Shelf device with mobile camera for article photography, unmanned sales system, and sales management system for unmanned store

Abstract

To provide an unmanned sales system that enhances the accuracy of identifying removed articles by precisely photographing areas where the articles are removed and / or replenished by using a small number of cameras.SOLUTION: An unmanned sales system includes: a weight sensor for sensing whether articles have been removed or replenished in each of multiple storage areas on a storage board where the articles for sale are placed; a camera for photographing the articles on the storage board; a moving device for moving the camera to change a photographing area; a control unit for controlling the moving device so that the camera moves to the storage area sensed by the weight sensor; and an article identification unit for identifying the articles removed or replenished based on an image of the storage area photographed by the camera. Within the unmanned sales system, the camera is moved to photograph the area where the weight sensor has sensed article removal or replenishment. Since the camera photographs a narrow area, the resolution of the photographed image increases.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an unmanned sales system and a shelf device used therein, and more particularly to an unmanned sales system having the function of automatically recognizing and settling products purchased by customers, a shelf device used therein, and a sales management system for an unmanned store equipped with the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Unmanned vending machines have the advantage of eliminating the need for store clerks to handle sales and payments, and their use is becoming increasingly widespread. For products to be sold properly at unmanned vending machines, it is essential to accurately track the products purchased by users. Unlike vending machines, which sell only a few types of products, unmanned vending machines sell a wide variety of products and must be adaptable to situations where the products being sold change frequently. Therefore, unmanned vending machines must be equipped with technology that automatically identifies the product when a user removes it from a shelf. Once the removed product is identified, the unmanned vending machine checks the price of the product stored in a database and initiates a payment process for the purchase price for the customer who removed the product.

[0003] One method used to identify the removed products is to use a weight sensor and a camera.

[0004] Weight sensors are installed on shelves where products are placed and detect the weight of the shelves. If the weight of the shelves changes, for example, if the weight of the shelves decreases by 100g, it can be determined that a product weighing 100g has been removed from the shelves. The processor in the unmanned vending machine queries a product database that records the weight of each product and identifies the product that corresponds to the changed weight.

[0005] The camera takes pictures of the shelves where the products are placed, particularly the products on the shelves after their weights have changed, and recognizes the products currently on the shelves from the images.The system then compares the images with a database that records the current shelf state to identify removed and replenished products.

[0006] A method using only one of a weight sensor and a camera may be adopted for identifying products. However, a method using both a weight sensor and a camera is common for improving the accuracy of product identification. One of the weight sensor and the camera may be configured to perform the main function of product identification, and the other to perform a secondary function.

[0007] In such conventional methods, multiple cameras are typically installed at one unmanned vending machine. If one camera captures an image that includes all the shelves at the unmanned vending machine, the resolution of the captured image may be low, making it difficult to accurately identify the removed item. In addition, since multiple items are included in one image, the amount of calculation required to compare the images before and after detecting a weight change increases, increasing the possibility of erroneous comparison results. Furthermore, if only one camera is used, the camera must be installed at a certain distance in front of the unmanned vending machine to ensure a wide imaging area. In this case, there is a problem that the camera may block the image of a product if a customer blocks the product. Due to these problems, it is unavoidable to install multiple cameras at an unmanned vending machine. Therefore, installing multiple cameras increases the cost of building the unmanned vending machine.

[0008] One method for minimizing the number of cameras while increasing the accuracy of product identification using captured images is to install one camera on each level of a multi-level shelf. However, even with this method, the possibility of errors in product identification increases if, for example, the shelf is long and the area captured by one camera is large. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The present invention has been devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an unmanned vending system that can increase the accuracy of identifying removed products by using a small number of cameras to accurately photograph areas where products have been removed and / or replenished.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a shelving system that can be used in such an unmanned sales system.

[0011] It is still another object of the present invention to provide a sales management system for an unmanned store that realizes unmanned sales using such an unmanned sales system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an unmanned sales system comprising: a detection means for detecting whether a product to be sold has been removed and / or replenished for each of a plurality of storage areas on a storage board on which the product to be sold is placed; a camera for photographing the product on the storage board; a driving means for driving the camera so that the camera's photographing area is changed; a control unit for controlling the driving means to change the camera's photographing area so that the camera photographs the storage area where the detection means has detected the removal and / or replenishment of the product; and a product identification unit for identifying the product that has been removed and / or replenished based on the image photographed by the camera.

