Patent Publication Number: US-10762313-B2

Title: Information processing apparatus, information collecting apparatus, and information collecting system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/902,631, filed Feb. 22, 2018, which application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-054703, filed Mar. 21, 2017, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     Embodiments described herein relate generally to an information processing apparatus, an information collecting apparatus, and an information collecting system. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In the related art, there is an inventory management system which uses RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) tags for tracking individual articles such as commercial goods, books, or documents. The RFID tag attached to an article stores information, such as an identification number (ID) uniquely assigned to the article, which can be read by an RFID tag reader. When the RFID tag reader simultaneously reads information from a plurality of RFID tags attached to articles spread over a wide area, it may be necessary to identify a position or an area where each article is located. In the related art, there is a technique for detecting a distance and direction of the RFID tag from the RFID tag reader based on an intensity of radio waves received from the RFID tag by a directional antenna. However, in general, the intensity of the radio waves received from the RFID tag depends not only on its distance from the RFID tag reader but also on the RFID tag&#39;s relative orientation. For this reason, if the RFID tags on the articles are not arranged in a fixed orientation, it becomes difficult to accurately detect a distance from the RFID tag reader based on the intensity of the radio waves received through the antenna. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a view illustrating an example of a search area in which an article to be searched by an information collecting system according to an embodiment is arranged; 
         FIG. 2  is a view illustrating an example of arrangement of an article to be searched by the information collecting system; 
         FIG. 3  is an external view illustrating an example of constitution of an information collecting apparatus; 
         FIG. 4  is a view illustrating an example of a detection range of the information collecting apparatus; 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram illustrating an example of constitution of a control system of the information collecting system; 
         FIG. 6  is a view illustrating an example of search segment regions and a route for a search area of the information collecting system; 
         FIG. 7  is a flowchart of a search-related processing by the information collecting apparatus; 
         FIG. 8  is a flowchart of a sorting processing by the information collecting system; 
         FIG. 9  is a flowchart of a sorting processing in a specific direction by the information collecting system; 
         FIG. 10  is a flowchart of a region estimation processing by the information collecting system; and 
         FIG. 11  is a table illustrating an example of the result of the region estimation processing by the information collecting system. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     According to an embodiment, an information collecting apparatus includes a plurality of tag readers disposed on a mobile apparatus, each respective tag reader being configured to detect a wireless tag attached to an article located within a detection range of the respective tag reader, a movement controller configured to control movement of the mobile apparatus within a search area along a plurality of routes, each route enclosing a different segment region of the search area, and a data processor configured to acquire tag detection information of the wireless tag during a time in which the mobile apparatus is moving in a particular route enclosing each segment region, aggregate the number of times for which the wireless tag is detected, and identify a particular segment region in which the wireless tag is present based on the aggregated number of times for which the wireless tag is detected. 
     Hereinafter, an embodiment is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     First, an operation of an information collecting system including an information collecting apparatus and an information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is described. The information collecting system according to the present embodiment identifies a region, e.g., a segment region or a search segment region, in which a particular article is located within a predetermined search area in which a plurality of articles is known to be arranged. The information collecting apparatus collects information for identifying a region within the search area, such as a shelf, on which an article is located. The information processing apparatus identifies the region on which the article is located based on the information collected by the information collecting apparatus. 
       FIG. 1  is a view illustrating the search area in which an article to be searched for by the information collecting system according to the present embodiment is disposed.  FIG. 2  is a view illustrating an arrangement of an article to be searched for by the information collecting system. 
     In  FIG. 1 , an information collecting apparatus  1  is arranged so that an article within a detection range  2  can be detected along a specific direction. In the present embodiment, the detection range  2  is a range within which an RFID tag reader (hereinafter referred to simply as a tag reader) can detect an RFID tag (hereinafter referred to simply as a tag, also referred to as a wireless tag) attached to the article. The information collecting apparatus  1  is equipped with the tag reader. In the information collecting apparatus  1 , it is set that the range within which the tag reader can detect the tag is equal to the detection range  2 . For example, the detection range  2  is designed according to the characteristics of a directional antenna of the tag reader. 
