JP2019204452A - Shopping support system and shopping support method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a shopping support system and a shopping support method capable of achieving more smooth shopping.SOLUTION: A shopping support system 1 includes a registration device 2, at least one settlement device 3, and at least one bagging device 4. The registration device 2 receives an operation concerning registration of a commodity made by a clerk 92. The settlement device 3 receives an operation concerning settlement of the commodity made by a customer. The bagging device 4 executes bagging of the commodity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present disclosure relates generally to a shopping support system and a shopping support method, and more particularly to a shopping support system and a shopping support method for supporting shopping by a customer.

  Patent Document 1 describes a POS system that includes a registration device for registering merchandise by a store clerk and a settlement device (accounting device) that performs settlement (accounting) by operation of a customer (shopping customer). In Patent Document 1, the settlement apparatus includes a display unit that displays settlement information (accounting information) for a customer, and a display unit that displays the processing status for a store clerk who operates the registration apparatus. , Shop assistants are able to support customers quickly.

  In the system described in Patent Document 1, since the shopping bag holder and the temporary storage table can be installed on the stacking table arranged in the vicinity of the checkout device, the customer who has finished the checkout is a shopping basket on the stacking table. It is possible to immediately pack the goods inside.

JP 2014-6866 A

  However, the time required for bagging a product varies depending on, for example, the skill level of the person performing the bagging, the number of purchased products, and the like, and in some cases, it may take several minutes to pack the product. Therefore, even if the process from product registration to checkout is performed smoothly, congestion will occur at the subsequent stage of product bagging, resulting in an increase in customer waiting time and support for the store clerk. This may increase the number of shop assistants.

  The present disclosure has been made in view of the above reasons, and an object thereof is to provide a shopping support system and a shopping support method capable of realizing smoother shopping.

  A shopping support system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a registration device, at least one checkout device, and at least one bagging device. The registration device accepts a store clerk's operation related to product registration. The payment apparatus receives a customer operation related to the payment of the product. The bagging device performs bagging of the product.

  The shopping support method according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a registration process, a checkout process, and a bagging process. The registration process is a process of accepting a store clerk's operation related to product registration. The checkout process is a process of accepting a customer operation related to the checkout of the product. The bagging process is a process of executing bagging of the product with at least one bagging device.

  According to the present disclosure, there is an advantage that a smoother shopping can be realized.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an example of use of the shopping support system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the above shopping support system. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an appearance of the shopping support system according to the embodiment. FIG. 4: is a schematic perspective view which shows the principal part of the bagging apparatus of a shopping assistance system same as the above. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the above shopping support system. 6A to 6D are schematic explanatory views showing the operation of the bagging mechanism of the bagging apparatus same as above. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view showing an example of use of the above shopping support system. 8A and 8B are schematic plan views showing an example of use of the above shopping support system. FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view illustrating a usage example of the shopping support system according to the modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view illustrating a usage example of the shopping support system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view illustrating a usage example of the shopping support system according to the third embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
(1) Overview An overview of the shopping support system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The shopping support system 1 is a system that supports shopping by the customer 91 (that is, work for the customer 91 to purchase the product 93). The shopping support system 1 is introduced into a store 9 of a retail store such as a convenience store, a supermarket, a department store, a clothing store, a home appliance mass retailer, or a home center, for example.

  The shopping support system 1 according to the present embodiment is a so-called “semi-self-type” system in which a customer 91 and a store clerk 92 share a series of operations related to shopping by the customer 91. According to such a semi-self-type system, compared to a “full self-type” system in which the customer 91 himself performs all of the series of operations related to the purchase of the customer 91, the shop clerk 92 intervenes to realize smooth shopping. Cheap. The semi-self-type shopping support system 1 is basically introduced in a manned store where the store clerk 92 exists, not an unmanned store where the store clerk 92 is absent.

  The shopping support system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a registration device 2, at least one checkout device 3, and at least one bagging device 4 (see FIG. 3). The registration device 2 receives an operation of the clerk 92 regarding registration of the product 93. The checkout device 3 receives an operation of the customer 91 related to the checkout of the product 93. The bagging device 4 executes bagging of the product 93.

  “Registration” of the product 93 in the present disclosure refers to a process of inputting information for specifying the product 93 purchased by the customer 91 (“product information” described later) into the shopping support system 1. In the present embodiment, the store clerk 92 executes registration of the product 93 by reading product information, which is information (identification code) for identifying the product 93, with a reader 24 (described later) of the registration device 2. To do. The “settlement” of the product 93 in the present disclosure is an act (transfer) in which the ownership of the product 93 is transferred from the seller (store 9) to the buyer (customer 91), and the buyer pays the consideration (price) to the seller. This means necessary settlement processing on the buyer side. In the present embodiment, the customer 91 executes the settlement of the product 93 by paying the price of the product 93 registered by the registration device 2 with, for example, a credit card, a prepaid card, electronic money, a point card, or cash. To do.

  In addition, “packing” as used in the present disclosure means processing for storing the product 93 in the bag 10. The “bag” in the present disclosure may be a bag that is large enough to receive the product 93 and has a bag opening for taking the product 93 in and out. In the present embodiment, the bagging device 4 automatically packs the products 93 arranged in the bagging space 81 without any human intervention. That is, the shopping support system 1 according to the present embodiment executes the bagging of the product 93 for the product 93 arranged in a place defined as the bagging space 81. In the present embodiment, as an example, the bag 10 is a polyethylene or polypropylene bag, a so-called shopping bag (or shopping bag).

  According to the shopping support system 1 having the above-described configuration, the clerk 92 performs an operation related to the registration of the product 93 with respect to the registration device 2, and the customer 91 performs an operation related to the settlement of the product 93 with respect to the settlement device 3. Registration and check-out are completed. The bagging of the product 93 that has been registered and settled is executed by the bagging device 4, not by the customer 91 or the store clerk 92. That is, according to the shopping support system 1, among the series of operations related to shopping by the customer 91 (registration, settlement and bagging of the product 93), the bagging is automated by the bagging device 4, As for the settlement, the clerk 92 and the customer 91 share the work. Therefore, as compared with the case where the customer 91 or the store clerk 92 performs bagging, the variation in time required for bagging the product 93 can be reduced, and congestion after registration and settlement of the product 93 is less likely to occur. Shopping is feasible. As a result, it is possible to reduce an increase in the waiting time of the customer 91 due to the congestion after the registration and settlement of the product 93 and an increase in the work of the store clerk 92 due to the support of the store clerk 92.

(2) Configuration Hereinafter, the shopping support system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail. In the present embodiment, a convenience store will be described as an example of the store 9 in which the shopping support system 1 is introduced. That is, the clerk 92 is a convenience store clerk (including part-time job and part-timer), and the customer 91 is a convenience store visitor. In this type of store 9, a plurality of products 93 are sold in a state where a plurality of products 93 are displayed in the store, and at least one store clerk 92 exists in the store. The customer 91 purchases the desired product 93 by picking up the desired product 93 from among the plurality of products 93 displayed in the store and paying for the picked-up product 93.

(2.1) Shopping support system Here, first, the whole structure of the shopping support system 1 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the shopping support system 1 includes a central monitoring device 5 and an operation unit 6 in addition to the registration device 2, at least one checkout device 3, and at least one bagging device 4. In addition.

  The shopping support system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of registration devices 2, a payment device 3, a bagging device 4, and an operation unit 6 (two in this case). Basically, the shopping support system 1 has a registration device 2, a checkout device 3, a bagging device 4 and an operation unit 6 one by one. Registration, checkout and bagging). That is, in this embodiment, the components (the registration device 2, the payment device 3, the bagging device 4, and the operation unit 6) of the shopping support system 1 excluding the centralized monitoring device 5 can simultaneously handle two or more customers 91. Two units are provided.

  Here, the plurality of registration devices 2 include a first registration device 201 and a second registration device 202. The multiple settlement apparatuses 3 include a first settlement apparatus 301 and a second settlement apparatus 302. The plurality of bagging devices 4 include a first bagging device 401 and a second bagging device 402. The plurality of operation units 6 include a first operation unit 601 and a second operation unit 602.

  In the present disclosure, when the first registration device 201 and the second registration device 202 are not distinguished from each other, each of the first registration device 201 and the second registration device 202 is simply referred to as “registration device 2”. . Similarly, when the first settlement apparatus 301 and the second settlement apparatus 302 are not distinguished from each other, each of the first settlement apparatus 301 and the second settlement apparatus 302 is simply referred to as “settlement apparatus 3”. Similarly, when the first bagging device 401 and the second bagging device 402 are not distinguished from each other, each of the first bagging device 401 and the second bagging device 402 is simply “bagging”. Device 4 ". Similarly, when the first operation unit 601 and the second operation unit 602 are not distinguished from each other, each of the first operation unit 601 and the second operation unit 602 is simply referred to as “operation unit 6”.

  As described above, the registration device 2 is a device that accepts an operation of the clerk 92 regarding the registration of the product 93. The settlement apparatus 3 is an apparatus that receives an operation of the customer 91 relating to settlement of the product 93. The bagging device 4 is a device that executes bagging of the product 93. The operation unit 6 receives a predetermined operation as a trigger for starting bagging by the bagging device 4. In other words, the bagging device 4 starts bagging the product 93 when the operation unit 6 receives a predetermined operation.

  The centralized monitoring device 5 performs at least one of input and output of information related to the first settlement device 301 and the second settlement device 302. The centralized monitoring apparatus 5 is configured to be able to communicate with each of the first settlement apparatus 301 and the second settlement apparatus 302 by, for example, wired communication or wireless communication. As a result, the centralized monitoring device 5 can exchange information regarding the first settlement device 301 and the second settlement device 302 with the first settlement device 301 and the second settlement device 302. Therefore, for example, in the clerk 92, at least one of input and output of information related to the first settlement apparatus 301 and the second settlement apparatus 302 is concentrated on the centralized monitoring apparatus 5 provided in one place. Can be done.

  Here, the 1st registration apparatus 201, the 1st payment apparatus 301, the 1st bagging apparatus 401, and the 1st operation part 601 comprise a 1st unit, the 2nd registration apparatus 202, the 2nd The checkout device 302, the second bagging device 402, and the second operation unit 602 constitute a second unit. A series of operations related to the shopping of one customer 91 (registration, settlement and bagging of the product 93) is basically performed by the same unit devices (registration device 2, settlement device 3, bagging device 4 and operation unit). 6).

  As an example, the first registration device 201, the first checkout device 301, the first bagging device 401, and the first operation unit 601 constituting the first unit are related to shopping for one customer 91. A series of work is performed. In this case, the first registration device 201 accepts an operation of the store clerk 92 regarding registration of the desired product 93 picked up by the customer 91. Then, the first checkout apparatus 301 receives an operation of the customer 91 related to the checkout of the product 93 registered by the first registration apparatus 201. When the first operation unit 601 is operated, the first bagging device 401 executes the bagging of the product 93 registered by the first registration device 201. During this time, in the second registration device 202, the second checkout device 302, the second bagging device 402, and the second operation unit 602 constituting the second unit, a series of purchases related to other customers 91 are made. Work can be performed. As a result, the shopping support system 1 can handle two or more customers 91 at the same time.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 3, the shopping support system 1 is incorporated in, for example, one counter stand 8 installed in a cash register counter of the store 9. That is, the registration device 2, the payment device 3, the bagging device 4, the central monitoring device 5, and the operation unit 6 constituting the shopping support system 1 are installed on the counter base 8. A plurality of such counter stands 8 may be installed for one store 9.

