Wireless tag reading device and housing device

Abstract

Disclosed is a wireless tag reading device and a housing device capable of improving the reading performance of tag information. The wireless tag reading device is capable of being detachably provided to a housing body that houses an article via an upper opening through which the article to which a wireless tag is attached is taken out and put in. The wireless tag reading device includes an antenna that transmits and receives radio waves with the wireless tag, a reading unit that reads tag information stored in the wireless tag based on the radio waves received by the antenna, and a holding unit that is provided in connection with the antenna, is detachably loaded to the housing body, and detachably holds the antenna to the upper portion of the housing body.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority from Japanese Application No. JP 2021-024291 filed February 18, 2021, and the contents of the above application are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments of the present application relate to a wireless tag reading device and a storage device. BACKGROUND

[0003] In recent years, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology is being utilized in distribution systems, logistics systems, and the like. In such systems, the tag information of an article or a commodity, which is read from an RFID tag (hereinafter also referred to as a wireless tag) attached to the article or the commodity, is written with information of the article or the commodity, and an operation of processing the information is performed.

[0004] For example, a technology of installing a wireless tag reading device in a shopping cart in a wholesale store such as a supermarket has been proposed. This existing shopping cart is a shopping cart in which a wireless tag reading device is installed on the bottom surface of a storage portion that stores commodities to which wireless tags are attached. Then, when a customer puts a commodity into the shopping cart, the commodity information can be read from the wireless tag attached to the commodity by the wireless tag reading device.

[0005] The commodity information read by the wireless tag reading device is transmitted to a checkout device from the wireless tag reading device according to the operation of the customer at the time of checkout. Thereby, the customer can perform checkout (payment) of the commodity put into the shopping cart with the checkout device. By adopting the shopping cart provided with the wireless tag reading device, the customer can easily perform registration of the commodity information (hereinafter also referred to as commodity registration) required for checkout. In addition, since the customer can install the wireless tag reading device when using the shopping cart and remove the wireless tag reading device when not using, it is not necessary to install the wireless tag reading device in all of the shopping carts in the store, and it is possible to reduce the burden on the store.

[0006] However, the above-described existing wireless tag reading device is configured to be installed on the bottom surface of the storage portion of the shopping cart, and thus the commodity stored in the storage portion is stored in a state of overlapping the wireless tag reading device. For this reason, the wireless tag reading device sometimes cannot read the tag information of the wireless tag attached to the commodity stored later in the storage portion. For example, when a commodity provided with metal is stored first in the storage portion, there is a possibility that the carrier wave (electric wave) output from the wireless tag reading device is reflected by the metal and interferes with the response wave (electric wave) output from the wireless tag of the commodity stored later, and the wireless tag reading device cannot read the tag information contained in the response wave. SUMMARY

[0007] In view of the above problems, the present application aims to provide a wireless tag reading device and a storage device that can improve the reading performance of tag information.

[0008] To solve the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a wireless tag reading device that can be attached to and detached from a storage body that stores an article to which a wireless tag is attached, the wireless tag reading device including: an antenna that transmits and receives radio waves with the wireless tag; a reading unit that reads tag information stored in the wireless tag based on the radio waves received by the antenna; and a holding unit that is attached to and detached from the storage body and holds the antenna detachably to an upper portion of the storage body.

[0009] According to the above-described wireless tag reading device, a wireless tag reading device that can improve the reading performance of tag information can be provided.

[0010] In the above-described wireless tag reading device, the holding unit includes a placement unit that holds the antenna to the storage body and is formed by bending the antenna relative to the placement unit and is placed on an opening edge portion of the storage body.

[0011] According to the above-described wireless tag reading device, the antenna can be placed and attached to the opening edge portion while being disposed along the peripheral portion of the storage body.

[0012] In the above-described wireless tag reading device, the holding unit can hold the antenna in a state of being crossed relative to a handle unit that is provided to the storage body and protrudes upward relative to the opening edge portion.

[0013] According to the above-described wireless tag reading device, the wireless tag reading device can be prevented from being pulled out of the storage body.

[0014] In the above-described wireless tag reading device, a sensor that detects when the storage body is loaded and an electric wave control unit that transmits radio waves from the antenna when the storage body is detected to be loaded by the sensor and stops the transmission of radio waves from the antenna when the storage body is detected to be detached by the sensor are further included.

[0015] According to the above-described wireless tag reading device, the transmission of radio waves can be automatically controlled according to the attachment and detachment of the wireless tag reading device to and from the storage body.

[0016] In the above-described wireless tag reading device, the storage body includes a pair of handle units that are rotatably installed to an opening edge portion, and the holding unit includes a placement unit that has a pair of recesses that engage with the handle units that are standing up and is placed on the opening edge portion of the storage body.

[0017] According to the above-described wireless tag reading apparatus, even if the housing body moves, the wireless tag reading apparatus does not shake.

[0018] In the above-described wireless tag reading apparatus, the holding portion is located at a position where the antenna can receive an electric wave from a wireless tag attached to an article loaded in the housing body, and is a shielding mesh provided in connection with the antenna for shielding the electric wave.

[0019] According to the above-described wireless tag reading apparatus, it is possible to suppress reception of an electric wave of a wireless tag attached to an article outside the housing body.

[0020] The wireless tag reading apparatus according to another aspect of the present application is detachably provided to a housing body which is concave, houses an article to which a wireless tag is attached, and has a bottom surface portion and a surrounding portion provided upright from the bottom surface portion, and includes an antenna which performs transmission and reception of an electric wave with the wireless tag, a reading portion which reads tag information stored in the wireless tag on the basis of the electric wave received by the antenna, and a holding portion which is provided in connection with the antenna, is detachably loaded to the housing body, and thereby detachably holds the antenna to the surrounding portion of the housing body.

