JP2007241806A - Merchandise introduction system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a merchandise introduction system for automatically displaying merchandise introduction information when it is determined that a customer is interested in the merchandise. <P>SOLUTION: Antennas 5a-5e are respectively disposed on shelf boards 2a-2e of a merchandise display shelf 1, to receive radio waves transmitted from an IC tag 3 attached to a merchandise placed on the shelf board. When the received radio wave is analyzed in an analysis section 32 of a receiving apparatus 13, resulting in showing that the merchandise is picked up by a hand of the customer, a server 11 calls the introduction information for the sales entity of the merchandise attached with the IC tag 3 from a merchandise introduction information database 22, to display it on an image monitor apparatus 12. A dummy IC tag 3a is disposed on the merchandise display shelf. When the radio wave transmitted from the dummy IC tag 3a is received by a prescribed one of the antenna 5a-5e, a reference point is set in a received radio wave analysis cycle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a merchandise introduction system used in merchandise sales.

  If there is a product that is interested or motivated to purchase in the place of product sales, you want to know the characteristics of the product better. In face-to-face sales, it is only necessary to obtain information from the salesperson, but the salesperson may happen to be absent. Even if there is a salesperson, they are not always aware of the product, and some consumers are not good at interacting with the salesperson. In addition, it is not easy to catch a salesperson at a self-service sales floor.

  Therefore, a system for displaying product information on a monitor screen has been proposed as a sales support tool. Examples thereof can be found in Patent Documents 1 and 2.

  In Patent Document 1, an IC tag is attached to a product, and the purchaser holds the product over the purchaser's terminal, or the seller holds the product over the seller's terminal at a cash register. A product sales system is described in which product information can be displayed on the terminal screen.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a display device used in a discount supermarket or a convenience store that does not perform face-to-face sales, and a shopper picks up a product from an IC tag attached to the product while moving to a cash register. When the product code is received wirelessly, the information on the related product is displayed.

Patent Document 3 discloses the structure of an IC tag.
JP 2006-18720 A ([0019]-[0051], FIG. 1) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-352688 ([0009]-[0019], FIGS. 1-4) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-328985 ([0045]-[0048], FIGS. 6A and 6B)

  In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, when a purchase applicant is interested in a product, the product must be held over a terminal for purchase applicants in order to display information related to the product. The purchasers must understand the mechanism, and if it is a large product, it is difficult to go up to the terminal for purchasers. In the device described in Patent Document 2, the information on the related product of the product obtained is displayed while the product for which the purchase decision has been made is picked up and moved to the cash register. Since the information itself is not displayed, it is not possible to obtain more information than that recorded on the product package or the in-store POP.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and by automatically displaying the product introduction information when it can be determined that the customer is interested in the product, the product introduction is performed without forcing the customer to perform a special operation. The purpose is to provide a product introduction system that can provide information. It is another object of the present invention to provide a product introduction system that can accurately and speedily determine that a customer is interested in a product.

  (1) In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, the product introduction system is configured as follows. That is, a product with an IC tag attached to each sales individual, a receiving device that detects radio waves transmitted from the IC tag through an antenna arranged in a display space, a server that stores product introduction information, and an image monitor device And the server causes the image monitor device to display the introduction information of the sales individual to which the IC tag is attached in response to the reception device no longer detecting radio waves transmitted by the specific IC tag. is doing.

  According to this configuration, by appropriately setting the distance at which the antenna can receive the radio wave emitted by the IC tag, the radio wave emitted by the IC tag of the sales individual is detected when the customer picks up the sales individual of the product. As a result, the product introduction information can be displayed on the image monitor device. Having picked up a product clearly means that they were interested in that product, and by displaying product introduction information in a timely manner, it would further deepen interest in the product and incentivize purchase intent. Can do. In addition, the display of the product introduction information is automatically performed without the customer being aware of it, and the customer can obtain the product information without any effort.

  (2) Further, in the product introduction system having the above-described configuration, the present invention has a plurality of antennas arranged in the display space, and the receiving apparatus sequentially switches channels for each of the plurality of antennas to transmit the IC tag. It is characterized by detecting radio waves.

  According to this configuration, the entire display space is not covered with a single antenna, and the display space is covered with a plurality of antennas, so that it is possible to grasp the number of sold individuals without exception. In addition, since the receiving apparatus sequentially switches the channels for each of the plurality of antennas, it is possible to accurately catch the radio waves transmitted by the IC tag and accurately grasp the movement of the sales individual.

  (3) Further, according to the present invention, in the product introduction system configured as described above, one dummy IC tag is arranged in the display space, and a specific one of the plurality of antennas receives radio waves transmitted by the dummy IC tag. It is characterized by the fact that it has been detected as a reference point in the received radio wave analysis cycle.

  According to this configuration, there is one stationary radio wave source even in the situation where radio waves from many IC tags fly around and multiple sales individuals are picked up by the hands of multiple customers. As a reference point, it is possible to analyze all received radio waves in an orderly manner, and to accurately and speedily judge that the customer is interested in the product.

