Vending machine

Abstract

The goods identification system of the vending machine includes a weighing device and two cameras, the first of which receives a frontal image of each commodity unit, the second one receives an image from above of the goods located on the shelves for placing goods. The controller processor, configured to perform a sequence of actions for goods identification, which includes the creation of a unique goods identification code based on the available identifiers, namely, information about the value of the weight of the good, information about the image of the commodity unit obtained from the first camera, information about the image of the commodity unit obtained from the second camera, or any available combination thereof, and creation, at each opening and closing of the cabinet door, of a map of the location of the commodity units on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods.

Description

VENDING MACHINEThe invention relates to trade equipment, namely, to self-service vending machines (vending machines), which provide placement, storage, and sale of goods with direct interaction of users (consumers) with these goods, and with the ability of their free selection.Self-service vending machines, also known as vending machines, or 24-hour micromarkets, are common commercial automatic devices and can automatically make payments based on entered funds. The vending machine is not limited by the time and place of trading, it allows vendee to reduce costs for service personnel, and also provides convenience of use. There are four types of vending machines currently in use: beverage vending machines, food vending machines, combo vending machines, and cosmetics and other artificial goods vending machines.Most of the vending machines known in the prior art are closed display cases, so customers can only see samples or images of goods displayed through viewing windows before purchasing those goods, which does not allow for intuitive selection of goods, and also makes it impossible to make changes after the goods have been taken.Also known are vending machines that provide placement, storage and sale of goods in direct interaction of users with these goods. In such vending machines, the user (consumer, buyer, client) can, according to his / her needs, freely choose the goods he / she intends to buy, and perform the actions of taking and returning the goods to the vending machine.Thus, from the patent CN 204965590 U (published on 13.01.2016), an intelligent vending machine with the function of self-selection of goods is known, in which the controlled door of the goods compartment is installed on the vending machine, and the user can directly select the goods stored in the goods compartment by means of opening the door of this compartment, touch the goods, and check the information on the outer packaging of the goods. This vending machine has a goods identification system based on RFID technology (Radio frequency identification). After the user has finished selecting goods, the RFID reader reads the RFID tags on all the goods in the goods compartment before and after the goods compartment door is opened and closed, and the difference between the two readings is determined as a number of goods the client has picked up.Among the disadvantages of this famous vending machine is that it only identifies the sold goods using the RFID tags on the goods, which creates a significant potential security risk. For example, the vending machine cannot detect the situation when the identified goods are removed and the RFID tag remains, or when the goods are used or damaged by the user and the packaging with the RFID tag remains intact, resulting in the corresponding stolen or damaged goods being unable to be determined as having been taken by the user, no withholding of funds for the goods is carried out, which leads to the seller's losses due to the loss of the goods.From another patent CN 209785129 U (published on 13.12.2019), a known vending machine containing a cabinet casing, a shelf for goods designed for placing goods with RFID tags, an RFID reader capable of reading RFID tags located in the cabinet casing, and count the information of the RFID tags in the cabinet casing, a weight sensor located on the shelf for goods and designed to weigh the goods placed on the shelf for goods, and a processor, which is in communication with the RFID tag, the RFID reader, and the weight sensor. The processor performs the operation according to the difference between the tags received by the RFID reader and the difference in weight received by the weight sensor. By combining the RFID tag information and the weight information corresponding to the various goods in the cabinet casing, it is possible to calculate the types and quantities of goods purchased by the user, and to carry out withholding of monetary funds for the goods. In one embodiment, the specified vending machine additionally includes a device for sound recognition, communicatively connected to the specified processor for recognizing specific sound information about the goods, and a camera placed in the specified casing, and communicatively connected to the specified processor for capturing information about image within the specified casing and / or in the area where the user is standing. Such a vending machine can timely report the theft or damage of the goods, and withhold the monetary funds for the goods from the user, which reduces the possible losses of the seller caused by the theft or damage of the goods placed in the vending machine.However, such a design of the vending machine is characterized by a number of shortcomings and significant limitations, which include:- dependence on RFID tags. Although the vending machine uses RFID tags in order to track goods, there is a risk of manipulation by the user. For example, if the user takes the goods, but leaves the RFID tag, or otherwise spoils the goods, the machine may not detect theft or damage to the goods.- limitations of sensors. The weight sensor detects changes in weight, but it can be fooled if the user replaces the removed goods with another items of similar weight. The system may also fail if the goods are only partially removed or consumed, making the difference in weight negligible.- the difficulty of detecting damage. The system includes sound recognition in order to detect sounds such as a package being torn open or a bottle cap being unscrewed, but this method can be imperfect. Background noise or sound recognition errors can lead to false positives or false negatives in goods identification.- problems with the camera and image recognition. The machine relies on a camera in order to monitor user actions and detect damaged goods. However, a camera-based system can have problems in low light and obstructed views from different angles or fast movements, which can lead to omissions or incorrect detection of goods damage.- the cost of sensors and cameras. A vending machine is equipped with numerous sensors, cameras and a RFID reader, which affects the cost of such a machine, which can make the machine less affordable for businesses, especially for small business vendors.- user privacy concerns: Due to the presence of a user-recording camera and sound recognition system, there may be concerns about user privacy. Data storage or monitoring may be subject to legal restrictions or cause dissatisfaction among consumers, depending on the jurisdiction of the location of use (e.g. GDPR policy in the EU).- the possibility of system failures. If any of the key components fails, be it the RFID reader, one of the weight sensors, or the camera, the vending machine may malfunction, resulting in goods identification and tracking errors, incorrect withholding of monetary funds from the user, and, accordingly, the seller's losses, etc.The shortcomings described above emphasize the importance of ensuring the reliable and uninterrupted operation of all components of the goods identification system, and the availability of protection against possible manipulations by users.Technical ProblemThe invention is based on the task of creating a vending machine that provides reliable automatic identification of the good and its commodity type, and detection and monitoring of the user's actions in the removal, return of the goods, and incorrect placement of the goods in the internal compartment of the vending machine.Another task of the invention is to provide protection against possible manipulations by users, timely reaction to user actions regarding removal, return of goods, and incorrect placement of goods in the internal compartment of the vending machine, correct automatic ordering of goods, in particular, withdrawal of monetary funds for all goods that were removed, damaged or replaced by the user of the vending machine.Another task of the invention is to expand the functionality of the vending machine, and to improve the convenience and ease of use of the vending machine by ensuring the monitoring of improper placement of goods in the internal compartment of the vending machine, and eliminating the consequences of such improper placement.Solution to ProblemThe set problems are solved by the fact that in a vending machine containing a cabinet casing, cabinet door, an internal cabinet compartment, and a plurality of shelves for placing goods, the internal cabinet compartment is formed by the upper part of a casing, the side parts of a casing, the rear part of a casing, the lower part of a casing, the cabinet door on the front part of a casing, and is divided by shelves for placing goods into commodity sections, more than one commodity type of goods is placed in the internal cabinet compartment, and at that, when a new commodity unit is installed for the first time, each commodity type of goods is placed in the internal volume of a separate commodity section, on the corresponding surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, contains a goods identification system which includes a weighing device, which is configured to obtain the value of the weight of the good, and is installed in a position in which the change in the value of the weight of the goods located on each of the plurality of shelves for placing goods is monitored, a camera, which is configured to obtain an image of the goods in the internal cabinet compartment, and installed in a position in which a plurality of shelves for placing goods is in the field of view of the camera, the weighing device and the camera are communicatively connected to at least one controller, a part of which is a processor, which is configured to identify the goods based on information