Security gate

Abstract

To provide a security gate that is easy to handle a cart and prevents the cart from contacting the gate.SOLUTION: A security gate includes a determination device and a guide member. The determination device is arranged on one side in a width direction of a passage through which a cart including left and right two front wheels passes, and determines the possibility of passing of the cart. A guide member has a width shorter than an interval between the two front wheels, is projected upward from a floor of the passage and extends along the passage, and is provided at a position spaced from the determination device at a distance at which the cart does not contact the determination device while being arranged between the two front wheels.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention relates to a security gate. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is an article management system in which multiple articles with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags attached are placed on a cart and passed through a gate, and the articles are recognized based on the results of reading by a reader / writer. This article management system has multiple switches for position detection along the rails that guide the wheels of the cart to detect the position information of each article placed on the cart. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-289605 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] According to the above-mentioned article management system, when passing through a gate, the wheels of the cart must be placed on the rails, making handling of the cart difficult. Also, if an external force is applied to the cart while the wheels are on the rails, the cart may swing violently around the rails as a fulcrum, causing the articles to fall or the cart to come off the rails and hit the gate.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a security gate that allows carts to be easily handled without coming into contact with the gate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In one embodiment, the security gate has a determination device and a guide member. The determination device is located on one side of the width of an aisle through which a cart with two front wheels (left and right) passes, and determines whether the cart is allowed to pass. The guide member has a width narrower than the distance between the two front wheels, protrudes upward from the aisle floor, and extends along the aisle. When positioned between the two front wheels, the guide member is located at a distance from the determination device so that the cart will not come into contact with the determination device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a store system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the main data described in a transaction file. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the main circuit configuration of the POS terminal. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a security gate according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a front view showing an example of a shopping cart passing through the security gate of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the security gate of FIG. 5 as seen from above. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a shopping cart passing through a security gate passage. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the shopping cart of FIG. 7 in a state where the rear end side thereof is swung. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a front view showing the main part of a modified example of the security gate. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a plan view of the security gate of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a store system that can prevent fraudulent behavior in which a transaction target, referred to as a customer, consumer, purchaser, or the like, leaves a store without making a payment will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, an example of a store system is shown, which is applied to a store that has introduced a mobile payment system that allows a transaction target to register purchased items by themselves using a mobile terminal.

[0009] [Outline of store system (POS system)] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of a store system 100 established in a store that has introduced a mobile payment system 20. The store system 100 comprises a POS (Point Of Sales) system 10 and a mobile payment system 20.

[0010] The POS system 10 includes a plurality of POS terminals 11, a POS server 12, and an attendant terminal 13. The POS system 10 connects the plurality of POS terminals 11, the POS server 12, and the attendant terminal 13 via a communication network 14. The communication network 14 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network). Although only one attendant terminal 13 is shown in FIG. 1, the POS system 10 may be configured by connecting two or more attendant terminals 13 to the communication network 14.

[0011] The POS system 10 includes a plurality of POS terminals 11 and a plurality of gate mechanisms 40 each associated with one another. Each pair of a POS terminal 11 and a gate mechanism 40 associated with one another functions as a security gate 200, which will be described later.

[0012] The POS server 12 is a computer that provides services such as managing information such as store sales and inventory at the time of product sales by collecting and aggregating sales data for each product registered in each POS terminal 11 via the communication network 14.

[0013] The attendant terminal 13 is installed at an attendant counter where a store clerk called an attendant is always present. The attendant terminal 13 is equipped with a display device and is used by the attendant to monitor input contents and the like at each POS terminal 11. Specifically, the attendant terminal 13 displays information being processed at each POS terminal 11 in real time on the display device for each POS terminal 11. The information displayed on the display device includes information related to the products registered at the POS terminal 11, such as the product name, price, quantity, etc. The display device also displays information related to payment, such as the total amount of the transaction and the amount paid by payment method, etc. The attendant terminal 13 may be a handheld terminal carried by the store clerk.

[0014] [Outline of store system (mobile payment system)] The mobile payment system 20 includes a plurality of mobile terminals 21 and a mobile server 22. The mobile payment system 20 wirelessly connects the plurality of mobile terminals 21 and the mobile server 22 via an access point 24 of a communication network 23.