[0021] According to the above-described wireless tag reading apparatus, it is possible to provide a wireless tag reading apparatus which can improve reading performance of tag information.

[0022] In the above-described wireless tag reading apparatus, the holding portion includes a placement portion which is curved with respect to the antenna and is placed at an opening edge portion of the housing body, and can hold the antenna to the housing body.

[0023] According to the above-described wireless tag reading apparatus, the antenna is arranged along the surrounding portion of the housing body while being placed and loaded to the opening edge portion.

[0024] The housing apparatus according to another aspect of the present application has a housing body which houses an article to which a wireless tag is attached, and a wireless tag reading apparatus which is detachably provided to the housing body and reads tag information stored in the wireless tag, and the wireless tag reading apparatus includes an antenna which performs transmission and reception of an electric wave with the wireless tag, a reading portion which reads tag information stored in the wireless tag on the basis of the electric wave received by the antenna, and a holding portion which is provided in connection with the antenna, is detachably loaded to the housing body, and thereby detachably holds the antenna to an upper portion of the housing body.

[0025] According to the above-described housing apparatus, it is possible to provide a housing apparatus which can improve reading performance of tag information.

[0026] The housing device of another aspect of the present application has a housing, a wireless tag reading device that is detachably provided to the housing and reads tag information stored in a wireless tag, the housing is concave, houses an article to which the wireless tag is attached, and has a bottom surface portion and a surrounding portion that is provided upright from the bottom surface portion, the wireless tag reading device includes an antenna that performs transmission and reception of electric waves with the wireless tag, a reading portion that reads the tag information stored in the wireless tag based on the electric waves received by the antenna, and a holding portion that is provided in connection with the antenna and is detachably loaded to the housing so as to detachably hold the antenna to the surrounding portion of the housing.

[0027] According to the above-described housing device, a housing device that can improve the reading performance of tag information can be provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 is a view that shows a checkout system including the housing device of the first embodiment.

[0029] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view that schematically shows a housing to which the wireless tag reading device of the first embodiment is mounted.

[0030] Figure 3 is a view that schematically shows the upper surface of the housing to which the wireless tag reading device of the first embodiment is mounted.

[0031] Figure 4 is a view that explains a method of mounting the wireless tag reading device of the first embodiment to the housing.

[0032] Figure 5 is a view that shows a partially enlarged view of the mounting state of the wireless tag reading device and the housing of the first embodiment.

[0033] Figure 6 is a block diagram that shows a hardware configuration of the wireless tag reading device of the first embodiment.

[0034] Figure 7 is a block diagram that shows a functional configuration of the wireless tag reading device of the first embodiment.

[0035] Figure 8 is a view that schematically shows the upper surface of the housing to which the wireless tag reading device of the second embodiment is mounted.

[0036] Figure 9 is a plan view that shows the antenna in the wireless tag reading device of the second embodiment.

[0037] Figure 10 is a side view that shows the antenna in the wireless tag reading device of the second embodiment.

[0038] Figure 11 is a detail enlarged view showing the mounting state of the antenna and the housing of the wireless tag reading apparatus of the second embodiment.

[0039] Figure 12 is a detail enlarged view showing the mounting state of the antenna and the housing of the wireless tag reading apparatus of the second embodiment.

[0040] Figure 13 is a view schematically showing the upper surface of the housing to which the wireless tag reading apparatus of the third embodiment is mounted.

[0041] Figure 14 is a view schematically showing a detail cross section of the housing to which the wireless tag reading apparatus of the third embodiment is mounted.

[0042] Figure 15 is a view schematically showing the upper surface of the housing at the mounting stage of the wireless tag reading apparatus of the fourth embodiment.

[0043] Figure 16 is a view schematically showing the upper surface of the housing to which the wireless tag reading apparatus of the fourth embodiment is mounted.

[0044] Figure 17 is a view schematically showing the upper surface of the housing at the mounting stage of the wireless tag reading apparatus of the fifth embodiment.

[0045] Figure 18 is a view schematically showing the upper surface of the housing to which the wireless tag reading apparatus of the fifth embodiment is mounted.

[0046] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0047] 2 housing apparatus

[0048] 5 shopping basket (housing)

[0049] 6 wireless tag reading apparatus

[0050] 51 housing portion

[0051] 52 handle portion

[0052] 53 bottom surface portion

[0053] 54 peripheral portion

[0054] 55 upper portion opening

[0055] 62 holding portion

[0056] 70 antenna

[0057] 6002 reading portion DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] Hereinafter, the wireless tag reading apparatus and the housing apparatus of the embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present application is not limited to the following described embodiment. For example, in the following described embodiment, an example in which the housing body in which the wireless tag reading apparatus is installed is applied to a shopping basket used in a wholesale store (hereinafter also referred to as a store) such as a supermarket is described, but can be applied to a shopping cart or the like. In addition, the above-described housing body can be a housing body of a housing component used for component management at a factory or the like.

[0059] (First Embodiment)

[0060] First, the first embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is a view showing a checkout system including the housing apparatus of the first embodiment. The checkout system 1 is provided with a housing apparatus 2, a portable terminal 3, and a checkout machine 4.

[0061] The housing apparatus 2 is provided with a shopping basket 5 and a wireless tag reading apparatus 6 that can be attached to and detached from the upper portion of the shopping basket 5.

[0062] The portable terminal 3 is a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like possessed by a customer or lent by a store, and stores an application prepared for the checkout system 1. The portable terminal 3 performs various processes related to product registration and checkout processing in accordance with the operation of the customer. For example, the portable terminal 3 acquires and stores product information read from a wireless tag by the wireless tag reading apparatus 6 through wireless communication. In addition, the portable terminal 3 transmits the stored product information to the checkout machine 4 through wireless communication. The product information is information including information showing a product code that identifies a product to which a wireless tag is attached, a price, a product name, and the like.

