JP5851791B2 - Article management system, article management method, and article management program - Google Patents

Description

  The present case relates to an article management system, an article management method, and an article management program.

  Various management systems that manage the position information of articles in a warehouse or the like using IC tags have been proposed.

  For example, there is a technique for managing articles by providing passive RFID tags and active RFID tags on all articles to be managed. Patent Document 1 discloses a warehouse management system using an IC tag. In the system of Patent Document 1, a device (slave device) that reads information on an IC tag transfers the read information to a tag reader (master device) and notifies a device (floor tag) installed on the floor. Then, the floor tag transmits information specifying the position of the floor tag and the information specifying the distance from the position to the child device to the parent device, thereby detecting the three-dimensional position of the IC tag.

JP 2010-180008 A

  However, when providing passive RFID tags to all the articles to be managed, an operator needs to read the tags with a handy terminal equipped with a passive RFID tag reader and manually input the read position information. On the other hand, by providing active RFID tags for all articles to be managed, it is not necessary to input position information. However, active RFID tags are more expensive than passive RFID tags.

  Further, in the system described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to install a floor tag that communicates with the slave unit for each area.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an article management system, an article management method, and an article management program capable of automatically and efficiently generating information for managing articles. To do.

The article management system described in this specification includes an active tag that transmits a wireless signal provided in a moving body that moves around a plurality of articles provided with an information holding medium that holds identification information, and the moving body. An acquisition device provided in a non-contact manner for acquiring the identification information from the information holding medium, and a plurality of active tags provided in or around a moving range of the moving body and receiving a radio signal of the active tag A receiving device; a management information generating device that generates information for managing the plurality of articles ; and a detecting device that is provided in the moving body and detects a state of the moving body itself or the surrounding of the moving body , the moving range of the movable body is divided into a plurality of virtual regions, the management information generating device, for each of the plurality of regions, the radio signals received by each of said plurality of active tags receiving device By comparing a storage unit for storing the signal strength, the signal intensity corresponding to each area stored in the storage unit, and a signal strength of a radio signal received by each of said plurality of active tags receiving device, If one or more candidates for the area where the moving object is located are specified for each time and there is one area candidate for a predetermined time, the candidate is detected as an area where the moving object is located at the predetermined time, When there are a plurality of area candidates at the predetermined time, one area of the plurality of area candidates is detected as an area where the moving body is located at the predetermined time based on a detection result of the detection device. From the relationship between the detection unit that performs identification, the time identification unit that identifies the time when the identification information of each article was acquired by the acquisition device, the identification result of the time identification unit, and the detection result of the detection unit, That Determining a region where the moving body is located when acquiring the identification information of the record, it has a generation unit for generating information for managing the plurality of articles including the determination result.

The article management method described in this specification includes an active tag that transmits a radio signal, and an acquisition device that acquires the identification information in a non-contact manner from an information holding medium that holds the identification information. An article management method for generating information for managing a plurality of articles by moving around a plurality of articles provided with a holding medium, wherein the moving range of the moving object is divided into a plurality of virtual areas. A storage unit that stores signal strengths of radio signals received by each of the plurality of active tag receivers provided in or around the moving range of the moving body for each of the plurality of regions ; a signal intensity corresponding to each area stored in, by comparing the signal intensity of the radio signal received by each of said plurality of active tags receiving device, the area of which the mobile is located Complement to time one or more specific for each of, if one candidate area of a predetermined time, detects the candidate region and the moved member is positioned in the predetermined time, the candidate region of the predetermined time In the case where there are a plurality of regions, one of the plurality of region candidates is determined based on a detection result of a detection device that is provided on the moving body and detects the state of the moving body itself or the surrounding of the moving body. A detection step of detecting the region where the moving body is located at a time, a time specification step of specifying the time when identification information of each article is acquired by the acquisition device, a specification result of the time specification step, and the detection A generation step of determining an area where the moving body is located when acquiring identification information of each of the articles from a relationship with a detection result of the process, and generating information for managing the plurality of articles including the determination result; , An article management method executed by a computer.

The article management program described in this specification includes a mobile object including an active tag that transmits a radio signal and an acquisition device that acquires the identification information in a non-contact manner from an information holding medium that holds the identification information. An article management program for moving around a plurality of articles provided with a holding medium and generating information for managing the plurality of articles based on information acquired during the movement , wherein the moving range of the moving body Is divided into a plurality of virtual areas, and stores the signal strength of the radio signal received by each of the plurality of active tag receivers provided in or around the moving range of the moving body for each of the plurality of areas. Referring to storage, and a signal intensity corresponding to each area stored in the storage unit, and a signal strength of a radio signal received by each of said plurality of active tags receiving apparatus ratio Doing, the moving body 1 or more identified candidate area for each time position, if the one candidate regions of a predetermined time, the mobile the candidate to the predetermined time has location area And when there are a plurality of candidates for the region at the predetermined time, the plurality of the plurality of candidates based on the detection result of a detection device provided in the moving body for detecting the moving body itself or the state around the moving body. One of the area candidates is detected as an area where the moving body is located at the predetermined time, the time when the identification information of each article is acquired by the acquisition device, the identification result, From the relationship with the detection result, when the identification information of each of the articles is acquired, the region where the moving body is located is determined, and information for managing the plurality of articles including the determination result is generated in the computer. Fruit Is an article management program to be.

  The article management system, the article management method, and the article management program described in this specification have an effect that information for managing articles can be automatically generated efficiently.

It is a figure showing roughly the state in the warehouse where the article management system concerning one embodiment was introduced. It is a block diagram of an article management system. It is a hardware block diagram of the management apparatus of FIG. It is a functional block diagram of a management apparatus. It is a figure which shows area information DB. It is a figure for demonstrating the area in area information DB. It is a figure which shows position DB for every time. It is a figure which shows an example of the acquisition result by a 2nd reception part. It is a figure for demonstrating the identification method of the detection time by a time specific part. FIG. 10A is a diagram showing the specific time DB, FIG. 10B is a diagram showing the position DB for each time, and FIG. 10C is a diagram showing the management information DB. It is a flowchart which shows a data acquisition process. It is a flowchart (the 1) which shows an active tag position information calculation process. It is a flowchart (the 2) which shows an active tag position information calculation process. It is a flowchart which shows a passive tag detection time calculation process. It is a flowchart which shows a passive tag position information calculation process. It is a figure which shows the origin tag which concerns on a modification. 12 is a flowchart showing a process for automatically determining the start and end of the process of FIG. 11 using an origin tag. It is a table | surface which shows the relationship between the output of the electromagnetic wave and communication range which concern on a modification.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the article management system will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 schematically shows a state in a warehouse 200 in which an article management system 100 according to an embodiment is introduced. As shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that a wide variety of articles 70 to be managed are arranged and stored in a warehouse 200. Each article 70 is provided with a passive RFID tag 22 as an identification information holding medium. The passive RFID tag 22 does not contain a battery and is a cheaper tag than the active RFID tag.