     The information collecting apparatus  1  collects information for detecting articles in a search area surrounded by a wall  3 . The information collecting apparatus  1  can move within this search area. The search area comprises a plurality of segment regions Ar, each of which is a unit region in which presence or absence of an article to which the tag is attached is detected. In each segment region Ar, an article  7  to which a tag  6  is attached is arranged. For example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , each segment region Ar is a shelf on which articles  7  to which tags  6  are respectively attached are arranged (one article is shown in  FIG. 2 ). 
     The information collecting apparatus  1  moves around each segment region Ar along a movement route Ru. The movement route Ru is set so that the detection range  2  of the information collecting apparatus  1  can cover the entire segment region Ar. The movement route Ru is formed by combining a plurality of route sections in specific moving directions. In  FIG. 1 , the movement route Ru includes four movement sections in four different directions with which each segment region Ar is enclosed in a rectangular shape. 
       FIG. 3  is a view illustrating constitution of the information collecting apparatus  1 .  FIG. 4  is a view illustrating the detection range  2 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the information collecting apparatus  1  includes a case body (main body)  11 , wheels  12 , a control device  13 , a support body  14 , and a plurality of tag readers  15  ( 15   a ,  15   b , . . .  15   f , if each tag reader is referred to). 
     The wheels  12  and the support body  14  are assembled to the case body  11 , and the control device  13  is mounted on the case body  11 . The wheels  12  rotate by a moving mechanism to move the case body  11  in a moving direction indicated by an arrow in  FIG. 3 . In the present embodiment, the case body  11  moves along the movement route Ru surrounding the segment region Ar and thus the case body  11  is provided with a mechanism (not shown) for changing moving directions. The mechanism for changing the moving direction of the case body  11  may be provided on the wheels  12  or may be provided separately from the wheels  12 . 
     The control device  13  includes a data processing device  13   a  and a movement control device  13   b . The data processing device  13   a  performs, for example, communication with the tag via the tag reader  15 , processing of data received from the tag, transmission/reception of data to or from a host device, and the like. The movement control device  13   b  controls the movement of the information collecting apparatus  1 . The data processing device  13   a  and the movement control device  13   b  are each implemented by, for example, a computer. Both of the data processing device  13   a  and the movement control device  13   b  may be implemented by one computer. 
     In the present embodiment, the information collecting apparatus  1  is an autonomous or self-traveling type apparatus in which the internal control device  13  controls movement of the case body  11  in the moving direction and a change of the moving directions. However, the information collecting apparatus  1  is not limited to an autonomous type, but may be any type of the apparatus that can move along the movement route Ru. For example, the information collecting apparatus may be a device mounted on a carriage that is manually moved or may be a portable device that a person can move while holding the device in his/her hand. 
     The support body  14  is attached to the case body  11 . The tag readers  15  are attached to the support body  14 . The tag reader  15  is a device that can wirelessly communicate with a tag attached to an article to read identification information (ID) of the tag via radio waves transmitted from the tag. Each tag reader  15  includes a communication antenna and a communication control unit. The detection range (communication range)  2  of the tag reader  15 , within which radio waves can be transmitted and received, is determined based on the characteristics of the communication antenna and the installation orientation of the communication antenna. In the present embodiment, the tag reader  15  is equipped with a directional antenna, which determines the communication range of the tag reader  15  as a detection range of the tag. 
     In  FIGS. 3 and 4 , a plurality of tag readers  15  is mounted on the support body  14  in a row along a vertical direction. The tag readers  15  are attached to the support body  14  so that the detection ranges  2   a ,  2   b , . . . , and,  2   f  form the detection range  2  of the information collecting apparatus  1  as a whole. In  FIG. 4 , each tag reader  15  is mounted in a row in the vertical direction as described above. Therefore, the detection range  2  as a whole is wider than the individual detection range  2   a  to  2   f  in the vertical direction. The tag readers  15  can be installed at a position with a direction such that the information collecting apparatus  1  has the detection range with an appropriate size and location. In the present embodiment, the detection range  2  of each tag reader  15   a  to  15   f  is at the right side with respect to the moving direction of the case body  11  shown in  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 5  is a view illustrating a constitution of the control system of the information collecting system. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the data processing device  13   a  and the movement control device  13   b  of the information collecting apparatus  1  can communicate with a server  40 , which is an example of the host device. The information collecting apparatus  1  and the server  40  constitute the information collecting system. The server  40  is an information processing apparatus that processes data collected by the information collecting apparatus  1 . The server  40  may perform a movement control for the information collecting apparatus  1 . 
