JP2022048353A - Commodity management device and commodity management program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To exactly instruct replenishment of a commodity which is fast in pace of sales, thereby preventing sales chance loss due to deficiency beforehand.

SOLUTION: A commodity management device detects a change in the number of displays for each commodity. Then, the commodity management device determines the degree of change in a decrement direction of the commodity whose change in the number of displays has been detected. As a result, the commodity management device outputs a replenishment alert for the commodity for which determination means determines that the degree of change in the decrement direction is larger than a predetermined value.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

COPYRIGHT: (C)2022,JPO&INPIT

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a product management device for managing products displayed on a product shelf or the like and a product management program for causing a computer to function as the product management device.

At many retail stores, clerk regularly checks the shelves to prevent lost sales opportunities due to out-of-stocks. However, confirmation by the clerk may be delayed and replenishment may not be in time, resulting in out-of-stock and loss of sales opportunities. Therefore, conventionally, a technique is known in which a product shelf is imaged by an image pickup device, a product that is likely to be out of stock is detected from the image, and the store clerk is notified.

However, in the prior art, a product with a small number of displays is notified as a product to be out of stock. For this reason, products that sell quickly may be out of stock before the store clerk replenishes the products.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-230131

The problem to be solved by the embodiment of the present invention is to provide a product management device capable of accurately instructing replenishment of a product having a fast sales pace and preventing a loss of sales opportunity due to a shortage. It is a thing.

In one embodiment, the product management device includes a detection means, a determination means, and an output means. The detection means detects a change in the number of displays for each product. The determination means determines the degree of change in the decreasing direction of the products for which the change in the number of displays is detected by the detection means. The output means outputs a replenishment alert for a product for which the degree of change in the decreasing direction is determined by the determination means to be greater than the specified value.

The block diagram which shows the main part circuit composition of the product management apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. The block diagram which shows the functional structure of the display number detection unit. Schematic diagram showing a part of the main storage area formed in the auxiliary storage device. The schematic diagram which shows the data structure of a partition record. Schematic diagram showing the data structure of journal records. Schematic diagram showing the area structure of the statistical table. The schematic diagram which shows the main memory area formed in the main memory. The flow chart which shows the main procedure of the 1st process which a processor performs according to a product management program. The flow chart which shows the main procedure of the 1st process which a processor performs according to a product management program. The flow chart which shows the main procedure of the 2nd process which a processor performs according to a product management program.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a product management device capable of accurately instructing replenishment of a product with a fast sales pace and preventing a loss of sales opportunity due to a shortage will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main circuit configuration of the product management device 1 according to the present embodiment. The product management device 1 includes a processor 11, a main memory 12, an auxiliary storage device 13, a clock 14, a communication unit 15, an interface 16, and a system bus 17. Then, the product management device 1 connects the processor 11, the main memory 12, the auxiliary storage device 13, the clock 14, the communication unit 15, and the interface 16 to the system bus 17 directly or via a signal input / output circuit. Thus, the product management device 1 constitutes a computer by the processor 11, the main memory 12, the auxiliary storage device 13, and the system bus 17 connecting them.

The processor 11 corresponds to the central part of the computer. The processor 11 controls each part in order to realize various functions as the product management device 1 according to the operating system and the application program.

The main memory 12 corresponds to the main storage portion of the computer. The main memory 12 includes a non-volatile memory area and a volatile memory area. The main memory 12 stores an operating system and an application program in a non-volatile memory area. Further, the main memory 12 may store data necessary for the processor 11 to execute a process for controlling each part in a non-volatile or volatile memory area. The main memory 12 uses the volatile memory area as a work area where data is appropriately rewritten by the processor 11.

The auxiliary storage device 13 corresponds to the auxiliary storage portion of the computer. For example, an EEPROM (Electric Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or the like is used as the auxiliary storage device 13. The auxiliary storage device 13 stores data used by the processor 11 for performing various processes and data generated by the processes of the processor 11. The auxiliary storage device 13 may store the above application program.

The clock 14 functions as a time information source for the product management device 1. The processor 11 measures the current date and time based on the time information measured by the clock 14.

The communication unit 15 transmits or receives data to and from the user terminal 2 according to a predetermined communication protocol. The user terminal 2 is an information communication terminal whose user is a store clerk in charge of product management, and includes at least a display device, an input device, and a communication unit. The display device is used for notifying an alert output from the product management device 1. The input device is used for updating the database of the product management device 1. The communication unit 15 is used for communication with the product management device 1. As such a user terminal 2, a desktop personal computer, a notebook personal computer, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or the like can be applied.

