JP7645107B2 - Information processing device and program - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to an information processing device and a program.

Conventionally, in stores such as supermarkets, products are stored in storage devices such as product shelves. Furthermore, in order to support product allocation, a technology has been proposed that recognizes product images from storefront images captured of storage devices, etc., and associates and stores the coordinate information of the recognized product image with the product identifier of the corresponding product.

However, with conventional technology, the product location (coordinate information) identified by the shelf allocation is only valid within the storage device in which the product is stored, so it is not possible to identify the product's location within the store in which the storage device is installed, for example, which is inconvenient.

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a server device and a program that can handle the placement positions of items stored in a storage device from multiple angles.

An information processing device according to an embodiment includes an access means, a receiving means, a conversion means, and an output means. The access means is capable of accessing a first storage unit that stores a position of a first object described using a first coordinate system in association with a first identifier that identifies the first object, and a second storage unit that stores a second identifier that identifies a second object stored in the first object corresponding to the first identifier in association with the first identifier, and a position of the second object described using a second coordinate system different from the first coordinate system. The receiving means receives an input of a second identifier of a second object to be searched. The conversion means converts the position of the second object corresponding to the second identifier received by the receiving means into the first coordinate system based on the first storage unit and the second storage unit. The output means outputs a first screen representing the position of the second object within the first object as information representing the position of the second object before the conversion by the conversion means, and a second screen representing the position of the first object in which the second object is stored within a facility in which the first object is installed as information representing the position of the second object after the conversion by the conversion means . The output means also outputs the first screen and the second screen in a switchable manner in response to a user operation.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an information providing system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a server device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a shelf management DB according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement position of the shelves according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a product management DB according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement positions of products according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a server device according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen provided by the server device according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating another example of a screen provided by the server device according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process executed by the server device according to the embodiment.

The following describes the embodiments in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information provision system according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the information provision system 1 has a server device 10 and a terminal device 20. The server device 10 and the terminal device 20 are connected via a network N such as the Internet. Note that there is no particular restriction on the number of terminal devices 20 connected to the network N.

The server device 10 is an example of an information processing device. The server device 10 manages the products stored in the facility 500. Furthermore, when the server device 10 receives a search request for a specific product from the terminal device 20, it outputs (provides) to the terminal device 20 information indicating the location of the product within the facility 500. Here, the facility 500 may be, for example, a store or retail shop that sells products, or a warehouse or logistics warehouse that stores products.

Note that FIG. 1 shows an example in which the server device 10 and the facility 500 are connected to be able to communicate with each other, but this is not intended to be limiting. In addition, in this embodiment, an example in which the server device 10 is realized by a single device is described, but this is not intended to be limiting. For example, the server device 10 may be realized by multiple devices using technology such as cloud computing.

The terminal device 20 is a terminal device such as a PC (Personal Computer), smartphone, or tablet terminal that is operated by a user of the information provision system 1. For example, the terminal device 20 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memory, as well as a communication unit connectable to the network N, a display unit such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and an operation unit such as a touch panel.

The terminal device 20 executes various processes in response to user operations via the operation unit. For example, when information capable of identifying a search target product, such as a product ID or product name described below, is input via the operation unit, the terminal device 20 outputs (transmits) the input information to the server device 10 as a search condition. In addition, when the terminal device 20 receives information indicating the placement position of the product provided by the server device 10 as a response to the search condition, the terminal device 20 displays the information on the display unit.

Next, the configuration of the above-mentioned server device 10 will be described.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server device 10. As shown in Figure 2, the server device 10 has a computer configuration including a CPU 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13.

The CPU 11 is an example of a processor, and controls each part of the server device 10. The ROM 12 stores various programs. The RAM 13 is a workspace in which programs and various data are deployed.

The server device 10 also includes a display unit 14, an operation unit 15, a communication unit 16, and a memory unit 17.

The display unit 14 is a display device such as an LCD. The display unit 14 displays various information and screens under the control of the CPU 11. The operation unit 15 has input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, and outputs signals to the CPU 11 according to user operations. The operation unit 15 may be a touch panel provided on the surface of the display unit 14.

The communication unit 16 is a communication interface that can be connected to the network N. The communication unit 16 communicates with external devices such as the terminal device 20 via the network N.