     In  FIG. 5 , the data processing device  13   a  includes a processor  101 , a ROM  102 , a RAM  103 , a wireless communication interface (IF)  104 , a wired communication interface (IF)  105 , a storage device  106 , a tag reader interface (reader IF)  107 , an input device  108 , a display device  109 . 
     The processor  101  is, for example, a CPU. The processor  101  realizes various processing functions by executing programs stored in the ROM  102  or the storage device  106 . The ROM  102  stores programs executed by the processor  101 , control data, or the like. The RAM  103  functions as a working memory or a work area. 
     The wireless communication IF  104  is a communication unit for communicating with the server  40 . For example, the processor  101  transmits the collected information to the server  40  via the wireless communication IF  104 . The processor  101  receives information supplied from the server  40  via the wireless communication IF  104 . 
     The wired communication IF  105  is an interface for establishing a communication connection with the movement control device  13   b . For example, the processor  101  acquires data relating to the movement of the information collecting apparatus  1  via the wired communication IF  105 . The processor  101  may send a movement request or the like to the movement control device  13   b  via the wired communication IF  105 . The wired communication IF  105  may be an interface for being capable of communication with the movement control device  13   b  and may be an interface that wirelessly communicates with the movement control device  13   b.    
     The storage device  106  is, for example, a rewritable nonvolatile memory. The storage device  106  includes an SSD (Solid-State Drive), or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The storage device  106  stores programs executed by the processor  101 , control data, and the like. For example, the storage device  106  may store programs and data for executing respective processing described later. The storage device  106  stores data and the like collected by processing described later. 
     The reader IF  107  is an interface for communicating with the tag reader  15 . The reader IF  107  may be connected to each tag reader  15  by a cable or may be connected to each tag reader  15  by an wireless communication interface such as a Bluetooth. 
     The input device  108  is an operation device for inputting instructions by a user. The display device  109  displays information. The input device  108  and the display device  109  may be constituted with a display device with a touch panel. If a user instruction to the information collecting apparatus  1  is not required, the input device  108  may be omitted. If the display of information in the information collecting apparatus  1  is also unnecessary, the display device  109  may be omitted. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the movement control device  13   b  includes a processor  121 , a ROM  122 , a RAM  123 , a wireless communication interface (IF)  124 , a wired communication interface (IF)  125 , a storage device  126 , a moving mechanism  127 , an encoder  128 , an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit)  129 , an LRF (Laser Range Finder)  130 , a distance sensor  131 , a contact sensor  132 . 
     The processor  121  is, for example, a CPU. The processor  121  realizes various processing functions by executing programs stored in the ROM  122  or the storage device  126 . The ROM  122  is a nonvolatile memory that stores programs executed by the processor  121 , control data, or the like. The RAM  123  is a volatile memory functioning as a working memory. 
     The wireless communication IF  124  is a communication unit for communicating with the server  40 . For example, the processor  121  transmits data indicating a movement status, information detected by various sensors to the server  40  via the wireless communication IF  124 . The processor  121  receives information supplied from the server  40  via the wireless communication IF  104 . 
     The wired communication IF  125  is an interface for communicating with the data processing device  13   a . For example, the processor  121  transmits data indicating the movement status and information detected by various sensors to the data processing device  13   a  via the wired communication IF  125 . The processor  121  may acquire information such as a movement instruction from the data processing device  13   a  via the wired communication IF  125 . The wired communication IF  125  may be an interface for performing communication with the data processing device  13   a  and may be an interface that wirelessly communicates with the data processing device  13   a.    
     The storage device  126  is a rewritable nonvolatile memory. The storage device  126  includes, for example, an SSD or an HDD. The storage device  126  stores data indicating the movement status, information detected by various sensors, and the like. The storage device  126  may store programs executed by the processor  101 , control data, and the like. For example, the storage device  126  may store programs and data for realizing the movement control described later. 
     The moving mechanism  127  is a mechanism for moving the case body  11 . The moving mechanism  127  includes a motor for generating a driving force for rotating the wheels  12 . The moving mechanism  127  also includes a mechanism for changing the moving direction of the case body  11 . The moving mechanism  127  performs a movement of the case body  11  and a change of the moving direction according to an instruction from the processor  121 . 
