Shopping cart and charge control program

Abstract

To provide a shopping cart and a charge control program that can efficiently charge a battery.SOLUTION: A shopping cart is loaded with a device related to purchase of commodities, and comprises: a battery that is charged with power supplied from an external power supply, and supplies the power stored through the charging to the device; and a control unit that, when the battery is in a charging state, performs control to turn off the device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a shopping cart and a charging control program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, shopping carts equipped with devices such as tablet terminals have been used in supermarkets, mass retailers, etc. Specifically, when purchasing products displayed in a store, there is a system called a cart POS that reads the product information and registers the product on the tablet terminal when placing the product in the cart.

[0003] There are also cart POSs equipped with batteries for supplying power to devices mounted on the cart POSs. Furthermore, a technology has been proposed that allows the battery to be charged while still mounted on the cart.

[0004] However, when charging the battery installed in the cart, if the device attached to the cart POS is not turned off, the device will consume power, leading to inefficient charging and battery deterioration.

[0005] One solution to this problem is to manually turn off the tablet or other device attached to the cart POS when charging the battery, but this operation places a heavy burden on the store in the cart POS, which is a labor-saving system. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a shopping cart and a charging control program that enable efficient charging. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The shopping cart and charging control program of an embodiment is a shopping cart equipped with a device related to the purchase of goods, and includes a battery that is charged with power supplied from an external power source and supplies the power stored by charging to the device, and a control unit that controls the device to an off state when the battery is in a charging state. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a shopping cart, a charging device, and a checkout device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a shopping cart according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an example of an external configuration of the charging device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a terminal device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a terminal device according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing performed between the battery and the terminal device according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing performed between the battery and the terminal device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiment, a scanner will be described as an example of a reader. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below.

[0010] 1 is a block diagram showing the configurations of a shopping cart 1, a charging device 2, and a checkout device 7 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the shopping cart 1 includes devices such as a battery 3, a terminal device 4, a scanner 5, and a card reader 6.

[0011] The shopping cart 1 is an example of a mobile object and is installed in a store. The shopping cart 1 is a device that stores products to be purchased while moving around the store. The shopping cart 1 is pushed around the store by a customer.

[0012] The shopping cart 1 includes a battery 3, a terminal device 4, a scanner 5, and a card reader 6. Here, the terminal device 4, the scanner 5, and the card reader 6 are examples of devices mounted on the shopping cart 1. Furthermore, each element of the terminal device 4, such as an operation unit 61 and a display unit 62 (see FIG. 4), may be defined individually as a device.

[0013] The battery 3 is a chargeable and dischargeable secondary battery. The battery 3 is charged by power supplied from the charging device 2, and supplies the power stored during charging to each device mounted on the shopping cart 1.

[0014] The terminal device 4 is, for example, a tablet terminal. The terminal device 4 is connected to a battery 3, a scanner 5, and a card reader 6. The terminal device 4 executes a process for supporting the shopping of customers who use the store. For example, the terminal device 4 acquires product information (for example, product name, price, etc.) related to the product based on identification information (hereinafter, also referred to as product code) capable of identifying the product purchased by the customer, which is input from the scanner 5, and executes a sales registration process.

[0015] The sales registration process refers to a process of reading product information of the product from product master 542 (see Figure 4) based on a product code that identifies the product, and entering the read product information in product information section 531 (see Figure 4) or displaying it on display section 62.

[0016] The scanner 5 is a device that reads symbols such as barcodes and two-dimensional codes. The scanner 5 reads symbols optically or by imaging. Specifically, the scanner 5 reads information stored in the symbol by decoding the symbol, and transmits the information to the terminal device 4. For example, the scanner 5 reads the product code of the product from the symbol attached to the product.

[0017] The card reader 6 is a device that reads information from a magnetic card, an IC card, etc. For example, the card reader 6 reads a customer code (customer identification information) that identifies a customer from a customer card carried by the customer.

[0018] 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a shopping cart 1 according to an embodiment. The shopping cart 1 includes the battery 3, the terminal device 4, the scanner 5, and the card reader 6 described above, as well as components shown in FIG.

[0019] Specifically, the shopping cart 1 has a base 11 for movement. The base 11 has a pair of front wheels 111, 112 and a pair of rear wheels 113, 114 as wheels for the cart 10. The distance between the front wheels 111 and 112 is narrower than the distance between the rear wheels 113, 114. The power receiving unit 116 supports a non-contact power supply method, and is disposed, for example, substantially horizontally on the bottom surface of the shopping cart 1.

