Automatic selling device

Abstract

To easily install an expansion unit for a main unit additionally.SOLUTION: Provided is an automatic selling device 1 including: a main unit 10 including a main control unit 20 that controls operations of a commodity selection unit 16 and a payment processing unit 18; and an expansion unit 30 including an expansion unit body 31 that stores commodities therein and has a front opening 31a to be opened / closed by an outer door 32. The automatic selling device is configured such that one or more of the expansion units 30 are connected to the main unit 10. The expansion unit 30 includes an outer door opening / closing detection unit 35 that detects an opened / closed state of the front opening 31a by the outer door 32, and a unit control unit 40 that controls ejecting of a commodity. When an expansion unit identification setting mode is brought about by an input operation in a remote controller 14, the main control unit 20 distributes an identification address to the relevant unit control unit 40 in accordance with the order of detection of the opened / closed state by the outer door opening / closing detection unit 35.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vending machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a vending machine configured by connecting a master unit to one or more slave units has been proposed in Patent Document 1 and elsewhere. The master unit includes a product selection unit for selecting a product, a payment processing unit for processing payment for product purchases, and a main control unit for controlling the operation of the product selection unit and the payment processing unit. The slave units have multiple columns therein, each containing a product. In such a vending machine, products are sold by dispensing the product from the slave unit containing the corresponding product, provided that product selection and payment processing are performed in the master unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-55793 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Although not explicitly stated in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, in a vending machine, when connecting a master unit and a slave unit, each slave unit requires its own dedicated software, which is identified by the main control unit. Therefore, when adding a slave unit to a master unit, dedicated software is required, which is cumbersome.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine that allows an expansion unit to be easily added to a main unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the vending machine of the present invention comprises a main unit having a main control unit that controls the operation of a product selection unit and a payment processing unit, and an expansion unit having an expansion unit main body that stores products inside and has an opening formed on the outer surface that is opened and closed by a door body, and is configured by connecting one or more of the expansion units to the main unit, wherein the expansion unit has an opening / closing detection means that detects the opening / closing state of the opening by the door body, and a unit control unit that controls the removal of the products, and when the main control unit is set to the expansion unit identification setting mode by an input operation on an input means connected to it, it distributes an identification address to the corresponding unit control unit in accordance with the order in which the opening / closing state is detected by the opening / closing detection means.

[0007] The present invention is also characterized in that, in the above-mentioned vending machine, the expansion unit main body has multiple columns inside which are units for storing goods, the unit control unit controls the removal of goods from the multiple columns, and when the expansion unit identification setting mode is set, the main control unit distributes identification addresses of the multiple columns controlled by the unit control unit to the corresponding unit control unit in accordance with the order in which the open / closed state is detected by the open / close detection means.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that in the above-mentioned vending machine, the unit control section controls the removal of products from a plurality of columns exposed by an opening opened by the door body.

[0009] The present invention is also characterized in that, in the above-mentioned vending machine, when the main control unit is set to the expansion unit identification setting mode, it distributes the identification address to the corresponding unit control unit in the order in which the closed state of the opening is detected by the opening / closing detection means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, when the main control unit of the main unit is set to the expansion unit identification setting mode by input operation on the input means connected to it, an identification address is distributed to the corresponding unit control unit in accordance with the order in which the open / close state is detected by the open / close detection means in the expansion unit, thereby enabling the identification address to be set without the need for dedicated software, etc., and achieving the effect of easily adding an expansion unit to the main unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing the external configuration of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a typical control system of the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a front view of one expansion unit shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, with some components not shown. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram that schematically shows a characteristic control system of one of the expansion units shown in FIGS. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a method for allocating columns to addresses of main control units and registering the allocated addresses of the main control units in the unit control units. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a vending machine according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0013] Figures 1 and 2 each show a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, where Figure 1 is a front view showing the external configuration of the vending machine, and Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic diagram of the characteristic control system of the vending machine.

[0014] The vending machine 1 illustrated here includes one main unit 10 and multiple (three in the illustrated example) expansion units 30, and is configured such that the multiple expansion units 30 are connected to the main unit 10.

[0015] The main unit 10 is configured with a communication processing unit 12, a remote control 14, a product selection unit 16, a payment processing unit 18, and a main control unit 20. The communication processing unit 12 is a communication interface that performs communication such as sending and receiving data with each expansion unit 30. The remote control 14 is an input means for performing various setting operations, etc.