about the value of the weight of the goods, information about the image of the goods, and a memory which, based on the instructions stored in it, defines the sequence of actions performed by the processor when identifying the goods, contains an access control system to the internal cabinet compartment, which includes a sensor for the open or closed state of the cabinet door, and a lock for closing the cabinet door, which is configured to open the cabinet door by an authorized user, and providing access to the internal volume of each commodity section, for him / her to freely choose the goods located on each of the plurality of shelves for placing goods, subject to invention the goods identification system contains at least one first camera, which is configured to obtain a frontal image of each commodity unit located on each of the plurality of shelves for placing goods, at least one second camera, which is configured to receive an image from above of each commodity unit located on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, a controller processor, configured with the ability to perform a sequence of actions for goods identification, including analysis of the presence of the goods in the internal volume of each commodity section, and the location of the goods on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, creation of a unique identification code of the good, based on at least one of the available identifiers, namely, information about the value of the weight of the good, information about the image of the commodity unit obtained from the first camera, information about the image of the commodity unit received from the second camera, or any available combination thereof, creating, at each opening and closing of the cabinet door, a map of the location of the commodity units on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, which, based on a plurality of unique goods identification codes, identifies the available plurality of commodity units located in the internal volume of each commodity section, and their location coordinates, comparing the previous map of the location of the commodity units on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods created when the cabinet door is opened with the one created when closing the cabinet door, the next created map of the location of the commodity units on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, determining the availability of free and filled space on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, the location coordinates of each commodity unit, the commodity type of each commodity unit, changes in the total quantity of the goods, determination, after closing the cabinet door, based on the received goods identification results, of the commodity units that were installed in the internal volume of a certain commodity section, and / or removed from the internal volume of a certain commodity section, and / or permanently removed from the internal cabinet compartment during the period of time when the cabinet door was open.The set of features of the technical implementation described above provides a solution to the problems that exist in the known state of the technology, due to the use of a unique identification code of the goods and a map of the location of the commodity units on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, created on the basis of a set of unique goods identification codes, in particular, by eliminating the dependence on RFID tags, it allows to solve the problems associated with the limitations of sensors, and limitations arising from the use of a camera for goods identification. Also, the reliability of goods identification, and the reliability of the vending machine operation in the event of possible system failures are significantly increased.According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the sequence of actions for goods identification at the stage of analyzing the presence of the goods in the internal volume of each commodity section, and the location of the goods on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods includes receiving information about the change in the value of the weight of the goods located on the shelf for placing goods from which the user took the good, obtaining information regarding the change in the value of the weight of the goods located on the shelf for placing goods on which the user placed the good, determining the total number of commodity units and the possible combination of goods corresponding to the change in the value of the weight, receiving the first frontal image of the goods from the first camera, which corresponds to the previous location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, and contains, at least, information regarding the shape, size, graphic elements, colors of the frontal part of the image defined for each commodity unit, which is in the field of view of the camera, obtaining a second frontal image of the goods from the first camera, which corresponds to the subsequent location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, and contains, at least, information regarding the shape, size, graphic elements, colors of the front part of the image, determined for each commodity unit located in the field of view of the camera, determination of the total number of commodity units, and a possible combination of goods corresponding to the changed location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, receiving the first image from the second camera which corresponds to the preliminary location of the goods in the internal volume of each commodity section, and location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, and contains, at least, information regarding the shape, size, graphic elements, colors of the part of the image defined for each commodity unit in the field of view of the camera, obtaining a second image from the second camera corresponding to the subsequent location of the goods in the internal volume of each commodity section, and the location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, and contains, at least, information regarding the shape, size, graphic elements, colors of the part of the image determined for each commodity unit in the field of view of the camera, determination of the total number of commodity units, and a possible combination of goods corresponding to the changed location of the goods in the internal volume of each commodity section, and the location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, determining the mutual conformity of the total number of commodity units, and the mutual conformity of a plurality of possible combinations of goods obtained, obtaining the actual combination of goods corresponding to the location of the goods in the internal volume in each commodity section, and location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods.The sequence of actions on goods identification described above provides automatic detection of removal, return of goods, and incorrect placement of goods in the internal compartment of the vending machine, automatic counting of the number and commodity type of goods available in the vending machine, and allows obtaining data on each commodity unit available on each of the shelves for placing goods.According to a possible variant of embodiment of the invention, the vending machine additionally contains at least one RFID antenna, which is configured to determine the presence of RFID tags of the goods, and is installed in a position in which it is ensured that the identification information of the goods, located on a plurality of shelves for placing goods, is read from the RFID-tags of the goods, the RFID antenna is communicatively connected to at least one controller, part of which is a processor configured to identify the goods based on the identification information of the RFID tags of the goods, at that the sequence of actions for goods identification at the stage of analyzing the presence of the goods in the internal volume of each commodity section, and the location of the goods on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods includes determining, using an RFID antenna, the presence of an RFID tag of the goods on the commodity unit, writing a unique goods identification code on the RFID tag of the goods.In this way, the offered technical decision not only eliminates the disadvantages characteristic of the use of RFID tags of the goods, but also, due to the use of writing of the unique goods identification code on the RFID tag of the good, provides additional advantages, in particular, it provides simplification of the identification of the goods, determination of their location, accounting for the quantity of goods. In addition, it allows in a simple and reliable way to obtain information about exactly which commodity unit, of which commodity type, was moved from one shelf for placing goods to another shelf for placing goods, and to determine the incorrect location of the goods in the internal compartment of the vending machine.According to another possible embodiment variant of the invention, the goods identification system includes a remote server connected via a communication network to the vending machine controller, the digital computing device of the remote server is produced with the ability to interact with the vending machine controller in order to receive, in real time, or at regular intervals, or within the time period between each opening and closing of the cabinet door, at least, data of unique goods identification codes, and maps of the location of commodity units on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods.This variant of implementation will make it possible to transfer the execution of arithmetic and logical operations on data, which require significant computing resources and time, to a digital computing device of a remote server, which has a much higher processor performance, and thus accelerate data processing, and improve the quality of the obtained results calculations.It is advisable that the digital computing device of the remote server is configured to use computer vision and / or artificial intelligence for data processing and goods identification.The use of computer vision and artificial intelligence for data processing and goods identification will allow to qualitatively improve the obtained results.It is also appropriate if when processing data and identifying the goods, information about the commodity type of goods, packaging, label, weight, price of each good, which is previously determined and stored, is used, and at that the information about the packaging