Store System and Software Update Methods

Abstract

This invention provides a store system and software update method that can reduce the workload involved in updating the operating software of multiple target devices located in a store. [Solution] This store system 100 includes a plurality of showcases 10 located in the store 101, and a control device 90 that manages the operation of the plurality of showcases 10. The operation of the plurality of showcases 10 is controlled by operation software stored in a memory unit. The control device 90 transmits update information 60 to at least some of the control units of the plurality of showcases 10 to update the operation software. The control units of the plurality of showcases 10 update the operation software based on the update information 60 transmitted from the control device 90.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a store system and a software update method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, systems for updating software have been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

[0003] In Patent Document 1 mentioned above, a cooling device for updating a control program is described. In the cooling device described in Patent Document 1, a control signal for an update instruction of the control program is acquired via a network. And when there is an update instruction for the control program, the update of the control program is performed.

[0004] Also, in Patent Document 2 mentioned above, a software update system for performing software update processing is described. In the software update system described in Patent Document 2, updated software acquired from the outside by a download data receiving unit of a control device is stored in a flash ROM area. And in the control device, software update processing for updating the software in operation to the updated software is performed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Although not explicitly stated in Patent Documents 1 and 2 above, when updating the operating software of multiple target devices such as cooling devices (showcases) installed in a store, the worker has to connect an external storage device such as a USB memory to each of the target devices and download the update software (update information) pre-stored on the external storage device to each of the target devices. Therefore, since the update work must be performed individually for each of the target devices, the update work is burdensome for the worker. Thus, when updating the operating software of multiple target devices installed in a store, it is desirable to reduce the workload of the update work.

[0007] This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one of its objectives is to provide a store system and software update method that can reduce the workload in update work when updating the operating software of multiple target devices installed in a store. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, a store system according to the first aspect of this invention comprises a storage unit for storing operating software, a device-side control unit for controlling the operation using the operating software stored in the storage unit, a plurality of target devices located in the store, and an in-store control device for managing the operation of the plurality of target devices. The in-store control device transmits update information for updating the operating software to at least some of the device-side control units among the plurality of target devices, and the device-side control units update the operating software based on the update information transmitted from the in-store control device.

[0009] In the store system according to the first aspect of this invention, as described above, the in-store control device transmits update information for updating the operating software to at least some of the control units of the multiple target devices, and the control units update the operating software based on the update information transmitted from the in-store control device. Here, the in-store control device, which manages the operation of the multiple target devices, is connected to each of the multiple target devices in order to send and receive information to and from them. Therefore, by transmitting update information from the in-store control device that manages the operation of the multiple target devices to the control units of the target devices, it is possible to easily transmit update information to the control units of the target devices without having to connect an external storage device or the like to each of the multiple target devices one by one. As a result, when updating the operating software of multiple target devices located in a store, the workload for the update work can be reduced.

[0010] In the store system according to the first aspect described above, preferably, before transmitting update information, the in-store control device transmits type request information to at least some of the device-side control units among the multiple target devices to determine the type of each of the multiple target devices, and acquires type response information transmitted from the device-side control unit in response to the type request information, thereby setting the type of update information to be transmitted to the device-side control unit based on the acquired type response information. With this configuration, even if the type of update information required differs for each of the multiple target device types, the in-store control device can transmit the appropriate type of update information for each of the multiple target device types by setting the type of update information to be transmitted to the device-side control unit based on the acquired type response information. Therefore, the in-store control device can set and transmit the appropriate type of update information without the operator having to select the appropriate type of update information for each of the multiple target device types, thus further reducing the workload in update work.

[0011] In the store system according to the first aspect described above, preferably, the multiple target devices include a master unit to which update information is directly transmitted from the in-store control device and slave units to which update information is transmitted from the master unit. The in-store control device transmits update information to the device-side control unit of the master unit among the multiple target devices, and the device-side control unit of the master unit acquires the update information transmitted from the in-store control device and transmits the acquired update information to the device-side control unit of the slave unit. Here, if the pre-update operating software and the updated operating software are stored together in the master unit and the slave unit connected to the master unit, it is necessary to ensure compatibility between the pre-update operating software and the updated operating software in order to link the master unit and the slave unit. In that case, there will be limitations in ensuring compatibility in the update content of the operating software. In contrast, in the present invention, the in-store control device transmits update information to the device-side control unit of the master unit, and the device-side control unit of the master unit transmits update information to the device-side control unit of the slave unit. With this configuration, update information can be sent from the in-store control unit to the master unit, thereby sending the update information to both the master unit and the slave units connected to it. This allows for simultaneous updates of the operating software on both the master unit and the connected slave units. As a result, it is easy to prevent the master unit and slave units from storing a mix of pre-update and post-update operating software, thus easily preventing limitations on the content of the operating software updates, and allowing the master unit and slave units to operate in conjunction with each other.

[0012] In the store system according to the first aspect described above, preferably, the in-store control device transmits update information to at least some of the control units on the device side of the multiple target devices by broadcast transmission. With this configuration, by broadcasting the same update information to multiple target devices simultaneously, the time required to transmit update information can be reduced compared to transmitting update information individually. Therefore, since the time required for update work can be reduced, the workload for update work can be further reduced when updating the operating software of multiple target devices located in a store.

[0013] In the store system according to the first aspect described above, preferably, the in-store control device sequentially transmits each of the divided update information to update the operating software, and the device-side control unit sequentially acquires the divided update information and stores it in the memory unit to update the operating software. With this configuration, even if the amount of information that can be acquired at once in the target device is small, the operating software can be easily updated by sequentially transmitting each of the divided update information. Furthermore, even if the acquisition of update information fails, the time required to acquire the update information again can be shortened because the update information is divided. Therefore, the increase in the work time required for the update work can be suppressed, and the workload in the update work can be further reduced.

[0014] In this case, preferably, multiple target devices have a temporary storage unit for temporarily storing acquired update information, and the temporary storage unit has a capacity larger than the capacity of the update information but smaller than the capacity of the operating software. With this configuration, even if the capacity of the temporary storage unit for temporarily storing acquired update information in a target device is smaller than the capacity of the operating software, the operating software can be easily updated because the update information is divided. Therefore, it becomes unnecessary to provide a temporary storage unit with an unnecessarily large capacity, and thus it is possible to suppress wasted capacity in the device configuration of the target device.

[0015] In a store system that sequentially transmits each of the above-mentioned divided update information, preferably, the in-store control device sequentially transmits each of the divided update information by broadcast at predetermined transmission time intervals, and the device-side control unit performs an error check operation on the updated operating software after the update of the operating software is completed. With this configuration, by performing an error check operation after the multiple update information has been acquired, it is easy to determine whether the operating software has been updated successfully. Furthermore, by performing an error check operation on the updated operating software after the multiple update information transmitted by broadcast at predetermined transmission time intervals has been acquired, the time required for sending and receiving information can be reduced compared to acquiring response information indicating that the information was acquired successfully each time each of the multiple update information is transmitted. Therefore, the increase in the work time required for the update work can be further suppressed, and the workload for the update work can be further reduced.

[0016] In a store system where the above-mentioned in-store control device transmits update information via broadcast, preferably, after transmitting update information via broadcast, if the in-store control device receives error information from multiple target devices indicating that an error occurred in at least one of the acquisition of update information and the update of the operating software, it individually resends the update information to the target devices corresponding to the error information. Here, if the update information is transmitted again via broadcast when error information is received, it is conceivable that further errors may occur in other target devices that had previously acquired the update information successfully. Taking this into consideration, in the present invention, by individually resending the update information to the target devices corresponding to the error information, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of further errors in other target devices. Therefore, since it is possible to suppress repeated occurrence of errors in multiple target devices, it is possible to suppress an increase in the effort required for update work.

