JP7143462B2 - Production adjustment support system and information processing device - Google Patents

Description

The embodiments of the present invention relate to a system for supporting production adjustment of products such as perishables and fresh flowers, and an information processing device of this system.

When transporting perishable foods such as vegetables and fruits or commodities such as fresh flowers, efforts are made to transport them while maintaining their freshness so as not to reduce their commercial value. However, it is undeniable that there are times when the freshness is lost due to problems during transportation. If the freshness of the product declines during transportation, the product is either discarded before it is put on the store shelves, or even if it is put on the store shelf, the shelf life is shortened.

In general, a manufacturer/shipper of perishables or fresh flowers predicts the timing and number of orders received, assuming that the products will be transported to stores while maintaining their freshness and sold at stores. Then, the production volume of the product is adjusted according to the result of this order prediction. For this reason, when the freshness drops during transportation, orders are placed earlier than expected, and production may not be in time.

JP 2005-343674 A

The problem to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a production adjustment support system that can obtain useful information for adjusting the production of a product from the transportation status of the product from its shipment to its arrival. is.

In one embodiment, a production adjustment support system includes a sensor device, a reading device, and an information processing device. The sensor device measures at least one of temperature and humidity as a value that affects the freshness of products transported from the manufacturer to the shipping destination. The reading device reads values measured in time series by the sensor device. The information processing device estimates the freshness of the product transported to the shipping destination as information related to production adjustment of the product based on the value read by the reading device and the transport time calculated as a parameter related to transport of the product. do .

1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a production adjustment support system; FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a sensor device and a reading device; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the data structure of a sensing data file that the sensor device has; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of office equipment; 4 is a schematic diagram showing the data structure of a product setting record saved in a product setting file of office equipment; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the data structure of a transport parameter record stored in a parameter file of office equipment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the procedure of main information processing executed by the processor of the sensor device according to the control program; FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of main information processing executed by the processor of the reading device according to the control program; 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of main information processing executed by the processor of the office equipment according to the control program; 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of main information processing executed by the processor of the office equipment according to the control program;

An embodiment of a production adjustment support system capable of obtaining useful information for production adjustment of a product from the transportation status of the product from shipment to arrival will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In this embodiment, the product is fresh food such as vegetables and fruits, and the product is transported from the manufacturer/shipper to each store.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a production adjustment support system 1. As shown in FIG. The production adjustment support system 1 includes a sensor device 10 , a reader 20 and office equipment 30 .
The sensor device 10 measures a value that affects the freshness of products transported by truck or the like from the manufacturer/shipper A to the stores B and C that are the shipping destinations. The sensor devices 10 are attached to cases 40 in which products are packed. The place where the sensor device 10 is attached in the case 40 is arbitrary. Any place where the reading device 20 can read sensing data, which will be described later, may be used. Incidentally, the case 40 is printed with a bar code 41 for identifying the product housed therein, or is attached with a bar code label printed with the bar code 41 .

The reading device 20 reads sensing data measured in time series by the sensor device 10 . Sensing data are values that affect the freshness of products. Further, the reader 20 can read the bar code 41 attached to the case 40 . The reading device 20 transmits the read sensing data and barcode data over a network 50 such as the Internet. The reader 20 is installed at the manufacturer/shipper A and each of the stores B and C, respectively.

Office equipment 30 is one aspect of an information processing apparatus capable of data communication via network 50 . The office equipment 30 is also called an office computer. The office equipment 30 receives sensing data and barcode data transmitted from the reading devices 20 of the manufacturer/shipper A and the stores B and C over the network 50 . Based on the data received from each reader 20, the office equipment 30 calculates information related to product production adjustment. Specifically, the office equipment 30 identifies the product transported from the manufacturer/shipper A to each of the stores B and C from the bar code data, and estimates the freshness of the product from the sensing data. Then, the business machine 30 calculates the sales end time of the product as information related to production adjustment from the freshness of the product.

The installation location of the office equipment 30 is arbitrary. The office equipment 30 may be installed at the manufacturer/shipper A, or may be installed at one of the stores B and C. Alternatively, the office equipment 30 may be installed in an information processing center provided separately from the manufacturer/shipper A and the stores B and C.

In addition, a store server 60 of each store is connected to the network 50 . The store server 60 aggregates data related to products sold at the stores B and C, respectively. The store server 60 then provides the aggregated data to the office equipment 30 via the network 50 . The data includes the number of sales, the number of disposals, and the like for each product.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the sensor device 10 and the reading device 20. As shown in FIG.
Sensor device 10 includes processor 11 , memory 12 , timer counter 13 , short range wireless unit 14 , input port 15 , system bus 16 , temperature sensor 17 and humidity sensor 18 . The sensor device 10 connects the temperature sensor 17 and the humidity sensor 18 to the input port 15 . The sensor device 10 also connects the processor 11 , the memory 12 , the timer counter 13 , the short-range wireless unit 14 and the input port 15 to the system bus 16 . The system bus 16 includes an address bus, data bus and control signal lines.

