KR20090080773A - Intelligent shopping cart, mart management system and mart management method - Google Patents

Abstract

An intelligent shopping cart, a shop management system, and a store management method are provided for a purchasing customer to walk to a road which the intelligent shopping cart guides at a wide shopping store and to search a product quickly and accurately. An intelligent shopping cart(100) comprises a RFID(Radio Frequency Identification) reader(110) for location confirmation, a controller, and a display terminal(140). The RFID reader for location confirmation recognizes a plurality of RFID tags(111) which is laid under a store floor to obtain the location information of a store. The controller processes the location information obtained from the RFID reader for location confirmation. The display terminal receives the location information processed from the controller and displays the location information.

Description

Intelligent shopping carts, store management systems and store management methods {INTELLIGENT SHOPPING CART, MART MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND MART MANAGEMENT METHOD}

The present invention relates to an intelligent shopping cart and a store management system and a store management method using radio frequency identification (RFID). More particularly, the RFID tag is constantly embedded in the floor of a shopping store, and the RFID for positioning is located in the intelligent shopping cart. It provides reader, RFID reader, wireless communication module and display terminal to check the location information and purchased goods information of the purchaser and based on this, provides convenience of purchase to purchaser and efficient store management for shop manager. An intelligent shopping cart, a store management system, and a store management method.

Recently, large-scale discount stores are entering the shops, as the product purchase behavior is mainly focused on large discount stores. The most prominent feature of these large discount stores is that they have a much larger store space than previous stores.

Therefore, customers who visit a large discount store have to select a desired product while looking around a wide store, and therefore, it is difficult to find a point where the desired product is located or to reach the point, and it takes a lot of time. To solve this problem, a large number of appropriately trained employees in shopping stores are required, which has been an obstacle to the profits of discount stores or the price competitiveness of goods.

In addition, consumers often create a list of items to buy in advance to reduce the amount of time spent shopping. However, since many similar products are sold in a large discount store, each product is compared and examined. It takes time. Therefore, getting accurate information about the goods is an essential element to reduce the time spent shopping.

In order to solve these problems, conventionally, to recognize shopping carts equipped with RFID tags, RFID readers are installed in various places of the store to identify the location of purchase customers and utilize the location information, or RFID readers for product recognition in shopping carts. The shopping cart has been proposed to calculate the price of the goods in the shopping cart in advance by installing the.

However, recognizing a shopping cart equipped with an RFID tag in an RFID reader installed in a store not only reduces the accuracy of the location of the shopping cart, but also makes it impossible to transfer information interactively with a purchaser. In addition, when only the RFID reader for product recognition is installed in the shopping cart, it can simply inform the information or price of the product, and there is a limitation in providing comprehensive information for providing shopping convenience to the purchaser.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems or limitations of the prior art, and provides an intelligent shopping cart, a store management system, and a store management method capable of providing road guidance and shopping-related information in order to easily carry a wide store. The purpose.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide an intelligent shopping cart, a store management system and a store management method for providing advertisement and promotional event information of adjacent products while moving a shopping store.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide an intelligent shopping cart, a store management system, and a store management method that provide detailed information of a product price and a product to purchase.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is an intelligent shopping cart that obtains the location information of the shopping cart and utilizes it for shopping, for recognizing a plurality of RFID tags embedded in the floor of the store for obtaining location information RFID reader; A controller for processing position information acquired from the position checking RFID reader; And a display terminal for receiving and displaying the processed position information from the controller.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the apparatus may further include an RFID reader for recognizing an RFID tag attached to a purchased product and transferring the recognized product information to the controller to display on the display terminal.

According to another aspect, the control unit has a function of processing detailed information of a product such as a price, a country of origin, a component of a product recognized by the RFID reader for product recognition.

According to another aspect, the wireless communication module may further include transmitting location information acquired from the RFID reader for location checking to a store management server and receiving the information transmitted from the store management server.

According to another aspect, the controller has a function of receiving a list of goods to be purchased from the display terminal, and processing information to display directions to a point where a product to be purchased is located, an advertisement for the goods, and a promotional event.

According to another aspect, the apparatus further includes a power supply for supplying power to the RFID reader for positioning, wherein the power supply includes: a generator connected to the wheel of the intelligent shopping cart to generate electricity by the rotational force of the wheel; A regulator receiving electricity generated from the generator and outputting the generated voltage at a constant level; And a DC-DC converter for changing the voltage output from the regulator to a voltage of a level capable of driving the positioning RFID reader.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the power supply unit further includes a rechargeable battery supplied with electricity generated from the generator, and supplies electricity to the regulator when the intelligent shopping cart is stopped.

