Item registration device, data processing method, and program

Abstract

This article registration device (100) comprises: a reading unit (102) which reads article identification information from an IC tag associated with an article, by using at least one of a plurality of antennas; a control unit (106) which controls the reading unit (102); a determination unit (104) which determines whether or not the reading result of the reading unit (102) satisfies the criteria; and a specifying unit (108) which specifies the article identification information read by the reading unit (102), wherein the control unit (106) causes the reading unit (102) to read the article identification information by using a first antenna, the determination unit (104) determines whether or not the reading result obtained using the first antenna satisfies criteria,, the control unit (106) causes the reading unit (102) to read the article identification information by using a second antenna different from the first antenna when the reading result obtained using the first antenna satisfies the criteria, and the specifying unit (108) specifies article identification information to be output, by using the article identification information read by using the first antenna and the second antenna.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an article registration device, a data processing method thereof, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, self-checkout registers, which automatically read product information from IC (Integrated Circuit) tags attached to products, register the products, and allow customers to operate the payment device, have begun to become more common.

[0003] An example of an IC tag reader used in a self-checkout device is described in Patent Document 1. The reader described in Patent Document 1 has two or more RFID reader antennas arranged with different radio wave emission surfaces facing each other, and by irradiating radio waves from different directions, the reading rate of RFID tags associated with products is improved.

[0004] The reading device of the accounting system described in Patent Document 2 includes an antenna that emits radio waves to communicate with the RF tag, and a shield that houses the antenna and has an opening wider than the item, and reads information from the RF tag with the shield open. The shield, which constitutes the storage section that stores the item, prevents the radio waves emitted from the antenna of the reading device from spreading around the reading device, reducing the impact of the radio waves on other devices.

[0005] In addition, the shielding section is equipped with a radio wave reflective sheet that absorbs radio waves. Sheet The radio wave reflective sheet is formed on the outside of the radio wave absorbing sheet so as to surround the radio wave absorbing sheet. Therefore, weak radio waves leaking from the radio wave absorbing sheet are reflected by the radio wave reflective sheet and absorbed inside the radio wave absorbing sheet, thereby blocking the radio waves. As a result, in this reader, the communication area with the RF tag is limited to the storage section and the area above it, so that the tag information of the RF tags of other products around the reader is not misread. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-87137 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2018-190255 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The reader described in Patent Document 1 above is more likely to erroneously read products that should not be read. In addition, driving multiple RFID reader antennas simultaneously may increase power consumption and affect other surrounding devices.

[0008] An IC tag becomes electrically charged when it receives radio waves from a reader, and transmits the information stored in its memory to the reader. Many IC tags attached to products are sheet-like. Therefore, if the surface of the tag is parallel to the direction in which the radio waves are emitted, the IC tag's antenna will not be sufficiently hit by the radio waves, and the IC tag will not be able to generate an electric charge and will not function. This can result in IC tags not being read properly. Also, if the tags of multiple products overlap, the radio waves returned by each IC tag may interfere with each other and cancel each other out.

[0009] The reading device described in Patent Document 2 can prevent erroneous reading of products that should not be read, but cannot prevent the occurrence of IC tag reading errors as described above.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for improving the reading accuracy of an IC tag associated with an article. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, each aspect of the present invention employs the following configuration.

[0012] The first aspect relates to an article registration device. A first article registration device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes: An article registration device that communicates with an IC (Integrated Circuit) tag associated with an article, A reading means for reading item identification information from the IC tag associated with the item using at least one of a plurality of antennas; A control means for controlling the reading means; a determination means for determining whether or not the result of reading the item identification information by the reading means satisfies a standard; An identification means for identifying the item identification information read by the reading means; having The control means causes the reading means to read the item identification information using the first antenna, The determination means determines whether or not a read result using the first antenna satisfies the criterion; when it is determined that the read result using the first antenna satisfies the criterion, the control means causes the reading means to read the item identification information using a second antenna different from the first antenna; The identification means identifies the item identification information to be output using the item identification information read using the first antenna and the item identification information read using the second antenna.

[0013] A second article registration device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes: An article registration device that communicates with an IC tag associated with an article, A reading means for reading item identification information from the IC tag associated with the item using a plurality of antennas; A control means for controlling the reading means; a determination means for determining whether or not the result of reading the item identification information by the reading means satisfies a standard; An identification means for identifying the item identification information read by the reading means; having The control means causes the reading means to read the item identification information using a first antenna and a second antenna; The determination means determines whether or not the read results of the first antenna and the second antenna match, The control means When it is determined that the read results match, the reading means ends reading of the item identification information; If the read result is determined to be a mismatch, the reading means is caused to further read the item identification information using a third antenna; The identification means identifies the item identification information to be output using the item identification information read using the first antenna, the second antenna, and the third antenna.

[0014] The second aspect relates to a data processing method for an article registration device executed by at least one computer. A first data processing method according to a second aspect includes: An article registration device that communicates with an IC (Integrated Circuit) tag associated with an article, a reading means for reading item identification information from the IC tag associated with the item by using at least one of a plurality of antennas; The article registration device, causing the reading means to read the item identification information using the first antenna; determining whether a read result using the first antenna satisfies a criterion; when it is determined that the read result using the first antenna satisfies the criterion, causing the reading means to read the item identification information using a second antenna different from the first antenna; The method includes identifying the item identification information to be output using the item identification information read using the first antenna and the item identification information read using the second antenna.

[0015] A second data processing method according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises: An article registration device that communicates with an IC tag associated with an article, A reading means for reading item identification information from the IC tag associated with the item by using a plurality of antennas, The article registration device, causing the reading means to read the item identification information using a first antenna and a second antenna; determining whether the read results of the first antenna and the second antenna match; When it is determined that the read results match, the reading means ends reading of the item identification information; If the read result is determined to be a mismatch, the reading means is caused to further read the item identification information using a third antenna; and identifying the item identification information to be output using the item identification information read using the first antenna, the second antenna, and the third antenna.

[0016] Another aspect of the present invention may be a program for causing at least one computer to execute the method of the second aspect, or a computer-readable recording medium having such a program recorded thereon. This recording medium includes a non-transitory tangible medium. The computer program includes computer program code which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to carry out the data processing method on the item registration device.

[0017] Any combination of the above components, and any transformation of the present invention into a method, device, system, recording medium, computer program, etc., are also effective as aspects of the present invention.