[0017] In a store system where the above-mentioned multiple target devices include a master unit and slave units, preferably, the control unit on the master unit transmits update information acquired from the in-store control device to the control units on the slave units via broadcast. With this configuration, the time required to transmit update information can be reduced by broadcasting the same update information from the master unit to the slave units simultaneously. Therefore, the time required for update work can be reduced, and the workload for update work can be further reduced.

[0018] In the store system according to the first aspect described above, preferably, after the update information is acquired, the device-side control unit waits for a response waiting time that is separately set for each of the multiple target devices, and then transmits update response information indicating that the update information has been acquired. However, when the update response information is transmitted after the update information is acquired, if update response information is transmitted simultaneously from multiple target devices, it becomes difficult to identify which target device the update response information was transmitted from. In contrast, in the present invention, by transmitting the update response information after waiting for a response waiting time that is separately set for each of the multiple target devices, it is possible to easily identify which target device the update response information was transmitted from. Therefore, it is possible to easily determine whether or not the update information has been successfully transmitted in each of the multiple target devices.

[0019] In a store system in which the control unit on the main unit transmits update information to the control units on the sub-units via broadcast, preferably, if the control unit on the main unit transmits update information via broadcast and then receives error information from a sub-unit indicating that an error occurred in at least one of the acquisition of update information or the update of the operating software, it will individually retransmit the update information to the corresponding sub-unit. With this configuration, when transmitting update information from the main unit to the sub-units via broadcast, individually retransmitting the update information to the corresponding sub-unit prevents further errors from occurring in other sub-units that had previously acquired the update information successfully. Therefore, it is possible to prevent repeated errors in multiple sub-units, thereby reducing the workload involved in the update process.

[0020] In the store system according to the first aspect described above, preferably, the multiple target devices include multiple showcases placed in the store, and the in-store control device transmits update information for updating the operating software of the multiple showcases. Here, there may be dozens or more, or even 100 or more, of showcases placed in the store. In that case, if the update work is performed for each of the multiple showcases individually, the effort required for the update work becomes a great burden on the workers. In contrast, in the present invention, by having the in-store control device transmit update information for updating the operating software of the multiple showcases, the workload for the update work can be effectively reduced when updating the operating software of multiple showcases placed in the store.

[0021] In this case, preferably, multiple showcases are configured to perform a cooling operation to cool the products placed inside and a defrosting operation to remove frost, and the in-store control device transmits update information when the defrosting operation is not being performed. When the defrosting operation is performed in a showcase, frost is removed by raising the internal temperature. In contrast, in the present invention, by configuring the in-store control device to transmit update information when the defrosting operation is not being performed, the operating software can be updated when the internal temperature is not rising. Therefore, even when it is necessary to stop the operation of a showcase while the operating software is being updated, updating the operating software when the internal temperature is not rising can prevent the internal temperature of the showcase from becoming unnecessarily high.

[0022] A software update method according to a second aspect of this invention is a software update method for updating operating software in a plurality of target devices located in a store, each having a storage unit for storing operating software and a device-side control unit for controlling the operation using the operating software stored in the storage unit, comprising the steps of: transmitting update information for updating the operating software from an in-store control device that manages the operation of the plurality of target devices to at least some of the device-side control units among the plurality of target devices; and updating the operating software based on the update information transmitted from the in-store control device.

[0023] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the software update method, as described above, includes a step of transmitting update information for updating operation software from a store control device that manages the operations of a plurality of target devices to at least a part of the device-side control units of the plurality of target devices, and a step of updating the operation software based on the update information transmitted from the store control device. Here, the store control device that manages the operations of the plurality of target devices is connected to each of the plurality of target devices in order to transmit and receive information to and from the plurality of target devices. Therefore, by transmitting update information from the store control device that manages the operations of the plurality of target devices to the device-side control unit of the target device, it is possible to easily transmit the update information to the device-side control unit of the target device without performing the work of connecting an external storage device or the like to each of the plurality of target devices one by one. As a result, when updating the operation software of a plurality of target devices arranged in a store, it is possible to provide a software update method capable of reducing the workload in the update work.

Effects of the Invention

[0024] According to the present invention, as described above, when updating the operation software of a plurality of target devices arranged in a store, it is possible to provide a store system and a software update method capable of reducing the workload in the update work.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025] [Figure 1] It is a block diagram showing a store system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of a showcase. [Figure 3] It is a flowchart for explaining a software update method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a sequence diagram for explaining the setting of the type of update information. [Figure 5] It is a schematic diagram for explaining the capacities of the storage unit and the temporary storage unit. [Figure 6]This is a diagram to explain the details of the update information. [Figure 7] This is a sequence diagram illustrating the update of operating software using update information in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a sequence diagram to explain the error checking process. [Figure 9] This is a sequence diagram illustrating the update of operating software based on update information in a store system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0026] The following describes embodiments of the present invention based on the drawings.

[0027] [First Embodiment] The configuration of the store system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

[0028] (Overall structure of the store system) As shown in Figure 1, the store system 100 comprises a plurality of showcases 10 and a control device 90. The plurality of showcases 10 and the control device 90 are located in a store 101 such as a supermarket, convenience store, or drugstore. Each of the plurality of showcases 10 performs a cooling operation to cool the products placed inside. The plurality of showcases 10 also includes a plurality of master units (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) and a plurality of slave units (a plurality of slave units 21, a plurality of slave units 31, a plurality of slave units 41, ...). Each of the plurality of master units (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) is connected to the plurality of slave units (a plurality of slave units 21, a plurality of slave units 31, a plurality of slave units 41, ...) via a serial communication line. Note that the showcases 10 are an example of the "target equipment" in the claims. The control device 90 is an example of the "in-store control device" in the claims.

[0029] Specifically, the multiple showcases 10 include multiple slave units 21 connected to the master unit 20, multiple slave units 31 connected to the master unit 30, multiple slave units 41 connected to the master unit 40, etc. For example, the multiple slave units 21 include slave unit 21a, slave unit 21b, slave unit 21c, etc. The multiple slave units 31 include slave unit 31a, slave unit 31b, slave unit 31c, etc. The multiple slave units 41 include slave unit 41a, slave unit 41b, slave unit 41c, etc. In the multiple showcases 10, the multiple master units (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, etc.) and the slave units (multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, etc.) connected to each of the multiple master units (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, etc.) operate in conjunction with each other.

[0030] The control device 90 is a store controller that manages the operation of multiple showcases 10. The control device 90 has a processing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage device such as a hard disk or SSD (Solid State Drive), and a communication module for communicating with the outside world. The control device 90 is configured to perform predetermined control by executing control processing by the processing unit based on programs and parameters stored in the storage device. The control device 90 also has a touch panel 91. The touch panel 91 accepts input operations and displays image information and text information.

[0031] The control device 90, for example, transmits and receives information with each of the multiple showcases 10. Based on signals from each of the multiple showcases 10 indicating their operating status, the control device 90 displays information indicating the operating status of each of the multiple showcases 10 on the touch panel 91. The information indicating the operating status is, for example, information indicating whether each of the multiple showcases 10 is operating normally or not. The control device 90 also controls the operation of each of the multiple showcases 10. For example, the control device 90 controls the operation of each of the multiple showcases 10 by outputting a command signal to switch the operating state of each of the multiple showcases 10. The control device 90 manages the operation of each of the multiple showcases 10 by acquiring the operating status of each of the multiple showcases 10 and controlling their operation. The control device 90 also controls the operation of the refrigeration unit that supplies refrigerant to each of the multiple showcases 10. Details of the control processing by the control device 90 will be described later.