The sensor device 10 constitutes a computer with a processor 11, a memory 12, and a system bus 16 connecting them. The processor 11 corresponds to the central portion of the computer. The processor 11 controls each part to realize various functions of the sensor device 10 according to an operating system and application programs.

The memory 12 corresponds to the main memory portion of the computer. Memory 12 includes a non-volatile memory area and a volatile memory area. The memory 12 stores an operating system and application programs in a non-volatile memory area. The memory 12 may also store data necessary for the processor 11 to execute processing for controlling each unit in a non-volatile or volatile memory area. The memory 12 uses a volatile memory area as a work area in which data is appropriately rewritten by the processor 11 .

The timer counter 13 counts up the timer value at regular intervals. The short-range wireless unit 14 has an antenna (not shown). The short-range wireless unit 14 performs wireless communication with the short-range wireless units of other devices that are close to the antenna. The input port 15 inputs the temperature data signal output from the temperature sensor 17 and the humidity data signal output from the humidity sensor 18 .

The sensor device 10 stores the sensing data file 120 having the data structure shown in FIG. The sensing data file 120 stores the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 17 and the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 18 in chronological order in association with the timer value of the timer counter 13 .

The sensor device 10 having such a configuration is preferably formed of a card-like member so as not to interfere with the transportation of the case 40, and a peelable adhesive layer is provided on one side of this member. The sensor device 10 is detachably adhered to the case 40 before the product is shipped, and is separated from the case 40 after the product is delivered to the stores B and C, and collected to the manufacturer/shipment source A.

Reader 20 includes processor 21 , memory 22 , near field wireless unit 23 , scanner 24 , input device 25 , display device 26 , wireless communication unit 27 and system bus 28 . The reader 20 connects the processor 21 , the memory 22 , the short-range wireless unit 23 , the scanner 24 , the input device 25 , the display device 26 and the wireless communication unit 27 to the system bus 28 . System bus 28 includes an address bus, a data bus and control signal lines.

The reader 20 constitutes a computer with a processor 21, a memory 22, and a system bus 28 connecting them. The processor 21 corresponds to the central portion of the computer. The processor 21 controls each part to implement various functions of the reading device 20 according to an operating system and application programs.

The memory 22 corresponds to the main memory portion of the computer. Memory 22 includes a non-volatile memory area and a volatile memory area. The memory 22 stores an operating system and application programs in a non-volatile memory area. The memory 22 may also store data necessary for the processor 21 to execute processing for controlling each unit in a non-volatile or volatile memory area. The memory 22 uses a volatile memory area as a work area in which data is appropriately rewritten by the processor 21 .

The short-range wireless unit 23 has an antenna (not shown). The short-range wireless unit 23 performs wireless communication with the short-range wireless units of other devices that are close to the antenna. Therefore, by holding the antenna of the short-range wireless unit 23 of the reader 20 over the antenna of the short-range wireless unit 14 of the sensor device 10, data can be transmitted between the reader 20 and the sensor device 10 by the short-range wireless communication method. is sent and received.

The scanner 24 reads the bar code by scanning laser light emitted from the reading window. The barcode that can be read by the scanner 24 is not limited to the one-dimensional barcode as shown in FIG. For example, a two-dimensional bar code (two-dimensional data code) called QR code (registered trademark) may be read.

The input device 25 has various operation buttons. The operation buttons include at least a mode switching button, a ten-key button, a cursor button, and an enter button. The mode switching button switches between the shipping mode and the receiving mode. The shipping mode is an operation mode when the reader 20 is used at the manufacturer/shipper A. FIG. The receipt mode is an operation mode when the reading device 20 is used at each of the stores B and C. FIG. The ten-key buttons are used to input the number of shipments, the number of arrivals, and the like of products. A cursor button and an enter button are used to select any store name from the store name list. The store name list is a list of stores to which products shipped from manufacturer/shipper A are shipped, and is displayed on the display device 26 . By moving the cursor to one of the store names with the cursor button and pressing the enter button, the reading device 20 considers that store name to be selected.

The display device 26 displays various images on its screen. The images include at least a shipping information input image displayed in the shipping mode and a receiving information input image displayed in the receiving mode. The shipping information input image has an input box and a store name list. The input box displays the number of shipments entered using the numeric keypad. The arrival information input image has an input box and a store name list. The input box displays the number of arrivals entered with the numeric keypad.

The wireless communication unit 27 performs wireless communication with the office equipment 30 via the network 50 according to a predetermined communication protocol.

The reading device 20 having such a configuration is preferably of a handy type so that an operator can hold it in one hand and read sensing data from the sensor device 10 . In the reading device 20, an operation panel integrating an input device 25 and a display device 26 is arranged on one side of the main body, and a reading window of the scanner 24 and an antenna of the short-range wireless unit 23 are arranged on the other side. do. With this arrangement, the operator holds the reading window of the scanner 24 over the bar code 41 of the case 40, or holds the antenna of the short-range wireless unit 23 over the sensor device 10 of the case 40, and the display device 26 The operation of inputting each button of the input device 25 while viewing the screen can be performed without bringing back the reading device 20.例文帳に追加Therefore, the operability of the reading device 20 is improved.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the office equipment 30. As shown in FIG. Office equipment 30 includes processor 31, memory 32, auxiliary storage device 33, clock section 34, communication interface 35, keyboard controller 36, keyboard 37, display controller 38, display 39, printer controller 310, printer 311 and system bus 312. . The office equipment 30 connects the processor 31 , memory 32 , auxiliary storage device 33 , clock section 34 , communication interface 35 , keyboard controller 36 , display controller 38 and printer controller 310 to the system bus 312 . System bus 312 includes an address bus, a data bus and control signal lines.