[0015] Mobile terminal 21 is a portable information terminal equipped with input / output devices such as a touch panel and a camera, and a wireless communication unit capable of wireless communication with access point 24. For example, mobile terminal 21 can be a smartphone owned by the transaction target, a handheld terminal rented by a store, or a tablet terminal attached to a shopping cart. For example, a smartphone can become mobile terminal 21 by installing application software, a so-called shopping app, that supports the transaction target's shopping at a store where mobile payment system 20 has been installed.

[0016] The mobile terminal 21 is operated by the transaction target who moves around the sales floor and collects products to purchase. Each time the transaction target acquires a product, the transaction target operates the mobile terminal 21 to input data related to the purchased product. For example, the transaction target inputs the product code of the purchased product by scanning the barcode of the purchased product with the camera of the mobile terminal 21. Alternatively, the transaction target may scan the barcode of the purchased product using a barcode scanner 27 (see FIG. 5) provided separately from the mobile terminal 21. For example, the transaction target may input the product code, purchase quantity, etc. of the purchased product by operating the touch panel of the mobile terminal 21. The data related to the purchased product input to the mobile terminal 21 is wirelessly transmitted and received by the mobile server 22 via the access point 24.

[0017] After completing their shopping, the transaction target performs an operation on the mobile terminal 21 to instruct the transaction to proceed with the transaction. By performing the operation to instruct the transaction, a machine-readable code for the transaction is displayed on the display device of the mobile terminal 21. The machine-readable code is, for example, a barcode or a two-dimensional code. The transaction target can make a payment at the POS terminal 11 by having the scanner of the POS terminal 11 at the security gate 200 read the machine-readable code for the transaction. Payment at the POS terminal 11 may be a cashless payment such as electronic money payment, credit card payment, or code payment, or may be payment with cash or a voucher such as a gift certificate.

[0018] Furthermore, if application software for cashless payment, a so-called payment app, is installed on the mobile terminal 21, payment can be made using the mobile terminal 21. Payment can be made using cashless methods such as electronic money payment, credit card payment, or code payment. When the transaction target operates the mobile terminal 21 for cashless payment, payment data is wirelessly transmitted from the mobile terminal 21. The payment data includes a payment type indicating the payment method and a payment amount. For example, when a consumer makes a cashless payment using electronic money, payment data including information on the payment type indicating the electronic money and the payment amount using electronic money is wirelessly transmitted. The wirelessly transmitted payment data is received by the mobile server 22 via the access point 24.

[0019] The mobile server 22 is a computer that supports transactions with transaction targets who register items for purchase using the mobile terminal 21. The mobile server 22 has a memory area for storing multiple transaction files 26. The transaction files 26 are data files that are created for each transaction using the mobile terminal 21.

[0020] 2 is a schematic diagram showing the main data described in the transaction file 26. As shown in the figure, the transaction file 26 describes the transaction number, transaction date and time, one or more product sales data, total data, payment data, settlement completion flag Fa, etc.

[0021] The transaction number is a unique number that is issued to individually identify a transaction using the mobile terminal 21. For example, the transaction number is a sequential number that increments by "1" each time a transaction using the mobile terminal 21 is initiated. The transaction number may also be a sequential number that increments by "1" each time a transaction using the mobile terminal 21 is instructed to be paid for. The transaction number may also be a unique number based on other algorithms. The payment barcode is data including the transaction number that is represented in the form of a barcode.

[0022] The transaction date and time is the date and time when the transaction was made. The time may be the time when the transaction was initiated or the time when the transaction was instructed to be paid for.

[0023] The product sales data is created based on data related to purchased products input into the mobile terminal 21. The product sales data includes the product code, price, number of items purchased, purchase amount, etc. of the purchased product. The product code is an identification code of the purchased product input into the mobile terminal 21. The price is a price obtained from a PLU (Price Look Up) file in which the price of each product is set in association with the product code of that product. The number of items purchased is the number of items entered into the mobile terminal 21 if the number of items purchased has been entered, and is "1" if the number of items purchased has not been entered. The purchase amount is an amount calculated by multiplying the price by the number of items purchased.

[0024] The total data consists of data on the total number of items and the total price. The total number of items is the total number of items purchased in the product sales data included in the transaction file 26. The total price is the total price of the product sales data included in the transaction file 26.

[0025] The payment data includes a payment type for identifying the payment method and the payment amount for that payment method. If the payment for the transaction identified by the transaction number is made using a mobile terminal 21, the payment data is stored based on data from the mobile terminal 21. If the payment for the transaction is made using a POS terminal 11, the payment data is stored based on data from the POS terminal 11.