[0016] 1, the product selection unit 16 is configured with a numeric keypad arranged on the front of the main unit body 11, which is the housing, and is used to select products to be purchased. The payment processing unit 18 processes payments for product purchases and includes a money processing device 18a and a payment terminal 18b.

[0017] Money processing device 18a is composed of a bill validator (banknote processing device) and a coin mechanism (coin processing device) disposed inside main unit body 11. As shown in Fig. 1, money processing device 18a processes banknotes inserted through a banknote insertion slot 181 disposed on the front surface of main unit body 11 and coins inserted through a coin insertion slot 182 disposed on the front surface of main unit body 11. Money processing device 18a also has the function of paying out change from a coin return slot 183 formed on the front surface of main unit body 11.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the payment terminal 18b is disposed on the front surface of the main unit body 11, and performs payment processing using electronic money with the recording medium.

[0019] The main control unit 20 is communicatively connected to the communication processing unit 12, the remote control 14, the product selection unit 16, and the payment processing unit 18, and centrally manages and controls the control of each slave, such as the communication processing unit 12, the remote control 14, the product selection unit 16, and the payment processing unit 18. The main control unit 20 also distributes an identification address to each expansion unit 30, as will be described in detail later.

[0020] Figures 3 and 4 show one expansion unit 30 shown in Figures 1 and 2, respectively, with Figure 3 being a front view of the expansion unit 30 with some components omitted, and Figure 4 being a block diagram that schematically shows the characteristic control system of the expansion unit 30. Note that the expansion units 30 each have the same configuration, so only one expansion unit 30 will be described.

[0021] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the expansion unit 30 is composed of an expansion unit main body 31, an outer door (door body) 32, a unit communication processing unit 33, a cooling device 34, an outer door opening / closing detection unit (opening / closing detection means) 35, a column 36, and a unit control unit 40.

[0022] The expansion unit body 31 is a rectangular heat-insulating housing having an opening (hereinafter also referred to as a front opening) 31a on the front side. The outer door 32 is provided on the expansion unit body 31 in a manner that opens and closes the front opening 31a, and includes a left outer door 321 and a right outer door 322.

[0023] The left outer door 321 is disposed on the front left edge of the expansion unit main body 31 so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction to open and close the left half of the front opening 31a. A face member 321a made of a translucent material such as insulating glass is disposed on the left outer door 321 so as to close a rectangular opening 321b formed in the left outer door 321. This makes it possible to see inside the expansion unit main body 31 even when the left half of the front opening 31a is closed by the left outer door 321.

[0024] The right outer door 322 is disposed on the front right edge of the expansion unit main body 31 so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction to open and close the right half of the front opening 31a. A face member 322a made of a translucent material such as insulating glass is disposed on this right outer door 322 so as to close a rectangular opening 322b formed in the right outer door 322. This makes it possible to see inside the expansion unit main body 31 even when the right half of the front opening 31a is closed by the right outer door 322.

[0025] The unit communication processing unit 33 is a communication interface that performs communication such as sending and receiving data with the main unit 10. The cooling device 34 is used to maintain a set temperature inside the expansion unit main body 31. The cooling device 34 cools the inside of the expansion unit main body 31 when set to cooling, and heats the inside of the expansion unit main body 31 when set to heating.

[0026] The outer door open / close detector 35 is provided in accordance with the components of the outer door 32, and includes a left outer door open / close detector 351 and a right outer door open / close detector 352. The left outer door open / close detector 351 is configured, for example, with an optical sensor or a switch, and is provided near the left half of the front opening 31a of the expansion unit main body 31. This left outer door open / close detector 351 detects whether the left half of the front opening 31a is open or closed by opening or closing the left outer door 321. More specifically, the left outer door open / close detector 351 is turned on when the left half of the front opening 31a is open and sends an on signal to the unit control unit 40, whereas it is turned off when the left half of the front opening 31a is closed and restricts the sending of the on signal to the unit control unit 40, in other words, sends an off signal.