The interface 16 is connected to a plurality of display number detection units 3. As the display number detection unit 3, one unit is prepared for one product shelf 4. Therefore, in a store where a plurality of product shelves 4 are placed, there are the same number of display number detection units 3 as the product shelves 4. The display number detection unit 3 detects the number of displays for each product displayed on the product shelf 4. Each product is displayed in a predetermined section of the product shelf 4. The section is an area in which the shelf stage 41 of the product shelf 4 is divided by a width in the longitudinal direction. The number of displays is the number of products of one item displayed in a preset section. Even if products of the same item are displayed in other sections, the number of products is not included in the number of displays. However, it does not prevent one item of goods from being displayed in, for example, a plurality of consecutive sections. The interface 16 can receive the data of the number of displays for each product detected by each display number detection unit 3.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the display number detection unit 3. The display number detection unit 3 has a capture unit 31, a storage unit 32, a recognition unit 33, a setting unit 34, a determination unit 35, a counting unit 36, and a transmission unit 37.

The capture unit 31 captures an image captured by the image pickup apparatus 5 in a preset sampling cycle (for example, 10 seconds). The image pickup apparatus 5 includes a first camera 51 that photographs the product shelf 4 from the front, and a plurality of second cameras 52 that photograph each shelf of the product shelf 4 from above. Therefore, the capture unit 31 captures the front image of the product shelf 4 taken by the first camera 51 and the flat image of each shelf step taken by the second camera 52 for each sampling cycle. Needless to say, the sampling period is not limited to the illustrated 10 seconds.

The storage unit 32 stores the images captured by the capture unit 31 in synchronization with the above sampling cycle. Therefore, the storage unit 32 stores a new front image of the product shelf 4 and a flat image of each shelf stage 41 each time the sampling cycle elapses.

The recognition unit 33 analyzes the image stored in the storage unit 32 by a well-known image recognition technique, and recognizes an individual front image or a plane image of an article existing in each section of the product shelf 4 for each section. do.

The setting unit 34 sets a reference image of a product in which the section is determined as a display place for each section of the product shelf 4. The reference image includes a reference front image when the product is viewed from the front and a reference plane image when the product is viewed from above.

The determination unit 35 compares the front image or the plane image of each article recognized by the recognition unit 33 for each section with the reference front image or the reference plane image set by the setting unit 34 for the section. .. Then, the determination unit 35 determines for each section whether or not the article existing in the section is a regular product whose display place is the section. When the recognition unit 33 recognizes an article other than a legitimate product in at least one section, the determination unit 35 gives a display fraud alert to the transmission unit 37.

Display fraud alerts include a message announcing that the display of a product is fraudulent. Fraud means a case where products other than the products whose display place is the product shelf 4 are displayed in any section of the product shelf 4. For this reason, the display fraud alert includes parcel information that identifies the parcel that was fraudulent. The division information includes a shelf number assigned to each product shelf 4, a shelf number assigned to each shelf 41 of each product shelf 4, and a division number assigned to each division of each shelf 41. .. For example, if the display is incorrect in the product shelf 4 with the shelf number "001", the shelf with the shelf number "1", and the section with the section number "01", the section information "001-1-1-". A display fraud alert including "01" is given to the transmission unit 37.

The counting unit 36 counts the number of articles that are determined by the determination unit 35 to be regular products whose display place is the section, for each section of the product shelf 4. Then, the counting unit 36 provides the transmission unit 37 with display number data indicating the number of products displayed in the division specified by the division information in association with the above-mentioned division information. That is, the display number data is data indicating the number of displays of the product shelves 4 by section.

The transmission unit 37 transmits the display number data given by the counting unit 36 or the display fraud alert given by the determination unit 35 to the product management device 1. The display number data or the display fraud alert transmitted to the product management device 1 is received by the interface 16 of the product management device 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a part of a main storage area formed in the auxiliary storage device 13. As shown in the figure, the product management device 1 uses a part of the storage area of the auxiliary storage device 13 as a partition database 61, a journal file 62, and a plurality of statistical tables 63 (63A, 63B, ..., 63Z).

