ITEM MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE

• US 20090224040A1
• Filed: 02/26/2009
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Saegusa, Shinji, KUSHIDA, Hiroyuki
• Application Number:
  US12/393,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20090224040A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

The article management system comprises an item placement position memory unit that stores item identification information and item position information, a wireless tag reading unit that reads a wireless tag attached to the item and outputs wireless tag readout information, an item identification information acquiring unit that acquires the item identification information of the item based on the wireless tag readout information output by the wireless tag reading unit, an object detecting unit that detects an object approaching the placement unit and outputs object position information, an item position identifying unit that associates the item identification information and the object position information and outputs the associated information as item position identification information, and an item position determining unit that compares the item position identification information with the item position information stored in the memory unit and outputs a comparison result.

Claims

1. An item managing system, comprising:

an item placement position memory unit that stores item identification information of an item placed on a placement unit and item position information which indicates a position at which the item is placed;

a wireless tag reading unit that reads a wireless tag attached to the item and outputs wireless tag readout information;

an item identification information acquiring unit that acquires the item identification information of the item based on the wireless tag readout information output by the wireless tag reading unit;

an object detecting unit that detects an object approaching the placement unit that carries the item and outputs object position information;

an item position identifying unit that associates the item identification information and the object position information with each other and outputs associated information as item position identification information; and

an item position determining unit that compares the item position identification information output by the item position identifying unit with the item position information stored in the item placement position memory unit and outputs a comparison result.

2. The item managing system according to claim 1, wherein:

the item position determining unit outputs item position warning information when determining that the item position identification information and the item position information are not identical.

3. The item managing system according to claim 1, wherein:

the item position determining unit outputs correct item position information when determining that the item position identification information and the item position information are not identical.

4. The item managing system according to claim 1, wherein:

when a difference between the time at which the object detecting unit detects the object and the time at which the wireless tag reading unit reads the wireless tag is within a predetermined time period, the item position identifying unit associates the object position information and the item identification information with each other and outputs the associated information as the item position identification information.

5. The item managing system according to claim 1, wherein:

the wireless tag reading unit reads the wireless tag when the object position information is acquired from the object detecting unit.

6. The item managing system according to claim 1, wherein the object detecting unit comprises:

a light projecting unit that emits projection light;

a detecting unit that detects reflection light of the projection light reflected from the object; and

an object position calculating unit that calculates the object position information that indicates a position of the object, based on a difference between the time at which the light projecting unit emits the projection light and the time at which the detecting unit detects the reflection light.

7. The item managing system according to claim 1, wherein the object detecting unit comprises:

a light projecting unit that emits projection light;

a detecting unit that detects reflection light of the projection light reflected from the object; and

an object position calculating unit that calculates the object position information that indicates a position of the object, based on a phase difference between the projection light emitted from the light projecting unit and the reflection light detected by the detecting unit.

8. An information processing device, comprising:

an item placement position memory unit that stores item identification information of an item placed on a placement unit and item position information which indicates a position at which the item is placed;

a wireless tag readout information acquiring unit that acquires wireless tag readout information of a wireless tag attached to the item from a wireless tag reading unit;

an item identification information acquiring unit that acquires the item identification information of the item based on the wireless tag readout information;

an object position information acquiring unit that acquires object position information of an object approaching the placement unit that carries the item from an object detecting unit;

an item position identifying unit that associates the item identification information and the object position information with each other and outputs associated information as item position identification information; and

an item position determining unit that compares the item position identification information output by the item position identifying unit with the item position information stored in the item placement position memory unit and outputs a comparison result.

9. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein:

the item position determining unit outputs item position warning information when determining that the item position identification information and the item position information are not identical.

10. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein:

the item position determining unit outputs correct item position information when determining that the item position identification information and the item position information are not identical.

11. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein:

when a difference between the time at which the object detecting unit detects the object and the time at which the wireless tag reading unit reads the wireless tag is within a predetermined time period, the item position identifying unit associates the object position information and the item identification information with each other and outputs the associated information as the item position identification information.

12. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein:

the wireless tag readout information acquiring unit acquires the wireless tag readout information from the wireless tag reading unit when the object position information acquiring unit acquires the object position information from the object detecting unit.