[0018] Furthermore, the various components of the present invention do not necessarily have to be independent entities, but may be formed as a single member by multiple components, one component may be formed from multiple components, one component may be a part of another component, or part of one component may overlap with part of another component, etc.

[0019] In addition, although the method and computer program of the present invention describe a number of steps in a sequential order, the order does not limit the order in which the steps are executed. Therefore, when implementing the method and computer program of the present invention, the order of the steps can be changed as long as it does not affect the content.

[0020] Furthermore, the steps of the method and computer program of the present invention are not limited to being executed at different timings, and therefore a step may occur while another step is being executed, or the execution timing of a step may overlap partially or entirely with the execution timing of another step, etc. Effect of the Invention

[0021] According to each of the above aspects, it is possible to provide a technique for improving the reading accuracy of an IC tag associated with an item. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a sales system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating examples of the arrangement of multiple antennas used by an article registration device. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram for explaining the reading direction of an IC tag embedded in a tag and an antenna. [Figure 4] 1 is a functional block diagram logically showing the configuration of an RFID tag according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of item identification information. [Figure 6]1 is a functional block diagram logically illustrating a configuration of an article registration device according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] 7 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a computer that realizes the article registration device shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the article registration device according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of individual identification information read by each antenna. [Figure 10] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the article registration device according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of individual identification information read by each antenna. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a logical configuration of a sales system according to an embodiment. [Figure 13] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the sales system according to the embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a confirmation screen. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a quantity input screen. [Figure 16] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the article registration device according to another embodiment. [Figure 17] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the article registration device according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings, the same components are given the same reference numerals, and the description will be omitted as appropriate. In each drawing, the configuration of the parts that are not related to the essence of the present invention is omitted and is not shown.

[0024] In the embodiment, "acquisition" includes at least one of the following: a device goes to retrieve data or information stored in another device or storage medium (active acquisition), and inputs data or information output from another device to the device (passive acquisition). Examples of active acquisition include making a request or inquiry to another device and receiving a reply, and accessing and reading information from another device or storage medium. Examples of passive acquisition include receiving information that is distributed (or transmitted, push notification, etc.). Furthermore, "acquisition" may mean selecting and acquiring data or information from received data or information, or selecting and receiving distributed data or information.

[0025] (First embodiment) <System Overview> FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an outline of a sales system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The sales system automatically performs a registration process of a product to be purchased. A tag 40 including an IC tag in which product identification information such as a product code is stored is previously associated with each product 32. Associating the tag 40 and / or the IC tag 42 with the product 32 means binding, attaching, or embedding the tag 40 and / or the IC tag 42 in the product 32. The tag 40 and / or the IC tag 42 may be attached to the product 32 from the outside or embedded inside the product 32. In the example shown in the figure, the tag 40 including the IC tag 42 is tied to the product 32 with a string.

[0026] The timing for associating the tag 40 and / or IC tag 42 with the item 32 is not particularly limited, and may be any time before the item 32 is displayed or before it is sold, or another tag 40 and / or IC tag 42 may be attached and re-associated with the item 32 after the item 32 is displayed or before checkout.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1(b), first, a customer places an item 32 to be purchased in a shopping basket 30 and places the shopping basket on the housing 20. However, the shopping basket 30 is not necessary, and the item 32 may be placed directly on the housing 20. Item identification information is read from a tag 40 associated with the item 32 using a plurality of antennas (indicated as 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d in the figure; hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between them, they will simply be referred to as antennas 10) provided in the housing 20 shown in FIG. 1(a). Based on the item identification information that has been read, the sales system performs a product registration process for the item 32 and outputs payment information to the payment device.

[0028] In the example of FIG. 1, the housing 20 has a recess 22 surrounded by three surfaces, namely a bottom surface 20a on which an article 32 is placed, left and right side surfaces 20b, 20c, and a back surface 20d. Antennas 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d are provided on each surface. The shape of the housing 20 is an example and is not limited thereto. In FIG. 1, the top surface and the front surface of the housing 20 are open, but the front surface, the top surface, or both surfaces may not be open. Antennas 10 may or may not be provided on these surfaces. A lid may be provided on the opening of the recess 22 of the housing 20, and antennas 10 may be provided on all surfaces of the internal space of the housing 20. The number of antennas 10 provided on each surface is not limited to one. A plurality of antennas 10 may be arranged on each surface.

[0029] The antenna 10 may be provided inside the housing 20 or on the surface of a side surface.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2, the antennas 10 may be provided at least below the placement position (bottom surface 20a of the housing 20) of the article 32 and on at least one surface on the side of the placement position of the article 32. In the example of FIG. 2, the housing 20 is configured with only the bottom surface 20a without side surfaces. The first antenna (antenna 10a) may be arranged above or below the bottom surface 20a of the housing 20. Alternatively, it may be arranged inside the housing 20 at the placement position of the article 32. Furthermore, the other antennas 10 are arranged around the housing 20, for example, on the walls and ceiling of the store, at least one of the four sides and above the housing 20. In the example of FIG. 2, no antenna is installed above, and four antennas 10b to 10e are arranged in four directions.

[0031] 3 is a diagram for explaining the reading direction of the IC tag 42 embedded in the tag 40 and the antenna 10. In this embodiment, the tag 40 associated with the item 32 is, for example, a rectangular sheet, and the IC tag 42 is embedded between at least two sheets. In the example of FIG. 1, the tag 40 is attached to the item 32 by tying a string passed through a hole in the sheet to the item 32. For the sake of explanation, the IC tag 42 is drawn so as to be visible in the figure, but in reality, the IC tag 42 may be covered by a sheet and not visible from the outside.

[0032] The antenna of the IC tag 42 embedded inside the sheet-like tag 40 has directivity. When the plane of the sheet of the tag 40 is on the XZ plane, the antenna of the IC tag 42 can receive radio waves radiated from the antenna 10b, which faces the XZ plane and is located at a distance in the Y-axis direction, from the front, so that the antenna 10b and the IC tag 42 can communicate with each other. On the other hand, when the antenna 10a is located at a distance in the Z-axis and / or X-axis directions on the XZ plane, mosquito The radio waves radiated from the antenna 10a cannot be sufficiently received by the antenna of the IC tag 42, and therefore communication between the antenna 10a and the IC tag 42 cannot be performed.

