WO2018167824A1

WO2018167824A1 - Inventory management system, inventory management method, and program

Info

Publication number: WO2018167824A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/009989
Authority: WO
Inventors: 中野　聡
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2017-03-13
Filing date: 2017-03-13
Publication date: 2018-09-20
Also published as: JP6823158B2; JPWO2018167824A1

Abstract

An inventory management system (100) is connected to equipment and manages inventories of goods that are used when the equipment is in operation. The inventory management system (100) comprises an acquisition device (110), a reception device (120), and a notification device (130). The acquisition device (110) acquires inventory information (111) indicating inventory quantities for two or more items. The reception device (120) receives operation information (121) relating to the operation of the equipment. If there are items for which the current inventory quantity as determined on the basis of the inventory information (111) and the operation information (121) falls within a first range, and the number of such items exceeds a threshold value, then the notification device (130) provides notification that these items should be further stocked.

Description

Inventory management system, inventory management method and program

The present invention relates to an inventory management system, an inventory management method, and a program.

It is preferable to store a certain amount of articles represented by consumables and parts that need to be replaced depending on the state of use in a warehouse at hand. When the amount of articles stored in the warehouse is reduced by using the articles in the warehouse, new articles need to be received. Here, it is important to manage the stock quantity in order to determine an appropriate storage quantity.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for inventory management and purchase support. In this technique, a sensor is provided for each article, and the remaining amount of the article is managed using a sensor network. Then, an order is placed as necessary. Thereby, the stock quantity of goods can be managed and an appropriate quantity can be received.

JP 2005-112499 A

In the technique described in Patent Document 1, since a sensor provided for each article is used, it is costly to introduce such a sensor, and complicated work occurs. Even if sensors are provided for each item, frequent ordering and warehousing may occur if the warehouse itself is small or the number of managers managing the warehouse is small. Burden a person.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to reduce the burden on an administrator who manages a warehouse.

In order to achieve the above object, an inventory management system of the present invention is an inventory management system that manages the inventory of articles that are connected to equipment and used when the equipment is in operation. Articles in which the current inventory amount indicated by the acquisition means for acquiring inventory information indicating the inventory quantity, the receiving means for receiving operation information relating to the operation of the apparatus from the apparatus, and the inventory information and the operation information are within the first range And a notification means for notifying that the article should be received when the number of types exceeds the threshold.

According to the present invention, when the number of types of articles whose current inventory quantity is within the first range exceeds a threshold, the inventory management system notifies that the articles should be received. For this reason, a certain amount of goods is received in one warehousing, and the frequency of warehousing is reduced. As a result, the burden on the manager who manages the warehouse can be reduced.

Diagram showing the outline of the inventory management system The figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the apparatus which constitutes the inventory management system Diagram showing the functional configuration of the inventory management system Diagram showing an example of inventory information Diagram showing an example of operating information Diagram showing an example of the inventory database Figure showing an example of the usage database Diagram showing updated inventory database 1st figure for demonstrating a threshold value 2nd figure for demonstrating a threshold value 1st figure for demonstrating the change of a threshold value The 2nd figure for explaining change of a threshold 1st figure which shows the example of the screen displayed by an alerting | reporting part. 2nd figure which shows the example of the screen displayed by an alerting | reporting part. 3rd figure which shows the example of the screen displayed by an alerting | reporting part. 4th figure which shows the example of the screen displayed by an alerting | reporting part. Flow chart showing notification process The figure which shows an example of the inventory database which concerns on Embodiment 2. The figure which shows an example of the inventory database which concerns on Embodiment 3.

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

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

The article 21 is a general term for items stored in the warehouse 20 and includes the

articles

211, 212, and 213. In the present embodiment, the article 211 is shampoo, the article 212 is tea in a plastic bottle, and the article 213 is tissue paper. The warehouse 20 is a space for storing articles, and it is not necessary to store all the articles 21 in one partitioned space. For example, an article 211 that is shampoo is stored in a storage space near the bathroom, an article 212 that is tea in a plastic bottle is stored in a kitchen storage space, and an article 213 that is tissue paper is placed in another empty space in the living room. Also good. The warehouse 20 according to the present embodiment is equal to the living space in the house.

Also, each article 21 is used when the device 30 is in operation. The device 30 is a general term for electric devices installed in a house, and includes

devices

31, 32, and 33. A broken line connecting the article 21 and the device 30 in FIG. 1 indicates the correspondence between the operation of the devices 31 to 33 and the use of the items 211 to 213.

