JP7733598B2 - Guidance device and customer service device - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applied. ALMEX Corporation conducted on-site testing of the guidance device and customer service device at Nihon University Hospital.

The present invention relates to a customer service device that can provide face-to-face service to customer users, such as a reception device, ticket vending machine, automatic vending machine, or kiosk terminal, and to a guide device that guides the insertion or removal of various items such as patient registration cards, cards, tickets, and cans, as well as a customer service device equipped with a guide device.

Unmanned customer service devices, such as ticket vending machines and automatic vending machines, are known. These unmanned customer service devices are used not only as ticket vending machines and automatic vending machines, but also as reception devices or payment devices in hospitals and other medical facilities, and as reception devices for check-in at hotels and other accommodation facilities, helping to reduce labor costs, etc.

Patent Document 1 discloses a ticket vending machine that creates and dispenses tickets, such as train tickets, meal tickets, admission tickets, and various other types of tickets, in accordance with deposit instructions. The machine also discloses a system that alerts the operator by controlling an LED 18 located near the processing port to flash or light up, thereby preventing the operator from forgetting to remove the IC card or ticket from the processing port.

JP 2011-150548 A

As shown in Patent Document 1, customer guidance devices for ticket vending machines and the like flash or light up LEDs or other devices located near the processing opening to prevent customers from forgetting to remove their IC cards or tickets.

However, it is difficult to make the processing openings sufficiently visible using LED lighting installed near such openings, and in some cases, people may forget to remove their IC cards, tickets, etc.

Therefore, the guide device according to the present invention is characterized by adopting the following configuration.
A guidance device that includes a half mirror, a mirror, and an illumination unit, and is used by a user facing the device,
The half mirror is disposed in front of the user's line of sight and adjacent to the periphery of the opening through which an article is inserted or removed,
The mirror is disposed on the rear surface of the half mirror with a gap therebetween,
The lighting unit is disposed so as to illuminate the space between the mirror and the half mirror.

Furthermore, in the guide device according to the present invention,
The lighting section is made up of a plurality of unit lighting sections.

Furthermore, in the guide device according to the present invention,
The unit illumination parts are arranged in a line parallel to the surface of the half mirror.

Furthermore, in the guide device according to the present invention,
The half mirror has an opening adjacent to the opening through which an article is inserted or removed.

Furthermore, in the guide device according to the present invention,
The illumination unit is disposed at least below the half mirror.

Furthermore, the customer service device according to the present invention comprises:
A customer service device that includes a guide device and is used by a user in face-to-face interaction,
The guide device includes a half mirror, a mirror, and a lighting unit.
The half mirror is disposed in front of the user's line of sight and adjacent to the periphery of the opening through which an article is inserted or removed,
The mirror is disposed on the rear surface of the half mirror with a gap therebetween,
The lighting unit is disposed so as to illuminate the space between the mirror and the half mirror.

The guidance device and customer service device of the present invention enable the opening for inserting or removing items to be illuminated with a simple configuration and over a sufficiently wide area, preventing users from becoming confused about where to insert an item or forgetting to remove an item. It also makes it easy to illuminate with a variety of lighting patterns; for example, different lighting patterns can be used for insertion and removal, encouraging the user to perform certain operations.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of installation of a reception device according to the present embodiment; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a reception device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a reception device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a reception device according to an embodiment of the present invention (when the front door is open); FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a guide device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view of a guide device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a cross-sectional view of a guide device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Reception process executed by the reception device according to this embodiment FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an illumination pattern of the guidance device according to the embodiment; FIG. 10 is a view showing a half mirror portion of a guide device according to another embodiment; FIG. 10 is a view showing a half mirror portion of a guide device according to another embodiment; FIG. 10 is a view showing a half mirror portion of a guide device according to another embodiment;

Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the installation of a reception device according to this embodiment, in the case of a medical facility (hospital). The reception system installed in the medical facility is composed of a management device 51 and a reception device 1. These devices are communicatively connected via a LAN 58. A router 57 is also communicatively connected to the LAN 58, and each device is communicatively connected to the Internet via the router 57.

