KR20200143884A - Uninhabited payment and stock management system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an unmanned sales and inventory management system. More specifically, the system includes a consumer product access step of unlocking an unmanned vending machine through a payment combination lock module installed on the unmanned vending machine, a product selection step in which the consumer finally selects and picks up the product after unlocking the unmanned sales stand by the consumer product access step, and an unattended payment step of performing unattended payment based on the information of the final selected product selected by the consumer by the product selection step, wherein the unattended payment step is provided to be performed under predetermined additional conditions and whether an electrical signal is disconnected between an RFID tag and an RFID reader provided in the final selected product, thereby providing an advantage of enabling a complete unmanned system.

Description

Unmanned sales and inventory management system {UNINHABITED PAYMENT AND STOCK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM}

The present invention relates to an unmanned sales and inventory management system, and more particularly, to an unmanned sales and inventory management system capable of constructing a complete unmanned system through the behavior of products having RFID tag information.

In general, an unmanned system refers to a system built to automatically perform certain tasks without inputting manpower. In recent years, as labor costs are constantly increasing and the burden on small businesses is accelerating, the operation and development of unmanned systems is active.

In the United States and Japan, an unmanned sales system using RFID has already been introduced and tested, and in Korea, an unmanned system has been introduced and operated that allows consumers to directly recognize barcodes and pay after picking up desired products.

However, the current unmanned system is designed to enable consumers to select products from outside the unmanned sales stand equipped with the consumer and then obtain the product after payment is completed through a plastic card or cash for payment. , Products that can be sold through unmanned vending machines (eg, vending machines, etc.) are also single items or have a very limited quantity.

In addition, since it is not possible to grasp the real-time inventory status of the unmanned sales stand, there is an inconvenience that the user who manages the unmanned sales unit must check the inventory status at any time.

The present invention has been conceived to solve the above technical problem, and provides an unmanned sales and inventory management system in which an RFID tag is attached to each product to be sold, and then a payment is made by recognizing the behavior of the products. For that purpose.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide an unattended sales and inventory management system capable of fundamentally blocking attempts to avoid payment behavior through defects in RFID tag information as well as enabling product selection only for consumers who have completed authentication. To do.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide an unmanned sales and inventory management system that enables efficient management by transmitting the sales status and inventory status of a final selected product through product payment to a real-time user management server.

The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems that are not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

An embodiment of the unmanned sales and inventory management system according to the present invention is a consumer product access step of unlocking a lock state of an unmanned sales stand through a payment combination lock module installed in the unmanned sales stand, and the unmanned sales stand by the consumer product access step. After unlocking, a product selection step in which a consumer finally selects and picks up a product, and an unattended payment step of performing an unattended payment based on information of a final selected product selected by the consumer by the product selection step, wherein the unattended payment step, It is performed under predetermined additional conditions and whether an electrical signal is disconnected between the RFID tag and the RFID reader provided in the final selection product.

Here, the payment combination lock module permits the execution of the consumer product access step under the condition that authentication is completed through any one of a consumer's payment plastic card or a smart phone's N FC tag, insertion, and sliding recognition. can do.

In addition, the payment combination lock module may be installed on a sales door of the unmanned sales stand to open or lock a display space in which products are displayed.

In addition, the payment combination lock module, a display unit that visually displays the total price information of the final selected product selected by the consumer through the product selection step and the consumer product access step and payment method recognition for performing the unattended payment step May contain wealth.

In addition, the unattended payment step may be performed after an electrical connection with the RFID tag attached to the last selected product is disconnected by the RFID reader and a predetermined time elapses.

In addition, the unattended payment step can be performed immediately after the electrical connection with the RFID tag attached to the final selected product is disconnected by the RFID reader and the display space on which the product is displayed is locked by the payment combination lock module. have.

In addition, the unmanned sales stand further includes a weight detection sensor unit provided to detect the total weight of the display stand on which each product is displayed or the weight of each product, the unattended payment step, by the RFID reader The electrical connection with the RFID tag attached to the final selected product is disconnected and a change in weight by the weight detection sensor unit is sensed, and then a predetermined time may elapse.

In addition, the RFID reader and the payment lock module may transmit and receive information on the final selected product through a LAN line or a TCP/IP connection.

In addition, the RFID reader may recognize RFID tags attached to each product in a beam area of a specific frequency band.

In addition, after the unattended payment step, it may further include a product inventory management step of transmitting in real time sales information and inventory information of the final selected product from the payment combination lock module to the user management server.

