JP2023038200A - Sales device, sales system and sales method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve reading accuracy of article information on an article to be purchased by a customer.

SOLUTION: A sales system 100 includes a detection unit 1, a reading unit 2, a reading control unit 31, an article identification unit 32 and a user interface 4. The detection unit 1 detects opening/closing of a partition. The partition provides a partition between a storage area and an external space. The reading unit 2 executes reading processing of reading article information of an article 91. The reading control unit 31 controls the reading unit 2 according to the detection result by the detection unit 1. The article identification unit 32 identifies a target article as a target to be purchased by a customer on the basis of the reading result by the reading unit 2. The user interface 4 is an interface for executing sales processing for the target article.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2023,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present disclosure relates generally to sales systems and methods. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to vending systems and methods for vending items stored in storage areas.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-200002 describes a merchandise management device for grasping what kind of merchandise a merchandise purchaser has picked up. This product management device outputs a list of products picked up from the product shelf based on changes in weight (changes in sensing state) on a weighing scale attached to the product shelf.

Further, in this product management apparatus, a plurality of RFID antennas for receiving transmission signals from RFID tags attached to products are arranged on the ceiling of a store or on product shelves. The RFID tag stores product identification information. The RFID tag is used by a purchaser to identify a physically moved product by picking it up.

JP 2018-160042 A

The product management apparatus described in Patent Document 1 does not take measures to improve the reading accuracy of product identification information (article information) of products (goods) from RFID tags (electronic tags). For this reason, the product management device described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that it is difficult for a product purchaser (customer) to specify the product that the product purchaser (customer) intends to purchase using the RFID tag depending on the situation.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a sales system and a sales method capable of improving the reading accuracy of product information on products that customers want to purchase.

A sales system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a detection unit, a reading unit, a reading control unit, an article specifying unit, and a user interface. The detection unit detects opening and closing of the partition. The partition separates a storage area for storing articles from an external space. The reading unit executes reading processing for reading article information of the article. The reading control section controls the reading section according to the detection result of the detection section. The product identification unit identifies a target product that is to be purchased by a customer based on the reading result of the reading unit. The user interface is an interface for performing sales processing for the target product specified by the product specifying unit.

A sales method according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes detecting opening and closing of a partition. The partition separates a storage area for storing articles from an external space. This selling method includes the step of reading product information of the product according to the detection result of opening and closing of the partition. This sales method includes a step of identifying a target product that is to be purchased by a customer based on the result of reading the product information. The sales method includes executing a sales process for the identified target item.

The present disclosure has the advantage of being able to improve the reading accuracy of product information for products that customers want to purchase.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a sales system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of a storage warehouse used in the same sales system. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of the same storage warehouse with the door opened. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a sales method using the same sales system. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing sales processing in the above sales system. 6A to 6C are schematic perspective views showing usage examples of the same sales system. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on the display unit when the authentication process is normally completed in the above sales system. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on the display unit with the door opened in the same sales system. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an image representing a warning displayed on the display unit when the door is open in the same sales system. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on the display section when there is no target article in the same sales system. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an image including a purchase list displayed on the display unit in the above sales system. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an image for correction of the target article displayed on the display section in the above sales system. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an image representing a warning displayed on the display unit with the door opened in the same sales system. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on the display unit after inputting approval in the same sales system. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of an image including a warning displayed on the display unit after inputting approval in the same sales system.

(1) Overview A sales system 100 according to the present embodiment is a system used for selling articles 91 stored in a storage area Sp1 (see FIG. 1). The term “sale” as used in this disclosure refers to the act (trading) of transferring the ownership of the goods 91 from the seller to the buyer (customer 90 (see FIG. 6A)), and the buyer paying the consideration (price) for this to the seller (trading). means the act of the side.

The storage area Sp1 is an area for storing articles 91 to which electronic tags 92 are attached. In this embodiment, the storage area Sp1 is the internal space Sp1 of the storage shed 8 . The "storage box" referred to in the present disclosure is a container capable of storing one or more articles 91, and as an example, a refrigerator, a freezer, a heat insulator capable of shielding the internal space Sp1 (see FIG. 3) from the outside, Or it is a facility with a function of temperature control such as a warm storage. However, the container 8 may not have the function of temperature control. In this embodiment, the container 8 includes a door 83 as a partition 83 that separates the internal space (storage area) Sp1 and the external space Sp2. Therefore, the internal space (storage area) Sp1 is open to the external space Sp2 when the door 83 is open, and is shielded from the external space Sp2 when the door 83 is closed.

The sales system 100 includes a detection unit 1, a reading unit 2, a reading control unit 31, an article specifying unit 32, and a user interface 4, as shown in FIG.

The detector 1 detects opening and closing of the partition 83 . In other words, the detection unit 1 is in a state in which the door (partition) 83 is opened to open the internal space (storage area) Sp1 to the external space Sp2, and by the door 83 to be closed the internal space Sp1 is opened to the outside. It is detected in which state of the state of being shielded from the space Sp2. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the state in which the door 83 is open is referred to as the "open state", and the state in which the door 83 is closed is referred to as the "closed state".

The reading unit 2 executes reading processing for reading article information of the article 91 by performing wireless communication using radio waves with the electronic tag 92 in the storage area Sp1. In other words, the reading unit 2 does not directly read article information from the article 91, but reads article information from the electronic tag 92 attached to the article 91 in a non-contact manner.

The “article information” referred to in the present disclosure is information for identifying the article 91, and is, for example, a product identification code such as JAN (Japanese Article Number) code used in Japan. In addition to the JAN code, this type of product identification code includes EPC (Electronic Product Code), EAN (European Article Number) code used in Europe, etc., and UPC (Universal Product Code) used in the United States. etc. Further, the product information is not limited to information identifying the product type (kind) of the product 91, and may include information such as serial information for individually identifying the products 91 of the same product type. Thereby, even when there are a plurality of articles 91 of the same kind, each of the plurality of articles 91 of the same kind can be specified by the article information.

Here, the article 91 whose article information is to be read by the reading unit 2 is the article 91 stored in the container 8 . That is, the reading unit 2 reads article information from the electronic tag 92 attached to at least one article 91 stored in the storage shed 8 (that is, in the storage area Sp1). Therefore, when there are articles 91 both inside the storage box 8 and outside the storage box 8, the reading unit 2 basically reads the article information from the articles 91 in the storage box 8. conduct.

The reading control section 31 controls the reading section 2 according to the detection result of the detection section 1 . In this embodiment, the reading control unit 31 causes the reading unit 2 to execute reading processing when the detection unit 1 detects the closed state. On the other hand, when the detection unit 1 detects the open state, the reading control unit 31 stops the reading process by the reading unit 2 . In other words, the reading control unit 31 stops the reading process by the reading unit 2 at least while the detection unit 1 is detecting that the door (partition) 83 is open.

The product identification unit 32 identifies the target product 93 (see FIG. 6C) that is the purchase target of the customer 90 based on the reading result of the reading unit 2 . In the present embodiment, the item identification unit 32 identifies the target item 93 that is the purchase target of the customer 90 based on the increase or decrease in the number of items 91 in the internal space (storage area) Sp1 of the storage shed 8 . That is, when the customer 90 intends to purchase an article 91 in the storage box 8 , the customer 90 opens the door 83 and takes out the target article 93 to be purchased from the storage box 8 . Therefore, the article identification unit 32 identifies the taken-out article 91 as the target article 93 among the one or more articles 91 stored in the storage box 8 .

The user interface 4 is an interface for executing sales processing for the target article 93 specified by the article specifying section 32 . In other words, after the customer 90 takes out the target item 93, which is the item 91 to be purchased, from the internal space (storage area) Sp1 of the storage shed 8, the customer 90 uses the user interface 4 to complete the sales process of purchasing the target item 93. . This embodiment includes payment processing for making payment for the target article 93 after the completion of the sales processing. As a result, the customer 90 can purchase the target item 93 without the help of a person other than himself (for example, a store clerk at the store where the sales system 100 is installed).

As described above, in the present embodiment, the reading control unit 31 causes the reading unit 2 to perform reading processing based on the detection result of the detection unit 1, that is, based on the state of the internal space (storage area) Sp1 of the container 8. to run or stop. Therefore, in this embodiment, compared to the case where the reading process of the electronic tag 92 is continuously executed regardless of the state of the storage area Sp1, the accuracy of reading the article information of the article 91 that the customer 90 intends to purchase is improved. has the advantage of being able to

(2) Details Hereinafter, the sales system 100 of this embodiment will be described in detail. The sales system 100 is installed in facilities such as offices (including shared offices), factories, stations, schools, retail stores such as convenience stores and supermarkets, welfare facilities, hospitals, and gymnasiums. Moreover, the sales system 100 is not limited to being installed indoors, and may be installed outdoors. Sales system 100 is used to sell goods 91 to customers 90 .

In this embodiment, as an example, it is assumed that the sales system 100 is installed in an office. Here, the goods 91 stored in the storage shed 8 (that is, the storage area Sp1) of the sales system 100 are "merchandise" to be sold to the customer 90. FIG. The reading unit 2 of the sales system 100 reads article information from an electronic tag 92 attached to an article 91, which is a product. That is, the article information about the article (product) 91 is "product information".

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the container 8 is a facility having a temperature control function, particularly a refrigerator (including a refrigeration showcase) having a refrigeration function. Therefore, the articles 91 stored in the container 8 are refrigerated within the container 8 . In the following, as an example of the articles 91 stored in the container 8, foods and drinks such as PET bottle beverages and canned beverages are assumed.