  In the present embodiment, the counter base 8 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in one direction in plan view. In plan view, both sides of the counter stand 8 in the short direction are a customer area 901 (see FIG. 7) and a clerk area 902 (see FIG. 7), respectively. In other words, the counter stand 8 is disposed in a boundary area 903 (see FIG. 7) that partitions the customer area 901 and the store clerk area 902. The customer area 901 is an area that the customer 91 uses preferentially over the store clerk 92. The store clerk area 902 is an area that the store clerk 92 uses preferentially over the customer 91. The “partition” in the present disclosure only needs to partition two areas (customer area 901 and store clerk area 902), and is not limited to a configuration that completely separates (isolates) the two areas. There may be a boundary area 903 on the upper side. In the following, assuming that the longitudinal direction of the upper surface 80 of the counter table 8 is “left-right direction” and the short direction of the upper surface 80 is “front-rear direction”, the left side when viewing the counter table 8 from the customer area 901 side is “ It will be described as “left”.

  That is, the customer 91 in the customer area 901 and the store clerk 92 in the store clerk area 902 face each other across the counter stand 8. Therefore, the clerk 92 in the clerk area 902 can respond to the customer 91 in the customer area 901 through the counter stand 8.

  On the upper surface 80 of the counter table 8, the registration device 2 and the payment device 3 are installed. Specifically, the first registration device 201 and the first settlement device 301 are arranged at the left end of the counter base 8. The second registration device 202 and the second settlement device 302 are spaced from the first registration device 201 and the first settlement device 301 at a fixed interval to the right of the first registration device 201 and the first settlement device 301. It is arranged with a gap. Since the counter table 8 is disposed in the boundary area 903 as described above, the first settlement apparatus 301 and the second settlement apparatus 302 are disposed in the boundary area 903 with a certain interval. Similarly, the first registration device 201 and the second registration device 202 are also arranged in the boundary area 903 with a certain interval.

  In the present embodiment, the registration device 2 and the payment device 3 of the same unit are integrated so as to share one housing. However, the user interface (a touch panel display described later) of the registration apparatus 2 and the user interface (a touch panel display described later) of the settlement apparatus 3 are separate. The user interfaces of the registration device 2 and the payment device 3 of the same unit are arranged on the counter table 8 so as to be back to back. Specifically, the user interface of the registration device 2 is directed to the store clerk area 902, and the user interface of the checkout device 3 is directed to the customer area 901.

  A bagging space 81 is formed on the upper surface 80 of the counter table 8 on the right side of the registration device 2 and the payment device 3. A bagging device 4 is installed below the bagging space 81. The bagging space 81 is a space in which the product 93 that has been registered by the registration device 2 is placed. The bagging device 4 performs bagging on the product 93 in the bagging space 81. Specifically, the first bagging device 401 is disposed below the bagging space 81 on the right side of the first registration device 201 and the first checkout device 301. That is, the first bagging apparatus 401 is disposed between the first settlement apparatus 301 and the second settlement apparatus 302 in the boundary area 903. The second bagging device 402 is disposed below the bagging space 81 on the right side of the second registration device 202 and the second checkout device 302. The details of the bagging device 4 will be described in the section “(2.4) Bagging device”.

  From the above, the first payment apparatus 301, the first bagging apparatus 401, the second payment apparatus 302, and the second bagging apparatus 402 are arranged in a line in the longitudinal direction of the counter table 8 in plan view. Become. That is, the first unit (the first settlement apparatus 301 and the first bagging apparatus 401 and the like) and the second unit (the second settlement apparatus 302 and the second bagging apparatus 402 and the like) are arranged in the left-right direction. Are arranged side by side. In other words, the first settlement apparatus 301, the bagging apparatus 4, and the second settlement apparatus 302 are aligned along a straight line in plan view.

  Here, the bagging space 81 is a space surrounded by a bottom surface 811 and a surrounding portion 812 located around the bottom surface 811. In the present embodiment, the bagging space 81 is an internal space of a recess formed in the upper surface 80 of the counter table 8. Therefore, the bottom surface 811 is the bottom surface of the recess, and the enclosure portion 812 is the inner surface of the recess. However, the bagging space 81 is not limited to the recess formed in the upper surface 80 of the counter table 8. For example, a part of the upper surface 80 of the counter table 8 is a bottom surface 811, and the periphery of the bottom surface 811 is a wall, a fence, or the like. A bagging space 81 may be formed by surrounding with a surrounding portion 812 made of a net or the like. In other words, the surrounding portion 812 is not limited to the “surface” and may be a structure such as a wall, a fence, or a net, as long as it is positioned around the bottom surface 811 of the packing space 81 and surrounds the packing space 81. May be. Moreover, the enclosure part 812 is not an essential structure for the shopping support system 1 and can be omitted as appropriate. When the enclosure portion 812 is omitted, for example, a part of the upper surface 80 of the counter table 8 constitutes the bottom surface 811 of the bagging space 81, and a registration device is formed on a part of the upper surface 80 of the counter table 8 (the bottom surface 811). The product 93 for which registration by 2 is completed is arranged.

  In the present embodiment, the bottom surface 811 of the bagging space 81 includes a mounting surface 413 of the bagging device 4 described later. More precisely, the bottom portion 102 of the bag 10 held on the placement surface 413 constitutes the bottom surface 811 of the bagging space 81. That is, a through hole is formed in the top plate of the counter base 8, and the bottom portion 102 of the bag 10 held on the placement surface 413 forms the bottom surface 811 by closing the opening on the lower surface side of the through hole. . The bagging device 4 packs a product 93 placed on the placement surface 413 through the bottom 102 of the bag 10.

  A standby space 82 is formed on the upper surface 80 of the counter table 8 on the right side of each bagging space 81. The standby space 82 is a space in which products 93 waiting for registration by the registration device 2 are arranged. That is, the registration device 2 registers the product 93 arranged in the waiting space 82 different from the bagging space 81. That is, in the present embodiment, the product 93 that has not been registered by the registration device 2 is placed in the standby space 82. In short, on the counter table 8, the standby space 82 in which the product 93 that has not been registered by the registration device 2 is placed is separate from the bagging space 81 in which the product 93 that has been registered by the registration device 2 is placed. It is secured.

  In the present embodiment, two standby spaces 82 are provided so as to correspond to the first unit and the second unit. Specifically, on the upper surface 80 of the counter table 8, from the left end, there are a first registration device 201, a bagging space 81, a standby space 82, a second registration device 202, a bagging space 81, and a standby space 82. Are arranged in this order. That is, the standby space 82 located on the right side of the bagging space 81 on the first bagging device 401 corresponds to the first unit, and on the right side of the bagging space 81 on the second bagging device 402. The waiting space 82 located corresponds to the second unit.

  A centralized monitoring device 5 is provided on the counter clerk area 902 side of the counter stand 8. For example, the centralized monitoring device 5 inputs information by accepting the operation of the store clerk 92 and outputs information by performing various displays toward the store clerk 92. In the present embodiment, the centralized monitoring device 5 has a touch panel display, and the touch panel display functions as a user interface for inputting and outputting information. In other words, the centralized monitoring device 5 uses a touch panel display as a user interface, and receives operations by the store clerk 92 and displays information to the store clerk 92 on the touch panel display.

  Here, the centralized monitoring device 5 is disposed at a position between the first settlement device 301 and the second settlement device 302 in the left-right direction in the counter table 8. That is, the centralized monitoring device 5 is disposed between the first settlement device 301 and the second settlement device 302 in the boundary area 903. With such an arrangement, the store clerk 92 can perform at least one of input and output of information regarding the first settlement apparatus 301 and the second settlement apparatus 302 in one place while staying in the clerk area 902. Is possible. Further, in the present embodiment, the centralized monitoring device 5 is configured to be able to be pulled out from the side surface of the counter stand 8 on the clerk area 902 side, and can be accommodated in the counter stand 8 when not in use.

  The operation unit 6 is installed on the counter clerk area 902 side of the counter stand 8 so that the clerk 92 in the clerk area 902 can easily operate. In the present embodiment, the operation unit 6 is basically operated not by the customer 91 but by the store clerk 92. Therefore, the operation unit 6 receives a predetermined operation by the store clerk 92, that is, an operation for causing the bagging device 4 to start bagging of the product 93. Here, the operation part 6 is arrange | positioned in the position corresponding to the bagging apparatus 4 of the same unit. In the present embodiment, as an example, the first operation unit 601 is disposed on the upper surface 80 of the counter table 8 at a position adjacent to the bagging space 81 on the first bagging device 401, and the second bagging device 402. A second operation portion 602 is disposed at a position adjacent to the upper bagging space 81.

  In addition, a holder 241 and the like are installed on the counter base 8. The holder 241 is provided to hold a reader 24 described later, and is fixed on the upper surface 80 of the counter table 8.

  The positional relationship and the shape of each part of the shopping support system 1 described above are merely examples, and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the standby space 82 is not limited to the configuration formed on the upper surface 80 of the counter base 8, and the standby space 82 may be configured as a recess, similar to the bagging space 81.

  In addition to the above-described configuration, the shopping support system 1 may further include, for example, a supply unit that supplies a specific product (for example, tobacco or fast food) to the customer 91. As described above, the shopping support system 1 preferably includes various components in order to comprehensively support the shopping of the customer 91 at the store 9.

  In the store 9 in which such a shopping support system 1 is introduced, the store clerk 92 performs an operation related to the registration of the product 93 with respect to the registration device 2, and the customer 91 performs an operation related to the settlement of the product 93 with respect to the settlement device 3. Registration and settlement of the product 93 is completed. The bagging of the product 93 that has been registered and settled is executed by the bagging device 4, not by the customer 91 or the store clerk 92. Therefore, the customer 91 completes the purchase of the product 93 through a series of processes in which the product 93 is picked up in the store, settled by the checkout apparatus 3, and then automatically received the product 93 contained in the bag 10. be able to. Here, the store clerk 92 performs an operation relating to the registration of the product 93, thereby making it easier to realize a smooth shopping compared to a “full self” system in which the customer 91 himself performs all of the series of operations related to the shopping of the customer 91. . On the other hand, since bagging is automated by the bagging device 4, congestion after registration and settlement of the product 93 is less likely to occur, and a smoother shopping can be realized.

  Further, the store clerk 92 does not need to perform bagging work. For example, while the customer 91 is paying, it is possible to perform some work different from the customer 91's reception. In particular, in this embodiment, two components of the shopping support system 1 excluding the centralized monitoring device 5 (the registration device 2, the payment device 3, the bagging device 4, and the operation unit 6) are provided. Therefore, in the store clerk 92, for example, while one of the two customers 91 is paying out, the other customer 91 can also register the product 93 to be purchased. As a result, it is possible for one clerk 92 to perform work related to the shopping of a plurality of customers 91 (two in this case) in parallel, and the time required for shopping of the plurality of customers 91 can be reduced. It is possible to shorten the queue of the customers 91.