and / or label, at least, includes information about their shape, size, graphic elements, colors, information about the text information placed on them, and about the mutual arrangement of the mentioned elements on the package and / or label.According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the first camera and / or the second camera are configured to detect motion and to track the transfer of commodity units outside or inwards the internal volume of each commodity section, or outwards the internal cabinet compartment, the sequence of actions in order to identify the good at the stage of analyzing the availability of the goods in the internal volume of each commodity section, and the location of the goods on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods includes determining the presence of movement in the internal cabinet compartment, obtaining the first image from the first camera and / or the second camera corresponding to the beginning of the transfer of the goods from the internal volume of the commodity section, obtaining a second image from the first camera and / or the second camera, which corresponds to the end of the transfer of the goods to the internal volume of the commodity section, determining a possible combination of goods corresponding to the changed location of the goods in the internal volume of each commodity section.As an alternative to the previous, a possible variant of embodiment of the invention is a variant in which the vending machine additionally contains a third camera, configured to detect motion and to track the transfer of commodity units outside, or inwards the internal volume of each commodity section, or outwards the internal cabinet compartment, the sequence of actions for goods identification at the stage of analysis of the availability of the good in the internal volume of each commodity section, and the location of the good on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods includes determining the presence of movement in the internal cabinet compartment, receiving the first image from the third camera corresponding to the transfer beginning of the goods from the internal volume of the commodity section, obtaining a second image from the third camera, which corresponds to the end of the transfer of the goods to the internal volume of the commodity section, determining the possible combination of goods corresponding to the changed location of the goods in the internal volume of each commodity section.The above-described alternative options for the execution of the vending machine provide a timely response to the actions of users regarding the removal, return of the goods, determination of the incorrect placement of the goods in the internal compartment of the vending machine, and withholding of funds for all the goods that were removed, damaged or replaced by the user of the vending machine.According to another possible variant of embodiment of the invention, the weighing device is equipped with a plurality of pressure sensors or gravity sensors located under the surface of each of the shelves for placing goods, the map of the location of the commodity unit on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods has a coordinate grid, within the coordinates of each coordinate cell of which at least one pressure sensor or gravity sensor is located.This variant of embodiment provides an increase in the accuracy of determining the weight of the goods, makes it possible to build an improved map of the location of the commodity units on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, based on the value of the weight of the goods, and, as a result, improves the results of detection of removal, return of the goods, and incorrect placement of goods in the internal compartment of the vending machine.In order to expand the functionality of the vending machine, and in order to improve the convenience and ease of use of the vending machine, it may additionally contain a plurality of electronic labels / price tags distributed along the perimeter of the front edge of each of the shelves for placing goods, each of the electronic labels / price tags is an identifier, at least of the name and / or or the price of the goods, configured to determine the commodity type of the good installed on the shelf closest to it, activated when the good is placed, and the text information, and / or graphic information, and / or the digital value on it can be changed.In particular, the convenience and ease of use of the vending machine is improved due to the fact that the controller processor, configured to perform a sequence of actions for goods identification, additionally determines, on the basis of unique goods identification codes, the commodity type of each of goods located in the internal volume of a separate commodity section, and installed on the front edge of each of the shelves for placing goods, in case one or more commodity units are moved from the shelf for placing goods of one commodity type to the shelf for placing goods of another commodity type, it sets / changes the name and / or price of the commodity unit on the electronic label / price tag according to the defined commodity type of the goods, in case one or more commodity units are missing on the front edge of the shelf for placing goods, it turns off the corresponding electronic label / price tag.In order to ensure the monitoring of the incorrect location of the goods in the internal compartment of the vending machine, and, in the event that the user places the good on an inappropriate shelf for placing goods, updating and taking into account the information about the commodity type of the good, in particular the information available to the seller and users of the vending machine, it may additionally contain an alarm device, produced with the possibility, in the event that one or more commodity units are transferred from the shelf for placing goods of one commodity type to the shelf for placing goods of another commodity type, during the time period when the cabinet door is open, to sound and / or light warn the authorized user about wrong location of the good, during a period of time after closing the cabinet door, to send information about the wrong location of the good to a remote server connected via a communication network to the controller of the vending machine.Advantageous Effects of InventionThe set of features of the declared technical solution allows not only to solve the set tasks of the invention, but also, additionally, to improve the protection of the vending machine against possible manipulations by users, to effect withholding of monetary funds in case of theft or damage to the goods, which ultimately reduces the possible losses of the seller, associated with unscrupulous actions of users.The essence of the invention is explained by the drawings, which show:Fig.1General view of the vending machine (in the closed state);Fig.2General view of the vending machine (in the open state);Fig.3Shelf for placing goods (axonometry);Fig.4Shelf for placing goods (bottom view);Fig.5Flow chart illustrating the sequence of actions for goods identification, according to the invention;Fig.6Flow chart illustrating the process of authorization, authentication and goods purchase.The vending machine includes a cabinet casing 1, cabinet door 2, installed with the ability of opening and closing it, on one side of the cabinet casing 1, an internal cabinet compartment 3, and shelves for placing goods 4, 4'. The number of shelves for placing goods 4, 4' can be different, usually there are two or more of them.The internal cabinet compartment 3 is formed by the upper part 5 of the cabinet casing 1, the side parts 6 of the cabinet casing 1, the rear part 7 of the cabinet casing 1, the lower part 8 of the cabinet casing 1, the cabinet door 2, which is installed at the front part 10 of the cabinet casing 1. Internal cabinet compartment 3 is divided by shelves for placing goods 4, 4' into commodity sections 11, 11'. The said shelves for placing goods 4, 4' are installed in the internal cabinet compartment 3 parallel to each other, and parallel to the upper part 5 of the cabinet casing 1, and to the lower part 8 of the cabinet casing 1, in several rows, and may have the same or different intervals between them.More than one commodity type of goods 9, 9' is intended to be placed in the internal cabinet compartment 3. When a new commodity unit is first installed in the internal cabinet compartment 3, each commodity type of goods 9, 9' is placed on a separate shelf for placing goods 4, 4' corresponding to the commodity type of goods 9 or 9', in the internal volume 12, 12' of a separate commodity section 11, 11', on the corresponding surface for placing goods 13, 13', of the corresponding shelf for placing goods 4, 4'.The goods identification system of the vending machine (see Figs. 1, 2, 5) includes a weighing device 14 installed on each of the plurality of shelves for placing goods 4, 4', the first camera 15 installed in the front part 10 of the cabinet casing 1, which receives the frontal image of the goods located on each of the plurality of shelves for placing goods 4, 4', the second camera 16 mounted on the side part 6 of the cabinet casing 1, which receives an image from above of each commodity unit located on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4'. The number of the first cameras 15 and the second cameras 16 can be adjusted according to the size and configuration of the internal cabinet compartment 3. At the same time, as a result, the plurality of the first cameras 15 shall receive a frontal image of each commodity unit located on each of the plurality of shelves for placing goods 4, 4 ', and the plurality of the second cameras 16 shall receive a top view of each commodity unit located on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4'.The mentioned weighing device 14, the first camera 15 and the second camera 16 are communicatively connected by a controller (not shown), a part of which is a processor configured to identify goods based on goods weight information, goods image information, and memory, which, based on the instructions stored in it, determines the sequence of actions performed by the processor when identifying the goods.The vending machine has two possible operating states, a locked operating state in which the safety of storage of goods placed in the internal cabinet compartment 3 is ensured, and an unlocked operating state in which the authorized user has free access to goods placed in the internal cabinet compartment 3.The access control system to the internal cabinet compartment 3 includes