JP2014038552A - Container, calculator, and system and method for queue prevention - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that the queue elimination system for patent document 1 and the checkout counter operation management system for patent document 2 are unable to correctly suppress the occurrence of a checkout queue.SOLUTION: A container of this invention is a container for loading articles each attached with a wireless tag, and includes a wireless tag recognition part and a wireless communication part. The container, for example, is a shopping basket. The wireless tag recognition part reads article information including at least a type of the article from a wireless tag, and the wireless communication part outputs the read article information in a radio wave. A computer calculates the number of the article information including at least the type of one or more articles acquired from the input radio wave for each type of the article, and calculates the time to be assumed that a shopper waits at a checkout counter on the basis of the type of the article and the number of the article information, that is, the number of the articles. Next, the computer outputs the predetermined signal when the calculated time is longer than the predetermined time, and notifies a sales clerk of the necessity of opening a checkout counter.

Description

  The present invention relates to a container, a computer, a matrix prevention system, and a matrix prevention method, and more particularly to a container, a computer, a matrix prevention system, and a matrix prevention method for predicting the occurrence of a matrix based on the number and type of products.

  In general, a store such as a supermarket or a home center has a plurality of cash registers, and a shopper carries goods to be purchased to any cash register, and a cashier clerk pays for the goods at a POS (Point of sales) or the like. Check out. In addition, store managers and salesclerks increase the number of cashier salesclerks according to the degree of store congestion so that shoppers do not form a queue at the cash register for a long time (hereinafter referred to as “checkout queue”). Do things.

  However, it is difficult for store managers and store clerks to predict how many cashiers will be crowded ahead because there is no means to grasp the number and movement of customers in the store accurately and in real time. After the outbreak, there were many follow-up responses to increase the number of cashier clerk. As a result, shoppers who have been waiting in line for a long time may feel the inconvenience of the store, and store managers and shop assistants have not been able to increase the satisfaction of shoppers.

  Techniques for predicting and preventing the occurrence of the above-described registration matrix are disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2.

  The register matrix cancellation system of Patent Document 1 includes a list input unit, a shopping terminal, and a register opening / closing control unit. The list input means is a means for the shopper to input a shopping list of products to be purchased. The shopping terminal is a means for the shopper to input the purchased information indicating that the product has been put in the basket while displaying the shopping list when the shopper visits the store. The cashier opening / closing control means collects information in real time via the shopping terminal, outputs an instruction to open / close the cashier, and presents a cashier optimal for shopping. The shopper inputs the shopping list in advance using the list input means, borrows a shopping terminal for displaying the shopping list when he / she visits the shop, and enters the purchased information into the shopping terminal when the product is put in the basket. . The cash register opening / closing control means collects information in real time via the shopping terminal, predicts the cash register congestion level in real time, outputs an instruction to open / close the cash register, and presents an optimal cash register to the customer. .

  On the other hand, the checkout table operation management system of Patent Document 2 automatically recognizes that a shopper has picked up a shopping basket placed at the store entrance, and predicts the decrement rate of the checkout table congestion degree. Get as a value. The checkout table operation management system of Patent Document 2 predicts that a cashier matrix will be generated when the acquired predicted value is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and notifies the store clerk that a checkout table that is not in operation is operated.

  With the configuration and operation described above, the registration matrix cancellation system of Patent Document 1 and the checkout table operation management system of Patent Document 2 can efficiently suppress the generation of the registration matrix.

JP 2002-288740 A JP 2006-39716 A

  However, the registration matrix cancellation system of Patent Document 1 and the checkout table operation management system of Patent Document 2 have a problem that the generation of the registration matrix cannot be accurately suppressed. The reason will be described below.

  First, the register matrix cancellation system of Patent Document 1 requires a shopper to input a shopping list. However, since the shopping list is not always input, the generation of the registration matrix cannot be suppressed accurately. Moreover, since the registration matrix cancellation system of Patent Document 1 requires the trouble of inputting the shopping list as described above, it makes the shopper feel inconvenient and it is difficult to improve customer satisfaction.

  Next, the payment counter operation management system of Patent Document 2 predicts the occurrence of a cash register matrix based on the reduction rate of the basket placed at the store entrance, but generates the cash register matrix based on the number and type of products. Do not predict. Therefore, the checkout table operation management system of Patent Document 2 generates a cashier queue by waiting for the shopper who is lined up at the cash register later, even if there are many shoppers who have a large amount of goods in the basket, If the reduction rate is slow, the occurrence of the registration matrix cannot be predicted, and the occurrence cannot be suppressed.

  An object of this invention is to provide the container, the computer, the matrix prevention system, and the matrix prevention method which solve the said subject.

  To achieve the above object, the container of the present invention is a container for loading an article to which a wireless tag is attached, and a wireless tag recognition unit that reads article information including at least the type of the article from the wireless tag; A wireless communication unit that outputs the read article information as radio communication radio waves.

  In order to achieve the above object, the computer according to the present invention obtains at least one item information including at least one item type from the input radio communication radio wave, for each item type. And calculating the time that the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register based on the type of item and the number of the item information, that is, the number of items, and the time that the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register. When it is longer than the predetermined time, a predetermined signal is output.

  In order to achieve the above object, a matrix prevention system of the present invention is a matrix prevention system in which a computer receives radio waves from a container, and the container is a container on which an article to which a wireless tag is attached is loaded. A wireless tag recognition unit that reads item information including at least the type of the item from the wireless tag, and a wireless communication unit that outputs the read item information as a radio wave for wireless communication. The number of the article information is calculated for each article type for the article information including at least the article type acquired from one or more radio waves for wireless communication, the type of article and the number of the article information, That is, based on the number of articles, the time that the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register is calculated. When the time that the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register is longer than the predetermined time, a predetermined signal is output. Forces.

  In order to achieve the above object, the matrix prevention method of the present invention reads article information including at least the type of the article from a wireless tag attached to the article. The number of the item information is calculated for each type, and based on the type of the item and the number of the item information, that is, the number of items, the time that the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register is calculated. When the time expected to wait is longer than the predetermined time, a predetermined signal is output.