(2.1) Storage (storage area)
First, the storage shed 8 (storage area Sp1) in which the articles 91 sold by the sales system 100 of the present embodiment are stored will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG.

As described above, the container 8 is a refrigerator (including a refrigerated showcase) that has a function of refrigeration and can store a plurality of articles 91 such as PET bottled beverages. The container 8 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape whose height is larger than its width and depth as a whole, that is, it is elongated in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the container 8 includes one or more mounting tables 81 , a housing 82 , and a door (partition) 83 .

The housing 82, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, has a base portion 821, a roof portion 822, and wall portions 823a, 823b, and 823c. As a whole, the housing 82 is formed in a box shape with an open front surface, and the internal space Sp1 of the storage shed 8 can be accessed from the front surface of the housing 82 .

Each of the base portion 821 and the roof portion 822 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape when viewed from above, and has a height smaller than its width and depth, that is, a rectangular parallelepiped that is short in the vertical direction. The base portion 821 constitutes the lower end portion of the housing 82 and is positioned below the internal space Sp1 of the container 8 . The roof portion 822 constitutes the upper end portion of the housing 82 and is positioned above the internal space Sp1 of the storage shed 8 .

The wall portions 823a, 823b, and 823c are arranged between the base portion 821 and the roof portion 822 so as to surround the internal space Sp1 of the storage shed 8 from three sides. Specifically, the wall portion 823a and the wall portion 823b are arranged to face each other in the left-right direction. The wall portion 823a is positioned on the left side of the internal space Sp1 when the container 8 is viewed from the front, and the wall portion 823b is positioned on the right side of the internal space Sp1. The wall portion 823c is configured to connect rear end portions of the wall portions 823a and 823b. The wall portion 823c is positioned at the back of the internal space Sp1 when the storage shed 8 is viewed from the front.

The door 83 is a member that closes the front surface of the housing 82 that is the opening surface of the housing 82 . The door 83 is configured to be openable. Here, the door body 83 has optical transparency. Further, the door 83 has radio wave shielding properties. That is, the door 83 does not always close the front surface of the housing 82, but can move between a "closed position" where the front surface of the housing 82 is blocked and an "open position" where the front surface of the housing 82 is opened. (can be opened and closed). In this embodiment, the door body 83 is a hinged door (swing door) that opens to the right, that is, opens to the right, as shown in FIG. That is, the door 83 opens and closes by rotating relative to the housing 82 about the right end of the front surface of the housing 82 as a rotation axis. As already described, the door 83 is a partition 83 that separates the internal space (storage area) Sp1 and the external space Sp2.

As an example, the door 83 has a frame and a glass plate fitted in the frame. The door 83 has a shielding sheet having radio wave shielding properties attached to at least one of the surface of the glass plate (the surface facing the outside of the container 8) and the back surface (the surface facing the inside of the container 8). configuration is adopted. Both the glass plate and the shielding sheet are light transmissive. Therefore, even when the door 83 is closed, the customer 90 can see the inside of the storage 8 through both the glass plate and the shielding sheet of the door 83 . Therefore, for example, the customer 90 can check the inventory status of the goods 91 stored in the storage 8, that is, the goods 91, with the door 83 closed. Furthermore, if the price tag is attached to the article 91 stored in the storage box 8, information such as the price of the article 91 can be presented to the customer 90 with the door 83 closed.

Here, since the container 8 has a refrigerating function, the housing 82 and the door 83 surrounding the internal space Sp1 have heat insulating properties. In the container 8 , electric devices such as a compressor that also serves as a heat source are housed in the base portion 821 or the roof portion 822 .

One or more placement tables 81 function as a table for placing an article 91 in the internal space Sp1. The mounting table 81 is formed in a rectangular plate shape, and constitutes a shelf board for dividing the internal space Sp1 of the storage shed 8 into a plurality of areas in the vertical direction. The mounting table 81 is attached to the housing 82 . Although the mounting table 81 is made of metal as an example, it is not limited to this example, and may be made of resin or the like. The mounting table 81 is not limited to a plate-like member, and may be, for example, a lattice-like, ladder-like, or net-like member (including wire mesh).

In particular, in the present embodiment, the internal space Sp1 of the storage shed 8 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is taller than its width and depth, that is, elongated in the vertical direction. In order to efficiently store the articles 91 in the internal space Sp1, the storage 8 has a plurality of mounting tables 81 as shelf boards. Multiple steps are formed in the direction. In this embodiment, the container 8 has five mounting tables 81 . Therefore, the internal space Sp1 can accommodate a plurality of articles 91 divided into five stages in the vertical direction. In this manner, these mounting tables 81 partition the internal space Sp1 of the storage shed 8 into a plurality of areas in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the container 8 employs a system similar to a storage shelf called a flexible shelf or a movable shelf, and the position of the mounting table 81 can be changed stepwise in the vertical direction.

Since the position of the mounting table 81 is variable in the vertical direction, it is possible to change the position of the mounting table 81 according to the height of the article 91, for example. That is, if the height of the article 91 placed on the mounting table 81 increases, the mounting table 81 can be moved downward accordingly, and conversely, the height of the article 91 mounted on the mounting table 81 can be reduced. , the mounting table 81 can be moved upward accordingly.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the number of mounting tables 81 attached to the housing 82 can also be changed. That is, in the present embodiment, there are five mounting tables 81 as shown in FIGS. can be removed to form four or less mounting tables 81 .

(2.2) Sales System Next, the configuration of the sales system 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG.

The sales system 100 includes a detection unit 1, a reading unit 2, a main computer 3, a user interface 4, an acquisition unit 5, a lock mechanism 6, and an antenna system 10, as shown in FIG. there is Although the antenna system 10 is included in the sales system 100 in this embodiment, the antenna system 10 may not be included in the sales system 100 .

The detector 1 detects the open/closed state of the door (partition) 83 . That is, the detection unit 1 can detect that the door 83 is opened (being in the "open state") and that the door 83 is closed (being in the "closed state"). The detection unit 1 is implemented by, for example, a non-contact sensor such as a reed switch or an optical sensor, or a contact sensor such as a limit switch.

The reading unit 2 is a device that performs reading processing for reading article information by performing wireless communication using radio waves with an electronic tag 92 attached to at least one article 91 housed in the container 8 . . The reader 2 uses the antenna included in the antenna module 101 to perform wireless communication with the electronic tag 92 .

In this embodiment, the reading unit 2 is a reader that constitutes an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system. That is, the reading unit 2 acquires article information stored in the electronic tag 92 by performing wireless communication with the electronic tag 92 in the RFID system.

The electronic tag 92 is, for example, a passive RF (Radio Frequency) tag and has a memory for storing at least article information. Here, a plurality of electronic tags 92 are associated with a plurality of articles 91 on a one-to-one basis. The electronic tag 92 stores article information about the corresponding article 91 , and the electronic tag 92 is attached to the corresponding article 91 .

The electronic tag 92 may be attached to the article 91 in such a way that it can be handled together with the article 91, and there are various ways in which the electronic tag 92 is attached to the article 91. FIG. In this embodiment, as an example, the electronic tag 92 is in the form of a sticker and attached to the article 91 . In addition, the electronic tag 92 may be connected to the article 91 with a string or the like, integrated with the packing material of the article 91, embedded in the article 91, or embedded in the article 91. may be incorporated in Furthermore, for example, the electronic tag 92 may be printed directly on the article 91 itself or on the surface of the packing material of the article 91 by using a technique such as a coated semiconductor.

The reading unit 2 transmits radio waves from the antenna of the antenna module 101 to the electronic tag 92, and performs wireless communication with the electronic tag 92 activated by the radio waves using radio waves as a communication medium. In this embodiment, the reading unit 2 acquires article information from the electronic tag 92 , so the reading unit 2 receives information including at least article information from the electronic tag 92 when wireless communication with the electronic tag 92 is established.

In this embodiment, the reading unit 2 is arranged together with the main computer 3 on the upper surface of the housing 82 (the upper surface of the roof portion 822). Here, in the container 8, the electric device such as the compressor, which also serves as a heat source, is housed in the base portion 821 or the roof portion 822, so that the reading section 2 and the main computer 3 are not affected by the heat from the heat source. A less susceptible arrangement or structure is preferred. Devices other than the reading unit 2 and the main computer 3, such as a power supply device and a communication device, can also be appropriately arranged on the upper surface of the housing 82 (the upper surface of the roof portion 822).

The main computer 3 is a computer system mainly composed of one or more processors and memories as hardware. The main computer 3 realizes various functions by executing programs recorded in the memory by one or more processors. The program may be prerecorded in the memory of the main computer 3, may be provided through an electric communication line, or may be provided by being recorded on a computer system-readable non-temporary recording medium such as an optical disc or a hard disk drive. may

A main computer 3 is connected to a detection unit 1 , a reading unit 2 , a user interface 4 , an acquisition unit 5 and a lock mechanism 6 . Furthermore, the main computer 3 is configured to be able to communicate with the settlement system 7 . The settlement system 7 is a system for settlement of goods 91 purchased by a customer 90 . The "settlement" referred to in this disclosure refers to the act of transferring the ownership of the goods 91 from the seller to the buyer (customer 90), and the purchaser's payment necessary for the act (sales) of the buyer paying the consideration (price) for this to the seller. means

In the present disclosure, “communicable” means that information can be exchanged directly or indirectly via a network, a repeater, or the like, by an appropriate communication method such as wired communication or wireless communication. That is, the main computer 3 of the sales system 100 and the settlement system 7 can exchange information with each other. In this embodiment, the settlement system 7 is not included in the sales system 100 , but the settlement system 7 may be included in the sales system 100 .