  (4) Moreover, the present invention is characterized in that, in the product introduction system having the above-described configuration, the antenna is arranged on a shelf plate of a display shelf on which the sales individual is placed.

  According to this configuration, the distance between the product and the antenna is reduced, and the weak radio wave transmitted by the IC tag can be reliably caught, and the determination that the customer has taken up the sales individual can be made without error. It is possible to suppress malfunctions such as the fact that the product introduction information is not displayed despite being taken up, or the product introduction information is displayed even though the sales individual is still on the shelf.

  According to the present invention, when the customer picks up the individual selling the product and the radio wave transmitted by the IC tag of the individual selling is not detected, it is determined that the customer is interested in the individual selling, Since it is a mechanism for displaying on the image monitor device, it is possible to provide product introduction information in a timely manner according to the customer's psychology, deepen interest in the product, and incentivize purchase. In addition, a single dummy IC tag is arranged in the display space, and when a specific one of a plurality of antennas has received a radio wave transmitted by the dummy IC tag, it is used as a reference point in the received radio wave analysis cycle. Even in the situation where radio waves from a large number of IC tags fly and multiple sales individuals are picked up by the hands of multiple customers, all received radio waves are always analyzed in an orderly manner due to the presence of stationary radio wave transmission sources, It becomes possible to accurately and speedily judge that the customer is interested in the product.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a product display space, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a product introduction system, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a shelf plate of a product display shelf.

  FIG. 1 depicts a situation where one product display shelf 1 is arranged in the product display space. The merchandise display shelf 1 has shelves 2a to 2e, and each shelves displays a plurality of merchandise (one type of alphabetical character is added to identify the type). The sales individual is set to one for each type of product. The number of shelves is five in the figure, but the number is not limited, and may be one or a plurality other than five.

  One IC tag 3 is attached to each sales individual of the product. The IC tag 3 is of a non-contact type and communicates wirelessly. The IC tag 3 is attached to the credit card size card 4 and the card 4 is attached to the sales individual, but other methods, for example, a method of linking to the sales individual together with the price tag are adopted. It doesn't matter. The IC tag 3 has the same structure as that described in Patent Document 3, and transmits a weak signal radio wave by resonance due to radio wave reception, electromagnetic induction, or the like.

  Antennas that receive signal radio waves from the IC tag 3 are provided on the shelf boards 2a to 2e. In the embodiment, one antenna is provided for each shelf plate, and there are five antennas 5a to 5e as a whole. However, a configuration in which a plurality of antennas are arranged per shelf plate may be used. Absent.

  The structure of the shelf board will be described taking the shelf board 2a as an example. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the shelf 2 a has a configuration in which a glass frame 7 is combined with a metal frame 6. An antenna 5 a is combined with the glass plate 7 by being sealed inside the glass plate 7 or attached to the lower surface of the glass plate 7. The structure of the shelf 2a is not limited to this, and the characteristics of the product and the display of the product, such as omitting the metal frame 6 and using only the glass plate 7 or using a synthetic resin or wood board instead of glass, are used. It can be freely selected according to the effect of the space. The same applies to the shelf boards 2b to 2e.

  A dummy IC tag 3a is attached to the shelf board 2e. The mounting position should be invisible to the customer. Further, it is desirable that the antennas other than the antenna 5e have as little influence as possible. In that sense, it is preferable to attach the antenna to the lower surface of the shelf 2e. The role of the dummy IC tag 3a will be described later.

  In the product display space, in addition to the product display shelf 1, a display device 10 for product introduction information is arranged. The display device 10 includes a server 11 that stores product introduction information, an image monitor device 12 that is connected to the server 11, a receiving device 13 that is also connected to the server 11, and a rack 14 on which these devices are placed.

  A more detailed configuration of the product introduction system will be described with reference to FIG. The server 11 of the display device 10 includes the following components. They are a control unit 20, an information output unit 21, a product introduction information database 22, a communication unit 23, and an input unit 24. The information output unit 21 outputs the product introduction information called from the product introduction information database 22 to the image monitor device 12. The communication unit 23 is for receiving a signal from an external device (in this case, the receiving device 13). The input unit 24 is used for data input to the control unit, and can be composed of a keyboard and a mouse.

  The control unit 20 controls the overall operation of the server 11, is configured by a microcomputer, and includes a central processing unit 25, a RAM 26, and a ROM 27. The central processing unit 25 performs operations such as binary addition, logical operation, increase / decrease, and comparison on data input from the input unit 24 or the RAM 26. The ROM 27 stores instructions for operating each unit, determination conditions, information processing rules, and the like, and provides them to the central processing unit 25 as necessary.

  The receiving device 13 includes the following components. A control unit 30, a communication unit 31, an analysis unit 32, and a reception channel unit 33. The control unit 30 controls the operation of the entire receiving device 13 and is configured by a microcomputer, like the control unit 20 of the server 11, and includes a central processing unit 34, a RAM 35, and a ROM 36. The communication unit 31 communicates with the communication unit 23 of the server 11 in a wired or wireless manner. The analysis unit 32 analyzes the reception results of the antennas 5a to 5e. The reception channel unit 33 includes a plurality of reception channels. In the figure, five channels A to E are displayed, and antennas 5a to 5e are connected to them in a one-to-one correspondence.

