JP2019101816A - Register system - Google Patents

Abstract

To accurately read tag information without providing a shield box for reading on a register table in a cash register system for acquiring tag information from an RFID tag and automatically calculating the sales amount of a commodity.SOLUTION: The register system is provided with an antenna device for radiating radio waves for reading tag information from an RFID tag toward a reading area to receive radio waves transmitted from the RFID tag, a reading device for acquiring tag information of RFID tags in the reading area by transmitting and receiving via the antenna device, and a terminal for registering the sales amount of all commodities having passed through the reading area on the basis of tag information read by the reading device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a cash register system that acquires tag information from an RFID tag attached to a product and automatically calculates the sales amount of the product.

  Conventionally, as this type of cash register system, when calculating the sales amount, the target product can be shielded so that the radio wave can be shielded so that the tag information is not erroneously read from the RFID tag attached to the peripheral product. It is proposed to be configured to be accommodated in a chamber (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP, 2016-162177, A

  According to the proposed cash register system, the product is accommodated in a storage room capable of shielding radio waves and tag information is acquired from the RFID tag, so that it is possible to prevent the customer from calculating the charge for the product to be paid by mistake. However, because it is necessary to store the goods in the storage room, it takes time until the accounting.

Further, since it is necessary to install a dedicated storage room (so-called shield box) capable of shielding radio waves on the cash register, there is a problem that the cost of the cash register system is increased.
One aspect of the present disclosure is that, in a cash register system that acquires tag information from an RFID tag and calculates a sales amount automatically, accurate reading of product-specific tag information without providing a shield box for reading on the cash register. It is desirable to be able to do it.

A cash register system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes an antenna device, a reader, and a cash register terminal.
The antenna device radiates a radio wave for reading tag information from the RFID tag toward the reading area, and receives a radio wave transmitted from the RFID tag attached to a product in the reading area.

  The reading device transmits and receives radio waves through the antenna device to acquire tag information of the RFID tag in the reading area, and the cash register terminal reads the reading area based on the tag information read by the reading device. Calculate the sales amount of all products that passed

  Therefore, according to the cash register system of the present disclosure, tag information can be accurately acquired from an RFID tag disposed in a reading area or attached to a commodity moving the reading area via an antenna device. Thus, the sales amount can be suppressed from being miscalculated.

  Therefore, in order to ensure the reliability of the cash register system, it is not necessary to put a product with an RFID tag in the shield box for reading tag information as in the conventional case, and the sales amount can be calculated in a short time. Can. Further, since the shield box does not need to be installed on the cash register, the cash register system can be realized at low cost.

  Here, the reading area may be set to a specific area on a table on which the product can be placed and moved. The antenna device may be provided with a first antenna device disposed above the reading area and configured to emit radio waves to the reading area.

  In this way, the tag information can be more accurately acquired from the RFID tag attached to the commodity placed and moved on the platform by the user, and the calculation of the sales amount by the cash register terminal It can implement more accurately.

  In addition, the first antenna device does not emit radio waves to the outside of the reading area, and furthermore, narrow directivity in which the half-value angle is set so as not to receive radio waves from the RFID tag outside the reading area. It is good to be comprised by the antenna.

  Further, the reading area may be provided with a guide wall disposed outside the reading area along the passing direction so that a product or a bag containing the product can pass through. In this case, the guide wall may be formed of a radio wave absorber that absorbs radio waves transmitted and received by the antenna device or a reflective material that reflects radio waves.

  In this way, for example, a shopper who pays at the cash register is not affected by radio waves reflected by an object outside the reading area or radio waves entering the reading area from an external RFID tag. Tag information can be acquired from the RFID tag in the reading area. Therefore, the calculation accuracy of the sales amount by the cash register system can be further improved.

  The guide wall may be formed of a guide member having a U-shaped cross section and guiding the passage of a product or a bag containing the product inside the U-shape. And if it does in this way, an unnecessary electric wave can be shielded better by a guidance member, and calculation accuracy of the amount of sales by the said cash register system can be improved more.

  In addition, when the guide wall is provided in this manner, the antenna device is disposed at the guide wall or at the bottom of the reading area inside the guide wall, and is configured to emit a radio wave in the reading area. An antenna device may be provided.

  And, in particular, by providing the first antenna device and the second antenna device as antenna devices for reading tag information, it is possible to more reliably read tag information from an RFID tag in a reading area. Thus, it is possible to suppress the reading error of the tag information.

Further, in the cash register system of the present disclosure, the antenna device used to read the tag information may be configured by a transmitting / receiving antenna capable of transmitting / receiving a radio wave, and the transmitting antenna for transmitting the radio wave and the radio wave are received. It may be configured with a receiving antenna.

