JP2024021968A - Article management system, article management method, and article detection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an article management system capable of recognizing existence or non-existence of an article without installing a communication device on the article.

SOLUTION: An article management system for detecting existence or non-existence of an article comprises: a swinging member which can swing between a first position and a second position; a torque generation member which generates a torque for swinging the swinging member from the second position toward the first position; a communication device; a sheet-like radio wave shielding member which shields a radio wave generated by the communication device when it comes closer to the communication device; and a control device which acquires communication availability results between a radio device and the communication device and determines whether the article is on a reference surface on the basis of the communication availability results. The communication device or the radio wave shielding member is installed on the swinging member. When the swinging member is in the first position, the communication device and the radio wave shielding member do not come closer to each other. When the swinging member is in the second position, the communication device and the radio wave shielding member come closer to each other.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an article management system, an article management method, and an article detection instrument.

2. Description of the Related Art As an article management system, a system has been proposed that manages the inventory of articles by associating them with wireless tags.
For example, in Patent Document 1, the device is composed of an IC tag, a reading device, and a moving device, and the reading device reads a signal from the IC tag attached to an article placed on a shelf, and based on the read signal, An inventory management system is described that recognizes what kind of articles are placed on shelves.

JP2009-242058A

By the way, when managing inventory and replenishing products at a retail store such as a supermarket, conventionally, a person in charge of the retail store visually confirms the number of products on display and replenishes the products as necessary. This work is labor-intensive and has the disadvantage of lacking accuracy. Furthermore, if retail stores try to manage inventory by attaching IC tags to each product as in the conventional inventory management system, IC tags must be attached to all products, which is undesirable as it increases costs. .

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to recognize the presence or absence of an article without attaching a communication device to the article.

An aspect of the present invention is an article management system that detects the presence or absence of an article, the system comprising:
swingable about a predetermined axis between a first position when the article is not on the predetermined reference plane and a second position when the article is on the reference plane; a swinging member;
a torque generating member that generates a torque that causes the swinging member to swing from the second position to the first position;
a communication device;
a sheet-shaped radio wave shielding member that shields radio waves emitted by the communication device when it comes close to the communication device;
a wireless device that performs wireless communication with the communication device;
A control device that obtains a result of whether the wireless device can communicate with the communication device and determines whether or not the article is on the reference plane based on the result of the communication possibility.
Either the communication device or the radio wave shielding member is attached to the swinging member.
The communication device and the radio wave shielding member are not close to each other when the swinging member is in the first position, and the communication device and the radio wave shielding member are close to each other when the swinging member is in the second position. .

According to an aspect of the present invention, the presence or absence of an article can be recognized without attaching a communication device to the article.

It is a figure showing an example of arrangement of product detection instruments of one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the product detection instrument shown in FIG. 1 with and without a lid. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the product detection instrument shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of each device of the product management system of one embodiment. It is a figure showing an example of data composition of a tag database. It is a figure showing an example of the screen displayed on a store terminal. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a product detection instrument according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a product detection instrument according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a product detection instrument according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a product detection instrument according to one embodiment. 11 is a plan view and a sectional view of the product detection instrument shown in FIG. 10. FIG. It is a figure showing an example of arrangement of product detection instruments of one embodiment. 13 is a side view and an arrow view of the product detection tool shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 13 is a side view of the product detection instrument shown in FIG. 12. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a product detection instrument of one embodiment in a side view. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the product detection tool shown in FIG. 15;

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the article management system, article management method, and article detection instrument of the present invention will be described.
A first aspect of the present invention is an article management system that detects the presence or absence of articles. In the present disclosure, an "article" refers to a tangible object such as a commercial product, a finished product, a semi-finished product (a product in an intermediate stage of manufacturing), or a mockup.
This article management system includes the following (i) to (vi).
(i) Oscillating about a predetermined axis between a first position when the article is not on the predetermined reference plane and a second position when the article is on the reference plane. a movable rocking member (ii) a torque generating member that generates a torque that swings the rocking member from the second position toward the first position; (iii) a communication device; (iv) a member that is in close proximity to the communication device; (v) A wireless device that performs wireless communication with the communication device; (vi) Obtaining a result of whether the wireless device can communicate with the communication device; a control device that determines whether or not the article is on the reference plane based on the result of the communication availability; here, either the communication device or the radio wave shielding member is attached to the swinging member; , the communication device and the radio wave shielding member are not close to each other when the swinging member is in the first position, and the communication device and the radio wave shielding member are close to each other when the swinging member is in the second position. do. Thereby, the presence or absence of an article can be recognized without attaching a communication device to the article.
Note that the electromagnetic shielding member may be a member that changes the frequency of radio waves emitted from a communication device to an unintended frequency that does not allow communication with a wireless device, or a member that reduces the frequency of radio waves emitted from a communication device to an unintended frequency that prevents communication with a wireless device. It may also be a member that superimposes noise that impedes communication.

In a second aspect of an aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the swinging member includes an elongated main body to which the shaft is connected, and is attached to the main body, and and a protrusion that protrudes vertically upward from the reference surface when the member is in the first position.
The protruding portion is pushed down to the reference surface when an article is placed on the reference surface, thereby causing the swinging member to swing to the second position.
In this aspect, the protrusion is pushed down by the weight of the article placed on the reference surface, thereby cutting off communication between the communication device and the wireless device. Therefore, it can be used for general purposes on product shelves in stores and the like.

In a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, either the communication device or the radio wave shielding member is attached to the main body of the swinging member.

In a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, either the communication device or the radio wave shielding member is attached to the protrusion of the swinging member. Thereby, the swing member can be made smaller.

In a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the second to fourth aspects, the protrusion has a vertically upwardly convex curved surface. If there is a curved surface, when an article is placed on the article detection instrument while being slid on the article, the protrusion is smoothly pushed down, making it difficult for the protrusion to break down.

A sixth aspect of the present invention, in contrast to the first aspect, includes an article mounting member formed such that the reference plane is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane or a vertical plane.
The article placement member has a regulation plate that extends upright from the reference plane and that regulates movement of the article due to its own weight when the article is on the reference plane, and the regulation plate includes: Either the communication device or the radio wave shielding member is attached. The swinging member swings to the second position as the object moves toward the regulation plate when the article is on the reference plane, and a part of the swinging member moves to the regulation plate. be in close proximity.
For example, when a store uses a product shelf tilted with respect to the horizontal plane as the product placement member, it can be determined whether or not there are products left on the product shelf, and the store can timely store the products on the shelf. Products can be replenished.

In a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the torque generating member includes a weight provided on the swinging member. By using weights, the necessary torque can be generated with a simple structure.

In an eighth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the torque generating member includes a torsion spring provided between the shaft and the swinging member. . By using a torsion spring, the necessary torque can be generated without significantly increasing weight.

In a ninth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to eighth aspects, the radio wave shielding member The apparatus further includes a reference communication device disposed at a position where radio waves are not blocked. The wireless device communicates with the reference communication device. The control device obtains a result of whether or not the wireless device can communicate with the reference communication device. By providing a reference communication device that can communicate with the wireless device regardless of whether an article is on the article detection device, it is possible to determine whether the system is operating normally.

In a tenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to ninth aspects, the communication device collects surrounding radio waves, converts them into electric power, and stores the electric power. It is a wireless tag equipped with Such a wireless tag is preferable because it can be used for a long period of time without requiring maintenance.