[0020] A basket-shaped storage section 12 with an open top surface is disposed above the base section 11. The storage section 12 is supported by a support column 13 extending from the base section 11. The storage section 12 has a rear surface 121 that can be opened and closed in the direction in which the cart 10 enters. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, by inserting the storage section 12 of the following cart 10 into the storage section 12 of the shopping cart 1, it is possible to accumulate many shopping carts 1 in a small area. Note that the shopping cart 1 does not have to have a storage section 12 by itself. For example, the shopping cart 1 may have a basket receiving section that receives a product basket that stores products, and the product basket received by the basket receiving section serves as the storage section 12.

[0021] Further, a holder 14 that stores a battery 3 is disposed below the storage unit 12. The battery 3 is charged by the power received by the power receiving unit 116.

[0022] The support pole 13 also has a handle portion 15 that is gripped by a customer to move the shopping cart 1. The support pole 13 also has a support portion 17 attached thereto for supporting a terminal device 4 for registering products to be sold.

[0023] The terminal device 4 is a device for registering products to be sold. The terminal device 4 includes a display unit 62. The display unit 62 is, for example, a touch panel display. The display unit 62 displays, for example, the product read by the scanner 5. The terminal device 4 is driven by power supplied from the battery 3.

[0024] Returning to Fig. 1, the charging device 2 is a device that charges the battery 3 mounted on the shopping cart 1. The charging device 2 is provided, for example, in a cart parking area of ​​a store, and charges the shopping cart 1 placed in the cart parking area, as shown in Fig. 3.

[0025] Here, Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the external configuration of the charging device 2 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the charging device 2 is installed in a cart parking area where the shopping cart 1 is placed. The charging device 2 itself may form the cart parking area and may be the place where the shopping cart 1 is placed. The charging device 2 forms a rail, and when the shopping cart 1 is placed on the charging device 2, the wheels of the shopping cart 1 are placed along the rail. As described above, the shopping cart 1 can accommodate the insertion of a subsequent shopping cart 1, so the charging device 2 makes it possible to place the shopping cart 1 on top of the other along the rail.

[0026] The charging device 2 is equipped with a power transmission unit (not shown) for supplying power to the shopping cart 1, and the shopping cart 1 is placed along the rails of the charging device 2, and the power transmission unit of the charging device 2 and the power receiving unit 116 of the shopping cart 1 are placed in a position facing each other, thereby making it possible to supply power contactlessly from the charging device 2 to the battery 3. Note that, although a contactless power supply device is illustrated in Fig. 3 as an example of the charging device 2, the charging form of the charging device 2 does not have to be contactless power supply.

[0027] Returning to Fig. 1, the accounting device 7 is a product sales data processing device such as a POS terminal installed in the accounting area of ​​a store. The accounting device 7 is equipped with a wireless communication unit (not shown) such as a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or short-range wireless communication, and is communicatively connected to the terminal device 4 via a communication line M. When communication with the terminal device 4 is established via the communication line M, the accounting device 7 acquires (receives) product information for products for which sales registration processing has been performed by the terminal device 4.

[0028] The accounting device 7 performs accounting processing for products purchased by customers. The accounting device 7 performs accounting processing based on product information received from the terminal device 4. Accounting processing refers to processing such as displaying the total amount and tax amount related to the transaction based on product information stored in product information section 531 (see FIG. 4) in conjunction with the sales registration processing, calculating and displaying change based on the deposit received from the customer, and operating a printer to issue a receipt on which product information and payment information (e.g., total amount, deposit amount, change amount, etc.) is printed.

[0029] The accounting device 7 may obtain product information for products whose sales have been registered by the terminal device 4 via a server device (e.g., a store server) (not shown). In this case, for example, the terminal device 4 associates a transaction performed by the terminal device with an identifiable transaction ID, registers product information for products whose sales have been registered to the server device, and transmits the transaction ID to the accounting device 7 at the transaction destination when a closing operation indicating the end of registration or the start of accounting is received. Then, upon receiving the transaction ID, the accounting device 7 obtains product information corresponding to the transaction ID from the server device and executes the transaction process.

[0030] Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the above-mentioned terminal device 4. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the terminal device 4 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 4, the terminal device 4 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 51, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 52, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 53, and a memory unit 54.

[0031] The CPU 51 is an example of a processor, and controls the overall operation of the terminal device 4. The ROM 52 stores various programs. The RAM 53 expands the programs and various data. The memory unit 54 stores various programs.

[0032] The CPU 51, ROM 52, RAM 53, and memory unit 54 are connected to one another via a bus 55. The CPU 51, ROM 52, and RAM 53 constitute a control unit 500. That is, the control unit 500 executes a control process of the terminal device 4, which will be described later, by the CPU 51 operating in accordance with a control program stored in the ROM 52 and memory unit 54 and loaded into the RAM 53.