[0013] The sensing means may include a plurality of weight sensors disposed in each of the plurality of storage areas.

[0014] The sensing means may include an action sensor that senses the action of the purchaser putting in or taking out the product in each of the plurality of storage areas.

[0015] The driving means may include a moving device that moves the camera. The moving device may include a guide rail and a moving motor that moves the camera along the guide rail.

[0016] The moving device may be arranged horizontally along the storage plate, and is preferably arranged along the leading edge of the storage plate.

[0017] The moving device may be installed on the upper surface of the storage plate or on the lower surface of the storage plate.

[0018] Preferably, a plurality of the storage plates are arranged in layers in the vertical direction, and a plurality of the cameras and a plurality of the moving devices are provided corresponding to the plurality of storage plates, respectively.

[0019] A shielding member may be installed at the front end of the storage plate to prevent the camera and the moving device from being exposed in front of the storage plate.

[0020] As another example, preferably, a plurality of the storage plates are arranged in layers in the vertical direction, and the moving devices are arranged in the vertical direction. In this case, a pair of the moving devices may be provided at positions adjacent to both side ends of the storage plate, respectively.

[0021] The driving unit may include an angle changing unit that changes the shooting angle of the camera, and the driving unit may further include a zoom driving unit that controls the shooting range of the camera so that the camera zooms in and out depending on the distance between the camera and the storage area.

[0022] The driving means may include an articulated robot having the camera mounted at its end.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sales management system for an unmanned store including an unmanned sales system having such a configuration.

[0024] The sales management system for an unmanned store may further include an identification means for identifying each user located within the store, and a purchase confirmation unit that associates the product confirmed by the unmanned sales system as having been taken out of the storage board with the user confirmed using the identification means at the time of taking out the product, and confirms the user as the purchaser of the taken out product.

[0025] The identification means may be configured to include a user device including either a mobile terminal device owned by the user and held by the user, or a tag located within the store and given to the user, and a position detector that detects the position of the user device within the store.

[0026] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shelf device comprising: a storage board on which products to be sold are placed; a detection means for detecting whether the products have been removed and / or replenished in each of a plurality of storage areas on the storage board; a camera for photographing the products on the storage board; a drive means for driving the camera so that the camera's photography area is changed; and a control unit for controlling the drive means to change the camera's photography area so that the camera photographs the storage area in which the detection means has detected the product being removed and / or replenished.

[0027] The driving means includes a movement device for moving the camera, the movement device including a guide rail and a movement motor for moving the camera along the guide rail.

[0028] The shelf device of the present invention may further include a communication unit for transmitting the image captured by the camera to an external processor that performs an operation of identifying the product.

[0029] The shelf device of the present invention may further include a product identifier that identifies the removed and / or replenished product based on the image captured by the camera. [Effects of the Invention]

[0030] According to the present invention, a camera moves to an area in an unmanned vending system where a detection means such as a weight sensor detects the removal and / or replenishment of an item, and captures an image of that area. Because the camera captures a narrow area, the resolution of the captured image is increased. Therefore, the accuracy of identifying the removed or replenished item using the captured image is improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic block diagram of an unmanned sales system according to the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an unmanned vending system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a view of the top shelf in FIG. 2 as seen from above. [Figure 4] 4 shows a moving device installed on the shelf of FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a modification of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an unmanned vending system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a modification of FIG. 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the driving means of FIG. 9. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of an unmanned store in which the unmanned sales system of the present invention is installed. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a sales management system of the present invention that is applied to the unmanned store of FIG. 12. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the shelf device of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0032] In the following, the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings.

[0033] 1 is a schematic block diagram of an unmanned vending system according to the present invention. The unmanned vending system according to the present invention comprises a sensing means 10, a camera 20, a driving means 30, a control unit 40, and a product identification unit 50.

