JP2004145873A - Button device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a button device which simplifies a procedure of purchase of merchandise or enjoyment of service by making a field transmission medium induce an electric field based on information to be transmitted, and by detecting the electric field induced by the field transmission medium and using a transceiver conducting a two-way transmission of the information. <P>SOLUTION: The button device 10, for example on a vending machine selling merchandise, is a device that a user touches and pushes it down when an article is purchased, and the user can get the desired article by pushing down the button device 10. The button device 10 is comprised of a conductive pushing-down part 11, an insulator 12, a switch 13, and a transceiver 3, and the user who wears a wearable computer and the transceiver touches and pushes down the conductive pushing-down part 11, therefore communication between the conductive pushing-down part 11 and the transceiver via the user's living body is independently realized from communication which outputs a pushing-down signal that the button device 10 is pushed down. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

The present invention relates to, for example, a button device using a transceiver used for data communication of a wearable computer, and in particular, induces an electric field based on information to be transmitted in an electric field transmission medium and induces an electric field in the electric field transmission medium. The present invention relates to a button device using a transceiver that transmits and receives information by detecting an electric field.

(5) Wearable computers have been attracting attention due to miniaturization and high performance of mobile terminals. FIG. 7 shows an example in which such a wearable computer is worn on a person and used. As shown in the figure, wearable computers 1a, 1b, 1c are mounted on human arms, shoulders, torso, etc. through transceivers 3a, 3b, 3c, respectively, to transmit and receive data to and from each other. It communicates with a personal computer (PC) 5 provided outside via transceivers 3d and 3e provided on a wall or a floor and a cable so as to be touched.

The transceiver 3 used for data communication between the wearable computers 1 and between the wearable computer 1 and the PC 5 utilizes a signal detection technique based on an electro-optical method using a laser beam and an electro-optical crystal. An electric field based on information to be transmitted is induced in a living body as an electric field transmission medium, and information is transmitted and received using the induced electric field (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2001-352298 A

By the way, conventionally, for example, in the case of purchasing goods at a vending machine, a purchaser has a procedure of possessing money, putting this money into a vending machine, selecting a commodity, and purchasing the commodity.

However, the above-described method of purchasing goods has a problem in that some purchase procedures are required before purchasing desired goods. That is, there are procedures for removing money from a wallet, procedures for putting money into a vending machine, procedures for selecting a product, procedures for taking change, and the like.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and uses a transceiver that induces an electric field based on information to be transmitted in an electric field transmission medium and detects and transmits the information by detecting the electric field induced in the electric field transmission medium. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a button device that can simplify a procedure for purchasing goods or enjoying services.

In order to achieve the above object, a button device according to claim 1 induces an electric field based on information to be transmitted in a living body which is an electric field transmission medium and detects and transmits the information by detecting the induced electric field. A user wearing a first transceiver that is one of the plurality of transceivers and a first computer that is connected to the first transceiver and has money information in a communication network environment using the transceiver. Is a button device to be pressed when trying to receive the provision of goods or services from the provision apparatus of goods or services, and when the user attempts to receive provision of goods or services, When the living body of the user touches the pressing portion, an electric field induced by the pressing portion is transmitted, and the first transceiver is connected to the first transceiver. A second transceiver which is one of the plurality of transceivers and which is connected to the second transceiver, and which is capable of communicating with the first computer, whereby the electronic settlement is performed by exchanging the financial information with the first computer. A switching unit that transmits the pressing information of the pressing unit to the second computer when the pressing unit is pressed, and an insulating unit that prevents an electric field induced in the pressing unit from leaking to the switching unit. And a part.

ボ タ ン A button device according to a second aspect is the button device according to the first aspect, wherein a plurality of pairs of the pressing unit and the switching unit are provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the button device according to the second aspect, a plurality of second transceivers are provided corresponding to a plurality of pairs of the pressing unit and the switching unit. And

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the button device of the third aspect, each second transceiver adds information for identifying itself to information in communication with the second computer. That is the gist.