[0033] The RAM 53 includes a product information section 531. The product information section 531 stores product information (for example, product name, price, etc.) of a product for which sales registration processing has been performed.

[0034] The memory unit 54 is configured with an SSD, an HDD, a flash memory, etc., and maintains the stored contents even when the power is cut off. The memory unit 54 includes a control program unit 541, a product master 542, and condition setting information 543.

[0035] The control program unit 541 stores a control program for controlling the terminal device 4. The product master 542 stores product codes that identify each product sold in the store, and product information (product name, product price, etc.) of the product in association with the product code.

[0036] The condition setting information 543 stores flag information indicating an on / off state of each device included in the device (cart) in association with an identifiable device ID. The condition setting information 543 is setting information that is referenced when the battery 3 is being charged. In the condition setting information 543, flag information indicating power off is set for a device to be in an off state at least while charging. Here, the off state may be, for example, a power-off state or a state in which power consumption is reduced, such as a sleep or hibernation state (hereinafter collectively referred to as a hibernation state).

[0037] Although the on / off state of each device can be selected arbitrarily, it is preferable to set devices that consume a large amount of power to the off state. Also, for devices that handle basic control functions such as the control unit 500 and the power supply circuit 66, it is preferable to set the power to on or in a hibernation state in order to detect states such as the release of charging.

[0038] Also, whether to turn off the power or to put the device into a hibernation state may be set in the condition setting information 543 for each device. In this case, for example, by indicating the power-off flag information with a different value, it is possible to identify whether the device is in a power-off state or a hibernation state. For example, among the devices included in the terminal device 4, the display unit 62, which consumes a large amount of power, may be set to be turned off, the operation unit 61 may be set to be turned on, and the other devices may be set to a hibernation state. As a result, even during charging, that is, during power-off control, a user operation can be accepted via the operation unit 61, and the device can be restored to a usable state.

[0039] The control unit 500 is connected to the operation unit 61, the display unit 62, and the card reader 6 via the bus 55 and the controller 56. The controller 56 performs input / output of signals between the operation unit 61, the display unit 62, the card reader 6, and the control unit 500. The operation unit 61 is an input device for accepting operations on the terminal device 4, and is, for example, a touch panel provided on the display unit 62.

[0040] In addition, the control unit 500 is connected to a first communication I / F 64 and a second communication I / F 65 via a bus 55. The first communication I / F 64 and the second communication I / F 65 are communication interfaces for connecting peripheral devices of the terminal device 4. The first communication I / F 64 receives symbol information from the scanner 5 via a connection line L1 such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus). The second communication I / F 65 can send and receive information to and from the accounting device 7 via a communication line M.

[0041] The control unit 500 is also connected to a power supply circuit 66 via the bus 55. The power supply circuit 66 is connected to the battery 3. The power supply circuit 66 is a circuit that supplies power to each piece of hardware in the terminal device 4. The power supply circuit 66 supplies power to the devices mounted on the shopping cart 1 by, for example, stepping down the voltage supplied from the battery 3 to the respective operating voltages.

[0042] The battery 3 may include a detection circuit such as a processor for detecting whether the battery 3 itself is being charged. In such a configuration, the detection circuit of the battery 3 may be configured to output a signal notifying the charging state to the power supply circuit 66 when it detects the start, completion, interruption, etc. of charging. The detection circuit of the battery 3 may also output a notification of the charging state (charging / not charging) in response to a confirmation signal (hereinafter also referred to as a charging confirmation signal) from the power supply circuit 66 or a power supply control unit 503 described later.

[0043] 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the terminal device 4 according to the embodiment. In the terminal device 4, the functional configuration of a storage control unit 501, a product information transmission unit 502, and a power supply control unit 503 is realized by the CPU 51 executing a control program stored in a control program unit 541 and deployed in a RAM 53. Note that a part or all of the functional configuration of the terminal device 4 may be realized by a hardware configuration such as a dedicated circuit.

[0044] The storage control unit 501 stores the product information of the product acquired based on the symbol data read by the scanner 5 in the product information unit 531. Specifically, when the storage control unit 501 acquires a product code read by the scanner 5, it reads out product information corresponding to the product code from the product master 542 based on the acquired product code, and stores the information in the product information unit 531 (i.e., executes the sales registration process). Note that the storage destination of the read-out product information is not limited to a local location such as the product information unit 531 of the terminal device 4, and may be, for example, a server device on a network (e.g., a store server).