The article management system 100 moves within the warehouse 200 and active RFID readers 12 ₁ , 12 ₂ , 12 ₃ , 12 ₄ as a plurality (four in FIG. 1) of active tag receivers provided in the warehouse 200. An active RFID tag 24 as an active tag provided in the moving body 60, a passive RFID reader 14 as an acquisition device, an acceleration sensor 16 as a detection device, and a wireless LAN base station 18 provided in or near the warehouse 200 And a management device 10 (see FIG. 2) as a management information generation device. Each device of the article management system 100 is directly or indirectly connected to the LAN 20 shown in FIG. 2 (that is, via the wireless LAN base station 18).

  Here, the moving body 60 is, for example, a radio-controlled airplane, a radio-controlled helicopter, a radio-controlled airship, and the like, and can move freely (in the XYZ three-dimensional direction) in the warehouse 200 according to the operation of the operator. To do.

The active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ are provided in or around the moving range of the moving body 60. These active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ receive radio signals (radio waves) transmitted from the active RFID tag 24 provided on the moving body 60 and manage the received strength (RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) value). It transmits to the apparatus 10. The active RFID tag 24 includes a battery and has a function of transmitting a radio signal (radio wave) that can be received by the active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ .

  The passive RFID reader 14 emits radio waves and receives some radio waves reflected by the passive RFID tag 22. The radio waves reflected by the passive RFID tag 22 are loaded with identification information (also referred to as “tag ID”) that the passive RFID tag 22 has. Thereby, the passive RFID reader 14 can read the tag ID of the passive RFID tag 22 in a non-contact manner, and can acquire the reception intensity (RSSI value) of the radio wave when read.

  The acceleration sensor 16 measures the acceleration of the moving body 60 in the X, Y, and Z directions. The passive RFID reader 14 and the acceleration sensor 16 are wirelessly connected to the wireless LAN base station 18 as shown in FIGS. Thereby, the reading result (tag ID) and the acquisition result (reception intensity) by the passive RFID reader 14 and the measurement result (acceleration) by the acceleration sensor 16 are transmitted to the management apparatus 10 via the wireless LAN base station 18. It is like that.

The management device 10 identifies the position of the moving body 60 for each time based on the reception intensity of the radio signal transmitted from the active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ and the measurement result of the acceleration sensor 16. Moreover, the management apparatus 10 specifies the reading time of each tag ID based on the acquisition result (reception strength) of the passive RFID reader 14. And the management apparatus 10 specifies the positional information on each article | item 70 based on the position for every time of the mobile body 60, and the reading time of each tag ID, and manages the article | item 70 with the said positional information and tag ID. Manage as information.

  FIG. 3 shows a hardware configuration of the management apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the management device 10 includes a CPU 90, a ROM 92, a RAM 94, a storage unit (here, HDD (Hard Disk Drive)) 96, a display unit 93, an input unit 95, a portable storage medium drive 99, and the like. I have. Each component of the management apparatus 10 is connected to the bus 98. The display unit 93 includes a liquid crystal display and the input unit 95 includes a keyboard, a mouse, and the like. In the management apparatus 10, the CPU 90 executes a program (article management program) stored in the ROM 92 or the HDD 96 or a program (article management program) read from the portable storage medium 91 by the portable storage medium drive 99. 4 is implemented.

  FIG. 4 shows a functional block diagram of the management apparatus 10. As illustrated in FIG. 4, in the management device 10, the CPU 90 executes the article management program, thereby realizing the first reception unit 32, the second reception unit 34, the detection unit 36, the time specification unit 40, and the generation unit 42. . FIG. 4 also shows various databases (DB) stored in the HDD 96 or the like.

The first reception unit 32 receives the reception intensity (RSSI value) of the radio signal (radio wave) detected by the active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ and the measurement result (acceleration) by the acceleration sensor 16, and receives the detection unit 36. To send.

  The second reception unit 34 receives the tag ID reading result and the reception strength (RSSI value) by the passive RFID reader 14 via the wireless LAN base station 18 and transmits them to the time specifying unit 40. In this case, the 2nd reception part 34 shall acquire the tag ID which the passive RFID reader 14 received from each passive RFID tag 22, and the receiving intensity of the electromagnetic wave when tag ID was received at a predetermined time interval. . Note that FIG. 8 shows an example of an acquisition result of the second reception unit 34. As shown in FIG. 8, the second reception unit 34 receives the tag IDs of the plurality of passive RFID tags 22 at the same time, but the reception intensity of radio waves at that time varies. Note that the radio wave reception intensity varies depending on individual differences of the passive RFID tags 22, the distance from the passive RFID reader 14, and the like.

Detector 36 refers to the area information DB50 as storage unit, based on the reception intensity of the radio signal (radio waves) (RSSI values) received by the active RFID reader 12 ₁ to 12 _4, respectively, of the moving body 60 The position for each time is detected. And the detection part 36 updates position DB52 for every time using the said detection result. Although details will be described later, when detecting the position of the moving body 60 at each time, the detection unit 36 measures the measurement result (time) of the acceleration sensor 16 in addition to the reception intensity in the active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ . (Acceleration every)).

Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the area information DB 50 includes fields of “area name”, “area center coordinates (x, y, z)”, and “reception intensity of active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ ”. Have. In the “area name” field, as shown in FIG. 6, names (A 1, A 2... Ai) of cubic virtual areas provided in the space in the warehouse 200 are input. In the “area center coordinates (x, y, z)” field, the center coordinates of each virtual area (A1, A2,... Ai) are input. In the field of “reception intensity of active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ ”, the reception intensity of the radio signal in the active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ when the moving body 60 (active RFID tag 24) is positioned at each central coordinate. Is entered. In creating the area information DB 50, the mobile body 60 is sequentially positioned manually at each center coordinate, and the radio signal reception intensity in each of the active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ in each area is collected. The area information DB 50 may be created after the active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ are installed in the warehouse 200. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ are installed in a place different from the warehouse 200 so as to satisfy the same conditions as the installation conditions in the warehouse 200, and the above processing is performed in that state. The area information DB 50 may be created.