(2.2) Registration Device Next, the configuration of the registration device 2 of the shopping support system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. Since the first registration device 201 and the second registration device 202 have the same configuration, in FIG. 2, the first registration device among the first registration device 201 and the second registration device 202 is used. Individual components are illustrated only for 201.

  The registration device 2 is a device that accepts an operation of the clerk 92 regarding the registration of the product 93. As shown in FIG. 2, the registration device 2 includes a store clerk input unit 21, a store clerk output unit 22, a registration side communication unit 23, a reader 24, a determination unit 25, and a registration side processing unit 26.

  The store clerk input unit 21 is a device that receives an operation of the store clerk 92. The store clerk output unit 22 is a device that performs various displays toward the store clerk 92. In the present embodiment, the touch panel display functions as the store clerk input unit 21 and the store clerk output unit 22. In other words, the registration device 2 uses a touch panel display as a user interface, and accepts an operation of the store clerk 92 and displays it on the store clerk 92 on the touch panel display.

  The registration-side communication unit 23 realizes communication between the registration device 2 and the settlement device 3. Here, the registration device 2 and the settlement device 3 can communicate bidirectionally. As a communication method between the registration device 2 and the settlement device 3, an appropriate communication method of wireless communication or wired communication is adopted. In the present embodiment, communication is possible only between the registration device 2 and the settlement device 3 of the same unit. That is, the first registration device 201 and the first payment device 301 can communicate with each other, and the second registration device 202 and the second payment device 302 can communicate with each other. Furthermore, the registration-side communication unit 23 is configured to be able to communicate with a store terminal including, for example, a POS (Point Of Sales) terminal, either directly or indirectly via the checkout apparatus 3.

  The reader 24 is a device that reads product information regarding the product 93 from the product 93. The “product information” in the present disclosure is information (information identification code) for identifying the product 93, and is, for example, a JAN (Japanese Article Number) code used in Japan. Such product identification codes include JAN codes, EAN (European Article Number) codes used in Europe and the like, UPC (Universal Product Code) used in the United States and the like.

  The reader 24 is a handy type barcode reader that the clerk 92 uses in hand, and optically reads the barcode attached to the product 93 to read the product information. Therefore, the store clerk 92 reads the product information by the reader 24 by holding the product 93 placed in the standby space 82 over the reader 24, and the operation related to the registration of the product 93 by the registration device 2 is executed. It will be. The reader 24 is held by a holder 241 provided on the counter base 8 when not in use, and is used by being detached from the holder 241. The reader 24 is not limited to the handy type, and may be, for example, a stationary bar code reader installed on the counter table 8. The product information read by the reader 24 is output to the registration processing unit 26.

  The reader 24 is not limited to a barcode reader, and may be, for example, a reader that reads a two-dimensional code or a tag reader that reads product information from an electronic tag using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) in a non-contact manner. Further, the reader 24 may be configured to read product information from an image of the product 93, for example. In this case, the reader 24 has an image sensor that images the product 93 in the standby space 82. The reader 24 performs image recognition processing on the image of the product 93, extracts feature amounts such as contour, color, and texture information, and identifies product information by matching with a template stored in advance for each product 93. To do. In this case, the reader 24 can use the information read by the barcode reader to assist in reading the product information from the image of the product 93. Alternatively, the bar code reader may be omitted if the product information can be sufficiently read from only the image of the product 93.

  The determination unit 25 outputs a determination result of whether or not the product 93 can be packed by the bagging device 4. As an example, the determination unit 25 calculates an evaluation value for at least one parameter of the number, the settlement amount, the size, and the weight of the product 93 to be bagged, that is, the product 93 placed in the bagging space 81. Based on this evaluation value, whether or not bagging is possible is determined. The parameters used for calculating the evaluation value can be acquired from the store terminal based on the product information read by the reader 24, for example. The “evaluation value” is a numerical value for evaluation that reflects at least one parameter of the number of products 93 to be packaged, the settlement amount, the size, and the weight. The evaluation value increases as the parameter increases (increases).

  The determination unit 25 determines whether or not bagging is possible by comparing the calculated evaluation value with, for example, an evaluation threshold value. The evaluation threshold is a value that defines an upper limit of the capacity of the bag 10 and is an arbitrarily set value. If the evaluation value is equal to or greater than the evaluation threshold value, the determination unit 25 determines that the product 93 does not fit in the bag 10, that is, bagging is impossible. That is, when the evaluation value is equal to or higher than the evaluation threshold due to the number of the products 93 being too large or the products 93 being too large, the determination unit 25 determines that the bag cannot be packed. On the other hand, if the evaluation value is less than the evaluation threshold value, the determination unit 25 determines that bagging is possible. The determination result of whether or not bagging is possible, which is output from the determination unit 25, is notified to the store clerk 92 from the store clerk output unit 22 or the centralized monitoring device 5, for example. At this time, the store clerk 92 may be notified of only one of bagging impossible and bagging possible.

  The registration side processing unit 26 registers the product 93. For example, when the registration-side processing unit 26 acquires the product information read by the reader 24 from the reader 24, the registration-side processing unit 26 registers the product 93 by transferring the product information to the settlement apparatus 3. Here, the registration-side processing unit 26 has a memory, and temporarily stores one or more product information acquired from the reader 24 in the memory. The registration-side processing unit 26 transfers one or more pieces of product information stored in the memory to the settlement apparatus 3 in a batch or divided into a plurality of packets. As an example, the product information acquired by the reader 24 and information on the number (that is, the number of times the reader 24 acquired product information) are stored in the memory. For example, when one or more pieces of product information are product information for a total of three products 93 including two products 93 “A” and one product 93 “B”, the memory stores “A”. Product information and the number “2” thereof, and product information “B” and the number “1” thereof are stored.

  In the present embodiment, the product information is transferred only between the registration device 2 and the settlement device 3 of the same unit. That is, product information is transferred from the first registration device 201 to the first settlement device 301, and product information is transferred from the second registration device 202 to the second settlement device 302.

  Further, the registration-side processing unit 26 can cancel registration of the product 93. For example, even when product information is read by the reader 24 by mistake, the registration of the product 93 can be canceled. is there. When one or more pieces of product information are normally transmitted to the settlement apparatus 3, the product information stored in the memory is deleted.

  The determination unit 25 and the registration-side processing unit 26 mainly include a microcontroller having one or more processors and one or more memories. That is, the functions of the determination unit 25 and the registration-side processing unit 26 are realized by executing the program recorded in the memory of the microcontroller by the processor of the microcontroller. The program may be recorded in advance in a memory, may be provided through an electric communication line such as the Internet, or may be provided by being recorded in a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card.

  Here, the registration device 2 only needs to have a function of accepting the operation of the store clerk 92 regarding the registration of the product 93. That is, the registration device 2 may have a function of actively prohibiting operations by persons other than the store clerk 92 (for example, the customer 91), but such a function is not essential for the registration device 2, for example, The customer 91 may register the product 93 by operating the registration device 2. Therefore, for example, even in a situation such as an unmanned store where the store clerk 92 is not present in the store 9, the registration device 2 can make a purchase by accepting the operation of the customer 91 for registering the product 93.

(2.3) Checkout Device Next, the configuration of the checkout device 3 of the shopping support system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. Since the first settlement apparatus 301 and the second settlement apparatus 302 have the same configuration, in FIG. 2, the first settlement apparatus among the first settlement apparatus 301 and the second settlement apparatus 302 is the first settlement apparatus. Individual components are illustrated only for 301.

  The settlement apparatus 3 is an apparatus that receives an operation of the customer 91 relating to settlement of the product 93. As shown in FIG. 2, the settlement apparatus 3 includes a customer input unit 31, a customer output unit 32, a settlement side communication unit 33, a settlement machine 34, and a settlement side processing unit 35.

  The customer input unit 31 is a device that receives an operation of the customer 91. The customer output unit 32 is a device that performs various displays for the customer 91. In the present embodiment, the touch panel display functions as the customer input unit 31 and the customer output unit 32. That is, the checkout apparatus 3 uses a touch panel display as a user interface, and receives operation of the customer 91 and displays to the customer 91 on the touch panel display.

  The settlement side communication unit 33 realizes communication between the registration apparatus 2 and the settlement apparatus 3. Here, the registration device 2 and the settlement device 3 can communicate bidirectionally. Further, the settlement side communication unit 33 is configured to be able to communicate with a store terminal composed of a POS terminal, for example, directly or indirectly via a relay device or the like.

  The settlement machine 34 accepts settlement (payment) of the settlement amount. The settlement machine 34 has, for example, a cash unit that delivers cash, a card reader, and a printer that issues receipts. The card reader can read, for example, a credit card used for settlement, an electronic money settlement card, a mobile phone terminal, a membership card, and a point card. In the receipt, for example, information such as details, settlement amount and purchase date and time is entered.

  The settlement side processing unit 35 performs settlement processing for the product 93 registered by the registration device 2. For example, the settlement-side processing unit 35 acquires information necessary for the settlement of the product 93 (for example, the price and item of the product 93) from the store terminal based on the product information received from the registration device 2, and the settlement amount Execute processing related to settlement, such as calculation of. In the present embodiment, the product information is transferred only between the registration device 2 and the settlement device 3 of the same unit. That is, the first settlement apparatus 301 performs settlement based on the merchandise information transferred from the first registration apparatus 201, and the second settlement apparatus 302 performs the settlement based on the merchandise information transferred from the second registration apparatus 202. Check out. The settlement side processing unit 35 completes the settlement of the product 93 when the settlement amount is settled by the settlement machine 34.

  The payment processing unit 35 is mainly composed of a microcontroller having one or more processors and one or more memories. That is, the function of the settlement side processing unit 35 is realized by executing the program recorded in the memory of the microcontroller by the processor of the microcontroller. The program may be recorded in advance in a memory, may be provided through an electric communication line such as the Internet, or may be provided by being recorded in a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card.

  Here, the settlement apparatus 3 only needs to have a function of accepting the operation of the customer 91 regarding the settlement of the product 93, and actually the settlement apparatus 3 may be operated by a person other than the customer 91. That is, the checkout apparatus 3 may have a function of actively prohibiting operations by persons other than the customer 91 (for example, a store clerk 92), but such a function is not essential for the checkout apparatus 3, for example, The store clerk 92 may operate the settlement apparatus 3 to perform settlement of the product 93. Therefore, for example, even in a situation where the customer 91 is not able to operate the checkout apparatus 3 when the customer 91 is young, the checkout apparatus 3 accepts the operation of the clerk 92 related to the checkout of the product 93. Is possible.

(2.4) Bagging apparatus Next, the structure of the bagging apparatus 4 of the shopping assistance system 1 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. Since the first bagging device 401 and the second bagging device 402 have the same configuration, the first bagging device 401 and the second bagging device 402 in FIG. Individual components are illustrated only for one bagging device 401.