[0063] The checkout machine 4 is, for example, a so-called self-checkout machine through which a customer performs a checkout operation by himself or herself. The checkout machine 4 performs checkout processing through cashless settlement such as cash settlement or credit card settlement based on product information received from the portable terminal 3. The checkout processing refers to processing by the customer for making a payment for purchased products.

[0064] The shopping basket 5 is provided in a store in a plurality of numbers and is carried by a customer who performs shopping. The shopping basket 5 has a housing portion 51 with an opening on the upper side, and a handle portion 52 that is rotatably attached to the upper end portion of the housing portion 51.

[0065] The storage section 51 is formed into a concave shape, comprising a bottom section 53 and a peripheral section 54 extending vertically from the bottom section 53 (including the surrounding surface and inner surface), to store merchandise. The bottom section 53 and the peripheral section 54 are formed in a lattice pattern. Furthermore, the storage section 51 has an upper opening 55. The upper opening 55 is formed by an annular opening edge 56 formed by the upper end of the peripheral section 54. In the following description, the bottom section 53 side is referred to as the lower side, and the upper opening 55 side is referred to as the upper side.

[0066] Commodities are stored in the storage unit 51 through the upper opening 55. Commodities are attached with wireless tags that store information related to the commodities as tag information. In other words, commodities are an example of items with wireless tags attached. In addition, the shopping basket 5 is an example of a container for storing commodities.

[0067] The handle portion 52 is held by the customer during shopping, and is provided with a pair of handle portions 52 and rotatably mounted on the opening edge portion 56. When the shopping basket 5 is stacked and placed in the shopping basket storage area, the handle portion 52 is Figure 1 As shown, it is placed on the opening edge portion 56. In addition, it stands upright and protrudes upward from the opening edge portion 56 when carried by a customer.

[0068] Next, the structure of the wireless tag reading device 6 will be described in detail. The wireless tag reading device 6 is detachably held on the upper portion of the shopping basket 5. Here, the upper portion of the shopping basket 5 refers to the portion located above the bottom portion 53. When a customer wants to use the shopping basket 5, the wireless tag reading device 6 is held, that is, installed on the shopping basket 5, by the customer or the store clerk. When the customer finishes shopping, the shopping basket 5 is returned to the store clerk, who removes the wireless tag reading device 6 from the shopping basket 5 and places it in a charger (not shown) to charge the battery 64 (see FIG. 1 ) provided by the wireless tag reading device 6. Figure 2 ) for charging. By making the wireless tag reader 6 removable from the shopping basket 5, there is no need to install wireless tag readers 6 on all shopping baskets 5 in the store, reducing the store's burden. It should be noted that the wireless tags used in this embodiment are passive wireless tags that use radio waves from the wireless tag reader 6 as a power source.

[0069] The wireless tag reading device 6 includes a main body 61 and a holding portion 62 . Figure 2 The figure schematically shows a cross section of the shopping basket 5 to which the wireless tag reader 6 is attached. Figure 3 It is a diagram schematically showing the top surface of the shopping basket 5 on which the wireless tag reader 6 is mounted.

[0070] like Figure 2As shown, the main body 61 is located in the housing portion 51 and held at the upper portion of the surrounding portion 54 in a state where the wireless tag reading device 6 is mounted to the shopping basket 5. In addition, the main body 61 internally houses the antenna 70, the control device 63, and the battery 64.

[0071] The antenna 70 transmits and receives electric waves with the wireless tag attached to the article. Specifically, the antenna 70 transmits electric waves to the inside of the housing portion 51. Then, the antenna 70 transmits electric waves to the wireless tag attached to the article housed in the housing portion 51 through the upper opening 55, and receives electric waves in response to the electric waves from the wireless tag. In the following description, the electric waves transmitted by the antenna 70 are sometimes referred to as carrier waves, and the electric waves received by the antenna 70 from the wireless tag are sometimes referred to as response waves.

[0072] The control device 63 is provided with various electric components that constitute a control portion 600 (see FIG. 6) of the wireless tag reading device 6, and the like. The control portion 600 will be described later in detail. The battery 64 supplies electric power to each portion of the wireless tag reading device 6. The battery 64 is charged by being placed in a not-shown charging stand when the wireless tag reading device 6 is detached from the shopping basket 5. Figure 6

[0073] The holding portion 62 is provided in connection with the main body 61 that houses the antenna 70, and detachably holds the antenna 70 at the upper portion of the surrounding portion 54 by being attached to and detached from the opening edge portion 56 of the shopping basket 5. In addition, the holding portion 62 is provided with an upper plate portion 65, a lower plate portion 66, a clamping portion 67, a first biasing member 68, and a second biasing member 69.

[0074] The upper plate portion 65 is rotatably attached to the main body 61 by a rotation axis X. The upper plate portion 65 is an example of a placement portion, and is placed on the opening edge portion 56 in a state where the wireless tag reading device 6 is mounted to the shopping basket 5. The width of the upper plate portion 65 along the opening edge portion 56 is formed to be narrower than the interval of the mounting portions of the two handle portions 52. Thus, the upper plate portion 65 can be placed between the mounting portions of the two handle portions 52. When the customer moves while holding the shopping basket 5, the shopping basket 5 is more stable than when the upper plate portion 65 is placed on the opening edge portion 56 without the mounting portions of the handle portions 52. The lower plate portion 66 is provided at a predetermined distance from the upper plate portion 65, and is connected to the upper plate portion 65 by the first biasing member 68. The clamping portion 67 is provided to project upward from the lower plate portion 66, and is connected to the lower plate portion 66 by the second biasing member 69. The lower plate portion 66 and the clamping portion 67 sandwich the opening edge portion 56 between them in a state where the wireless tag reading device 6 is mounted to the shopping basket 5.