In addition, an object of the present invention is a store management system that obtains the location information of the shopping cart and utilize it for shopping, a plurality of RFID tags buried in the floor of the store; Recognizing a plurality of RFID tags embedded in the floor of the store to obtain the location information of the RFID reader for identification, a control unit for processing the location information obtained from the positioning RFID reader, receiving the position information processed from the control unit An intelligent shopping cart including a display terminal for displaying and a wireless communication module; And a store management system that collects and utilizes location information through wireless communication with the intelligent shopping cart and transmits various shopping information.

Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a store management method for obtaining location information of a shopping cart and using the same for shopping, comprising: an input step of receiving a product to purchase; And a road guidance step of displaying a current location and a location of a product to be purchased and guiding a road to a destination where a product to be purchased is located.

According to another aspect, the road guidance step includes providing advertisements and events of adjacent goods while moving to the destination.

According to another aspect, the method may further include providing specific information of a product to be purchased at a destination after the road guidance step.

According to another aspect, when the product to be put in the shopping cart further comprises the step of displaying the price of the product and all the goods contained in the shopping cart.

According to another aspect, after the road guidance step, if there are more goods to purchase further comprises a second road guide step of guiding the road to the point where the next product to be purchased.

According to the present invention, a large shopping mall can be traveled by a smart shopping cart to guide customers to find a product to purchase quickly and accurately.

In addition, various information related to shopping may be obtained while the shopping store is moved, and price and detailed information of a product to be purchased may be easily obtained.

In addition, according to the present invention, the shopping store manager can grasp the buying behavior of the purchasing customer in real time, and can advertise to the purchasing customer moving adjacent to the products displayed in the store, so that the most effective advertising is possible. There is an advantage in reducing the manpower required for guidance and sales promotion.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described a specific embodiment of the present invention, but this is only an example and the present invention is not limited thereto.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an intelligent shopping card according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of an intelligent shopping card according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, the RFID tag 111 that can inform the location of the floor is buried at a predetermined interval.

The intelligent shopping cart 100 may be a RFID reader 110 for recognizing an RFID tag 111, an RFID reader 120 for identifying a product for recognizing goods contained in a shopping cart 100, an intelligent shopping cart ( The wireless communication module 130 for transmitting the information acquired by the server 100 to the server and receiving the necessary information, the display terminal 140 for providing the information to the purchaser through the image, and the RFID reader 110 for the positioning. It is configured to include a power supply unit 150 that can supply power.

Specifically, the RFID tag 111 is buried at regular intervals at the bottom of the shopping store according to the recognition range or the range required for the location of the RFID system, and the RFID reader 110 for checking the location of the shopping cart 100 passing therethrough. Is recognized). Each of the plurality of RFID tags 111 stores coordinate information (X, Y) of a shopping store, and when the RFID tag 111 recognizes the position information, the position information of the recognized RFID tag 111 is displayed on the display terminal ( 140) or transmitted to the store management system to confirm the current location of the shopping cart 100.

As such, by embedding the RFID tag 111 at a predetermined interval on the floor of the store and recognizing it with the positioning RFID reader 110 installed in the shopping cart, more accurate location information can be received and based on the accurate location information. As a result, various types of services are available to consumers.

The position identification RFID reader 110 is installed at the lower end of the shopping cart 100 so as to be directed toward the floor of the store so that the recognition rate of the RFID tag 111 embedded in the floor of the shop is increased.

The product identification RFID reader 120 is installed on the inside of the shopping cart 100 to recognize an RFID tag (not shown) attached to the products contained in the shopping cart 100, information and price of goods to be purchased by the buyer, etc. Make sure to check.

The wireless communication module 130 transmits the location information and the product information obtained by the above-described position identification RFID reader 110 and the product identification RFID reader 120 to a store management server, and receives necessary information from the management server. Perform the function. The installation position of the wireless communication module 130 may be the front of the shopping cart 100 as shown in FIG. 1, and may be configured integrally with the RFID reader 110 or the display terminal 140 for positioning in some cases. .

The display terminal 140 is required by the buyer based on the information received from the wireless communication module 130 as well as the location information and the product information obtained from the position identification RFID reader 110 and the product identification RFID reader 120. The information to be displayed is displayed.

For example, when reading the RFID tag 111 where the shopping cart 100 is currently located in the positioning RFID reader 110, the current location of the shopping cart 100 is displayed on the display terminal 140. Consumers can easily know where they are in the store, and can easily access where the item they want to purchase is located. In addition, the corresponding position of the shopping cart 100 may be transmitted to the server through the wireless communication module 130 to determine the purchase status of the consumer.

Further, when the consumer wants to purchase the product close to the RFID reader 120 for product identification of the shopping cart 100, information such as the country of origin, manufacturer, date of manufacture, price of the corresponding product is displayed on the display terminal 140 In addition, you can get a lot of help in purchasing the products you want.

The power supply unit 150 supplies power to the RFID reader 110 for positioning, which will be described in detail later.