     The encoder  128  measures a rotation amount of the wheels  12 . The IMU  129  detects, for example, angles or angular velocity and acceleration in directions of three axes. The LRF  130  is a distance meter that measures a distance by a laser. The 3D distance sensor  131  is a sensor for detecting distance and direction in the three dimensions. The contact sensor  132  is a sensor that detects a contact between an object and the contact sensor  132 . 
     These sensors  128  to  132  acquire various kinds of information relating to the movement, such as information indicating the movement status or progress of the movement. The sensors  128  to  132  supply the acquired information to the processor  121 . The processor  121  performs movement control of the case body  11  based on the information acquired from the sensors  128  to  132 . For example, in the case of creating a map including a movement route for the autonomous-traveling by using the LRF  130 , the LRF  130  notifies the processor  121  of measured distance information, the encoder  128  notifies the processor  121  of the rotation amount of the wheels  12  to be measured, and the IMU  129  notifies the processor  121  of rotation angle information. Based on these movement related information, the processor  121  performs an SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping) to create an accurate map. Thereafter, the LRF  130  notifies the processor  121  of the measured distance information, the encoder  128  notifies the processor  121  of information indicating the rotation amount of the wheels  12 , and the IMU  129  notifies the processor  121  of the rotation angle information while the information collecting apparatus  1  performs the autonomous-traveling. The processor  121  performs the matching between the measured distance information of the LRF  130  and the map, and thus, the processor  121  accurately knows a current position and an orientation (posture and direction) of the case body based on the corrected and updated movement distance information by the encoder  128  and the IMU  129 . 
     In  FIG. 5 , the server  40  includes a processor  141 , a ROM  142 , a RAM  143 , a wireless communication interface (IF)  144 , a storage device  145 , an input device  146 , a display device  147 . 
     The processor  141  is, for example, a CPU. The processor  141  realizes various processing functions by executing programs stored in the ROM  142  or the storage device  145 . The ROM  142  stores programs executed by the processor  141 , control data, or the like. The RAM  143  functions as a working memory. 
     The wireless communication IF  144  is an interface for wireless communication. The wireless communication IF  144  is an interface for communicating with the data processing device  13   a  and/or the movement control device  13   b . For example, the processor  141  receives information collected by the information collecting apparatus  1  from the data processing device  13   a  via the wireless communication IF  144 . The processor  141  receives data indicating the movement status (progress of the movement) of the information collecting apparatus  1  and information detected by the respective sensors from the movement control device  13   b  via the wireless communication IF  144 . The processor  141  may supply information such as an operation instruction to the data processing device  13   a  or the movement control device  13   b  via the wireless communication IF  144 . 
     The storage device  145  is a rewritable nonvolatile memory. The storage device  145  includes, for example, an SSD, or an HDD. The storage device  145  stores data collected from the information collecting apparatus  1 . The storage device  145  also stores information obtained as a result of the processing described later. The storage device  145  may store programs executed by the processor  141 , control data, and the like. 
     The input device  146  is an operation device for inputting operation instructions. The display device  147  displays information. For example, the input device  146  and the display device  147  may be constructed by a display device with a touch panel. The server  40  may be provided with an interface for connecting with a printer for printing information on a medium such as a paper. The input device  146  and the display device  147  may be omitted according to the operation state. The server  40  may include a plurality of servers. For example, the server  40  may include a data processing server which communicates with the data processing device  13   a , and a movement control server which communicates with the movement control device  13   b.    
     In the present embodiment described above, the control device  13  is described as a device in which the data processing device  13   a  and the movement control device  13   b  are separately arranged. However, the control device  13  may be realized as a single device having the functions of both the data processing device  13   a  and the movement control device  13   b . A part of the processing functions described later executed by the data processing device  13   a  and the movement control device  13   b  may be executed by the server  40 . The data processing device  13   a  and the movement control device  13   b  may execute part or all of the processing functions described later executed by the server  40 . 