[0075] Next, the mounting method of the wireless tag reading device 6 to the shopping basket 5 will be described. Figure 4 ​is a view for explaining a mounting method of the wireless tag reading device 6 to the shopping basket 5. Figure 5 is an enlarged view of a part showing a mounting state of the wireless tag reading device 6 and the shopping basket 5.

[0076] To mount the wireless tag reading device 6 to the shopping basket 5, the main body portion 61 is rotated in the arrow A direction with the rotation axis X as a center, as shown in Figure 4 The upper plate portion 65 of the main body portion 61 and the holding portion 62 form the same plane, as shown in

[0077] Thus, the upper plate portion 65 is placed on the opening edge portion 56. Then, the main body portion 61 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow A, and the main body portion 61 is arranged along the peripheral portion 54 of the shopping basket 5. Further, the force to pull the lower plate portion 66 in the arrow B direction is released. Thus, the opening edge portion 56 is sandwiched by the upper plate portion 65 and the lower plate portion 66, and the holding portion 62 of the wireless tag reading device 6 is mounted to the opening edge portion 56 of the shopping basket 5.

[0078] As shown in Figure 5 , in detail, the first biasing member 68 applies the force in the arrow D direction to the lower plate portion 66 in a state longer than a natural length, that is, in a stretched state. Further, the second biasing member 69 applies the force in the arrow D direction to the clamping portion 67 in a state shorter than the natural length, that is, in a contracted state. Thus, the opening edge portion 56 is sandwiched by the upper plate portion 65 and the lower plate portion 66.

[0079] As such, as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the wireless tag reading device 6 is held by the upper portion of the shopping basket 5. In other words, the holding portion 62 holds the antenna 70 provided to the main body portion 61 to the peripheral portion 54 of the shopping basket 5. Thus, it is possible to suppress the goods accommodated in the accommodation portion 51 from overlapping the antenna 70. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the influence of the goods already accommodated in the accommodation portion 51 when the antenna 70 receives the electric wave from the wireless tag attached to the goods passing through the upper opening 55.

[0080] Next, the hardware configuration of the wireless tag reading device 6 will be explained. Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the wireless tag reading device 6.

[0081] The wireless tag reading apparatus 6 has a control section 600, a storage section 610, an input / output controller 620, a power supply circuit 630, and a communication section 640. The control section 600, the storage section 610, the input / output controller 620, the power supply circuit 630, and the communication section 640 are connected to each other via a bus 650.

[0082] The control section 600 is a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 601, a ROM (ReadOnly Memory) 602, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 603. The CPU 601, the ROM 602, and the RAM 603 are connected to each other via the bus 650.

[0083] The CPU 601 controls the operation of the entire wireless tag reading apparatus 6. The ROM 602 stores various programs, such as a program for driving the CPU 601, and various data. The RAM 603 is used as a work area of the CPU 601, and various programs and various data stored in the ROM 602 and the storage section 610 are expanded therein. The control section 600 operates in accordance with a control program stored in the ROM 602 and the storage section 610 and expanded in the RAM 603 by the CPU 601, thereby performing various control processes of the wireless tag reading apparatus 6.

[0084] The storage section 610 is constituted by a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory, or the like, and maintains the storage contents even when the power supply is turned off. The storage section 610 stores various control programs. The control program stored by the storage section 610 is, for example, a program that causes the control section 600 to function as a function required for the wireless tag reading apparatus 6.

[0085] The input / output controller 620 is connected to the antenna 70 and the sensor 71. The input / output controller 620 has a function as an input / output interface for the connected hardware and a function for controlling the hardware. Thus, the control section 600 can perform transmission and reception of information (data) with the antenna 70 and the sensor 71 via the input / output controller 620, and can control the hardware based on an instruction of the control section 600. The sensor 71 is a sensor that detects that the wireless tag reading apparatus 6 has been loaded on the shopping basket 5, and is, for example, a pressure-sensitive sensor or the like provided to the main body section 61.

[0086] The power supply circuit 630 is connected to the battery 64. The power supply circuit 630 is a circuit that supplies power to each hardware of the wireless tag reading apparatus 6. The power supply circuit 630 supplies power to each hardware after reducing the voltage supplied from the battery 64 to an operation voltage or the like of each hardware.

[0087] The communication section 640 is an interface for communicating with an external device. The communication section 640, for example, connects with the portable terminal 3 and outputs the product information read by the wireless tag reading device 6 to the portable terminal 3. Thereby, the product information can be output to the portable terminal 6.

[0088] Next, the functional configuration of the control section 600 of the control device 63 of the wireless tag reading device 6 will be described. Figure 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the wireless tag reading device 6.

[0089] The control section 600 functions as a wave control section 6001, a reading section 6002, and an output section 6003 by the CPU 601 acting in accordance with a control program stored in the ROM 602, the memory section 610.

[0090] The wave control section 6001 controls the wave transmitted from the antenna 70. Specifically, the wave control section 6001 controls to transmit a carrier wave from the antenna 70 at a prescribed interval or continuously when it is detected by the sensor 71 that the wireless tag reading device 6 has been loaded on the shopping basket 5. In addition, the wave control section 6001 stops the transmission of the carrier wave from the antenna 70 when it is detected by the sensor 71 that the wireless tag reading device 6 has been detached from the shopping basket 5. Thereby, the transmission and stop of the carrier wave can be controlled in accordance with the loading and detaching of the wireless tag reading device. Further, the wave control section 6001 controls the wave strength of the wave transmitted from the antenna 70 so that transmission and reception can be performed with the wireless tag disposed in the housing section 51 of the shopping basket 5 and cannot be performed with the wireless tag attached to the product disposed outside the housing section 51, such as a product display shelf.

