JP7035590B2 - Gate-type settlement system and gate-type settlement device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technique for saving labor in the settlement work of a product by using an RF tag (RF: Radio Frequency) used for automatic individual identification by radio.

At convenience stores, supermarkets, and other stores, attempts are being made to save labor in product settlement operations with the aim of resolving serious labor shortages in rural areas and improving the efficiency of settlement operations.

In order to save labor in the settlement work, it is necessary to automatically recognize each product purchased by the customer. As a method of automatically recognizing products purchased by customers, a method of automatically recognizing products placed in a shopping basket by installing a camera in a shopping basket containing products to be settled and using images of this camera is described in Patent Document 1 and the like. Although disclosed, a method of automatically recognizing a product placed in a shopping cart using an RF tag is becoming mainstream.

When automatically recognizing a product placed in a shopping cart using an RF tag, an RF tag is attached to each product sold in the store, and the product is stored in the RF tag attached to the product placed in the shopping cart. By using a reader / writer to read the product identification data that identifies the product from each of the RF tags attached to the products in the shopping cart, the products in the shopping cart can be read. Automatically recognize.

In the method of automatically recognizing a product put in a shopping cart using an RF tag, a reader / writer that reads the data stored in the RF tag can be incorporated in a register, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 2. It is common. However, in the configuration in which the reader / writer is incorporated in the cash register, the customer places the shopping cart on the reader / writer incorporated in the register, makes the register recognize the products in the shopping cart, and then relates to the products in the shopping basket. You must stop in front of the cash register until you have paid the purchase price. This is not a problem in stores with a relatively small number of customers, but in stores with a relatively large number of customers, a queue of customers waiting for settlement can be a factor that occurs during congestion.

If the process of automatically recognizing products in the shopping cart and the process of paying the purchase price for the products in the shopping cart can be separated using the RF tag, the time related to the product settlement work can be shortened and the settlement can be done. The line of customers waiting for is less likely to occur. As a device having such a configuration, for example, in Patent Document 3, a conveyor for transporting products (commodity conveyor) and a reader / writer (reading) for reading product identification data from an RF tag attached to the product transported by the conveyor. A device) and an accounting device consisting of a self-payment machine (automatic accounting device) used for payment related to the purchase price of goods are described.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-57813 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-299404 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-0133392

However, when a conveyor is used to transport a shopping cart containing products as in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 3, a system for automatically recognizing the products placed in the shopping cart becomes large-scale.

Therefore, the present invention proposes a system that can automatically recognize a product placed in a shopping basket carried by a shopper while passing through the shopper without using a conveyor.

The first invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a gate-type settlement system composed of at least a product with an RF tag and a gate-type settlement device that automatically recognizes the RF tag attached to the product. In the first invention, the gate-type checkout device forms a transport passage for a shopping cart containing the goods, includes a pair of gate bodies having a radio wave shielding function and a control unit, and is provided in at least one of the gate bodies. A human body sensor that detects a shopper using the gate-type checkout device, a reader / writer that transmits radio waves for wireless communication with the RF tag toward the transport passage, and shopping carried along the transport passage. A collision member for colliding the car and an impact sensor for detecting the impact when the shopping car collides with the collision member are provided, and the control unit describes the shopper when the human body sensor detects the human body and the above . When the impact sensor detects an impact, the reader / writer is made to perform an operation of detecting the RF tag. In the gate-type checkout system according to the first invention, when a shopper passes by the side of the gate-type checkout device so that the shopping basket moves along the transport passage formed between the gate bodies, the gate is used. The formula checkout device is configured to detect the RF tag attached to the goods in the shopping cart.

Further, in the second invention, in the gate type settlement system described in the first invention , a slit is formed in the upper part of the gate body along the center of the transport passage, and a ceiling member having a radio wave shielding function is provided. It is characterized by that. The second invention is an invention for preventing a shopping cart from moving between the gate main body while being out of the upper part of the gate type checkout device.

Further, the third invention is characterized in that, in the gate type settlement system described in the first invention or the second invention , the inner wall of the gate body is curved inward on the entrance / exit side of the transport passage. The third invention is an invention in which the detection performance of the RF tag is enhanced by utilizing the reflection of radio waves.

