HK1195381B - Device for reading/writing rfid tags and checkout terminal including such a device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a device for reading/writing RFID tags, and in particular RFID tags each worn by objects in order to identify such objects.

The field of the invention is the field of reading/writing RFID tags, in particular RFID tags each identifying an object on which it is affixed for the purpose of automatically collecting an amount when such an object is sold/purchased in a point of sale such as a supermarket.

State of the art

In the last few years, there has been a search for free cashing devices in large-scale shops, and cashing terminals with optical readers of barcodes and a scale to measure the weight of the item bearing the label read, for example to verify that the label is correctly matched to the item being handled, have already been developed.

This type of device works satisfactorily but requires a relatively long reading time as the objects bearing the labels are processed one by one.

The document EP 2 109 059 A1 describes a container, for example in the form of a rack, containing one or more compartments for receiving items bearing RFID tags.

RFID readers, such as the one described in the patent application published under number FR 2 966 954 A1, are also known to allow for faster reading, or even simultaneous reading, of several RFID tags, each affixed to an object.

The inventors have found that these RFID readers do not allow for effective reading of RFID tags affixed to certain types of objects, especially when the object bearing the tag contains a liquid, such as a container of liquid, or is loaded with liquid, such as certain fruits or vegetables.

The purpose of the invention is to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages.

Another purpose of the invention is to propose a RFID tag reader that can read tags more quickly and efficiently than known RFID readers, regardless of the type of objects bearing the tags.

The following is a summary of the invention:

The invention enables at least one of the above purposes to be achieved by a device for reading/writing at least one RFID tag worn on at least one object, including: at least one deposit chamber for the reception of at least one such object, including: at least one back wall and at least one side wall,at least one RFID read/write device,and at least one so-called entry hole for the deposit of objects in that cavity and substantially formed in a high part of that deposit hole,at least one so-called protection wall,arranged around that entry hole, extending upwards from that entry hole and capable of attenuating waves between that deposit hole and the outside,and at least one so-called access opening for access to that entry hole through at least one of those protection walls.

The read/write device according to the invention thus enables the reading/writing of one or more RFID tags, each carried by objects deposited in a deposit cavity, the entrance of which is surrounded by a protective wall or walls which attenuate the waves between the deposit cavity and the outside of the deposit cavity.

The opening makes this screen less efficient but is necessary to ensure user access to the object storage space, and the user standing in front of the opening allows the screen to be replaced relatively efficiently at the opening level, and to prevent the emission of waves outside the cavity through the opening.

To prevent this emission of waves even more effectively outside the cavity, the device may include a movable panel (rotating or translation) between a closed position in which it covers the opening and an open position in which it leaves the opening open.

The device according to the invention thus allows to limit, in the deposit cavity, the disturbances due to waves emitted by sources located outside the deposit cavity and which may interfere with the reading of RFID tags. As a result, the device according to the invention allows to increase, in the deposit cavity, the power of the waves used to perform a read/write operation, without risk of powering and therefore reading the RFID tags affixed to products located in the vicinity of the terminal, in particular on carriers adjacent to the terminal and therefore better read the labels located in the cavity, even those affixed to objects containing a liquid.

Thus, all these features allow the device of the invention to perform a faster reading/writing of RFID tags more efficiently than known RFID readers.

The advantage is that the protective wall (s) can be arranged so that: in the foreground, which is in particular the plane formed by the entry hatch and more particularly a significantly horizontal plane, they surround the entry hatch on all sides except the side, or part of the side, which faces the access opening to the entry hatch, andin the second foreground, which is in particular the plane formed by the access opening to the entry hatch and more particularly a significantly vertical plane, they surround the access opening on all sides. The access opening may also not be surrounded by the on-board protection on one of its sides, in particular at its upper end,

The advantage is that the RFID read/write device (s) are arranged to emit waves into the cavity and/or receive waves from RFID tags in the cavity in order to read and/or write to the RFID tags.

At least one RFID read/write device may include at least one RFID antenna and at least one RFID reader cooperating with the RFID antenna, and preferably multiple RFID antennas on the different side walls of the deposit cavity.

The deposition cavity may be parallelepipedal.

The access opening and/or the entry hole will not be rectangular.

The access opening may be advantageously located in a plane which is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the inlet opening.

