JP2016162175A - Touch panel device and panel management program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a touch panel device capable of easily carrying out maintenance work to clean off stain from the touch panel and a panel management program.SOLUTION: The touch panel device has a touch panel, a counting means and an output means. The touch panel detects a touch operation made on an operation plane (Act30). The counting means counts the number of touch operations detected by the touch panel at respective positions on the operation plane (Act31). When the counted number is a preset first reference value or more (Yes) (Act33), the output means outputs an alert (Act38).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a touch panel device provided with a touch panel and a panel management program.

  There is known a semi-self-type checkout system in which purchase registration and settlement processes in a supermarket or the like are performed by different product registration apparatuses and settlement apparatuses. In the checkout system, the employee (checker) operates the merchandise registration apparatus, and the shopper operates the settlement apparatus.

  The merchandise registration apparatus and the settlement apparatus are provided with a display screen integrated touch panel (touch screen panel). The employee and the shopper can instruct selection of the button displayed on the screen by a touch operation on the touch panel.

  In a touch panel device such as a merchandise registration device or a payment device provided with a touch panel, touch operations on the touch panel are performed many times by an unspecified person. For this reason, in a position where the number of times touched is large on the touch panel, a lot of dirt on the fingertips may adhere. Dirt adhering to the touch panel may make it difficult to see the screen and may cause discomfort to the shopper.

  Therefore, employees always need to work on all touch panel devices (product registration devices, payment devices) to check whether the touch panel is dirty or periodically clean the touch panel. Met.

JP-A-11-85001

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a touch panel device and a panel management program capable of facilitating maintenance work for dirt on the touch panel.

  According to the embodiment, the touch panel device includes a touch panel, a counting unit, and an output unit. The touch panel detects a touch operation on the operation surface. The counting means counts the number of touch operations detected by the touch panel for each position of the operation surface. The output means outputs an alert when the counted number is equal to or greater than a preset first reference value.

1 is a perspective view of a semi-self type checkout system 10 in the present embodiment. The block diagram of the goods registration apparatus 11 and the payment apparatus 12 in this embodiment. The flowchart which shows the main procedures of the control processing which CPU11a of the merchandise registration apparatus 11 in this embodiment performs according to a control program. The flowchart which shows the main procedures of the control processing which CPU12a of the payment apparatus 12 in this embodiment performs according to a control program. The figure which shows an example of payment screen SC1 in this embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the payment confirmation screen SC2 with respect to the cash payment in this embodiment. The flowchart shown about the stain | pollution | contamination monitoring process in this embodiment. The figure which shows notionally the touch position detected in the stain | pollution | contamination monitoring process in this embodiment, and the frequency | count of a touch. The figure which shows the example which changed the position of area | region C11, C12, C14 corresponding to button B11, B12, B14 shown in FIG. The figure which shows the example which changed the button layout with respect to registration screen SC1 in this embodiment. The figure which shows the example which changed the button layout with respect to payment confirmation screen SC2 in this embodiment. The figure which shows the example of a display of alert screen SC3 which displays the alert message in this embodiment. The flowchart shown about the maintenance mode process in this embodiment.

Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a semi-self type checkout system 10 according to the present embodiment. The checkout system 10 is installed in a store such as a supermarket, for example, and includes at least one product registration device 11 and at least one settlement device 12. In FIG. 1, a checkout system 10 including two product registration devices 11 and four payment devices 12 is shown. The merchandise registration device 11 and the settlement device 12 constitute a touch panel device provided with a display screen integrated touch panel (touch screen panel).

  The merchandise registration apparatus 11 is a store clerk, a so-called clerk 21, who plays a role called a checker. In the settlement apparatus 12, a shopper 22 who purchases a product for sale at a store is the operator. However, the settlement apparatus 12 may be operated by the store clerk 21.

  The merchandise registration apparatus 11 is attached to the work table 23 in FIG. The work table 23 has a rectangular top plate. A plurality of work tables 23 are arranged so that the longitudinal directions of the top plate are substantially parallel to each other, whereby a passage for the shopper 22 is formed.

  The merchandise registration apparatus 11 includes functions of a purchase merchandise registration process, payment information generation, payment processing, and payment information notification to the payment apparatus 12. The registration process is a process of registering a product brought by a shopper entering the aisle as a purchased product. The settlement process is a process for settlement of the commercial transaction of the purchased product. The payment information is information necessary for the payment process.

  When the payment information is notified from the merchandise registration device 11, the payment device 12 performs a payment process based on the payment information.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the merchandise registration apparatus 11 and the settlement apparatus 12. The merchandise registration apparatus 11 and the payment apparatus 12 are both connected to a LAN (local area network) 13 that is a network. Instead of the LAN 13, another network such as the Internet or a wireless LAN can be used as the network. Or it is good also as a structure which transfers information between the goods registration apparatus 11 and the payment apparatus 12 via a server.