The memory unit 17 is composed of a storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or flash memory, and maintains its stored contents even when the power is cut off. The memory unit 17 stores programs that the CPU 11 can execute and various setting information. The CPU 11 executes various processes by operating according to the programs stored in the ROM 12 or the memory unit 17 and expanded in the RAM 13.

The memory unit 17 also stores a shelf management DB 171 and a product management DB 172.

Shelf management DB171 is an example of a first storage unit. Shelf management DB171 is a database for managing the placement positions of shelves that store products installed in facility 500. The data stored in shelf management DB171 will be described below with reference to Figures 3 and 4.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of shelf management DB 171. Also, Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement positions of shelves arranged in facility 500. Note that Figure 4 shows a schematic view of facility 500 as viewed from above.

As shown in FIG. 3, shelf management DB 171 stores shelf placement positions in association with shelf IDs. Here, shelf IDs are identifiers that can identify each shelf placed within facility 500. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, if three shelves are placed within facility 500 and the shelf IDs of the respective shelves are "501", "502", and "503", then these shelf IDs are registered in shelf management DB 171. The shelves provided within facility 500 are an example of a storage device that stores products, such as a product shelf.

The shelf placement position is information that indicates the placement position within facility 500 of the shelf corresponding to the shelf ID. The shelf placement position is described using a coordinate system (hereinafter also referred to as the first coordinate system) that indicates each position within facility 500. In FIG. 4, the first coordinate system is represented by (x, y). Also, an example is shown in which the positions on both the left and right ends of the front side of the shelf (hereinafter also referred to as the reference points) are set as the shelf placement positions.

Specifically, in Figs. 3 and 4, the shelf arrangement position of the shelf corresponding to shelf ID "501" is defined using reference points A and B, and the coordinate values of these reference points A and B in the first coordinate system are associated with shelf ID "501" and registered in shelf management DB 171. In addition, the shelf arrangement position of the shelf corresponding to shelf ID "502" is defined using reference points C and D, and the coordinate values of these reference points C and D in the first coordinate system are associated with shelf ID "502" and registered in shelf management DB 171. In addition, the shelf arrangement position of the shelf corresponding to shelf ID "503" is defined using reference points E and F, and the coordinate values of these reference points E and F in the first coordinate system are associated with shelf ID "503" and registered in shelf management DB 171.

Here, the shelf with shelf ID "501" and the shelf with shelf ID "502" are located adjacent to each other, so the coordinate values of reference point B and reference point C are essentially the same, but for convenience, they are represented using different coordinate values in FIG. 3. Similarly, the shelf with shelf ID "502" and the shelf with shelf ID "503" have reference points D and E represented using different coordinate values.

In this embodiment, the first coordinate system is represented by two-dimensional coordinate values (x, y), but it may be represented by three-dimensional coordinate values (x, y, z) including the height position. Also, in this embodiment, the shelf arrangement position is represented by the positions of both the left and right ends of the front of the shelf, but this is not limited to this. For example, the shelf arrangement position may be represented by either the left or right end (left end) of the front of the shelf, or by the position of the four corners of the shelf, or by the center of gravity of the shelf.

Shelf management DB171 may store other data, not limited to the example of FIG. 3. For example, shelf management DB171 may store an image of a shelf corresponding to a shelf ID viewed from the front (hereinafter also referred to as a shelf image) in association with the shelf ID.

On the other hand, product management DB172 is an example of a second storage unit. Product management DB172 is a database for managing the placement positions of products stored on shelves. The data stored in product management DB172 will be described below with reference to Figures 5 and 6.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of product management DB172. Also, Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement positions of shelves stored in the shelf. Note that Figure 6 shows a schematic view of the shelf with shelf ID "501" as seen from above.

As shown in FIG. 5, product management DB172 stores product IDs, product names, and product placement positions in association with shelf IDs. The shelf IDs correspond to the shelf IDs stored in shelf management DB171. The product IDs and product names are both examples of identifiers capable of identifying each product. The product ID may be, for example, a product code such as a JAN (Japanese Article Number) code. The product name is the name or abbreviation of the product.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, if a product with product ID "601" and a product with product ID "602" are stored on a shelf with shelf ID "501", product ID "601" and product ID "602" are each registered in product management DB 172 in association with shelf ID "501". Note that FIG. 5 shows an example in which the product name of the product with product ID "601" is "AAA" and the product name of the product with product ID "602" is "BBB".