As a result, the main computer 3 executes predetermined processing such as transmission processing for transmitting information necessary for settlement processing in the settlement system 7 to the settlement system 7 based on the article information read by the reading unit 2 . Further, the main computer 3 controls the reading unit 2 based on the detection signal generated by the detection unit 1, and transmits the authentication information acquired by the acquisition unit 5 to the authentication server, thereby requesting the authentication server to process the authentication. It is possible to execute The “authentication server” here is an external server that can communicate with the sales system 100 .

The main computer 3 has a reading control section 31 and an article specifying section 32 . Specifically, the main computer 3 implements a function as the reading control section 31 and a function as the article specifying section 32 by executing a predetermined program using one or more processors.

The reading control unit 31 controls the reading unit 2 to cause the reading unit 2 to execute reading processing or to stop the reading processing by the reading unit 2 . The reading control unit 31 controls the reading unit 2 according to the detection result of the detection unit 1, that is, according to the opening/closing of the door (partition) 83. FIG. Basically, the reading control unit 31 causes the reading unit 2 to execute reading processing when the door 83 is closed, and stops reading processing by the reading unit 2 when the door 83 is open. That is, the reading control unit 31 causes the reading unit 2 to execute the reading process if the internal space (storage area) Sp1 is shielded from the external space Sp2.

In this embodiment, the reading control unit 31 periodically causes the reading unit 2 to perform the reading process while the sales process is not being performed and the door (partition) 83 is closed. Further, in the present embodiment, the reading control unit 31 stops the reading process by the reading unit 2 before the lock mechanism 6 (described later) switches from the prohibited state to the permitted state. In other words, the reading control unit 31 causes the reading unit 2 to stop the reading process before the door 83 switches from the closed state to the open state. As a result, the reading unit 2 does not execute the reading process when the internal space (storage area) Sp1 is open to the external space Sp2.

The product identification unit 32 identifies the target product 93 that is the purchase target of the customer 90 based on the reading result of the reading unit 2 . Specifically, the item identification unit 32 identifies the item 91 taken out from the internal space (storage area) Sp<b>1 of the storage shed 8 by the customer 90 as the target item 93 . In this embodiment, the article identification unit 32 identifies the target article 93 by comparing the reading results of the reading unit 2 before and after the door (partition) 83 is opened and closed. In other words, the article identification unit 32 acquires from the reading unit 2 the list of article information read by the reading unit 2 before the customer 90 opens the door 83 as the first list. In addition, the item identification unit 32 acquires a list of item information read by the reading unit 2 after the customer 90 closes the door 83 from the reading unit 2 as a second list. Then, the article specifying unit 32 obtains the difference between the acquired first list and the second list, that is, the article information included in the first list but not included in the second list, thereby identifying the article picked up by the customer 90. 91 is identified as the target article 93 . In other words, the item specifying unit 32 selects the item 91 whose item information is included in the first list but not in the second list, as the purchase object that the customer 90 took out from the storage box 8. It is identified as the item 93 .

In addition, in the present embodiment, the product identification unit 32 identifies the target product 93 each time the door (partition) 83 is opened and closed from the start of the sales process to the end of the sales process. In other words, after the customer 90 takes out the goods 91 to be purchased from the storage 8 , the customer 90 may return some of the goods 91 to the storage 8 or take out new goods 91 from the storage 8 . Therefore, in the present embodiment, the article specifying unit 32 repeats the process of specifying the target article 93 every time the door 83 is opened and closed until the sale process is completed. In the present embodiment, the sales process ends when the customer 90 accepts input for approval of the payment process, as will be described later. In other words, in the present embodiment, the settlement process is performed after the end of the sales process, and the completion of the settlement process does not necessarily mean the end of the sale process. Of course, the sales process may end when the settlement process is completed.

As an example, the user interface 4 receives an operation from the customer 90 to input information, and outputs information by performing various displays for the customer 90 . In this embodiment, the user interface 4 has a touch panel display as the display unit 41, and receives operations by the customer 90 and displays information to the customer 90 on the touch panel display. In this embodiment, the display unit 41 displays a list of target articles 93 identified by the article identification unit 32 as an example of information to be presented to the customer 90 (see FIG. 11). By looking at the display unit 41, the customer 90 can confirm whether or not the target product 93 that he/she intends to purchase is listed as a target for payment processing.

The user interface 4 also has a correction section 42 . The correcting unit 42 corrects at least one of the type and quantity of the target article 93 specified by the article specifying unit 32 by receiving an operation input from the customer 90 . In the present embodiment, the correction section 42 is configured to accept correction input by the customer 90 on the touch panel display as the display section 41 .

The correction unit 42 is used when the following situations occur. That is, it is assumed that two items 91 of "A" and one each of items 91 of "B" and "C" are stored in the internal space (storage area) Sp1 of the container 8. FIG. In this case, the article identification unit 32 acquires article information of two "A"s, one "B", and one "C" as the first list. Then, when the customer 90 takes out "A" and "B" from the storage box 8, the article specifying unit 32 stores the article information of one "A" and one "C" remaining in the storage box 8 as the second Get as a list. Therefore, the article identification unit 32 identifies "A" and "B" taken out by the customer 90 as the target article 93 by obtaining the difference between the acquired first list and second list.

Here, depending on the accuracy of reading processing by the reading unit 2, a situation may arise in which the article information of some of the articles 91 remaining in the container 8 cannot be read. Here, as an example, it is assumed that the reading unit 2 could not read the article information of "C" out of "A" and "C" remaining in the container 8 . In this case, the item identification unit 32 obtains the item information of one item "A" as the second list, and therefore, in addition to the items "A" and "B" taken out by the customer 90, the item identification unit 32 selects "C" as the target item 93. will be specified.

In such a case, the customer 90 can correct at least one of the type and quantity of the target article 93 specified by the article specifying section 32 by performing a correction input through the user interface 4 . Here, the customer 90 makes a correction input to exclude “C” from the target article 93 . Then, the correcting unit 42 corrects the target product 93 specified by the product specifying unit 32 so that the target product 93 specified by the product specifying unit 32 is the target product 93 that the customer 90 actually intends to purchase. be done.

In this embodiment, the correction unit 42 selects the type and quantity of the target article 93 within the range of the type and quantity of the article 91 read by the reading unit 2 to be present in the internal space (storage area) Sp1 of the storage 8. Accepts correction input for at least one of the quantities. As an example, assume that three items 91 labeled "A" are stored in storage 8 before customer 90 picks up target item 93. FIG. In this case, the correction unit 42 does not accept an input from the customer 90 to correct the target article 93 to four or more "A"s, or prevents the customer from entering four or more "A"s in the first place. . This makes it easier to avoid a situation in which the customer 90 erroneously modifies the type and quantity of the target article 93 to be purchased more than necessary. In addition, the correction unit 42 may receive correction input for at least one of the type and quantity of the target product 93 within the range of the type and quantity of the target product 93 specified by the product specification unit 32 .

In this embodiment, the user interface 4 is fixed to the door 83 of the container 8 together with the acquisition unit 5 . Specifically, the user interface 4 and the acquisition unit 5 are arranged so that the customer 90 can acquire the authentication information in the acquisition unit 5 and operate the user interface 4 while the door 83 is closed. is fixed to the front surface of the door 83 as shown in FIG.

The user interface 4 may also include, for example, a human sensor (for example, a pyroelectric sensor or a radio wave sensor) that detects the approach of a person (customer 90), an image sensor (camera), and the like. As an example, the user interface 4 can estimate the age, sex, facial expression, etc. of the customer 90 by imaging the face of the customer 90 with an image sensor.

The acquisition unit 5 is a device that acquires authentication information for performing authentication processing for the customer 90 . As an example, the acquiring unit 5 acquires fingerprint information of the customer 90 for authenticating the customer 90 by fingerprint authentication. The acquisition unit 5 may acquire biometric information of the customer 90 for biometric authentication such as face authentication, vein authentication, iris authentication, or voiceprint authentication instead of or in addition to fingerprint authentication. . Further, the acquisition unit 5 may acquire the authentication information of the customer 90 by, for example, reading a mobile information terminal (smartphone, etc.) possessed by the customer 90 or a credit card, etc., without being limited to biometric authentication. In this embodiment, the authentication information acquired by the acquisition unit 5 is transmitted to the authentication server. Then, the authentication server executes authentication processing using the authentication information.

The lock mechanism 6 is, for example, an electromagnetic lock type door switch. The lock mechanism 6 switches between a permitted state in which opening and closing of the door (partition) 83 is permitted and a prohibited state in which opening and closing of the door 83 is prohibited based on the authentication result of the authentication process. In this embodiment, the lock mechanism 6 is in the prohibited state until the authentication process is successfully completed. That is, the lock mechanism 6 locks the door 83 in a closed state until the authentication process is normally completed. Further, when the authentication process is normally completed, the lock mechanism 6 switches from the prohibited state to the permitted state. That is, the lock mechanism 6 releases the locked state of the door 83 when the authentication process is normally completed.

Here, in the present embodiment, the lock mechanism 6 switches from the prohibited state to the permitted state after the reading process by the reading unit 2 is completed. That is, if the reading process by the reading unit 2 is in progress when the authentication process is completed normally, the lock mechanism 6 waits for the completion of the reading process and switches from the prohibited state to the permitted state. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the article identification unit 32 acquires the first list while the reading process by the reading unit 2 is insufficient.
The lock mechanism 6 may be integrated with the detector 1 .

