Vending machine system

Abstract

To provide an automatic vending machine system configured to reduce commodity disposal loss during replenishing temperature-controlled commodities.SOLUTION: An automatic vending machine system includes automatic vending machines 1, 2, a management server 31, and a mobile terminal 10. The management server includes: a delivery planning unit 35 which formulates a delivery plan including a delivery route and having on-site delivery work plans for the automatic vending machines; an ambient temperature acquisition unit 34 which acquires ambient temperature data regarding locations of the automatic vending machines from an external meteorological organization server 41; a deliverable ambient temperature calculation unit 36 which calculates an ambient temperature D8 at which commodities can be delivered, for each of the automatic vending machines, on the basis of an on-site work time D6 for the automatic vending machines and a commodity disposal temperature D7 of the commodities; an on-site delivery propriety determination unit 37 which determines whether the commodities can be delivered on site by comparing an on-site ambient temperature with the deliverable ambient temperature D8; and an on-site delivery plan adjustment unit 38 which corrects the on-site delivery plan for the automatic vending machines when the on-site delivery propriety determination unit 37 determines that the commodities cannot be delivered on site.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vending machine system capable of reducing product waste loss during the replenishment operation of temperature-controlled products.

Background Art

[0002] Beverage manufacturers, who are vending machine installers, send route salesmen to visit each vending machine to collect sales proceeds, replenish change, and replenish and replace products. Here, a proposal has been made to connect vending machines to a network and grasp the amount of product replenishment for each vending machine based on the sales data of the vending machines (see Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] In Patent Document 1, there is described a sales calculation unit that calculates a sales prediction value according to a predetermined provisional schedule based on the presence or absence of changes in sales due to the weather, a digestion rate calculation unit that calculates an inventory digestion rate based on the calculated sales prediction value and the inventory quantity, and a schedule adjustment and target period setting unit that adjusts the replenishment schedule so as to accelerate the provisional schedule for vending machines in which the calculated inventory digestion rate is higher than a predetermined threshold value, and from the installation locations and weather of a plurality of vending machines, a route salesman can find vending machines for which products should be efficiently replenished.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Non-Patent Documents

[0005]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] By the way, temperature-controlled products such as ice cream will melt if the storage temperature is exceeded, and must be discarded. For example, when the outside temperature is high, such as in the summer, the product may start to melt while being transported from the delivery vehicle's parking lot to the vending machine. Similarly, if the product is taken home, it may melt while being transported from the vending machine to the delivery vehicle, forcing the product to be discarded.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide an automatic vending machine system that can reduce product waste during the replenishment of temperature-controlled products. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the present invention provides a vending machine system comprising: a plurality of vending machines; a portable terminal for a patrol worker who replenishes each vending machine with temperature-controlled products according to a predetermined delivery route; and a management server connected to a terminal device for a patrol manager who manages the patrols for product replenishment. The management server obtains the inventory count of each vending machine based on product sales information obtained from each vending machine, calculates the number of products that can be replenished for each product column in each vending machine based on the obtained inventory count, and the patrol worker replenishes each vending machine by loading the number of products that can be replenished into a delivery vehicle and making patrols. The management server includes the delivery route and each local delivery to each vending machine. The system is characterized by comprising: a delivery plan creation unit that creates a delivery plan with a work plan; an outside temperature acquisition unit that acquires outside temperature data of the location where the vending machine is located from an external weather organization server; a delivery-possible outside temperature calculation unit that calculates the outside temperature at which the product can be delivered to each vending machine based on the on-site work time for each vending machine and the product disposal temperature of the product; an on-site delivery feasibility determination unit that determines whether or not the product can be delivered to the location by comparing the outside temperature at the location indicated by the outside temperature data acquired by the outside temperature acquisition unit with the delivery-possible outside temperature calculated by the delivery-possible outside temperature calculation unit; and an on-site delivery plan adjustment unit that modifies the on-site delivery plan of the vending machine if the on-site delivery feasibility determination unit determines that the product cannot be delivered to the location.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the management server creates a delivery plan including a revision of the local delivery plan using the expected outside temperature at the location on the day of delivery by the day before delivery and notifies the patrolling worker in advance via the mobile terminal, and on the day of delivery, when the management server receives notification of arrival at the location from the patrolling worker via the mobile terminal, it obtains the outside temperature at the location, compares the outside temperature with the outside temperature at which delivery is possible to determine whether or not the product can be delivered to the location, and if it is determined that the product cannot be delivered to the location, it revises the local delivery plan for the vending machine and notifies the patrolling worker of the local delivery plan including the revision via the mobile terminal.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the modification of the local delivery plan includes the use of insulated boxes during transport or divided transport that reduces the number of goods transported at one time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, product waste can be reduced during the replenishment of temperature-controlled products. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the outline configuration of an automatic vending machine system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows the relationship between the temperature of an ice cream product and the water freezing rate. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a revision to the local delivery plan. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a revision to the local delivery plan. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the product replenishment procedure by the vending machine system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out this invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0014] <Overview of the Vending Machine System> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of a vending machine system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This vending machine system includes communication units 11 and 12 of a plurality of vending machines 1 and 2, a portable terminal 10 of a route man 100 who is a circuit worker performing operations such as product replenishment on each vending machine 1 and 2 according to a predetermined delivery route R, and a management server 31 connected to a terminal device 50 of a route manager 200 who is a circuit manager managing the delivery plan. Note that the management server 31 can be connected to an external weather organization server 41. In addition to product replenishment, the operations of the route man 100 include troubleshooting, collection of sales proceeds, and change replenishment. The products to be delivered are ice cream products that require temperature management, but other temperature management products such as dairy products and frozen foods may also be used. Also, the vending machines 1 and 2 show an example of a plurality of vending machines.

