JP2010044593A - Theft monitoring system for displayed merchandise - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a theft monitoring system which easily detects theft and specifies its location, and quickly makes a response with simple configurations at low costs. <P>SOLUTION: The theft monitoring system is configured of a reader 1 and an IC tag 2. A monitoring station 3 including the reader 1 is installed at the location of an assistant such as a check-out counter. A monitoring box 4 containing the IC tag 2 is attached to a display merchandise 5. The reader 1 and the IC tag 2 always communicate by radio. Monitor information acquired from the IC tag 2 through the reader 1 is gathered in the monitoring station 3, and merchandise 5 displayed at a plurality of places in a store are monitored. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a theft monitoring system for exhibition products that prevents theft such as shoplifting by centrally monitoring display sales products distributed in various places in a store.

Exhibits and sales products such as mobile phones can be picked up freely by customers even without a store clerk, so theft frequently occurs and causes great damage to the store.
For this reason, many stores have introduced anti-theft devices for displayed products, one of which is a cable-type anti-theft device (Patent Document 1).
In this device, a tag is connected to the distal end of a cable with a fixed base end, and the tag main body is attached to the product with a double-sided sheet, and the product is fastened to the end of the cable. The tag is battery operated and a switch is inserted between the tag and the product. When the tag body is peeled from the product with the above configuration, the switch is turned on and the buzzer issues an alarm. If the cable is cut while the tag body is fixed to the product, the cable switch is turned on, and the buzzer issues an alarm in the same manner.

In addition to the problem that this cable type anti-theft device does not function when the battery runs out, the location where the alarm is issued and the theft location are the same, so it is difficult to find the theft and identify the location unless the store clerk is near the theft location. There was a problem that it was not possible to respond quickly.
In addition, it was difficult to find the theft and identify the location when the displayed products were scattered in various places in the store.

In order to solve this problem, an antitheft system comprising a tag main body having an anomaly detection unit and a wireless transmission unit, and a central monitoring device that displays an exhibit specific information by intimidating sounds has been proposed (Patent Document 2). ).
This system uses a thin-film conductive sheet and an anti-theft wire to form an energization path, and the tag body detects abnormalities when the thin-film conductive sheet breaks or the anti-theft wire is cut off. Wireless transmission with unique identification data that can recognize the product name.
The central monitoring apparatus that has received this rings outside and displays the exhibit specifying information corresponding to the unique identification data together with the power abnormality data.
As described above, this system includes the wireless communication means in the tag main body and the display means for displaying the exhibit identification information in the central monitoring device, so that the system becomes large and the introduction cost increases.
JP 2000-30156 A JP 2007-206838 A

  The problems to be solved are as described above, and the present invention is to provide a crime prevention system that can detect a theft and specify a location easily and can respond quickly while having a low-cost and simple configuration. It was made for the purpose.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a monitoring station for a master station with a built-in reader, a monitoring box for a slave station with a built-in IC tag connected to a sensor, a power cord connected to the monitoring box, and a detachable support for the monitoring box. The reader and the IC tag are always in wireless communication with the monitoring box attached to the exhibition product, and the reader includes receiving means for receiving a response signal from the designated IC tag. And a transmission means for transmitting a response signal including a sensor output to the reader, and the monitoring station identifies the notification means for notifying the alarm when the reader detects an abnormality in the response signal, and the IC tag detecting the abnormality And a display means for displaying the tag identification information.

  Since the present invention is provided with notifying means for notifying the monitoring station of an alarm and display means for displaying tag identification information, by installing the monitoring station in a place where a store clerk or the like is present, there is no store clerk near the stolen place. However, the discovery of theft by alarms and the identification of the location by tag identification information are facilitated, and a quick response is possible.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of a theft monitoring system for displayed goods implementing the present invention.
The displayed product theft monitoring system is composed of a reader 1 and an IC tag 2, and a monitoring station 3 with a built-in reader 1 is installed at a store counter or other location where a store clerk is present, and a monitoring box 4 with a built-in IC tag 2 is displayed. Display products that are attached to 5 and the reader 1 and the IC tag 2 always communicate with each other by radio, and the monitoring information obtained from the IC tag 2 via the reader 1 is aggregated in the monitoring station 3 and distributed in various places in the store. Monitor 5 centrally.
The reader 1 performs polling by designating the tag number assigned to the IC tag 2 in advance, and only the IC tag 2 having the designated tag number is permitted to respond. Thereby, anti-collision (collision prevention) control is performed between the reader 1 and the IC tag 2.
The polling is always repeated without any interval so that the removal of the exhibited product 5 can be detected instantaneously.