In an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to ninth aspects, the communication device is a UHF band wireless tag. Such a wireless tag is preferable because it is widely available.

In a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to ninth aspects, the communication device is an HF band wireless tag. Such a wireless tag is preferable because it is widely available.

In a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to ninth aspects, the communication device is a microwave band wireless tag. Such a wireless tag is preferable because it is widely available.

In a fourteenth aspect of an aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to thirteenth aspects, a product including the swinging member, the torque generating member, the communication device, and the radio wave shielding member. A plurality of detection instruments are arranged in a matrix. Thereby, the presence or absence of an article can be simultaneously detected for each of the plurality of article detection instruments arranged in a matrix.

In a fifteenth aspect of an aspect of the present invention, in contrast to the fourteenth aspect, the control device obtains a result of whether or not the wireless device can communicate with the communication device for each of the plurality of article detection instruments. , determine whether or not the article is on the reference plane for each article detection device based on the communication availability result, and determine whether or not the article is on the reference plane by referring to the position information of each of the plurality of article detection devices. Information on whether or not the article is on the reference plane is displayed on the display device in a matrix in correspondence with the position information of the plurality of article detection instruments for each of the article detection instruments. Thereby, it is possible to visually recognize whether or not there is an article in each of the plurality of article detection instruments arranged in a matrix.

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In the following description, a product for sale in a store will be cited as an example of the product. Although the products are not limited, it can be widely applied to, for example, box-shaped products such as powdered detergents, bottle-shaped products such as laundry softeners, liquid detergents, shampoos, and conditioners. It is also applicable to beverages in containers.

(1) First Embodiment The product management system of one embodiment allows store staff to check how many unsold products there are and where they are located when products are placed at a store, without being present at the store. It is structured so that people can recognize it.
A product detection device (an example of a product detection device) is used to detect whether or not there is a product (remaining product). In one embodiment, one item detection instrument is used for a single item of item. When a product is sold with the product placed on the product detection device and a visitor acquires (purchases) the product, the product is removed from the product detection device. By detecting whether or not a product is placed on the shelf using each product detection device, the status of unsold products at the store can be determined.The system is designed to notify store personnel in a timely manner whether or not the product should be replenished. Can be configured.

The product detection instrument of one embodiment includes a communication device. A wireless device for communicating with the communication device is placed within a range within which the communication device can communicate.
The product detection device is configured such that when the product is placed, the position of the communication device is displaced in response to the weight of the product, and thereby the communication device becomes unable to emit radio waves or becomes able to communicate. be done. Therefore, it can be determined whether the product is on the product detection device based on whether the wireless device has been able to receive a signal from the communication device provided on the product detection device.

In the product management system of one embodiment, if the wireless device is capable of communicating with the communication device, the wireless device receives identification information that identifies the communication device (e.g., a tag ID described below), and receives the identification information received via the network. Notify the server of information. Therefore, the server can determine that no product is placed on the product detection instrument provided with the communication device corresponding to the identification information. Even when multiple products with the same product code are arranged in a matrix, the server can individually recognize whether or not each product is available, so it can notify store personnel of the sales Visually recognizable information on the location of unsold products and unsold products can be notified.

FIG. 1 shows an example of products P and a plurality of product detection instruments 3 arranged in a matrix in a store.
In the example shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of products P are arranged on a product shelf between a front aisle and a back aisle. In this example, 10 products P arranged in 2 columns and 5 rows are arranged so that they can be arranged. If the columns are represented by 1 to 2 and the rows are represented by A to E, it is possible to place the product P in 10 positions: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2, D1, D2, E1, and E2. be. In the example shown in FIG. 1, ten product detection instruments 3 (2×5) are provided corresponding to the arrangement of the products P.
The example shown in FIG. 1 shows a state in which the products P located at positions E1 and E2 are sold and disappear, and the remaining eight products P remain unsold.

Next, the structure of the product detection instrument 3 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The product detection instrument 3 is an instrument for detecting whether or not there is a product P placed at a corresponding position. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the product detection instrument 3 in a state with a lid and in a state without a lid (with the lid removed). FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the product detection instrument 3. As shown in FIG. In addition, in FIG. 3, a state in which there is no product P on the product detection instrument 3 is shown by a solid line, and a state in which the product P is present on the product detection instrument 3 is shown by a virtual line.

As shown in FIG. 2, the product detection instrument 3 of one embodiment includes a base 31, a lid 32, a swinging member 33, a support 34, and a weight 37. Although not limited to this, the base 31, the lid 32, the swinging member 33, and the support part 34 are made of, for example, resin such as plastic, wood, or paper.

As shown in FIG. 2, the product detection instrument 3 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with six sides formed by a base 31 and a lid 32. As shown in FIG. The upper surface 32P of the lid 32 is an example of a reference surface when placing products. In the following, the presence of the product P on the product detection device 3 means the presence of the product P on the top surface 32P of the lid 32.
As shown in FIG. 3, when there is no product on the product detection device 3, the protrusion 333 protrudes upward from the top surface 32P.

As shown in FIG. 2, the swinging member 33 includes an elongated main body 331 to which a shaft 332 is connected, and is attached to the main body 331, and when the swinging member 33 is in the first position, the top surface It has a protrusion 333 that protrudes vertically upward from 32P. The protruding portion 333 is attached to one end of the main body portion 331 in the longitudinal direction.
Preferably, the protrusion 333 has a vertically upwardly convex curved surface. If there is a convex curved surface, when the product P is placed on the product detection device 3 while sliding on the upper surface 32P in a store, the protrusion 333 is smoothly pushed down, making it difficult for the protrusion 333 to break down.

A pair of support parts 34 for supporting both ends of the shaft part 332 are provided on a pair of opposing sides of the rectangular base part 31 . The pair of support portions 34 are rotatably supported by the shaft portion 332, thereby allowing the swinging member 33 to swing around the shaft portion 332.
The swinging member 33 swings around the shaft portion 332 between a first position when the product P is not on the top surface 32P and a second position when the product P is on the top surface 32P. It is possible to move. In FIG. 3, the position of the swinging member 33 represented by a solid line corresponds to the first position, and the position of the swinging member 33 represented by a virtual line corresponds to the second position.

The weight 37 is bonded to the main body 331 on the opposite side of the shaft 332 from the side to which the protrusion 333 is attached. The weight 37 is an example of a torque generating member that generates a torque that causes the swing member 33 to swing from the second position to the first position (that is, in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 3). In FIG. 3, the size and material of the weight 37 are not limited as long as they can cancel out the clockwise moment due to the weight of the protrusion 333 and generate a counterclockwise torque. The weight 37 is preferably made of, for example, a metal material with a relatively large specific gravity, but is not limited thereto and may be made of a resin material or the like.

As shown in FIG. 2, an IoT (Internet of Things) tag T (communication device example) is installed. An IoT tag is a wireless tag equipped with a capacitor that collects surrounding radio waves, converts them into electric power, and stores the electric power. Such a wireless tag is preferable because it can be used for a long period of time without requiring maintenance.
In the following, the IoT tag T is simply referred to as "tag T."