The management device 51 is a device that performs various management tasks within the medical facility, and in this embodiment is connected to a LAN communication unit 53, an input device 52, a memory unit 54, and a monitor 55. The reception device 1 is a device that allows users such as patients to check in, and is installed in the lobby or other areas of the medical facility. Users who visit the medical facility will receive medical treatment that day by completing the reception process on the reception device 1.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing the appearance of the reception device 1 according to this embodiment, and Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the reception device 1 according to this embodiment. The reception device 1 is composed of a housing 11, a touch panel monitor 16, and a decorative plate 17. The touch panel monitor 16 is supported by the housing 11, with space provided below it. This arrangement makes it possible for even a user in a wheelchair to easily operate the touch panel monitor 16.

The housing 11 is provided with a front door 12 to allow access to the interior during maintenance. The perspective view shown in Figure 4 shows the front door 12 in an open state. The front door 12 is equipped with a scanner 13 and a guide device 20. The scanner 13 is capable of reading various code information, such as one-dimensional or two-dimensional code information provided on reservation tickets, etc.

The guide device 2 is configured with a front cover 21 and is provided with an opening 21e for inserting and ejecting the patient registration card, and a receipt ejection opening 21c for ejecting the printed reception slip. Furthermore, as its name suggests, the guide device 2 uses lighting effects to guide the user when inserting and removing the patient registration card.

Like a normal computer, the reception device 1 is configured with a CPU 31a as a control unit, a ROM 31b, and a RAM 31c. It also has a memory unit such as a hard disk 32 that stores various information. A card reader 35, a receipt printer 36, a scanner 37, and a guide device 20 are connected to an interface 34. These various devices connected to the interface 34 are connected to the control unit and memory unit, and are controlled according to programs stored in the memory unit. The reception device 1 is also provided with a power supply 38 to supply electricity to each unit.

The touch panel monitor 16 is composed of a touch panel 16a and a display unit 16b. Images displayed on the touch panel monitor 16 are displayed on the display unit 11b by the image processing unit 31d under the control of the control unit and memory unit. The reception device 1 is also provided with a communication unit 31e for connecting to a LAN 58, allowing it to communicate with a management device 51 connected to the network or with the Internet via a router 57. The reception device 1 is also equipped with an audio processing unit 31e, allowing it to emit sound from a speaker 39a.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the exterior of the reception device 1 according to this embodiment (when the front door 12 is open). A card reader 35 and a receipt printer 36 are located inside the housing 11. The front door 12 is also equipped with a scanner 13 and a guide device 20. The guide device 20 of this embodiment is small (thin) and can be stored in the front door 12.

When the front door 12 is closed, the card insertion slot 35a of the card reader 35 faces the opening 21e, and the receipt discharge position of the receipt printer 36 faces the receipt discharge slot 21c.

Figure 5 is an exploded view of the guidance device 20 according to this embodiment. The guidance device 20 according to this embodiment is configured with a front cover 21, a half mirror 24, a mirror 25, an illumination unit 22, and a light guide plate 23.

Front cover 21 is formed with protrusion 21d with opening 21e, mirror mounting surface 21f, half-mirror fixing step 21g, and light guide hole 21b. Half mirror 24 and mirror 25 are provided with openings 24a and 25a to allow light to pass through protrusion 21d of front cover 21 when fixed. Mirror 25 is fixed to mirror mounting surface 21f, and the periphery of half mirror 24 is fixed by half-mirror fixing step 21g, so that mirror 25 and half mirror 24 are attached to front cover 21 with a predetermined gap between them.

In this embodiment, the height (maximum height) of the half mirror 24 at the left and right positions is h1. The height to the opening 24a provided in the half mirror 24 is h2. Note that in this embodiment, the protrusion 21d is used to provide the opening 21e, but the opening 21e may be provided directly in the half mirror 24, i.e., 24a may also serve as the opening 21e.

In this embodiment, the half mirror 24 is located on the lower surface, both left and right sides, and the upper surface of the protrusion 21d, which is the member in which the opening 21e is provided. In addition to this configuration, the half mirror 24 may be located on the lower surface or at least one of the left and right sides of the opening 21e, as will be described in a modified example below.

The illumination unit 22 is composed of a substrate 22x and multiple unit illumination units 22a-22v. In this embodiment, the unit illumination units 22a-22v use LEDs capable of emitting a combination of the three primary colors. The illumination unit 22 is fixed so that the light irradiation surfaces of the unit illumination units 22a-22v face the light guide hole 21b. A light guide plate 23 is placed in the light guide hole 21b, allowing the light emitted from the illumination unit 22 to be sufficiently guided between the mirror 25 and the half mirror 24 and diffused.