  FIG. 7 shows the time position DB 52. This time-by-time DB 52 is a database that stores a position (area) where the mobile body 60 (active RFID tag 24) was present at each time.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the time specifying unit 40 specifies the detection time of each tag ID (see the thick frame in FIG. 9) based on the acquisition result (FIG. 8) by the second receiving unit 34. A specific method for acquiring the detection time of each tag ID will be described in detail later. The time specifying unit 40 stores the detection time of each specified tag ID together with the tag ID and the received intensity in the specific time DB 54 shown in FIG.

  The generation unit 42 determines the acquisition position (area) of the tag ID using the time position DB 52 in FIG. 10B (similar to FIG. 7) and the specific time DB 54 in FIG. Further, the generation unit 42 stores information including the acquisition position (area) of the tag ID and the tag ID in the management information DB 56 (see FIG. 10C) as article management information. The management information DB 56 has fields of “detection time”, “tag ID”, “reception strength”, and “position (area)” as shown in FIG.

  Next, processing in the article management system 100 will be described in detail. In the following, the data acquisition process (FIG. 11), the active tag position information calculation process (FIGS. 12 and 13), the passive tag detection time calculation process (FIG. 14), and the passive tag position information calculation process (FIG. 15) will be described in order. I will explain later.

<Data acquisition process>
First, data acquisition processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the process of FIG. 11, first, in step S <b> 10, the first receiving unit 32 and the second receiving unit 34 acquire setting values (data acquisition interval, the number of active RFID readers, and the like). This set value is assumed to be a value previously input to the management apparatus 10 by an operator or the like via the input unit 95 or the like.

  Next, in step S12, the first receiving unit 32 waits until a start input is made. Here, the worker, for example, in a state where the moving body 60 is stationary on the floor surface of the warehouse 200 as shown in FIG. 6 (the speeds Vx, Vy, and Vz in the X, Y, and Z directions are 0). The start input is performed from the input unit 95 of the management apparatus 10. Then, it is assumed that the worker starts moving the moving body 60 in the space above the plurality of articles 70 immediately after performing the start input. Note that the worker moves the moving body 60 so that the moving body 60 passes above each article 70 while the subsequent processing of FIG. 11 is performed (until the worker inputs the end). Shall. For example, the operator repeatedly performs reciprocating movement along the X-axis direction of the moving body 60 while changing the positions of the moving body 60 in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction. In step S12 in FIG. 11, the determination is affirmed when the start input is made by the operator, and the process proceeds to step S14.

If transfering it to step S14, the 1st reception part 32 will acquire the detection result (reception intensity) of the active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ and the acquisition result (acceleration) of the acceleration sensor 16.

Next, in step S <b> 16, the first receiving unit 32 determines whether data of all the active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ has been acquired. If the determination here is negative, step S16 is repeated again, but if the determination here is positive, the process proceeds to step S18.

  If transfering it to step S18, the 2nd reception part 34 will acquire the detection result (tag ID, receiving intensity) of the passive RFID reader 14. FIG.

  Next, in step S20, the first receiving unit 32 (or the second receiving unit 34) waits until the time for data acquisition (data acquisition interval) elapses. Then, when the data acquisition interval has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S22, and the first receiving unit 32 (or the second receiving unit 34) determines whether or not an end input has been performed. This end input is input from the input unit 95 of the management apparatus 10 after the worker has moved the moving body 60 thoroughly in the warehouse 200. If the determination in step S22 is negative, the process returns to step S14. That is, until there is an end input, the processes in steps S14 and S18 are repeated at each data acquisition interval.

Accordingly, the first receiving unit 32, for each data acquisition interval, can acquire the acceleration of the reception intensity and the moving body 60 of the active RFID reader 12 ₁ to 12 _4. Further, the second reception unit 34 can acquire the tag ID and reception intensity acquired by the passive RFID reader 14 at every data acquisition interval (FIG. 8). The “detection time” in FIG. 8 is “00: 00: 00.000” after a predetermined time (eg, data acquisition interval) has elapsed since the start input in step S12. However, the time is not limited to this, and the standard time of the place where the warehouse 100 exists may be used as the time.

  After that, when an end input is performed by the operator, all the processes in FIG. 11 are ended.

<Active tag position information calculation processing>
Next, the active tag position information calculation processing by the detection unit 36 will be described in detail based on FIGS. 12 and 13. In the processes of FIGS. 12 and 13, the reception strengths of the active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ and the acceleration of the moving body 60 acquired by the first receiving unit 32 in the process of FIG. 11 are used.

In the processing of FIGS. 12 and 13, first, in step S <b> 30 of FIG. 12, the detection unit 36 acquires the reception strengths of the active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ at each data acquisition time. Here, for example, it is assumed that the detection unit 36 has acquired the reception intensity of the active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ at time 00: 00: 00.000. Next, in step S32, the detection unit 36 stores the acquired reception intensity (reception intensity of each of the active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ as R1 ′, R2 ′, R3 ′, and R4 ′) and the area information DB 50. The reception strength of a certain area (in this case, the reception strength (R1 (A1), R2 (A1), R3 (A1), R4 (A1)) of the area name “A1”) is compared. In this comparison, the detection unit 36 obtains S (A1) by the following equation (1).
S (A1) = (| R1'-R1 (A1) |) / R1 (A1) + (| R2'-R2 (A1) |) / R2 (A1)
+ (| R3'-R3 (A1) |) / R3 (A1) + (| R4'-R4 (A1) |) / R4 (A1) (1)
However, for example, if any of the received strengths (for example, R1 (A1)) is 0, the corresponding term in the above equation (1) (for example, (| R1'-R1 (A1) |)) / R1 (A1)) is assumed to be 0.

  Next, in step S34, the detection unit 36 determines whether or not the comparison with the reception intensity of the area information DB 50 is the first time. If the determination here is affirmed, the process proceeds to step S36. In step S36, the detection unit 36 records position information (area) (here, area A1) with the comparison result as the minimum value.