[0032] Furthermore, the control device 90 is connected to a cloud server 102 outside the store 101 via an external network N. Based on information from the cloud server 102, the control device 90 controls the operation of each of the multiple showcases 10. The control device 90 may also be configured to manage the entire store 101 by managing the operation of load equipment such as air conditioners, lighting equipment, and cooking equipment located in the store 101, in addition to the multiple showcases 10. The control device 90 may also be configured to monitor power consumption using a power meter located in the store 101 and to perform demand control to limit power consumption so that the power consumption in the store 101 does not exceed a target usage amount in a predetermined unit time. In demand control, the control device 90 may control the power consumption of load equipment such as the multiple showcases 10, air conditioners, lighting equipment, and cooking equipment located in the store 101 to be reduced, or if a power storage device is installed in the store 101, the control device 90 may control the discharge of the power storage device.

[0033] As shown in Figure 2, each of the multiple showcases 10 has a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a temporary storage unit 13, a temperature control unit 14, a shelf unit 15, and a detection unit 16. Each of the master units 20, 30, 40, ... and the multiple slave units 21, 31, 41, ... also has a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a temporary storage unit 13, and a temperature control unit 14. Figure 2 illustrates the configuration of the master unit 20 as an example. The control unit 11 is an example of the "device-side control unit" in the claims.

[0034] The control unit 11 controls the operation of the showcase 10. The control unit 11 includes, for example, a processing unit such as a CPU. The storage unit 12 stores the operation software 50 and various parameters. The storage unit 12 includes ROM (Read Only Memory). The temporary storage unit 13 temporarily holds the data processed by the control unit 11. The temporary storage unit 13 includes RAM (Random Access Memory). The temperature control unit 14 includes an evaporator (cooler) that cools the shelf section 15 on which goods are displayed in each of the multiple showcases 10, and a cooling fan that circulates the air inside the storage area where the shelf section 15 is located. The temperature control unit 14 cools the inside of the storage area with a refrigerant from a refrigerator (not shown) located in the store 101. The detection unit 16 includes a temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the storage area.

[0035] The control unit 11 controls the operation of each of the multiple showcases 10 using operation software 50 stored in the storage unit 12. The control unit 11 is configured to perform predetermined control by executing control processing based on the operation software 50 stored in the storage unit 12. For example, the control unit 11 controls the cooling inside the showcase where the shelves 15 are located by controlling the operation of the temperature control unit 14 by executing the operation software 50. The control unit 11 also acquires the operating status of each of the multiple showcases 10 based on detection signals from the detection unit 16, etc. The operating status includes, for example, information on the temperature inside the showcase and information on whether the temperature control unit 14 is operating normally.

[0036] In the first embodiment, each of the multiple showcases 10 operates with a different type of operating software 50 depending on differences such as model. For example, the master units 20 and 30, the multiple slave units 21, and the multiple slave units 31 operate with a common operating software 50. On the other hand, the master unit 40 and the multiple slave units 41 operate with a different type of operating software 50 than the operating software 50 that operates the master units 20 and 30, the multiple slave units 21, and the multiple slave units 31.

[0037] As shown in Figure 1, in the store system 100 of the first embodiment, each of the multiple master units 20, 30, 40, ... among the multiple showcases 10 is connected to the control device 90 via a serial communication line. Each of the multiple master units 20, 30, 40, ... receives command signals from the control device 90 and transmits the received command signals to the multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ... connected to each of them. In other words, each of the multiple master units 20, 30, 40, ... is a direct transmission target unit to which information from the control device 90 is directly transmitted. Each of the multiple slave units 21 (slave unit 21a, slave unit 21b, slave unit 21c, ...), multiple slave units 31 (slave unit 31a, slave unit 31b, slave unit 31c, ...), multiple slave units 41 (slave unit 41a, slave unit 41b, slave unit 41c, ...), ... is an indirect transmission target unit to which information from the control device 90 is indirectly transmitted. The control device 90 is directly or indirectly connected to each of the multiple showcases 10 in order to manage the operation of each of the multiple showcases 10. The control unit 11 of each of the multiple showcases 10 executes the operation software 50 based on the command signals it receives. The control unit 11 of each of the multiple showcases 10 is also configured to transmit the acquired operating status to the control device 90. Each of the multiple master units 20, 30, 40, ... transmits a signal to the control device 90 indicating its own operating status. Furthermore, each of the multiple master units 20, 30, 40, ... periodically acquires signals indicating the operating status from the multiple slave units 21, 31, 41, ... connected to it, and transmits signals indicating the operating status of the multiple slave units 21, 31, 41, ... to the control device 90.

[0038] (Control processing by the control device) For example, the control device 90 acquires signals indicating the operating status of each of the multiple showcases 10, and transmits command signals to set the internal temperature of each of the multiple showcases 10 according to the acquired signals indicating the operating status. The control device 90 also adjusts the frequency (refrigeration capacity) of the refrigeration unit that supplies refrigerant to the multiple showcases 10 according to the signals indicating the operating status. The control device 90 also transmits command signals set based on operations received via the touch panel 91. Furthermore, if the control device 90 detects an abnormality in the internal temperature or an abnormality in the operation of the temperature control unit 14 based on the acquired signals indicating the operating status, it notifies the user of the abnormality by displaying information indicating the abnormality on the touch panel 91. The control device 90 may also be configured to set command signals to be transmitted to each of the multiple showcases 10 based on information acquired from the cloud server 102. The control device 90 may also be configured to transmit the operating status of each of the multiple showcases 10 to the cloud server 102.

[0039] <Defrosting operation> In the first embodiment, each of the multiple showcases 10 is configured to perform a defrosting operation to remove frost from inside the showcase. Each of the multiple showcases 10 is configured to raise the temperature inside the showcase during the defrosting operation through control processing by the control unit 11. The control device 90 transmits a command signal to the multiple showcases 10 to instruct them to start the defrosting operation at a predetermined timing set in advance. For example, when a command signal to start the defrosting operation is transmitted to the master unit 20, the master unit 20 transmits a command signal to the multiple slave units 21 connected to the master unit 20 to instruct them to start the defrosting operation. The master unit 20 and the multiple slave units 21 connected to the master unit 20 are configured to perform the defrosting operation in conjunction with each other at a common timing.

[0040] <Update operation> Furthermore, the store system 100 according to the first embodiment is configured so that an update operation of the operating software 50 is performed in each of the multiple showcases 10. The control device 90 transmits update information 60 to at least some of the control units 11 of the multiple showcases 10 to update the operating software 50 in each of the multiple showcases 10. For example, the control device 90 obtains the update information 60 from the cloud server 102.

[0041] The control device 90 transmits update information 60 to the control units 11 of each of the master units 20, 30, 40, ..., among the multiple showcases 10, via broadcast transmission. The control unit 11 of the master unit 20 receives the update information 60 transmitted from the control device 90 and transmits the received update information 60 to the control units 11 of each of the multiple slave units 21 (slave unit 21a, slave unit 21b, slave unit 21c, ...) via broadcast transmission. Similarly, the control unit 11 of the master unit 30 receives the update information 60 transmitted from the control device 90 and transmits the received update information 60 to the control units 11 of each of the multiple slave units 31 (slave unit 31a, slave unit 31b, slave unit 31c, ...) via broadcast transmission. Furthermore, the control unit 11 of the master unit 40 acquires the update information 60 transmitted from the control device 90 and transmits the update information 60 acquired from the control device 90 to the control unit 11 of each of the multiple slave units 41 (slave unit 41a, slave unit 41b, slave unit 41c, ...) by broadcast transmission. That is, in the first embodiment, in the multiple showcases 10, the master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ... receive the update information 60 directly from the control device 90, while the multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ... receive the update information 60 from the master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, .... In broadcast transmission, the same update information 60 is transmitted simultaneously to multiple recipients at once. Then, each control unit 11 of the multiple showcases 10 updates the operation software 50 stored in the storage unit 12 based on the update information 60 transmitted from the control device 90.

