WO2020085565A1

WO2020085565A1 - System and method for automatically displaying goods

Info

Publication number: WO2020085565A1
Application number: PCT/KR2018/013985
Authority: WO
Inventors: 홍성호; 홍영진; 최영호; 최연서
Original assignee: 한국로봇융합연구원
Priority date: 2018-10-25
Filing date: 2018-11-15
Publication date: 2020-04-30
Also published as: KR102200579B1; KR20200046709A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for automatically displaying goods, and more specifically, to a system and method for automatically displaying goods at unmanned stores and the like. In particular, the system for automatically displaying goods comprises: a stocking unit (110) provided in proximity to a store (100) to stock goods (60) to be supplied to the store (100) and store information of the goods (60); an inventory tracking unit (130) to store the amount and location of the stocked goods (60) displayed on a display rack (10) in the store (100); a transfer unit (300) to enable product transfer between the stocking unit (110) and the display rack (10) via the ceiling of the store (100); and a control unit (200) to control the transfer unit (300) on the basis of information of the stocking unit (110) and the inventory tracking unit (130).

Description

Automatic product display system and method

The present invention relates to an automatic display system of a product, and more particularly, to a system and a method capable of automatically displaying a product in an unmanned store.

Recently, in order to save labor costs in retail shops, 24-hour convenience stores (CVS), and discount stores, automation or unmanned products are spreading.

Some unmanned stores may consist only of vending machines in stores. This type has the advantage of reducing labor costs, but the types of products sold by vending machines are limited (for example, drinks, snacks, convenience foods, etc.), and there is a disadvantage that workers must refill the products of vending machines.

Therefore, in a foreign country, a system has been developed to allow unattended payment while maintaining the form of a conventional supermarket, retail shop, or convenience store. These unmanned stores are in the spotlight because they do not have to line up at the counter for payment and can reduce the number of cashiers.

However, since this unmanned store is an unmanned and automated payment method, a separate salesperson or manager must be resident in order to display products on the storefront. In other words, the salesman had to check each store every fixed time to correct the crooked product, and fill in the empty space of the sold product. As such, sales and payment have been progressed to a certain extent as unmanned and automated, but it was only necessary to rely on salespeople to move the goods stored in the inventory warehouse to the storefront and display them. As a result, full unmanned operation was impossible, and the labor cost of the clerk was spent.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, the first object of the present invention is a retail store, a 24-hour convenience store, discount stores, etc., the robot automatically transfers the goods stored in the inventory warehouse to display on the store's stand. It is to provide an automatic display system and a method for enabling the product.

The second object of the present invention is to provide a product automatic display system and a method for grasping the quantity of products in a store through a payment process of a product, etc., and allowing a robot to automatically display and display the product.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a product automatic display system and a method of enabling a robot to be transported using a ceiling in a store and not colliding with structures or customers in the store during the transfer process.

On the other hand, the technical problem to be achieved in the present invention is not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned are clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. It could be.

As a technical means for achieving the above object, it is provided in the vicinity of the store 100 stockpile product 60 to be supplied into the store 100, and a stockpile unit for storing information about the stored product 60 ( 110); Inventory grasping unit 130 that stores the quantity and location of the product 60 displayed on the stand 10 in the store 100; A transfer unit 300 that enables product transfer between the stockpile 110 and the stand 10 through the ceiling of the store 100; And a control unit 200 that controls the transfer unit 300 based on the information of the storage unit 110 and the inventory determination unit 130. An automatic product display system is provided.

On the other hand, the stockpile 110 includes at least one of the type of the product 60, the maximum stockpile, the current stockpile, and the date of receipt.

The inventory grasping unit 130 includes at least one of the maximum display number of the product 60, the current display number, the display location, and the display direction.

The transfer unit 300 includes a grip unit 360 for mounting the product 60; An X-axis driving part 330 and a Y-axis driving part 340 to enable the grip part 360 to be transported in the X-Y direction of the ceiling; A Z-axis driving part 350 that enables the grip part 360 to be transported in the vertical direction of the ceiling; And a transfer control unit 310 that controls the grip unit 360, the X-axis driving unit 330, the Y-axis driving unit 340, and the Z-axis driving unit 350.