[0015] The management server 31 sends a delivery plan including the replenishable quantity to the food management warehouse 101 side. Although the delivery plan may be sent to the portable terminal 10, the management server 31 sends the delivery plan to a terminal (not shown) of the food management warehouse 101, and based on this, the delivery plan for each route man 100 is passed on. The route man 100 loads the replenishment products onto the delivery vehicle 20 at the food management warehouse 101 at the installation location LO according to the delivery plan.

[0016] On the delivery day, the route man 100 circulates the delivery vehicle 20 loaded with the replenishment products along the delivery route R and performs replenishment operations for each vending machine 1 and 2. When the delivery vehicle 20 arrives at the parking lot PP1 near the installation location LP1 of the first vending machine 1, the route man 100 unloads the replenishment products from the delivery vehicle 20 and transports the replenishment products to the vending machine 1 using a trolley 40 or the like. Then, the surplus products and the withdrawn products accompanying product replacement are transported to the delivery vehicle 20 and loaded.

[0017] After that, when the delivery vehicle 20 arrives at the parking lot PP2 near the installation location LP2 of the next vending machine 2, the route man 100 performs the same operations for the vending machine 2 as for the replenishment operation for the vending machine 1.

[0018] Here, the management server 31 is a server on the cloud 30, and includes a sales calculation unit 32, a demand prediction unit 33, an outside air temperature acquisition unit 34, a delivery plan creation unit 35, a deliverable outside air temperature calculation unit 36, a local delivery feasibility determination unit 37, a local delivery plan adjustment unit 38, and a database unit 39.

[0019] The database unit 39 has vending machine data D1, sales data D2, vending machine inventory data D3, a delivery plan D4 including a local delivery plan D5, local working hours D6, product disposal temperature D7, and deliverable outside air temperature D8. The vending machine data D1 is static information of the vending machines 1 and 2, and is composed of the installation locations of the vending machines 1 and 2, product configuration information, and the like. The sales data D2 updates and stores the sales based on the item details sent from the vending machines 1 and 2. The vending machine inventory data D3 is the dynamic inventory information of each vending machine. For example, for each vending machine, the product name, inventory quantity, and replenishable quantity are updated almost in real time at any time. The inventory quantity is updated based on the item details sent from the vending machine, and the replenishable quantity is updated when notified via the mobile terminal 10 or the communication units 11 and 12 upon completion of product replenishment including product replacement by the route man 100.

[0020] The delivery plan D4 includes a delivery route, delivery date, delivery vehicle, product loading quantity (picking quantity), etc. At this time, it also includes product replenishment information such as the product replenishment quantity for each vending machine, and product replacement information indicating the products to be replaced and the product columns. Further, the delivery plan D4 includes a local delivery plan D5. The local delivery plan D5 is the要领 of product delivery from the delivery vehicle parked in the parking lot near the vending machine to be worked on to the vending machine. For example, it is to use a cold storage or to perform split delivery in two or more times.

[0021] The local working hours D6 is the sum of the unloading time of the parked delivery vehicle, the moving time in the vending machine, and the replenishment working time in the vending machine. This local working hours D6 may further add the moving time from the vending machine to the delivery vehicle considering the case of taking products back. Also, when there are products to be withdrawn due to product replacement, the local working hours D6 may be the moving time from the vending machine to the delivery person.