[0034] The sensing means 10 senses the removal and / or replenishment of products placed in each storage area for each of a plurality of storage areas on the storage board where products to be sold are placed. The sensing means 10 is composed of a weight sensor or a motion sensor, as will be described later. The camera 20 photographs the products placed on the storage board. The driving means 30 drives the camera 20 so that the imaging area of ​​the camera 20 is changed. The control unit 40 controls the driving means 30 to change the imaging area of ​​the camera so that the camera photographs the storage area where the removal and / or replenishment of products is detected by the sensing means 10. The product identification unit 50 identifies the removed and / or replenished products based on the detection result by the sensing means 10 and the image captured by the camera 20.

[0035] In addition to the components shown in the drawings, the unmanned vending system of the present invention also includes additional components necessary for unmanned vending, such as a payment unit for allowing a user to pay for the product confirmed as having been taken out, etc. These additional components do not constitute technical features of the present invention, and detailed illustrations and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0036] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of an unmanned vending system according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the top shelf in FIG. 2 as viewed from above.

[0037] The unmanned vending system includes a frame F that provides a space for receiving and displaying products P to be sold. A plurality of storage boards S are installed within the frame F. Products P to be sold are placed on each storage board S.

[0038] The storage plates S are arranged in layers in the vertical direction. The storage plates S arranged in a layered structure divide the internal space of the frame F into multiple layers in the vertical direction. In Figure 2, the internal space is divided into three layers. The space on each storage plate S is divided into multiple sections in the horizontal direction. In Figure 2, the space on each storage plate S is divided into four areas. As a result, the internal space of the frame F is divided into a total of 12 storage areas. In Figure 2, the storage areas are labeled A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, ... from the top left area.

[0039] Weight sensors 12 are installed below the storage plate S as the sensing means 10 in Fig. 1. The weight sensors 12 are arranged to correspond to each of the partitioned storage areas. Each weight sensor 12 senses the weight of the product P in the corresponding storage area. When a product P is removed from or replenished in any one of the storage areas, the weight sensor 12 senses the weight change in that storage area.

[0040] In this embodiment, a weight sensor 12 is exemplified as the sensing means 10, but the sensing means 10 may also be configured as a motion sensor. A motion sensor is a sensor that senses the movement of an object or a person, and for example, it senses the movement of a customer's hand when they place their hand on a product P to take out the product P. By installing a motion sensor corresponding to each storage area, the action of the customer putting in or taking out a product in each of the multiple storage areas is sensed.

[0041] 1 is installed on each storage plate S. A moving device 32 is installed on each storage plate S as the driving means 30 in FIG.

[0042] FIG. 4 shows a moving device installed on the shelf of FIGS.

[0043] The moving device 32 includes a long, bar-shaped guide rail 32a, a moving belt 32b attached to the guide rail 32a on which the camera 20 is placed, a moving motor 32d that drives the moving belt 32b to move the camera 20 along the guide rail 32a, and a roller 32c that transmits the rotational motion of the moving motor 32d to the moving belt 32b. The camera 20 on the moving belt 32b moves along the guide rail 32a as the moving motor 32d is driven to rotate. The moving direction of the camera 20 is controlled by the rotation direction of the moving motor 32d, and the moving distance of the camera 20 is controlled by the amount of rotation of the moving motor 32d. The moving motor 32d is configured as a servo motor or a stepping motor, allowing for accurate control of the moving position of the camera 20.

[0044] 2 and 3, the moving device 32 is disposed with its longitudinal direction, i.e., the longitudinal direction of the guide rails 32a, extending horizontally along the storage plate S. The guide rails 32a of the moving device 32 are configured so that their longitudinal sections occupy substantially the entire horizontal area of ​​one storage plate S. Therefore, the position of the camera 20 moved by the moving device 32 can be set to correspond to any one of the entire storage areas A1, A2, A3, and A4 within one storage plate S, as shown in FIG.

[0045] As described above, the control unit 40 controls the moving device 32 to move the camera 20 to one of the storage areas A1, A2, A3, and A4. At this time, the control unit 40 controls the camera 20 to move to a storage area where a weight change has been detected by the weight sensor 12. Therefore, the camera 20 captures an image of the product P displayed in the storage area where the weight change has occurred, and an image of the product P is obtained. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the camera 20 has moved to the A1 storage area, and FIG. 3 shows a state in which the camera 20 has moved to the A3 storage area. As an example, the camera 20 waits in the A1 storage area as shown in FIG. 2, and when a weight change is detected in the A3 storage area, the camera 20 moves to the A3 storage area as shown in FIG. 3. The camera 20 captures an image of the product P in the A3 storage area to which it has moved.