       FIG. 6  is a view illustrating a plurality of segment regions Ar surrounded by a corresponding movement route Ru in the search area in which the information collecting apparatus  1  searches an article. In  FIG. 6 , there are eight segment regions Ar (Ar  1 , Ar  2  . . . Ar  8 ) in the search area enclosed by the wall  3 . For the segment regions Ar  8 , corresponding movement routes Ru (Ru  1 , Ru  2  . . . Ru  8 ) are established beforehand, respectively. Each movement route Ru is determined to surround a corresponding segment region Ar. Along the movement route Ru, the information collecting apparatus  1  moves such that the detection range  2  of each tag reader  15  thereof is oriented toward the segment region Ar. In each segment region Ar in contact with the wall  3 , if the wall  3  is included in the detection range  2  of each tag reader  15 , the wall  3  is electromagnetically shielded to ensure that tags located beyond or outside of the wall are not detected. In the present embodiment also, tags are not present beyond the wall within the detection range  2 , or IDs of tags beyond the wall within the detection range  2  are known beforehand and can be excluded from IDs of the detected tags in each segment region. 
     In  FIG. 6 , the movement route Ru is formed by combining the route sections of four moving directions (Dir 1 , Dir 2 , Dir 3 , and Dir 4 ) so that a rectangle segment region Ar is surrounded in a rectangle by the combined route sections. In the present embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the four directions Dir 1 , Dir 2 , Dir 3 , and Dir 4  indicate an upward, a rightward, a downward, and a leftward directions, respectively. Specifically, the section Dir 1  indicated by the dashed-dotted line in the movement route Ru is a section in which the case body  11  is moved from the bottom to the top while the tag is searched from the left side to the right side of the corresponding segment region Ar. The section Dir 2  indicated by the two-dot chain line in the movement route Ru is a section in which the case body  11  is moved from the left to the right while the tag is searched from the top side to the bottom side of the corresponding segment region Ar. The section Dir 3  indicated by the dotted line in the movement route Ru is a section in which the case body  11  is moved from the top to the bottom while the corresponding segment region Ar is searched from the right side to the left side. The section Dir 4  indicated by the solid line in the movement route Ru is a section in which the case body  11  is moved from the right to the left while the corresponding segment region Ar is searched from the lower side to the upper side. 
     In the present embodiment described above, each movement route Ru is formed by a combination of sections in four moving directions as shown in  FIG. 6 . However, the movement route Ru may surround the segment region Ar with a combination of a plurality of sections in moving directions and is not limited to the route surrounding in a rectangle with the combination of the above-described four directions. For example, the movement route Ru may surround the segment region Ar with a triangle movement route in three directions. The movement route Ru may depend on the shape of the segment region Ar. 
       FIG. 7  is a flowchart of an RFID tag search processing (also referred to as information collection processing) by the information collecting apparatus  1 . In the present embodiment described below, the operation is executed mainly by the processor  101 . However, the operation may be also executed mainly by the processor  121 . The operation may be executed mainly by the processor  141  of the server  40  by sending an operation instruction to the processor  101  or  121  of the control device  13 . 
     First, the processor  101  initializes a counter for counting a number of times the tag is detected for each specific condition (ACT  11 ). The counter counts the number of times the tag is detected for each ID, detection direction, and an area. The counter registers, for example, Pos_count [id][dir][area]. Here, “id” is identification information (ID) read from the tag, “dir” is information indicating a tag detection direction, such as a section in the movement route Ru, and “area” is information indicating a segment region Ar. Thus, the Pos_count [id][dir][area] counts the number of times each tag ID is detected while moving each section of the movement route Ru corresponding to the segment region Ar. 
     When the counter is initialized, the processor  101  executes the search processing for each segment region (hereinafter, also simply referred to as an area) (ACT  12 ). The processor  101  sets one area to be searched and moves the case body  11  to a search start position in the movement route (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a route) of the area (ACT  13 ). For example, the processor  101  specifies information indicating a route corresponding to an area or an area to be searched for to the processor  121  and instructs the processor  121  to move to the specified route. The processor  121  identifies the search start position (coordinates) in the route specified by the processor  101 . When the search start position is identified, the processor  121  executes movement control from the current position to the identified search start position. The search start position may be an arbitrary position on the route and, for example, is a certain position specified by the coordinates in each route, or is a position on the route closest to the current position. 
