Capsule commodity vending machine, capsule commodity sales management system, and method for detecting dispense in capsule commodity vending machine

Abstract

To provide a capsule commodity vending machine that improves the accuracy of detecting a rotation angle of a dispensing tray by making it difficult to apply extra acceleration when detecting the rotation angle and by detecting larger rotation angles as an object in the sales of capsule commodities.SOLUTION: A capsule commodity vending machine A includes: a commodity storage unit 2 for holding capsule commodities; a handle 11 operable upon coin insertion during purchase; a dispensing tray 23 connected to the commodity storage unit 2 and linked to the handle 11 via a transmission unit 9 to enable capsule dispensing dispensing; and a dispensing detector 8 that has an acceleration sensor fixed in position along one axis, attached to a detection gear 94 of the transmission unit 9 that moves at a predetermined rotational angle during capsule commodity dispensing, enabling association with the capsule commodity and detection of the movement of the dispensing tray 23 to dispense the capsule commodity, and capable of communicating with an information collection terminal connected to a management server.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a capsule product vending machine, a capsule product sales management system that manages the quantity and remaining amount of capsule products sold by the capsule product vending machine, and a dispensing detection method in a capsule product vending machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Capsule product vending machines are installed in game centers, amusement parks, hotel game corners, toy sections of department stores and supermarkets, or on staircase landings. They store a large number of plastic capsules or other containers containing various products (toys, etc.), and after inserting coins or medals, the handle is turned to rotate the internal drum, which moves the container holding the capsule product to the top of a trap, dispensing the product through a product outlet.

[0003] On the other hand, there are a wide variety of capsule toys, and when selling them, it is important to accurately understand the best-selling products of these products, ride the popularity trends, and efficiently manage sales, orders, and inventory.

[0004] Therefore, one example of a device that is useful for such management and can automatically collect the sales figures of multiple capsule product vending machines installed in locations without external power sources and perform product management is the ``Product Vending Device and Product Sales Management System'' disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0005] The conventional product vending device is detachable from the product storage cassette, has a detector that can detect when the dispensing tray has rotated a predetermined angle, and can communicate with an information collection terminal connected to a management server, and is used to manage capsule products. The detector has an acceleration sensor, and the product sales management system also uses the detector.

[0006] This allows the acceleration sensor to distinguish whether the movement of the detector itself is due to operation of the operation unit by a purchaser, or whether it is due to some other event, such as an impact or shaking caused by a purchaser striking the product vending device. Therefore, by detecting only movement due to operation of the operation unit as product dispensing and not other movements, the product vending device can more accurately detect product dispensing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-80216 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, the product vending device and product sales management system described in Patent Document 1 have the following problem: The acceleration sensor, which is a detector, can detect the rotation angle when the device itself rotates, but this detection is performed along three axes (X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis).

[0009] For this reason, the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor may be subject to additional acceleration due to the centrifugal force generated when the acceleration sensor rotates and moves, or acceleration due to external factors that the vending machine itself is subjected to (for example, shaking, impact, movement by the user), and may not be detected correctly, so various correction means must be used to accurately detect rotation.

[0010] Furthermore, because the program must simultaneously monitor three axes during detection, this inevitably places a heavy load on the program, which causes the battery to wear out faster and ultimately has a negative impact on the battery's lifespan.

[0011] The present invention has been devised in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide a capsule product vending machine, a capsule product sales management system, and a dispensing detection method for a capsule product vending machine that prevents unnecessary acceleration from being added when detecting the rotation angle of the dispensing tray in the sale of capsule products, thereby improving the accuracy of rotation angle detection and reducing the load on the program that controls dispensing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] [1] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a capsule product vending machine comprising: a product storage section for storing capsule products; an operation section that can be operated by inserting a coin when purchasing; a dispensing section that is linked to the operation section via a transmission section and is capable of dispensing the capsule products stored in the product storage section; and a dispensing detection section that is attached to a movable body that moves at a predetermined rotation angle together with the dispensing section, has a three-axis acceleration sensor whose position is fixed in one axial direction, can detect when the dispensing section moves and dispenses the capsule products, and is capable of communicating with an information collection terminal connected to a management server.

[0013] According to the capsule product vending machine of the present invention, the product storage unit can store capsule products to be sold. When a customer purchases a capsule product and dispenses it, they first insert a coin to operate the operation unit. The dispensing unit is connected to the product storage unit, and capsule products in the product storage unit can be moved to the dispensing unit by their own weight or other factors.

[0014] The dispensing unit is linked to the operating unit via a transmission unit, so that when a purchaser operates the operating unit, the dispensing unit dispenses capsule products. A dispensing detection unit is attached to a movable body that moves at a predetermined rotation angle together with the dispensing unit during dispensing, and the rotation of the movable body accompanying dispensing activates a three-axis acceleration sensor in the dispensing detection unit, which is fixed in position in one axis direction, and detects acceleration in two axes to obtain data on the rotation of the movable body.