  According to the present invention, the matrix prevention system can more accurately suppress the occurrence of a registration matrix.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the matrix prevention system in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the shopping basket 10 which comprises the matrix prevention system in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the wireless tag recognition part 100 of the shopping basket 10 which comprises the matrix prevention system in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the matrix prevention system in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the matrix prevention system in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the shopping basket 50 which comprises the matrix prevention system in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the wireless tag recognition part 500 of the shopping basket 50 which comprises the matrix prevention system in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the matrix prevention system in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the matrix prevention system in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the shopping basket 80 which comprises the matrix prevention system in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the radio | wireless tag recognition part 800 of the shopping cart 80 which comprises the matrix prevention system in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the matrix prevention system in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the matrix prevention system in the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the container 1010 which comprises the matrix prevention system in the 4th Embodiment of this invention.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
[Description of configuration]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a matrix prevention system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Moreover, FIG. 2 is a figure which shows the structural example of the shopping basket 10 which comprises the queue prevention system in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. Furthermore, FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the wireless tag recognition unit 100 of the shopping basket 10 that constitutes the queue prevention system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

(1) Configuration of Matrix Prevention System in First Embodiment As shown in FIG. 1, the matrix prevention system in the first embodiment includes shopping baskets 10, 11, 12, 13 and a collection device 20. And the management center 30. The shopping carts 10, 11, 12, 13 and the collection device 20 are connected by a wireless line. The collection device 20 and the management center 30 are connected by a wired line. In addition, merchandise is put in the shopping carts 10, 11, 12, and 13 by a shopper, and each product is provided with one wireless tag such as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) storing product information. The product information is a group of information including the product name, type, price, etc. of the product.

(2) Structure and function of shopping basket 10, 11, 12, 13 Since shopping basket 10, 11, 12, 13 has the same structure and function, the structure and function of shopping basket 10 are representative. explain.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the shopping basket 10 is a basket in which the wireless tag recognition unit 100 is added to a general shopping basket.

  The wireless tag recognition unit 100 assigned to the shopping basket 10 has a communication function for performing wireless communication with the collection device 20, and a communication function when the shopper determines that the shopping basket 10 has been taken out of the shopping basket storage area 200. Is activated. Further, the wireless tag recognition unit 100 reads product information from the wireless tag attached to the product in the shopping basket 10. Furthermore, the wireless tag recognition unit 100 notifies the collected product information to the collection device 20 via the communication function.

(3) Configuration and function of RFID tag recognition unit 100 given to shopping basket 10 In order to realize the above-described function, RFID tag recognition unit 100 includes RFID tag antenna unit 101, RFID tag, as shown in FIG. A communication unit 102, a short-range wireless antenna unit 103, a short-range wireless communication unit 104, and a product information storage unit 105 are provided. Further, the wireless tag recognition unit 100 includes a timer unit 106, a control unit 107, and a display unit 108.

  The wireless tag antenna unit 101 and the wireless tag communication unit 102 are connected, and the short-range wireless antenna unit 103 and the short-range wireless communication unit 104 are connected. The wireless tag communication unit 102, the short-range wireless communication unit 104, the product information storage unit 105, the timer unit 106, the control unit 107, and the display unit 108 are connected to each other.

  Each of the above-described parts constituting the wireless tag recognition unit 100 can be realized using an electronic circuit or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The product information storage unit 105 includes a memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory).

  The function of each part constituting the wireless tag recognition unit 100 will be described below.

  When a signal instructing reading of the wireless tag is input, the wireless tag antenna unit 101 emits radio waves for reading the wireless tag from the antenna. The wireless tag antenna unit 101 receives a response radio wave from the wireless tag and outputs it as an electrical signal using a known technique.

  The wireless tag communication unit 102 outputs a signal instructing reading of the wireless tag at a predetermined cycle after the signal for turning on the communication function is input. The predetermined period is set in the RFID tag communication unit 102 by the user of the matrix prevention system of this embodiment. Further, the wireless tag communication unit 102 acquires product information from the input electrical signal by a known technique and outputs the product information.

  The short-range wireless antenna unit 103 amplifies the input signal for short-range wireless communication and emits it from the antenna as a short-range wireless communication radio wave. The short-range wireless communication radio wave is a radio wave that conforms to a standard of a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or Zigbee (registered trademark). Further, the short-range wireless communication radio wave may be a radio wave compliant with W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) or LTE (Long Term Evolution) used in an indoor base station such as a femto base station.

  When the signal for turning on the communication function is input and the signal for instructing the output is further input, the short-range wireless communication unit 104 converts the input data into a known short-range wireless communication signal. Output.

  The merchandise information storage unit 105 stores the input merchandise information, and outputs a signal indicating that it has been stored.

  When the timer unit 106 has a timer function and a signal for turning on the communication function is input, the timer unit 106 measures the time at that time (hereinafter referred to as “the time when the shopper took out the shopping basket”). In addition, the timer unit 106 measures the time from when the signal for turning on the communication function is input until the signal for turning off the function is input (hereinafter referred to as “shopper's stay time”). When a signal for turning off the function is input, the timer unit 106 outputs the time when the shopper takes out the shopping basket and the staying time of the shopper.

  The control unit 107 includes an acceleration sensor, measures the acceleration, and when the measured acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold value, determines that the shopper has brought the shopping basket 10 and outputs a signal for turning on the communication function. . The predetermined threshold is set in the control unit 107 by the user of the matrix prevention system of this embodiment. On the contrary, the control unit 107 outputs a signal for turning off the function when the stationary state continues for a certain time, that is, when the measured acceleration continues below a predetermined value. The predetermined value is set in the control unit 107 by the user of the matrix prevention system of this embodiment. In addition, when a signal indicating that it has been stored is input, the control unit 107 outputs a signal for instructing output.

  The display unit 108 includes a display screen, and displays the product information stored in the product information storage unit 105, that is, the product name in the shopping cart, its price, and the total price on the display screen.

(4) Configuration and Function of Collection Device 20 The collection device 20 is a wireless communication device that supports wireless LAN (Local Area Network), Bluetooth, and Zigbee. The collection device 20 may be an indoor base station such as a femto base station.

  The collection device 20 receives the short-range wireless communication radio wave, acquires product information and the like from the received radio wave by a known function, and outputs the product information to the management center 30.