The partition database 61 is an area for storing a partition record 61R (see FIG. 4) created for each partition of the product shelf 4.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the data structure of the partition record 61R. As shown in the figure, the division record 61R includes each item of division information, product ID, product name, initial display number, alert threshold value (first threshold value), and number of alerts. The items constituting the section record 61R are not limited to the above items, and may include other items.

The section information is information for specifying the section of each product shelf 4. As described above, the partition information is composed of a shelf number, a shelf number, and a partition number. The product ID and the product name are the ID and the item name of the product displayed in the section specified by the section information (hereinafter referred to as the section). Each product sold at the store has a unique product ID and item name. The initial display number is the number of products displayed in the section in the initial state. The initial state indicates the state before opening the store or after replenishing the product. The alert threshold value is a value that serves as a criterion for determining whether or not to output a replenishment alert for the products displayed in the section. In the present embodiment, when a number of products exceeding the alert threshold value are taken out from the section within a predetermined period (for example, 300 seconds), a supplementary alert is issued. The predetermined period is not limited to the exemplified 300 seconds. Further, the timing at which the supplementary alert is issued may be the case where the product having the alert threshold value or more is taken out from the section within a predetermined period. The number of alerts is, for example, the number of times the same replenishment alert is issued in one business day.

The journal file 62 is an area for storing the journal record 62R (see FIG. 5) created every time the number of products displayed in each section of the product shelf 4 increases or decreases in chronological order.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the data structure of the journal record 62R. As shown in the figure, the journal record 62R includes each item of date and time, product ID, number of displays, amount of change, and increase / decrease flag. The items constituting the journal record 62R are not limited to the above items, and may include other items.

The date and time are the dates and times when the number of products displayed has changed. The product ID is the ID of the product whose number of displays has changed. The number of displays is the number of products after the change, and the amount of change is the number of products that have increased or decreased from before the change. The increase / decrease flag is 1-bit information that identifies whether the amount of change indicates an increase or a decrease. In the present embodiment, the case of indicating an increase is "1", and the case of indicating a decrease is "0". The increase / decrease flag may be "0" when indicating an increase and "1" when indicating a decrease.

The statistical table 63 has an area structure for quantitatively summing the data of the journal record 62R stored in the journal file 62 from various viewpoints.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the area structure of the statistical table 63. As described above, a plurality of statistical tables 63A, 63B, ..., 63Z are created in the auxiliary storage device 13, but each table basically has the same area structure as in FIG. As shown in the figure, the statistical table 63 has a matrix structure in which the first column of each row is the area of the product ID and the second and subsequent columns are the areas of the periods T01, T02, T03, ..., T99. Then, in the first column of each row, the product ID of each product displayed on the product shelf 4 is set.

When the statistical table 63 is a table for each time zone, the periods T1 to T99 are time zones at one-hour intervals. That is, in the case of the time zone statistical table 63, the period T1 to the period T24 is used. If the statistical table 63 is a daily table, the periods T1 to T99 are days from 1st to 31st. That is, in the case of the daily statistical table 63, the period T1 to the period T31 is used. If the statistical table 63 is a weekly table, the periods T1 to T99 are the number of weeks from the first week to the fifth week. That is, in the case of the weekly statistical table 63, the period T1 to the period T5 is used. When the statistical table 63 is a monthly statistical table 63, the periods T1 to T99 are the number of months from January to December. That is, in the case of the monthly statistical table 63, the period T1 to the period T12 is used.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a main memory area formed in the main memory 12. As shown in the figure, the main memory 12 is formed with a memory 71 this time, a memory 72 last time, and a memory 73 to be monitored. The memory 71 this time and the memory 72 last time each have an area in which the number of displays can be stored in association with the section information for all the sections of the product shelf 4. The monitored memory 73 has a storable area in which the division information and the product ID are associated with each other in the order of serial numbers. The uses of the memory 71 this time, the memory 72 last time, and the memory 73 to be monitored will be clarified in the operation description of the product management device 1 described later.

8 and 9 are flow charts showing the main procedure of the first process executed by the processor 11 according to the product management program. Further, FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing a main procedure of the second process executed by the processor 11 according to the product management program. The product management program is a kind of application program stored in the main memory 12 or the auxiliary storage device 13. The first process is executed in synchronization with the sampling cycle of the above-mentioned acquisition unit 31 from the opening of the store to the closing of the store. The second process is executed at a predetermined time after the store is closed. Hereinafter, the operation of the product management device 1 will be described with reference to these flow charts. The operation described below is an example, and the procedure is not particularly limited as long as similar results can be obtained.

