JPH087545B2 - Product price display system - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a commodity price display system for displaying a commodity price on a price indicator installed on a commodity shelf or the like, and more particularly, to a change in the displayed price and a price indicator. The present invention relates to a commodity price display system that is easy to move and has improved convenience and reliability.

[Conventional technology]

With the development of computer technology in recent years,
Office automation (OA), FA in manufacturing department
Not only (factory automation), but also retailers such as department stores, supermarkets, and convenience stores are rapidly adopting SA (store automation) by introducing computers. At the core of this SA is the POS (Point of Sales) system. A POS system is a point in time when an ECR (electronic cash register) equipped with an optical automatic reading device is connected to a computer, and sales information collected for each individual item or information generated at the stage of purchasing, delivery, etc. is generated. It is a system for sending product data to a computer and managing the product data. For example, in addition to the conventional cashier function (cash payment function), a PLU that stores a JAN code (bar code), product name, list price, cost, selling price, etc. Management (price look-up: product price management), sales performance management that totals sales status such as sales amount for each product, sales amount for each department, or inventory / ordering by totaling the number of sales / inventory for each product It has functions such as inventory and order management that manages, and manages comprehensive sales information. This PO
By introducing the S system, it is possible to speed up register work, reduce labor costs, and speed up information processing.

In order to further promote SA, install price indicators such as LED indicators at predetermined positions such as display shelves in place of price tags that display the price of goods, and connect communication cables from computers such as store processors to communication cables. There is a product price display system that automatically displays the product price on the price display via the. This product price display system is, for example, as shown in FIG. 10 (a), a store processor 102 on a display shelf 101 that is pre-partitioned based on the layout of product displays.
There is one in which the communication cable 103 connected to the communication cable 103 is arranged, and the price indicator 104 is directly attached and arranged at an appropriate position of the communication cable 103. The price display method is shown in Fig. 10 (b).
The price display correspondence table of the price display 104
The price display address set for each, the product (product name or product code) displayed on each shelf, and the display price of the product are registered in the store processor 102, and each is displayed based on this price display correspondence table. Price Display 10
The price corresponding to 4 is displayed. By using the commodity price display system, the store processor 102
By changing the price display correspondence table of, it is possible to easily and finely display the price at a necessary timing without manpower for changing the price tag. further,
By incorporating the product price display system as one of the functions of the POS system described above and inputting and displaying the necessary data such as the product price from the PLU, it can be easily displayed in conjunction with the register in the price change work in the POS system. The price can be changed. This eliminates the need to set the product price data separately for the POS system and the product price display system, so that information (product price data, etc.) can be used efficiently, and the display price and register price due to data input error It is possible to avoid troubles such as inconsistency, and to operate the entire system efficiently.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

However, according to the conventional commodity price display system, since the price display is fixed and attached at a predetermined position of the communication cable, it is not easy to move the attachment position of the price display, and it is difficult to change the layout of the display shelf. There was an inconvenience to say. In addition, when changing the product to be displayed, the price display device address, product name (or product code), and display price to be changed must be registered, so a separate registration work is performed in addition to the work near the display shelf. Therefore, there is an inconvenience that the change work of the displayed products becomes complicated.
Furthermore, since registration work is performed in a place different from the place where the product is actually displayed, it is difficult to confirm the correctness of the registration data (confirmation of the display place and the displayed product), and due to incorrect registration in the price display correspondence table, There was a fear that the price of the product different from the displayed product would be displayed.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a commodity price display system in which the mounting location of the price display is improved and the layout of the display shelf can be easily changed.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a product price display system that can easily perform a change work of displayed products.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a product price display system that enables easy confirmation of correctness of registration data (confirmation of display place and displayed product).