On the other hand, the transfer unit 300, the robot camera 400 for photographing the product 60; And a scanner 420 that scans the bar code of the product 60. The transport control unit 310 further includes at least one of an image of the robot camera 400 and read information of the scanner 420. By controlling the grip unit 360, the X-axis driving unit 330, the Y-axis driving unit 340, and the Z-axis driving unit 350.

Then, at least one store camera 220 for photographing the store 100 is further installed on the ceiling of the store 100, and the control unit 200 further transfers the store 300 based on the image of the store camera 220. To control.

In addition, the transfer unit 300 is based on the location information of the stand 10 and the structure 30 in the store 100 and the image of the store camera 220, which is pre-entered, to the moving line 22 information of the customer 20. Further comprising a path generation unit 320 for generating a collision avoidance path based.

In addition, a robot entrance 40 through which the transfer unit 300 can pass is further formed between the storage unit 110 and the store 100.

In addition, it further includes a payment unit 210 for generating payment information of the store 100, the control unit 200 controls the transfer unit 300 based on the payment information further.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention as described above, in another category, in the automatic product display method, the control unit 200 is stored in the information of the stockpile 110, inventory inventory 130 and payment unit 210 Designating a product that needs to be displayed on the basis (S100); The transfer unit 300 picks up a designated product from the stockpile 110 (S110); And a step in which the path generation unit 320 creates a path to the display location of the designated product through the ceiling of the store 100 (S120); is executed simultaneously, sequentially or in reverse order; The transfer unit 300 transfers the designated product along the path (S130); A step in which the grip unit 360 displays the designated product at the display position (S140); And a step (S150) of confirming that the predetermined display is completed by photographing the display location and the designated product placed on the display location by the robot camera 410 (S150).

In addition, the step of generating a route (S120) includes: a step in which the store camera 220 photographs the store 100 to identify the customer 20 (S122); Determining the location of the customer 20 and the moving line 22 (S124); And generating a collision avoidance route based on the location information of the stand 10 and the structure 30 in the pre-entered store 100 and the location of the customer 20 and the moving line 22 information (S126). do.

According to the present invention, a product stored in a warehouse in a retail shop, a 24-hour convenience store, a discount store, a super super market (SSM), etc., can be automatically displayed by a robot and displayed on the store's stand.

In addition, it is possible to grasp the quantity of goods in each store through the payment process of goods, etc., and the robot can automatically transport the goods and display them.

In addition, the robot can be transported using the ceiling in the store, and it is safe because it does not collide with structures or customers in the store during the transfer process.

Due to this, it is possible to display the insufficient products in real time, greatly reduce the labor cost of the clerk or manager, and manage the store in the store 24 hours a day. In particular, since the robot and the product are transferred through the ceiling, not the floor (floor), there is an advantage that the customer cannot feel any discomfort or heterogeneity at all.

In particular, if the passage is narrow due to a small number of stores or a large number of stores, the automatic display system through the ceiling, as in the present invention, has high advantages in terms of space utilization and efficiency.

On the other hand, the effects obtainable in the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. There will be.

The following drawings attached in this specification are intended to illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and serve to further understand the technical idea of the present invention together with the detailed description of the invention described below, and thus the present invention is described in such drawings. It is not limited to interpretation.

1 is an external perspective view of a store equipped with an automatic product display system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a detailed internal configuration diagram of the store 100 shown in FIG. 1.

3 is a view showing a situation in which the transfer unit 300 and the grip unit 360 approach the pole 10.

4 is a view showing the copper wire 22 of the customer 20 in the store 100.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a situation in which goods are automatically displayed on a stand 10.

6 is a schematic block diagram of an automatic product display system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a detailed block diagram of the transfer unit 300 in FIG. 6.

8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for automatically displaying a product according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The detailed description set forth below, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, is intended to describe exemplary embodiments of the invention, and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. The following detailed description includes specific details to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains knows that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In addition, in the specification, when a certain part "comprising or including" a certain component, it is possible to further include other components rather than excluding other components unless otherwise specified. Means In addition, in describing embodiments of the present invention, when it is determined that a detailed description of known functions or configurations may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. In addition, terms to be described later are terms defined in consideration of functions in an embodiment of the present invention, which may vary according to a user's or operator's intention or practice. Therefore, the definition should be made based on the contents throughout this specification.