[0091] The reading section 6002 reads the tag information stored in the wireless tag based on the wave received by the antenna 70. Specifically, the reading section 6002 reads the tag information included in the response wave transmitted by the wireless tag in response to the carrier wave transmitted by the antenna 70. The tag information read by the reading section 6002 includes the product information of the product to which the wireless tag is attached.

[0092] The output section 6003 outputs the product information included in the tag information read by the reading section 6002 to the portable terminal 3. For example, the output section 6003 outputs the product information in correspondence with the instruction signal from the portable terminal 3.

[0093] The use of the storage device 2 configured as described above will be described. A customer who comes to a store takes out a shopping basket 5 from the shopping basket storage every time the customer shops, and takes out a wireless tag reader 6 from the charging stand. Next, the wireless tag reader 6 is held to the shopping basket 5 according to the mounting method described above. Then, the wireless tag reader 6 transmits a carrier wave from the antenna 70 by detecting that the wireless tag reader 6 is held to the shopping basket 5 by the sensor 71.

[0094] The customer moves around in the store while holding the shopping basket 5. When there is a product to be purchased, the customer puts the product into the storage portion 51 from the upper opening 55. In other words, the customer stores the product in the storage portion 51 through the upper opening 55 from which the product with the attached wireless tag is taken out. The wireless tag attached to the product operates by receiving the carrier wave from the antenna 70 and transmits a response wave to the antenna 70 when the product passes through the upper opening 55, and so on.

[0095] The antenna 70 of the wireless tag reader 6 receives the response wave from the wireless tag, and the reading portion 6002 reads the product information contained in the response wave. The read product information is output from the output portion 6003 to the portable terminal 3. The portable terminal 3 stores the read product information and displays it on its own display portion.

[0096] The reading portion 6002 reads the product information at regular intervals or continuously, and thus the product information of the product can be read at any time when the customer puts the product into the shopping basket 5. The reading portion 6002 repeatedly reads the tag information of the wireless tag attached to the product stored in the storage portion 51, and performs a duplicate check to prevent double reading of the repeatedly read tag information based on the identifier of the wireless tag contained in the read tag information. Thus, the reading portion 6002 can read the product information of the product stored in the shopping basket 5 without duplication. Then, when the reading portion 6002 reads new product information, the output portion 2003 outputs the new product information to the portable terminal 3. The portable terminal 3 sequentially stores the received product information and displays it on its own display portion. Note that the output portion 6003 can also repeatedly output all the product information repeatedly read by the reading portion 6002. In this case, the portable terminal 3 compares the received all product information with the product information received and stored in the past to additionally store the newly received product information and display it. That is, double registration is prevented with the portable terminal 3.

[0097] When the customer makes a payment, the product information stored in the portable terminal 3 is transmitted to the cash register 4 according to the customer's operation. The cash register 4 performs a payment process based on the received product information.

[0098] According to the present embodiment, the antenna 70 of the wireless tag reading device 6 is held at a position close to the upper portion of the shopping basket 5, for example, the upper opening 55 through which the goods are taken out and put in. In other words, the antenna 70 is not held at the bottom surface portion 53 of the shopping basket 5 but at the surrounding portion 54. Thus, the antenna 70 is less likely to overlap with the goods housed in the housing portion 51. In other words, the goods housed in the housing portion 51 are prevented from being located between the antenna 70 and the goods taken out and put in through the upper opening 55.

[0099] Therefore, the antenna 70 is not affected by the goods housed in the housing portion 51 and can transmit and receive electric waves with the wireless tag attached to the goods taken out and put in through the upper opening 55. Thus, the wireless tag reading device 6 can reliably read the tag information of the wireless tag attached to the goods housed in the housing portion 51 through the upper opening 55. Note that, in the present embodiment, the main body portion 61 is held at the upper portion of the shopping basket 5, but the antenna 70 can be held at the upper portion of the shopping basket 5 alone. Also, the antenna 70 can be held at the surrounding portion 54 alone. Further, the opening through which the goods are taken out and put in can not be at the upper portion of the shopping basket 5.

[0100] In addition, according to the present embodiment, the holding portion 62 of the wireless tag reading device 6 is loaded at the opening edge portion 56 of the shopping basket 5. Thus, the holding portion 62 can be easily loaded to the shopping basket 5 as compared with a case where the holding portion 62 is loaded inside the housing portion 51 of the shopping basket 5, and the like.

[0101] Further, according to the present embodiment, since the holding portion 62 is rotatably provided to the main body portion 61, the main body portion 61 can be easily arranged along the surrounding portion 54. Thus, not only the shopping basket 5 can be compactly held with the wireless tag reading device 6, but also the main body portion 61 does not become an obstacle when the goods are taken out and put in to the housing portion 51.

[0102] (Second Embodiment)

[0103] Next, a second embodiment of the wireless tag reading device 6 will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those of the first embodiment, and the description thereof is sometimes omitted. Figure 8 is a view schematically showing the upper surface of the shopping basket 5 on which the wireless tag reading device 6 is mounted.

[0104] The wireless tag reading device 6 has an antenna 70 provided to a main body 61 having a reading portion, which protrudes from both ends of the main body 61. The antenna 70 in the present embodiment is composed of a rod-shaped coaxial leak cable having a slot formed in the outer circumferential surface, for example. Note that the antenna 70 can also be an antenna such as a monopole antenna (including a rod-shaped antenna with a cable). The main body 61 houses a control device having various electric components, a battery. The holding portion 62 is of the same configuration as in the first embodiment, and is connected to the main body 61. By using a rod-shaped antenna, an obstacle is not caused when a product is loaded into the shopping basket 5. Also, the capacity of the shopping basket 5 can be expanded.