  The merchandise registration apparatus 11 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 11a, a read-only memory (ROM) 11b, a random-access memory (RAM) 11c, an auxiliary storage unit 11d, a drawer opening unit 11e, a scanner 11f, a touch panel 11g, and a printer 11h. , A card reader / writer 11i, a communication unit 11j, and a transmission system 11k.

The CPU 11a, ROM 11b, RAM 11c and auxiliary storage unit 11d are connected by a transmission system 11k to constitute a computer.
The CPU 11a corresponds to the central part of the computer. The CPU 11a controls each unit to implement various functions as the product registration device 11 based on the operating system, middleware, and application program stored in the ROM 11b and the RAM 11c.

  The application executed by the CPU 11a includes a panel management program, for example. Based on the panel management program, the CPU 11a performs processing (dirt monitoring processing, maintenance mode processing) for facilitating maintenance of the touch panel 11g.

  The ROM 11b corresponds to a main storage portion of the computer. The ROM 11b stores an operating system. The ROM 11b may store middleware and application programs. The ROM 11b may store data that is referred to when the CPU 11a performs various processes.

  The RAM 11c corresponds to a main storage portion of the computer. The RAM 11c stores data that is referred to when the CPU 11a performs various processes. Further, the RAM 11c is used as a so-called work area that stores data temporarily used when the CPU 11a performs various processes.

  The auxiliary storage unit 11d corresponds to an auxiliary storage portion of the computer. The auxiliary storage unit 11d stores data used when the CPU 11a performs various processes, or data generated by processes performed by the CPU 11a. As the auxiliary storage unit 11d, for example, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid state drive (SSD) can be used.

  The application program stored in the ROM 11b or the auxiliary storage unit 11d includes a control program described regarding control processing described later. The product registration apparatus 11 is generally transferred in a state where the control program is stored in the ROM 11b or the auxiliary storage unit 11d. However, the merchandise registration apparatus 11 may be transferred in a state where the control program is not stored in the ROM 11b or the auxiliary storage unit 11d. In this case, the control program is transferred after being recorded on a removable recording medium such as a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, an optical disk, or a semiconductor memory. Alternatively, the control program may be transferred via a network, and the control program may be written in the auxiliary storage unit 11d of the commodity registration apparatus 11 that has been transferred separately.

The drawer opening unit 11e automatically opens a drawer for storing money.
The scanner 11f reads product information and obtains a product code of the product. As the scanner 11f, various known types can be used as they are. The scanner 11f may correspond to only one of various well-known types, or may correspond to a plurality of types. That is, the scanner 11f may include a fixed or handy two-dimensional code scanner. The scanner 11f may include a scanner that identifies a product from an image of the product using an image recognition technique.

  The touch panel 11g includes a display device and a touch sensor. The display device uses an arbitrary screen such as a GUI screen as its display screen. As the display device, for example, a known device such as a color LCD can be used. The touch sensor is disposed so as to overlap the display surface of the display device. The touch sensor detects the touch position of the operator on the display surface (operation surface) of the display device, and sends the position information to the CPU 11a. As the touch sensor, a known device can be used.

  The printer 11h issues a receipt by printing various character strings and images on the receipt paper. For example, a thermal printer or a dot impact printer can be used as this type of printer 11h.

  The card reader / writer 11i has a function of reading data recorded on the card and a function of writing data to the card. The card may include a membership card called a member's card or a point card in addition to a settlement card such as a credit card, a debit card, an electronic money card, or a prepaid card. The member card records information for identifying at least the member who owns the card. The card reader / writer 11i may be any one of a magnetic type, a contact type, and a non-contact type device, and may include a plurality of types of devices.

  The communication unit 11j performs data communication with a plurality of settlement apparatuses 12 connected via the LAN 13. The communication unit 11j can also perform data communication with another product registration device 11 via the LAN 13.

The transmission system 11k transmits data exchanged among the CPU 11a, ROM 11b, RAM 11c, auxiliary storage unit 11d, drawer opening unit 11e, scanner 11f, touch panel 11g, printer 11h, card reader / writer 11i, and communication unit 11j. As the transmission system 11k, a well-known system including various buses such as a system bus and various interface circuits that connect these buses and respective units can be used.
As hardware of such a commodity registration apparatus 11, for example, an existing POS terminal can be used.

  The settlement apparatus 12 includes a CPU 12a, ROM 12b, RAM 12c, auxiliary storage unit 12d, automatic change machine 12e, scanner 12f, touch panel 12g, printer 12h, card reader / writer 12i, communication unit 12j, and transmission system 12k.

  The CPU 12a, ROM 12b, RAM 12c, and auxiliary storage unit 12d are connected by a transmission system 12k to constitute a computer.

  The CPU 12a corresponds to the central part of the computer. The CPU 12a controls each unit to implement various operations as the settlement apparatus 12 based on the operating system, middleware, and application program stored in the ROM 12b and the RAM 12c.

