JP7289101B2 - Reading system and shopping support system provided with it - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure generally relates to a reading system and a shopping support system including the same, and more particularly to a reading system that reads information on products by wirelessly communicating with an electronic tag and a shopping support system including the same.

In Patent Document 1, it is possible to use an RF (Radio Frequency) tag (electronic tag) reader at least in a POS (Point Of Sales) device for performing settlement (settlement) processing for products that a customer intends to purchase. Are listed. An electronic tag is attached to a product and stores price information or identification information of the product to which the electronic tag is attached.

In Patent Literature 1, a reading device reads information from an electronic tag in a state in which a product is stored in a box-shaped storage chamber composed of six sides of a housing. The housing is formed with an opening leading to the housing chamber. The opening is opened and closed by a lid. In other words, the customer can put the product into the storage chamber through the opening while the lid is open. The housing and cover are made of a material that reflects or absorbs radio waves so that the reader does not read information from the electronic tag outside the containment chamber.

JP 2016-162177 A

However, in the configuration described in Patent Literature 1, the customer needs to store the product in the storage chamber, close the lid, and open the lid to take out the product from the storage chamber after completing the reading of information on the product. Therefore, for example, when an inexperienced customer uses the reading device, the time for one customer to use the reading device becomes long, and when a queue occurs, the waiting time of the customer to purchase the product increases. It can take a long time.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above reasons, and an object thereof is to provide a reading system and a shopping support system including the reading system capable of shortening the customer's waiting time for purchasing a product.

A reading system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a main body and a reading device. The body portion has a placement portion on which products are placed. The reading device performs wireless communication using radio waves as a medium with an electronic tag attached to the product positioned in a reading space above the placing portion when the product is placed on the placing portion. By doing so, product information about the product is read. The main body further has a pair of side walls located on both sides of the reading space in the left-right direction. The pair of side wall portions has radio wave shielding properties. A pair of openings are positioned at least on both sides in the front-rear direction of the reading space. Either of the pair of openings can be used as a port for taking out the product from the reading space. The reading device has an antenna that is provided on at least one of the pair of side wall portions and receives the radio waves. The antenna includes a pair of side antenna elements provided on both of the pair of side wall portions and a lower antenna element provided below the mounting portion. The pair of side antenna elements are arranged such that their centers are spaced apart from each other while leaving an overlapping region when viewed from one of the left and right directions. The lower antenna element includes a plurality of antenna elements. The plurality of antenna elements of the lower antenna element are arranged side by side in the left-right direction.

A shopping support system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes the reading system and a checkout system. The settlement system performs settlement processing based on the product information.

According to the present disclosure, there is an advantage that it is possible to shorten the customer's waiting time for purchasing a product.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a usage example of the shopping support system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the shopping support system of the same. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the same shopping support system. FIG. 4A is a plan view of the same shopping support system. FIG. 4B is a front view of the same shopping support system. FIG. 4C is a right side view of the shopping support system; FIG. 5 is a partially broken perspective view of the reading system in the shopping support system of the same. FIG. 6A is a plan view of the main part of the reading system; FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 of FIG. 6A. FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view taken along line B1-B1 of FIG. 6B. FIG. 7A is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a sensitivity distribution in a reading space in plan view in a reading system according to a comparative example. 7B is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a sensitivity distribution in a reading space in plan view in the reading system according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a usage example of the shopping support system same as above. 9A to 9C are left side views showing usage examples of the same shopping support system. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a usage example of the shopping support system; 11 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a shopping support system according to a first modified example of the first embodiment; FIG. 12A to 12C are perspective views showing an example of the appearance of the shopping support system according to the second modified example of the first embodiment. 13A to 13C are perspective views showing another example of the appearance of the shopping support system according to the second modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the shopping support system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 15A is a perspective view of a reading system of the shopping support system; FIG. 15B is a plan view of the same reading system. FIG. 15C is a front view of the same reading system. FIG. 15D is a left side view of the same reading system; FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing how the reading system and the expansion module are combined. 17 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a shopping support system according to a modification of the second embodiment; FIG.

(Embodiment 1)
(1) Overview The shopping support system according to the present embodiment is installed in, for example, retail stores such as clothing stores, convenience stores, supermarkets, department stores, drug stores, home appliance mass retailers, and home centers. (that is, “shopping”).

The shopping support system 100 includes a reading system 1 and a checkout system 3, as shown in FIGS. The reading system 1 reads product information about the product 91 by wirelessly communicating with the electronic tag 93 attached to the product 91 . The settlement system 3 performs settlement processing based on the product information read by the reading system 1 .

A reading system 1 according to this embodiment includes a main body 10 and a reading device 2 . The main body part 10 has a placement part 11 on which a product 91 is placed. When the article 91 is placed on the placing section 11, the reading device 2 reads the electronic tag 93 attached to the article 91 positioned within the reading space Sp1 above the placing section 11 and the wireless radio wave using radio waves as a medium. communicate. By performing wireless communication with the electronic tag 93 in this manner, the reading device 2 reads product information about the product 91 . The body portion 10 further has a pair of side wall portions 12 positioned on both sides in the horizontal direction of the reading space Sp1 and having radio wave shielding properties. Here, a pair of openings 13 are positioned at least on both sides in the front-rear direction of the reading space Sp1, and both of the pair of openings 13 can be used as outlets for taking out the product 91 from the reading space Sp1.

The “product information” referred to in the present disclosure is information for identifying the product 91, and is, for example, a product identification code such as JAN (Japanese Article Number) code used in Japan. In addition to the JAN code, this type of product identification code includes EPC (Electronic Product Code), EAN (European Article Number) code used in Europe, etc., and UPC (Universal Product Code) used in the United States. etc. Moreover, the product information is not limited to information identifying the product type (kind) of the product 91, and may include information such as serial information for individually identifying products 91 of the same product type. As a result, even when there are a plurality of products 91 of the same kind, each of the plurality of products 91 of the same kind can be specified by the product information. The product information read by the reading device 2 is used for settlement processing in the settlement system 3, for example.

The electronic tag 93 is an RF (Radio Frequency) tag, and the reader 2 does not directly read the product information from the product 91, but reads the product information from the electronic tag 93 attached to the product 91 in a non-contact manner. will read. Thereby, the reading system 1 can indirectly acquire product information from the product 91 in the reading space Sp1. The indirect acquisition of product information is realized by the reading system 1 reading the product information from the electronic tag 93 attached to the product 91 .

According to the shopping support system 100, for example, the reading device 2 installed in the store 8 (see FIG. 1) reads the product information of the product 91 to be purchased in a non-contact manner. settlement becomes possible. Therefore, for example, it is possible to collectively read the product information of a plurality of products 91, and it is possible to read the product information even when the products 91 are stored in the container 92 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, compared with the case where product information is read using a bar code or the like, it is possible to reduce the time and effort of the clerk and the customer 90 who are involved in shopping for the customer 90 .

In the reading system 1 according to the present embodiment, as described above, the main body 10 has the placing portion 11 on which the product 91 is placed, and when the product 91 is placed on the placing portion 11, The reading device 2 reads product information about the product 91 in the reading space Sp1. Here, since the reading space Sp1 is a space above the placing portion 11, if the product 91 is placed on the placing portion 11, the product information regarding this product 91 can be read by the reading device 2. Become. Moreover, a pair of side walls 12 having radio wave shielding properties are provided on both sides of the reading space Sp1 in the left-right direction, while a pair of openings 13 are positioned at least on both sides of the reading space Sp1 in the front-rear direction. Either of the pair of openings 13 can be used as an outlet for the product 91 from the reading space Sp1. Therefore, according to the reading system 1, the leakage of radio waves to both sides in the left-right direction as viewed from the reading space Sp1 is reduced by the pair of side wall portions 12, but from the pair of openings 13 on both sides in the front-rear direction. , the product 91 can be taken in and out of the reading space Sp1. Therefore, when reading the product information, the customer 90 has to store at least the product 91 in the storage chamber, close the lid, and after the product information has been read, open the lid and take out the product 91 from the storage chamber. becomes unnecessary. As a result, the reading system 1 according to the present embodiment can shorten the waiting time of the customer 90 for purchasing the product 91 .

In the shopping support system 100, settlement processing is performed in the settlement system 3 according to the product information read by the reading system 1, and when the settlement processing is completed, the customer 90 brings back the commodity 91, thereby completing the shopping by the customer 90. complete. As a result, the shopping support system 100 according to this embodiment can shorten the waiting time of the customer 90 for purchasing the product 91 .

(2) Details Details of the reading system 1 and the shopping support system 100 including the reading system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. FIG.

(2.1) Premises The term “purchase” as used in this disclosure refers to the act of transferring the ownership of the product 91 from the seller (store) to the buyer (customer), and the buyer paying the consideration (price) to the seller (trading ) on the part of the Buyer (Customer). In other words, basically, the ownership of the product 91 to be purchased is transferred from the seller (store) to the buyer (customer) upon completion of the settlement process, and the customer 90 takes it home.

The “placement portion” in the present disclosure means a portion on which the product 91 is placed, and the product 91 may be directly placed thereon, or may be stored in a container 92 as shown in FIG. of goods 91 may be placed together with the container 92, that is, indirectly. When the product 91 is placed on the placing portion 11 , the product 91 is positioned within the reading space Sp<b>1 above the placing portion 11 . In other words, the space above the placing portion 11 in which the product 91 placed on the placing portion 11 is accommodated is the “reading space”.

In the present disclosure, the reading device 2 performs wireless communication with the electronic tag 93 when the product 91 is placed on the placing section 11 . That is, the reader 2 reads product information in a state in which at least the customer 90 releases the product 91 or the container 92 containing the product 91 and places the product 91 on the placing section 11 . At this time, since the product 91 is not in the possession of the customer 90 and the product 91 itself does not move, the posture of the product 91 is easily stabilized, and the reading of the product information by the reading device 2 is facilitated.

The "container" referred to in the present disclosure may be a container that is large enough to contain the product 91 and has an opening for taking in and out the product 91, such as a basket, bag, box, or bag (including eco-bags, etc.). etc. Here, the material of the basket, bag, box, or bag is not particularly limited, and examples of bags include polyethylene or polypropylene “plastic bags” and paper “paper bags”. As an example in this embodiment, container 92 is assumed to be a shopping basket used by customer 90 within store 8 . Therefore, the customer 90, for example, receives the container 92 when entering the store, and stores the product 91 in the container 92 each time he/she picks up the product 91 to be purchased. Then, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the reading system 1 reads the product information of the product 91 contained in the container 92 .