The office equipment 30 constitutes a computer with a processor 31, a memory 32, and a system bus 312 connecting them. The processor 31 corresponds to the core part of the computer. The processor 31 controls each part to realize various functions of the office equipment 30 according to an operating system and application programs.

The memory 32 corresponds to the main memory portion of the computer. Memory 32 includes a non-volatile memory area and a volatile memory area. The memory 32 stores an operating system and application programs in a non-volatile memory area. The memory 32 may also store data necessary for the processor 31 to execute processing for controlling each unit in a non-volatile or volatile memory area. The memory 32 uses a volatile memory area as a work area in which data is appropriately rewritten by the processor 31 .

The auxiliary storage device 33 corresponds to the auxiliary storage portion of the computer. The auxiliary storage device 33 stores data used by the processor 31 for various processes and data generated by the processes performed by the processor 31 . The auxiliary storage device 33 may store the above application programs. As the auxiliary storage device 33, for example, EEPROM (Electric Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), HDD (Hard Disc Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive) or the like is used.

The clock unit 34 functions as a time information source for the office equipment 30 . The processor 31 clocks the current date and time based on the time information clocked by the clock unit 34 .
The communication interface 35 is connected to the network 50 and transmits data to the network 50 and receives data transmitted through the network 50 .

The keyboard controller 36 controls the keyboard 37 and takes in key data input by key operation. The keyboard 37 is a well-known input device having character keys, numeric keys, function keys, an enter key, and the like.

The display controller 38 controls the display 39 to display various images on the screen of the display 39 . The display 39 is a well-known display device using TFT (Thin Film Transistor) liquid crystal, for example. The display 39 may be equipped with a touch panel as an input device.

A printer controller 310 controls a printer 311 to print characters, bar codes, two-dimensional data codes, etc. on a paper medium. The printer 311 is, for example, a dot matrix impact printer.

The office equipment 30 having such a configuration has a product setting file 331 and a parameter file 332 . Both files 331 and 332 are stored in the auxiliary storage device 33 .

The product setting file 331 stores a product setting record 331R in which data of items shown in FIG. 5 are recorded for each product shipped from the manufacturer/shipper A. FIG. The product setting record 331R includes a product code. A product code is a unique code set for each product to individually identify each product. In one product setting record 331R, the product name, permissible sales time, freshness-compensated temperature range, freshness-compensated humidity range, permissible transportation time, and damage coefficient k are recorded as data related to the product specified by the product code. .

The allowable sales time is the time required from the time the product is shipped by the manufacturer/shipper A to the time the product is sold at the store. The permissible sales time is arbitrarily set by, for example, the product manufacturer on the assumption that the product is transported to stores B and C and sold at the store while maintaining the freshness of the product. The freshness-compensating temperature range and the freshness-compensating humidity range are the temperature range and humidity range in which it is estimated that the freshness of the product will not deteriorate during transportation within the permissible transportation time. In addition to being transported by truck, it is also considered to be in transit while it is temporarily stored in a warehouse at a relay point.

The damage coefficient k is a quantification of the rate at which the product is damaged when the temperature or humidity during transportation deviates from the freshness compensation temperature range or the freshness compensation humidity range for each product. The damage coefficient k of a reference product, for example, a product with an average speed of deterioration, is set to "1", with a value greater than 1 for products with a faster speed of deterioration, and a value smaller than 1 for products with a slower speed of deterioration. is set as the damage coefficient k. This damage coefficient k is also arbitrarily set by the product manufacturer, for example.

The parameter file 332 saves a transport parameter record 332R in which data items shown in FIG. 6 are recorded for each case 40 transported to stores B and C. FIG. That is, the transportation parameter record 332R includes the store name and product code. The store name is the transportation destination of the case 40 . The product code is the identification code of the product housed in the case 40 . One transportation parameter record 332R contains parameters related to the transportation of the product housed in the case 40, including shipping date and time, number of shipments, date and time of arrival, number of arrivals, transportation time, maximum temperature, minimum temperature, average temperature, maximum temperature, and maximum temperature. Humidity, minimum humidity, average humidity, freshness and end-of-sale date and time are recorded.