[0022] Product disposal temperature D7 is the standard temperature at which ice cream products must be discarded due to melting, and is set at, for example, below -18°C. However, if the melting time is less than 3 hours, the standard is below -15°C. Figure 2 shows the relationship between the temperature of ice cream products and the water freezing rate. As shown in Figure 2, when the temperature of ice cream products rises, the frozen water begins to melt. When the temperature drops from -25°C to -15°C, the freezing rate decreases from 91% to 85%, meaning more than 5% of the ice melts. Then, when the temperature drops again, the melted water turns back into ice. If such temperature changes occur frequently and over a long period, the ice crystals gradually grow larger, the smoothness is lost, and the texture becomes grainy and unappetizing. In this case, the ice cream product must be discarded.

[0023] The deliverable ambient temperature D8 is calculated by the deliverable ambient temperature calculation unit 36 ​​for each vending machine, based on the on-site work time D6 and the product disposal temperature D7 for each vending machine, and is the ambient temperature at which the ice cream product will not exceed the product disposal temperature D7 during the delivery process. The deliverable ambient temperature calculation unit 36 ​​calculates the deliverable ambient temperature D8 using physical properties of the ice cream product and ambient air, such as specific heat and density.

[0024] The sales calculation unit 32 calculates sales data D2 based on the individual transaction details sent sequentially from the vending machine. The demand forecasting unit 33 forecasts product demand based on past sales data D2 and event data obtained from external sources. The outside temperature acquisition unit 34 accesses the weather organization server 41 to acquire outside temperature data D41. In particular, the outside temperature acquisition unit 34 acquires the predicted or current outside temperature for the location where each vending machine is placed. The delivery plan creation unit 35 creates a delivery plan based on vending machine inventory data D3 and other data.

[0025] As described above, the delivery-enabled ambient temperature calculation unit 36 ​​calculates the delivery-enabled ambient temperature D8 for each vending machine based on the on-site work time D6 and the product disposal temperature D7 for each vending machine.

[0026] The local delivery feasibility determination unit 37 compares the local outside temperature indicated by the local outside temperature data D41 acquired by the outside temperature acquisition unit 34 with the deliverable outside temperature D8 calculated by the deliverable outside temperature calculation unit 36 ​​to determine whether the product can be delivered to the local location. If the local delivery feasibility determination unit 37 determines that the product cannot be delivered to the local location if the local outside temperature exceeds the deliverable outside temperature D8.

[0027] The local delivery plan adjustment unit 38 modifies the vending machine's local delivery plan D5 if the local delivery feasibility determination unit 37 determines that local delivery of the product is not possible. Figures 3 and 4 are explanatory diagrams showing examples of modifications to the local delivery plan D5. Figure 3 shows a local delivery plan in which product C is transported in a cooler box 60 in local area E so that product C does not exceed the product disposal temperature D7. Figure 4 shows a local delivery plan in which, in order to reduce replenishment time so that product C does not exceed the product disposal temperature D7 in local area E, the number of products to be transported is reduced, product C is divided into product C1 and product C2, and transported in multiple trips.

[0028] <Product replenishment process> Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the product replenishment procedure by the vending machine system. As shown in Figure 5, first, the management server 31 creates a delivery plan by the day before delivery (step S101). Then, it calculates the deliverable outside temperature D8 (step S102). Next, it obtains the local forecast outside temperature for the delivery day of the delivery plan D4 from the weather organization server 41 (step S103). Then, the management server 31 compares the deliverable outside temperature D8 with the local forecast outside temperature and determines that delivery is not possible if the local forecast outside temperature exceeds the deliverable outside temperature D8, and that delivery is possible if the local forecast outside temperature does not exceed the deliverable outside temperature D8 (step S104).

[0029] Subsequently, it is determined whether or not local delivery is possible (step S105). If local delivery is not possible (step S105: No), the local delivery plan D5 is modified (step S106). If local delivery is possible (step S105: Possible), the local delivery plan D5 is maintained as is. Note that the modification of the local delivery plan in step S106 may be made by the route manager 200 via the terminal device 50 instead of the management server 31 (step S106a).

[0030] On the day of delivery, the route driver 100 receives the delivery plan D4 from the management server 31 via the mobile terminal 10 (step S201) and performs the delivery work according to the delivery route R. When the route driver 100 parks the delivery vehicle in the parking lot near the vending machine to be worked on, the route driver 100 notifies the management server 31 of the arrival at the site via the mobile terminal 10 (step S202). The management server 31 then obtains the current local outside temperature around the vending machine to be worked on from the weather organization server 41 (step S203).