  The bagging device 4 is a device that executes bagging of the product 93. As shown in FIG. 2, the bagging device 4 includes a bagging mechanism 41, a drive unit 42, a control unit 43, and a bag supply unit 44.

  The bagging mechanism 41 executes “bagging” by storing the product 93 placed in the bagging space 81 in the bag 10. That is, for example, when the store clerk 92 places the product 93 in the bagging space 81, the bagging mechanism 41 can pack the product 93. Therefore, the store clerk 92 can easily pack the product 93 without having to close both hands in order to perform the bagging operation.

  Here, when a plurality of products 93 are arranged in the bagging space 81, the bagging mechanism 41 can pack the plurality of products 93 in a lump. That is, when the customer 91 purchases a plurality of products 93, the plurality of products 93 are placed in the bagging space 81, and the bagging mechanism 41 collects the plurality of products 93 in one bag 10. It can be accommodated.

  Here, the bagging device 4 performs bagging on the product 93 that has been registered by the registration device 2. In the present embodiment, the bagging device 4 performs bagging of the product 93 that has been registered by the registration device 2 as a result of bagging the product 93 arranged in the bagging space 81. That is, in the present embodiment, as described above, the standby space 82 in which the product 93 that has not been registered by the registration device 2 is arranged is the bagging space 81 in which the product 93 that has been registered by the registration device 2 is arranged. Is secured separately. Since the bagging device 4 performs bagging for the product 93 moved from the standby space 82 to the bagging space 81, the bagging is executed for the product 93 that has been registered by the registration device 2.

  The drive unit 42 includes an electric motor (motor), and is realized by an appropriate mechanism capable of driving the bagging mechanism 41 by a driving force generated by the electric motor, such as a pantograph type or a rack and pinion type.

  The control unit 43 controls the drive unit 42 and the bag supply unit 44. The control unit 43 is mainly composed of a microcontroller having one or more processors and one or more memories, and the program recorded in the memory of the microcontroller is executed by the processor of the microcontroller, thereby supplying the drive unit 42 and the bag. The unit 44 is controlled. The program may be recorded in advance in a memory, may be provided through an electric communication line such as the Internet, or may be provided by being recorded in a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card.

  Here, the control part 43 can switch the presence or absence of bagging. In the present embodiment, the control unit 43 is configured to start bagging the product 93 when the operation unit 6 receives a predetermined operation. Specifically, the operation unit 6 is composed of a momentary type push button switch. When the operation unit 6 accepts a predetermined operation of pressing the operation unit 6 once, the control unit 43 starts packing the product 93. In other words, the control unit 43 switches “presence / absence of bagging” depending on the presence / absence of a predetermined operation on the operation unit 6. That is, the control unit 43 determines that “with bagging” has been selected only when the operation unit 6 is pressed, and drives the driving unit 42 to cause the bagging mechanism 41 to execute bagging. If the operation unit 6 is not pressed, it is determined that “no bagging” is selected, and the driving unit 42 is not driven and the bagging mechanism 41 is not allowed to execute bagging.

  That is, according to the bagging apparatus 4 according to the present embodiment, for example, by switching the presence / absence of bagging according to the product 93, bagging can be performed only for the product 93 that needs to be bagged. A flexible response can be employed as in the case of bagging. Therefore, according to the bagging device 4, while the bagging mechanism 41 automates the bagging, as with the case where a person (customer 91 or store clerk 92) performs the bagging operation, a flexible response regarding the bagging is possible. Can be adopted.

  In the present embodiment, the bagging device 4 starts bagging in conjunction with the operation of the operation unit 6 of the same unit. That is, the first bagging device 401 starts bagging when the first operation unit 601 receives a predetermined operation, and the second bagging device 402 starts when the second operation unit 602 receives a predetermined operation. Start bagging.

  In the present embodiment, the operation unit 6 can be operated independently of the settlement apparatus 3. That is, the operation unit 6 that receives a predetermined operation for causing the bagging device 4 to start bagging can be operated without depending on the state of the payment device 3. Therefore, whether or not the settlement of the product 93 in the settlement apparatus 3 is completed or incomplete, the operation unit 6 is a predetermined unit for causing the packaging apparatus 4 to start bagging. Is ready to accept operations. Therefore, for example, even when the settlement of the product 93 in the settlement apparatus 3 is not completed, when the operation unit 6 is operated, the bagging apparatus 4 starts to pack the product 93.

  The bag supply unit 44 is a device that supplies the bag 10 to the bagging mechanism 41. As indicated by an arrow A1 in FIG. 4, the bag supply unit 44 takes out the bags 10 one by one from the bag stocker 441 that stocks a plurality of bags 10, and supplies the taken bags 10 to the bagging mechanism 41. Supply. In the present embodiment, the control unit 43 controls the bag supply unit 44 in conjunction with the bagging mechanism 41 so that one bag 10 is always set (arranged) in the bagging mechanism 41. In FIG. 4, the bag 10 set in the bagging mechanism 41 is indicated by an imaginary line (two-dot chain line). That is, the bagging mechanism 41 is configured to perform bagging using a single bag 10 supplied from the bag supply unit 44, and each time the bagging mechanism 41 performs bagging once. In preparation for the next bagging, new bags 10 are supplied one by one from the bag supply unit 44 to the bagging mechanism 41. In other words, the bag supply unit 44 starts the supply of the bag 10 to the bagging mechanism 41 with the completion of the bagging by the bagging mechanism 41 as a trigger.

  Next, the bag filling mechanism 41 will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG. 4, the bagging mechanism 41 includes a support portion 411 and a guide portion 412.

  The support part 411 has a placement surface 413. The support part 411 is formed in a rectangular plate shape. The upper surface of the support portion 411 constitutes a placement surface 413 on which the product 93 is placed. Here, the mounting surface 413 has a rectangular shape with rounded corners.

  The guide portion 412 is disposed around the support portion 411 along the outer peripheral edge of the placement surface 413. The guide portion 412 is formed in a cylindrical shape having at least an upper surface opened between the upper surface and the lower surface. In the present embodiment, the guide portion 412 is formed in a rectangular tube shape having both upper and lower surfaces opened. The opening surface of the guide portion 412 is formed to be slightly larger than the placement surface 413, and the guide portion 412 is disposed around the support portion 411 along the outer peripheral edge of the placement surface 413. Here, the shape of the inner peripheral edge of the upper end surface of the guide portion 412 and the shape of the outer peripheral edge of the mounting surface 413 are similar.

  The bagging mechanism 41 supports the relative positional relationship between the support portion 411 and the guide portion 412 in a state where the product 93 is supported on the placement surface 413 via the bottom portion 102 (see FIG. 6A) of the bag 10. The product 93 is accommodated in the bag 10 by changing from the first state to the second state. The second state is a state in which the relative position of the support portion 411 with respect to the guide portion 412 is lower than the first state. Here, the state in which the support portion 411 is positioned at the upper end portion of the guide portion 412 is referred to as a first state (see FIG. 6A). When the relative positional relationship between the support portion 411 and the guide portion 412 is in the first state, the upper surface (mounting surface 413) of the support portion 411 is positioned slightly above the upper end surface of the guide portion 412. Therefore, in the first state, the support portion 411 is disposed so as to close the opening on the upper surface side of the guide portion 412. The second state is a state in which the support portion 411 is located at the lower end portion of the guide portion 412 (see FIG. 6C).

  In the present embodiment, the product 93 moves to the inside of the bag 10 when the relative positional relationship between the support portion 411 and the guide portion 412 changes from the first state to the second state. In other words, in the present embodiment, the filling of the product 93 into the bag 10 is completed when the relative positional relationship between the support portion 411 and the guide portion 412 changes from the first state to the second state. The operation of the bagging mechanism 41 will be described in detail in “(3.2) Operation of the bagging mechanism” described later.

  In the present embodiment, the drive unit 42 changes the relative positional relationship between the support unit 411 and the guide unit 412 from the first state to the second state. The drive unit 42 moves only the support unit 411 out of the support unit 411 and the guide unit 412, thereby changing the relative positional relationship between the support unit 411 and the guide unit 412 from the first state to the second state. And change. That is, the support part 411 is configured to move in the vertical direction by the drive part 42 in a cylindrical guide part 412 fixed at a fixed position. Specifically, the support portion 411 is connected to the drive portion 42 by a columnar drive shaft 415. The drive unit 42 moves the support unit 411 fixed to the upper end of the drive shaft 415 in the vertical direction by moving the drive shaft 415 in the vertical direction.

  In the present embodiment, the bagging mechanism 41 further includes a holding portion 414 for holding the bottom portion 102 of the bag 10 on the placement surface 413. The holding part 414 holds the bottom part 102 by gripping the bottom part 102 of the bag 10. The bagging mechanism 41 is configured to hold the bottom portion 102 of the bag 10 by the holding portion 414 while the relative positional relationship between at least the support portion 411 and the guide portion 412 changes from the first state to the second state. Keep holding on.

(3) Operation Hereinafter, the operation of the shopping support system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

(3.1) Overall Operation First, the overall operation of the shopping support system 1 from when the customer 91 visits the store until shopping is completed will be described. In the present embodiment, the bagging device 4 switches between “presence / absence of bagging” depending on the presence / absence of a predetermined operation on the operation unit 6. For this reason, “packing” by the bagging device 4 is not always performed. If “no bagging” is selected, “bagging” by the bagging device 4 is not performed. However, here, a case where the bagging device 4 is “with bagging” in which “bagging” is executed will be described as an example. Here, a case where the customer 91 purchases a plurality of products 93 will be described as an example.

  When the customer 91 purchases the product 93 using the shopping basket 94, the customer 91 who has visited the store first takes the shopping basket 94 from the basket storage area. Thereafter, the customer 91 moves inside the store with the shopping basket 94, and sequentially stores the products 93 desired to be purchased in the shopping basket 94. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 1, the customer 91 places a shopping basket 94 containing all the products 93 desired to be purchased in the standby space 82. In other words, in the standby space 82, a plurality of products 93 stored in the shopping basket 94 are placed together with the shopping basket 94.

  Then, the clerk 92 performs an operation related to registration of the product 93 with respect to the registration device 2 for the plurality of products 93 placed in the standby space 82, and places the product 93 that has been registered in the bagging space 81. That is, the store clerk 92 performs an operation related to registration of the product 93 by the registration device 2 by moving the product 93 from the standby space 82 to the bagging space 81 and reading the product information with the reader 24. Thereby, registration of the some goods 93 to the registration apparatus 2 is performed. When all of the plurality of products 93 placed in the standby space 82 move to the bagging space 81, the store clerk 92 collects (removes) the empty shopping basket 94 from the bagging space 81. However, the collection work of the shopping basket 94 may be performed not only by the store clerk 92 but also by the customer 91.

  On the other hand, when the customer 91 purchases the product 93 without using the shopping basket 94, only the plurality of products 93 are placed in the standby space 82. In this case, it is not necessary to collect the shopping basket 94 in the first place.