Antenna system 10 comprises at least one antenna module 101 . The antenna module 101 includes an antenna for receiving radio waves (radio waves used as a medium for wireless communication between the reader 2 and the electronic tag 92). In this embodiment, the antenna is used not only for receiving radio waves but also for transmitting radio waves. The antenna may be either circularly polarized or linearly polarized, but in this embodiment, as an example, a circularly polarized antenna is used. The antenna is, for example, a microstrip antenna (patch antenna) in which a conductive path is formed on a printed wiring board.

In this embodiment, the antenna module 101 is arranged in the internal space Sp1 of the storage shed 8 . Here, as an example, three antenna modules 101 are provided for each mounting table 81 . For example, three antenna modules 101 are attached above the mounting table 81 on the first stage. Three antenna modules 101 are also attached between the mounting table 81 on the first stage and the mounting table 81 on the second stage.

In the following, when distinguishing each of the plurality of antenna modules 101 arranged in the vertical direction, the antenna modules 101 in the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth stages are referred to in order from the top. I may call That is, the first-stage antenna module 101 is arranged above the first-stage mounting table 81 , and the second-stage antenna module 101 is located between the first-stage mounting table 81 and the second-stage mounting table 81 . placed in between. The first stage antenna module 101 is an antenna module 101 mainly for reading article information of an article 91 placed on the first stage mounting table 81 . The second stage antenna module 101 is an antenna module 101 mainly for reading article information of the article 91 placed on the second stage mounting table 81 .

Three antenna modules 101 corresponding to one mounting table 81, that is, arranged in the horizontal direction, are arranged so as to surround an article 91 on the mounting table 81 from three sides. Specifically, the two antenna modules 101 are arranged to face each other in the left-right direction. The remaining one antenna module 101 is positioned at the back of the internal space Sp1 when the storage shed 8 is viewed from the front.

(3) Usage Examples of Sales System Next, usage examples of the sales system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 15. FIG. Here, it is assumed that the customer 90 takes out and purchases one or more desired items 91 from the storage box 8 in which a plurality of items 91 are stored. That is, the customer 90 selects and purchases one or more items 91 from the plurality of items 91 stored in advance in the storage box 8 . Further, here, it is assumed that the information of the customer 90 including settlement information unique to credit cards, electronic money, prepaid cards, etc. is registered in advance in the settlement system 7 .

In addition, here, in the container 8, the goods 91 are not limited to PET bottled beverages and canned beverages, but include beverages in paper packs, seasonings in PET bottles, confectionery in boxes and confectionery in bags. Assuming containment. The articles 91 are not limited to food and drink, but may be daily necessities such as printer ink cartridges, or other articles.

First, a series of flows up to the transition to sales processing by the sales system 100 will be described mainly using FIG. Before the authentication process is started (S102: No), the reading control section 31 periodically causes the reading section 2 to execute the reading process (S100). As a result, the item identification unit 32 periodically acquires the list of item information read by the reading unit 2 from the reading unit 2 as the first list (S101). Further, the door (partition) 83 is locked in a closed state by the lock mechanism 6 before the authentication process is started. The open/closed state of the door 83 is detected by the detector 1. Therefore, while the detector 1 is outputting a detection signal indicating that the door 83 is in the closed state, the read control unit 31 periodically Specifically, the reading unit 2 is caused to execute the reading process.

Here, when the reading unit 2 executes the reading process, the plurality of antenna modules 101 included in the antenna system 10 are not used simultaneously, but the antenna modules 101 may be used one by one. preferable. As an example, the reading unit 2 uses the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth antenna modules 101 in this order to perform wireless communication with the electronic tag 92 . Furthermore, the reading unit 2 performs wireless communication with the electronic tag 92 by sequentially using the three antenna modules 101 on the same stage, for example.

Next, when the customer 90 visits the storage shed 8 and accesses the acquisition unit 5, authentication processing is started (S102: Yes) (see FIG. 6A). Then, if the customer 90 has been registered and the authentication processing of the customer 90 is completed normally, that is, if the authentication is successful (S103: Yes), the reading control unit 31 stops the reading processing by the reading unit 2 (S104). . The reading control unit 31 stops the reading process by the reading unit 2 while the detecting unit 1 is outputting a detection signal indicating that the door 83 is in the open state. Then, the lock mechanism 6 unlocks the door 83 (S105).

At this time, the main computer 3 causes the display unit 41 of the user interface 4 to display the first image P1 prompting the customer 90 to open the door 83 (see FIG. 7). The first image P1 includes a message P11 prompting the customer 90 to open the door 83 and pick up the product (item) 91, and a pictogram P12 that visually assists the contents of the message P11.

After that, the customer 90 opens the door 83 and takes out the desired article 91 from the internal space (storage area) Sp1 of the container 8 (see FIG. 6B). At this time, the customer 90 may take out only one item 91 or may take out two or more items. Furthermore, the customer 90 does not have to take out the article 91 when the desired article 91 is not available.

When the door 83 is open, the main computer 3 causes the display unit 41 to display a second image P2 prompting the customer 90 to close the door 83 and proceed to checkout (see FIG. 8). The second image P2 includes a message P21 indicating that closing the door 83 will proceed to checkout, and an image P22 indicating the current total number of target items 93 and the total amount required to purchase the target items 93. ,including.

Here, when a certain period of time (for example, several minutes) has passed since the door 83 was opened without the door 83 being closed, the main computer 3 instructs the customer to close the door 83 on the display unit 41. A third image P3 including a warning prompting 90 is displayed (see FIG. 9). The third image P3 includes a message P31 representing a warning prompting the customer 90 to close the door 83, and a pictogram P32 visually assisting the content represented by the message P31.

After that, the customer 90 closes the door 83 while holding the taken article 91 (see FIG. 6C). The article 91 taken out corresponds to the target article 93 that the customer 90 intends to purchase. When the detecting unit 1 outputs a detection signal indicating that the door 83 has been closed from the open state to the closed state (S106: Yes), the reading control unit 31 causes the reading unit 2 to perform reading processing. Execute (S107). Then, the item identification unit 32 acquires the list of the item information read by the reading unit 2 from the reading unit 2 as a second list (S108). At this time, the reading control unit 31 may cause the reading unit 2 to execute the reading process a plurality of times (for example, twice) after the door 83 is closed. In this case, the article identification unit 32 acquires the second list by calculating the logical sum of the results of the reading process performed by the reading unit 2 a plurality of times.

Then, the article specifying unit 32 determines the difference between the acquired first list and the second list, that is, the items in the storage warehouse 8 before and after the customer 90 opens the door 83 and accesses the internal space Sp1 of the storage warehouse 8. take the difference of the article 91 existing in . As a result, the item identification unit 32 identifies the item 91 to be purchased that the customer 90 has taken out of the storage 8 as the target item 93 (S109). After that, the main computer 3 shifts to a mode for executing sales processing using the user interface 4 (S200).

Here, when the target item 93 is not specified by the item specifying unit 32, the main computer 3 causes the display unit 41 to display the fourth image P4 indicating that the target item 93 is not specified (see FIG. 10). Such a situation occurs, for example, when the customer 90 closes the door 83 without taking out the article 91 from the container 8, or when the reading process in the reading unit 2 is insufficient. This can occur when there is no difference between the 1st list and the 2nd list. The fourth image P4 includes a message P41 indicating that there is no product 91 taken out of the storage box 8 and prompting the door member 83 to open and close again, the current total number of target products 93, and the purchase target product 93. and an image P42 showing the total amount of money required to pay the fee.

Next, a series of sales processing flows by the sales system 100 will be described mainly with reference to FIG. When the target item 93 is specified, the main computer 3 causes the display unit 41 to display a confirmation screen (fifth image P5) including a purchase list that is a list of the target item 93 (S201) (see FIG. 11). In this embodiment, the reading control unit 31 causes the reading unit 2 to perform the reading process at predetermined intervals even during execution of the sales process. Therefore, even if there is article information that could not be read in the first reading process after closing the door 83, there is a high possibility that it can be read in subsequent reading processes. In this case, the main computer 3 updates the list of the target items 93 if there is a change in the target items 93 specified by the item specifying unit 32 .

The fifth image P5 includes a confirmation image P51 representing a list of the identified target items 93, an image P52 representing the current total number of target items 93, the total amount required to purchase the target items 93, and the like. including. In the confirmation image P51, an icon representing the target item 93, the price of the target item 93, the score of the target item 93, and the total amount of the target item 93 are displayed for each target item 93. The image P52 displays a correction icon P521 for receiving a correction input by the customer 90 and an approval icon P522 for receiving an approval input for the payment processing by the customer 90 .

When the customer 90 operates the correction icon P521, the main computer 3 shifts to a correction mode for accepting correction input by the customer 90. FIG. Further, when the customer 90 operates the approval icon P522 (S210: Yes), the main computer 3 executes settlement processing (S211). Specifically, the main computer 3 transmits the product information of the target product 93 to the checkout system 7 . Since the identification of the customer 90 has been completed in the authentication process, the settlement system 7 uses the settlement information of this customer 90 to execute the settlement process for the target article 93 . Further, the main computer 3 causes the display section 41 to display the sixth image P6 (see FIG. 14). The sixth image P6 includes a message P61 expressing gratitude for the purchase of the target product 93 by the customer 90, and an image P62 representing the total number of target products 93 and the total price.