Next, even if the register terminal can not identify the product from the tag information read by the reading device, it is determined that the tag information is abnormal, and it is configured to notify the abnormality of the tag information. Good.

  In this way, when the customer illegally rewrites the tag information to purchase the product, when the administrator intends to purchase the product for which the tag information has been forgotten to be registered, or the customer is at another store When the tag information of the purchased product is read by mistake, an abnormality can be detected and notified.

  Further, in this case, when it is determined that the tag information read by the reading device is abnormal, the cash register terminal is configured to close the gate provided at the entrance of the store where the cash register system is installed. It is also good.

  On the other hand, a second reader for acquiring tag information from an RFID tag passing through the entrance may be provided at the entrance of the store where the cash register system is installed. Then, in this case, the anti-theft device compares the tag information acquired by the second reader with the tag information of the calculated product for which the sales amount is calculated at the cashier terminal, and the second reader If the tag information acquired is not the tag information of the calculated item, an alarm may be issued.

  In this case, the antitheft device may be configured to close the gate provided at the entrance of the store when the tag information acquired by the second reader is not the tag information of the calculated item.

  In this way, it is possible to detect a calculation error at the cash register terminal and prevent an uncalculated commodity from being taken out, which in turn makes it possible to prevent shoplifting in advance.

It is a schematic block diagram showing the structure of the whole cash register system of 1st Embodiment. It is an explanatory view showing the composition which looked at the 1st antenna device from the radiator side. It is an explanatory view showing the composition which looked at the 1st antenna device from the side opposite to a radiator. It is an explanatory view showing the directivity characteristic of the 1st antenna device. It is explanatory drawing showing the relationship with the weight with respect to the distribution input to the antenna element of the both sides in a 1st antenna apparatus, a half value angle, and a side lobe level. It is a flowchart showing the calculation process performed in the cashier terminal. It is a schematic block diagram showing the structure of the cash register system of 2nd Embodiment provided with the antitheft device. It is a flowchart showing the monitoring process performed by the antitheft device. It is a flowchart showing the modification of the monitoring process performed by the antitheft device. It is a flowchart showing the modification of the calculation process performed in the cashier terminal. It is an explanatory view showing a modification of the 1st antenna device. It is explanatory drawing showing the processing circuit of the transmission / reception signal provided in the 1st antenna apparatus of a modification.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
First Embodiment
As shown in FIG. 1, the cash register system 2 of the present embodiment is configured such that tag-specific information (tag information) is obtained from the RFID tag 10 attached to the product in the reading area 6 set in advance in the cash register 4 of the store. ) Is a system that automatically calculates the sales amount of goods.

  For this reason, in the cash register system 2 of the present embodiment, a first antenna device 60 is provided above the reading area 6 of the cash register 4 as an antenna device for reading tag information from the RFID tag 10.

The first antenna device 60 radiates a radio wave for reading tag information from the RFID tag 10 toward the reading area 6 from above the cash register 4 and is transmitted from the RFID tag 10 in the reading area 6 It is used as a transmitting and receiving antenna that receives radio waves.

The first antenna device 60 may be provided right above the reading area 6 of the cash register 4 or may be provided obliquely above the reading area 6.

  That is, the first antenna device 60 radiates radio waves from the upper side of the cash register 4 toward the reading area, and can receive the radio waves transmitted from the RFID tag 10 in the reading area 6. It may be disposed above 6).

  Further, the first antenna device 60 does not necessarily need to be used as a transmitting and receiving antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves, and is configured of two types of antennas: a transmitting antenna for transmitting radio waves and a receiving antenna for receiving radio waves. It is also good.

  Next, the first antenna device 60 radiates radio waves to the outside of the reading area of the cash register table 4 and does not receive radio waves from the RFID tag outside the reading area so that the half angle in the vertical direction and horizontal direction Is configured with a narrow directivity antenna set.

That is, the first antenna device 60 of the present embodiment is configured by housing the planar antenna in a resin antenna case capable of transmitting radio waves.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the planar antenna constituting the first antenna device 60 includes a reflector 610, three radiators 621 to 623, three feeding circuits 631 to 633, and a distributor 640. , Attenuators 661 and 662, and coaxial cables 651 and 652.

  The reflector 610 is composed of a metal plate formed in a rectangular shape. The reflector 610 is a parasitic element and reflects radio waves emitted from the radiators 621 to 623. And, as shown in FIG. 2, three radiators 621 to 623 are installed on the surface 610 A of the reflector 610. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, on the back surface 610 </ b> B of the reflector 610, three feeding circuits 631 to 633 and a distributor 640 are installed.

  The radiators 621 to 623 are patch antennas formed in a rectangular shape smaller than the reflector 610. The radiators 621 to 623 are feed elements, and emit radio waves in the direction opposite to the direction toward the reflector 610.