  Here, the clerk 92 can change at least one of the arrangement and arrangement order of the plurality of products 93 when moving the products 93 from the standby space 82 to the bagging space 81. Therefore, the store clerk 92 assumes a state in which the bag 93 is packed by the bagging device 4 such as placing a relatively small product 93 among the plurality of products 93 on the relatively heavy product 93. However, a plurality of products 93 can be placed in the bagging space 81. That is, on the counter table 8, as described above, the standby space 82 in which the product 93 that has not been registered by the registration device 2 is placed is packed in which the product 93 that has been registered by the registration device 2 is placed. The space 81 is secured separately. Therefore, the product 93 that has been registered by the registration device 2 is moved from the standby space 82 to the bagging space 81 by the store clerk 92. That is, since it is the store clerk 92 that puts the product 93 in the bagging space 81, the store clerk 92 can put a plurality of products 93 in the bagging space 81 in an arrangement and arrangement order that facilitates bagging.

  The registration device 2 transmits (transfers) the read product information to the settlement device 3 when an operation related to registration of a plurality of products 93, that is, when the product information is read by the reader 24 is performed. Based on a plurality of product information received from the registration device 2, the checkout device 3 obtains information necessary for the checkout of the product 93 (for example, the price and item of the product 93) from the store terminal, and calculates the checkout amount. Execute the process related to the settlement. Specifically, the checkout apparatus 3 creates a purchase list that is a list of information about a plurality of products 93 using information such as the acquired price.

  As a result, since the settlement with the settlement apparatus 3 is possible, the customer 91 performs an operation related to the settlement of the product 93 with respect to the settlement apparatus 3. Specifically, for example, the customer 91 confirms the settlement amount displayed on the customer output unit 32, and settles the settlement amount with the settlement machine 34, thereby relating to the settlement of the product 93 by the settlement apparatus 3. Perform the operation. Thereby, the settlement of the plurality of products 93 is performed by the settlement apparatus 3.

  At this time, the checkout apparatus 3 determines whether or not a specific product (for example, alcoholic beverages or the like) that requires age confirmation at the time of sale is included in the purchase list. That is, the checkout apparatus 3 determines whether or not the specific product is included in the plurality of registered products 93 with reference to the purchase list. If there is a specific product in the purchase list, for example, the checkout apparatus 3 displays a confirmation button (object) including a character string “Is it over 20 years old?” On the customer output unit 32. When the customer 91 operates (tap) the confirmation button, the customer 91 himself can perform age confirmation using the settlement apparatus 3. However, the age confirmation may be performed by the store clerk 92 using the registration device 2 or the centralized monitoring device 5, for example.

  By the way, as long as the registration in the registration device 2 is completed, it is possible to perform bagging by the bagging device 4. That is, when registration is completed for all of the plurality of products 93, all of the plurality of products 93 have moved from the standby space 82 to the bagging space 81. At this point, the bagging by the bagging device 4 is possible. It becomes. In this state, when the store clerk 92 performs a predetermined operation on the operation unit 6, whether the settlement of the product 93 in the settlement apparatus 3 is completed or incomplete, Bag filling by the bag filling device 4 is executed. In the present embodiment, the clerk 92 starts bagging by the bagging device 4 before the payment in the payment device 3 is completed. As a result, the bagging device 4 executes “bagging” in which the product 93 is accommodated in the bag 10 during the payment in the payment device 3. That is, the bagging by the bagging device 4 is executed in parallel with the payment in the payment device 3.

  FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an outline of the overall operation of the shopping support system 1 described above. In FIG. 5, a process related to the customer 91 is described in the column of the customer 91, a process related to the store clerk 92 is described in the column of the store clerk 92, and a process related to the bagging apparatus 4 is described in the column of the bagging device 4.

  First, the customer 91 places a product 93 desired to be purchased in the waiting space 82 for each shopping basket 94 or directly (S1). Next, the clerk 92 performs an operation related to registration of the product 93 with respect to the registration device 2. At this time, in the registration device 2, a “registration process” for accepting the operation of the clerk 92 regarding the registration of the product 93 is executed (S2). The clerk 92 sequentially places the products 93 that have been registered in the bagging space 81 (S3).

  When the registration for all the products 93 that the customer 91 desires to purchase is completed, the customer 91 performs an operation related to the settlement of the product 93 with respect to the settlement apparatus 3. At this time, in the settlement apparatus 3, a “settlement process” for accepting the operation of the customer 91 relating to the settlement of the product 93 is executed (S4). In parallel with this (settlement process), the clerk 92 performs a predetermined operation on the operation unit 6 (S5). In response to this, the bagging device 4 executes a bagging process for the product 93 in the bagging space 81 (S6). When the bag filling (bag filling process) in the bag filling device 4 is completed, the customer 91 receives the product 93 contained in the bag 10 in the bag filling space 81 (S7).

  According to the shopping support system 1, the shopping of the customer 91 is completed by the series of processes (S1 to S7) described above.

  By the way, when “no bagging” is selected, that is, when a predetermined operation on the operation unit 6 is not performed, “bagging” by the bagging device 4 is not performed. In this case, the customer 91 receives the product 93 placed in the bagging space 81 without being stored in the bag 10. That is, the customer 91 receives the product 93 that is not accommodated in the bag 10.

(3.2) Operation of Bagging Mechanism Next, the operation of the bagging device 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6D. 6A to 6D schematically show the operation of the bag filling device 4, and illustration of the bag supply unit 44 and the like is omitted as appropriate. Here, it is assumed that the bagging device 4 collectively stores a plurality of products 93 arranged in the bagging space 81 in the bag 10.

  First, when the relative positional relationship between the support portion 411 and the guide portion 412 is in the first state, as shown in FIG. 6A, the bag 10 with the bag mouth 101 facing down covers the support portion 411 and the guide portion 412. The bottom 102 of the bag 10 is supported by the mounting surface 413. The bagging device 4 sets the state shown in FIG. 6A to the standby state, and waits in the standby state until the operation unit 6 receives a predetermined operation. As described above, since the bottom portion 102 of the bag 10 held on the placement surface 413 constitutes the bottom surface 811 of the bagging space 81, the product 93 is placed on the placement surface via the bag 10 in the state of FIG. It will be put on 413. At this time, the bag 10 is held on the placement surface 413 by the holding force of the holding portion 414 (see FIG. 4) in addition to the weight of the product 93.

  The bagging device 4 starts “bagging” when a predetermined operation is performed on the operation unit 6. When bagging is started, as shown in FIG. 6B, the support portion 411 moves downward relative to the guide portion 412 by the drive portion 42 (see FIG. 1). At this time, the product 93 is also moved downward along with the movement of the support portion 411. And the goods 93 maintain the state mounted on the mounting surface 413 through the bag 10 in between. Further, from this state, the support portion 411 moves relatively downward with respect to the guide portion 412 in the drive portion 42, so that the bag 10 is gradually drawn into the guide portion 412. At this time, the side peripheral portion 103 of the bag 10 that is continuous with the bottom portion 102 of the bag 10 is drawn into the guide portion 412 while being squeezed by the upper end surface of the guide portion 412. Therefore, the side peripheral portion 103 of the bag 10 is raised upward from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom portion 102 by the guide portion 412 around the support portion 411.

  And when the relative positional relationship of the support part 411 and the guide part 412 will be in a 2nd state, as shown to FIG. 6C, the bag 10 turned over from the state of FIG. 6A in the space enclosed by the guide part 412. The product 93 is accommodated in the bag 10. At this time, the side peripheral portion 103 rises along the inner peripheral surface of the guide portion 412.

  Here, in the second state, the bagging device 4 is configured such that the height difference from the placement surface 413 to the upper end surface of the guide portion 412 is equal to or greater than the total length of the bag 10 in the vertical direction. The “full length in the vertical direction of the bag 10” here is the total length including the pair of handles 104 of the bag 10, that is, the dimension from the bottom 102 of the bag 10 to the tip of the handle 104. As a result, the bag 10 fits in the space surrounded by the guide portion 412 up to the tip of the handle 104. Therefore, the bag 10 is in a state of standing up including not only the side peripheral portion 103 but also the handle 104.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6D, the bagging device 4 drives the support portion 411 by the drive portion 42, and changes the relative positional relationship between the support portion 411 and the guide portion 412 from the second state to the first state. To change. Thereby, the bag 10 is discharged from the space surrounded by the guide portion 412. That is, the bag 10 on the placement surface 413 protrudes upward from the opening on the upper surface side of the guide portion 412 as the support portion 411 moves upward. Furthermore, as the support portion 411 moves upward, the bag 10 is completely discharged from the space surrounded by the guide portion 412. At this time, the bag 10 maintains an independent posture including the handle 104. Moreover, since the bag 10 is turned over from the state of FIG. 6A supplied in the bag supply part 44 and accommodates the goods 93, when the character etc. are printed on the bag 10, the reverse printed bag 10 is used. It is preferable. Thereby, the customer 91 can receive the product 93 stored in the bag 10.

(3.3) Correspondence to a plurality of customers Next, the operation of the shopping support system 1 in the case where one shop clerk 92 corresponds to a plurality of customers 91 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 8B. . FIGS. 7 to 8B are plan views of the periphery of the counter table 8 in the store 9 and schematically show various devices such as the registration device 2 and the payment device 3. In particular, regarding the bagging space 81 and the standby space 82, whether or not used is expressed by the presence or absence of shading so as to indicate “in use” when there is shading.

  According to the shopping support system 1 according to the present embodiment, basically, the store clerk 92 responds to the customer 91 while moving in the left-right direction within the store clerk area 902, as shown in FIG. That is, in this embodiment, as described above, the two units (the first unit and the second unit) are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, and therefore the clerk 92 moves between these two units. On the other hand, a plurality of customers 91 basically form a queue in a line in front of the counter table 8. Then, in order from the customer 91 at the head of the queue, shopping is performed using either one of the two units (first unit and second unit).

  As an example, a specific work flow when one store clerk 92 corresponds to a plurality of customers 91 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B.

  Here, first, as shown in FIG. 8A, the clerk 92 stands in front of the first unit on the left side when viewing the counter table 8 from the customer area 901 side. On the other hand, the first customer 91 (the head of the queue) moves within the customer area 901 and, as shown in FIG. 8A, faces the store clerk 92 across the counter stand 8, that is, in front of the first unit. stand. The first customer 91 puts the product 93 in the standby space 82 corresponding to the first unit, that is, the standby space 82 located on the right side of the bagging space 81 on the first bagging device 401. The store clerk 92 performs an operation related to registration of the product 93 with respect to the first registration device 201, and sequentially places the product 93 for which registration has been completed in the bagging space 81 on the first bagging device 401.

  Then, while the merchandise 93 is registered by the store clerk 92, the first customer 91 moves to the front of the first checkout apparatus 301 as indicated by an arrow A1 in FIG. 8B. When registration is completed for all products 93, the clerk 92 operates the first operation unit 601 to cause the first bagging device 401 to start bagging, and then, as shown by an arrow A2 in FIG. 8B, The counter unit 8 is moved from the customer area 901 side to the front of the second unit on the right side. In parallel with this, the first customer 91 performs payment using the first payment apparatus 301.