In addition, the payment combination lock module and the user management server may perform transmission through Internet communication.

In addition, the user management server may include an inventory management algorithm and a sales management algorithm for inventory and sales management of each product sold through the unmanned sales stand.

According to an embodiment of the unmanned sales and inventory management system according to the present invention, various effects as follows can be achieved.

First, by attaching an RFID tag to each of the products to be sold, the final selection product is automatically paid through an RFID reader, thereby providing an effect that enables unmanned sales of various products.

Second, it is possible to improve the reliability of product purchase behavior and sales behavior by allowing only authenticated consumers to select products through an unmanned sales stand.

Third, since products for sale can be monitored in real time, inventory management and sales management of products are facilitated.

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an unattended sales and inventory management system according to the present invention,
Figure 2 is a detailed flowchart of Figure 1,
3 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of an unattended sales and inventory management system according to the present invention,
4 is an enlarged view showing the function of the weight detection sensor unit in the configuration of FIG.
5 is a schematic diagram showing a state of recognition of RFID tag information by an RFID reader in the configuration of FIG. 3.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an unmanned sales and inventory management system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In adding reference numerals to elements of each drawing, it should be noted that the same elements are assigned the same numerals as possible even if they are indicated on different drawings. In addition, in describing an embodiment of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function obstructs an understanding of the embodiment of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In describing the constituent elements of the embodiments of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only used to distinguish the component from other components, and the nature, order, or order of the component is not limited by the term. In addition, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in a commonly used dictionary should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related technology, and should not be interpreted as an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in this application. Does not.

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an unmanned sales and inventory management system according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a detailed sequence block diagram of Figure 1, Figure 3 is an unmanned sales and inventory management system according to the present invention Examples are schematic diagrams shown.

In the unmanned sales and inventory management system according to an embodiment of the present invention, a consumer product access step (S10) of unlocking the unmanned sales stand 1 through the payment combination lock module 10 installed in the unmanned sales stand 1 (S10) And, after the unlocking of the unmanned sales stand 1 by the consumer product access step (S10), the final product selected by the consumer through the product selection step (S20) and the product selection step (S20) in which the consumer finally selects and picks up the product It includes an unattended payment step (S30) of performing unattended payment based on the information of.

As shown in FIG. 3, the unmanned sales stand 1 may include a payment combination locking module 10 provided so that the above-described consumer product access step (S10) is performed only for authenticated consumers.

The payment combination lock module 10 is a plastic card for payment (including a credit card or a check card, hereinafter referred to as a'card payment method') or an NFC (Near Field Communication) coil of a smartphone (hereinafter, referred to as'card payment method') used by consumers for payment. , “Smart payment means”), tag recognition, insertion of a card payment means, and sliding recognition can be used as any terminal as long as it can be authenticated.

Here, the combined payment lock module 10 plays a role of electromagnetically making payment by the above-described card payment means or smart payment means, as well as a display space 20 in which products of the unmanned sales stand 1 are displayed. ) Can play a role of locking or unlocking (or unlocking) it.

The payment combination locking module 10 may be provided with a payment method recognition unit 11 capable of a payment function and a locking unit 15 capable of a locking function integrally, as well as being provided separately so as to be electrically interlocked. It is also possible to become.

Here, the payment method recognition unit 11 may perform a role of enabling the above-described consumer product access step (S10) and the unattended payment step (S30) to be performed through the recognition of a card payment method or a smart payment method. have.

On the other hand, the combined payment lock module 10 may further include a display unit 13 for visually displaying the total price information and product information of the final selected product selected by the consumer through the product selection step S20. . The display unit 13 is provided on one side of the payment method recognition unit 11, and may visually display a series of consumer authentication processes through any one of a card payment method and a smart payment method.

The payment lock module 10 as described above is preferably installed in a configuration capable of partitioning the display space 20 and blocking access to the display space 20 by unauthorized consumers. A configuration capable of blocking access while partitioning the display space 20 as described above may be generally defined as a'sale door', and the payment combination lock module 10 may be detachably installed on the sale door. . Accordingly, it is possible to easily apply the system to a general unmanned vending machine that is not operated by the unmanned sales and inventory management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Meanwhile, a display rack 25 capable of displaying various types of products may be provided in the display space 20 inside the unmanned sales rack 1. The display rack 25 may include a product shelf on which products such as confectionery or miscellaneous goods are displayed, as well as a beverage shelf that requires refrigeration or warm storage of beverages or dairy products. In an embodiment of the present invention, the display rack 25 is a concept that includes all types, but hereinafter, for convenience of description, the display rack 25 is a beverage shelf in which the display space 20 constitutes a refrigerator compartment. It will be described only.