[0015] This rotation data is compared with the rotation data of the movable body during one dispensing operation of the dispensing unit, and if they match, it is determined that the capsule product has been dispensed correctly.Then, communication is carried out between the information collection terminal connected to the management server and the dispensing detection unit, and management data is transmitted. If the dispense is not determined to be normal, it is determined that the dispenser has been shaken, impacted, or moved by the user, and no communication is performed.

[0016] Here, the 3-axis acceleration sensor is fixed in position in one axis direction, and the gravitational acceleration (1G = 9.8m / s when the acceleration sensor is stationary) that the 3-axis acceleration sensor receives is always 2 The force of gravity is detected by two axes. For example, if the three axes are defined as "X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis," and one axis (Z-axis) is fixed and the three-axis acceleration sensor is rotated, the detection values ​​for the two axes (X-axis and Y-axis) will change according to the rotation (angle) of the three-axis acceleration sensor, but the detection value for the fixed axis (Z-axis) will not change. That is, when capsule products are dispensed normally, the detection values ​​of two axes (X-axis, Y-axis) change, while the detection value of one fixed axis (Z-axis) does not change.

[0017] On the other hand, when external pressure acts on the capsule product vending machine, acceleration is detected in all three axes of the three-axis acceleration sensor. If acceleration on one fixed axis (Z axis) is detected, it will be determined that the payout is not normal.

[0018] Furthermore, when detecting a payout, it is sufficient to be able to detect the acceleration of two of the three axes (the two axes excluding the fixed axis); in other words, the control program only needs to monitor two axes, which reduces the load on the control program and has a positive effect on battery consumption and lifespan.

[0019] Generally, the acceleration acquired by the microcomputer of the acceleration sensor is sampled at regular intervals and contains minute detection errors. Therefore, the acquired values ​​are discontinuous, and a software (program) smoothing filter is created and applied to smooth the acceleration values.

[0020] [2] The capsule product vending machine of the present invention may be configured such that the movable body is a gear that constitutes the transmission part.

[0021] In this case, the dispensing detector is attached to the gear that constitutes the transmission unit, so there is no need to provide a movable body separately from the transmission unit, which is one of the elements of a capsule product vending machine, and as a result, this can contribute to mechanical space savings.

[0022] In addition, the gears that make up the transmission unit are usually provided in multiple numbers for convenience in order to share various functions, such as rotating the dispensing unit or locking it (locking rotation), but they can be attached to any of these gears as long as there is no problem with functionality or space.

[0023] [3] The capsule product vending machine of the present invention may be configured such that the three-axis acceleration sensor is arranged coaxially with the center of rotation of the movable body.

[0024] In this case, even if the movable body rotates during dispensing, centrifugal force does not or hardly acts on the 3-axis acceleration sensor, so acceleration due to centrifugal force is not easily added to the detection of 2-axis acceleration. This reduces the need for programmatic corrections (corrections and discards) of acceleration, enabling more accurate detection of the rotation angle.

[0025] [4] The capsule product vending machine of the present invention may be configured such that the three-axis acceleration sensor is attached to the movable body that rotates once per dispensing.

[0026] In this case, one rotation of the movable body corresponds to the specified rotation angle of the dispensing unit during one dispensing, so if the data for one rotation of the movable body can be verified, the dispensing unit will rotate at the correct rotation angle and the capsule product will be dispensed.

[0027] Here, even if a 3-axis acceleration sensor is attached to a "movable body that rotates 1 / 2 rotation per dispensing," "movable body that rotates 1 / 3 rotation per dispensing," or "movable body that rotates multiple times per dispensing," it is possible to detect dispensing, but the accuracy of the matching will be lower compared to "matching data from one rotation of the movable body." Therefore, if a 3-axis acceleration sensor is attached to the "moving body that rotates once per dispensing," more accurate dispensing detection can be expected.

[0028] [5] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a capsule product vending machine including a network, a product storage unit that stores capsule products, an operation unit that can be operated by inserting a coin when purchasing, a dispensing unit that is linked to the operation unit via a transmission unit and is capable of dispensing the capsule products stored in the product storage unit, and a dispensing detection unit that is attached to a movable body that moves at a predetermined rotation angle together with the dispensing unit and has a three-axis acceleration sensor whose position is fixed in one axial direction, and that can detect when the dispensing unit moves and dispenses the capsule products, and that can communicate with an information collection terminal that is connected to a management server; and and capsule products; an information collection terminal that collects sales information sent from the product vending machine; and a management server to which the registration terminal and the information collection terminal are connected via the network, wherein the registration terminal associates the product storage unit, the detector, and capsule products with each other, transmits information on the sales quantity of products sold by the product vending machine to the information collection terminal, and transmits it via the network to the management server to collect information on the sales quantity of products, and manages product sales, inventory, orders, and product replenishment for each of the product storage units.