[0033] The tag 40 is attached to the article 32 and can be placed in any orientation in the shopping basket 30 or the recess 22 of the housing 20. There is also a possibility that multiple tags 40 will overlap. Therefore, if the antenna 10 is provided in only one direction, there is a possibility that there will be an IC tag 42 with which communication cannot be performed. Therefore, in this embodiment, multiple antennas 10 are arranged at different positions relative to the article 32, so that communication can be performed with the IC tags 42 of tags 40 attached to the article 32 from different directions.

[0034] The shape of the IC tag 42 is not limited to a sheet shape, but may be various shapes such as a button shape, a coin shape, a card shape, a stick shape, or a sticker shape.

[0035] In this embodiment, the IC tag 42 is, for example, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag 60. Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram logically showing the configuration of the RFID tag 60 of this embodiment. The RFID tag 60 includes an antenna 62 and an IC chip 64. The IC chip 64 has a memory 66 and a communication unit 68. The communication unit 68 wirelessly communicates with an antenna 10 of a device (an item registration device 100 in this embodiment) that reads the RFID tag 60 via the antenna 62. The memory 66 is a readable and writable memory device, and item identification information that uniquely identifies the item 32 is written therein.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the item identification information 50. The item identification information 50 includes at least an item code 52 and a serial number 54. The item code 52 is information for identifying the type of the item 32, and includes, for example, a product code. The serial number 54 is an individual number uniquely assigned to the item 32, and is information for individually identifying the item 32. In other words, items 32 of the same type have the same item code 52, and each item 32 can be distinguished by its serial number 54. Information stored in the memory 66 of the RFID tag 60 is not limited to this. It may further include header information, a manufacturer code, and the like.

[0037] <Example of functional configuration> 6 is a functional block diagram logically illustrating a configuration of an article registration device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The article registration device 100 communicates with an IC tag 42 associated with an article 32. The article registration device 100 includes a reading unit 102, a determining unit 104, a control unit 106, and an identifying unit 108.

[0038] The item registration device 100 further includes a storage device 110. The storage device 110 stores various setting data and programs for the item registration device 100. The storage device 110 may be provided inside the item registration device 100 or may be provided outside the item registration device 100. In other words, the storage device 110 may be a piece of hardware integrated with the item registration device 100, or may be a piece of hardware separate from the item registration device 100. The item registration device 100 and the storage device 110 may be connected via a communication network.

[0039] The reading unit 102 uses at least one of the multiple antennas 10 to read the item identification information 50 from the IC tag 42 associated with the item 32 .

[0040] In detail, the reading unit 102 emits radio waves via the antenna 10. In this embodiment, a passive reflection type RFID tag 60 is used, but is not limited to this. For example, the RFID tag 60 may be a battery-equipped type, or may use light instead of electromagnetic waves. When the communication unit 68 of the RFID tag 60 receives the radio waves via the antenna 62, it generates electricity, reads out the item identification information 50 stored in the memory 66, and emits it on a carrier wave. The reading unit 102 receives the carrier wave sent from the RFID tag 60 via the antenna 10 and acquires the item identification information 50.

[0041] The control unit 106 controls the reading unit 102. The determination unit 104 determines whether the result of reading the item identification information 50 by the reading unit 102 satisfies a criterion. The identification unit 108 uses the item identification information 50 read by the reading unit 102 to identify the item identification information 50 to be output.

[0042] The control unit 106 causes the reading unit 102 to read the item identification information 50 using the first antenna. Then, the determination unit 104 determines whether or not the read result using the first antenna satisfies the criterion. Furthermore, when the control unit 106 determines that the read result using the first antenna satisfies the criterion, the control unit 106 causes the reading unit 102 to read the item identification information 50 from the IC tag 42 using a second antenna different from the first antenna. Then, the identification unit 108 uses the item identification information 50 read using the first antenna and the item identification information 50 read using the second antenna to identify the item identification information 50 to be output.

[0043] For example, the first antenna is antenna 10a provided on bottom surface 20a of housing 20 in Fig. 1(a). The second antenna is at least one of antennas 10b, 10c, and 10d provided on both side surfaces 20b and 20c and on back surface 20d of housing 20 in Fig. 1(a). In other words, the first antenna and the second antenna are disposed at positions to radiate radio waves from different directions toward article 32 placed on bottom surface 20a of housing 20.

[0044] This allows reading to be performed again from another direction even if the orientation of the antenna 62 of the RFID tag 60 relative to the antenna 10 is not suitable for reading. Therefore, even if reading of the RFID tag 60 using the first antenna fails, there is a possibility that it may be read by the second antenna, improving the accuracy of reading the RFID tag 60.

[0045] The reading unit 102 reads at least the item code 52 from the item identification information 50. The reading unit 102 wirelessly communicates with the antenna 62 of the RFID tag 60 using the multiple antennas 10 described in FIG. 1, and reads the item identification information 50 from the memory 66 of the RFID tag 60. The criterion for the item identification information 50 includes, for example, that the item codes 52 of at least two of the multiple item identification information 50 read using the first antenna are identical. In other words, by using this criterion, when at least two items of the same type are found as a result of reading using the first antenna, reading of the item identification information 50 can be retried using a second antenna that can irradiate radio waves from a different direction in order to obtain the number of items more accurately.

[0046] Alternatively, the number of items 32 may be input in advance from the user, and the criterion may be a mismatch between the input number and the number in the item identification information 50. Possible causes of the mismatch in the numbers include, for example, misreading of the item identification information 50, or an error or fraud in inputting the number.

[0047] <Hardware configuration example> Fig. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a computer 1000 that realizes the item registration device 100 shown in Fig. 6. The computer 1000 includes a bus 1010, a processor 1020, a memory 1030, a storage device 1040, an input / output interface 1050, and a network interface 1060.

[0048] The bus 1010 is a data transmission path for transmitting and receiving data among the processor 1020, memory 1030, storage device 1040, input / output interface 1050, and network interface 1060. However, the method of connecting the processor 1020 and the like to each other is not limited to a bus connection.

[0049] The processor 1020 is implemented by a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphics processing unit (GPU).

[0050] The memory 1030 is a main storage device realized by a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like.

[0051] The storage device 1040 is an auxiliary storage device realized by a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a memory card, a read only memory (ROM), or the like. The storage device 1040 stores program modules that realize each function of the item registration device 100 (e.g., the reading unit 102, the determining unit 104, the control unit 106, the identifying unit 108, etc.). The processor 1020 loads each of these program modules onto the memory 1030 and executes them to realize each function corresponding to the program module. The storage device 1040 may also store each data of the storage device 110.