As shown in FIG. 8, the processor 11 waits for the sampling time of the same interval as the sampling period of the acquisition unit 31 to elapse as Act1. Then, when the processor 11 confirms that the sampling time has elapsed (Act1, YES), the processor 11 confirms whether or not it is the first processing after the store is opened as Act2. In the case of the first processing (Act2, YES), the processor 11 acquires the partition information and the initial display number from each partition record 61R stored in the partition database 61 as Act3. Then, the processor 11 writes the initial display number in the display number area of the previous memory 72 corresponding to the same partition information as the partition information acquired from each partition record 61R. In the case of the second and subsequent processes (Act2, NO), the processor 11 displays the number of displays for each partition information stored in the memory 71 this time as Act4, and the number of displays corresponding to the corresponding partition information of the previous memory 72. Write to the area.

When the processing of Act 3 or Act 4 is completed, the processor 11 acquires the display number data from the display number detection unit 3 provided for each product shelf 4 as Act 5. As described above, the display number data shows the number of products displayed in the section specified by the section information in association with the section information. The processor 11 writes the number of displays for each section information obtained from the display number data into the display number area of the memory 71 this time corresponding to the same section information. Further, the processor 11 clears the partition information area and the product ID area of the monitored memory 73 as Act7. The timing of clearing the monitored memory 73 is not limited to the time of Act7. For example, the monitored memory 73 may be cleared before the processing of Act5.

The processor 11 sequentially compares the number of displays for each section information stored in the memory 71 this time as Act 8 with the number of displays stored in the display number area corresponding to the same section information in the previous memory 72. Then, the processor 11 confirms whether or not the number of displays has changed as Act9. When the number of displays has not changed (Act9, NO), the processor 11 shifts to the processing of Act16.

When the number of displays has changed (Act9, YES), the processor 11 transfers the section information of the section where the number of displays has changed as Act10 and the product ID of the product displayed in the section to the monitoring target memory 73. Write. The product ID can be obtained from the partition database 61.

The processor 11 creates the journal record 62R based on the partition information written in the monitored memory 73 as Act 11 and the product ID. The date and time can be obtained from the clock 14. The number of displays can be obtained by searching the memory 71 this time using the partition information as a search key. The amount of change can be obtained by searching the memory 71 this time and the memory 72 last time using the partition information as a key for searching, and calculating the difference in the number of each display.

The processor 11 confirms whether the number of displays of the memory 71 has increased or decreased this time with respect to the number of displays of the previous memory 72 used for calculating the amount of change as Act 12. Then, when the number increases (Act12, NO), the processor 11 sets the increase / decrease flag of the journal record 62R created in the process of Act11 to "1" as Act13. On the other hand, if it has decreased (Act12, YES), the processor 11 sets the increase / decrease flag of the journal record 62R to “0” as Act14.

When the processor 11 finishes the processing of Act13 or Act14, the processor 11 saves the journal record 62R as Act15 in the journal file 62. After that, the processor 11 shifts to the processing of Act 16.

In Act 16, the processor 11 confirms whether or not the comparison between the number of displays of the memory 71 this time and the number of displays of the previous memory 72 is completed. If the contrast has not been completed (Act16, NO), the processor 11 returns to Act8. Then, the processor 11 compares the number of displays of the memory 71 this time corresponding to the next partition information with the number of displays of the previous memory 72, and repeats the same process as described above.
Here, the computer mainly composed of the processor 11 constitutes a detection means for detecting a change in the number of displays for each product by executing the processes of Act1 to Act16.

When the comparison between the number of displays in the memory 71 and the number of displays in the previous memory 72 is completed this time (Act16, YES), the processor 11 writes the partition information and the product ID in the monitored memory 73 as Act21 in FIG. Check if it is. If there is no change in the number of products displayed on the product shelf 4 from the time when the previous sampling time has elapsed to the time when the current sampling time has elapsed, the section information and the product ID are written in the monitored memory 73. not. When the partition information and the product ID are not written in the monitored memory 73 (Act21, NO), the processor 11 shifts to the processing of Act31 described later.

On the other hand, when the number of displayed items changes even for one item of the product displayed on the product shelf 4, the product ID of the product and the section information of the section in which the product is displayed are written in the monitored memory 73. .. When the partition information and the product ID are written in the monitored memory 73 (Act21, YES), the processor 11 acquires the product ID in order from the monitored memory 73 as Act22.

