Extension control device and control method

Abstract

Provided are a device and a method which are capable of autonomously extending and changing the control of even a control device differing in instruction format and protocol. The present technology includes, for example, an extension control device that can communicably connect to a device having a control device, the extension control device including an arithmetic processing device, a memory in which a predetermined control program is stored, and a sensor, wherein the arithmetic processing device is configured to transmit the predetermined control program to the control device in response to the reception of a predetermined signal from the sensor.

Description

Extended control device and control method

[0001] The present technology relates to an extended control device that can extend the control of a device that has a control device.

[0002] Vending machines, automated teller machines (ATMs), money handling machines, automated service machines, and other financial equipment (hereinafter collectively referred to as "vending system machines") are sometimes installed inside and outside buildings, on roads, in parking lots, etc., in order to sell and provide unmanned services such as beverages, food, and other items, restaurant meal tickets, transportation tickets, smartphone and electric vehicle (EV) charging, and hourly parking spaces.

[0003] In order to provide new products and services or new payment methods, old vending system machines are replaced with new vending system machines.

[0004] JP 2000-123230 A JP 2000-132737 A

[0005] Hachiyo Co., Ltd., "Disaster Response Vending Machine," [online], Internet<url: http: / / www.hachiyoh.co.jp / master / products / disaster / index.html> DyDo DRINCO, Inc., "Disaster Relief Vending Machines," [online], Internet<url: https: / / www.dydo.co.jp / jihanki / saigaikyuuen / > Ito En Co., Ltd., "About vending machines during disasters," [online], Internet,<url: https: / / www.itoen.co.jp / company / vender / emergency / >

[0006] What is desired is a more environmentally friendly and sustainable system and method that can reduce the disposal of obsolete equipment associated with the replacement of equipment such as vending system machines.

[0007] What is desired is an apparatus and method that can extend the functionality of older equipment at low cost.

[0008] What is desired is an apparatus and method that allows for easy and immediate expansion of functionality of older devices.

[0009] What is desired is an apparatus and method that can take advantage of the reliable functionality of older devices while still allowing for enhanced functionality.

[0010] There is a need for an apparatus and method that can be autonomously controlled even during a disaster or when communication is cut off.

[0011] What is desired is an apparatus and method that can autonomously expand and change control even for control devices with different command formats and protocols.

[0012] What is desired is an apparatus and method that allows the functionality of older devices to be remotely extended and modified.

[0013] What is desired is a device and method that can measure, store, and transmit information about a given location either continuously or on demand.

[0014] The present technology includes, for example, an extended control device that can be communicatively connected to a device having a control device, the extended control device including an arithmetic processing device, a memory in which a predetermined control program is stored, and a sensor, and the arithmetic processing device is configured to transmit the predetermined control program to the control device in response to receiving a predetermined signal from the sensor.

[0015] 1A and 1B illustrate an extended control system and an extended control method according to an embodiment of the present technology;

[0016] 1 shows an extended control system 100 according to an embodiment of the present technology. The extended control system 100 includes a device 110, a control device 120, and an extended control device 130.

[0017] The device 110 may be a machine to be controlled, such as a cash device, a storage / processing device, or a sales device in a vending system machine.

[0018] The control device 120 is communicatively connected to the device 110 and may be a device that electrically or mechanically controls the operation and state of the device 110 using a control program stored therein, and may be a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). The control device 120 may be, for example, an instruction device for a vending system machine, and may employ a communication method or standard for the vending system machine, such as JVMA or VCCS (24V serial communication), as a communication protocol.

[0019] The extended control device 130 may be a device that is communicatively connected to the device 110 via the control device 120 or directly, and electrically or mechanically controls the operation or state of the device 110. The device 110, the control device 120, and the extended control device 130 may be in the same housing, or some of them may be in different housings.

[0020] The extended control device 130 may include a central processing unit (CPU) 132 , memory 134 , sensors 136 , a communication device 138 , and secondary storage device 140 .

[0021] The CPU 132 may control the device 110 by executing a control program stored in the memory 134, or may transmit the control program stored in the memory 134 to the control device 120 for storage. The extended control device 130 may employ, for example, the IEBus system as a communication protocol.

