vending machine

Abstract

To provide a vending machine that allows vehicle drivers and users of small vehicles such as wheelchairs to perform facial recognition while seated. [Solution] The vending machine includes an imaging unit installed on the front of the vending machine body that captures the face of the product purchaser, a payment unit that accepts payment for the product purchase, a face image storage unit that stores the captured face image, and an authentication unit that authenticates the face image and determines whether or not to sell the product. The imaging unit includes a first imaging unit that captures the face of a standing product purchaser and a second imaging unit that captures the face of a seated product purchaser.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vending machine. In particular, it relates to a vending machine for small vehicles such as wheelchairs.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, vending machines have become highly functional. For example, not only ordinary cash-based settlement (product purchase), but vending machines compatible with settlement using IC (Integrated Circuit) cards have become widespread. In addition, vending machines that use a face recognition system for settlement are known. Face recognition is a type of biometric authentication. Although other biometric authentications include fingerprint authentication and vein authentication, vending machines using a face recognition system have begun to become widespread.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vending machine settlement system that enables quick settlement by face recognition. In this vending machine settlement system, face authentication of a customer attempting to purchase a product is performed based on a customer ID (Identifier) and information generated from a face image of a person corresponding to the customer ID. This enables quick settlement by face recognition without having to carry a wallet or an IC card.

[0004] However, in the vending machine in the vending machine settlement system disclosed in this Patent Document 1, the face recognition screen is provided at a height of about 150 cm from the ground, which is the height of a face when an average adult is standing. There is an inconvenience that it is impossible for a vehicle driver or a user of a small vehicle such as a wheelchair to perform face authentication while sitting.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Therefore, this disclosure provides a vending machine that allows payment by performing facial recognition while the driver of a vehicle or a user of a small vehicle such as a wheelchair is seated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In other words, the vending machine according to the first embodiment includes an imaging unit installed on the front of the vending machine body that images the face of the product purchaser, a payment unit that accepts payment for the product purchase, a face image storage unit that stores the captured face image, and an authentication unit that authenticates the face image and determines whether or not to sell the product, and the imaging unit includes a first imaging unit that images the face of a standing product purchaser and a second imaging unit that images the face of a seated product purchaser.

[0008] The vending machine according to the second embodiment may be equipped with an information acquisition unit that receives personal information of product purchasers, and the authentication unit may determine whether or not to sell the product by matching the facial image with the personal information.

[0009] A third embodiment may be a vending machine according to the first embodiment, wherein the information acquisition unit includes a first information acquisition unit that receives personal information of a standing product purchaser and a second information acquisition unit that receives personal information of a seated product purchaser.

[0010] The fourth aspect is that, in the vending machine relating to the first aspect, the seated product purchaser may be a vehicle driver or a wheelchair user.

[0011] The fifth aspect is that, in the vending machine relating to the first aspect, if a product purchaser has previously purchased a product from the same vending machine, the authentication unit may authenticate the purchaser based on the facial image of the past product purchaser stored in the facial image storage unit and determine whether or not to sell the product.

[0012] The sixth embodiment is that, in the vending machine according to the first embodiment, the payment unit may receive cash or read an IC card when settling a purchase.

[0013] The seventh embodiment is that the vending machine according to the first embodiment may be equipped with a notification unit that notifies the result of the authentication unit's determination of whether or not to sell the product. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The vending machine described herein includes an imaging unit installed on the front of the vending machine body that captures the face of the product purchaser, a payment unit that accepts payment for the product purchase, a face image storage unit that stores the captured face image, and an authentication unit that authenticates the face image and determines whether or not to sell the product. The imaging unit includes a first imaging unit that captures the face of a standing product purchaser and a second imaging unit that captures the face of a seated product purchaser, making it possible for vehicle drivers and users of small vehicles such as wheelchairs to perform face authentication while seated. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This diagram shows the overall structure (front view) of the vending machine according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the functions of the vending machine according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows the usage status of the vending machine by a standing person according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] This figure shows the usage status of the vending machine by a seated person according to this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] (Regarding the configuration of vending machine 1) This figure shows the overall structure (front view) of the vending machine 1 according to this embodiment. The vending machine 1 has a main unit 2, and on the front of the main unit 2 are a face recognition screen 4, an IC card touch screen 5, a banknote slot 6, a coin slot 7, an age recognition screen 8, a product dispensing slot 9, a product sample display screen 11, a product price display screen 12, and a product selection button 13. The product selection button 13 is located not only in front of the product sample display screen 11 and the product price display screen 12, but also further down, that is, below the IC card touch screen 5, banknote slot 6, coin slot 7, and age recognition screen 8, as shown in Figure 1, so that it can be pressed from the seated position of a person. In addition, a face recognition screen 3 is externally attached to the side of the main unit 2. For example, a tablet terminal may be used for the face recognition screen 3.