When the product ID is acquired, the processor 11 searches the journal file 62 as Act 22 using the product ID as a search key. Then, the processor 11 detects the journal record 62R1 including the date and time from the date and time when the sampling time has elapsed to the predetermined period (300 seconds in the present embodiment) among the journal record 62R including the product ID used as the search key. do.

The processor 11 confirms whether or not there is a journal record 62R1 in the journal record 62R1 whose increase / decrease flag is “1” as Act24. When the increase / decrease flags of the journal record 62R1 are all "0" (Act24, NO), the processor 11 calculates the total change amount A by adding up the changes included in the journal record 62R1 as Act25. Then, the processor 11 confirms whether or not the total amount of change A exceeds the alert threshold value of the product as Act26. The alert threshold value can be obtained by searching the section database 61 with the product ID acquired in the process of Act22. When the total amount of change A is equal to or less than the alert threshold value (Act26, NO), the processor 11 shifts to the processing of Act30.

On the other hand, when the total change amount A exceeds the alert threshold value (Act26, YES), the processor 11 edits the supplementary alert as Act27. The replenishment alert includes a message instructing replenishment of the product specified by the product ID acquired in the process of Act 22, and the replenishment quantity. The replenishment quantity is a value obtained by subtracting the number of displays at the time when the sampling time has elapsed from the initial number of displays of the product. The processor 11 controls the communication unit 15 so as to send a supplementary alert to the user terminal 2 as Act 28. Further, the processor 11 adds the number of alerts of the section record 61R including the product ID acquired in the process of Act 22 by +1 as Act 29. After that, the processor 11 shifts to the processing of Act30.

On the other hand, when there is at least one journal record 62R1 in which the increase / decrease flag is "1" (Act24, YES), the processor 11 does not execute the above-mentioned processing of Act25 to Act29. The processor 11 immediately shifts to the processing of Act30.
In Act 30, the processor 11 confirms whether or not the next section information and the product ID are stored in the monitored memory 73. Then, when stored (Act30, YES), the processor 11 returns to Act22 and acquires a new product ID from the monitored memory 73. Then, the processor 11 executes the above-mentioned processes of Act23 to Act30 using this product ID.
Here, the computer mainly composed of the processor 11 is a determination means for determining the degree of change in the decreasing direction of the products in which the change in the number of displays is detected, that is, the total amount of change, by executing the processes of Act21 to Act25. To configure. Further, the computer constitutes an output means for outputting a supplementary alert for a product for which the degree of change in the decreasing direction is defined, that is, the product is determined to be larger than the alert threshold value by executing the processes of Act 26 to Act 28. Further, the computer constitutes a counting means for counting the number of times the supplementary alert is output for each product by executing the process of Act29.

When the processing of Act 23 to Act 30 is completed for all the product IDs stored in the monitored memory 73, the processor 11 determines that the next partition information and the product ID are not stored in the monitored memory 73 in the Act 30. .. If it is determined that the memory is not stored (Act30, NO), the processor 11 proceeds to the process of Act31.

In Act 31, the processor 11 updates the statistical table 63 based on the journal record 62R whose date and time is the time when the sampling time has elapsed.

Specifically, the processor 11 has, for example, the current sampling time corresponding to the product ID of the journal record 62R whose increase / decrease flag is “0” for the statistical table 63A that totals the number of decreased display numbers for each time zone. The amount of change in the journal record 62R is added to the value of the time zone including the elapsed time point. Similarly, for example, for the statistical table 63B that totals the number of decreased display numbers by day, the date including the time point when the current sampling time has elapsed corresponds to the product ID of the journal record 62R whose increase / decrease flag is “0”. The amount of change in the journal record 62R is added to the value of. The same applies to the weekly or monthly statistical table 63.

Further, for example, for the statistical table 63C that totals the number of increases in the number of displays for each time zone, the time including the time point when the current sampling time has elapsed corresponds to the product ID of the journal record 62R whose increase / decrease flag is “1”. The amount of change in the journal record 62R is added to the value of the band. Similarly, for example, for the statistical table 63D that totals the number of increased display numbers by day, the date corresponding to the product ID of the journal record 62R having the increase / decrease flag of "1" and including the time point when the current sampling time has elapsed is included. The amount of change in the journal record 62R is added to the value of. The same applies to the weekly or monthly statistical table 63.