The maximum communication distance of the tag T is, for example, in the range of 3 to 10 meters, although it is not limited. The tag T is configured to perform wireless communication with low power consumption, and examples of communication protocols include Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy (hereinafter referred to as BLE), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and ZigBee (registered trademark). etc. In the following, a case where communication is performed using BLE will be described as an example.
When complying with the BLE standard, the tag T broadcasts packets at predetermined intervals (for example, every short period of about 1 to 10 seconds). The packet transmitted by the tag T includes a tag ID, which is identification information of the tag.

Although not shown, the tag T has an antenna formed of a conductive material on the surface of a base material such as paper or film, and an IC chip mounted thereon. Depending on the purpose, other devices may be mounted in addition to the IC chip.
The basic structure of the tag T is a laminated structure similar to a so-called RFID inlay. A film (protective film) may be laminated on one or both sides of the laminated structure to protect the tag T from external force. A protective film having light blocking properties may also be used to impart light resistance.
Further, by including a specific film in the laminated structure of the tag T, the communication distance, frequency characteristics, or energy harvesting ability of the tag T may be changed. For example, if such a specific film is provided only on one side of the base material, it is possible to create a difference in the communication ability between the front and back sides of the tag T and intentionally change the directivity. An adhesive layer may be provided on one side of the tag T, or a double-sided tape may be provided to form a label shape.

As shown in FIG. 1, a wireless device 2 for performing BLE communication with the tag T is arranged near the product shelf 9. As will be described later, the wireless device 2 is a gateway device that can communicate with a tag management server (described later) via a network. The wireless device 2 is arranged at a position where it can receive a packet transmitted from the tag T provided on the product detection device 3 when the product P is not on the product detection device 3. That is, the wireless device 2 is arranged in consideration of the radio wave output of the tag T.
The installation location of the wireless device 2 can be arbitrarily set around the product detection device 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, a radio wave shielding member SM is adhered to the surface (back surface) opposite to the top surface 32P of the lid 32. The radio wave shielding member SM is a sheet-like member that shields radio waves emitted by the tag T when the tag T comes close to the radio wave shielding member SM. The position where the radio wave shielding member SM is bonded is the position where the tag T attached to the swinging member 33 contacts or approaches when the swinging member 33 is in the second position.
For example, name paper can be used as the radio wave shielding member SM. The name paper is made by laminating a transparent PET film, a vapor-deposited layer (film) of aluminum, and an adhesive in this order, and is attached to the back surface of the lid 32 with the adhesive. Note that foil paper may be used in place of the name paper. In addition, metal plates, radio wave absorbing sheets, and sheets having coatings mixed with metal powder or magnetic powder can also be used.

Next, the operation of the product detection instrument 3 will be explained with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, when there is no product P in the product detection device 3, the counterclockwise torque by the weight 37 moves the swinging member 33 to the first position (where the protrusion 333 protrudes upward from the upper surface 32P). 3). When in the first position, the tag T and the radio wave shielding member SM are not close to each other, and a gap is maintained between them. In this state, the radio wave radiation performance from the tag T does not deteriorate, so the wireless device 2 can receive packets transmitted from the tag T without any problems.

On the other hand, when the product P is placed on the product detection device 3, the gravity of the product P pushes down the swinging member 33 until the top of the protrusion 333 is located on the upper surface 32P. As a result, the swinging member 33 moves to the second position (the position indicated by the imaginary line in FIG. 3), and the tag T attached to the upper surface of the main body 331 of the swinging member 33 moves to the radio wave shielding member. Contact or proximity to SM. Then, the radio wave shielding member SM blocks the radio waves transmitted from the tag T, and the radio wave radiation performance from the tag T is significantly reduced. As a result, the wireless device 2 becomes unable to receive packets transmitted from the tag T, or the reception frequency significantly decreases.

A tag management server, which will be described later, is capable of communicating with the wireless device 2, obtains the result of whether communication is possible with the tag T from the wireless device 2, and determines whether the product P is on the top surface 32P based on the result of communication possibility. (that is, whether or not the product P is on the product detection device 3).
In this way, the product detection instrument 3 can detect whether or not the corresponding product P is placed.

Although FIG. 2 illustrates the product detection instrument 3 having a rectangular shape in plan view, the shape of the product detection instrument is not limited to this, and may take any arbitrary shape such as a circle, an ellipse, or a polygon. Can be done. It is sufficient that the tag T and the radio wave shielding member SM can be brought close to each other in response to the protrusion being pushed vertically downward when a product is placed on a product detection device of any form, and the shape of the product detection device is not important.

As shown in FIG. 1, reference tags Tref are preferably placed on the product shelf 9. The reference tag Tref is a reference tag and is a device having the same configuration as the tag T.
The reference tag Tref may be placed anywhere as long as it can communicate with the wireless device 2 regardless of whether the product P is placed on the corresponding product detection device 3 or not. The reference tag Tref is provided to determine whether the wireless device 2 is operating normally. In particular, when the product P is placed on all the product detection devices 3, the wireless device 2 cannot receive the radio waves transmitted from the tags T of all the product detection devices 3, so if there is no reference tag Tref, If so, it is difficult to judge whether the system is working properly. Therefore, by providing a reference tag Tref that can communicate with the wireless device 2 regardless of whether or not the product P is placed on the corresponding product detection device 3, it is possible to determine whether the system is operating normally.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the configuration of each device of the product management system 1 of one embodiment will be described.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of each device of the product management system 1 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4, the product management system 1 includes a wireless device 2 and a tag management server 5 (an example of a control device) that can communicate with the wireless device 2 via a network NW. The network NW is not limited to, but includes, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a mobile communication network, and the Internet.
The wireless device 2 functions as a BLE wireless terminal that receives packets from the tag T and the reference tag Tref through BLE communication. Further, upon receiving a packet from each tag, the wireless device 2 transmits the tag ID included in the received packet to the tag management server 5.
When the tag T and the reference tag Tref can normally transmit packets, they transmit packets at predetermined intervals as described above, and the wireless device 2 accordingly transmits the tag ID to the tag management server 5 at predetermined intervals. do.

Referring to FIG. 4, the tag T includes a control section 11, a communication antenna 12, a harvesting antenna 13, a harvesting section 14, a voltage control section 15, and an RF communication section 16. A control section 11, a harvesting section 14, a voltage control section 15, and an RF communication section 16 are mounted within the IC chip. Note that although the configuration of the tag T will be described below, the configuration of the reference tag Tref, which is not shown in FIG. 4, is also the same as the tag T.

The control unit 11 includes a microprocessor and a memory 111, and controls the entire tag T. The memory 111 is a RAM (Random Access Memory) and/or a ROM (Read Only Memory), and stores a tag ID, which is identification information unique to the tag T, in addition to a program executed by a microprocessor.

The harvesting unit 14 performs energy harvesting based on radio waves in the surrounding environment (for example, radio waves from surrounding wireless communication) received by the harvesting antenna 13, and stores the power obtained by the power generation in an internal capacitor 142. In this embodiment, the harvesting unit 14 converts, for example, a radio signal received by the harvesting antenna 13 into a DC voltage using a voltage multiplier 141, and stores the DC voltage in a capacitor 442. The voltage multiplier 141 is, for example, a Dixon voltage multiplier (charge pump), although it is not limited thereto. The capacitor 142 may be formed on a semiconductor chip (that is, an on-die capacitor), or may be formed separately from the semiconductor chip.