[0045] The product information transmission unit 502 transmits the product information stored in the product information unit 531 to the accounting device 7. Specifically, when an instruction to end the sales registration process or start the accounting process is given by operating the operation unit 61, the product information transmission unit 502 transmits the product information stored in the product information unit 531 to the accounting device 7. When the product information is stored in the server device, the product information transmission unit 502 transmits a transaction ID capable of identifying the transaction to the accounting device 7 of the accounting destination, as described above.

[0046] The power control unit 503 is an example of a control unit. The power control unit 503 controls the on / off of devices mounted on the shopping cart 1. Specifically, when the power control unit 503 detects that charging of the battery 3 has started, the power control unit 503 refers to the condition setting information 543 and identifies a device to be turned off based on the stored identifiable device ID. Then, the power control unit 503 turns off the identified device. Note that, when the type of off state (power off, hibernation) is set for each device, the power control unit 503 realizes the off state instructed for each device.

[0047] Here, various methods can be adopted for detecting the start of charging. For example, the power supply control unit 503 may cooperate with the power supply circuit 66 to monitor the state of the battery 3 constantly or at predetermined time intervals, and detect that charging of the battery 3 has started. Also, for example, the power supply control unit 503 may detect that charging of the battery 3 has started when it receives a notification of the start of charging from the battery 3 via the power supply circuit 66. Also, for example, the power supply control unit 503 may transmit a charging confirmation signal to the battery 3 at predetermined time intervals via the power supply circuit 66, and detect that charging of the battery 3 has started when it receives a notification of the start of charging (or charging) from the battery 3.

[0048] The power supply control unit 503 continues the off state at least while the battery 3 is being charged, but if there is an input to the operation unit 61 during charging, the power supply control unit 503 may stop the transition to the off state and return each device to a normal on state. Specifically, if the display unit 62 is turned off, the operation unit 61 is turned on, and other devices are in a hibernation state, the power supply control unit 503 can accept user operations via the operation unit 61 even during charging. In such a case, the power supply control unit 503 cancels the off state and returns each device to an on state, triggered by the reception of an input from the operation unit 61. This allows the user to use the shopping cart 1 as usual without performing an on operation.

[0049] In addition, even after the charging of the battery 3 is completed, that is, even after the battery 3 is fully charged, it is preferable to continue the off state in order to suppress unnecessary power consumption. However, this is not limited to the above, and for example, in a configuration in which the control unit 500 (power control unit 503) or the power circuit 66 during charging is put into a hibernation state or the like, the off state may be released or the type of the off state may be switched at the timing of charging completion, in which case the completion of charging of the battery 3 can be detected. As an example, when the power control unit 503 detects that charging is completed, the device that has been powered off may be switched into a hibernation state, thereby making it possible to easily restore the device with low power consumption. The charging completion can be detected by using the same method as that for detecting the start of charging described above.

[0050] Also, when charging of the battery 3 is released (stopped), the power supply control unit 503 may determine that the shopping cart 1 has been moved in order to be used, and release the off state. For example, in the configuration of the charging device 2 shown in FIG. 3, charging of the battery 3 is released when the shopping cart 1 is removed from a predetermined position of the charging device 2. In such a case, it is highly likely that the user has moved the shopping cart 1 in order to use it. Therefore, when detecting the release of charging, the power supply control unit 503 returns the devices that were in the off state to the on state. In this way, when the shopping cart 1 is moved from the charging location, the power supply control unit 503 can quickly transition each device included in the shopping cart 1 to an on state in which it can be used as normal. The release of charging can be detected using a method similar to that of detecting the start of charging described above.

[0051] The operation of the power supply control unit 503 described above will be described below. In particular, a flow for turning off the devices mounted on the shopping cart 1 when the battery 3 is being charged will be described here. Fig. 6 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing performed by the battery 3 and the terminal device 4 according to the embodiment.

[0052] The battery 3 waits until charging of the battery 3 itself starts (step S10: No). When it detects that charging of the battery 3 has started (S10: Yes), the battery 3 transmits a charging start signal to the terminal device 4 (step S11).

[0053] When the power supply control unit 503 of the terminal device 4 receives a charging start signal from the battery 3 via the power supply circuit 66 (step S12), it determines that it has detected the start of charging of the battery 3. Next, the power supply control unit 503 refers to the condition setting information 543 (step S13) and specifies a device to be turned off based on the device ID stored in the condition setting information 543 (step S14). Next, the power supply control unit 503 switches the specified device to the off state (step S15) and ends the process.

[0054] Next, a flow in which the charging state of the battery 3 is released and the device that has been turned off returns to an on state will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing performed by the battery 3 and the terminal device 4 according to the embodiment. Note that this processing is premised on the assumption that the battery 3 is in a charging state.