a sensor of the open or closed state of the cabinet door (not shown), and the lock for locking the cabinet door 17. The lock for locking the cabinet door 17 is an electronic lock which is communicatively connected to the controller, and can open the cabinet door 2 to authorized users by means of unlocking it, or keep the cabinet door 2 locked according to the user authentication result in the mobile application that allows the user to be authenticated.Such an authorization system provides the user access to the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11', for his / her free selection of the goods located on each of the plurality of shelves for placing goods 4, 4', and, at the same time, safe storage of the goods placed in the internal cabinet compartment 3.It is desirable that the vending machine is additionally equipped with a distance sensor (not shown), which can be installed on the cabinet door 2 and is intended to determine the location of the user. Also, the vending machine can be equipped with a Bluetooth module (not shown), which provides recognition of the user authorized in the mobile application, and together with the distance sensor, or as an alternative to it, allows accurate determination of the user's location.As already mentioned above, a mobile application is mainly used for user registration and subsequent user authentication and authorization. Before the user can use the vending machine, he / she shall be registered by means of installing the mobile application on the device that will be used for authorization and authentication, for example, a mobile phone or a tablet computer. More specifically, in order to make a purchase, the user scans the QR code placed outside, and with the help of the mobile application, gets authenticated to begin the purchase. The user may add a credit card to the mobile application to be charged for all future purchases, or select one-time payment options for each purchase via Apple Pay or Google Pay. After confirmation of authorization, the door of the device opens and the buyer examines, selects the goods and takes the desired goods with him / her, and pays for it through mobile payment systems automatically, after the door is closed. The process of authorization, authentication and purchase is depicted in detail on flow chart illustrating.The vending machine in an embodiment that involves the use of a mobile application is equipped with an identity authentication module in the mobile application, which is communicatively connected to the controller processor, and can receive information necessary for authentication and authorization of the user, in particular, in order to determine the user's payment account and debit funds from it for the goods chosen by him / her, and, in case of fraud on his / her part, for the goods that were damaged or replaced.The goods identification system of the vending machine contains a controller processor, configured to execute, in communication with the weighing device 14, the first camera 15, the second camera 16, a sequence of actions for the goods identification, which includes the analysis of the availability of the goods in the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11', analysis of the location of the goods on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4', creation of a unique goods identification code, based on at least one of the available identifiers, namely, information about the value of the weight of the goods received from the weighing device 14 of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4', information regarding the image of the commodity unit received from the first camera 15, information about the image of the commodity unit received from the second camera 16, or any available combination of weight and images of each commodity unit from each of the cameras.At each opening and closing of the cabinet door 2, it is also provided for creating a map of the location of the commodity units on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4', which, based on a plurality of unique identification codes of the goods, identifies the available plurality of commodity units located in the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11', and the coordinates of their location.Comparison of the previous map of the location of the commodity units on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4', created when the cabinet door 2 is opened, with the next created map of the location of the commodity units on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4', created when the cabinet door 2 is closed, allows you to determine the availability of free and filled space on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4', the location coordinates of each commodity unit, the commodity type of each commodity unit 9, 9', changes in the total quantity of the goods.After closing the cabinet door 2, the commodity units, which were installed in the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11' and / or removed from the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11' and / or finally removed from the internal cabinet compartment 3 during the period of time when the cabinet door 2 was open, are determined, based on the previously obtained goods identification results.The creation of a map of the location of the commodity units on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4' allows, in particular, to increase the accuracy, and improve the results of goods identification, due to additional verification of the fact of removal, return, incorrect location of the goods in the internal cabinet compartment 3.As a result, the controller processor combines the received data, and on the basis of the information, previously entered and stored in the processor's memory, regarding the commodity types of the goods and the number of goods, calculates the commodity type of the good and the number of goods taken by the client from the internal cabinet compartment 3, calculates the amount of money, which the user shall pay, and provides a request to debit the required amount from the user's account.We shall use an example in order to describe the operation of the goods identification system of the vending machine implemented according to the principles underlying the invention. For example, the vending machine has two commodity sections 11, 11', and two commodity types of the goods are provided: the good 9 is a beverage in a transparent cylindrical glass bottle, the good 9' is a juice in an opaque rectangular cardboard package (schematically show one commodity unit 9, 9').Each of the goods 9, 9' is initially located inside a corresponding commodity section 11, 11', on a corresponding surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the corresponding shelves for placing goods 4, 4' (for example, 9 - 4, 11, 13; 9' - 4', 11', 13') in accordance with its commodity type.Usually, prepackaged / packaged goods are placed in the vending machines, while a certain commodity type of the goods 9, 9' has a certain defined weight. This weight inherent to the goods forms the first identifier of the goods, and allows to determine its commodity type 9 or 9' thanks to the data received from the weighing device 14. It is assumed that the data regarding the determined weight of each of the goods (commodity type of the goods 9, 9') is stored in advance in the memory of the controller processor, or is received by the controller processor from a remote server, where it is stored in the memory of a digital computing device, in the corresponding database.The first camera 15 is installed in the front part of the cabinet casing 10, and receives a frontal image of each commodity unit located on each of the plurality of shelves for placing goods 4, 4'. From the first camera 15, an image of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4' is obtained and an image of each commodity unit 9, 9' installed on the corresponding surface for placing goods 13, 13' is selected. The mentioned commodity unit image is a part of the total image selected and recognized by the controller processor, which has a unique combination of pixels and data (for example, different for the mentioned goods 9 and 9', in particular, due to their different shape, color and transparency). At a minimum, information about the shape, size, graphic elements, colors of the part of the image, defined for each commodity unit in the field of view of the camera, can be used for identification. Note that not only the shape (and other information) of the packaging of the goods and their parts is unique, but also the shape selected by the controller processor, after processing the image received from the first camera 15, of a part of the general image of each of the corresponding shelves for placing goods 4, 4' , which refers to each individual commodity unit due to the different distance, angle and projection, and due to the fact that the goods themselves are usually not installed in perfectly even rows, and are not perfectly oriented with respect to the camera (turned to it by different parts of the package). Therefore, the image of a commodity unit received from the first camera 15 forms the second goods identifier, which allows to determine its commodity type thanks to the information received from the first camera 15.The second camera 16 is installed on the side part 6 of the cabinet casing 1, and receives an image from above of each commodity unit located on each of the plurality of shelves for placing goods 4, 4'. This image also has a unique combination of pixels and data for each commodity item due to the reasons described above. Therefore, the image of a commodity unit received from the second camera 16 forms the third identifier of the good, which allows to determine its commodity type thanks to the information received from the second camera 16.The combination of the first, the second and the third goods identifiers forms a unique goods identification code, which is actually a digital footprint, which contains physical data about the weight and image of each good at the time it was created. Note that the image obtained from the first camera 15 and the image obtained from the second camera 16 are always different, at that, each of them can even separately serve as an identifier. Therefore, even when receiving only one identifier from one camera (for example, in case of a technical failure of the first camera 15 or the second camera 16), it is possible to create a unique goods identification code. At the same time, the combination of images from the two cameras increases the degree of uniqueness and, accordingly, the reliability of