Further, the fourth invention is characterized in that, in the gate type settlement system described in any one of the first invention to the third invention, a door having a radio wave shielding function is provided on the entrance / exit side of the transport passage. The fourth invention is an invention that prevents the intrusion of radio waves from the entrance / exit side of the transport passage.

Further, the fifth invention is a gate-type settlement device constituting the gate-type settlement system according to any one of the first to fourth inventions. The fifth invention is an invention relating to a gate-type settlement device required in the gate-type settlement system described in any one of the first to fourth inventions.

According to the present invention described above, when the shopper passes by the side of the gate-type checkout device so that the shopping cart moves along the transport passage formed between the gate bodies, the gate-type checkout device changes the shopping cart. Since the RF tag attached to the product contained in the product is detected, the product placed in the shopping basket carried by the shopper can be automatically recognized while the shopper passes through without using a conveyor.

The figure explaining the appearance of the gate type settlement system. The figure explaining the RF tag attached to a product. The figure explaining the side surface of the gate type settlement apparatus. The figure explaining the structure of the gate type settlement apparatus. The figure explaining the operation of the gate type settlement apparatus. The figure explaining an example of the settlement method of a product. The figure explaining the gate type settlement apparatus which concerns on the modification.

From here, suitable embodiments of the present invention will be described. The following description does not constrain the technical scope of the present invention, but is intended to aid understanding.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of the gate type settlement system 1 according to the present embodiment. The gate-type settlement system 1 according to the present embodiment is composed of at least a product 4 with an RF tag 3 and a gate-type settlement device 2. The gate-type checkout device 2 forms a transport passage 2a for the shopper 6 to move the plastic shopping cart 5 containing the product 4, and has a pair of gate main bodies 20 (gate main body 20a and gate main body 20b) having a radio wave shielding function. ) And a control unit 23, and at least one of the gate main body 20 carries a human body sensor 22 for detecting a shopper 6 using the gate-type checkout device 2 and a radio wave for wireless communication with the RF tag 3 in a transport passage 2a. A reader / writer 21 that transmits radio waves toward the vehicle, a collision member 24 for colliding the shopping cart 5 transported along the transport passage 2a, and an impact sensor that detects an impact when the shopping cart 5 collides with the collision member 24. 25 is provided.

In the present invention, the shopping cart 5 means what the shopper 6 uses to carry the goods 4. In FIG. 1, the shopping cart 5 is in the form of a basket, but the shopping basket 5 may be in the shape of a plastic bag, and the shopping cart 5 may be in the form of a plastic shopping cart.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an RF tag 3 attached to the product 4. The RF tag 3 attached to the product 4 is in the form of a sticker label, and is attached to the product 4 using an adhesive material formed on the back surface of the RF tag 3. The RF tag 3 is a medium used for automatic individual identification using wireless communication. The RF tag 3 is connected to an antenna 30 corresponding to a frequency band (here, UFH band) used in wireless communication and an antenna 30. The IC chip 31 is built-in. The IC chip 31 built in the RF tag 3 stores at least a tag identifier different for each RF tag 3. Further, the product data (product code and price) of the product 4 to which the RF tag 3 is attached can be stored in the IC chip 31.

The gate type settlement device 2 will be described. The two gate bodies 20 included in the gate-type checkout device 2 have a target shape, and when they are installed facing each other, the product 4 with the RF tag 3 is inserted between the two gate bodies 20. It is a transport passage 2a in which the shopper 6 moves the shopping cart 5. The reader / writer 21 may be provided on either of the two gate bodies 20, but in FIG. 1, a reader / writer 21 is provided on the inner wall of each of the two gate bodies 20 in order to improve the detection accuracy of the RF tag 3. The position where the reader / writer 21 is provided is near the middle of the transport passage 2a.