Figure 6 is a front view of the guidance device 20 according to this embodiment, and Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the guidance device 20 according to this embodiment. Figure 7(A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in the front view of Figure 6, and Figure 7(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in the front view of Figure 6. Figure 6 also shows a state in which all unit illumination units 22a to 22v of the illumination unit 22 are lit, as viewed from the line of sight C1 shown in Figure 7(A).

When a user faces the reception device 1 and operates various customer service devices, the various operation points, such as the opening 21e for inserting the patient card 21e, are generally located in a position where the user looks downward. Therefore, as shown in Figure 7(A), when operating the reception device 1, the user's line of sight is also downward, as shown in line C1.

In the guidance device 20 of this embodiment, the lighting unit 22 is positioned in a way that takes into account the fact that the line of sight when operating the reception device 1 is line of sight C1.

As shown in Figure 6, when the guidance device 20 is viewed from the line of sight C1, the relative positions of the half mirror 24, mirror 25, and illumination position of the illumination unit 22 create a repeating illumination pattern L from below to above the half mirror 24. Due to the repetition of this illumination pattern L, the half mirror 24 is perceived as having a sense of depth, even though it is formed as a flat surface. Furthermore, the protrusion 21d protruding from the opening 24a of the half mirror 24 is perceived as having depth because the components located between the half mirror 24 and mirror 25 are repeatedly reflected at the upper position of the protrusion 21d, enhancing the feeling that the protrusion 21d is floating within the half mirror 24.

If the number of repetitions of the illumination pattern L in the depth direction is small, the illumination effect will be reduced, particularly on the left and right sides of the opening 21e. The number of repetitions of the illumination pattern L is based on the distance between the half mirror 24 and the mirror 25. Therefore, to ensure the number of repetitions of the illumination pattern, it is preferable to satisfy the following conditions:

At the left and right positions of the opening 21, it is preferable that the height h1 of the half mirror 24 at the left and right positions and the distance d between the half mirror 24 and the mirror 25 at least satisfy the following conditional expression (1). This makes it possible to ensure a sufficient number of repetitions of the illumination pattern L at the left and right positions of the half mirror 24.
h1>5d (1)

Furthermore, it is preferable that the height h2 of the half mirror 24 and the distance d between the half mirror 24 and the mirror 25 at the position below the opening 21 at least satisfy the following conditional expression (2), which makes it possible to ensure that the illumination pattern L at the position below the half mirror 24 is repeated multiple times.
h2>1.5d (2)

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 7(A), when the guidance device 20 is viewed from the line of sight C2, which is the direction looking up at the half mirror 24, the illumination pattern L shown in Figure 6 is not observed. In this embodiment, taking into account that the reception device 1 is installed in a location that overlooks the opening 21e, the illumination unit 22 is installed below the half mirror 24, and illumination is created by repeating the illumination pattern L as shown in Figure 6.

The card insertion slot 35a of the card reader 35 is located in the opening 21e provided in the protrusion 21d. Therefore, a wide area around the opening 21e is illuminated by the multiple illumination patterns L projected onto the half mirror 24. Furthermore, the guidance device 20 has a simple configuration consisting of a mirror 25, a half mirror 24, and an illumination unit 22 in which unit illumination units 22a-22v are arranged, making it easy to install in a narrow space such as the inside of the front door 12. Furthermore, the wiring can be simpler than, for example, when placing LEDs around the opening 21e.

In this way, the guidance device 20 of this embodiment has a simple configuration and is capable of illuminating a wide area around the opening 21e, allowing users of the reception device 1 to easily identify the position where to insert or remove their patient card.

Figure 8 shows the reception process executed by the reception device 1 according to this embodiment. The reception process is performed by the reception device 1, and is a process for accepting patients who visit a medical facility for examination. When the reception process starts, a guide screen is displayed on the touch panel monitor 16 of the reception device 1 (S101). The guide screen displays instructions for having the scanner 13 read the two-dimensional barcode printed on the appointment slip held by the user.

The guidance device 20 is also in an idle display state (S102). The idle display is a display state that produces an illumination-like effect, and the reception device 1 is enhanced by lighting the lighting unit 22 in an appropriate pattern and color.

When the user of reception device 1 follows the instructions on the guide screen and has the scanner 13 read the two-dimensional barcode (S103: Yes), reception device 1 reads the code information contained in the two-dimensional barcode. A guide screen for reading the patient registration card is displayed on the touch panel monitor 16 (S104). Then, to guide the user to the opening 21e where the patient registration card is to be inserted, the guide device 20 enters an insertion guide display state (S105).