The radio waves that the harvesting antenna 13 receives for power generation are radio waves in a plurality of different frequency bands over a wide range of frequency bands. For example, radio waves for wireless communication in frequency bands used in mobile communication systems such as 3G to 5G, and frequency bands used in communication standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Radio waves from wireless communications, radio waves from 2.4 GHz band wireless communications represented by communication protocols such as ZigBee (registered trademark) and Thread, and frequency bands used in RFID (e.g. UHF band, 13.56 MHz band). Examples include radio waves caused by wireless communication. A plurality of frequency bands (for example, UHF band and 2.4 GHz band) may be used together.

Voltage control section 15 supplies operating voltage to control section 11 and RF communication section 16 . Preferably, the voltage control unit 15 monitors the voltage of the capacitor 142 and switches the power mode according to the monitoring result.
For example, when the voltage of the capacitor 142 is below a predetermined value, the power mode is set to the first mode in which only the minimum number of circuits are operated, and at this time, the control unit 11 and the RF communication unit 16 generate packets and send wireless signals. transmission etc. is not performed. When the voltage of the capacitor 142 is charged to a predetermined value or higher, the power mode is set to the second mode in which a normal processing routine is executed, and at this time, the control unit 11 and the RF communication unit 16 generate packets and transmit wireless signals. Various types of processing are performed.

The RF communication unit 16 performs predetermined digital modulation (for example, GFSK (Gaussian Frequency Shift Keying)) on the packet (baseband signal) to be transmitted, and then performs orthogonal modulation to generate a high frequency signal (2.4 GHz in the case of BLE). (a signal in the frequency band) is sent to the communication antenna 12.
The communication antenna 12 transmits a high frequency wireless signal (packet) sent out by the RF communication unit 16.

As shown in FIG. 4, the wireless device 2 includes a control section 21, an antenna 22, an RF communication section 23, and a communication section 24.
The control unit 21 is mainly configured with a microprocessor, and controls the entire wireless device 2 . For example, when the control unit 21 acquires the tag ID from the packet received from the tag T, the control unit 21 controls the communication unit 24 to transmit the acquired tag ID to the tag management server 5. If the packet includes data detected by the sensor by the tag T, the tag ID and the detected data are associated with each other and transmitted to the tag management server 5.

The RF communication unit 23 detects the radio signal received from the tag T using the antenna 22, converts it into a baseband signal, performs predetermined digital demodulation, and receives the packet. Further, in order to transmit a beacon signal from the antenna 22, the RF communication unit 23, for example, orthogonally modulates a baseband signal of a predetermined pattern and sends it to the antenna 22.
The communication unit 24 functions as a communication interface for communicating with the tag management server 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, the tag management server 5 includes, for example, a control section 51, a storage 52, and a communication section 53.
The control unit 51 is mainly configured with a microprocessor, and controls the entire tag management server 5 .
The storage 52 includes a large-scale storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and stores a tag database (tag DB). As shown in FIG. 5, the tag database includes the tag ID of the tag T, the product code of the product placed on the product detection device 3 including the tag T, and information on the position where the product is placed (position information) are associated. The storage 52 also stores the tag ID of the reference tag Tref.
In the example shown in FIG. 1, the product position information described in the tag database is one of A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2, D1, D2, E1, and E2.
The communication unit 53 functions as a communication interface for communicating with the wireless device 2 and the store terminal 8.

By executing the server program, the control unit 51 acquires the tag ID included in the packet from the wireless device 2 when the wireless device 2 receives a packet including the tag ID transmitted by each tag T and the reference tag Tref. .

In one embodiment, each time the control unit 51 acquires the tag ID of the reference tag Tref from the wireless device 2, the control unit 51 records the acquired tag ID and the time at which the tag ID was acquired in the storage 52 as a tag detection log. . As shown in FIG. 1, the reference tag Tref is never shielded, so unless the wireless device 2 is out of order, the tag ID of the reference tag Tref is acquired at each predetermined interval when the reference tag Tref transmits a packet. can. If the tag ID of the reference tag Tref cannot be acquired at predetermined intervals, the control unit 51 determines that the wireless device 2 is out of order and notifies the store terminal 8 of the failure.

Each time the control unit 51 acquires the tag ID of each tag T from the wireless device 2, the control unit 51 refers to the tag database, identifies the product code and location information corresponding to the acquired tag ID, and creates an image showing the identification result. is generated and sent to the store terminal 8. The fact that the tag ID was successfully acquired means that the product with the corresponding product code is not placed on the product detection device 3 corresponding to the tag ID. Therefore, the product code and position information specified by the control unit 51 are determined based on, for example, when a plurality of product detection instruments 3 are arranged in a matrix as shown in FIG. This corresponds to information about whether or not.

The control unit 51 may determine whether a product is placed on the product detection device 3 based on the frequency with which the tag T transmits a signal (packet). When a product is placed on the product detection device 3, if the tag T is close to the radio wave shielding member SM but does not make sufficient contact with it, the radio waves emitted from the tag T are not completely blocked and the wireless device 2 may also receive a signal from tag T. In that case, the frequency with which the tag T transmits signals is low, and therefore the frequency with which the wireless device 2 receives signals from the tag T is also low. Therefore, if the frequency at which the tag T transmits signals is low and the frequency at which the tag ID is acquired from the wireless device 2 is lower than a predetermined threshold, the control unit 51 detects a product on the corresponding product detection device 3. I judge that there is.

The store terminal 8 is an information processing terminal owned by a store personnel and capable of communicating with the tag management server 5, and is, for example, a PC (personal computer), a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or the like.
The store terminal 8 displays information notified from the tag management server 5 (for example, information indicating that the wireless device 2 is out of order) and images transmitted from the tag management server 5. The image transmitted from the tag management server 5 will be explained later by way of example, but it is, for example, an image showing the presence or absence of each of a plurality of products arranged in a matrix.
Although the communication protocol is not limited, the store terminal 8 and the tag management server 5 communicate using, for example, HTTPS, and the web browser of the store terminal 8 displays a web page containing images transmitted from the tag management server 5.

FIG. 6 shows an example of an image displayed on the store terminal 8. This image corresponds to the case where a plurality of products are arranged in a 2×5 matrix as shown in FIG.
The image shown in FIG. 6 consists of an upper part 101, a middle part 102, and a lower part 103. In the upper part 101, the product name (for example, ABC) and the location information (for example, WS3) of the inventory location (replenishment stock section) of the product for replenishment are displayed. In the middle section 102, information indicating the percentage of unsold products among the products that can be placed in the store (for example, 90%) is displayed. In the intermediate section 102, a message corresponding to the ratio (for example, a text saying "90% is left in store") may be displayed.

In the lower part 103, information about whether a product is placed at each position of the product detection instruments 3 arranged in a 2×5 matrix is displayed in a visually recognizable manner. In the illustrated example, a plurality of rectangles (columns 1 to 2, rows A to E) are displayed in a matrix that imitates the layout of products in a store, and a tag ID is displayed in each rectangle. Each rectangle is displayed in a display mode depending on whether there is a product at the corresponding position. As a result, the person in charge of the store looking at the store terminal 8 can immediately recognize in which position of the product with product name: ABC the product is located.
The example shown in FIG. 6 shows a state in which the product E2 has been sold and is gone, and the other products remain unsold. Therefore, the remainder of the storefront is displayed in the intermediate section 102 as 90% (=9/10). This makes it easier for store personnel to recognize the inventory status at the store.