[0052] The program module may be recorded in a recording medium. The recording medium for recording the program module may include a non-transitory tangible medium usable by the computer 1000, and the program code readable by the computer 1000 (processor 1020) may be embedded in the medium.

[0053] The input / output interface 1050 is an interface for connecting the computer 1000 to various input / output devices.

[0054] The network interface 1060 is an interface for connecting the computer 1000 to a communication network. This communication network is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network). The method for connecting the network interface 1060 to the communication network may be a wireless connection or a wired connection.

[0055] The computer 1000 is connected to necessary devices (eg, an antenna 10, a display, a keyboard, a mouse, a printer, a speaker, a microphone, etc.) via an input / output interface 1050 or a network interface 1060.

[0056] The item registration device 100 is realized by installing an application program for implementing the item registration device 100 in the computer 1000 and running the program.

[0057] The computer 1000 may be provided as a dedicated device in the housing 20, may be a general-purpose personal computer installed at the location where the housing 20 is installed, or may be a server installed at a remote location connected to the antenna 10 of the housing 20 via a communication network such as the Internet. In addition, a plurality of computers 1000 may be combined, and the functions of the item registration device 100 may be shared among the computers 1000.

[0058] In addition, as described later, the sales system 1 Goods The item registration device 100 may be realized by a computer that realizes the registration device and / or the settlement device. Goods The registration device and / or the settlement device and the item registration device 100 may be realized by an integrated computer.

[0059] <Example of operation> FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the article registration device 100 of this embodiment. First, the control unit 106 causes the reading unit 102 to attempt to communicate with the RFID tag 60 associated with the item 32 placed on the bottom surface 20a of the housing 20 using the antenna 10a (first antenna) arranged on the bottom surface 20a of the housing 20, and to read the item identification information 50 from the RFID tag 60 (step S101).

[0060] The determination unit 104 determines whether the result of reading the item identification information 50 by the reading unit 102 satisfies a criterion (step S103). Here, the criterion is that at least two item codes 52 among the multiple item identification information 50 read using the first antenna are identical. In other words, if the same item 32 is detected, the reading is retried using another antenna. This makes it possible to apply the method to cases where a large number of the same item 32 are purchased, such as in a buying spree.

[0061] In Fig. 9(a), since the article code 52 contains the same article identification information 50 (the same article code 52 is "12345") (YES in step S103), the control unit 106 then causes the reading unit 102 to attempt communication with the RFID tag 60 associated with the article 32 using a second antenna other than the first antenna (antenna 10a), and reads the article identification information 50 from the RFID tag 60 (step S105). Here, the second antenna is any one of the antennas 10b to 10e (Fig. 2) that are installed on the side and top surface of the placement position of the article 32, among the multiple antennas 10.

[0062] The second antenna is preferably an antenna that radiates radio waves from a different direction toward the article 32 (RFID tag 60) than the first antenna. Here, the antenna 10b is used as the second antenna. As a result, the reading unit 102 acquires the article identification information 50 in FIG. 9(b). In this example, the article identification information 50 that has not been acquired by the first antenna in FIG. 9(a) is acquired.

[0063] The identification unit 108 identifies the item identifying information 50 to be output using the multiple item identifying information 50 read by each of the first antenna and the second antenna (step S107). Here, the logical sum of the multiple item identifying information 50 read by the first antenna and the second antenna is taken to identify the multiple item identifying information 50 in FIG. 9(c).

[0064] On the other hand, if the item identification information 50 does not meet the criteria in step S103 (NO in step S103), the identification unit 108 adopts the item identification information 50 read by the first antenna as the correct reading result, outputs the identified item identification information 50, and terminates this processing.

[0065] As described above, according to this embodiment, the control unit 106 first uses a first antenna to read the item identification information 50 from the IC tag 42 associated with the item 32, and then, if a criterion is met, uses a second antenna different from the first antenna to read the item identification information 50 again from the IC tag 42 associated with the item 32.

[0066] As a result, even if there is an IC tag 42 arranged parallel to the radiation direction of the radio waves from the first antenna, the IC tag 42 can be read using the second antenna that can radiate radio waves from a direction different from that of the first antenna, thereby increasing the possibility that an IC tag 42 that could not be read by the first antenna can be read by the second antenna.

[0067] In other words, there is a higher possibility that an IC tag 42 that was missed by the first antenna can be read by the second antenna. When reading an IC tag 42 using an antenna 10, it is preferable to complete the reading with one antenna 10 if possible, from the viewpoints of saving power consumption and minimizing the emission of unnecessary radio waves. However, due to the nature of the IC tag 42 as described above, there is a possibility that the tag will not be read when reading from one direction.

[0068] Therefore, in this embodiment, only when a criterion is satisfied based on the result of reading by the first antenna, the second antenna that radiates radio waves from a direction different from that of the first antenna is used to read the item identification information 50 from the IC tag 42 again. In other words, instead of using multiple antennas 10 unnecessarily, multiple antennas 10 can be used only when necessary. This increases the possibility that the second antenna can read an IC tag 42 that was missed by the first antenna, improving the reading accuracy.

[0069] In this embodiment, the criterion for retrying reading is whether the item code 52 of the item identification information 50 is the same. In other words, in this embodiment, when the purchased items include the same type of item, reading can be performed using another antenna to accurately count the number of items. This can improve the reading accuracy.

[0070] Second embodiment The article registration device 100 of this embodiment has the same configuration as the article registration device 100 of the above embodiment, but operates differently. Therefore, the article registration device 100 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the functional block diagram of FIG.

[0071] The article registration device 100 of this embodiment is 、 This is the same as the above embodiment, except that first, the item identification information 50 is read from the IC tag 42 using two antennas 10 (a first antenna and a second antenna), and then, if the reading results of the two antennas 10 do not match, the item identification information 50 is read again using a third antenna.

[0072] <Example of functional configuration> In this embodiment, the control unit 106 causes the reading unit 102 to read the item identification information 50 from the IC tag 42 using a first antenna and a second antenna among the multiple antennas 10. However, it is preferable that the two antennas 10 perform reading at different timings in a time-division manner rather than simultaneously. This is because if the two antennas 10 radiate radio waves simultaneously, the radio waves may interfere with each other. By shifting the operation timing of the two antennas 10, radio wave interference can be prevented.