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

Also, the device 32 is a refrigerator, and when the device 32 operates and detects the opening and closing of the door, the article 212 that is tea in a plastic bottle is consumed by the resident. Further, the device 33 is a lighting device, and when the device 33 performs a lighting operation in which the room 33 illuminates the room, the article 213 that is a tissue paper is consumed at a certain frequency by residents in the room.

In addition, as an example of the use of the article 21, it has been described that the article 21 is consumed by a resident when the device 30 operates, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the device 30 is an automobile and the automobile is operated by a resident's operation and performs an air conditioning operation in the automobile, a built-in filter of the automobile may be used. Moreover, operation | movement of the apparatus 30 is not restricted to operation by operation of a resident, The autonomous operation | movement of the apparatus 30 may be sufficient. Furthermore, although the case where the warehouse 20 is a house and the device 30 is an electric device installed in the house has been described as an example, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the warehouse 20 may be an office storage space and the device 30 may be an information device installed in the office, or the warehouse 20 may be a dedicated warehouse provided in the factory, and the device 30 is the factory. Equipment equipment installed in the

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

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

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

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

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

The auxiliary storage unit 43 includes a nonvolatile memory represented by a hard disk and a flash memory. In addition to the program 48, the auxiliary storage unit 43 stores various data used for the processing of the processor 41. The auxiliary storage unit 43 supplies data used by the processor 41 to the processor 41 in accordance with an instruction from the processor 41, and stores the data supplied from the processor 41.

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

The output unit 45 includes an output device represented by an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a speaker. The output unit 45 presents various information to the user in accordance with instructions from the processor 41.

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

The acquisition device 110, the reception device 120, and the notification device 130 constituting the inventory management system 100 exhibit various functions through the cooperation of the above-described hardware configuration. FIG. 3 shows a functional configuration of the inventory management system 100.

In this embodiment, the acquisition device 110 is a mobile terminal represented by a smartphone with a camera and a tablet terminal. The acquisition device 110 acquires the image data of the article 21 by prompting the user to photograph the package of the article 21 in stock. The acquisition device 110 inquires of an external server about the image data, thereby acquiring the inventory information 111 indicating the inventory amount of the photographed article 21 from the server. Then, the acquisition device 110 transmits the acquired inventory information 111 to the notification device 130.

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

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

FIG. 4 shows an example of the inventory information 111. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the inventory information 111 is table data including one or a plurality of rows in which article names, inventory quantities, warehousing dates, and expiration dates are associated with each other. In addition, when the exact warehousing date is not known, the date when the acquisition device 110 acquires the inventory information 111 may be set as the warehousing date. In addition, when the exact expiration date is not known, the acquisition device 110 may query an external server for the article name and use the expiration date calculated from the warehousing date as the expiration date. For example, for “shampoo” in FIG. 4, the acquisition device 110 obtains data indicating that the expiration date is three years after the date of receipt from an external server, and sets the expiration date.

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

FIG. 5 shows an example of the operation information 121. As shown in FIG. 5, the operation information 121 is one in which an identification number of the device 30, an operation state of the device 30, and an operation time including an operation start date and time and an end date and time of the device are associated with each other. Table data including a plurality of rows. For the sake of convenience, the identification numbers of the devices 30 shown in FIG. 5 correspond to the codes of the devices 31 to 33 shown in FIG. The operating state includes an operation mode represented by cooling operation and heating operation when the device 30 is an air conditioner, illuminance when the device 30 is a lighting device, and thermal power when the device 30 is a cooking device. Representative operating strength may be included. Further, the operation state may include a detection result by a sensor included in the device 30.

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

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

The stock database 51 is a database generated by storing the stock information 111. FIG. 6 shows an example of the inventory database 51. As shown in FIG. 6, the inventory database 51 includes “type number”, “article name”, “classification”, “inventory amount”, “receipt date” for identifying the type of each item 21, “Expiration date”, “first range” of inventory quantity for recommending warehousing, “second range” of inventory quantity for urgent receipt to prevent out-of-stock, and standard of warehousing quantity Table data including a plurality of rows in which “reference amount” is associated. When the inventory information 111 is stored in the storage unit 131, new row data is added by the storage unit 131. However, in FIG. 6, “type number”, “article name”, “classification”, “first range”, “second range”, and “reference amount” are not related to the inventory information 111. Since it is defined for each type, a plurality of lines are collected.