  Next, the operation of the product introduction system of the present invention will be described. The receiving device 13 receives radio waves transmitted from the IC tag 3 through the antennas 5a to 5e. In the reception channel unit 33, the channel is sequentially switched for each of the antennas 5 a to 5 e, and the radio wave received by each antenna is transmitted to the analysis unit 32.

  The antenna 5a is mainly targeted for the product “A”, “I”, “U”, “E”, and the antenna 5b is mainly targeted for the product “KA” “KI” “KU” “KE” The antenna 5c is mainly targeted for the product “sa” “shi” “su” “se”, and the antenna 5d is mainly targeted for the product “ta” “chi” “tsu” “te”, The antenna 5e mainly receives the dummy IC tag 3a and the products “NA”, “NI”, “NU”, and “NE”. In the receiving channel section 33, it is possible to detect the radio waves from the IC tags 3 of all the products from “A” to “Ne” at least once while switching the channels E → D → C → B → A → E in order. For example, no product has been picked up by the customer, which may be touched by the customer, but at least on the shelf.

  Each antenna may receive a radio wave from a product other than the above “main reception target” (rather, it is normal). For example, the antenna 5b may receive the radio wave of the product “A”. There is no problem even if this happens. This is because the analysis is performed by taking the difference between all received radio waves. As a result of analysis by the analysis unit 32, if it is found that the radio wave from the specific product is not received by any of the antennas 5a to 5e, it is concluded that the product is taken by the customer. In other words, as long as any of the antennas 5a to 5e is receiving radio waves, the product may have changed its position from the original place, but has not yet moved away from the product display shelf 1. become.

  The analysis cycle starting with channel E and ending with channel A is repeated. In the process, when it is determined that the radio wave from the IC tag 3 attached to the product having the reception history, for example, the product “A” is not detected, the product “A” is placed in the customer's hand. It is determined that the product has been taken out and taken out from the merchandise display shelf 1. The determination result is transmitted to the server 11, and the product introduction information of the product “A” is called from the product introduction information database 22 and displayed on the image monitor device 12.

  Having picked up the product “A” clearly means that he was interested in the product “A”. By displaying the introduction information of the product “A” in a timely manner, the product “A” was displayed. Can deepen their interest and incentivize purchasing. In addition, the product introduction information is displayed automatically when the customer picks up the product “A”, and without the customer being aware of it. The customer can obtain the introduction information of the product “A” without any effort. Can be put in.

  The display of the product introduction information may not be finished until all the contents are displayed, or may be finished when the product is returned to the product display shelf 1. In addition, when returning goods to the goods display shelf 1, it is not necessary to return to the original shelf board. This is because even if any of the antennas 5a to 5e catches the radio wave from the product, it remains unchanged that the product leaves the customer's hand and returns to the product display shelf 1.

  If it is clear where the reference point is in the analysis cycle that goes around the channel as described above, the analysis work can be performed quickly and without waste. In the present embodiment, the reference point is determined by detecting that the antenna 5e has received the radio wave transmitted by the dummy IC tag 3a. Since the radio wave from the dummy IC tag 3a, which is a stationary radio wave transmission source, is used as a reference point, not the radio wave from a product that is intensely in and out of the product, radio waves from a large number of IC tags 3 fly and multiple Even in the situation where sales individuals are picked up, it is possible to analyze all the received radio waves in an orderly manner and accurately determine that the customer is interested in the product.

  When a product to be displayed on the product display shelf 1 is exchanged, the task of the analysis unit 32 is rewritten so that the product after the exchange can be grasped without omission. In the present embodiment, the analysis unit 32 is placed in the receiving device 13, but the server 11 may play the role.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  The present invention can be widely used as a merchandise introduction system used in merchandise sales.

Schematic diagram of product display space Block diagram of product introduction system Perspective view of shelf board of product display shelf

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Merchandise display shelf 2a-2e Shelf board 3 IC tag 3a Dummy IC tag 4 Card 5a-5e Antenna 10 Display apparatus 11 Server 12 Image monitor apparatus 13 Receiving apparatus 22 Merchandise introduction information database 32 Analysis part 33 Reception channel part

Claims (4)

A product with an IC tag attached to each sales individual, a receiving device that detects radio waves transmitted from the IC tag through an antenna disposed in a display space, a server that stores product introduction information, and an image monitor device ,
In response to the reception device no longer detecting radio waves transmitted by a specific IC tag, the server displays the introduction information of the individual sales item to which the IC tag is attached on the image monitor device. Product introduction system.   2. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of antennas are arranged in the display space, and the receiving device detects radio waves transmitted from the IC tag by sequentially switching channels for each of the plurality of antennas. Product introduction system described in.   A dummy IC tag is arranged in the display space, and a detection point that a specific one of the plurality of antennas has received a radio wave transmitted from the dummy IC tag is used as a reference point in a received radio wave analysis cycle. The product introduction system according to claim 1 or 2.   The product introduction system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the antenna is arranged on a shelf board of a display shelf on which the individual sales are placed.

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