This arrangement of the access opening in relation to the inlet orifice reduces the interference of waves entering or leaving the deposit cavity.

The access opening may be made in a protective wall in front of the read/write device.

Advantageously, in the configuration of use, the intake orifice may form, or may be located in, a significantly horizontal plane, or a plane slightly inclined towards the user relative to the horizontal plane, and the access opening may form, or may be located in, a significantly vertical plane, or a plane slightly inclined towards the user relative to the vertical plane.

Such a relative arrangement of the access opening and the entry hole allows the benefit of reducing the interference described above to be maintained while facilitating the deposit of objects in the deposit cavity, in which case it is sufficient to advance a bag containing the objects through the access opening to the top of the entry hole, which corresponds to a translational movement in a significantly horizontal plane, and then to place them in the cavity, which corresponds to a translational movement in a significantly vertical plane.

The depositing cavity may be enclosed by a wall, called an external wall, encompassing the said side wall or walls of the said depositing cavity and not having a sharp angle.

In other words, when the protective cavity has edges or edges, especially to join two side walls, then the outer wall is rounded at each of these edges/edges. Indeed, the inventors found that a sharp angle at the outer wall tended to behave like an antenna and radiate the waves, which defeats the intended purpose of confining the waves in the deposit cavity.

The device according to the invention may also include a wave-absorbing foam placed between the side walls of the deposit cavity and the outer wall.

All these characteristics allow the propagation of the waves generated in the deposit cavity to be further reduced to the outside of the deposit cavity, thus increasing the power of the waves used in the deposit cavity and increasing the reading/writing efficiency.

The introduction hole can be conveniently located at the upper end of the deposit cavity.

The device may also have an upper wall, e.g. substantially horizontal, connecting the side walls to the outer wall in which the introduction orifice is located.

Alternatively, the inlet hole may be made by omitting the upper wall.

The advantage is that at least one, in particular each, sidewall of the deposit cavity can be metal, which allows for a significant reflection of the emitted waves used in the deposit cavity to allow the RFID tags located in the deposit cavity to be energized in different directions and thus increase the reading rate.

The device according to the invention may, according to an example of an embodiment, comprise several side protective walls, joining and extending upwards from the said entry hole, the access opening being located in one of the said side walls.

The device according to the invention may also have a protective wall, called a top, joining together all the side protective walls, or the side walls may be inclined towards each other so as to join at a given height.

According to another example, the device according to the invention may comprise a single protective wall, in particular made of a single piece. This side wall may then have a predetermined radius of curvature, depending on the shape and dimensions of the opening. In this case, the access opening is arranged in the said single protective wall.

At least one, in particular each, protective wall may comprise at least part of an absorbent foam chosen to attenuate the waves passing through the wall (s).

It is advantageous to have at least one, preferably each protective wall made of plastic material, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, on its inner face in order not to deviate the wave path in the event of a potential absorbent foam being placed in the protective wall and metal on its outer face in order to have maximum insulation.

In particular, the protective wall may comprise an inner plastic panel and an outer metal panel, with an absorbent foam interposed between the two panels.

The plastic inner panel may be between 1 and 25 mm thick.

The inner panel may be made of PVC and free of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium or barium.

The inner panel can be made of PVC with a density of 0.6 g/cm3, a hardness of 45D and a water absorption of < 1.0%.

The inner panel can be made of PVC with a surface resistivity > 1.1014Ω, a volume resistivity > 1.1015Ω.cm and a dielectric constant of 1.56 to 1MHz.

The inner panel may be made of non-flammable PVC of class M1.

At least one protective wall, preferably each, shall be at least 0,50 m above the inlet hole, i.e. the wall shall be at least 0,5 m above the inlet hole. The wall may of course also extend into the lower part of the device below the inlet hole.

The device according to the invention may also include at least one weighing device arranged in the bottom of the said deposit chamber to measure the weight of objects deposited in the said deposit chamber.

In particular, the weighing medium may include a scale whose tray may form the bottom wall of the deposit cavity.

