Storage device for goods

Abstract

To avoid a situation where a product cannot be taken out due to an operational error by a user. [Solution] The device comprises a main body 2 having a storage area 3 defined in a manner facing a front opening 2a, an outer door 4 provided in a manner that opens and closes the front opening 2a, a module body 11 housed in the storage area 3 and comprising a plurality of columns 12, a module door 15 provided in a manner that opens and closes the front portion of each column 12 individually, a door lock mechanism 33 that can selectively switch between a locked state that holds the module door 15 in a closed state and an unlocked state that allows it to be opened, and a product detection switch 34 that detects the presence or absence of products in the column 12. When a product in any column 12 is selected via the operation input unit 22, the control unit 40 releases the door lock mechanism 33, provided that the product detection switch 34 of the column 12 storing the product detects the presence of the product, until a predetermined sales allowance time has elapsed since the product was selected via the operation input unit 22.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to an article storage device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, Patent Document 1 proposes an item storage device in which a storage module is disposed inside a device main body whose front opening is opened and closed by an outer door. The storage module includes a rectangular module main body having a forward opening on the front and having a plurality of columns defined therein, module doors swingably mounted on the module main body in a manner that allows the front portions of the columns to be opened and closed individually, a door lock mechanism mounted on the module main body for each module door and switchable between a locked state that keeps the module door closed and an unlocked state that opens the module door, and a product detection unit mounted on the module main body for each column that detects the presence or absence of a product in the corresponding column. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2024-062523 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned item storage device, after a user selects a product using the selection means, the door lock mechanism of the corresponding column is released to open the module door, and the module door is then swung in the opening direction to remove the product from the column.

[0005] In such an item storage device, if a user accidentally swings the module door in the closing direction without removing the item from the corresponding column, the door locking mechanism may become locked, making it impossible to remove the item.

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an article storage device that can prevent a situation in which an article cannot be taken out due to an operational error by a user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the article storage device according to the present invention comprises: a device body having a storage area defined inside facing a front opening formed on the front; an outer door pivotably provided on the device body in a manner that opens and closes the front opening; a rectangular module body housed in the storage area, with a front area open and a plurality of columns defined inside; a module door pivotably provided on the module body in a manner that opens and closes the front portions of the columns individually; a lock state provided on the module body for each module door, which holds the module door in a closed state; and a state that opens the module door. An article storage device comprising a door lock mechanism that can be selectively switched between a locked state and an unlocked state, and an article detection unit provided on the module body for each column for detecting the presence or absence of an article in the corresponding column, wherein when an article in any column is selected through a selection means, a control unit is provided to release the door lock mechanism of the selected column, and the control unit is characterized in that, until a predetermined sales allowance has elapsed since the article was selected through the selection means, the control unit performs a retry operation to release the corresponding door lock mechanism, provided that the article detection unit of the column storing the article detects the presence of an article.

[0008] The present invention is also characterized in that, in the above-mentioned item storage device, if the item detection unit of the column storing the item detects that the item is absent between the time an item is selected through the selection means and the time the allowable sales time has elapsed, the control unit allows the retry operation until a predetermined delay time has elapsed from the time the detection is made, and stops the retry operation after the delay time has elapsed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, the control unit performs a retry operation to release the corresponding door lock mechanism, provided that the product detection unit of the column storing the product detects the presence of the product, until a predetermined sales allowance time has elapsed since the product was selected through the selection means, thereby achieving the effect of avoiding a situation in which the product cannot be removed due to a user's operational error. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing the external configuration of an item storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a typical control system of the item storage device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a front view showing the internal structure of the device main body shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front view showing the item storage device shown in FIG. 1 in a state where the outer door is swung in the opening direction. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the storage module shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the inside of the storage module shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7(a) shows the state of the module door when the door locking mechanism is in a locked state, and FIG. 7(b) is an explanatory diagram showing the state of the module door when the door locking mechanism is in an unlocked state. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the column numbers of the columns in each storage module. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the details of the product sales control process performed by the control unit shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the details of the product take-out permission process shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] A preferred embodiment of the article storage device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0012] Figures 1 and 2 show an article storage device that is an embodiment of the present invention, respectively. Figure 1 is a front view showing the external configuration of the article storage device, and Figure 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the characteristic control system of the article storage device.

[0013] The item storage device 1 illustrated here is, for example, a locker device used as a delivery locker or a vending machine that sells goods, and is equipped with a device body 2. In the following, the various components of the item storage device 1 will be described in accordance with the directions shown in Figure 1.