The date and time of shipment and the number of shipments are the date and time when the case 40 was shipped from the manufacturer/shipment source A and the number of products contained in the case 40 . The date and time of arrival and the number of arrivals are the date and time when the cases 40 are delivered to the stores B and C and the inspection is performed, and the number of products after the products damaged by the inspection are discarded. The transportation time is the time required for transportation of the case 40 . The transportation time is obtained as the elapsed time from the date and time of shipment to the date and time of arrival. The maximum temperature is the maximum temperature measured by the temperature sensor 17 during transportation. The lowest temperature is the lowest temperature measured by the temperature sensor 17 during transportation. The average temperature is the average temperature measured by the temperature sensor 17 during transportation. The maximum humidity is the maximum value of humidity measured by the humidity sensor 18 during transportation. The minimum humidity is the lowest value of humidity measured by the humidity sensor 18 during transportation. The average humidity is the average value of humidity measured by the humidity sensor 18 during transportation. The freshness is data obtained by quantifying the freshness of the product in the case 40 at the time of arrival at the stores B and C. The sales end date and time is the date and time when the sale of the product in the case 40 is predicted to end at the stores B and C. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the procedure of main information processing executed by the processor 11 of the sensor device 10 according to the control program, and FIG. is a flow chart showing the procedure of . 9 and 10 are flowcharts showing the main information processing procedures executed by the processor 31 of the office equipment 30 according to the control program. The operation of the production adjustment support system 1 will be described below with reference to these figures. It should be noted that the information processing procedures shown in FIGS. 7 to 10 and described below are merely examples, and various processing procedures can be appropriately used as long as similar results can be obtained.

At the manufacturing/shipping source A, products to be shipped are stored in a case 40, and a bar code indicating the product code of the stored product is attached to the case 40. - 特許庁Also, the sensor device 10 is attached to the case 40 .

When shipping the product, the person in charge of shipping first sets the operation mode of the reading device 20 to the shipping mode. Subsequently, the person in charge of shipping holds the reading window of the reader 20 over the bar code 41 of the case 40 containing the product to be shipped, and scans the bar code 41 .

As shown in FIG. 8, the processor 21 of the reader 20 waits for the bar code to be scanned as Act 201 . When the barcode is scanned by the scanner 24, the processor 21 determines in Act 202 whether or not the barcode is the barcode 41 representing the product code. If a barcode other than barcode 41 is scanned (NO in Act 202), processor 21 executes other processing based on that barcode.

If the barcode 41 is scanned (YES in Act 202), the processor 21 stores the product code obtained by analyzing the barcode 41 in the memory 22 as Act 203. The processor 21 then determines the operation mode as Act 204 . At this point, the operation mode is the shipping mode ("shipping" in Act204), so the processor 21 causes the screen of the display device 26 to display the shipping information input image in Act205. The processor 21 then waits for input of shipping information in Act 206 .

After confirming the shipping information input image, the person in charge of shipping operates the cursor key and the enter key to select the store name to which the product to be shipped is to be delivered from the store name list. Also, the person in charge of shipping operates the ten-key buttons to input the number of products contained in the case 40, that is, the number of shipments, in the input box. When the shipping information such as the store name and the number of shipments is thus input (YES in Act 206 ), the processor 21 stores the shipping information in the memory 22 .

The person in charge of shipping who has input the shipping information holds the antenna of the short-range wireless unit 23 mounted on the reading device 20 over the sensor device 10 attached to the case 40 . Then, short-range wireless communication is started between the short-range wireless unit 23 and the short-range wireless unit 14 mounted on the sensor device 10 .

The processor 21 of the reader 20 that has stored the shipping information waits for short-range wireless communication as Act 208 . When short-range wireless communication is started (YES in Act 208), the processor 21 uses short-range wireless communication in Act 209 to output a shipping command. The processor 21 also controls the wireless communication unit 27 as Act 210 to wirelessly transmit the shipping data to the office equipment 30 . The shipping data includes the product code stored in the memory 22 and shipping information (store name, number of shipments). With this, the processor 21 ends the processing in the shipping mode.

As shown in FIG. 7, the processor 11 of the sensor device 10 waits for a shipping command as Act101. When the shipping command is received via the short-range wireless unit 14 (YES in Act101), the processor 11 resets the timer value T of the timer counter 13 to "0" in Act102. In Act 103, the processor 11 also sets the count value n of the multiplier counter to "1". The multiplier counter is stored in memory 12 .

The processor 11 waits for the timer counter 13 to count up as Act104. As described above, the timer counter 13 counts up at regular intervals. When the timer counter 13 counts up (YES in Act104), the processor 11 determines whether the timer value T of the timer counter 13 has reached n times the sampling period C in Act105. A sampling period C is a period for taking in data from the temperature sensor 17 and the humidity sensor 18, and its value is arbitrary. The sampling period C may be a fixed value in the sensor device 10, or may be changeable to a desired value by the user. The multiple n is the count value n of the multiplier counter.

If the timer value T of the timer counter 13 has not reached n times the sampling period C (NO in Act105), the processor 11 returns to the processing of Act104. The processor 11 then waits for the timer counter 13 to count up again. Therefore, the processor 11 determines whether the timer value T has reached n times the sampling period C each time the timer counter 13 counts up.

When the timer value T reaches n times the sampling period C (YES in Act 105), the processor 11 detects the temperature t detected by the temperature sensor 17 and the humidity h detected by the humidity sensor 18 input to the input port 15 as Act 106. take in. Then, the processor 11 records the timer value T of the timer counter 13, the detected temperature t, and the detected humidity h as one record in the sensing data file 120 as Act107.