  Then, the store clerk 92 calls out to the second customer 91. The second customer 91 who received the call moves to a position facing the store clerk 92 across the counter stand 8, that is, in front of the second unit, as indicated by an arrow A3 in FIG. 8B. The second customer 91 puts the product 93 in the standby space 82 corresponding to the second unit, that is, the standby space 82 that is located to the right of the bagging space 81 on the second bagging device 402. The store clerk 92 performs an operation relating to registration of the product 93 with respect to the second registration device 202, and sequentially places the product 93 for which registration has been completed in the bagging space 81 on the second bagging device 402.

  With respect to the third and subsequent customers 91, the same work as the first and second customers 91 is repeatedly performed, so that one store clerk 92 can handle a plurality of customers 91. That is, according to the shopping support system 1 according to the present embodiment, bagging is automated by the bagging device 4, and the registration and settlement of the product 93 is shared between the store clerk 92 and the customer 91. Therefore, the clerk 92 only needs to perform registration in the registration device 2 and operation of the operation unit 6 while moving in the left-right direction in the clerk area 902, while the customer 91 is paying, and the bagging device. While 4 is packing the bag, the next customer 91 can be handled. As a result, even one clerk 92 can efficiently support shopping for a plurality of customers 91.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since the operation part 6 can be operated independently of the settlement apparatus 3, for example, a plurality of (in this case, two) bagging apparatuses 4 are used together, and a plurality of products 93 are It is also possible to divide into a plurality of bags 10 for storage (packing). In other words, if the two bagging spaces 81 are both empty (unused state), a plurality of products 93 purchased by one customer 91 should be divided into these two bagging spaces 81. Is possible. Both the first bagging device 401 and the second bagging device 402 execute bagging in a state where the products 93 are placed in the two bagging spaces 81, respectively, so that the plurality of products 93 are two bags. It will be divided into 10 bags.

  Embodiment 1 is only one of various embodiments of the present disclosure. The first embodiment can be variously modified according to the design or the like as long as the object of the present disclosure can be achieved. Moreover, the function similar to the shopping assistance system 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1 may be embodied by the non-temporary recording medium etc. which recorded the shopping assistance method, the computer program, or the computer program. A shopping support method according to one aspect includes a registration process (see “S2” in FIG. 5), a checkout process (see “S4” in FIG. 5), and a bagging process (see “S6” in FIG. 5). Have. The registration process is a process of accepting an operation of the clerk 92 regarding the registration of the product 93. The checkout process is a process of accepting a customer operation related to the checkout of the product. The bagging process is a process of executing bagging of the product 93 by at least one bagging device 4.

  Hereinafter, modifications of the first embodiment will be listed. The modifications described below can be applied in appropriate combinations.

  The shopping support system 1 in the present disclosure includes a computer system in, for example, the registration device 2, the checkout device 3, the bagging device 4, and the like. The computer system mainly includes a processor and a memory as hardware. The function as the shopping support system 1 in the present disclosure is realized by the processor executing the program recorded in the memory of the computer system. The program may be recorded in advance in a memory of a computer system, may be provided through a telecommunication line, or recorded in a non-transitory recording medium such as a memory card, an optical disk, or a hard disk drive that can be read by the computer system. May be provided. A processor of a computer system includes one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) or a large scale integrated circuit (LSI). An integrated circuit such as an IC or an LSI here is called differently depending on the degree of integration, and includes an integrated circuit called a system LSI, a VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration), or a ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration). Furthermore, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) programmed after manufacturing the LSI, or a logic device capable of reconfiguring the junction relationship inside the LSI or reconfiguring the circuit partition inside the LSI should be adopted as the processor. Can do. The plurality of electronic circuits may be integrated on one chip, or may be distributed on the plurality of chips. The plurality of chips may be integrated into one device, or may be distributed and provided in a plurality of devices. The computer system here includes a microcontroller having one or more processors and one or more memories. Therefore, the microcontroller is also composed of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit or a large scale integrated circuit.

  In addition, it is not essential for the shopping support system 1 that a plurality of functions in the shopping support system 1 are integrated in one casing, and the components of the shopping support system 1 are distributed in a plurality of casings. It may be provided. Furthermore, at least a part of the functions of the shopping support system 1, for example, a part of the functions of the registration device 2 or the settlement device 3 may be realized by cloud (cloud computing) or the like.

  Moreover, it is not an essential structure for the shopping support system 1 that the shopping support system 1 includes a plurality of registration devices 2, a settlement device 3, a bagging device 4, and an operation unit 6 (two in the first embodiment). .

  For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the shopping support system 1 </ b> A according to one modification of the first embodiment includes the bagging device 4 and the operation unit 6, not one each. That is, the shopping support system 1A includes two registration devices 2, two settlement devices 3, one bagging device 4, one centralized monitoring device 5, one operation unit 6, It has. Further, in the modification shown in FIG. 9, one reader 24 is shared by the first registration device 201 and the second registration device 202. Specifically, the destination of the product information read by one reader 24 can be switched between the first registration device 201 and the second registration device 202 by operating the registration device 2 or the centralized monitoring device 5. Is done.

  In this shopping support system 1A, one bagging device 4 packs a product 93 that is registered and settled by the first registration device 201 and the first settlement device 301, the second registration device 202, and This is also used for bagging the product 93 registered and settled in the second settlement apparatus 302. As an example, the bagging apparatus 4 packs the product 93 registered and settled by the first registration apparatus 201 and the first settlement apparatus 301, and the second registration apparatus 202 and the second settlement apparatus 302. The bagging of the product 93 to be registered and settled is executed alternately. In this case, it is preferable that the customer 91 or the store clerk 92 remove the product 93 for which bagging has been completed from the bagging space 81 on the bagging device 4 as soon as possible.

  Further, the shopping support system 1 may include three or more of the registration device 2, the payment device 3, the bagging device 4, and the operation unit 6. When the settlement apparatus 3 includes a third settlement apparatus in addition to the first settlement apparatus 301 and the second settlement apparatus 302, the centralized monitoring apparatus 5 may, for example, include the first settlement apparatus 301 and the second settlement apparatus 302. Between. Here, it is not an essential configuration for the shopping support system 1 to arrange the numbers of the registration device 2, the payment device 3, the bagging device 4, and the operation unit 6. For example, the shopping support system 1 includes two registration devices. 2 and three settlement apparatuses 3 may be provided. In this case, the merchandise information of the merchandise 93 registered by each of the two registration apparatuses 2 is appropriately distributed to each of the three settlement apparatuses 3 by, for example, an operation of the store clerk 92.

  The use of the shopping support system 1 is not limited to a convenience store, and the shopping support system 1 may be installed in a store 9 other than the convenience store. The product 93 is not limited to food and drink such as plastic bottle beverages, canned beverages, beverages in paper packs, boxed confectionery, and bagged confectionery, but may be daily necessities such as ballpoint pens and other products.

  Moreover, the bagging apparatus 4 should just be the structure which accommodates the goods 93 in the bag 10, and accommodates the goods 93 not only in the shopping bag as mentioned above but in the bags 10, such as an eco bag or a net bag (bag), for example. It may be configured to be stuffed).

  Further, the bagging device 4 may be configured to be able to switch the type of the bag 10 used for bagging in place of or in addition to the bagging. In this case, for example, the bag supply unit 44 stocks a plurality of types (here, two types) of bags 10 in the bag stocker 441. That is, in the bag stocker 441, a plurality of bags 10 of different types (including size, shape, color, material, and notation) are stocked. Then, in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 43, the bag supply unit 44 switches which of the plurality of types of bags 10 is taken out from the bag stocker 441 and supplied to the bagging mechanism 41. In this case, basically, the type of the bag 10 used for bagging is switched before the product 93 is placed in the bagging space 81, that is, before the product 93 is registered.

  In the first embodiment, the determination unit 25 is integrated with the registration device 2 (included in the registration device 2). However, the determination unit 25 is not limited to this configuration, and the determination unit 25 is separate from the registration device 2. There may be. For example, the determination unit 25 may be integrated with the bagging device 4. In this case, for example, the bagging device 4 includes a weight sensor that measures the weight of the product 93 placed in the bagging space 81, so that the determination unit 25 obtains an evaluation value from the actual measurement value of the weight of the product 93. Whether or not bagging is possible may be determined. The determination unit 25 may be separate from both the registration device 2 and the bagging device 4.

  In addition, the determination result of whether or not bagging is possible, which is output from the determination unit 25, is not limited to the clerk 92 being notified from the clerk output unit 22 or the centralized monitoring device 5, but is used for controlling the bagging device 4, for example. May be. In this case, since the bagging device 4 can operate in conjunction with the determination result of whether or not bagging is possible in the determination unit 25, for example, when the determination unit 25 determines that bagging is impossible, It is possible to automatically stop the bagging operation. Alternatively, the bagging device 4 may execute bagging once when the evaluation value reaches the evaluation threshold value (a value that defines the upper limit of the capacity of the bag 10).

  Furthermore, the bagging device 4 switches the type of the bag 10 used for bagging according to the product 93, for example, so that the bagging can be performed using the bag 10 having a size matching the size of the product 93. The structure to perform may be sufficient. In this case, if the bagging device 4 is interlocked with the registration device 2, the bagging device 4 automatically switches the type of the bag 10 according to the determination result of whether or not bagging is possible in the determination unit 25. Is also possible.

  In addition, when the bagging device 4 is linked to the registration device 2, the bagging device 4 prohibits execution of bagging until it receives a notification indicating the completion of registration of the product 93 from the registration device 2. You may have. In this case, the bagging device 4 is in a state in which bagging can be executed only after receiving the notification from the registration device 2. Therefore, even if a product 93 that has not been registered by the registration device 2 is placed in the bagging space 81, the bagging device 4 does not perform bagging on the product 93, and the registration device 2 Bagging can be executed only for the product 93 for which registration has been completed.

  Further, the bagging device 4 may be interlocked with the settlement device 3. In this case, the bagging device 4 can start bagging of the product 93, for example, triggered by the start or completion of the payment in the payment device 3.

  In addition, since the stuffing by the bagging device 4 starts at the timing when the clerk 92 operates the operation unit 6, the clerk 92 can start the bagging by the bagging device 4 at an arbitrary timing. Therefore, the clerk 92 may start the bagging by the bagging device 4 after the payment by the payment device 3 is completed, not only after the payment by the payment device 3 is completed. In this case, the customer 91 can receive the bag 10 containing the product 93 after the bagging in the bagging device 4 is completed at least after the payment in the payment device 3 is completed.

  Further, the registration device 2 or the checkout device 3 may confirm the consistency between the registered product 93 and the product 93 placed in the bagging space 81. The information on the product 93 placed in the bagging space 81 can be detected by at least one of a camera and a weight sensor, for example. As an example, if the product 93 is placed in the bagging space 81 even though the product information has not been read by the reader 24, the checkout apparatus 3 determines that the two do not match and notifies the error. I do.

  In addition, a stocker for a bag (extra-sized bag) having a size larger than the bag 10 used in the bagging device 4 may be provided on the counter base 8. Thereby, for example, when it is determined by the determination unit 25 that bag filling is impossible, the store clerk 92 or the customer 91 can pack the bag using the extra large bag.