  The application executed by the CPU 12a includes, for example, a panel management program. Based on the panel management program, the CPU 12a executes processing for facilitating maintenance of the touch panel 12g (dirt monitoring processing, maintenance mode processing).

  The ROM 12b corresponds to a main storage portion of the computer. The ROM 12b stores an operating system. The ROM 12b may store middleware and application programs. The ROM 12b may store data that is referred to when the CPU 12a performs various processes.

  The RAM 12c corresponds to a main storage portion of the computer. The RAM 12c stores data that is referred to when the CPU 12a performs various processes. Furthermore, the RAM 12c is used as a so-called work area that stores data temporarily used when the CPU 12a performs various processes.

  The auxiliary storage unit 12d corresponds to an auxiliary storage portion of the computer. The auxiliary storage unit 12d stores data used when the CPU 12a performs various processes, or data generated by the processes in the CPU 12a. As the auxiliary storage unit 12d, for example, an EEPROM, HDD, or SSD can be used.

  The application program stored in the ROM 12b or the auxiliary storage unit 12d includes a control program described regarding control processing described later. The transfer of the settlement apparatus 12 is generally performed in a state where the control program is stored in the ROM 12b or the auxiliary storage unit 12d. However, the settlement apparatus 12 may be transferred in a state where the control program is not stored in the ROM 12b or the auxiliary storage unit 12d. In this case, the control program is transferred after being recorded on a removable recording medium such as a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, an optical disk, or a semiconductor memory. Alternatively, the control program may be transferred via a network, and the control program may be written in the auxiliary storage unit 12d of the settlement apparatus 12 that has been transferred separately.

  The automatic change machine 12e receives coins and bills that are input. Moreover, the automatic change machine 12e discharge | releases the coin and banknote as change.

  The scanner 12f reads product information and obtains a product code of the product. As the scanner 12f, various known types can be used as they are. The scanner 12f may correspond to only one of various well-known types, or may correspond to a plurality of types. That is, the scanner 12f may include a fixed or handy type two-dimensional code scanner. The scanner 12f may include a type that identifies a product from an image of the product using an image recognition technique.

  The touch panel 12g includes a display device and a touch sensor. The display device makes the screen an arbitrary screen such as a GUI screen. As the display device, for example, a known device such as a color LCD can be used. The touch sensor is disposed so as to overlap the display surface of the display device. The touch sensor detects the touch position of the operator on the display surface (operation surface) of the display device, and sends the position information to the CPU 12a. As the touch sensor, a known device can be used.

  The printer 12h issues a receipt by printing various character strings and images on the receipt paper. For example, a thermal printer or a dot impact printer can be used as this type of printer.

  The card reader / writer 12i has a function of reading data recorded on the card and a function of writing data to the card. The card may include a membership card called a member's card or a point card in addition to a settlement card such as a credit card, a debit card, an electronic money card, or a prepaid card. The member card records information for identifying at least the member who owns the card. The card reader / writer 12i may be any of a magnetic type, a contact type, or a non-contact type device, and may include a plurality of types of devices.

  The communication unit 12j performs data communication with a plurality of product registration apparatuses 11 connected via the LAN 13. The communication unit 11j can also perform data communication with another settlement apparatus 12 via the LAN 13.

The transmission system 12k transmits data exchanged among the CPU 12a, ROM 12b, RAM 12c, auxiliary storage unit 12d, automatic change machine 12e, scanner 12f, touch panel 12g, printer 12h, card reader / writer 12i, and communication unit 12j. As the transmission system 12k, a well-known system including various buses such as a system bus and various interface circuits that connect these buses and respective units can be used.
As the hardware of the settlement apparatus 12, for example, an existing self POS terminal can be used.

Next, operations of the commodity registration apparatus 11 and the settlement apparatus 12 in this embodiment will be described.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the main procedure of the control process executed by the CPU 11a of the commodity registration apparatus 11 according to the control program. FIG. 4 shows the main procedure of the control process executed by the CPU 12a of the settlement apparatus 12 according to the control program. It is a flowchart to show. Note that the content of the processing described below is an example, and various processing that can obtain the same result can be used as appropriate.

First, the operation of the product registration process of the product registration apparatus 11 will be described.
When the merchandise registration apparatus 11 is activated in a mode for registering purchased merchandise, the CPU 11a starts control processing of the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. The CPU 11a clears the data table for registering the registered product data (Act 1). The data table includes a registered product table and a total table. The registered product table stores a product code, a product name, a unit price, a number, a price, and the like of the registered product. The total table stores the total number of registered products and the total amount.

  Next, the CPU 11a displays a registration screen on a part of the screen of the touch panel 11g (Act 2).

  The registration screen represents the contents of the registered product table and the total table, and allows the clerk 21 to check the implementation status of the registration process. The registration screen displays the product name, number and unit price of the product for which purchase registration has been made, the total number and total price of the purchased product after the product is registered.

