WO2021140987A1 - Sales management system and sales management method - Google Patents

Abstract

This sales management system for managing one or more commodities to be sold to a user includes: a wireless tag that is attached to a commodity to be sold, that stores unique tag identification information, and that operates by receiving energy from radio waves in the periphery; a position identification device that can communicate with a user terminal owned by the user and identifies position information about the user terminal within a payment area where payment for a commodity is made; and an information processing device having a storage unit that stores, in association with the tag identification information of the wireless tag attached to the commodity, commodity information for identifying the commodity to be sold. The information processing device associates the commodity information corresponding to the wireless tag with the user terminal located within the payment area, on the basis of information acquired from the wireless tag present within the payment area when the position of the user terminal identified by the position identification device is within the payment area.

Description

Sales management system and sales management method

The present invention relates to a sales management system and a sales management method.

Conventionally, a self-checkout system (so-called self-checkout) used for selling products unattended is known. In the self-checkout, the visitor himself scans the barcode of the product and registers the purchase, and the total amount displayed after registering all the purchased products is settled by cash or credit card.

In order to improve such self-checkout, for example, when there are many operation errors of the user in the self-checkout device, it is proposed to have an alert output means for outputting an alert to recommend the user to use the manned checkout. (For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-040348).

By the way, although the conventional self-checkout responds to the request to reduce the number of staff on the store side, it is necessary to scan the barcode of the product, so when it is crowded, a queue waiting for payment occurs and customer satisfaction decreases. There was a case. In addition, there may be a disadvantage that the store loses the opportunity to sell the product, such as the visitor giving up the purchase of the product due to the waiting line for payment.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to enable a store clerk and a purchaser to settle a product without performing any operation.

One aspect of the present invention is a sales management system that manages one or more products to be sold to a user, which is attached to a product to be sold, stores unique tag identification information, and obtains energy from ambient radio waves. The operating wireless tag can communicate with the user terminal possessed by the user, and the position identification device that identifies the position information of the user terminal in the settlement area for settlement of the product and the product to be sold are identified. The information processing device includes an information processing device having a storage unit that stores the product information in association with the tag identification information of the wireless tag attached to the product, and the information processing device is specified by the position specifying device. When the position of the user terminal is within the settlement area, the product information corresponding to the wireless tag is transmitted to the user terminal located in the settlement area based on the information acquired from the wireless tag existing in the settlement area. It is a sales management system that corresponds.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the store clerk and the purchaser can settle the product without performing any operation.

It is a figure which shows schematic system structure of the sales management system of 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of each apparatus of the sales management system of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the advertising packet transmitted from the IoT tag. It is a figure which shows the data structure example of a product database. It is a figure which shows the data structure example of the settlement database. It is a sequence chart which shows the operation of the sales management system of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the payment screen. It is a sequence chart which shows the operation of the sales management system of 2nd Embodiment. It is a sequence chart which shows the operation of the sales management system of 3rd Embodiment. It is a sequence chart which shows another operation of the sales management system of 3rd Embodiment.

The present invention relates to the patent application of Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-3262 filed with the Japan Patent Office on January 10, 2020, and the entire contents of this application are incorporated herein by reference.

Hereinafter, the sales management system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The communication distance of the IoT tag in the present disclosure is only an example and is not limited. The communication distance of the IoT tag can be appropriately changed or adjusted according to the use of the IoT tag.
In the following description, the IoT tag will be simply referred to as a "tag" as appropriate.

(1) First Embodiment (1-1) System Configuration of Sales Management System First, the system configuration of the sales management system 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a system configuration of the sales management system 1 of the present embodiment.
In FIG. 1, the sales management system 1 of the present embodiment is connected to, for example, a network based on a signal received from, for example, an IoT tag T (an example of a wireless tag) attached to each product to be sold in a store. This is a cloud-type system in which product sales are managed by a product management server 5 (an example of an information processing device). The product management server 5 can manage sales of products in a plurality of stores, but FIG. 1 shows only one store.

As shown in FIG. 1, for example, a settlement area is provided near the exit of the store. The store is configured so that a visitor (that is, a purchaser) who purchases a product goes out of the store through the checkout area when leaving the store. Therefore, the purchaser can automatically complete the payment of the product by leaving the payment area and going out of the store while holding the product. That is, the store clerk and the purchaser do not perform any operation when the product is settled.
A plurality of visitors can enter (exist) at the same time in the settlement area, but in the present embodiment, for convenience of explanation, a case where there is one visitor who makes a settlement in the settlement area will be described.

In the checkout area of the store, for example, a wireless device 2 that performs wireless communication with the IoT tag T of each product is arranged. The wireless device 2 is, for example, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) device, an access point, or the like, but may be a mobile terminal such as a tablet terminal or a smartphone. The wireless device 2 can provide a wireless environment for, for example, the IoT tag T of each product. The number of wireless devices 2 is not limited, but it is preferable to be able to provide a wireless environment in which all IoT tags T in the store can generate electricity.
As will be described in detail later, the IoT tag T is an energy harvesting type device that generates electricity based on radio waves in the surrounding environment, and does not have a battery. The IoT tag T has a built-in sensor that detects motion. Therefore, for example, when the purchaser moves with the product to the checkout area, the IoT tag T attached to the product can detect the movement of the product.

The wireless device 2 can provide, for example, a wireless environment capable of generating electricity to the IoT tag T passing through the checkout area by transmitting a beacon signal. Further, the wireless device 2 receives a signal (packet) from the IoT tag T and sends the information obtained from the packet to the store server 3. The communication distance between the wireless device 2 and the IoT tag T is, for example, in the range of 3 to 10 meters, and although it depends on the size of the settlement area, for example, by arranging one or two wireless devices 2, the wireless device 2 passes through the settlement area. Information can be obtained from the IoT tag T attached to the product.
The packet transmitted from the IoT tag T includes data detected by the built-in sensor (referred to as “sensor data”).