[0105] Figure 9 is a plan view of the antenna 70, Figure 10 is a side view of the antenna 70. The antenna 70 is installed protruding to one side with a shield net 72 composed of a cloth that shields electric waves. The shield net 72 is attached to the antenna 70 by being bonded to the portion of the coaxial leak cable that does not have a slot (the shield net is provided at a position where electric waves from the wireless tag housed in the shopping basket 5 loaded with the wireless tag reading device 6 can be received, and is provided in connection with the antenna). The shield net 72 is attached to the opening edge portion 56 of the shopping basket 5 by a clip 73, and functions as a holding portion that detachably holds the antenna 70 to the upper portion of the shopping basket 5. Also, the shield net 72 functions as a holding portion that detachably holds the antenna 70 to the peripheral portion of the shopping basket 5. Note that the clip 73 is commercially available.

[0106] Figure 11 is an enlarged view of a portion showing the state of attachment of the antenna 70 and the shopping basket 5. As shown in Figure 11 , the shield net 72 is attached to the opening edge portion 56 in a state where it is disposed in such a way as to wrap around a portion of the opening edge portion 56 by the clip 73. That is, the shield net 72 is attached to the shopping basket 5 by being sandwiched by the opening edge portion 56 and the clip 73. By the shield net 72 being attached to the shopping basket 5, the antenna 70 is held to the upper portion of the shopping basket 5 and to the peripheral portion 54 of the shopping basket 5.

[0107] According to the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the wireless tag reading device 6 can reliably read the tag information of the wireless tag attached to the product housed in the housing portion 51 via the upper opening 55. Also, since the shield net 72 that shields electric waves is used as the configuration for holding the antenna 70, it is possible to suppress the wireless tag reading device 6 from reading the tag information of the wireless tag attached to the product located outside the housing portion 51. Note that as long as the antenna 70 has sufficient rigidity and can always maintain a state of protruding from the main body 61, a holding mechanism that holds the antenna 70 by the shield net 72 and the clip 73 is not necessary.

[0108] Figure 12 This is an enlarged view of the main part of a modified example showing the installation state of the antenna 70 and the shopping basket 5 of this embodiment. Figure 12 As shown, in the modified example, a pair of shielding meshes 72 protruding in two directions with respect to the antenna 70 is provided.

[0109] Each of the pair of shielding meshes 72 is provided with a pair of mutually engaging portions 74. The pair of engaging portions 74 may be formed, for example, from snap fasteners that allow for concave and convex engagement and easy detachment. The engaging portions 74 can be mutually engaged through the holes formed in the lattice-shaped surrounding portion 54. This allows the antenna 70 to be easily retained in the shopping basket 5.

[0110] (Third embodiment)

[0111] Next, a third embodiment of the wireless tag reading device 6 will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 13 Schematically shows the top of the shopping basket 5 on which the wireless tag reader 6 is installed. Figure 14 It is a diagram schematically showing a cross section of a main part of a shopping basket 5 on which a wireless tag reader 6 is mounted.

[0112] The main body 61 houses a control unit and a battery, along with various electrical components. The retaining portion 62 includes a connecting portion 621, a pair of recessed portions 622, and a pair of antenna retaining portions 623. These connecting portion 621, the pair of recessed portions 622, and the pair of antenna retaining portions 623 form a mounting portion. The mounting portion is positioned above the opening edge 56.

[0113] The connecting portion 621 is integrally connected to the main body 61 without rotating. Figure 14 As shown, the angle formed by the connecting portion 621 and the main body 61 is equal to the angle formed by the opening edge 56 and the surrounding portion 54 of the shopping basket 5. A pair of recesses 622 are respectively provided on both sides of the connecting portion 621. Figure 13 As shown, the recess 622 engages with the handle portion 52 in the upright state. Figure 13 The vertical direction is positioned, and even if the customer moves the shopping basket 5, the wireless tag reading device 6 will not shake. A pair of antenna holding parts 623 are provided, and are connected to the pair of recesses 622 respectively.

[0114] To hold the wireless tag reading device 6 of the above structure in the shopping basket 5, the following operations are performed. First, the handle 52 is in an upright state, and the recess 622 is aligned with the handle 52 from above. Figure 13The main body 61 is positioned inside the peripheral portion 54 in the left-right direction. The wireless tag reader 6 is then moved downward, placing the connecting portion 621, the pair of recesses 622, and the pair of antenna holders 623 on the opening edge 56. With the holder 62 positioned on the opening edge 56, the antenna 70 is held above the shopping basket 5. The pair of recesses 622 engage with the handle 52 of the shopping basket 5, securing the position of the wireless tag reader 6. Furthermore, when the handle 52 of the shopping basket 5 is in the upright position, it engages with the pair of recesses 622 of the wireless tag reader 6. Therefore, by removing the wireless tag reader 6 from the shopping basket 5, the handle 52 can be laid down. When checking out, it is necessary to remove items from the shopping basket 5. Laying down the handle 52 makes it easier to remove items from the shopping basket 5. Therefore, customers may want to return the wireless tag reader 6 before checking out to facilitate the removal of items from the shopping basket 5. The store clerk can reliably collect the wireless tag reading device 6 .

[0115] According to this embodiment, as in the above-described embodiments, the wireless tag reader 6 can reliably read the tag information of the wireless tags attached to the products received in the receiving portion 51 through the upper opening 55. Furthermore, since the holding portion 62 can be placed on the opening edge 56, the wireless tag reader 6 can be easily held in the shopping basket 5.

[0116] (Fourth embodiment)

[0117] Next, a fourth embodiment of the wireless tag reading device 6 will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 15 Schematically shows the top of the shopping basket 5 at the installation stage of the wireless tag reading device 6. Figure 16 It is a diagram schematically showing the top surface of the shopping basket 5 on which the wireless tag reader 6 is mounted.