“Type number” usually corresponds one-to-one with “article name”. For the “article name”, “stock quantity”, “receipt date”, and “expiration date”, the data of the inventory information 111 is used. The “classification” is a category defined for classifying the article 21 and may be defined according to a rule set in advance in the notification device 130 or may be defined according to a rule defined by the user. .

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

The “second range” is a range of the stock amount that is defined in order to recommend that the goods 21 that are almost out of stock are quickly received. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the tissue paper whose “type number” is 3 has a total of 4 boxes (= 1 box + 3 boxes), and this sum is 0−2 in the “second range”. Since it is in five boxes, it is recommended that the goods be stocked at an early stage regardless of the inventory amount of the other types of articles 21.

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

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

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

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

“Corresponding device” is an identifier indicating the device 30 that operates in conjunction with the use of the article 21. This “corresponding device” may be set in advance in the notification device 130 or may be designated by the user. In addition, the processor 41 of the notification device 130 performs the operation of the device and the receipt of the result of using the article 21 at a stage where a certain amount of the inventory information 111 and the operation information 121 are accumulated in the storage unit 131. The correlation may be analyzed to find “corresponding device”. Further, the notification device 130 may present a candidate of “corresponding device” obtained as a result of such analysis to the user, and the user may select a device that is considered to be actually supported.

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

“Usage amount per unit time” is a usage amount per day in the present embodiment, but is not limited to this. The unit time is one hour, one week, one month, or one year. May be. The “use amount per unit time” is estimated by the use amount estimation unit 132 from the “use amount with respect to the operation state or operation time” and the operation history of the device 30. “Usage amount per unit time” is used for obtaining the number of days until the inventory amount falls within the first range or the second range, and for predicting the time for recommending warehousing.

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

The inventory quantity calculation unit 133 is mainly realized by the processor 41 of the notification device 130. The inventory quantity calculation unit 133 updates the current inventory quantity included in the inventory database 51 by reading the usage quantities stored in the usage quantity database 52 for various types of articles 21.

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

However, the inventory quantity calculation unit 133 may update or delete the data corresponding to the inventory quantity with the old expiration date over the data corresponding to the inventory quantity with the old receipt date. In addition, the inventory amount calculation unit 133 preferably calculates the current inventory amount according to the actual operation of the device 30 based on the “use amount with respect to the operation state or operation time”. The current stock amount may be calculated based on “the amount used per unit time” and the time elapsed since the previous warehousing date.

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

Here, the threshold value changed by the threshold value changing unit 134 will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 9, the relationship between the inventory amount of the plurality of types of articles 21 and the first range 71 and the second range 72 is simply shown. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the inventory amount of the article 21 with the classification number “1” is within the first range 71, but the inventory quantity of the other type of article 21 is outside the first range 71, It is not in a state suitable for receiving goods 21 collectively.

Next, let us consider a case where the goods 21 are used and the stock quantity shown in FIG. 10 is reached. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the inventory amount of the articles having the classification numbers “1” and “2” is within the first range 71. Here, if the threshold is 1, the number of types of articles 21 whose current inventory amount is within the first range 71 is 2, which exceeds the threshold of 1. That is, it is in a state suitable for warehousing goods 21 together. Therefore, the notification device 130 notifies that the articles 21 with the classification numbers “1” and “2” should be received.

If the different types of articles 21 are used without the articles 21 having the classification numbers “1” and “2” being received, it is predicted that the stock quantity shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the inventory amount of the articles having the classification numbers “1”, “2”, and “3” is within the first range 71. For this reason, it will be in the state more suitable than the example shown by FIG. However, when the articles 21 with the classification numbers “1” and “2” are received at the time shown in FIG. 10, the state shown in FIG. For this reason, when it is predicted that the threshold value changing unit 134 is in a state suitable for warehousing more types of articles 21 as shown in FIG. 11 at the time shown in FIG. Change to a larger value.

If the threshold value is changed from 1 to 2, the state shown in FIG. 10 is not judged to be a suitable state for warehousing goods 21 together, and it is not until the state shown in FIG. 11 is reached. It will be judged as a state suitable for.