goods identification.The above considerations are also valid with respect to the information received from the weighing device 14, in the event of a technical failure of which it is still possible to identify the goods thanks to other data contained in the unique goods identification code (images received from the first camera 15 and the second camera 16) that identify the goods and commodity type of the goods 9, 9'.At each check of the availability and location of the goods, the goods identification system of the vending machine has the ability to check the inalterability (integrity) of this digital footprint, and, based on the change / inalterability, to determine the fact of withdrawal, return, incorrect placement of the goods in the internal cabinet compartment 3, to perform an automatic count of the number of goods that are available in the vending machine.The digital footprint (file) which is stored in the controller's memory contains the data of the unique goods identification code, has a unique checksum, for example, MD5 (Message Digest 5), and by it, in the event of a change, this change can be easily determined. Other implementations are possible, although not preferred, such as the use of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in order to create a unique goods identifier.In order to facilitate the determination of the change of the unique goods identification code, it is provided to create, at each opening and closing of the cabinet door 2, a map of the location of the commodity units on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4', which, based on a plurality of unique goods identification codes, identifies the available plurality of commodity units located in the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11', and the coordinates of their location. Note that the coordinates of the location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4' form another, the fourth goods identifier, which, together with the unique goods identification code, allows goods identification, and detection of transfer (removal, return) and incorrect placement of goods in the internal cabinet compartment 3.In addition, the creation of a map of the location of the commodity units ensures the detection of free and filled space on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4'. Information (data) regarding the free / filled space additionally allows to improve the results of detection of transfer (removal, return), and incorrect placement of the goods in the internal cabinet compartment 3.On the basis of the previously obtained goods identification results, according to each of the four mentioned identifiers contained in the unique goods identification code, and the map of the location of commodity units, the commodity units that were removed from the internal volume 12 or 12' of each commodity section 11 or 11', and installed in the internal volume 12 or 12' of each commodity section 11 or 11' are determined.If the commodity unit corresponds to commodity type 9 or commodity type 9' according to the data obtained from the weighing device 14, the first camera 15, the second camera 16, they are qualified as returned goods, and a unique goods identification code is created for each good. The corresponding information (data) also changes for the map of the location of the commodity units, in the form of coordinates of the location of each commodity unit, of the commodity type of each commodity unit, of changes in the total quantity of the goods.Goods finally removed from the internal cabinet compartment 3 are qualified as goods purchased by the user.In practice, in the process of using the vending machine, there are options when the user: returns the good to its original position (for example, goods 9 onto the shelf for placing goods 4), returns the good to another shelf designed for placing goods of the same commodity type (in the case that there are more than one of such shelves), places the good on an inappropriate shelf intended for placing goods of a different commodity type (for example, goods 9 onto the shelf for placing goods 4').When placing a good of one commodity type, for example 9, onto an inappropriate shelf for placing goods 4' intended for placing goods of another commodity type (9'), the goods are qualified as improperly placed goods.In the case of detection of non-compliance of the good with any commodity type (for example, it is not a good of commodity type 9, and it is not a good of commodity type 9') according to the analysis of the unique goods identification code and the map of the location of the commodity units on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of shelves for placing goods 4, 4', the goods are qualified as replaced goods or damaged goods.Consequently, depending on the results of the analysis of the degree of coincidence of the unique goods identification code and the data of the map of the location of the commodity units, and the consistency of these results with each other, the goods are qualified as returned goods, or purchased goods, or replaced goods, or damaged goods. For purchased goods, replaced goods, or damaged goods, the amount that the user shall pay for them is calculated and the corresponding amount is automatically debited from the user's account.Next, we are going to describe in more detail the sequence of actions in order to identify the goods at the stage of analyzing the presence of the goods in the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11', and the location of the goods on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4'.The controller processor is configured to perform a sequence of actions, including: receiving from the weighing device 14 information about the change in the value of the weight of the good located on the shelf for placing goods 4 and / or 4', from which the user took the good; receiving from the weighing device 14 an information about the change in the value of the weight of the good located on the shelf for placing goods 4 and / or 4', onto which the user placed the good; determination of the total number of commodity units, and a possible combination of the goods corresponding to the change in the value of the weight; receiving the first frontal image of the goods from the first camera 15, which corresponds to the preliminary location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4', and contains, at least, information about the shape, size, graphic elements , the colors of the front part of the image, determined for each commodity unit that is in the field of view of the camera; obtaining a second frontal image of the goods from the first camera 15, which corresponds to the subsequent location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4', and contains, at least, information about the shape, size, graphic elements , the colors of the front part of the image, determined for each commodity unit that is in the field of view of the camera; determination of the total number of commodity units, and the possible combination of goods, corresponding to the changed location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4'; receiving the first image from the second camera 16, which corresponds to the preliminary location of the goods in the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11', and the location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4', and contains, at least, information about the shape, size, graphic elements, colors of the part of the image determined for each commodity unit in the field of view of the camera; obtaining a second image from the second camera 16, corresponding to the subsequent location of the goods in the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11', and the location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4', and contains, at least, information about the shape, size, graphic elements, colors of the part of the image determined for each commodity unit in the field of view of the camera; determination of the total number of commodity units, and the possible combination of goods corresponding to the changed location of goods in the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11', and the location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4'; determination of the mutual correspondence of the total number of commodity units, and the mutual correspondence of the plurality of possible combinations of goods obtained; obtaining the actual combination of goods corresponding to the location of the goods in the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11', and the location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4'.It is not preferred, but it is possible to design a vending machine to be equipped with an RFID antenna 18, which allows detecting the available RFID tags of the goods placed in the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11'. The RFID antenna 18 shall be installed in a position in which the identification information of the goods located on the plurality of shelves for placing goods 4, 4' can be read from the RFID tags of the goods.Like the weighing device 14, the first camera 15, the second camera 16, the RFID antenna 18 are communicatively connected to the controller, the processor of which, in this case, additionally performs goods identification based on the identification information of the RFID tags of the goods. At the same time, the sequence of actions in order to identify the goods at the stage of analyzing the presence of the goods in the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11', and the location of the goods on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4 ' includes: determination, using the RFID antenna 18, of the availability of an RFID tag of the good on a commodity unit, and, if available, writing a unique goods identification code to the RFID tag of the goods.An embodiment in which an individual RFID reader module is installed instead of the RFID antenna 18 is possible. The RFID reader and the RFID tag are in wireless communication using the RFID antenna 18. At the same time, the RFID reader can not only read the RFID tags of the goods located in the internal cabinet compartment 3, but also combine the product's RFID tag and unique identification code of the product, capture and store information about available / absent RFID tags.Also, an embodiment is possible, in which the first camera 15, and / or the second camera 16, and the RFID antenna 18 or the RFID reader are integrated into a single whole, and provide both the acquisition of an image of the good in the internal cabinet compartment 3, and the reading of information from