WO2019106794A1

WO2019106794A1 - Automatic vending machine

Info

Publication number: WO2019106794A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/043115
Authority: WO
Inventors: 渓久保
Original assignee: ６００株式会社
Priority date: 2017-11-30
Filing date: 2017-11-30
Publication date: 2019-06-06

Abstract

[Problem] To ensure visibility of products stored in an automatic vending machine while suppressing leakage of radio waves from a window of an opening/closing door. [Solution] A storage space (2a) is covered with a radio wave shield (7) so as to prevent radio waves emitted from a first RFID antenna (4a) from leaking out of the storage space (2a). The radio wave shield (7) has a metal shield material (7a), and a light-transmissive radio wave shield film (7b). The metal shield material (7a) is provided to wall surfaces that define the storage space (2a) in a vending machine body (2). The light-transmissive radio wave shield film (7b) is provided to a window (3a) of an opening/closing door (3).

Description

vending machine

The present invention relates to a vending machine that sells a product with an RFID tag.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a storage device (wine storage rack) that detects a change in the presence or absence of an article in real time using a non-contact IC tag attached to the article (wine). The storage device includes a storage shelf, a noncontact IC tag reader, and a radio wave shield material. The storage rack stores an article attached with a non-contact IC tag. The noncontact IC tag reader is provided with a plurality of antennas whose reading area is near the outlet of the storage rack. The radio wave shielding material is made of a conductor such as aluminum foil or a radio wave absorber such as a ferromagnetic material, and shields radio waves from the antenna. The radio wave shielding material is provided on the top surface, bottom surface, side surface, front surface, back surface, or all of these of the storage shelf.

JP 2007-176550 A

In recent years, as referred to as unmanned convenience stores and vending machine convenience stores, vending machines that sell and manage products by reading unique identification information from RFID tags attached to various products are attracting attention . For sale and settlement of products, using an RFID antenna located in the storage space of the vending machine, data are read collectively from RFID tags attached to various products stored in the storage space, and any products are stored. It is performed by determining whether it has been taken out of space. In such a vending machine, in order to maintain the quality of the product, it is preferable to provide an open / close door for sealing the storage space, and to make the product stored in the storage space visible from the outside, It is preferable to provide a window in the opening and closing part. However, when the opening / closing part is provided with the window part, when reading data from the RFID tag, there is a concern that radio waves emitted from the RFID antenna leak out of the accommodation space through the window part. When the radio wave leaks out of the accommodation space, not only the data of the articles remaining in the accommodation space but also the data of the articles taken out of the accommodation space may be read, so the extracted articles (for sale It becomes difficult to determine which product is relevant.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its object is to prevent the leakage of radio waves from the window portion of the open / close door and to ensure the visibility of the product accommodated in the vending machine. is there.

In order to solve such problems, the present invention provides an automatic system for selling a product to which an RFID tag is attached, comprising a vending machine body, an open / close door, a first RFID antenna, and a translucent radio wave shield film. Provide vending machines. The vending machine body has a housing space and an opening. The open / close door has a window for viewing the goods stored in the storage space from the outside, and is attached to the opening so as to be openable / closable. The first RFID antenna is provided in the accommodation space. The radio wave shield film is attached to the window.

Here, in the first invention, a metal shield material may be provided on the vending machine main body to cover the storage space. Moreover, it is preferable that multiple said 1st RFID antenna is attached to the wall surface which divides accommodation space. In addition, a second RFID antenna may be further provided, which is provided outside the housing space of the vending machine main body and reads data from the RFID tag attached to the commodity taken out of the housing space. Furthermore, a light source may be further provided that illuminates the product stored in the storage space from the opening side.

According to the present invention, by attaching the light transmitting radio wave shield film to the window portion provided in the opening / closing door, the leakage of the radio wave from the window portion of the opening / closing door is suppressed and visual recognition of the product accommodated in the accommodation space I can secure the sex.