(5) Configuration and Function of Management Center 30 The management center 30 is a computer such as a server or a PC (Personal Computer). The management center 30 is set in a place outside the store if it is installed in an office in the store or connected through a network. For example, a corporation that develops a chain store may install the management center 30 in the main store and collectively manage each chain store using the management center 30.

The management center 30 stores the input product information, and predicts whether a cash register matrix is generated based on the stored product information every predetermined period. The method for predicting whether the registration matrix is generated will be described in detail in “Description of operation” described later. The predetermined period is set by the user of the matrix prevention system of this embodiment. In addition, when the management center 30 predicts that a checkout queue will be generated, the management center 30 notifies the store clerk of an instruction to open a checkout and the number of cashiers to be added.

  The management center 30 holds various parameters for predicting whether a registration matrix is generated. The various parameters are as follows, and details will be described later in “Description of Operation”, but are set in the management center 30 by the user of the matrix prevention system of the present embodiment.

・ Average time required for a cashier to checkout one item (for each product type)
・ Predetermined time considered to be a cashier queue ・ Number of cashiers per cashier Further, the management center 30 inputs and stores the time when the shopper takes out the shopping basket and the staying time of the shopper .

[Description of operation]
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the matrix prevention system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The operation of the matrix prevention system according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

  First, when a shopper comes to the store and takes out the shopping basket 10 from the shopping basket storage area 200, the wireless tag recognition unit 100 of the shopping basket 10 operates its own communication function to perform wireless communication with the collection device 20 and the wireless tag. (S100).

  Specifically, when the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold, the control unit 107 of the wireless tag recognition unit 100 determines that the shopper has brought the shopping basket 10 to the wireless tag communication unit 102. Outputs a signal to turn on the communication function. Further, when the control unit 107 determines that the shopper has taken out the shopping basket 10, the control unit 107 also outputs a signal for turning on the communication function to the short-range wireless communication unit 104 and the timer unit 106. When a signal for turning on the communication function is input, the timer unit 106 measures and stores the time at that time, that is, the time when the shopper takes out the shopping basket. In addition, the timer unit 106 starts measuring the elapsed time from when the signal for turning on the communication function is input until the signal for turning off is input. That is, the timer unit 106 starts measuring the staying time of the shopper.

  Next, the wireless tag recognition unit 100 of the shopping cart 10 reads the product information of the products in the shopping cart 10 from the wireless tag at predetermined intervals (S101).

  Specifically, the wireless tag communication unit 102 of the wireless tag recognizing unit 100 receives a signal for instructing reading of the wireless tag at predetermined intervals after a signal for turning on the communication function is input from the control unit 107. Output to the tag antenna unit 101. The wireless tag antenna unit 101 emits a radio wave for reading a wireless tag from the antenna to each product in the shopping cart 10 every time a signal instructing to read the wireless tag is input from the wireless tag communication unit 102. . When receiving the radio wave for reading the radio tag, the radio tag of each product outputs the product information as a response radio wave. Next, the wireless tag antenna unit 101 receives a response radio wave from the wireless tag of each product, and outputs it as an electrical signal to the wireless tag communication unit 102. The wireless tag communication unit 102 acquires product information of each product from the electrical signal using a known technique, and notifies the product information storage unit 105 of the acquired product information. The product information storage unit 105 stores the product information. Next, after storing the product information, the product information storage unit 105 notifies the control unit 107 of a signal indicating that the product information has been stored.

  Next, the wireless tag recognition unit 100 of the shopping basket 10 notifies the collected product information to the collection device 20 via the communication function (S102).

  Specifically, when a signal indicating that it has been stored is input from the product information storage unit 105, the control unit 107 of the wireless tag recognition unit 100 outputs a signal instructing output to the short-range wireless communication unit 104. The short-range wireless communication unit 104 reads the product information stored in the product information storage unit 105 when a signal for turning on the communication function is input from the control unit 107 and a signal for instructing output is further input. . Next, the short-range wireless communication unit 104 converts the read product information into a known short-range wireless communication signal and outputs the signal to the short-range wireless antenna unit 103. The short-range wireless antenna unit 103 amplifies the short-range wireless communication signal input from the short-range wireless communication unit 104 and emits the short-range wireless communication radio wave from the antenna. At this time, the short-range wireless antenna unit 103 emits a short-range wireless communication radio wave toward the collection device 20.

  Here, the short-range wireless communication radio wave may be a radio wave compliant with a wireless LAN, Bluetooth, or Zigbee as long as the collecting device 20 can receive a radio LAN, Bluetooth, or Zigbee radio wave. Further, if the collection device 20 is an indoor base station such as a femto base station, radio waves conforming to W-CDMA or LTE may be used.

  Next, the collection device 20 receives radio waves for short-range wireless communication from the shopping carts 10, 11, 12, and 13 and acquires one or more product information from the received radio waves by a known function. Information is notified to the management center 30 (S103).

  Next, when the product information is notified from the collection device 20, the management center 30 stores the notified product information, and whether a registration matrix is generated based on the stored product information for each predetermined period. Is predicted (S104).

  Specifically, the management center 30 predicts whether or not a registration matrix is generated as described below for each predetermined period. Note that the predetermined period here may be set to the same value as the predetermined period set in the RFID tag communication unit 102.

  (I) First, the management center 30 confirms what type of product information is stored for each stored product information, and counts the number of product information for each type of product. Since the number of merchandise information is the number of merchandise, the management center 30 can grasp the types of merchandise that the shoppers in the store are going to clear at the cash register and their scores. Here, a description will be given below, taking as an example a case where the management center 30 grasps that the products that the shoppers in the store are going to clear at the cash register are the products A 30 points and the products B 50 points.

(II) In addition, the management center 30 holds in advance the time required for the cashier clerk to check out one item of goods (hereinafter referred to as “predetermined checkout time”) for each type of item. Here, the predetermined settlement time is
・ The time required for the cashier clerk to clear 1 point of product A is 1 second ・ The time required for the cashier clerk to clear 1 point of product B is 3 seconds. I do.

(III) Next, the management center 30 uses the predetermined settlement time described above to calculate the time required for the settlement of all the products that the shopper intends to purchase (hereinafter referred to as “all product settlement time”). (Equation 1).