In the sales management system 1 of the present embodiment, the wireless device 2 is not an indispensable component, and the wireless device 2 is not necessary if sufficient environmental power generation is possible in the store without the wireless device 2. For example, even if there is no wireless device 2, the wireless device 2 is not necessary if the IoT tag T can generate energy by the wireless signal radiated by the visitor terminal. In addition, the IoT tag T can also use radio waves transmitted from a device other than the visitor terminal and the wireless device 2 (for example, a mobile terminal of a clerk) for energy harvesting. In other words, when the radio waves provided by the visitor terminal or other device other than the visitor terminal are not sufficient for energy harvesting, the IoT tag T uses the radio waves radiated from the wireless device 2 for energy harvesting. Can be used for.

The IoT tag T is configured to perform low power consumption wireless communication, and examples of communication protocols include Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark) (hereinafter, BLE), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and Zigbee (registered trademark). ) Etc. can be mentioned.
In the following, a case of performing communication by BLE will be described as an example. In this case, the wireless device 2 is a BLE wireless terminal.
When the IoT tag T complies with the BLE standard, the IoT tag T performs broadcast communication with the wireless device 2. Specifically, the IoT tag T broadcasts the advertising packet, and for example, the wireless device 2 can receive the advertising packet. In this broadcast communication, only one-way data transmission from the IoT tag T toward the wireless device 2 is possible.

The store server 3 is an edge server connected to the wireless device 2, and is arranged in, for example, an office inside the store or outside the store.
As will be described later, the packet transmitted from the IoT tag T to the wireless device 2 includes a tag ID (an example of tag identification information) unique to the tag. In the sales management system 1 of the present embodiment, preferably, the store server 3 decodes the tag ID of each IoT tag T and authenticates the tag ID. The store server 3 may collaborate with an IoT tag T authentication server (not shown) to authenticate the tag ID.

The receiver 6 and the position identification device 7 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other, and constitute a position identification system for specifying the position of the user terminal 4 in the store. The receiver 6 is installed on the ceiling of the store, for example, receives radio waves (beacon signal; an example of a wireless signal) emitted by a user terminal 4 of a visitor moving in the store, and measures the incident angle of the radio waves. The position specifying device 7 positions the user terminal 4 by an AOA (Angle of Arrival) method that specifies the position (position on a plane) of the user terminal 4 in the store based on the incident angle measured by the receiver 6.

The position of the user terminal 4 can be estimated by one receiver 6, but it depends on the magnitude of the received signal strength (RSSI) of the beacon signal transmitted from the user terminal 4, the store area, and the radio wave environment of the store. It is preferable to provide many receivers 6. The positioning method of the user terminal 4 is not limited to the AOA method, and other methods such as the TOA (Time of Arrival) method may be used.

The product management server 5 is, for example, a network server that provides a cloud-type product settlement service to a store, and can communicate with the store server 3 via a network NW such as the Internet.
When the product management server 5 determines that the user terminal 4 is located in the settlement area based on the estimated position of the user terminal 4 specified by the position specifying device 7, the product code corresponding to the tag ID acquired from the store server 3 is obtained. , Corresponds to the user ID corresponding to the user terminal 4, and performs processing for product settlement.

(1-2) Configuration of Each Device of Sales Management System Next, the configuration of each device of the sales management system 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of each device of the sales management system 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of an advertising packet transmitted from the IoT tag T. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of data structure of the product database. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of data structure of the settlement database.

Referring to FIG. 2, the IoT tag T includes a control unit 11, an antenna 12, a harvesting unit 13, a voltage control unit 14, an RF transceiver 15, and a sensor 16.
Although the overall form of the IoT tag T is not shown, for example, it is in the form of a thin film in which a conductive metal foil having a predetermined pattern on which the antenna 12 and the sensor 16 are formed and an IC chip connected to the metal foil are connected. It is a member. A control unit 11, a harvesting unit 13, a voltage control unit 14, and an RF transceiver 15 are mounted in the IC chip.

The control unit 11 has a microprocessor and a memory 111, and controls the entire IoT tag T. The memory 111 is a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory), and is a program executed by a microprocessor, a tag ID which is identification information unique to the IoT tag T, and sensor data output by the sensor 16. Remember.

The harvesting unit 13 generates energy harvesting based on radio waves in the surrounding environment (for example, radio waves from surrounding wireless communication), and stores the power obtained by the power generation in the internal energy storage 131. In the present embodiment, the harvesting unit 13 converts, for example, the radio signal received by the antenna 12 into a DC voltage and stores it in the energy storage 131. The energy storage 131 is, for example, a capacitor. In the case of a capacitor, it may be one configured on a semiconductor chip (that is, an on-die type capacitor).

The radio waves used by the harvesting unit 13 for energy harvesting are radio waves of a plurality of different frequency bands in a wide frequency band. For example, radio waves by wireless communication in the frequency band used in mobile communication systems such as so-called 3G to 5G, and frequency bands used in communication standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Radio waves by wireless communication, radio waves by wireless communication in the 2.4 GHz band represented by communication protocols such as ZigBee (registered trademark) and Thread, frequency bands used in RFID (for example, 900 MHz band, 13.56 MHz band) Radio waves and the like by wireless communication can be mentioned.
Radio waves such as those illustrated here are generally applicable in almost every store. Then, the IoT tag T attached to the product in the store operates with the electric power obtained by the energy harvesting by the harvesting unit 13 based on the radio wave of the surrounding environment. Therefore, it is not necessary to mount the battery on the IoT tag T, and the system cost can be suppressed. Further, since it is not necessary to mount the battery, it is not necessary to replace the battery, so that there is no problem that the tag ID cannot be acquired even though the tag exists.

The voltage control unit 14 supplies the operating voltage to the control unit 11 and the RF transceiver 15, and monitors the voltage of the energy storage 131, and switches the power mode according to the monitoring result. When the voltage of the energy storage 131 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, the power mode is set to the first mode in which only the minimum circuit is operated. At this time, the control unit 11 and the RF transceiver 15 generate packets and wirelessly described later. No signal is transmitted. When the voltage of the energy storage 131 is charged to a predetermined threshold value or more, the power mode is set to the second mode in which the normal processing routine is executed. At this time, the control unit 11 and the RF transceiver 15 generate packets and transmit radio signals. Various processes including transmission are performed.