  Radiators 621 to 623 are arranged at regular intervals on surface 610A along the longitudinal direction of reflector 610. That is, the radiators 621 to 623 constitute an array antenna, and the radiators 621 and 623 are disposed at both ends with the radiator 622 at the center. In the following, the arrangement side of the radiator 621 is the left side, and the arrangement side of the radiator 623 is the right side.

  The first antenna device 60 has the ceiling 20 of the store via the fixture 22 such that the surface 610 A of the reflector 610 faces the register 4 side, that is, the radio wave is emitted toward the register 4. It is fixed to

  The distributor 640 is a circuit that equally divides the transmission input, which is a high frequency signal input to the first antenna device 60, into three and generates three distribution inputs to be supplied to the radiators 621 to 623. In the following description, the distribution input supplied to the radiator 621 is S1, the distribution input supplied to the radiator 622 is S2, and the distribution input supplied to the radiator 623 is S3.

  The feeding circuits 631 to 633 are formed on separate substrates 671 to 673, respectively, and are connected to the radiators 621 to 623 on the front surface 610A from the back surface 610B of the reflector 610 to excite the radiators 621 to 623. is there.

  The feed circuit 632 and the distributor 640 disposed at the center of the array are formed on the same substrate 672. In addition, the substrates 671 to 673 are disposed on the back surface 610B of the reflector 610 around the position on the back side of the radiators 621 to 623.

  The distributor 640 and each of the feeding circuits 631 to 633 are individually connected. The distribution input S2 generated by the distributor 640 is supplied to the feed circuit 632 via the line 653 transmitting the high frequency signal formed on the substrate 672.

  Also, the distribution input S1 is supplied to the feed circuit 631 on the left side via the attenuator 661 and the coaxial cable 651, and the distribution input S3 is supplied to the feed circuit 633 on the right side via the attenuator 662 and the coaxial cable 652. Be done. The coaxial cable 651 on the left and the coaxial cable 652 on the right are cables of the same length.

  That is, the first antenna device 60 has a symmetrical configuration about the feeding circuit 632. The feed circuits 631 to 633 receive the distribution inputs S1 to S3 to excite the radiators 621 to 623. The excited radiators 621 to 623 radiate radio waves.

  The output of the first antenna device 60 is a mixed output in which the outputs of the radiators 621 to 623 are mixed. That is, the first antenna device 60 emits a combined radio wave in which the radio waves respectively emitted by the radiators 621 to 623 are combined.

From the characteristics of the array antenna, when all the outputs of the radiators 621 to 623 have the same phase, the half-value angle of the first antenna device 60 is narrower than the half-value angle for one radiator.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to make the first antenna device 60 a narrow directivity antenna, the phases of the three distribution inputs S1 to S3 are adjusted such that the outputs of the radiators 621 to 623 have the same phase. ing.

  Specifically, the phases of the distribution inputs S1 and S3 are adjusted by the lengths of the coaxial cables 651 and 652. In order to bring the outputs of the radiators 621 to 623 into the same phase, the phases of the distribution inputs S1 to S3 at the time of being supplied to the feeding circuits 631 to 633 need to be the same.

  At the time when the transmission input is distributed and the distribution inputs S1 to S3 are generated, the three distribution inputs S1 to S3 are in the same phase, but during the transmission of the line 653 and the coaxial cables 651 and 652, the distribution input S1 is The phase of ~ S3 changes.

  Assuming that the central feed circuit 632 is a reference circuit, and the phase change amount of the split input S2 changed during transmission from the splitter 640 to the feed circuit 632 is θa [°], the splitter 640 to the feed circuits 631, 633 It is necessary to set the phase change amount θb of the distribution inputs S1 and S3 changed during transmission to θa + 2Nπ, and N is an integer of 0 or more.

  In this case, assuming that the wavelength shortening rate of the coaxial cables 651 and 652 is b [%], the speed of light is 3.0 × 108, and the central frequency of the distributed inputs S1 to S3 is F [MHz], the phase change amount θb = θa + 2Nπ. The length L of the coaxial cables 651 and 652 is expressed as L = (300 / F) × [(θa + 2Nπ) / (2π)] × (b / 100) [m].

Therefore, by setting the lengths of the coaxial cables 651 and 652 to values satisfying the equation of L, the outputs of the radiators 621 to 623 can be in phase.
On the other hand, by mixing the respective outputs of the radiators 621 to 623, the half-value angle can be narrower than in the case of not mixing, but side lobes appear and directivity is broadened.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to further reduce the side lobe level, three distributions are made so that the output of the radiators 621 and 623 located at the outermost side of the array becomes smaller than the output of the central radiator 622 The power of the inputs S1 to S3 is adjusted.