  For example, if the shop shopper knows that the product he / she wants to clear at the cash register is 30 items for product A and 50 points for product B, the management center 30 sets the total product clearing time to 180 according to (Equation 1). Calculated as seconds (= 1 second X 30 points + 3 seconds X 50 points).

  (IV) Next, the management center 30 acquires the number of cashiers currently opened by a known technique. For this purpose, although not shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the management center 30 is connected to the POS and may receive a signal indicating that the register is being opened from each POS to determine whether or not the cash register is being opened. . Hereinafter, the management center 30 will be described assuming that two cash registers that have been opened have been acquired.

  (V) Next, the management center 30 calculates the time when the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register according to the following (Formula 2).

The time the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register
= Liquidation time for all products / Number of cash registers currently open (Formula 2)
For example, if the shop shopper knows that the product he / she wants to clear at the cash register is 30 items A and 50 items B, the expected time for the shopper to wait at the cash register is 90 seconds (= 180 S / 2) Stand). That is, the management center 30 recognizes that the shopper needs to wait about 90 seconds at the cash register.

  (VI) Next, the management center 30 determines whether or not the time that the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register is longer than a predetermined time. The predetermined time is a value set in advance by the user of the queue prevention system of the present embodiment in the management center 30. If the queue is queued for more than this time, the shopper will be queued for a long time and feel inconvenience of the store. This is the expected time, that is, the time considered to be the occurrence of the registration matrix. Hereinafter, description will be made assuming that the predetermined time is 60 seconds.

  (VII) When the management center 30 determines that the time expected for the shopper to wait at the cash register is longer than the predetermined time, the management center 30 predicts that the cash register congestion will increase and a cash register matrix will be generated. The number of cashiers where no cashier matrix is generated is calculated according to (Equation 3).

Number of cashiers that do not generate cashier queues
= Liquidation time for all products / Predetermined time used in (VI) (Formula 3)
For example, if the shop shopper knows that the product he / she wants to clear at the cash register is 30 items A and 50 items B, the management center 30 sets the number of cashiers that do not generate a cashier queue to 3 (= 180 seconds / 60 seconds). If the management center 30 does not determine that it is longer than the expected time for the shopper to wait at the cash register, the management center 30 predicts that no cash register matrix will be generated, and does not perform the following (S105).

  Next, when the management center 30 predicts that a cash register matrix will be generated, the management center 30 outputs a predetermined signal to notify the store clerk that the cash register needs to be opened (S105).

  The predetermined signal may be a signal that sounds or lights a buzzer or a lamp connected to the management center 30. The store clerk can know that a cashier needs to be opened by sounding a buzzer or turning on a lamp. Further, the predetermined signal may be a signal that vibrates a wireless communication terminal connected to the management center 30. A store clerk with a wireless communication terminal can know that a cashier needs to be opened by vibrating the terminal.

  Further, the management center 30 notifies the store clerk of the number of cashiers to be opened and the number of cashiers to be added together with a predetermined signal. At this time, the number of cashiers to be opened is the number of cashiers calculated in the above (VII), and the number of cashiers to be increased is the number of cashiers calculated in the above (VII). It is a value obtained by multiplying the number of people in charge. The number of cashiers per cash register is set in the management center 30 by the user of the queue prevention system of this embodiment. After notifying the store clerk that the cashier needs to be opened, the management center 30 deletes the stored product information.

  Next, the shopping basket 10 is returned to the shopping basket storage 200 by the store clerk or the shopper when the checkout of the product is completed at the cash register. At this time, when the shopping basket 10 remains stationary for a certain period of time, The function is stopped (S106).

Specifically, the control unit 107 of the shopping basket 10 determines that the shopping basket 10 is in a stationary state when the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and the wireless tag communication unit 102 and the short-range wireless A signal for turning off the function is output to the communication unit 104 and the timer unit 106. When a signal for turning off the function is input, the wireless tag communication unit 102 stops the communication function. In addition, when a signal to turn off the function is input from the control unit 107, the timer unit 106 notifies the short-range wireless communication unit 104 of the time when the shopper took out the shopping basket and the staying time of the shopper. , Stop its function. Furthermore, when the signal for turning off the function is input from the control unit 107, the short-range wireless communication unit 104 receives the time when the shopper took out the shopping basket and the stay time of the shopper notified from the timer unit 106. Is converted into a signal for near field communication. The short-range wireless communication unit 104 outputs a short-range wireless communication signal to the short-range wireless antenna unit 103.
The time when the shopper takes out the shopping basket and the staying time of the shopper are notified to the collection device 20 via the short-range wireless antenna unit 103, and the collection device 20 notifies them to the management center 30. The management center 30 stores the time when the shopper takes out the shopping basket and the staying time of the shopper.

  In addition, although the matrix prevention system of this embodiment provided the RFID tag recognition unit 100 to the shopping cart, this is not restrictive. The queue prevention system of the present embodiment may add the wireless tag recognition unit 100 to the shopping cart instead of the shopping cart. That is, the user of the queue prevention system of this embodiment may attach the wireless tag recognition unit 100 as long as it is a container on which goods can be carried and carried.

  Further, the matrix prevention system of the present embodiment includes the RFID tag recognition unit 100 of the shopping cart in order to read the merchandise information, but includes a barcode reading unit instead of the RFID tag communication unit 102. May be. In this case, after a signal for turning on the communication function is input, the barcode reading unit reads and outputs the barcode attached to the product in the shopping basket by a known technique. The matrix prevention system including the barcode reading unit has an advantage that the product information can be acquired even in a situation where the wireless tag of the product is not restored.

[Description of effects]
According to the present embodiment, the matrix prevention system can more accurately suppress the occurrence of the registration matrix.

  The reason for this is that the queue prevention system accurately knows the number and type of products that the shopper wants to buy, not the reduction rate of the basket, and based on that, the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register. This is because the calculated time is calculated. The queue prevention system according to the present embodiment calculates whether the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register, thereby knowing whether the shopper forms a queue at the cash register for a long time, that is, whether the cash register queue is generated. By notifying the store clerk of the expansion, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a checkout queue.