The “opening” referred to in the present disclosure means a portion that can be used as an outlet for taking out the product 91 from the reading space Sp1, and is located between the inside and outside of the reading space Sp1 and allows the product 91 to pass through. It consists of openings of various shapes and sizes. However, since the opening 13 may be used as an outlet for the product 91 , it is not essential for the opening 13 to actually be used as an outlet for the product 91 . The opening 13 that is not used as an outlet for the product 91 may be closed with, for example, an auxiliary wall 17 (see FIG. 11), which will be described later.

Also, in this embodiment, a clothing store will be described as an example of the store 8 into which the shopping support system 100 is introduced. In other words, the reading system 1 included in the shopping support system 100 is also introduced into clothing stores. In a store 8 consisting of a clothing store, a plurality of products 91 (clothes) are displayed and sold in the store. Therefore, the customer 90 picks up a desired product 91 from a plurality of products 91 displayed in the store, and pays for the picked-up product 91, thereby purchasing the desired product 91. - 特許庁In this embodiment, a manned store 8 with at least one store clerk present is assumed. However, the shopping support system 100 can be employed not only in this example, but also in a situation such as an unmanned store where the store 8 has no staff.

Further, in the present embodiment, the direction perpendicular to (perpendicular to) the horizontal plane when the reading system 1 is installed in the store 8 is defined as the "vertical direction", and the downward direction when viewing the reading system 1 from the front is the "vertical direction". described as "downward". In addition, when viewing the reading system 1 from the front, the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction is defined as the "left-right direction", and when the outlet device 1 is viewed from the front, the right direction is defined as the "right direction", and the left direction is defined as the "left direction". do. Further, a direction perpendicular to both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is defined as the "front-rear direction", and the front side (front side) of the reading system 1 is defined as the "front". However, these directions are not meant to limit the directions during use of the reading system 1 .

In addition, the term “perpendicular” as used in the present disclosure means not only a state in which the angle between the two is strictly 90 degrees, but also a state in which the two are substantially perpendicular within a certain margin of error. In other words, the angle between the two orthogonal angles is within a certain range of error (for example, 10 degrees or less) with respect to 90 degrees. Similarly, the term “parallel” as used in the present disclosure includes not only a state where the angle between the two is strictly 0 degrees, but also a state where the two are substantially parallel within a certain margin of error. In other words, the angle between the two parallel objects falls within a certain range of error (for example, 10 degrees or less) with respect to 0 degrees.

(2.2) Shopping Support System First, the overall configuration of a shopping support system 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG.

The shopping support system 100 includes a reading system 1 and a checkout system 3, as shown in FIG. In other words, the reading system 1 according to this embodiment configures the shopping support system 100 together with the settlement system 3 . The settlement system 3 performs settlement processing based on the product information read by the reading system 1 .

When the reading system 1 is used in the shopping support system 100 , the product information read by the reading system 1 is used for settlement processing by the settlement system 3 . That is, the settlement system 3 uses the commodity information for the commodity 91 whose commodity information has been read by the reading system 1 to perform settlement processing. Therefore, according to the shopping support system 100, the commodity information is read by the reading system 1 installed in the store 8, so that the settlement process for the commodity 91 can be performed.

In this embodiment, the shopping support system 100 further includes a customer detection device 51, a trigger detection device 52 and a gate device 53 in addition to the reading system 1 and the checkout system 3, as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the customer detection device 51 and the trigger detection device 52 are integrated with the reading system 1 .

The reading system 1 directly or indirectly reads product information from the product 91 in the reading space Sp1. Therefore, the customer 90 picks up a product 91 to be purchased from among a plurality of products 91 displayed in the store 8 and places it in the reading space Sp1 so that the reading system 1 can read the product information. should be implemented. When the settlement system 3 completes settlement processing using the product information acquired by the reading system 1, the ownership is transferred from the seller (store) to the buyer (customer), and the customer 90 purchases the commodity 91. holds. The customer 90 will bring back the purchased product 91, that is, the product 91 for which the settlement process has been completed. Details of the reading system 1 will be described in the section "(2.3) Reading system".

The settlement system 3 is configured to be able to communicate with the reading system 1 . In the present disclosure, “communicable” means that information can be exchanged directly or indirectly via a network, a repeater, or the like, by an appropriate communication method such as wired communication or wireless communication. That is, the reading system 1 and the settlement system 3 can exchange information with each other. As a communication method between the settlement system 3 and the information acquisition system, an appropriate communication method such as wireless communication or wired communication is adopted. Further, the settlement system 3 is configured to be able to communicate directly or indirectly via a repeater or the like with store terminals such as POS (Point Of Sales) terminals, for example. In this embodiment, the settlement system 3 is integrated with the reading system 1 .

The settlement system 3 uses the interface 4 of the reading system 1, which will be described later, to present various types of information to the customer 90 through display or voice, and to accept operations (including voice input) by the customer 90. . However, the presentation of information by the settlement system 3 may be realized by at least one of display and sound, may be realized by either display and sound, or may be realized by a combination of display and sound. may

As an example, the checkout system 3 can present a message such as "Welcome", "Thank you", etc. to the customer 90 when a visitor is detected and when the checkout process is completed. As a result, it is possible to give the customer 90 a sense of closeness similar to that of a salesclerk. In addition, the customer 90 confirms, for example, the list of products 91 to be purchased displayed on the interface 4 and the settlement amount, etc., and after confirming, operates the interface 4 to express his/her intention of acceptance, so that the settlement system 3 Settlement process at

The settlement process may be realized by short-range wireless communication between a mobile information terminal (smartphone, wearable terminal, or the like), an IC (Integrated Circuit) card, or the like, and the settlement system 3, for example. In this case, the customer 90 causes the settlement system 3 to carry out the settlement processing by operating the portable information terminal, IC card, or the like, for example, by bringing it close to the reader 31 (see FIG. 2) near the interface 4 . Here, the settlement system 3 may have a printer, and in that case, when the settlement process is completed, the printer can issue (print) a receipt or the like. However, it is not essential for the shopping support system 100 to accept the operation of the customer 90 and to issue a receipt in the settlement process.

In addition, the list of products 91 to be purchased and information such as the settlement amount may be transmitted from the settlement system 3 to a mobile information terminal (smartphone, tablet terminal, etc.) owned by the customer 90, a store terminal, or the like. As a result, it becomes possible to browse purchase information, issue receipts, etc., using a portable information terminal owned by the customer 90 or an information terminal different from the settlement system 3 . Furthermore, by transmitting the purchase information from the store terminal or the like to the server, even after leaving the store, the customer 90 can view the purchase information on the portable information terminal owned by the customer 90, or send the receipt to the portable information terminal. It is possible to issue

In this embodiment, the settlement system 3 is a computer system mainly composed of one or more processors and one or more memories as hardware. In this computer system, the functions of the settlement system 3 are realized by executing a program recorded in the memory by one or more processors. The program may be recorded in advance in the memory of the computer system, may be provided through an electric communication line, or may be provided by being recorded in a non-temporary recording medium such as an optical disc or hard disk drive that is readable by the computer system. good too.

The customer detection device 51, the trigger detection device 52, and the gate device 53 are connected together with the settlement system 3 to the control unit 40 of the reading system 1, which will be described later.

Customer detection device 51 detects the movement of customer 90 . The detection result of the customer detection device 51 is transmitted to the reading system 1 (control unit 40) and used in the reading process of product information in the reading system 1. FIG. That is, although the details will be described later, the reading system 1 reads product information according to the detection result of the customer detection device 51 . The customer detection device 51 is realized by, for example, a human sensor (for example, a pyroelectric sensor or an image sensor) that detects the approach of a person to the reading system 1 .

The trigger detection device 52 detects that the product 91 has been placed on the placement section 11 . Although details will be described later, when the trigger detection device 52 detects that the product 91 is placed on the placement unit 11 as a “trigger”, the control unit 40 of the reading system 1 detects the product by the reading device 2. Start reading information. The trigger detection device 52 is realized by, for example, an object sensor (for example, a weight sensor, an optical sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an image sensor, or the like) that detects the presence or absence of an object (product 91) on the placement section 11. be. Further, the trigger detection device 52 may be implemented by a non-contact sensor such as a light curtain or an area sensor that detects entry of an object (product 91) into the reading space Sp1 on the placement section 11, for example. . A sensor of the customer detection device 51 may also be used as the trigger detection device 52 .

As with the reading system 1, the gate device 53 is configured to read product information by performing radio communication with the electronic tag 93 attached to the product 91 using radio waves as a medium. The gate device 53 is installed at the exit of the store 8, for example. The gate device 53 is capable of two-way communication with the control unit 40 by wireless communication using radio waves as a medium. The gate device 53 performs non-contact communication with the electronic tag 93 attached to the product 91 held by the customer 90 when the customer 90 exits (leaves) the store 8 through the exit. At this time, the gate device 53 determines whether or not the product information read from the electronic tag 93 has been processed for settlement. In this embodiment, whether or not the settlement process for the product 91 has been completed is determined, for example, by the value of the settlement completion flag stored in the memory of the control unit 40 in association with the product information. For example, when the settlement process for the product 91 is completed, the value of the settlement completed flag for this product 91 becomes "1". Therefore, if the checkout flag corresponding to the product information read from the electronic tag 93 by the gate device 53 is "0", the checkout process is not completed. is determined to be complete.

If the product information read by the gate device 53 has not been subjected to settlement processing, the gate device 53, the shopping support system 100, the store terminal, or the like executes notification processing. That is, according to the gate device 53, it can be confirmed that the settlement process for the product 91 taken out from the store 8 has been completed normally.

A plurality of shopping support systems 100 as described above may be installed for one store 8, for example. In addition, the positional relationship, shape, and the like of each part of the shopping support system 100 in this embodiment are merely examples, and can be changed as appropriate.

(2.3) Reading System Next, a more detailed configuration of the reading system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4C.

The reading system 1 includes the main unit 10 and the reading device 2 as described above. In addition to the main unit 10 and the reading device 2, the reading system 1 further includes an interface 4 (see FIG. 3), a control unit 40 (see FIG. 3), and a connecting unit 41 (see FIG. 4B). I have. In this embodiment, the main unit 10, the reading device 2, the interface 4, the control unit 40, and the connecting unit 41 are all integrally provided.

The reading device 2 is a device that reads product information about the product 91 by performing wireless communication with the electronic tag 93 attached to the product 91 using radio waves as a medium. That is, the reading device 2 acquires product information stored in the electronic tag 93 by performing wireless communication with the electronic tag 93 attached to the product 91 . The reader 2 has an antenna 21 and a communication unit 20, and is a reader that constitutes an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system. The reading device 2 basically performs wireless communication with the electronic tag 93 attached to the product 91 placed on the placement unit 11, that is, the product 91 existing within the reading space Sp1.