[0027] The right outer door open / close detection unit 352 is configured by, for example, an optical sensor or a switch, and is provided near the right half of the front opening 31a of the expansion unit main body 31. This right outer door open / close detection unit 352 detects whether the right half of the front opening 31a is open or closed by opening or closing the right outer door 322. Explaining in more detail, the right outer door open / close detection unit 352 turns on when the right half of the front opening 31a is open and sends an on signal to the unit control unit 40, whereas it turns off when the right half of the front opening 31a is closed and restricts the sending of the on signal to the unit control unit 40, in other words, sends an off signal.

[0028] The column 36 is a unit for storing products and is composed of storage modules 37. A plurality of storage modules 37 (ten in this embodiment) are provided inside the expansion unit main body 31. More specifically, five storage modules 37 are provided so as to be exposed from the left half of the front opening 31a opened by the left outer door 321, and five storage modules 37 are provided so as to be exposed from the right half of the front opening 31a opened by the right outer door 322. Such a storage module 37 includes a module main body (not shown) and an opening / closing door 372.

[0029] The module body is a box-shaped body made of a resin material such as plastic, with an open front portion. The interior of the module body is divided into storage areas 1 to 4 by disposing partition members (not shown) as needed.

[0030] The opening and closing doors 372 are provided on the module body in correspondence with the maximum number (four) of storage areas defined by the partition members, and include an upper left opening and closing door 372a, a lower left opening and closing door 372b, an upper right opening and closing door 372c, and a lower right opening and closing door 372d.

[0031] The upper-left opening / closing door 372a is a door large enough to close the front portion of the upper-left storage area when the interior of the module main body is divided into four storage areas. The left side of this upper-left opening / closing door 372a is pivotally supported on the upper front end portion of the left side wall of the module main body, and it can swing back and forth toward and away from the module main body. In other words, the upper-left opening / closing door 372a opens the front portion of the upper-left storage area by swinging forward, and closes the front portion of the upper-left storage area by swinging backward.

[0032] The lower-left opening / closing door 372b is a door large enough to close the front portion of the lower-left storage area when the interior of the module main body is divided into four storage areas. The left side of this lower-left opening / closing door 372b is pivotally supported on the lower front end portion of the left side wall of the module main body, and can swing back and forth toward and away from the module main body. In other words, the lower-left opening / closing door 372b opens the front portion of the lower-left storage area by swinging forward, and closes the front portion of the lower-left storage area by swinging backward.

[0033] The upper right opening / closing door 372c is a door large enough to close the front portion of the upper right storage area when the interior of the module main body is divided into four storage areas. The right side of this upper right opening / closing door 372c is pivotally supported on the upper front end portion of the right side wall of the module main body, and can swing back and forth toward and away from the module main body. In other words, the upper right opening / closing door 372c opens the front portion of the upper right storage area by swinging forward, and closes the front portion of the upper right storage area by swinging backward.

[0034] The lower-right opening / closing door 372d is a door large enough to close the front portion of the lower-right storage area when the interior of the module main body is divided into four storage areas. The right side of this lower-right opening / closing door 372d is pivotally supported on the lower front end portion of the right side wall of the module main body, and it can swing back and forth toward and away from the module main body. In other words, the lower-right opening / closing door 372d opens the front portion of the lower-right storage area by swinging forward, and closes the front portion of the lower-right storage area by swinging backward.

[0035] In such a storage module 37, columns 36 are configured according to the number of storage areas defined inside the module body. That is, one to four columns 36 are configured in one storage module 37. For ease of explanation, this embodiment will be described assuming that one storage module 37 has four columns 36.

[0036] Each column 36 is provided with a door open / close detector 361, a door lock mechanism 362, and a sold-out detector 363. The door open / close detector 361 is configured with, for example, an optical sensor, and detects whether the corresponding door 372 is closed. The door open / close detector 361 sends the detection result, whether the corresponding door 372 is closed, to the unit controller 40 as a signal.

[0037] The opening / closing door locking mechanisms 362 are provided corresponding to the opening / closing doors 372, respectively, and are capable of being switched alternatively between a locked state in which the opening / closing doors 372 are kept closed and the opening / closing doors 372 are prevented from swinging forward, and an unlocked state in which the opening / closing doors 372 are allowed to swing forward.

[0038] The sold-out detection unit 363 is configured with, for example, an optical sensor, a lever, etc., and detects the presence or absence of a product in the storage area, i.e., detects whether a product is sold out. When the sold-out detection unit 363 detects that a product is sold out, it sends the detection result as a signal to the unit control unit 40.