In Fig. 1, an example was explained in which the product detection devices 3 are arranged in a 2×5 matrix, but it is also possible to cover the top of these product detection devices 3 with a flexible resin sheet, film, or cloth. Also good. By covering with a resin sheet or the like, unevenness is alleviated and products P can be taken out and replenished smoothly.

As explained above, in the above-mentioned product management system 1, the product detection device 3 detects the problem when the swinging member 33 swings when the product is placed and the tag T comes close to the radio wave shielding member SM. The tag T is configured so that it cannot emit radio waves. The tag management server 5 obtains from the wireless device 2 the result of whether or not the wireless device 2 was able to receive a signal from the tag T, and determines whether the product is on the product detection device 3 based on the result. . When multiple products are placed, each product is configured to be placed on each of the multiple product detection devices 3, and by displaying the presence or absence of each product, store personnel can check the number of products in stock. Not only that, but it is also possible to recognize which position of the product is unsold.

Therefore, according to the product management system 1, store personnel can grasp the number of products in stock and the location of products to be replenished without visual confirmation, and can appropriately replenish products and place product orders. be able to. In particular, since the position of the product to be replenished (the position where no product is placed on the product detection device 3) can be accurately recognized, the work of replenishing the product becomes easier. In addition, since the position of unsold products can be grasped, if multiple products are arranged in a matrix, appropriate product placement work can be carried out, such as moving unsold products to a position where they can easily be seen by store visitors. It can be done in a timely manner.

Next, a product detection device according to another embodiment of the product detection device 3 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 will be described.
FIG. 7 shows a product detection instrument 3A of one embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the product detection device 3A, similar to the product detection device 3 shown in FIG.
The product detection device 3A is different from the product detection device 3 because, contrary to the product detection device 3, when there is no product P on the product detection device 3A, the communication between the tag T and the wireless device 2 is interrupted. The point is that communication between the tag T and the wireless device 2 is possible when the product P is on the device 3A. In the product detection instrument 3A shown in FIG. 7, the position of the swinging member 33A represented by a solid line corresponds to the first position, and the position of the swinging member 33A represented by a virtual line corresponds to the second position. .
As shown in FIG. 7, a sloped part 311 is formed on the upper surface of the base 31A of the product detection instrument 3A, and a radio wave shielding member SM is arranged on the sloped part 311. By providing the inclined portion 311, the tag T and the radio wave shielding member SM are in surface contact with each other when the swinging member 33A is in the first position, and the radio waves from the tag T can be effectively shielded.

When there is no product P in the product detection device 3A, the counterclockwise torque of the weight 37 causes the swinging member 33 to move to the first position (represented by the solid line in FIG. 7) where the protrusion 333 protrudes upward from the top surface 32P. position). When in the first position, the tag T and the radio wave shielding member SM are close to or in contact with each other. Then, the radio wave shielding member SM blocks the radio waves transmitted from the tag T, and the radio wave radiation performance from the tag T is significantly reduced. As a result, the wireless device 2 becomes unable to receive packets transmitted from the tag T, or the reception frequency significantly decreases.
On the other hand, when the product P is placed on the product detection device 3, the gravity of the product P pushes down the swinging member 33 until the top of the protrusion 333 is located on the upper surface 32P. As a result, the swinging member 33 moves to the second position (the position indicated by the imaginary line in FIG. 7), and the tag T separates from the radio wave shielding member SM. In this state, the radio wave radiation performance from the tag T does not deteriorate, so the wireless device 2 can receive packets transmitted from the tag T without any problem.

FIG. 8 shows a product detection instrument 3B of one embodiment. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the product detection instrument 3B, similar to the product detection instrument 3 shown in FIG.
The difference between the product detection device 3B and the product detection device 3 is that the tag T is attached to the bottom of the protrusion 333, and the proximity and separation of the tag T and the radio wave shielding member SM are based on the shaft 332 and the protrusion. It is located on the same side as 333. In the product detection instrument 3B shown in FIG. 8, the position of the swinging member 33B represented by a solid line corresponds to the first position, and the position of the swinging member 33B represented by a virtual line corresponds to the second position. .
As shown in FIG. 7, a tag T is attached to the bottom surface of the protrusion 333, and a radio wave shielding member SM is attached to the upper surface of the base 31B.
The weight 37B is provided on the opposite side of the shaft 332 from the side to which the protrusion 333 is attached. The weight 37B is an example of a torque generating member that generates a torque that causes the swing member 33B to swing from the second position to the first position (that is, counterclockwise in FIG. 8). The weight 37B cancels out the clockwise moment due to the weight of the protrusion 333 in FIG. 8, and generates a counterclockwise torque.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, in the swinging member 33B, since the protrusion 333, the tag T, and the radio wave shielding member SM are on the same side with respect to the shaft 332, the swinging member 33B and the product detection instrument 3B can be made smaller.

As shown in FIG. 8, when there is no product P on the product detection device 3B, the counterclockwise torque by the weight 37B moves the swinging member 33B to the first position where the protrusion 333 protrudes upward from the top surface 32P. (the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 8). When in the first position, the tag T and the radio wave shielding member SM are not close to each other, and a gap is maintained between them. In this state, the radio wave radiation performance from the tag T does not deteriorate, so the wireless device 2 can receive packets transmitted from the tag T without any problem.
On the other hand, when the product P is placed on the product detection device 3B, the gravity of the product P pushes down the swinging member 33 until the top of the protrusion 333 is located on the upper surface 32P. As a result, the swinging member 33B moves to the second position (the position indicated by the imaginary line in FIG. 8), and the tag T attached to the bottom surface of the protrusion 333 comes into contact with or comes close to the radio wave shielding member SM. do. Then, the radio wave shielding member SM blocks the radio waves transmitted from the tag T, and the radio wave radiation performance from the tag T is significantly reduced. As a result, the wireless device 2 becomes unable to receive packets transmitted from the tag T, or the reception frequency significantly decreases.

Although FIG. 8 shows a case where the tag T is attached to the protrusion 333 and the radio wave shielding member SM is attached to the base 31B, the present invention is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, a radio wave shielding member SM may be attached to the protrusion 333, and a tag T may be attached to the base 31B.

FIG. 9 shows a product detection instrument 3C of one embodiment. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the product detection device 3C, similar to the product detection device 3B shown in FIG.
The difference between the product detection device 3C and the product detection device 3B (FIG. 8) is that a weight is not provided on the side opposite to the side to which the protrusion 333 is attached across the shaft portion 332, and instead, a torsion spring 38 is provided. is attached to the shaft portion 332. The torsion spring 38 is wound around the shaft part 332, one end of the torsion spring 38 comes into contact with a protrusion 341 (the part protruding toward the front in FIG. 9) formed on the support part 34, and the other end swings. It is in contact with the lower surface of the member 33C. As a result, when the protrusion 333 is pushed down and the swinging member 33C swings clockwise in FIG. 9, the torsion spring 38 generates a counterclockwise torque on the swinging member 33C. The torsion spring 38 is an example of a torque generating member that generates counterclockwise torque in the swinging member 33C in FIG.
The operation of the product detection instrument 3C is the same as that of the product detection instrument 3B.
Since the product detection device 3C has no weight compared to the product detection device 3B, the swinging member 33C can be made shorter, so that it can be further miniaturized.