The electronic tag 93 is, for example, a passive RF tag and has a memory for storing at least product information. Here, a plurality of electronic tags 93 are associated with a plurality of products 91 on a one-to-one basis. Product information about the corresponding product 91 is stored in the electronic tag 93 , and the electronic tag 93 is attached to the corresponding product 91 .

The electronic tag 93 may be attached to the product 91 in such a way that it can be handled together with the product 91, and there are various ways in which the electronic tag 93 is attached to the product 91. In this embodiment, as an example, the electronic tag 93 is in the form of a sticker and attached to the product 91 . In addition, the electronic tag 93 may be connected to the product 91 with a string or the like, integrated with the packing material of the product 91, embedded in the product 91, or embedded in the product 91. may be incorporated in Furthermore, for example, the electronic tag 93 may be printed directly on the product 91 itself or on the surface of the packing material of the product 91 by using a technique such as a coated semiconductor.

The antenna 21 transmits and receives radio waves as a communication medium to and from the electronic tag 93 for wireless communication. That is, in this embodiment, the antenna 21 transmits radio waves to the reading space Sp<b>1 in which the product 91 with the electronic tag 93 is placed, and receives the radio waves transmitted from the electronic tag 93 . That is, when the reader 2 reads product information, the antenna 21 receives at least radio waves from the electronic tag 93 . The antenna 21 may be either circularly polarized or linearly polarized, but in this embodiment, as an example, it is configured with a circularly polarized antenna. As an example in this embodiment, the antenna 21 is a microstrip antenna (patch antenna) in which a conductive path is formed on a printed wiring board. The configuration of the antenna 21 will be described in detail in the section "(2.4) Configuration of Antenna".

The communication unit 20 transmits radio waves from the antenna 21 to the electronic tag 93 and receives product information from the electronic tag 93 activated by the radio waves at the antenna 21 . The communication unit 20 measures the received signal strength of a wireless signal (radio waves) at least when product information is received. When the product information is received from the electronic tag 93, the communication unit 20 transmits the received signal strength to the control unit 40 in addition to the product information.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4A to 4C, the main body 10 has a tower shape having a length in the vertical direction. The reading system 1 is a stationary facility in which the main body 10 is installed at a predetermined position in the store 8 . The body portion 10 has the mounting portion 11 and the pair of side wall portions 12 as described above. In this embodiment, the main body portion 10 further has a housing portion 14 and a plurality of legs 15 in addition to the placement portion 11 and the pair of side wall portions 12 .

The housing part 14 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is longer in the front-rear direction than in the left-right direction in plan view. As an example, the housing part 14 is configured by combining a metal frame and a resin member. At least part of the reading device 2 (the communication unit 20 and the like), the control unit 40 and the like are accommodated in the housing unit 14 .

A plurality of (here, four) leg portions 15 are fixed to the lower surface of the housing portion 14 so as to protrude downward from the housing portion 14 . That is, the housing part 14 is installed at a predetermined position of the store 8 while being supported by the plurality of leg parts 15 . The length of each of the plurality of legs 15 can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the height of the housing 14 from the floor surface of the store 8 and the inclination of the housing 14. is. As an example, the height of the housing part 14 is adjusted so that the height of the upper end of the case 42 to be described later from the ground (floor surface of the store 8) is approximately 140 mm.

The placement portion 11 is a portion on which the product 91 is placed. In this embodiment, the upper surface of the housing portion 14 functions as the mounting portion 11 . That is, the placement portion 11 is a rectangular surface (flat surface) facing upward, and has strength enough to support the product 91 in a state where the product 91 is placed thereon. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the product 91 accommodated in the container 92 is placed on the placing section 11 together with the container 92 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, the placement section 11 has such a shape and size that at least a shopping basket as the container 92 can be placed thereon. As a result, a reading space Sp1 is formed above the housing portion 14, that is, above the placement portion 11. As shown in FIG.

Here, the mounting section 11 includes a first area 111 and a second area 112 . The second area 112 has a shape that makes it more difficult to place the product 91 on it than on the first area 111 . In other words, in the present embodiment, the placement section 11 has a shape that makes it difficult to place the product 91 on a part of the placement section 11, rather than on the entire area thereof. Specifically, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, the mounting portion 11 is divided into a first area 111 and a second area 112 in the front-rear direction. The second area 112 is located in front of the first area 111 (front side). That is, the front end portion of the upper surface of the housing portion 14 is the second area 112, and the other area is the first area. The first area 111 consists of a plane along the horizontal plane, and the second area 112 consists of an inclined surface inclined with respect to the horizontal plane. That is, the front end portion of the upper surface of the housing portion 14 is an inclined surface that is inclined so as to become lower toward the front end side, and this inclined surface constitutes the second region 112 of the mounting portion 11 .

By providing the second region 112 having such a shape (inclined surface), when placing the product 91 on the placement unit 11 for the customer 90, the product 91 is placed on the first region 111 instead of the second region 112. The product 91 can be guided to be placed. In short, the customer 90 is naturally encouraged to place the product 91 on the first area 111 where the product 91 is easily placed. As a result, it becomes easier to control the area of the placement section 11 on which the product 91 is placed. Here, in the first region 111 on which the product 91 is supposed to be placed in the placing portion 11, a protective plate having a relatively high hardness such as an acrylic plate or a glass plate is provided on the surface thereof. is preferably arranged.

The pair of side wall portions 12 are positioned on both sides in the left-right direction of the reading space Sp1. The pair of side wall portions 12 protrude upward from both left and right end portions of the upper surface (mounting portion 11 ) of the housing portion 14 . In this embodiment, each of the pair of side wall portions 12 is a plate-like member having a thickness, and is provided over the entire length of the housing portion 14 in the front-rear direction. As a result, the reading space Sp<b>1 is formed at a position surrounded by the mounting portion 11 and the pair of side wall portions 12 . In this embodiment, as an example, a rectangular parallelepiped space immediately above the mounting portion 11 and within the height range of the pair of side wall portions 12 is defined as the reading space Sp1. However, in practice, a space that is wider than directly above the mounting portion 11 and extends above the height of the pair of side wall portions 12 functions as the reading space Sp1.

Each of the pair of side wall portions 12 has radio wave shielding properties. Specifically, each of the pair of side wall portions 12 is formed in a hollow plate shape including an inner wall 121 (see FIG. 6B) and an outer wall 122 (see FIG. 6B) facing each other in the thickness direction. The antenna 21 is provided on at least one of the pair of side wall portions 12 , which will be described in detail in the section “(2.4) Configuration of Antenna”. That is, the reading device 2 has an antenna 21 that is provided on at least one of the pair of side wall portions 12 and receives radio waves. In this embodiment, antenna elements 213 and 214 included in the antenna 21 are arranged between the inner wall 121 and the outer wall 122 of each side wall portion 12 . Thus, in this embodiment, the antennas 21 are provided in both of the pair of side wall portions 12 in a built-in manner.

Out of the side walls 12, the outer wall 122 on the side opposite to the reading space Sp1 is made of metal having a relatively high electromagnetic shielding property. On the other hand, among the side walls 12, the inner wall 121 on the side of the reading space Sp1 is made of resin having relatively high radio wave transmittance. That is, each side wall portion 12 has a higher radio shielding property than the inner wall 121 on the side of the reading space Sp1 at the outer wall 122 on the side opposite to the reading space Sp1. has higher radio wave permeability than the outer wall 122 on the opposite side. Accordingly, each of the pair of side wall portions 12 has radio wave transparency at least in its inner wall 121, and blocks radio waves output from the antenna 21 to the reading space Sp1 and radio waves received by the antenna 21 from the reading space Sp1. Hateful. On the other hand, each of the pair of side wall portions 12 has at least the outer wall 122 with radio wave shielding properties, and the radio wave output from the antenna 21 to the reading space Sp1 is difficult to pass through each side wall portion 12 . Therefore, even when the output intensity of the radio wave output from the antenna 21 into the reading space Sp1 is set relatively high, it is possible to suppress the leakage of the radio wave to the outside of the pair of side wall portions 12 .

In particular, in the present embodiment, each side wall portion 12 has the outer wall 122 made of metal, so that the pair of side wall portions 12 reflects at least radio waves from the reading space Sp1 side. That is, the outer wall 122 made of metal has a property (radio wave reflectivity) of reflecting radio waves more easily than the inner wall 121 made of resin. As a result, radio waves are reflected by the pair of side walls 12, and at least part of the radio waves reaching the outer wall 122 of each side wall 12 from the reading space Sp1 can be returned to the side of the reading space Sp1. As a result, radio waves output from the antenna 21 to the reading space Sp1 for reading product information from the electronic tag 93 in the reading space Sp1 can be effectively used.

Here, in the present embodiment, a pair of openings 13 are positioned at least on both sides in the front-rear direction of the reading space Sp1. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the reading space Sp1 between the pair of side wall portions 12 is open on both sides in the front-rear direction, and each opening serves as the opening portion 13 . Any of the pair of openings 13 opened in the front-rear direction can be used as a port for taking out the product 91 from the reading space Sp1. In other words, each opening 13 is located between the inside and outside of the reading space Sp1 and has a shape and size that allows the product 91 to pass through.

Further, in this embodiment, in addition to the pair of openings 13 that are open in the front-rear direction, the reading space Sp1 is also open above. That is, the body portion 10 is open on the side opposite to the placement portion 11 when viewed from the reading space Sp1. As a result, the reading space Sp1 of the main body 10 is open on the front, rear, and top surfaces. In other words, the main body 10 covers only the lower surface, the left side surface, and the right side surface of the reading space Sp1 with the mounting portion 11 and the pair of side wall portions 12, and the other three surfaces are the opening surfaces. do. As a result, the reading space Sp1 can be accessed from a total of three sides of the reading space Sp1, that is, the front surface, the rear surface, and the upper surface, and the product 91 can be put in and taken out of the reading space Sp1 with great ease.

By the way, the interface 4 performs at least one of presenting the output information based on the product information to the customer 90 and accepting the operation of the customer 90 . The connecting portion 41 connects the main body portion 10 and the interface 4 .

In other words, the interface 4 is a device that presents various types of information to the customer 90 and/or receives operations from the customer 90 . The interface 4 receives the operation of the customer 90 by touch input, gesture detection, or the like, for example. As an example in this embodiment, the interface 4 includes a touch panel display. A reader 31 is provided near the interface 4 . The interface 4 may accept an operation of bringing an IC (Integrated Circuit) card or a mobile information terminal (such as a smart phone or a wearable terminal) close to the reader 31 by short-range wireless communication, for example. Alternatively, the interface 4 may accept an operation of causing the reader 31 to optically read the two-dimensional code displayed on a mobile information terminal or the like by holding the reader 31 over the two-dimensional code. Further, the interface 4 includes a microphone and has a function of performing speech recognition and semantic analysis processing on the audio signal input to the microphone. Therefore, the customer 90 can also operate by voice (voice input). The interface 4 includes a speaker and can present various information to the customer 90 by voice.