[0026] The payment completion flag Fa is one-bit data for identifying whether or not the payment of the transaction managed in the transaction file 26 has been completed. In this embodiment, the payment completion flag Fa is set to "0" to indicate that the payment has not been completed, and the payment completion flag Fa is set to "1" to indicate that the payment has been completed. When the payment of the transaction identified by the transaction number is made using the mobile terminal 21, the payment completion flag Fa changes from "0" to "1." When the payment of the same transaction is made using the POS terminal 11, the payment completion flag Fa also changes from "0" to "1."

[0027] Returning to the explanation of Figure 1. POS system 10 connects communication server 31 to communication network 14. Mobile payment system 20 connects communication server 32 to communication network 23. Communication servers 31 and 32 both provide data communication services via inter-server network 30. This connection enables data to be transmitted and received between each POS terminal 11 and POS server 12 in POS system 10 and each mobile terminal 21 and mobile server 22 in mobile payment system 20. Transaction data processed by mobile payment system 20 is imported into POS system 10 through this data communication.

[0028] [POS terminal configuration explanation] 3 is a block diagram showing the main circuit configuration of the POS terminal 11 and the gate mechanism 40. The POS terminal 11 includes a processor 51, a main memory 52, an auxiliary storage device 53, a clock 54, a communication interface 55, a touch panel 56, a fixed scanner 57, a printer 58, a scanner interface 59, a card reader interface 60, a change dispenser interface 61, a gate mechanism interface 62, and a system transmission path 63. The system transmission path 63 includes an address bus, a data bus, a control signal line, etc. The system transmission path 63 connects the processor 51 to each of the other components and transmits data signals exchanged between them.

[0029] The POS terminal 11 constitutes a computer by connecting a processor 51, a main memory 52, an auxiliary storage device 53, a clock 54, and a communication interface 55 via a system transmission path 63. Input / output devices such as a touch panel 56, a fixed scanner 57, and a printer 58, and device interfaces such as a scanner interface 59, a card reader interface 60, a change dispenser interface 61, and a gate mechanism interface 62 are connected to the system transmission path 63 and controlled by a computer, thereby realizing the functions of the POS terminal 11. Note that the input / output devices or device interfaces connected to the system transmission path 63 are not limited to those described above. For example, other input / output devices such as a keyboard may be connected, or an interface for a cashless payment terminal may be connected.

[0030] The processor 51 corresponds to the central part of the computer. The processor 51 controls each part to realize various functions of the POS terminal 11 in accordance with an operating system or application programs. The processor 51 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor 51 is preferably a multi-core processor that includes multiple processor cores and can execute multiple processes in parallel.

[0031] The main memory 52 corresponds to the main storage portion of the computer. The main memory 52 includes a nonvolatile memory area and a volatile memory area. The main memory 52 stores an operating system or application programs in the nonvolatile memory area. The main memory 52 may store data required for the processor 51 to execute processes for controlling each part in either the nonvolatile or volatile memory area. The main memory 52 uses the volatile memory area as a work area where data is rewritten by the processor 51 as appropriate. The nonvolatile memory area is, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory). The volatile memory area is, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0032] The auxiliary storage device 53 corresponds to the auxiliary storage portion of the computer. For example, an EEPROM (Electric Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or an SSD (Solid State Drive) can be the auxiliary storage device 53. The auxiliary storage device 53 stores data used by the processor 51 when performing various processes, data created by the processes in the processor 51, etc. The auxiliary storage device 53 may also store the application programs described above.

[0033] The clock 54 keeps track of the date and time. The processor 51 processes the date and time kept by the clock 54 as the current date and time.

[0034] The communication interface 55 is an interface for performing data communication with the POS server 12, the attendant terminal 13, and the like connected to the communication network .

[0035] The touch panel 56 includes a display that functions as a display device for the POS terminal 11 and a touch sensor that functions as an input device. The touch panel 56 displays various information on the display for the transaction target or store clerk, who is the user of the POS terminal 11. The touch panel 56 detects touch operations on the display screen with the touch sensor and accepts input according to the touch position.

[0036] The fixed scanner 57 is an input device that scans and reads machine-readable codes such as barcodes or two-dimensional codes. The fixed scanner 57 can read machine-readable codes displayed on the display of the mobile terminal 21, for example. The fixed scanner 57 can also read machine-readable codes printed on ID cards carried by store clerks. The ID cards carried by store clerks have a machine-readable code printed on them that indicates the clerk's unique identification code, or so-called employee code.