Next, a product detection instrument 3D according to one embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
FIG. 10 shows an exploded perspective view of the product detection instrument 3D of one embodiment. FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line AA of the product detection instrument 3D shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10, the product detection instrument 3D includes a base 31D, a lid 32D, and a swinging member 33D. The base 31D, the lid 32D, and the swinging member 33D are each molded from resin, for example.
The swinging member 33D includes a main body portion 331D and a protruding portion 333D. A pair of shaft portions 332p protrudes laterally from the side portions of the main body portion 331D. The shaft portion 332p is a swing axis of the swing member 33D. On the upper surface of the main body portion 331D, a tag T is attached to one side with the shaft portion 332p in between, and a support rod 334 is provided on the other side.

A radio wave shielding member SM is attached to a position facing the tag T on the inner surface of the lid 32D. When the swinging member 33D swings around the shaft portion 332p, the tag T approaches or moves away from the radio wave shielding member SM.

The protrusion 333D is a member that protrudes upward from the hole 321 formed in the lid 32D when there is no product on the product detection device 3D. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the protrusion 333D has an elongated shape to match the elongated hole 321, but the shape is not limited thereto. The protrusion may have any form as long as it can protrude from the hole formed in the lid. Preferably, the protrusion 333D has a vertically upwardly convex curved surface. A recess 333d is formed in the protrusion 333D, and when the recess 333d fits into the support rod 334 of the main body 331D, the main body 331D and the protrusion 333D are integrated.
A pair of grooves 312 are formed in the base portion 31D to respectively receive the pair of shaft portions 332p of the main body portion 331D.

Referring to FIG. 11, when the parts shown in FIG. 10 are assembled, the position of the shaft portion 332p is adjusted so that the tag T and the radio wave shielding member SM are separated when there is no product on the product detection device 3D. It is set.
In one embodiment, the shaft portion 332p is disposed closer to the support rod 334 than the center in the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 331D, but this is not a limitation. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, a hole 335 is formed between the shaft portion 332p and the support rod 334 in the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 331D. In that case, since it is possible to reduce the weight of the main body 331D on the side where the support rod 334 is located across the shaft 332p, even if the shaft 332p is placed on the side where the tag T is located rather than the center in the longitudinal direction. , the tag T and the radio wave shielding member SM can be configured to be separated when there is no product on the product detection device 3D.

The operation of the product detection instrument 3D is the same as the product detection instrument 3 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. That is, when there is no product on the product detection device 3D, the protrusion 333D passes through the hole 321 and reaches the top surface 32P.
Since the tag T and the radio wave shielding member SM are spaced apart from each other, the tag T and the wireless device 2 can communicate with each other. When there is a product on the product detection device 3D, the weight of the product pushes down the protrusion 333D, which causes the swinging member 33D to swing around the shaft 332p, bringing the tag T and radio wave shielding member SM close together. Therefore, communication between the tag T and the wireless device 2 becomes impossible.

(2) Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described.
The product management system of this embodiment is configured to allow store personnel to recognize whether or not products remain on the inclined product shelves (slanted shelves) of the store. A product detection device (an example of a product detection device) is used to detect whether or not a product remains.
The product detection instrument of the second embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14. FIG. 12 shows an example of the arrangement of product detection instruments according to one embodiment. In this embodiment, the product detection tool 6 and the product placement member 7 constitute one embodiment of the product detection tool. Although not limited to this, the product detection tool 6 and the product placement member 7 are made of, for example, resin such as plastic, wood, or paper.

In FIG. 12, the product placement member 7 includes a storage section 7H in which a plurality of products P can be placed in a line. The storage section 7H is formed by a product placement surface 72 and a pair of side walls 73. The product placement member 7 includes a regulation plate 71 that stands up and extends from the product placement surface 72 .
The product placement member 7 is capable of arranging products in the longitudinal direction, and one side is a product replenishment side where stores replenish products, and the other side is a product takeout side where consumers take out products. will be placed in The product placement surface 72 of the product placement member 7 is inclined with respect to the horizontal surface HL (see FIG. 14). Therefore, the product P placed on the product placement surface 72 is configured to move toward the product removal side due to its own weight and come into contact with the regulation plate 71 on the product removal side of the product placement member 7. That is, the regulation plate 71 regulates the movement of the product P due to its own weight when the product P is on the product placement surface 72. A radio wave shielding member SM is adhered to the surface of the regulation plate 71 facing the product P. In order to more smoothly move the product P on the product placement surface 72, rollers may be provided on the product placement surface 72.
One or more products P replenished on the product placement member 7 from the product replenishment side advance toward the product take-out side each time one product P is taken out by a consumer from the product take-out side. As a result, the first product P (the product P closest to the product removal side) among the one or more products P on the product placement surface 72 always comes into contact with the regulation plate 71 .

As shown in FIG. 13, the product detection tool 6 is a member having a substantially V-shaped cross section, and includes a first plate portion 61, a second plate portion 62, and an engaging portion 63. The first plate-like part 61 and the second plate-like part 62 each extend from the engaging part 63. The engaging portion 63 is a portion that engages with the product placement member 7.

A folded portion 64 is formed at the end of the first plate-like portion 61 . As shown in FIG. 12, a label PL on which information about the product P is printed is arranged in the folding part 64.
The first plate portion 61 is heavier than the second plate portion 62. In one embodiment, the first plate portion 61 is formed thicker than the second plate portion 62, thereby making the first plate portion 61 heavier than the second plate portion 62. The fact that the first plate-shaped portion 61 is heavier than the second plate-shaped portion 62 means that the product detection tool 6 functions as a torque-generating member that substantially includes weight.
In the example shown in FIG. 13, the first plate-like part 61 is formed longer than the second plate-like part 62, but the invention is not limited thereto. As long as the first plate part 61 is heavier than the second plate part 62, the first plate part 61 may be shorter than the second plate part 62. In order to make the first plate-like part 61 relatively heavy, a metal member may be insert-molded in the first plate-like part 61 when the entire product detection tool 6 is made of resin.

A tag T is attached to the surface of the second plate-like part 62 facing the first plate-like part 61 .
As shown in FIG. 12, the engaging portion 63 of the product detection tool 6 is disposed from above on the regulation plate end 71e of the regulation plate 71 of the product placement member 7, so that the product detection tool 6 is placed on the product placement member 7. 7.

Referring to FIG. 14, the product detection device (product detection tool 6 and product placement member 7) of this embodiment will be further described.
FIG. 14 is a side view of the product detection instrument shown in FIG. 12. In FIG. 14, the side wall 73 is not shown so that the state inside the storage section 7H of the product placement member 7 can be seen. In FIG. 14, the position of the product detection tool 6 (an example of the first position) when no product P is placed on the product placement surface 72 of the product placement member 7 is represented by a solid line. The position of the product detection tool 6 (an example of the second position) when at least one product P is placed on the product 72 is represented by a virtual line.
As shown in FIG. 14, when the product detection tool 6 is in the first position, the tag T and the radio wave shielding member SM do not come close to each other, and when the product detection tool 6 is in the second position, the tag T and the radio wave shielding member SM are close together.