  The tag number is used to identify the IC tag 2 individually. For easy management on the user side, the tag number is assigned instead of the ID assigned on the manufacturer side, and the IC tag 2 is held over the reader / writer in advance. Write it down. As a result, the displayed product 5 to which the monitoring box 4 incorporating the corresponding IC tag 2 is attached can be identified from the tag number, and the product name and installation location of the displayed product 5 can be recognized by the tag number.

As shown in FIG. 2, the IC tag 2 includes a communication unit including a demodulation circuit 22, a modulation circuit 23, and a clock circuit 24 connected to the antenna 20 via a circulator 21, and a control unit including a CPU 25 and a memory 26. The sensor ports 27 and the A / D converter 28 are connected to the external sensors S1 and S2.
With the above configuration, when the reader 1 modulates a request signal to the IC tag 2 and emits a radio wave, an induced voltage is generated in the antenna 20 of the IC tag 2. Using the frequency of the induced voltage, the clock circuit 24 generates an IC synchronization clock. Thus, the clock is supplied to the IC circuit, and the demodulating circuit 22 in the forward direction of the circulator 21 demodulates the request signal while synchronizing with the clock, and the CPU 25 analyzes it to generate a response signal corresponding to the request signal.
At this time, the output voltage received from the external sensors S1 and S2 is A / D converted and added to the response signal. The response signal is modulated by the modulation circuit 23 and transmitted to the reader 1 via the antenna 20 in the forward direction of the circulator 21.

As shown in FIG. 3, the monitoring station 3 has a dipole antenna 30 planted, and an LED power lamp 31, an LED product identification lamp 32, a buzzer stop button 33, a 7-segment numeric display 34, and a handling number display button 35 on the front surface. Are arranged respectively.
The LED product identification lamp 32 is an LED lamp array corresponding to the tag number of the IC tag 2 as a display medium for tag identification information, and an abnormality is detected in the response from the IC tag 2 of the tag number designated by polling. When the buzzer sounds, the lamp corresponding to the tag number is turned on. As a result, the tag number where the abnormality is detected can be recognized at a glance, the product name and the installation location can be identified, and it can be immediately dealt with. The tag number may be displayed numerically on a 7-segment numerical display or the like instead of the LED lamp.
The 7-segment number display 34 displays the number of times the customer has picked up the displayed product 5 when the handling number display button 35 is pressed. As a result, the degree of attention for each exhibition product 5 can be understood and used as a reference for establishing a sales strategy. By providing the means for displaying the number of times of handling in this way, this system can be used as a means for collecting marketing information in addition to crime prevention.
Each time the handling number display button 35 is pressed, the display content of the 7-segment number display 34 is switched, and the number of handlings of the display product 5 to which the corresponding IC tag 2 is attached is displayed in the order of the tag number. In addition, the corresponding LED product identification lamp 32 is lit to notify the tag number of the display product 5 that currently displays the number of times of handling.

As shown in FIG. 4, the monitoring box 4 has one surface fixed to the back side of the display product 5 with a double-sided sheet or the like, and the other surface is pulled out from the through hole a of the holder 7 with the base end fixed at the installation location. Tie to the end of the power cord 6 As a result, unless the power cord 6 is cut off or the monitor box 4 is peeled off, the display product 5 cannot be taken away.
The power cord 6 branches in the monitoring box 4 and has one end connected to the IC tag 2 as an operating power supply, and the other end is pulled out of the monitoring box 4 and supplied to the display product 5 such as a mobile phone via the connector 8. To do.
In addition, the power cord 6 is made to be a telescopic curl cord to facilitate the handling operation of the display product 5. That is, when the display product 5 is picked up, it is stretched so that it can be easily pulled, and when it is returned to the original holder 7, it is shortened to improve the fit.

The IC tag 2 used in the present invention is an active type capable of long-distance communication of several meters to several tens of meters as compared with the passive type, and uses a power supply from the power cord 6 as an operating power source without a battery.
For this reason, when the power cord 6 is disconnected, the power supply is stopped and the reader 1 cannot respond to polling. Therefore, the monitoring station 3 can detect the disconnection of the power cord 6.
When the passive IC tag 2 is used, antennas are installed at various places so that short distance communication of several centimeters to several meters can be performed between the reader 1 and the IC tag 2. In addition, it is necessary to detect disconnection of the power cord 6 by connecting another sensor to the IC tag 2.

Further, an external sensor S1 such as a photo sensor for detecting light is attached to the surface of the monitoring box 4 on the display product 5 side and connected to the IC tag 2.
As a result, the external light that enters when the monitoring box 4 is peeled off is detected and the state is added to the response signal of the IC tag 2, so that it is possible to detect the peeling of the monitoring box 4 on the monitoring station 3 side.