the RFID tag, and recording the unique goods identification code on the RFID tag of the good.Thus, as in the main version, goods identification is carried out on the basis of the unique goods identification code, however, recording the unique goods identification code on the RFID tag of the goods allows you to significantly simplify the process of identification and verification of the fact of removal, return, incorrect placement of the goods in the internal cabinet compartment 3 by the difference of the available RFID tags of the goods. In particular, according to the unique goods identification code available on the RFID tag of the good, to determine the commodity type of the good and its location on a certain shelf for placing goods 4, 4'.Even if the user removes the goods from the packaging, or separates the RFID tag from the goods, and tries to avoid debiting the funds by returning the RFID tag to the internal cabinet compartment 3, it is possible to determine the state of the stolen or damaged goods in time based on the unique identification code of the good (related to the weight and image of the goods), and, accordingly, withhold funds for it in a timely manner, which helps to prevent possible losses of the seller.Since controllers` processors of vending machines usually have certain limitations of computing capabilities, a variant of the goods identification system is possible in which identification operations are performed by a remote server, connected via a communication network (data transmission network) to the vending machine controller. The digital computing device of the remote server in interaction with the controller of the vending machine receives, in real time, or at regular time intervals, or during the period of time between each opening and closing of the cabinet door 2, at least the data of the unique goods identification codes, and the maps of the location of the commodity units on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4', and, according to the above-described sequence of actions on identification of the goods at the stage of analyzing the presence of the goods in the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11 ', and the location of the goods on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4' carries out the identification of the goods.The remote server can be of any suitable type, such as, for example, a computer, in the memory of which data can be stored grouped into databases. Databases can be any suitable type of database, and can use, for example, software such as Oracle. It is appropriate if the mentioned database contains data used in the identification of goods, in particular, regarding the commodity type of goods, packaging, label, weight, price of each good. Preferably, data about the packaging and / or label shall, at least, include information about their shape, size, graphic elements, colors, information about the text information placed on them, and about the relative location of the mentioned elements on the package and / or label.The communication network (data transmission network) can be of any suitable type, such as a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN, such as the Internet), and include at least one remote server and one or a plurality of controllers of vending machines interconnected by communication lines. In addition, it can use any type of network protocol, such as the TCP / IP network protocol. For example, a network card, GSM, GPRS, CDMA, LTE, 5G modem, Wi-Fi module, Bluetooth module, NFC module, etc. can be used as means of accessing the communication network (data transmission network).It is appropriate if the digital computing device of the remote server is configured to use computer vision and / or artificial intelligence for data processing and goods identification. The use of computer vision and / or artificial intelligence for data processing and goods identification provides improved and faster goods identification. Thanks to the use of computer vision, the accuracy of recording the fact of removal, return, incorrect placement of goods in the internal cabinet compartment 3 increases, the use of artificial intelligence allows to increase the accuracy of goods recognition, which, together, increases the efficiency of the vending machine.Another expedient embodiment of the invention is a version in which the first camera 15 and / or the second camera 16 is configured to detect motion and to track the transfer of commodity units outside or inwards the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11', or outwards the internal cabinet compartment 3. In this variant, the analysis of the presence of the goods in the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11', and the location of the goods on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4 , 4', additionally includes: determining the presence of movement in the internal cabinet compartment 3; obtaining the first image from the first camera 15 and / or the second camera 16, which corresponds to the beginning of the transfer of goods from the internal volume 12 or 12' of the commodity section 11 or 11'; obtaining a second image from the first camera 15 and / or the second camera 16, which corresponds to the end of transferring the goods to the internal volume 12 or 12' of the commodity section 11 or 11'; determination of a possible combination of goods corresponding to the changed location of the good in the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11'.An alternative to the previous embodiment of the invention is a variant which, although it may lead to an increase in the price of the vending machine, is capable of improving its performance due to a more optimal installation of a camera for tracking movement outside or inwards the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11', or outwards the internal cabinet compartment 3. In this variant, the vending machine additionally contains a third camera 19 installed in the upper part of a casing 5, or in the lower part of a casing 8, or in the rear part of the casing 7, configured to detect motion and to track the transfer of commodity units outside or inwards the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11', or outwards the internal cabinet compartment 3. Analysis of the presence of goods in the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11', and the location of the goods on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4', in this version of the embodiment additionally includes: determination of the presence of movement in the internal cabinet compartment 3; obtaining the first image from the third camera 19, which corresponds to the beginning of the transfer of goods from the internal volume 12 or 12' of the commodity section 11 or 11'; obtaining the second image from the third camera, which corresponds to the end of the transfer of goods from the internal volume 12 or 12' of the commodity section 11 or 11'; determination of a possible combination of goods corresponding to the changed location of the goods in the internal volume 12, 12' of each commodity section 11, 11'.In both of the mentioned alternative versions of the invention embodiment, it is also possible to photograph or video record the transfer of goods, at that, the controller processor, in addition to information about the fact of removal, return, incorrect placing of the goods in the internal cabinet compartment 3, also receives additional information about the commodity type and the number of damaged or replaced goods, records the fact of damage or replacement, calculates the amount that the user shall pay for damaged or replaced goods, and, after completing the purchase of goods, automatically debits this amount from the user's account.In order to achieve this result, for example, the first camera 15, and / or the second camera 16, or the third camera 19 is able not only to identify the image, but also, upon detection of the fact of removal of the good from the internal cabinet compartment 3, damage to the good placed in the internal volume 12, 12' of any commodity section 11, 11', installation to the internal volume 12, 12' of any commodity section 11, 11' of a third-party good (item), based on the available information of the unique goods identification code, map of the location of the commodity units on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4', to take photo or video recording of the removal, damage or replacement of the goods, and store the corresponding photo / video in the controller's memory or transfer it to a remote server.The first camera 15, and / or the second camera 16, or the third camera 19 may have a drive part that is in transmission connection with the camera and is communicatively connected to the processor. The drive part can operate under the control of the processor, and the first camera 15, and / or the second camera 16, or the third camera 19 can move under the control of the drive part, and change its position and the shooting direction, in order for the corresponding good, which is removed and / or returned from / to the internal cabinet compartment 3, to be continuously in the field of view of the camera. This allows to improve the identification results, in particular, by changing the field of view of the camera, it is possible to obtain a larger number of images, which allows for more accurate identification of the commodity type and quantity of the goods, and / or to record the fact of removal, damage or replacement of the goods in the internal cabinet compartment 3.Also, in order to increase the accuracy of goods identification, it is possible to use data, pre-stored in the memory of the controller or in the database of the remote server, on the packaging and / or label, which includes the shape, size, graphic elements, colors, data about the text information placed on them, and about the mutual location of the mentioned elements on the package and / or label that can be part of the unique goods identification code.It is possible to adapt individual elements of the goods identification system in order to improve operation when creating a unique goods identification code, and a map of the location of commodity units on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4'.Thus, the weighing device 14 can be equipped with a plurality of pressure sensors (for example, resistance strain gauges, or piezoelectric pressure sensors) or gravity sensors 20 located under the surface of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4', a map of the location of a commodity unit on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4' has a coordinate grid, within