RFID tags 30 including unique product information and price information may be attached to products (eg, beverages, etc.) displayed on the display rack 25. The RFID tag 30 is a component for recognizing a final selected product through the RFID reader 40, which will be described later, through the execution of the product selection step S20 by the consumer. Details related to the recognition of the RFID tag 30 attached to the final selected product through the RFID reader 40 will be described in more detail later.

In the unmanned sales and inventory management system according to an embodiment of the present invention, the unattended payment step (S30) is, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the final selected product selected by the consumer's product selection step (S20) The electrical signal between the RFID tag 30 and the RFID reader 40 provided in may be disconnected and performed under a predetermined additional condition.

In more detail, the RFID reader 40 may be provided to recognize all RFID tags 30 of each product displayed in the display space 20 corresponding to the interior of the unmanned sales stand 1 in real time. Here, when the behavior of any one of the RFID tags 30 attached to the products is recognized by the RFID reader 40, the consumer selects the last selected product through the product selection step S20. It can be determined as. This is, when some of the products are separated from the display space 20 by the consumer in the area recognizable by the RFID reader 40, an electrical signal is connected between the RFID reader 40 and the RFID tag 30 attached to the product. Because this is cut off.

Meanwhile, in the unattended payment step (S30), as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the electrical connection with the RFID tag 30 attached to the final selected product is disconnected by the RFID reader 40, and the predetermined time Can be performed after elapsed. This is to consider that the consumer cancels the selection by re-displaying the product selected through the product selection step S20 to the display space 20 again. Therefore, it is preferable that the predetermined time is set to a time sufficient for the consumer to carefully decide whether to cancel the product.

In addition, in the unattended payment step (S30), the electrical connection with the RFID tag 30 attached to the final selected product is disconnected by the RFID reader 40, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and a combination lock module for payment It can be performed immediately after locking the display space 20 in which the product is displayed by (10). The fact that the lock of the display space 20 is completed by the payment lock module 10 means that the consumer does not cancel the product anymore and completes the product selection process. However, the locking of the display space 20 by the payment combination locking module 10 is desirable to give the consumer an opportunity to cancel the selection of the product before the unattended payment step (S30) is performed. It is preferably carried out after the passage of time.

4 is an enlarged view showing a function of a weight detection sensor unit in the configuration of FIG. 3.

In the unmanned sales and inventory management system according to an embodiment of the present invention, the unmanned sales stand 1 is provided in the display space 20, a weight detection sensor unit provided to detect the weight of the final selected product selected by the consumer It may further include (70).

The weight detection sensor unit 70 may be provided with a plurality of sensors so as to individually detect a change in weight of each of the products displayed on the display rack 25, as shown in FIG. 4A. Of course, as shown in (b) of Figure 4, it is also possible to be provided to sense the weight change of each of the plurality of display racks 25 provided in multiple stages spaced apart from each other in the display space 20 of the unmanned sales table 1 Do.

In general, the RFID tag 30 is attached to a product packaging. The weight detection sensor unit 70 compensates for a defect in the unattended payment step S30 performed only with behavior information of the RFID tags 30 recognized by the RFID reader 40. That is, if the packaging paper of the final selected product is damaged by a consumer with an impure intention and the RFID tag 30 is still located in the area recognized by the RFID reader 40, the product selection step (S20) is not finished. , There is a problem that does not proceed to the unattended payment step (S30) performed after that.

The weight detection sensor unit 70 detects an electrical signal disconnection between the RFID tag 30 and the RFID reader 40, and then the weight change by a weight detection sensor that detects the weight change of the corresponding product or the corresponding product is displayed. When a change in the weight of the entire display rack 25 is detected, it serves to proceed to the unattended payment step S30 performed after that.

However, in consideration of the problem that the weight change may be detected through the weight sensor unit 70 because the final selected product is not re-displayed to the corresponding location or incorrectly displayed based on the consumer's product cancellation behavior, a voice not shown Through the information department, the display error can be guided so that the consumer can directly correct it. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state of recognition of RFID tag information by an RFID reader in the configuration of FIG. 3.