[0029] The capsule product sales management system of the present invention operates under a network such as the Internet. The capsule product vending machine operates in the same manner as described in [1] above, and when a purchaser operates the operation unit, a capsule product is dispensed by the dispensing unit, and the acquired data on the rotation of the movable body is compared with the data on the rotation of the movable body resulting from one dispensing operation of the dispensing unit. If they match, it is determined that the capsule product has been dispensed normally, and if it is not determined that the capsule product has been dispensed normally, it is determined that the user has shaken, impacted, or moved the capsule product.

[0030] When it is determined that the capsule product has been dispensed normally, a registration terminal that associates the product storage unit, dispensing detection unit, and capsule product with each other, an information collection terminal that collects sales information sent from the product vending machine, and a management server to which the registration terminal and information collection terminal are connected via a network are provided, and the registration terminal associates the product storage cassette, detector, and capsule product with each other, and sends information on the sales quantity of products sold by the product vending machine to the information collection terminal, which then sends it via the network to the management server to collect information on the sales quantity of capsule products, and manages sales, inventory, and order management of capsule products, as well as management of product replenishment for each product storage unit of capsule products.

[0031] [6] In the capsule product sales management system of the present invention, the movable body may be a gear constituting the transmission unit, and the three-axis acceleration sensor may be arranged coaxially with the center of rotation of the gear, which rotates once per dispensing.

[0032] In this case, since the dispensing detector is attached to the gear that constitutes the transmission unit in the capsule product vending machine, for example, in the capsule product vending machine, there is no need to provide a movable body separate from the transmission unit, which is one of the elements of the capsule product vending machine, and as a result, it contributes to mechanical space saving. Therefore, as a capsule product vending management system, by providing a capsule product vending machine with such lean and rational design, the value of the product as a whole is improved.

[0033] Furthermore, even if the movable body rotates during dispensing, it is less likely to be subjected to acceleration due to centrifugal force, making it possible to detect the rotation angle more accurately (the action described in [3] above), and since it is only necessary to compare data from one rotation of the movable body, more accurate detection of dispensing can be expected (the action described in [4] above).

[0034] [7] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a dispensing detection method for a capsule product vending machine, in which when a predetermined dispensing unit dispenses a capsule product, a three-axis acceleration sensor attached at a fixed position in one axis direction to a movable body that moves at a predetermined rotation angle together with the dispensing unit detects acceleration along two axes, and compares the rotation data of the movable body when operated with the rotation data of the movable body due to the rotation of the dispensing unit during one dispensing to detect the dispensing of a capsule product.

[0035] According to the dispensing detection method of the present invention, when dispensing, the rotation of the movable body activates the three-axis acceleration sensor of the dispensing detection unit, which is fixed in position in one axis direction, and data on the rotation of the movable body is obtained by detecting acceleration in two axes directions.

[0036] This rotation data is collated with the rotation data of the movable body during one dispensing operation of the dispensing unit, and if they match, it is determined that the capsule product has been dispensed normally. If the dispense is not determined to be normal, it is determined that the dispenser was shaken, impacted, or moved by the user. [Effects of the Invention]

[0037] The present invention can provide a capsule product vending machine, a capsule product sales management system, and a dispensing detection method for a capsule product vending machine, which improves the accuracy of detecting the rotation angle of the dispensing tray when selling capsule products by making it less likely that extra acceleration will be added, and also reduces the load on the program that controls dispensing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0038] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of a capsule product sales management system according to the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of a main body and a product storage unit of a capsule product vending machine according to the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is an explanatory diagram of gears and a dispensing detector that constitute a transmission unit that rotates the dispensing tray of a capsule product vending machine. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a capsule product sales management system. [Figure 5] 1 is a work flow diagram and an operation flow diagram of a capsule product sales management system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0039] 1 to 5, the capsule product vending machine A and capsule product sales management system S according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail.

[0040] The capsule product sales management system S shown in Figure 1 is composed of a capsule product vending machine group (symbol omitted) consisting of multiple capsule product vending machines A stacked on top of each other, a product storage section 2 located on top of the main body 1 of the capsule product vending machine A, a work terminal 3 (smartphone, etc.) having information input means for inputting product type information (product type code) that identifies the type of capsule product stored in the product storage section 2 and specific information (ID) that identifies each detector (symbol omitted) installed inside the main body 1, a tallying terminal 5 that receives information sent from the work terminal 3 and each detector, and a management server 7 that accumulates and manages various data processed by the tallying terminal 5 (see Figure 1).