The product placement position is information that indicates the placement position of the product corresponding to the product ID on the shelf corresponding to the shelf ID. The product placement position is described using a coordinate system (hereinafter also referred to as the second coordinate system) that indicates each position on the shelf corresponding to the shelf ID. In Figure 6, the second coordinate system is represented by (a, b). Also, an example is shown in which the leftmost position on the front side of the product (hereinafter also referred to as the reference point) is used as the product placement position. Note that the front side of the product means the direction corresponding to the front side of the shelf on which the product is stored.

Specifically, in Figures 5 and 6, the product placement position of the product corresponding to product ID "601" is defined using reference point G, and the coordinate value of this reference point G in the second coordinate system is associated with shelf ID "501" and product ID "601" and registered in product management DB 172. Also, the product placement position of the product corresponding to product ID "602" is defined using reference point H, and the coordinate value of this reference point H in the second coordinate system is associated with shelf ID "501" and product ID "602" and registered in product management DB 172. Also, for other shelves installed in facility 500, the identifiers and product placement positions of the products stored on the shelves are registered in product management DB 172 in the same way as for the shelf with shelf ID "501".

In this embodiment, the second coordinate system is represented by two-dimensional coordinate values (a, b), but it may be represented by three-dimensional coordinate values (a, b, c) including the height position (for example, the number of shelves). Also, in this embodiment, the product placement position is represented by the leftmost position on the front of the shelf, but this is not limited to this. For example, the product placement position may be represented by the positions of both the left and right ends of the front of the product, like the shelf placement position, or it may be represented by the positions of the four corners of the product, or it may be represented by the center of gravity of the product.

Product management DB172 may store other data, not limited to the example of FIG. 5. For example, product management DB172 may store an image (hereinafter also referred to as a product image) showing the package or appearance of a product corresponding to the product ID, in association with the product ID.

In addition, it is assumed that data input to the shelf management DB 171 and product management DB 172 described above has been performed in advance, but the data input may be performed via the server device 10.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server device 10. As shown in Fig. 7, the server device 10 includes a data management unit 101, a search unit 102, a conversion unit 103, and an output unit 104 as functional units.

Some or all of the functional units of the server device 10 may be software configurations realized by cooperation between the processor (e.g., CPU 11) of the server device 10 and a program stored in a memory (e.g., ROM 12, storage unit 17). Also, some or all of the functional units of the server device 10 may be hardware configurations realized by a dedicated circuit or the like mounted on the server device 10.

The data management unit 101 is an example of an access means. The data management unit 101 accesses the shelf management DB 171 and the product management DB 172 to read and write various data. For example, the data management unit 101 cooperates with the search unit 102, the conversion unit 103, and the output unit 104 to refer to and read data stored in the shelf management DB 171 and the product management DB 172.

In addition, the data management unit 101 edits various data stored in the shelf management DB 171 and the product management DB 172, and registers additional data in response to user operations via the operation unit 15, etc.

The search unit 102 is an example of a receiving means. The search unit 102 receives search conditions input from the terminal device 20, and searches the product management DB 172 for products that meet the search conditions. Specifically, when the search unit 102 receives search conditions that specify the product ID or product name of the product to be searched for, it searches the product management DB 172 for products that meet the search conditions.

The conversion unit 103 is an example of a conversion means. The conversion unit 103 converts the product placement position of the product searched by the search unit 102 into a placement position in the first coordinate system. Specifically, the conversion unit 103 identifies the shelf placement position of the shelf ID from the shelf management DB 171 based on the shelf ID associated with the product ID of the product searched by the search unit 102. The conversion unit 103 then derives the shelf placement position identified from the shelf management DB 171 as the placement position in the first coordinate system of the product searched by the search unit 102.

The output unit 104 is an example of an output means. The output unit 104 outputs (provides) the product placement positions before and after the conversion by the conversion unit 103 to the terminal device 20 as search results. Specifically, the output unit 104 outputs the product placement positions of the products searched for by the search unit 102 and the placement positions (shelf placement positions) of the product placement positions in the first coordinate system converted by the conversion unit 103 as search results.

The output unit 104 may output only the product placement positions of the products searched for by the search unit 102, or may output only the product placement positions (shelf placement positions) in the first coordinate system converted by the conversion unit 103.