If the settlement system 7 does not complete the settlement process normally, the settlement system 7 outputs a notification signal to the main computer 3 indicating that the settlement process has not been completed. In this case, when the main computer 3 receives the notification signal, the main computer 3 causes the display unit 41 to display the sixth image P6 including the message P63 indicating that the payment process for the target article 93 is incomplete (see FIG. 15). In this case, the customer 90 can take the target product 93 home, although the payment processing for the target product 93 is not completed. However, in this case, the customer 90 needs to take measures regarding the unfinished settlement processing with the trader who provides the settlement system 7 at a later date.

When shifting to the correction mode, the main computer 3 causes the display unit 41 to display the confirmation image P51 and the correction buttons P511 and P512 (see FIG. 12). Correction buttons P511 and P512 are both displayed for each target article 93 . The correction section 42 of the user interface 4 calculates the number of target articles 93 recognized by the sales system 100 (that is, identified by the article identification section 32) each time the correction button P511 is operated by the customer 90. decrease. Further, the correction section 42 increases the number of target articles 93 recognized by the sales system 100 each time the correction button P511 is operated by the customer 90 . In this way, when the correction input by the customer 90 is accepted (S202: Yes), the correction section 42 updates the list (purchase list) of the target articles 93 specified by the article specifying section 32 (S203). When the correction unit 42 corrects the target article 93, the main computer 3 causes the display unit 41 to display the corrected portion in a color different from that in normal times, thereby making the corrected portion easy to recognize. good.

Here, after the customer 90 takes out the target articles 93 from the storage box 8, in order to return some of the target items 93 to the storage box 8 or to take out new items 91 from the storage box 8, the sales processing is performed. A situation may occur in which the door 83 is opened on the way. When the detection unit 1 outputs a detection signal indicating that the closed state has changed to the open state by opening the door 83 (S204: Yes), the reading control unit 31 causes the reading unit 2 to perform reading processing. Stop (S205). At this time, the article specifying section 32 may update the article information list read by the reading section 2 immediately before the door 83 is opened as the first list.

After that, the customer 90 returns the target article 93 to the storage box 8 or takes out a new article 91 from the storage box 8, and then closes the door 83 again. When the detecting unit 1 outputs a detection signal indicating that the door body 83 has been closed from the open state to the closed state (S206: Yes), the reading control unit 31 causes the reading unit 2 to perform reading processing. Execute (S207). Then, the article specifying section 32 updates the second list by acquiring the article information list read by the reading section 2 as the second list from the reading section 2 (S208). Then, the article specifying unit 32 updates the list (purchase list) of the target articles 93 by referring to the updated second list (S209).

Here, when a certain period of time (for example, several minutes) has passed since the door 83 was reopened without being closed, the main computer 3 causes the display unit 41 to display the third image P3 and the third image P3. 5 images P5 are also displayed (see FIG. 13). That is, the user interface 4 causes the display unit 41 to display a list of the target articles 93 (confirmation image P51 of the fifth image P5) and warning information for the customer 90 (third image P3). At this time, the main computer 3 causes the display unit 41 to display the third image P3 superimposed on the translucent fifth image P5. In this case, the customer 90 can confirm the target article 93 to be purchased by viewing the semi-transparent fifth image P5. The main computer 3 may cause the display unit 41 to display the list of the target articles 93 and the warning information side by side so as not to overlap each other.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the reading control unit 31 causes the reading unit 2 to perform reading processing based on the detection result of the detection unit 1, that is, based on the state of the internal space (storage area) Sp1 of the container 8. to run or stop. Therefore, in this embodiment, compared to the case where the reading process of the electronic tag 92 is continuously executed regardless of the state of the storage area Sp1, the accuracy of reading the article information of the article 91 that the customer 90 intends to purchase is improved. has the advantage of being able to

That is, in the present embodiment, the reading unit 2 executes the reading process only when the internal space Sp1 of the container 8 is shielded from the external space Sp2, and reads when the internal space Sp1 is open to the external space Sp2. Take no action. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the reading unit 2 reads the article information of the electronic tag 92 existing in the external space Sp2, and reads only the article information of the electronic tag 92 existing in the internal space Sp1. Possibilities can be improved. As a result, in the present embodiment, there is an advantage that it is possible to improve the reading accuracy of the article information of the article 91 existing in the internal space Sp1, that is, the article 91 to be purchased by the customer 90 (the target article 93). .

(Modification)
The embodiment described above is but one of the various embodiments of the present disclosure. The above-described embodiments can be modified in various ways according to design and the like as long as the object of the present disclosure can be achieved. Also, functions similar to those of the sales system 100 may be embodied by a sales method, a (computer) program, or a non-temporary recording medium recording the program.

A sales method according to one aspect includes the step of detecting opening and closing of the partition 83 . The partition 83 separates the storage area Sp1 for storing the article 91 with the electronic tag 92 from the external space Sp2. This selling method includes a step of reading product information of the product 91 by performing wireless communication using radio waves with the electronic tag 92 in the storage area Sp1 according to the detection result of opening/closing of the partition 83 . This selling method includes a step of identifying a target product 93 that is to be purchased by a customer 90 based on the reading result of the product information. This sales method includes the step of executing a sales process for the specified target product 93 .

Modifications of the above-described embodiment are listed below. Modifications described below can be applied in combination as appropriate.

Sales system 100 in the present disclosure includes a computer system, for example, in main computer 3 and the like. A computer system is mainly composed of a processor and a memory as hardware. The functions of sales system 100 in the present disclosure are realized by the processor executing a program recorded in the memory of the computer system. The program may be recorded in advance in the memory of the computer system, may be provided through an electric communication line, or may be recorded in a non-temporary recording medium such as a computer system-readable memory card, optical disk, or hard disk drive. may be provided. A processor in a computer system consists of one or more electronic circuits, including semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) or large scale integrated circuits (LSIs). The integrated circuit such as IC or LSI referred to here is called differently depending on the degree of integration, and includes integrated circuits called system LSI, VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration), or ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration). In addition, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) that is programmed after the LSI is manufactured, or a logic device capable of reconfiguring the bonding relationship inside the LSI or reconfiguring the circuit partitions inside the LSI may also be adopted as the processor. can be done. A plurality of electronic circuits may be integrated into one chip, or may be distributed over a plurality of chips. A plurality of chips may be integrated in one device, or may be distributed in a plurality of devices. A computer system, as used herein, includes a microcontroller having one or more processors and one or more memories. Accordingly, the microcontroller also consists of one or more electronic circuits including semiconductor integrated circuits or large scale integrated circuits.

In addition, it is not an essential configuration of the sales system 100 that a plurality of functions of the sales system 100 are integrated in one housing. The components of the sales system 100 may be distributed among multiple housings. Furthermore, at least part of the functions of the sales system 100 may be realized by, for example, a server device and a cloud (cloud computing). Conversely, in the above-described embodiments, at least some of the functions of sales system 100 distributed over multiple devices may be consolidated within a single housing.

Further, when the detection unit 1 detects that the door (partition) 83 is closed, the reading control unit 31 causes the reading unit 2 to start reading processing, and determines the timing of starting the reading processing and the continuation of the reading processing. At least one of the times may be variable. Here, depending on the specifications of the electronic tag 92, the next communication may not be possible until a predetermined time has passed since the communication with the reading unit 2 was performed. If the predetermined time has not elapsed when the door 83 is closed, a situation may arise in which communication with the electronic tag 92 cannot be performed even if the reading process by the reading unit 2 is started from this time. On the other hand, in this aspect, at least one of the timing of starting the reading process and the duration of the reading process can be changed according to the situation, so that the reading unit 2 can communicate with the electronic tag 92. It makes it easier to avoid situations where you don't. As a result, in this aspect, there is an advantage that the reading accuracy of the article information of the article 91 can be improved.

Further, for example, the reading control unit 31 may vary the duration of the reading process according to the number of articles 91 in the internal space (storage area) Sp1 of the storage shed 8 . Here, the time required to read the article information becomes shorter when the number of articles 91 in the internal space Sp1 is small, and becomes longer when the number of articles 91 in the internal space Sp1 is large. Therefore, there is an advantage that the optimal duration can be easily set by making the reading control unit 31 variable the duration of the reading process according to the number of articles 91 in the internal space Sp1.

As an example, when the number of electronic tags 92 whose article information has been successfully read in the reading process is small, the reading control unit 31 considers that the number of electronic tags 92 in the internal space Sp1 is small, and determines the duration of the reading process. be shortened. On the other hand, if there are many electronic tags 92 whose article information has been successfully read in the reading process, it is assumed that there are many electronic tags 92 in the internal space Sp1, and the duration of the reading process is lengthened.

Note that the means for estimating the number of electronic tags 92 in the internal space Sp1 is not limited to the above. For example, the number of articles 91 and the number of electronic tags 92 attached to the articles 91 may be estimated by image processing an image of the internal space Sp1 captured by a camera. Further, for example, the number of articles 91 and the number of electronic tags 92 attached to the articles 91 may be estimated based on the detection result of the weight sensor installed in the container 8 .

By the way, in this aspect, the timing to start the reading process is delayed or the duration of the reading process is prolonged, so that the time from closing the door 83 to presenting the list of the target articles 93 may be prolonged. can occur. When such a situation occurs, the main computer 3 causes the display unit 41 to display an advertisement announcing the start of sales of a new product, etc., or causes the display unit 41 to display a screen indicating that reading is in progress. You may This mode has the advantage that the customer 90 can easily understand that the reading unit 2 is not abnormal.