The processor 11 counts up the multiplier counter as Act 108 . In Act 109, the processor 11 confirms whether or not the receipt command has been received. If the arrival command has not been received, the processor 11 returns to the process of Act104 and executes the processes of Act104 to Act109 again.

Thus, in the sensor device 10, after receiving the shipping command, the detected temperature t and the detected humidity h are captured every time the sampling period C elapses. Then, the detected temperature t and the detected humidity h are recorded in the sensing data file 120 in association with the timer value T of the timer counter 13 .

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, the processor 31 of the office equipment 30 waits for data reception via the communication interface 35 as Act 301 . When data is received (YES in Act 301), the processor 31 determines whether the data received in Act 302 is shipping data or arrival data.

When the received data is shipping data ("Shipping" in Act 302), the processor 31 detects the date and time clocked by the clock unit 34 as the shipping date and time in Act 303. Processor 31 then creates transport parameter record 332R as Act 304 . At this time, in addition to the shipping date and time, the product code included in the shipping data is set in the transportation parameter record 332R. Also, the store name and the number of shipments in the shipping information included in the same shipping data are set in the transportation parameter record 332R. The date and time of arrival, number of arrivals, transportation time, maximum temperature, minimum temperature, average temperature, maximum humidity, minimum humidity, average humidity, freshness, and end-of-sale date and time are initially set to "0". The processor 31 registers the transportation parameter record 332R created as Act 305 in the parameter file 332 . With this, the processor 31 ends the processing when receiving the shipping data.

In this way, the person in charge of shipping scans the bar code 41 of the case 40 to be shipped with the reading device 20 set to the shipping mode, and holds the reading device 20 over the sensor device 10 attached to the case 40. and perform operations. By performing such an operation, the temperature t and the humidity h detected at intervals of the sampling period C are recorded in the sensing data file 120 of the sensor device 10 in chronological order. In addition, a transport parameter record 332R is registered in the parameter file 332 of the office equipment 30, in which the store name, product code, date and time of shipment, and the number of shipments of the products housed in the case 40 are recorded.

At stores B and C that have received the merchandise, inspection work is performed. At this time, the person in charge of inspection sets the operation mode of the reading device 20 to the receiving mode. Subsequently, the person in charge of inspection scans the barcode 41 of the case 40 containing the received merchandise by holding the reading window of the reader 20 over the barcode 41 .

As shown in FIG. 8, the processor 21 of the reading device 20 executes the processes of Act201 to Act204 described above. At this point, the operation mode is the arrival mode ("arrival" at Act 204), so the processor 21 causes the screen of the display device 26 to display the arrival information input image at Act 211. FIG. Then, the processor 21 waits for arrival information to be input in Act 212 .

The person in charge of inspection who confirms the receiving information input image operates the cursor key and the enter key to select his own store name from the store name list. Also, the person in charge of inspection operates the ten-key buttons to input the number of products contained in the case 40 excluding the products to be discarded due to damage, that is, the number of arrivals. When the arrival information such as the store name and the number of arrivals is thus input (YES in Act 212 ), the processor 21 stores the arrival information in the memory 22 .

The person in charge of inspection who has input the arrival information holds up the antenna of the short-range wireless unit 23 mounted on the reading device 20 to the sensor device 10 attached to the case 40 . Then, short-range wireless communication is started between the short-range wireless unit 23 and the short-range wireless unit 14 mounted on the sensor device 10 .

The processor 21 of the reading device 20 that has stored the arrival information waits for short-range wireless communication in Act 214 . When short-range wireless communication is started (YES in Act 214), processor 21 uses short-range wireless communication in Act 215 to output an arrival command.

As shown in FIG. 7, the processor 11 of the sensor device 10 that has received the shipping command executes the processing of Act101 to Act109 described above. Here, when the arrival command is received via the short-range wireless unit 14 (YES in Act 109), the processor 11 reads the sensing data stored in the sensing data file 120 via the short-range wireless unit 14 as Act 110. Send to device 20 . Thus, the information processing executed by the processor 101 of the sensor device 10 that has received the shipping command according to the control program ends.

As shown in FIG. 8, the processor 21 of the reading device 20 that has output the arrival command receives sensing data from the sensor device 10 as Act 216 . Then, the processor 21 controls the wireless communication unit 27 in Act 217 to wirelessly transmit arrival data to the office equipment 30 . The arrival data includes the sensing data received in Act 216, the product code stored in the memory 22, and arrival information (store name, arrival quantity). With this, the processor 21 ends the processing in the receipt mode.

As shown in FIG. 9, the processor 31 of the office equipment 30 executes the processes of Act301 and Act302 described above. Here, when the received information is arrival data (“arrival” in Act 302), the processor 31 detects the date and time clocked by the clock unit 34 as the date and time of arrival in Act 306. FIG. Also, the processor 31 searches the parameter file 332 as Act 307 for the store name and product code included in the arrival data. Then, the processor 31 determines whether or not there is a transportation parameter record 332R in which the store name and product code match and the data of arrival date and time and the number of arrivals are initialized. If the relevant transportation parameter record 332R does not exist (NO in Act 308), the processor 31 terminates this information processing as an error.