[0073] Here, the first antenna is antenna 10a in Fig. 1(a), and the second antenna is any one of antennas 10b to 10d in Fig. 1(a). Here, the second antenna is antenna 10b. Antenna 10a of the first antenna and antenna 10b of the second antenna are disposed at positions to radiate radio waves from different directions toward an article 32 placed on bottom surface 20a of housing 20.

[0074] The determination unit 104 determines whether the read results from the first antenna and the second antenna match. If the determination unit 104 determines that the read results match, the control unit 106 causes the reading unit 102 to end reading the item identification information 50. Furthermore, if the control unit 106 determines that the read results do not match, the control unit 106 causes the reading unit 102 to further read the item identification information 50 from the IC tag 42 using the third antenna.

[0075] The third antenna is disposed at a position where it radiates radio waves from a different direction from the first and second antennas toward the article 32 placed on the bottom surface 20a of the housing 20. Here, the third antenna is the antenna 10d in FIG. 1(a).

[0076] The identification unit 108 identifies the item identification information 50 to be output using the item identification information 50 read by the first antenna, the second antenna, and the third antenna. Assume that the item identification information 50 shown in FIG. 11(a) is read by the first antenna, and the item identification information 50 shown in FIG. 11(b) is read by the second antenna. In this example, the serial number 54 of the third item identification information 50 differs between the read result by the first antenna in FIG. 11(a) and the read result by the second antenna in FIG. 11(b).

[0077] The determination unit 104 determines that the read results from the first antenna and the second antenna do not match, and the control unit 106 causes the reading unit 102 to read the item identification information 50 using the third antenna. Then, it is assumed that the item identification information 50 shown in FIG. 11(c) is read by the third antenna.

[0078] Since the reading result of the third antenna matches the logical sum of the reading results of the first antenna and the second antenna, the identification unit 108 adopts the reading result of the third antenna and identifies the item identification information 50 of Figure 11 (d) as the item identification information 50 to be output.

[0079] <Example of operation> 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the article registration device 100 of this embodiment. First, the control unit 106 causes the reading unit 102 to read the article identification information 50 from the IC tag 42 associated with the article 32 using the first and second antennas (e.g., the antennas 10a and 10b) (step S201).

[0080] Then, the determination unit 104 determines whether the read results from the first antenna and the second antenna match (step S203). If the read results match (YES in step S203), the identification unit 108 adopts the item identification information 50 read using the first antenna as the correct read result, outputs the identified item identification information 50, and ends this process.

[0081] If the reading results do not match (NO in step S203), the control unit 106 causes the reading unit 102 to read the item identification information 50 of the IC tag 42 associated with the item 32 again using a third antenna different from the first antenna and the second antenna (step S205).

[0082] Then, the identification unit 108 uses the read results of the first to third antennas to identify the item identifying information 50 to be output (step S207). As described above, the item identifying information 50 in FIG. 11(d) is identified and output here.

[0083] In step S207, if the read result from the third antenna is further different from the results from the first antenna and the second antenna, the control unit 106 may further cause the reading unit 102 to read the item identification information 50 again from the IC tag 42 using a fourth antenna different from the first to third antennas. Then, the identifying unit 108 may identify the item identification information 50 to be output using the read results from the first to fourth antennas. For example, the identifying unit 108 may take the logical sum of the multiple item identification information 50 read by the first to fourth antennas to identify the item identification information 50 to be output.

[0084] In this way, by sequentially changing the antenna 10 used for reading, radio waves can be emitted from different directions to the article 32 placed on the housing 20, and the article identification information 50 can be read from the IC tag 42. This makes it possible to reduce the number of IC tags 42 that are not read even if the orientations of multiple IC tags 42 are different. In addition, since reading is performed using antennas 10 in different directions in sequence, it is also possible to prevent radio waves irradiated from different directions from interfering with each other.

[0085] According to this embodiment, the item identification information 50 is read from the IC tag 42 associated with the item 32 using two of the multiple antennas 10 that are arranged at positions with different radio wave emission directions relative to the location where the item 32 is placed, and if the item identification information 50 read using the two antennas 10 does not match, reading is performed using a third antenna that can irradiate radio waves from yet another direction.

[0086] As a result, when there are multiple IC tags 42 facing different directions, the reading unit 102 can read the item identification information 50 from the IC tags 42 using two antennas 10 that can radiate radio waves from different directions, increasing the probability that reading will be successful with at least one of the antennas 10. Furthermore, when the reading results of the two antennas 10 do not match, the reading accuracy can be improved by further using the reading result from the third antenna.

[0087] Third embodiment 12 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a logical configuration of the sales system 1 of this embodiment. The sales system 1 of this embodiment performs product registration processing using the product registration device 100 of the first or second embodiment described above, and transmits payment information to a payment device.

[0088] The sales system 1 includes an item registration device 100, a display processing unit 202, an operation reception unit 204, a payment processing unit 206, and a product DB 210. The display processing unit 202 displays a screen on the display that allows a user such as a customer to confirm the purchased item based on the item identification information 50 read by the item registration device 100. The operation receiving unit 204 receives operations by the user on the screen displayed on the display. The settlement processing unit 206 obtains the item name and item price from the item DB 210 based on the item identification information 50 read by the item registration device 100, generates settlement information, and transmits it to a settlement device (not shown).

[0089] <Example of operation> Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the sales system 1 of this embodiment. This operation flow starts after the item identification information 50 is specified in the operation flow of the item registration device 100 of the other embodiments (step S107 in Fig. 8, step S207 in Fig. 10, step S303 in Fig. 16 described later, and step S207 in Fig. 17 described later).

[0090] First, the display processing unit 202 displays the confirmation screen 300 on the display 203 (step S401). The display 203 is, for example, a touch panel type liquid crystal display. The display 203 may be a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or the like.

[0091] 14 is a diagram showing an example of a confirmation screen 300 displayed by the display processing unit 202. The confirmation screen 300 includes a product list 302, a quantity confirmation message display unit 304, a YES button 306, and a NO button 308. The product list 302 includes at least the product names and the number of products acquired by the payment processing unit 206 based on the product identification information 50 specified by the product registration device 100. The product list 302 may also include the product prices and the total payment amount.

[0092] The quantity confirmation message display section 304 displays the number of item identification information 50 identified by the item registration device 100 together with a message prompting the user to confirm the number. The YES button 306 and the NO button 308 are operation buttons for prompting the user to input the result of the quantity confirmation.