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the illumination pattern of the guidance device 20 according to this embodiment. Similar to Figure 7, Figures 9(A) to 9(L) show the appearance of the guidance device 20 when viewed from the line of sight C1. The light-emitting states of the unit illumination units 22a to 22v are also shown at the bottom of each figure. Black circles indicate the emitting state, and white circles indicate the non-emitting state.

In the insertion guidance display state, the light-emitting state of the illumination units 22 is switched in the order of Figures 9(A), 9(B), and 9(C), and after all unit illumination units 22a to 22v are put into a non-light-emitting state as shown in Figure 9(L), the state returns to Figure 9(A). By repeating this illumination pattern, it is possible to effectively inform the user that they should insert their patient card into the opening 21e.

When the patient's appointment card is inserted into the opening 21e and read by the card reader 35 (S106: Yes), the appointment is confirmed based on the code information read in S103, and the patient's identity is verified based on the read appointment card (S107). Reception is confirmed by querying the network-connected management device 51.

If the receipt is confirmed (S108: Yes), a message indicating that the receipt has been completed is displayed on the touch panel monitor 16 (S109), and a receipt slip is printed by the receipt printer 36 and discharged from the receipt discharge port 21c. If the receipt is not accepted (S108: No), a message indicating that the receipt has not been accepted is displayed on the touch panel monitor 16 (S112). In this case, a receipt slip is not issued.

Then, the patient registration card is ejected from the opening 21e of the guidance device 20 to be returned (S111). At that time, the guidance device 20 enters a removal prompt display state (S113) to prompt the user to remove the patient registration card.

In the removal guide display state of this embodiment, the light column moves in the opposite direction to the insertion guide state, switching the light emission state of the illumination unit 22 in the order of Figures 9(L), 9(K), and 9(J), and returning to the state of Figure 9(L) after the issuance state of Figure 9(A). By repeating this illumination pattern, it is possible to effectively inform the user that they should remove their patient card from opening 21e. Note that the colors of the unit illumination units 22a to 22v may be changed between the removal guide state and the insertion guide state.

When the user removes the patient card (S114: Yes), the reception process ends, and the guidance device 20 returns from the removal guidance display state (S113) to the idle display state (S102).

In this way, in the guidance device 20 of this embodiment, the lighting unit 22 is composed of multiple unit lighting units 22a-22v, and by controlling the lighting of each unit lighting unit 22a-22v, it is possible to effectively create an atmosphere around the opening 21e where the patient card is inserted and removed, encouraging the user to operate the device.

The above describes various embodiments of the guidance device 20 and the reception device 1 as a customer service device according to the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and various modifications can be adopted. Some modifications are described below.

[First Modification]
In the above embodiment, the reception device 1 in a medical facility is described as including a guide device 20 that illuminates the opening 21e through which a patient registration card is inserted and removed. However, the guide device 20 can be used not only in this form but also in various devices (customer service devices) through which various items are inserted or removed.

For example, the guide device 20 can be applied to various customer service devices, such as ticket vending machines that sell train tickets and meal tickets, and vending machines that serve beverages in cans or paper cups, in the openings that dispense train tickets, meal tickets, canned products, and paper cups, or the openings through which credit cards, membership cards, bills, and coins are inserted and removed.

[Second Modification]
In the above-described embodiment, the opening 24a is provided in the half mirror 24, and the protrusion 21d having the opening 21e is exposed through the opening 24a. As can be seen from FIG. 6 , the guide device 20 can effectively illuminate the lower position and the left and right positions of the protrusion 21d. Therefore, the half mirror 24 is not limited to a configuration having the opening 21e, but may also have a recess and the opening 21e disposed within the recess. The half mirror 24 is configured to be located below the opening 21e and on the left and right sides thereof.

Figure 10 shows the illumination of the guide device 20 according to this modified example. A recess 24b is provided at the top of the half mirror 24, with part of the top edge of the half mirror 24 cut away. By placing a protrusion 21d with an opening 21e in this recess 24b, it is possible to illuminate a sufficiently wide area below and to the left and right of the opening 21e.

[Third Modification]
In the above-described embodiment, one opening 21e is provided in one half mirror 24. In addition to this configuration, a configuration in which a plurality of openings are provided in one half mirror may also be used.