A button device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the button device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, further comprising a protective thin film that is coated on the pressing portion and that prevents the conductivity of the pressing portion from deteriorating. Is the gist.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a living body of a user wearing the first transceiver and the first computer touches the pressing unit, the first and second transceivers can communicate with each other via the living body. Therefore, money information can be transmitted and received between the first computer and the second computer. On the other hand, when the pressing portion is further pressed, the pressing information is output to the second computer. Thereby, in the product or service providing device, the product or service can be provided simply by touching and pressing the button device, so that the procedure of purchasing the product or receiving the service can be simplified.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in a product or service providing device having a plurality of selection menus, a desired product or service is selected and purchased simply by touching and pressing one of the pressing portions of the button device. Or enjoyment, so that the procedure of purchasing goods or enjoying services can be simplified.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the second transceiver can be specified even in communication via a living body, so that data transmitted / received via the living body can have product selection information and purchase decision information.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the pressing information can be reliably transmitted to the second computer based on the information for identifying each second transceiver such as the address information.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the durability of the button device can be enhanced by preventing the conductivity of the pressing portion from deteriorating.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a button device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The button device 10 is, for example, a device that is touched and pressed by a living body of a user when purchasing a product in a vending machine that sells a product. Can be obtained. The button device 10 has a button unit 15 and the transceiver 3. The button unit 15 includes a conductive pressing unit 11, an insulator 12, and a switch 13. Therefore, the user's living body wearing the wearable computer 1 and another transceiver 3 touches and presses the conductive pressing part 11 of the button unit 15, and the transceiver through the conductive pressing part 11 and the user's living body is pressed. The communication between the three devices and the communication for outputting a pressing signal indicating that the button device 10 has been pressed are independently and simultaneously established.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the transceiver 3 detects an electric field induced and transmitted from another transceiver attached to the living body to the living body via the transmission / reception electrode 303 via the insulating film 304, and detects this electric field. The electric field is detected by the electric field detection optical unit 305 and converted into an electric signal. The electric signal is subjected to signal processing such as amplification and noise removal in a signal processing circuit 306, and further subjected to waveform shaping in a waveform shaping circuit 307, and then output to a computer via an input / output (I / O) circuit 301. It has become so.

Further, when receiving the transmission data from the computer through the input / output (I / O) circuit 301, the transceiver 3 supplies the transmission data to the transmission / reception electrode 303 via the transmission unit 302, and the transmission / reception electrode 303 An electric field is induced in the living body through the film 304, and the electric field is transmitted to the living body.

Since the conductive pressing portion 11 is formed of a conductor, the electric field induced in the living body is transmitted to the transceiver 3 through the conductive pressing portion 11 and the communication line 16 when the living body of the user touches the conductive pressing portion. It has become. As a result, the transceiver 3 can mutually communicate with another transceiver 3 worn by the user, and can be connected to an external device (for example, a computer) via the communication device connection terminal 18. I have.

(4) When the user presses the conductive pressing section 11, the user presses the switch 13 to inform the switch 13.

The switch 13 outputs a pressing signal to the switch connection terminal 19 (external device, for example, a computer) via the signal line 17 when the conductive pressing unit 11 is pressed.

(4) The insulator 12 is for accurately transmitting the electric field induced in the conductive pressing portion 11 to the transceiver 3 without weakening the electric field, and prevents the electric field from leaking to the switch 13.

Next, a vending machine 100 using such a button device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. It is assumed that a user who uses this vending machine wears a wearable computer group 200 having an electronic wallet function, and the wearable computer group 200 has a wallet management unit that manages electronic money. 201 and a transceiver 3f.