  That is, in order to make the outputs of the radiators 621 and 623 smaller than the outputs of the radiator 622, the power of the distribution inputs S1 and S3 supplied to the feeding circuits 631 and 633 is weighted by weighting the three distribution inputs S1 to S3. The power of the distribution input S2 supplied to the feeding circuit 632 may be smaller.

  However, as shown in FIG. 5, as the outputs of the radiators 621 and 623 are reduced, the side lobe level is reduced, while the function as an array antenna is reduced and the half-value angle is increased. FIG. 5 shows the correspondence between the weight of the distribution inputs S1 and S3 and the half value angle and the side lobe level with respect to the distribution input S2 when the center frequency F is 915 MHz. This weight is a negative weight and reduces the power of the distribution inputs S1 and S3 by the weight.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the directivity of the first antenna device 60 is shown in FIG. 4 by adjusting the outputs of the radiators 621 to 623 to the same phase and weighting the distributed inputs S1 and S3 by 5 dB. It is set up as follows.

  Next, by transmitting and receiving radio waves to the first antenna device 60 via the first antenna device 60, tag information is acquired from the RFID tag 10 attached to the product in the reading area 6 of the cash register 4 A reader 30 is connected to the system.

  The reading device 30 is disposed on the ceiling 20 to which the first antenna device 60 is fixed, together with the communication device 32 that performs wireless communication with the cashier terminal 50 installed on the cashier table 4. The communication device 32 is for performing wireless communication with the cash register terminal 50 using, for example, a wireless LAN.

  Then, the reading device 30 receives a reading instruction from the cashier terminal 50 via the communication device 32, reads the tag information from the RFID tag 10, and transmits the read tag information to the cashier terminal 50. Since the reading device 30 is known as a so-called RFID reader / writer, the description of the configuration of the reading device 30, the reading procedure, and the like will be omitted here.

Next, the reading area 6 of the cash register 4 is provided with a guide member 40 for guiding the movement of the goods to which the RFID tag 10 is attached or the bag 8 containing the goods.
The guide member 40 is a radio wave absorber that absorbs radio waves or a reflective material that can reflect radio waves, and is formed to have a U-shaped cross section like a so-called U-shaped groove, and the opposing side walls The guide wall is a guide wall for guiding the movement of the bag 8 and the like with the reading area 6 of the stand 4 interposed therebetween.

  For this reason, radio waves reflected by persons (customers and store clerks) and objects around the cash register 4 and radio waves from RFID tags present around the cash register 4 are within the reading area 6 of the cash register 4. And the reading accuracy of the tag information by the reader 30 can be suppressed from decreasing.

  Further, the guiding member 40 is provided with a notification lamp 42 for notifying a customer or a store clerk of the fact when the reading device 30 reads tag information from the RFID tag 10. Further, the register stand 4 is provided with a proximity sensor 44 for detecting that the product or the bag 8 approaches the guide member 40 and enters the reading area 6.

  The notification lamp 42 and the proximity sensor 44 are connected to the register terminal 50. Further, the cashier terminal 50 is also connected to a card reader 52 for reading card information from an electronic payment card used by a customer to pay for a product.

  Next, the cashier terminal 50 acquires tag information from the RFID tag 10 attached to the product when the customer moves the inside of the reading area 6 of the cash register 4 with the product or the bag 8. , It is for specifying the goods which the customer purchased, calculating the price automatically and letting the customer pay. Therefore, the cash register terminal 50 is configured of a computer having a communication function and a display function.

Hereinafter, the calculation process executed to automatically calculate the price of the product at the cash register terminal 50 and make the customer pay will be described.
As shown in FIG. 6, in this calculation process, first, in S100, the proximity sensor 44 determines whether or not an article (goods, bag 8, etc.) to be calculated is detected by the proximity sensor 44. Wait to be detected. Then, when an article is detected by the proximity sensor 44, the process proceeds to S110, and a reading command is transmitted to the communication device 32.

  When the reading device 30 receives a reading command via the communication device 32, the reading device 30 emits radio waves to the reading area 6 via the first antenna device 60, and acquires tag information from the RFID tag 10 moving in the reading area 6. Then, the tag information is transmitted to the cash register terminal 50 via the communication device 32.

  Therefore, when a reading command is transmitted to the communication device 32 in S110, the process proceeds to S120, and a reception process of acquiring tag information from the reading device 30 is performed. In S120, by turning on the notification lamp 42, the customer or the store clerk is informed that the reading device 30 is reading tag information at present.

  In addition, during execution of the reception process in S120, it is determined in S130 whether or not a predetermined time set in advance as the time required to acquire tag information from the RFID tags 10 of a large number of products purchased by the customer has passed. to decide.