In the present embodiment, the connecting portion 41 is composed of a side panel attached to both lateral side surfaces of the main body portion 10 . That is, the reading system 1 has a pair of connecting portions 41 , and the body portion 10 and the interface 4 are connected by the pair of connecting portions 41 . Specifically, the pair of connecting portions 41 are attached to both side surfaces in the left-right direction of the main body portion 10 and hold the case 42 so as to be sandwiched between the upper portions thereof. Here, the case 42 is arranged with a predetermined gap in the vertical direction from the upper ends of the pair of side wall portions 12 . As a result, a sufficient space is secured above the reading space Sp1 for taking the product 91 into and out of the reading space Sp1.

Case 42 is a member for holding interface 4 . In this embodiment, the case 42 also accommodates the settlement system 3 . Here, the case 42 is formed in the shape of a triangular prism and attached so that the interface 4 faces the front. That is, the interface 4 is arranged facing the front of the reading system 1 assuming presentation (display) of information to the customer 90 present in front of the reading system 1 and acceptance of operations.

In this embodiment, the connecting portion 41 also serves as wiring for electrically connecting the control portion 40 housed in the housing portion 14 of the main body portion 10 and the interface 4 . In other words, the connecting portion 41 not only mechanically connects the body portion 10 and the interface 4 but also electrically connects them. However, the connecting portion 41 may mechanically connect at least the main body portion 10 and the interface 4 , and the electrical connection between the main body portion 10 and the interface 4 may be performed by means other than the connecting portion 41 .

The control unit 40 is mainly composed of a microcontroller having one or more processors and one or more memories. That is, the functions of the control unit 40 are realized by the processor of the microcontroller executing a program recorded in the memory of the microcontroller. The program may be pre-recorded in a memory, may be provided through an electric communication line such as the Internet, or may be provided by being recorded in a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card.

The control unit 40 is connected to the reading device 2, the interface 4, the customer detection device 51, the trigger detection device 52, the gate device 53, and the settlement system 3, as shown in FIG. The control unit 40 issues an instruction to start and end wireless communication with the electronic tag 93 in at least the reader 2 . Specifically, when starting wireless communication between the reading device 2 and the electronic tag 93, the control unit 40 controls the reading device 2 so that the reading device 2 starts outputting radio waves for wireless communication. . When the wireless communication between the reader 2 and the electronic tag 93 is terminated, the control unit 40 controls the reader 2 so as to stop the output of radio waves for wireless communication from the reader 2 .

In this embodiment, the control unit 40 causes the reading device 2 to start reading product information according to the detection results of the customer detection device 51 and the trigger detection device 52 . Here, the control unit 40 causes the reading device 2 to start reading product information when an event related to the action of placing the product 91 in the reading space Sp1 occurs. That is, the reading device 2 does not always read product information, but when an event related to placing the product 91 in the reading space Sp1 occurs, the reading device 2 starts reading product information. The reading device 2 only needs to start reading product information based on the detection results of the customer detection device 51 and the trigger detection device 52, and starts reading the product information when a predetermined waiting time elapses after receiving the detection result. may be started.

Furthermore, the control unit 40 causes the reading device 2 to finish reading product information according to the detection results of the customer detection device 51 and the trigger detection device 52 . That is, when the trigger detection device 52 detects that the product 91 is taken out from the reading space Sp1, the reading device 2 finishes reading the product information. The reading device 2 only needs to finish reading the product information based on the detection results of the customer detection device 51 and the trigger detection device 52, and the reading of the product information is finished when a predetermined standby time elapses from the time when the detection result is received. may be terminated.

From the above, in the reading device 2, wireless communication with the electronic tag 93 is performed only during the required period, that is, the period during which the product 91 is put into the reading space Sp1. can be suppressed from being output, and the power consumption of the reading device 2 can be suppressed. Furthermore, since wireless communication with the electronic tag 93 is performed only during a necessary period, the reading device 2 can, for example, be outside the reading space Sp1 even if the output intensity (transmission intensity) of the radio wave used for wireless communication is increased. False detection of product information from a certain electronic tag 93 can be suppressed. As a result, the reading device 2 can increase the output intensity (transmission intensity) of radio waves used for wireless communication.

(2.4) Antenna Configuration Next, a more detailed configuration of the antenna 21 of the reading system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7B. 5 to 6C show the body portion 10 with the pair of connecting portions 41 removed. 6B is a cross-sectional view along line A1-A1 of FIG. 6A, and FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view along line B1-B1 of FIG. 6B. In FIG. 5, illustration of the fixture 143 is omitted.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the antenna 21 includes a plurality of antenna elements 211, 212, 213, and 214 (here, four antenna elements). ) of antenna elements 211-214. Each of the plurality of antenna elements 211 to 214 is a rectangular plate-like microstrip antenna (patch antenna). Each of the antenna elements 211 to 214, which are patch antennas, can efficiently radiate radio waves only on one side in the thickness direction. A plurality of such antenna elements 211 to 214 are all provided in the main body 10. FIG.

Specifically, among the plurality of antenna elements 211 to 214, the first and second antenna elements 211 and 212 are accommodated in the housing section 14. As shown in FIG. That is, the antenna elements 211 and 212 are arranged below the mounting portion 11 . Therefore, in the present embodiment, the antenna 21 includes lower antenna elements (antenna elements 211 and 212) provided below the mounting portion 11. As shown in FIG. Antenna elements 211 and 212 respectively correspond to lower antenna elements. Thus, in this embodiment, the lower antenna element includes a plurality of antenna elements (antenna elements 211 and 212).

Each of these antenna elements 211 and 212 is arranged with one side in the thickness direction facing the reading space Sp1 so that the radio wave radiation direction is directed toward the reading space Sp1. In other words, the antenna elements 211 and 212 positioned below the mounting portion 11 are accommodated in the housing portion 14 in such a direction that one surface in the thickness direction, which serves as a radio wave radiation surface, faces upward.

Here, the body portion 10 further has a separation portion 16 (see FIGS. 6B and 6C) positioned between the mounting portion 11 and the lower antenna elements (antenna elements 211 and 212). The spacing portion 16 has radio wave transparency. In this embodiment, as an example, the antenna elements 211 and 212 are supported within the housing 14 by fixtures 143 so as to be positioned at appropriate heights within the housing 14 . A space is secured between the antenna elements 211 and 212 and the mounting portion 11 (an upper wall 141 to be described later) by the fixture 143 , and this space constitutes the separation portion 16 . In other words, the spacing portion 16 is made up of space. However, the separating portion 16 is not limited to a space, and may be made of, for example, a resin material. Due to such a spacing portion 16, a spacing D1 is provided between the mounting portion 11, which is the upper surface of the housing portion 14, and the antenna elements 211 and 212, which are the lower antenna elements, as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C. is ensured. As a result, even when the antenna elements 211 and 212 have radiation characteristics of radio waves that spread radially, the radio waves from the antenna elements 211 and 212 can easily reach every corner of the reading space Sp1 above the mounting portion 11 .

Also, the two antenna elements 211 and 212 as the lower antenna elements are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction without a gap. By arranging the two antenna elements 211 and 212 side by side in this manner, the radiation range of radio waves from the antenna elements 211 and 212 can be widened in the left-right direction compared to one antenna element 211 . That is, if the lower antenna element is one antenna element 211, blind spots where the radio waves do not reach the corners of the reading space Sp1 are likely to occur due to the radiation characteristics of the radio waves that spread radially. Even if the lower antenna element is one antenna element 211, by sufficiently separating the antenna element 211 from the mounting portion 11, it is possible to make it easier for radio waves to reach corners of the reading space Sp1. However, in this case, it is necessary to increase the distance between the mounting portion 11 and the antenna element 211, which leads to an increase in the size (vertical dimension) of the housing portion 14. FIG. On the other hand, by arranging the two antenna elements 211 and 212 side by side as in the present embodiment, blind spots are less likely to occur in the reading space Sp1 and the size of the casing 14 can be kept relatively small.

More specifically, the housing part 14 is formed in a hollow shape including an upper wall 141 and a lower wall 142 facing each other in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the antenna elements 211 and 212 included in the antenna 21 are arranged between the upper wall 141 and the lower wall 142 of the housing section 14 .

A lower wall 142 of the housing portion 14 on the side opposite to the reading space Sp1 is made of metal having a relatively high electromagnetic shielding property. On the other hand, the upper wall 141 of the housing 14 on the side of the reading space Sp1 is made of resin having relatively high radio wave transmittance. That is, the lower wall 142 on the side opposite to the reading space Sp1 of the housing 14 has a higher radio shielding property than the upper wall 141 on the reading space Sp1 side, and the upper wall 141 on the reading space Sp1 side has a higher radio wave shielding property. It has higher radio wave transmittance than the lower wall 142 on the side opposite to the space Sp1. As a result, at least the upper wall 141 of the housing 14 has radio wave transparency, and radio waves output from the antenna 21 to the reading space Sp1 and radio waves received by the antenna 21 from the reading space Sp1 are less likely to be blocked. On the other hand, at least the lower wall 142 of the casing 14 has radio wave shielding properties, and radio waves output from the antenna 21 to the reading space Sp<b>1 are less likely to pass through the casing 14 . Therefore, even when the output intensity of the radio wave output from the antenna 21 into the reading space Sp1 is set relatively high, it is possible to suppress the leakage of the radio wave to the outside of the casing 14 .

On the other hand, among the plurality of antenna elements 211 to 214, the third and fourth antenna elements 213, 214 are provided on the pair of side wall portions 12, respectively. That is, the antenna elements 213 and 214 are antenna elements arranged between the inner wall 121 and the outer wall 122 of each side wall portion 12, respectively, as described above. In other words, the antenna 21 includes a pair of side antenna elements (antenna elements 213 and 214) provided on both of the pair of side wall portions 12. As shown in FIG. Antenna elements 213 and 214 correspond to side antenna elements, respectively. Thus, in this embodiment, the side antenna elements also include a plurality of antenna elements (antenna elements 213 and 214).

Each of these antenna elements 213 and 214 is arranged with one side in the thickness direction facing the reading space Sp1 so that the radio wave radiation direction is directed toward the reading space Sp1. That is, the antenna elements 213 and 214 incorporated in each side wall portion 12 are housed in the side wall portion 12 in such a direction that one side in the thickness direction, which serves as a radio wave radiation surface, faces the inner side (the inner wall 121 side). there is In other words, the antenna elements 213 and 214 are arranged so that one side in the thickness direction, which serves as a radio wave radiation surface, faces each other.