If the relevant transport parameter record 332R is detected from the parameter file 332 (YES in Act308), the processor 31 acquires transport parameters in Act309. Specifically, the processor 31 calculates the transportation time, which is the elapsed time from the shipping date and time recorded in the transportation parameter record 332R to the arrival date and time detected in the processing of Act306. The processor 31 also obtains the maximum temperature, minimum temperature, average temperature, maximum humidity, minimum humidity and average humidity from the sensing data included in the arrival data. In the process of Act308, if a plurality of relevant transport parameter records 332R are detected, the transport parameter record 332R with the oldest shipping date and time is selected and the process of Act309 is executed.

Next, the processor 31 executes an estimation calculation process as Act 310 based on the transportation parameters. The procedure of this estimation calculation process is shown by the flow chart of FIG. That is, the processor 31 retrieves the product setting file 331 using the product code included in the arrival data as Act 321 to obtain product data. The merchandise data includes permissible sales time, freshness-compensating temperature range, freshness-compensating humidity range, permissible transportation time, and damage coefficient k. In Act 322, the processor 31 also sets the count value P of the evaluation counter to "0". The rating counter is stored in memory 32 .

Next, the processor 31 determines in Act 323 whether or not the maximum temperature is within the freshness compensation temperature range. Then, if the maximum temperature is outside the freshness compensation temperature range (NO in Act323), the processor 31 counts up the evaluation counter in Act324. After counting up the evaluation counter or if the maximum temperature is within the freshness compensation temperature range (YES in Act 323), the processor 31 determines in Act 325 whether the minimum temperature is within the freshness compensation temperature range. Then, if the minimum temperature is outside the freshness compensation temperature range (NO in Act325), the processor 31 counts up the evaluation counter in Act326. After counting up the evaluation counter or if the minimum temperature is within the freshness compensation temperature range (YES in Act 325), the processor 31 determines in Act 327 whether the average temperature is within the freshness compensation temperature range. Then, if the average temperature is outside the freshness compensation temperature range (NO in Act327), the processor 31 counts up the evaluation counter in Act328.

After counting up the evaluation counter or if the average temperature is within the freshness compensation temperature range (YES in Act 327), the processor 31 determines in Act 329 whether the maximum humidity is within the freshness compensation humidity range. Then, if the maximum humidity is outside the freshness compensation humidity range (NO in Act329), the processor 31 counts up the evaluation counter in Act330. After counting up the evaluation counter or if the maximum humidity is within the freshness compensation humidity range (YES in Act 329), the processor 31 determines in Act 331 whether the minimum humidity is within the freshness compensation humidity range. Then, if the lowest humidity is outside the freshness compensation humidity range (NO in Act331), the processor 31 counts up the evaluation counter in Act332. After counting up the evaluation counter or if the lowest humidity is within the freshness compensation humidity region (YES in Act 331), the processor 31 determines in Act 333 whether the average humidity is within the freshness compensation humidity region. Then, if the average humidity is outside the freshness compensation humidity range (NO in Act333), the processor 31 counts up the evaluation counter in Act334. After counting up the evaluation counter or if the average humidity is within the freshness compensation humidity range (YES in Act 333), the processor 31 determines in Act 335 whether or not the transport time is within the allowable transport time. Then, if the transport time exceeds the transport allowable time (NO in Act335), the processor 31 counts up the evaluation counter in Act336.

After counting up the evaluation counter or if the transport time is within the transport allowable time (YES in Act335), the processor 31 estimates the freshness F of the product as Act337 using the following formula (1).
F = 100-kP (1)
In the formula (1), F is the freshness, k is the spoilage coefficient, and P is the count value of the evaluation counter. Therefore, when the maximum temperature, minimum temperature, and average temperature are within the freshness compensation temperature range, the maximum humidity, minimum humidity, and average humidity are within the freshness compensation humidity range, and the transportation time is within the transportation allowable time. Freshness F is estimated at 100%. On the other hand, if "NO" is determined for any one of the items, the freshness F is presumed to have decreased by the damage coefficient k. The degree of decrease increases in proportion to the number of items determined as "NO".
Here, the office equipment 30 affects the freshness of the products transported to the stores B and C on the freshness of the products transported from the manufacturer/shipper A to the stores B and C by the processing of Act 37 executed by the processor 31. An estimating means for estimating from values (in this embodiment, sensing data of temperature and humidity measured in time series by the sensor device 10) is configured.

After estimating the freshness F in this way, the processor 31 calculates the sale end date and time D of the product as Act 338 using the following equation (2).

D = (shipment date + sales allowable time) - [(100-F) hours] (2)
(2) In the formula, F is freshness. Therefore, when the freshness F is 100%, the sale end date and time D is the date and time obtained by adding the allowable sales time to the shipping date and time. On the other hand, for example, when the freshness F is 99%, the sales end date and time D is the date and time obtained by subtracting one hour from the date and time obtained by adding the permitted sales time to the shipping date and time. Similarly, for example, when the freshness F is 90%, the sale end date/time D is the date/time obtained by adding the allowable sales time to the shipping date/time and subtracting 10 hours from the date/time. Thus, the sales end date and time D becomes shorter as the freshness F of the product decreases.
Here, the office equipment 30 constitutes calculation means for calculating the sales end time of the product as information related to production adjustment of the product from the freshness of the product estimated by the estimation means by the processing of Act 38 executed by the processor 31. .