[0031] The management server 31 then compares the deliverable outside temperature D8 with the current local outside temperature. If the local outside temperature exceeds the deliverable outside temperature D8, it determines that delivery is not possible. If the local outside temperature does not exceed the deliverable outside temperature D8, it determines that delivery is possible (step S204). After that, it determines whether local delivery is possible or not (step S205). If local delivery is not possible (step S205: No), it modifies the local delivery plan D5 (step S206). If local delivery is possible (step S205: Possible), it maintains the local delivery plan D5 as is. The local delivery plan D5 is then notified to the route driver 100 via the mobile terminal 10 (step S207). The route driver 100 refers to this local delivery plan D5 to carry out unloading, transportation, and replenishment of goods. This enables local delivery and work that reduces product waste. Subsequently, the route man 100 notifies the management server 31 of the completion of the work via the mobile terminal 10 (step S208), and the management server 31 performs the update process of the database unit 39 (step S209), and then terminates this process.

[0032] It should be noted that the configurations illustrated in the above-described embodiments are functional schematics and do not necessarily have to be physically represented as shown. In other words, the forms of distribution and integration of each device and component are not limited to those shown, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit according to various usage situations. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0033] 1,2 Vending machines 10 Mobile devices 11,12 Communication Unit 20 Delivery vehicle 30 Cloud 31 Management Server 32 Sales Calculation Department 33 Demand Forecasting Department 34. External temperature acquisition unit 35 Delivery Planning Department 36. Delivery-compatible outside temperature calculation unit 37. Local Delivery Feasibility Determination Unit 38. Local Delivery Planning and Coordination Department 39 Database Department 40 bogies 41 Weather organization servers 50 Terminal devices 60 Insulated Boxes 100 Route Man 101 Food storage 200 Route Manager C product D1 Vending Machine Data D2 Sales Data D3 Vending Machine Inventory Data D4 Delivery Plan D5 Local Delivery Plan D6 On-site work time D7 Product disposal temperature D8 Delivery possible outside temperature D41 Outdoor temperature data E area LO, LP1, LP2 Installation Location PP1, PP2 Parking R Delivery Route

Claims

1. The vending machine system comprises multiple vending machines, a mobile terminal for a patrol worker who replenishes each vending machine with temperature-controlled products according to a predetermined delivery route, and a management server connected to a terminal device for a patrol manager who manages the patrols for product replenishment. The management server obtains the inventory count of each vending machine based on product sales information obtained from each vending machine, calculates the number of products that can be replenished for each product column in each vending machine based on the obtained inventory count, and the patrol worker replenishes each vending machine by loading the number of products that can be replenished into a delivery vehicle and making patrols. The aforementioned management server A delivery planning unit creates a delivery plan that includes the aforementioned delivery route and has a local delivery work plan for each vending machine, An outside temperature acquisition unit that acquires outside temperature data of the location where the vending machine is installed from an external weather organization server, A delivery-capable ambient temperature calculation unit calculates the delivery-capable ambient temperature for the product at the location of each vending machine based on the on-site work time for each vending machine and the product's disposal temperature. A local delivery feasibility determination unit determines whether or not the product can be delivered to the local area by comparing the local outside temperature data obtained by the local outside temperature acquisition unit with the deliverable outside temperature calculated by the deliverable outside temperature calculation unit. If the local delivery feasibility determination unit determines that the product cannot be delivered to the local area, the local delivery plan adjustment unit modifies the local delivery plan for the vending machine. An automatic vending machine system characterized by having the following features.

2. The aforementioned management server By the day before delivery, a delivery plan including revisions to the local delivery plan, using the expected local temperature on the day of delivery, is prepared and notified in advance to the patrolling worker via the mobile terminal. The vending machine system according to claim 1, characterized in that, on the day of delivery, if the vending machine receives notification of the arrival of the patrolling worker via the mobile terminal, it obtains the local outside temperature, compares the outside temperature with the outside temperature at which delivery is possible to determine whether or not the product can be delivered to the location, and if it is determined that the product cannot be delivered to the location, it modifies the vending machine's delivery plan and notifies the patrolling worker of the revised delivery plan via the mobile terminal.

3. The vending machine system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the modification of the local delivery plan includes the use of insulated boxes during transport or the division of transport by reducing the number of items transported at one time.

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