[0014] As shown in Figure 3, the main body 2 of the device is a rectangular housing with two front openings 2a on its front surface, and has an insulating structure by incorporating insulating materials such as foamed urethane or vacuum insulation material. Inside the main body 2 of the device, multiple storage areas 3 are formed in a vertical arrangement facing each of the front openings 2a. The main body 2 of the device is also equipped with a cooling unit (not shown), and each storage area 3 is cooled to below a predetermined temperature by the operation of this cooling unit.

[0015] In such a device body 2, two outer doors 4 are provided in a manner that opens and closes each front opening 2a. Although not explicitly shown in the figure, these two outer doors 4 have an insulating structure by laying insulating material such as foamed urethane or vacuum insulation material between the outer and inner panels.

[0016] Furthermore, the left outer door 4 is pivotably mounted on the device body 2 at its left edge so as to open and close the left front opening 2a, and the right outer door 4 is pivotably mounted on the device body 2 at its right edge so as to open and close the right front opening 2a.

[0017] Incidentally, an outer door opening / closing detection unit 31 and an outer door locking mechanism 32 are provided near each front opening 2a of the device body 2.

[0018] The outer door open / close detection unit 31 is configured with, for example, an optical sensor, and detects the opening and closing of the front opening 2a by the outer door 4. More specifically, the outer door open / close detection unit 31 detects whether the front opening 2a of the apparatus main body 2 is closed, i.e., whether the outer door 4 is closed. The outer door open / close detection unit 31 sends the detection result, whether the outer door 4 is closed or not, as a signal to the control unit 40, which will be described later.

[0019] The outer door locking mechanism 32 is capable of switching between a locked state in which the outer door 4 that closes the front opening 2a is kept closed and the outer door 4 is restricted from swinging forward, and an unlocked state in which the outer door 4 is permitted to swing forward. The outer door locking mechanism 32 is switched in response to a command given from the control unit 40.

[0020] As shown in Figure 4, a storage module 10 is housed in the storage area 3 described above. The storage module 10 is made of a resin material such as plastic, and as shown in Figures 5 and 6, it comprises a module body 11, a partition member 13, a module door 15, and a product detection lever 17.

[0021] The module body 11 is a rectangular parallelepiped with an open front portion and is composed of a bottom wall 111, left and right side walls 112, a back wall 113, and a top wall 114. The module body 11 has dimensions slightly smaller than the storage area 3, and it is preferable that each wall 111 contacts each surface that constitutes the storage area 3. Furthermore, in the module body 11, the left and right side walls 112 are formed with a plurality of passage holes 112a for circulating air.

[0022] The partition member 13 is used to partition the inside of the module body 11, and is composed of horizontal partition plates 131, 132 and vertical partition plates 133, .

[0023] The horizontal partition plates 131, 132 are used to divide the interior of the module body 11 into upper and lower sections, and include a left-side horizontal partition plate 131 and a right-side horizontal partition plate 132. The left-side horizontal partition plate 131 and the right-side horizontal partition plate 132 have the same front-to-back and left-to-right dimensions.

[0024] The vertical partitions 133, 134 are used to divide the interior of the module body 11 into left and right sections, and include an upper vertical partition 133 and a lower vertical partition 134. The upper vertical partition 133 and the lower vertical partition 134 have the same front-to-back and top-to-bottom dimensions.

[0025] By arranging the horizontal dividers 131, 132 and the vertical dividers 133, 134, the interior of the module body 11 can be divided into four regions, thereby defining four columns 12. In other words, the maximum number of columns in the storage module 10 is four.

[0026] The module doors 15 are provided on the module body 11 in correspondence with the maximum number (four) of columns 12 defined by the partition members 13, and include an upper left module door 151, an upper right module door 152, a lower left module door 153, and a lower right module door 154.

[0027] The upper left module door 151 is a door body large enough to close off the front portion of the upper left column 12 when the interior of the module body 11 is defined by four columns 12. This upper left module door 151 is pivotally supported on its left side and can swing in the front-rear direction in a manner that moves closer to and further away from the module body 11. In other words, by swinging forward, the upper left module door 151 opens the front portion of the upper left column 12, while by swinging backward, it closes off the front portion of the upper left column 12.

[0028] The upper right module door 152 is a door body large enough to block the front portion of the upper right column 12 when the interior of the module main body 11 is divided into four columns 12. The right side of the upper right module door 152 is pivotally supported, and the door can swing forward and backward in a manner to move toward and away from the module main body 11. In other words, the upper right module door 152 opens the front portion of the upper right column 12 by swinging forward, and blocks the front portion of the upper right column 12 by swinging backward.