[0042] (How to update the operating software) Referring to Figures 3 to 8, the details of the control process for the software update method in the store system 100 of the first embodiment will be described. According to the control process for the software update method of the first embodiment, the operating software 50 is updated in each of the multiple showcases 10 based on the update information 60.

[0043] As shown in Figure 3, first, in step S1, the type of update information 60 is set. As described above, each of the multiple showcases 10 operates with a different type of operating software 50. The update information 60 for updating the operating software 50 also has different types depending on the type of operating software 50.

[0044] As shown in Figure 4, the update information 60 has two types, for example, update information 60-1 and update information 60-2. In step S1, before transmitting the update information 60, the control device 90 transmits type request information 71 to multiple master units (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) of the multiple showcases 10 to determine the type of each of the multiple showcases 10. Each control unit 11 of the multiple master units (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) receives the type request information 71 transmitted from the control device 90 and transmits type response information 72 to the control device 90 according to the received type request information 71. The type response information 72 includes information indicating the type of a plurality of master units (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) and information indicating the types of a plurality of slave units 21, a plurality of slave units 31, a plurality of slave units 41, ... connected to each of the plurality of master units (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...). For example, master unit 20 transmits type response information 72 to the control unit 90 indicating the type of master unit 20 and the type of each of the plurality of slave units 21 connected to master unit 20. The control unit 90 acquires the type response information 72 transmitted from each of the control units 11 of the plurality of master units (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...).

[0045] For example, the control device 90 transmits type request information 71 and obtains type response information 72 from each of the multiple master units (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) in sequence. First, the control device 90 obtains type response information 72 from the control unit 11 of one of the master units (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) by transmitting type request information 71 to the control unit 11 of one of the master units (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...). Then, after obtaining type response information 72 from the control unit 11 of one master unit 20, the control device 90 obtains type response information 72 from the control unit 11 of the next master unit 30 by transmitting type request information 71 to the control unit 11 of the next master unit 30. In this way, the control device 90 obtains type response information 72 one by one from the control units 11 of the multiple master units (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...).

[0046] Based on the acquired type response information 72, the control device 90 sets the type of update information 60 to be sent to each of the control units 11 of the multiple showcases 10. For example, based on the acquired type response information 72, the control device 90 sets whether to send update information 60-1 or update information 60-2 from the update information 60 to each of the multiple showcases 10. Based on the acquired type response information 72, the control device 90 sets the type of update information 60 so as to send update information 60-1 to the master unit 20 and the multiple slave units 21 connected to the master unit 20 (slave unit 21a, slave unit 21b, slave unit 21c, ...), and to the master unit 30 and the multiple slave units 31 connected to the master unit 30 (slave unit 31a, slave unit 31b, slave unit 31c, ...), and to send update information 60-2 to the master unit 40 and the multiple slave units 41 connected to the master unit 40 (slave unit 41a, slave unit 41b, slave unit 41c, ...).

[0047] In the software update method for the store system 100 of the first embodiment, first, the type of update information 60 to be transmitted is set to update information 60-1, and update information 60-1 is transmitted to the master unit 20 and master unit 30, thereby updating the operation software 50, which will be described later, in the master unit 20 and master unit 30 and the multiple slave units 21 and multiple slave units 31. After that, the type of update information 60 to be transmitted is changed to update information 60-2, and update information 60-2 is transmitted to the master unit 40 and the multiple slave units 41, thereby updating the operation software 50 in the master unit 40 and the multiple slave units 41.

[0048] Next, in step S2 (see Figure 3), update information 60 is transmitted from the control device 90 to the control units 11 of multiple master units (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) among the multiple showcases 10. Then, the control units 11 of the multiple master units (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) transmit the update information 60 to the respective control units 11 of the multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ...

[0049] Here, as shown in Figure 5, each of the multiple showcases 10 temporarily stores the acquired update information 60 in the temporary storage unit 13. Then, the control unit 11 of each of the multiple showcases 10 updates the operation software 50 stored in the storage unit 12 by rewriting the operation software 50 with the update information 60 temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 13. In the first embodiment, the capacity of the temporary storage unit 13 in each of the multiple showcases 10 is smaller than the capacity of the storage unit 12. The temporary storage unit 13 has a capacity larger than the capacity of the update information 60 and smaller than the capacity of the operation software 50. Therefore, the control device 90 is configured to sequentially transmit each of the divided multiple update information 60 (update information 60a, update information 60b, update information 60c, ...; see Figure 7) in order to update the operation software 50, which has a larger capacity than the temporary storage unit 13. Each control unit 11 of the multiple showcases 10 updates the operating software 50 by sequentially acquiring each of the divided update information 60 (update information 60a, update information 60b, update information 60c, ...) and storing it in the storage unit 12.

[0050] Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, each divided update information 60 includes address information 61, command information 62, type information 63, division number information 64, distribution data information 65, and error detection information 66. Address information 61 is information that specifies the destination of the update information 60. In step S2, information indicating that the update information 60 is a simultaneous broadcast is stored as address information 61. Command information 62 is information that indicates that the update information 60 is information for updating the operating software 50. Type information 63 is information that indicates the type of update information 60. Type information 63 indicates which type (update information 60-1 or update information 60-2) the update information 60 set in step S1 is. Division number information 64 is information that indicates which update information 60 the divided update information 60 is. Division number information 64 is set as a sequence number, such as number 1, number 2, number 3, ... For example, for each of the divided update information 60a, update information 60b, update information 60c, ... (see Figure 7), the division number information 64 numbers 1, 2, 3, ... are assigned in order. The distribution data information 65 is specific information for updating the operating software 50. That is, the distribution data information 65 is partial information of the divided operating software 50. The error detection information 66 is checksum information to confirm that the transmission of one update information 60 was successful.

[0051] As shown in Figure 7, the control device 90 transmits the divided update information 60a, which is update information 60a, to multiple master units (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) by broadcast. When the update information 60a is acquired, each control unit 11 of the multiple master units (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) stops the operation of the temperature control unit 14 until the update of the operation software 50 is completed, and partially updates the operation software 50 stored in the storage unit 12 by storing the distribution data information 65 of the acquired update information 60a in the storage unit 12. Then, each control unit 11 of the multiple master units (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) transmits the acquired update information 60a to multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ... by broadcast. Each control unit 11 of the multiple slave units 21, 31, 41, etc., similar to each control unit 11 of the multiple master units (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, etc.), partially updates the operating software 50 stored in the storage unit 12 by storing the distribution data information 65 of the acquired update information 60a in the storage unit 12.

[0052] Furthermore, each control unit 11 of the multiple showcases 10 checks whether the acquisition of update information 60 was successful each time update information 60 is acquired, based on error detection information 66 contained in the update information 60 (update information 60a, update information 60b, update information 60c, ...) by performing a checksum calculation. If the acquisition of update information 60 was not successful, each control unit 11 of the multiple showcases 10 discards the acquired update information 60 without updating the operating software 50 with the acquired update information 60.