In addition, the user interface 4 may determine whether or not the number of correction inputs made by the correction section 42 in the sales process exceeds a predetermined number. In this aspect, for example, in the middle of one sales process (in other words, sales process for each customer 90), when the customer 90 makes many corrections to the type or quantity of the target article 93, the reading unit 2 It is possible to determine that there is a high possibility that the reading process is not performed normally. Further, in this aspect, for example, it is possible to determine that there is a high possibility that the customer 90 has made an unauthorized correction input that reduces the quantity of the target product 93 from the quantity of the product 91 that he or she actually intends to purchase. It is possible.

Here, the user interface 4 causes the main computer 3 to switch the door body (partition) 83 from the permitted state to the prohibited state when the number of correction inputs made by the correction unit 42 in the sales process exceeds a predetermined number. You may control the lock mechanism 6 via. That is, in one sales process (in other words, sales process for each customer 90), when the number of correction inputs by the customer 90 exceeds a predetermined number, the door 83 is locked in a closed state. 90 cannot take out the article 91 from the storage box 8. In this mode, there is an advantage that it is possible to prevent the customer 90 from further taking out the article 91 from the storage box 8 and carrying it away when the customer 90 makes an incorrect correction input as described above. Further, in this mode, it is assumed that the reading process in the reading unit 2 is not performed normally, that is, the possibility that the reading unit 2 is out of order is high, and the sales system 100 is used until maintenance is performed. There is an advantage that it can be disabled.

In addition, the user interface 4 may notify when the number of correction inputs by the correction unit 42 for each sales process tends to increase. For example, assuming that the number of correction inputs was once in the first sales process, it is assumed that the number of correction inputs increases to two, three, and so on each time the sales process is executed. In this case, the user interface 4 considers that the reading process in the reading unit 2 is not performed normally, that is, it is likely that the reading unit 2 is out of order, and notifies. The notification is performed, for example, by displaying a warning message on the display unit 41 of the user interface 4 or by sounding the warning message from a speaker of the user interface 4 . This mode has the advantage that the administrator of the sales system 100 can grasp the high possibility that the reading unit 2 is out of order and can carry out maintenance as appropriate.

Further, the reading control unit 31 may cause the reading unit 2 to start reading processing when the obtaining unit 5 obtains the authentication information. This mode has the advantage that it is easy to acquire the latest article information of the articles 91 in the internal space (storage area) Sp1 of the storage shed 8 just before the door (partition) 83 is opened. Further, in this aspect, if the reading process by the reading part 2 can be completed while the authentication process is being executed, the article specifying part 32 can acquire the first list during the execution of the authentication process. In this case, there is an advantage that the reading unit 2 does not need to periodically perform the reading process before the obtaining unit 5 obtains the authentication information.

Also, in the authentication process, the personal information of the customer 90 included in the authentication information may be referred to. Personal information is unique information for each customer 90 . Personal information may include, for example, the age of the customer 90, religious beliefs, allergies, and other information. For example, it is assumed that the customer 90 is a minor and the items 91 stored in the storage box 8 are all alcoholic beverages. In this case, the sales system 100 can prevent the door (partition) 83 from being opened, in other words, prevent the customer 90 from taking out the article 91 from the storage box 8 based on the personal information. It is also assumed that the customer 90 is a minor and some of the items 91 stored in the storage box 8 contain alcohol. In this case, when alcohol is specified as the target product 93 by the product specifying unit 32, the sales system 100 can prevent the process from proceeding to the settlement process unless the alcohol is returned to the container 8 based on the personal information. It is possible. In addition, it is assumed that the articles 91 stored in the container 8 include specific foods such as foods that are prohibited by religion or foods that may cause allergies. In this case, when the specific food item is identified as the target item 93 by the item identification unit 32, the sales system 100 does not allow the transition to settlement processing unless the specific food item is returned to the container 8 based on the personal information. Is possible. In other words, the acquisition unit 5 may acquire information about the items 91 that can be sold to the authenticated customer 90 or the items 91 that are prohibited from being sold to the authenticated customer 90 through the authentication process.

In addition, when the payment destination specified by the authentication process includes both an individual and a corporation, the user interface 4 selects one of the individual and the corporation as the payment destination according to the operation input of the customer 90. good too. For example, assume that the customer 90 is an employee of a corporation, and that the purchase of the subject item 93 is allowed to be accounted for as an expense of the corporation. In this case, the customer 90 does not have to pay the purchase cost of the target article 93 by performing an operation input for setting the payment destination to a legal entity. In other words, in this aspect, there is an advantage that payment for the purchase of the target article 93 can be made according to the needs of the customer 90 .

Further, the user interface 4 may automatically execute payment processing for the payment destination specified by the authentication process when a predetermined condition is satisfied after the target product 93 is specified by the product specifying unit 32 . The "predetermined condition" here may include, as an example, elapse of a predetermined time (for example, several minutes) after the target article 93 is specified. Further, the "predetermined condition" may include the operation (hereinafter referred to as "return operation") of returning to the initial screen (authentication screen) of the user interface 4 by the next customer 90, and the like. This mode has the advantage that even if the customer 90 forgets to pay for the purchase of the target article 93, the payment process can be completed.

Here, for example, the customer 90 may forget to operate the approval icon P522 (see FIG. 12), that is, leave the storage 8 while forgetting to pay for the purchase of the target article 93 . In such a situation, the image requesting the approval input (see FIG. 12) remains displayed on the display unit 41 of the user interface 4, so there is a possibility that the next customer 90 will not be able to access the acquisition unit 5. be. On the other hand, in this aspect, for example, when a predetermined period of time has passed since the target article 93 was specified, the settlement process for the previous customer 90 is automatically executed. Therefore, the sales system 100 can return to a state in which the acquisition unit 5 can be accessed before the next customer 90 visits the storage shed 8 . Further, in this aspect, when the next customer 90 performs the return operation, the settlement process for the previous customer 90 is automatically executed. Therefore, sales system 100 can return to a state in which access to acquisition unit 5 is possible.

When the next customer 90 performs a return operation, the user interface 4 replaces the approval icon P522 with a return icon (for example, Home icon). In this case, the next customer 90 is not aware that the previous customer 90 has forgotten to make a payment, and can perform the return operation without hesitation.

Further, the reading control unit 31 may periodically cause the reading unit 2 to perform the reading process while changing the reading conditions of the article 91 in the reading process. The “reading conditions” referred to here may include, for example, the frequency of radio waves used for communication between the reading unit 2 and the electronic tag 92 . In this aspect, for example, by causing the reading unit 2 to perform the reading process while switching the frequency of the radio wave, it is possible to search for the optimum frequency of the radio wave for the reading process. As a result, in this aspect, there is an advantage that the reading accuracy of the article information of the articles 91 in the internal space (storage area) Sp1 of the storage shed 8 can be further improved.

Also, the "reading conditions" may include, for example, the transmit power of the antenna. As an example, the transmission output of the antenna is weakened within a range in which the number of electronic tags 92 whose article information can be read does not change. Then, by bringing the output of the antenna closer to the minimum output that can read the article information of the article 91 in the internal space Sp1 of the storage shed 8, the radio wave leakage to the outer space Sp2 of the storage shed 8 is reduced. be able to. Therefore, according to this aspect, it is possible to reduce the possibility of erroneously reading the product information of the product 91 in the external space Sp2.

Also, the "reading condition" may include, for example, the duration of the reading process. As the duration of the reading process is lengthened, the number of electronic tags 92 whose article information can be read in the reading process increases up to a certain stage as the duration of the reading process increases. However, when the duration of the reading process exceeds a certain threshold, even if the duration of the reading process is lengthened, the number of pieces of article information that can be read in the reading process does not increase. Therefore, it is preferable that the reading control unit 31 uses this threshold value as the duration of the reading process when the door member (partition) 83 is closed from the opened state. With this aspect, the duration of the reading process can be shortened as long as the article information can be sufficiently read from the electronic tag 92 in the internal space Sp1 of the container 8 .

Further, the reading control unit 31 causes the reading unit 2 to execute the reading process under the reading conditions under which the reading result of the reading process is good when the door (partition) 83 is closed from the opened state. good too. Here, "good reading result" may include that the number of electronic tags 92 whose article information has been read in the reading process exceeds a threshold value. Also, "good reading result" can be determined based on the order of minimum RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) values of signals transmitted from the electronic tag 92 in the reading process, average value, or median value. In addition, "good reading result" can be determined by whether or not the article information of the electronic tag 92 in front of the internal space (storage area) Sp1 of the container 8 can be read in the reading process. In this aspect, regardless of whether the first list or the second list is obtained by the article identification unit 32, the reading conditions for obtaining good reading results in the reading process are used. Therefore, in this aspect, there is an advantage that the reading accuracy of the article information of the article 91 in the internal space Sp1 can be stabilized.

In addition, sales system 100 may further include an auxiliary electronic tag. The auxiliary electronic tag is an electronic tag different from the electronic tag 92 attached to the article 91, and cannot communicate with the reading unit 2 when the door (partition) 83 is closed. It is arranged at a position where it can communicate with the reading unit 2 when the unit is opened. For example, the auxiliary electronic tag is arranged at the bottom of the container 8 or the like.