[0037] Printer 58 is a printing device for printing and issuing receipts. A receipt is a paper medium on which transaction details such as the transaction number, transaction date and time, product sales data, total data, and payment data are recorded.

[0038] The scanner interface 59 is an interface capable of performing data communication with a handheld scanner 71 (see FIG. 4). The handheld scanner 71 is a portable scanner, and is an input device that scans and reads machine-readable codes in the same way as a fixed scanner.

[0039] The card reader interface 60 is an interface capable of performing data communication with a card reader. A card reader is an input device that reads data recorded on a card medium such as a credit card, electronic money card, or point card. The card reader may be an IC card reader that reads data from an IC card, or a magnetic card reader that reads data from a magnetic card. The IC card reader may be a contact type IC card reader or a contactless type IC card reader.

[0040] The change machine interface 61 is an interface capable of performing data communication with an automatic change machine that can receive deposits and dispense change.

[0041] The gate mechanism interface 62 is an interface capable of performing data communication with each of the devices included in the gate mechanism 40, such as the human sensor 41, the patrol lamp 42, the LED 43, the speaker 44, the display 45, and the like.

[0042] [Security Gate Explanation] 4 is a perspective view showing a security gate 200 equipped with the above-mentioned POS terminal 11 and gate mechanism 40. The POS terminal 11 and gate mechanism 40 function as a determination device that determines whether a shopping cart 300 (see FIG. 5), which will be described later, is permitted to pass through. The security gate 200 also includes a guide member 420 that guides the wheels 301 to 304 of the shopping cart 300.

[0043] The gate mechanism 40 has a housing 400 in the shape of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. The housing 400 is disposed on one side of a passage 410 along which the transaction subject proceeds in the direction of arrow P (in this embodiment, the right side in the drawing along the direction of arrow P). The passage 410 has an entrance on the side where the transaction subject proceeds in the direction of arrow P, and an exit on the side where the transaction subject exits. A transaction subject who enters through the entrance can exit, for example, from inside the store to outside the store by passing through the passage 410 in the direction of arrow P and exiting through the exit. Alternatively, the transaction subject can move from one location inside the store to another through the passage 410. The passage 410 has a horizontal floor surface 411.

[0044] The housing 400 has four faces extending vertically upward from the four sides of the bottom face that is in contact with the floor surface 411 of the aisle 410. Of the four faces of the housing 400, one face that is arranged along the aisle 410 is referred to as a side face 401, and the other face that is arranged facing the inside of the store is referred to as a front face 402. The front face 402 is not a face that is perpendicular to the arrow P, but a face that is inclined toward the entrance in a direction away from the aisle 410. The face that faces the bottom face of the housing 400 is referred to as a top face 403 of the housing 400. The joint between the front face 402 and the top face 403 is referred to as a folder 404 of the POS terminal 11.

[0045] The folder 404 holds the printer 58, fixed scanner 57, and touch panel 56 of the POS terminal 11. Specifically, the folder 404 holds the printer 58 so that the receipt issuing slot 581 faces the front 402. The folder 404 holds the fixed scanner 57 above the printer 58 so that the reading window 571 faces the front 402. The folder 404 holds the touch panel 56 above the fixed scanner 57 so that the screen 561 faces the front 402.

[0046] That is, the issuing port 581 of the printer 58, the reading window 571 of the fixed scanner 57, and the screen 561 of the touch panel 56 are arranged on a plane parallel to the front face 402 of the housing 400, and are inclined toward the aisle 410. With this arrangement, a transaction target standing in front of the front face 402 of the gate mechanism 40 can easily receive, for example, a receipt issued from the issuing port 581. The transaction target can also easily hold a machine-readable code displayed on the display of, for example, the mobile terminal 21 over the reading window 571 of the fixed scanner 57. The transaction target can also see the image displayed on the touch panel 56 and perform a touch operation.

[0047] A handheld scanner connected to scanner interface 59, a so-called handheld scanner 71, is attached to the side of folder 404 opposite side 401. Handheld scanner 71 reads, for example, a machine-readable code displayed on the display of mobile terminal 21. Although not shown, a card reader connected to card reader interface 60, an automatic change machine connected to change machine interface 61, and the like are also arranged near housing 400. For example, the card reader may be arranged on top surface 403 of housing 400.