시스템의 구성System Configuration

1 is an external perspective view of a store equipped with an automatic product display system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the store 100 has an interior space of a predetermined size, and a door through which a guest can enter and exit is provided.

The stockpile 110 is a place where goods are stored in a separate compartment within the store 100 or in contact with the store 100. The storage unit 110 is connected to the store 100 through a separate robot entrance 40.

The receiving part 120 is provided on one side of the storage part 110 and is a place where goods are distributed and unloaded through a vehicle from outside. The receiving part 120 is connected to the stocking part 110 so that the worker can load the product on the stocking part 110 through the receiving part 120.

2 is a detailed internal configuration diagram of the store 100 shown in FIG. 1. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the store 100 shows and explains a convenience store as an example. In the store 100, a stand 10 for displaying the product 60 is provided, and a door (unnumbered), structure (eg, wall, partition, table, etc. 30) and payment for entry and exit of the customer are provided. The counter 50 is provided.

The stand 10 is a concept including a conventional stand for displaying products, a freezer for frozen food, a refrigerator for refrigerated food, and the like.

The counter 50 is for payment of a product and may be operated by incentives, or may be an electronically unmanned store.

The store camera 220 is installed on the ceiling to photograph the inside of the store 100. The store camera 220 may be appropriately disposed in the middle and middle considering the size of the store 100 as well as each corner area of the store 100. The captured image of the store camera 220 is transmitted to the control unit 200 to grasp the situation of the store 100 (eg, fire, theft, security, accident, etc.) or the presence or absence of the customer 20, the movement of the customer 20 Used to identify the back.

The robot entrance 40 is provided between the stockpile 110 and the store 100 to function as a passage through which the transfer unit 300 can be transported through the ceiling.

3 is a view showing a situation in which the transfer unit 300 and the grip unit 360 approach the stand 10, and FIG. 4 is a view showing the moving line 22 of the customer 20 in the store 100, FIG. 5 is a view showing a situation of automatically displaying a product on the stand (10).

3 to 5, the ceiling of the store 100 is provided with a transfer platform 370 so that the transfer unit 300 is movable in the X-Y direction (horizontal direction). In addition, the transfer unit 300 is an XY robot 380 that can run on the transfer platform 370, a round body that is expandable and contractible in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) from the XY robot 380, and the robot vision unit 400 provided in the body. , A grip unit 360 mounted on a round body.

The customer 20 moves around in the store 100, and the trajectory is called a moving line 22, which can be generated as a route through the store camera 220 and a known algorithm.

The grip part 360 may be a robot having one arm or a cooperative robot using two arms, and the product 60 may be grasped and lifted, or a display position, display angle may be changed or dropped on a stand 10. have.

6 is a schematic block diagram of an automatic product display system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 200 includes a stockpile 110, an inventory grasping unit 130, a stocking unit 120, a database unit 140, a payment unit 210, a transfer unit 300, and a robot It is connected to the vision unit 400 and the store camera 220 to exchange information or data, and functions to store and control it. The control unit 200 can be realized by a personal computer, a server computer, or the like, and can transmit and receive commands or data through communication with the central computer of the head office.

The stockpile 110 is the type of product 60 (e.g., trademark, snack, ice cream, beverage, sundries, dairy, coffee, etc.), the maximum stockpile (e.g. 60 ○○ canned coffee), the current stockpile (e.g. : ○○ 48 canned coffee), generates and stores information about the receipt date, and transmits it to the control unit 200.

The inventory grasping unit 130 includes information on the maximum number of displays of the product 60, the current number of displays, the display location, and the display direction. Also, the quantity of products in the stockpile 110 may be referred to. The inventory determining unit 130 determines the number of display products of the store 100, and when the number of products of the store 100 is insufficient, determines the number of display items of the goods from the storage unit 110 and generates a transfer command. , When the quantity of the stockpile 110 is insufficient, it functions to request a product order from the central computer of the head office.

The receiving unit 120 receives or generates data on the date of receipt, the type and quantity of the goods to be received, and stores the data. The receiving unit 120 is connected to the control unit 200 and transmits information required by the control unit 200.

The database unit 140 is connected to the control unit 140, and is provided with a relational type of a database table for payment of goods, a database table for stockpiling, and payment. Data is received from the control unit 200 of the database unit 140 and stored as a record, and when a search request from the control unit 200 is requested, a search result is output. The above-described stockpile unit 110, inventory grasping unit 130, receiving unit 120, and payment unit 210 may share or interlock some functions of the database unit 140.