Specifically, the threshold value changing unit 134 determines that the stock quantity is the first based on the difference between the current stock quantity and the upper limit value of the first range 71 and the usage amount per unit time for various types of articles 21. The length of the remaining time until it falls within the range 71 is obtained. The threshold value changing unit 134 may calculate the length of the remaining time by dividing the difference obtained by subtracting the upper limit value of the first range 71 from the current inventory amount by the usage amount per unit time. The remaining time length may be obtained by referring to a table in which the difference, the usage amount, and the remaining time length are associated with each other. Then, the threshold value changing unit 134 changes the threshold value according to the length of the remaining time for various types of articles 21.

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

In addition, although the example in which the threshold changing unit 134 increases the threshold has been described, the threshold changing unit 134 may decrease the threshold. In the example shown in FIG. 12, if the threshold value is changed from 2 to 1, it is determined that the state is suitable for storing the articles 21 together. Specifically, the remaining time until the inventory amount of the article 21 with the classification number “3” falls within the first range 71 is the classification number “1” within the first range 71 as shown in FIG. When the inventory amount of the item “2” is longer than any of the remaining time until it enters the second range 72, the threshold value changing unit 134 decreases the threshold value. However, the condition for reducing the threshold value is not limited to this, and the threshold value changing unit 134 determines that the remaining time length obtained for the article 21 with the classification number “3” in the example illustrated in FIG. The threshold value may be decreased when the value is longer than the specified value. Note that the threshold value is an integer of 1 or more, and even if the condition is satisfied when the threshold value is 1, the threshold value does not become zero.

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

Furthermore, the reference amount setting unit 135 may set the reference amount based on the life pattern of the user, the spatial occupation range of the article 21, or the remaining time until the expiration date. For example, if it is a lifestyle pattern with a lot of eating out, the reference amount setting unit 135 may set the reference amount of food to a small value. In addition, for the article 21 having a large spatial occupancy range, the reference amount setting unit 135 may set the reference amount to a small value in order to avoid stocking and widening the occupied space.

Furthermore, the reference amount setting unit 135 may set the reference amount according to the season or the current calendar month. For the articles 21 that are regularly used throughout the year, there is no need to change the reference amount. However, since there are the articles 21 whose use is changed depending on the season and the articles 21 whose use amount is changed, the reference amount setting unit 135 is The stock quantity is changed by changing the reference quantity according to the season.

For example, the reference amount setting unit 135 sets the reference amount of tea in a plastic bottle to a value larger than zero in the summer, but sets the reference amount of tea in a plastic bottle to zero in the winter, The reference amount may be a value greater than zero. Further, the reference amount setting unit 135 sets the reference amount of the mask, the air conditioner and the air purifier filter to a value larger than zero during the scattering period of allergic substances typified by pollen or the epidemic period of pathogens typified by influenza. May be set. In addition, the reference amount setting unit 135 may set a large reference amount of bathing agent when used frequently in winter. Further, the reference amount setting unit 135 may set a large amount of reference amount for the printer ink and consumable cleaning tool used for printing greeting cards for the year-end and New Year holidays. The reference amount setting unit 135 may determine the season based on the incoming water temperature detected by the device 30 that is a water heater or the outside air temperature detected by the air conditioner.

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

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

The notification unit 137 according to the present embodiment, for all types including the type of the article 21 to be received, the article name, the current stock quantity, the first range and the second range, the reference quantity, Is displayed, and the article 21 to be received is highlighted and displayed to notify the user that the article 21 should be received.

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

Also, in FIG. 13, a button 81 is displayed for collectively storing goods 21 of a type with a check mark. When this button 81 is selected by clicking, tapping or pressing, the screen displayed by the notification unit 137 transitions to the screen shown in FIG. In FIG. 14, the details of the amount to be received are shown as “purchased amount” in a white box. The user may adjust the actual warehousing amount by adjusting the width of the box.

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

Note that the notification unit 137 basically does not display the screen shown in FIG. 13 when not notifying that the goods should be received. However, when the user checks the stock quantity, the notification unit 137 displays the screen shown in FIG. 16 as a screen showing the stock quantity by the user's operation. In the example shown in FIG. 16, the inventory amount of only “aluminum foil” is in the first range, and it is not recommended to purchase a plurality of types of articles 21 together. However, the time predicted by the prediction unit 136 is shown in the message box 83 at the top of the screen.

