JPH03130896A - Merchandise data read-out device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automatically set the position of a scanner for obtaining a checkout job function by installing a frame for holding the scanner in the carrier path of a cart. CONSTITUTION:Frames 3, 4 for supporting a scanner 7 in the carrier path of a cart 1 is installed, an empty cart 1 is placed on the down stream side of the scanner 7, and a cart 1 which houses the merchandise is moved to the other side of the upstream side. The merchandise data can be read by the scanner in the process of housing the taken out merchandise to the cart 1 on the downstream side. Also, when the merchandise data read-out is ended and a totalling operation is executed, the cart 1 on the downstream side with the merchandise housed is turned over to the customer, and the scanner 7 is lifted by a lifting means. Thus, the position of the scanner 7 for obtaining the checkout job function can be automatically set.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a product data reading device for reading data on products sold in, for example, supermarkets.

Prior Art Conventionally, as shown in Fig. 5, two soccer tables 50.5
1, a keyboard 53 and a display 54 facing the checker side are provided on the casing of the scanner 52, and a cash register 55 is provided on the side of the soccer table 51.
is provided, and in the process of passing the product taken out from the basket 56 placed on one soccer table 50 over the reading window 57 of the scanner 52 and storing it in the basket on the other soccer table 51, the data of the product is read by the scanner 52. There is a product data reading device that does this.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the support stand 58
A scanner 60 having a reading window 59 on the front is provided in the center of the scanner 60, and a keyboard 62 with a display 61 facing the operator and a display 63 facing the customer are provided on the top of the scanner 60. A cash register 64 is arranged on one side of the soccer table 58, and the products taken out from the 156 placed on one side of the soccer table 58 are passed through the reading window 59 of the scanner 60.
There is a product data reading device that reads the data of the product with a scanner 60 during the process of storing the product in a basket 56 placed on the other side of the soccer table 58 through the front surface of the product.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention Since baskets can only hold a small amount of products, customers must carry multiple baskets when purchasing large quantities of products. Additionally, some stores lend customers carts to which they can attach baskets, which can reduce the customer's effort when selecting products; After all, product data must be read while moving products from one basket to another, and it is also troublesome to return the cart to its original position after dropping off the basket.

Means for Solving the Problem A pair of frames facing each other with a space slightly wider than the width of a cart for storing products, a scanner disposed between these frames and having a reading window on the top surface, and a scanner provided in the frame. a guide means for guiding the scanner in a vertically movable manner; and a lift for raising the scanner to the highest position where the lower surface of the scanner is located above the height of the cart upon receiving a product registration closing operation signal. a means for detecting whether or not the cart has passed through a cart passing portion formed below the raised scanner; and a signal from the cart passage detecting means to lower the scanner to a reading position. and lowering means.

A frame that supports the scanner is installed in the conveyance path of the working cart, an empty cart is placed on one side downstream of the scanner, and a cart containing products is moved to the other side upstream of the scanner. The product data can be read by a scanner during the process of storing the product taken out from the cart on the side into the cart on the downstream side, and when the product data reading is finished and the tightening operation is performed, the data on the downstream side where the product was stored can be read by the scanner. By handing over the cart to the customer and raising the scanner using the lifting means, the empty cart on the upstream side of the scanner is moved to the downstream side of the scanner by passing under the scanner and passing between the frames in the shortest distance. When the cart passes, a signal is output from the cart passage detection means, and the cart can be lowered by the lowering means. Furthermore, when reading product data, the scanner can be positioned at a desired position. Reading operations can be performed in a comfortable posture, and the position of the scanner can be automatically determined to obtain these functions.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be explained based on FIGS. 1 to 4. 1 is a cart in which products are stored, and a pair of frames 3 face each other with a space 2 slightly wider than the width of the cart 1.
, 4 are installed in the conveyance path 5 of the cart 1. A scanner 7 having a reading window 6 on its upper surface is held in these frames 3.4 so as to be vertically movable. That is, a plurality of protrusions (not shown) are protruded from both the front and rear ends of the scanner 6, and these protrusions are vertically movable into vertical guide grooves 8 formed as guide means on the inner surfaces of the frames 3 and 4. freely held. Furthermore, a lifting means (not shown) for raising and lowering the scanner 7 with the lower surface of the scanner 7 positioned above the cart 1 as the highest position;
Raising means and lowering means are built into the frames 3, 4.

The structure of this elevating means is such that, for example, the rotational motion of a motor that can freely rotate forward and backward is converted into linear motion, and the scanner 7 is raised and lowered by the driving force in the direction of this linear motion. There are various mechanisms for converting the rotation of a motor into linear motion, including a mechanism using gears and a rack, a mechanism using a plurality of pulleys and wires wound around these pulleys, and the like. Of course, the scanner 7 may be moved up and down by a drive unit that moves linearly, such as a linear motor or a solenoid. The frame 4 also includes a body support 10.
is provided. The height of this body support 10 from the floor is set to be approximately equal to the height of the checker's abdomen. Further, the frame 3 includes a keyboard 12 having a checker display 11 and a customer display 13.
and protectors 14 protruding from both sides are attached.

Furthermore, a stand 16 for holding a terminal such as a cash register 15 is installed on the side of the conveyance path 5.

