JPH09132146A - Automatic scan cart - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic scan cart in which a bar code scanner is unnecessary to be held by a buyer, the scanning operation in returning goods is enabled, and the operation by the buyer can be simplified by the automatic judgment for registration and cancel of goods. SOLUTION: A cart provided with a scan operating function by a customer is constituted of a bar code scanner 1 for reading the goods code, a weight sensor for measuring the weight of the goods, a display unit 3 for displaying the information of goods, a communication unit 5 for performing transmission in relation to a host device, and a control unit 6 for performing whole control. In buying the goods 8, the goods code of the goods 8 is read by a bar code scanner 1 and can be registered by detecting increase of the weight by the weight sensor 2. In returning the goods 8, registration is canceled by detecting decrease of the weight by the weight sensor 2 and reading the goods code by the bar code scanner 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a self-service checkout system used in a large-scale store such as a supermarket, and is particularly effective when applied to an automatic scan cart having a product scanning operation function as a shopping cart. Related technology.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, according to a study conducted by the inventor, a self-service checkout system has a handy type bar code attached to a cart in order to simplify checkout work at an accounting machine. It is conceivable that a scanner is provided with a key for registering and returning merchandise, and a device for storing merchandise information inside is attached to the cart (“International Distribution Forum '94 SA System: Present and Near Future” P37-P41) .

[0003]

By the way, in the cart provided with the bar code scanner as described above,
The product information is registered or returned by pressing either the registration or return key after reading the product code.However, since this device presses the key for each product, it is easy to make a mistake in operation and the barcode scanner Because it is a handy type, it is thought that it is difficult to operate because it has to be changed.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is that the purchaser does not need to have a bar code scanner by hand, and the scan operation at the time of return can be performed, and the purchaser can automatically determine whether the product is registered or deleted. It is to provide an automatic scan cart that can be easily operated.

[0005]

The automatic scanning cart of the present invention is applied to a cart having a commodity scanning operation function, and is inserted into and taken out of a reading means for reading a commodity code of a commodity and a commodity storage section. It has a weight measuring means for measuring the weight of the product, and a recognition means for recognizing the increase / decrease of the product based on the measured weight and determining whether the product is registered by purchase or deleted by return.

[0006] Specifically, the recognition means stores the weight increase amount as the weight of the product at the time of registration by purchasing the product,
When the product is erased due to the return of the product, it is confirmed that the product is the same as the weight reduction amount, and the reading means is fixed to the automatic scanning cart.

Therefore, according to the automatic scanning cart, the purchaser reads the product code of the product to be purchased by the reading means fixed to the cart, and puts the product in the product storage unit. Then, the weight measuring means detects that the weight has increased, and the product is registered.

When returning a product, the product to be returned is taken out from the product storage unit. Then, the weight measuring means detects the decrease in weight and recognizes it as a returned product. After that, the reading unit can read the product code, and the recognition unit can determine that they are the same product and delete the registration.

Thus, by fixing the reading means to the cart, the product code can be read without the reading means. Furthermore, by providing a weight measuring means in the product storage unit, it is possible to recognize that the product is purchased when the weight increase is detected and the product is returned when the weight decrease is detected. Operation becomes possible.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic external view showing an automatic scan cart which is an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control unit in the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an automatic scan cart and a host device. Configuration diagram showing connection, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing table contents of product information and registration data, FIG. 5 to FIG.
Is a flowchart showing an operation for registering or deleting a product.

First, the structure of the automatic scan cart according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The automatic scan cart according to the present embodiment is, for example, a cart having a scan operation function for goods, and includes a bar code scanner 1 (reading means) for reading the goods code and a weight sensor 2 (weight for measuring the weight of the goods. (Measurement means), a display device 3 for displaying product information, a keyboard 4 for instructing start / end, a communication device 5 for transmission with a host device, and a control unit 6 (recognition means) for overall control. ) And the like, and these are provided in the cart body 7 of a push type.

In the bar code scanner 1, the purchaser purchases a product 8
This is a fixed-type reading device for reading the product code attached to the product code. For example, the product code is read by scanning the vicinity of the center of the bar code of the product 8 by the generation of laser light and detecting the reflected light. This barcode is a code in which black and white rod-shaped rectangles are arranged to represent characters such as numbers.

The weight sensor 2 is a sensor for measuring an increase / decrease in weight caused by the purchaser putting the product 8 in / out of the product storage unit 9, and the product 8 is purchased when the product 8 is purchased.
The fact that the product 8 has been put into the product is detected by an increase in the weight, and the product 8 is taken out from the product storage unit 9 at the time of return by the decrease in the weight.

The display device 3 is a display for displaying product information and operation methods for the purchaser.
Information such as the product name and unit price of the purchased or returned merchandise 8 is displayed, along with operation guidance to the purchaser, error content during operation, and the like.

The keyboard 4 is a key for instructing the purchaser to start and end the purchase, and is set to the initial state by pressing the start key at the start of the purchase, and is finished when the purchase of the product is finished. Registration and deletion of the product are completed by pressing the key.