The controller 160 is formed on the display terminal 140 to process the position information obtained from the position identification RFID reader 110 and the product information obtained from the product identification RFID reader 120 to transfer to the display terminal 140. do.

In other words, the consumer receives the goods to purchase, informs the place where the products are located, locates the location of the shopping cart 100 in real time and guides the way to where the products to purchase are located. In addition, communication with the management server (not shown) through the wireless communication module 130 to inform the display terminal 140 of the advertisement of various products that are encountered on the way to the point where the products to be purchased are located or the current event event. Do it.

In addition, the controller 160 provides a function to grasp the buying behavior of the purchase customers. Then, the price of the goods contained in the shopping cart 100 obtained through the product identification RFID reader 120, and grasping the goods already contained in the shopping cart 100 and products to be purchased more, the shopping of the purchase customer It also provides the ability to reduce copper to a minimum.

By providing these functions, store managers can not only understand the shopping behavior of buyers, but also efficiently organize the store's location and products based on them, as well as the advertisements or upcoming list of products that buyers meet while passing by. Advertisement of goods in the can get the most effective advertising effect. As a result, store managers can generate advertising revenue and reduce labor costs, while advertisers can advertise their products to consumers in the field, resulting in an advertising effect.

In addition, consumers can check events and discounts on the spot, so they can purchase low-priced items, and can easily go without having to wander through very large stores, reducing shopping time, and various information on shopping carts ( There is an advantage in that the individual price and the total amount of the product contained in 100) can be immediately checked each time you put the product.

Next, Figure 3 is a block diagram of the power supply of the intelligent shopping cart according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is another configuration diagram of the power supply of the intelligent shopping cart according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The shopping cart 100 is always rotated when the wheel moves. Therefore, it is possible to generate power by using the rotational force of the wheels 210 of the shopping cart, it is possible to supply all or part of the power consumed by the intelligent shopping cart 100 in the shopping cart itself.

Referring to FIG. 3, the power supply unit 150 is connected to the wheel 210 of the shopping cart and generates electricity by the rotational force of the wheel 210, and supplies electricity generated from the generator 220. It is composed of a regulator 240 for receiving and outputting it at a constant level of voltage and a DC-DC converter 250 for raising or lowering the voltage from the regulator 240 to a voltage of a desired level. The power output from the DC-DC converter 250 is supplied to the RFID reader 110 for positioning.

Therefore, the position checking RFID reader 110 can be powered from the power supply unit 150 permanently without a separate charger or a battery, there is no need to replace according to the battery consumption, there is also the effect of reducing the cost of replacing the battery .

Referring to FIG. 4, unlike FIG. 3, a charging device 230 and a rechargeable battery 231 are configured between the generator 220 and the regulator 240. In the power supply unit shown in FIG. 4, the electricity generated from the generator 220 is supplied to both the charging device 230 and the regulator 240, and the rechargeable battery 231 is charged when the wheel 210 of the shopping cart 100 rotates. At the same time, power is supplied so that the positioning RFID reader 110 can be operated.

If the wheel 210 of the shopping cart does not move, it is possible to supply power to the RFID reader 110 for positioning for a predetermined time with the power charged in the rechargeable battery 231.

5 is a block diagram of a store management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 5, the store management system according to the present invention is installed throughout the store to communicate with the wireless communication module 130 of the shopping cart 100 a plurality of base stations 410, the data obtained from each base station 410 It consists of a wired and wireless information network 420 for transmitting or transmitting necessary information and a management server 430 for receiving information of the shopping cart 100 or transmitting necessary information through the wired and wireless information network.

That is, the intelligent shopping cart 100 may perform the store guide function and the product guide function without communicating with the server by itself through the already prepared program of the acquired location information and the product information, but by grasping the purchase behavior of the customer in real time In order to provide a corresponding advertisement or corresponding information, it is necessary to exchange data with the management server 430.

Therefore, by installing a plurality of base stations 410 throughout the store receives the data transmitted from the intelligent shopping cart 100 moving in the store to process it in the management server 430, various information provided by the management server 430 To the shopping cart 100 to provide to the customer.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a store management method in a store management system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, in operation S610, an input of a product to be purchased by a customer purchased at a store is input to the display terminal 140. In some cases, you can browse the store first and decide which product to purchase. However, in most cases, there is a necessary product in advance, so the store is visited accordingly.

When the input is completed, the intelligent shopping cart 100 notifies the place where the product to be purchased is located and the current location through the display terminal 140 screen, and extracts the most optimal route to start the road guidance informing the movement route (S620). ).

Next, the intelligent shopping cart 100 continuously recognizes the RFID tag 111 embedded in the floor of the store while moving to determine the current location and at the same time informs the current location and the moving line to be continued through the display terminal 140 and is moving. Advertises and discounts for goods adjacent to the notification to the customer through the display terminal 140 screen (S630). Therefore, the demand for the staff and the helper for the promotion to the shopping store is reduced, reducing labor costs in terms of store management.