[0053] In the first embodiment, the control device 90 sequentially transmits each of the divided update information 60 (update information 60a, update information 60b, update information 60c, ...) by broadcast simultaneous transmission at each preset transmission time interval T1. For example, after transmitting one update information 60, update information 60a, the control device 90 waits until the transmission time interval T1 has elapsed. Then, after the transmission time interval T1 has elapsed, the control device 90 transmits the next divided update information 60, update information 60b, by broadcast simultaneous transmission, similar to update information 60a, without obtaining response information from each control unit 11 of the multiple showcases 10. The control device 90 repeatedly performs broadcast simultaneous transmission at each transmission time interval T1 until all divided update information 60 has been transmitted. Each control unit 11 of the multiple showcases 10 sequentially updates the operation software 50 of the storage unit 12 each time it obtains one of the divided update information 60s.

[0054] Next, in step S3 (see Figure 3), an error check operation is performed after the update of the operating software 50 is completed. In the first embodiment, each control unit 11 of the multiple showcases 10 does not send response information regarding the success or failure of transmission for each acquisition of the divided multiple update information 60, but rather performs an error check operation on the updated operating software 50 after the update of the operating software 50 is completed by all of the divided multiple update information 60.

[0055] As shown in Figure 8, after the transmission of all of the divided update information 60 is complete, the control device 90 sends check request information 81 to the master units (for example, master unit 20 and master unit 30) that have completed the transmission of the update information 60 for each of the multiple showcases 10. Upon receiving the check request information 81, the control units 11 of master units 20 and 30 each send check response information 82 to the control device 90, indicating the results of their own error check operation and the results of the error check operation of the multiple slave units 21 (slave unit 21a, slave unit 21b, slave unit 21c, ...) and multiple slave units 31 (slave unit 31a, slave unit 31b, slave unit 31c, ...) connected to them. For example, the control device 90 first sends the check request information 81 to the control unit 11 of master unit 20, and after receiving the check response information 82 from the control unit 11 of master unit 20, it sends the check request information 81 to the control unit 11 of master unit 30.

[0056] For example, the control unit 11 of the master unit 20, upon receiving the check request information 81, performs a checksum calculation on the updated operating software 50 stored in the storage unit 12 of the master unit 20 as an error check operation. The control unit 11 of the master unit 20 then sends the check request information 81 to each of the multiple slave units 21 (slave unit 21a, slave unit 21b, slave unit 21c, ...). The control unit 11 of each of the multiple slave units 21 (slave unit 21a, slave unit 21b, slave unit 21c, ...) that has received the check request information 81 performs a checksum calculation on the updated operating software 50 stored in the storage unit 12 of each of the multiple slave units 21 (slave unit 21a, slave unit 21b, slave unit 21c, ...) as an error check operation, similar to the master unit 20. Then, the control unit 11 of each of the multiple slave units 21 (slave unit 21a, slave unit 21b, slave unit 21c, ...) transmits check response information 82, which includes the result of the checksum calculation, to the control unit 11 of the master unit 20. The control unit 11 of the master unit 20 transmits, for example, check request information 81 to slave unit 21a, and after receiving the check response information 82 from slave unit 21a, transmits check request information 81 to slave unit 21b. In this way, the master unit 20 sequentially transmits check request information 81 and receives check response information 82 to each of the multiple slave units 21. Then, the control unit 11 of the master unit 20 outputs check response information 82, which includes the result of its own checksum calculation and the result of the checksum calculation of each of the multiple slave units 21 connected to it, to the control device 90.

[0057] The control device 90 determines whether an error has occurred in at least one of the acquisition of update information 60 and the updating of the operating software 50, based on the check response information 82 obtained from the control unit 11 of the master unit (for example, master unit 20 and master unit 30) that has completed sending the update information 60 to each of the multiple showcases 10. In the first embodiment, if the control device 90 receives check response information 82 (error information) indicating that an error has occurred in at least one of the acquisition of update information 60 and the updating of the operating software 50 after sending the update information 60 by broadcast, it resends the update information 60 individually to the showcase 10 corresponding to the error information among the multiple showcases 10, rather than sending it all at once.

[0058] The control device 90 determines whether an error has occurred by identifying whether the result of the checksum calculation in the acquired check response information 82 is equal to a predetermined normal value. For example, if the control device 90 determines that the result of the checksum calculation calculated as a result of the error check operation in the slave unit 21a is different from a predetermined normal value, it determines that an error has occurred in the slave unit 21a and sends the update information 60 (update information 60a, update information 60b, update information 60c, ...) to the slave unit 21a again. In this case, the control device 90 changes the address information 61 in the update information 60 from information indicating a simultaneous broadcast transmission to information indicating a transmission to the slave unit 21a, and then sequentially sends the divided update information 60 to the master unit 20. The control unit 11 of the master unit 20 recognizes the acquired update information 60 as update information 60 for the slave unit 21a based on the address information 61. When the control unit 11 of the master unit 20 receives update information 60 for the slave unit 21a, it does not update the operating software 50 stored in the storage unit 12 of the master unit 20, but instead transmits the received update information 60 to the control unit 11 of the slave unit 21a. The control unit 11 of the slave unit 21a updates the operating software 50 again using the received update information 60, similar to when update information 60 is received via broadcast transmission.

[0059] Next, in step S4 (see Figure 3), it is determined whether or not to change the type of update information 60. If it is determined to change the type of update information 60, the type of update information 60 to be transmitted is changed to one of the types of update information 60 set in step S1, and the process returns to step S2. If it is determined not to change the type of update information 60, the control process is terminated. For example, if the update using one type of update information 60, update information 60-1 (see Figure 4), is completed in steps S2 and S3, it is determined to change the type of update information 60, and the process returns to step S2, and the update using another type of update information 60, update information 60-2 (see Figure 4), is started. If the update using all types of update information 60 has been completed, it is determined not to change the type of update information 60, and the control process of the software update method according to the first embodiment is terminated.

[0060] The control processing for the software update method in steps S1 to S4 may be performed each time new update information 60 is sent from the cloud server 102 to the control device 90, or the control processing for setting the type of update information 60 in step S1 may be performed in advance, and the control processing in steps S2 to S4 may be performed each time new update information 60 is sent to the control device 90. For example, when the store system 100 is started up, such as when the control device 90 is powered on, the control processing for setting the type of update information 60 in step S1 may be performed so that the set type of update information 60 is stored in the storage device of the control device 90.

[0061] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the control device 90 executes the control process for sending the update information 60 in step S2 at a time when defrosting is not being performed in each of the multiple showcases 10. For example, when the control device 90 receives the update information 60 from the cloud server 102, it determines whether or not defrosting is being performed in each of the multiple showcases 10. If it determines that defrosting is not being performed in each of the multiple showcases 10, it starts the control process for sending the update information 60 in step S2.

[0062] (Effects of the first embodiment) In the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0063] In the first embodiment, as described above, the control device 90 (in-store control device) transmits update information 60 to the control units 11 (device-side control units) of at least some of the multiple showcases 10 (target devices) (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) to update the operating software 50, and the control units 11 update the operating software 50 based on the update information 60 transmitted from the control device 90. Here, the control device 90, which manages the operation of the multiple showcases 10, is connected to each of the multiple showcases 10 in order to send and receive information to and from the multiple showcases 10. Therefore, by transmitting update information 60 from the control device 90 that manages the operation of the multiple showcases 10 to the control units 11 of the showcases 10, the update information 60 can be easily transmitted to the control units 11 of the showcases 10 without having to connect an external storage device or the like to each of the multiple showcases 10 one by one. As a result, when updating the operating software 50 of the multiple showcases 10 located in the store 101, the workload for the update work can be reduced.