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a power line,
A communication cable consisting of a 3-pair twisted cable having three cores of a signal line and GND, a power supply / signal repeater arranged at a predetermined position on the communication cable for relaying signals and supplying power, and a display. A bar code of the product is input through a device such as a handy terminal or a hand scanner, and a price indicator that stores the bar code as an identification ID (identification) of the device and a control device that controls the price indicator are provided. The price indicator is connected via two connectors, a press-connecting type connector directly connected to the communication cable and a branching connector which is detachably connected to the press-connecting type connector, and the control device is displayed based on a bar code. It is intended to provide a commodity price display system which measures a price and a price display and controls the display.

That is, the commodity price display system of the present invention uses a 3-pair twisted cable having three cores of a power supply line, a signal line, and a GND as a communication cable, and the price display is connected to the communication cable through two connectors. The connection and the attachment position can be easily changed by connecting the connection. In addition, by using the bar code of the product as the identification ID of the price display device, by specifying the product and the price display device by the bar code, and controlling the display of the price of the corresponding product, the price according to the price display correspondence table It eliminates the need for matching the display (display location) with the product. Furthermore, by entering the product barcode directly into the price display via a device such as a handy terminal or hand scanner, registration data can be obtained. It is possible to confirm the correctness of the above (confirmation of display place and displayed product) with certainty.

The commodity price display system of the present invention has the following conditions.

(1) Communication cable It consists of a 3-pair twisted cable with 3 cores of power line, signal line and GND. It is necessary to always use three pairs of power cables, a ground wire, and a signal line for control communication when operating the price indicator described later, because the communication cable is a three-pair twisted cable. This is because by using one stranded cable as the three lines, the power cable of the price display unit alone is not required, and the price display unit can be connected to any position of the power signal line (communication cable). . In addition, the wiring of a plurality of cables on the display shelf not only spoils the appearance but also poses a problem in terms of cable arrangement and maintenance. According to the present invention, the arrangement is easy and the appearance is neat.

(2) Power supply / signal repeater It is installed at a predetermined position on the communication cable and relays signals and supplies power. For example, a signal driver,
12VCD switching regulator,
100 price indicators are installed every 100m of cable length.

(3) Price display device The price display device directly inputs the bar code of the product displaying the price through a device such as a handy terminal or a hand scanner, and stores it as an identification ID (identification) of the device. Further, the connection with the communication cable described above is performed via two connectors, a pressure contact type connector directly connected to the communication cable and a branching connector removably connected to the pressure contact type connector. By using the bar code as the identification ID of the price display unit alone, it is possible to identify the price display unit, the display price, and the displayed product with the same code. In other words, the place where the price is displayed by the identification ID (bar code) (that is, the price display)
The barcode and the product and the displayed price can be determined. In addition, the bar code of the product displayed through a specified device such as a handy terminal is directly entered on the price display installed on the display shelf to identify the product.
The ID is set in order to easily and surely match the information of the displayed product and the display place, the information of the price display unit for displaying the price and the product price, and the like.
In order to facilitate the attachment work and the change of the attachment position, there are two connectors, a pressure contact type connector directly connected to the communication cable and a branch connector removably connected to the pressure contact type connector. Connect to the communication cable.

(4) Control device The barcode is used to identify the product and the price display device, and to control the display of the price of the product.

[Action]