  Next, in step S40, the detection unit 36 determines whether or not the comparison result is within a preset threshold value. Here, the case where the comparison result (minimum value) is within the threshold means that there is a high possibility that the moving body 60 exists in the area used for the comparison (here, the area A1). When judgment here is affirmed, it transfers to step S42. In step S42, the detection unit 36 records an area (A1) that is within the threshold as a position candidate. Then, the process proceeds to step S44. If the determination in step S40 is negative, the process proceeds to step S44 without passing through step S42, that is, without making the area (A1) a position candidate.

  If transfering it to step S44, the detection part 36 will judge whether the comparison with all the areas was complete | finished. When judgment here is denied, it returns to step S32.

Returning to step S32, the detection unit 36 receives the reception intensity of the active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ acquired in step S30 and the reception intensity of the next area of the area information DB 50 (for example, the reception intensity (R1 (A2) of the area A2). ), R2 (A2), R3 (A2), R4 (A2)) In this comparison, the detection unit 36 obtains S (A2) by the following equation (2).
S (A2) = (| R1'-R1 (A2) |) / R1 (A2) + (| R2'-R2 (A2) |) / R2 (A2)
+ (| R3'-R3 (A2) |) / R3 (A2) + (| R4'-R4 (A2) |) / R4 (A2) (2)
However, for example, if any of the reception strengths (for example, R1 (A2)) is 0, the corresponding term (for example, (| R1'-R1 (A2) |) / R1 (A2)) is assumed to be 0.

  In step S34, the detection unit 36 determines whether or not the current comparison is the first time. Here, since this is the second comparison, the determination is negative, and the process proceeds to step S38. In step S38, it is determined whether or not the current comparison result is smaller than the minimum value recorded in the previous step S36. When judgment here is denied, it transfers to step S44. On the other hand, when judgment here is affirmed, it transfers to step S36. In step S36, the detection unit 36 records position information (area) with the comparison result as the minimum value. In the next step S40, the detection unit 36 determines whether the comparison result is within the threshold value. If the determination here is affirmed, the compared area (A2) is recorded as a position candidate in step S42. To do.

Thereafter, the processes in steps S32 to S42 are repeated until the determination in step S44 is affirmed. That is, as described above, the detection unit 36 compares the reception strengths of the active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 _{4 with} the reception strengths of all areas of the area information DB 50 in the same manner as in the above formulas (1) and (2). The position candidate is recorded (S42).

  When the comparison with all the areas is completed and the determination in step S44 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step S46. In step S46, the detection unit 36 determines whether or not there are two or more position candidates, that is, whether or not step S48 has been performed a plurality of times. When the determination here is affirmative (when there are two or more position candidates), the process proceeds to step S48 in FIG. If the determination in step S46 is negative (if the position candidate is 0 or 1), the process proceeds to step S68 in FIG. In step S68, the detection unit 36 records the area where the reception intensity comparison result (comparison result in step S32) is the minimum value in the position DB 52 (FIG. 7, FIG. 10B) as time information. . Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S70.

  On the other hand, when the determination in step S46 is affirmed and the process proceeds to step S48 in FIG. 13, the detection unit 36 acquires acceleration data for each time. Next, in step S50, the detection unit 36 determines whether or not the coordinate calculation from the acceleration is the first time. If the determination here is affirmative, that is, if it is the first time, the process proceeds to step S52, and the detection unit 36 acquires the start point (set value) coordinates. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S56. On the other hand, if the determination in step S50 is negative, that is, if it is not the first time, in step S54, the detection unit 36 acquires the center coordinates of the previous recording position (area). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S56. Note that the start point coordinates acquired in step S52 or S54 or the center coordinates of the previous recording area are represented as (Xl ′, Ym ′, Zn ′).

  If transfering it to step S56, the detection part 36 will calculate the position coordinate of the mobile body 60 in the following procedures based on the acceleration data and the start point coordinates or the center coordinates of the previous recording area.

First, the detection unit 36 calculates the velocity in the X, Y, and Z directions using the acceleration in the X, Y, and Z directions (assuming Ax, Ay, and Az). Specifically, the speeds (Vx, Vy, Vz) can be calculated by the following equations (3) to (5). Note that T2 is the data acquisition interval in step S20 in FIG. 11, and Vx ′, Vy ′, and Vz ′ are the previous speeds. However, when step S52 is performed (when the start point coordinates are used), it is assumed that Vx ′ = Vy ′ = Vz ′ = 0.
Vx = Vx ′ + Ax · T2 (3)
Vy = Vy ′ + Ay · T2 (4)
Vz = Vz ′ + Az · T2 (5)

Next, the detection unit 36 determines the position coordinates (Xl ″, Ym ″ of the moving body 60 from the start point coordinates or the center coordinates (Xl ′, Ym ′, Zn ′) of the previous recording area and the speeds (Vx, Vy, Vz). , Zn ″) is calculated from the following equations (6) to (8). Thus, the process of step S56 is completed.
Xl ″ = Xl ′ + Vx · T2 (6)
Ym ″ = Ym ′ + Vy · T2 (7)
Zn ″ = Zn ′ + Vz · T2 (8)

Next, in step S58, the detection unit 36 compares the coordinates calculated from the above formulas (3) to (8) with the center coordinates of two or more areas that are position candidates. In this comparison, Δd is calculated for each area that is a position candidate based on the following equation (9). Note that (X1, Ym, Zn) means the center coordinates of each area that is a position candidate.
Δd = (| Xl−Xl ″ |) + (| Ym−Ym ″ |) + (| Zn—Zn ″ |)
... (9)

  Next, in step S60, the detection unit 36 compares Δd calculated for each area that is a position candidate, and extracts an area having the smallest Δd. Then, the detection unit 36 sets the area where Δd is the smallest as the position information of the moving body 60 (the area where the moving body 60 was located at the time “00: 00: 00.000”), and the position DB 52 (FIG. 7, FIG. 7). 10 (b)). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S70.

  In step S <b> 70, the detection unit 36 determines whether the comparison up to the time when the end input is made is completed. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step S30 in FIG. Thereafter, the processes and determinations of steps S30 to S70 are repeated until the position information (area) of the moving body 60 at all times when data is acquired in the process of FIG. 11 is acquired. Then, when the determination in step S70 is affirmed, all the processes in FIGS. 12 and 13 are terminated.

  By performing the above processing, the time position DB 52 as shown in FIG. 7 (FIG. 10B) is generated.