  Then, if it is determined in S130 that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process proceeds to S120 and reception processing is continued, and if it is determined in S130 that the predetermined time has elapsed, the RFID tag 10 It is determined that the acquisition of the tag information of has been completed, and the process proceeds to S140.

  In S140, the reading operation of the tag information by the reading device 30 is stopped by transmitting the reading stop instruction to the communication device 32. Further, in S140, based on all tag information acquired in the reception processing of S120 after it is determined that the article is detected in S110, identification information (merchandise (all goods) of all the products purchased by the customer this time from the database set in advance. Get name and etc) and money amount information. Note that the database may be stored in the reader 30 or may be stored in a higher-level management device for the reader 30.

  Then, at S150, the sales amount (total amount) is calculated based on the identification information of all the products acquired at S140 and the amount information, and at S160, the information of the respective items is displayed as the sales information. It is displayed on the unit, in other words, the display unit of the cash register terminal 50.

  As described above, when the sales information is displayed on the display unit, the customer, for example, enters that the sales information has been confirmed by pressing the predetermined area of the display unit, so that the process proceeds to S170 and there is a confirmation input It waits for sales information to be confirmed by determining whether it is not. If the sales information is not confirmed, the clerk is notified of this as a payment error, and the process proceeds to S100.

  If it is determined in S170 that the sales information has been confirmed, the process proceeds to S180, and a settlement process is performed to wait for the customer to pay the sales amount (total amount) displayed on the display unit. In this settlement process, various settlement processes including electronic settlement for acquiring a charge are performed by accessing the server of the financial institution based on the card information read by the card reader 52 by the customer.

Then, when the settlement process in S180 is completed, the settlement information and sales information are written in a predetermined database in S190, and the process proceeds to S100.
As described above, according to the registration system 2 of the present embodiment, the first antenna device 60 is configured by the narrow directivity antenna, and is disposed above the reading area 6 of the registration table 4. Therefore, the reading device 30 can accurately read the tag information from the RFID tag 10 of the item which the customer has moved to the reading area 6 of the cash register 4 via the first antenna device 60.

  Further, a guide member 40 is provided in the reading area 6 of the registration table 4, and unnecessary electric waves entering the reading area 6 can be eliminated by the guide member 40, so that the tag by the reading device 30 It is possible to suppress the occurrence of misreading of information.

As a result, it is possible to suppress miscalculation of the sales amount of the product purchased by the customer at the cash register terminal 50, and to realize a highly reliable cash register system.
Also, in order to ensure the reliability of the cash register system, it is not necessary to put a product with the RFID tag 10 in the shield box for reading tag information as in the conventional case, so calculation processing is performed in a short time be able to. Further, since it is not necessary to install the shield box on the cash register, the cash register system can be realized at low cost as compared with the prior art.
[Modification]
In the above embodiment, the first antenna device 60 used to acquire tag information from the RFID tag 10 has been described as being a narrow directivity antenna installed above the reading area 6 of the cash register 4.

  On the other hand, for example, as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 1, in the guide member 40, the second antenna is provided on one or both of the opposing guide walls or on the bottom surface of the guide member 40 A device 65 may be provided, and the reader 35 may obtain tag information from the RFID tag 10 in the reading area 6 by using the second antenna device 65.

  In this way, using the first antenna device 60 disposed above the reading area 6 of the registration table 4 and the second antenna device 65 provided on the guide member 40, Tag information can be read from the RFID tag 10, and reading errors of the tag information can be reduced.

  Since the second antenna device 65 is provided on the guide member 40, it is not necessary to configure the narrow antenna as in the first antenna device 60, and it may be configured as a planar antenna.

  Further, the second antenna device 65 may be configured as a transmitting and receiving antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves as in the first antenna device 60, or may be configured by two types of antennas: a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna. It is also good.

  Further, when the second antenna device 65 is provided on the guide member 40 as described above, if the tag information can be read only by the second antenna device 65, the first antenna device 60 disposed above the reading region is unnecessary. It becomes. Therefore, in this case, the first antenna device 60 above the reading area is not necessarily provided.

Next, in the present embodiment, the reading area of the tag information is described as being set in the specific area on the cash register 4 on which the cash register terminal 50 is provided.
On the other hand, as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 1, when the cash register 4 is divided into the cash register main body 5 and the product mounting table 7, a specific area on the mounting table 7 is a tag information reading area , And the guide member 40 may be provided in the reading area.

That is, the reading area of the tag information may be set to an area where the customer can arrange and move the product, and is not limited to the position on the cash register 4.
Second Embodiment
Next, in the first embodiment, the tag information is acquired from the RFID tag 10 of the product passing through the reading area of the cash register 4 via the first antenna device 60, and the sales amount of the product is calculated. The cash register system provided with the terminal 50 has been described.