Here, for example, although the lock mechanism 6 is provided on the upper part of the container 8, the customer 90 forcibly opens the door (partition) 83 in a state in which opening of the door (partition) 83 is prohibited by the lock mechanism 6. Then, the door body 83 may be slightly distorted and the lower part of the door body 83 may be slightly opened. In such a case, since radio waves leak through the gap formed in the lower portion of the door 83, there is a possibility that the article information of the article 91 in the external space Sp2 may be erroneously read. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the reading control unit 31 determines that the door 83 is open when the reading unit 2 reads the information of the auxiliary electronic tag. Then, the read control unit 31 discards the information read from the electronic tag 92 while the read unit 2 is in a state where the information possessed by the auxiliary electronic tag can be read. Therefore, in this aspect, there is an advantage that the possibility of erroneously reading the product information of the product 91 in the external space Sp2 can be reduced when a gap is generated in the lower portion of the door member 83 .

Moreover, the number of auxiliary electronic tags provided in the sales system 100 is not limited to one, and may be plural. In this aspect, the reading control unit 31 may discard the information read from the electronic tag 92 when the reading unit 2 reads information possessed by some of the auxiliary electronic tags among the plurality of auxiliary electronic tags. . For example, it is assumed that three auxiliary electronic tags are placed under storage 8 of vending system 100 . In this case, the reading control unit 31 does not discard the information read from the electronic tag 92 when the reading unit 2 has read the information of one or less auxiliary electronic tags, and has read the information of two or more auxiliary electronic tags. Sometimes the information read from the electronic tag 92 is discarded.

If the sales system 100 includes an auxiliary electronic tag, the detection unit 1 may be realized by the auxiliary electronic tag.

Moreover, the electric device such as the compressor in the container 8 is not limited to being housed in the base portion 821 or the roof portion 822 and may be housed in a housing other than the housing 82 .

Further, the antenna used in the antenna module 101 is not limited to the microstrip antenna, and may be, for example, a monopole antenna, an inverted F-shaped antenna, a slot antenna, or the like. The antenna is not limited to circularly polarized waves, and may be, for example, elliptically polarized or linearly polarized antennas.

Further, the door body (partition) 83 is not limited to the hinged door (swing door), and may be, for example, a sliding door. Further, the door body 83 is not limited to being made of glass, and may be made of resin, for example. It is not essential for the antenna system 10 that the door 83 has optical transparency, and the door 83 does not have to have optical transparency.

Also, the user interface 4 is not limited to a touch panel display, and may have an input device such as a keyboard, pointing device, mechanical switch, or gesture sensor. Furthermore, the user interface 4 may include a display device such as a projector that projects an image by projection mapping technology, for example. Also, the user interface 4 may have an audio input/output unit instead of the touch panel display or together with the touch panel display. In this case, the user interface 4 can present various kinds of information to the customer 90 by means of voice output from the speaker. Furthermore, the user interface 4 performs voice recognition and semantic analysis processing on the voice signal output from the microphone, so that the customer 90 can operate by voice (voice input).

Further, the reading unit 2 may be arranged outside the housing 8, and is not limited to the upper surface of the housing 82 (the upper surface of the roof portion 822), and may be housed in the base portion 821 of the housing 82, for example. may Furthermore, the reading unit 2 may be arranged inside the container 8 (internal space Sp1).

Further, the electronic tag 92 is not limited to a passive RF tag, and may be an active RF tag. The reading unit 2 may read article information by combining means such as image recognition and information read from the electronic tag 92 .

Further, the ability of the main computer 3 to communicate with the settlement system 7 is not an essential configuration of the sales system 100 , and the main computer 3 does not have to be able to communicate with the settlement system 7 . For example, the main computer 3 itself may have a function of performing settlement processing for the goods 91 based on the goods information.

Further, it is not essential for the sales system 100 that the main computer 3 can communicate with the authentication server, and the main computer 3 does not have to be able to communicate with the authentication server. For example, the main computer 3 itself may have a function of performing authentication processing using authentication information.

Moreover, the sales system 100 may further include a writing device that writes write information to the electronic tag 92 attached to the article 91 . Specifically, the reader/writer 2 capable of reading and writing data (information) to and from the electronic tag 92 may also be used as the writing device. As an example, the writing device writes information such as time limit management for the article 91 attached with the electronic tag 92 to the electronic tag 92 .

Moreover, the sales system 100 may have a function of issuing a receipt to the customer 90 when the payment for the target article 93 is completed. In this case, sales system 100 may include a printing device for printing and outputting receipts. Also, in this case, sales system 100 may transmit data corresponding to the receipt to an information terminal (for example, a smart phone, etc.) owned by customer 90 instead of printing the receipt using a printing device.

The sales system 100 may also have a dashboard function for presenting information to the customer 90 and collecting requests from the customer 90 . The dashboard is provided to the customer 90 by being displayed on the display unit 41 of the user interface 4, for example. Here, when the acquisition unit 5 acquires the personal information of the customer 90 as described above, the main computer 3 may cause the display unit 41 to display a recommendation linked to the customer 90 after completing the authentication process.

In addition, when the user interface 4 receives a specific operation, the main computer 3 may shift to a supplier mode that functions as an interface for suppliers of the goods 91 . In the vendor mode, the vendor can unlock the door (partition) 83 by the lock mechanism 6 by entering a password on the user interface 4, for example. When the supplier closes the door 83 after replenishing the storage shed 8 with the goods 91, the goods identification unit 32 reads the replenished items based on the reading results of the reading unit 2 before and after the door 83 is opened and closed. Identify the item 91 . Then, the main computer 3 causes the display section 41 to display a list of the articles 91 specified by the article specifying section 32 and supplied by the supplier. In this aspect, the supplier can grasp whether or not the product has been correctly replenished by checking the product list.

At this time, the main computer 3 may cause the display unit 41 to display the RSSI value of the signal transmitted from the electronic tag 92 attached to the article 91 for each article 91 that has been replenished. In this case, the supplier can check whether the communication status between the article 91 stored in the storage box 8 and the reading unit 2 is good or bad for each article 91 . If it is found that the communication status with the reading unit 2 is relatively poor for any of the articles 91, the supplier can take measures such as changing the arrangement of the articles 91 in the storage box 8. is.

(summary)
As described above, the sales system (100) according to the first aspect includes a detection unit (1), a reading unit (2), a reading control unit (31), an article specifying unit (32), a user an interface (4); A detector (1) detects opening and closing of a partition (83). A partition (83) separates a storage area (Sp1) for storing an article (91) with an electronic tag (92) from an external space (Sp2). The reading unit (2) executes reading processing for reading article information of an article (91) by performing wireless communication using radio waves as a medium with the electronic tag (92) in the storage area (Sp1). A reading control section (31) controls a reading section (2) according to the detection result of the detection section (1). An article identification unit (32) identifies a target article (93) to be purchased by a customer (90) based on the reading result of the reading unit (2). The user interface (4) is an interface for performing sales processing for the target product (93) identified by the product identification unit (32).

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that it is possible to improve the reading accuracy of the product information of the product (91) (that is, the target product (93)) that the customer (90) intends to purchase.

In the sales system (100) according to the second aspect, in the first aspect, the reading control section (31) detects at least the opening of the partition (83) by the detection section (1). , to stop the reading process by the reading section (2).

According to this aspect, since it becomes difficult for the reading section (2) to read the article information of the article (91) in the external space (Sp2), it is possible to further improve the reading accuracy of the article information of the target article (93). has the advantage of being able to

In the sales system (100) according to the third aspect, in the first or second aspect, when the detection unit (1) detects that the partition (83) is closed, the reading control unit (31) reads The reading process by the section (2) is started. In addition, the reading control unit (31) makes at least one of the timing of starting the reading process and the duration of the reading process variable.

According to this aspect, it becomes easy to avoid a situation in which the reading unit (2) cannot communicate with the electronic tag (92), and as a result, the article information of the article (91) can be read with improved accuracy. has the advantage of being able to

In the sales system (100) according to the fourth aspect, in any one of the first to third aspects, the article identification unit (32) reads the reading unit (2) before and after opening and closing the partition (83). A target item (93) is identified by comparing the results.

According to this aspect, it is easier to specify the target article (93) as compared with the case where the target article (93) is specified by referring to the reading result of the reading unit (2) regardless of whether the partition (83) is opened or closed. , has the advantage of

In the sales system (100) according to the fifth aspect, in the fourth aspect, the item identification unit (32) is configured to provide the item identification unit (32) with the partition (83) opened and closed during the period from the start of the sales process to the end of the sales process. to specify the target article (93).

According to this aspect, even if there is a target product (93) that could not be specified at the start of the sales process, it becomes easier to specify the target product (93) during the sales process. There is an advantage that it becomes difficult.

A sales system (100) according to a sixth aspect, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, further comprises a correction unit (42). A correction unit (42) receives an operation input from a customer (90) to correct at least one of the type and quantity of the target product (93) identified by the product identification unit (32).

According to this aspect, when an article (91) is erroneously identified as a target article (93) by the article identification section (32), the article (91) can be excluded from the target article (93). , there is an advantage that it becomes easier to perform correct sales processing.

In the sales system (100) according to the seventh aspect, in the sixth aspect, the correction unit (42) accepts correction input of at least one of the type and quantity of the target product (93) within a predetermined range. . The predetermined range is the range of types and quantities of articles (91) read by the reading section (2) to be present in the storage area (Sp1).

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that it is easy to prevent excessive correction of at least one of the type and quantity of the target article (93).