[0118] The wireless tag reader 6 of this embodiment differs from the wireless tag reader 6 of the third embodiment in that the antenna 70 is formed of a monopole antenna protruding from both sides of the main body 61 and having a bendable (rotatable) base.

[0119] To hold the wireless tag reader 6 in the shopping basket 5, the antenna 70 must be bent. Then, similar to the third embodiment, the handle 52 is raised and the recess 622 is aligned with the handle 52 from above. When the main body 61 is aligned so that it is located inside the peripheral portion 54, the wireless tag reader 6 is moved downward and the connecting portion 621 and the pair of recesses 622 are placed on the opening edge 56, the wireless tag reader 6 is in the state of being held in the shopping basket 5. Figure 15 The status shown.

[0120] Next, the antenna 70 is rotated to be in the state shown in Figure 16 Thereby, the holding portion 62 is loaded to the opening edge portion 56, and the antenna 70 is crossed with the handle portion 52 in the housing portion 51. That is, the holding portion 62 can hold the antenna 70 in the state of being crossed with the handle portion 52 which is provided to the shopping basket 5 and protrudes upward compared to the upper opening 55.

[0121] According to the above-described embodiment, in addition to the third embodiment, the following advantages are obtained. The antenna 70 (rod-shaped antenna) is provided to be extended at the lower side of the handle portion 52 to be crossed with the handle portion 52, and thus, it is possible to prevent the wireless tag reading device 6 from being pulled upward (in the direction orthogonal to the paper surface) by the antenna 70 during the use of the wireless tag reading device. Figure 16

[0122] (Fifth Embodiment)

[0123] Next, the fifth embodiment of the wireless tag reading device 6 will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 17 is a view schematically showing the upper surface of the shopping basket 5 in the mounting stage of the wireless tag reading device 6, Figure 18 is a view schematically showing the upper surface of the shopping basket 5 in which the wireless tag reading device 6 is mounted.

[0124] The wireless tag reading device 6 of the present embodiment is different from the wireless tag reading device 6 of the fourth embodiment in that the antenna 70 is an antenna which cannot maintain the extended state by only the rigidity of itself, and is provided with a support member 75 which supports in the state in which the antenna 70 is extended. The support member 75 is, for example, a belt or the like which is fixed to the holding portion 62 at one end.

[0125] To hold the wireless tag reading device 6 to the shopping basket 5, it is necessary to be in the state shown in Figure 17 by the same operation as the fourth embodiment. Next, the antenna 70 is in the extended state, and the antenna 70 is supported by the support member 75 to be in the state shown in Figure 18 For example, the free end of the support member 75 is fixed to the surrounding portion 54 in the state in which the support member 75 supports the antenna 70. Thereby, the holding portion 62 is loaded to the opening edge portion 56, and the antenna 70 is crossed with the handle portion 52 in the housing portion 51. That is, the holding portion 62 can hold the antenna 70 in the state of being crossed with the handle portion 52 which is provided to the shopping basket 5 and protrudes upward compared to the upper opening 55. In the present embodiment, the same advantages as the fourth embodiment can also be obtained.

[0126] ​As explained above, the wireless tag reading device 6 of the above embodiment is the wireless tag reading device 6 detachably provided to the shopping basket 5 that houses a commodity to which a wireless tag is attached via an upper opening 55 through which the commodity is taken out and put in, and has an antenna 70 that performs transmission and reception of electric waves with the wireless tag, a reading section 6002 that reads tag information stored in the wireless tag based on the electric waves received by the antenna 70, and a holding section 62 that is provided in association with the antenna 70 and is detachably loaded to the shopping basket 5 so as to detachably hold the antenna 70 to the upper portion of the shopping basket 5.

[0127] Further, the wireless tag reading device 6 of the above embodiment is the wireless tag reading device 6 detachably provided to the concave shopping basket 5 that houses a commodity to which a wireless tag is attached and has a bottom portion 53 and a surrounding portion 54 that is provided upright from the bottom portion 53, and has an antenna 70 that performs transmission and reception of electric waves with the wireless tag, a reading section 6002 that reads tag information stored in the wireless tag based on the electric waves received by the antenna 70, and a holding section 62 that is provided in association with the antenna 70 and is detachably loaded to the shopping basket 5 so as to detachably hold the antenna 70 to the surrounding portion 54 of the shopping basket 5.

[0128] For this reason, the antenna 70 is hardly overlapped with the commodity housed in the shopping basket 5, and thus, it is possible to perform transmission and reception of electric waves with the wireless tag attached to the commodity through the upper opening 55 without being affected by the commodity already housed in the shopping basket 5. Therefore, the wireless tag reading device 6 can improve the reading performance of the wireless tag attached to the commodity housed in the housing portion 51 via the upper opening 55.

[0129] Further, the holding section 62 of the wireless tag reading device 6 of the above embodiment has a placement portion that is bent with respect to the antenna 70 and is placed to the opening edge portion 56 of the shopping basket 5, and it is possible to hold the antenna 70 inside the shopping basket 5.

[0130] For this reason, it is possible to load the holding section 62 by placing the placement portion to the opening edge portion 56, and it is possible to arrange the antenna 70 along the surrounding portion 54 of the shopping basket 5. Therefore, the wireless tag reading device 6 not only can hold the antenna 70 compactly to the shopping basket 5, but also can prevent the antenna 70 from becoming an obstacle when the commodity is taken out and put in the shopping basket 5.

[0131] Further, the placement portion of the holding section 62 of the wireless tag reading device 6 of the above embodiment has a recess portion that engages with a handle portion 52 that is provided to the shopping basket 5 and protrudes upward compared to the opening edge portion 56.