The communicator 5 is a communicator for transmitting data between the cart and a host computer, which is a higher-level device, and the commodity code of the commodity 8 and information based on the increase / decrease in weight are sent to the host computer. Product information such as the product name and unit price for is sent back.

The control unit 6 is a part for controlling the entire components of the cart and the transmission control between the cart and the host computer. For example, as shown in FIG.
It is composed of a CPU 10, a ROM 11, a RAM 12, a display / keyboard controller 13, a scanner controller 14, a weight controller 15, a transmission controller 16 and the like, which are interconnected by an address / data bus 17.

A CPU for controlling the control unit 6
A ROM 11 storing programs, a RAM 12 storing program control data and product registration data, a display / keyboard controller 13, a scanner controller 14, a weight controller 15, and an address data bus 17 are provided. The transmission controller 16 is connected.

The display / keyboard controller 13 has a display unit 3 and a keyboard 4, the scanner controller 14 has a bar code scanner 1, the weight controller 15 has a weight sensor 2, and the transmission controller 16 has a communication unit 5. It is connected. These controllers are controlled by the CPU 10 based on the programs stored in the ROM 11.

In the cart constructed as described above, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of carts 18 are connected to a host computer 20 via a wireless data communication device 19,
A storage device for storing product information and a payment register 22 for paying the purchase price of the product 8 are connected to the host computer 20.

When the bar code scanner 1 of the cart 18 reads the product code, the host computer 20
The product code is transmitted to the cart 18, and the product information in the storage device 21 corresponding to the code is transmitted to the cart 18. Also,
When the purchaser finishes shopping, the cart 18 transmits the registration data to the host computer 20, and the host computer 20 transmits the registration data to the payment register 22.

The host computer 20 is provided with a table area of data to be handled as shown in FIG. 4A in the storage device 21, and the product information table 23 is provided.
The product information is stored in. As the product information, a product code and a corresponding product name and unit price are stored, and the product name and unit price are returned from the host computer 20 according to the product code received from the cart 18.

Also on the cart 18 side, a table area as shown in FIG. 4 (b) is provided in the RAM 12, and the registered data table 24 stores the product code of the registered product 8 and the corresponding product name. , Unit price and weight are stored, and the information of the registration data table 24 is transmitted from the cart 18 to the host computer 20 at the end of purchase.

Next, regarding the operation of this embodiment, the outline of the operation of the cart 18 will be described first with reference to FIG.

First, the purchaser causes the bar code scanner 1 to read the product code of the product 8. At this time, the bar code scanner 1 generates a laser beam and detects the reflected light of the bar code data of the product code attached to the product 8. Therefore, the purchaser needs to make the barcode of the product 8 the side.

When the bar code scanner 1 scans the product code and the weight sensor 2 detects an increase in weight, product information is wirelessly transmitted from the host computer 20 to the communication device 5 of the cart 18 for purchase. The product 8 is displayed on the display device 3 and registered at the same time. At that time, the weight increase is stored as the weight of the product 8.

However, if the bar code data is not detected, an error is detected, the error content is displayed on the display device 3, and the purchaser is warned. Further, normally, the product code of the product 8 is read by the barcode scanner 1 and the product 8 is put in the product storage unit 9. However, the product code of the product 8 is not read by the barcode scanner 1 and stored in the product storage unit 9. When the product 8 is put in, the weight sensor 2 under the product storage unit 9 detects that the weight has increased and the weight has increased even though the product code has not been read. Therefore, the display is displayed on the display 3 so as to read the product code. However, it is designed to call attention to buyers.

Further, after the bar code scanner 1 scans, an error is also detected when the time until the weight sensor 2 detects an increase in weight has passed a certain time, and the display 3
The error content is displayed on the screen and the buyer is requested to perform the operation again.

When the buyer returns the product 8, the product 8 is taken out of the product storage unit 9, and the weight sensor 2 under the product storage unit 9 detects that the product 8 has been returned because the weight has decreased,
The barcode scanner 1 generates a laser beam, detects the reflected light of the barcode data of the product code attached to the product 8, reads the product code, and deregisters the product 8.
At this time, if the weight reduction does not match the weight stored together with the read product 8, an error is displayed and a re-operation is requested.

Next, the registration operation when the product 8 is actually purchased and the erasing operation when the product 8 is returned will be described based on the flowcharts of FIGS.

First, when the start key of the keyboard 4 is pressed,
The weight data is set to the initial value (S1), and the weight sensor 2 detects a change in weight (S2). As a result, when there is no change, the bar code scanner 1 of the cart 18 generates laser light, detects the reflected light of the bar code data of the product 8 and reads the product code (S3, S4).

When the weight sensor 2 detects an increase in weight (S5), product information is wirelessly transmitted from the host computer 20 to the communicator 5 of the cart 18 (S5).
6) The product name and unit price are displayed on the display device 3 (S7), and the registration data of the product 8 is stored in the RAM 12 (S8).
At that time, the increase in weight is stored in the registration data as weight data for each product (S8), and the entire weight data serves as reference data (S9).