  In the first embodiment, only the product 93 is directly placed in the bagging space 81. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the product 93 is stored in a container such as a shopping basket 94. The container (the shopping basket 94 or the like) may be placed in the bagging space 81. In this case, as an example, the bottom plate of the shopping basket 94 is configured to be openable and closable so that the bagging device 4 can take out the product 93 from the bottom of the shopping basket 94 and execute bagging. That is, in the “bagging” executed by the bagging device 4, an operation of moving the product 93 in the container such as the shopping basket 94 from the container such as the shopping basket 94 into the bag 10, in other words, the product 93 is moved. This includes the operation of transferring from the container such as the shopping basket 94 to the bag 10. Similarly, when the product 93 is stored in the shopping cart, the bagging device 4 may execute bagging by transferring the product from the shopping cart to the bag 10.

  In addition, the user interface in the registration device 2, the checkout device 3, and the centralized monitoring device 5 is not limited to a touch panel display, and may include an input device such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a mechanical switch, or a gesture sensor. . Further, the user interface may include, for example, a display device such as a projector that projects an image using a projection mapping technique. The user interface may have a voice input / output unit instead of the touch panel display or together with the touch panel display. In this case, the user interface can present various kinds of information to the store clerk 92 or the customer 91 by sound output from the speaker. Further, the user interface performs voice recognition and semantic analysis on the voice signal output from the microphone, so that the store clerk 92 or the customer 91 can perform voice operation (voice input).

  The centralized monitoring device 5 is not limited to a stationary dedicated terminal, and may be realized by, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a general-purpose personal computer, a wearable terminal such as a wristwatch type or a glasses type.

  Moreover, the bag supply unit 44 may be configured to supply the bag filling device 4 after turning the bag 10 upside down. In this case, since the bag 10 is set in the bagging device 4 in an inverted state and further turned over to accommodate the product 93, the outer surface of the original bag 10 becomes the outer surface in the state in which the product 93 is accommodated. . Therefore, when characters or the like are printed on the bag 10, it is not necessary to use the reverse-printed bag 10.

  In addition, the holding unit 414 of the bagging device 4 is not limited to the configuration in which the bottom 102 is held by picking the bottom 102 of the bag 10 as in the above-described embodiment. For example, the bottom 102 is held by suction such as a vacuum suction pad. The structure hold | maintained on the mounting surface 413 may be sufficient.

  In the first embodiment, the drive unit 42 moves the support unit 411 alone out of the support unit 411 and the guide unit 412, thereby changing the relative positional relationship between the support unit 411 and the guide unit 412. Although it changes from 1 state to 2nd state, it is not restricted to this structure. That is, the bagging device 4 only has to change the relative positional relationship between the support portion 411 and the guide portion 412 from the first state to the second state. Both the support portion 411 and the guide portion 412 or the guide Only the part 412 may be moved.

(Embodiment 2)
As shown in FIG. 10, the shopping support system 1 </ b> B according to the present embodiment is different from the shopping support system 1 according to the first embodiment in the layout of the registration device 2, the checkout device 3, and the bagging device 4. Hereinafter, the same configurations as those of the first embodiment are denoted by common reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the two bagging apparatuses 4 are located at a position between the first settlement apparatus 301 and the second settlement apparatus 302 in the left-right direction in the counter base 8. Is arranged. That is, the two bagging devices 4 are both disposed between the first settlement device 301 and the second settlement device 302 in the boundary area 903. Specifically, the first registration device 201, the bagging space 81, the standby space 82, the bagging space 81, and the second registration device 202 are arranged in this order on the upper surface 80 of the counter base 8 from the left end. Is done.

  FIG. 10 is a plan view of the periphery of the counter table 8 in the store 9, and schematically shows various devices such as the registration device 2 and the payment device 3. In particular, regarding the bagging space 81 and the standby space 82, whether or not used is expressed by the presence or absence of shading so as to indicate “in use” when there is shading.

  Here, in the shopping support system 1 </ b> B, one standby space 82 is used for both the product 93 registered by the first registration device 201 and the product 93 registered by the second registration device 202. . That is, in this embodiment, only one standby space 82 is provided for the two registration devices 2. As an example, the store clerk 92 moves the product 93 placed in the standby space 82 to the bagging space 81 on the first bagging device 401 and the bagging space 81 on the second bagging device 402. , And switches alternately for each customer 91.

  According to the shopping support system 1B according to the present embodiment, the flow line of the customer 91 in the customer area 901 is simplified, and the congestion in the customer area 901 is easily reduced. That is, since the customer 91 moves in front of the first settlement apparatus 301 or the second settlement apparatus 302 outside the bagging space 81 after placing the product 93 in the standby space 82, the movement of the customer 91 The line is one-way from the inside (in front of the waiting space 82) to the outside. Therefore, it becomes difficult for the previous customer 91 to stop on the flow line of the next customer 91, and it becomes easy to alleviate the congestion in the customer area 901. Furthermore, since only one standby space 82 is required, the occupied area of the standby space 82 can be reduced compared to a configuration in which the standby space 82 is provided for the number of registration apparatuses 2 (two). As a result, the counter stand 8 can be reduced in size.

  Further, as in the present embodiment, providing only one standby space 82 for the two registration devices 2 is not an essential configuration for the shopping support system 1B. That is, even in the configuration in which the two bagging devices 4 are arranged between the first settlement device 301 and the second settlement device 302, they correspond to the first registration device 201 and the second registration device 202. As described above, two standby spaces 82 may be provided.

  The various configurations (including modifications) described in the second embodiment can be used in appropriate combination with the various configurations (including modifications) described in the first embodiment.

(Embodiment 3)
As shown in FIG. 11, the shopping support system 1 </ b> C according to the present embodiment is different from the shopping support system 1 </ b> B according to the second embodiment in the layout of the registration device 2, the settlement device 3, and the bagging device 4. Hereinafter, the same configurations as those of the second embodiment are denoted by common reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the counter base 8 has a first side 801 and a second side 802, and the first side 801 and the second side 802 are in plan view. It is formed in an L shape. Here, the longitudinal direction of the first side portion 801 (the longitudinal direction of the first straight line L1) and the longitudinal direction of the second side portion 802 (the longitudinal direction of the second straight line L2) are orthogonal to each other in plan view. . In other words, the boundary area 903 that partitions the customer area 901 and the clerk area 902 is formed in an L shape in plan view. The first registration device 201 and the first settlement device 301 are installed on the first side 801, and the second registration device 202 and the second settlement device 302 are installed on the second side 802. Yes.

  FIG. 11 is a plan view of the periphery of the counter table 8 in the store 9, and schematically shows various devices such as the registration device 2 and the payment device 3. In particular, regarding the bagging space 81 and the standby space 82, whether or not used is expressed by the presence or absence of shading so as to indicate “in use” when there is shading.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the two bagging devices 4 are arranged separately in the first side 801 and the second side 802 in the counter table 8. That is, the first bagging device 401 is installed on the first side 801 together with the first registration device 201 and the first checkout device 301. The second bagging device 402 is installed on the second side 802 together with the second registration device 202 and the second payment device 302. In the present embodiment, as in the second embodiment, one standby space 82 includes a product 93 registered by the first registration device 201 and a product 93 registered by the second registration device 202. It is used for both. One standby space 82 is provided on the first side 801.

  From the above, the first payment apparatus 301, the first bagging apparatus 401, the second payment apparatus 302, and the second bagging apparatus 402 are arranged in an L shape along the counter table 8 in plan view. become. That is, assuming that the straight line long in the longitudinal direction of the first side 801 is the first straight line L1, the first checkout device 301, the first bagging device 401, and the like constituting the first unit are It will be arranged along the straight line L1. Similarly, assuming that a straight line that is long in the longitudinal direction of the second side portion 802 is the second straight line L2, the second checkout device 302, the second bagging device 402, and the like constituting the second unit are It arrange | positions along the straight line L2. In other words, in a plan view, the first straight line L1 connecting the first settlement device 301 and the bagging device 4 (first bagging device 401), the second settlement device 302 and the bagging device 4 (second And the second straight line L2 connecting the bag-packing devices 402).

  According to such shopping support system 1 </ b> C, for example, a plurality of customers 91 can move smoothly to either the first side 801 or the second side 802 of the counter table 8, for example, on the counter table 8. A queue is formed in a line at the corner. Then, in order from the customer 91 at the head of the queue, shopping is performed using one of the two units (the first unit and the second unit) installed in the first side 801 and the second side 802. I do.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, a product shelf 83 is installed on the corners of the first side 801 and the second side 802 in the counter base 8. The product shelf 83 is a shelf for displaying products for face-to-face sales, and for example, fast food or the like is displayed on the shelf. In the counter stand 8 having a shape as shown in FIG. 11, the corner portion becomes a dead space that is not particularly used when the store clerk 92 handles the customer 91, and therefore, the merchandise shelf 83 is installed using this dead space. In other words, in the present embodiment, the product shelf 83 is provided at a position including the intersection of the first straight line L1 and the second straight line L2 in plan view. The merchandise shelf 83 has a door portion 831 that opens to the clerk area 902 side so that access is easy at least from the clerk area 902 side. However, the product shelf 83 is not limited to this configuration, and the product shelf 83 has a door portion that opens on the customer area 901 side so as to be easily accessible from the customer area 901 side in addition to or instead of the door portion 831. You may have.

  According to the shopping support system 1 </ b> C according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the amount of movement of the clerk 92 within the clerk area 902. That is, the store clerk 92 can deal with both the customer 91 using the first checkout apparatus 301 and the customer 91 using the second checkout apparatus 302 only by changing the direction of the body. Accordingly, when one clerk 92 performs work related to shopping by a plurality of customers (two in this case) customers 91 in parallel, the flow of the clerk 92 in the clerk area 902 is kept short, and the clerk It is possible to reduce the burden of 92.

  Moreover, it is not an essential configuration for the shopping support system 1 </ b> C that the first straight line L <b> 1 and the second straight line L <b> 2 are orthogonal to each other in plan view as in the present embodiment. That is, it is only necessary that the first straight line L1 and the second straight line L2 intersect each other in the plan view. For example, the corner portion constituted by the first straight line L1 and the second straight line L2 in the plan view. May be acute or obtuse.

  Further, when three registration devices 2, a payment device 3, and three bagging devices 4 are provided, the counter table 8 is formed in a U shape in which three sides are connected in plan view. In addition, one registration device 2, one payment device 3, and one bagging device 4 may be installed.

  The various configurations (including modifications) described in Embodiment 3 can be used in appropriate combination with the various configurations (including modifications) described in Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2.

(Summary)
As described above, the shopping support system (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) according to the first aspect includes the registration device (2), at least one settlement device (3), and at least one bagging. An apparatus (4). The registration device (2) accepts the operation of the clerk (92) related to the registration of the product (93). The settlement apparatus (3) receives the operation of the customer (91) related to the settlement of the product (93). The bagging device (4) executes bagging of the product (93).