[0041] Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of the main body and product storage unit of the capsule product vending machine of the present invention, where Figure 2(a) is a schematic front view of the product vending machine, (b) is a schematic front view showing the internal structure of the main body, (c) is a schematic plan view showing the internal structure of the product storage unit, (d) is a schematic side view showing the internal structure of the main body, and (e) is a schematic bottom view showing the internal structure of the main body.

[0042] Capsule product vending machine A is a device that can sell products without power by operating it with the purchaser. Capsule product vending machine A has a product storage section 2 at the top of main body 1, and at the bottom has a coin insertion section 10 where the purchaser inserts a coin (including coins, medals, etc.) to dispense capsule products, a handle 11 that the purchaser operates clockwise after inserting the coin, and a product removal section 17 that receives the dispensed capsule products so that the purchaser can remove them. The front and side sections of product storage section 2 are transparent, so purchasers can see the capsule products stored in product storage section 2 from the outside.

[0043] A circular recess (reference numeral omitted) having a hole 26 large enough for capsule products to pass through is provided in the inner bottom of the cassette 20 having the front panel 21 of the product storage section 2, and a rotatable dispensing tray 23 constituting the dispensing section is arranged to fit into this recess. Five capsule fitting sections 25 into which capsule products are fitted are provided at equal intervals (pitch) in the circumferential direction of the dispensing tray 23. The number of capsule fitting sections 25 provided in the circumferential direction is not limited to five, and can be set appropriately within the range of 2 to 6, for example.

[0044] At the inner bottom of cassette 20, a bottom plate 22 and a product control plate 24 are provided, which are inclined downward toward dispensing tray 23, sandwiching dispensing tray 23 from the front and rear. Bottom plate 22 and product control plate 24 stably guide the numerous capsule products placed inside cassette 20 to each capsule insertion section 25 of dispensing tray 23.

[0045] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram of the gears and dispensing detector that make up the transmission unit that rotates the dispensing tray of a capsule product vending machine, where Figure 3(a) is a front view showing the arrangement of each gear, (b) is a front view of the detection gear and dispensing detector among the gears, and (c) is a side view of the detection gear and dispensing detector.

[0046] As shown in Figure 3, a rotary shaft 90 extending toward the inside of the main body 1 is provided at the center of the handle 11 that constitutes the operating unit. A drive gear 93 having a predetermined fraction and constituting the transmission unit 9 is attached to the rear end of the rotary shaft 90 inside the main body 1. The transmission unit 9 transmits the driving force of the drive gear 93, which is generated by operating the handle 11, to the dispensing tray 23 to rotate it.

[0047] The transmission unit 9 is configured by, from top to bottom in Figure 3(a), a driven gear 91 equipped with a slightly small diameter internal gear 91a that meshes with the rack gear 28 of the dispensing tray 23, a small diameter relay gear 92, the above-mentioned driving gear 93, a detection gear 94 which is a movable body equipped with the dispensing detector 8, and a lock gear 95 which constitutes the locking means 15 described later, which are arranged in mesh with each other.

[0048] In this embodiment, the drive gear 93, driven gear 91, and detection gear 94 have the same number of teeth, and the small-diameter relay gear 92 and lock gear 95 have one-third the number of teeth. As a result, when the drive gear 93 rotates once with one rotation of the handle 11, the driven gear 91 and detection gear 94 also rotate once, and the dispensing tray, which engages the internal gear 91a and rack gear 28, rotates an angle of 72 degrees, which is one-fifth of a rotation.

[0049] The dispensing detector 8 attached to the detection gear 94 has a mounting adapter (reference numeral omitted) consisting of a disk-shaped seat 80 and a mounting case 81 provided eccentrically thereto, and a chip 82 is attached to the mounting case 81, and the chip 82 has an acceleration sensor 83. The acceleration sensor 83 is a so-called three-axis acceleration sensor that employs publicly known technology. The dispensing detector 8 is equipped with a dispensing information transmitting means 191 (shown in Figure 4) which is a communication device inside, and operates by receiving power from a button battery 18 (shown in Figure 4).

[0050] The communication device can also transmit wirelessly to the tallying terminal 5. The power consumption of the dispensing detector 8 is very low, and it can be operated for a long period of time by reducing power consumption, for example, by adjusting the interval between transmissions by the communication device.

[0051] Here, we will explain the operation of the dispensing detector 8 when detecting the purchase of a capsule product. First, when the dispensing detector 8 attached to the rotating shaft 940 moves in some way, dedicated software detects an X-axis and Y-axis graph (not shown) that represents the direction of movement. In other words, when the rotating shaft 940 rotates, it does not move in the length direction of the rotating shaft 940 (Z-axis direction), but moves only in the vertical and horizontal directions (X-axis and Y-axis directions).