Here, as shown in FIG. 6C, the pair of side antenna elements (antenna elements 213 and 214) are arranged such that their centers P3 and P4 are separated from each other when viewed from one side in the left and right direction. In the example of FIG. 6C, the center P3 (center of gravity) of the antenna element 213 and the center P4 (center of gravity) of the antenna element 214 are separated from each other by a distance D2 in the front-rear direction. That is, the antenna element 213 and the antenna element 214 provided on the pair of side wall portions 12 are arranged at mutually shifted positions within a plane perpendicular to the facing direction (horizontal direction). In this embodiment, the antenna element 213 and the antenna element 214 are arranged such that their centers P3 and P4 are spaced apart from each other while leaving an overlapping region when viewed from one of the left and right directions. is set.

The effect of displacing the pair of side antenna elements (antenna elements 213 and 214) in this manner will be described with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B. 7A and 7B are explanatory diagrams schematically showing the reading space Sp1, the antenna elements 213 and 214, and the sensitivity distribution in plan view. The "sensitivity distribution" referred to here is the distribution in the reading space Sp1 of the radio wave reception sensitivity of the antenna element 213 and/or the antenna element 214. In FIGS. It is shaded (hatched). 7A and 7B, "I" represents the sensitivity distribution of only the antenna element 213, "II" represents the sensitivity distribution of only the antenna element 214, and "III" represents the synthesis result of the sensitivity distributions of the antenna elements 213 and 214. is shown.

Here, as a premise, in the present embodiment, the antenna 21 is configured as a circularly polarized antenna. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that the electronic tag 93 has a flat rectangular shape with a length direction D1, a width direction D2, and a thickness direction D3 defined. In such a combination, reception of radio waves from the electronic tag 93 by the antenna elements 213 and 214 may become unstable depending on the orientation of the electronic tag 93 with respect to the antenna elements 213 and 214 . For example, when the radio wave radiation surface of the antenna element 213 (or 214) is orthogonal to the length direction D1 of the electronic tag 93, the radio wave from the electronic tag 93 of the antenna element 213 (or 214) is within the reading space Sp1. reception becomes unstable. A point in the reading space Sp1 at which reception of radio waves becomes unstable is called a "null point". If the electronic tag 93 is positioned at such a null point, reading product information from the electronic tag 93 may be difficult.

FIG. 7A shows a comparative example in which the centers P3 and P4 of the antenna elements 213 and 214 are not separated from each other when viewed from one of the left and right directions. Here, for antenna element 213, the null point as described above occurs near normal L1 passing through the center of the radiation surface of antenna element 213, and for antenna element 214, the normal line L1 passing through the center of the radiation surface of antenna element 214 occurs. It tends to occur near L2. That is, regions R1 and R2 shown in FIG. 7A each indicate null points. In this comparative example, normal L1 passing through the center of the radiation surface of antenna element 213 and normal L2 passing through the center of the radiation surface of antenna element 214 are located on the same straight line. Then, even in the synthesis result of the sensitivity distributions of the antenna element 213 and the antenna element 214, shown by "III" in FIG. Sometimes.

In contrast, FIG. 7B shows the configuration of this embodiment in which the centers P3 and P4 of the antenna element 213 and the antenna element 214 are spaced apart from each other when viewed from one of the left and right directions. Here, for antenna element 213, the null point as described above occurs near normal L1 passing through the center of the radiation surface of antenna element 213, and for antenna element 214, the normal line L1 passing through the center of the radiation surface of antenna element 214 occurs. It tends to occur near L2. That is, regions R1 and R2 shown in FIG. 7B each indicate null points. In this embodiment, the normal L1 passing through the center of the radiation surface of the antenna element 213 and the normal L2 passing through the center of the radiation surface of the antenna element 214 are deviated in the front-rear direction. Therefore, in the synthesized result of the sensitivity distributions of the antenna element 213 and the antenna element 214, indicated by "III" in FIG. Easy to avoid.

In short, in this embodiment, since the antenna element 213 and the antenna element 214 are arranged with a shift, the area R1 as the null point of the antenna element 213 can be covered by the antenna element 214, and the area as the null point of the antenna element 214 can be covered by the antenna element 214. R2 can be covered by antenna element 213 . In this way, it is preferable that the deviation width (D2) of the antenna element 213 and the antenna element 214 is set so that the null points generated near the normal lines L1 and L2 passing through the centers of the antenna elements 213 and 214 can complement each other.

(2.5) Usage Example of Shopping Support System Next, a usage example of the shopping support system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 8 to 10. FIG.

Here, as an example, as shown in FIG. 1, a customer 90 picks up a product 91 to be purchased from among a plurality of products displayed in a store 8, puts it in a container 92 (shopping basket), and provides shopping assistance. Assume that the system 100 performs settlement processing. That is, the shopping support system 100 reads product information with the reading system 1, and executes settlement processing with the settlement system based on this product information.

First, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 9C, an example of using the shopping support system 100 when one customer 90 purchases a product 91 will be described. In FIGS. 8 and 9A, a plurality of customers 90 are drawn in one drawing, but this shows one customer 90 before and after movement. not represent. In FIGS. 8 and 9A, a plurality of containers 92 containing products 91 are depicted. does not represent

Basically, the customer 90 walks along the flow line M1 from the front of the shopping support system 100 (main unit 10) holding a container 92 containing (here, a plurality of) products 91 to be purchased. 100 (main body part 10) is approached. 9A, the customer 90 who has reached the front of the shopping support system 100 puts the product 91 on the placing section 11 of the main body 10 of the reading system 1 from the front side of the shopping support system 100. Place every 92. At this time, the product 91 enters the reading space Sp<b>1 on the placement unit 11 through the front opening 13 .

Here, in this embodiment, as described above, the control unit 40 causes the reading device 2 to start reading product information according to the detection results of the customer detection device 51 and the trigger detection device 52 . Therefore, when the product 91 is placed on the placement unit 11 , the reading device 2 reads the product information from the electronic tag 93 attached to the product 91 .

When reading product information, the reading device 2 preferably uses the antenna elements 211 to 214 included in the antenna 21 one by one instead of using the plurality of antenna elements 211 to 214 included in the antenna 21 at the same time. As an example, the reader 2 uses the plurality of antenna elements 211 to 214 in the order of antenna element 211, antenna element 212, antenna element 213, and antenna element 214 to perform wireless communication with the electronic tag 93. FIG.

Here, when a plurality of commodities 91 are stored in the container 92, the reader 2 collects the commodity information of the plurality of commodities 91 from the plurality of electronic tags 93 attached to the plurality of commodities 91. It is readable. The reading device 2 may collectively read a plurality of product information from a plurality of electronic tags 93, or may read product information one by one. However, it is not essential that the plurality of commodities 91 are stored in the container 92, and the reader 2 reads the plurality of electronic tags 93 attached to the plurality of commodities 91 that are not stored in the container 92. product information of the product 91 may be collectively read.

In short, in the reading system 1 according to the present embodiment, the reading device 2 reads product information of a plurality of products 91 in a container 92 in a state in which one container 92 containing a plurality of products 91 is arranged in the reading space Sp1. read. As a result, once the customer 90 stores a plurality of products 91 in the container 92, the customer 90 can handle the plurality of products 91 together without disassembling them until the settlement process is completed.

After reading the product information of the product 91 to be purchased, the reading system 1 presents the output information based on this product information to the customer 90 by displaying it on the interface 4 . Specifically, a confirmation screen including a purchase list, which is a list of information about the product 91 related to the read product information, is displayed. The customer 90 confirms the purchase list, and if there is no problem, operates the "purchase button" on the confirmation screen. When the “purchase button” is operated on the interface 4 , the reading system 1 transmits the product information of the product 91 to be purchased to the settlement system 3 .

When receiving the product information of the product 91 to be purchased from the reading system 1, the settlement system 3 executes settlement processing based on this product information. The settlement process is realized, for example, by short-range wireless communication between the mobile information terminal, IC card, or the like and the settlement system 3, as described above. In this case, the customer 90 causes the settlement system 3 to perform settlement processing by operating a portable information terminal, an IC card, or the like, close to the reader 31 near the interface 4 or holding the two-dimensional code over the reader 31 . When the settlement process is normally performed, the settlement process is completed, and the completion of the settlement process is presented to the customer 90 through the interface 4. FIG.

The customer 90 remains in front of the shopping support system 100 (main unit 10) after placing the product 91 on the placing unit 11 until the settlement process is completed. On the other hand, when the settlement process is completed, the customer 90 passes through the side of the shopping support system 100 (the left side in the example of FIG. 8) along the flow line M2 as shown in FIG. wrap around behind. Then, the customer 90 who has reached behind the shopping support system 100 takes out the product 91 on the placing section 11 together with the container 92 from the rear side of the shopping support system 100, as shown in FIG. 9B. At this time, the product 91 is taken out from the reading space Sp<b>1 on the placement unit 11 through the rear opening 13 .

The customer 90 who has received the products 91 for which the settlement process has been completed together with the container 92 leaves the shopping support system 100 (main unit 10) backward along the flow line M2, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9C. After that, the customer 90 packs the product 91 in the container 92 on, for example, a packing table 81 (see FIG. 10) installed in the store 8, and then brings the product 91 home. In other words, the customer 90 who has finished shopping leaves the store 8 with the product 91 .

According to the shopping support system 100 according to the present embodiment, reading of product information to settlement processing can be executed by the series of operations described above, and the customer 90 can smoothly purchase the product 91. can be done. In particular, by setting the direction of approach and withdrawal of the customer 90 to the shopping support system 100 (main unit 10) in different directions when viewed from the shopping support system 100 (main unit 10), it is possible for the customer 90 to purchase the product 91. It becomes easier to shorten the waiting time for That is, according to the shopping support system 100 according to the present embodiment, a pair of openings 13 are positioned at least on both sides in the front-rear direction of the reading space Sp1, and both of the pair of openings 13 are positioned from the reading space Sp1. It can be used as an outlet for the product 91 . Therefore, according to the shopping support system 100, the product 91 can be put in and taken out from the reading space Sp1 through the pair of openings 13 provided on the front and rear sides of the main body 10. , the product 91 can be taken out from the rear of the body portion 10. - 特許庁As a result, the flow line M1 of the customer 90 when approaching the main body 10 and the flow line M2 of the customer 90 when leaving the main body 10 can be set as one-way flow lines heading backward.