The method of providing the search results is not particularly limited, and various methods can be adopted. For example, the output unit 104 may provide the terminal device 20 with a screen showing the placement positions of the products that are the subject of the search, as shown in Figures 8 and 9.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen provided by the server device 10 (output unit 104). Here, screen 1041 in Figure 8 is a map of facility 500, and shows the locations of shelves installed in facility 500.

For example, when a product with product ID "601" is input as a search criterion from the terminal device 20, the conversion unit 103 derives that the corresponding product is located at the shelf arrangement position of shelf ID "501" based on the search result of the search unit 102. In this case, the output unit 104 generates a screen 1041 that highlights the shelf corresponding to shelf ID "501" on the map of the facility 500 as shown in FIG. 8, and provides it to the terminal device 20 as the search result. As a result, by looking at the screen 1041, the user of the terminal device 20 can easily understand in which position (shelf) within the facility 500 the product entered as a search criterion is located.

The screen 1041 provided by the output unit 104 may be configured to allow selection of a shelf displayed on the screen. In this case, the output unit 104 may provide the screen 1042 shown in FIG. 9 in response to a selection operation on the shelf with shelf ID "501" displayed on the screen 1041.

Figure 9 is a diagram showing another example of a screen provided by the server device 10 (output unit 104). Here, screen 1042 in Figure 9 is an example of a shelf image of a shelf with shelf ID "501" viewed from the front, and shows the arrangement positions of products stored on that shelf.

Specifically, when the output unit 104 receives from the terminal device 20 that a selection operation has been performed on the shelf ID "501" displayed on the screen 1041, the output unit 104 reads out a shelf image of the shelf ID "501" from the shelf management DB 171. The output unit 104 also reads out the product placement position of the searched product (product ID "601") from the shelf management DB 171 based on the search results of the search unit 102. The output unit 104 then generates a screen 1042 in which the product image of the searched product is placed in a position corresponding to the product placement position on the shelf image, and provides the screen 1042 to the terminal device 20 as the search result.

Here, as shown in FIG. 9, the output unit 104 shows an example in which the product corresponding to product ID "601" is highlighted on the shelf image of shelf ID "501". This allows the user of the terminal device 20 to easily see the screen 1042 and determine where on the corresponding shelf the product entered in the search criteria is located.

In addition, FIG. 9 shows an example in which a product image of another product (product ID "602") stored on the same shelf ID "501" is also displayed in the arrangement position of the other product. This allows the user of the terminal device 20 to more easily grasp the arrangement position of the product entered in the search criteria from its relative positional relationship with the other products by looking at the screen 1042.

An example of the operation of the server device 10 will be described below. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the process executed by the server device 10.

First, the search unit 102 waits until search conditions are input from the terminal device 20 (step S11; No). When the search conditions are input from the terminal device 20, the search unit 102 accepts the search conditions (step S11; Yes) and identifies products that meet the search conditions from the product management DB 172 (step S12).

Then, the conversion unit 103 converts the product placement position of the product identified in step S12 into a placement position (shelf placement position) in the first coordinate system (step S13). Then, the output unit 104 outputs the search result including the product placement position of the product identified in step S12 and the placement position converted in step S13 to the terminal device 20 (step S14), and ends this process.

As described above, the server device 10 of this embodiment includes a data management unit 101 that can access the shelf management DB 171 that stores the shelf position described using the first coordinate system in association with the shelf ID that identifies the shelf, the product management DB 172 that stores the product ID (or product name) that identifies the product stored on the shelf corresponding to the shelf ID in association with the shelf ID, and the product position described using the second coordinate system different from the first coordinate system, a search unit 102 that accepts input of the product ID (or product name) of the product to be searched, a conversion unit 103 that converts the product position corresponding to the product ID accepted by the search unit 102 into the first coordinate system based on the shelf management DB 171 and the product management DB 172, and an output unit 104 that outputs the product position before and after conversion by the conversion unit 103.

In this way, the server device 10 of this embodiment can output the location of the searched product using the first coordinate system and the second coordinate system. Therefore, the server device 10 can present the location of the searched product within the facility 500 and on the shelf, and can handle the location of the product stored on the shelf from multiple angles.