In the state where the product detection tool 6 and the product placement member 7 are engaged, the product detection tool 6 can swing around the regulating plate end 71e of the product placement member 7 as an imaginary axis. That is, the product detection tool 6 is located at a first position when the product P is not on the product placement surface 72 (an example of a reference surface), and at a first position when the product P is on the product placement surface 72. 2 positions, it functions as a swinging member that can swing around the regulating plate end 71e as a virtual axis.
As described above, in the product detection tool 6, the first plate portion 61 is heavier than the second plate portion 62. Therefore, when the product detection tool 6 and the product placement member 7 are engaged, the first plate-like portion 61 generates a torque that swings the product detection tool 6 from the second position to the first position. Functions as a generating member.

Next, the operation of the product detection instrument of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG.
When at least one product P is placed on the product placement surface 72 of the product placement member 7, the weight of the first product P on the product placement surface 72 causes the product detection tool 6 to move to the second position. The product detection tool 6 is swung clockwise in FIG. 14 using the regulating plate end 71e as a virtual axis by overcoming the torque for swinging the product from the end 71e toward the first position. Thereby, the second plate-shaped portion 62 of the product detection tool 6 comes into contact with the regulation plate 71 of the product placement member 7. This state corresponds to the second position (indicated by a virtual line) of the product detection tool 6. In this state, the tag T placed on the second plate-shaped portion 62 comes into contact with or comes close to the radio wave shielding member SM. Then, the radio wave shielding member SM blocks the radio waves transmitted from the tag T, and the radio wave radiation performance from the tag T is significantly reduced. As a result, the wireless device 2 becomes unable to receive packets transmitted from the tag T, or the reception frequency significantly decreases.

When all the products P are taken out from the product placement member 7 and no product P is placed on the product placement surface 72, a torque is applied to swing the product detection tool 6 from the second position to the first position. As a result, the product detection tool 6 is in an equilibrium state with the first plate-shaped portion 61 facing substantially vertically downward. This state corresponds to the first position (indicated by a solid line) of the product detection tool 6. When the product detection tool 6 is in the first position, the tag T attached to the second plate-shaped portion 62 does not come close to the radio wave shielding member SM, and a gap is maintained between the two. In this state, the radio wave radiation performance from the tag T does not deteriorate, so the wireless device 2 can receive packets transmitted from the tag T without any problems.

Note that, in a short period of time after the first product P among the plurality of products P on the product placement member 7 is taken out until the next product P comes into contact with the regulation plate 71, the product detection tool 6 The tag T swings counterclockwise in FIG. 14 toward the position, and the tag T separates from the radio wave shielding member SM. Therefore, communication between the tag T and the wireless device 2 may become possible during this short period of time. However, in that case, compared to the case where there is no product P on the product placement member 7, the frequency at which the tag T and the wireless device 2 can communicate is much lower, so the tag management server 5 determines that communication is possible. By comparing the frequency with a predetermined threshold value, it is possible to reliably determine a state in which there is no product P on the product placement member 7.

Similar to the first embodiment, the tag management server 5 is capable of communicating with the wireless device 2, acquires the result of whether communication is possible with the tag T from the wireless device 2, and based on the result of the communication possibility, at least one It is determined whether one product P is on the product placement surface 72 of the product placement member 7.

Next, an embodiment other than the product detection instrument shown in FIGS. 12 to 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. Similar to FIG. 14, FIG. 15 is a side view of the product detection instrument of one embodiment. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a product detection tool 6A included in the product detection device of the embodiment shown in FIG.
Also in FIG. 15, the position of the product detection tool 6A (an example of the first position) when no product P is placed on the product placement surface 72 of the product placement member 7 is represented by a solid line. The position of the product detection tool 6A (an example of the second position) when at least one product P is placed on the surface 72 is represented by a virtual line.

As shown in FIG. 16, the product detection tool 6A includes a main body 601, a swinging member 602, a shaft 603, and a torsion spring 604. Although not limited to this, the main body portion 601, the swinging member 602, and the shaft portion 603 are molded from resin, for example.
A groove portion 601d is formed in the main body portion 601 in the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 15, the product detection tool 6A is inserted into the regulation plate end 71e of the product placement member 7 into the groove 601d, whereby the product detection tool 6A is attached to the regulation plate 71 of the product placement member 7. .
A shaft portion 603 is connected to the swinging member 602 . The swinging member 602 and the shaft portion 603 may be integrally molded. Both ends of the shaft portion 603 are rotatably supported by a support portion 611 of the main body portion 601 .
In one embodiment, the torsion spring 604 is disposed at the axial center of the shaft 603 and is wound around the shaft 603 . One end of the torsion spring 604 is in contact with the main body 601, and the other end of the torsion spring 604 is in contact with one surface of the swinging member 602 (the surface to which the tag T is attached; see FIG. 15). Thereby, the torsion spring 604 functions as a torque generating member that generates counterclockwise torque on the swinging member 602 when the swinging member 602 is in contact with the regulating plate 71 side in FIG.

Next, the operation of the product detection instrument according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 15 will be explained.
When at least one product P is placed on the product placement surface 72 of the product placement member 7, the torque generated by the torsion spring 604 is affected by the weight of the first product P on the product placement surface 72. The product detection tool 6A is then swung clockwise in FIG. 15 about the shaft portion 603. Thereby, the swinging member 602 of the product detection tool 6A comes into contact with the regulation plate 71 of the product placement member 7. This state corresponds to the second position (indicated by a virtual line) of the product detection tool 6A. In this state, the tag T placed on the swinging member 602 contacts or approaches the radio wave shielding member SM. Then, the radio wave shielding member SM blocks the radio waves transmitted from the tag T, and the radio wave radiation performance from the tag T is significantly reduced. As a result, the wireless device 2 becomes unable to receive packets transmitted from the tag T, or the reception frequency significantly decreases.

When all the products P are taken out from the product placement member 7 and no product P is placed on the product placement surface 72, the product detection tool 6A is torsionally swung from the second position toward the first position. Due to the torque of the spring 604, the swinging member 602 is separated from the regulating plate 71 of the product placement member 7. This state corresponds to the first position (indicated by a solid line) of the product detection tool 6A. When the product detection tool 6A is in the first position, the tag T attached to the swinging member 602 does not come close to the radio wave shielding member SM, and a gap is maintained between the two. In this state, the radio wave radiation performance from the tag T does not deteriorate, so the wireless device 2 can receive packets transmitted from the tag T without any problems.

As explained above, in the product detection device of the second embodiment, when even one product P is placed on the product placement member 7, the wireless device 2 cannot communicate with the tag T or the communication frequency is low. significantly reduced. When all the products P replenished on the product placement member 7 are taken out, communication between the tag T and the wireless device 2 becomes possible.
Therefore, when the wireless device 2 becomes able to communicate with the tag T, or when the frequency of communication with the tag T becomes higher than a predetermined value, the tag management server 5 notifies the store terminal 8. Thereby, the person in charge at the store can recognize that the product placement member 7 is empty, and can replenish the product placement member 7 with the product P in a timely manner.

A product management method according to one embodiment (an example of a product management method) includes the following steps (1) to (5).
(1) A swinging member that can swing around a predetermined axis between a first position and a second position, and to which either the tag T or the radio wave shielding member SM is attached, and the swinging member (2) When the product P is on the reference plane, the swinging member is (3) When the product P is removed from the predetermined reference plane, the swinging member moves to the A step in which the tag T and the radio wave shielding member SM are separated from each other by swinging from the second position to the first position, so that the radio waves emitted by the tag T are no longer blocked. (5) Step of determining whether or not the product P is on the reference surface based on the result of the above-mentioned communication availability.