In the sales system (100) according to the eighth aspect, in the sixth or seventh aspect, the user interface (4) indicates whether the number of correction inputs in the correction section (42) in the sales process exceeds a predetermined number of times. determine whether or not

According to this aspect, it is easy to determine that there is a high possibility that the reading process by the reading unit (2) is not normally performed, or that there is a high possibility that the customer (90) has made an unauthorized input. , has the advantage of

In the sales system (100) according to the ninth aspect, in any one of the sixth to eighth aspects, the user interface (4) has an increasing number of correction inputs in the correction unit (42) for each sales process. Notify if

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that the administrator of the sales system (100) can easily grasp that the reader (2) is likely to be out of order.

A vending system (100) according to a tenth aspect, in any one of the first to ninth aspects, further comprises an acquisition section (5) and a lock mechanism (6). An acquisition unit (5) acquires authentication information for executing an authentication process for authenticating a customer (90). The lock mechanism (6) switches between a permitted state in which opening and closing of the partition (83) is permitted and a prohibited state in which opening and closing of the partition (83) is prohibited based on the authentication result of the authentication process.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that it is possible to provide services using the sales system (100) only to customers (90) who are permitted to use the sales system (100).

In the sales system (100) according to the eleventh aspect, in the tenth aspect, when the acquisition unit (5) acquires the authentication information, the reading control unit (31) starts reading processing by the reading unit (2). Let

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that it is easy to acquire the latest article information of the article (91) in the storage area (Sp1) immediately before the partition (83) is opened.

In the vending system (100) according to the twelfth aspect, in the tenth or eleventh aspect, the lock mechanism (6) switches from the prohibited state to the permitted state after the reading process by the reading section (2) is completed.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that it is possible to prevent the partition (83) from being opened before the reading process by the reading section (2) is completed.

In the vending system (100) according to the thirteenth aspect, in any one of the tenth to twelfth aspects, before the lock mechanism (6) switches from the prohibited state to the permitted state, the reading control unit (31) The reading process by the reading section (2) is stopped.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that it is possible to prevent the reading process by the reading section (2) from being performed while the partition (83) is open.

In the sales system (100) according to the fourteenth aspect, in any one of the tenth to thirteenth aspects, the acquisition unit (5) performs the authentication process to sell the goods that can be sold to the authenticated customer (90). (91) or obtain information about items (91) that are prohibited for sale.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that it becomes possible to provide an appropriate article (91) according to the customer (90).

In the sales system (100) according to the 15th aspect, in any one of the 10th to 14th aspects, the user interface (4), in a predetermined case, responds to the customer's (90) operation input Select one of them as a payment destination. In the predetermined case, the settlement destination specified by the authentication process includes both individuals and corporations.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that payment for the purchase of the target article (93) can be made according to the needs of the customer (90).

In the sales system (100) according to the sixteenth aspect, in any one of the tenth to fourteenth aspects, the user interface (4) automatically initiates payment processing for the payment destination specified by the authentication processing in a predetermined case. to execute. A predetermined case is a case where a predetermined condition is satisfied after the target article (93) is identified by the article identification unit (32).

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that even if the customer (90) forgets to pay for the purchase of the target article (93), the payment process can be completed.

In the selling system (100) according to the seventeenth aspect, in any one of the first to sixteenth aspects, the reading control section (31) controls the sales processing is not executed and the partition (83) is closed. While being read, the reading unit (2) is periodically caused to perform the reading process.

According to this aspect, compared to the case where the reading process is executed only once while the partition (83) is closed, the reading accuracy of the article information of the article (91) in the storage area (Sp1) is improved. has the advantage of being able to

In the sales system (100) according to the eighteenth aspect, in the seventeenth aspect, the reading control section (31) changes the reading conditions of the article (91) in the reading process, and periodically to execute the reading process.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that the reading accuracy of the article information of the articles (91) in the storage area (Sp1) can be further improved.

In the vending system (100) according to the nineteenth aspect, in the eighteenth aspect, the reading control section (31) provides a good reading result in the reading process when the partition (83) is closed from the open state. The reading section (2) is made to execute the reading process under the reading conditions.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that it is possible to stabilize the reading accuracy of the article information of the article (91) in the storage area (Sp1).

In the sales system (100) according to the twentieth aspect, in any one of the first to nineteenth aspects, the user interface (4) includes a list of target items (93) specified by the item specifying unit (32) has a display unit (41) for displaying The user interface (4) causes the display unit (41) to display a list of target articles (93) and warning information for the customer (90).

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that the customer (90) can take action against the warning while grasping the target article (93) that he or she is about to purchase.

A vending system (100) according to a twenty-first aspect, in any one of the first to twentieth aspects, further comprises an auxiliary electronic tag. The auxiliary electronic tag is an electronic tag different from the electronic tag (92) attached to the article (91). 83) is placed at a position where it can communicate with the reading unit (2) when at least a portion of the device is opened.

According to this aspect, when at least a part of the partition (83) is opened, there is an advantage that the possibility of misreading the article information of the article (91) in the external space (Sp2) can be reduced. There is

A sales method according to a twenty-second aspect includes the step of detecting opening and closing of a partition (83). A partition (83) separates a storage area (Sp1) for storing an article (91) with an electronic tag (92) from an external space (Sp2). According to this sales method, according to the detection result of the opening/closing of the partition (83), the electronic tag (92) in the storage area (Sp1) and the electronic tag (92) in the storage area (Sp1) carry out wireless communication using radio waves as a medium to obtain the article information of the article (91). including the step of reading. This sales method includes a step of identifying a target product (93) to be purchased by a customer (90) based on the reading result of product information. The sales method includes executing a sales process for the identified target item (93).

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that it is possible to improve the reading accuracy of the product information of the product (91) (that is, the target product (93)) that the customer (90) intends to purchase.

The configurations according to the second to twenty-first aspects are not essential configurations for the sales system (100), and can be omitted as appropriate.

By the way, the container (8) used in the sales system (100) according to the first aspect may be used as a storage system for simply storing articles (91). In this case, the storage system does not need to include the item identification unit (32) and the user interface (4) for executing the sales process. That is, the storage system according to the twenty-third aspect includes a detection section (1), a reading section (2), and a reading control section (31). A detector (1) detects opening and closing of a partition (83). A partition (83) separates a storage area (Sp1) for storing an article (91) with an electronic tag (92) from an external space (Sp2). The reading unit (2) executes reading processing for reading article information of an article (91) by performing wireless communication using radio waves as a medium with the electronic tag (92) in the storage area (Sp1). A reading control section (31) controls a reading section (2) according to the detection result of the detection section (1).

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that it is possible to improve the reading accuracy of the article information on the articles (91) stored in the storage area (Sp1).

Also, the configurations according to the second and third aspects can be applied in combination with the storage system according to the twenty-third aspect.

1 detection unit 2 reading unit 31 reading control unit 32 article identification unit 4 user interface 41 display unit 42 correction unit 5 acquisition unit 6 locking mechanism 83 door body (partition)
91 article 92 electronic tag 93 target article 100 sales system Sp1 internal space (storage area)
Sp2 External space

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a sales apparatus, a sales system, and a sales method capable of improving the reading accuracy of article information on articles that a customer intends to purchase.

A vending device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a detection unit, a reading unit, an arithmetic processing unit, and a user interface. The detection unit detects opening and closing of the partition. The partition separates a storage area for storing articles from an external space. The reading unit executes reading processing for reading article information attached to the article. The arithmetic processing unit controls the reading unit according to the detection result of the detection unit, and specifies the target article that is the purchase target of the customer based on the reading result of the reading unit. The user interface is an interface for performing sales processing for the target product specified by the arithmetic processing unit . The arithmetic processing unit, in the sales processing, is used for correction for shifting to a correction mode for accepting correction input of the list of the target articles by the customer together with the list of the target articles specified by the arithmetic processing unit. An icon is displayed on the user interface.
A sales system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a detection unit, a reading unit, an arithmetic processing unit, and a user interface. The detection unit detects opening and closing of the partition. The partition separates a storage area for storing articles from an external space. The reading unit executes reading processing for reading article information attached to the article. The arithmetic processing unit controls the reading unit according to the detection result of the detection unit, and specifies the target article that is the purchase target of the customer based on the reading result of the reading unit. The user interface is an interface for performing sales processing for the target product specified by the arithmetic processing unit. The arithmetic processing unit, in the sales processing, is used for correction for shifting to a correction mode for accepting correction input of the list of the target articles by the customer together with the list of the target articles specified by the arithmetic processing unit. An icon is displayed on the user interface.

A sales method according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes detecting opening and closing of a partition. The partition separates a storage area for storing articles from an external space. This sales method includes the steps of reading product information of the product according to the result of detection of the opening/closing of the partition , and specifying the target product to be purchased by the customer based on the result of reading the product information. The sales method includes executing a sales process for the identified target item. In this sales method, in the sales process, together with the list of the identified target goods, a correction icon for shifting to a correction mode for receiving correction input of the list of the target goods by the customer is displayed on the user interface. including the step of allowing

Claims (2)

a detection unit that detects opening and closing of a partition that separates a storage area for storing articles from an external space;
a reading unit that performs reading processing for reading article information of the article;
a reading control unit that controls the reading unit according to a detection result of the detecting unit;
an article identification unit that identifies a target article to be purchased by a customer based on the reading result of the reading unit;
a user interface for executing sales processing for the target product identified by the product identification unit;
sales system. a step of detecting opening and closing of a partition separating a storage area for storing articles and an external space;
a step of reading article information of the article according to the detection result of opening and closing of the partition;
a step of identifying a target product to be purchased by a customer based on the reading result of the product information;
executing a sales transaction for the identified target item;
how to sell.

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