The advantage is that the power of the waves emitted by at least one reading/writing medium can be changed according to the weight measured by the weighing medium. Thus, for example, when the weight of objects deposited in the deposit cavity is large the power of the waves emitted by at least one reading/writing medium can be large. Conversely, when the weight of objects deposited in the deposit cavity is low the power of the waves emitted by at least one reading/writing medium can also be small. The change in the power of the emitted waves according to weight can be achieved either continuously or by predefined steps.

The device may also include means of detecting the presence of an object in the deposit cavity.

Such a detection may, for example, use a signal provided by the weighing device or by another means, such as a camera or at least an infrared cell arranged in the deposit cavity.

The device of the invention may also include at least one user interaction device, which may be visual and/or audible.

The advantage is that the interaction device can be located at a distance from the input hole, giving the user a large enough space to easily insert objects into the input hole of the reading device.

Such an interaction device also allows the user to better manage their interactions with the reading device.

Such an interaction device may include a display screen placed on/in a protective wall to display images or videos and/or a speaker (s) placed on/in a protective wall to broadcast an audible signal.

Such an interaction device may possibly also include a camera and/or a microphone.

Where the interaction device is a screen, it shall preferably be located at the top of the device.

The device of the invention may also include a light-signalling device, e.g. mounted on at least one protective wall, in particular at the upper end of the protective wall, for example to indicate the state of operation of the device.

The deposit cavity is made in a read/write module which is removable, and more particularly removable, from the read/write device, for example through a part arranged in a protective wall at the bottom of the device.

For example, the reading cavity may be in the form of a drawer or rack which can be slid into slides on the inner surface of the lower reading/writing wall (s).

Another aspect of the invention is a proposed cash register comprising: A device for reading/writing according to the invention, minus a payment device.

The advantage is that the cash register is a single unit, i.e. the read/write device and the payment device are of one holder.

The advantage of the cash register according to the invention is that it can include two separate payment devices: a first payment device, such as a bank card reader, which reads a payment data read from a payment instrument by contacting that payment instrument, for example by inserting or swiping a bank card into the bank card reader, and a second payment device, such as an NFC reader, which reads a payment data read from a payment instrument without contacting that payment instrument.

The cash register of the invention may also include at least one device for printing a report, e.g. a cash receipt and/or a bank receipt.

The advantage is that the payment device can be placed on/in a module adjacent to the read/write device, in particular in contact with at least one protective wall of the read/write device.

In this case, the read/write device preferably comprises a main body of the cash register to which the adjacent module is connected.

The various components of the cash register of the invention may be connected to a central unit capable of controlling each of the devices or modules described by means of a computer program.

Such a central unit may be a conventional computer comprising a microprocessor and a memory.

The computer program can be run by the microprocessor and stored in the central unit memory.

The central unit may also communicate, for example via a local area network or Internet-like network, with one or more external, local or remote servers, for example storing a database of RFID-tagged objects.

According to another aspect of the invention, a set comprising two cash registers according to the invention is proposed, the means of payment of each cash register being arranged on a module, called a central, commonly called cash register, in contact with a protective wall of the read/write device of each cash register.

Such a set is preferably made of a single support, i.e. no gap between the cash registers and the central module common to the cash registers.

The central unit common to the two cash dispensers may be located between the cash dispensers.

In another embodiment, the assembly according to the invention may comprise a plurality of cash terminals, distributed around a single central module common to all cash terminals and comprising the payment devices of each of these cash terminals.

In this case, the receiving terminals may be arranged so that the front wall of each terminal, including the access opening, is facing a rear wall of another receiving terminal of the same set.

The cash-out terminals of the assembly according to the invention may be arranged so that the access opening and the means of payment of one of the terminals are arranged on one side of the assembly and the access opening and the means of payment of the other of the terminals are arranged on a second side of the assembly opposite the first side.

This arrangement reduces mutual interference between the cash-out limits.

Other advantages and characteristics will be seen in the detailed description of examples, which are not exhaustive, and in the accompanying drawings on which: Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a non-limitative example of a cash register according to the invention; andFIGURE 2 is a schematic representation of a non-limitative example of a read/write module with a deposit cavity, which can be implemented in a cash register according to the invention; andFIGURE 3 is a schematic representation of a non-limitative example of an assembly according to the invention comprising two cash registers according to the invention.

In the figures, the elements common to several figures retain the same reference.

FIGURE 1 is a schematic representation of an example of a cash-free terminal according to the invention.