Although the embodiments of the article management system, article management method, article detection instrument, and article detection device of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Moreover, various improvements and changes can be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Although we have described the case where the communication device is an IoT tag equipped with a capacitor that collects surrounding radio waves, converts them into electric power, and stores the electric power, the communication device is not limited to that. It may also be an RFID tag that operates in a radio frequency band. Furthermore, in either case, the RFID tag may be of a passive type (without a built-in battery) or an active type (with a built-in battery).

For example, although FIGS. 3 and 7 show a case where the tag T is attached to the swinging member and the radio wave shielding member SM is attached to the fixed member such as the lid or the base, the present invention is not limited thereto. The radio wave shielding member SM may be attached to the swinging member, and the tag T may be attached to a fixed member such as the lid or the base. For example, in one embodiment, the radio wave shielding member SM may be attached to the main body portion 331 of the swinging member 33, and the tag T may be attached to the lid 32 or the base portion 31.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, a case has been described in which the radio wave shielding member SM is attached to the product placement member 7 and the tag T is attached to the product detection tool, but this is not the case. A tag T may be attached to the product placement member 7, and a radio wave shielding member SM may be attached to the product detection tool.

A radio wave absorber that absorbs radio waves emitted from the tag T can also be used as the radio wave shielding member SM.
The radio wave absorber is not limited, but for example, one that combines carbon and expanded polystyrene (radio wave absorber that uses expanded polystyrene as a base material and takes advantage of the ohmic loss of carbon), and one that combines ferrite and inorganic materials (a radio wave absorber that uses the ohmic loss of carbon as a base material) radio wave absorbing materials), combinations of carbon and foamed polyethylene, combinations of magnetic materials and synthetic rubber (for example, synthetic rubber mixed with ferrite powder, synthetic rubber mixed with carbonyl iron powder) , a ferrite sintered body, a combination of glass cloth reinforced aluminum foil and a conductive adhesive layer, and a layer of dielectric material.

1... Product management system T... Tag Tref... Reference tag 11... Control section 111... Memory 12... Communication antenna 13... Harvesting antenna 14... Harvesting section 141... Voltage multiplier 142... Capacitor 15... Voltage control section 16... RF communication unit 2...Radio device 21...Control unit 22...Antenna 23...RF communication unit 24...Communication unit 3, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D...Product detection instrument 31, 31A, 31B, 31D...Base 311...Slanted part 312 ... Groove 32, 32D... Lid 321... Hole 33, 33A, 33B, 33C, 33D... Rocking member 331, 331D... Main body part 332, 332p... Shaft part 333, 333D... Projection part 333d... Recess 334... Support rod 325... Hole 34... Support part 37, 37B... Weight 38... Torsion spring 5... Tag management server 51... Control part 52... Storage 53... Communication part 6, 6A... Product detection tool 61... First plate-shaped part 62... Second plate-shaped part Part 63... Engagement part 64... Folded part 65... Torsion spring 601... Main body part 601d... Groove part 602... Rocking member 603... Shaft part 604... Torsion spring 611... Support part 7... Product placement member 7H... Storage part 71... Regulation plate 71e...Regulation plate end 72...Product placement surface 73...Side wall 8...Store terminal 9...Product shelf HL...Horizontal surface SM...Radio wave shielding member P...Product PL...Label NW...Network

Claims (15)

An article management system that detects the presence or absence of articles,
swingable about a predetermined axis between a first position when the article is not on the predetermined reference plane and a second position when the article is on the reference plane; a swinging member;
a torque generating member that generates a torque that causes the swinging member to swing from the second position to the first position;
a communication device;
a sheet-shaped radio wave shielding member that shields radio waves emitted by the communication device when it comes close to the communication device;
a wireless device that performs wireless communication with the communication device;
a control device that obtains a result of whether the wireless device can communicate with the communication device, and determines whether the article is on the reference plane based on the result of the communication possibility;
Either the communication device or the radio wave shielding member is attached to the swinging member,
The communication device and the radio wave shielding member are not close to each other when the swinging member is in the first position, and the communication device and the radio wave shielding member are close to each other when the swinging member is in the second position. ,
Goods management system. The swinging member includes an elongated main body connected to the shaft, and is attached to the main body and projects vertically upward from the reference plane when the swinging member is in the first position. a protrusion;
The protruding portion is pushed down to the reference surface when an article is placed on the reference surface, thereby causing the swinging member to swing to the second position.
The article management system according to claim 1. Either the communication device or the radio wave shielding member is attached to the main body of the swinging member,
The article management system according to claim 2. Either the communication device or the radio wave shielding member is attached to the protrusion of the swinging member,
The article management system according to claim 2. The protrusion has a vertically upwardly convex curved surface,
The article management system according to claim 2. comprising an article placement member formed such that the reference surface is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane or a vertical plane;
The article placement member has a regulation plate that extends upright from the reference plane and that regulates movement of the article due to its own weight when the article is on the reference plane, and the regulation plate includes: Either the communication device or the radio wave shielding member is attached,
The swinging member swings to the second position as the object moves toward the regulation plate when the article is on the reference surface, and a part of the swinging member moves to the regulation plate. close,
The article management system according to claim 1. The torque generating member includes a weight provided on the swinging member.
An article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The torque generating member includes a torsion spring provided between the shaft and the swinging member.
An article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. Further comprising a reference communication device disposed at a position where radio waves are not shielded by the radio wave shielding member regardless of whether the article is on the reference surface or not;
The wireless device communicates with the reference communication device,
The control device obtains a result of whether or not the wireless device can communicate with the reference communication device.
An article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The communication device is a wireless tag equipped with a capacitor that collects surrounding radio waves, converts them into electric power, and stores the electric power.
An article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The communication device is a UHF band wireless tag,
An article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The communication device is an HF band wireless tag.
An article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. the communication device is a microwave band wireless tag;
An article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. a swinging member that is swingable about a predetermined axis between a first position and a second position and to which either a communication device or a radio wave shielding member is attached; a torque generating member that generates a torque that causes the article to swing from the second position toward the first position;
When the article is on the reference plane, the swinging member is in the second position, and the communication device and the radio wave shielding member are close to each other, thereby blocking radio waves emitted by the communication device,
When the article is removed from the predetermined reference plane, the swinging member swings from the second position to the first position, and the communication device and the radio wave shielding member are separated, whereby the communication device emits. Radio waves are no longer blocked,
Obtaining a result of whether or not the wireless device can communicate with the communication device;
determining whether or not the article is on the reference plane based on the result of the communication availability;
How to manage goods. An article detection instrument for detecting articles,
swingable about a predetermined axis between a first position when the article is not on the predetermined reference plane and a second position when the article is on the reference plane; a swinging member;
a torque generating member that generates a torque that causes the swinging member to swing from the second position to the first position;
a communication device;
a sheet-shaped radio wave shielding member that shields radio waves emitted by the communication device when it comes close to the communication device;
Either the communication device or the radio wave shielding member is attached to the swinging member,
The communication device and the radio wave shielding member are not close to each other when the swinging member is in the first position, and the communication device and the radio wave shielding member are close to each other when the swinging member is in the second position. ,
Article detection equipment.

Images