  In addition, since the queue prevention system according to the present embodiment suppresses the occurrence of a checkout queue, it is possible to increase the satisfaction of the shopper.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[Description of configuration]
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the matrix prevention system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Moreover, FIG. 6 is a figure which shows the structural example of the shopping basket 50 which comprises the queue prevention system in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. Furthermore, FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the wireless tag recognition unit 500 of the shopping cart 50 that configures the queue prevention system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

(6) Configuration of Matrix Prevention System in Second Embodiment As shown in FIG. 5, the matrix prevention system in the second embodiment includes shopping baskets 50, 51, 52, 53, a collection device 60, The management center 70. The shopping carts 50, 51, 52, 53 and the collection device 60 are connected by a wireless line. The collection device 60 and the management center 70 are connected by a wired line.

(7) Structure and function of shopping basket 50, 51, 52, 53 Since shopping basket 50, 51, 52, 53 has the same structure and function, the structure and function of shopping basket 50 are representatively shown. explain.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the shopping cart 50 is a cart provided with a wireless tag recognition unit 500 instead of the wireless tag recognition unit 100.

  When the wireless tag recognizing unit 500 determines that the shopper has taken the shopping cart 50 from the shopping cart storage area 200, the wireless tag recognition unit 500 notifies the collection device 20 of an identifier representing the shopping cart 50.

(8) Configuration and function of the wireless tag recognition unit 500 given to the shopping cart 50 In order to realize the above-described function, the wireless tag recognition unit 500 replaces the short-range wireless communication unit 104 as shown in FIG. The short-range wireless communication unit 504 is provided.

  When a signal for turning on the communication function is input, the short-range wireless communication unit 504 converts the identifier representing the shopping basket 50 into a known short-range wireless communication signal and outputs the signal. The identifier representing the shopping cart 50 is set in the short-range wireless communication unit 504 by the user of the queue prevention system of this embodiment.

(9) Configuration and Function of Collection Device 60 The collection device 60 receives a short-range wireless communication radio wave, acquires an identifier representing a shopping cart from the received radio wave by a known function, and outputs the identifier.

(10) Configuration and function of management center 70 The management center 70 stores an identifier representing an input shopping cart. The management center 70 calculates and stores the number (hereinafter referred to as “the number of shopping baskets”) of how many types of identifiers represent the stored shopping baskets for each predetermined period. In addition, the management center 70 notifies the instruction to open a cash register when the stored shopping cart number is more than a predetermined number than the stored shopping cart number in a predetermined cycle. Notify the store clerk that there is a possibility. The predetermined cycle, the predetermined previous cycle, and the predetermined number are values set by the user of the matrix prevention system according to the present embodiment. The management center 70 deletes the stored identifier indicating the shopping basket.

  Since the configuration and functions other than those described above are the same as those of the matrix prevention system in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and the description thereof is omitted.

[Description of operation]
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the matrix prevention system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The queue prevention system according to the second embodiment notifies the store clerk that there is a possibility of instructing to open a cash register when the number of shoppers rapidly increases. The operation will be described below with reference to FIG.

  First, when a shopper visits and takes out the shopping basket 50 from the shopping basket storage area 200, the wireless tag recognition unit 500 of the shopping basket 50 performs the shopping basket after performing the above S100 and before performing the above S101. An identifier representing 50 is notified to the collection device 60 (S500).

  Specifically, when the short-range wireless communication unit 504 of the wireless tag recognition unit 500 receives a signal for turning on the communication function from the control unit 107, the identifier representing the shopping cart 50 is known by a known technique. Is converted into a signal for short-range wireless communication and output to the short-range wireless antenna unit 103.

  When the other shopping carts 51 to 53 are also taken out from the shopping cart storage area 200, the operation of S500 described above is performed.

  Next, the collection device 60 receives the short-range wireless communication radio wave, acquires an identifier representing the shopping cart from the received radio wave using a known function, and outputs the identifier to the management center 70 (S501).

  The management center 70 stores an identifier representing the shopping basket input from the collection device 60 (S502).

  Next, the management center 70 calculates and stores the number of identifiers representing the stored shopping baskets, that is, the number of shopping baskets, for each predetermined period (S503).

  Here, after performing the above-described S503, the management center 70 deletes the identifier representing the shopping basket stored so far.

  Next, the management center 70 outputs a predetermined signal if the number of shopping baskets stored has increased more rapidly than the number of shopping baskets stored so far, and the queue system of this embodiment notifies the instruction to open a cash register. The store clerk is notified that there is a possibility of doing this (S504).

  Specifically, the management center 70 outputs a predetermined signal when the number of shopping baskets stored is larger than the number of shopping baskets stored in a predetermined cycle, and the matrix system of the present embodiment Notify the store clerk that there is a possibility of notifying instructions for opening a cash register. However, the management center 70 repeatedly outputs a predetermined signal a plurality of times for a shorter time than when it was output in S105. As a result, for example, a store clerk with a wireless communication terminal can know in advance that there is a possibility that an instruction to open a cash register may be notified because the terminal vibrates repeatedly for a short time.

  The management center 70 reads the stored stay time, and when the stored number of shopping baskets is larger than the stored number of shopping baskets by a predetermined period and when the shopper's stay time is shorter than the predetermined time. In addition, the predetermined signal may be repeatedly output for a short time. The predetermined time is a time set in the management center 70 by the user of the matrix prevention system of the present embodiment.

  The management center 70 performs the above-described S104 and S105 until the next predetermined cycle when the above-described S504 is completed or when the stored number of shopping baskets has not increased rapidly.

  Since other operations are the same as the operations of the matrix prevention system of the first embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted.

[Description of effects]
The queue prevention system according to the present embodiment can notify the store clerk of instructing to open a cash register. The reason for this is that the queue prevention system detects when the number of shoppers rapidly increasing, which may notify a cash register opening instruction, depending on whether or not a number of shopping carts have been taken out over a predetermined period. Because. As a result, the store clerk can proceed with preparation for opening a cash register without panic.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  In the queue system of the first embodiment, one collection device 20 is installed in the approximate center of the store, and one collection device 20 collects information from all shopping carts in the store. In the matrix system of the third embodiment, a collection device is installed for each corner of a store, and information is differentiated for each corner to predict the occurrence of a cash register matrix.