  On the other hand, in order to prevent the product from being stolen from the store, as shown in FIG. 7, the tag information is obtained at the entrance 72 of the store via the antenna device 74 for acquiring tag information and the antenna device 74. A second reader 76 may be provided to read.

Hereinafter, the cash register system 70 shown in FIG. 7 configured as described above will be described as a second embodiment of the present disclosure.
As shown in FIG. 7, in the cash register system 70 of the present embodiment, a plurality of cash register tables 4A to 4C are installed, and on each cash register table 4A to 4C, a cash register system 2A configured similarly to the first embodiment. It is built in a store where 2C is provided.

  And the antenna apparatus 74 and the 2nd reading apparatus 76 are provided in the entrance / exit 72 of this store, and the 2nd reading apparatus 76 is connected to the server 80 which functions as an antitheft device of this indication. .

  The second reader 76 constantly monitors the RFID tag passing through the entrance 72 through the antenna device 74, and when the RFID tag passes, acquires tag information from the RFID tag and notifies the server 80 Do.

  Further, to the server 80, cashier terminals 50A to 50C constituting cashier systems 2A to 2C installed on each cashier table 4A to 4C are connected. Then, each of the cash register terminals 50A to 50C notifies the server 80 of sales information and settlement information for each product including tag information as a result of the above-described calculation process.

In addition, the server 80 is for managing the goods and sales amount which remain in the shop based on the sales information and the payment information notified from the cashier terminals 50A to 50C.
Then, when the server 80 is notified of the tag information from the second reader 76, the server 80 executes the theft prevention process shown in FIG. If it is determined that the fee is unpaid, the alarm device 78 is activated.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 8, in the antitheft process, first, in S210, tag information of an RFID tag passing through the entrance 72 of the store is acquired from the second reader 76.

  When the tag information is acquired in S210, the acquired tag information is compared with the sales information acquired from the cash register terminals 50A to 50C in S220, and the process proceeds to S230.

  In S230, based on the comparison result in S220, whether the tag information of the RFID tag passing through the entrance 72 is the tag information of the commodity for which the sales amount is calculated by the cash register terminals 50A to 50C To judge.

  Then, if the tag information of the RFID tag passing through the entrance 72 is the tag information of the commodity for which the fee has been paid, the antitheft processing is ended as it is, otherwise the processing proceeds to S240 and the alarm device 78 After operating for a fixed time, the antitheft process is ended.

As a result, according to the cash register system of the present embodiment, not only effects similar to those of the first embodiment can be obtained, but it is also possible to prevent unpaid goods from being taken out of the store. It becomes possible to prevent shoplifting in advance.
[Modification]
In the present embodiment, the server 80 as the antitheft device prevents the product from being stolen by issuing an alarm from the alarm device 78 when the tag information of the unpaid product is read by the second reader 76. I am trying to do it. However, just issuing a warning may cause a customer to escape and an unpaid product may be taken out of the store.

  Therefore, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 7, the security gate 79 for antitheft is provided as the gate of the present disclosure at the entrance 72 of the store, and the tag information of unpaid goods by the second reader 76 is Once read, the security gate 79 may be closed to prevent the customer from escaping.

And, in this case, the server 80 may perform the theft prevention process in the procedure shown in FIG.
That is, in the theft prevention process shown in FIG. 9, the processes of S210 to S230 are sequentially performed as in the theft prevention process shown in FIG.

  When it is determined in S230 that the tag information of the RFID tag passing through the entrance 72 is not the tag information of the product for which the fee has been paid, the process proceeds to S250 and the display unit (not shown) provided in the server 80 Display error (error) on).

  If an error is displayed in S250, the process proceeds to S240, the alarm device 78 is operated for a certain period of time, and the security gate 79 is closed in S260 to prevent the customer from passing through the entrance 72.

Thus, when the security gate 79 is closed, the process proceeds to S270, where it is determined by the security guard or the like whether the reset button provided on the server 80 has been operated.
Then, if the reset button is operated, the error display on the display unit is erased in S280, the security gate 79 is opened in S290, the entrance 72 is opened, and the antitheft process is ended.

If it is determined in S270 that the reset button is not operated, the antitheft process is ended while the security gate 79 is closed.
If the antitheft process is performed as described above, it is possible to more reliably prevent the unpaid goods from being taken out of the store.

  As mentioned above, although the 1st, 2nd embodiment for carrying out the present invention and the modification of each embodiment were explained, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and it carries out various modification. Can.

  For example, although the cash register terminals 50, 50A to 50C identify the product from the tag information in the reading area read by the reading device 35 and calculate the sales amount, the product can not be identified from the tag information is there.

  Specifically, when the customer illegally rewrites the tag information, or when the administrator forgets to register the tag information of the product, the tag information read by the reading device 35 is used in the store. I can not identify the product.