The payment unit 210 controls payment of products that are paid by manned or unattended, and stores data generated therefrom. The payment unit 210 includes a payment date, a product's trademark, type, quantity, unit price, price, payment method (eg, cash, credit card, mileage, etc.), approval result, discount information, receipt, etc. In the case, the ID of the member is further included. To this end, the payment unit 210 may be linked to or part of a point of sales (POS) system.

7 is a detailed block diagram of the transfer unit 300 in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 7, a transfer control unit 310 is provided in the transfer unit 300, a path generation unit 320, an X-axis driving unit 330, a Y-axis driving unit 340, and a Z-axis driving unit 350 , It includes a grip unit 360, further includes a robot vision unit 400.

The route generating unit 320 is based on the three-dimensional coordinates of the stand 10 and the structure 30 in the store 100 previously input in the store 100, and the location and copper line 22 of the customer 20. By creating a path of the transfer unit 300 does not collide to the specified pole (10). Alternatively, the route generating unit 320 may be programmed to operate intensively in the absence of the customer 20 or in the late night time period without the customer 20.

The X-axis driving part 330 moves the main body and the grip part 360 in the X-axis direction (for example, the column direction) of the transfer platform 370 installed on the ceiling. The X-axis driving unit 330 may be implemented with a known servo motor and driving circuit.

The Y-axis driving part 340 moves the main body and the grip part 360 in the Y-axis direction (for example, the transverse direction) of the transfer platform 370 installed on the ceiling. The Y-axis driving unit 340 may be implemented with a known servo motor and driving circuit.

The Z-axis driving part 350 extends and contracts the main body and the grip part 360 in the vertical direction to be movable. The Z-axis driving unit 350 is for accessing a corresponding stage in a stand 10 composed of a plurality of stages. The Z-axis driving unit 350 can be implemented with a known servo motor and a driving circuit, and a multi-stage kentry robot is applicable.

The body has a round spherical shape, and a driving actuator, a driving circuit, a sensor, and a robot vision unit 400 are provided therein.

The grip part 360 may be a robot and a grip device having one arm or a cooperative robot and a grip device using two arms, and the product 60 is gripped to lift or change the display position, display angle, or stand ( 10) Can be put down.

The robot vision unit 400 is composed of a robot camera 410 facing forward and a scanner 420 capable of scanning a barcode or a bar code of a product. The scanned image (motion image or still image) of the robot camera 410 and the scan result of the scanner 420 are transmitted to the control unit 200 through the transfer control unit 310. The robot camera 410 may photograph a product, recognize the appearance of the product, and recognize a front design, feature point, or character. In particular, the robot camera 410 can accurately grasp the product and display it at the correct position by recognizing the 3D depth using the stereo vision.

진열 방법Display method

8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for automatically displaying a product according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, first, the control unit 200 is based on the data of the inventory grasping unit 130 and the stockpile unit 110, and the number of products (eg, ○○ sweets) that need to be displayed on the stand 10. (Example: 3) is designated (S100).

Then, the transfer unit 300 moves to the stockpile 110 through the robot entrance 40, and then picks up the designated product from the stockpile 110 (S110). Pick-up is made through the grip part 360 and is confirmed through the robot vision part 400.

Then, the path generation unit 320 generates a collision avoidance path to the location of the stand 10 where the designated product is displayed (S120). The generated path is transmitted to the transfer control unit 310 and is used to control the X, Y, and Z-

axis driving units

330, 340, and 350. More specifically, first, the store camera 220 photographs the store 100 to identify the customer 20 (S122). Then, the location of the customer 20 and the moving line 22 are determined (S124). Next, a collision avoidance route is generated based on the location information of the stand 10 and the structure 30 in the pre-entered store 100 and the location of the customer 20 and the moving line 22 information (S126).

The pickup step (S110) and the path generation step (S120) may be independently executed by separate processors (simultaneous execution), the pickup step (S110) and the path generation step (S120) may be executed sequentially, the path generation Step S120 and pickup step S110 may be performed sequentially.

Then, the transfer unit 300 transfers the designated product along the generated collision avoidance path (S130). To this end, the transfer control unit 310 controls the X, Y, and Z-

axis driving units

330, 340, and 350, respectively.