  Although illustration is omitted, the CPU 11a displays various function buttons such as a product button for the store clerk 21 to specify a product and a subtotal button outside the area of the registration screen in the screen of the touch panel 11g.

  In the state where the registration screen is displayed, the clerk 21 sequentially inputs the product codes of the products purchased by the shopper 22 by operating, for example, the scanner 11f and the product buttons. Then, after inputting the product codes of all the purchased products, the clerk 21 touches the subtotal button.

  The CPU 11a displaying the registration screen waits for the acquisition of the product code of the product to be purchased and registered (Act 3). When the product code input via the scanner 11f or the product button is acquired (Yes in Act 3), the CPU 11a obtains the product name, unit price, sales quantity and sales price based on the product code, and stores the product sales data. Is registered in the registered product table (Act 4). The CPU 11a adds the sales quantity and the sales price to the total table. Then, the CPU 11a updates the registration screen according to the contents of the registered product table and the total table (Act 5).

  After updating the registration screen SC1, the CPU 11a confirms whether or not a product code of a product to be registered for purchase has been acquired (Act 6). If the product code has not been acquired (NO in Act 6), the CPU 11a checks whether or not the subtotal button has been touched (Act 7). When the subtotal button is not touched (NO in Act 7), the CPU 11a confirms again whether or not the product code has been acquired (Act 6). Therefore, the CPU 11a waits for a product code to be acquired or a subtotal button to be touched as Act6 and Act7. Note that the CPU 11a may confirm the occurrence of another event such as another operation being performed in the standby state, and may shift to processing according to the occurrence event.

  When the product code is acquired in the standby state of Act6 and Act7 (Yes in Act6), the CPU 11a returns to the processing of Act4. Then, the CPU 11a repeats the subsequent processing in the same manner as described above.

  If the subtotal button is touched in the standby state of Act6 and Act7 (Yes in Act7), the CPU 11a generates settlement information based on the contents of the registered merchandise table and the total table at this time (Act8). Then, the CPU 11a displays a transfer destination selection screen on a part of the screen of the touch panel 11g (Act 9).

The transfer destination selection screen is provided with a plurality of display areas and a plurality of buttons. The buttons provided on the transfer destination selection screen are selected by a touch operation on the touch panel 11g by the store clerk 21.
In the plurality of display areas, the total number and total amount of the total table, various messages, and the like are displayed. The various messages include, for example, messages indicating “transfer impossible” and “transfer possible” of the payment information for each of the plurality of payment devices 12.

  For a plurality of buttons, a discount for the total amount, a button for the store clerk 21 to specify that a partial area of the screen of the touch panel 11g is returned to the registration screen, and payment information for each of the plurality of payment devices 12 A button for the store clerk 21 to designate the transfer is included.

  When the transfer destination selection screen is displayed, the CPU 11a confirms whether or not the product code of the product to be registered for purchase has been acquired (Act 10). When the product code is not acquired (NO in Act 10), the CPU 11a confirms whether or not the settlement apparatus 12 as the settlement information transfer destination is designated by a touch operation on the transfer destination selection screen (Act 11). When payment device 12 is not specified (NO in Act 11), CPU 11a confirms again whether or not a product code has been acquired (Act 10). Accordingly, the CPU 11a waits for a product code to be acquired or for the settlement device 12 to be designated as Act10 and Act11. The CPU 11a may confirm the occurrence of another event such as another operation being performed in the standby state here, and may shift to processing according to the occurrence event. For example, when one of the buttons B1 and B2 is touched by the store clerk 21, the CPU 11a changes the total amount included in the settlement information according to an instruction from the store clerk 21 thereafter.

  When the product code is acquired in the standby state of Act 10 and Act 11 (Yes in Act 10), the CPU 11a returns a partial area of the screen of the touch panel 11g to the registration screen (Act 12). Thereafter, the CPU 11a proceeds to the process of Act4 and repeats the subsequent processes in the same manner as described above.

  In the standby state of Act10 and Act11, when any of the buttons for selecting the settlement apparatus 12 on the transfer destination selection screen is touched by the store clerk 21, the CPU 11a considers that the settlement apparatus 12 as the settlement information transmission destination is designated. . When the settlement apparatus 12 is designated (Yes in Act 11), the CPU 11a transmits settlement information to the designated settlement apparatus 12 (Act 13).

  Specifically, the CPU 11a sets the communication address set in the designated payment device 12 as a transmission destination address, sets the communication address set for itself as a transmission source address, and transmits the payment information to the LAN 13 so as to transmit the payment information. 11j is controlled. Thereby, the settlement information in which the transmission destination address and the transmission source address are set is transmitted via the LAN 13. This settlement information is received by the settlement apparatus 12 whose transmission destination address matches the communication address. The payment apparatus 12 that has received the payment information can identify the product registration apparatus that is the transmission source of the payment information by storing the transmission source address of the payment information.