Further, even when the reader 35 erroneously reads the tag information of the item purchased by the customer at another store, the item in the store can not be identified from the tag information.
Therefore, in the cash register terminals 50 and 50A to 50C according to the above embodiments, the reading of the tag information is abnormal when the product can not be specified from the tag information read by the reading device 35 and the money amount information can not be acquired. It may be determined to notify that effect.

  When the security gate 79 is provided at the entrance 72 of the store as in the cash register system of the second embodiment, the security gate 79 is closed when it is determined that the reading of the tag information is abnormal. You may do so.

  In this way, when there is an abnormality in the reading of the tag information, this is notified and the security gate 79 is closed, thereby preventing the calculation error of the sales amount and preventing the uncalculated goods of the store. It will be possible to prevent it from being taken out.

In this case, in the cash register terminals 50, 50A to 50C, the sales amount may be calculated in the procedure shown in FIG.
In the calculation process shown in FIG. 10, since the processes of S100 to S190 are executed in substantially the same procedure as the calculation process shown in FIG. 6, in the following description, the calculation process shown in FIG. The differences will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the identification information and the price information of the product purchased by the customer this time are acquired in S140, the process proceeds to S300, and in S140, all tag information acquired in the reception process of S120. It is determined whether or not the price information of the corresponding product has been acquired.

  Then, if it is determined in S300 that the money amount information of the product corresponding to all the tag information acquired in the reception processing of S120 has been acquired, the process proceeds to S150, otherwise the process proceeds to S310.

  In S310, since there is tag information which can not acquire the amount information by identifying the product in S140, it is judged that there is an abnormality in the tag information read through the reading device 35, and the register terminals 50, 50A to Display an error (error) on the 50C display.

  Then, in S320, the alarm device (not shown) provided on the cash register terminal 50, 50A to 50C or the alarm device 78 provided at the entrance 72 is operated for a predetermined time to notify of an abnormality (error). Do. In the subsequent S330, the security gate 79 is closed to prevent the customer from passing through the entrance 72.

  Thus, when the security gate 79 is closed, the process proceeds to S340, and the reset button provided on the cashier terminal 50 or 50A to 50C by the security guard or the like, or the reset button provided on the server 80 monitoring the entrance 72 , Is determined whether or not.

  Then, if the reset button is operated, the error display on the display unit is erased in S350, the security gate 79 is opened in S360, the entrance 72 is opened, and the process proceeds to S100.

If it is determined in S340 that the reset button is not operated, the process proceeds to S100 with the security gate 79 closed.
If the calculation process is performed as described above, the tag information in the reading area read by the reading device 35 includes tag information that can not specify the product and can not acquire the money amount information. It can notify and let a security guard etc. confirm.

  Further, in the calculation process shown in FIG. 10, when there is tag information which can not specify the product and can not obtain the money amount information, the customer is not only informed of that but also closing the security gate 79 at the entrance 72. It can prevent the goods from being taken out illegally.

  Next, in the above embodiment, the narrow directivity antenna constituting the first antenna device 60 is configured such that three radiators 621 to 623 are arranged in a line and the outputs of the respective radiators 621 to 623 are weighted and combined. Described as being

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, the narrow directivity antennas 60A, 60B and 60C configured in the same manner as the above embodiment are mutually parallel to the axis in the arrangement direction of the radiators 621 to 623, The first antenna device 90 disposed above the reading area may be configured by arranging at a predetermined interval.

  And if the first antenna device 90 configured in this way is used instead of the first antenna device 60, the directivity characteristic of the first antenna device 90 is made sharper, and the tag information reading region Can be limited.

  That is, since the narrow directivity antenna which constitutes the first antenna device 60 of the above embodiment arranges the three radiators 621 to 623 in a line, the beam width along the arrangement direction of the radiators 621 to 623 is narrow. Thus, the directivity characteristic of the antenna device can be sharpened.

  Therefore, in the above embodiment, the reading area of the tag information by the first antenna device 60 can be limited in the width direction orthogonal to the direction in which the RFID tag 10 can move in the guide member 40.

  On the other hand, in the first antenna device 90 shown in FIG. 11, since the narrow directivity antennas 60A, 60B, 60C configured in the same manner as the above embodiment are arranged in parallel, beams along the arrangement direction The width also narrows.

  Therefore, according to the first antenna device 90 shown in FIG. 11, two directions, that is, the arrangement direction of the radiators 621 to 623 constituting the narrow directivity antennas 60A, 60B, and 60C and the direction orthogonal to this arrangement direction. The beam width can be narrowed to make the directivity characteristic of the entire antenna apparatus sharper.