On the other hand, if the product 91 can be put in and taken out of the reading space Sp1 only through the single opening 13 provided in front of the main body 10, the customer 90 can put the product 91 on and off. Both the time of taking out the . In this case, the direction in which the customer 90 approaches and leaves the shopping support system 100 (main unit 10 ) is the same direction when viewed from the main unit 10 . As a result, the line of flow of the customer 90 when approaching the main unit 10 and the line of flow of the customer 90 when leaving the main unit 10 are opposite to each other. The waiting time for

In short, by making the flow line one-way as in this embodiment, it is easy for one customer 90 to realize a smooth flow of customers 90, and as a result, the waiting time for purchasing the product 91 is reduced. It becomes easier to shorten. As an example, if the shopping support system 100 (main unit 10) is installed on the line of flow from the sales floor to the exit of the store 8, the customer 90 uses the shopping support system 100 on the way from the sales floor to the exit. The product 91 can be purchased. In this manner, the shopping support system 100 according to the present embodiment can eliminate unnecessary flow lines of the customer 90 and realize efficient shopping.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, when there are multiple customers 90 forming a queue behind the customer 90 who is using the shopping support system 100, the multiple customers 90 also It becomes easier to shorten the waiting time for purchasing the product 91 . That is, since the product 91 can be placed from the front of the main body 10 and taken out from the rear of the main body 10, the customer 90 can promptly follow the flow line M1 when the payment processing is completed. The front of 100 (main body part 10) can be opened. Thereby, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, the customer 90 at the head of the queue can quickly use the shopping support system 100 along the flow line M1. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the waiting time of the plurality of customers 90 forming the queue.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10, by installing, for example, a packing table 81 behind the shopping support system 100 (main unit 10), it is possible to prevent the movement of the customer 90 along such a one-way flow line. can also be promoted. A shopping bag 82 is prepared on the packing table 81 , and the customer 90 who has completed the settlement process transfers the product 91 from the container 92 to the shopping bag 82 on the packing table 81 . As described above, according to the shopping support system 100 according to the present embodiment, the degree of freedom in designing the flow line of the customer 90 in the store 8 and the layout of the packing table 81 and the like increases.

(3) Modifications Embodiment 1 is merely one of various embodiments of the present disclosure. Embodiment 1 can be modified in various ways according to design and the like, as long as the object of the present disclosure can be achieved. In addition, the drawings referred to in this disclosure are all schematic diagrams, and the ratio of the size and thickness of each component in the drawings does not necessarily reflect the actual dimensional ratio. . Also, functions similar to those of the shopping support system 100 may be embodied by a shopping support method, a (computer) program, or a non-temporary recording medium recording the program. Modifications of the first embodiment are listed below. Modifications described below can be applied in combination as appropriate.

(3.1) First Modification The reading system 1 according to the first modification further includes an auxiliary wall 17 as shown in FIG. Of the pair of openings 13 (see FIG. 5), the auxiliary wall 17 blocks the opening 13 that is on the far side of the reading space Sp1 (see FIG. 5) in the flow line direction of the customer 90 purchasing the product 91. , is detachably attached to the body portion 10 .

That is, the auxiliary wall 17 is attached to the main body 10 so as to block the rear opening 13 of the pair of openings 13 positioned on both sides in the front-rear direction of the reading space Sp1. The auxiliary wall 17 is a rectangular plate-shaped member, and is preferably made of metal or the like and has radio wave shielding properties. The auxiliary wall 17 is fixed to the main body 10 so as to connect the rear ends of the pair of side walls 12 . As a result, the reading space Sp1 on the mounting portion 11 is covered with the mounting portion 11, the pair of side wall portions 12, and the auxiliary wall 17 on the lower surface, the left side, the right side, and the rear surface. As a result, the reading space Sp1 is in a state in which only the front surface and the upper surface are opened.

Depending on the layout of the store 8 , for example, the main body 10 may be installed by the wall, and a space behind the main body 10 for people to enter may not be secured. With such a layout, the product 91 is not put in and taken out from the opening 13 behind the reading space Sp1, so the opening 13 behind the reading space Sp1 can be closed with the auxiliary wall 17 as in the present modification. preferable. This makes it possible for the auxiliary wall 17 to suppress the leakage of radio waves from the reading space Sp1 to the rear, the dropping of the product 91, and the like.

(3.2) Second Modification A reading system 1 according to a second modification differs from the reading system 1 according to the first embodiment in appearance, as illustrated in FIGS. 12A to 13C.

The reading system 1 shown in FIG. 12A employs a cantilever shape in which the interface 4 is connected to the main body 10 only at one connecting portion 41 in the left-right direction. In particular, in the example of FIG. 12A, the connecting portion 41 is integrated with the side wall portion 12 so as to protrude upward from the upper end of the right side wall portion 12 of the pair of side wall portions 12 . In this case, the flow line M2 of the customer 90 is, as illustrated in FIGS. It is preferable to move 10 backwards. That is, it is preferable that the cantilevered connecting portion 41 be positioned on the opposite side of the flow line M2 of the customer 90 who purchases the product 91 when viewed from the reading space Sp1. Since the connecting portion 41 does not exist between the reading space Sp1 and the flow line M2 of the customer 90, the connecting portion 41 is less likely to be an obstacle when the customer 90 puts the product 91 in and out of the reading space Sp1.

In the reading system 1 shown in FIG. 12B, the directions of the interface 4 and the case 42 are different compared to the example in FIG. 12A. That is, in FIG. 12B, the interface 4 is arranged facing left so as to face the flow line M2 side of the customer 90 . This configuration makes it easier for the customer 90 who moves along the flow line M2 to use the interface 4 .

In the reading system 1 shown in FIG. 12C, the longitudinal dimensions of the connecting portion 41 and the case 42 are reduced compared to the example of FIG. 12B. According to this configuration, the connecting portion 41 and the case 42 are less likely to interfere when the customer 90 puts the product 91 in and out of the reading space Sp1.

In the reading system 1 shown in FIG. 13A , the interface 4 and the main body section 10 are connected by using a monitor arm attached to the main body section 10 as a connecting section 41 . The connecting portion 41 is fixed to the right side wall portion 12 of the pair of side wall portions 12 . The interface 4 is fixed toward the front of the main body 10 by a connecting portion 41 .

In the reading system 1 shown in FIG. 13B, the orientation of the interface 4 is different compared to the example in FIG. 13A. That is, in FIG. 13B, the interface 4 is arranged facing left so as to face the flow line M2 side of the customer 90 . This configuration makes it easier for the customer 90 who moves along the flow line M2 to use the interface 4 . The configuration shown in FIG. 13B can be realized by adjusting the angle of the monitor arm as the connecting portion 41 in the configuration shown in FIG. 13A.

In the reading system 1 shown in FIG. 13C, the interface 4 is provided in a part of the body section 10. As shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 13C , the interface 4 and the reader 31 are arranged on a part of the placement section 11 of the main body section 10 . It is preferable that the interface 4 is arranged particularly in a part of the placement section 11 that becomes the second area 112 where the product 91 is not placed. This configuration eliminates the need for the connecting portion 41 and facilitates miniaturization of the shopping support system 100 .

The external shapes shown in FIGS. 12A to 13C are merely examples, and the reading system 1 may employ other external shapes. For example, the cantilevered connecting portion 41 as shown in FIGS. 12A to 13B may be arranged not only on the right side of the reading space Sp1 but also on the left side of the reading space Sp1. In this case, it is preferable that the line of flow of the customer 90 is set on the opposite side of the connecting portion 41 when viewed from the reading space Sp1, that is, on the right side.

(3.3) Other Modifications Hereinafter, modifications of the first embodiment other than the first and second modifications will be listed.

The reading system 1 and the shopping support system 100 in the present disclosure include a computer system in, for example, the control unit 40 and the like. A computer system is mainly composed of a processor and a memory as hardware. Functions as the reading system 1 and the shopping support system 100 in the present disclosure are realized by the processor executing a program recorded in the memory of the computer system. The program may be recorded in advance in the memory of the computer system, may be provided through an electric communication line, or may be recorded in a non-temporary recording medium such as a computer system-readable memory card, optical disk, or hard disk drive. may be provided. A processor in a computer system consists of one or more electronic circuits, including semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) or large scale integrated circuits (LSIs). The integrated circuit such as IC or LSI referred to here is called differently depending on the degree of integration, and includes integrated circuits called system LSI, VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration), or ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration). In addition, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) that is programmed after the LSI is manufactured, or a logic device capable of reconfiguring the bonding relationship inside the LSI or reconfiguring the circuit partitions inside the LSI may also be adopted as the processor. can be done. A plurality of electronic circuits may be integrated into one chip, or may be distributed over a plurality of chips. A plurality of chips may be integrated in one device, or may be distributed in a plurality of devices. A computer system, as used herein, includes a microcontroller having one or more processors and one or more memories. Accordingly, the microcontroller also consists of one or more electronic circuits including semiconductor integrated circuits or large scale integrated circuits.

In addition, it is not an essential configuration of shopping support system 100 that a plurality of functions of shopping support system 100 are integrated in one housing, and the constituent elements of shopping support system 100 are distributed over a plurality of housings. may be provided. Furthermore, at least part of the functions of shopping support system 100 may be realized by, for example, a server device and the cloud (cloud computing). Conversely, in Embodiment 1, at least some of the functions of shopping support system 100 distributed among multiple devices may be integrated into one housing.

Moreover, the application of the shopping support system 100 is not limited to clothing stores, and the shopping support system 100 may be installed in stores other than clothing stores.

Further, the electronic tag 93 is not limited to a passive RF tag, and may be an active RF tag.

Further, the container 92 that stores the products 91 is not limited to a shopping basket, and may be, for example, a bag (a shopping bag), a bag, a box, or the like.

In addition, it is not essential for the shopping support system 100 that the customer 90 picks up the product 91 and stores the product 91 in the container 92 at the same time. For example, the customer 90 may store the product 91 in the container 92 after picking up the product 91 before starting the checkout process, or may store the product 91 in the container 92 after the checkout process. In this case, the work of storing the product 91 in the container 92 may not be performed by the customer 90. For example, the product 91 may be stored in the container 92 and displayed in the store 8. It may be done automatically using, etc.

Further, it is not essential for the reading system 1 that the antenna 21 has the plurality of antenna elements 211 to 214, and the antenna 21 may have only one of the plurality of antenna elements. Furthermore, even when the antenna 21 has a plurality of antenna elements 211-214, the number of the antenna elements 211-214 is not limited to four, and may be two, three, or five or more. Also, the arrangement of the antenna elements 211 to 214 is not limited to the configuration shown in the first embodiment, and two or more antenna elements may be arranged on each of the pair of side wall portions 12, for example. An antenna element may be arranged only on one of the pair of side wall portions 12 .