The holder 7 removably supports the display product 5 integrated with the monitoring box 4 and attaches a magnet 71 to the support surface of the monitoring box 4. A steel plate 41 is attached to one monitoring box 4 side and both are magnetically bonded to facilitate attachment / detachment of the display product 5 integrated with the monitoring box 4 to / from the holder 7.
Further, an external sensor S2 such as a Hall sensor that detects magnetism is attached to the surface of the monitoring box 4 on the holder 7 side and connected to the IC tag 2.
As a result, the Hall voltage that changes when the monitoring box 4 is moved closer to or away from the magnet of the holder 7 is detected and the state is added to the response signal of the IC tag 2, so that the monitoring station 3 is integrated with the monitoring box 4. Can be detected.

When the monitoring station 3 detects attachment / detachment, the monitoring station 3 counts the time when the display product 5 is detached from the holder 7 as one time, and stores it in the memory as the number of times the display product 5 is handled.
When the handling number display button 35 is pressed, the number of handlings is displayed on the 7-segment numeric display 34 and can be taken into the personal computer as CSV format data. When the acquisition is completed normally, the counter is reset.

The processing of the monitoring station 3 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, it is determined whether or not the buzzer stop button 33 is ON (S01). If it is ON, the buzzer is stopped (S02), and the LED product identification lamp 32 is turned off (S03).
Next, polling is performed by designating a tag number (S04), it is determined whether there is a response (S05), if there is no response, a buzzer is sounded (S06), and the corresponding LED product identification lamp 32 is turned on (S07). ), Return to S01.
Next, it is determined whether or not the external sensor S1 that detects peeling of the monitoring box 4 is ON (S08), and if it is ON, the process proceeds to S06.
Next, it is determined whether or not the external sensor S2 that detects attachment / detachment of the display product 5 to / from the holder 7 is ON (S09). If it is ON, it is determined whether or not the previous state stored in the memory is ON (S10). If not, 1 is added to the number of times of handling (S11), and the previous state is turned ON (S12).
If the external sensor S2 is not ON, it is determined whether the previous state stored in the memory is ON (S13). If the external sensor S2 is ON, the previous state is turned OFF (S14).
Next, it is determined whether or not the handling number display button 35 is ON (S15). If it is not ON, the process returns to S01. If it is ON, the handling number is displayed on the 7-segment numeric display 34 (S16), and the process returns to S15.

It is a block diagram of the theft monitoring system of the display goods which implemented this invention. It is a block diagram of an IC tag. It is a front view of a monitoring station. It is a perspective view of a monitoring box, an exhibition product, and a holder. It is a flowchart explaining the process of a monitoring station.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Reader 2 IC tag 20 Antenna 21 Circulator 22 Demodulator circuit 23 Modulator circuit 24 Clock circuit 25 CPU
26 Memory 27 Sensor Port 28 A / D Converter 3 Monitoring Station 30 Dipole Antenna 31 LED Power Lamp 32 LED Product Identification Lamp 33 Buzzer Stop Button 34 7 Segment Number Display 35 Handling Count Display Button 4 Monitoring Box 41 Steel Plate 5 Exhibition Product 6 Power cord 7 Holder 71 Magnet 8 Connector a Through hole S External sensor

Claims (8)

A monitoring station of the master station with a built-in reader;
A monitoring box of a slave station containing an IC tag connected to an external sensor;
A power cord connected to this monitoring box;
A holder for detachably supporting the monitoring box;
Consisting of
Attaching this monitoring box to the exhibition product, the reader and IC tag always communicate wirelessly.
The reader is
Receiving means for receiving a response signal from the designated IC tag;
The IC tag is
A transmission means for transmitting a response signal including the sensor output to the reader;
The monitoring station is
An informing means for informing an alarm when the reader detects an abnormality in the response signal;
Display means for displaying tag identification information for identifying an IC tag that has detected an abnormality;
An antitheft monitoring system for displayed products, comprising:   2. The exhibition merchandise theft monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the IC tag is an active tag that does not have a battery but uses power supplied from a power cord as an operating power source.   2. The exhibition product theft monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor detects the peeling of the monitoring box from the display product.   2. The exhibition merchandise theft monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor detects attachment / detachment of a display merchandise integrated with a monitoring box to / from a holder.   The display goods theft monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying the number of times of handling that counts either attachment or detachment of the display goods detected by the sensor to the monitoring station. The monitoring box is fixed on one side of the display product,
2. The display theft monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the other surface is fixed to the tip of the power cord drawn out from the holder with the base end fixed at the installation location.   2. The display product according to claim 1, wherein the power cord is branched in the monitoring box, and one end is connected to an IC tag as an operating power source, and the other end is pulled out of the monitoring box and connected to the display product. Theft monitoring system.   2. A theft monitoring system for displayed goods according to claim 1, wherein a magnet is attached to at least one of the holder and the monitoring box, and the displayed goods integrated with the monitoring box are magnetically bonded to the holder.

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