Then, the grip unit 360 displays the designated product transferred to the corresponding display position (S140).

Then, or through the display step (S140) and a simultaneous feedback process, the robot camera 410 photographs the display position and the designated product placed at the display position to check whether the predetermined display is completed (S150).

The above description of the present invention is for illustration only, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can understand that it can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. will be. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single type may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is indicated by the following claims rather than the above detailed description, and it should be interpreted that all changes or modified forms derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and equivalent concepts thereof are included in the scope of the present invention. do.

Claims

A storage unit 110 provided in the vicinity of the store 100 to store the product 60 to be supplied into the store 100, and to store information about the stored product 60;

An inventory grasping unit 130 that stores the quantity and location of the product 60 displayed on a stand 10 in the store 100;

A transfer unit 300 that enables product transfer between the storage unit 110 and the stand 10 through the ceiling of the store 100; And

And a control unit (200) for controlling the transfer unit (300) based on the information of the storage unit (110) and the inventory determination unit (130).
According to claim 1,

The storage unit 110, automatic product display system, characterized in that it comprises at least one of the type of the product (60), the maximum stock quantity, the current stock quantity, and the date of receipt.
According to claim 1,

The inventory grasping unit 130 is a product automatic display system, characterized in that it comprises at least one of the information on the maximum display number, the current display number, display location, display direction of the product (60).
According to claim 1,

The transfer unit 300,

A grip unit 360 for attaching the product 60;

An X-axis driving part 330 and a Y-axis driving part 340 to enable the grip part 360 to be transported in the X-Y direction of the ceiling;

A Z-axis driving part 350 enabling the grip part 360 to be transported in the vertical direction of the ceiling; And

The grip unit 360, the X-axis driving unit 330, the Y-axis driving unit 340, and the Z-axis driving unit 350, the control unit 310 for controlling the automatic product display system comprising a.
The method of claim 4,

The transfer unit 300,

A robot camera 400 for photographing the product 60; And

Scanner 420 for scanning the bar code of the product 60; further comprises at least one,

The transfer control unit 310 is based on at least one of the image of the robot camera 400 and the read information of the scanner 420, the grip unit 360, the X-axis driving unit 330, the Y-axis driving unit 340 ), And the Z-axis driving unit 350, automatic product display system, characterized in that.
According to claim 1,

At least one store camera 220 for photographing the store 100 is further installed on the ceiling of the store 100,

The control unit 200 is a product automatic display system, characterized in that for controlling the transfer unit 300 based on the image of the store camera 220 further.
The method of claim 6,

The transfer unit 300,

A collision avoidance route is generated based on the location information of the stand 10 and the structure 30 in the store 100 and the traffic line 22 of the customer 20 based on the image of the store camera 220 in advance. Automatic product display system, characterized in that it further comprises a path generating unit 320.
According to claim 1,

A product automatic display system, characterized in that a robot entrance 40 through which the transfer unit 300 can pass is further formed between the storage unit 110 and the store 100.
According to claim 1,

Further comprising a payment unit 210 for generating payment information of the store 100,

The control unit 200 is a product automatic display system, characterized in that for controlling the transfer unit 300 on the basis of the payment information.
In the automatic product display method,

A step in which the control unit 200 designates a product that needs to be displayed based on the information of the storage unit 110, the inventory determination unit 130, and the payment unit 210 (S100);

The transfer unit 300 picks up the designated product from the stockpile 110 (S110); And a step in which the path generation unit 320 creates a path to the display location of the designated product through the ceiling of the store 100 (S120); is executed simultaneously, sequentially or in reverse order;

The transfer unit 300 transfers the designated product along the path (S130);

A step in which the grip unit 360 displays the designated product at the display position (S140); And

A method of automatically displaying a product, comprising; a step (S150) of confirming that the predetermined display is completed by photographing the display position and the designated product placed at the display position by the robot camera 410.
The method of claim 10,

The step of generating the route (S120),

A step in which the store camera 220 photographs the store 100 to identify the customer 20 (S122);

Determining the location of the customer 20 and the moving line 22 (S124); And

Generating a collision avoidance route based on the location information of the stand 10 and the structure 30 in the store 100 and the location of the customer 20 and the moving line 22 information in advance (S126); Automated product display method comprising a.