When the processor 11 finishes updating the statistical table 63, the processor 11 performs out-of-stock alert processing as Act32. In this process, it is confirmed whether the number of displays stored in the memory 71 this time includes the number of displays equal to or less than the second threshold value preset for the out-of-stock alert. For example, when a product having a display number of 5 or less is treated as a product that is about to be out of stock, the second threshold value is “5”. The second threshold value may be common to all products or may be set for each product. When the memory 71 includes the number of displays equal to or less than the second threshold value, the processor 11 edits the shortage alert and controls the communication unit 15 so as to send it to the user terminal 2. The out-of-stock alert includes a message notifying that the product specified by the product ID whose display number is equal to or less than the second threshold value is about to be out of stock, and the number of replenished products. The replenishment quantity is a value obtained by subtracting the number of displays at the time of the latest sampling from the initial number of displays of the product.

When the out-of-stock alert process is completed, the processor 11 returns to the process of Act 1 in FIG. Therefore, the processor 11 repeatedly executes the processes of Act2 to Act32 every time the sampling cycle elapses from the opening of the store to the closing of the store.

When a display fraud alert is received from the display number detection unit 3 during the period from the opening to the closing of this store, the processor 11 causes the communication unit 15 to transmit the display fraud alert to the user terminal 2. Control.

Thus, on the user terminal 2, when the replenishment alert is received, the display device displays a message prompting the replenishment of the product and the required replenishment quantity. In addition, when the out-of-stock alert is received, the display device is displayed with a message notifying that the product is about to be out of stock and the required replenishment quantity. When a display fraud alert is received, the display device displays a message notifying the display fraud.

Therefore, if the user of the user terminal 2, for example, the clerk confirms the message displayed by the replenishment alert or the shortage alert, that is, the message instructing the replenishment of the product, the product of the replenishment quantity displayed together with the message. Should be replenished to the product shelf 4. By doing so, the number of displays on the product shelf 4 returns to the initial number of displays. Further, when the clerk confirms the message displayed by the display fraud alert, that is, the message notifying the display fraud, the clerk may arrange the product shelves 4. By doing so, the products displayed in another section of the product shelf 4 are returned to the original section.

By the way, at a predetermined time after the store is closed, the processor 11 starts the process of the procedure shown in the flow chart of FIG. First, the processor 11 resets the counter n to "0" as Act41. Next, the processor 11 counts up the counter n by "1" as Act42. Then, the processor 11 acquires the nth partition record 61Rn from the partition database 61 as Act43. Here, the nth "n" matches the value of the counter n.

The processor 11 confirms whether or not the nth partition record 61Rn could be acquired from the partition database 61 as Act44. When the partition record 61Rn can be acquired (Act44, YES), the processor 11 acquires the alert number M from the partition record 61Rn as Act45. Then, the processor 11 confirms whether or not the alert number M exceeds the set value as Act46. The set value is an arbitrary value set by the user of the product management device 1. The user sets the allowable upper limit of the number of alerts issued for one product in one business day as a set value.

When the number of alerts M is equal to or less than the set value (Act46, NO), the processor 11 returns to Act42. That is, the processor 11 further counts up the counter n by "1" and acquires the nth partition record 61Rn from the partition database 61. Then, the processor 11 repeats the process of acquiring the alert number M from the nth partition record 61Rn and comparing it with the set value.

When the product ID whose number of alerts exceeds the set value is detected in Act46 (Act46, YES), the processor 11 sets the alert threshold value (first threshold value) of the section record 61R including the product ID as Act47 to "1". Only increase. By increasing the alert threshold, it is possible to reduce the frequency of replenishment alerts for the product. Further, the processor 11 edits the display number alert as Act48. The display count alert includes a message instructing the review of the initial display count of the product. When the number of alerts exceeds the set value, it means that the sales pace of the product is extremely fast. Therefore, the aim is to prevent shortages by reviewing the direction of increasing the number of initial displays.

The processor 11 controls the communication unit 15 so that the display number alert is transmitted to the user terminal 2 as Act 49. After that, the processor 11 returns to Act 42 and performs the processing after Act 42 in the same manner as described above. As a result, if the nth partition record 61R cannot be acquired from the partition database 61 (Act44, NO), the processor 11 ends this second process.

Here, the computer mainly composed of the processor 11 is used to determine whether or not the degree of change in the decreasing direction is large according to the number of alerts by executing the processes of Act 41 to Act 47, that is, the rule. Configure the adjustment means to adjust the alert threshold.