[0093] 13, when the operation reception unit 204 receives a press of the YES button 306 (YES in step S403), the settlement processing unit 206 transmits settlement information to the settlement device and causes the settlement process to be performed. The settlement process is not particularly limited, so a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0094] When the operation receiving unit 204 receives a press of the NO button 308 (NO in step S403), the display processing unit 202 displays the quantity input screen 320 on the display, and the operation receiving unit 204 receives input of the correct quantity (step S405).

[0095] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a quantity input screen 320. The quantity input screen 320 includes an input instruction display section 322, a quantity input section 324, an input confirmation message display section 326, and an OK button 328. The input instruction display section 322 displays a message urging the user to input the correct number. The quantity input section 324 is a text box or the like that accepts the user's input of the number. Alternatively, it may be a drum roll type UI (User Interface) that allows the user to select the number. The input confirmation message display section 326 displays a message that urges the user to press the OK button 328 after inputting the number. The OK button 328 is an operation button that accepts a confirmation operation after the user inputs the number.

[0096] Returning to FIG. 13, when the user inputs the correct number on the number input screen 320 and presses the OK button 328, the operation receiving unit 204 receives the input of the number (step S405).

[0097] Then, based on the input number, the control unit 106 causes the reading unit 102 to read the item identification information 50 again from the IC tag 42. The reading process may be performed by any of the procedures described in each embodiment. At this time, for example, before re-reading, guidance such as a message or an image instructing the user to change the orientation of the item 32 or to reposition the item 32 may be output.

[0098] In the re-reading process, the first antenna is preferably the antenna 10a located under the placement location of the article 32. Furthermore, in the re-reading process, it is preferable to use, as the second and third antennas, antennas other than those used as the second and third antennas in the initial reading. This is because there is a possibility that an IC tag 42 that was not read can be read by reading the article identification information 50 from the IC tag 42 from a direction different from that of the initial reading.

[0099] According to this embodiment, since the result of reading the IC tag 42 is presented to the user for confirmation, if a reading error occurs, the reading can be retried, thereby improving the reading accuracy.

[0100] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, these are merely examples of the present invention, and various configurations other than those described above can also be adopted. 16, for example, a configuration may be adopted in which all of the multiple antennas 10 are operated in sequence, the logical sum of the read results is taken, and the item identification information 50 to be output is identified. First, the control unit 106 causes the reading unit 102 to operate all of the multiple antennas 10 in sequence to read the item identification information 50 from the IC tag 42 associated with the item 32 (step S301). Then, the identification unit 108 takes the logical sum of all the item identification information 50 read by the multiple antennas 10, and identifies the item identification information 50 to be output (step S303).

[0101] According to this configuration, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of the item identification information 50 of the item 32 being overlooked, and it is possible to reduce the risk that the item identification information 50 of the item 32 will not be read.

[0102] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 17, the item registration device 100 of the first embodiment may be combined with the configuration of the second embodiment. Instead of the item identification information specification process in step S107 of Fig. 8, the following process may be performed. That is, the determination unit 104 determines whether the read results by the first and second antennas match (step S211), and if they match (YES in step S211), the specification unit 108 adopts the item identification information 50 read by the first antenna as the correct read result, outputs the specified item identification information 50, and ends this process. end On the other hand, if the read results do not match (NO in step S211), steps S205 and S207 in Fig. 10 of the second embodiment are executed. That is, the control unit 106 causes the reading unit 102 to read again using the third antenna, and the identification unit 108 identifies the item identification information 50 to be output using the read results from the first to third antennas.

[0103] In the above embodiment, the user is prompted to input the number of purchased items after the IC tag 42 is read. However, the user may be prompted to input the number of purchased items before the IC tag 42 is read. For example, the quantity input screen 320 in FIG. 15 may be displayed on the display 203 before reading of the IC tag 42 is started, and the user may be prompted to input the number of purchased items. Then, the determination unit 104 may repeat reading by sequentially increasing the number of antennas 10 until the input number matches the number of pieces of item identification information 50 read by the reading unit 102.

[0104] Alternatively, the item registration device 100 may further include a notification unit (not shown) that notifies a store clerk when the input number does not match the number of item identification information 50 identified by the identification unit 108 even after reading using all antennas 10 has been performed. The notification unit may, for example, send a message to a mobile terminal (not shown) carried by the store clerk or output a ringtone from a speaker (not shown) of the item registration device 100. Alternatively, the notification unit may display a message on the display 203 instructing the user to call a store clerk since the numbers do not match.

[0105] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments and examples, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and examples. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention. In the present invention, when information about a user is acquired and used, this shall be done lawfully.

[0106] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes. 1. An article registration device that communicates with an IC (Integrated Circuit) tag associated with an article, A reading means for reading item identification information from the IC tag associated with the item using at least one of a plurality of antennas; A control means for controlling the reading means; a determination means for determining whether or not the result of reading the item identification information by the reading means satisfies a standard; An identification means for identifying the item identification information read by the reading means; Equipped with The control means causes the reading means to read the item identification information using the first antenna, The determination means determines whether or not a read result using the first antenna satisfies the criterion; when it is determined that the read result using the first antenna satisfies the criterion, the control means causes the reading means to read the item identification information using a second antenna different from the first antenna; An item registration device, wherein the identification means identifies the item identification information to be output using the item identification information read using the first antenna and the item identification information read using the second antenna. 2. In the article registration device according to 1., An item registration device, wherein the criteria include at least two of the multiple item identification information read using a first antenna being identical. 3. In the article registration device according to 1. or 2., The control means causes the reading means to read the item identification information using a first antenna and a second antenna; The determination means determines whether or not the read results of the first antenna and the second antenna match, The control means When it is determined that the read results match, the reading means ends reading of the item identification information; If the read result is determined to be a mismatch, the reading means is caused to further read the item identification information using a third antenna; An item registration device, wherein the identification means identifies the item identification information to be output using the item identification information read using the first antenna, the second antenna, and the third antenna. 4. An article registration device that communicates with an IC tag associated with an article, A reading means for reading item identification information from the IC tag associated with the item using a plurality of antennas; A control means for controlling the reading means; a determination means for determining whether or not the result of reading the item identification information by the reading means satisfies a standard; An identification means for identifying the item identification information read by the reading means; Equipped with The control means causes the reading means to read the item identification information using a first antenna and a second antenna; The determination means determines whether or not the read results of the first antenna and the second antenna match, The control means When it is determined that the read results match, the reading means ends reading of the item identification information; If the read result is determined to be a mismatch, the reading means is caused to further read the item identification information using a third antenna; An item registration device, wherein the identification means identifies the item identification information to be output using the item identification information read using the first antenna, the second antenna, and the third antenna. 5. In the article registration device according to any one of 1. to 4., An item registration device, wherein the plurality of antennas are provided at least below the item placement position and on at least one surface to the side of the item placement position. 6. In the article registration device according to 5., The control means controls the reading means to First, the article identification information is obtained by using an antenna provided under the placement position of the article as the first antenna. Read Let me see, Next, the article registration device reads the article identification information using an antenna installed on at least one of the side surface and the top surface of the placement position of the article as the second antenna. 7. In the article registration device according to 6., The control means controls the reading means to read the item identification information using all remaining antennas other than the first antenna that initially reads the item identification information. of An item registration device that reads 8. In the article registration device according to 7., The identification means is an item registration device that takes a logical sum of the item identification information read from the IC tag using the first antenna and all of the remaining antennas, and identifies the item identification information to be output.