Note that the control unit 11 detects the sensor data detected by the sensor 16 when the voltage of the energy storage 131 is charged to a predetermined threshold value or higher even when the power mode is, for example, the first mode. It may be stored in the memory 111 together with the data of. In that case, even if the control unit 11 generates and transmits a packet containing the sensor data and the detection time data stored in the memory 111 when the power mode is switched from the first mode to the second mode. Good. Thereby, it is possible to provide the wireless device 2 with information regarding the presence or absence of movement of the tag during the period when the charging voltage of the energy storage 131 is relatively low.

The sensor 16 detects, for example, the movement of the IoT tag T itself. The detected data (sensor data) is temporarily stored in the memory 111 for inclusion in a packet described later. The sensor data is configured so that it can be determined, for example, whether or not the tag has been moved. The sensor data may be a value indicating the degree of movement of the IoT tag T, or may be a binary value indicating whether or not the IoT tag T has moved.
The sensor 16 may detect the weight and pressure related to the IoT tag T. The sensor 16 may detect the temperature when the temperature sensor is built in the IC chip.

The control unit 11 generates an advertising packet according to the BLE protocol when the power mode is the second mode.
The advertising packet is a packet transmitted using the advertising channel in order to realize broadcast communication in BLE, and has the packet configuration shown in FIG. Advertising packets are, as appropriate, simply referred to as "packets" below.

In FIG. 3, each of the preamble and the address access has a predetermined fixed value. CRC is a cyclic check code, which is check data calculated by using a predetermined generation polynomial for a packet payload (that is, an advertising channel PDU (protocol data unit)).
The advertising channel PDU (hereinafter, simply referred to as "PDU") consists of a header and a payload, and the payload consists of an ADV address and ADV data. The ADV address is the address of the advertiser (that is, the IoT tag T that is the subject of notification), but it may be a random value set for each transmission so as not to specify the source. The ADV data is advertiser data (broadcast data), and in the present embodiment, the tag ID and the sensor data output by the sensor 16 are included.

The control unit 11 preferably encrypts the PDU. The encryption method is not limited, but for example, AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) with a key length of 128 bits can be used.

The RF transceiver 15 performs predetermined digital modulation (for example, GFSK (Gaussian Frequency Shift Keying)) on the transmitted packet (baseband signal) and then performs orthogonal modulation to perform a high frequency signal (2.4 GHz in the case of BLE). (Frequency band signal) is sent to the antenna 12.

The antenna 12 includes a transmitting antenna and a power generation antenna. The transmitting antenna transmits a high frequency radio signal (packet) transmitted by the RF transceiver 15. On the other hand, the power generation antenna receives, for example, radio waves in the surrounding environment or a radio signal transmitted from the wireless device 2, and functions as a rectenna in cooperation with the harvesting unit 13.

As shown in FIG. 2, the wireless device 2 includes a control unit 21, an antenna 22, an RF transceiver 23, and a communication unit 24.
The control unit 21 is mainly composed of a microprocessor and controls the entire wireless device 2. For example, the control unit 21 decodes the PDU of the packet received from the IoT tag T, detects an error from the CRC using the same generation polynomial as the IoT tag T side, and then extracts the broadcast data from the PDU. The communication unit 24 is controlled so as to transmit the data to the store server 3.
The RF transceiver 23 detects the radio signal received from the IoT tag T by the antenna 22, converts it into a baseband signal, performs predetermined digital demodulation, and receives the packet. Further, in order to transmit the beacon signal from the antenna 22, the RF transceiver 23 quadraturely modulates, for example, a baseband signal having a predetermined pattern and transmits it to the antenna 22.
The communication unit 24 functions as a communication interface for communicating with the store server 3.

As described above, the IoT tag T generates energy based on the radio waves of the surrounding environment, but when the radio waves of the surrounding environment are low, normal operations such as packet generation and radio signal transmission are not performed. (For example, when the power mode is the first mode). Therefore, the control unit 21 of the wireless device 2 starts wireless transmission by the antenna 22 or starts wireless transmission by the antenna 22 when the state in which communication with the IoT tag T cannot be performed (for example, the state in which the advertising packet cannot be received) continues for a predetermined time or longer. It is preferable to control the RF transceiver 23 so as to increase the transmission power of the antenna 22. As a result, electric power can be stored because the radio waves in the surrounding environment of the IoT tag T increase, and wireless communication with the wireless device 2 can be started or restarted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the store server 3 includes a control unit 31, a storage 32, and a communication unit 33.

The control unit 31 is mainly composed of a microprocessor and controls the entire store server 3. For example, the control unit 31 authenticates the tag ID included in the broadcast data received from the wireless device 2, and transmits a settlement request including the tag ID to the product management server 5.
The settlement request is a request for settlement of the product corresponding to the authenticated tag ID.

Authentication may be performed, for example, by making an inquiry to an authentication server (not shown) connected to the network NW and acquiring an authentication result from the authentication server. In this case, the authentication server is, for example, a server managed by the manufacturer of the IoT tag T, has a database that stores the tag IDs of all the manufactured IoT tags T, and refers to the database to be a store server. Authenticate the tag ID inquired from 3.
It is preferable that the control unit 31 transmits the tag ID to the product management server 5 when the tag ID is successfully authenticated. That is, when the tag ID authentication is successful, the control unit 31 preferably associates the product code corresponding to the tag with the user terminal 4 located in the settlement area. Since it is possible to confirm whether or not the tag ID is genuine by authenticating the tag ID, it is possible to avoid performing the matching process (described later) of the product management server 5 based on erroneous data.

Every time the control unit 31 receives the broadcast data from the wireless device 2, the control unit 31 transmits a settlement request including the decrypted tag ID to the product management server 5 via the communication unit 33. In this embodiment, it is not essential to include the sensor data included in the broadcast data in the settlement request.