Next, when arriving at the point where the product to be purchased is located, it informs the information about the product according to the type of the product to be purchased (S640). For example, when you go to a store to buy tofu, you can tell them the price, country of origin, and ingredients of tofu from various producers so that buyers can choose the products they want most.

Next, when the purchase customer puts the selected product in the cart, not only the price of the product but also informs the total price of the product already in the cart (S650). This can prevent excessive consumption in advance, enabling efficient consumption. In addition, since it communicates with the management server 430 in real time through the wireless communication module 130, the store manager can grasp the consumption behavior of the purchaser in real time, and can efficiently use it for store management.

Next, if there is a product to be purchased further, the guidance resumes to the point where the next product is located (S670). Or, if you have purchased all the goods to be purchased, the total price of all the goods in the shopping cart 100 is notified, and the road guidance (S680) as the calculation ends.

The present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments of the present invention, but this is only illustrative and does not limit the scope of the present invention. In other words, those skilled in the art can appropriately modify or change the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention.

Meanwhile, each functional block described in the present specification may be implemented by various known elements such as an electronic circuit, an integrated circuit, and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and may be implemented separately, or two or more may be integrated into one. have. Components such as means described as separate in the specification and claims may be simply functionally distinct and may be physically implemented as one means, and components such as means described as a single element may be It can be made in combination. In addition, each method step described herein may be changed in order without departing from the scope of the present invention, and other steps may be added. In addition, the embodiments described herein may be implemented independently as well as independently combined. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be defined not by the embodiments described, but by the appended claims and their equivalents.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an intelligent shopping cart according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a functional block diagram of a power supply unit of an intelligent shopping cart according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a functional block diagram of another power supply unit of the intelligent shopping cart according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a block diagram of a store management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a store management method in a store management system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (14)

In an intelligent shopping cart that obtains the location information of the shopping cart and uses it for shopping, A position identification RFID reader for recognizing a plurality of RFID tags embedded in a floor of a store to obtain store position information; A controller for processing position information acquired from the position checking RFID reader; And And a display terminal for receiving and displaying the processed position information from the controller. The method of claim 1, And a RFID reader for product recognition connected to the control unit and recognizing an RFID tag attached to a purchased product to transmit the recognized product information to the control unit to display on the display terminal. The method of claim 2, The control unit has a function of processing the detailed information of the goods, such as price, origin, components, etc. of the goods recognized by the RFID reader for goods recognition, intelligent shopping cart. The method of claim 1, The wireless shopping module further comprises a wireless communication module for transmitting the location information obtained from the location identification RFID reader to the store management server and receives the information transmitted from the store management server. The method of claim 1, The controller receives a list of products to purchase from the display terminal, and has a function of processing information to display a road guide to a point where a product to purchase is located, an advertisement for the product, and a promotional event. The method of claim 1, Further comprising a power supply for supplying power to the positioning RFID reader, The power supply unit, A generator connected to the wheels of the intelligent shopping cart to generate electricity by the rotational force of the wheels; A regulator receiving electricity generated from the generator and outputting the generated voltage at a constant level; And And a DC-DC converter for changing the voltage output from the regulator to a voltage of a level capable of driving the positioning RFID reader. The method of claim 6, wherein the power supply unit Receiving the electricity generated from the generator to charge, and further comprises a rechargeable battery for supplying electricity to the regulator when the intelligent shopping cart is stopped, intelligent shopping cart. In the store management system to obtain the location information of the shopping cart and use it for shopping, A plurality of RFID tags buried in the floor of a store; Recognizing a plurality of RFID tags embedded in the floor of the store to obtain the location information of the RFID reader for identification, a control unit for processing the location information obtained from the positioning RFID reader, receiving the position information processed from the control unit An intelligent shopping cart including a display terminal for displaying and a wireless communication module; And And a store management server for collecting and utilizing location information through wireless communication with the intelligent shopping cart and transmitting various shopping information. In the store management method to obtain the location information of the shopping cart and use it for shopping, An input step of receiving a product to purchase; And And a road guidance step of displaying a current location and a location of a product to be purchased and guiding a road to a destination where a product to be purchased is located. The method of claim 9, The way guidance step comprises the step of providing advertisements and events of the adjacent goods during the movement to the destination, store management method. The method of claim 9, And providing detailed information of goods to be purchased at a destination after the way guidance step. The method of claim 11, When the product to be put in the shopping cart further comprises the step of displaying the price of the product and all the goods contained in the shopping cart, store management method. The method of claim 9, And a second road guide step of guiding a road to a point at which the next product to be purchased is located after the road guide step. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing the method of any one of claims 9 to 13 to be executed on a computer.

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