According to the present invention, the price indicator is attached by press-fitting the press-connecting connector to a predetermined position (position based on the layout of the display shelf) of the communication cable which is arranged on the commercial display shelf in advance. Easily by inserting the branch connector into the and attaching the price display, and
It can be done anywhere. Also, after arranging the products,
When setting a bar code on a price display via a handy terminal or the like, it is possible to reliably perform it while checking the displayed products. Further, the control device identifies the price display device and the display price based on the barcode of the product registered in the PLU (product price list), and displays the price on the corresponding price display device, so the price display correspondence table, etc. Need not be created. When moving the price display unit, remove the branch connector of the price display unit to be moved from the pressure contact connector, and newly press the pressure contact connector at the destination on the communication cable,
This can be easily performed by inserting the pressure contact connector. Also,
To change the displayed product, simply set the bar code of the new product on the price display after replacing the product.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a commodity price display system of the present invention, which shows a communication cable 1 composed of a three-pair twisted cable having three cores of a power line, a signal line, and a GND, and a communication cable 1. A plurality of price indicators 2 arranged at predetermined positions
And a system controller (control device) 3 that controls the price display device 2 via the communication cable 1, and a power supply / signal repeater that supplies power to the power supply line of the communication cable 1 and relays signals. 4 and a communication control unit 5 for connecting the system controller 3 to the power supply / signal repeater and the communication cable 1, with one block between the power supply / signal repeater 4 and one block of the communication cable 1 The maximum length is 100m, and the maximum price indicator 2 that can be installed in one block is 100 pieces. Further, the communication system of this system belongs to the Point to Multi-Point communication system, and has a relationship of a master (system controller 3) and a slave (price indicator 2). The communication speed is 1200 bps (bit per second) for baseband transfer, the data link is established by the polling selecting method, and the price display 2 does not make a transmission request. Therefore, no signal collision occurs on the communication cable 1, but by sending a command from the system controller 3 side, data is displayed on the price display 2 or data is sent from the price display 2 side. Etc. are controlled.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram for explaining the system controller 3 and the communication control unit 5. The system controller 3 is composed of a main body control unit 3a, a keyboard 3b, a display 3c, a printer 3d and the like. In addition to the commodity price display system of the present invention, for example, when a POS system or the like is introduced, it is also possible to use it together with a POS store processor. Any personal computer can be used. The communication control unit 5 receives signals from the system controller 3 side by the RS-232-C interface 5a.
After converting to the TTL (Transistor-Transistor Logic) level, the signal is output from the transmission-dedicated transceiver 5b onto the signal line 1a of the communication cable 1. On the other hand, the signal from the communication cable 1 is received by the receive-only transceiver 5c, and RS-
It is passed to the system controller 3 via the 232-C interface 5a. Further, as shown in the figure, the system controller 3 is provided with a power supply unit 5d for supplying power to the power supply line 1b of the communication cable 1, and a mechanism (not shown) for grounding the GND line 1c is provided. . The external dimensions of the power supply / signal repeater 4 of the embodiment are 320 mm (W) x 150
Although the size is mm (H) × 100 mm (D), it is better to reduce the size in consideration of the fact that it is installed in the store.

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the power supply / signal repeater 4. In this embodiment, considering the power supply and signal attenuation, as described above,
As an example, assuming that the cable length is 100 m and the number of price indicators is 100, the power supply / signal repeater 4 is arranged for each block. The power supply / signal repeater 4 includes a transceiver 4a for inputting / outputting a signal on the signal line 1a, as shown in the figure,
Two one-chip microcomputers 4b and 4c, a power supply unit 4d for supplying power to the power supply line 1b,
A mechanism (not shown) for grounding the GND line 1c is provided. The one-chip microcomputers 4b and 4c use one of two signal lines 1a connected to the transceiver 4a.
When the signal is input to the transceiver 4a, the one-chip microcomputer 4b (or 4c) on the receiver side verifies the data read, and the system controller 3 transfers the price display 2 to the price display 2. The data to be sent is output to the terminal side of the communication cable 1, and the data to be returned to the system controller 3 is output to the system controller 3 side.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of the price indicator 2. The transceiver 2a inputs / outputs the signal on the signal line 1a, the input section 2b inputs the bar code from the handy terminal, the hand scanner, etc., and the input bar code. From the bar code storage unit 2c that stores the device ID as an identification ID of the device, the LED display unit 2d that displays the product price, the control of the LED display unit 2d based on the command (signal) from the system controller 3, and the input unit 2b. The control unit 2e is configured to control the transfer of the input barcode to the barcode storage unit 2c.
In addition, 2f shows a power supply unit.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are explanatory views showing the appearance of the price display device 2 and the attachment to the communication cable 1. The price indicator 2 has external dimensions of 88 (W) x 50 (H) x 15 (D)
The LED display section 2d is composed of 7-segment LEDs. Also,
As the power source, DC 12V is supplied from the power source line 1b of the communication cable 1. As shown in FIG. 3A, the communication cable 1
The press-connecting connector 6 is press-contacted and connected to the predetermined position, and the branching connector 7 provided at the predetermined position of the price indicator 2 is connected to and inserted into the press-connecting connector 6 described above. Further, in order to enable the display of the product information and to easily change the displayed product, the price display 2 of the present embodiment has the price display 2 of the price display 2 as shown in FIG. Attach a panel case 2g on the front, product name, illustration,
A display panel 2h in which information such as a barcode of a product is drawn is inserted into the panel case 2g. FIG. 3C shows the price display 2 with the panel case 2g and the display panel 2h attached. 5 (a) to 5 (c) are configured such that the branching connector 7 is directly attached to the price indicator 2, but as shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b), the branching connector 7 is branched from the price indicator 2. An extension cable 7a may be provided between the connector 7 for use. The extension cable 7a is usually required in the display shelf because the communication cable 1 is generally laid out along the wall surface of the display shelf in terms of appearance and storability and at a place suitable for attaching the price display 2. However, for example, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), if the price indicator 2 is to be placed in a space away from the wall surface (wiring position of the communication cable 1), the price can be freely displayed by the extension cable 7a. It is effective that the position of the container 2 can be moved.