[0022] If the control device 120 cannot interpret the control program stored in memory 134 or part of it, for example, if the protocol or command format of the control program stored in memory 134 differs from that of the control device 120, the CPU 132 may convert the protocol or command format into one that can be interpreted by the control device 120 and send it to the control device 120.

[0023] The memory 134 may store a control program executed by the CPU 132. The sensor 136 may be an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a seismic sensor, a GPS sensor, a heart rate sensor, a thermographic camera, a power meter, a real-time clock (RTC), or a combination thereof.

[0024] The sensor 136 may be located in the same housing as the other parts of the extended control device 130, or may be removably attached to the outside of the housing of the extended control device 130.

[0025] The communication device 138 may communicatively connect the CPU 132 to a server 160, a client 170, or a terminal device such as a smartphone via a network 150 or directly.

[0026] The auxiliary storage device 140 stores the signals received by the CPU 132 from the sensor 136. The auxiliary storage device 140 may be a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD).

[0027] The network 150 may be the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or the like, or may be a short-range wireless communication network such as Bluetooth (trademark).

[0028] The server 160 includes a processor and a memory, and receives requests from the client 170 via the network 150 and returns the results to the client 170 .

[0029] FIG. 2 illustrates an enhanced control method 200 in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology.

[0030] The extended control method begins in step 202, and in step 204, the CPU 132 receives a predetermined signal from the sensor 136. The signal from the sensor 136 may be a signal indicating a measurement value by the sensor, a signal processed by a smart sensor, or the like, and may be a voltage-free contact or a voltage-applied contact. The signal from the sensor 136 may be received continuously or discretely (e.g., once an hour), when the sensor 136 outputs a specific signal, or when the CPU 132 requests a signal from the sensor 136.

[0031] For example, if the sensor 136 is an inertial measurement unit (IMU), the predetermined signal from the sensor 136 may be a signal indicating that a predetermined vibration has been detected.

[0032] For example, if the sensor 136 is a seismic detector, the predetermined signal from the sensor 136 may be a voltage-free contact.

[0033] For example, if the sensor 136 is a GPS, the predetermined signal from the sensor 136 may be location information measured by the GPS sensor.

[0034] For example, if the sensor 136 is a heart rate sensor, the predetermined signal from the sensor 136 may be the heart rate measured by the heart rate sensor.

[0035] For example, if the sensor 136 is a thermographic camera, the predetermined signal from the sensor 136 may be temperature distribution information measured by the thermographic camera.

[0036] For example, if the sensor 136 is a power meter or an electric power meter, the predetermined signal from the sensor 136 may be power consumption information or power consumption amount information measured by the power meter or the electric power meter.

[0037] For example, if the sensor 136 is a real-time clock, the predetermined signal from the sensor 136 may be time information measured by a thermographic camera.

[0038] Next, in response to receiving a predetermined signal from the sensor in step 204 , the CPU 132 transmits a predetermined control program to the control device 120 in step 206 .

[0039] The reception of a specified signal from a sensor is not limited to a signal from a single sensor, but may be a combination of signals received from multiple sensors, and a response may be made when the combination of multiple signals satisfies a specified condition.

[0040] The CPU 132 may transmit a predetermined control program to the control device 120 in response to receiving a predetermined signal from the server via the communication device 138 .

[0041] Furthermore, the CPU 132 may transmit a predetermined signal to the server 160 via the communication device 138 in response to receiving the predetermined signal from the sensor 136 .

[0042] The predetermined control program may be a control program stored in advance in memory 134, or may be a control program received from server 160 via communication device 138. Furthermore, the control program stored in memory 134 may be updated by receiving an update program from server 160 via communication device 138.

[0043] The control program may include instructions or protocols that cannot be interpreted directly by the control device 120. In this case, the CPU 132 may convert at least a portion of the instruction set of the predetermined control program into instructions that can be interpreted by the control device 120 and transmit them, or may delete at least a portion of the instruction set of the predetermined control program. The CPU 132 may convert an IEBus-based program into a program that complies with the JVMA or VCCS system, or may convert it so that the same function or similar control is realized.