<Passive tag detection time calculation process>
Next, the passive tag detection time calculation process performed by the time specifying unit 40 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The process of FIG. 14 is a process using the tag ID acquired by the second reception unit 34 at each data acquisition interval and the reception intensity of the passive RFID reader 14 in the process of FIG.

  In the process of FIG. 14, first, in step S <b> 80, the time specifying unit 40 acquires the acquired tag IDs of all the passive RFID tags 22. Here, the time specifying unit 40 acquires all the tag IDs acquired in FIG.

  In step S82, the time specifying unit 40 selects one doug ID of the passive RFID tag 22 for each detection time. As an example, it is assumed that the time specifying unit 40 selects the tag ID “00000001”.

  Next, in step S84, the time specifying unit 40 collects data of the selected tag ID “00000001” from the acquisition result of FIG. Specifically, the time specifying unit 40 acquires data in a range indicated by (α) in FIG.

  Next, in step S86, the time specifying unit 40 specifies data having the maximum reception intensity among the acquired data. In the range indicated by (α) in FIG. 9, the data at the detection time “00: 00: 00.000” is specified.

  Next, in step S88, the time specifying unit 40 sets the detection time of the specified data as the detection time of the selected tag ID, and stores it in the specific time DB 54 (see FIG. 10A) together with the reception intensity.

  Next, in step S90, the time specifying unit 40 determines whether or not processing for all tag IDs has been completed. When judgment here is denied, it returns to step S82. And the time specific | specification part 40 performs the process similar to the above also about other tag ID. For example, if the tag ID is “00000002”, the data in the range shown in (β) of FIG. 9 is collected, and therefore the time “00: 00: 00.400” having the maximum reception intensity among the collected data is the detection time. It becomes. If the tag ID is “00000003”, data in the range indicated by (γ) in FIG. 9 is collected, and therefore, the time “00: 00: 00.600” having the maximum reception intensity among the collected data is the detection time. It becomes.

  Thereafter, when the determination in step S90 is affirmed, the entire process of FIG. At the stage where the processing of FIG. 14 is completed, as shown in FIG. 10A, the detection times and reception strengths of all the tag IDs are stored in the specific time DB 54.

<Passive tag position information calculation process>
Next, the passive tag position information calculation process by the generation unit 42 will be described in detail based on FIG. In the process of FIG. 15, the time position DB 52 (FIG. 10B) generated by the processes of FIGS. 12 and 13 and the specific time DB 54 (FIG. 10A) generated by the process of FIG. The process using is performed.

  In the process of FIG. 15, first, in step S <b> 100, the generation unit 42 selects one data from the specific time DB 54. Here, for example, it is assumed that the data of the tag ID “00000001” in FIG.

  Next, in step S <b> 102, the generation unit 42 extracts data at a time that matches (or is closest to) the detection time of the selected data from the time position DB 52. In this case, data at time “00: 00: 00.000” in FIG. 10B is extracted.

  Next, in step S <b> 104, the generation unit 42 records the selected data and the extracted data in the management information DB 56. In the above example, data of detection time “00: 00: 00.000”, tag ID “00000001”, reception intensity “90”, and position (area) “A1” shown in FIG. 10C is recorded in the management information DB 56. Is done.

  Next, in step S106, the generation unit 42 determines whether all data in the specific time DB 54 has been selected. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step S100, and the generation unit 42 selects the next data in the specific time DB 54. For example, the generation unit 42 selects the data with the tag ID “00000002” in FIG. In this case, through the subsequent steps S102 and S104, the detection time “00: 00: 00.400”, the tag ID “00000002”, the reception intensity “80”, and the position (area) “A4” shown in FIG. Is recorded in the management information DB 56.

  Thereafter, the processing of steps S102 and S104 is repeatedly performed on each data in the specific time DB 54. Then, when the processing for all data in the specific time DB 54 is finished and the determination in step S106 is affirmed, the whole processing in FIG. 15 is finished.

  When the process of FIG. 15 is completed, the automatic generation of the management information DB 56 shown in FIG. This management information DB 56 manages information (tag ID) and position of the article 70 provided with the passive RFID tag 22. Therefore, it can be said that the management information DB 56 is inventory information of the articles 70 in the warehouse 200. In addition to the tag ID, information (name, model number, type, etc.) of the article associated with the tag ID may be stored in the management information DB 56.

As described above in detail, according to the present embodiment, the active RFID tag 24 and the passive RFID reader 14 are provided on the moving body 60 that moves around the article 70 in the warehouse 200. A plurality of active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ for receiving radio signals from the RFID tag 24 are provided. Then, the management device 10 that generates information for managing the article 70 refers to the area information DB 50 and determines the time of the moving body 60 based on the signal strength of the radio signal received by each of the active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 _4. The relationship between the detection unit 36 for detecting each position, the time specifying unit 40 for specifying the time when the tag ID is read by the passive RFID reader 14, the specifying result of the time specifying unit 40, and the detection result of the detecting unit 36 And generating unit 42 that generates information (management information DB 56) for managing the article 70 including the acquisition position (area) of the tag ID. Thus, in the present embodiment, automatically from the detection result (position (area) of the moving body 60 for each time) and the specific result (tag ID acquisition time) by the time specifying unit 40, The reading position (area) of the tag ID can be obtained, and as a result, information for managing the article 70 can be generated. In the present embodiment, the passive RFID tags 22 are provided in all the articles 70, and the number of active RFID tags 24 used is reduced as much as possible. Therefore, an increase in cost is suppressed and the articles 70 are managed efficiently. Information can be automatically generated.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the time specifying unit 40 acquires the tag ID acquisition accuracy when the passive RFID reader 14 detects the same tag ID at a plurality of times (see (α) to (γ) in FIG. 9). Based on (reception strength in this embodiment), the detection time of the tag ID is specified. For this reason, in this embodiment, it is possible to appropriately specify the detection time of each tag ID without being affected by individual differences or the like of each passive RFID tag 22.

In the present embodiment, the acceleration sensor 16 that detects the acceleration of the moving body 60 is provided in the moving body 60, and the position (area) of the moving body 60 at each time is obtained by using the detection result of the acceleration sensor 16 as an auxiliary. Is going to be detected. Thereby, in the position detection using the active RFID readers 12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ , even when a plurality of positions (areas) for each time of the moving body 60 are detected, by using the detection result of the acceleration sensor 16, The most appropriate position among the plurality of positions can be recorded in the time position DB 52.