  When the payment information is transmitted, the CPU 11a displays a notification screen on a part of the screen of the touch panel 11g on which a message is displayed informing that the payment by the semi-self is selected and the payment information is transmitted to the designated payment device 12. (Act 14). The semi-self-settlement is a settlement form in which settlement processing is executed in the settlement apparatus 12 in response to an operation by the shopper 22.

  The clerk 21 confirming the notification screen notifies the shopper 22 of the payment device 12 that has transmitted the payment information among the payment devices 12, and notifies the shopper 22 to perform the payment process in the payment device 12. Upon receiving this notification, the shopper 22 moves to the designated settlement apparatus 12 and performs an operation for settlement.

Next, the payment processing operation of the payment apparatus 12 will be described.
When the settlement apparatus 12 is activated, the CPU 12a starts the control process of the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. The CPU 12a displays a standby screen on the touch panel 12g (Act 21). The standby screen represents that there is no payment processing status, and what information is represented may be arbitrary. For example, it is assumed that the standby screen displays a message indicating that payment processing cannot be performed, or displays an arbitrary image indicating an advertisement or the like as a screen saver. After setting the screen of the touch panel 12g as a standby screen, the CPU 12a waits to receive payment information (Act 22).

  As described above, the CPU 11a of the merchandise registration apparatus 11 transmits settlement information from the communication unit 11j to the LAN 13 in the process of Act 13 in FIG. This settlement information is received by the communication unit 12j provided in the settlement apparatus 12 that is the destination.

  When the settlement information is received (Yes in Act 22), the CPU 12a develops the settlement information in the registered product table and the total table (Act 23). That is, the CPU 12a stores a list of product names, unit prices, sales quantities, and sales amounts of registered products included in the settlement information in the registered product table. Similarly, the CPU 12a stores the total number and total amount of purchased products included in the settlement information in the total table. Thereafter, the CPU 12a displays a settlement screen on a part of the screen of the touch panel 12g (Act 24).

  An example of the settlement screen SC1 is shown in FIG. Settlement screen SC1 includes display areas R11, R12 and buttons B11, B12, B13. The display area R11 displays operation guidance for the shopper 22 who operates the settlement apparatus 12. The display area R12 displays the total number and the total amount of the total table. Button B11 is for the shopper to specify that the payment method is cash. The button B12 is for the shopper to specify that the payment method is credit. The button B13 is for the shopper 22 to specify that the clerk 21 is called. In the following description, the button B11 is referred to as a cash button B11, the button B12 is referred to as a credit button B12, and the button B13 is referred to as a clerk call button B13.

  The shopper 22 confirming the settlement screen SC1 decides whether to pay with cash or credit. And when paying with cash, the cash button B11 is touched and the cash more than the total amount is thrown into the automatic change machine 12e.

  On the other hand, when paying with credit, the credit button B12 is touched to cause the card reader / writer 12i to read the data of the credit card.

  The CPU 12a displaying the settlement screen SC1 waits for the cash button B11 or the credit button B12 to be touched (Act 25). When the cash button B11 or the credit button B12 is touched (Yes in Act 25), the CPU 12a executes a settlement process by the payment method selected by the touched button (Act 26). That is, when the cash button B11 is touched, the CPU 12a executes a settlement process for cash payment. When the credit button B12 is touched, the CPU 12a executes a settlement process for credit payment. Since these payment processes are well-known matters in the existing self-POS terminal, the description thereof is omitted here.

  When the settlement process ends, the CPU 12a displays a settlement confirmation screen SC2 on a part of the screen of the touch panel 12g (Act 27).

  An example of the payment confirmation screen SC2 for cash payment is shown in FIG. The settlement confirmation screen SC2 includes a display area R13 and buttons B14 and B15. The settlement confirmation screen SC2 includes a display area R11 for displaying operation guidance for the shopper 22 as in the settlement screen SC1. Further, the settlement confirmation screen SC2 displays the clerk call button B13 at the same position as that on the settlement screen SC1.

  The display area R13 displays the total amount, the input amount to the automatic change machine 12e, and the change amount. The button B14 is for designating that the shopper 22 who does not receive a receipt confirms the contents of the settlement. The button B15 is used for designating that the shopper 22 who receives the receipt is confirmed about the contents of the settlement. In the following description, the button B14 is referred to as a checkout button B12, and the button B15 is referred to as a receipt button B15. The display area R11 displays a message prompting the shopper 22 to touch either the checkout button B12 or the receipt button B15.

  Although not shown, the payment confirmation screen for credit payment includes display areas R11 and R13, a clerk call button B13, a checkout button B14, and a receipt button B15 as in the screen SC2. In the settlement confirmation screen for credit payment, the display area R13 displays the number of credit payments, the name of the credit card issuing company, and the like in addition to the total amount. The display area R11 displays a message that prompts the shopper 22 to touch either the checkout button B12 or the receipt button B15.