[0055] First, the battery 3 waits until charging of the battery 3 itself is completed (or interrupted) (step S20: No). When charging of the battery 3 is completed (or interrupted) (step S20: Yes), the battery 3 transmits a charging completion signal to the terminal device 4 (step S21).

[0056] When the power supply control unit 503 of the terminal device 4 receives a charging completion signal from the battery 3 via the power supply circuit 66 (step S22), it determines that it has detected the completion of charging of the battery 3. Next, the power supply control unit 503 returns the devices that are in the off state to the on state (step S23), and ends the process.

[0057] As described above, when the shopping cart 1 of this embodiment detects that the battery 3 is in a charging state, it controls the devices mounted on the shopping cart 1 to be turned off. This allows the shopping cart 1 to reduce the power consumption of various devices while the battery 3 is in a charging state, thereby allowing the battery 3 to be charged efficiently.

[0058] The above-described embodiment can be modified as appropriate by changing a part of the configuration or function of each of the above-described devices. Therefore, some modified examples of the above-described embodiment will be described below as other embodiments. Note that the following mainly describes the differences from the above-described embodiment, and a detailed description of the commonalities with the contents already described will be omitted. Also, the modified examples described below may be implemented individually or in appropriate combination.

[0059] (Variation 1) From here, a first modified example of the above embodiment will be described. In the above embodiment, in step S14 in Fig. 6, the power supply control unit 503 of the terminal device 4 refers to the condition setting information 543 and identifies the device to be turned off. In the first modified example, this step is deleted, and all devices supplied with power by the battery 3 are turned off without referring to the condition setting information 543, which is different from the above embodiment.

[0060] Specifically, when charging of the battery 3 is detected, the power supply control unit 503 turns off all devices mounted on the shopping cart 1. The devices may or may not include the terminal device 4 and the control unit 500. In this case, the condition setting information 543 is not required. This allows the battery 3 to be charged more efficiently.

[0061] (Variation 2) From here, a second modification of the above embodiment will be described. The condition setting information 543 is configured to store flag information indicating the on / off state by associating each device with an identifiable device ID. In the second modification, the condition setting information 543 associates each device with an identifiable device ID, and adds information regarding the condition for executing the on / off state in addition to the above information.

[0062] Specifically, for example, a condition that the display unit 62 and the operation unit 61 should not be turned off during business hours of the store in which the shopping cart 1 is used so that customers can immediately use the shopping cart 1 is added to the items corresponding to the display unit 62 and the operation unit 61 of the condition setting information 543. This makes it possible to flexibly set the off state according to the business hours of the store in which the shopping cart 1 is used, and allows the battery 3 to be charged more efficiently.

[0063] Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described, these embodiments and modifications are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

[0064] The programs executed by the shopping cart 1 in the embodiment and modified examples are provided as files in an installable or executable format recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).

[0065] The programs executed by the shopping cart 1 of the embodiment and the modified examples may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. The programs executed by the shopping cart 1 of the embodiment and the modified examples may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0066] Furthermore, the programs executed by the shopping cart 1 of the embodiment and the modified examples may be provided by being pre-installed in a ROM or the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1. Shopping Cart 2 Charging device 3 Battery 4 Terminal Equipment 66 Power supply circuit 500 Control section 503 Power supply control unit 543 Condition setting information [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0068] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-109061 A

Claims

1. A shopping cart equipped with a device for purchasing products, a battery that is charged by power supplied from an external power source and supplies the power stored by the charging to the device; A control unit that controls the device to be in an off state when the battery is in a charging state; A shopping cart equipped with

2. When the control unit detects that charging of the battery has started, the control unit controls the device to an off state.

2. The shopping cart of claim 1.

3. When charging of the battery is started, the battery notifies the control unit of the start of charging; The control unit controls the device to an off state in response to the notification of the start of charging.

3. A shopping cart according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the control unit associates each of the devices with an identifiable device ID, refers to a memory unit in which flag information indicating an on / off state is stored, and selects a device to be turned off.

2. The shopping cart of claim 1.

5. the control unit associates each of the devices with an identifiable device ID, refers to a memory unit in which flag information indicating an on / off state and information regarding a condition for executing the on / off state are stored, and selects a device to be turned off.

2. The shopping cart of claim 1.

6. A shopping cart computer in which a device related to the purchase of goods is installed, a battery that is charged by power supplied from an external power source and supplies the power stored by the charging to the device; A control unit that turns off the device when the battery is in a charging state; A charging control program to function as a

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