[0052] At this time, the waveform of the graph is compared with the data (waveform) of the movement in the movement direction that is pre-installed in the software. If the waveform differs from the data and is abnormal, it is determined that the change in the X-axis and Y-axis directions this time is not due to the rotational movement of the dispensing detector 8 accompanying the dispensing, but is simply due to vibration or shaking.

[0053] If the movement of the dispensing detector 8 is normal due to the rotation of the rotary shaft 940 accompanying the dispensing, it will not move in the Z-axis direction, so there will be no change in the Z-axis graph. If the waveform is normal, the data is checked to see if the rotation angle is 360 degrees, i.e., whether the detection gear 94 has made one rotation, and if it is not 360 degrees, it is determined that it is not a dispensing movement.

[0054] Furthermore, when the detection gear 94 rotates once, it means that the rotation angle of the dispensing tray 23 is 72 degrees, so it is determined that the capsule products have been dispensed normally, and this is detected as a sale of the capsule products, the sales quantity is counted, and the information on the sales quantity is sent to the tallying terminal 5 by the dispensing information sending means 191. Note that the count of the sales quantity of capsule products is performed by detecting 72 degrees, which is the normal rotation angle of the dispensing tray that rotates in conjunction with the handle 11, so erroneous detection such as missing a count is unlikely to occur.

[0055] 4 is a block diagram of the above-mentioned capsule product sales management system S. The capsule product vending machine A, the operation terminal 3, the tallying terminal 5, and the management server 7 that make up this capsule product sales management system S each have the following configuration and each means.

[0056] <Capsule product vending machine A> Please refer to Figure 4 below. The capsule product vending machine A has the above-mentioned dispensing detector 8, whose acceleration sensor 83 has the same rotation center as the rotation axis 90. The configuration of the locking means 15 will not be described in detail here, but various known technologies are used.

[0057] The dispensing detector 8 has a button battery 18 (shown in Figure 4), an acceleration sensor 83 that is activated by movement associated with the rotation of the rotating shaft 940 of the detection gear 94 when the handle 11 is operated, a voltage measuring means 19 that measures the voltage of the button battery 18 at predetermined intervals, a voltage value memory means 190 that stores the voltage value measured by the voltage measuring means 19, and a dispensing information transmitting means 191 that transmits dispensing information indicating that one capsule product has been dispensed, specific information (the ID of the dispensing detector 8) for identifying the sender of the dispensing information, and voltage value information stored in the voltage value memory means 190 each time the acceleration sensor 83 is activated.

[0058] <Work Terminal 3> The work terminal 3 is a general-purpose smartphone with a dedicated application installed, and by using this application, the ID of the dispensing detector 8 installed in the capsule product vending machine and a product type code indicating the type of capsule product to be stored in the product storage section 2 can be entered, and by sending this information to the counting terminal 5, the ID of the dispensing detector 8 can be associated with the product type code.

[0059] In addition, based on the individual dispensing information and individual battery status information (described later) sent from the tallying terminal 5 and the management information (described later) sent from the management server 7, the work terminal 3 can report the sales status of the dispensing detector 8 of each capsule product vending machine A, the consumption status of the button battery 18 possessed by each dispensing detector 8, the sales history of each capsule product vending machine A, and the voltage history of the button battery 18.

[0060] For this reason, the work terminal 3 has an information input means 31 (shown in Figure 4) for inputting the ID of the dispensing detector 8 and the product type code of the capsule product stored in the product storage section 2 for each capsule product vending machine A, an association information sending means 32 (shown in Figure 4) for sending the input ID of the dispensing detector 8 and the product type code to the counting terminal 5, a current status information receiving means 33 (shown in Figure 4) for receiving individual dispensing information and individual battery status information (described later) sent from the counting terminal 5 and management information (described later) sent from the management server 7, and a current status notification means 34 (shown in Figure 4) for notifying, based on the information received by the current status information receiving means 33, the type of product and number of products sold or remaining for each ID of the dispensing detector 8 (for each capsule product vending machine), the remaining battery power or battery consumption state for each ID of the dispensing detector 8, the type of product and number of products sold in the past for each ID of the dispensing detector 8, etc., and the remaining battery power for each ID of the dispensing detector 8 in the past.

[0061] A specific configuration of the information input means 31 is to attach a two-dimensional barcode indicating the ID assigned to the dispensing detector 8 to an inconspicuous location on each capsule product vending machine, and input the ID by capturing an image of this with the camera of the work terminal 3, and when storing capsule products in the product storage section 2, to input a product type code by capturing an image of a barcode or two-dimensional barcode indicating the product type displayed on the bag or box containing the capsule product with the camera of the work terminal 3.