[0064] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, as described above, before transmitting the update information 60, the control device 90 (in-store control device) transmits type request information 71 to the control units 11 (device-side control units) of at least some of the multiple showcases 10 (target devices) (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) to determine the type of each of the multiple showcases 10, and acquires type response information 72 transmitted from the control unit 11 in response to the type request information 71, thereby setting the type of update information 60 to transmit to the control unit 11 based on the acquired type response information 72. As a result, even if the type of update information 60 required differs for each type of multiple showcases 10, the control device 90 can transmit the appropriate type of update information 60 for each type of multiple showcases 10 by setting the type of update information 60 to transmit to the control unit 11 based on the acquired type response information 72. Therefore, the control device 90 can set and transmit the appropriate type of update information 60 without the operator having to select the appropriate type of update information 60 for each type of multiple showcases 10, thus further reducing the workload in the update work.

[0065] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, as described above, the multiple showcases 10 (target devices) include master units (master units 20, 30, 40, ...) to which update information 60 is directly transmitted from the control device 90 (in-store control device), and slave units (multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ...) to which update information 60 is transmitted from the master units (master units 20, 30, 40, ...). The control device 90 transmits the update information 60 to the control unit 11 (device-side control unit) of the master unit (master unit 20, 30, 40, ...) among the multiple showcases 10. The control unit 11 of the master unit (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) acquires the update information 60 transmitted from the control device 90 and transmits the acquired update information 60 to the control unit 11 of the slave units (multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ...). Here, in the case where the master units (master units 20, 30, 40, ...) and the slave units (multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ...) connected to the master units (master units 20, 30, 40, ...) have a mix of pre-update and post-update operating software 50 stored, in order to link the master units (master units 20, 30, 40, ...) and the slave units (multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ...), it is necessary to ensure compatibility between the pre-update and post-update operating software 50. In that case, there will be limitations on the update content of the operating software 50 in order to ensure compatibility. In contrast, in the first embodiment, the control device 90 transmits update information 60 to the control unit 11 of the master unit (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...), and the control unit 11 of the master unit (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) transmits update information 60 to the control unit 11 of the slave units (multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ...).As a result, by sending update information 60 from the control device 90 to the master units (master units 20, 30, 40, ...), the update information 60 can be sent collectively to the master units (master units 20, 30, 40, ...) and the slave units (multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ...) connected to the master units (master units 20, 30, 40, ...), thus enabling the operation software 50 to be updated collectively on the master units (master units 20, 30, 40, ...) and the slave units (multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ...) connected to the master units (master units 20, 30, 40, ...). Therefore, it is easy to prevent the pre-update operating software 50 and the updated operating software 50 from being mixed and stored in the master unit (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) and slave units (multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ...), thus easily preventing any limitations on the content of updates to the operating software 50, and also enabling the master unit (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) and slave units (multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ...) to operate in conjunction with each other.

[0066] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, as described above, the control device 90 (in-store control device) transmits update information 60 to the control units 11 (device-side control units) of at least some of the multiple showcases 10 (target devices) (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) by broadcast. By transmitting the same update information 60 to multiple showcases 10 simultaneously by broadcast, the time required to transmit the update information 60 can be reduced compared to transmitting the update information 60 individually. Therefore, since the time required for the update work can be reduced, the workload in the update work can be further reduced when updating the operating software 50 of multiple showcases 10 located in the store 101.

[0067] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, as described above, the control device 90 (in-store control device) sequentially transmits each of the divided update information 60 (update information 60a, update information 60b, update information 60c, ...) in order to update the operating software 50. The control unit 11 (device-side control unit) updates the operating software 50 by sequentially acquiring the divided update information 60 and storing it in the storage unit 12. As a result, even when the amount of information that can be acquired at once in the showcase 10 (target device) is small, the operating software 50 can be easily updated by sequentially transmitting each of the divided update information 60.

[0068] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, as described above, each of the multiple showcases 10 (target devices) has a temporary storage unit 13 that temporarily stores the acquired update information 60. The temporary storage unit 13 has a capacity larger than the capacity of the update information 60 and smaller than the capacity of the operating software 50. As a result, even if the capacity of the temporary storage unit 13 that temporarily stores the acquired update information 60 in the showcase 10 is smaller than the capacity of the operating software 50, the update information 60 is divided, so the operating software 50 can be easily updated. Therefore, there is no need to provide a temporary storage unit 13 with an unnecessarily large capacity, and thus it is possible to suppress wasted capacity in the device configuration of the showcase 10.

[0069] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, as described above, the control device 90 (in-store control device) sequentially transmits each of the divided update information 60 (update information 60a, update information 60b, update information 60c, ...) by broadcast simultaneous transmission at each preset transmission time interval T1. The control unit 11 (device-side control unit) performs an error check operation on the updated operation software 50 after the update of the operation software 50 is completed. This makes it easy to determine whether the operation software 50 has been updated successfully by performing an error check operation after the multiple update information 60 has been acquired. In addition, by performing an error check operation on the updated operation software 50 after the multiple update information 60 transmitted by broadcast at each preset transmission time interval T1 has been acquired, the time required for sending and receiving information can be shortened compared to acquiring response information indicating that the information was acquired successfully each time each of the multiple update information 60 is transmitted. Therefore, the increase in the work time required for the update work can be further suppressed, and the workload in the update work can be further reduced.

[0070] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, as described above, after the control device 90 (in-store control device) transmits the update information 60 by broadcast, if it receives check response information 82 as error information indicating that an error occurred in at least one of the acquisition of the update information 60 and the update of the operating software 50 from multiple showcases 10 (target devices), it individually retransmits the update information 60 to the showcase 10 corresponding to the check response information 82 as error information. Here, if the update information 60 is transmitted again by broadcast when check response information 82 as error information is received, it is conceivable that further errors may occur in other showcases 10 that had previously acquired the update information 60 successfully. Taking this into consideration, in the first embodiment, by individually retransmitting the update information 60 to the showcases 10 corresponding to the check response information 82 as error information, it is possible to suppress further errors in other showcases 10. Therefore, since it is possible to suppress repeated errors in multiple showcases 10, it is possible to suppress an increase in the effort required for the update work.

[0071] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, as described above, the control unit 11 (device-side control unit) of the master unit (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) transmits the update information 60 acquired from the control device 90 (in-store control device) to the control units 11 of the slave units (multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ...) by broadcast. By doing so, the time required to transmit the update information 60 can be shortened by broadcasting the same update information 60 simultaneously from the master unit (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) to the slave units (multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ...). Therefore, the time required for the update work can be shortened, and the workload in the update work can be further reduced.

[0072] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, as described above, the store system 100 includes a plurality of showcases 10 (target devices) located in the store 101. The control device 90 (in-store control device) transmits update information 60 for updating the operating software 50 of the plurality of showcases 10. Here, there may be dozens or more, or even 100 or more, of showcases 10 located in the store 101. In that case, if the update work were to be performed for each of the plurality of showcases 10 individually, the effort required for the update work would be a great burden on the workers. In contrast, in the first embodiment, by having the control device 90 transmit update information 60 for updating the operating software 50 of the plurality of showcases 10, the workload for the update work can be effectively reduced when updating the operating software 50 of the plurality of showcases 10 located in the store 101.