[0107] 9. An article registration device that communicates with an IC (Integrated Circuit) tag associated with an article, a reading means for reading item identification information from the IC tag associated with the item by using at least one of a plurality of antennas; The article registration device, causing the reading means to read the item identification information using the first antenna; determining whether a read result using the first antenna satisfies a criterion; when it is determined that the read result using the first antenna satisfies the criterion, causing the reading means to read the item identification information using a second antenna different from the first antenna; A data processing method for an item registration device, which identifies the item identification information to be output using the item identification information read using the first antenna and the item identification information read using the second antenna. 10. In the data processing method of the article registration device described in 9., A data processing method for an item registration device, wherein the criterion includes that at least two of the multiple item identification information read using a first antenna are identical. 11. In the data processing method for the article registration device according to 9. or 10., The article registration device, causing the reading means to read the item identification information using a first antenna and a second antenna; determining whether the read results of the first antenna and the second antenna match; When it is determined that the read results match, the reading means ends reading of the item identification information; If the read result is determined to be a mismatch, the reading means is caused to further read the item identification information using a third antenna; A data processing method for an item registration device, which identifies the item identification information to be output using the item identification information read using the first antenna, the second antenna, and the third antenna. 12. An article registration device that communicates with an IC tag associated with an article, A reading means for reading item identification information from the IC tag associated with the item by using a plurality of antennas, The article registration device, causing the reading means to read the item identification information using a first antenna and a second antenna; determining whether the read results of the first antenna and the second antenna match; When it is determined that the read results match, the reading means ends reading of the item identification information; If the read result is determined to be a mismatch, the reading means is caused to further read the item identification information using a third antenna; A data processing method for an item registration device, which identifies the item identification information to be output using the item identification information read using the first antenna, the second antenna, and the third antenna. 13. In the data processing method for the article registration device according to any one of 9. to 12., A data processing method for an item registration device, wherein the plurality of antennas are provided at least on one surface below the placement position of the item and to the side of the placement position of the item. 14. In the data processing method for the article registration device according to 13., The article registration device, The reading means includes: First, the article identification information is obtained by using an antenna provided under the placement position of the article as the first antenna. Read Let me see, Next, the data processing method for the item registration device includes using an antenna installed on at least one of the side and top surface of the placement position of the item as the second antenna to read the item identification information. 15. In the data processing method for the article registration device according to 14., The article registration device, The reading means reads the item identification information using all remaining antennas other than the first antenna that initially reads the item identification information. of A data processing method for an article registration device. 16. In the data processing method for the article registration device according to 15., The article registration device, A data processing method for an item registration device, which performs a logical OR of the item identification information read from the IC tag using the first antenna and all of the remaining antennas, and identifies the item identification information to be output.

[0108] 17. An article registration device that communicates with an IC (Integrated Circuit) tag associated with an article has a reading means that reads article identification information from the IC tag associated with the article using at least one of a plurality of antennas; A computer implementing the item registration device includes: a step of causing the reading means to read the item identification information using a first antenna; determining whether a read result using the first antenna satisfies a criterion; a step of causing the reading means to read the item identification information using a second antenna different from the first antenna when it is determined that the read result using the first antenna satisfies the criterion; A program for executing a procedure for identifying the item identification information to be output using the item identification information read using the first antenna and the item identification information read using the second antenna. 18. In the program according to 17., The program, wherein the criteria include at least two of the plurality of item identification information read using a first antenna being identical. 19. In the program according to 17. or 18., a step of causing the reading means to read the item identification information using a first antenna and a second antenna; determining whether the read results of the first antenna and the second antenna match; a step of causing the reading means to end reading of the item identification information when it is determined that the read results match; a step of causing the reading means to further read the item identification information using a third antenna when the reading result is determined to be a mismatch; A program for causing a computer to execute a procedure for identifying the item identification information to be output using the item identification information read using the first antenna, the second antenna, and the third antenna. 20. An article registration device that communicates with an IC tag associated with an article, A reading means for reading item identification information from the IC tag associated with the item by using a plurality of antennas, A computer implementing the item registration device includes: a step of causing the reading means to read the item identification information using a first antenna and a second antenna; Determine whether the read results of the first antenna and the second antenna match. Steps to , When it is determined that the read results match, the reading means is caused to end reading of the article identification information. R procedure, a step of causing the reading means to further read the item identification information using a third antenna when the reading result is determined to be a mismatch; A program for executing a procedure for identifying the item identification information to be output using the item identification information read using the first antenna, the second antenna, and the third antenna. 21. In the program according to any one of 17. to 20., A program, wherein the plurality of antennas are provided at least below the placement position of the item and on at least one surface to the side of the placement position of the item. 22. In the program according to 21., The reading means includes: First, the article identification information is obtained by using an antenna provided under the placement position of the article as the first antenna. Read The procedure for obtaining it, Next, the program causes a computer to execute a procedure of reading the item identification information using an antenna installed on at least one of the side and top surface of the placement position of the item as the second antenna. 23. In the program according to 22., The reading means reads the item identification information using all remaining antennas other than the first antenna that initially reads the item identification information. of A program that causes a computer to execute the steps to read the information. 24. In the program according to 23., A program for causing a computer to execute a procedure for taking a logical OR of the item identification information read from the IC tag using the first antenna and all of the remaining antennas, and identifying the item identification information to be output.