[0017] A user of the vending machine 1 looks at the product sample display screen 11 displayed at the top of the front of the main unit 2 of the device, and the product price display screen 12 below the product sample display screen 11 which displays the price of the product, to decide which product they want to buy, and then presses the product selection button 13 below the product price display screen 12.

[0018] Payment is usually made by inserting banknotes into the banknote insertion slot 6 or coins into the coin insertion slot 7. However, when the user does not have cash, by holding an IC card such as transportation electronic money over the IC card touch screen 5, the price of the product that the user has decided to purchase is deducted from the amount charged to the IC card, and thus the payment is made. However, there may be cases where the user has neither cash nor an IC card. For example, when purchasing a product from a vending machine installed inside a facility such as a company, the user often has nothing in their hands. In such cases, it would be convenient if payment could be made by face authentication. A user with nothing in their hands can make a payment by face authentication by approaching their face to the face authentication screen 3 externally attached to the side of the device main body 2. This is because the ID and the face image associated with the ID are registered in the face image storage unit 30 described later in advance, and the registered face image is compared with the face image captured by the face authentication screen 3. If they match, payment can be made by face authentication. Alternatively, in the case of use in a restricted area such as within a company in advance where the users are limited, since it is possible to input the face information of all employees, in that case, payment can be made only by face authentication.

[0019] However, the face authentication screen 3 is usually horizontally attached at a position where an average adult's face is located in a standing position, that is, at a position about 150 cm from the bottom of the device main body 2. Therefore, there are also users whose faces cannot reach that position. For example, when the vending machine 1 is installed beside a roadway or a sidewalk, when a vehicle driver or a user of a small vehicle such as a wheelchair tries to perform face authentication in a seated state, or when a standing child purchases a product from the vending machine 1, the face cannot reach the face authentication screen 3.

[0020] In such a case, it is convenient if there is a face authentication screen at a position where the face of the driver of the vehicle or the user of a small vehicle such as a wheelchair can reach while seated. Therefore, in the vending machine 1 of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 1, a second face authentication screen 4 is arranged at the lower part of the front surface of the apparatus main body 2 of the vending machine 1. By arranging the face authentication screen 4 at this position, the driver of the vehicle or the user of a small vehicle such as a wheelchair can perform face authentication while seated. Also, a standing child can perform settlement of goods by face authentication by approaching the face to the face authentication screen 4. In such a case, since the product selection button 13 is also arranged at the lower part of the front surface of the apparatus main body 2, settlement can be performed by pressing the product selection button 13 arranged at the lower part and performing face authentication on the face authentication screen 4 arranged at the lower part.

[0021] (Regarding the functions of the vending machine 1) The functions of the vending machine 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functions of the vending machine 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, the vending machine 1 includes an imaging unit 10, a settlement unit 20, a face image storage unit 30, an authentication unit 40, an information acquisition unit 50, and a notification unit 60 as functional units.

[0023] The imaging unit 10 is provided in the face authentication screen 3 externally attached to the side surface of the apparatus main body 2 of the vending machine 1 and the face authentication screen 4 installed on the front surface of the apparatus main body 2 of the vending machine 1. The imaging unit 10 has a first imaging unit 14 and a second imaging unit 15. The first imaging unit 14 images the face of a standing product purchaser, and the second imaging unit 15 images the face of a seated product purchaser. The first imaging unit 14 is provided in the face authentication screen 3, and the second imaging unit 15 is provided in the face authentication screen 4. The imaging unit 10 may be a CCD camera, a CMOS image sensor, or an infrared camera. The seated product purchaser may be, for example, a driver of a vehicle, a user of a wheelchair, a user of a nursing vehicle such as a handle-type electric wheelchair (a wheelchair that can be used as a means of daily movement such as shopping or walking), or a person who shops through a drive-through.