the coordinates of each coordinate cell of which at least one pressure sensor or gravity sensor 20 is placed.The variant described above is able to improve the performance of the vending machine based on the use of a unique goods identification code, and a map of the location of the commodity units on the surface for placing goods 13, 13' of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4' due to more accurate determinations of the weight, commodity type and location of the goods thanks to binding to the coordinate grid.One of the problematic aspects solved by the invention is the aspect of improper installation of the goods, namely, in the event that one or more commodity units 9, 9' were incorrectly installed, or transferred from the shelf for placing goods intended for one commodity type to the shelf for placing goods of another commodity type. Such a transfer in particular leads to the fact that the user can incorrectly determine the commodity type or value of the goods indicated on the label / price tag, which is usually located at the title position, namely, along the perimeter of the front edge of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4'.The vending machine in one of the possible embodiments according to the invention additionally contains a plurality of electronic labels / price tags 21 installed at the title position, namely, distributed along the perimeter of the front edge of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4'. Each of the electronic labels / price tags 21 is an identifier of at least the name and / or price of the goods, configured to determine the commodity type of the goods 9, 9' installed on the shelf for placing goods 4, 4' closest to it, activated when the good is placed, and can change the textual information, and / or the graphic information, and / or the numerical value on it.In order to implement this embodiment, the controller processor, configured to perform a sequence of actions for goods identification, additionally determines, on the basis of unique goods identification codes, the commodity type of each individual good located in the internal volume 12, 12' of a separate commodity section 11, 11', and installed on the front edge of each of the shelves for placing goods 4, 4'. If one or more commodity units 9, 9' are moved from the shelf for placing goods of one commodity type to the shelf for placing goods of another commodity type, the name and / or price of the commodity unit 9, 9' on the electronic label / price tag 21 is set / changed according to the defined commodity type. If one or more commodity units 9 or 9' are missing on the front edge of the shelf for placing goods 4 or 4', the corresponding electronic label / price tag 21 is turned off.In order to improve the control of the change of the name and / or price of the goods on the electronic labels / price tags 21 in case of removal, return, incorrect placement of the goods in the internal cabinet compartment 3, it is also possible to use a combination of computer vision and artificial intelligence, which provides improved identification of the goods, and improved transfer detection of goods.In order to improve the use of the vending machine of the mentioned design, it may additionally contain an alarm device 22. The alarm device 22 shall have sound and / or light alarm means (not shown), which, preferably, shall be located on the front part of the cabinet casing 10.If one or more commodity units 9, 9' are transferred from the shelf for placing goods of one commodity type to the shelf for placing goods of another commodity type, during the period of time when the cabinet door 2 is open, the alarm device 22 provides a sound and / or light warning of the authorized user about the wrong placing of the goods. During the period of time after closing the cabinet door, the alarm device 22 sends information about the wrong location of the goods to a remote server connected via a communication network to the controller of the vending machine. In such a way, firstly, the number of improperly located commodity units 9, 9' is reduced, and, secondly, the seller, when receiving information about the wrong location, can take measures in order to correct this situation.In addition, in case when the controller processor of the vending machine detects improper behavior of the user (for example, damage to the goods, or replacement of the goods), the alarm device 22 can provide a sound and / or light warning about such actions, which can have a deterrent effect on the user, reminding him / her of that the fact of theft, replacement, or damage to the goods can be discovered, and that he / she will bear responsibility (in particular, financial) for his / her improper actions.It is also possible that when the fact of theft, replacement, or damage of the goods is detected, the user is sent a corresponding message to the mobile application, in which the user authorizes before opening the cabinet door 2, in order to gain access to the internal cabinet compartment 3. The mentioned message, as well as sound and / or light warning, can have a deterrent effect on the user.The above-described examples of embodiment of the invention in the part related to the goods identification system can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.When implemented using hardware, one or more specialized integrated circuits (ASIC), digital signal processor (DSP), digital signal processor device (DSPD), programmable logic device (PLD), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), controller, microcontroller microprocessor, etc. are designed. However, the described variant of using the controller, which contains a processor connected to the memory, which is configured to perform a sequence of actions in order to identify the goods based on the instructions stored in the memory, is preferred.When implemented using software, firmware, they can be stored on a machine-readable medium, for example, a computer data storage device (magnetic, electronic, optical, etc.). However, the described option of using a remote server on which the software is stored and executed is preferred.

Claims

A vending machine containing a cabinet casing, a cabinet door, an internal cabinet compartment, and a plurality of shelves for placing goods, an internal cabinet compartment is formed by the upper part of a casing, the side parts of a casing, the back part of a casing, the lower part of a casing, a cabinet door on the front part of a casing, and is divided by shelves for placing goods into commodity sections, more than one commodity type of goods is placed in the internal cabinet compartment, at that, when a new commodity unit is placed for the first time, each commodity type of goods is placed in the internal volume of a separate commodity section, on the appropriate surface for placing goods of the corresponding shelf for placing goods, contains a goods identification system which includes a weighing device, which is configured to obtain the value of the weight of the goods, and is installed in a position in which the change in the value of the weight of the goods located on each of the plurality of shelves for placing goods is monitored, a camera, which is configured to obtain an image of the goods in the internal cabinet compartment, and is installed in a position in which a plurality of shelves for placing goods is in the field of view of the camera, the weighing device and the camera are communicatively connected to at least one controller, a part of which is a processor, which is configured to identify the goods based on information about the value of the weight of the goods, information about the image of the goods, and a memory which, based on the instructions stored in it, defines the sequence of actions performed by the processor when identifying the goods, contains an access control system to the internal cabinet compartment, which includes a sensor for the open or closed state of the cabinet door and a lock for closing the cabinet door, which is configured to open the cabinet door by an authorized user, and providing access to the internal volume of each commodity section, for him / her to freely choose the goods located on each of the plurality of shelves for placing goods, which is characterized by the fact that the goods identification system contains at least one first camera, which is configured to obtain a frontal image of each commodity unit located on each of the plurality of shelves for placing goods, at least one second camera configured to obtain an image from above of each commodity unit located on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, controller processor, configured with the ability to perform a sequence of actions for goods identification, including analysis of the presence of the goods in the internal volume of each commodity section, and the location of the goods on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, creating a unique identification code for the goods, based on at least one of the available identifiers, namely, information on the value of the weight of the goods, information on the image of the commodity unit received from the first camera, information on the image of the commodity unit received from the second camera, or any available combination thereof, creating, at each opening and closing of the cabinet door, a map of the location of the commodity units on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, which, based on a plurality of unique goods identification codes, identifies the available plurality of commodity units located in the internal volume of each commodity section, and their location coordinates, comparison of the previous map of the location of the commodity units on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods created when the cabinet door is opened with the next created map of the location of the commodity units on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, when the cabinet door is closed, determination of the availability of free and filled space on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, the location coordinates of each commodity unit, the commodity type of each commodity unit, changes in the total quantity of goods, determination, after closing the cabinet door, based on the obtained goods identification results, of the commodity units that were installed in the internal volume of a certain commodity section, and / or removed from the internal volume of a certain commodity section, and / or permanently removed from the internal cabinet compartment during the period of time when the cabinet door was open.The vending machine, according