The cash register 100 in FIGURE 1 comprises an RFID read/write device 102 and a module 104 adjacent and lateral to the read/write device 102.

The device 102 has a rectangular deposit cavity (not visible in Figure 1) at the bottom with an opening 106 for the introduction of objects into the deposit cavity in a substantially horizontal plane.

The deposit cavity, and in particular the entry hole 106, is surrounded by three full protective walls, i.e. without any openings, consisting of two side protective walls 108 and 110 and a protective wall 112 extending on the front and back of the reading device.

The device also includes an access opening 114 to the input port 106 located in the protective wall 112 at the front of the reading device 102 The access opening 116 is arranged so that it is at a height significantly greater than or equal to the height of the input port 106 and forms a plane significantly vertical, and therefore perpendicular to the horizontal plane formed by the input port 106.

The three protective walls 108-112 shall run along/surround the inlet orifice 106 in the horizontal plane on all sides except the one facing the access opening 116 to it, i.e. run along the orifice on three sides of it.

The different protective walls 108-112 include a wave-absorbing foam at the frequency used for reading RFID tags in the deposit cavity, to prevent objects outside the collection terminal 100 from being detected.

The device 102 shall comprise, in the upper part of the cash register 100, in the space bounded by the vertical side walls of the cash register, a means of interaction with the user comprising a screen 118 and possibly a loudspeaker, microphone or camera (not shown).

According to the vertical direction of the receiving terminal 100, the read/write device 102 comprises, at its upper part, an empty volume between the protective walls 108 to 112, between the input port 106 and the upper end of the read/write device, which provides easy user access to the input port 106.

Each sidewall 108 and 110 shall have at its upper end a light-signalling device, 120 and 122 respectively. This device may indicate, inter alia, the availability of cash-in terminal 100 or the success or failure of a transaction on cash-in terminal 100.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1, the protective walls of the intake terminal are about 0.6 m high above the intake orifice.

The read/write device 102 also includes a screen (not visible in FIGURE 1) on the back wall facing in the opposite direction to the screen 118 which, unlike screen 118, is not intended to interact with the user who is making the payment.

The cash register also comprises a side module 104 which is in contact with and connected to the read/write device 102.The side module comprises on its front side:a first payment device, such as a bank card reader 124, which requires contact with a payment instrument such as a bank card, by inserting/sliding the payment instrument into a slot of the payment device provided for this purpose, a second payment device, such as an NFC reader 126, which does not require contact with the payment instrument or the insertion of a payment instrument into a slot, and a printing device 128 for printing a cash receipt or bank receipt.

The side module 104 also includes a keyboard 130 and a screen 132 for user interaction.

The side module 104 is located outside the space bounded by the side walls 108-112 of the receiver terminal, in particular a side wall of the side module 104 is in contact with the side wall 110 of the read/write device 102.

The read/write device 102 has a general shape such that its width remains constant throughout its height while its depth gradually decreases from its lower part to its upper part. In the upper part, the read/write device 102 ends with a rounded end formed by the protective wall 112.

The read/write device has: The two sides, formed by the protective walls 108 and 110, have the same rocket shape.

The lateral module 104 shall have a general external shape similar to the general external shape of the read/write device 102 and shall be of smaller dimensions than the dimensions of the device 102.

In the example shown in FIGURE 1, the side module 104 and the read/write device 102 are glued or assembled together so that the receiver is a single unit.

The various components of the cash register 100 are connected to a central unit capable of controlling each of the devices or modules described by means of a computer program. Such a central unit is a conventional computer comprising in particular a microprocessor and a memory. The computer program is run by means of the microprocessor and stored in the memory of the central unit. The central unit may also communicate, via a network, with one or more external servers, for example storing a database relating to products marketed in the sales area.

FIGURE 2 is a schematic representation of a non-limiting example of a read/write module with a deposit cavity, which can be implemented in a cash register according to the invention, in particular in the cash register 100 of FIGURE 1.

The read/write module 200 shown in FIGURE 2 is a drawer or rack which can be inserted/slid in a housing designed for this purpose at the bottom of a cash register, such as the cash register 100 in FIGURE 1, and more particularly at the bottom of a read/write device, such as the read/write device 102 in FIGURE 1.