External view of vending machine Cross section of vending machine Top view of RFID tag System configuration of the vending machine according to the first embodiment Explanatory drawing of the product distinction which affects sales Layout of first RFID antenna System configuration of the vending machine according to the second embodiment

First Embodiment
FIG. 1 is an external view of a vending machine according to the present embodiment. The vending machine 1 unmannedly sells products 10 such as food, beverages, and stationery by reading an RFID tag attached to the product 10 housed inside. The vending machine 1 mainly comprises a vending machine body 2, an open / close door 3, a first RFID antenna 4 a, and a liquid crystal tablet 5. The metal-made vending machine main body 2 includes an accommodation space 2 a for accommodating the product 10 and an opening 2 b on the front surface. In the present embodiment, the vending machine main body 2 has a refrigeration function, and cools / heats the commodity 10 accommodated in the accommodation space 2a to a predetermined temperature. In the accommodation space 2a, shelves for displaying the product 10 are provided in a plurality of stages.

The open / close door 3 is attached to an opening 2b provided on the front of the vending machine main body 2 so as to be openable / closable, and includes a window 3a for visually observing the product 10 accommodated in the accommodation space 2a from the outside. For example, when the open / close door 3 is made of frameless glass, the entire open / close door 3 corresponds to the window portion 3a. Moreover, when glass is attached to a rectangular-shaped flame | frame and the open / close door 3 is comprised, the site | part of glass corresponds to the window part 3a.

The first RFID antenna 4a is provided facing the inside of the housing space 2a, and reads in a batch the RFID tags attached to the articles 10 stored in the housing space 2a. In the present embodiment, an antenna of UHF band (ultrahigh frequency) is used as the RFID antenna 4a. The UHF band is short in wavelength because it has a high frequency compared to the HF band (short wave band), and therefore, it is generally advantageous for downsizing of the antenna and has a feature that the communication distance is long. In addition, the IC chip of the RFID tag used in the UHF band is generally small, and the memory capacity is also small, which is inexpensive.

The liquid crystal tablet 5 is attached to the front of the open / close door 3 and is operated by the purchaser when purchasing a product. For example, when the purchaser operates the liquid crystal tablet 5 to input a number such as his / her credit card, the open / close door 3 is unlocked after predetermined authentication is performed. Next, the purchaser opens the open / close door 3 and takes out a desired item out of a group of products stored in the storage space 2a. Then, when the purchaser operates the liquid crystal tablet 5 to request settlement, the settlement of the taken product 10 is executed.

In the vicinity of the opening 2 b of the vending machine body 2, a light source 6 such as an LED is provided. The light source 6 secures the visibility through the window portion 3a by illuminating the product 10 accommodated in the accommodation space 2a from the opening side.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vending machine 1. The housing space 2a is covered with a radio wave shield 7 so that radio waves emitted from the first RFID antenna 4a do not leak out of the housing space 2a. In the present embodiment, as the radio wave shield 7, a metal shielding material 7a and a light transmitting radio wave shielding film 7b are used. The metal shield material 7 a is provided on a wall surface which divides the housing space 2 a in the vending machine body 2. In addition, the translucent radio wave shield film 7 b is provided on the entire window portion 3 a of the open / close door 3. When the metal shield 7a is provided in the window 3a, the visibility of the product 10 through the window 3a is impeded, but if the light transmitting radio wave shield film 7b is used, the visibility is inhibited. There is no. As such a radio wave shielding film 7b, for example, a transparent electromagnetic wave shielding film (corresponding frequency: 300 MHz to 80 GHz, light transmittance 70%) which is a product of Shin Nippon Radio Wave Absorber Co., Ltd. can be used.

