JPH06179500A - External terminal device for gas filling station - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an external terminal device for a gas filling station through which a person in charge can grasp the degree of importance of regardless of the level of noise, by providing a voice synthesizer of the guidance required for dealing business, and an output modulator which modulates output levels or tone. CONSTITUTION:An A/D converter 21, a voice synthesizing circuit 22, a sound volume adjusting circuit 23, printer, display, keyboard and card reader control circuits 24-27 are connected to a CPU 11 via interfaces 14-20. A speaker 7 is connected to the voice synthesizing and sound volume adjusting circuits 22 and 23 via a low frequency amplifier 28. The CPU 11 controls input/output devices according to a program of a ROW 12 and data are input to a RAM 13. A microphone 6 outputs voltages corresponding to the outside noise levels to the CPU 11 and the CPU 11 outputs guidance data to the voice synthesizing circuit 22 and the noise level data or predetermined output data corresponding to the contents of guidance to the sound volume adjusting circuit 23.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an external terminal device for a gas station, which accepts input of data relating to the transaction process and issues a slip recording the transaction process content in the vicinity of a fueling position of a gas station.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A POS system has been conventionally used for transaction processing such as refueling processing at a gas station. In this system, it is necessary to read the card data from the card presented by the customer to identify the customer and perform a key input operation of data related to the transaction processing such as transaction processing type and product code. If such card processing and key input operations are to be performed only in the store away from the refueling position, the staff will move back and forth between the refueling work position and the store in each transaction process that occurs for each customer. The working environment was poor.

Therefore, a key input unit, a card reading unit, a slip issuing unit, and the like are provided, and they are installed near the refueling position so that data input operations relating to transaction processing can be performed near the work position. In addition, we are working to improve customer service by facilitating staff work and improve the working environment for staff.

Further, in such an external terminal device, there has been proposed one in which a guidance for instructing the contents of work to be performed by a clerk at the time of transaction processing is output by voice.

In this way, by instructing the work contents of the staff member by voice, even an inexperienced store staff can easily grasp the work to be performed next, and the staff member work can be further facilitated. it can.

[0006]

However, in the conventional external terminal device for a gas station, which outputs the guidance by voice, the volume and the tone color of the voice output are fixed. I couldn't figure it out. Further, when the outside noise is large, it is difficult to hear, and when the noise is small, the voice output of the guidance may be annoying.

An object of the present invention is to enable the output level or tone color of the voice-output guidance to be changed as required, so that the staff can easily grasp the importance of the guidance and the external noise is large. Another object of the present invention is to provide an external terminal device for a gas station in which the guidance sometimes becomes difficult to hear and the guidance does not disturb the ears when the external noise is small.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a key input section, a card reading section and a slip issuing section, which is installed near a refueling position of a gas station, and which inputs data relating to transaction processing. In the external terminal device for a gas station that accepts the above and issues a slip recording the transaction processing content, a voice synthesizing means for voice-outputting a part or all of the guidance for instructing the staff work during the transaction processing, and the guidance Output changing means for changing the output level or the tone color of the voice synthesizing means according to the contents.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, which is installed near a refueling position of a gas station, is provided with a key input section, a card reading section, and a slip issuing section, accepts an input operation of data relating to transaction processing, and performs transaction processing. In an external terminal device for a gas station that issues a slip in which the contents are recorded, a voice synthesizing means that outputs a part or all of the guidance for instructing the staff work during transaction processing, and a noise level that detects an external noise level. It is characterized in that a detecting means and an output level setting means for setting the output level of the voice synthesizing means according to the noise level detected by the noise level detecting means are provided.

[0010]

According to the invention described in claim 1, part or all of the guidance for instructing the staff work relating to the transaction processing is output by voice by the voice synthesizing means, and the output level or tone color of this voice output is the guidance. It is changed according to the content. Therefore, the volume changes in proportion to the importance of the guidance, or the timbre changes in accordance with the content of the guidance, and the staff can easily understand the importance of the guidance.

According to the second aspect of the invention, a part or all of the guidance for instructing the staff work is output by voice by the voice synthesizing means, and the output level of this voice output is set according to the external noise level. . Therefore, when the external noise level is high, the output level is increased to prevent the guidance from becoming difficult to hear, and when the external noise level is low, the output level is reduced to make the voice output of the guidance jarring. Can be prevented.