[0029] The lower-left module door 153 is a door body large enough to close the front portion of the lower-left column 12 when the interior of the module main body 11 is divided into four columns 12. The left side of the lower-left module door 153 is pivotally supported, and the door can swing forward and backward in a manner to move toward and away from the module main body 11. In other words, the lower-left module door 153 opens the front portion of the lower-left column 12 by swinging forward, and closes the front portion of the lower-left column 12 by swinging backward.

[0030] The lower right module door 154 is a door body large enough to close the front portion of the lower right column 12 when the interior of the module main body 11 is divided into four columns 12. The right side of this lower right module door 154 is pivotally supported, and it can swing back and forth in a manner to move toward and away from the module main body 11. In other words, the lower right module door 154 opens the front portion of the lower right column 12 by swinging forward, and closes the front portion of the lower right column 12 by swinging backward.

[0031] In the module body 11, a door lock mechanism 33 is provided for each of the module doors 15.

[0032] The door lock mechanism 33 is capable of switching between a locked state, as shown in Fig. 7(a), in which the corresponding module door 15 that closes the front portion of the module main body 11 (column 12) is kept closed and the module door 15 is prevented from swinging forward, and a released state, as shown in Fig. 7(b), in which the module door 15 is biased by a spring or the like (not shown) to swing slightly forward and open. The door lock mechanism 33 is switched in accordance with a command given by the control unit 40.

[0033] The commodity detection levers 17 are provided on the module body 11 in a number corresponding to the maximum number (four) of storage items defined by the partition member 13, and include an upper left detection lever 171, an upper right detection lever 172, a lower left detection lever 173, and a lower right detection lever 174. These commodity detection levers 17 are biased by a biasing means (not shown) to swing upward, and when pressed by a commodity stored in the column 12, they swing downward against the biasing force of the biasing means, but when the commodity is removed, they swing upward.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2, the item storage device 1 includes a display unit 21, an operation input unit 22, a remote control 23, a money handling unit 24, and a control unit 40 in addition to the above components.

[0035] As shown in Figure 1, the display unit 21 is located on the upper right side of the outer door 4 on the right side of the main body of the device 2. This display unit 21 displays various information in response to commands given by the control unit 40.

[0036] The operation input unit 22 is located in the lower area of ​​the display unit 21. This operation input unit 22 is composed of, for example, a numeric keypad, and is a selection means for selecting a column 12 (item) by input operation. When a column 12 is selected, this operation input unit 22 sends a message to the control unit 40 indicating that a selection has been made.

[0037] The remote controller 23 is provided inside the device main body 2 and is an input means through which a manager of the item storage device 1 or the like performs input operations such as setting operations.

[0038] The money handling unit 24 is composed of a coin mechanism and a bill validator. This money handling unit 24 determines whether money inserted through the coin insertion slot 24a or the bill insertion slot 24b provided in the device main body 2 is legitimate, and takes in money determined to be legitimate and outputs it to the control unit 40. However, if the money cannot be determined to be legitimate or if a return lever 24c provided in the device main body 2 is operated after the insertion operation, the money handling unit 24 returns the money. When returning bills, the money handling unit 24 dispenses bills from the bill insertion slot 24b, and when returning coins, the money is dispensed from the coin return slot 24d provided in the device main body 2.

[0039] The control unit 40 is connected to the display unit 21, operation input unit 22, remote control 23, cash processing unit 24, outer door opening / closing detection unit group 31A, outer door locking mechanism group 32A, door locking mechanism group 33A, product detection switch group 34A and sale available lamp group 35A, and comprehensively controls the operation of each part of the item storage device 1 in accordance with the programs and data stored in the memory unit 41 which is also connected.

[0040] The outer door opening / closing detection unit group 31A is a collection of the above-mentioned outer door opening / closing detection units 31. The outer door locking mechanism group 32A is a collection of the above-mentioned outer door locking mechanisms 32. The door locking mechanism group 33A is a collection of the above-mentioned door locking mechanisms 33.

[0041] The commodity detection switch group 34A is a collection of commodity detection switches (commodity detection units) 34. The commodity detection switches 34 are provided corresponding to the above-mentioned commodity detection levers 17, and turn off when the corresponding commodity detection lever 17 swings downward, detecting that a commodity is present, and turn on when the commodity detection lever 17 swings upward, detecting that a commodity is not present. These commodity detection levers 17 output the detection results as detection signals to the control unit 40.