Here, after the product code is read by the bar code scanner 1, if the increase in weight cannot be detected by the weight sensor 2 even after a certain period of time (S10), the product 8 is put into the product storage unit 9. If it is determined that there is no such item, the re-operation request is displayed on the display device 3 (S11), and the purchaser is warned to read the product code again.

When the purchase of the merchandise 8 is completed, the end key of the keyboard 4 is pressed, and when this is detected (S1
2) The registered data is transmitted to the host computer 20 (S13). When you continue to purchase item 8,
The operation of causing the barcode scanner 1 to read the next product code without pressing the end key is repeated.

By the way, in the present embodiment, when the product 8 is purchased and the product 8 is put in the product storing section 9 without reading the product code with the barcode scanner 1, the weight sensor 2 increases the weight. Is detected (S2), an error is displayed on the display device 3 so that the inserted product 8 is taken out (S14).

When the product 8 is taken out, a change in weight is detected by the weight sensor 2 (S15), and when the weight becomes the same as before the increase, it is recognized that the taking out is completed (S16).
If the weight is different from that before the increase (S16), display the inserted product 8 on the display 3 so as to take it out (S14),
Call the buyer's attention.

When returning the merchandise 8, the merchandise 8 to be returned is taken out from the merchandise storage section 9 and the weight sensor 2 detects that the weight has decreased (S2) and recognizes that the merchandise is returned.
A request to read the product code of the product 8 to be returned is displayed on the display device 3 (S17).

Then, the bar code is detected (S18),
When the product code is read (S19) and the weight reduction and the weight data of each registered product are the same (S20), the registration of the product 8 is deleted (S21), and the weight data returns to the reference data (S22). It will be returned.

When the weight reduction and the weight data for each product are different (S20), a read request for the product 8 to be returned is displayed on the display device 3 (S17), and the purchaser is warned. There is.

As described above, based on the detection of the weight change by the weight sensor 2, the registration operation accompanying the purchase of the product 8 due to the increase in the weight and the erasing operation accompanying the return of the product 8 due to the decrease in the weight are performed. Has become.

Therefore, according to the automatic scanning cart of this embodiment, when the purchaser purchases the product 8, the bar code scanner 1 fixed to the cart 18 causes the product code of the product 8 to be purchased to be read. The product 8 can be registered in the product storage unit 9 by detecting that the weight has increased by the weight sensor 2, and when the product 8 is returned, the product storage unit 9 returns the product. It is possible to delete the registration by taking out the merchandise 8 to be processed, detecting the weight reduction by the weight sensor 2 and recognizing that the merchandise is returned, and then reading the merchandise code by the bar code scanner 1.

It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be variously modified without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the external appearance of the automatic scanning cart of the above-described embodiment is not limited to the external appearance shown in FIG. 1, but various modifications are possible depending on the size and shape of the product to be handled. It is widely applicable as a service-type checkout system.

[0045]

According to the automatic scanning cart of the present invention,
It is possible to recognize the purchase or return of goods based on the weight change by the weight measuring means, and when reading the product code of the goods to be purchased, it is not necessary to hold the reading means by hand, and the reading means fixed to the cart is used. It is possible to read the merchandise code and take out the merchandise from the cart without a key operation when returning the merchandise and read the merchandise code by the reading means to return the merchandise.

As a result, as a shopping cart of a self-service checkout system used in a large-scale store such as a supermarket, the purchaser can easily perform the registration by the purchase of the product and the deletion by the return of the product. Therefore, it is possible to obtain an automatic scan cart with excellent operability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic external view showing an automatic scan cart according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control unit in the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a connection between an automatic scan cart and a host device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing table contents of product information and registration data in the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation for registering or deleting a product in the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation for registering or deleting a product following that of FIG. 5 in the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation for registering or deleting a product following that of FIG. 6 in the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Bar code scanner (reading means), 2 ... Weight sensor (weight measuring means), 3 ... Display device, 4 ... Keyboard, 5 ... Communication device, 6 ... Control part (recognition means), 7 ... Cart main body, 8 ... Product, 9 ... Product storage unit, 10 ... CPU, 11
... ROM, 12 ... RAM, 13 ... Display / keyboard controller, 14 ... Scanner controller, 15 ... Weight controller, 16 ... Transmission controller, 17 ... Address / data bus, 18 ... Cart, 19 ... Wireless data communication device, 20 ... Host Computer, 21 ... storage device, 22
... payment register, 23 ... merchandise information table, 24 ... registration data table.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A cart having a product scanning operation function, which is provided in a reading means for reading a product code of the product and a product storage unit for storing the product, and stores the product in and out of the product storage unit. A weight measuring means for measuring the weight, and a recognizing means for recognizing increase or decrease of the product based on the weight measured by the weight measuring means and determining whether the product is registered by purchase or deleted by return. An automatic scan cart characterized by having. 2. The automatic scanning cart according to claim 1, wherein the recognizing unit stores an increase amount of weight by the weight measuring unit as a weight of the product at the time of registration by purchasing the product, An automatic scanning cart characterized by confirming that the product is the same as the weight reduction amount obtained by the weight measuring means when the product is deleted. 3. The automatic scan cart according to claim 1, wherein the reading unit is fixed to the automatic scan cart.