[0062] <Counting terminal 5> The tallying terminal 5 associates the ID of the dispensing detector 8 based on the ID of the dispensing detector 8 and the product type code transmitted from the association information transmission means 32 of the operation terminal 3, and also associates the ID of the dispensing detector 8 with the product type code. In addition, when the dispensing detector 8 is attached to the capsule product vending machine A, the ID of the dispensing detector 8 is associated with the position of the capsule product vending machine A (serial number or identification symbol).

[0063] In addition, the tallying terminal 5 manages the type of capsule product and the number of capsule products sold or remaining for each capsule product vending machine based on the dispensing information and specific information (ID of the dispensing detector 8) transmitted from the dispensing information transmitting means 191 of the dispensing detector 8, and transmits the information necessary for reporting the current status to the work terminal 3 and the management server 7.

[0064] Furthermore, the tallying terminal 5 manages the voltage of the button battery 18 possessed by each dispensing detector 8 based on the specific information (ID of the dispensing detector 8) and voltage value transmitted from the dispensing information transmitting means 191, and transmits the information necessary to notify the battery status to the work terminal 3 and the management server 7.

[0065] For this reason, the tallying terminal 5 includes a tallying information receiving means 51 (shown in FIG. 4) for receiving various information transmitted from the working terminal 3 and the dispensing detector 8, an association means 52 (shown in FIG. 4) for associating the ID of the dispensing detector 8, the ID of the dispensing detector 8 with a product type code and the ID of the dispensing detector 8 with the location of the capsule product vending machine, individual dispensing information indicating the number of capsule products sold or the number of remaining capsule products for each capsule product vending machine, and individual battery status information regarding the status of the button battery 18 of each dispensing detector 8. The device has a current status information creation means 53 (shown in Figure 4) for creating a current status information display, a current status display means 54 (shown in Figure 4) for displaying the number of sold or remaining capsules for each ID of the dispensing detector 8 (for each capsule product vending machine) and the remaining battery charge or battery consumption status for each ID of the dispensing detector 8 based on the individual dispensing information and individual battery status information created by the current status information creation means 53, and a current status information transmission means 55 (shown in Figure 4) for transmitting the individual dispensing information and individual battery status information created by the current status information creation means 53 to the work terminal 3 and the management server 7.

[0066] In addition, when the counting terminal 5 manages the voltage of the button battery 18 possessed by each dispensing detector 8, it can utilize the characteristic that the voltage value of the button battery 18 (e.g., CR2032) remains at approximately 3.0 V from the early to middle stages of use, gradually decreases to about 2.7 V in the later stages, and suddenly drops from 2.7 V to 2.0 V at the end of the period.

[0067] In other words, the current status information creation means 53 determines that the button battery 18 possessed by each dispensing detector 8 is in a depleted state when the voltage value transmitted from the dispensing information transmission means 191 of each dispensing detector 8 falls below a predetermined voltage (2.6V for CR2032), and can create individual battery status information to display the battery depletion status.

[0068] The ID and product type code of the dispensing detector 8 transmitted from the association information transmitting means 32 of the operation terminal 3 are received via the Internet line 6, and the dispensing information, identification information (ID of the detector 8) and voltage value transmitted from the dispensing information transmitting means 191 of each dispensing detector 8 are received via a dedicated receiving antenna 4. In addition, the individual dispensing information and individual battery status information are transmitted to the operation terminal 3 and the management server 7 via the Internet line 6.

[0069] <Management server 7> The management server 7 collects the individual payout information and individual battery status information transmitted from the tallying terminal 5 and stores them in a database. Then, as necessary, the management server 7 transmits the individual payout information and individual battery status information at each point in time during a desired period to the operation terminal 3 or the tallying terminal 5.

[0070] For this reason, the management server 7 has a current status information receiving means 71 (shown in Figure 4) that receives individual dispensing information and individual battery status information transmitted from the tallying terminal 5, a database 72 (shown in Figure 4) that stores the individual dispensing information and individual battery status information received by the current status information receiving means 71 at each point in time of reception, and a current status history information transmitting means 73 (shown in Figure 4) that transmits the individual dispensing information and individual battery status information at each point in time during a desired period to the work terminal 3 or the tallying terminal 5.

[0071] 5 is a work flow diagram and an operation flow diagram of the capsule product vending management system. Each work flow and operation flow will be explained below. Note that the initial setup of the capsule product vending machine A will only be briefly explained.

[0072] First, a staff member or the like assigns a different ID to each of the dispensing detectors 8 to be attached to the capsule product vending machines, creates two-dimensional barcode stickers indicating these IDs, inserts a key into the locking means 15 on the front of the capsule product vending machine to open it, and opens the front door of the capsule product vending machine main body 2. Next, dispensing detector 8 can be relatively easily constructed by aligning the position of acceleration sensor 83 with the center of rotation shaft 940 and fixing seat 80 to rotation shaft 940 with screws or the like.