[0046] The product identification unit 50 identifies the removed and / or replenished product P based on the weight change detected by the weight sensor 12 and the image captured by the camera 20. As in conventional unmanned vending machines, the removed product P may be identified using either the weight sensor 12 or the camera 20 alone, or both the weight sensor 12 and the camera 20, or one of the weight sensor 12 and the camera 20 may perform the main function of recognizing the product P, with the other performing a secondary function. In the present invention, identification of the removed product P using the camera 20 is adopted as the main identification method, or at least as a method in addition to or complementary to identification by the weight sensor 12. Identification using the camera 20 is performed by comparing images captured by the camera 20 before and after the weight sensor 12 detects a weight change to extract an image of the removed product P, and comparing this with images of the product P stored in a database to identify which product P has been removed. As mentioned above, in the present invention, a motion sensor may be used as the sensing means 10, and since the motion sensor only senses the movement of objects or people, in this case, the sensing function of the motion sensor only functions to sense the storage area to which the camera 20 is to move, and only the camera 20 is used to identify the removed product P.

[0047] Meanwhile, weight sensor 12 detects not only weight decreases but also weight increases. In this case, camera 20 also moves to the storage area where the weight has changed and takes a photograph. An increase in weight occurs, for example, when a customer removes product P with the intention of purchasing it, but then changes their mind and puts product P back on storage plate S. In this case, camera 10 moves to the storage area and takes a photograph of product P, thereby identifying the removed and returned product P. Therefore, product P that the customer recognized as having purchased can be treated as an item that was ultimately not purchased. Meanwhile, when returning removed product P, the customer may inadvertently place product P in a different storage area than the storage area from which it was removed. In this case, camera 20 moves to the storage area where product P was placed and takes a photograph, thereby identifying the returned product P even if it is a different product from the product originally placed in that storage area. If the returned product P is placed among other products in the storage area, camera 20 may not photograph the returned product itself, but may photograph the other products originally placed in the storage area. In this case, the unmanned vending system can identify the product returned to the storage area by searching the database for the product corresponding to the weight change detected by the weight sensor 12. In such various cases, the present invention can effectively utilize a method in which the camera 20 moves to the storage area where the weight change is detected and takes a photograph.

[0048] Figure 5 is a side view of Figure 3. As shown in Figure 5, the moving device 32 is arranged along the leading edge of the storage plate S, and the camera 20 is arranged to photograph the rear. Generally, identical products P are arranged side by side in the front-to-back direction of the storage plate S in one storage area. Of the products P arranged side by side, only the product P arranged at the leading edge is exposed so that almost the entire area can be photographed, so it is preferable to arrange the camera 20 as shown in Figure 5 to photograph the product P at the leading edge.

[0049] A shielding member 60 is installed at the tip of the storage plate S. The shielding member 60 has the function of shielding the camera 20 and the moving device 32 so that they are not exposed to the front of the storage plate S. The shielding member 60 has a panel portion that shields the front of the storage plate S, and this panel may be used as a display panel that displays information and prices about the products P displayed in the storage area, for example. The shielding member 60 prevents the moving device 32 and the camera 20 from being exposed to the outside and protects them from external impacts.

[0050] 5, the moving device 32, the camera 20, and the shielding member 60 are installed on the upper surface of the storage plate S. With this configuration, the camera 20 photographs the product P on the storage plate S to which the camera 20 is attached.

[0051] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a variation of FIG. 5 . Unlike FIG. 5 , in FIG. 6 , the moving device 32, camera 20, and shielding member 60 are installed on the underside of the storage plate S. With this configuration, the camera 20 photographs not the storage plate S on which the camera 20 is attached, but the product P on the storage plate located below it, i.e., the product P on the lower layer. With this method, the distance between the camera 20 and the product P to be photographed is somewhat greater than in the case of FIG. 5 , making it easier to ensure a sufficient photographing area. Furthermore, the camera 20 can photograph not only the leading edge of the storage area but also the middle or rear end. Therefore, for example, even if a returned product P is placed in the middle or rear end of the storage area, the returned product P can be included in the photographed image. Furthermore, because the product P is not obstructed by the shielding member 60, moving device 32, and camera 20, the customer can easily see the entire product P with the naked eye.