  For this reason, if the tag information is read using the first antenna device 90 shown in FIG. 11, the RFID tag 10 in the guide member 40 as well as in the width direction of the guide member 40 reads the tag information reading region. It can also be restricted in the direction of movement.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 12, the outputs of the narrow directivity antennas 60A, 60B, and 60C need to be combined by the distribution / mixer 96. And it is good to carry out this synthetic | combination like weighting and combining the output of the radiators 621-623.

  For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 12, attenuators 92 and 94 are provided in the transmission paths from narrow directional antennas 60B and 60C arranged on both sides of central narrow directivity antenna 60B. Just do it.

  Next, in the above embodiment, the guide member 40 is provided in the reading area 6 of the registration table 4 in order to improve the reading accuracy of the tag information by the reading device 30. However, the guide member 40 or the side wall of the guide member 40 The guide wall and the like configured in the above need not necessarily be installed, and the narrow directivity antenna may only be installed above the register table 4.

  A plurality of functions of one component in the above embodiment may be realized by a plurality of components, or a single function of one component may be realized by a plurality of components. Also, a plurality of functions possessed by a plurality of components may be realized by one component, or one function realized by a plurality of components may be realized by one component. In addition, part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be omitted. In addition, at least a part of the configuration of the above-described embodiment may be added to or replaced with the configuration of the other above-described embodiment. In addition, all the aspects contained in the technical thought specified only by the words described in the claim are an embodiment of the present invention.

  2, 2A-2C, 70 ... cash register system, 4, 4A-4C ... cash register base, 5 ... cash register base body, 6 ... reading area, 7 ... mounting base, 8 ... bag, 10 ... RFID tag, 20 ... ceiling, 22 ... Fixing devices 30, 35 ... Readers, 32 ... Communications devices, 40 ... Guide members, 42 ... Notification lamps, 44 ... Proximity sensors, 50, 50A to 50C ... Register terminals, 52 ... Card readers, 60, 90 ... First antenna device, 60A to 60C: narrow directivity antenna, 65: second antenna device, 72: entrance and exit, 74: antenna device, 76: second reader, 78: alarm device, 79: security gate, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 80 ... Server, 610 ... Reflector, 621-623 ... Radiator, 631-633 ... Feeding circuit, 640 ... Divider, 651, 652 ... Coaxial cable, 653 ... Line, 661, 662, 9 , 94 ... attenuator, 671 and 672 ... substrate, 96 ... distributor / mixer.

Claims (11)

An antenna device that radiates a radio wave for reading tag information from an RFID tag toward a predetermined reading area, and receives a radio wave transmitted from the RFID tag attached to a product in the reading area;
A reader for acquiring tag information of the RFID tag in the reading area by transmitting and receiving radio waves via the antenna device;
A cashier terminal that calculates the sales amount of all the items that have passed through the reading area based on the tag information read by the reading device;
Cash register system equipped with   The cash register system according to claim 1, wherein the reading area is set to a specific area on a table on which the goods can be placed and moved. As the antenna device,
The cash register system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a first antenna device disposed above the reading area and configured to emit radio waves to the reading area.   The first antenna device does not emit radio waves to the outside of the reading area and has a half-value angle set so as not to receive radio waves from an RFID tag outside the reading area. The cash register system according to claim 5, wherein the cash register system comprises a directional antenna.   The reading area is provided with a guiding wall disposed outside the reading area along the passing direction so that the goods or a bag containing the goods can pass through, and the guiding wall is The cash register system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cash register system is configured of a radio wave absorber that absorbs the radio wave or a reflective material that reflects the radio wave.   6. The guide wall according to claim 5, wherein the guide wall is formed in a U-shaped cross section, and the guide member guides the inner side of the U-shaped passage of the goods or a bag containing the goods. Cash register system. As the antenna device,
6. A second antenna arrangement arranged on the guiding wall or at the bottom of the reading area inside the guiding wall and configured to emit radio waves into the reading area. The cash register system according to item 6.   The registration terminal is configured to notify that the tag information is abnormal by judging that the tag information is abnormal when the product can not be specified from the tag information read by the reading device. The cash register system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.   The cashier terminal is configured to close a gate provided at an entrance of a store where the cashier system is installed, when it is determined that the tag information read by the reader is abnormal. The cash register system described in 8. A second reader provided at an entrance of a store where the cash register system is installed, and acquiring the tag information from an RFID tag of a product passing through the entrance;
The tag information acquired by the second reading device is compared with the tag information acquired by the second reading device and the tag information of the calculated product for which the sales amount has been calculated at the cashier terminal. An anti-theft device that issues an alarm if it is not the tag information of the calculated item;
The cash register system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising:   The antitheft device is configured to close a gate provided at an entrance of the store when the tag information acquired by the second reader is not the tag information of the calculated product. Cash register system described in.

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