The storage 32 is provided with a large-scale storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and corresponds to, for example, a product code of a product received at a corresponding store and a tag ID of an IoT tag attached to the product. Attach and memorize.
For example, at each store, each time a product arrives, the product code of the product and the tag ID attached to the product are read by a clerk's mobile terminal (not shown) capable of BLE communication, and the store Send to server 3. A product code (an example of product information) is information that identifies a product, such as a JAN code.
The control unit 31 of the store server 3 associates the product code with the tag ID and stores it in the storage 32, and also sends a product registration request including the product code and the tag ID to the communication unit for product management in the product management server 5. It is transmitted to the product management server 5 via 33. In response to this product registration request, the product code and tag ID are recorded in the product database (described later) of the product management server 5.

The communication unit 33 receives the broadcast data from the wireless device 2 and sends it to the control unit 31.

As shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal 4 includes a control unit 41, a storage 42, an operation input unit 43, a display unit 44, a first communication unit 45, and a second communication unit 46.

The control unit 41 is mainly composed of a microprocessor and controls the entire user terminal 4. For example, the control unit 41 loads and executes a product application program (hereinafter, “product application”) stored in the storage 42.
The product application, for example, communicates with the product management server 5 to perform a process for registering user information in the product management server 5 in advance when purchasing a product in a store. The user information is, for example, a user ID, a terminal ID of the user terminal 4 (an example of terminal identification information), and user account information when the purchased product is settled (settled). The user ID is, for example, unique identification information given to the user when the product application is installed on the user terminal 4. The terminal ID is, for example, an individual identification number of the user terminal 4, a contractor unique ID, or the like.
The storage 42 is a storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive), and stores various programs executed by the control unit 41 such as the above-mentioned product application.

The operation input unit 43 is an input interface that receives operation input from the user in order to execute various programs, and may be a touch panel input unit provided on the display panel of the display unit 44.
The display unit 44 includes a display panel such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Panel) and a drive circuit of the display panel, and displays the execution result of the program by the control unit 41.

The first communication unit 45, for example, performs wireless communication with an object in a communication range narrower than that of the second communication unit, and is configured to emit a beacon signal according to, for example, the BLE protocol. The beacon signal includes a terminal ID that identifies the user terminal 4.
The second communication unit 46 is a communication interface for communicating with the product management server 5 via, for example, a wireless communication network and a network NW (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, the receiver 6 includes a radio wave receiving unit 61, an incident angle measuring unit 36, and a communication unit 63.
The radio wave receiving unit 61 includes an antenna that receives a beacon signal (radio wave) transmitted from the user terminal 4.
The incident angle measuring unit 62 measures the incident angle of the radio wave from the user terminal 4 received by the radio wave receiving unit 61.
The communication unit 63 is an interface for communicating with the user terminal 4 and the position specifying device 7. For example, the communication unit 63 demodulates the received signal from the user terminal 4. Further, the communication unit 63 functions as a communication interface between the receiver 6 and the position identification device 7, and the position identification device 7 associates the incident angle information measured by the incident angle measurement unit 62 with the terminal ID. Send to. The communication between the receiver 6 and the position specifying device 7 may be wired or wireless.

As shown in FIG. 2, the position specifying device 7 includes a control unit 71, a storage 72, and a communication unit 73.
The control unit 71 is mainly composed of a microprocessor and controls the entire position specifying device 7. For example, the microprocessor of the control unit 71 executes a position identification engine (software), is transmitted from the user terminal 4, and is based on a beacon signal (an example of a wireless signal) including the terminal ID of the user terminal 4. Identify the position of 4. The control unit 71 identifies the position of the user terminal 4 based on the information on the incident angle of the beacon signal received from the user terminal 4 by the receiver 6. More specifically, when the AOA method is used, as described above, the known position of the receiver 6 in the store (the position of the three-dimensional coordinates based on the predetermined position of the store) and the receiver 6 Based on the information on the incident angle (arrival direction of radio waves) of the user terminal 4 sequentially acquired from, the position in the store area of the user terminal 4 (the position of the XY coordinates of the store floor) according to the passage of time is specified. (Positioning).
The control unit 71 sequentially transmits the identified position information (position information) of the user terminal 4 to the product management server 5 via the communication unit 73 in association with the terminal ID of the user terminal 4.
The positioning interval of the user terminal 4 may be set arbitrarily, but it is set to a time (for example, several hundred ms or less) necessary for accurately grasping the position of the user terminal 4.

The storage 72 is, for example, a large-scale storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and may store the position-specific engine and the execution result of the position-specific engine.
The communication unit 73 is a communication interface for communicating with the receiver 6 and communicating with the product management server 5 via the network NW.
In the following description, the receiver 6 and the position specifying device 7 may be collectively referred to as a "position specifying system" as appropriate.

As shown in FIG. 2, the product management server 5 includes a control unit 51, a storage 52, and a communication unit 53.

The control unit 51 is mainly composed of a microprocessor and controls the entire product management server 5.
The storage 52 (an example of a storage unit and a second storage unit) includes, for example, a large-scale storage device of an HDD, and stores a product database (product DB), a settlement database (settlement DB), and location data.
The position data is data in which the time when the position information is received from the position specifying device 7 and the position of the user terminal 4 (the position of the XY coordinates of the store floor) are associated with each terminal ID. The position data is updated every time the position information is received from the position specifying device 7. By referring to the position data, the position of the user terminal 4 in the store at an arbitrary time can be known.
The communication unit 53 functions as a communication interface for communicating with the user terminal 4 and the position specifying device 7.