[0052] 7 is a diagram illustrating an unmanned vending system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment and the following embodiments, the same reference numerals are used for components that are substantially the same as those in the previous embodiment.

[0053] In this embodiment, the moving device 32 is disposed on the right side of the frame F so as to extend vertically. This allows the camera 20 to move vertically along the guide rail 32a. A plurality of storage plates S are disposed vertically in layers within the frame F. In this embodiment, each storage plate S has one storage area. As in the first embodiment described above, the area on one storage plate S can be divided into multiple sections to form multiple storage areas, or as in this embodiment, the entire area on one storage plate S can form one storage area. One weight sensor 12 is installed on each storage plate S. The camera 20 moves vertically by the moving device 32 so as to photograph the storage area of ​​the storage plate S where weight changes are detected by the weight sensor 12.

[0054] The configuration of this embodiment is suitable for application to an unmanned vending system having a frame F with a relatively narrow horizontal width. In this case, a single camera 20 can capture a clear image of the entire area on the storage tray S. Therefore, with the configuration shown in Figure 7, even a single camera 20 can accurately identify the product P being taken out from each layer of a multi-layer structure.

[0055] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a modified example of FIG. 7. In FIG. 8, the moving devices 32 are arranged vertically as in FIG. 7, but a pair of moving devices 32 are arranged adjacent to both side ends of the storage plate S within the frame F. In FIG. 8, the space above each storage plate S is divided horizontally into two parts, a left side and a right side, thereby dividing each floor into a left storage area and a right storage area. Two weight sensors 12 are also installed on each floor, corresponding to the left storage area and the right storage area, respectively. The left and right cameras 20 are responsible for the left storage area and the right storage area, respectively.

[0056] This method is suitable when it is difficult to photograph an entire floor with only one camera 20, as the width of the frame F is somewhat larger than that of Figure 7, or when it is necessary to divide the area of ​​each floor into two storage areas and display different products P in each.

[0057] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the driving means of FIG.

[0058] In the first and second embodiments described above, a moving device 32 is provided as the driving means 30, and the camera 20 is configured to move along the guide rail 32a. In contrast, in this embodiment, the driving means 30 is configured to include an angle changing unit 35 that changes the shooting angle of the camera 20.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 9 , in this embodiment, the camera 20 is installed outside, preferably at the zenith, a certain distance away from the frame F of the unmanned vending system. This allows the camera 20 to capture the area on all storage plates S within the frame F. However, in this embodiment, the camera 20 is configured so that its capture area includes only one storage area within the frame F, rather than the entire area within the frame F. The capture area of ​​the camera 20 is changed by changing the capture angle of the camera 20 using the angle change unit 35. For example, as shown in FIG. 9 , the camera 20 is controlled to capture the A11 storage area or the A12 storage area by changing the capture angle. As in the previous embodiment, the capture angle of the camera 20 is changed so that the camera 20 captures the storage area in which the weight sensor 12 detects a weight change.

[0060] 9, the angle change unit 35 changes the angle in the vertical direction, but the angle change unit 35 may also be configured to change the angle in the horizontal direction, or may be configured to change the angle in both the vertical and horizontal directions. The angle change unit 35 may adopt a well-known mechanical configuration that rotates the camera 20 to change the shooting angle, and specific illustrations and descriptions thereof will be omitted. In this embodiment, two or more angle change units 35 and cameras 20 may be provided as needed.