The unmanned sales stand 1 may further include an RFID reader 40 capable of recognizing the RFID tags 30 attached to respective products, as shown in FIG. 5. The RFID reader 40 is provided to recognize the RFID tags 30 attached to each of the products, and thus serves to recognize the behavior of the product through the execution of the product selection step S20 of the consumer. .

Here, the recognition rate of the information of the plurality of RFID tags 30 recognized by the RFID reader 40 is one of very important factors in the unmanned sales and inventory management system. This is because the RFID tag 30 information attached to the products includes product information and price information of the products. In addition, in order to determine whether to perform the above-described product selection step (S20) and whether to perform the unattended payment step (S30), it is necessary to accurately recognize the behavior of products based on the RFID tag 30 information.

In the current unmanned system market, large retailers have introduced and are using the RFID tag 30 recognition technology using UHF, but there is a concern that the recognition rate is still lowered by the surrounding environment such as water, meat or metal.

In the unmanned sales and inventory management system according to an embodiment of the present invention, the RFID reader 40 may be provided to recognize the RFID tags 30 attached to each product in a beam area of a specific frequency band. . Here, the specific frequency does not exclude the aforementioned UHF band.

To this end, the RFID reader 40 may include a beamforming antenna 45 that forms a beam of a specific frequency band. By adjusting the beam forming width and the beam forming angle by the beam forming antenna 45, it is possible to recognize the behavior of the RFID tags 30 of each product displayed in the display space 20 of the unmanned sales stand 1.

As shown in FIG. 5, the detection of departure of the RFID tag 30 attached to a specific product from the beam area generated by the beam forming antenna 45 of the RFID reader 40 is the product selection step of the consumer (S20). ) It can be recognized as the final product selected through execution. When recognized as the final selected product as described above, the RFID reader 40 may transmit product information and price information on the final selected product to the payment combination lock module 10 to perform the next step, the unattended payment step (S30). .

Here, the RFID reader 40 and the payment lock module 10 may be connected by a LAN line or TCP/IP as shown in FIG. 3.

On the other hand, the unattended sales and inventory management system according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figure 1, after the unattended payment step (S30), from the payment combination lock module 10 to the user management server 50 It may further include a product inventory management step (S40) of transmitting sales information and inventory information of the selected product in real time. Here, the payment combination lock module 10 and the user management server 50 may be provided to enable transmission through Internet communication.

The user management server 50 may include an inventory management algorithm and a sales management algorithm for managing inventory and sales of each product sold through the unmanned sales stand 1.

The inventory management algorithm and the sales management algorithm are automatically executed in the user management server 50 according to the sales information and inventory information transmitted from the payment combination lock module 10, so that the current unmanned sales stand (1) as the user's portable terminal (60) It is possible to calculate and transmit the product sales status and the resulting sales status and product inventory status of the unmanned sales stand (1) in real time. Here, communication between the user management server 50 and the user's portable terminal 60 may include communication through a mobile communication network.

The product sales process and inventory management process using the unmanned sales and inventory management system according to an embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be briefly described with reference to the accompanying drawings (in particular, FIGS. 1 and 2). same.

First, the product of the unmanned sales stand 1 through the recognition of either a card payment method or a smart payment method in the payment method recognition unit 11 of the payment combination lock module 10 provided in the unmanned sales stand 1 The selection step (S20) goes through a possible consumer authentication process (consumer product access step (S10)).

After the consumer is normally authenticated through the execution of the consumer product access step (S10), it is locked so that the consumer can access the display space 20 by using the locking part 15 of the payment combination lock module 10 Change to the unlocked (unlocked) state.

However, if there is no recognition act on the payment method recognition unit 11 of the card payment method or the smart payment method, the access of unauthorized consumers is prohibited by using the locking unit 15 of the payment combination lock module 10. Keep the lock

When a specific product is picked up and taken out by a consumer with access to the display space 20, the RFID reader 40 prevents disconnection of electrical signals according to the behavior of the RFID tags 30 attached to each product. Through the determination of the final product selected by the consumer, and if the final product selected by the consumer is a plurality of products, product information and price information for each product are transmitted to the payment combination lock module 10, and the payment combination lock module 10 The unattended payment step S30 may be performed based on the product information and price information of the final selected product transmitted from the RFID reader 40 (unattended settlement step S30).