[0048] A patrol lamp 42 and a display 45 are attached to an upper surface 403 of the housing 400 near the exit of the passage 410. The patrol lamp 42 is provided at the top of a pole 421 attached to the upper surface 403 on the side opposite the front surface 402 of the housing 400, i.e., the side closer to the back surface. A display 45 is disposed in front of the pole 421 in the direction of arrow P, with a screen 451 facing the front surface 402. The display 45 is a display device with a smaller screen than the touch panel 56.

[0049] The human presence sensor 41, LED 43, and speaker 44 are built into the housing 400. The housing 400 has a slit 405 for the human presence sensor 41 and a slit 406 for the LED 43 on a side surface 401 on the aisle 410 side. The human presence sensor 41 is an infrared sensor that detects the movement or heat of a transaction target passing through the position of the slit 405. The human presence sensor 41 may also detect a transaction target passing through the position of the slit 405 by a method other than infrared. The LED 43 lights up or off in a predetermined color and pattern so that light leaks from the slit 406 to guide the transaction target to proceed along the aisle 410 in the direction of arrow P.

[0050] In the following, in the passage 410, the entrance side where the transaction subject enters, i.e., the side where the touch panel 56, fixed scanner 57, etc. are provided, will be referred to as the upstream side, and the opposite exit side, i.e., the side where the display 45, patrol lamp 42, etc. are provided, will be referred to as the downstream side.

[0051] The POS terminal 11 provided in the housing 400 so as to correspond one-to-one with the gate mechanism 40 is an example of a payment device capable of settling a transaction with a transaction target upstream of a passage 410 through which the transaction target moves in the direction of arrow P. The positional relationship of the touch panel 56, fixed scanner 57, printer 58, etc. constituting the POS terminal 11 with respect to the housing 400 is not limited to that shown in Fig. 4. The point is that the touch panel 56, fixed scanner 57, printer 58, etc. may be arranged in a position and orientation that allows them to be easily operated by a transaction target located upstream of the passage 410.

[0052] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the guide member 420 that guides the shopping cart 300 through the passage 410 of the security gate 200 protrudes upward with a uniform thickness from the floor surface 411 of the passage 410 at a position a predetermined distance from the housing 400. The guide member 420 is a strip-shaped member extending in the direction of arrow P, and has a width narrower than the distance between the two front wheels 301, 302 on the left and right of the shopping cart 300. The guide member 420 has a uniform width along its entire length. The upstream end of the guide member 420 in the direction of arrow P includes two inclined surfaces 422, 423 that slope downstream from approximately the center of the width of the guide member 420 toward both left and right ends in the width direction. The ridge between the two inclined surfaces 422, 423 is chamfered to remove the corners.

[0053] It is desirable that the protruding height of guide member 420 from floor surface 411 is a height that is difficult for wheels 301-304 of shopping cart 300 to overcome. However, if guide member 420 protrudes from floor surface 411 too high, it becomes difficult for the transaction target person pushing shopping cart 300 through aisle 410 to walk, and therefore the protruding height of guide member 420 from floor surface 411 needs to be an appropriate height.

[0054] 6, the length of guide member 420 along the direction of arrow P may be approximately the same as the length of housing 400 of gate mechanism 40. The length of guide member 420 may be long enough to prevent shopping cart 300 from coming into contact with housing 400 or POS terminal 11 from the time the upstream end of guide member 420 enters between front wheels 301, 302 of shopping cart 300 until rear wheels 303, 304 of shopping cart 300 pass the downstream end of guide member 420.

[0055] If shopping cart 300 enters aisle 410 at an angle with respect to arrow P, left front wheel 301 will contact left inclined surface 422 at the upstream end of guide member 420, or right front wheel 302 will contact right inclined surface 423 at the upstream end of guide member 420, guiding two front wheels 301, 302 outward in the width direction of guide member 420. In other words, even if shopping cart 300 enters aisle 410 at an angle, the action of inclined surfaces 422, 423 makes it easy for guide member 420 to be positioned between two front wheels 301, 302. In this way, by positioning guide member 420 between two front wheels 301, 302, shopping cart 300 will not come into contact with housing 400 or POS terminal 11.