Further, the reading device 2 is not limited to the configuration in which the product information is read from the electronic tag 93 attached to the product 91 while the product 91 is contained in the container 92 , and the product 91 is not contained in the container 92 . Product information may be read from the electronic tag 93 . In this case, after the product information is read by the reading device 2 , the product 91 may or may not be stored in the container 92 .

Further, the container 92 is not limited to a container such as a shopping basket used by the customer 90 in the store 8, but may be a container such as a personal basket, a bag, or an eco-bag used by the customer 90 to bring back the purchased product 91. good too. In this case, after the product information is read, there is no need to perform the work of putting the product 91 into the container 92 (so-called bagging work), and the product 91 stored in the container 92 can be brought home together with the container 92 as it is. can. As a result, the shopping efficiency of the customer 90 can be further improved.

Further, the ability of the control unit 40 to communicate with the settlement system 3 is not an essential configuration of the shopping support system 100 , and the control unit 40 may not be able to communicate with the settlement system 3 . For example, the control unit 40 itself may have a function of performing settlement processing for the product 91 based on the product information.

Moreover, the shopping support system 100 may further include a writing device that writes write information to the electronic tag 93 attached to the product 91 . Specifically, the reading device 2, which is a reader/writer capable of reading and writing data (information) on the electronic tag 93, may also be used as the writing device. As an example, the writing device writes, to the electronic tag 93, payment completion information indicating that the payment processing for the product 91 to which the electronic tag 93 is attached has been completed. In this case, it is possible for the gate device 53 to determine whether or not settlement information has been written to the electronic tag 93, and to perform notification processing if the settlement information has not been written. That is, in the case of realizing a so-called "kill tag" function in the writing device, even if the control unit 40 does not set the value of the checkout flag to "1", Regarding 91, it can be confirmed that the settlement process has been completed normally.

Moreover, the customer detection device 51, the trigger detection device 52, and the gate device 53 are not essential components of the shopping support system 100, and at least one of the customer detection device 51, the trigger detection device 52, and the gate device 53 is omitted as appropriate. may have been For example, the trigger detection device 52 can be omitted as appropriate. In this case, the control unit 40 starts reading product information triggered by, for example, the interface 4 receiving a specific operation from the customer 90. good too. That is, the timing to start reading the product information is not limited to being automatically determined by an objective sensor or the like, and may be determined by the customer 90's operation.

Further, the interface 4, the control unit 40 and the connection unit 41 are not essential components of the reading system 1, and at least one of the interface 4, the control unit 40 and the connection unit 41 may be omitted as appropriate.

Further, the antenna 21 is not limited to a microstrip antenna (patch antenna), and may be, for example, a monopole antenna, an inverted F-shaped antenna, a slot antenna, or the like. The antenna 21 is not limited to circularly polarized waves, and may be, for example, elliptically polarized or linearly polarized antennas.

Further, it is not essential that the pair of side wall portions 12 reflect radio waves from the reading space Sp1 side, and the pair of side wall portions 12 may have radio wave shielding properties by having radio wave absorption characteristics. In this case, each side wall portion 12 is, for example, formed of a radio wave absorber or radio wave absorbing material (RAM: Radar absorbent material) that absorbs radio waves and reduces reflected waves. This suppresses interference of radio waves caused by multiple reflection of radio waves. That is, each side wall portion 12 should realize radio wave shielding properties by performing at least one of reflection and absorption of radio waves. Further, the radio wave shielding property may be realized by, for example, metal vapor deposition or attachment of a metal sheet to the pair of side wall portions 12 .

Moreover, it is not essential that the mounting portion 11 includes the first area 111 and the second area 112, and the second area 112 may be omitted. That is, the placing portion 11 may have a shape (for example, a flat surface along a horizontal plane) on which the product 91 can be easily placed. Further, the second region 112 is not limited to the inclined surface as in the first embodiment, and may be, for example, an inclined surface that is inclined so as to become higher toward the front end side, an uneven surface, an R surface (curved surface), or the like. There may be.

Moreover, the connecting portion 41 may mechanically connect at least the main body portion 10 and the interface 4, and connects the main body portion 10 and the interface 4 so that the orientation of the interface 4 with respect to the main body portion 10 is variable. You may have

Further, the pair of side antenna elements (antenna elements 213 and 214) should be separated from each other at their centers P3 and P4 when viewed from one of the left and right directions. direction is not limited. In other words, the antenna element 213 and the antenna element 214 provided on the pair of side wall portions 12 may be arranged to be shifted from each other within a plane perpendicular to the opposing direction (horizontal direction). For example, the antenna element 213 and the antenna element 214 may be displaced in the vertical direction, or may be displaced in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction. Furthermore, it is not essential that the antenna element 213 and the antenna element 214 leave an overlapping region when viewed from one of the left and right directions, but are shifted to the extent that they do not overlap each other when viewed from one of the left and right directions. may be

Moreover, the antenna 21 is not limited to being housed inside the main body 10 , and may be provided so as to be exposed from the surface of the main body 10 , for example. For example, the pair of side antenna elements (antenna elements 213 and 214) of the antenna 21 may be attached to the opposing surfaces of the pair of side wall portions 12, respectively.

(Embodiment 2)
The shopping support system 100A according to the present embodiment is different from the shopping support system 100 according to the first embodiment in that the main unit 10 of the reading system 1A is configured to be connectable with the expansion module 61 as shown in FIG. differ. In the following, configurations similar to those of the first embodiment are denoted by common reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted as appropriate.

That is, in this embodiment, it is possible to use various extension modules 61 by connecting them to the main unit 10 of the reading system 1A. In the example of FIG. 14 , an extension module 61 is arranged on the left side of the main body 10 . In other words, the main body 10 and the expansion module 61 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, and both are installed on the floor surface of the store 8 . The extension module 61 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having the same shape as the main body 10 when viewed from one side in the left-right direction. Here, the main body 10 and the extension module 61 are arranged without gaps so as to be in contact with each other.

The expansion module 61 illustrated in FIG. 14 has the interface 4 and the settlement system 3 (including the reader 31). Therefore, the reading system 1A constitutes the shopping support system 100A together with the expansion module 61. FIG. Further, the expansion module 61 has a flat luggage storage portion 611 on its upper surface. As a result, the customer 90 can use the luggage storage section 611 of the expansion module 61 as a loading platform, and can place baggage on the luggage storage section 611 of the expansion module 61 during checkout processing.

By the way, as shown in FIGS. 15A to 15D, the reading system 1A according to the present embodiment has a connection section 18 in the main body section 10 as a configuration for connecting the expansion module 61. FIG. That is, in the present embodiment, the main body 10 further has a connecting portion 18 that connects the extension module 61 that is installed side by side with the main body 10 in the left-right direction. As used herein, "connection" means at least one of electrical connection and mechanical connection (coupling). In this embodiment, the connection part 18 is used for both electrical connection and mechanical connection between the main body part 10 and the expansion module 61 . The electrical connection may be achieved by connector connection or by cable connection. In the case of cable connection, the connecting portion 18 serves as a wire hole for passing the cable. Here, in addition to the connecting portion 18, the bottom surfaces of the main body portion 10 and the extension module 61 are mechanically connected by a fitting.

The basic configuration and shape of the reading system 1A according to this embodiment are the same as those of the reading system 1 according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 15A to 15D. The reading system 1</b>A has a connection section 18 for connecting an expansion module 61 to the main body section 10 instead of the connecting section 41 for connecting the interface 4 to the main body section 10 . In the present embodiment, the connecting portion 18 is provided on at least one side surface of the body portion 10 in the left-right direction. Therefore, when the main body part 10 and the extension module 61 are installed side by side without a gap so as to be in contact with each other, the connection part 18 is covered with the extension module 61, and the connection part 18 can be prevented from being exposed.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the connecting portions 18 are provided on both lateral side surfaces of the main body portion 10 . That is, the body portion 10 has a pair of connection portions 18 . Thereby, the expansion module 61 can be installed either on the left side or the right side of the main body 10 . Moreover, when not in use, that is, when the extension module 61 is not connected, the connection portion 18 is preferably covered with a cap.

By the way, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, the expansion module to be combined with the reading system 1A can be selected from among a plurality of types of expansion modules 61 and 62 . That is, not only the expansion module 61 but also other types of expansion modules 62 can be connected to the connection unit 18 of the reading system 1A. For example, depending on the layout of the store 8, business style, etc., various extended functions may be required as extended functions to be added to the reading system 1A. By selecting an expansion module to be combined with the main unit 10 according to such an expansion function, the main unit 10 can be used in various situations.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing how the reading system 1A and the expansion module are combined. That is, by combining the expansion module 61 of the plurality of types of expansion modules 61 and 62 with the reading system 1A, the shopping support system 100A shown ahead of the arrow A1 in FIG. 16 is configured. On the other hand, by combining the expansion module 62 out of the plurality of types of expansion modules 61 and 62 with the reading system 1A, the shopping support system 100A shown ahead of the arrow A2 in FIG. 16 is configured. The expansion module 62 has the interface 4 and the settlement system 3, and has a cash unit 621 instead of the reader 31 for implementing cash payment in settlement processing. That is, by combining the reading system 1A with the extension module 62, the main unit 10 is provided with a function for handling cash payments.

The expansion modules 61 and 62 shown in FIG. 16 are merely examples, and an expansion module to be combined with the reading system 1A may be appropriately selected from a plurality of types of expansion modules having different functions, shapes, or sizes. Furthermore, multiple expansion modules may be connected to the main body 10 .

According to the reading system 1A according to the present embodiment, it is possible to add various extension functions to the main unit 10 by combining extension modules. Therefore, it is possible to provide the reading system 1A with high expandability according to demand while using the main unit 10 in common.

A reading system 1A according to a modification of the second embodiment further includes an auxiliary wall 17 as shown in FIG. Of the pair of openings 13 (see FIG. 5), the auxiliary wall 17 blocks the opening 13 that is on the far side of the reading space Sp1 (see FIG. 5) in the flow line direction of the customer 90 purchasing the product 91. , is detachably attached to the body portion 10 . That is, the auxiliary wall 17 is attached to the main body 10 so as to block the rear opening 13 of the pair of openings 13 positioned on both sides in the front-rear direction of the reading space Sp1. As a result, like the first modification of the first embodiment, the auxiliary wall 17 can prevent radio waves from leaking backward from the reading space Sp1 and the product 91 from falling.

Further, as another modification of the second embodiment, the connection unit 18 may achieve only one of electrical connection and mechanical connection with the expansion modules 61 and 62 . As an example, in the case of an expansion module without an electrical function, such as a packing table, the connecting section 18 only performs mechanical connection (coupling).