[0012]

1 is an external view of an external terminal device for a gas station according to an embodiment of the present invention. External terminal device 1
Is installed near a fueling device at a gas station. On the front of the external terminal device 1, a keyboard 2 for accepting an input operation of work content related to transaction processing, a card reader 3 for reading card data required for transaction processing from a card presented by a customer, and a card reader 3 for executing the operation. There is provided a display 4 for displaying work contents to be performed and a printer 5 for issuing a slip recording transaction contents.
Further, on one side surface of the external terminal device 1, a microphone 6 that collects external noise and a speaker 7 that outputs a part or all of the guidance for instructing clerk work related to transaction processing by voice are provided. ing.

The staff at the gas station receives the card from the customer who came to the store, scans this card in the slit portion 3a of the card reader 3, and inputs the card data necessary for transaction processing. Then, the keyboard 2 is used to perform an input operation such as a work type and a product code. When the transaction processing requested by the customer is refueling work, the clerk inputs the number of the refueling device used for refueling. When the work relating to the transaction processing is completed, the clerk inputs the work completion using the keyboard 2. The external terminal device 1 may be the E
The transaction processing content including the transaction amount calculated in CR (electronic cash register) is printed and issued by the printer 5. The clerk performs settlement processing with the customer using this slip and returns the slip and the card to the customer.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control unit of the external terminal device for a gas station.

The control unit of the external terminal device 1 for a gas station is composed of a CPU 11 having a ROM 12 and a RAM 13. The CPU 11 is provided with an A / D converter 21, a voice synthesizing circuit 22, a volume adjusting circuit 23, a printer control circuit 24, through the interfaces 14 to 20,
A display control circuit 25, a keyboard control circuit 26 and a card reader control circuit 27 are connected. A /
A microphone 6 is connected to the D converter 21, and a speaker 7 is connected to the voice synthesizing circuit 22 and the voice adjusting circuit 23 via a low frequency amplifier 28. Further, the printer 5 is connected to the printer control circuit 24, and the display 4 is connected to the display control circuit 25. Further, the keyboard 2 is connected to the keyboard control circuit 26, and the card reader 3 is connected to the card reader control circuit 27.

A program defining the processing operation of the CPU 11 is written in the ROM 12 in advance.
Totally controls each input / output device according to this program. Data input / output during this time is stored in a predetermined memory area of the RAM 13. The microphone 6 collects external noise and outputs a voltage according to the noise level. This voltage is converted into digital data by the A / D converter 21 and input to the CPU 11. The CPU 11 outputs guidance data according to the progress of the processing procedure to the voice synthesis circuit 22, and output level data according to the noise level data input from the A / D converter 21,
Alternatively, the output level data predetermined according to the content of the guidance is output to the voice adjustment circuit 23.

The voice synthesizing circuit 22 supplies a voice signal according to the guidance data to the low frequency amplifier 28, while the volume adjusting circuit 23 supplies a reference voltage according to the output level data input from the CPU 11 to the low frequency amplifier 28. To do.
The low frequency amplifier 28 outputs the audio signal input from the audio synthesizing circuit 22 to the speaker 7 with the reference voltage supplied from the volume adjusting circuit 23.

The CPU 11 is a printer control circuit 24.
The print data representing the transaction processing content is output to. The printer control circuit 24 drives the printer 5 according to the print data. Further, the CPU 11 sends to the display control circuit 25 the display control circuit 25 the display data related to the contents of the input data by the staff and the instruction of the staff work.
Output to. The display control circuit 25 drives the display 4 according to this display data. Operation data by a staff member on the keyboard 2 is input to the CPU 11 via the keyboard control circuit 26. Further, the card data read by the card reader 3 is input via the card reader control circuit 27.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the processing procedure of the control unit. External terminal device 1 for gas station
The CPU 11 constituting the control unit of 1 stands by for the input of card data (n1). The clerk inserts the card received from the customer into the card reader 3, and when the card data is input, the noise level data is read by the microphone 6 (n2). The CPU 11 sets the output level based on the read noise level data (n3). further,
RO as tone color corresponding to the guidance to specify the pump
A tone color stored in advance in M12 is set (n4), and voice synthesis of the pump designation guidance is performed (n5). As a result, a guide to the person in charge that the pump number to be used should be designated and input is emitted from the speaker 7 at a volume corresponding to the noise level. After issuing this guidance,
The operator waits for the pump number to be designated (n6).