  When the settlement confirmation screen SC2 is displayed, the CPU 12a confirms whether or not the settlement button B14 is touched (Act 28). When the checkout button B14 is touched (Yes in Act 28), the CPU 12a edits the print data of the receipt based on the contents of the registered product table and the total table. Then, the CPU 12a operates the printer 12h to issue a receipt (Act 29). When the receipt is issued, the CPU 12b returns to the process of Act 21 and repeats the subsequent processes in the same manner as described above.

  When the receipt button B15 is touched, for example, the CPU 12a calls the store clerk 21 and executes a process for issuing a receipt. Detailed description is omitted.

  As described above, in the checkout system 10 according to the present embodiment, each of the merchandise registration apparatus 11 and the payment apparatus 12 displays a plurality of operation screens for the clerk 21 or the shopper 22 and accepts touch operations on the touch panels 11g and 12g. . For this reason, the touch surfaces of the touch panels 11g and 12g are likely to be contaminated with fingertips. In particular, as in the screens SC1 and SC2 shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, dirt easily adheres to the vicinity of an area where various buttons B11 to B15 that are frequently touched are provided.

  In this embodiment, the merchandise registration apparatus 11 and the settlement apparatus 12 which are one aspect of the touch panel device execute a dirt monitoring process based on the panel management program in parallel with the control process (FIGS. 3 and 4) described above. To do. The dirt monitoring process is a process of estimating the degree of dirt on the touch panels 11g and 12g based on the number of touches on the touch panels 11g and 12g and outputting a warning (alert) based on the estimation result.

  Next, the dirt monitoring process in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In the following description, a case where the dirt monitoring process is executed in the settlement apparatus 12 will be described. The merchandise registration apparatus 11 performs the dirt monitoring process in the same manner as the settlement apparatus 12, and a description thereof is omitted.

  When a touch operation on the touch panel 12g is detected (Yes in Act 30), the CPU 12a of the settlement apparatus 12 counts the number of touches for each touched position (Act 31). The number of touches is counted for each position (coordinate) where the touch position can be detected on the touch panel 12g, for example. Further, the CPU 12a may count for each section obtained by dividing the detection surface into a matrix, or may further count for each button area provided on each operation screen.

  The CPU 12a compares the counted number of touches at each position with a preset first reference value (Act 32), and determines whether the number of touches is equal to or greater than the first reference value (Act 33).

  The first reference value indicates a criterion for estimating that the dirt attached to the touch panel 12g is at a level that requires cleaning or the like. That is, it is estimated that the dirt is attached to the position where the number of touch operations is increased.

  When it is determined that the number of touches is not equal to or greater than the first reference value (NO in Act 33), the CPU 12a compares the counted number of touches at each position with a preset second reference value ( Act 34), it is determined whether the number of touches is equal to or greater than the second reference value (Act 35). The second reference value is set to a value lower than the first reference value.

  When it is determined that the number of touches is not equal to or greater than the second reference value (NO in Act 35), the CPU 12a returns to the process of Act 30. That is, the contamination of the touch panel 12g is estimated to be within an allowable range.

  While the number of touches is not equal to or greater than the second reference value, the CPU 12a repeatedly executes the processes of Acts 30 to 35. As a result, the number of touches is accumulated for each position where the touch position is detected.

FIG. 8 is a diagram conceptually showing the touch position and the number of touches detected in the dirt monitoring process in the present embodiment.
In FIG. 8, areas C11 and C12 indicate areas corresponding to the buttons B11 and B12 provided on the registration screen SC1 shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, areas C14 and C15 indicate areas corresponding to the buttons B14 and B15 provided on the settlement confirmation screen SC2 shown in FIG. An area C13 indicates an area corresponding to the button B13 provided in common on the registration screen SC1 and the settlement confirmation screen SC2.

  In FIG. 8, regions D11, D12, D13, D14, and D15 represent a range of touched positions. In addition, the regions D11 to D15 are indicated by a darker color as the position where the number of touches is larger. As shown in FIG. 8, on the operation screen (registration screen SC1, settlement confirmation screen SC2), the touch operation is often performed near the center of the buttons B11 to B15.

  When it is determined that the number of touches is equal to or greater than the second reference value (Yes in Act 35), the CPU 12a has already executed a button layout change process for changing the button arrangement on the operation screen displayed on the touch panel 12g. It is determined whether it is.

  If the change process has not been executed (NO in Act 36), the CPU 12a executes the change process on the operation screen (Act 37).

  For example, the CPU 12a becomes the determination target when there is a position where the number of touches is determined to be equal to or greater than the second reference value in any of the regions C11 to C15 corresponding to the buttons provided on the operation screen. The position in the operation screen is changed for one button corresponding to the area.

  When there is a button whose number of touches is equal to or greater than the second reference value, there is a high possibility that the touch surface of the touch panel 12g corresponding to this button is contaminated. Therefore, by changing the position of the button, the position where the shopper 22 makes more touch operations is shifted, and the range in which dirt is attached by the touch operation is dispersed.

  In addition, when there are a plurality of positions where the number of touches is counted in one area, the CPU 12a executes the change process if there is a position where the number of touches is equal to or more than the second reference value even at one place. In addition, the CPU 12a may execute the change process when there is a position where the total number of touches at different positions included in one region is equal to or greater than the second reference value.

  Further, when the number of touches is counted for each area of the button provided on the operation screen, the CPU 12a executes the change process when the number of touches in one area becomes equal to or greater than the second reference value. .

  In the above description, the position of one button is changed. However, when the position of any button is changed, the other buttons may be changed simultaneously. For example, when a plurality of buttons are related, the positions of the related buttons are changed. This eliminates the need to greatly change the button arrangement balance on the operation screen.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the positions of the regions C11, C12, and C14 corresponding to the buttons B11, B12, and B14 illustrated in FIG. 8 are changed.
The buttons B <b> 11 and B <b> 12 are related because they are buttons for allowing the shopper 22 to select one of them. For this reason, for example, when it is necessary to change the position of the button B11, the CPU 12a also changes the position of the button B12 in the same manner as the button B11.

  When changing the position of the button, the CPU 12a changes the position to a predetermined position. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 9, the CPU 12a moves the original button to a position moved by a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example in which change processing is performed on the registration screen SC1. On the registration screen SC1 shown in FIG. 10, buttons B11a and B12a in which the positions of the buttons B11 and B12 shown in FIG. 5 are changed are displayed. As shown in FIG. 10, the registration screen SC1 does not make the shopper 22 aware of a significant layout change even if the positions of the buttons B11a and B12a are changed. Accordingly, the registration screen SC1 after the change process does not deteriorate the operability even for the shopper 22 who is used to the operation of the registration screen SC1 before the change process.

  On the other hand, the button B14 is not related to other buttons. For this reason, when changing the position of the button B14, the CPU 12a changes the position of the button B14 alone.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example in which change processing is performed on the settlement confirmation screen SC2. On the settlement confirmation screen SC2 shown in FIG. 11, a button B14a in which the position of the button B14 shown in FIG. 6 is changed is displayed. As shown in FIG. 11, the settlement confirmation screen SC2 reduces the operability without making the shopper 22 aware of a significant layout change even if the position of the button B14a is changed, as in the registration screen SC1. There is nothing.

  In the above description, when changing the button layout, the CPU 12a changes the button position to a predetermined position. However, the button position may be changed dynamically. For example, the CPU 12a determines the position of the button after the change so as to avoid the range where the number of touches is large as shown in FIG. Thereby, the changed button can be arranged in an area where the number of touches is small.

  In this way, by changing the position of the button on the operation screen, the position touched by the shopper 22 can be dispersed, so that terrible dirt does not adhere to a specific range (area corresponding to the button). Can do.

  Thereafter, when the touch operation by the shopper 22 on the settlement apparatus 12 is continued, a position where the number of touches is equal to or greater than the first reference value occurs.

Returning to FIG.
If the CPU 12a determines that the number of touches is equal to or greater than the first reference value (Yes in Act 33), the CPU 12a notifies the store clerk that the cleaning is necessary to remove dirt attached to the touch panel 12g. To output an alert (Act 38). For example, the CPU 12a notifies the merchandise registration apparatus 11 of an alert output via the LAN 13. The CPU 11a of the merchandise registration apparatus 11 displays an alert on the touch panel 11g in response to the notification from the settlement apparatus 12.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a display example of an alert screen SC3 that displays an alert message in the present embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 12, for example, a message R14 “Please clean the panel” is displayed. In FIG. 12, only a message is shown, but when an alert is output for the settlement apparatus 12, the CPU 12a displays information identifying the settlement apparatus 12 (such as a device name) added to the message. . Thereby, it is possible to notify the clerk 21 that the touch panel 12g of the settlement apparatus 12 needs to be cleaned.

  Since the settlement apparatus 12 is mainly operated by the shopper 22, an alert message for notifying the store clerk 21 is not displayed. When executing the dirt monitoring process in the merchandise registration apparatus 11, the CPU 11a displays an alert message on the touch panel 11g.

  As described above, in the checkout system 10 according to the present embodiment, when the dirt registration process is executed in each of the commodity registration device 11 and the settlement device 12, the touch panels 11g and 12g need to be cleaned. An alert is output on. Therefore, the store clerk 21 does not always have to visit all the product registration devices 11 and the payment devices 12 to check whether the touch panels 11g and 12g are dirty. Since the clerk 21 only needs to clean the touch panels 11g and 12g each time for the merchandise registration apparatus 11 or the settlement apparatus 12 for which an alert is output, the work load is greatly reduced.