With this, the estimation calculation process ends. When the estimation calculation process ends, the processor 31 determines whether the freshness F is smaller than the warning threshold K as Act 311 . The warning threshold K is a value at which it is estimated that the product should not be sold if the freshness F drops below this value K. If the freshness F is smaller than the warning threshold K (YES in Act311), the processor 31 issues a warning in Act312. The warning is given by, for example, displaying a warning message on the display 39 indicating that the product cannot be sold or confirms the freshness of the product. Alternatively, it is performed by transmitting a warning command to the reading device 20 that is the source of arrival data transmission. In this case, in the reading device 20 that has received the warning command, a warning message is displayed on the display 39 indicating that the product cannot be sold or that freshness is to be confirmed.

After issuing the warning, or if the freshness F is equal to or greater than the warning threshold K (NO in Act311), the processor 31 updates the transportation parameter record 332R in Act313. That is, the processor 31 stores the arrival date and time, the number of arrivals, the transportation time, the maximum temperature, the minimum temperature, the average temperature, the maximum humidity, Minimum humidity, average humidity, freshness F, and end-of-sale date D are set. With this, the processor 31 completes the processing when receiving the arrival data.

In this way, the person in charge of inspection scans the barcode 41 of the received case 40 with the reading device 20 set to the receiving mode, and holds the reading device 20 over the sensor device 10 attached to the case 40. and perform operations. By performing such an operation, the detected temperature t and the detected humidity h at intervals of the sampling period C recorded in time series in the sensing data file 120 of the sensor device 10 are sent to the office equipment 30 via the reading device 20. sent out. On the other hand, the office equipment 30 acquires transport parameters based on the sensing data. Then, the freshness F of the product housed in the case 40 is estimated from the transport parameters, and the sales end date D of the product is calculated from the freshness F. The data of the calculated sales end date and time D are saved in the parameter file 332 as the transportation parameter record 332R together with the transportation parameters and the freshness F.

In this way, the information of the transportation parameter record 332R saved in the parameter file 332 of the office machine 30 can be displayed on the display 39 of the office machine 30. FIG. It is also possible to print out on recording paper by the printer 311 of the office equipment 30 . The displayed or printed information includes the number of products received at the stores B and C and the sales end date and time D. As shown in FIG. This sales end date and time D is calculated in consideration of whether or not the transportation status from the shipment of the product to the arrival of the product affects the freshness of the product.

Therefore, the product manufacturer/shipper A can approximately accurately predict the next order timing and order quantity based on information on the number of products received at stores B and C and the sales end date and time D. That is, according to the production adjustment support system 1, it is possible to easily obtain information useful for production adjustment of the product from the transportation status from the shipment of the product to the arrival of the product.

In addition, in the production adjustment support system 1, when the freshness F of the product estimated by the office equipment 30 is below a predetermined warning threshold K, that is, when the freshness F falls below the warning threshold K, a warning is issued to the user that the product cannot be sold or that the freshness is confirmed. is emitted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the mistake of mistakenly selling a product whose freshness has deteriorated due to transportation conditions.

Modifications of the embodiment will be described below.
In the above embodiment, both the temperature and humidity measured by the sensor device 10 attached to the case 40 containing the product are used as values that affect the freshness of the product transported from the manufacturer to the shipping destination. In other embodiments, it may be either temperature or humidity. In addition, if values other than temperature and humidity, such as vibrations during transportation, are considered to affect freshness, a vibration sensor may be used to detect the vibrations during transportation and capture them as values that affect the freshness of the product. .

In the above embodiment, the freshness F of the product is estimated and the sale end date and time D is calculated according to the procedure shown in the flow chart of FIG. The method of estimating the freshness F and the method of calculating the sales end date and time D are not limited to this. The point is that the freshness of the product transported to the shipping destination can be estimated from the values measured in chronological order by the sensor device 10, and the sales end time of the product can be calculated from the freshness. Furthermore, it is possible to calculate the sales end time of the product from the values measured in chronological order by the sensor device 10 without estimating the freshness. In addition, the information related to production adjustment is not limited to the sales end time of the product. For example, if production adjustment is performed based on the freshness of goods at the time of arrival, the information related to production adjustment will be the freshness F of the goods transported to the shipping destination.

In the above-described embodiment, the store servers 60 of the stores B and C are connected to the network so that the office equipment 30 can collect data such as the number of sales and the number of discarded products for each product collected by the store server 60. there is Therefore, the office equipment 30 may calculate the data of the sales end date and time D as the information related to the production adjustment of the product, taking into consideration the data such as the number of daily sales and the number of disposal.

Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, the sensor device 10 is attached to the case 40 , but the mounting location of the sensor device 10 is not limited to the case 40 . As long as it can be attached directly to the product, that is fine. Alternatively, the sensor device 10 may be attached to the truck in order to measure the value affecting the freshness of the merchandise transported from the manufacturer to the shipping destination with the truck that transports the merchandise as a unit.

Note that transfer of office equipment, which is one aspect of an information processing apparatus, is generally performed in a state in which a program such as a control program is stored in a ROM. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a control program or the like assigned separately from the office equipment may be written in a writable storage device included in the office equipment according to the user's operation. Transfer of the control program or the like can be performed by recording it on a removable recording medium or by communication via a network. The recording medium may be of any form, such as CD-ROM, memory card, etc., as long as it can store the program and can be read by the device. Also, the functions obtained by installing or downloading a program may be realized in cooperation with an OS (Operating System) or the like inside the apparatus.

Additionally, while several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.
The invention described in the original claims of the present application is appended below.
[1] A sensor device that measures values that affect the freshness of products transported from the manufacturer to the shipping destination, a reader that reads the values measured in chronological order by the sensor device, and the values read by the reader and an information processing device that calculates information related to production adjustment of the product from the value.
[2] The information processing device estimates the freshness of the product transported to the shipping destination from the value, and calculates the sales end time of the product as information related to production adjustment of the product from the freshness of the product. The production adjustment support system according to [1].
[3] The production adjustment support system according to [2], wherein the information processing device outputs a warning signal when the estimated freshness of the product is equal to or less than a predetermined value.
[4] The production adjustment support system according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the sensor device measures at least one of temperature and humidity as a value that affects the freshness of the product.
[5] Construct a production adjustment support system together with a sensor device that measures values that affect the freshness of products transported from the manufacturer to the shipping destination, and a reading device that reads the values measured in time series by the sensor device. an information processing device for calculating information relating to production adjustment of the product from the value read by the reading device, the estimation means for estimating the freshness of the product transported to the shipping destination from the value; and a calculating means for calculating a sales end time of the product as information related to production adjustment of the product from the freshness of the product estimated by the estimating means.
[6] Construct a production adjustment support system together with a sensor device that measures values that affect the freshness of products transported from the manufacturer to the shipping destination, and a reading device that reads the values measured in time series by the sensor device. an estimating function for estimating the freshness of the product transported to the shipping destination from the value in a computer for calculating information related to production adjustment of the product from the value read by the reading device; A control program for realizing a calculation function of calculating a sales end time of the product as information related to production adjustment of the product from the estimated freshness of the product.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Production adjustment support system 10... Sensor device 11, 21, 31... Processor, 12, 22, 32... Memory, 13... Timer counter, 14, 23... Near field wireless unit, 17... Temperature sensor, 18... Humidity Sensor 20 Reader 24 Scanner 25 Input device 26 Display device 27 Wireless communication unit 30 Office equipment 33 Auxiliary storage device 34 Clock unit 35 Communication interface 37 Keyboard 39 Display 311 Printer 40 Case 41 Barcode 50 Network 60 Store server 120 Sensing data file 331 Product setting file 332 Parameter file.

Claims (6)

a sensor device that measures at least one of temperature and humidity as a value that affects the freshness of products transported from the manufacturer to the shipping destination;
a reading device for reading the values measured in time series by the sensor device;
Estimate the freshness of the product transported to the shipping destination as information related to production adjustment of the product based on the value read by the reading device and the transportation time calculated as a parameter related to the transportation of the product. an information processing device that
and
The information processing device estimates that the freshness has decreased by the coefficient when the maximum value, the maximum value and the average value of the values are not within the freshness compensation area and when the transportation time is not within the transportation allowable time. Production adjustment support system. The information processing device calculates the sales end time of the product as information related to production adjustment of the product from the estimated freshness of the product.
The production adjustment support system according to claim 1. further comprising a vibration sensor device that detects vibration during transportation as a value that affects the freshness of the product transported from the manufacturer to the shipping destination;
the reading device reads the values measured in time series by the sensor device and the vibration sensor device;
3. The production adjustment support system according to claim 1 or 2. A sensor device that measures at least one of temperature and humidity as a value that affects the freshness of products transported from a manufacturer to a shipping destination, and a reading device that reads the values chronologically measured by the sensor device to support production adjustment. An information processing device that constitutes a system and estimates information related to production adjustment of the product based on the value read by the reading device and a transportation time calculated as a parameter related to the transportation of the product. ,
Estimation means for estimating the freshness of the product transported to the shipping destination as information related to production adjustment of the product based on the value and the transportation time;
and
Information for estimating that the freshness has decreased by the coefficient when the maximum value, the maximum value, and the average value of the values are not within the freshness compensation area, and when the transportation time is not within the transportation allowable time. processing equipment. The information processing device includes calculation means for calculating a sales end time of the product as information related to production adjustment of the product from the freshness of the product estimated by the estimation means;
5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: The production adjustment support system further comprises a vibration sensor device that detects vibration during transportation as a value that affects the freshness of the product transported from the manufacturer to the shipping destination,
the reading device reads the values measured in time series by the sensor device and the vibration sensor device;
6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 or 5.

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