[0044] Furthermore, if the device 110 is a vending system machine, when an earthquake sensor detects shaking of a predetermined magnitude or greater, a predetermined control program may switch the power source of the vending system machine to an emergency power source, or make drinks available free of charge, or switch to a disaster-response sales method.

[0045] This technology makes it possible to autonomously expand and change control even for control devices with different command formats and protocols.

[0046] 100 Extended control system 110 Device 120 Control device 130 Extended control device 132 CPU 134 Memory 136 Sensor 138 Communication device 140 Auxiliary storage device 150 Network 160 Server 170 Client

Claims

1. An extended control device communicatively connectable to a device having a control device, the extended control device comprising: an arithmetic processing unit; a memory having a predetermined control program stored therein; and a sensor, wherein the arithmetic processing unit is configured to transmit the predetermined control program to the control device in response to receiving a predetermined signal from the sensor.

2. The extended control device according to claim 1, wherein the arithmetic processing unit is configured to convert the predetermined control program into instructions that can be interpreted by the control device and transmit the converted instructions to the control device.

3. The extended control device of claim 1, wherein the extended control device includes a communication device capable of communicating with a server connected to a network, and the arithmetic processing device is configured to transmit the specified control program to the control device in response to receiving a specified signal from the server via the communication device.

4. The extended control device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to transmit a predetermined signal to the server via the communication device in response to receiving a predetermined signal from the sensor.

5. The augmented control device of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises an inertial measurement unit (IMU) or a seismic sensor, and the predetermined signal comprises a signal indicating that a predetermined vibration or earthquake has been detected.

6. The extended control device of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a GPS sensor, and the processing unit is configured to transmit location information measured by the GPS sensor to the server via the communication device.

7. The extended control device of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a heart rate sensor, and the processing unit is configured to transmit the heart rate measured by the heart rate sensor to the server via the communication device.

8. The extended control device of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a thermographic camera, and the processing unit is configured to transmit temperature distribution information measured by the thermographic camera to the server via the communication device.

9. The extended control device of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a power meter, and the processing unit is configured to transmit power consumption information measured by the power meter to the server via the communication device.

10. The extended control device of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a real-time clock, and the processing unit is configured to transmit time information measured by the real-time clock to the server via the communication device.

11. The enhanced control device of claim 1, wherein the device includes a vending system machine, and the predetermined control program includes switching power to the vending system machine.

12. The enhanced control device of claim 1, wherein the device includes a vending system machine, and the predetermined control program includes switching a vending method of the vending system machine.

13. The enhanced control device of claim 2, wherein converting the predetermined control program into instructions interpretable by the control device includes converting at least a portion of an instruction set of the predetermined control program into an instruction set interpretable by the control device.

14. The enhanced control device of claim 13, wherein converting the predetermined control program into instructions interpretable by the control device includes deleting at least a portion of the instruction set of the predetermined control program.

15. The extended control device according to claim 3, wherein the processing unit is configured to receive a control program from the server via the communication device and store the control program in the memory.

16. The extended control device according to claim 15, wherein the processing unit is configured to receive an update program from the server via the communication device and update the control program stored in the memory.

17. The extended control device of claim 1, wherein the extended control device includes a plurality of sensors, and the processing unit is configured to transmit the predetermined control program to the control device in response to a combination of signals received from the plurality of sensors.

18. The extended control device of claim 1, wherein the extended control device includes an auxiliary memory device, and the processing unit is configured to store the signals received from the sensors in the auxiliary memory device.

19. A method for controlling an apparatus having a processing unit, a memory in which a predetermined control program is stored, a sensor, and a control unit, the method comprising: the processing unit receiving a predetermined signal from the sensor; and controlling the apparatus using the predetermined control program in response to receiving the predetermined signal.

20. A computer-readable medium storing a program for controlling an apparatus having a processing unit, a memory storing a predetermined control program, a sensor, and a control device, the computer receiving a predetermined signal from the sensor, and controlling the apparatus according to the predetermined control program in response to receiving the predetermined signal.

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