In addition, in the server device 10 of this embodiment, the shelf management DB 171 and the product management DB 172 are independent, so even if the position of a shelf is moved within the facility 500, it is only necessary to change the shelf arrangement position in the shelf management DB 171. Therefore, the server device 10 can easily and efficiently manage the arrangement positions of products.

The above-described embodiment can be modified as appropriate by changing a portion of the configuration or function of each of the above-described devices. Therefore, some modified examples of the above-described embodiment will be described below as other embodiments. Note that the following will mainly describe the differences from the above-described embodiment, and detailed descriptions of the points in common with the contents already described will be omitted. The modified examples described below may be implemented individually or in appropriate combination.

(Variation 1)
In the above embodiment, the first coordinate system representing each position in the facility 500 and the second coordinate system representing each position in the shelf have been described, but other coordinate systems may be further set. For example, the position of the facility 500 may be defined using a global coordinate system representing each position on a wide-area map.

In this case, the server device 10 may represent the location of the product that meets the search criteria using any one of the global coordinate system, the first coordinate system, and the second coordinate system.

(Variation 2)
In the above embodiment, the storage unit 17 of the server device 10 holds the shelf management DB 171 and the product management DB 172, but this is not intended to be limiting. For example, an external device accessible to the server device 10 (data management unit 101) may hold either or all of the shelf management DB 171 and the product management DB 172. Also, either or all of the shelf management DB 171 and the product management DB 172 may be held in the form of cloud storage or the like.

The programs executed by each device in the above-described embodiments are provided in a state where they are pre-installed in a ROM, a storage unit, etc. The programs executed by each device in the above-described embodiments may be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a digital versatile disk (DVD).

Furthermore, the programs executed by each device in the above-mentioned embodiments may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by downloading via the network. Also, the programs executed by each device in the above-mentioned embodiments may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These new embodiments and their modifications can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

Reference Signs List 1 Information providing system 10 Server device 20 Terminal device 101 Data management unit 102 Search unit 103 Conversion unit 104 Output unit 171 Shelf management DB
172 Product Management DB
500 facilities

JP 2014-222374 A

Claims (5)

an access means for accessing a first storage unit that stores a position of a first object described using a first coordinate system in association with a first identifier that identifies the first object, and a second storage unit that stores a second identifier that identifies a second object contained in the first object corresponding to the first identifier in association with the first identifier, and a position of the second object described using a second coordinate system different from the first coordinate system;
A receiving means for receiving an input of a second identifier of a second object to be searched;
a conversion means for converting a position of the second object corresponding to the second identifier accepted by the acceptance means into the first coordinate system based on the first storage unit and the second storage unit;
an output means for outputting a first screen showing the position of the second object within the first object as information showing the position of the second object before conversion by the conversion means, and a second screen showing the position of the first object in which the second object is housed within a facility in which the first object is installed as information showing the position of the second object after conversion by the conversion means;
Equipped with
The information processing device , wherein the output means outputs the first screen and the second screen in a switchable manner in response to a user operation . The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the conversion means identifies the first identifier corresponding to the second identifier accepted by the acceptance means from the second storage unit, and derives the position of the first object corresponding to the first identifier from the first storage unit as the position of the second object after conversion. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the first storage unit stores the first identifier of the storage device, which is the first object installed in a facility, in association with the placement position of the storage device described using the first coordinate system representing each position in the facility. 4. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein the second memory unit stores the first identifier of the storage device, the second identifier of the product that is the second object stored in the storage device, and a placement position of the product described using the second coordinate system that represents each position within the storage device in association with each other . The computer of the server device,
an access means for accessing a first storage unit that stores a position of a first object described using a first coordinate system in association with a first identifier that identifies the first object, and a second storage unit that stores a second identifier that identifies a second object contained in the first object corresponding to the first identifier in association with the first identifier, and a position of the second object described using a second coordinate system different from the first coordinate system;
A receiving means for receiving an input of a second identifier of a second object to be searched;
a conversion means for converting a position of the second object corresponding to the second identifier accepted by the acceptance means into the first coordinate system based on the first storage unit and the second storage unit;
an output means for outputting a first screen showing the position of the second object within the first object as information showing the position of the second object before conversion by the conversion means, and a second screen showing the position of the first object in which the second object is housed within a facility in which the first object is installed as information showing the position of the second object after conversion by the conversion means;
and make it work .
The output means outputs the first screen and the second screen in a switchable manner in response to a user operation .

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