Figure 11 shows the half mirror portion of the guide device 20 in this modified example. In this modified example, two openings 24a are provided in the half mirror 24, and a protrusion 21d is exposed on the surface from each opening 24a. The protrusion 21d on the left side has an opening 21e for the patient registration card, and the protrusion 21d on the right side has an opening serving as a receipt outlet 21c.

In this configuration, it is possible to illuminate multiple openings with a single guidance device 20. Furthermore, in the lighting unit 22, the left half of the unit lighting units 22a-22k can be controlled to illuminate the patient registration card, and the right half of the unit lighting units 22l-22v can be independently controlled to illuminate the reception slip, making it possible to guide the insertion and removal of the patient registration card and the removal of the reception slip with a single guidance device.

[Fourth Modification]
In the above-described embodiment, a material with excellent light transmittance is used for the light guide plate 23, and light is guided for each of the unit illumination units 23a to 23. Therefore, a dot-like light-emitting pattern is formed on the half mirror 24 for each of the unit illumination units 22a to 22v.

Instead of this configuration, it is also possible to use a light guide plate 23 with frosted glass-like light diffusion properties, forming the light emitted from each unit illumination unit 22a-22v in a continuous line. Alternatively, holes that guide light for every predetermined number of adjacent unit illumination units 22a-22v can be formed in the light guide plate 23, forming a pattern for every predetermined number of unit illumination units 22a-22v.

[Fifth Modification]
In the above-described embodiment, the illumination unit 22 is disposed at the lower side of the half mirror 24. The illumination unit 22 may be disposed not only at the lower side of the half mirror 24 but also at the left and right sides of the half mirror 24. This expands the range of the illumination pattern within the half mirror 24, thereby further enhancing the illumination effect.

Figure 12 is a diagram showing the appearance of the half mirror 24 portion of a guidance device 20 according to another embodiment. In this figure, in addition to the lighting unit 22 provided below the half mirror 24 as described in Figure 6, lighting units 22 are also provided on the left and right sides. In this case, as shown in Figure 22, an extended area E is created on the left and right sides of the half mirror 24, and the extended area E is illuminated more widely than in Figure 6.

1: Reception device 24a: Opening 2: Guide device 24b: Recess 11: Housing 25: Mirror 11b: Display unit 25a: Opening 12: Front door 31a: CPU
13: Scanner 31b: ROM
16: Touch panel monitor 31c: RAM
16a: Touch panel 31d: Image processing unit 16b: Display unit 31e: Audio processing unit 17: Decorative plate 32: Hard disk 18: LED 33: Communication unit 20: Guide device 34: Interface 21: Front cover 35: Card reading unit 21b: Light guide hole 35a: Card insertion slot 21c: Receipt discharge slot 36: Receipt printer 21d: Protrusion 37: Scanner 21e: Opening 38: Power supply 21f: Mirror mounting surface 39a: Speaker 21g: Half mirror fixing step 51: Management device 22: Lighting unit 52: Input devices 22a to 22v: Unit lighting unit 53: LAN communication unit 22x: Circuit board 54: Memory unit 23: Light guide plate 55: Monitor 23a: Unit lighting unit 57: Router 24: Half mirror

Claims (6)

A guidance device that includes a half mirror, a mirror, and an illumination unit, and is used by a user facing the device,
The half mirror is disposed in front of the user's line of sight and adjacent to the periphery of the opening through which an article is inserted or removed,
The mirror is disposed on the rear surface of the half mirror with a gap therebetween,
The illumination unit is arranged to illuminate the space between the mirror and the half mirror. The lighting section is made up of a plurality of unit lighting sections.
The guide device according to claim 1 . The guidance device according to claim 2 , wherein the unit illumination units are arranged in a direction parallel to the surface of the half mirror. The guide device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the half mirror is provided with an opening adjacent to the opening through which the article is inserted or removed. The guidance device according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination unit is disposed at least below the half mirror. A customer service device that includes a guide device and is used by a user in face-to-face interaction,
The guide device includes a half mirror, a mirror, and a lighting unit.
The half mirror is disposed in front of the user's line of sight and adjacent to the periphery of the opening through which an article is inserted or removed,
The mirror is disposed on the rear surface of the half mirror with a gap therebetween,
The lighting unit is positioned to illuminate the area between the mirror and the half mirror.