As described above, according to the product management device 1, a replenishment alert prompting replenishment of a product whose number exceeds the alert threshold within a predetermined period (for example, 300 seconds) is taken out from the product shelf 4 is issued to the user terminal 2. Emitted from. It can be presumed that a product whose number exceeds the alert threshold within a predetermined period is taken out from the product shelf 4 is a product whose sales pace is fast. That is, for a product with a fast selling pace, a replenishment alert is issued when a number exceeding the alert threshold value is taken out from the product shelf 4 within a predetermined period.

For example, if 20 products with an alert threshold set to 5 are displayed and 6 products are taken out from the product shelves 4 within a predetermined period, a replenishment alert is issued. That is, the replenishment alert is issued even when 16 items are still displayed on the product shelf 4. Therefore, even if the clerk who confirms the replenishment alert takes some time to replenish, it is unlikely that the product will be out of stock before replenishment. As described above, according to the product management device 1, since it is possible to accurately instruct replenishment of a product whose sales pace is fast, it is possible to prevent a loss of sales opportunity due to a shortage.

Moreover, the replenishment alert is notified as the replenishment number by subtracting the current number of displays from the initial number of displays. Therefore, assuming that the initial display number of the products in the above example is 20, the store clerk replenishes 4 products because 4 products are notified as the replenishment number. By doing so, if the product is not taken out within the period from the occurrence of the replenishment alert to the replenishment, the product with the initial display number is displayed on the product shelf 4 by the replenishment. Further, even if several products are taken out within the period from the occurrence of the replenishment alert to the replenishment, the number of products close to the initial display number is displayed on the product shelf 4 immediately after the replenishment. In this way, even if the product sells at a fast pace, many products will always be displayed on the product shelf 4 by accurately replenishing the product according to the replenishment alert. As a customer's psychology, if many top-selling products are displayed, the willingness to purchase will increase, and the number of customers who make bulk purchases will increase. Therefore, the pace of sales will increase further, which will lead to the promotion of sales.

Replenishment alerts cannot be issued for products that sell slowly. However, if the number of displays decreases to the second threshold value, a shortage alert is issued, so the clerk may replenish according to the shortage alert. At that time, even if the replenishment is delayed a little, the pace of sales is slow, so it is almost never out of stock.

Further, according to the product management device 1, even if a number exceeding the alert threshold value is taken out from the product shelf 4 within a predetermined period, if replenishment is performed during that period, the replenishment alert is not issued. Therefore, there cannot be a complicated situation in which the product must be replenished immediately even though the product has been replenished, so that the clerk in charge of replenishment can efficiently perform the replenishment work.

By the way, the product management device 1 includes a statistical table 63. Then, according to this statistical table 63, for example, the quantity taken out from the product shelf 4 or the quantity replenished in the product shelf is totaled for each product by time zone, day, week, or month. Therefore, by analyzing the data in the statistical table 63, it is possible to grasp the time zone, day of the week, month, etc., which are selling well for each product.

Hereinafter, a modified example of the embodiment will be described.
In the above embodiment, a case where one display number detection unit 3 is prepared for one product shelf 4 is illustrated. If one display number detection unit 3 can detect the number of products displayed in each section of two or more product shelves 4, one display number detection unit for the two or more product shelves 4. 3 should be prepared. Further, the place where the products whose display number is detected by the display number detection unit 3 is displayed is not limited to the product shelf 4. For example, the product displayed on the floor of the sales floor may be used as a display number detection unit by the display number detection unit 3.

In the above-described embodiment, as the image pickup device 5 for photographing the displayed products, a first camera 51 for photographing the product shelves 4 from the front and a plurality of second cameras for photographing each shelf stage of the product shelves 4 from above. 52 is illustrated. Regarding this point, for example, if the display number detection unit 3 can detect the number of displays for each section only from the images taken by the second camera, the first camera can be omitted. Further, if the display number detection unit 3 can detect the number of displays for each section from images taken by a camera different from that of the first camera 51 or the second camera 52, the camera may be used as the image pickup device 5.

In the above embodiment, the case where the display number detection unit 3 detects the number of displays of each product from the image captured by the image pickup device 5 is illustrated. The method of detecting the number of displays is not limited to the method using an image. For example, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag may be attached to each product, and the number of displayed products may be detected by reading the information of the RFID tag of each product displayed on the product shelf 4 with a tag reader.