The human body sensor 22 is provided on the outer wall of the gate body 20 on the entrance side of the transport passage 2a. The human body sensor 22 may be provided on either of the two gate main bodies 20, but in FIG. 1, the shopper 6 passing by the right side of the gate type settlement device 2 and the left side of the gate type settlement device 2 A human body sensor 22 is provided on the outer wall of each of the two gate bodies 20 so that both of the shoppers 6 passing by the side of the gate can be detected. The human body sensor 22 also has a transmission type, but in the present embodiment, the infrared type human body sensor 22 is used.

The collision member 24 and the impact sensor 25 may be provided on either of the two gate bodies 20, and in FIG. 1, in the inner wall of the gate body 20b on the left side when viewed from the entrance of the transfer passage 2a, in the transfer passage 2a. A collision member 24 and an impact sensor 25 are provided at a location directly downstream of the reader / writer 21.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a side surface of the gate type settlement device 2. Since the reader / writer 21 provided in the gate-type checkout device 2 transmits radio waves toward the transport passage 2a, the shopper 6 can take the transport passage without the shopping cart 5 coming out from the upper part of the gate-type checkout device 2. It is necessary to move the shopping cart 5 along 2a. The height of the gate-type checkout device 2 is standard so that the shopper 6 can easily move the shopping cart 5 along the transport passage 2a without the shopping cart 5 coming out from the upper part of the gate-type checkout device 2. The height is set near the abdomen of an adult. Further, in order to make it easier to detect the RF tags 3 of all the products 4 contained in the shopping cart 5, the size of the antenna surface of the reader / writer 21 provided in the gate type checkout device 2 is made larger than the size of the shopping cart 5. There is.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the gate type settlement device 2. As described above, each of the gate bodies 20 included in the gate type settlement device 2 has a radio wave shielding function. As for the performance of the radio wave shielding function, it is desirable that the radio wave attenuation rate is 10 dBi or more, and in order to realize the radio wave attenuation rate of 10 dBi or more, at least a gate with a material having a surface resistance value of 1 KΩ / sp (square) or less. It is desirable to configure the surface of the formula settlement device 2.

Further, if at least the surface of the gate type settlement device 2 is configured with a material having a surface resistance value of 1 KΩ / sp (square) or less, the surface of the gate type settlement device 2 reflects radio waves. By bending at least the inner wall of the gate body 20 inward (on the transport passage 2a side) on the entrance / exit side of the transport passage 2a, and reflecting the radio wave transmitted by the reader / writer 21 toward the center of the transport passage 2a at the curved portion. , The detection range of RF tag 3 is further expanded.

The collision member 24 is provided in the transport passage 2a so that the shopping basket 5 transported along the transport passage 2a collides with the shopping basket 5 and the inclination angle θ of the shopping basket 5 colliding with the collision member 24 is 1 degree or more and 45 degrees or less. It is attached to the gate body 20 in a protruding state. The inclination angle θ of the shopping cart 5 that has collided with the collision member 24 is set to be 1 degree or more and 45 degrees or less in order to prevent the shopping basket 5 from being unable to be conveyed by the collision member 24. The collision member 24 can be installed on the outlet side of the transport passage 2a, but in the present embodiment, the collision member 24 and the impact sensor 25 are provided at a position directly downstream of the reader / writer 21 in the transport passage 2a.

Even if there is an RF tag 3 that is difficult to detect by the reader / writer 21, such as when the RF tag 3 attached to the product 4 is in contact with another metal product, the collision member 24 can be provided in the gate type settlement device 2. The product 4 with the RF tag 3 moves due to the impact of the shopping cart 5 colliding with the collision member 24, and the RF tag 3 attached to the product 4 moves away from other metal products, making it easy to detect the RF tag 3. You can create a state.

The impact sensor 25 that detects the impact when the shopping cart 5 collides with the collision member 24 is attached to the root of the collision member 24. The impact sensor 25 can be arbitrarily selected, but in the present embodiment, it is a sensor that detects the tensile force when the collision member 24 falls toward the outlet side of the transport passage 2a as an impact.

The control unit 23 of the gate type settlement device 2 is a function realized by using a computer device such as a PLC (programmable logic controller). The control unit 23 of the gate type settlement device 2 is connected to a reader / writer 21, a human body sensor 22, an impact sensor 25, and the like, and is an RF tag attached to a product 4 in a shopping cart 5 that moves along a transport passage 2a. At least the process of automatically recognizing 3 is executed.