  According to this aspect, the clerk (92) performs an operation related to the registration of the product (93) to the registration device (2), and the customer (91) performs an operation related to the payment of the product (93) to the settlement device (3). This completes registration and settlement of the product (93). The bagging of the product (93) is executed by the bagging device (4), not the customer (91) or the store clerk (92). That is, in a series of operations related to the shopping of the customer (91), the bagging is automated by the bagging device (4), and the registration and settlement of the product (93) is performed by the store clerk (92) and the customer (91). The work will be shared. Therefore, compared with the case where the customer (91) or the store clerk (92) performs bagging, the variation in time required for bagging the product (93) can be reduced, and the congestion after registration and settlement of the product (93) is reduced. It becomes difficult to occur and a smoother shopping can be realized. As a result, due to congestion after registration and settlement of the product (93), the waiting time of the customer (91) increases, and the work of the store clerk (92) increases due to the support of the store clerk (92). Can be reduced.

  The shopping support system (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) according to the second aspect includes a plurality of settlement devices (3) in the first aspect. The plurality of settlement apparatuses (3) includes a first settlement apparatus (301) and a second settlement apparatus (302).

  According to this aspect, a plurality of settlement devices (3) can simultaneously handle operations related to settlement by a plurality of customers (91), thereby reducing the time required for shopping by a plurality of customers (91). It is possible to plan.

  In the shopping support system (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) according to the third aspect, in the second aspect, the first settlement apparatus (301) and the second settlement apparatus (302) are the customer area (901). And a clerk area (902) are arranged in a boundary area (903). The bagging device (4) is disposed between the first settlement device (301) and the second settlement device (302) in the boundary area (903).

  According to this aspect, the flow line of the customer (91) in the customer area (901) is simplified, and the congestion of the customer area (901) is easily reduced.

  The shopping support system (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) according to the fourth aspect further includes a centralized monitoring device (5) in the third aspect. The centralized monitoring apparatus (5) is disposed between the first settlement apparatus (301) and the second settlement apparatus (302) in the boundary area (903). The centralized monitoring device (5) performs at least one of input and output of information regarding the first settlement device (301) and the second settlement device (302).

  According to this aspect, the store clerk (92) is provided with a centralized monitoring device provided in one place for at least one of input and output of information related to the first settlement apparatus (301) and the second settlement apparatus (302). In (5), it becomes possible to perform it intensively.

  In the shopping support system (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) according to the fifth aspect, in the third or fourth aspect, the first settlement apparatus (301), the bagging apparatus (4), and the second settlement apparatus ( 302) are aligned along a straight line in plan view.

  According to this aspect, the first settlement apparatus (301), the bagging apparatus (4), and the second settlement apparatus (302) are aligned, so that the first settlement apparatus (301), the bagging apparatus ( 4) and the second settlement apparatus (302) are unlikely to obstruct the flow line of the customer (91).

  In the shopping support system (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) according to the sixth aspect, in the third or fourth aspect, in plan view, the first straight line (L1), the second straight line (L2), Intersect each other. The first straight line (L1) is a straight line connecting the first settlement apparatus (301) and the bagging apparatus (4), and the second straight line (L2) is the second settlement apparatus (302) and the bag. It is a straight line connecting the filling device (4).

  According to this aspect, it is possible to reduce the amount of movement of the clerk (92) within the clerk area (902).

  In the shopping support system (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) according to the seventh aspect, the sixth aspect includes the intersection of the first straight line (L1) and the second straight line (L2) in plan view. A product shelf (83) is provided at the position.

  According to this aspect, the product shelf (83) can be installed by effectively using the dead space that is difficult to use when the customer (91) is handled by the store clerk (92).

  The shopping support system (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) according to the eighth aspect includes a plurality of bagging devices (4) in any one of the first to seventh aspects. The plurality of bagging devices (4) includes a first bagging device (401) and a second bagging device (402).

  According to this aspect, the products (93) purchased by a plurality of customers (91) can be packed at the same time by a plurality of bagging devices (4), which is required for shopping by a plurality of customers (91). It is possible to shorten the time.

  In the shopping support system (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) according to the ninth aspect, in any one of the first to eighth aspects, the bagging device (4) is a product for which registration by the registration device (2) has been completed. The bagging is executed for (93).

  According to this aspect, since the product (93) that has not been registered by the registration device (2) is not packed, it is easy to suppress the registration omission of the product (93).

  The shopping support system (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) according to the tenth aspect further includes an operation unit (6) in any one of the first to ninth aspects. When the operation unit (6) receives a predetermined operation, the bagging device (4) starts bagging the product (93).

  According to this aspect, the timing at which the bagging device (4) starts bagging the product (93) can be controlled by operating the operation unit (6).

  In the shopping support system (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) according to the eleventh aspect, in the tenth aspect, the operation unit (6) receives a predetermined operation by the store clerk (91).

  According to this aspect, the timing at which the bagging device (4) starts bagging the product (93) can be controlled by the operation of the store clerk (92).

  In the shopping support system (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) according to the twelfth aspect, in the tenth or eleventh aspect, the operation unit (6) can be operated independently of the settlement apparatus (3).

  According to this aspect, it is possible to start bagging of the product (93) by the bagging device (4) regardless of whether or not the payment by the payment device (3) is completed. The timing at which the bagging device (4) starts bagging the product (93) can be adjusted.

  In the shopping support system (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) according to the thirteenth aspect, in any one of the first to twelfth aspects, the bagging device (4) is a product for which registration by the registration device (2) has been completed. Bagging is executed for the product (93) in the bagging space (81) in which (93) is placed.

  According to this aspect, since the product (93) that has not been registered by the registration device (2) is not packed, it is easy to suppress the registration omission of the product (93).

  In the shopping support system (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) according to the fourteenth aspect, in the thirteenth aspect, the bagging space (81) is an enclosure positioned around the bottom surface (811) and the bottom surface (811). The space surrounded by the part (812).

  According to this aspect, the enclosure (812) makes it difficult for the product (93) arranged in the bagging space (81) to fall.

  In the shopping support system (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) according to the fifteenth aspect, in the thirteenth or fourteenth aspect, the registration device (2) has a standby space (82) different from the bagging space (81). The product (93) placed in is registered.

  According to this aspect, the store clerk (92) moves the product (93) from the standby space (82) to the bagging space (81) while performing an operation related to registration of the product (93) with respect to the registration device (2). Let Therefore, when the clerk (92) moves the product (93) from the standby space (82) to the bagging space (81), it is possible to change at least one of the arrangement and arrangement order of the product (93). .

  In the shopping support system (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) according to the sixteenth aspect, in any one of the first to fifteenth aspects, the determination result of whether or not the product (93) can be packed by the bagging device (4) Is further provided.

  According to this aspect, the determination unit (25) can automatically determine whether or not the bag can be packed by the bagging device (4).

  The shopping support method according to the seventeenth aspect includes a registration process, a checkout process, and a bagging process. The registration process is a process of accepting an operation of the clerk (92) related to the registration of the product (93). The checkout process is a process of accepting the operation of the customer (91) related to the checkout of the product (93). The bagging process is a process of executing bagging of the product (93) by at least one bagging device (4).

  According to this aspect, the clerk (92) performs an operation related to the registration of the product (93) in the registration process, and the customer (91) performs an operation related to the settlement of the product (93) in the settlement process. 93) Registration and settlement are completed. The bagging of the product (93) is executed by the bagging device (4), not the customer (91) or the store clerk (92). That is, in a series of operations related to the shopping of the customer (91), the bagging is automated by the bagging device (4), and the registration and settlement of the product (93) is performed by the store clerk (92) and the customer (91). The work will be shared. Therefore, compared with the case where the customer (91) or the store clerk (92) performs bagging, the variation in time required for bagging the product (93) can be reduced, and the congestion after registration and settlement of the product (93) is reduced. It becomes difficult to occur and a smoother shopping can be realized. As a result, due to congestion after registration and settlement of the product (93), the waiting time of the customer (91) increases, and the work of the store clerk (92) increases due to the support of the store clerk (92). Can be reduced.

  Various configurations (including modifications) of the shopping support systems (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) according to the first, second, and third embodiments are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and are implemented by the shopping support method. Is possible.

  About the structure which concerns on the 2nd-16th aspect, it is not a structure essential to a shopping assistance system (1, 1A, 1B, 1C), and can be abbreviate | omitted suitably.

1, 1A, 1B, 1C Shopping support system 2 Registration device 3 Checkout device 4 Bagging device 5 Centralized monitoring device 25 Judgment unit 81 Packing space 82 Standby space 91 Customer 92 Sales clerk 93 Product 301 First payment device 302 Second Settlement device 401 First bagging device 402 Second bagging device 811 Bottom surface 812 Enclosure 901 Customer area 902 Clerk area 903 Boundary area L1 First straight line L2 Second straight line

Claims (17)

A registration device that accepts the operation of a store clerk regarding product registration;
At least one settlement device that accepts customer operations relating to the settlement of the product;
And at least one bagging device for performing bagging of the product,
Shopping support system. A plurality of the settlement devices are provided,
The plurality of settlement apparatuses include a first settlement apparatus and a second settlement apparatus.
The shopping support system according to claim 1. The first settlement apparatus and the second settlement apparatus are arranged in a boundary area that partitions a customer area and a store clerk area,
The bagging device is disposed between the first settlement device and the second settlement device in the boundary area,
The shopping support system according to claim 2. A concentration that is arranged between the first settlement apparatus and the second settlement apparatus in the boundary area and that performs at least one of input and output of information relating to the first settlement apparatus and the second settlement apparatus. Further comprising a monitoring device;
The shopping support system according to claim 3. The first settlement apparatus, the bagging apparatus, and the second settlement apparatus are aligned along a straight line in plan view.
The shopping support system according to claim 3 or 4. In plan view, the first straight line connecting the first settlement apparatus and the bagging apparatus and the second straight line connecting the second settlement apparatus and the bagging apparatus intersect each other.
The shopping support system according to claim 3 or 4. In a plan view, a product shelf is provided at a position including an intersection of the first straight line and the second straight line.
The shopping support system according to claim 6. A plurality of the bagging devices are provided,
The plurality of bagging devices include a first bagging device and a second bagging device,
The shopping support system according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The bagging device executes bagging for the product for which registration by the registration device is completed.
The shopping support system according to any one of claims 1 to 8. It further includes an operation unit,
The bagging device starts bagging of the product when the operation unit receives a predetermined operation.
The shopping support system according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The operation unit receives the predetermined operation by the store clerk,
The shopping support system according to claim 10. The operation unit can be operated independently of the payment apparatus.
The shopping support system according to claim 10 or 11. The bagging device executes bagging for the product in the bagging space where the product for which registration by the registration device has been completed is arranged,
The shopping support system according to any one of claims 1 to 12. The bagging space is a space surrounded by a bottom surface and an enclosure located around the bottom surface,
The shopping support system according to claim 13. The registration device registers the product arranged in a standby space different from the bagging space,
The shopping support system according to claim 13 or 14. A determination unit that outputs a determination result of whether or not bagging is possible by the bagging device for the product;
The shopping support system according to any one of claims 1 to 15. A registration process that accepts store clerk operations regarding product registration;
Checkout process for accepting customer operations related to the checkout of the product,
A bagging process for performing bagging of the product with at least one bagging device,
Shopping support method.

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