[0056] [Shopping Cart Description] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, shopping cart 300 has two front wheels 301, 302 and two rear wheels 303, 304. Each wheel 301-304 of shopping cart 300 is rotatable around a vertically extending axis (not shown). This allows shopping cart 300 to travel freely in any desired direction. The distance between the two front wheels 301, 302 is wider than the width of guide member 420 of security gate 200 described above. The distance between the two rear wheels 303, 304 is sufficiently wider than the distance between the two front wheels 301, 302. The distance between front wheels 301, 302 and rear wheels 303, 304 in the longitudinal direction is sufficiently large and is approximately the same as the distance between the two rear wheels 303, 304.

[0057] Shopping cart 300 also includes a handle 305 that is held by the transaction target, a mobile terminal 21 that is operated by the transaction target, a barcode scanner 27 that reads the barcodes of purchased items, a basket stand 307 on which shopping basket 306 (not shown in FIG. 6) is placed, a battery (not shown), etc. After having the barcodes of the items read by barcode scanner 27, the transaction target places the items into shopping basket 306 placed on basket stand 307. For this reason, shopping cart 300 has mobile terminal 21 positioned to the left of the center in the left-right direction of shopping cart 300 to accommodate a transaction target that is right-handed.

[0058] [Explanation of the security gate's collision prevention function] 6 and 7, shopping cart 300 passes through passage 410 with guide member 420 disposed between two front wheels 301, 302. The distance between two rear wheels 303, 304 is wider than the distance between two front wheels 301, 302. Therefore, even if guide member 420 is disposed between two front wheels 301, 302 to restrict the lateral movement of front wheels 301, 302, rear wheels 303, 304 can still move left and right. For this reason, when rear wheels 303, 304 of shopping cart 300 swing toward housing 400 of gate mechanism 40, there is a possibility that shopping cart 300 may collide with housing 400 or POS terminal 11.

[0059] Therefore, in this embodiment, not only is guide member 420 provided on floor surface 411 of passage 410, but an appropriate distance is also set between housing 400 and guide member 420. In other words, the distance between housing 400 and guide member 420 is set so that, even if rear wheels 303, 304 of shopping cart 300 swing in a state where guide member 420 is placed between two front wheels 301, 302 of shopping cart 300, shopping cart 300 will not come into contact with POS terminal 11 or gate mechanism 40. More specifically, when the shopping cart 300 is closest to the housing 400 (the state shown in Figure 8), with the guide member 420 in contact with the inside of the left front wheel 301 of the two front wheels 301, 302 and the rear wheels 303, 304 of the shopping cart 300 swinging in a direction approaching the housing 400, the guide member 420 is positioned at a distance from the housing 400 that will prevent the shopping cart 300 from coming into contact with the POS terminal 11 and the gate mechanism 40.

[0060] As shown in Figure 8, when guide member 420 is placed between two front wheels 301, 302 and rear wheels 303, 304 of shopping cart 300 are swung in a direction that brings them closer to housing 400, the inside of left rear wheel 303 comes into contact with guide member 420, and the swinging of shopping cart 300 stops at this position. In other words, the state shown in Figure 8 is the state in which shopping cart 300 is closest to housing 400, and guide member 420 should be provided at a position away from housing 400 that is far enough away from housing 400 that shopping cart 300 will not come into contact with housing 400 or POS terminal 11 in this state.

[0061] 5 and 6, the touch panel 56 of the POS terminal 11 protrudes slightly from the housing 400 toward the aisle 410. Therefore, even if the above-described guide member 420 is used to prevent the shopping cart 300 from colliding with the housing 400, it is possible that part of the shopping cart 300 may come into contact with the touch panel 56. However, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, the mobile terminal 21 of the shopping cart 300 is positioned to the left of the center in the left-right direction of the shopping cart 300, so there is no problem of the mobile terminal 21 coming into contact with the touch panel 56, which is at the same height.

[0062] [Effect description] As described above, the security gate 200 of this embodiment has a simple configuration in which a guide member 420 of a predetermined width is protruded from the floor surface 411 of the passage 410 at a predetermined distance from the housing 400 of the gate mechanism 40 equipped with the POS terminal 11, thereby preventing a shopping cart 300 passing through the passage 410 from colliding with the housing 400 or the POS terminal 11.

[0063] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the guide member 420 has two inclined surfaces 422, 423 at the end on the entrance side of the passage 410, so that even if the shopping cart 300 enters the passage 410 from a direction inclined with respect to the direction of arrow P along the passage 410, the guide member 420 can be easily inserted between the two front wheels 301, 302, making it easier to operate the shopping cart 300 and improving convenience for the person being transacted with.