Further, the conveyance path 5 is provided with a sensor 20 serving as a cart passage detection means for detecting whether or not the cart 1 has passed.

The internal structure of the cash register 11 will now be explained based on FIG. 3. First, a CPU 21 is provided, and this CPU 21 has a ROM as a program memory.
and RAM 22 are connected. In addition, the CPU2
1 includes a keyboard control section 23, a printer control section 24,
Drawer control section 25, lifting device control section 26, display control section 2
7 are connected to each other, and a keyboard 28, a printer 29, a drawer 30, a lifting device 31, and a display section 32 are connected to these. Further, a scanner interface 33 is connected to the CPU 21, and the scanner 7 is connected to the scanner interface 33.

Further, a sensor circuit 34 is connected to the CPU 21, and the sensor 20 is connected to the sensor circuit 34.

In such a configuration, FIG. 2 shows that an empty cart 1 is placed on the downstream side of the scanner 7 in the conveyance path 5,
Cart 1 with products stored on the other side upstream of scanner 7
This is the state in which the customer 17 sent the item. In this state, the products in the upstream cart L are checked by the checker 18 through the reading window 6.
The product data is read by the scanner 7 during the process of passing over the top surface of the product and storing it in the cart 1 on the downstream side. That is, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, registration work is performed. When reading product data in this way, the scanner 7 can be lowered to the desired position, and the checker 18 can also be leaned against the body support 10 provided on the frame 4, so reading work can be done in a comfortable posture. be able to. Large products are taken in and taken out of the lower stage of the cart 1, and since both sides of the frames 3 and 4 are open, it is possible to easily take large products in and out of the cart 1. Further, for products to which data such as a bar code is not attached, input is made using the keyboard 12.

On the other hand, the customer 17 who is currently paying the bill moves to the cashier 19 and waits for payment, and when the customer 17 has checked out all the items in one cart 1, the customer 17 receives the total amount charged by the cashier 19. After payment, the cart 1 containing the products is picked up by the checker 18 and moved to a predetermined packaging location.

The checker 18 performs a tightening operation after the reading operation.

The elevating means is driven by this tightening operation signal, and the scanner 7 is raised until its bottom is positioned above the cart 1, and the empty cart 1 is placed on the upstream side of the scanner 7.
The cart 1 can be sequentially circulated as part of the checkout operation by passing the cart 1 under the scanner 7 and passing between the frames 3 and 4 by the shortest distance to the downstream side of the scanner 7. Then, due to the upward movement of the scanner 7 based on this tightening operation, the reading inhibiting means is operated and data reading by the scanner 7 is prohibited. Also, during the scanning operation by the checker 18,
The customer 17 may stand in front of the frame 3 and view the display status of the display 13, but since there are protectors 14 on both sides of the frame 3 to prevent the customer 17's fingers from entering, the guide groove 8 It is possible to prevent a situation in which a child's finger gets caught between the scanner 7 and the scanner 7 that is being raised and lowered.

When the cart 1 passes through the conveyance path 5, the sensor 20 detects its state, and when the cart 1 passes the sensor 20 position, that is, the cart 1 is not under the scanner 7, the lowering means operates to lower the scanner 7. By lowering the scanner 7, the reading inhibiting means is released, and the state returns to a state where data can be read.

In addition, a low soccer table is passed through the space 2 of the frame 3.4, and baskets are placed at both ends of the soccer table with the scanner 7 in between, and the product data is transferred in the process of transferring the product taken out from one basket to the other basket. It is also possible to select the usage pattern for reading with the scanner 7.

In this case, by selecting the height of the soccer table, the basket can be passed under the scanner 7 after reading.

Effects of the Invention Since the present invention is constructed as described above, a frame for supporting the scanner is installed in the conveyance path of the cart, an empty cart is placed on one example of the downstream side of the scanner, and the frame is placed on the other side upstream of the scanner. The product data can be read by the scanner during the process of moving the cart containing products and storing the products taken from the upstream cart into the downstream cart. When this is done, the downstream cart containing the products is handed over to the customer, and the scanner is raised using the lifting means.
An empty cart on the upstream side of the scanner can be moved to the downstream side of the scanner by passing between the frames in the shortest distance while passing under the scanner. The scanner comes out and the cart can be lowered using the lowering means.Furthermore, when reading product data, the scanner can be positioned at the desired position, allowing reading work to be done in a comfortable posture. This has the advantage of automatically determining the position of the scanner to obtain the desired information.

[Brief Description of the Drawings] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, Fig. 3 is a block diagram, Fig. 4 is a flowchart, and Fig. 5 is a conventional example. 6 is a perspective view showing another conventional example, and FIG. 7 is a plan view thereof.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A pair of frames facing each other with a space slightly wider than the width of a cart for storing products, a scanner placed between these frames and having a reading window on the top surface, and a scanner provided on the frame that allows the scanner to be moved up and down. a guide means for movably guiding the scanner; a raising means for raising the scanner to a highest position where the lower surface of the scanner is located above the height of the cart upon receiving a product registration closing operation signal; and a raised scanner. a cart passage detection means for detecting whether or not the cart has passed through a cart conveyance path formed below; and a lowering means for lowering the scanner to a reading position in response to a signal from the cart passage detection means. A product data reading device characterized by: