JPWO2018164029A1 - Cooking device, control method thereof, and store system - Google Patents

Abstract

A heating cooker, a heating cabinet, a billing processing unit (210) for performing a billing process for a product placed in the heating cabinet, a purchase determining unit (211) for determining whether the product has been purchased, It has. When the purchase determining unit (211) determines that the product has not been purchased, the charging processing unit (210) performs a charging process, and determines that the product has been purchased by the purchase determining unit (211). If it is determined, the accounting process is not performed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the uncharged product from being heated and taken out, and to prevent the charged product from being charged twice.

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a cooking device for heating food, a control method thereof, and a store system in which the cooking device is installed.

  A typical heating cooker, a microwave oven, can heat food in a container without using a pan and a frying pan. In a store that sells lunches or prepared dishes in a container, a service may be provided in which purchased foods are heated and provided using a microwave oven.

  A typical example of such a store is a convenience store (hereinafter, CVS). In recent years, many CVSs provide a service in which a clerk heats a product received from a customer in a microwave oven at the back of a cash register when the cash register is settled.

  Many customers who buy food at CVS are customers who want to reduce the time and effort to go to restaurants and cook at home. Therefore, the store is required to reduce the total time from entering the store to opening the store (for example, entering the store → selecting the product → adjusting the balance → heating → opening the store).

  However, in the method in which the clerk heats the product received from the customer at the time of cashier settlement, the clerk takes time and labor. Along with this, a waiting time at the cash register of the customer occurs.

  As a conventional technique for shortening a customer's waiting time at a cash register, when food is heated in a microwave oven, food information selected by the customer is notified to a cashier in advance, and the clerk can pay before the cashier pays the customer. There is a method of heating the corresponding food (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-298220 A

  The present disclosure prevents heating and removal of uncharged products, and prevents double charging of charged products when heating products.

  The heating cooker according to the present disclosure includes a heating cabinet, a billing processing unit that performs a billing process for a product placed in the heating cabinet, and a purchase determination unit that determines whether the product has been purchased. The billing processing unit performs a billing process when the purchase determination unit determines that the product is not purchased, and does not perform a billing process when the purchase determination unit determines that the product is purchased. .

  In addition, the heating cooker of the present disclosure includes a heating cabinet, a heating unit that heats a product placed in the heating cabinet, a heating control unit that controls the heating unit, and a purchase that determines whether the product has been purchased. A determination unit. The heating control unit does not perform heating by the heating unit when the purchase determination unit determines that the product has not been purchased.

  Further, the heating cooker of the present disclosure is a heating cabinet, a billing processing unit that performs a billing process of a product placed in the heating cabinet, an inquiry unit that inquires an external device whether or not the product has been purchased, And an acquisition unit for acquiring from the external device whether or not the device has been purchased. The accounting unit performs the accounting process when the result indicates that the product has not been purchased, and does not perform the accounting process when the result indicates that the product has been purchased.

  The store system of the present disclosure includes the above-described heating cooker, a cashier that charges a product, and a server device that is an external device that stores purchase history information related to a charging process performed by the heating cooker and the cashier. ing.

  The method for controlling a cooking device according to the present disclosure is a method for controlling a cooking device that charges a product placed in a heating cabinet. Then, a step of determining whether or not the product has been purchased, and not performing the charging process if the product has been purchased, and performing the charging process if not determining that the product has been purchased. Performing.

  According to the heating cooker, the control method of the heating cooker, and the store system of the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent uncharged products from being heated and taken out, and to prevent double charging for the charged products.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a microwave oven which is an example of a heating cooker according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a microwave oven and a store system in which the microwave oven is installed according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating an example of product information attached to a product in the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating an example of individual product distinction information attached to a product in the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the microwave oven according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an effect of reducing a total time from a customer entering a store to opening a store in a store system by introducing the microwave oven according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the microwave oven according to the modification of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating an example of a message displayed on a display unit of a microwave oven according to a modification of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating an example of a message displayed on the display unit of the microwave oven according to the modified example of the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

(Knowledge underlying the present disclosure)
In the above-described conventional configuration, it is necessary to make the customer input to the food selection machine and pay the cashier twice. Further, in this configuration, there is a problem that the work time (payment, heating) of the clerk per customer is not shortened, and the waiting time of the cashier of the customer is not shortened.

  As a countermeasure for shortening the work time of the clerk, a method of self-heating the microwave oven and heating the product after the cashier settlement by the microwave oven arranged in the store has been studied.

  In a store where a method of self-heating a microwave oven and a method of charging in a microwave oven are introduced, when purchasing a product to be heated and a product not to be heated, for example, the following purchase method is used. is assumed.

  Purchasing method 1: After the customer has settled all commodities at a cash register, the customer heats the commodities to be heated with a microwave oven.

  Purchasing method 2: The customer pays for unheated products at a cash register, and then heats and charges the items to be heated with a microwave oven.

  In a store where the method of making the heating in the microwave oven self-service as described above is introduced, there is a possibility that the customer puts an uncharged product into the microwave oven and takes it out of the microwave oven. At this time, if it is not possible to determine whether the product has been charged or not, the customer may own the unpaid product and leave the store.

  Further, in a store where a method of making the heating in the microwave oven self-service and a method of charging in the microwave oven are introduced, there is a possibility that the charged product is put into the microwave oven. Also in this case, if it is not possible to determine whether or not the product has been charged, duplicate charging may be performed.

  A heating cooker according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a heating cabinet, a billing processing unit that performs a billing process for a product placed in the heating cabinet, and a purchase determination unit that determines whether or not the product has been purchased. . The billing processing unit performs a billing process when the purchase determination unit determines that the product is not purchased, and does not perform a billing process when the purchase determination unit determines that the product is purchased. .

  According to this aspect, it is determined whether or not the product has been charged, and the charging is performed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the uncharged product from being taken out and to prevent duplicate charging for the charged product.

  In the above aspect, the cooking device may further include a communication unit that communicates with an external device. The billing processing unit transmits purchase history information corresponding to the billing process to the external device using the communication unit when the billing process for the product is performed. The purchase determination unit may determine whether or not the product has been purchased based on purchase history information acquired from an external device using the communication unit.

  According to this aspect, it is possible to further determine whether or not the product has been charged based on the purchase history stored in the external device. As a result, it is possible to prevent uncharged products from being taken out and prevent duplicate charging for charged products.

  In the above aspect, the heating cooker may further include a customer identification unit that identifies a customer and a product identification unit that identifies an item of a product placed in the heating cabinet. The billing processing unit transmits, when performing the billing process for the product, the purchase history information corresponding to the billing process to the external device using the communication unit, together with the customer information identified by the customer identification unit. May determine whether or not the product has been purchased based on the purchase history information of the customer obtained from the external device using the communication unit.

  According to this aspect, it is possible to further determine whether or not the product has been charged based on the product purchase history for each customer. As a result, it is possible to prevent uncharged products from being taken out and prevent duplicate charging for charged products.

  In the above aspect, the customer identification unit identifies the customer by reading the customer identification card, and the product identification unit analyzes at least one of the image of the product and the barcode information given to the product. Then, the item of the product may be identified.

  According to this aspect, it is possible to further determine whether or not the product has been charged based on the product purchase history for each customer. As a result, it is possible to prevent uncharged products from being taken out and prevent duplicate charging for charged products.

  In the above aspect, the purchase determination unit may determine whether or not the product has been purchased by referring to information for individually distinguishing the product in addition to the item of the product.

  According to this aspect, even if there are a plurality of products of the same item, it is possible to individually determine whether or not each product has been charged. As a result, it is possible to prevent uncharged products from being taken out and prevent duplicate charging for charged products.

  In the above aspect, the purchase determination unit may use a serial number given to the product in advance as the information for individually distinguishing the product.

  According to this aspect, even if there are a plurality of products of the same item, it is possible to individually determine whether or not each product has been charged. As a result, it is possible to prevent uncharged products from being taken out and prevent duplicate charging for charged products.

  In the above aspect, the purchase determination unit may use image information given to the product at the time of purchase of the product as information for individually distinguishing the product.

  According to this aspect, even if there are a plurality of products of the same item, it is possible to individually determine whether or not each product has been charged. As a result, it is possible to prevent uncharged products from being taken out and prevent duplicate charging for charged products.

  In the above aspect, the heating cooker may further include a display unit that displays information. When the purchase determining unit determines that the product has not been purchased, a message for performing a billing process may be displayed on the display unit.

  According to this aspect, the customer can further determine that the product has not been purchased. As a result, it is possible to prevent uncharged products from being taken out.

  In the above aspect, when the purchase determination unit determines that the product has not been purchased, a display that prompts the user to perform a charging process, for example, a warning may be displayed on the display unit.

  According to this aspect, the customer can further determine that the product has not been purchased. As a result, it is possible to prevent uncharged products from being taken out.

  In the above aspect, the purchase determination unit may determine whether or not the product has been purchased by referring to the time at which the product was purchased in addition to the item of the product.

  According to this aspect, it is possible to further enhance the accuracy in determining whether or not each product has been purchased.

  In the above aspect, the heating cooker may further include a heating unit that heats a product placed in the heating cabinet, a heating control unit that controls the heating unit, and a display unit that displays information. The merchandise identification unit reads the heating control information of the merchandise placed in the heating cabinet, and when the purchase determining unit determines that the merchandise has not been purchased, the charging processing unit performs a charging process for the merchandise and performs heating. The control unit may heat the product based on the heating control information. When the purchase determination unit determines that the product has been purchased, a message that prompts the customer to select whether to perform heating based on the heating control information or to set the heating control information to perform heating is displayed on the display unit. It may be displayed.

  According to this aspect, it is possible to make the heating method of the product different depending on whether the purchase determination result is not purchased or purchased.

  A heating cooker according to another aspect of the present disclosure is a heating cabinet, a heating unit that heats a product placed in the heating cabinet, a heating control unit that controls the heating unit, and whether or not the product has been purchased. And a purchase determining unit for determining. The heating control unit does not perform heating by the heating unit when the purchase determination unit determines that the product has not been purchased.

  According to this aspect, in the case of charging in advance at a cash register in a store, a purchasing system in an office, or the like, uncharged products are not heated, and only charged products can be heated.

  In the above aspect, the store system includes the cooking device described above, a cashier that charges a product, and a server device that is an external device that stores purchase history information regarding a charging process performed by the cooking device and the cashier. May be provided.

  According to this aspect, it is possible to further determine whether or not the product has been charged. Therefore, it is possible to prevent uncharged products from being taken out and prevent duplicate charging for charged products.

  In the above aspect, the store system may include the heating cooker described above and a cashier for charging a product. The image information given to the product at the time of purchase of the product is image information given to the product when the product is charged at the cash register, and is heated when the product is charged by the cooking device. It may be image information issued by the cooker in conjunction with charging.

  According to this aspect, even if there are a plurality of products of the same item, it is possible to individually determine whether or not each product has been charged. Therefore, it is possible to prevent uncharged products from being taken out and prevent duplicate charging for charged products.

  A method for controlling a heating cooker according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a method for controlling a cooking device that performs a charging process for a product placed in a heating cabinet, and includes a step of determining whether or not the product has been purchased. And performing a charging process if it is determined that the product is not purchased, and performing a charging process if it is determined that the product is not purchased.

  According to this aspect, it is possible to determine whether or not the product has been charged. Therefore, it is possible to prevent uncharged products from being taken out and prevent duplicate charging for charged products.

  In the above aspect, the heating cooker further includes a heating cabinet, a billing processing unit that performs a billing process for a product placed in the heating cabinet, and an inquiry unit that queries an external device whether or not the product has been purchased. An acquisition unit that acquires a result of whether or not the product has been purchased from an external device. Then, the billing processing unit performs the billing process when the result indicates that the product has not been purchased, and does not perform the billing process when the result indicates that the product has been purchased.

  According to this aspect, it is possible to prevent uncharged products from being taken out, and prevent duplicate charging for charged products. Further, since it is determined by the external device whether or not the product has been purchased, the circuit, program, and the like on the cooking device side can be reduced in size and weight.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, an unnecessarily detailed description may be omitted. For example, a detailed description of a well-known matter and a redundant description of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to prevent the description from being unnecessarily redundant and to facilitate the understanding of those skilled in the art.

  It should be noted that the drawings and the following description are provided for those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the claimed subject matter.

(First Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a microwave oven 100 as an example of a heating cooker according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

  In FIG. 1, the microwave oven 100 includes a housing 102, a door 103 pivotally supported by the housing 102 so as to be openable and closable, and a heating chamber 301.

  The door 103 has a transparent glass window 104 to allow a customer to look inside the housing 102. Further, the door 103 has a handle 105 so that the customer can easily grasp the door 103.

  An operation display unit 106 is arranged next to the door 103. The operation display unit 106 has a liquid crystal display 107, a time setting button group 108, a heating start button 109, a cancel button 110, and a pause button 111.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the microwave oven 100 and a store system 280 provided with the microwave oven 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

  In FIG. 2, a microwave oven 100 is installed in a store system 280. The store system 280 is further provided with a cash register 270 for a store clerk to settle the product.

  The history management server 290 (an example of an external device) is connected to the microwave oven 100 and the cashier 270 via a network. The history management server 290 stores purchase history information of products purchased by customers. The history management server 290 stores information on the accounting process performed by the microwave oven 100 and the cashier 270.

  In the present embodiment, a form in which the history management server 290 is installed outside the store system 280 will be described. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this example, and the history management server 290 may be installed inside the store system 280. Further, the function of managing the history information of the history management server 290 may be provided inside the microwave oven 100.

  The microwave oven 100 is installed in the store system 280, and heats and charges the inserted products for the products in the store. At least one of the microwave oven 100 and the cash register 270 in the store can settle the merchandise in the store.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which microwave oven 100 is installed in a store will be described. However, the installation place of the microwave oven 100 is not limited to the store. For example, the present invention can be implemented in a configuration in which the microwave oven 100 is installed in an office and heats and charges a product sold to employees of the office.

  In the present embodiment, a mode in which microwave oven 100 has a billing function will be described. However, the microwave oven 100 may not have a charging function, and may be configured to charge before heating at the cashier 270 in the store, or at the office purchasing system or the in-house system. When the product has been purchased (charged), the microwave oven 100 performs heating, and when the product has not been purchased, the microwave oven 100 does not perform heating. When the product has not been purchased, the microwave oven 100 may be configured to display at least one of a message indicating that the product has not been purchased and a message prompting the user to purchase the product.

  This makes it possible to realize a configuration in which a non-charged product is not heated but only a charged product is heated in the self-range having the product warming means.

  The microwave oven 100 includes a charge processing unit 210, a product identification unit 220, a customer identification unit 230, a display unit 240, a display control unit 241, a magnetron 250, a heating control unit 251, a communication unit 260, and a purchase determination unit 211.

  The product identification unit 220 identifies an item of a product placed in the heating cabinet. The product identification unit 220 further has a function of identifying individual products put into the heating chamber of the microwave oven 100.

  The product identification unit 220 includes a camera 221 (an example of a photographing unit), an image analysis unit 222, and an individual product distinction information analysis unit 223. The camera 221 captures an image by taking an image of the inside of the heating chamber. The camera 221 has an optical member such as a lens, and an image sensor such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device).

  The image analysis unit 222 analyzes at least one of an image of a product and barcode information in an image captured by the camera 221 to identify a product item.

  FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating an example of the product information 300 attached to the product in the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

  The image analysis unit 222 specifies the product information attached to the product from the product image captured by the camera 221, and extracts, for example, the product information 300 illustrated in FIG. 3A.

  The product information 300 includes a product item 310, heating control information 320, a product price 330, a barcode 340, and the like. The image analysis unit 222 identifies a product item by performing at least one of a process of analyzing characters indicating the product item 310 and a process of analyzing the barcode 340.

  The image analysis unit 222 identifies the price of the product by performing at least one of a process of analyzing a character indicating the product price 330 and a process of analyzing the barcode 340. The image analysis unit 222 reads the heating control information 320, transfers the heating control information to the heating control unit 251, and the heating control unit 251 issues a heating instruction to the magnetron 250, which is an example of the heating unit.

  In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the inside of the heating chamber 301 is photographed by the camera 221 and the item of the product is identified based on the image information. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this example. For example, a barcode reader may be provided in the microwave oven 100, and the barcode reader may read a portion corresponding to the barcode 340 in the product information attached to the product. , The item of the product may be identified. As an identification method used by the product identification unit 220, any method may be used as long as it can identify an item of a product to be heated.

  The individual product distinction information analysis unit 223 analyzes an image captured by the camera 221, and acquires individual product distinction information described later. The individual product distinction information is information for distinguishing individual products. Even if the products are the same item, the individual product distinction information is different for different products.

  FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating an example of individual product discrimination information given to a product in the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

  The individual product distinction information is, for example, information including at least one of a serial number 350 given to a product in advance and a purchased stamp 360 given at the time of purchase.

  The customer identification unit 230 identifies a customer who purchases and heats a product. The customer identification section 230 has a card reading section 231 and a card identification section 232.

  The card reading unit 231 reads information (also described as card information) recorded on a card by holding an ID card (an example of a customer identification card) held by the customer or passing the ID card through the customer. The card reading unit 231 corresponds to at least one of magnetic reading and short-range communication, and is configured with hardware for reading card information.

  The card identification unit 232 identifies a customer based on the card information read by the card reading unit 231. In the present embodiment, a mode in which the card identification unit 232 is provided in the microwave oven 100 will be described. However, the card identification unit 232 is provided in an external device, for example, a server, and between the server and the microwave oven 100. The customer may be specified by exchanging information.

  In the present embodiment, a method of reading an ID card held by a customer and specifying the customer will be described. However, the method used by the customer identification unit 230 may be any method as long as it can uniquely identify the customer. For example, a method in which a customer's voice is registered in advance and a customer's dialogue is recognized by voice recognition to identify the customer, a method for identifying the customer by communication with the customer's smartphone, or a method installed outside the microwave oven 100 For example, a method of identifying a customer from an image captured by a camera or the like may be used.

  The billing processing unit 210 bills the identified customer when the product put into the heating chamber 301 has not been purchased (not yet settled). The billing processing unit 210 does not bill when the product put into the heating chamber 301 has been purchased. Here, the customer is identified by the customer identification unit 230, the product put into the heating chamber 301 is identified by the product identification unit 220, and the purchase determination unit 211 determines whether or not the product has been purchased. .

  Here, as the billing process (specifically, the billing request process), for example, the communication unit 260 is performed based on information such as a credit card held by the customer identified by the customer identification unit 230 or a point card with a payment function. Is transmitted to the server of the card company or the like to request charging. Based on the request, the card company server charges the customer. The charging unit 210 may charge the microwave oven 100 by reading the prepaid card held by the customer and subtracting the product price from the balance. In addition, the billing target may be virtual currency such as cryptocurrency in addition to currency and points. Of course, a billing process using cash may be performed.

  The billing processing unit 210 transmits purchase history information (first purchase history information) in which customer identification information and product item information are linked to the history management server 290 via the communication unit 260 at the time of billing, The first purchase history information is stored in the history management server 290.

  Further, at the time of billing, billing processor 210 transmits purchase history information (second purchase history information) in which customer identification information and individual product distinction information are linked to history management server 290 via communication unit 260. Then, the second purchase history information is stored in the history management server 290. In this specification, the term “purchase history information” indicates information including at least one of the above-described first purchase history information and second purchase history information.

  Here, the individual product distinction information is individual information such as a serial number or the like that is “pre-assigned” to each product, or an image (a stamp or affixed to the main body) that is “attached at the time of purchase” to each product. Information including a seal or the like). The individual product distinction information analysis unit 223 extracts individual product distinction information based on the image analysis result received from the image analysis unit 222.

  Here, the individual product distinction information is identification information used to determine whether or not each product has been purchased when there are a plurality of products of the same item. The individual product distinction information may be any identification information that can determine whether or not each product has been purchased, and includes information such as a serial number, a stamp, and a sticker, but is not limited to these examples.

  When the individual product distinction information is individual information such as a serial number given in advance, the accounting processing unit 210 notifies (transmits) and stores the purchase history information to the history management server 290 at the time of accounting. Do.

  When the individual product distinction information is image information such as a stamp or a sticker that is “attached at the time of purchase”, the billing processing unit 210 notifies (transmits) the purchase history information to the history management server 290 at the time of charging. And do not save.

  Note that the billing processing unit 210 also notifies and saves the purchase history information to the history management server 290 even when the individual product distinction information is image information such as a stamp or a sticker that is “attached at the time of purchase”. Is also good. In this case, the purchase determination unit 211 compares the individual product distinction information analyzed by the individual product distinction information analysis unit 223 with the purchase history information stored in the history management server 290 and associated with the individual product distinction information. Then, it may be determined whether or not each product has been purchased. The individual product distinction information in this case is, for example, a numbered stamp or sticker provided at the time of purchase, and is information that can be more strictly determined to have been purchased by comparing it with purchase history information. is there. This can prevent fraudulent acts such as a customer's self-pasting past stickers.

  Here, as a method of giving a stamp or a sticker given at the time of purchase, in the case of billing at a cash register, a method in which a clerk gives a common stamp or sticker indicating purchase to a product, A method in which a clerk affixes a sticker with a purchased number, which is issued in conjunction with the billing of the item, to the product, or the like, may be used. In the case of charging with the microwave oven 100, a method in which a customer attaches a sticker with a purchased number or a sticker indicating purchase to the product, which is issued in conjunction with the charging with the microwave oven 100, may be mentioned. Can be

  The billing processing unit 210 communicates with the server of the card company using the communication unit 260 based on information such as a credit card held by the customer identified by the customer identification unit 230 or a point card with a payment function. Exchanges. As a result, the customer is charged. The billing processing unit 210 may bill by reading the prepaid card held by the customer and subtracting the product price from the balance.

  The purchase determination unit 211 determines whether or not the product item has been purchased and whether or not each product has been purchased.

  Note that, in the present disclosure, an example is shown in which the purchase determination unit 211 is provided on the microwave oven 100 side, but the present disclosure is not limited to this example. A purchase determination unit is provided in an external device, for example, the history management server 290, and receives necessary information from the microwave oven 100 to determine whether a product item has been purchased and whether each individual product has been purchased. May be performed. In such a case, the communication unit 260 of the microwave oven 100 functions as an inquiry unit that inquires of the history management server 290 about the purchase determination and an acquisition unit that acquires the result of the purchase determination.

  The purchase determining unit 211 refers to the product item identified by the product identification unit 220 and purchase history information stored in the history management server 290 and associated with the customer identification information and the product item information. It is determined whether or not the purchased product item has been purchased.

  Specifically, the purchase determination unit 211 refers to the purchase history information stored in the history management server 290, and includes, in the product item linked to the customer identification information identified by the customer identification unit 230, It is determined whether there is a merchandise item that matches the merchandise item identified by the unit 220. The purchase determination unit 211 determines that, among the product items associated with the customer identification information identified by the customer identification unit 230, a product item that matches the product item identified by the product identification unit 220, It is determined that the product item has been purchased, and if it does not exist, it is determined that the product item has not been purchased.

  When there are a plurality of products of the same item in the purchase history information, the purchase determination unit 211 further stores the individual product distinction information identified by the product identification unit 220 and the history management server 290. With reference to the purchase history information in which the customer identification information and the individual product distinction information are linked, it is determined whether or not each of the identified individual products has been purchased.

  As described in the description of the billing processing unit 210 described above, when the individual product distinction information is individual information such as a serial number or the like “pre-assigned”, the purchase determination unit 211 analyzes the individual product distinction information analysis unit 223. By comparing the individual product distinction information thus obtained with the purchase history information associated with the individual product distinction information stored in the history management server 290, it is determined whether or not each individual product has been purchased.

  Specifically, the purchase determination unit 211 refers to the purchase history information stored in the history management server 290, and stores the individual number in the “serial number” associated with the customer identification information identified by the customer identification unit 230. It is determined whether there is a “serial number” that matches the “serial number” analyzed by the product distinction information analysis unit 223. Then, if there is a matching serial number in the “serial number” associated with the customer identification information identified by the customer identification unit 230, the purchase determination unit 211 determines that the individual product has been purchased. It is determined that the individual product has not been purchased if it does not exist.

  As described in the description of the billing processing unit 210 described above, when the individual product distinction information is image information such as a stamp or a sticker “attached at the time of purchase”, the purchase determination unit 211 determines that the individual product distinction information analysis unit 223 With reference to the analyzed individual product distinction information, it is determined whether or not each product has been purchased.

  Specifically, the purchase determination unit 211 refers to the image information analyzed by the individual product distinction information analysis unit 223 without referring to the history management server 290 to “image information such as a stamp or a sticker” determined for each store. If it matches, it is determined that the individual product has been purchased, and if not, it is determined that the individual product has not been purchased.

  Note that, even when the individual product distinction information is image information such as a stamp or a sticker that is “attached at the time of purchase”, the purchase determination unit 211 determines whether the individual product distinction information analyzed by the individual product distinction information analysis unit 223 includes: The individual product distinction information stored in the history management server 290 may be compared with the purchase history information associated therewith. Then, based on the result, the purchase determination unit 211 may determine whether or not each product has been purchased.

  Specifically, the purchase determination unit 211 refers to the purchase history information stored in the history management server 290. Then, the purchase determination unit 211 includes, in the “image information such as a stamp or a sticker” associated with the customer identification information identified by the customer identification unit 230, the “stamp or stamp” analyzed by the individual product distinction information analysis unit 223. If there is “image information such as a stamp or a seal” that matches the “image information such as a sticker”, it is determined that the individual product has been purchased. If not, the individual product has not been purchased. Is determined.

  As yet another example, when there are a plurality of products of the same item, the purchase determination unit 211 determines whether the product item identified by the product identification unit 220 and the customer stored in the history management server 290 within a predetermined time period. It may be configured to refer to purchase history information in which identification information and product item information are linked, and determine whether or not the identified product item has been purchased. Further, the configuration may be such that the purchase determination unit 211 has a unit for performing such processing as a time reference unit (not shown).

  The time reference unit stores a predetermined time in advance. For example, the predetermined time is set to 15 minutes. When the date and time when the product identification unit 220 has identified the product is 18:15:00 on January 15, 2017, the time reference unit refers to the purchase history information stored in the history management server 290 and sets the date and time in 2017. The purchase history information indicating that the purchase has been made on or after January 18:00 at 18:00 (a predetermined time before the date and time of identification by the product identification unit 220) is acquired. Based on the acquired purchase history information, the purchase determination unit 211 includes, among the product items associated with the customer identification information identified by the customer identification unit 230, a product that matches the product item identified by the product identification unit 220. If the item exists, it is determined that the product has been purchased, and if not, it is determined that the product has not been purchased.

  Note that the predetermined time may be made different depending on the product. The consumption period of the lunch box or the side dish, the expiration date (for example, within 6 hours), or the expiration date or the expiration date (specific date and time) can be used as the predetermined time. In addition, the manufacturing time or cooking time (specific date and time) of the bento can be used as the predetermined time. Except for the lunch box, the warranty period or expiration date can be used as the predetermined time.

  The first reason for this is that it is unlikely that a store will sell products whose consumption period or expiration date has passed. Then, it is impossible to purchase the product before the time of manufacture or the time of cooking. The second reason is that it is unlikely that the purchaser will heat the product whose consumption period or expiration date has passed even for the purpose of eating and drinking, even if the product has already been purchased.

  As described above, in the microwave oven 100 of the present embodiment, the purchase determining unit 211 may determine whether or not each product has been purchased by referring to the purchase time in addition to the product item. As a result, it is possible to increase the accuracy of determining whether or not each product has been purchased.

  The heating control unit 251 controls the magnetron 250 (an example of a heating unit) according to the heating control information from the product identification unit 220.

  Note that the control method performed by the heating control unit 251 is not limited to a method of performing control according to the heating control information instructed from the product identification unit 220, and is input by a customer using the time setting button group 108 of the microwave oven 100. A method of performing control according to the heating control information may be used.

  The magnetron 250 outputs a high frequency wave into the heating chamber 301 to heat the food.

  The display unit 240 displays information based on at least one of the product information and customer purchase history information. The display unit 240 is, for example, a liquid crystal display. In this case, the display unit 240 is the same as the liquid crystal display 107 in FIG.

  The display control unit 241 uses the product information from the product identification unit 220, the customer information from the customer identification unit 230, and the customer's purchase history information acquired from the history management server 290 via the communication unit 260 to generate heat. Information such as at least one of food information, calorie information, and advertisements based on customer preferences analyzed from purchase histories of products put into the warehouse 301 is generated and displayed on the display unit 240.

  The communication unit 260 is configured by hardware corresponding to at least one of a wired LAN, a wireless LAN (Wi-Fi), and a carrier line (3G, 4G, LTE, etc.).