In the above configuration, the embodiment is performed in the order of mounting the price display, inputting the bar code (identification ID), controlling the system controller, changing the display product, moving the mounting location of the price display, and linking with the POS system. The commodity price display system of will be described in detail.

Installation of price indicator Based on the layout of the display shelves in the store and the product layout of the display shelves, the wiring of the communication cable 1 and the arrangement of the power supply / signal repeater 4 are performed. At this time, communication cable 1
In consideration of signal attenuation in the interior, a power supply / signal repeater 4 is provided for each block (for example, the length of the communication cable 1 is 100 m or the number of price indicators 2 is 100). To do. Next, based on the product layout of the display shelves (sorting of shelves), the mounting position of the price indicator 2 is determined on the communication cable 1, and the press-connecting connector 6 is mounted by press-contacting the mounting position. As shown in a) and FIG. 6 (a), the price indicator 2 is connected via the branching connector 7 (extension cable 7a as necessary). Since the price indicator 2 is thus attached via the press-connecting connector 6 and the branching connector 7, the price indicator 2 can be freely arranged at any position on the communication cable 1.

Input of Bar Code (Identification ID) The commodity price display system of the present invention, as described above,
A system controller 3 and a plurality of price indicators 2 are connected by a communication cable 1, and communication is performed by a polling selecting method. Therefore, although there is no collision of signals on the communication cable 1, it is necessary to specify the other party (the price display 2 to control) with which the system controller 3 communicates. (Identification ID). The identification ID is generally used by setting a unique address for each device.
In this method, the price display device 2 can be specified by the identification ID (device address), but in order to transfer the price data to be displayed to the price display device 2, the system controller 3 side beforehand has the device address and the product data (product data). It was necessary to match names, bar codes, product prices, etc.). In the present invention, a bar code of a product whose price is displayed is used as the identification ID. The bar code has a code unique to each product in a product single product management system (for example, a POS system), and one corresponding product can be specified by designating the bar code. Therefore,
By using a barcode for the identification ID, the price indicator 2
Can be specified simultaneously with the specification of the product price to be displayed, the matching work in the system controller 3 can be omitted, and the inconvenience due to a matching error can be eliminated. 7 (a) and 7 (b) are price indicators 2
Shows how to enter the barcode. FIG.
Shows an example in which the hand scanner 8a is used as an input device, and the hand scanner 8a is inserted into the input unit 2b (not shown) of the price display unit 2 to directly input the bar code from the displayed commodity. The figure (b) is Handy Terminal 8b
An example using is shown, and the barcode is input using the numeric keypad of the handy terminal 8b. In either method, since the bar code (identification ID) is input while checking the actual product after the product is displayed, the product and the display data can be reliably associated with each other. If you enter the barcode on the handy terminal 8b using the numeric keypad and the corresponding product name is displayed, you can check the input data and prevent input errors. The barcode (identification ID) input in this way is stored in the barcode storage unit 2c (see FIG. 4). The control unit 2e of the price display device 2 processes only the corresponding command based on the barcode stored in the barcode storage unit 2a when communicating with the system controller 3.