  Next, the maintenance mode process in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In the following description, a case where the maintenance mode process is executed in the settlement apparatus 12 will be described. The merchandise registration apparatus 11 performs the maintenance mode process in the same manner as the settlement apparatus 12, and a description thereof is omitted.

  When the CPU 12a of the settlement apparatus 12 is instructed to shift to the maintenance mode process by a predetermined operation, the CPU 12a displays a maintenance screen on the touch panel 11g (Act 40). For example, the CPU 12a displays a maintenance screen indicating the range of touched positions based on the number of touch positions at each position counted by the dirt monitoring process. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the CPU 12a displays a range in which the number of touches is large in a display form that allows the store clerk 21 to easily recognize. For example, the CPU 12a divides the number of touches into a plurality of stages (for example, three stages), and displays the colors in the order of red, orange, and yellow from the range where the number of touches is large. As a result, the maintenance screen can present to the store clerk 21 a range that particularly requires cleaning.

  Next, when the clerk 21 wipes the operation surface of the touch panel 12g using a cleaning cloth or the like, the CPU 12a detects a touch operation on the touch panel 12g (Yes in Act 41). The CPU 12a changes the display form of the maintenance screen according to the position where the touch operation is detected, that is, the position where cleaning is performed. For example, when a predetermined number of touch operations are detected at the same position, the CPU 12a changes the display color used according to the number of touches. For example, the red color is changed to orange, the orange color is changed to yellow, and the yellow color is changed to colorless. Thereby, it is possible to make the store clerk 21 visually recognize that the touch panel 12g has been cleaned.

  When the end of the maintenance mode process is instructed by the operation of the clerk 21 (Yes in Act 43), the CPU 12a resets the number of touches counted by the dirt monitoring process (Act 44), and ends the maintenance mode process.

  As described above, the display form on the maintenance screen may be displayed not only by red, orange, and yellow, but also by shading according to the number of touches, or by a figure or the like. Other display forms can also be used.

  In this way, by displaying the maintenance screen indicating the range in which dirt is estimated based on the number of touches counted in the dirt monitoring process, the clerk 21 may have dirt attached. The touch panel 12g can be cleaned while paying attention to the high range. For this reason, an efficient cleaning operation can be realized.

  In the above-described embodiment, the product registration device 11 and the payment device 12 used in the semi-self type checkout system are described as examples of the touch panel device, but the present invention is applied to other devices provided with a touch panel. be able to. For example, the present invention can be applied to a product registration / settlement device (register) used in a self-type checkout system in which a shopper performs both purchase registration and settlement. In addition, copiers, multifunction peripherals (MFPs), smartphones, personal computers, touch panel displays, car navigation systems, automated teller machines (ATMs), arcade game machines, electronic The present invention can be applied to various devices such as a notebook that use a user touch operation for a user interface.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  Further, the processing described in the above-described embodiment is a recording medium such as a magnetic disk (flexible disk, hard disk, etc.), optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, etc.), semiconductor memory, etc., as a program that can be executed by a computer. And can be provided to various devices. It is also possible to transmit to a variety of devices by transmitting via a communication medium. The computer reads the program recorded on the recording medium or receives the program via the communication medium, and the operation is controlled by this program, thereby executing the above-described processing.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Checkout system, 11 ... Product registration apparatus, 11a ... CPU, 11b ... ROM, 11c ... RAM, 11d ... Auxiliary storage unit, 11e ... Drawer release unit, 11f ... Scanner, 11g ... Touch panel, 11h ... Printer, 11i ... Card reader / writer, 11j ... communication unit, 11k ... transmission system, 12 ... settlement device, 12a ... CPU, 12b ... ROM, 12c ... RAM, 12d ... auxiliary storage unit, 12e ... automatic change machine, 12f ... scanner, 12g ... touch panel , 12h ... printer, 12i ... card reader / writer, 12j ... communication unit, 12k ... transmission system.

Claims (5)

A touch panel for detecting a touch operation on the operation surface;
Counting means for counting the number of touch operations detected by the touch panel for each position of the operation surface;
An output means for outputting an alert when the counted number is equal to or greater than a preset first reference value;
A touch panel device. It further has display means for displaying an operation screen including buttons on the touch panel,
The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein the counting unit counts the number of touch operations for each button provided on an operation screen displayed on the touch panel.   The touch panel device according to claim 2, wherein the display means displays an operation screen in which the position of the button is changed when the number of touch operations counted for each button is equal to or greater than a preset second reference value. A maintenance screen display means for displaying a maintenance screen indicating a range of a touch-operated position based on the number of touch operations in response to a maintenance mode transition instruction;
Changing means for changing the maintenance screen in response to a touch operation detected by the touch panel;
The touch panel device according to claim 1, further comprising: Computer
Counting means for counting the number of touch operations on the operation surface detected by the touch panel for each position of the operation surface;
A panel management program for causing an alert to be output when the counted number is equal to or greater than a preset reference value.