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

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

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

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

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

Next, the notification unit 137 of the notification device 130 determines whether or not the number of types of articles 21 whose current inventory amount is within the first range exceeds a threshold value (step S5). When it determines with the number of this classification not exceeding a threshold value (step S5; No), the alerting | reporting part 137 determines whether the present stock quantity is in the 2nd range about the goods of one kind. (Step S6). When it is determined that the current stock quantity is not within the second range for any type (step S6; No), the notification process ends.

When it is determined in step S5 that the number of types exceeds the threshold value (step S5; Yes), or when it is determined in step S6 that the current stock quantity is within the second range. The notification unit 137 notifies that the article whose current inventory amount is within the first range and the article within the second range should be received together with the amount to be received. Specifically, the notification unit 137 displays a push notification on the screen of the notification device 130 or reproduces an alarm sound to alert the user and display the screen illustrated in FIG. Thereafter, the notification process ends.

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

Also, when the current stock quantity is included in the second range for any type of article, the notification device 130 notifies that the article should be received. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the product 21 from being out of stock. For any type of article, when the current stock quantity is included in the second range, the notification device 130 includes the article whose current stock quantity is included in the first range in addition to the article. Informed that it should be in stock. As a result, the burden on the administrator can be further reduced.

In addition, the notification device 130 changes the threshold according to the length of the remaining time until the inventory amount falls within the first range, thereby receiving more types of articles 21 than when the threshold is not changed. I told you what to do. As a result, the burden on the administrator can be further reduced.

Also, the notification device 130 notifies that the article 21 should be received together with the amount to be received. Thereby, the user who received the notification can promptly proceed with the procedure for warehousing the article 21.

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

In addition, the notification device 130 refers to the usage amount database 52 generated from the operation history and warehousing history of the past device 30, and calculates the current inventory amount. Thereby, the current inventory amount can be estimated to some extent accurately.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
Next, the second embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. In addition, about the structure which is the same as that of the said Embodiment 1, or equivalent, while using an equivalent code | symbol, the description is abbreviate | omitted or simplified. The inventory management system 100 according to the present embodiment is different from that according to the first embodiment in that the group to which the article 21 belongs is set.

FIG. 18 shows an inventory database 51a according to the present embodiment. The stock database 51a includes “type number”, “article name”, “group number”, “stock quantity”, “receipt date”, “expiration date”, “first range”, “second range”, And table data including a plurality of rows associated with the “reference amount”. The “group number” is a number set in advance so as to correspond to the user who owns the article 21, for example. The user who owns the article 21 is, for example, a father, a mother, a son, or a daughter.

When the number of types of articles 21 in which the current stock quantity is within the first range among the types of articles 21 belonging to each group exceeds the threshold, the notification unit 137 according to the present embodiment will cause the articles 21 to be included. Is notified to the user corresponding to the group number. The first range, the second range, the reference amount, and the threshold value may be determined for each group.

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

Note that the group is not limited to the one corresponding to the user or the administrator, and may correspond to the source from which the article 21 is obtained. The acquisition destination includes, for example, a store that sells the article 21 and a carrier.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
Next, the third embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. In addition, about the structure which is the same as that of the said Embodiment 1, or equivalent, while using an equivalent code | symbol, the description is abbreviate | omitted or simplified. The inventory management system 100 according to the present embodiment is different from that according to the first embodiment in that importance is set for the article 21.

FIG. 19 shows an inventory database 51b according to the present embodiment. This stock database 51b includes “type number”, “article name”, “importance”, “stock quantity”, “receipt date”, “expiration date”, “first range”, “second range”, And table data including a plurality of rows associated with the “reference amount”. The “importance” indicates the degree of importance for the user of the article 21 and may be set in advance or may be set by the user.

As shown in FIG. 19, shampoo and tissue paper whose “importance” is normal are the same row data as in the first embodiment, while tea with bottles in which “importance” is important. For the first range and the second range, the first range and the second range are set wider than those according to the first embodiment, and the reference amount is set larger than that according to the first embodiment.

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

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited by the said embodiment.

For example, the case where the acquisition device 110, the reception device 120, and the notification device 130 that configure the inventory management system 100 have different configurations has been mainly described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the acquisition device 110 and the notification device 130 may be the same terminal as described above. However, the acquisition device 110 and the reception device 120 may be configured integrally, or the reception device 120 The notification device 130 may be integrally configured. Furthermore, the acquisition device 110, the reception device 120, and the notification device 130 may all be configured integrally.