Control of system controller The system controller 3 controls the price indicator 2 and
It stores and updates the PLU. As described above, in this system, since the bar code is used as the identification ID of the price indicator 2, it is not necessary to provide a correspondence table of the identification ID and the product data. Therefore, the item of PLU can be set like a system such as POS such as JAN code (bar code), product name, fixed price, set selling price, cost, store selling price (display price). In other words, the PLU of the POS system can be used as it is or used together. On the other hand, the system controller 3 performs the following control by transmitting commands and data to the price display unit 2.

(B) Display price data on the price display.

The price display device 2 is specified based on the bar code of the product whose price is to be displayed, and the corresponding price data is transferred and displayed. At this time, the price display 2 returns confirmation data (Ack data) indicating that the price data has been received and displayed. Thereby, for example, it is possible to confirm the price change when the price is changed. In addition, price data can be transmitted by sequentially transmitting all data, by specifying a designated data sequential transmission time, and the like.

(B) Make the display on the price display blink.

Based on the bar code of the product for which blinking display is performed, the corresponding price display unit 2 is controlled to blink.

(C) Stop blinking the price display.

Based on the bar code of the blinking product, the blinking of the corresponding price indicator 2 is stopped.

It is needless to say that the display price and the like can be changed in a timely manner by interlocking with the control of (a) to (c) and the special sale PLU management in which the special sale price and the special sale time are set.

Change of Displayed Product In this way, the products are arranged according to the product layout of the display shelf, the barcode is set on the price display 2, and the price data is displayed on the price display 2 under the control of the system controller 3. When changing the displayed product in this system, the old product on the display shelf is taken out, the new product is displayed, and the bar code of the new product is input to the price indicator 2 as the identification ID as described above. That is, the work peculiar to the commodity price display system is only the bar code input to the price display device 2, and for example, even an unskilled person such as a part timer can easily and surely perform the work.

Movement of Price Display Attachment Location The movement of the price indicator 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (b). A new press-connecting connector 6 is press-fitted and attached to the destination A of the price display unit 2, and then the branch connector 7
Remove the price indicator 2 from the pressure contact connector 6 at
The press-connecting connector 6 is covered with a protective cap 9. After that, the price indicator 2 is carried to the destination pressure contact connector 6, and the branch connector 7 is inserted and attached. At this time, if the displayed merchandise at the destination is the same, the moving operation is completed, and when a new merchandise is to be displayed, the bar code input process is also performed in the same manner as the displayed merchandise changing operation. As described above, since the price indicator 2 is attached to the communication cable 1 by cutting the cable and inserting the connector from the cable jacket by the press-connecting connector 6, the attachment position of the price indicator 2 can be freely set. It is configurable and easy to do. Further, since it can be easily inserted and removed by the branching connector 7, it is easy to move. After the price indicator 2 is removed, the press-connecting connector 6 remains on the communication cable 1, but it can be stored without any trouble by the protective cap 9, and when it is used again, it is only necessary to remove the protective cap 9.

Coordination with POS system This system can be installed independently as an independent product price display system, as shown in Fig. 1.
As shown in Fig. 9 (a), it can be incorporated as one of the integrated systems of SA by connecting it to the store processor. Also, if only the POS system is used, it can be incorporated in Fig. 9 (b). From the POS controller to P
It is also possible to input LU data and make a system linked with POS. In particular, the product price display system of the present invention is a PO
It goes without saying that it is more effective to use it with the S system.

In this embodiment, the communication cable 1 is arranged from the system controller 3 to the display shelf of the sales floor, and the command and the price data are transmitted from the system controller to the price display 2 which is attached to the desired number at the arbitrary position, and the corresponding price is displayed. Display 2
Displays the price and returns the data indicating that the price display 2 has displayed the price data, thereby realizing the automation of the price display. Further, by attaching the price indicator 2 to the communication cable 1 via the press-connecting connector 6 and the branching connector 7, the mobility of the attaching place is improved and the layout of the display shelf is easily changed.