[Description of configuration]
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the matrix prevention system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a shopping basket 80 that configures the queue prevention system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Furthermore, FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the wireless tag recognition unit 800 of the shopping cart 80 that constitutes the queue prevention system according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

(11) Configuration of Matrix Prevention System in Third Embodiment As shown in FIG. 9, the matrix prevention system in the third embodiment includes shopping baskets 80 to 87, collection devices 21 to 23, and management. The center 90 is configured. The shopping carts 80 to 87 and the collection devices 21 to 23 are connected by a wireless line. The collection devices 21 to 23 and the management center 90 are connected by a wired line.

  The collection devices 21 to 23 are installed at each corner in the store by the user of the queue prevention system of the present embodiment. In FIG. 9, for example, a collecting device 21 is installed near the vegetable corner, a collecting device 22 is installed near the meat / fish corner, and a collecting device 23 is installed near the dairy product corner. Further, the user of the queue prevention system according to the present embodiment adjusts the strength of the short-range wireless communication radio waves used in the shopping carts 80 to 87 and the collection devices 21 to 23 so as to reach only the vicinity of each corner.

(12) Configuration and Function of Shopping Baskets 80 to 87 Since the shopping carts 80 to 87 all have the same configuration and function, the configuration and function of the shopping cart 80 will be described as a representative.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the shopping basket 80 is a basket provided with a wireless tag recognition unit 800 instead of the wireless tag recognition unit 100.

  The wireless tag recognizing unit 800 assigns an identifier representing the shopping basket 80 to the read product information and notifies the collection device 21 capable of wireless communication.

(13) Configuration and Function of RFID Tag Recognition Unit 800 Assigned to Shopping Basket 80 In order to realize the above-described function, RFID tag recognition unit 800 replaces short-range radio communication unit 104 as shown in FIG. The short-range wireless communication unit 804 is provided.

  When a signal for instructing output is input, the short-range wireless communication unit 804 gives an identifier representing the shopping basket 80 including the product information that has been read. The short-range wireless communication unit 804 converts the product information provided with the identifier representing the shopping basket 80 into a known short-range wireless communication signal and outputs the signal to the short-range wireless antenna unit 103.

(14) Configuration and function of collection devices 21 to 23 Since the collection devices 21 to 23 all have the same configuration and function, the configuration and function of the collection device 21 will be described as a representative.

The collection devices 21 to 23 acquire product information to which an identifier representing a shopping cart is assigned from the received short-range wireless communication radio waves by a known function. The collection devices 21 to 23 give an identifier indicating a corner where the device is installed (hereinafter referred to as “installation location identifier”) to the product information to which the identifier representing the shopping cart is assigned, and the product information with the identifier. Output as. The installation location identifier is set in the collection devices 21 to 23 by the user of the queue prevention system of this embodiment.
Other configurations and functions are the same as those of the collection device 20 in the first embodiment.

(15) Configuration and Function of Management Center 90 The management center 90 extracts an identifier representing a shopping cart, an installation location identifier, and product information from the input product information with an identifier, and stores product information, an installation location identifier, And an identifier representing the shopping basket is stored in association with each other. The management center 90 also stores a table (hereinafter referred to as “correspondence table”) in which the installation location identifier and the corner name are associated with each other. The correspondence table is set in the management center 90 by the user of the matrix prevention system of this embodiment. Furthermore, the management center 90 predicts whether a cash register matrix is generated for each installation location identifier, that is, for each corner. The method for predicting the occurrence of the registration matrix will be described in detail in “Description of operation” described later. When there is a corner where a cash register matrix is predicted to be generated, the management center 90 informs the store clerk of the name of the corner and the instruction to open the cash register.

  Since the configurations and functions other than those described above are the same as those of the matrix prevention system according to the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

[Description of operation]
In a store such as a supermarket, each product is displayed in a categorized manner from the store entrance, and the flow line of the shopper is generally constant. In the following, when a shopper visits the store, he / she takes a shopping basket 80, first looks at the vegetable corner, then visits the meat / fish corner, and finally goes to the dairy corner near the cash register and settles at the cash register. An explanation will be given using a line as an example. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the matrix prevention system according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  First, as shown in FIG. 12, the RFID tag recognizing unit 800 of each shopping cart 80 to 87 assigns an identifier representing the shopping cart to the acquired product information after performing the above-described S100 and S101. The collection devices 21 to 23 are notified (S800).

  Specifically, when the short-range wireless communication unit 804 of the wireless tag recognition unit 800 receives a signal for turning on the communication function from the control unit 107, the short-range wireless communication unit 804 receives the product information read from the product information storage unit 105. An identifier representing a shopping basket provided with is provided. For example, in the case of the shopping cart 80, the short-range wireless communication unit 804 gives an identifier representing the shopping cart 80 to the product information. Then, the short-range wireless communication unit 804 converts the product information provided with the identifier representing the shopping cart into a known short-range wireless communication signal and outputs the signal to the short-range wireless antenna unit 103.

  Next, the collection devices 21 to 23 receive the short-range wireless communication radio waves from the respective shopping carts 80 to 87, and product information (hereinafter referred to as identifiers) indicating the shopping carts from the received radio waves by a known function. , “Product information with basket identifier”) is acquired (S801).

  Here, since the range in which the radio waves for short-range wireless communication from the shopping carts 80 to 87 reach is adjusted only in the vicinity of each corner, the collection devices 21 to 23 have the shopping carts 80 to 80 in the corner where they are installed. The product information with the basket identifier can be received from 87. In the case of FIG. 9, the collection device 21 acquires product information with a basket identifier only from the shopping carts 80 to 82. Similarly, the collection device 22 acquires product information with a basket identifier only from the shopping carts 83 to 84, and the collection device 23 acquires product information with a basket identifier only from the shopping carts 85 to 87.

  Next, the collection devices 21 to 23 assign an identifier representing the corner where the device is installed, that is, an installation location identifier, to the acquired product information with a basket identifier, and send it to the management center 90 as product information with an identifier. Notification is made (S802).

  The management center 90 extracts an installation location identifier, an identifier representing a shopping cart, and product information from the identifier-added product information, and stores an identifier representing the shopping cart and product information in association with each installation location identifier. (S803).