  In addition, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the acceleration sensor 16 was provided in the mobile body 60 and the detection result of the said acceleration sensor 16 was used for the position (area) detection for every time of the mobile body 60, it is restricted to this. It is not a thing. For example, instead of the acceleration sensor 16 or together with the acceleration sensor 16, an atmospheric pressure sensor may be provided on the moving body 60. Since the height position (Z position) of the moving body 60 can be detected by using the detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor, the appropriate position (area) is used by using the height position, as in the above embodiment. Can be recorded in the time position DB 52. In addition, when the position detection accuracy of the moving body 60 using the active RFID reader 14 is high and a plurality of positions (areas) of the moving body 60 are not detected at each time, the acceleration sensor 16 and the atmospheric pressure sensor should not be used. It is also good. In the above embodiment, the case where the active RFID tag 24 and the acceleration sensor 16 are provided on the moving body 60 has been described. However, an active tag incorporating an acceleration sensor may be provided on the moving body 60.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the worker performs the start input and the end input in the data acquisition process of FIG. 11 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 16, a passive RFID tag (hereinafter referred to as “origin tag”) 72 as an origin position information holding medium is installed on the floor surface of a warehouse 200, and communication with the origin tag 72 by the passive RFID reader 14 is performed. The start and end of the data acquisition process may be automatically determined based on the state. In this case, the start and end of the data acquisition process can be automatically determined by executing the process according to the flowchart of FIG. 17 in parallel with the process of FIG. As a premise of the process of FIG. 17, when starting or ending the data acquisition process of FIG. 11, the worker holds the moving body 60 so that the moving body 60 is positioned in the vicinity of the origin tag 72. Try to move it.

  In the process of FIG. 17, first, in step S120, the first receiving unit 32 (or the second receiving unit 34) sets the set value (the tag ID of the origin tag 72, the threshold Rx of the received intensity for determining the origin, the origin Get coordinates). It is assumed that the set value is predetermined by an operator or the like and is input to the management apparatus 10 via the input unit 95.

  Next, in step S122, the first reception unit 32 (or the second reception unit 34) acquires the detection result (the reception result of the radio wave from the passive RFID tag 22 or the origin tag 72) by the passive RFID reader 14. The detection result in this case includes the tag ID and the reception intensity.

  Next, in step S124, the first receiving unit 32 (or the second receiving unit 34) determines whether or not the tag ID of the origin tag 72 has been detected. When judgment here is denied, it returns to step S122. On the other hand, if the determination in step S124 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step S126.

  When the process proceeds to step S126, the first reception unit 32 (or the second reception unit 34) determines whether or not the reception intensity (referred to as R0) of the radio wave received from the origin tag 72 is greater than or equal to the threshold value (Rx). To do. If the determination is negative, it is determined that the moving body 60 has not yet reached the origin, and the process proceeds to step S122. On the other hand, if the determination in step S126 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S128.

  In step S128, the first receiving unit 32 (or the second receiving unit 34) determines that the origin has passed. Thus, when it determines with having passed the origin, the 1st reception part 32 (or 2nd reception part 34) shall handle as the input equivalent to the start input of data acquisition processing of FIG. 11, or an end. By doing in this way, it is possible to control the start and end of the process of FIG. 11 without an operator or the like performing a start input or an end input.

  In the above embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the case where the tag IDs of the plurality of passive RFID tags 22 are detected at the same time has been described. However, the number of detected tag IDs at the same time is preferably small. Therefore, in the above embodiment, the strength of the radio wave output from the passive RFID reader 14 may be adjusted so that the number of detected tag IDs in the passive RFID reader 14 is reduced. In this case, the following adjustment can be performed.

 (a) As a premise, the relationship between the radio wave output S of the passive RFID reader 14 and the communication range (volume) V is measured in advance, and a table as shown in FIG. 18 is created.

 (b) Next, the passive RFID reader 14 is set to a constant radio wave output So, the moving body 60 is moved in the warehouse 200, and the passive RFID tag 22 is detected. In addition, the minimum value (referred to as Cmin) of the number of passive RFID tags detected at the same time is obtained.

(c) Next, from the detection result (Cmin) described above, the radio wave output So of the passive RFID reader 14 used in (b), and the communication range (volume) Vo (FIG. 18) at the time of the radio wave output So, one The minimum value Dmin of the communication range (m ³ / piece) that can detect only the passive RFID tag 22 is calculated from the following equation (10).
Dmin = Cmin / Vo (10)

(d) Next, the minimum value Dmin of the communication range in which only one passive RFID tag 22 calculated in (c) above can be detected is compared with FIG. 18, and communication which is equal to or greater than Dmin and has the closest value to Dmin is compared. Find the radio output of the range. The radio wave output is used as the radio wave output of the passive RFID reader 14. For example, if the Dmin was 7.5 waves of the radio wave output (3) a passive RFID reader 14 becomes a value of at least Dmin, and most values are approximate in the communication range of FIG. 18 (9m ³⁾ Output.

  By determining the radio wave output of the passive RFID reader 14 in this way, the number of tag IDs detected by the passive RFID reader 14 at a time during the process of FIG. 11 can be reduced. As a result, the detection time of the passive RFID tag 22 can be obtained with high accuracy, and as a result, the positional information of the passive RFID tag 22 to be acquired can be made highly accurate.

  In the above embodiment, the information holding medium that holds the identification information (tag ID) is the passive RFID tag 22, and the acquisition device that acquires the identification information from the information holding medium in a contactless manner is the passive RFID reader 14. Explained. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the information holding medium that holds the identification information (tag ID) may be a paper medium on which a two-dimensional code is printed, and the acquisition device may be a camera that photographs the two-dimensional code. In this case, the same two-dimensional code may be photographed at many positions (at many times) (similar to FIG. 9). In such a case, when the two-dimensional code is photographed at a position close to the center of the imaging region of the camera, it is assumed that the identification information acquisition accuracy is high, and the two-dimensional code imaging is performed based on the acquisition accuracy. The time may be determined. A chameleon code or a bar code may be used instead of the two-dimensional code.

  In addition, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the article | item management system 100 was installed in the warehouse 200, it is not restricted to this. The article management system 100 may be installed in a space other than a warehouse (whether indoors or outdoors).

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the mobile body 60 was a radio control airplane, a radio control helicopter, a radio control airship, etc., it is not restricted to this. For example, the moving body 60 may be an object that can be carried by a person. The moving body 60 may be an object that moves in the X, Y two-dimensional or X, Y, Z three-dimensional directions along a rail, a wire, or the like. The moving body 60 may be an object attached to a car, a cart, a bicycle, or the like on which a person gets on.