     When the case body  11  reaches the search start position, the processor  101  moves the case body  11  on the route (ACT  14 ). At the time of moving the case body  11 , the processor  101  identifies a section on the route on which the case body  11  moves (ACT  15 ) and registers the section of the route as “dir” in the Pos_count. While moving the case body  11  on the route Ru, the processor  101  performs the detection processing of reading the ID from the tag (ACT  16 ). The processor  101  executes the detection processing of detecting the tag ID at a predetermined cycle while moving the case body  11 . In the detection processing, the case body  11  is moved in each section of the route to search the entire segment region Ar from a predetermined direction. 
     When the detection process is executed, the processor  101  counts the IDs detected based on the detection result (ACTS  17 - 19 ). For example, the processor  101  increments the counter that sets “id” detected to the Pos_count in which the “dir” and the “area” are being set. For example, if detecting an ID “0001” while moving the first section (Dir  1 ) of the route Ru 1  corresponding to the area Ar 1 , the processor  101  increments the counter (Pos_count[0001][1][1]). 
     Each time the processor  101  executes the detection processing, the processor  101  checks whether the movement of one route is completed (ACT  20 ). If the movement of one route is not completed (NO in ACT  20 ), the processor  101  returns to the processing in ACT  14  and executes the processing in ACTS  14 - 20  described above. On the other hand, if the movement of one route is completed (YES in ACT  20 ), the processor  101  ends the search processing if the above-described processing is completed for the routes corresponding to all the areas (ACT  21 ). If there is a route for which the search processing is not yet executed, the processor  101  executes the processing of the above-described ACTS  12 - 20  to the route to which the search processing is not yet executed. 
     Through the search processing described above, the information collecting apparatus detects the tag from the route set for each segment region in the search area to collect detection information. The detection information includes information, such as detection information, Pos_count [id][dir][area], obtained by counting the number of times the tag is detected for each ID, tag detection direction “dir,” and segment region “area”. 
     Next, a sort processing for aggregating the detection information is described. The detection information obtained by the search processing is aggregated for each segment region by the sort processing. In the sort processing, the number of times each ID is detected in each segment region is aggregated for each ID. In the present embodiment, the server executes the sort processing based on the detection information supplied from the information collecting apparatus  1 . However, the sort processing may be performed by the information collecting apparatus  1 . In this case, the information collecting apparatus  1  also includes a function, otherwise realized by the server  40 , acting as an information processing apparatus described later. 
       FIG. 8  is a flowchart of the sort processing by the server  40 . The processor  141  of the server  40  acquires detection information from the information collecting apparatus  1  (ACT  31 ). The detection information includes information of the counter (Pos_count [id][dir][area]) that the information collecting apparatus  1  obtains in the search processing described above. 
     When the detection information is acquired, the processor  141  executes the sort processing for each ID for all the IDs (ACT  32 ). The processor  141  sets an ID to be sorted (target ID) and executes the sort processing in each direction for the target ID (ACTS  33 - 36 ). In the present embodiment, the detection direction of the tag Dir 1  is a rightward direction, the detection direction of the tag Dir 2  is a downward direction, the detection direction of the tag Dir 3  is set as a leftward direction, and the detection direction of the tag Dir 4  is an upward direction. Sort processing in each direction (ACTS  33 - 36 ) may be performed in any order. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , the processor  141  performs a rightward direction sort processing in which the number of detections of the tag performed in the rightward direction Dir 1  is sorted (ACT  33 ). The processor  141  extracts the value of the counter of the target ID fixed in the rightward direction Dir 1  and identifies the rightmost area. That is, in the sort processing in the rightward direction, the processor  141  extracts a counter (Pos_count [target ID][dir 1 ][area]) of each area in the rightward direction Dir 1  for each target ID to be sorted. The processor  141  specifies the counter of the rightmost area from the counter that is Pos_count [target ID][dir 1 ][area]&gt;0. Thus, the processor  141  specifies Pos_count [target ID][dir 1 ][rightmost area]&gt;0. 
     When the rightmost area is identified, the processor  141  initializes (sets to 0) a count value (Pos_count [target ID][dir 1 ][area to the left of the rightmost area]) of the area at the left side of the rightmost area. Depending on the positional relationship of each segment region, there is a possibility that the rightmost area is plural. In such a case, the processor  141  may select a plurality of rightmost areas. 