From here, the operation of the gate type settlement device 2 according to the present embodiment will be described while explaining the operation of the gate type settlement system 1 according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the gate type settlement device 2 according to the present embodiment. When the shopper 6 carrying the shopping cart 5 containing the product 4 to be purchased passes by the side of the gate body 20 in which the human body sensor 22 is installed, the human body sensor 22 of the gate type settlement device 2 detects the shopper 6. Then, the human body sensor 22 of the gate-type settlement device 2 outputs a human body detection signal indicating that the human body has been detected to the control unit 23 of the gate-type settlement device 2 (S1).

When the human body detection signal is output from the human body sensor 22, the control unit 23 of the gate type settlement device 2 instructs the reader / writer 21 to start the operation of detecting the RF tag 3 (S2), and the reader / writer 21 receives RF. The operation of detecting the tag 3 is performed, and the tag identifier and the like obtained by the operation of detecting the RF tag 3 are output to the control unit 23 (S3).

When the reader / writer 21 of the gate-type settlement device 2 performs an operation of detecting the RF tag 3, the reader / writer 21 transmits a radio wave carrying a polling command, which is a command used for detecting the RF tag 3, and is a reader / writer. By receiving the tag identifier from the RF tag 3 existing in the detectable range of the 21, the RF tag 3 existing in the detectable range of the reader / writer 21 is detected. When reading the product data from the RF tag 3 in addition to the tag identifier, the reader / writer 21 transmits a radio wave carrying a command to read the data from the RF tag 3, and the product is read from each of the RF tags 3 from which the tag identifier is read. Read the data. Since a plurality of products 4 are often placed in the shopping cart 5, the reader / writer 21 needs to support anti-collision, which is a function of simultaneously detecting a plurality of RF tags 3.

The shopper 6 moves the shopping cart 5 along the transport passage 2a formed by the pair of gate main bodies 20 in a state where the shopping cart 5 does not come out from the upper part of the gate type checkout device 2, and the shopper 6 moves the shopping basket 5. When the shopping cart 5 collides with the collision member 24, the impact sensor 25 detects the impact when the shopping cart 5 collides with the collision member 24, and outputs an impact detection signal indicating that the impact is detected to the control unit 23. Output (S4).

When the impact detection signal is output from the impact sensor 25, the control unit 23 of the gate type settlement device 2 again instructs the reader / writer 21 to start the operation of detecting the RF tag 3 (S5), and the reader / writer 21 determines. The operation of detecting the RF tag 3 is performed, and the tag identifier and the like obtained by the operation of detecting the RF tag 3 are output to the control unit 23 (S6). The operation of the reader / writer 21 to detect the RF tag 3 is described above.

When the impact sensor 25 detects the impact when the shopping cart 5 collides with the collision member 24, the reader / writer 21 detects the RF tag 3 because the shopping cart 5 is inserted in the transport passage 2a. At that point, even if there is an RF tag 3 that is difficult to detect, such as touching another metal product, the product 4 with the RF tag 3 moves due to the impact of the shopping cart 5 colliding with the collision member 24. This is because the RF tag 3 attached to the product 4 can be separated from other metal products to create a state in which the RF tag 3 can be easily detected.

When the human body detection signal is output from the human body sensor 22 and when the impact detection signal is output from the impact sensor 25, the tag identifier and the like are output from the reader / writer 21 to the control unit 23. When the tag identifier or the like is output from the reader / writer 21 after the impact detection signal is output from the impact sensor 25, the control unit 23 confirms the duplication of the tag identifier output from the reader / writer 21 of the gate type settlement device 2. (S7).