  In the above embodiment, the case where four active RFID readers are provided in the warehouse has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The number of active RFID readers may be changed as appropriate according to the size of the space for article management.

  The above processing functions can be realized by a computer. In that case, a program describing the processing contents of the functions that the processing apparatus should have is provided. By executing the program on a computer, the above processing functions are realized on the computer. The program describing the processing contents can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

  When the program is distributed, for example, it is sold in the form of a portable recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) on which the program is recorded. It is also possible to store the program in a storage device of a server computer and transfer the program from the server computer to another computer via a network.

  The computer that executes the program stores, for example, the program recorded on the portable recording medium or the program transferred from the server computer in its own storage device. Then, the computer reads the program from its own storage device and executes processing according to the program. The computer can also read the program directly from the portable recording medium and execute processing according to the program. Further, each time the program is transferred from the server computer, the computer can sequentially execute processing according to the received program.

  The above-described embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In addition, the following additional notes are disclosed regarding the above description.
(Supplementary Note 1) An active tag for transmitting a radio signal provided on a moving body that moves around a plurality of articles provided with an information holding medium for holding identification information;
An acquisition device provided in the moving body for acquiring the identification information from the information holding medium in a non-contact manner;
A plurality of active tag receiving devices that are provided within or around the moving range of the moving body and receive a radio signal of the active tag;
A management information generating device that generates information for managing the plurality of articles,
The management information generation device includes:
For each position of the active tag, a storage unit that stores signal strength of a radio signal received by each of the plurality of active tag reception devices;
A detection unit that refers to the storage unit and detects a position of the moving body at each time based on signal strength of a radio signal received by each of the plurality of active tag reception devices;
A time specifying unit for specifying the time when the identification information of each article is acquired by the acquisition device;
Generation for determining the acquisition position of the identification information of each of the articles from the relationship between the identification result of the time identification unit and the detection result of the detection unit, and generating information for managing the plurality of articles including the determination result And
An article management system comprising:
(Additional remark 2) When the said acquisition apparatus acquires the same identification information in multiple time, the said time specific | specification part is based on the acquisition accuracy of the said identification information for every said multiple time, which of these multiple times The article management system according to appendix 1, wherein the time is specified as the time when the identification information is acquired.
(Supplementary Note 3) The information holding medium and the acquisition device are a passive tag and a passive tag reader.
The time specifying unit assumes that the acquisition accuracy of the identification information is higher as the reception intensity of the radio wave when the identification information is detected by the passive tag reader is higher. The article management system according to appendix 2, characterized in that the time is specified as the time at which was acquired.
(Additional remark 4) It further provided with the detection apparatus which detects the state around the said mobile body itself or the said mobile body provided in the said mobile body,
The detection unit detects the position of the mobile body at each time using the signal strength of a radio signal received by each of the plurality of active tag reception devices and the detection result of the detection device. The article management system according to any one of appendices 1 to 3.
(Additional remark 5) The origin position information holding medium which hold | maintains the information of the origin position provided in the vicinity of these articles | goods further is provided,
The detection unit detects the position of the moving body at each time on the basis of the position of the moving body when the acquisition device acquires the information of the origin position from the origin position information holding medium. The article management system according to any one of appendices 1 to 4.
(Supplementary Note 6) A plurality of mobile units having an active tag that transmits a radio signal and an acquisition device that acquires the identification information in a non-contact manner from an information holding medium that holds identification information. An article management method for generating information for managing the plurality of target articles by moving the periphery of the article.
For each position of the active tag, refer to a storage unit that stores signal strength of a radio signal received by each of a plurality of active tag receiving devices provided in or around the moving range of the moving body, and A detection step of detecting the position of the moving body for each time based on the signal strength of the radio signal received by each active tag receiving device;
A time specifying step of specifying the time when the identification information of each article is acquired by the acquisition device;
Generation for determining the acquisition position of identification information for each of the articles from the relationship between the identification result of the time identification process and the detection result of the detection process, and generating information for managing the plurality of articles including the determination result And a process executed by a computer.
(Supplementary Note 7) In the time specifying step, when the acquisition device acquires the same identification information at a plurality of times, any one of the plurality of times is determined based on the acquisition accuracy of the identification information for each of the plurality of times. The item management method according to appendix 6, wherein the time is specified as the time when the identification information is acquired.
(Appendix 8) The information holding medium and the acquisition device are a passive tag and a passive tag reader,
In the time specifying step, it is assumed that the acquisition accuracy of the identification information is higher as the reception intensity of the radio wave when the identification information is detected by the passive tag reader is higher. Item 8. The article management method according to appendix 7, wherein the item is specified as the time when the item is acquired.
(Additional remark 9) In the said detection process, the signal strength of the radio signal received with each of these active tag receivers and the detection result of the detection apparatus which detects the said mobile body itself or the state around the said mobile body are used. Then, the article management method according to any one of appendices 6 to 8, wherein the position of the moving body at each time is detected.
(Additional remark 10) In the said detection process, the said acquisition apparatus is based on the position of the said moving body when the said origin position information is acquired from the origin position information holding medium which hold | maintains the information of an origin position. The article management method according to any one of appendices 6 to 9, wherein a position for each time is detected.
(Supplementary note 11) A plurality of moving bodies having an active tag for transmitting a radio signal and an acquisition device for acquiring the identification information in a non-contact manner from an information holding medium for holding identification information. An article management program for generating information for managing the plurality of target articles based on information acquired during the movement,
For each position of the active tag, refer to a storage unit that stores signal strength of a radio signal received by each of a plurality of active tag receiving devices provided in or around the moving range of the moving body, and Based on the signal strength of the radio signal received by each active tag receiving device, detect the position of the mobile body for each time,
Identifying the time when the identification information of each article was acquired by the acquisition device;
Causing a computer to execute a process of determining an acquisition position of identification information of each of the articles from the relationship between the identification result and the detection result, and generating information for managing the plurality of articles including the determination result. An article management program characterized by
(Additional remark 12) In the process which specifies the said time, when the said acquisition apparatus acquires the same identification information in multiple time, based on the acquisition accuracy of the said identification information for every said multiple time, The article management program according to appendix 11, wherein any one of the above is specified as the time when the identification information is acquired.
(Supplementary note 13) The information holding medium and the acquisition device are a passive tag and a passive tag reader,
In the process of specifying the time, the acquisition accuracy of the identification information is higher as the radio wave reception intensity when the identification information is detected by the passive tag reader is higher. Item 13. The article management program according to appendix 12, characterized in that it is specified as the time when the identification information was acquired.
(Additional remark 14) In the process to detect, the signal strength of the radio signal received by each of the plurality of active tag receivers and the detection result of the detection device that detects the state of the mobile body itself or the periphery of the mobile body The article management program according to any one of appendices 11 to 13, wherein the position of the moving body is detected for each time.
(Supplementary Note 15) In the detection process, the moving device is based on the position of the moving body when the obtaining apparatus obtains the origin position information from the origin position information holding medium that holds the origin position information. The article management program according to any one of appendices 11 to 14, wherein a position for each time is detected.