[0073] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, as described above, the multiple showcases 10 are configured to perform a cooling operation to cool the products placed inside and a defrosting operation to remove frost. The control device 90 (in-store control device) transmits update information 60 when the defrosting operation is not being performed. When the defrosting operation is performed in the showcase 10, frost is removed by raising the internal temperature. In contrast, in the first embodiment, by configuring the control device 90 to transmit update information 60 when the defrosting operation is not being performed, the operation software 50 can be updated when the internal temperature is not rising. Therefore, even when it is necessary to stop the operation of the showcase 10 while the operation software 50 is being updated, updating the operation software 50 when the internal temperature is not rising can prevent the internal temperature of the showcase 10 from becoming unnecessarily high.

[0074] [Second Embodiment] Next, with reference to Figure 9, the configuration of the store system 200 according to the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment in which an error check operation was performed after the update of the operating software 50 was completed, the control device 90 is configured to acquire update response information 261 each time a divided update information 60 is transmitted. Components similar to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and their description is omitted.

[0075] The store system 200 according to the second embodiment has the same hardware configuration as the store system 100 of the first embodiment, and, like the store system 100 of the first embodiment, includes a plurality of showcases 10 and a control device 90.

[0076] As shown in Figure 9, in the second embodiment, the update information 60 (update information 60a, update information 60b, update information 60c, ...) is transmitted sequentially, similar to the first embodiment, thereby updating the operating software 50 of each of the multiple showcases 10. For example, the master unit 20 transmits the update information 60 acquired from the control device 90 by broadcast to multiple slave units 21 (slave unit 21a, slave unit 21b, slave unit 21c, ...) by broadcast.

[0077] In the second embodiment, after acquiring one divided update information 60, each control unit 11 of the multiple slave units 21 waits for a response waiting time T202a, T202b, T202c, ... which is separately set for each of the slave units 21 (slave unit 21a, slave unit 21b, slave unit 21c, ...) among the multiple showcases 10, and then transmits an update response information 261 indicating that the update information 60 has been acquired. For example, each of the slave units 21a, slave unit 21b, and slave unit 21c connected to the master unit 20 has a response waiting time T202a, response waiting time T202b, and response waiting time T202c, respectively, which are pre-set. The response waiting times T202a, response waiting time T202b, and response waiting time T202c are of different magnitudes. For example, the response waiting time T202a for slave unit 21a is set to 0ms, the response waiting time T202b for slave unit 21b is set to 100ms, and the response waiting time T202c for slave unit 21c is set to 200ms.

[0078] Specifically, when update information 60 (update information 60a) is received from the master unit 20, the control unit 11 of slave unit 21a partially updates the operating software 50 with the divided update information 60, waits for 0ms set as the response waiting time T202a, and after 0ms has elapsed (effectively without waiting), sends update response information 261 indicating that the update information 60 has been received to the control unit 11 of the master unit 20. Similarly, when update information 60 (update information 60a) is received from the master unit 20, the control unit 11 of slave unit 21b partially updates the operating software 50 with the divided update information 60, just like slave unit 21a, waits for 100ms set as the response waiting time T202b, and after 100ms has elapsed, sends update response information 261 to the control unit 11 of the master unit 20. Similarly, the slave unit 21c partially updates the operating software 50, waits for 200ms (set as the response waiting time T202c), and then sends the updated response information 261 to the control unit 11 of the master unit 20.

[0079] Each control unit 11 of the multiple slave units 21 checks, for example, whether the acquisition of the update information 60 was successful by checking the error detection information 66 contained in the acquired update information 60 using a checksum calculation. If the acquisition of the update information 60 was successful, each control unit 11 of the multiple slave units 21 sends update response information 261 indicating that the update information 60 was successfully acquired. If the acquisition of the update information 60 was not successful, it sends update response information 261 as error information indicating that an error occurred in the acquisition of the update information 60. In addition, even if the update information 60 was successfully acquired, if an error occurs in updating the operating software 50 using the acquired update information 60, each control unit 11 of the multiple slave units 21 sends update response information 261 as error information indicating that an error occurred in updating the operating software 50.

[0080] In the second embodiment, after the master unit 20 transmits the update information 60 (update information 60a) by broadcast, if the control unit 11 of the master unit 20 receives update response information 261 as error information indicating that an error occurred in at least one of the acquisition of the update information 60 and the update of the operating software 50 from one of the slave units 21, it individually resends the update information 60 to the slave unit 21 corresponding to the update response information 261 as error information.

[0081] In this case, the control unit 11 of the master unit 20, similar to the retransmission of the update information 60 by the control device 90 in the first embodiment, retransmits the update information 60 individually instead of as a mass transmission by changing the address information 61 in the update information 60 from information indicating a mass transmission by broadcast to information indicating a transmission to the slave unit 21 corresponding to the update response information 261 as error information.

[0082] Then, when the control unit 11 of the master unit 20 receives update response information 261 indicating that the update information 60 (update information 60a) has been successfully acquired from all slave units 21, it transmits update response information 261 to the control device 90 indicating that the update information 60 (update information 60a) has been successfully acquired. After the control device 90 transmits update information 60a, which is one of the divided update information 60, it transmits update information 60b, which is the next of the divided update information 60, when it receives update response information 261 indicating that update information 60a has been successfully acquired. In this way, in the second embodiment, the operating software 50 is updated while confirming that the transmission of the update information 60 is being carried out successfully each time an update response information 261 is acquired for each transmission of the divided update information 60. The other configurations in the second embodiment are the same as in the first embodiment.

[0083] (Effects of the second embodiment) In the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0084] In the second embodiment, as described above, the control device 90 (in-store control device) sequentially transmits each of the divided update information 60 (update information 60a, update information 60b, update information 60c, ...) in order to update the operating software 50. The control unit 11 (device-side control unit) updates the operating software 50 by sequentially acquiring the divided update information 60 and storing it in the storage unit 12. This allows the operating software 50 to be easily updated by sequentially transmitting each of the divided update information 60, even when the amount of information that can be acquired at once in the showcase 10 (target device) is small. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the operating software 50 is updated while confirming that the transmission of the update information 60 is being performed correctly by acquiring update response information 261 each time the divided update information 60 is transmitted. Therefore, even if the acquisition of the update information 60 fails, the time required to acquire the update information 60 again can be shortened because the update information 60 is divided. As a result, the increase in the work time required for the update work can be suppressed, and the workload in the update work can be further reduced.

[0085] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, as described above, after the update information 60 is acquired, the control unit 11 (device-side control unit) waits for a response waiting time T202a, T202b, T202c, ... which is set separately for each of the multiple showcases 10 (target devices), and then transmits update response information 261 indicating that the update information 60 has been acquired. Here, if the update response information 261 is transmitted after the update information 60 is acquired, and the update response information 261 is transmitted simultaneously from multiple showcases 10, it becomes difficult to identify which showcase 10 the update response information 261 was transmitted from. In contrast, in the second embodiment, by transmitting the update response information 261 after waiting for a response waiting time T202a, T202b, T202c, ... which is set separately for each of the multiple showcases 10, it is possible to easily identify which showcase 10 the update response information 261 was transmitted from. Therefore, it is easy to determine whether or not the update information 60 has been successfully transmitted in each of the multiple showcases 10.