In the product database of FIG. 4, each field of "store ID", "tag ID", "product code", "color", "size", "brand name", "production value", and "price" is used for one record. It is a database for managing the products to be sold in the store. The product code (an example of article information) is information that identifies a product, such as a JAN code. Here, in each field of "color", "size", "brand name", and "production area", the color and size of the product corresponding to the product code, the brand name of the product, and the production area of the product (for example, the country of origin). Etc.) is stored. By counting the number of records corresponding to the same product code in the product database, the number of the same product can be grasped.
Each record in the product database consists of a tag ID of an IoT tag attached to a product in the store, a product code that identifies the product, and price information of the product.
For example, a record for a product is added to the product database before the product is sold in the store. When the store no longer handles a specific product or changes the price of a product being sold, the control unit 51 of the product management server 5 updates the product database in response to a request from the store server 3. May be good.
Note that each field shown in FIG. 4 is only an example, and fields related to other data related to the product (for example, product type, product category, distinction between regular product / limited product, etc.) may be provided.

In the settlement database of FIG. 5, each record corresponds to one user. The settlement database has values in each field such as "user ID", "terminal ID", "purchased product code", and "account information" for each record, and has a product purchase record for a pre-registered user and a product of the product. It is a database for managing settlement. As described above, the user ID is unique identification information given to the user in advance. The terminal ID and account information are information acquired for each user from the product application of the user terminal 4.
The purchased product code is the product code of the product for which payment has been completed, and is updated (added) each time the product is purchased.

The microprocessor of the control unit 51 executes the following processes (i) to (iii) by executing a predetermined program.

(I) When the terminal ID of the user terminal 4 and the position information of the user terminal 4 are received from the position specifying device 7, the position data in the storage 52 is updated and the position of the user terminal 4 is within the settlement area. Determine if it exists. The geographical information of the settlement area is recorded in the storage 52 and is referred to when determining whether or not the position of the user terminal 4 is within the settlement area.
(Ii) When a settlement request is received from the store server 3, a process of associating the product code corresponding to the tag ID included in the settlement request with the user ID corresponding to the user terminal 4 located in the settlement area (hereinafter, "Matching process") is executed.

The matching process is executed in order to correctly link the purchaser with the product to be purchased by the purchaser. In the matching process, when the position of the user terminal 4 specified by the position identification system is within the settlement area, the control unit 51 is a product corresponding to the tag based on the tag ID acquired from the tag existing in the settlement area. The code is associated with the user terminal 4 located in the settlement area.
Preferably, the control unit 51 identifies the terminal ID of the user terminal 4 located in the settlement area based on the position of the user terminal 4 specified by the position calculation system. That is, when the position of the user terminal 4 is within the settlement area, the terminal ID of the user terminal 4 is specified. Since the terminal ID is not duplicated in the plurality of user terminals 4, the user terminal 4 can be reliably identified even when the plurality of user terminals 4 exist in the settlement area.
On the other hand, the product purchased by the purchaser is specified by acquiring the tag ID of the IoT tag attached to the product from the store server 3.
In the matching process, the control unit 51 is acquired from the user ID specified based on the information from the user terminal 4 and the IoT tag in order to correctly associate the purchaser with the product to be purchased by the purchaser. Corresponds to the product code specified based on the tag ID. That is, the user ID corresponding to the terminal ID of the user terminal 4 located in the settlement area is specified by referring to the settlement database, and the specified user ID is associated with the product code corresponding to the tag existing in the settlement area. .. As a result, even when one visitor possesses a plurality of user terminals 4, the product code can be linked to one user ID.

In the matching process, for example, the order of the time when the user terminal 4 enters the settlement area (entry time) and the order of the time when the settlement request is received from the store server 3 are matched, and the user ID and the product code are combined. Can be associated with. For example, the user terminal 4-1 with the user ID: 1, the user terminal 4-2 with the user ID: 2, and the user terminal 4-3 with the user ID: 3 enter the settlement area in this order, and the store server. It is assumed that the order of the tag IDs included in the settlement request received from 3 is the order of tag ID: 11, tag ID: 12, and tag ID: 13. In this case, in the matching process, the user ID: 1 is associated with the product code corresponding to the tag ID: 11, the user ID: 2 is associated with the product code corresponding to the tag ID: 12, and the user ID: 3 is associated with the tag ID. : Corresponds to the product code corresponding to 13.

When a plurality of wireless devices 2 (known positions) are arranged in the checkout area of the store, the wireless device 2 closest to the tag is specified based on the RSSI value when receiving the packet from the tag. be able to. On the other hand, the position specifying device 7 specifies the position of each user terminal 4 in the store. Here, when the position of the user terminal 4 and the position of the wireless device 2 closest to the tag are separated by a predetermined threshold value or more, the visitor who is the user of the user terminal 4 attaches the tag. It can be determined that the product is not possessed. Therefore, in the matching process, the control unit 51 sets the user ID to be associated with the product code corresponding to the tag ID based on the RSSI value when each of the plurality of wireless devices 2 receives the packet from the tag of the tag ID. It is preferable to limit the number. As a result, the accuracy of the matching process is improved even when a plurality of user terminals 4 are present in the settlement area.

(Iii) After associating the user ID with the product code by the matching process of (ii), the user ID is associated with the user ID as the value of the "purchased product code" field of the record of the user ID in the settlement database. Update the checkout database by writing the product code. The updated contents of the settlement database are provided to, for example, a payment system (not shown). For example, information such as a credit card registered in advance in a settlement database or the like is also provided to the payment system, and payment is completed without cash.

(1-3) Operation of Sales Management System Next, the operation of the sales management system 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a sequence chart showing the operation of the sales management system 1 of the present embodiment. In FIG. 6, the receiver 6 and the position identification device 7 are collectively referred to as a position identification system.
In the sequence chart of FIG. 6, it is assumed that all the records corresponding to each product of the store have been created in the product database of the product management server 5 before the start.

The position identification system monitors the position of the user terminal 4 in the store based on the beacon signal transmitted by the user terminal 4. That is, the user terminal 4 transmits a beacon signal including the terminal ID (step S2), and the position identification device 7 performs the position identification process of the user terminal 4 based on the incident angle of the beacon signal at the receiver 6 (step S4). ). The location identification system sequentially transmits the terminal ID and the location information of the identified user terminal 4 to the product management server 5 (step S6). Each time the product management server 5 receives the location information, the product management server 5 updates the location data corresponding to the terminal ID (step S8).
The product management server 5 determines whether or not the user terminal 4 is located in the settlement area based on the location information received in step S6 (step S10).