     The processor  141  then performs a leftward sort processing in which the number of detections of the tag performed in the leftward direction Dir 3  is sorted (ACT  34 ). The sort processing in the leftward direction is a processing in which the rightward direction and the leftward direction are exchanged in the rightward direction sort processing described above. That is, the processor  141  fixes the leftward direction Dir 3  and identifies the leftmost area among the areas in which the target ID is detected. The processor  141  leaves the value of the counter in the leftmost area and initializes the value of the counter of the right area with respect to the leftmost area. 
     The processor  141  performs an upward sort processing of sorting the number of detections performed in the upward direction Dir 4  for the detection method of the tag (ACT  35 ). The upward sort processing is a processing in which the rightward direction is replaced by the upward direction and the leftward direction is by the downward direction in the rightward sort processing described above. In other words, the processor  141  fixes the moving direction to the upward direction Dir 4  and identifies the uppermost area among the areas in which the target ID is detected. The processor  141  leaves the value of the counter in the uppermost area and initializes the value of the counter in the lower side area with respect to the uppermost area. 
     The processor  141  performs a downward sort processing of sorting the number of detections performed in the downward direction Dir 2  (ACT  36 ). The downward sort processing is a processing in which the rightward direction is replaced by the downward direction and the leftward direction is by the upward direction in the rightward sort processing described above. The processor  141  fixes the moving direction in the downward direction Dir 2  and identifies the lowermost area among the areas in which the target ID is detected. The processor  141  leaves the value of the counter in the lowermost area and initializes the value of the counter in the upper area with respect to the lowermost area. 
     When the sort processing in each direction is completed, the processor  141  aggregates the counters for each segment region and calculates an aggregate value Ps for each segment region for the target ID (ACTS  34 - 39 ). 
     Every time the aggregation for one ID is completed, the processor  141  checks whether or not the aggregation for all the IDs is ended (ACT  40 ). If there is an uncalculated ID, the processor  141  returns to the processing in the above-described ACT  32  and executes the processing in ACTS  32 - 39  to the uncalculated ID. In a case in which the aggregation for all the IDs is completed, the processor  141  ends the sort processing. 
     According to the sort processing as described above, by sorting in each direction, the detection result of tags located outside the segment region corresponding to the search route can be eliminated from that in the search processing. Furthermore, according to the above-described sort processing, an aggregated value of the number of times the target ID is detected for each sort processing can be obtained. 
       FIG. 9  is a flowchart of an operation of a rightward sort processing as an example of sort processing in a specific direction. As a sort processing in the rightward direction, the processor  141  extracts the value of the counter in the rightward direction Dir 1  for the target ID (ACT  51 ). For example, the processor  141  extracts Pos_count [target ID][dir 1 ][area]&gt;0. The processor  141  defines an area ranking definition (Pos_order [right][area]) defining an area located at the right side in the rightward sort processing (ACT  52 ). As the area ranking definition, the area located at the rightmost position is set to a value 0, and ascending order values are sequentially set to areas in order of being positioned at the left side. 
     If the area ranking definition is set, the processor  141  defines a variable (max_dir:Md) and sets, as an initial value, the maximum value that the area ranking definition can take, i.e., the value located at the leftmost position, in the variable Md (ACT  53 ). After setting the initial value to the variable Md, the processor  141  performs a variable (Md) update processing for each segment region (ACTS  54 - 57 ). The processing in ACTS  54 - 57  is a processing of determining the rightmost area in which the ID is detected. 
     The processor  141  checks whether or not the count value (Pos_count [target ID][dir 1 ][area])&gt;0 and the area ranking definition (Pos_order [right][area])≤Md for each area (ACT  55 ). If the count value&gt;0 and the ranking definition Md (YES in ACT  55 ), the processor  141  sets the area ranking definition in the variable Md. 
     If updating the variable Md for all segment regions is completed (ACT  57 ), the processor  141  initializes the value of the counter in the area at the left side of the rightmost area (ACTS  58 - 61 ). This processing is performed to initialize the value of the counter that counts the number of times the tags located outside the segment region (search region) is detected. 
     The processor  141  checks whether or not (Pos_order [right][area]) is equal to the variable Md for each segment region (ACT  59 ). If (Pos_order [right][area]) is not equal to the variable Md in one segment region (NO in ACT  59 ), the processor  141  initializes the value of the counter of the area (ACT  60 ). The processing in ACT  59  is performed to check whether the area which is targeted is the rightmost area. If it is determined that the area which is targeted is not the rightmost area, then the processor  141  initializes the value of the counter of the area as described above. 