to claim 1, which is characterized by the fact that the sequence of actions for goods identification at the stage of analyzing the presence of the goods in the internal volume of each commodity section, and the location of the goods on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods includes receiving information about the change in the value of the weight of the goods located on the shelf for placing goods from which the user took the goods, obtaining information about the change in the value of the weight of the goods located on the shelf for placing goods onto which the user placed the goods, determining the total number of commodity units, and a possible combination of goods, corresponding to the change in the value of the weight, receiving the first frontal image of the goods from the first camera, which corresponds to the previous location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, and contains, at least, information about the shape, size, graphic elements, colors of the front part of the image, defined for each commodity unit, which is located in the field of view of the camera, obtaining a second frontal image of the goods from the first camera, which corresponds to the subsequent location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, and contains at least information about the shape, size, graphic elements, colors of the front part of the image, determined for each commodity unit, which is in the field of view of the camera, the determination of the total number of commodity units, and the possible combination of goods corresponding to the changed location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, obtaining a first image from the second camera corresponding to the prior location of the goods in the internal volume of each commodity section, and the location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, and containing at least information on the shape, the size, graphic elements, colors of the image part, defined for each commodity unit in the field of view of the camera, obtaining a second image from the second camera corresponding to the next location of the goods in the internal volume of each commodity section, and the location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, and contains, at least, information about the shape, size, graphic elements, colors of the part of the image defined for each commodity unit that is in the field of view of the camera, determination of the total number of commodity units, and a possible combination of goods, corresponding to the changed location of the goods in the internal volume of each commodity section, and the location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods, determining the mutual compliance of the total number of commodity units, and the mutual compliance of the plurality of obtained possible combinations of goods, obtaining the actual combination of goods corresponding to the location of the goods in the internal volume of each commodity section, and the location of each commodity unit on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods.The vending machine, according to claim 1 or claim 2, which is characterized by the fact that it additionally contains at least one RFID antenna, which is configured to determine the presence of RFID tags of the goods, and is installed in a position in which the identification information of the goods can be read, of the goods, located on a plurality of shelves for placing goods, from RFID tags of the goods, the RFID antenna is communicatively connected to at least one controller, a part of which is a processor configured to identify the goods based on the identification information on the RFID tags of the goods, at that, the sequence of actions on goods identification at the stage of analysis of the presence of the goods in the internal volume of each commodity section, and the location of the goods on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods includes the determination, using the RFID antenna, of the presence of RFID tags of goods on the commodity unit, combining the product's RFID tag and unique identification code of the product.The vending machine, according to claim 1 or claim 2, which is characterized by the fact that the goods identification system includes a remote server, connected via a communication network with the vending machine controller, the digital computing device of the remote server is configured to interact with the controller of the vending machine in order to receive, in real time, or at regular intervals, or during the period of time between each opening and closing of the cabinet door, of at least the data of the unique goods identification codes, and maps of the location of the commodity units on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods.The vending machine according to claim 4, which is characterized by the fact that the digital computing device of the remote server is configured to use computer vision and / or artificial intelligence for data processing and goods identification.The vending machine according to claim 1 or claim 4, which is characterized by the fact that when processing data and identifying the goods, the information about the commodity type, packaging, label, weight, price of each good, which is previously determined and stored, is used, at that, information about the package and / or label, at least, includes information about their shape, size, graphic elements, colors, information about the text information placed on them, and about the relative location of the mentioned elements on the package and / or label.The vending machine according to claim 1 or claim 2, which is characterized by the fact that the first camera and / or the second camera is configured to detect motion and to track the transfer of commodity units outside, or inwards the internal volume of each commodity section, or outwards the internal cabinet compartment, the sequence of actions in order to identify the goods at the stage of analyzing the presence of the goods in the internal volume of each commodity section, and the location of the goods on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods includes the determination of the presence of movement in the internal cabinet compartment, receiving the first image from the first camera and / or the second camera, which corresponds to the beginning of the transfer of the goods from the internal volume of the commodity section, receiving the second image from the first camera and / or the second camera, which corresponds to the end of the transfer of the goods to the internal volume of the commodity section, determination of a possible combination of goods corresponding to the changed location of the goods in the internal volume of each commodity section.The vending machine according to claim 1 or claim 2, which is characterized by the fact that it additionally contains a third camera, configured to detect motion and to track the transfer of commodity units outside or inwards the internal volume of each commodity section, or outwards the internal cabinet compartment, the sequence of actions in order to identify the goods at the stage of analyzing the presence of the goods in the internal volume of each commodity section, and the location of the goods on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods includes determining the presence of movement in the internal cabinet compartment, obtaining the first image from the third camera, which corresponds to the beginning of the transfer of the goods from the internal volume of the commodity section, obtaining a second image from the third camera, which corresponds to the end of the transfer of the goods to the internal volume of the commodity section, determining a possible combination of goods corresponding to the changed location of the goods in the internal volume of each commodity section.The vending machine according to claim 1 or claim 2, which is characterized by the fact that the weighing device is equipped with a plurality of pressure sensors or gravity sensors located under the surface of each of the shelves for placing goods, a map of the location of the commodity unit on the surface for placing goods of each of the shelves for placing goods has a coordinate grid, within the coordinates of each coordinate cell of which at least one pressure sensor or gravity sensor is placed.The vending machine, according to claim 1, which is characterized by the fact that it additionally contains a plurality of electronic labels / price tags distributed along the perimeter of the front edge of each of the shelves for placing goods, each of the electronic labels / price tags is an identifier of at least the name and / or the goods price, configured to determine the commodity type of the goods installed on the shelf for placing the good closest to it, is activated when the good is placed, and can change the text information, and / or graphic information, and / or the digital value on it.The vending machine, according to claim 10, which is characterized by the fact that the controller processor, configured to perform a sequence of actions for goods identification, additionally determines, on the basis of unique goods identification codes, the commodity type of each individual good located in the internal volume of a separate commodity section, and installed on the front edge of each of the shelves for placing goods, if one or more commodity units are transferred from the shelf for placing goods of one commodity type to the shelf for placing goods of another commodity type, it sets / changes the name and / or price of commodity units on the electronic label / price tag according to the defined commodity type of the goods, in case one or more commodity units are missing on the front edge of the shelf for placing goods, it turns off the corresponding electronic label / price tag.The vending machine according to claim 4 and claim 11, which is characterized by the fact that it additionally contains an alarm device, configured to, in the event that one or more commodity units are transferred from the shelf for placing goods of one commodity type to the shelf for placing goods of a different commodity type, during the time period when the cabinet door is open, issue a sound and / or light warning to the authorized user about the erroneous placing of the goods, during the time period after closing the cabinet door, to send information about the erroneous location of the goods to a remote server connected via switching communication network with the vending machine controller.

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