The vending machine 100 includes a plurality of product selection buttons 15a, 15b,... Having a product selection function, and a purchase determination button 15 # having a purchase determination function. The purchase selection button sections 15 # are connected to the sales processing section 101 by different signal lines 17a, 17b, ..., 17 #. Therefore, when the user presses any one of the button sections 15a, 15b,..., 15 #, the vending machine 100 can identify the pressed button, and display the product selection information or the purchase decision information as the press signal. The information is transmitted to the sales processing unit 101 via any one of the signal lines 17a, 17b,..., 17 #.

When the user's living body touches the buttons 15a, 15b,..., 15 #, a communication path between the living body and the transceivers 3f and 3g via the communication line 16 is established. The electronic money information can be exchanged with the sales processing unit 101.

The sales processing unit 101 receives the product selection information or the purchase decision information via the signal line 17 and manages the sales of the product by exchanging electronic money information with the wallet management unit 201 via the living body. Has become.

Next, the operation of the vending machine 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 showing communication between the wallet management unit 201 and the sales processing unit 101.

(4) The sales processing unit 101 sends out a communication packet (connection confirmation packet) specified at a certain interval to notify the presence of the vending machine 100 regardless of the presence or absence of a communication partner (step S1). Here, when the living body of the user touches one of the product selection buttons 15 (for example, the product 1 selection button 15a), a communication path between the wallet management unit 201 and the sales processing unit 101 via the living body is established. Then, the wallet management unit 201 detects the connection confirmation packet sent by the sales processing unit 101 (step S2). As a result, the wallet management unit 201 requests the sales processing unit 101 to start the purchase processing (step S3). Then, the sales processing unit 101 requests the amount of money possessed from the wallet management unit 201, and in response, the wallet management unit 201 displays the amount of money possessed on the sales processing unit 101 (steps S4 and S5).

When the living body of the user touches one of the product selection buttons 15 (for example, the product 1 selection button 15a) and further presses it, a pressed signal is sent from the pressed product selection button 15 to the sales processing unit 101. Since it is sent, the sales processing unit 101 determines the product (for example, product 1) selected by the press signal (step S6).

After that, when the user releases the pressed product selection button unit 15, the communication path between the wallet management unit 201 and the sales processing unit 101 via the living body is interrupted, so that data transmission and reception via this communication path is impossible. Become.

Next, when the living body of the user presses the purchase determination button section 15 #, the user first touches the button section 15 #, so that the communication path between the wallet management section 201 and the sales processing section 101 through the living body is established again. On the other hand, since a pressed signal is sent from the pressed purchase decision button unit 15 # to the sales processing unit 101, the sales processing unit 101 determines the purchase decision of the product based on the pressed signal (step S7). Then, the sales management unit 101 determines the possibility of payment based on the information on the money held in step S5, and if possible, requests the wallet management unit 201 for a payment request for the price (step S5). S8). The wallet management unit 201 that has received the price payment request responds to the price request and pays the price (step S9). As a result, the user receives the product and confirms the remaining amount obtained by subtracting the price from the money in possession. Then, when the user releases the purchase determination button unit 15 #, the communication path between the wallet management unit 201 and the sales processing unit 101 via the living body is interrupted, and the product purchase processing ends.

In the above operation, the case where one product is selected and purchased is described. However, even when a plurality of products are purchased, the product selection buttons 15a, 15b,. Thereafter, it is possible to purchase a plurality of desired products only by pressing the purchase decision button 15 #.

Further, in the above-described commodity purchase operation, when the commodity selection is canceled, a separate selection cancel button may be provided, and the selected commodity may be canceled by pressing the button. Then, by pressing the same product selection button 15 again, the selected product may be canceled.

Therefore, according to the button device 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to use a transceiver that induces an electric field based on information to be transmitted in the electric field transmission medium and detects and transmits the information by detecting the electric field induced in the electric field transmission medium. Accordingly, a user wearing the wearable computer group 200 having electronic money information can purchase desired products from a plurality of items by simply touching and pressing the button device 10, thereby simplifying the purchasing procedure. can do.