When an operator designates the pump number to be used by operating the keyboard 2, the contents of the oil supply amount counter provided in the designated pump is stored as an initial value (n
7) It waits until the operation of the pump is stopped while checking whether or not an error has occurred (n8, n9). When the pump operation stops, the noise level data is read (n1
0), the output level is set based on the read noise level data (n11).

At the same time, the tone color corresponding to the refueling completion guidance is read from the ROM 12 and set (n1
2), voice synthesis of refueling completion guidance is performed (n1
3). As a result, the speaker 7 gives guidance to the clerk that the refueling has been completed, with a volume corresponding to the noise level at that time and with a tone color corresponding to the content (n.
13).

After this, the initial value read in n7 is subtracted from the current contents of the pump oil supply amount counter to calculate the oil supply amount and amount in the present oil supply operation (n1
4) Then, the transaction contents are printed on the slip and the input of card data for the next customer is waited for (n15).

If an error occurs before the pump is stopped during refueling work, the noise level data is read by the microphone 6 (n16), and the output level is set according to the read noise level (n16). n17). At the same time, a tone color corresponding to the error occurrence guidance is set (n18), and voice synthesis of the error occurrence guidance is performed (n19). As a result, when an error occurs during refueling work, the speaker 7 gives a guidance to the staff at the volume corresponding to the noise level at that time.

In the above processing, n2, n10, n16
Corresponds to the noise level detecting means of the present invention, and n3 and n1
1, n17 also correspond to output level setting means, and n
4, n12 and n18 also correspond to the output changing means.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the guidance according to the progress status of the transaction processing is output from the speaker 7 with the volume according to the noise level at that time and the tone color according to the content of the guidance. Is emitted. Therefore, the staff can judge the importance of the guidance by the tone color, and the guidance is not difficult to hear in a situation where the noise is loud, and on the contrary, the guidance is not disturbed when the noise is low. There is an advantage that it can be done accurately.

In this embodiment, the tone color is changed according to the importance of the guidance, but the volume may be determined based on the noise level and the importance of the guidance. Further, in the present embodiment, the microphone 6 and the speaker 7 are provided as separate bodies, but since both have the same configuration, one device may also serve as both.

[0027]

According to the invention as set forth in claim 1, since the guidance for the staff member is issued with different volume or tone color depending on the content, the staff member can easily recognize the importance of the guidance. There is.

According to the invention described in claim 2, since the volume of the guidance can be set according to the external noise level at the time of generating the guidance, the guidance becomes annoying when the noise is low. In addition, it is possible to reliably prevent the guidance from being difficult to hear when the noise is loud, and there is an advantage that the content of the guidance can be accurately transmitted to the staff.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a gas station external terminal device that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control unit of the external terminal device for the gas station.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the control unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1-External terminal device for gas station 2-Keyboard 3-Card reader 5-Printer 6-Microphone 7-Speaker 22-Voice synthesis circuit 23-Volume control circuit

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A key station, a card reading unit, and a slip issuing unit, which are installed in the vicinity of a fueling position of a gas station, accept data input operations relating to transaction processing, and issue a slip recording transaction processing contents. In an external terminal device for a gas station, a voice synthesizing means for voice-outputting a part or all of the guidance for instructing staff work during transaction processing, and an output level or tone color of the voice synthesizing means depending on the content of the guidance. An external terminal device for a gas station, comprising: output changing means for changing the output. 2. A petrol station, which is installed near the refueling position, has a key input section, a card reading section, and a voucher issuing section, accepts input operations of data relating to transaction processing, and issues a voucher recording transaction processing content. In a gas station external terminal device, a voice synthesizing unit that outputs a part or all of the guidance for instructing the staff work during transaction processing, a noise level detecting unit that detects an external noise level, and a noise level detecting unit. An external terminal device for a gas station, comprising: output level setting means for setting the output level of the voice synthesizing means in accordance with the noise level detected by the means.