On the other hand, the wireless device 2 provided in the settlement area, for example, by radiating a beacon signal (step S12), with respect to the tags T1, T2, ... Attached to the product existing in the settlement area by this beacon signal. It is possible to provide a wireless environment capable of generating electricity. Each tag performs energy harvesting based on the radio waves of the surrounding environment, and stores the electric power obtained by the power generation in an internal energy storage (for example, a capacitor) to operate. Each tag generates and transmits a packet containing an encrypted PDU when the voltage of the energy storage is charged to a predetermined threshold value or more (steps S14 and S16). This packet is an advertising packet that is broadcast and transmitted.

For example, when the wireless device 2 recognizes and receives the packet transmitted from each tag, it decodes the PDU included in the packet, extracts the broadcast data contained in the PDU, and transmits it to the store server 3 (step S18). ).
The store server 3 authenticates the tag ID included in the received broadcast data (step S20). The tag ID is authenticated based on the authentication result obtained by making an inquiry to an external authentication server, for example.

When the tag ID authentication is successful, the store server 3 transmits a settlement request including the tag ID to the product management server 5 (step S22).
Upon receiving the settlement request, the product management server 5 executes the matching process (step S24). That is, the product management server 5 associates the user ID corresponding to the terminal ID received in step S8 with the product code corresponding to the tag ID included in the settlement request received in step S22. At this time, the product database and the settlement database are referred to. By the matching process, the purchaser and the product to be purchased by the purchaser are linked.

Next, the product management server 5 transmits a payment notification to the purchaser's user terminal 4 (step S26). The payment notification is a notification for the visitor who owns the user terminal 4 to confirm whether or not the product can be settled. The product application of the user terminal 4 displays the payment screen based on the received payment notification (step S28).
An example of the payment screen is shown in FIG. In the payment screen G1 illustrated in FIG. 7, the product code corresponding to the tag ID included in the settlement request, the product image IMG corresponding to the product code, the text Tx1 indicating supplementary information about the product, and the price information of the product are displayed. Includes the text Tx2 and. Examples of supplementary information indicated by the text Tx1 are product sizes, colors, etc., but may include incidental information about the store, such as store campaign information and new product information.

The payment screen G1 of FIG. 7 includes a button b1 requesting the approval of the visitor for the payment processing of the displayed product. When the visitor wishes to confirm the product on the payment screen and proceed with the payment process, the button b1 is operated. As a result, the product application of the user terminal 4 returns the approval notification to the product management server 5 (step S32). When a product that is not a purchase target of the visitor is displayed on the payment screen, by operating the button b2 of the payment screen G1 of FIG. 7, the product application of the user terminal 4 sends an approval notification to the product management server 5. Do not send. If the product management server 5 does not receive the approval notification within a certain period of time after the payment notification is transmitted, the product management server 5 may determine that the payment has not been approved.

Upon receiving the approval notification from the user terminal 4, the product management server 5 updates the settlement database (step S34). Specifically, in the settlement database, the product code associated with the user ID is written in the "purchased product code" field of the record of the target user ID.
If the visitor passes through the settlement area (goes out) with the product before the settlement is completed, that is, before the update processing of the settlement database in step S34, the product management server 5 Preferably sends a warning message to, for example, the store server 3 or the user terminal 4. Further, in step S24, when the user ID corresponding to the product code cannot be specified, it is preferable to send a warning message to the store server 3.

As described above, in the sales management system 1 of the present embodiment, when a visitor (purchaser) passes through the checkout area with the product in the store, the product to be purchased is transmitted from the IoT tag attached to the product. Is identified. The position identification system determines the position of the user terminal 4 based on the beacon signal transmitted by the user terminal 4 of the visitor (purchaser), and the product management server 5 is based on the position information for each terminal ID of the user terminal 4. Determine if the purchaser is located in the checkout area. Then, a matching process is performed in which the user ID corresponding to the terminal ID of the user terminal 4 located in the settlement area is associated with the product code of the product to be purchased. Thereby, information about which product is purchased by the purchaser of which user ID is specified.
According to the sales management system 1 of the present embodiment, the store clerk and the purchaser do not perform an operation such as scanning code information such as a bar code of the product when selling or purchasing the product. Therefore, it is difficult for a queue to wait for payment like a conventional self-checkout to occur, the complexity of purchasing products by visitors is greatly reduced, and the disadvantage of losing sales opportunities for products is unlikely to occur on the store side. There is.

(2) Second Embodiment Next, the product settlement system of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The configuration of the product settlement system of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment (FIG. 2), but the control unit 31 of the store server 3 is different. Whether or not the control unit 31 has moved the corresponding IoT tag (that is, the tag of the tag ID included in the broadcast data) based on the sensor data included in the broadcast data received from the tag via the wireless device 2. to decide. When it is determined that the product has been moved, the control unit 31 is configured to send a settlement request including the tag ID of the moved tag to the product management server 5.

The sequence chart shown in FIG. 8 differs from the sequence chart of FIG. 6 only in that steps S21a and S21b are provided between steps S20 and S22. Is omitted as appropriate.
Referring to FIG. 8, when the tag ID authentication is successful, the store server 3 determines whether or not the corresponding tag has been moved based on the sensor data included in the broadcast data (step S21a). When the store server 3 determines that the tag has been moved, it determines whether or not the product corresponding to the tag ID has made a predetermined movement (step S21b).