[0109] This application is filed on 20 2 Priority is claimed based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-022231, filed on February 13, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety. [Explanation of symbols]

[0110] 1. Sales System 10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e Antennas 20. Cabinet 22 Recess 30 Shopping Cart 32 Goods 40 Tags 42 IC tag 50 Item Identification Information 52 Product Code 54 Serial Number 60 RFID tags 62 Antenna 64 IC chips 66 Memory 68 Communications Department 100 Item registration device 102 Reading unit 104 Judgment section 106 Control section 108 Specific section 110 Storage device 202 Display processing unit 203 Display 204 Operation reception section 206 Settlement Processing Unit 210 Product DB 300 Confirmation Screen 302 Product List 304 Quantity confirmation message display section 306 YES button 308 NO button 320 Quantity input screen 322 Input instruction display section 324 Quantity input section 326 Input confirmation message display section 328 OK button 1000 Computers 1010 Bus 1020 Processor 1030 Memory 1040 Storage Device 1050 Input / Output Interface 1060 Network Interface

Claims

1. An article registration device that communicates with an IC (Integrated Circuit) tag associated with an article, A reading means for reading item identification information from the IC tag associated with the item by using at least one of a plurality of antennas; A control means for controlling the reading means; a determination means for determining whether or not the result of reading the item identification information by the reading means satisfies a standard; An identification means for identifying the item identification information read by the reading means; Equipped with The control means causes the reading means to read the item identification information using the first antenna, The determination means determines whether or not a read result using the first antenna satisfies the criterion; When it is determined that the read result using the first antenna satisfies the criterion, the control means causes the reading means to read the item identification information using a second antenna different from the first antenna; An item registration device, wherein the identification means identifies the item identification information to be output using the item identification information read using the first antenna and the item identification information read using the second antenna.

2. 2. The article registration device according to claim 1, An item registration device, wherein the criteria include at least two of the multiple item identification information read using a first antenna being identical.

3. 3. The article registration device according to claim 1, The control means causes the reading means to read the item identification information using a first antenna and a second antenna; The determination means determines whether or not the read results of the first antenna and the second antenna match, The control means When it is determined that the read results match, the reading means ends reading of the item identification information; If the read result is determined to be a mismatch, the reading means is caused to further read the item identification information using a third antenna; An item registration device, wherein the identification means identifies the item identification information to be output using the item identification information read using the first antenna, the second antenna, and the third antenna.

4. An article registration device that communicates with an IC tag associated with an article, A reading means for reading item identification information from the IC tag associated with the item using a plurality of antennas; A control means for controlling the reading means; a determination means for determining whether or not the result of reading the item identification information by the reading means satisfies a standard; An identification means for identifying the item identification information read by the reading means; Equipped with The control means causes the reading means to read the item identification information using a first antenna and a second antenna; The determination means determines whether or not the read results of the first antenna and the second antenna match, The control means When it is determined that the read results match, the reading means ends reading of the item identification information; If the read result is determined to be a mismatch, the reading means is caused to further read the item identification information using a third antenna; An item registration device, wherein the identification means identifies the item identification information to be output using the item identification information read using the first antenna, the second antenna, and the third antenna.

5. 5. The article registration device according to claim 1, An item registration device, wherein the plurality of antennas are provided at least below the item placement position and on at least one surface to the side of the item placement position.

6. 6. The article registration device according to claim 1, The identification means performs a logical OR operation on the item identification information read from the IC tag using the multiple antennas, and identifies the item identification information to be output.

7. 6. The article registration device according to claim 5, The control means controls the reading means to First, an antenna provided under the placement position of the article is used as the first antenna to read the article identification information; Next, the article registration device reads the article identification information using an antenna installed on at least one of the side surface and the top surface of the placement position of the article as the second antenna.

8. 8. The article registration device according to claim 7, The control means causes the reading means to read the item identification information using all remaining antennas other than the first antenna that initially read the item identification information.

9. 9. The article registration device according to claim 8, The identification means performs a logical OR of the item identification information read from the IC tag using the first antenna and all of the remaining antennas, and identifies the item identification information to be output.

10. An article registration device that communicates with an IC (Integrated Circuit) tag associated with an article, a reading means for reading item identification information from the IC tag associated with the item by using at least one of a plurality of antennas; The article registration device, causing the reading means to read the item identification information using the first antenna; determining whether a read result using the first antenna satisfies a criterion; When it is determined that the read result using the first antenna satisfies the criterion, the reading means reads the item identification information using a second antenna different from the first antenna; A data processing method for an item registration device, which identifies the item identification information to be output using the item identification information read using the first antenna and the item identification information read using the second antenna.

11. The data processing method for an article registration device according to claim 10, A data processing method for an item registration device, wherein the criterion includes that at least two of the multiple pieces of item identification information read using a first antenna are identical.

12. An article registration device that communicates with an IC tag associated with an article, A reading means for reading item identification information from the IC tag associated with the item by using a plurality of antennas, The article registration device, causing the reading means to read the item identification information using a first antenna and a second antenna; determining whether the read results of the first antenna and the second antenna match; When it is determined that the read results match, the reading means ends reading of the item identification information; If the read result is determined to be a mismatch, the reading means is caused to further read the item identification information using a third antenna; A data processing method for an item registration device, comprising the steps of: identifying the item identification information to be output using the item identification information read using the first antenna, the second antenna, and the third antenna.

13. An article registration device that communicates with an IC (Integrated Circuit) tag associated with an article has a reading means that reads article identification information from the IC tag associated with the article using at least one of a plurality of antennas, A computer implementing the item registration device includes: a step of causing the reading means to read the item identification information using the first antenna; determining whether a read result using the first antenna satisfies a criterion; a step of causing the reading means to read the item identification information using a second antenna different from the first antenna when it is determined that the read result using the first antenna satisfies the criterion; A program for executing a procedure for identifying the item identification information to be output using the item identification information read using the first antenna and the item identification information read using the second antenna.

14. The program according to claim 13, The program, wherein the criteria include at least two of the plurality of item identification information read using a first antenna being identical.

15. An article registration device that communicates with an IC tag associated with an article, A reading means for reading item identification information from the IC tag associated with the item by using a plurality of antennas, A computer implementing the item registration device includes: a step of causing the reading means to read the item identification information using a first antenna and a second antenna; determining whether the read results of the first antenna and the second antenna match; a step of causing the reading means to end reading of the item identification information when it is determined that the read results match; a step of causing the reading means to further read the item identification information using a third antenna when the reading result is determined to be a mismatch; A program for executing a procedure of identifying the item identification information to be output using the item identification information read using the first antenna, the second antenna, and the third antenna.

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