In addition, when the opening-closing door 3 is comprised by the rectangular-shaped flame | frame and glass, it is preferable to stick the electromagnetic wave shielding film 7b mentioned above only to glass, and to provide the metal shielding material 7a in a flame | frame. The housing space 2a may be entirely covered with the radio wave shield 7, but may be partial. Since the purchaser who takes out the product 10 stands at the front of the vending machine 1, the merits of blocking radio waves on the back, side, and upper and lower surfaces are not as large as the front. Therefore, the metal shield material 7a such as the back surface may be omitted as long as it is possible to ensure the accuracy of the discrimination of the commercial product.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the RFID tag attached to the product 10. The RFID tag 11 mainly includes an upper sheet portion 11a, a lower sheet portion 11b, an RFID module 11c, and an adhesive portion 11d. The upper sheet portion 11a is formed of high-quality paper or a resin sheet, and has a predetermined shape, for example, a substantially rectangular size of 4 cm long and 5 cm wide. Indications such as advertisements are appropriately printed on the upper surface of the upper sheet portion 11a. The lower sheet portion 11 b is formed of an insulating material such as high-quality paper or a resin sheet, and is adhered not to the entire lower surface of the upper sheet portion 11 a but only to a part thereof. In the present embodiment, the lower sheet portion 11 b extends in a strip shape (strip shape) toward the left and right side edges of the upper sheet portion 11 a in the upper portion of the upper sheet portion 11 a. The width of the lower sheet portion 11b is slightly smaller than the width of the upper sheet portion 11a in consideration of positional deviation when the lower sheet portion 11b is attached to the upper sheet portion 11a. The RFID module 11c is disposed at a portion where the upper and lower sheet portions 11a and 11b overlap with each other, and is held by these. The RFID module 11 c stores unique identification information that can be read without contact from outside. The identification information is associated with the product body to which the RFID tag 11 is attached. The adhesive portion 11 d is provided on one surface (lower surface) of the upper sheet portion 11 a and exposed in part of the surface.

FIG. 4 is a system configuration diagram of the vending machine 1. The accommodation space 2a in which a large number of products 10 with the RFID tag 11 are accommodated is covered with a radio wave shield 7 including a translucent radio wave shield film 7b. Therefore, the radio wave emitted from the first RFID antenna 4a propagates in the housing space 2a without leaking out of the housing space 2a (in particular, the front surface of the vending machine 1). Then, the first RFID antenna 4a collectively receives the response wave from the RFID tag 11 attached to the product 10 existing in the accommodation space 2a. The first RFID reader 4c reads identification information unique to the product 10 based on the received response wave. The read identification information is transmitted to the external server 8 via the network, and processing regarding registration / sale of the product 10 is performed. Whether or not the product 10 in the storage space 2a has been taken out by the purchaser, in other words, whether or not the product 10 has been sold is determined based on the difference with the content stored in the database 9 of the server 8 Ru.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of the product determination related to the sale. First, at timing T1, goods are replenished in the accommodation space 2a. The identification information A to G of the refilled goods is read by the first RFID reader via the first RFID antenna 4 a and transmitted to the server 8. The server 8 registers the received identification information A to G as "stock in stock (o mark)".

Next, at time T2, when the purchaser takes out the product with the open / close door 3 opened, the identification information A, C to G of the product remaining in the accommodation space 2a is read again and transmitted to the server 8. . The server 8 determines that the product related to the identification information B has been sold from the difference between the identification information A, C to G received this time and the previous identification information A to G. As a result, the identification information B is changed from "in stock" to "not out of stock (x mark)".

Thereafter, at timing T3, when the purchaser takes out the product with the open / close door 3 opened, the identification information A, C, E, G of the product remaining in the accommodation space 2a is read again and transmitted to the server 8. Ru. From the difference between the identification information A, C, E, G received this time and the previous identification information A, C to G, the server 8 determines that the product related to the identification information D, F has been sold. As a result, the identification information D and F are changed from "in stock" to "not in stock".

FIG. 6 is a layout view of the first RFID antenna 4a. The figures (a) to (b) show a configuration in which a single antenna 4a is attached to the wall that divides the housing space 2a. When a single antenna 4a is disposed above the accommodation space 2a as shown in FIG. 6A, the entire RFID tag 11 can be read with a simple antenna arrangement. In addition, since the arrangement is shifted from the front surface where the shielding ratio is lowest (the part where the translucent radio wave shield film 7b is present), the probability of erroneously detecting the RFID tag 11 outside the accommodation space 2a can be reduced. it can. In the example of FIG. 7B, the space of the housing space 2a can be increased by arranging the antenna 4a at the lower part far from the user's eyes while maintaining the merit of FIG. Can be displayed).