In this embodiment, the 7-segment LED is used as the display portion of the price display unit 2, but the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, it goes without saying that any optical display means by electrical control such as a liquid crystal display element or a photoelectric tube can be applied. Further, the display data may be configured to display not only the price data of the product but also product information such as a product name, a bar code, a product unit (1 unit, 1 dozen, etc.), a product standard (for example, 500 mg packaging). good. However, it is necessary to consider that the structure of the price display device 2 becomes complicated and the cost increases. Furthermore, by changing the link method to the polling selecting method and adopting another method, for example, the price indicator 2 is used as a connection connector, and the handy terminal 8b having a communication program and an inventory management program is used. It may be configured to manage inventory.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the commodity price display system of the present invention, the power supply line, the signal line, and the GND are arranged in a predetermined position on the communication cable, which is a communication cable including a 3-pair twisted cable having three cores. Then, input the power supply / signal repeater that relays signals and supply power, and the bar code of the displayed product through a device such as a handy terminal or a hand scanner, and then use the bar code to identify the device.
on), and a controller for controlling the price indicator, the price indicator is a pressure contact type connector directly connected to the communication cable, and a branch connectable to and removable from the pressure contact connector. Connected via the two connectors of the price connector, the control device specifies the display price and the price display based on the bar code and controls the display. Make it easier to change the layout of display shelves, make it easier to change the display products, and easily confirm whether the registered data is correct (display location and display product). I was able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a commodity price display system of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the configurations of the system controller and the communication control unit. Figure 3 shows the power supply
The figure which shows the structure of a signal repeater. FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining the price display. 5A to 5C are views showing the shape of the price indicator and the attachment to the communication cable. 6 (a) and 6 (b) are diagrams in which a price indicator is attached using an extension cable. FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b) are views for explaining inputting a barcode (identification ID). FIG. 8 (a),
(B) is a figure explaining movement of the attachment position of a price indicator. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between another system and the commodity price display system of the present invention. 10 (a) and 10 (b) are explanatory views showing an example of a conventional product price display system. Explanation of code 1 …… Communication cable 1a …… Signal line 1b …… Power supply line 1c …… GND line 2 …… Price indicator 2a …… Transceiver 2b …… Input section 2c …… Bar code storage section 2d …… LED Display 2e …… Control unit 2f …… Power supply unit 2g …… Panel case 2h …… Display panel 3 …… System controller 3a …… Main unit control unit 3b …… Keyboard 3c …… Display 3d …… Printer 4 …… Power supply / signal repeater 4a …… Transceiver 4b, 4c …… One-chip microcomputer 4d …… Power supply unit 5 …… Communication control unit 5a …… RS-232-C interface 5b …… Transmit-only transceiver 5c …… Reception Dedicated transceiver 5d …… Power supply unit 6 …… Pressure-connecting connector 7 …… Branching connector 7a …… Extension cable 8a …… Hand scanner 8b …… Handy terminal 9 …… Protection key Cap

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A commodity price display system for automatically displaying a commodity price by controlling a plurality of price indicators installed at predetermined positions such as a display shelf with a control device such as a store processor via a communication cable. In, a communication cable consisting of a three-pair twisted cable having three cores of a power supply line, a signal line, and a GND, and a power supply that is arranged at a predetermined position on the communication cable and relays signals and supplies power. A signal relay, a price indicator for inputting a barcode of a displayed product through a device such as a handy terminal or a hand scanner, and storing the barcode as an identification ID (identification) of the device, and the price indicator. The price display includes a pressure contact type connector directly connected to the communication cable, and a branch connector removably connected to the pressure contact type connector. The commodity price display system is characterized in that the control device is connected via two connectors of the Kuta, and the control device specifies the display price based on the bar code and the price display device and controls the display.