[0024] The payment unit 20 accepts payment for product purchases. In other words, the payment unit 20 either receives cash or reads an IC card when a product purchase is paid for. If payment is made by facial recognition, it reads the facial image. After reading, it compares the pre-registered ID with the facial image associated with the ID, and if they match, it processes the payment.

[0025] The face image storage unit 30 stores the user's face image captured by the imaging unit 10. The face image includes the contours of the face, the positions of feature points such as the eyes, nose, and mouth, and the position and size of the face region.

[0026] The authentication unit 40 authenticates the face image captured by the imaging unit 10 and stored in the face image storage unit 30, and determines whether or not to sell the product. The authentication unit 40 determines whether or not to sell the product by comparing the face image with personal information. Personal information refers to information indicating whether or not the person is 20 years of age or older when purchasing alcohol or tobacco, that is, information written on identification documents such as a driver's license, health insurance card, or My Number card that includes the date of birth. The authentication unit 40 compares the face image captured by the imaging unit 10 and stored in the face image storage unit 30 with the face image written on the driver's license or My Number card, and determines that the product can be sold if it is authenticated as the same person and the date of birth information written on the driver's license or My Number card confirms that the purchaser is 20 years of age or older. The authentication unit 40 also determines whether or not to sell the product if the product purchaser has previously purchased products from the same vending machine 1, based on the face images of past product purchasers stored in the face image storage unit 30.

[0027] The information acquisition unit 50 receives personal information of product purchasers. Personal information refers to information indicating whether the purchaser is 20 years of age or older when purchasing alcohol or tobacco, that is, information recorded on identification documents such as a driver's license, health insurance card, or My Number card that includes the date of birth. The information acquisition unit 50 comprises a first information acquisition unit 51 and a second information acquisition unit 52. The first information acquisition unit 51 receives personal information of standing product purchasers, and the second information acquisition unit 52 receives personal information of seated product purchasers. The first information acquisition unit 51 is provided on the face recognition screen 3, corresponding to the first imaging unit 14, and the second information acquisition unit 52 is provided on the face recognition screen 4, corresponding to the second imaging unit 15.

[0028] The notification unit 60 notifies the authentication unit 40 of the decision on whether or not to sell the product. The notification unit 60 may, for example, notify the user of the decision on whether or not to sell the product by voice via a speaker, or it may notify the user of the decision on whether or not to sell the product by text via a display panel.

[0029] Next, the usage states of the facial recognition screens 3 and 4 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 shows the usage state of the vending machine 1 according to this embodiment by a standing person, and Figure 4 shows the usage state of the vending machine 1 according to this embodiment by a seated person.

[0030] Figure 3 shows a standing person, i.e., a typical adult, attempting to make a payment using facial recognition. For example, if the standing person wants to purchase an item from the upper left corner of the front of the main unit 2 of the vending machine 1, they press the item selection button 13 on the upper left corner and bring their face close to the facial recognition screen 3 to complete the payment and purchase the item. If this standing person wants to purchase an item that requires age verification, such as alcohol or tobacco, they touch a card that shows their date of birth, such as a driver's license, to the age verification screen 8.

[0031] Figure 4 shows a seated person, such as a wheelchair user, attempting to make a payment using facial recognition. Since the seated person cannot reach the facial recognition screen 3 which is externally attached to the side of the main unit 2 of the vending machine 1, they make the payment and purchase the product by bringing their face close to the facial recognition screen 4 located on the front of the main unit 2 of the vending machine 1. Because the facial recognition screen 4 is positioned in this location, wheelchair users can make payments using facial recognition while remaining seated.

[0032] According to this embodiment, since the facial recognition screen 4 is located on the front of the main body 2 of the vending machine 1, wheelchair users and others can easily make payments by facial recognition while remaining seated.