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

(summary)
As described above, the reading system (1, 1A) according to the first aspect includes the main body (10) and the reading device (2). The main body (10) has a placing portion (11) on which a product (91) is placed. The reading device (2) attaches to the product (91) positioned within the reading space (Sp1) above the placement unit (11) when the product (91) is placed on the placement unit (11). The product information on the product (91) is read by performing radio communication with the electronic tag (93) that is attached to the product (93) using radio waves as a medium. The body portion (10) further has a pair of side wall portions (12) located on both sides in the left-right direction of the reading space (Sp1). The pair of side wall portions (12) has radio wave shielding properties. A pair of openings (13) are positioned at least on both sides in the front-rear direction of the reading space (Sp1). Either of the pair of openings (13) can be used as an outlet for the product (91) from the reading space (Sp1).

According to this aspect, when the product (91) is placed on the placement section (11), the reader (2) reads the product information on the product (91) within the reading space (Sp1). Here, since the reading space (Sp1) is a space above the placement section (11), if the product (91) is placed on the placement section (11), the product related to this product (91) The information becomes readable by a reader (2). Moreover, a pair of side walls (12) having radio wave shielding properties are provided on both sides of the reading space (Sp1) in the left-right direction, while a pair of openings are provided on both sides of the reading space (Sp1) in at least the front-rear direction. Part (13) is located. Either of the pair of openings (13) can be used as an outlet for the product (91) from the reading space (Sp1). Therefore, according to the reading system (1, 1A), the pair of side walls (12) reduces the leakage of radio waves to both sides in the horizontal direction of the reading space (Sp1), while the pair of openings (13) It is possible to put in and take out the product (91) from the reading space (Sp1). Therefore, the waiting time of the customer (90) for purchasing the product (91) can be shortened.

In the reading system (1, 1A) according to the second aspect, in the first aspect, the reading device (2) includes an antenna (21) provided on at least one of the pair of side wall portions (12) for receiving radio waves. have

According to this aspect, radio waves are received by the antenna (21) provided near the reading space (Sp1), thereby making it easier to achieve relatively stable wireless communication.

In the reading system (1, 1A) according to the third aspect, in the second aspect, the antenna (21) includes a pair of side antenna elements (213, 214) provided on both of the pair of side wall portions (12). )including. The pair of side antenna elements (213, 214) are arranged so that their centers (P3, P4) are separated from each other when viewed from one side in the left-right direction.

According to this aspect, since the centers (P3, P4) of the pair of side antenna elements (213, 214) are separated from each other, the pair of side antenna elements (213, 214) complement each other's null points. By arguing with each other, it is easy to achieve relatively stable wireless communication.

In the reading system (1, 1A) according to the fourth aspect, in the second or third aspect, the antenna (21) has a lower antenna element (211, 212) provided below the placement section (11). include.

According to this aspect, radio waves are received by the antenna (21) provided near the reading space (Sp1), thereby making it easier to achieve relatively stable wireless communication.

In the reading system (1, 1A) according to the fifth aspect, in the fourth aspect, the main body (10) further has a spacing portion (16). The spacing portion (16) is positioned between the mounting portion (11) and the lower antenna elements (211, 212) and has radio wave transparency.

According to this aspect, even when the lower antenna elements (211, 212) have radiation characteristics of radio waves that spread radially, the radio waves reach every corner of the reading space (Sp1) above the mounting part (11). easier.

In the reading system (1, 1A) according to the sixth aspect, in the fourth or fifth aspect, the lower antenna element (211, 212) comprises a plurality of antenna elements (211, 212).

According to this aspect, the radiation range of radio waves from the antenna elements (211, 212) can be widened compared to one antenna element.

In the reading system (1, 1A) according to the seventh aspect, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the pair of side walls (12) reflects at least radio waves from the reading space (Sp1) side.

According to this aspect, at least part of the radio waves from the reading space (Sp1) can be returned to the reading space (Sp1) side by the pair of side wall portions (12). As a result, radio waves radiated into the reading space (Sp1) for reading product information from the electronic tag (93) in the reading space (Sp1) can be effectively used.

A reading system (1, 1A) according to an eighth aspect further comprises an interface (4) and a connecting section (41) in any one of the first to seventh aspects. The interface (4) performs at least one of presenting output information based on product information to the customer (90) and accepting the operation of the customer (90). The connection part (41) connects the body part (10) and the interface (4).

According to this aspect, at least one of presenting the output information based on the product information to the customer (90) and accepting the customer's (90) operation can be realized at the interface (4).

In the reading system (1, 1A) according to the ninth aspect, in the eighth aspect, the linking part (41) is configured such that the movement of the customer (90) who purchases the product (91) as seen from the reading space (Sp1) is It is located on the opposite side of the line (M2).

According to this aspect, the connection part (41) is less likely to be an obstacle for the customer (90) who moves along the flow line (M2).

The reading system (1, 1A) according to the tenth aspect further comprises an auxiliary wall (17) in any one of the first to ninth aspects. The auxiliary wall (17) closes the opening (13) of the pair of openings (13) which is located on the far side of the reading space (Sp1) in the flow line direction of the customer (90) who purchases the product (91). As such, it is removably attached to the body (10).

According to this aspect, by closing the opening (13) of the pair of openings (13) that is not used as an outlet for the product (91), for example, the product (91) can be read from the reading space (Sp1). It is possible to suppress the fall of the

In the reading system (1, 1A) according to the eleventh aspect, in any one of the first to tenth aspects, the receiver (11) includes a first area (111), a second area (112), including. The second area (112) has a shape that makes it more difficult to place the product (91) on it than in the first area (111).

According to this aspect, the customer (90) is naturally encouraged to place the product (91) on the first area (111) where the product (91) is easily placed. It becomes easy to control the area on which the product (91) of is placed.

In the reading system (1, 1A) according to the twelfth aspect, in any one of the first to eleventh aspects, the body portion (10) is different from the placement portion (11) when viewed from the reading space (Sp1). The other side is open.

According to this aspect, the reading space (Sp1) can be accessed from three directions of the reading space (Sp1), making it much easier to put the product (91) in and out of the reading space (Sp1).

In the reading system (1, 1A) according to the thirteenth aspect, in any one of the first to twelfth aspects, the main body (10) further includes a connection portion (18) for connecting the expansion modules (61, 62). have. The expansion modules (61, 62) are installed side by side with the main body (10) in the horizontal direction.

According to this aspect, it is possible to add various extension functions to the main body (10) by combining the extension modules (61, 62). Therefore, it is possible to provide reading systems (1, 1A) with high extensibility according to demand while using the main body (10) in common.

A shopping support system (100, 100A) according to a fourteenth aspect comprises the reading system (1, 1A) according to any one of the first to thirteenth aspects, and a checkout system (3). The settlement system (3) performs settlement processing based on the product information.

According to this aspect, it is possible to shorten the waiting time of the customer (90) for purchasing the product (91).

The thirteenth aspect is an aspect that can be implemented by itself, and it is not essential to presuppose any one of the first to twelfth aspects. That is, in the reading system (1, 1A) according to the thirteenth aspect, for example, the pair of side walls (12) in the main body (10) may be omitted, or the pair of openings (13) may be omitted. may In this case, the reading system (1, 1A) according to the thirteenth aspect includes a main body (10) and a reading device (2). The main body (10) has a placing portion (11) on which a product (91) is placed. The reading device (2) attaches to the product (91) positioned within the reading space (Sp1) above the placement unit (11) when the product (91) is placed on the placement unit (11). The product information on the product (91) is read by performing radio communication with the electronic tag (93) that is attached to the product (93) using radio waves as a medium. Here, the main body (10) further has a connecting part (18) for connecting the expansion modules (61, 62). The expansion modules (61, 62) are installed side by side with the main body (10) in the horizontal direction.

In this way, even if the thirteenth aspect is realized alone, the reading system (1, 1A) according to the thirteenth aspect is used in the shopping support system (100, 100A) together with the checkout system (3). is configurable.

The configurations according to the second to thirteenth aspects are not essential to the reading system (1, 1A), and can be omitted as appropriate.

Reference Signs List 1, 1A reading system 2 reading device 3 checkout system 4 interface 10 main body 11 placement section 12 side wall section 13 opening 16 separation section 17 auxiliary wall 18 connection section 21 antenna 41 connection section 61, 62 expansion module 90 customer 91 product 93 Electronic tag 100, 100A Shopping support system 111 First area 112 Second area 211, 212 Lower antenna element 213, 214 Side antenna element M1, M2 Line of flow P3, P4 Center (of antenna element) Sp1 Reading space

Claims (10)

a body portion having a placement portion on which a product is placed;
When the product is placed on the placing part, the electronic tag attached to the product positioned in the reading space above the placing part performs wireless communication using radio waves as a medium to perform the above-mentioned and a reading device that reads product information about the product,
The main body further has a pair of side walls positioned on both sides in the left-right direction of the reading space and having radio wave shielding properties,
A pair of openings are positioned at least on both sides in the front-rear direction of the reading space, and both of the pair of openings can be used as openings for taking out the product from the reading space,
The reading device has an antenna provided on at least one of the pair of side wall portions for receiving the radio waves,
The antenna is
a pair of side antenna elements provided on both of the pair of side wall portions;
a lower antenna element provided below the mounting portion,
The pair of side antenna elements are arranged so that their centers are separated from each other while leaving an overlapping region when viewed from one of the left and right directions,
the lower antenna element includes a plurality of antenna elements,
The plurality of antenna elements of the lower antenna element are arranged side by side in the left-right direction,
reading system. The main body further has a radio-wave-transmitting spacing portion located between the mounting portion and the lower antenna element,
2. The reading system of claim 1 . The pair of side wall portions reflect at least the radio wave from the reading space side.
3. A reading system according to claim 1 or 2 . an interface that performs at least one of presenting output information based on the product information to the customer and accepting the customer's operation;
further comprising a connecting portion that connects the body portion and the interface;
The reading system according to any one of claims 1-3 . The connecting portion is integrated with one side wall portion of the pair of side wall portions, or is fixed to the one side wall portion ,
5. A reading system according to claim 4 . Further comprising an auxiliary wall detachably attached to the main body so as to close one of the pair of openings,
The reading system according to any one of claims 1-5 . The mounting portion includes a first region and a second region having an inclined surface, an uneven surface, or a curved surface ,
The reading system according to any one of claims 1-6 . The main body portion is open on the side opposite to the placement portion when viewed from the reading space.
The reading system according to any one of claims 1-7 . The main body further has a connecting part that connects the main body and the expansion modules installed side by side in the left-right direction,
The reading system according to any one of claims 1-3 . a reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 8 ;
a settlement system that performs settlement processing based on the product information;
Shopping support system.

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