The figures (c) to (h) show a configuration in which a plurality of antennas 4a are attached to the wall surface which divides the housing space 2a. In the example of FIG. 5C, by arranging the antennas 4a vertically, the area far from the antenna 4a is reduced, and the reading accuracy can be improved. In the example of (d) in the figure, by installing the two antennas 4a in the vertical direction and in the horizontal direction, even when there is radio wave interference in a specific direction, the reading accuracy can be enhanced. This point is the same as in FIG. Further, in the example of (f) of the figure, by arranging one or more antennas 4a on the side, while maintaining the merits of (d) and (e) of the figure, the radio wave is directed to the front having a low shielding ratio. It becomes arrangement | positioning which does not emit, and can reduce the probability of detecting erroneously the RFID tag 11 which exists out of the accommodation space 2a. This point is the same as in FIG. Further, the figure (h) can simultaneously enjoy the merits of the figures (c) and (f). In addition, arrangements shown in (a) to (h) of FIG.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, by attaching the light transmitting radio wave shield film 7b to the window 3a of the door 3, leakage of radio waves from the window 3a (in particular, the front surface of the vending machine 1) The visibility of the goods 10 accommodated in the accommodation space 2a is securable, suppressing the side). Further, by covering the housing space 2a of the vending machine body 2 entirely or partially with the metal shielding material 7a, it is more effective that the radio wave emitted from the first RFID antenna 4a leaks out of the housing space 2a. Can be suppressed.

Second Embodiment
In the first embodiment described above, when the shielding property of the radio wave shielding film 7b is lower than that of the metal shielding material 7a, the radio wave emitted from the first RFID antenna leaks from the radio wave shielding film 7b to the outside. There is a possibility that a product taken out to the outside may be misjudged as "in stock". Therefore, in order to suppress such an erroneous determination, as shown in FIG. 1, a second RFID antenna 4b is provided outside the accommodation space 2a in the vending machine main body 2 separately from the first RFID antenna 4a. The second RFID antenna 4b reads data from the RFID tag attached to the commodity taken out of the accommodation space 2a.

FIG. 7 is a system configuration diagram according to the present embodiment. In the figure, the same components as those shown in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted here. The radio wave emitted from the second RFID antenna 4b propagates only outside the accommodation space 2a without leaking into the accommodation space 2a. Then, the second RFID antenna 4b collectively receives only the response wave from the RFID tag 11 attached to the product 10 existing outside the accommodation space 2a. The second RFID reader 4d reads identification information unique to the product 10 based on the received response wave. The read identification information is transmitted to the external server 8 via the network, and processing regarding registration / sale of the product 10 is performed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the identification information of the product 10 taken out of the housing space 2a is explicitly read by the second RFID antenna 4b and the second RFID reader 4d, whereby the product 10 by the RFID is obtained. It is possible to further improve the discrimination accuracy of

Reference Signs List 1 vending machine 2 vending machine main body 2a housing space 2b opening 3 opening / closing door 3a window 4a,

4b RFID antenna

4c, 4d RFID reader 5 liquid crystal tablet 6 light source 7 radio wave shield 7a metal shielding material 7b light transmitting radio wave shielding film 8 Server 9 Database 10 Product 11 RFID Tag 11a Upper Seat Section 11b Lower Seat Section 11c RFID Module 11d Adhesive Section

Claims

In vending machines that sell products with RFID tags,
A vending machine body having a housing space and an opening;
An open / close door provided with a window for viewing goods accommodated in the accommodation space from the outside, and attached to the opening so as to be openable / closable;
A first RFID antenna provided in the accommodation space;
A vending machine comprising: a translucent radio wave shield film attached to the window portion.
The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a metal shield material provided on the vending machine main body and covering the accommodation space.
The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the first RFID antennas are attached to a wall that divides the storage space.
The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising: a second RFID antenna provided outside the housing space of the vending machine main body and reading data from the RFID tag attached to the commodity taken out of the housing space. Vending machine listed.
The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a light source that illuminates a product stored in the storage space from the opening side.