The module 200 shown in FIGURE 2 comprises a cavity 202 providing a storage area for purchases with RFID tags for reading by the read/write device.

The read/write module 200 has an input hole 106 at its top for the purpose of depositing objects into the deposit cavity 202.

Deposit cavity 202 is bounded by four vertical 204-210 side walls, each side wall 204-210 being metal and will be referred to in the following as the reading wall.

The read/write module 200 comprises an external sidewall 212 surrounding the sidewalls 204-210 and the deposit cavity 202. The external wall 212 does not include any sharp angles to prevent radiation from the waves emitted by the reading device.

Each reading wall 204-210 also includes antennas (not visible). These antennas are connected to a reading medium that allows the data from the labels to be read. The drop-down cavity also preferably includes a means to inscribe data into the labels. RFID reading and writing means are well known to the trade and will not be described in more detail here.

Read/write module 200 comprises an absorbent foam 214, located between the outer wall 212 and the reading walls 204-210 and designed to absorb waves used for RFID tag read/write.

The read/write module 200 also includes a (non-visible) scale whose tray forms the bottom wall of the deposit cavity 202.

FIGURE 3 is a schematic representation of a non-limiting example of an assembly according to the invention.

The set 300 shown in FIGURE 3 comprises two cash registers 1001 and 1002 and each comprises a read/write device 1021 and 1022 as described in reference to FIGURE 1.

The cash register 1001, therefore the read/write device 1021 which forms the main body of the cash register 1001, is directed in one direction and the cash register 1002, therefore the read/write device 1022 which forms the main body of the cash register 1002, is directed in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

The 300 assembly also comprises a side module 302, common to the two cash terminals 1021 and 1022, also called the central module, which is located between the two cash terminals, in particular between the readers 1021 and 1022 of the cash terminals 1001 and 1002.

The central module 302 comprises two payment sets, each payment set comprising two payment devices and a printing device, as well as a keyboard and a screen, as described above.

Each payment terminal is associated with a cash register and is located on a separate side of the side module 302.

We shall now describe an example of a cashing process according to the invention which can be implemented by a cashing terminal according to the invention, such as the cashing terminal described in reference FIGURE 1.

A user introduces items placed in a bag to be filled into the deposit cavity, through the access opening and the entry opening.

The read/write device, by means of the weighing device in particular, detects the presence of objects in the depositing cavity and commands the reading of the RFID tags affixed to each of the objects, i.e. the emission of a signal predetermined by the read/write means enabling the activation of the tags in the depositing cavity.

The information read is then displayed on a screen, e.g. screen 118.This information may include the price of the item on which the label is read, the reference of the item and additional information (composition, calories, weight, brand, expiry date, etc.) which has been previously entered into the RFID chip and/or a database which can be consulted from the terminal and from which the stored data is extracted in conjunction with data read from the corresponding label.

Other information may be displayed on the screen, such as the total number of items read, the total price, etc., calculated by a calculation module of the central unit.

The read/write device also weighs objects using the scale at the bottom of the read module and checks that the weight of the read objects matches the measured weight to ensure that there are no objects that would not be positioned in the storage space but would still be read by the device.

If the measured weight is theoretical, the receiver validates the reading, otherwise it may perform an alarm action, for example, block the program from running properly and call an officer to check and change the result.

The result of this weight verification step may be accompanied by the activation of light signalling means, such as signalling means 120-122: green if the verification is correct, red if not.

The references of the objects whose labels are read are recorded in a database.

Other verification steps can be carried out, such as verifying that the expiry date associated with an item is well after a certain date.

Depending on the user's response, the read/write device can be restarted with the same sequence as previously explained or a payment step can be initiated.

A message is displayed on the screen asking the user how he wishes to pay, depending on the user's answer, one or the other payment device is activated and takes the order for the payment transaction: the messages to the user are then displayed on a screen at the level of the terminal side module, such as for example screen 132 in FIGURE 1.

After payment, one or more tickets validating the transaction may then be printed by a printing machine, such as the printing machine 128 in FIGURE 1.

Once the payment has been made, the items whose references have been recorded in the databases are considered paid: this will be particularly useful when the user enters the store's anti-theft gates, as the labels will be read again and if one of the items is not considered paid, an alarm linked to the anti-theft gate will be activated.

