wireless tag broadcasts a packet conforming to the Bluetooth Low Energy® standard.
The article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The packet contains tag identification information of a wireless tag.
The mobile terminal transmits the tag identification information included in the received packet to the information processing terminal.
The article management system according to claim 7. The information processing device authenticates the tag identification information acquired from the mobile terminal, and notifies the mobile terminal when the authentication is successful and the article specified by the pre-registered article information is in the area. do,
The article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 8. An article management method that manages one or more articles existing in an area.
A wireless tag attached to an article in the area stores unique tag identification information and operates by obtaining energy from surrounding radio waves.
A mobile terminal moving within a predetermined distance from the area receives tag identification information from the wireless tag and receives tag identification information.
An information processing device that can communicate with the mobile terminal and stores the article information that identifies the article in the area in association with the tag identification information of the wireless tag attached to the article receives from the mobile terminal. When an article specified by the article information registered in advance is in the area based on the tag identification information of the wireless tag, the mobile terminal is notified.
Goods management method.

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