[0132] For this, the handle portion 52 provided to the shopping basket 5 can be used to position and hold the portion 62. Therefore, the wireless tag reading device 6 can suppress the shaking of the holding portion 62 and the antenna 70 without complicating the configuration.

[0133] Further, the holding portion 62 of the wireless tag reading device 6 of the above-described embodiment can hold the antenna 70 in a state of crossing the handle portion 52 provided to the shopping basket 5 and protruding upward compared to the opening edge portion 56.

[0134] For this, the antenna 70 held by the shopping basket 5 can be prevented from falling off from the shopping basket 5.

[0135] Note that, in each of the embodiments, the control program executed in the portable terminal 3, the wireless tag reading device 6 can be provided by being recorded in a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM. Further, the control program executed in each of the above-described devices can be stored in a computer connected to a network such as the Internet, and provided by being downloaded via the network, and can be provided via a network such as the Internet.

[0136] The above describes the embodiments of the present application, but the embodiments are given as examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the application. The embodiments can be implemented in various other ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the application. The embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the application, and are included in the scope of the application and equivalents thereof recited in the claims.

Claims

1. A wireless tag reading device that is detachably mounted on a container that stores an article to which a wireless tag is attached, the wireless tag reading device comprising: an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves with the wireless tag; a reading unit that reads tag information stored in the wireless tag based on the radio waves received by the antenna; as well as A holding portion is connected to the antenna and is detachably mounted on the housing so as to detachably hold the antenna on the upper portion of the housing. The container includes a pair of handles rotatably mounted on the edge of the opening, the holding portion includes a placement portion, the placement portion includes a pair of recesses engaged with the upright handles, and is placed on the edge of the opening of the container. Furthermore, the antenna is a monopole antenna protruding from both sides of the main body connected to the holding portion and having a rotatable base. When the holding portion is mounted on the edge of the opening, the antenna is rotated so that the antenna intersects the handle portion in the housing portion.

2. The wireless tag reading device according to claim 1, wherein Also features: a sensor for detecting that the device is loaded into the receiving body; and The radio wave control unit transmits radio waves from the antenna when the sensor detects that the device is loaded into the storage body, and stops transmitting radio waves from the antenna when the sensor detects that the device is removed from the storage body.

3. The wireless tag reading device according to claim 1, wherein The holding portion is located at a position where the antenna can receive radio waves from the wireless tag loaded in the housing, and is a shielding mesh connected to the antenna for shielding radio waves.

4. A wireless tag reading device that can be detachably mounted on a container, wherein the container is concave and receives an article to which a wireless tag is attached, and comprises a bottom portion and a peripheral portion vertically disposed from the bottom portion, wherein: have: an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves with the wireless tag; a reading unit that reads tag information stored in the wireless tag based on the radio waves received by the antenna; as well as a holding portion connected to the antenna and detachably mounted on the housing to detachably hold the antenna around the housing; The container includes a pair of handles rotatably mounted on the edge of the opening, the holding portion includes a placement portion, the placement portion includes a pair of recesses engaged with the upright handles, and is placed on the edge of the opening of the container. Furthermore, the antenna is a monopole antenna protruding from both sides of the main body connected to the holding portion and having a rotatable base. When the holding portion is mounted on the edge of the opening, the antenna is rotated so that the antenna intersects the handle portion in the housing portion.

5. The wireless tag reading device according to claim 4, wherein Also features: a sensor for detecting that the device is loaded into the receiving body; and The radio wave control unit transmits radio waves from the antenna when the sensor detects that the device is loaded into the storage body, and stops transmitting radio waves from the antenna when the sensor detects that the device is removed from the storage body.

6. The wireless tag reading device according to claim 4, wherein: The holding portion is located at a position where the antenna can receive radio waves from the wireless tag loaded in the housing, and is a shielding mesh connected to the antenna for shielding radio waves.

7. A storage device comprising a storage body for storing articles to which wireless tags are attached, and a wireless tag reading device detachably mounted on the storage body for reading tag information stored in the wireless tags, characterized in that: The wireless tag reading device comprises: an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves with the wireless tag; a reading unit that reads tag information stored in the wireless tag based on the radio waves received by the antenna; as well as A holding portion is connected to the antenna and is detachably mounted on the housing so as to detachably hold the antenna on the upper portion of the housing. The container includes a pair of handles rotatably mounted on the edge of the opening, the holding portion includes a placement portion, the placement portion includes a pair of recesses engaged with the upright handles, and is placed on the edge of the opening of the container. Furthermore, the antenna is a monopole antenna protruding from both sides of the main body connected to the holding portion and having a rotatable base. When the holding portion is mounted on the edge of the opening, the antenna is rotated so that the antenna intersects the handle portion in the housing portion.

8. A storage device comprising a storage body and a wireless tag reading device detachably mounted on the storage body and configured to read tag information stored in a wireless tag, wherein the storage body is concave and configured to store an article to which the wireless tag is attached, and comprises a bottom portion and a peripheral portion extending vertically from the bottom portion, wherein: The wireless tag reading device comprises: an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves with the wireless tag; a reading unit that reads tag information stored in the wireless tag based on the radio waves received by the antenna; as well as a holding portion connected to the antenna and detachably mounted on the housing to detachably hold the antenna around the housing; The container includes a pair of handles rotatably mounted on the edge of the opening, the holding portion includes a placement portion, the placement portion includes a pair of recesses engaged with the upright handles, and is placed on the edge of the opening of the container. Furthermore, the antenna is a monopole antenna protruding from both sides of the main body connected to the holding portion and having a rotatable base. When the holding portion is mounted on the edge of the opening, the antenna is rotated so that the antenna intersects the handle portion in the housing portion.

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