Next, the control unit 23 of the gate-type checkout device 2 generates a checkout product list, which is a list of the products 4 in the shopping cart 5, from the list of non-duplicate tag identifiers (S8), FIG. The procedure of is completed. When the product data is stored in the RF tag 3, the settlement product list can be generated by using the product data read from the RF tag 3. When the product data is not stored in the RF tag 3, the control unit 23 of the gate type settlement device 2 acquires the product data from the server that stores the product data in association with the tag identifier and generates the settlement product list. do.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a payment method for the product 4. Any method may be used to settle the product 4 using the settlement product list generated by the control unit 23 of the gate type settlement device 2. However, in FIG. 6, the control unit 23 of the gate type settlement device 2 sets the settlement product list. A printed receipt 230 is issued so that the shopper 6 can use the receipt 230 to settle the product 4 by the automatic checkout machine 7.

As described above, the shopper 6 who uses the gate-type checkout system 1 according to the present embodiment moves the shopping cart 5 along the transport passage 2a in a state where the shopping cart 5 does not come out from the upper part of the gate-type checkout device 2. Although it is necessary to move the shopping cart 5, it is possible to move the shopping cart 5 along the transport passage 2a without the shopping cart 5 coming out from the upper part of the gate-type checkout device 2. Therefore, the gate-type checkout device 2 It is desirable that the clerk can easily see the shopping cart 5 that is out of the upper part of the shopping cart 5.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a gate type settlement device 8 according to a modified example. The gate-type settlement device 8 according to the modified example shown in FIG. 7 has a center of the transport passage 2a as a device for easily visually recognizing the shopping cart 5 in a state of being out of the upper part of the gate-type settlement device 8 according to the modified example. A ceiling member 80 having a slit 80a formed along the line is installed on the upper surface of the gate type settlement device 8 according to the modified example. Depending on whether or not the shopping cart 5 comes out from the ceiling member 80 forming the slit 80a along the center line of the transport aisle 2a, along the transport aisle 2a in a state where the shopping cart 5 comes out from the upper part of the gate type settlement device 8 according to the modified example. You can easily see the moving shopping cart 5. A radio wave shielding sheet can be used for the ceiling member 80 having the slit 80a formed along the center line of the transport passage 2a.

In order to prevent radio waves from entering from the outside via the ceiling, it is desirable that the ceiling member 80 having the slit 80a formed along the center line of the transport passage 2a also has a radio wave shielding function. It is also desirable to prevent radio waves from entering through the entrance / exit of the gate-type settlement device 8 according to the modification, and the gate-type settlement device 8 according to the modification shown in FIG. 7 is a gate according to the modification. A door 81 having a radio wave shielding function is provided at the entrance / exit of the formula settlement device 8. The door 81 is preferably formed of a plate-shaped member, but may be curtain-shaped.

1 Gate-type settlement system 2 Gate-type settlement device 2a Conveyance passage 20 Gate body 21 Leader / writer 22 Human body sensor 23 Control unit 24 Collision member 25 Impact sensor 3 RF tag 4 Product 5 Shopping basket 6 Shopper 8 Gate-type settlement related to a modified example Equipment 80 Ceiling member 80a Slit 81 Door

Claims (5)

It consists of at least a product with an RF tag and a gate-type settlement device that automatically recognizes the RF tag attached to the product.
The gate-type checkout device forms a transport passage for a shopping cart containing the goods, and includes a pair of gate bodies having a radio wave shielding function and a control unit.
At least one of the gate bodies includes a human body sensor that detects a shopper who uses the gate-type checkout device, a reader / writer that transmits radio waves for wireless communication with the RF tag toward the transport passage, and the above . A collision member for colliding the shopping car transported along the transport passage and an impact sensor for detecting the impact when the shopping car collides with the collision member are provided.
The control unit causes the reader / writer to perform an operation of detecting the RF tag when the human body sensor detects the human body and when the impact sensor detects an impact .
A gate-type settlement system featuring that. A slit is formed in the upper part of the gate body along the center of the transport passage, and a ceiling member having a radio wave shielding function is provided.
The gate-type settlement system according to claim 1 . The inner wall of the gate body is characterized in that it is curved inward on the entrance / exit side of the transport passage.
The gate-type settlement system according to claim 1 or 2 . A door having a radio wave shielding function is provided on the entrance / exit side of the transport passage.
The gate-type settlement system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The gate-type settlement device constituting the gate-type settlement system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 .

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