  By executing S803, the management center 90 can recognize how many shopping carts are near which corner and what products are in the shopping cart by distinguishing each corner. Become.

  Next, the management center 90 predicts the occurrence or non-occurrence of a registration matrix for each predetermined period for each installation location identifier, that is, for each corner (S804).

  In other words, the management center 90 checks for each corner whether or not there is a shopping basket containing a large amount of products that can generate a checkout queue. Specifically, the management center 90 performs the processes (I) to (VII) described above for the product information related to each installation location identifier.

  Next, in the case where there is an installation location identifier for which a cash register matrix is generated in S804, the management center 90 obtains a corner name corresponding to the installation location identifier from the correspondence table, and outputs a signal corresponding to the corner name together with a predetermined signal. It outputs (S805).

  The signal corresponding to the corner name may be a signal for displaying the corner name on the screen of the television connected to the management center 30. The signal corresponding to the corner name may be an e-mail in which the name of the corner addressed to each wireless communication terminal held by the store clerk is written.

  With the above-described operation, the management center 90 informs the store clerk of the necessity of opening a cash register and the name of the corner where there is a shopping basket containing a large amount of merchandise for generating a cash register queue. As a result, the store clerk knows the corner where there is a shopping basket that contains a large amount of products that can generate a checkout queue, and thinks about the distance and time between the corner and the checkout to estimate the timing for opening a new checkout. be able to. For example, when an instruction to open a cash register is notified from the management center 90 at a dairy product corner close to the cash register, the store clerk has a shopping basket containing products that generate a cash register procession in the dairy product corner. Can take action to open.

[Description of effects]
Since the queue prevention system of the present embodiment detects a corner where a shopping basket containing a product that generates a checkout queue is detected, the store clerk considers the distance and time to the detected corner and the checkout and determines the timing for opening the checkout. I can guess. For example, if a shopping basket containing a product that generates a checkout queue is a corner close to the checkout, the store clerk can infer that the checkout must be opened immediately. In addition, when the shopping cart containing the product that generates the checkout queue is at a corner far from the checkout, the store clerk can guess that the checkout should be opened with a margin.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[Description of configuration]
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a matrix prevention system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Moreover, FIG. 14 is a figure which shows the structural example of the container 1010 which comprises the matrix prevention system in the 4th Embodiment of this invention.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the matrix prevention system according to the fourth embodiment includes containers 1010, 1011, 1012, 1013, and a computer 3000. The containers 1010, 1011, 1012, 1013 and the computer 3000 are connected by a wireless line.

  Since the containers 1010, 1011, 1012, and 1013 all have the same configuration and function, the configuration and function of the container 1010 will be described as a representative. The container 1010 is a container for loading articles to which a wireless tag is attached, and includes a wireless tag recognizing unit 1100 and a wireless communication unit 1200. The container is, for example, a shopping cart or a shopping cart. The article may be a product.

  The wireless tag recognizing unit 1100 reads article information including at least the type of article from the wireless tag using a known technique. The wireless communication unit 1200 outputs the read article information as radio communication radio waves.

  The computer 3000 calculates, for each article type, the number of article information including at least the article type acquired from one or more input radio communication radio waves, and based on the article type and the number of article information. In addition, the time expected for the shopper to wait at the cash register is calculated. A method for calculating the time the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register will be described in the following description of the operation. In addition, the computer 3000 outputs a predetermined signal when the calculated time when the calculated shopper is expected to wait at the cash register is longer than the predetermined time.

[Description of operation]
The wireless tag recognition unit 1100 reads article information including at least the type of article from the wireless tag. Next, the wireless communication unit 1200 outputs the read article information as radio communication radio waves.

  The computer 3000 calculates the number of article information including at least the article type acquired from one or more input radio communication radio waves for each article type, and the number of the article type and the article information, that is, Based on the number of items, the time that the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register is calculated. The computer 3000 may obtain the time that the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register based on the type of item and the number of items as follows.

  First, the computer 3000 multiplies the number of articles by a predetermined time required to settle one article for each type of article, and adds all the multiplication results obtained for each type of article. The predetermined time required to settle one article is a value set by the user of the matrix prevention system of the present embodiment. Next, the computer 3000 divides the added result by the number of open cashiers, and sets the divided result as the time that the shopper is expected to wait at the cashier.

  Next, the computer 3000 outputs a predetermined signal when the calculated shopper is expected to wait at the cash register for a longer time than the predetermined time, and notifies the store clerk that the cash register needs to be opened.

  The predetermined time is a value set by the user of the queue prevention system of the present embodiment, and if it is arranged in the queue for more than this time, it is assumed that the shopper is queued for a long time and feels inconvenience of the store. It is time to Further, the predetermined signal may be a signal that sounds or lights a buzzer or a lamp connected to the management center 30. The store clerk can know that a cashier needs to be opened by sounding a buzzer or turning on a lamp.

[Description of effects]
According to the present embodiment, the matrix prevention system can more accurately suppress the occurrence of the registration matrix.

  The reason for this is that the queue prevention system accurately knows the number and type of products that the shopper wants to buy, not the reduction rate of the basket, and based on that, the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register. This is because the calculated time is calculated. The queue prevention system according to the present embodiment calculates whether the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register, thereby knowing whether the shopper forms a queue at the cash register for a long time, that is, whether the cash register queue is generated. By notifying the store clerk of the expansion, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a checkout queue.

  In addition, since the queue prevention system according to the present embodiment suppresses the occurrence of a checkout queue, it is possible to increase the satisfaction of the shopper.

  The embodiment described above is not limited to the embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage.