At this time, since there is a possibility that the contents of the product may be carried out leaving only the packaging with the RFID tag 30 attached, a predetermined time elapses after checking whether a change in the weight of the product is detected by the weight detection sensor unit 70 It is preferable to perform the unattended payment step (S30) after making.

In addition, if there is no electrical signal disconnection between the RFID tag 30 and the RFID reader 40, the consumer is in the process of selecting a product, so after waiting for a predetermined time, the product selection is terminated to the consumer through the voice guide. And it can send out the voice of the payment fulfillment guidance urging the payment to be fulfilled.

After the unattended payment step S30 is performed, sales information and inventory information of the final selected product may be transmitted in real time from the payment combination lock module 10 to the user management server 50 (product inventory management step S40).

Users who have grasped the sales status and stock status of the unmanned sales stand (1) by the product inventory management step (S40), if necessary, directly fill in the inventory of insufficient products or order related products and secure inventory so that the product inventory is automatically filled. The process can be carried out.

In the above, an embodiment of an unmanned sales and inventory management system according to the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments of the present invention are not necessarily limited by the above-described embodiment, and it is natural that various modifications and implementations in an equivalent range by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains are possible. will be. Therefore, it will be said that the true scope of the present invention is determined by the claims to be described later.

1: Unmanned Vending Machine 10: Lock Module for Payment
11: Payment method recognition unit 13: Display unit
15: locking part 20: display space
25: shelf 30: RFID tag
40: RFID reader 45: beamforming antenna
50: user management server 60: mobile terminal
70: weight detection sensor unit S10: consumer product access step
S20: Product selection step S30: Unattended payment step
S40: Goods Inventory Management Step

Claims (12)

A consumer product access step of releasing a lock state of an unmanned sales unit through a payment combination lock module installed in the unmanned sales unit;
A product selection step in which a consumer finally selects and picks up a product after unlocking the unmanned sales stand by the consumer product access step; And
An unattended payment step of performing unattended payment based on information of a final selected product selected by the consumer by the product selection step; Including,
The unattended payment step is performed under predetermined additional conditions and whether an electrical signal is disconnected between an RFID tag and an RFID reader provided in the final selected product.
The method according to claim 1,
The payment combination lock module allows the execution of the consumer product access step under the condition that authentication is completed through any one of recognition actions of a consumer's payment plastic card or NFC tag, insertion and sliding recognition, unattended Sales and inventory management system.
The method according to claim 1,
The combined payment lock module is installed on the sales door of the unmanned sales stand to open or lock a display space on which goods are displayed, an unmanned sales and inventory management system.
The method according to claim 2 or 3,
The payment combination lock module,
A display unit for visually displaying total price information of a final product selected by a consumer through the product selection step; And
A payment means recognition unit for performing the consumer product access step and the unattended payment step; Including, unattended sales and inventory management system.
The method according to claim 1,
The unattended payment step,
An unmanned sales and inventory management system performed after an electrical connection with the RFID tag attached to the final selected product is disconnected by the RFID reader and a predetermined time elapses.
The method according to claim 1,
The unattended payment step,
An unmanned sales and inventory management system performed immediately after the electrical connection with the RFID tag attached to the final selected product is disconnected by the RFID reader and the display space on which the product is displayed is locked by the payment combination lock module.
The method according to claim 1,
The unmanned sales stand includes: a weight detection sensor unit configured to detect the total weight of the display rack on which the respective products are displayed or to detect the weight of each product; Including more,
The unattended payment step,
An unmanned sales and inventory management system performed after a predetermined time has elapsed after an electrical connection with the RFID tag attached to the final selected product is disconnected by the RFID reader and a change in weight by the weight detection sensor unit is detected .
The method according to claim 1,
The RFID reader and the payment combination lock module transmit and receive information on the final selected product through a LAN line or a TCP/IP connection, an unmanned sales and inventory management system.
The method according to claim 1,
The RFID reader recognizes the RFID tags attached to the respective products in a beam area of a specific frequency band, unmanned sales and inventory management system.
The method according to claim 1,
After the unattended payment step, a product inventory management step of transmitting sales information and inventory information of the final selected product in real time from the payment combination lock module to a user management server; Further comprising, unattended sales and inventory management system.
The method of claim 10,
The payment combination lock module and the user management server are capable of transmission by Internet communication, unattended sales and inventory management system.
The method of claim 10,
The user management server comprises an inventory management algorithm and a sales management algorithm for inventory and sales management of each product sold through the unmanned sales stand, unmanned sales and inventory management system.

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