[0073] Then, a different ID is assigned to each of all dispensing detectors 8 to be attached to the group of capsule product vending machines, two-dimensional barcode stickers indicating these IDs are created, and the two-dimensional barcode stickers indicating the IDs assigned to the attached dispensing detectors 8 are affixed to inconspicuous locations on the capsule product vending machines. Once work on all capsule product vending machines A is completed, the counting terminal 5 stores information indicating the position of the capsule product vending machine A to which the dispensing detector 8 is attached (for example, the serial number assigned to each capsule product vending machine) in association with the ID of the dispensing detector 8.

[0074] [1] Product storage work flow The procedure for a staff member or the like to store a capsule product in one of the capsule product vending machines in the capsule product vending machine group is as follows.

[0075] (1-1) A staff member or the like inserts a key into the locking means 15 on the front of the capsule product vending machine to open it, and opens the front door of the capsule product vending machine main body 2. (1-2) The two-dimensional barcode attached to the capsule product vending machine A to store the capsule product is captured by the camera of the operation terminal 3, and the ID of the dispensing detector 8 is input.

[0076] (1-3) The camera of the work terminal 3 captures an image of a barcode or two-dimensional barcode indicating the product type displayed on the bag, box, etc. containing the capsule product to be replenished, and the product type code is input. The work terminal 3 then transmits the ID of the dispensing detector 8 and the product type code to the tallying terminal 5 from the association information sending means 32. Then, when this information is received by the tallying information receiving means 51, the tallying terminal 5 associates the ID of the dispensing detector 8 with the product type code using the association means 52, and resets the quantity counter to 0 if managing the number of sold capsules, or sets the quantity counter to its initial value (the number of capsules contained in the bag, box, etc. containing the capsule product) if managing the number of remaining capsules.

[0077] (1-4) The front door is fully opened, the product storage section 2 is pulled out to the front side, and the capsule products are stored inside the product storage section 2 from the bags or boxes containing the capsule products. (1-5) Push the product storage section 2 back into its original position, close the front door, and operate the locking means 15 to lock it.

[0078] In addition, if a two-dimensional barcode sticker indicating the ID of the dispensing detector 8 is attached to the front side of the capsule product vending machine A, the operation of opening the front door (1-1) may be performed after the input operations of (1-2) and (1-3), and the operation of storing capsule products (1-4) and the operation of closing the front door (1-5) may be performed before the input operations of (1-2) and (1-3). Also, either the input operations of (1-2) or (1-3) may be performed first.

[0079] [2] Operation flow when capsule products are dispensed The operation of the capsule product sales management system S when a capsule product is dispensed from any capsule product vending machine A in the capsule product vending machine group is as follows.

[0080] (2-1) When the purchaser inserts a coin into the coin insertion slot 10 and rotates the handle 11 360 degrees, the dispensing detector 8 attached to the detection gear 94 rotates once together with the rotating shaft 940, and the acceleration sensor 83 of the dispensing detector 8 detects this movement and activates. (2-2) The voltage measurement means 19 of the dispensing detector 8 measures the voltage of the button battery 18 at predetermined intervals, and the latest voltage value measured by the voltage measurement means 19 is stored in the voltage value storage means 190. When the acceleration sensor 83 of the dispensing detector 8 is activated, the dispensing information transmission means 191 transmits to the counting terminal 5 dispensing information indicating that one capsule product has been dispensed, the ID of the dispensing detector 8, and information on the latest voltage value stored in the voltage value storage means 190.

[0081] (2-3) When the tallying information receiving means 51 of the tallying terminal 5 receives the dispensing information, the ID of the dispensing detector 8, and the latest voltage value information, based on that information, the current status information creation means 53 of the tallying terminal 5 creates individual dispensing information indicating the number of capsule products sold or the number of capsule products remaining in the capsule product vending machine A to which the dispensing detector 8 is attached, and individual battery status information regarding the status of the button battery 18 of the dispensing detector 8.

[0082] (2-4) When the current status information creation means 53 of the tallying terminal 5 creates the individual dispensing information and the individual battery status information, the current status display means 54 of the tallying terminal 5 displays, based on that information, the number of sold or remaining units for each ID of the dispensing detector 8 and the remaining battery capacity or battery consumption status for each ID of the dispensing detector 8. In addition, the current status information transmission means 55 of the tallying terminal 5 transmits the individual dispensing information and individual battery status information created by the current status information creation means 53 to the work terminal 3 and the management server 7.

[0083] [3] Operational flow for product replenishment, maintenance, and inspection The operation of the capsule product sales management system S when replenishing capsule products or performing maintenance and inspection on one of the capsule product vending machines A in the capsule product vending machine group is as follows.