Further, a part or all of the above-described embodiment can be described as in the following supplementary notes, but is not limited thereto.
(Appendix 1)
A container for loading an article with a wireless tag,
A wireless tag recognition unit for reading article information including at least the type of the article from the wireless tag;
A wireless communication unit that outputs the read article information as radio communication radio waves; and
A container characterized by comprising:
(Appendix 2)
The container is a shopping basket;
The container according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein
(Appendix 3)
The wireless tag is RFID (Radio Frequency Identification).
The container according to any one of appendices 1 to 2, characterized in that:
(Appendix 4)
The number of the article information is calculated for each article type with respect to the article information including at least the article type acquired from one or more radio waves for input wireless communication, and the article type and the number of the article information are calculated. That is, based on the number of items, the time that the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register is calculated, and when the time that the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register is longer than the predetermined time, a predetermined signal is output. To
A computer characterized by that.
(Appendix 5)
The time that the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register is determined for each type of item by multiplying the number of items by a predetermined time required to settle one item for each type of item. The result of the multiplication is added, and the result of the addition, that is, the total item clearing time is divided by the number of open cash registers.
Item 5. The computer according to appendix 4, wherein
(Appendix 6)
The value obtained by dividing the total article clearing time by a predetermined time is the number of cash registers to be opened.
The computer according to any one of appendix 4 to appendix 5, characterized in that.
(Appendix 7)
A matrix prevention system in which a computer receives radio waves from a container,
The container is the container according to any one of appendices 1 to 3,
The computer is the computer according to any one of appendices 4 to 6,
A matrix prevention system characterized by that.
(Appendix 8)
For the article information acquired from the input radio communication radio wave, an identifier corresponding to the location where the device is installed, that is, a collection device that gives an installation location identifier,
The calculator calculates, for each installation location identifier, a time that a shopper is expected to wait at the cash register, and the installation location identifier that is longer than a predetermined time when the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register is greater than a predetermined time. When there is, the signal corresponding to the installation location identifier is output together with the predetermined signal.
The matrix prevention system according to appendix 7, characterized by:
(Appendix 9)
The article information including at least the type of the article is read from the wireless tag attached to the article, and the number of the article information is calculated for each kind of the article for the one or more pieces of the read article information. And the number of article information, that is, the number of articles, the time when the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register is calculated, and the time when the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register is longer than a predetermined time. , Output a predetermined signal,
A matrix prevention method characterized by that.
(Appendix 10)
The time that the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register is determined for each type of item by multiplying the number of items by a predetermined time required to settle one item for each type of item. The result of the multiplication is added, and the result of the addition, that is, the total item clearing time is divided by the number of open cash registers.
The matrix prevention method according to Supplementary Note 9, wherein
(Appendix 11)
The container outputs an identifier corresponding to the container, that is, a container identifier,
The calculator calculates the number of types of the container identifier to be input, and when the calculated number of types of the container identifier is larger than the previously calculated number of types of the container identifier by a predetermined value or more, Output signal,
The matrix prevention system according to appendix 7, characterized by:
(Appendix 12)
The article is a commodity.
The container according to any one of appendices 1 to 3, characterized in that:
(Appendix 13)
The article is a commodity.
The computer according to any one of appendices 4 to 6, characterized in that:
(Appendix 14)
The article is a commodity.
12. The matrix prevention system according to any one of appendices 7 to 8 or appendix 11, wherein
(Appendix 15)
The article is a commodity.
11. The matrix prevention method according to any one of appendices 9 to 10, characterized in that:

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Shopping basket 11 Shopping basket 12 Shopping basket 13 Shopping basket 20 Collection apparatus 21 Collection apparatus 22 Collection apparatus 23 Collection apparatus 30 Management center 50 Shopping basket 51 Shopping basket 52 Shopping basket 53 Shopping basket 60 Collection apparatus 70 Management center 80 Shopping basket 81 Basket 82 Shopping basket 83 Shopping basket 84 Shopping basket 85 Shopping basket 86 Shopping basket 87 Shopping basket 90 Management center 100 Wireless tag recognition unit 101 Wireless tag antenna unit 102 Wireless tag communication unit 103 Short-range wireless antenna unit 104 Short-range wireless communication unit 105 Product information storage unit 106 Timer unit 107 Control unit 108 Display unit 200 Shopping basket storage area 500 Wireless tag recognition unit 504 Short-range wireless communication unit 804 Short-range wireless communication unit 1010 Container 1011 Container 1012 Container 1013 Container 3000 Calculation

Claims (10)

A container for loading an article with a wireless tag,
A wireless tag recognition unit for reading article information including at least the type of the article from the wireless tag;
A wireless communication unit that outputs the read article information as radio communication radio waves; and
A container characterized by comprising: The container is a shopping basket;
The container according to claim 1. The wireless tag is RFID (Radio Frequency Identification).
The container according to claim 1, wherein the container is a container. The number of the article information is calculated for each article type with respect to the article information including at least the article type acquired from one or more radio waves for input wireless communication, and the article type and the number of the article information are calculated. That is, based on the number of items, the time that the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register is calculated, and when the time that the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register is longer than the predetermined time, a predetermined signal is output. To
A computer characterized by that. The time that the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register is determined for each type of item by multiplying the number of items by a predetermined time required to settle one item for each type of item. The result of the multiplication is added, and the result of the addition, that is, the total item clearing time is divided by the number of open cash registers.
The computer according to claim 4, wherein: The value obtained by dividing the total article clearing time by a predetermined time is the number of cash registers to be opened.
The computer according to any one of claims 4 to 5, wherein: A matrix prevention system in which a computer receives radio waves from a container,
The container is the container according to any one of appendices 1 to 3,
The computer is the computer according to any one of appendices 4 to 6,
A matrix prevention system characterized by that. For the article information acquired from the input radio communication radio wave, an identifier corresponding to the location where the device is installed, that is, a collection device that gives an installation location identifier,
The calculator calculates, for each installation location identifier, a time that a shopper is expected to wait at the cash register, and the installation location identifier that is longer than a predetermined time when the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register is greater than a predetermined time. When there is, the signal corresponding to the installation location identifier is output together with the predetermined signal.
The matrix prevention system according to claim 7. The article information including at least the type of the article is read from the wireless tag attached to the article, and the number of the article information is calculated for each kind of the article for the one or more pieces of the read article information. And the number of article information, that is, the number of articles, the time when the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register is calculated, and the time when the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register is longer than a predetermined time. , Output a predetermined signal,
A matrix prevention method characterized by that. The time that the shopper is expected to wait at the cash register is determined for each type of item by multiplying the number of items by a predetermined time required to settle one item for each type of item. The result of the multiplication is added, and the result of the addition, that is, the total item clearing time is divided by the number of open cash registers.
The matrix prevention method according to claim 9.