  The microwave oven 100 includes a peripheral circuit such as a microcomputer and a memory (not shown). The accounting unit 210, the image analysis unit 222, the card identification unit 232, the display control unit 241 and the heating control unit 251 may be realized by a microcomputer, software operating on the microcomputer, a memory storing the software, and the like.

  The microcomputer and the peripheral circuits may take any form as long as they perform control described later. At least one of the accounting unit 210, the image analysis unit 222, the card identification unit 232, the display control unit 241, and the heating control unit 251 includes an arithmetic processing unit and a storage unit that stores a control program. Is also good. Examples of the arithmetic processing unit include an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) and a CPU (Central Processing Unit). A memory is exemplified as the storage unit. The control program recorded in the storage unit is executed by the arithmetic processing unit.

  Further, at least one of the accounting unit 210, the image analysis unit 222, the card identification unit 232, the display control unit 241, and the heating control unit 251 may be configured by hardware logic. It is effective to improve the processing speed if constituted by hard logic. Each component may be configured by one semiconductor chip or may be physically configured by a plurality of semiconductor chips. When a plurality of semiconductor chips are used, each control described later can be realized by another semiconductor chip.

  The history management server 290 collects (receives) customer purchase history information at another charging place such as the microwave oven 100 and the cashier 270, and stores the information.

  An example of the purchase history information in the microwave oven 100 is information in which the customer information identified by the customer identification unit 230 and the product item information identified by the product identification unit 220 are linked, and the customer identified by the customer identification unit 230 is identified. This is information in which the information and the individual product identification information identified by the product identification unit 220 are linked.

  Here, the customer information, the product item information, and the individual product distinction information are information described according to a format defined in the store system 280 of the present embodiment. The purchase history information at another charging place such as the cashier 270 also follows this format. The purchase history information is information created and registered at the time of charging, and can be referred to in the store system 280.

  The operation of the microwave oven 100 and the store system 280 configured as described above will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the microwave oven 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

  The customer performs an operation such as passing the ID card reading portion through the card reading portion 231 or holding the reading portion over the card reading portion 231. The card reading unit 231 reads information from a customer ID card. The card identification unit 232 identifies a customer based on the card information read by the card reading unit 231. The customer identification unit 230 outputs the identified customer information to the accounting unit 210 (S401).

  The customer opens the door 103 of the microwave oven 100, places the product in the heating chamber 301, and then closes the door 103. The product identification unit 220 detects that the door 103 has been closed, and uses the camera 221 to photograph an image in the heating chamber 301. The image analysis unit 222 analyzes at least one of the product image and the barcode information in the image captured by the camera 221 to identify a product item and a product price. The individual product distinction information analysis unit 223 identifies the individual product distinction information based on the information analyzed by the image analysis unit 222. The product identification unit 220 outputs the identified product item, individual product distinction information, and the product price to the charging processing unit 210 (S402).

  In the present embodiment, the product identification process in step S402 is performed after the customer identification process in step S401, but after the product identification process in step S402, the customer identification process in step S401 is performed. Processing may be performed. Further, the customer identification process of step S401 and the product identification process of step S402 may be performed in parallel.

  The purchase determination unit 211 acquires the customer information identified by the customer identification unit 230, the product item and the individual product identification information identified by the product identification unit 220, and determines whether the product item has been purchased (S413). ). Further, when it is determined that the product item has been purchased (S413, YES), it is determined whether there are a plurality of products of the same item (S423). When there are a plurality of products of the same item (S423, YES), the purchase determination unit 211 further determines whether or not the individual product (the product itself) has been purchased (S403).

  If it is determined in step S413 that the product item has not been purchased (S413, NO), the process proceeds to step S404.

  Also, in step S423, if it is determined that there is not a plurality of products of the same item (S423, NO) and if it is determined that individual products have been purchased (S403, YES), no billing is performed. Then, the process proceeds to step S405.

  Here, the purchase determination unit 211 may determine from the beginning whether or not the individual product has been purchased (S403) without determining whether or not the product item has been purchased (S413).

  When it is determined that the product has been purchased (S403, YES), the charging unit 210 does not charge, and proceeds to step S405.

  When it is determined that the product has not been purchased (S403, NO), the charging processing unit 210 charges the customer identified by the customer identification unit 230 for the product identified by the product identification unit 220. (S404).

  When it is determined that the product has not been purchased (S403, NO), charging processing section 210 displays a message indicating that charging is to be performed on display section 240. Then, for example, when the charging process fails for a reason such as when the customer's credit card is unusable, or when the remaining amount of the prepaid card is less than the product price, the display unit 240 , The fact that the accounting process has failed and the cause thereof are displayed.

  In the present embodiment, after the purchase determination in step S403, the billing process in step S404 is performed. At this time, before the billing processing unit 210 performs the billing process, the customer information, the product item and the individual product distinction information are delivered to the purchase determination unit 211, and the purchase determination unit 211 A purchase decision may be made.

  The heating control unit 251 receives the heating control information extracted by the product identification unit 220, and instructs the magnetron 250 to perform heating. The heating control unit 251 displays heating information, which is information on heating, on the display unit 240 (S405). After the heating control unit 251 performs the heating display on the display unit 240, if the customer changes the heating time using the time setting button group 108, the heating unit after the change is displayed on the display unit 240.

  After the heating information is displayed, heating is started by the customer pressing the heating start button 109 (S406).

  In the present embodiment, the heating instruction in step S405 and the heating start in step S406 are performed after performing the charging process in step S404, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The charging process in step S404, the heating instruction in step S405, and the heating start process in step S406 may be performed in parallel.

  Further, the billing processing unit 210 may be configured such that, if the billing process fails, the heating process on the product is not performed thereafter. Once the product has been heated, the product cannot be sold to other customers, but this can prevent the product that has not been settled from being heated.

  During the heating of the product, the display control unit 241 transmits the product information from the product identification unit 220, the customer information from the customer identification unit 230, the billing information from the billing unit 210, and the history management server 290 via the communication unit 260. Acquire customer's purchase history information acquired from this. The display control unit 241 uses the acquired information, among the food information, the calorie information, the billing information, and the advertisement information based on the customer's preference analyzed from the purchase history of the product put into the heating chamber 301. At least one piece of information is generated and displayed on the display unit 240 (S407).

  When the heating time described in the heating control information has elapsed, the heating control unit 251 controls the magnetron 250 and ends the heating (S408).

  The accounting processing unit 210 transmits the purchase history information of the customer via the communication unit 260 and stores it in the history management server 290 (S409).

  As described above, the microwave oven 100 and the store system 280 in which the microwave oven 100 is installed according to the present embodiment are provided with a function of discriminating between a charged product and an uncharged product in a self-contained microwave oven. ing.

  Then, the microwave oven 100 and the store system 280 do not perform the charging process in the case of the charged product, and perform the charging process in the microwave oven 100 in the case of the uncharged product. As a result, it is possible to reduce the total time from the customer entering the store to opening the store, and to prevent the uncharged product from being heated and taken out, and to prevent the charged product from being charged twice.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the effect of reducing the total time from customer entry to store opening in the store system 280 by introducing the microwave oven 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

  Part (A) of FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a flow of an operation performed by a customer A and a clerk when a microwave oven is installed at the back of a cash register and a clerk operates the microwave oven to perform heating. .

  In the part (B) of FIG. 5, the microwave oven does not include the billing processing unit, and the customer A operates the microwave oven (hereinafter, referred to as a self-range) placed in an operable location by himself / herself to heat. It is a figure which shows the flow of operation | movement which customer A and a clerk perform when performing.

  FIG. 5C is a diagram illustrating a flow of operations performed by the customer A and the clerk when the microwave oven 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is used.

  In FIG. 5, the upper part shows the flow of the operation performed by the customer A, and the lower part shows the flow of the operation performed by the clerk.

  In the part (A) of FIG. 5, the customer A enters the store, selects a product, and performs a checkout in line with a cash register. Thereafter, the customer A requests the store clerk to warm the product, waits for the warming to be completed, receives the product, and leaves the store. The clerk needs to sequentially warm the products of a plurality of customers who have requested the warming, so that it takes time to respond. As shown in FIG. 5A, the clerk needs to deal with the customer B in parallel with the customer A.

  In the part (B) of FIG. 5, the customer A enters the store, selects a product, and performs a payment in line with a cash register. After receiving the merchandise, the customer A puts the merchandise in the self-range, arranges the self-range, and presses a start button to warm the merchandise. In this case, since the customer A warms himself using the self-range, additional time and labor are required as compared with the example of FIG. On the other hand, the store clerk does not need to perform the work of warming the product, so that the work time corresponding to one customer can be shortened as compared with the example of FIG. It becomes possible.

  In the part (C) of FIG. 5, the customer A enters the store, selects a product, arranges it in the microwave oven 100 of the present embodiment, puts the product into the microwave oven 100, touches an ID card, and the like. Thereby, warming and settlement can be performed in parallel. After waiting for the product to warm, customer A removes the product from microwave oven 100 and exits the store. For this reason, the customer A can save time and effort for paying out in line at the cash register, and can reduce the total time from entering the store to opening the store. In addition, the clerk only needs to support the customer when operating the microwave oven 100, and can further reduce the work time corresponding to the customer as compared with the example shown in FIG. Of customers.

  As described above, according to microwave oven 100 and store system 280 in which microwave oven 100 is installed in the present embodiment, the customer can complete the payment by placing the product in heating chamber 301. As a result, the work time of the clerk can be reduced, and the total time from the customer entering the store to opening the store can be reduced.

(Modification of First Embodiment)
Next, a modification of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6, 7A and 7B.

  The configuration of the microwave oven of this modification is the same as the configuration of the microwave oven 100 described in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the microwave oven 100 according to a modification example of the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

  6, the same processes as those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

  7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating an example of a message displayed on the display unit 240 of the microwave oven 100 according to a modified example of the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

  In the example of FIG. 4, a heating instruction (S405) is issued in the same manner whether the product has been purchased or not purchased. Therefore, in this modification, when the product is not purchased (S413, NO and S403, NO), the heating is performed for the first time, and therefore, as in step S405, the heating control of the product put in the heating chamber 301 is performed. The information 320 is read and a heating instruction is issued (automatic heating).

  On the other hand, if the product has been purchased (S423, NO and S403, YES), the product that has already been heated once may be reheated or additionally heated.

  In the present modified example, the heating instruction is made different depending on the determination result of whether or not the product item and the individual product have been purchased in step S413 and step S403 (see step S405 and step S605 in FIG. 6).

  In step S405, the heating control unit 251 receives the heating control information extracted by the product identification unit 220 and outputs the information to the magnetron 250 (automatic heating). The heating control unit 251 displays the heating information on the display unit 240 (see FIG. 7A). After the heating control unit 251 displays the heating on the display unit 240, if the customer changes the heating time using the time setting button group 108, the heating unit after the change is displayed on the display unit 240.

  After the heating information is displayed, heating is started by the customer pressing the heating start button 109 (S406).

  In step S605, the heating control unit 251 causes the display unit 240 to display the guidance shown in FIG. 7B, and allows the customer to select whether to perform automatic heating or to set heating conditions manually (manual heating). In the case of manual heating, the customer sets the heating time using the time setting button group 108, and the heating information is displayed on the display unit 240. After the heating information is displayed, heating is started by the customer pressing the heating start button 109 (S406).

  Note that the microwave oven 100 may include a sensor (not shown) for detecting a heating state (such as temperature) of the product. In this case, in step S605, the heating control unit 251 displays guidance on the display unit 240, and allows the customer to select whether to perform automatic heating or to perform heating by control by a sensor (sensor heating). The customer selects a heating method using the time setting button group 108, and the heating information is displayed on the display unit 240. After the heating information is displayed, heating is started when the customer presses the heating start button 109 (S406).