Further, since the communication between the vending machine 100 and the wearable computer group 200 is a peer-to-peer communication via a living body, the security of electronic payment is improved as compared with the communication of a network-type computer system configured by wire and wireless. be able to.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, various modifications and changes can be made to the embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the press signal is provided with the product selection information and the purchase decision information. However, as shown in FIG. 5, the transceiver 3g (3ga, 3gb,..., 3g #) is connected to a plurality of product selection buttons. .. And the purchase decision button 15 #, and communication via a living body may be performed using communication packets to which respective addresses of the transceiver 3g are added. Thus, the transceiver 3g can be specified even in the communication via the living body, so that the transmission / reception data via the living body can have the product selection information and the purchase decision information.

Further, in the button device 10 of the above embodiment, the living body of the user directly touches the conductive pressing portion of the button portion 15, but as shown in FIG. You may cover with the thin film 14, and may prevent the deterioration of electroconductivity by rust etc. The electric field induced in the living body is transmitted to the conductive pressing portion 11 even if the electric field is covered with the protective thin film 14. Therefore, this can prevent the button device from corroding, and can provide a button device with excellent durability.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a case where a plurality of button units and one or a plurality of transceivers are provided as in a normal vending machine will be described, and such a case is preferable. However, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to a device that requires only one button unit and one transceiver.

Further, in the above embodiment, the button device is applied to a vending machine that sells a product, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that the button device can also be applied to a device that provides a service. .

It is a schematic structure figure of a button device concerning an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of a transceiver included in the button device according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic structure figure of a vending machine using a button device concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a sequence diagram showing operation of a vending machine using a button device concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a schematic structure figure of a vending machine using a button device concerning other embodiments of the present invention. It is a schematic structure figure of a button device covered with a protective thin film. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a case where a wearable computer is used by being worn on a human via a transceiver.

Explanation of reference numerals

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wearable computer 3 Transceiver 5 Personal computer 10, 20 Button device 11 Conductive press part (press means)
12 Insulator (insulation means)
13 switches (switching means)
14 Protective thin film 15, 25 Button section 16 Communication line 17 Signal line 18 Communication device connection terminal 19 Switch connection terminal 100, 110 Vending machine 101 Sales management section (second computer)
200 wearable computer group 201 wallet management unit (first computer)
301 I / O circuit 302 Transmitter 303 Transmitter / receiver electrode 304 Insulating film 305 Electric field detection optical unit 306 Signal processing circuit 307 Waveform shaping circuit

Claims (5)

In a communication network environment using a plurality of transceivers that transmit and receive information by detecting an induced electric field and inducing an electric field based on information to be transmitted in a living body that is an electric field transmission medium, the plurality of transceivers A user wearing one of the first transceiver and a first computer connected to the first transceiver and having money information will receive the provision of goods or services from the apparatus for providing goods or services. Button device to be pressed when
When the user tries to receive the provision of goods or services, the user's living body touches and presses, a conductive pressing unit,
When the living body of the user touches the pressing unit, an electric field induced in the pressing unit is transmitted, and the second transceiver, which is one of the plurality of transceivers, can communicate with the first transceiver. When,
A second computer connected to the second transceiver and performing electronic payment by exchanging the monetary information with the first computer; A switching unit for transmitting press information of
An insulating unit that prevents an electric field induced in the pressing unit from leaking to the switching unit;
A button device comprising: The button device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of pairs of the pressing unit and the switching unit are provided. 3. The button device according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of second transceivers are provided corresponding to a plurality of pairs of the pressing unit and the switching unit. 4. The button device according to claim 3, wherein each second transceiver adds information for identifying itself to information in communication with the second computer. 5. The button device according to claim 1, further comprising a protective thin film that is covered by the pressing portion and that prevents the conductivity of the pressing portion from deteriorating. 6.

Images