The transfer of the product management device 1 is generally performed in a state where a program such as a product management program is stored in the main memory 12 or the auxiliary storage device 13. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the program may be transferred in a state where it is not stored in the main memory 12 or the auxiliary storage device 13. In this case, the product management program or the like transferred separately from the product management device 1 may be written to the writable storage device included in the product management device 1 according to the operation of the user or the like. The transfer of the product management program or the like can be performed by recording on a removable recording medium or by communicating via a network. The recording medium may be in any form as long as it can store a program such as a CD-ROM or a memory card and the device can read it. Further, the function obtained by installing or downloading the program may be one that realizes the function in cooperation with the OS (operating system) or the like inside the device.

In addition, although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

1 ... Product management device, 2 ... User terminal, 3 ... Display number detection unit, 4 ... Product shelf, 5 ... Imaging device, 11 ... Processor, 12 ... Main memory, 13 ... Auxiliary storage device, 14 ... Clock, 15 ... Communication Unit, 16 ... interface, 17 ... system bus, 61 ... partition database, 62 ... journal file, 63 (63A-63Z) ... statistical table.

In one embodiment, the product management device includes a detection means, an acquisition means, a replenishment output means, and a shortage output means . The detection means detects a change in the number of displays for each product. The acquisition means acquires the amount of change in the decreasing direction of the product in which the change in the number of displays is detected by the detection means. The replenishment output means outputs a replenishment alert for products whose change amount in the decreasing direction is larger than the first threshold value , other than the products for which an increase in the number of displays is detected within a predetermined period . The shortage output means outputs a shortage alert for products whose display number is equal to or less than the second threshold value.

In addition, although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.
The inventions described in the original claims of the present application are described below.
[1] The detection means for detecting the change in the number of displays for each product, the determination means for determining the degree of change in the decreasing direction of the products for which the change in the number of displays is detected by the detection means, and the determination means. A product management device comprising: an output means for outputting a replenishment alert for a product determined to have a degree of change in the decreasing direction larger than a specified value.
[2] The determination means obtains the number of the products whose display number has been detected to decrease within a predetermined period by the detection means, and the degree of change in the decrease direction is based on the number. The product management device according to the appendix [1], which determines whether or not the product is larger than the specified value.
[3] The product management device according to the appendix [2], wherein the determination means excludes products for which an increase in the number of displays is detected within the predetermined period from the determination target.
[4] The product management device according to any one of the appendices [1] to [3], further comprising a counting means for counting the number of times the replenishment alert is output by the output means for each product.
[5] Addendum further comprising an adjusting means for adjusting the provision used for determining whether or not the degree of change in the decreasing direction is large by the determining means according to the number of alerts counted by the counting means. [4] The product management device according to the description.
[6] A detection means for detecting a change in the number of displays for each product, a determination means for determining the degree of change in the decreasing direction of the products for which the change in the number of displays is detected by the detection means, and the determination means. A product management program for functioning as an output means for outputting a replenishment alert for a product for which the degree of change in the decreasing direction is determined to be larger than the specified value.

Claims (6)

A detection means that detects changes in the number of displays for each product,
A determination means for determining the degree of change in the decreasing direction of the product in which the change in the number of displays is detected by the detection means, and
A product management device comprising: an output means for outputting a replenishment alert for a product for which the degree of change in the decreasing direction is determined by the determination means to be larger than a specified value. The determination means obtains the number of the products whose display number has been detected to decrease within a predetermined period by the detection means, and the degree of change in the decrease direction is higher than specified based on the number. The product management device according to claim 1, which determines whether or not the product is large. The product management device according to claim 2, wherein the determination means excludes products for which an increase in the number of displays is detected within the predetermined period from the determination target. The product management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a counting unit that counts the number of times the replenishment alert is output for each product by the output means. 4. The fourth aspect of the present invention, further comprising an adjusting means for adjusting a default used for determining whether or not the degree of change in the decreasing direction is large by the determining means according to the number of alerts counted by the counting means. Product management device. Computer,
A detection means that detects changes in the number of displays for each product,
A determination means for determining the degree of change in the decreasing direction of products for which a change in the number of displays has been detected by the detection means.
A product management program for functioning as an output means for outputting a replenishment alert for a product for which the degree of change in the decreasing direction is determined by the determination means to be greater than the specified value.

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