The determination in step S21b can be made from various viewpoints.
For example, the predetermined movement of the product described above may be a movement in which the product existing at a predetermined position in the settlement area moves to a position separated from the predetermined position by a predetermined distance or more. That is, the determination of whether or not the product has made a predetermined movement is, for example, whether or not the visitor moves the product existing at the predetermined position in the settlement area to a position separated from the predetermined position by a predetermined distance or more. It may be done on the basis of. Here, the movement of moving the product to a position separated by a predetermined distance or more is, for example, a movement corresponding to the movement of a visitor who carries the product in the checkout area toward the exit of the store. When a product makes such a predetermined movement, it is considered that the store visitor intends to purchase the product. Therefore, it is preferable that the store server 3 transmits a settlement request to the product management server 5.
The distance traveled by the product can be obtained by sequentially positioning the position of each tag in the settlement area. The product management server 5 determines that the product has made a predetermined movement by detecting that each tag has moved to a place separated by a predetermined distance in the settlement area based on the positioning result of each tag.
As a method for positioning the tags in the settlement area, there is a method in which a plurality of wireless devices 2 are distributed and arranged at predetermined positions in the settlement area and the tags are positioned by the triangulation method. Specifically, the tag and each are based on the received signal strength (RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) value) when the packet from the tag is received by each wireless device 2 by utilizing the attenuation characteristic of the radio wave according to the distance. The distance to the wireless device 2 is estimated, and the tag T is positioned by the triangulation method. When each wireless device 2 receives a packet from the tag, each wireless device 2 transmits its own unique device ID, the RSSI value when the packet is received from the tag, and the broadcast data obtained from the packet to the store server 3. .. The store server 3 identifies the position of the tag based on the data received from each wireless device 2.
Since the radio wave propagation environment in the checkout area is generally not an ideal free space, the positioning accuracy of tags can be further improved by using any number of four or more wireless devices 2 for positioning a single tag. You can also do it.

From another viewpoint, the store server 3 may determine that the product has made a predetermined movement when the tag continuously detects the movement of the product for a predetermined time or longer.
Since the store server 3 continuously acquires broadcast data from each tag in the settlement area, the determination in step S21b continuously determines (detects) that the tag corresponding to the same tag ID has been moved. It can be done on a time basis. That is, when a visitor moves a product in the checkout area, sensor data indicating that the tag has been moved is continuously acquired from the tag attached to the product. Therefore, when the time (detection time) in which the tag continuously detects the movement of the product is equal to or longer than the predetermined time, it is determined that the product has made the predetermined movement. As a result, the visitor's intention to purchase the product can be reflected more accurately.
It is preferable not to judge that the product has made a predetermined movement only when the visitor holds the product and moves a little. This is because it is possible that the visitor may not purchase the product if the visitor moves a little with the product.

The threshold value for the detection time may be set to a different value depending on the position of the tag in the store area. For example, if a product that has made a predetermined movement is not located in the checkout area in the store, the product may be moved so that the visitor fits the product with a mirror or the like. Therefore, when the product is not located in the settlement area in the store, it is preferable that the store server 3 does not transmit the settlement request even when the product makes a predetermined movement.
From the above viewpoint, the store server 3 may change the predetermined time according to the position of the tag in the store area. For example, when the product is located in a predetermined range other than the settlement area, the above-mentioned predetermined time used for determining whether or not the product has made a predetermined movement is longer than when the product is located in the settlement area. It may be lengthened. As described above, the tag positioning can be performed by arranging a plurality of wireless devices 2.

(3) Third Embodiment Next, the product settlement system of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.
In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the user terminal 4 receives a packet transmitted from each tag in the checkout area of the store.
Referring to FIG. 9, tags (tags T1, T2, ...) Existing in the settlement area operated by energy harvesting generate packets (step S14) and broadcast them to the surroundings (step S16). For example, in the checkout area, the user terminal 4 of the visitor holding the product receives the packet transmitted by the tag attached to the product. The point that the user terminal 4 emits a beacon signal, the position information is sequentially acquired by the position identification system, and the position data is updated on the product management server 5 is the same as in FIG.

When the user terminal 4 receives the packet from the tag, the user terminal 4 transmits the PDU included in the packet to the store server 3 (step S18a). The store server 3 decodes the received PDU and authenticates the tag ID included in the broadcast data extracted from the PDU (step S20). Subsequent operations are the same as in FIG.
As shown in the present embodiment, the tag ID is provided to the store server 3 not only by the wireless device 2 but also by the user terminal 4.

The sequence chart shown in FIG. 10 differs from the sequence chart of FIG. 9 only in that steps S21a and S21b are provided between steps S20 and S22. Is omitted as appropriate. That is, also in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, when the product corresponding to the tag ID makes a predetermined movement, the store server 3 may send the settlement request to the product management server 5. .. As a result, the visitor's intention to purchase the product can be reflected more accurately.

When the user terminal 4 of the visitor has a built-in motion sensor such as an acceleration sensor, the sensor built in the user terminal 4 acquires information about whether or not the product has made a predetermined movement. May be good. For example, when the user terminal 4 of the visitor receives the packet from the tag, the user terminal 4 determines whether or not the product to which the tag is attached has made a predetermined movement based on the detection value of the built-in sensor. Next, the user terminal 4 transmits the tag ID included in the packet and the determination result of whether or not the product has made a predetermined movement to the store server 3. In this way, by utilizing the sensor built in the user terminal 4, it is possible to improve the accuracy of determining whether or not the product has made a predetermined movement.

It is conceivable that there are a plurality of visitors in the settlement area and each possesses the user terminal 4. In that case, among the plurality of user terminals 4, the user terminal 4 whose RSSI value received from the tag attached to the product in the settlement area is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value is separated from the product, and therefore the product. It can be determined that it is not the user terminal 4 of the purchaser who makes the payment.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, each user terminal 4 transmits its own terminal ID and the RSSI value of the packet from each tag to the store server 3 in addition to the PDU, and the store server 3 sends the terminal to the settlement request. It is preferable to include the ID, the tag ID, and the RSSI value. As a result, the product management server 5 can improve the accuracy of the matching process in step S24. For example, when a plurality of user IDs exist as candidates for a specific tag ID, the user ID corresponding to the terminal ID of the user terminal 4 having a low RSSI value can be excluded.
Further, when a plurality of user IDs exist as candidates for a specific tag ID, the user ID corresponding to the terminal ID of the user terminal 4 having the highest RSSI value can be associated with the product code corresponding to the tag ID.