[0086] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, as described above, the control unit 11 (device-side control unit) of the master unit (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) transmits the update information 60 by broadcast, and then receives update response information 261 as error information from the slave units (multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ...) indicating that an error occurred in at least one of the acquisition of the update information 60 and the update of the operating software 50, then individually resends the update information 60 to the slave units (multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ...) corresponding to the update response information 261 as error information. This allows the master unit (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) to transmit update information 60 to slave units (multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ...) via broadcast when the master unit (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) transmits the update information 60 again individually to the slave units (multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ...) corresponding to the update response information 261 as error information. This prevents further errors from occurring in other slave units (multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ...) that had previously received the update information 60 successfully. Therefore, it is possible to prevent repeated errors in multiple slave units (multiple slave units 21, multiple slave units 31, multiple slave units 41, ...), thereby reducing the effort required for the update process. Other effects of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0087] [Differentiation] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than the description of the embodiments above, and further includes all modifications (exceptions) within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0088] For example, the first and second embodiments described above show an example in which the operating software 50 is updated in multiple showcases 10 (target devices) arranged in a store 101 and used to cool products, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the present invention, the target devices may be showcases used to heat products, cooking equipment such as fryers used to prepare products, or beverage manufacturing equipment such as smoothie machines. The target devices may also be lighting devices and other load equipment such as air conditioning devices, or energy storage devices arranged in the store. Furthermore, the target devices may be combinations of these devices.

[0089] Furthermore, while the first and second embodiments described above show an example in which a control device 90 (in-store control device) sets the type of update information 60 by acquiring type response information 72 from the control units 11 (device-side control units) of a plurality of showcases 10 (target devices), the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, information for setting the type of update information may be acquired from an external source separately from the target device. For example, the type of update information may be set based on an input operation.

[0090] Furthermore, while the first and second embodiments described above show examples in which a plurality of showcases 10 (target devices) include a master unit (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) and slave units (a plurality of slave units 21, a plurality of slave units 31, a plurality of slave units 41, ...) connected to the master unit (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...), the present invention is not limited thereto. In the present invention, the plurality of target devices do not necessarily include master units and slave units. That is, all target devices may be configured to directly acquire update information from the in-store control device. Also, even when the plurality of target devices include master units and slave units, the in-store control device may directly transmit update information to both the master units and slave units.

[0091] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments described above, examples were shown in which the control device 90 (in-store control device) transmits update information 60 by broadcast, and the master units (master unit 20, master unit 30, master unit 40, ...) transmit update information 60 by broadcast. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples. In the present invention, the in-store control device may be configured to transmit update information individually rather than by broadcast. That is, the transmission of update information, the update operation, and the transmission of response information may be repeated sequentially for each target device. Also, the master units may be configured to transmit update information individually rather than by broadcast.

[0092] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments described above, an example was shown in which the capacity of the temporary storage unit 13 of multiple showcases 10 (target devices) is smaller than the capacity of the operating software 50, and the operating software 50 is updated by divided update information 60 (update information 60a, update information 60b, update information 60c, ...). However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the operating software may be updated by a single, undivided piece of update information. Also, the capacity of the temporary storage unit may be larger than the operating software. In that case, the update information may or may not be divided.

[0093] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments described above, when check response information 82 or update response information 261 is obtained as error information indicating that an error occurred in at least one of the acquisition of update information 60 and the update of the operating software 50, an example was shown in which the update information 60 is individually resent. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, when error information is obtained, the update information may be resent by simultaneous transmission via broadcast.

[0094] Furthermore, while the first and second embodiments described above show examples in which the operation of multiple showcases 10 (target devices) is stopped and the operation software 50 is updated at a time when defrosting is not being performed, the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, update information may be acquired and the operation software updated at a time when defrosting is being performed. Alternatively, the operation software may be updated without stopping the operation of the target devices.

[0095] Furthermore, while the first and second embodiments described above show examples in which update information 60 is transmitted from a cloud server 102 located outside the store 101 to the control device 90 (in-store control device), the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, update information may be transmitted to the in-store control device by connecting a storage device such as a USB memory or a computer such as a personal computer to the in-store control device. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0096] 10. Showcase (Target Equipment) 11. Control Unit (Equipment-side control unit) 12 Storage section 13 Temporary storage 20, 30, 40 Master Unit 21, 21a, 21b, 21c, 31, 31a, 31b, 31c, 41, 41a, 41b, 41c Handset 50 Operating Software 60, 60a, 60b, 60c, 60-1, 60-2 update information 71 Type request information 72 types of response information 90 Control device (In-store control device) 100, 200 store system 101 stores 261 Update Response Information

Claims

1. Each device has a storage unit for storing operating software and a device-side control unit that controls the operation using the operating software stored in the storage unit, and is configured for multiple target devices located in a store. The system includes an in-store control device that manages the operation of the aforementioned multiple target devices, The in-store control device transmits update information for updating the operating software to at least some of the control units on the device side of the plurality of target devices. The aforementioned device-side control unit updates the operating software based on the update information transmitted from the in-store control device, in a store system.

2. The store system according to claim 1, wherein, before transmitting the update information, the in-store control device transmits type request information to at least some of the device-side control units of the plurality of target devices for determining the type of each of the plurality of target devices, and acquires type response information transmitted from the device-side control unit in response to the type request information, thereby setting the type of update information to be transmitted to the device-side control unit based on the acquired type response information.

3. The aforementioned plurality of target devices include a master unit to which the update information is directly transmitted from the in-store control device and slave units to which the update information is transmitted from the master unit. The in-store control device transmits the update information to the device-side control unit of the master unit among the plurality of target devices. The store system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the device-side control unit of the master unit acquires the update information transmitted from the in-store control device and transmits the acquired update information to the device-side control unit of the slave unit.

4. The store system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the in-store control device transmits the update information to at least some of the control units on the device side of the plurality of target devices by broadcast simultaneous transmission.

5. The in-store control device sequentially transmits each of the divided update information in order to update the operating software. The store system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the device-side control unit updates the operating software by sequentially acquiring a plurality of divided update information and storing it in the storage unit.

6. The aforementioned multiple target devices each have a temporary storage unit that temporarily stores the acquired update information, The store system according to claim 5, wherein the temporary storage unit has a capacity greater than the capacity of the update information and less than the capacity of the operating software.

7. The in-store control device sequentially transmits each of the divided update information items by broadcast simultaneous transmission at predetermined transmission time intervals. The store system according to claim 5, wherein the device-side control unit performs an error check operation on the updated operating software after the update of the operating software is completed.

8. The store system according to claim 4, wherein, after transmitting the update information by broadcast, the in-store control device receives error information from the plurality of target devices indicating that an error occurred in at least one of the acquisition of the update information and the update of the operating software, and then individually retransmits the update information to the target device corresponding to the error information.

9. The store system according to claim 3, wherein the device-side control unit of the master unit transmits the update information obtained from the in-store control device to the device-side control unit of the slave unit by broadcast transmission.

10. The store system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the device-side control unit waits for a response waiting time that is separately predetermined for each of the plurality of target devices after the update information has been acquired, and then transmits update response information indicating that the update information has been acquired.

11. The store system according to claim 9, wherein the device-side control unit of the master unit transmits the update information by broadcast, and then, if it receives error information from the slave unit indicating that an error occurred in at least one of the acquisition of the update information and the update of the operating software, it individually retransmits the update information to the slave unit corresponding to the error information.

12. The aforementioned multiple target devices include multiple showcases located in the store, The store system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the in-store control device transmits the update information for updating the operating software of the plurality of showcases.

13. The aforementioned multiple showcases are configured to perform a cooling operation to cool the products placed inside and a defrosting operation to remove frost. The store system according to claim 12, wherein the in-store control device transmits the update information at a time when the defrosting operation is not being performed.

14. A software update method for updating the operating software in multiple target devices located in a store, each having a storage unit for storing operating software and a device-side control unit for controlling the operation using the operating software stored in the storage unit, wherein the device updates the operating software in multiple target devices located in a store. The steps include: transmitting update information for updating the operating software from an in-store control device that manages the operation of the plurality of target devices to at least some of the device-side control units of the plurality of target devices; A software update method comprising the step of updating the operating software based on the update information transmitted from the in-store control device.

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