[0042] The ready for sale lamp group 35A is a collection of ready for sale lamps 35. As shown in FIG. 1, the ready for sale lamps 35 are provided on each outer door 4. These ready for sale lamps 35 are provided corresponding to the module doors 15 of each storage module 10. In other words, the ready for sale lamps 35 are provided corresponding to the four columns 12 in each storage module 10. The ready for sale lamps 35 are driven to light up in response to commands given from the control unit 40.

[0043] The control unit 40 may be realized, for example, by having a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) execute a program, i.e., by software, or by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit), or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0044] The control unit 40 manages each column 12 of each storage module 10 by a column number consisting of consecutive numbers according to the arrangement position, as shown in FIG.

[0045] For example, of the storage areas 3 that are opened and closed by the left-side outer door 4, the columns 12 of the storage module 10 stored in the uppermost storage area 3 are assigned column numbers 1 to 4. That is, the column 12 in the upper left of the storage module 10 is assigned column number "1," the column 12 in the upper right is assigned column number "2," the column 12 in the lower left is assigned column number "3," and the column 12 in the lower right is assigned column number "4."

[0046] Although detailed explanation will not be given here, of the storage areas 3 that are opened and closed by the left-side outer door 4, the columns 12 of the storage modules 10 stored in the second storage area 3 from the top are assigned column numbers 5 to 8, the columns 12 of the storage modules 10 stored in the third storage area 3 from the top are assigned column numbers 9 to 12, the columns 12 of the storage modules 10 stored in the fourth storage area 3 from the top are assigned column numbers 13 to 16, and the columns 12 of the storage modules 10 stored in the fifth storage area 3 from the top are assigned column numbers 17 to 20. Furthermore, among the storage areas 3 that are opened and closed by the outer door 4 on the right side, the columns 12 of the storage modules 10 stored in the uppermost storage area 3 are assigned column numbers 21 to 24, the columns 12 of the storage modules 10 stored in the second storage area 3 from the top are assigned column numbers 25 to 28, the columns 12 of the storage modules 10 stored in the third storage area 3 from the top are assigned column numbers 29 to 32, the columns 12 of the storage modules 10 stored in the fourth storage area 3 from the top are assigned column numbers 33 to 36, and the columns 12 of the storage modules 10 stored in the fifth storage area 3 from the top are assigned column numbers 37 to 40.

[0047] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the details of the product sales control process performed by the control unit 40 shown in FIG.

[0048] In this product sales control process, the control unit 40 determines whether or not money has been inserted through the money processing unit 24 (step S110). If no money has been inserted (step S110: No), the control unit 40 repeats this determination process.

[0049] If money is inserted (step S110: Yes), the control unit 40 determines whether any of the columns 12 have been selected via the operation input unit 22 (step S120). If no of the columns 12 have been selected (step S120: No), the control unit 40 repeats this determination process.

[0050] If any of the columns 12 is selected (step S120: Yes), the control unit 40 releases the outer door locking mechanism 32, i.e., the outer door locking mechanism 32 corresponding to the outer door 4 that opens and closes the storage area 3 in which the storage module 10 having the selected column 12 is stored (step S130). This allows the corresponding outer door 4 to swing forward.

[0051] The control unit 40, which has thus released the outer door lock mechanism 32, determines whether the outer door open / close detection unit 31 has detected that the front opening 2a is open (step S140). If the outer door open / close detection unit 31 does not detect that the front opening 2a is open (step S140: No), the control unit 40 repeats this determination process.

[0052] If the outer door open / close detection unit 31 detects that the front opening 2a is open (step S140: Yes), the control unit 40 releases the door lock mechanism 33 corresponding to the corresponding column 12 (step S150), i.e., opens the module door 15 corresponding to the corresponding column 12 (the state shown in FIG. 7(b)), and performs a subtraction process via the cash processing unit 24 (step S160). This subtraction process subtracts the product price from the amount inserted in step S110, and any change available is returned via the coin return slot 24d, etc. After performing the subtraction process in this way, the control unit 40 then performs a product removal permission process (step S170).

[0053] Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the details of the product removal permission process shown in Fig. 9. In this product removal permission process, the control unit 40 determines whether the product detection switch 34 of the corresponding column 12 is turned on to detect the absence of a product (step S171).

[0054] If the product detection switch 34 detects that the product is not present (step S171: Yes), the control unit 40 assumes that the product has been removed, and locks the door lock mechanism 33 that was released in step S150 (step S172), and then returns the procedure to end this processing.