[0084] (3-1) A staff member or the like inserts a key into the locking means 15 on the front of the capsule product vending machine A to open it, and opens the front door of the main body 2 of the capsule product vending machine A.

[0085] Here, a modified example of the capsule product sales management system according to the embodiment will be given. (a) In this embodiment, the work terminal 3 is a general-purpose smartphone with a dedicated application installed, but a tablet terminal may be used instead of a general-purpose smartphone, or a mobile terminal dedicated to this system may also be used. (b) In this embodiment, the two-dimensional barcode indicating the ID attached to the dispensing detector 8, the barcode indicating the product type, or the two-dimensional barcode was photographed with the camera of the work terminal 3 and the ID or product type code was entered, but numbers or characters indicating the ID or product type may also be entered using the character input means of the work terminal 3.

[0086] In such a case, the tallying information receiving means 51 receives various information transmitted from the work terminal 3 and the dispensing detector 8, the associating means 52 associates the ID of the dispensing detector 8 with the product type code and the ID of the dispensing detector 8 with the location of the capsule product vending machine, the current status information creating means 53 creates individual dispensing information indicating the number of capsule products sold or remaining for each capsule product vending machine, and individual battery status information regarding the status of the button battery 18 possessed by each dispensing detector 8, and the current status display means 54 displays the number of capsule products sold or remaining for each ID of the dispensing detector 8 (for each capsule product vending machine), and the remaining battery power or battery consumption status for each ID of the dispensing detector 8.

[0087] The terms and expressions used in the present specification and claims are merely for explanatory purposes and are not limiting in any way, and are not intended to exclude terms and expressions equivalent to the features described in the present specification and claims and parts thereof. It goes without saying that various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] S Capsule Product Sales Management System A Capsule product vending machine 1 Main unit 2 Product storage area 3. Work terminal 5. Counting terminal 6 Network 7 Management Server 8. Withdrawal detector 80 Seat area 81 Mounting Case 82 chips 83 Acceleration Sensor 9 Transmission section 90 rotation axis 91 Driven gear 91a Internal gear 92 Intermediate gear 93 Drive Gear 94 Detection gear 95 Locking Gear 11 Handle

Claims

1. a product storage section for storing capsule products; An operation unit that can be operated by inserting a coin at the time of purchase; a dispensing unit that is linked with the operating unit via a transmission unit and is capable of dispensing the capsule products stored in the product storage unit; a dispensing detection unit that is attached to a movable body that moves at a predetermined rotation angle together with the dispensing unit, has a three-axis acceleration sensor whose position is fixed in one axial direction, can detect that the dispensing unit has moved and dispensed the capsule product, and is capable of communicating with an information collection terminal that is connected to a management server. Capsule vending machine.

2. The movable body is a gear that constitutes the transmission part. The capsule product vending machine according to claim 1.

3. The three-axis acceleration sensor is arranged coaxially with the center of rotation of the movable body.

3. The capsule product vending machine according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The three-axis acceleration sensor is attached to the movable body, which rotates once per dispensing.

3. The capsule product vending machine according to claim 1 or 2.

5. Network and a capsule product vending machine having a product storage section for storing capsule products, an operation section that can be operated by inserting a coin when purchasing, a dispensing section that is linked to the operation section via a transmission section and is capable of dispensing the capsule products stored in the product storage section, and a dispensing detection section that is attached to a movable body that moves together with the dispensing section at a predetermined rotation angle and has a three-axis acceleration sensor whose position is fixed in one axial direction, and that can detect when the dispensing section moves and dispenses the capsule products, and that can communicate with an information collection terminal that is connected to a management server; a registration terminal that associates the product storage unit, the dispensing detection unit, and capsule products with each other; an information collection terminal that collects sales information sent from the product vending machines; a management server to which the registration terminal and the information collection terminal are connected via the network, The registration terminal associates the product storage unit, the detector, and the capsule product with each other, transmits information on the sales quantity of the product sold by the product vending machine to the information collection terminal, and transmits the information to the management server via the network to collect the information on the sales quantity of the product, and manages product sales management, inventory management, order management, and product replenishment for each of the product storage units. Capsule product sales management system.

6. the movable body is a gear constituting the transmission part, The three-axis acceleration sensor is arranged coaxially with the center of rotation of the gear, which rotates once per payout. The capsule product sales management system according to claim 5.

7. When a predetermined dispensing unit dispenses a capsule product, a three-axis acceleration sensor attached to a movable body that moves at a predetermined rotation angle together with the dispensing unit and fixed in position in one axis direction detects acceleration on two axes, and by comparing the rotation data of the movable body when operated with the rotation data of the movable body due to the rotation of the dispensing unit during one dispensing, the dispensing of the capsule product is detected. A method for detecting dispensing of capsule products in a vending machine.

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