[0039] A plurality of unit control sections 40 are provided, including a left unit control section 401 and a right unit control section 402 .

[0040] The left-side unit control unit 401 is communicatively connected to the unit communication processing unit 33, the cooling device 34, the left-side outer door open / close detection unit 351, and the columns 36 (20 columns 36) made up of five storage modules 37 exposed from the left half of the front opening 31a opened by the left-side outer door 321. The left-side unit control unit 401 includes a CPU 40a (arithmetic unit, control unit) and a memory (storage unit) 40b.

[0041] The CPU 40a of the left unit control section 401 transmits and receives data to and from the main unit 10 via the unit communication processing section 33, and drives the cooling device 34 to adjust the interior of the expansion unit main body 31 to a predetermined temperature. The CPU 40a of the left unit control section 401 also controls the removal of products stored in the storage area by operating the open / close door lock mechanism 362 in each column 36.

[0042] Meanwhile, connected column information (serial number (identification number) of column 36) is stored in memory 40b of the left unit control section 401. The serial number of column 36 is determined in advance according to a predetermined agreement.

[0043] The right-side unit control unit 402 is communicatively connected to the unit communication processing unit 33, the right-side outer door open / close detection unit 352, and the columns 36 (20 columns 36) made up of five storage modules 37 exposed from the right half of the front opening 31a opened by the right-side outer door 322. The right-side unit control unit 402 includes a CPU 40a (arithmetic unit, control unit) and a memory 40b (storage unit).

[0044] The CPU 40a of this right-side unit control unit 402 sends and receives data with the main unit 10 through the unit communication processing unit 33, and controls the removal of products stored in the storage area by operating the opening / closing door lock mechanism 362 in each column 36.

[0045] Meanwhile, connected column information (serial number (identification number) of column 36) is stored in memory 40b of the right unit control section 402. The serial number of column 36 is determined in advance according to a predetermined agreement.

[0046] A method for setting an address in the column 36 in the vending machine 1 having the above configuration will now be described.

[0047] 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a method for allocating the column 36 to the address of the main control unit 20 and registering the allocated address of the main control unit 20 in the unit control unit 40. Such address allocation is performed when the vending machine 1 is installed, and the following description will be given of a vending machine 1 in which three expansion units 30 are connected to one main unit 10. As a premise for the description, it is assumed that the outer door 32 of each expansion unit 30 has been swung and the front opening 31a of the expansion unit main body 31 has been opened.

[0048] When the main control unit 20 is set to the expansion unit identification setting mode by an input operation on the remote control 14 (step S101), the main control unit 20 notifies each expansion unit 30 of the expansion unit identification setting mode through the communication processing unit 12 (step S102).

[0049] In this way, the unit control unit 40 that has received the extension unit identification setting mode notification through the unit communication processing unit 33 is set to the extension unit identification setting mode (step S103), and determines whether the outer door opening / closing detection unit 35 (left outer door opening / closing detection unit 351 or right outer door opening / closing detection unit 352) connected to itself detects a closed state (step S104). If the outer door opening / closing detection unit 35 does not detect a closed state but detects an open state (step S104: No), the unit control unit 40 repeats this process.

[0050] On the other hand, if the outer door open / close detection unit 35 connected to the unit 40 detects the closed state (step S104: Yes), the unit control unit 40 reads out column information about the column 36 connected to the unit 40 from the memory 40b (step S105).Then, the unit control unit 40 notifies the main control unit 20 of the outer door closed state and the column information through the unit communication processing unit 33 (step S106).

[0051] The main control unit 20, which has been notified of the outer door closed state and column information in this way, performs an identification address allocation process in accordance with the notification order (step S107).

[0052] The process of allocating this identification address will now be described. The main control unit 20 allocates an identification address provided in the storage area of ​​the main control unit 20 to each serial number in the column 36 in accordance with the column information notified from the unit control unit 40.

[0053] In other words, the identification address with the smallest address number is assigned to the unit control unit 40 that notifies the outer door closed state and column information first, and the identification addresses are assigned so that the address numbers gradually increase in the order of notification.