[0055] On the other hand, if the product detection switch 34 does not detect the absence of a product (step S171: No), the control unit 40 determines whether the elapsed time from the selection operation of column 12 in step S120 is within a predetermined sales allowable time (for example, approximately 10 minutes) (step S173).

[0056] If the elapsed time exceeds the permissible sales time (step S173: No), the control unit 40 performs the process in step S172 to terminate the product retrieval permission process. On the other hand, if the elapsed time is within the permissible sales time (step S173: Yes), the control unit 40 performs a retry operation to release the corresponding door lock mechanism 33 (step S174). This opens the corresponding module door 15, allowing the customer to retrieve the product.

[0057] After performing such a retry operation, the control unit 40 determines whether the commodity detection switch 34 of the corresponding column 12 is turned on to detect the absence of a commodity (step S175).

[0058] If the merchandise detection switch 34 does not detect the absence of a merchandise (step S175: No), the control unit 40 repeats the processes of steps S173 to S175. In other words, if it is within the permissible sales time, a retry operation is performed to release the door lock mechanism 33.

[0059] On the other hand, if the product detection switch 34 detects that there is no product (step S175: Yes), the control unit 40 waits for a predetermined delay time (for example, about 10 seconds) to elapse (step S176). When this delay time has elapsed (step S176: Yes), the control unit 40 stops the retry operation, that is, locks the corresponding door lock mechanism 33 (step S177), and then returns to the previous step to terminate the product retrieval permission process.

[0060] In this way, the control unit 40 allows the retry operation until the delay time has elapsed even if the product detection switch 34 detects that the product is not present after the retry operation.

[0061] Having performed the product removal permission process in this manner, the control unit 40 determines whether or not the outer door opening / closing detection unit 31 has detected that the door is closed (step S180). If the outer door opening / closing detection unit 31 does not detect that the front opening 2a is closed (step S180: No), the control unit 40 repeats this determination process.

[0062] If the outer door opening / closing detection unit 31 detects that the front opening 2a is closed (step S180: Yes), the control unit 40 locks the outer door locking mechanism 32 (step S190), and then returns to the previous step to terminate the product sales control process.

[0063] As described above, according to the item storage device 1 which is an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 40 performs a retry operation to release the corresponding door lock mechanism 33, provided that the product detection switch 34 of the corresponding column 12 detects the presence of a product, until a predetermined sales allowance time has elapsed since the column 12 was selected via the operation input unit 22. Therefore, even if a user accidentally swings the module door 15 in the closing direction when removing a product, causing it to be closed, the module door 15 can be opened again, thereby avoiding a situation in which the product cannot be removed due to a user's operational error.

[0064] 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.

[0065] In the embodiment described above, a delay time was provided, but in the present invention, such a delay time does not need to be provided.

[0066] In the embodiment described above, the column 12 containing the desired product was selected via the operation input unit 22. However, in the present invention, the product may be selected via the operation input unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1...item storage device, 2...device main body, 2a...front opening, 3...storage area, 4...external door, 10...storage module, 11...module main body, 12...column, 13...compartment member, 15...module door, 21...display unit, 22...operation input unit, 23...remote control, 24...cash processing unit, 31...external door opening / closing detection unit, 32...external door locking mechanism, 33...door locking mechanism, 34...product detection switch, 35...sale available lamp, 40...control unit, 41...memory unit

Claims

1. a device main body having a storage area defined therein facing a front opening formed on a front surface; an outer door provided on the device body so as to be swingable in a manner to open and close the front opening; a rectangular parallelepiped module body that is accommodated in the accommodation area, has an open front area, and has a plurality of columns defined therein; a module door swingably mounted on the module body in a manner that allows the front portions of the columns to be opened and closed individually; a door lock mechanism provided on the module body for each of the module doors, the door lock mechanism being switchable between a locked state in which the module door is kept closed and an unlocked state in which the module door is opened; a product detection unit provided in the module body for each of the columns, for detecting the presence or absence of a product in the corresponding column; An item storage device comprising: a control unit that releases the door lock mechanism of an arbitrary column when the column is selected through the selection means; The control unit performs a retry operation to release the corresponding door lock mechanism, provided that the product detection unit of the column storing the product detects the presence of the product, until a predetermined sales allowance time has elapsed since the product was selected through the selection means.

2. The item storage device described in claim 1, characterized in that if the product detection unit of the column storing the product detects that the product is absent between the time the product is selected through the selection means and the time the sales allowance time has elapsed, the control unit allows the retry operation until a predetermined delay time has elapsed from the time the detection is made, and stops the retry operation after the delay time has elapsed.

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