[0033] [Other embodiments] In this embodiment, we have described a case where payment is made by facial recognition using a vending machine alone. However, the system is not limited to this, and may also be a facial recognition system that performs facial recognition in cooperation with an external facial recognition server and a payment server via a network. The external facial recognition server stores the user's ID and the user's facial image associated with the ID, and the payment server stores the user's ID, the user's bank account number associated with the ID, and the credit card information associated with the bank account number. If the user's facial image captured by the vending machine matches the facial image stored in the facial recognition server, the payment will be deducted from the user's bank account.

[0034] The vending machine according to this embodiment includes an imaging unit installed on the front of the vending machine body that captures the face of the product purchaser, a payment unit that accepts payment for the product purchase, a face image storage unit that stores the captured face image, and an authentication unit that authenticates the face image and determines whether or not to sell the product. The imaging unit includes a first imaging unit that captures the face of a standing product purchaser and a second imaging unit that captures the face of a seated product purchaser, so that vehicle drivers and users of small vehicles such as wheelchairs can perform face authentication while seated.

[0035] The vending machine according to this embodiment is equipped with an information acquisition unit that receives personal information of the product purchaser, and an authentication unit that determines whether or not to sell the product by matching the facial image with the personal information, so that products requiring age verification can be purchased by facial recognition.

[0036] In the vending machine according to this embodiment, the information acquisition unit includes a first information acquisition unit that receives personal information of a standing product purchaser and a second information acquisition unit that receives personal information of a seated product purchaser. This makes it possible for vehicle drivers and users of small vehicles such as wheelchairs to perform facial recognition while seated.

[0037] In the vending machine according to this embodiment, the seated purchasers are vehicle drivers and wheelchair users, so these purchasers will be able to purchase products while seated.

[0038] In the vending machine according to this embodiment, if a product purchaser has previously purchased a product from the same vending machine, the authentication unit authenticates the user based on the facial image of the past product purchaser stored in the facial image storage unit and determines whether or not to sell the product. Therefore, users who have previously purchased a product from the same vending machine can easily purchase a product.

[0039] In the vending machine according to this embodiment, the payment unit receives cash or reads an IC card when settling a purchase, so even users who do not use facial recognition can purchase products with cash or an IC card.

[0040] The vending machine according to this embodiment includes a notification unit that notifies the result of the authentication unit's determination of whether or not the sale of the product is permitted, so it is easy to know whether or not the purchase of the product via facial recognition has been permitted. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0041] 1 Vending machine 2. Main body of the device 3. Face recognition screen 4. Face recognition screen 5 IC card touch screen 6 Bill slot 7 Coin slot 8. Age Verification Screen 9 Product outlet 10 Imaging Unit 11 Product sample display screen 12. Product price display screen 13 Product Selection Button 14. First Imaging Unit 15. Second Imaging Section 20 Payment Department 30 Face image storage unit 40 Authentication Department 50 Information Acquisition Department 51 1st Information Acquisition Department 52 2nd Information Acquisition Department 60 Hochi Department

Claims

1. An imaging unit is installed on the front of the vending machine body to capture images of the face of the product purchaser, The payment department accepts payments for product purchases, A face image storage unit that stores captured face images, The system includes an authentication unit that authenticates the aforementioned facial image and determines whether or not the product can be sold, The imaging unit includes a first imaging unit for imaging the face of a standing product purchaser and a second imaging unit for imaging the face of a seated product purchaser. A vending machine characterized by the following features.

2. It is equipped with an information acquisition unit that receives personal information of product purchasers. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the authentication unit determines whether or not to sell a product by matching the facial image with the personal information.

3. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the information acquisition unit comprises a first information acquisition unit that receives personal information of a standing product purchaser and a second information acquisition unit that receives personal information of a seated product purchaser.

4. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the seated product purchaser is a vehicle driver or a wheelchair user.

5. The vending machine according to claim 1, in which case the purchaser has previously purchased a product from the same vending machine, the authentication unit authenticates the purchaser based on the facial image of the past purchaser stored in the facial image storage unit and determines whether or not to sell the product.

6. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the payment unit receives cash or reads an IC card when settling a purchase of goods.

7. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit for notifying the result of the authentication unit's determination of whether or not a product can be sold.

Images