[0061] Preferably, in this embodiment, the driving means 30 further includes a zoom driving unit 36. The zoom driving unit 36 ​​has a function of controlling the imaging range so that the camera 20 zooms in and out depending on the distance between the camera 20 and the storage area. When the angle of the camera 20 is changed as in this embodiment, the distance between the camera 20 and the storage area being imaged varies depending on the storage area. In FIG. 9, it is preferable that the camera 20 be controlled to zoom in when imaging a storage area relatively far from the camera 20, such as area A12, compared to when imaging a storage area relatively close to the camera 20, such as area A11. Therefore, when the angle of the camera 20 is changed to a storage area where a weight change is detected by the weight sensor 12, the zoom driving unit 36 ​​adjusts the degree of zooming in and out of the camera depending on the storage area, thereby ensuring a clearer image of the product P in the storage area. The degree of zooming in and out may be preset to different values ​​for each storage area. For example, in the example of FIG. 9, the basic value may be set when photographing the A11 storage area, and the zoom-in may be set to 1.5 times when photographing the A12 storage area.

[0062] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0063] In this embodiment, the driving means 30 is configured as an articulated robot 80. The articulated robot 80 includes a plurality of arms 81, a rotation shaft 82 that connects the arms 81 so that they can rotate relative to one another, and a plurality of rotation motors (not shown) that control the rotation position of each arm 81 around the rotation shaft 82. When a camera 20 is installed at the end of such an articulated robot 80, the position of the camera 20 can be freely set and moved by controlling the articulated robot 80. Therefore, by using the articulated robot 80 to move the camera 20 so that the storage area detected by the weight sensor 12 is set as the shooting area of ​​the camera 20, it is possible to easily shoot an image of the product P in that storage area.

[0064] The unmanned sales system according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention can be applied to various types of unmanned store sales management systems.

[0065] Figure 12 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of an unmanned store in which the unmanned vending system of the present invention has been introduced. In Figure 12, reference symbol C indicates the unmanned vending system of the present invention, and T1 to T5 are tags that are used as an example of user devices 122 that constitute the identification means 120 described below. Figure 12 shows a state in which five customers, each carrying a tag T1 to T5, have entered a store in which multiple unmanned vending systems C of the present invention have been installed.

[0066] Figure 13 is a block diagram of a sales management system of the present invention that is applied to the unmanned store of Figure 12. The sales management system of the present invention comprises an unmanned sales system C having the configuration of the present invention as described above, an identification means 120 for identifying each user located within the store, and a purchase confirmation unit 130 for confirming that a user who enters the store and picks up a product is the purchaser of that product.

[0067] The identification means 120 is a means for identifying each user located within the store, and includes, for example, a user device 122 that the user has within the store, and a position detector 124 that detects the position of the user device 122. Here, "identifying" means that the position detector 124 detects the position of the user device 122 within the store.

[0068] For example, the user device 122 may be a mobile terminal owned by the user. When a mobile terminal is used as the user device 122, the location detector 124 can identify the user as well as the location of the user device 122 within the store, and a separate payment unit (not shown) can automatically perform a payment process for the purchase price for the mobile terminal.

[0069] As another example, the user device 122 may be a tag given to each user entering a store. When a tag is used as the user device 122, the identity of the user cannot be identified, but the location of the tag within the store can be identified by the position detector 124. The tag is prepared, for example, at the entrance of the store, and the user takes the tag when entering the store and carries it within the store. This tag provides a means for the position detector 124 to confirm the location of the tag within the store, for example, using RFID. A number of RFID readers are installed within the store as position detectors 124 that can grasp the location of each tag. Depending on the type of tag, a UWB (Ultra Wide Band) reader may be used as the position detector 124. The user always carries the tag when moving within the store, and as a result, the location of each tag T1 to T5 within the store can be confirmed by the position detector 124 as shown in FIG. 12.

[0070] When the unmanned sales system C confirms that a product P has been removed from the storage tray S, the purchase confirmation unit 130 associates the removed product P with a specific user device 122, thereby confirming the user of the user device 122 as the purchaser of the product P. In this case, the specific user device 122 is the user device 122 whose position, detected by the position detector 124, is confirmed to be closest to the removed product P at the time of removal. For example, if a T3 tag is confirmed to be the tag located closest to the storage area of ​​the currently removed product P, the purchase confirmation unit 130 associates the T3 tag with the removed product P, thereby recording the holder of the T3 tag as the purchaser. When the user leaves the store, they submit their tag to an unmanned payment system installed at the exit of the store. The unmanned payment system can confirm the details of the removed product P associated with the tag using the purchase confirmation unit 130, and make payment to the user based on the details.

