Process management system, method and information processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12585900-B2
Application number	US-202418956463-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2024
Priority date	Aug 15, 2022
Publication date	Mar 24, 2026
Grant date	Mar 24, 2026

Abstract

A process management system includes a management unit that manages section data that defines sections in a real space and process data that indicates an expected location, from among the sections, in which a management target is to be positioned at the time of completing a work process, a first wireless device that is attached to the management target and stores first identification information, at least one reading apparatus that is capable of reading identification information from a wireless device, and a determination unit that checks a location of the management target estimated based on a result of reading of the first identification information from the first wireless device against the expected location by variable granularity depending on type information associated with the management target to determine a status of the work process regarding the management target.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A process management system comprising:
a management unit configured to manage section data that defines a plurality of sections set in a real space; process data that indicates an expected location, from among the plurality of sections, in which a management target is to be positioned at the time of completing a work process that involves a movement of the management target; and control data for controlling granularity of checking a location of the management target against the expected location; a first wireless device that is attached to the management target and stores first identification information for identifying the management target; a second wireless device that is installed in one of the plurality of sections and stores second identification information associated with a corresponding installation section; a reading apparatus that is capable of reading the first identification information from the first wireless device and the second identification information from the second wireless device; an estimation unit configured to estimate the location of the management target based on a result of reading of the first identification information from the first wireless device by the reading apparatus and a result of reading of the second identification information from the second wireless device by the reading apparatus; and a determination unit configured to check the location of the management target estimated by the estimation unit against the expected location to determine a status of the work process regarding the management target; wherein the section data defines a first-level section set in the real space with first spatial granularity and a second-level section set in the first-level section with second spatial granularity that is finer than the first spatial granularity, and the determination unit is configured to check the location of the management target against the expected location by variable granularity based on the control data.

2 . The process management system according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit is configured to check the location of the management target against the expected location by the first spatial granularity when the control data indicates that the location should be checked by the first spatial granularity, and by the second spatial granularity when the control data indicates that the location should be checked by the second spatial granularity.

3 . The process management system according to claim 2 , wherein the first-level section and the second-level section correspond to any two of a site, a building, a floor, and a room.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Nakajima Yuki
• Kitamura Toshifumi
• Takase Junna
• Tomioka Yasuhiro
• Shimura Yasuhiro

Classifications

• G06K19/07758

  arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag · CPC title

• G06Q50/08

  Construction · CPC title

• G06Q50/04

  Manufacturing · CPC title

• G06Q10/0875

  Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials · CPC title

• G06Q10/087

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title