[0064] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the front wheels 301, 302 of the shopping cart 300 are guided by the guide members 420, and the rear wheels 303, 304 are not restricted from moving in the left-right direction by the guide members 420, so that left-right swaying of the rear wheels 303, 304 of the shopping cart 300 can be tolerated, improving the operability of the shopping cart 300. In other words, by allowing left-right swaying in this way, the shopping cart 300 can be stabilized without rattling, even if an undesirable external force is applied to the shopping cart 300 in the lateral direction.

[0065] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the distance between the shopping cart 300 passing through the passage 410 and the human presence sensor 41 installed in the housing 400 can be maintained constant, and the passage of the shopping cart 300 and the person being transacted with can be reliably detected.

[0066] [Description of Modifications] 9 and 10, the security gate 200 may include a spacer 50 to prevent the shopping cart 300 from coming into contact with the housing 400 of the gate mechanism 40 or the POS terminal 11. The spacer 50 may be provided in addition to or instead of the guide member 420. The spacer 50 protrudes upward from the floor surface 411 on which the passage 410 is located and is provided around the periphery near the bottom end of the housing 400 of the gate mechanism 40. The spacer 50 may be a plate-like member of uniform thickness disposed between the floor surface 411 and the bottom surface of the housing 400, or may be an annular plate-like member of uniform thickness provided around the periphery of the housing 400.

[0067] The protruding height of spacer 50 from floor surface 411, that is, the thickness of spacer 50, may be any height that makes it difficult for wheels 301 to 304 of shopping cart 300 to go over.

[0068] With at least one of the four wheels 301 to 304 of the shopping cart 300 in contact with the periphery 51 from the outside of the spacer 50, the structure of the shopping cart 300 that protrudes most toward the inside of the spacer 50 is the front end of the basket stand 307. Therefore, as shown in Figure 9, for example, with the two front wheels 301, 302 in contact with the periphery 51 of the spacer 50, the periphery 51 of the spacer 50 may be positioned so that the front end of the basket stand 307 of the shopping cart 300 does not come into contact with the housing 400 of the gate mechanism 40.

[0069] In other words, the shape of peripheral edge 51 of spacer 50 may be a shape that corresponds to the shape of housing 400 of gate mechanism 40, and may be a shape that does not cause shopping cart 300 to interfere with housing 400 or POS terminal 11 when at least one of wheels 301-304 of shopping cart 300 abuts at any position on peripheral edge 51 of spacer 50. The shape of peripheral edge 51 of spacer 50 may be any shape that satisfies the above conditions, and may be set to any shape such as a circle, an ellipse, an oval, a polygon, etc.

[0070] As described above, the embodiments and their modifications of the present invention have been described. However, the above-described embodiments and their modifications are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above-described embodiments and their modifications can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The above-described embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 10...POS system, 11...POS terminal, 20...mobile payment system, 21...mobile terminal, 27...barcode scanner, 40...gate mechanism, 41...human presence sensor, 42...patrol lamp, 50...spacer, 51...periphery, 56...touch panel, 100...store system, 200...security gate, 300...shopping cart, 301, 302...front wheels, 303, 304...rear wheels, 400...casing, 410...aisle, 411...floor surface, 420...guide member, 422, 423...inclined surface.

Claims

1. a determination device disposed on one side in the width direction of a passage through which a cart having two front wheels on the left and right passes, the determination device determining whether the cart is permitted to pass; a guide member having a width narrower than the distance between the two front wheels, protruding upward from the floor of the passageway and extending along the passageway, the guide member being disposed at a position spaced apart from the determination device by a distance such that the cart does not come into contact with the determination device when disposed between the two front wheels; A security gate with a

2. The cart has two rear wheels on the left and right that are spaced wider apart on the left and right than the two front wheels, the guide member is provided at a position away from the determination device by a distance such that the kart does not come into contact with the determination device while being in contact with the inner side of the rear wheel farthest from the determination device, of the two rear wheels; The security gate according to claim 1.

3. The cart has two rear wheels on the left and right that are spaced wider apart on the left and right than the two front wheels, a spacer that protrudes upward from the floor on the aisle side of the determination device and abuts against one of the two rear wheels that is closest to the determination device to prevent the cart from contacting the determination device; The security gate according to claim 1.

4. The guide member has, on the entrance side of the passage, ends that are inclined from approximately the center in the width direction of the guide member toward both left and right ends in the width direction toward the exit side of the passage. The security gate according to claim 1.

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