10 Management device (Management information generation device)
12 _{1 to} 12 ₄ active RFID reader (active tag receiver)
14 Passive RFID reader (acquisition device)
16 Acceleration sensor (detection device)
22 Passive RFID tag (information holding medium)
24 active RFID tags (active tags)
36 detection unit 40 time specifying unit 42 generation unit 50 area information DB (storage unit)
60 moving object 70 article 72 origin tag (origin position information holding medium)
100 Goods management system

Claims (6)

An active tag for transmitting a radio signal, provided on a moving body that moves around a plurality of articles provided with an information holding medium for holding identification information;
An acquisition device provided in the moving body for acquiring the identification information from the information holding medium in a non-contact manner;
A plurality of active tag receiving devices that are provided within or around the moving range of the moving body and receive a radio signal of the active tag;
A management information generating device that generates information for managing the plurality of articles;
A detection device for detecting a state of the mobile body itself or the periphery of the mobile body provided in the mobile body ,
The moving range of the moving body is divided into a plurality of virtual areas,
The management information generation device includes:
For each of the plurality of regions, a storage unit that stores signal strength of a radio signal received by each of the plurality of active tag reception devices;
A signal intensity corresponding to each area stored in the storage unit, by comparing the signal intensity of the radio signal received by each of said plurality of active tags receiving apparatus, candidate region where the moving object is located If one or more is specified for each time and there is one candidate for a region at a predetermined time, the candidate is detected as a region where the moving object is located at the predetermined time, and a plurality of candidates for the region at the predetermined time are detected. In some cases, based on the detection result of the detection device, a detection unit that detects one of the plurality of region candidates as a region where the moving body is located at the predetermined time ;
A time specifying unit for specifying the time when the identification information of each article is acquired by the acquisition device;
From the relationship between the identification result of the time identification unit and the detection result of the detection unit, the region where the moving body is located when the identification information of each of the articles is acquired is determined, and the plurality of items including the determination result A generating unit that generates information for managing the article;
An article management system comprising:   When the acquisition device acquires the same identification information at a plurality of times, the time specifying unit determines any time of the plurality of times based on the acquisition accuracy of the identification information for each of the plurality of times. 2. The article management system according to claim 1, wherein the article management system is specified as a time when the identification information is acquired. The information holding medium and the acquisition device are a passive tag and a passive tag reader,
The time specifying unit assumes that the acquisition accuracy of the identification information is higher as the reception intensity of the radio wave when the identification information is detected by the passive tag reader is higher. The article management system according to claim 2, wherein the article management system is specified as the time when the item is acquired. An origin position information holding medium that holds information on the origin position provided in the vicinity of the plurality of articles;
The detection unit, based on the said position of the moving body when the acquisition device acquires the information of the origin position from the original position information holding medium, said moving body is detected for each time a region located The article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the article management system is characterized. A moving body having an active tag that transmits a radio signal and an acquisition device that acquires the identification information from an information holding medium that holds identification information in a non-contact manner, around a plurality of articles provided with the information holding medium An article management method for generating information for managing the plurality of articles by moving
The moving range of the moving body is divided into a plurality of virtual areas,
For each of the plurality of regions, the storage unit stores the signal strength of the radio signal received by each of the plurality of active tag receiving devices provided in or around the moving range of the moving body, and stores the signal in the storage unit . a signal intensity corresponding to each area is, by comparing the signal intensity of the radio signal received by each of said plurality of active tags receiving apparatus, a candidate of a region where the moving object is positioned in each time 1 Or, if a plurality of areas are specified and there is one area candidate at a predetermined time, the candidate is detected as an area where the mobile object is located at the predetermined time, and when there are a plurality of area candidates at the predetermined time, Based on a detection result of a detection device that is provided in the moving body and detects a state of the moving body itself or the periphery of the moving body, the moving body selects one of the plurality of area candidates at the predetermined time. Position to A detection step of detecting a region,
A time specifying step of specifying the time when the identification information of each article is acquired by the acquisition device;
From the relationship between the identification result of the time identification step and the detection result of the detection step, the region where the moving body is located when the identification information of each of the articles is acquired is determined, and the plurality of items including the determination result An article management method, wherein a computer executes a generation step of generating information for managing articles. A moving body having an active tag that transmits a radio signal and an acquisition device that acquires the identification information from an information holding medium that holds identification information in a non-contact manner, around a plurality of articles provided with the information holding medium An article management program for generating information for managing the plurality of articles based on information acquired during the movement,
The moving range of the moving body is divided into a plurality of virtual areas,
For each of the plurality of regions, the storage unit stores the signal strength of the radio signal received by each of the plurality of active tag receiving devices provided in or around the moving range of the moving body, and stores the signal in the storage unit . a signal intensity corresponding to each area is, by comparing the signal intensity of the radio signal received by each of said plurality of active tags receiving apparatus, a candidate of a region where the moving object is positioned in each time 1 Or, if a plurality of areas are specified and there is one area candidate at a predetermined time, the candidate is detected as an area where the mobile object is located at the predetermined time, and when there are a plurality of area candidates at the predetermined time, Based on a detection result of a detection device that is provided in the moving body and detects a state of the moving body itself or the periphery of the moving body, the moving body selects one of the plurality of area candidates at the predetermined time. Position to Is detected as a region,
Identifying the time when the identification information of each article was acquired by the acquisition device;
Based on the relationship between the identification result and the detection result, an area where the moving body is located when the identification information of each of the articles is acquired is generated, and information for managing the plurality of articles including the determination result is generated. An article management program for causing a computer to execute processing.

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