Based on the RSSI value when the user terminal 4 receives the packet from the tag, the distance between the user terminal 4 and the tag can be estimated by using the radio wave attenuation characteristic according to the distance. Therefore, the product management server 5 calculates the distance from the tag corresponding to the tag ID included in the settlement request based on the RSSI value included in the settlement request, and when the distance is within a predetermined distance, the tag Is associated with the user terminal 4 that is the source of the RSSI value. That is, when the product management server 5 specifies that the positions of the plurality of user terminals 4 are within the settlement area, the distance between the tags existing in the settlement area among the plurality of user terminals 4 is within a predetermined distance. The product code corresponding to the tag may be associated with the user terminal 4.

Although the embodiment of the sales management system and the sales management method has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Further, the above-described embodiment can be improved or modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the IoT tag can generate electricity based on radio waves radiated from at least one of the wireless device 2, the user terminal 4, and the clerk terminal.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the cloud-type service for sales management is provided by the product management server 5 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. It can also be realized by a so-called on-premise system. In that case, the store server 3 is provided with a product database and a settlement database, and the matching process is executed by the store server 3.
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the tag ID authentication is executed by the store server 3 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The tag ID may be authenticated by the product management server 5.
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the product management server 5 includes the product database and the settlement database has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. As for the product database and the settlement database, the product management server 5 is provided on another database server, and the product management server 5 or the store server 3 appropriately accesses the database server to execute the matching process and update the product database and the settlement database. It may be configured as.

In the above-described embodiment, the product management server 5 may have the function of the store server 3, and even in that case, the store server 3 is not required. On the contrary, the store server 3 may have the function of the product management server 5.

In the above-described embodiment, the wireless device 2 and / or the user terminal 4 may be able to receive only the packet from the IoT tag T having the access authority. For example, a wireless tag that can be possessed by a passerby outside the store transmits data using the same protocol as the wireless communication protocol used between the wireless device 2 and / or the user terminal 4 and the IoT tag T, such as the BLE protocol. However, there is a possibility that the wireless device 2 receives the data. Therefore, in order to distinguish between the packet that the wireless device 2 and / or the user terminal 4 should receive and the data that does not need to be received, the packet transmitted from the IoT tag T includes data indicating access authority (access authority). It is preferable to include the data). In this case, in the above-described embodiment, the wireless device 2 and / or the user terminal 4 confirms the access authority data included in the received packet each time the packet is received, and discards the packet for which the user terminal 4 does not have the access authority.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the product settlement system and the product settlement method are applied to the apparel field has been described, but it can also be applied to fields dealing with other products such as foods, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. The information and formats contained in the product database may vary depending on the field of application. For example, each record in a product database in the food sector may contain an expiration date value corresponding to a product code. Each record in the product database of the pharmaceutical field may contain an expiration value corresponding to the product code. Further, in the pharmaceutical field, when the IoT tag is attached to one package containing a predetermined number of drugs, each record of the product database may include a value of the quantity of the drug in the package.
When managing products whose expiration date is managed by expiration date or expiration date, the product management server periodically monitors the expiration date and expiration date, and settles the product code, quantity, and product position of the product whose expiration date is approaching. It is preferable to reflect it on the screen as appropriate.

Claims (7)

1. A sales management system that manages one or more products to be sold to users.
   A wireless tag that is attached to a product to be sold, stores unique tag identification information, and operates by obtaining energy from surrounding radio waves.
   A position identification device capable of communicating with a user terminal possessed by the user and specifying the position of the user terminal in a settlement area for settlement of the product.
   An information processing device having a storage unit that stores product information that identifies a product to be sold in association with tag identification information of a wireless tag attached to the product.
   Including
   The information processing device
   When the position of the user terminal specified by the position specifying device is within the settlement area, the product information corresponding to the wireless tag is settled based on the information acquired from the wireless tag existing in the settlement area. Corresponding to the user terminal located in the area,
   Sales management system.
2. The position-identifying device identifies the position of the user terminal based on a wireless signal transmitted from the user terminal and including unique terminal identification information of the user terminal.
   The information processing device identifies the terminal identification information of the user terminal located in the settlement area based on the position of the user terminal specified by the position specifying device.
   The sales management system according to claim 1.
3. The information processing device has a second storage unit that stores the user identification information that identifies the user in association with the terminal identification information of the user terminal, and the user identification corresponding to the user terminal located in the settlement area. The information is specified, and the specified user identification information is associated with the product information corresponding to the wireless tag existing in the settlement area.
   The sales management system according to claim 2.
4. The wireless tag detects the movement of the product and
   When a product having a predetermined movement exists in the settlement area, the information processing device associates the product information corresponding to the wireless tag with the user terminal located in the settlement area.
   The sales management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
5. When the position identification device specifies that the positions of the plurality of user terminals are within the settlement area, the information processing device is located between the wireless tags existing in the settlement area among the plurality of user terminals. The product information corresponding to the wireless tag is associated with the user terminal whose distance is within a predetermined distance.
   The sales management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
6. The information processing device authenticates the tag identification information received by the wireless device, and when the authentication is successful, associates the product information corresponding to the wireless tag with the user terminal located in the settlement area.
   The sales management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
7. A sales management method that manages one or more products to be sold to users.
   The wireless tag attached to the product to be sold stores unique tag identification information and operates by obtaining energy from the surrounding radio waves.
   The position identification device capable of communicating with the user terminal possessed by the user identifies the position information of the user terminal in the settlement area where the settlement of the product is performed.
   The information processing device stores the product information that identifies the product to be sold in association with the tag identification information of the wireless tag attached to the product, and the user terminal specified by the position specifying device. When the position of is within the settlement area, the product information corresponding to the wireless tag is associated with the user terminal located in the settlement area based on the information acquired from the wireless tag existing in the settlement area.
   Sales management method.

Images