Product management apparatus, product management method, and storage medium storing product management program

• US 8,297,505 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2010
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Iwakawa, Akinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARSHALL, CHRISTLE I
• Application Number:
  US12/801,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20100327052A1
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/385, 235/435, 235/451, 235/487, 235/492
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A product management apparatus includes a tag information receiver that receives first tag information identifying a first wireless tag attached to a first product, and second tag information identifying a second wireless tag attached to a second product, a group determiner that determines whether a sensor related to the received first tag information is present, a group generator that generates group information including the first tag information and the second tag information and if a difference between the time of reception of the first tag information and the time of reception of the second tag information falls within a specific range, a sensor information receiver that retrieves environment information of an environment surrounding the sensor and a product management unit that associates the retrieved environment information with the first tag information and the second tag information, included in the group information.

Claims

1. A product management apparatus, comprising:

a tag information receiver that receives first tag information identifying a first wireless tag attached to a first product, and second tag information identifying a second wireless tag attached to a second product;

a group determiner that determines whether a sensor related to the received first tag information is present;

a group generator that generates group information including the first tag information and the second tag information when the group determiner determines that the sensor is present and when a difference between the time of reception of the first tag information by the tag information receiver and the time of reception of the second tag information by the tag information receiver falls within a specific range;

a sensor information receiver that retrieves environment information of an environment surrounding the sensor detected by the sensor; and

a product management unit that associates the retrieved environment information with the first tag information and the second tag information, included in the group information.

2. The product management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tag information receiver receives the first tag information and the second tag information from a reader device that reads information recorded on the first wireless tag and the second wireless tag.

3. The product management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a group updater that deletes the second tag information from the group information when the tag information receiver receives the second tag information included in the group information while not receiving the first tag information, and

wherein, on the basis of another group information updated, the product management unit associates other environment information detected by the sensor with the first tag information.

4. The product management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit that stores identification information identifying the sensor and the first tag information related to the sensor mapped thereto,

wherein the group determiner references the storage unit to determine whether the sensor is present.

5. The product management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the group generator generates the group information including third tag information identifying a third wireless tag attached to a third product when the tag information receiver receives the third tag information,

wherein the sensor information receiver retrieves another environment information from another sensor related to the third tag information, and

wherein the product management unit associates the environment information retrieved from the sensor or the another environment information retrieved from the another sensor with the first tag information, the second tag information, and the third tag information, included in the group information.

6. The product management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, on the basis of information that the sensor is set as a main sensor, the product management unit associates the environment information retrieved from the sensor with the first tag information, the second tag information, and the third tag information, included in the group information.

7. The product management apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the product management unit associates the another environment information retrieved from the another sensor to the first tag information, the second tag information, and the third tag information, included in the group information when the sensor information receiver fails to receive the environment information from the sensor that has been set as the main sensor.

8. The product management apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

an anomaly detector that compares the retrieved environment information with the another environment information and detects an anomaly in one of the first product and the third product based on a comparison results.

9. The product management apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the anomaly detector detects, as the anomaly, that an environment with the first wireless tag present therewithin is different from an environment with the third wireless tag therewithin when the environment information is different from the another environment information by a specific range or more.

10. The product management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a sensor detecting temperature, and wherein the environment information indicates a temperature of a surrounding environment of the sensor.

11. The product management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the group generator generates the group information further including third tag information identifying a third wireless tag attached to a third product,

wherein the sensor information receiver retrieves the other environment information of another sensor related to the third tag information, and

wherein the product management unit generates new environment information based on the environment information retrieved from the sensor and the another environment information retrieved from the another sensor, and associates the new environment information with the first tag information, the second tag information, and the third tag information, included in the group information.

12. The product management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a sensor detecting position, and wherein the environment information indicates a position where the sensor is present.

13. A product management method executed by a computer, the product management method comprising:

receiving, in a first reception step, first tag information identifying a first wireless tag attached to a first product;

receiving, in a second reception step, second tag information identifying a second wireless tag attached to a second product;

determining whether a sensor related to the received first tag information is present;

generating group information, including the first tag information and the second tag information, when the sensor is present and when a difference between the time of reception of the first tag information and the time of reception of the second tag information falls within a specific range;

retrieving environment information of a surrounding environment of the sensor detected by the sensor; and

associating the retrieved environment information with the first tag information and the second tag information, included in the group information.

14. The product management method according to claim 13, wherein the first reception step and the second reception step respectively comprise receiving the first tag information and the second tag information from a reader device that reads information recorded on the first wireless tag and the second wireless tag.

15. The product management method according to claim 13, further comprising:

deleting the second tag information from the group information when the second tag information included in the group information is received again, and

associating the other environment information detected by the sensor with the first tag information based on the updated other information.

16. The product management method according to claim 13, wherein the sensor detects temperature and wherein the environment information indicates a temperature of a surrounding environment of the sensor.

17. A non-transitory storage medium storing a product management program that causes a computer to execute:

receiving, in a first reception step, first tag information identifying a first wireless tag attached to a first product;

receiving, in a second reception step, second tag information identifying a second wireless tag attached to a second product;

determining whether a sensor related to the received first tag information is present;

generating group information, including the first tag information and the second tag information, when the sensor is present and when a difference between the time of reception of the first tag information and the time of reception of the second tag information falls within a specific range;

retrieving environment information of a surrounding environment of the sensor detected by the sensor; and

associating the retrieved environment information with the first tag information and the second tag information, included in the group information.

18. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the first reception step and the second reception step respectively comprise receiving the first tag information and the second tag information from a reader device that reads information recorded on the first wireless tag and the second wireless tag.

19. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 17, further comprising:

deleting the second tag information from the group information for updating if the second tag information included in the group information is received again, and

associating the other environment information detected by the sensor with the first tag information based on the updated other information.

20. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the sensor detects temperature and wherein the environment information indicates a temperature of a surrounding environment of the sensor.