Other steps can be added to this process. For example, to trigger the cash out process, the user may need to interact with the interaction device, for example by touching the screen. A user loyalty card can also be read.

The invention is not limited to the examples described above. For example, each terminal or each read/write device may have an upper wall joining all the side walls. Each terminal may also have a different shape than described. Each cash register may not have a side (or central) module: in this case the payment device (s) may be placed on/in the walls of the read/write device. The cash register may also include a single payment device, and the printing device is optional. The protective walls may also be replaced by a single protective wall with a vertical curvature radius. The opening opening of the entry may not be in a horizontal plane and the access walls may not be perpendicular or located in a plane of access.

Other means/devices of payment can be used, such as cash/ticket payment methods allowing payment by notes, coins, lunch check.

Claims (15)

1. A device (102) for reading/writing of at least one tag RFID carried by at least one object, comprising:

   - at least one cavity (202), called depositing cavity, for receiving said at least one object, said depositing cavity (202) comprising:

   • at least one bottom wall and at least one side wall (204-210),

   • at least one RFID reading/writing means, and

   • at least one aperture (106), called insertion aperture, for depositing objects in said depositing cavity (202), formed substantially in a top part of said depositing cavity (202),

   - at least one wall (108-112), called protective wall, arranged around said insertion aperture (106), extending upwards from said insertion aperture (106) and capable of attenuating waves between said depositing cavity (202) and the outside, and

   - at least one opening (116), called access opening, for accessing said insertion aperture (106) through said at least one protective wall (108-112).
2. The device (102) according to claim 1, characterized in that the access opening (116) is situated in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the insertion aperture (106).
3. The device (102) according to any one of the previous claims, characterized in that in the configuration of use, the insertion aperture (106) is situated in a substantially horizontal plane, and the access opening (116) is situated in a substantially vertical plane.
4. The device (102) according to any one of the previous claims, characterized in that the depositing cavity (202) is surrounded by a wall (212), called outer wall, encompassing the side wall(s) (204-210) of said depositing cavity (202), and comprising no sharp edges.
5. The device (102) according to any one of the previous claims, characterized in that the insertion aperture is arranged at the top of the depositing cavity (202).
6. The device (102) according to any one of the previous claims, characterized in that at least one side wall (204-210) of said depositing cavity (202) is metal.
7. The device (102) according to any one of the previous claims, characterized in that it comprises several abutting protective side walls (108-112), extending upwards from said insertion aperture (106), the access opening (116) being arranged in one of said protective side walls (108-112).
8. The device (102) according to any one of the previous claims, characterized in that at least one protective wall (108-112) comprises at least in part an absorbent foam chosen in order to attenuate the waves transmitted by said at least one RFID reading/writing means, or by the RFID tag(s).
9. The device (102) according to any one of the previous claims, characterized in that said protective wall(s) (108-112) surmount the insertion aperture to a height greater than or equal to 0.5 m.
10. The device (102) according to any one of the previous claims, characterized in that it also comprises at least one weighing means arranged in the base of the depositing cavity (202) for measuring the weight of the objects deposited in said depositing cavity.
11. The device (102) according to any one of the previous claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one visual and/or acoustic device (118) for interaction with a user, situated at a distance from the insertion aperture (106), in particular in the upper part of the device.
12. A collection terminal (100) comprising:

    - a reading/writing device (102) according to any one of the previous claims, and

    - at least one payment device (124-126).
13. The terminal (100) according to claim 12, characterized in that the payment device (124-126) is arranged on a module (104) contiguous with said reading/writing device (102), in particular in contact with at least one protective wall (110) of said device (102).
14. A assembly (300) comprising two collection terminals (100₁-100₂) according to any one of claims 12 or 13, the at least one payment means of each terminal (100₁-100₂) being arranged on a module (302), called central module, common to said terminals (100₁-100₂) and in contact with a protective wall of the reading/writing device (102₁-102₂) of each collection terminal (100₁-100₂).
15. The assembly (300) according to claim 14, characterized in that the collection terminals (100₁-100₂) are arranged so that the access opening and the payment means of one of said terminals are arranged on a first side of said assembly (300), and the access opening and the payment means of the other one of said terminals are arranged on a second side of said assembly, opposite said first side.