[0071] Meanwhile, as another example of the identification means 120, a user location identification device that tracks the current location of a user within a store based on video of the user may be used. This method involves capturing video of all people moving within the store, tracking their movement paths in real time, identifying the user who removed the product P, and then identifying the identified user as the purchaser. In this case, the identity of the user is confirmed, for example, by matching the user's face with the video of the user. This method has the disadvantage of requiring a large amount of video processing calculations to identify the purchaser, but has the advantage of increased convenience for the user because it does not involve the intervention of a separate user device 122.

[0072] In the above embodiments of the present invention, an unmanned sales system installed in an unmanned store and a sales management system for an unmanned store using such a system have been described. The present invention proposes a method for manufacturing only the shelf device as an independent component within the overall configuration of such an unmanned sales system.

[0073] FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a shelf device of the present invention.

[0074] The shelf device of the present invention is a part of the overall configuration of the unmanned store sales management system shown in Figure 1 configured as a shelf device. The shelf device comprises sensing means 10, camera 20, driving means 30, and control unit 40. Naturally, the shelf device of the present invention also includes a storage board S on which products for sale are displayed. Each of these components is the same as that described with reference to Figure 1, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted, and the description of the configuration in Figure 1 will be used to describe the shelf device of the present invention. Of the components in Figure 14, the same elements as in Figure 1 are given the same reference numerals as in Figure 1.

[0075] In addition, the detailed configurations and modifications of each component already described with reference to Fig. 1 may also be applied to the shelf device of the present invention. In order to manufacture the shelf device as an independent unit, the configuration corresponding to the first embodiment of the present invention described with reference to Figs. 2 to 6 among the configurations of the unmanned vending system described above, i.e., the configuration in which the guide rail 32a is arranged horizontally at the tip of the storage plate S and the camera 20 moves horizontally at the edge of the tip of the storage plate S by the movement motor 32d, is suitable.

[0076] In this way, by manufacturing the shelving units as independent components, the functions of the unmanned store sales management system of the present invention can be realized by simply replacing the storage boards currently installed in existing stores for displaying products with the shelving units of the present invention. In other words, the unmanned store sales management system configured as shown in Figure 1 includes a configuration in which multiple shelving units are arranged on multiple levels, as well as other components such as frames or doors. Such modularized shelving units allow existing stores to be remodeled into unmanned stores easily and at low cost.

[0077] Unlike the shelf system shown in FIG. 1, the shelf system shown in FIG. 14 includes a communication unit 57, which provides a means for communicating with an external processor 59 that is provided separately from the shelf system. The external processor 59 performs the same function as the product identification unit 50 shown in FIG. 1, i.e., identifies products using images, outside the shelf system. Images captured by the camera 20 are transmitted to the external processor 59 via the communication unit 57, and the external processor 59 identifies the removed / replenished product using the received images. The external processor 59 may be implemented as a computer or processor provided separately within the store, or as a separate server or computer remotely connected via a communication network.

[0078] On the other hand, the shelf device may be configured with a product identification unit 50 rather than a communication unit 57. In other words, by including the configuration of the product identification unit 50 shown in Fig. 1 within the shelf device, the shelf device may be able to complete product identification on its own without a separate external processor 59. However, even in this case, the sales management system installed in the store will likely require information about the identified products, and therefore it is preferable to provide a communication unit 57 for the purpose of transmitting information about products identified by the product identification unit 50 to the sales management system.

[0079] Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, these are merely illustrative, and those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and equivalent embodiments are possible. Therefore, the true technical scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical ideas set forth in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 10 Sensing means 12 Weight Sensor 20 Camera 30 Driving means 32 Mobile Devices 32a Guide rail 32b Moving Belt 32c roller 32d Travel Motor 35 Angle change section 36 Zoom drive unit 40 Control Unit 50 Product Identification Department 57 Communications Department 59 External Processor 60 Shielding member 80 Articulated Robot 81 Arm 82 Rotation axis 100 Sales Management System 120 Specific means 122 User equipment 124 Position detector 130 Purchasing Confirmation Department A1,A2,A3,A4,A5,A11,A12 Storage area C. Unmanned sales system F Frame P product S storage board T1,T2,T3,T4,T5 tags