  As described above, the microwave oven 100 of the present modified example includes the charging processing unit that charges the product, the purchase determining unit that determines whether the product has been purchased, and the heating control unit. The microwave oven 100 according to the present modification performs a charging process when the product is not purchased, heats the product based on the heating control information of the product, and does not perform the charging process when the product is purchased. This is a self-automatic recognition range that performs heating (manual heating or sensor heating) different from the heating control information of (1).

  This makes it possible to make the method of heating the product different depending on whether the purchase determination result is not purchased or purchased.

  It should be noted that the above-described embodiment is intended to exemplify the technology in the present disclosure, and thus various changes, substitutions, additions, omissions, and the like can be made within the scope of the claims or the equivalents thereof. .

  As described above, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to obtain a special effect that it is possible to prevent uncharged products from being taken out and prevent duplicate charging for charged products. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to a microwave oven, and can be used as long as a device heats, freezes, or cooks a product. For example, the present invention can be used for an automatic cooker or the like having a charging function and is useful.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 microwave oven 102 housing 103 door 104 glass window 105 handle 106 operation display unit 107 liquid crystal display 108 time setting button group 109 heating start button 110 cancel button 111 pause button 210 billing processing unit 211 purchase determination unit 220 product identification unit 221 Camera 222 Image analysis unit 223 Individual product distinction information analysis unit 230 Customer identification unit 231 Card reading unit 232 Card identification unit 240 Display unit 241 Display control unit 250 Magnetron 251 Heating control unit 260 Communication unit 270 Cash register 280 Store system 290 History management server 300 Product information 301 Heating cabinet 310 Product item 320 Heating control information 330 Product price 340 Barcode 350 Serial number 360 Stamp

Claims (16)

A heating cabinet,
A billing processing unit that performs billing processing for a product placed in the heating chamber;
A purchase determination unit that determines whether the product has been purchased,
The charging processing unit performs a charging process when the purchase determining unit determines that the product is not purchased, and performs a charging process when the purchase determining unit determines that the product is purchased. Do not perform billing,
Cooking cooker. It further includes a communication unit that communicates with external devices,
The charging processing unit, when performing the charging process of the product, transmits purchase history information corresponding to the charging process to the external device using the communication unit,
The purchase determination unit, based on the purchase history information obtained from the external device using the communication unit, determines whether the product has been purchased,
The cooking device according to claim 1. A customer identification unit for identifying a customer,
A product identification unit for identifying an item of the product placed in the heating cabinet,
The billing processing unit, when performing billing processing of the product, along with the customer information identified by the customer identification unit, the purchase history information corresponding to the billing process, using the communication unit, the external device Send to
The purchase determination unit is obtained from the external device using the communication unit, based on the purchase history information of the customer, determines whether the product has been purchased,
The heating cooker according to claim 2. The customer identification unit identifies the customer by reading a customer identification card,
The product identification unit analyzes at least one of the image of the product, and barcode information assigned to the product, and identifies the item of the product.
The heating cooker according to claim 3. The purchase determination unit, in addition to the item of the product, with reference to information for individually distinguishing the product,
Determining whether the product has been purchased,
The heating cooker according to claim 3 or 4. The purchase determination unit uses a serial number previously assigned to the product as information for individually distinguishing the product,
A heating cooker according to claim 5. The purchase determination unit uses image information given to the product when the product is purchased, as information for individually distinguishing the product.
A heating cooker according to claim 5. Further comprising a display unit for displaying information,
When the purchase determination unit determines that the product has not been purchased, the display unit displays a message for performing a billing process,
The heating cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 7. When the purchase determination unit determines that the product has not been purchased, the display determination unit causes the display unit to display a message prompting the user to perform a billing process.
A heating cooker according to claim 8. The purchase determination unit, in addition to the item of the product, refers to a time when the product was purchased, and determines whether the product has been purchased,
The heating cooker according to any one of claims 3 to 9. A heating unit that heats a product placed in the heating chamber,
A heating control unit that controls the heating unit,
A display unit for displaying information,
The product identification unit reads heating control information of the product placed in the heating cabinet,
When the purchase determining unit determines that the product has not been purchased, the charging processing unit performs a charging process on the product, and the heating control unit heats the product based on the heating control information. And
When the purchase determination unit determines that the product has been purchased, a message that prompts the customer to select whether to perform heating based on the heating control information or to set the heating control information and perform heating. Displayed on the display unit,
The heating cooker according to any one of claims 3 to 7. A heating cabinet,
A heating unit that heats a product placed in the heating chamber,
A heating control unit that controls the heating unit,
A purchase determination unit that determines whether the product has been purchased,
The heating control unit does not perform heating by the heating unit when the purchase determination unit determines that the product is not purchased,
Cooking cooker. A cooking device according to any one of claims 2 to 12,
A cash register for charging the product;
A store system comprising: the cooking device; and a server device serving as the external device for storing the purchase history information regarding the accounting process performed at the cash register. A cooking device according to claim 7,
A cash register for charging the product,
When the product is charged at the cash register, the image information given to the product when the product is purchased is image information given to the product, and the product is stored in the cooking device. When charging, the cooking device is image information issued in conjunction with the charging,
Store system. A method for controlling a cooking device that performs a charging process for a product placed in a heating cabinet,
Determining whether the product has been purchased;
Do not perform the charging process when it is determined that the product has been purchased, and perform the charging process when it is determined that the product is not purchased,
A method for controlling a cooking device including: A heating cabinet,
A charging processing unit that performs a charging process for a product placed in the heating chamber;
An inquiry unit for inquiring an external device whether or not the product has been purchased,
An acquisition unit that acquires a result of whether or not the product has been purchased from the external device,
The accounting unit performs the accounting process when the result indicates that the product is not purchased, and does not perform the accounting process when the result indicates that the product is purchased.
Heating cooker.

Images