[0054] In this embodiment, there are three expansion units 30, each of which is provided with a left unit control section 401 and a right unit control section 402, and each unit control section 40 is further connected to 20 columns 36. Therefore, the unit control section 40 that first notifies the outer door closed state and column information is assigned an identification address with an address number of "1 to 20", the unit control section 40 that next notifies the outer door closed state and column information is assigned an identification address with an address number of "21 to 40", and the unit control section 40 that next notifies the outer door closed state and column information is assigned an identification address with an address number of "22 to 40". The unit control unit 40 is assigned an identification address with an address number of "41 to 60", then the unit control unit 40 that notified the outer door closed state and column information is assigned an identification address with an address number of "61 to 80", then the unit control unit 40 that notified the outer door closed state and column information is assigned an identification address with an address number of "81 to 100", and finally the unit control unit 40 that notified the outer door closed state and column information is assigned an identification address with an address number of "101 to 120".

[0055] After performing the identification address allocation process, the main control unit 20 distributes (transmits) address numbers indicating the allocated identification addresses to each unit control unit 40 (step S108). Upon receiving the identification addresses, the unit control units 40 perform an identification address setting process in which the address numbers are associated with serial numbers and stored in memory 40b (step S109), and the address setting is completed.

[0056] As described above, according to the vending device 1 which is an embodiment of the present invention, when the main control unit 20 of the main unit 10 is set to the expansion unit identification setting mode by the remote control 14, the identification addresses of the multiple columns 36 controlled by the unit control unit 40 are distributed to and set by the unit control unit 40 of the corresponding expansion unit 30 in accordance with the order in which the outer door opening / closing detection unit 35 detects the closed state. This means that the identification addresses can be set without the need for dedicated software, etc., and expansion units 30 can be easily added to the main unit 10.

[0057] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this and various modifications can be made.

[0058] In the above-described embodiment, the identification addresses were distributed in accordance with the order in which the outer door opening / closing detection unit 35 detected the closed state, but in the present invention, the identification addresses may also be distributed in accordance with the order in which the opening / closing detection means detected at least one of the open state and the closed state.

[0059] In the above-described embodiment, the column 36 is configured by the storage module 37, but in the present invention, the column is a unit for storing products and can be configured in various ways. Also, in the present invention, the expansion unit body may not be provided with multiple columns, and may store a single product. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1...vending machine, 10...main unit, 11...main unit main body, 12...communication processing unit, 14...remote control, 16...product selection unit, 18...payment processing unit, 18a...money processing device, 18b...payment terminal, 20...main control unit, 30...expansion unit, 31...expansion unit main body, 31a...front opening, 32...external door, 321...left external door, 322...right external door, 33...unit communication processing unit, 34...refrigeration unit, 35...external door opening / closing detection unit, 351...left external door opening / closing detection unit, 352...right external door opening / closing detection unit, 36...column, 361...opening / closing door opening / closing detection unit, 362...opening / closing door lock mechanism, 363...sold-out detection unit, 37...storage module, 372...opening / closing door, 40...unit control unit, 40a...CPU, 40b...memory, 401...left unit control unit, 402...right unit control unit.

Claims

1. a main unit including a main control unit that controls the operation of the product selection unit and the payment processing unit; an expansion unit including an expansion unit main body that accommodates products therein and has an opening formed on the outer surface that is opened and closed by a door body; Equipped with A vending machine configured by connecting one or more of the expansion units to the main unit, The expansion unit is an open / close detection means for detecting an open / close state of the opening by the door body; a unit control unit that controls the removal of the product; Equipped with A vending machine characterized in that when the main control unit is set to an expansion unit identification setting mode by an input operation on an input means connected to the main control unit, the main control unit distributes an identification address to the corresponding unit control unit in accordance with the order in which the open / closed state is detected by the open / close detection means.

2. The expansion unit body has a plurality of columns therein, which are units for storing products, the unit control unit controls the removal of products from a plurality of columns; The vending device described in claim 1, characterized in that when the main control unit is in the expansion unit identification setting mode, it distributes identification addresses of the multiple columns controlled by the unit control unit to the corresponding unit control unit in accordance with the order in which the open / close state is detected by the open / close detection means.

3. 3. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the unit control unit controls the removal of products from a plurality of columns exposed through an opening opened by the door body.

4. A vending device described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that when the main control unit is set to the expansion unit identification setting mode, it distributes the identification address to the corresponding unit control unit in the order in which the closed state of the opening is detected by the opening / closing detection means.

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