Claims

1. a sensing means for sensing whether the products to be sold have been removed and / or replenished for each of a plurality of storage areas on a storage board on which the products to be sold are placed; a camera for photographing the products on the storage plate; a driving means for driving the camera so that the photographing area of ​​the camera is changed; a control unit that controls the driving means to change the photographing area of ​​the camera so that the camera photographs the storage area where the removal and / or replenishment of the product is detected by the detection means; a product identification unit that identifies the removed and / or replenished products based on the images captured by the camera; An unmanned sales system comprising:

2. 2. The unmanned vending system according to claim 1, wherein the sensing means includes a plurality of weight sensors installed in each of the plurality of storage areas.

3. 2. The unmanned sales system according to claim 1, wherein the sensing means includes an action sensor that senses actions of a purchaser putting in or taking out the commodity in each of the plurality of storage areas.

4. 2. The unmanned sales system according to claim 1, wherein the driving means includes a moving device for moving the camera.

5. The moving device is Guide rails and a movement motor that moves the camera along the guide rail; The unmanned sales system according to claim 4, further comprising:

6. 6. The unmanned vending system according to claim 5, wherein the moving device is arranged horizontally along the storage board.

7. 7. The unmanned vending system according to claim 6, wherein the moving device is disposed along a leading edge of the storage plate.

8. 8. The unmanned sales system according to claim 7, wherein the moving device is installed on an upper surface of the storage plate.

9. 8. The unmanned vending system according to claim 7, wherein the moving device is installed on the underside of the storage plate.

10. The plurality of storage plates are arranged in layers in the vertical direction, 7. The unmanned sales system according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of the cameras and a plurality of the moving devices are provided so as to correspond to a plurality of the storage plates, respectively.

11. 8. The unmanned vending system according to claim 7, wherein a shielding member is installed at the tip of the storage plate to prevent the camera and the moving device from being exposed in front of the storage plate.

12. The plurality of storage plates are arranged in layers in the vertical direction, 6. The unmanned sales system according to claim 5, wherein the moving device is arranged in a vertical direction.

13. 13. The unmanned vending system according to claim 12, wherein a pair of said moving devices are provided at positions adjacent to both side ends of said storage plate.

14. 2. The unmanned sales system according to claim 1, wherein the driving means includes an angle changing unit that changes the shooting angle of the camera.

15. 14. The unmanned vending system according to claim 13, wherein the driving means further comprises a zoom driving unit that controls a photographing range so that the camera zooms in and zooms out depending on a distance between the camera and the storage area.

16. 2. The unmanned sales system according to claim 1, wherein the driving means includes an articulated robot having the camera installed at its end.

17. A sales management system for an unmanned store, comprising the unmanned sales system according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

18. Identification means for identifying each user located within the store; a purchase confirmation unit that associates the commodity confirmed by the unmanned sales system as having been taken out from the storage board with the user confirmed using the identification means at the time of taking out the commodity, and confirms the user as a purchaser of the taken out commodity; The unmanned store sales management system according to claim 17, further comprising:

19. The identification means a user device including one of a user-owned mobile terminal carried by the user and a tag located in the store and given to the user; a position detector for detecting a position of the user device within the store; The unmanned store sales management system according to claim 18, further comprising:

20. a storage board on which the products to be sold are placed; a sensing means for sensing whether the product has been removed and / or replenished for each of the plurality of storage areas on the storage board; a camera for photographing the products on the storage plate; a driving means for driving the camera so that the photographing area of ​​the camera is changed; a control unit that controls the driving means to change the photographing area of ​​the camera so that the camera photographs the storage area where the removal and / or replenishment of the product is detected by the detection means; A shelf device comprising:

21. 21. The shelf apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the driving means includes a moving device for moving the camera.

22. The moving device is Guide rails and a movement motor that moves the camera along the guide rail; 22. The shelving system of claim 21, comprising:

23. 21. The shelf system of claim 20, further comprising a communication unit for transmitting images captured by the camera to an external processor that performs an operation to identify the product.

24. 21. The shelf device according to claim 20, further comprising a product identifier that identifies the removed and / or replenished product based on the image captured by the camera.

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