     According to the sort processing in the right direction as described above, the value of the counter that counts the number of detections performed in the rightmost area for each ID is validated, and the value of the counter that counts the number of detections performed in the area at the left side of the rightmost area is initialized. As a result, the detection result of the tags located outside the segment region subject to the searching can be eliminated. The sort processing in the rightward direction is described according to  FIG. 9 , but the sort processing in the leftward direction, upward direction, and downward direction can also be realized by the same processing procedure as the processing shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     Next, a region estimation processing of estimating the region in which the tag is present based on an aggregation result by the sort processing is described. According to the above-described sort processing, aggregated values obtained by aggregating the number of detections performed for each segment region for each ID are obtained as the aggregation result. In the present embodiment, the server  40  executes the region estimation processing of estimating the region in which the tag of each ID is present based on the aggregation result of the sort processing. However, the sort processing may be performed by the information collecting apparatus  1 . 
       FIG. 10  is a flowchart of a region estimation processing by the server  40  according to the present embodiment. The processor  141  of the server  40  executes processing of estimating the region for each detected ID (ACTS  71 - 80 ). First, the processor  141  defines a variable Ms (max_sum) and initializes the variable Ms (0→Ms) (ACT  72 ). The processor  141  defines a variable Ma (max_area) and sets an initial value (−1) to the variable Ma (ACT  73 ). 
     The processor  141  sets initial values to the variables Ms and Ma as described above, and then executes processing of identifying an area having the largest aggregated value (the number of detections performed) for the target ID (ACTS  74 - 78 ). The processor  141  checks whether an aggregated value (pos_sum [id][area]) is greater than the variable Ms for each area (ACT  75 ). If the aggregated value is greater than the variable Ms, the processor  141  sets the aggregated value (pos_sum [id][area]) of the area in the variable Ms (ACT  76 ) and sets the area in the variable Ma (ACT  77 ). 
     After executing the processing in ACTS  75 - 77  for all the areas, the processor  141  estimates the area set in the variable Ma as the segment region (area) in which the target ID is present (ACT  79 ). 
     Every time a segment region for one ID is estimated, the processor  101  checks whether or not the aggregation for all the IDs is ended (ACT  80 ). If there is an ID for which the segment region is not yet estimated, the processor  141  returns to the processing in ACT  71  and executes the processing in ACTS  71  to  79  for IDs for which the region estimation processing is not yet executed. If the estimation of the segment regions for all the IDs is completed, the processor  141  ends the region estimation processing. As a result of the region estimation processing as described above, the processor  141  obtains information indicating the segment region in which the tag of each detected ID is present. 
       FIG. 11  is a table illustrating the result of a region estimation processing. In  FIG. 11 , the segment region estimated in association with the ID is shown. The processor  141  of the server  40  saves the segment region estimated in association with the ID in the storage device  145 . The processor  141  may display the result of the region estimation processing as shown in  FIG. 11  on the display device  147 . The processor  141  may provide the result of the region estimation processing to the information collecting apparatus  1  or other apparatuses. The processor  141  may record the result of the region estimation processing on a medium such as a paper by a printer. 
     According to the information collecting system as described above, the information collecting apparatus moves along the route set for each of the plurality of segment regions in the search area to detect the presence or absence of a tag in each segment reason. An information processing apparatus, such as a processor of the server or the information collecting apparatus, acquires detection information indicating the result in which the information collecting apparatus detects the tag. The information processing apparatus aggregates the number of times a particular tag is detected while moving along the route for each segment region from the detection information. The information processing apparatus estimates the segment region in which the tag is present based on the aggregated value obtained by aggregating the number of detections of the tag for each segment region. 
     As a result, the information collecting system can reliably identify the segment region in which the article is present without depending on the intensity of radio waves, which is adversely affected by posture of the tag (orientation and location). According to the present embodiment, it is unnecessary to determine the intensity of the radio waves with high accuracy or calculate a distance based on the intensity of the radio waves, but the segment region in which the article is present can be identified based on the result of the detection (presence of the tag). According to the present embodiment, the segment region can be set to an arbitrary size corresponding to the route setting, and thus a system having a high versatility can be provided. 
     While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the invention.