In the above embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the inventory database 51 has only one of “classification”, “group number”, and “importance”. It is not limited. A database having two or more of “classification”, “group number”, and “importance” may be configured, or a database having all three may be configured.

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

For example, the program 48 stored in the auxiliary storage unit 43 may be stored and distributed in a computer-readable recording medium, and the program 48 may be installed in the computer to constitute an apparatus that executes the above-described processing. it can.

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

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

Furthermore, the above-described processing can also be achieved by executing all or part of the program 48 on the server device and executing the program 48 while the computer transmits and receives information regarding the processing via the communication network. .

When the above functions are realized by sharing an OS (Operating System), or when the functions are realized by cooperation between the OS and an application, only the part other than the OS may be stored in a medium and distributed. It may also be downloaded to a computer.

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

The present invention is capable of various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present invention. The above-described embodiments are for explaining the present invention and do not limit the scope of the present invention. In other words, the scope of the present invention is shown not by the embodiments but by the claims. Various modifications within the scope of the claims and within the scope of the equivalent invention are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention is suitable for inventory management.

100 inventory management system, 110 acquisition device, 111 inventory information, 120 receiving device, 121 operation information, 130 notification device, 131 storage unit, 132 usage amount estimation unit, 133 inventory amount calculation unit, 134 threshold change unit, 135 reference amount setting Part, 136 prediction part, 137 notification part, 20 warehouse, 21, 211-213 goods, 30-33 equipment, 41 processor, 42 main storage part, 43 auxiliary storage part, 44 input part, 44 output part, 45 output part, 46 communication part, 47 internal bus, 48 programs, 51, 51a, 52b inventory database, 52 usage database, 71 first range, 72 second range, 81, 82 button, 83 message box, NW network.

Claims

An inventory management system for managing an inventory of articles that are connected to equipment and used when the equipment is in operation,
Obtaining means for obtaining inventory information indicating an inventory amount of the article of two or more types;
Receiving means for receiving operation information relating to operation of the device from the device;
An informing means for informing that the article should be received when the number of types of the article within the first range of the current inventory amount indicated by the inventory information and the operation information exceeds a threshold;
An inventory management system.
When the current stock quantity is included in the second range having an upper limit value smaller than the upper limit value of the first range for the article of any type, the notification means should receive the article. ,
The inventory management system according to claim 1.
The notification means is a length of time corresponding to a difference between a current stock amount and an upper limit value of the first range and a usage amount per unit time for the two or more types of the articles. And changing the threshold according to the length of time remaining until the inventory amount falls within the first range,
The inventory management system according to claim 1 or 2.
The notification means estimates a usage amount of the article per unit time from the history of the operation information, and changes the threshold according to the length of the remaining time corresponding to the difference and the estimated usage amount. And informing that the goods of a higher type should be received than when the threshold value is not changed.
The inventory management system according to claim 3.
When the number of types of the articles whose current stock quantity is within the first range exceeds a threshold, the notification means calculates an amount to be received, which is a difference between the current stock quantity of the article and a reference quantity. To inform,
The inventory management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The notification means sets the reference amount of the article based on at least one of the usage amount of the article per unit time and the warehousing history of the article.
The inventory management system according to claim 5.
The receiving means receives the operation information indicating at least one of an operation time and an operation state of the device,
The informing means reads out data that associates at least one of the operating time and operating state of the device with the amount of use of the article when the device is operating from the storage means, thereby reading the current status of the article. To calculate the inventory amount of
The inventory management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
The informing means receives the article when the number of the article types whose current stock quantity is within the first range exceeds the threshold among the article types belonging to a preset group. Let you know what to do,
The inventory management system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
The notification means is a time when the number of types of the articles whose inventory amount is within the first range exceeds a threshold, and notifies a time predicted from the inventory information and the operation information.
The inventory management system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
An inventory management method for managing inventory of articles used when equipment is in operation,
An inventory that informs that the article should be received when the number of the types of the articles whose current inventory quantity indicated by the past inventory quantity and the operation information related to the operation of the device is within a specified range exceeds a threshold value. Management method.
A computer that manages the inventory of items used when the equipment is in operation,
Notifying that the article should be received when the number of types of the article whose current inventory quantity indicated by the inventory quantity in the past and the operation information related to the operation of the device is within a specified range exceeds a threshold value. A program for running