Wearable Commodity Registration via Shelf Electromagnetic Tags
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing commodity registration systems burden customers with the need to manually select untagged commodities and incur high expenses for wireless tags, especially when barcodes or wireless tags are not attached to each item.
Innovation Solution
A wearable commodity registration supporting device that uses electromagnetic waves to identify commodities via shelf label tags, purchase tags, and return tags, allowing customers to simply take items from shelves and store them in a basket, with the device automatically registering purchases and returns without the need for individual item tags.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If wireless tags are attached to each commodity, then commodity identification accuracy is improved, but implementation cost increases enormously
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the identification function into two parts: shelf label tags remain stationary on shelves while portable terminals move with customers. This segmentation eliminates the need for expensive wireless tags on each commodity while maintaining identification accuracy through the combination of shelf tags and portable scanning.
Solution Approach 2:
Shelf label tags serve as intermediaries between the commodity and the portable terminal. Instead of requiring wireless tags on each commodity, the shelf label tags act as mediators that transmit commodity information to portable terminals when triggered by customer actions, reducing overall system cost while maintaining identification capability.
2Quantity of substance
If barcodes or wireless tags are not attached to commodities, then implementation cost is reduced, but customer operation burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The portable terminal automatically performs commodity registration when the customer places an item in their bag, eliminating the need for manual customer input. The system detects the placement action and handles the registration process itself, reducing operation burden while maintaining low implementation cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides immediate feedback to the customer through the portable terminal when a commodity is successfully registered. This feedback mechanism confirms the registration status automatically, guiding the customer through the process without requiring them to understand or input complex information, thus reducing operation burden.
3Measurement precision
If manual commodity selection is required, then commodity registration accuracy is improved, but operation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shelf label tags are pre-positioned and configured on shelves before customers arrive. When customers place items in their bags, the system has already prepared the corresponding commodity information, enabling automatic registration without requiring customers to manually search or select from lists, thus reducing operation time while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual customer selection and input operations with automatic detection mechanisms. The portable terminal automatically detects when items are placed in the bag and retrieves commodity information from shelf label tags, substituting mechanical customer actions with automated electronic processes that are both faster and equally accurate.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution reduces customer burden and costs by enabling efficient commodity registration without the need for wireless tags on each item, allowing customers to easily register purchases and returns through a wrist-worn device that communicates with POS terminals via wireless communication.
Implementation Method 1
a receiver that receives an electromagnetic wave transmitted from a transmitter
Data Source
AI summary
A commodity registration supporting device according to an embodiment includes a receiver, an acquiring section, a first detecting section, an adding section, and an output section. The receiver receives an electromagnetic wave transmitted from a first transmitter provided in a display place where a commodity is displayed. The acquiring section acquires, from the electromagnetic wave received by the receiver, identification information of the commodity displayed in the display place where the first transmitter that transmits the electromagnetic wave is provided. The first detecting section detects a first act of a purchaser taking out the commodity from the display place and storing the commodity in a storage body. The adding section adds, if first act is detected by the first detecting section, the commodity identified by the identification information acquired by the acquiring section to a list. The output section outputs the list.