JP3075739B2 - Vending machine management system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vending machine management system for transmitting various data of a vending machine to a center.

(B) Conventional technology Conventionally, a system for informing various data of a vending machine to a center such as a central sales office using a telephone line is already known (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-12394).

(C) Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, since the conventional system collects data at predetermined time intervals, there is a drawback that when an abnormality occurs in a vending machine, the abnormality is not reported in real time. .

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to effectively manage vending machines at a center.

(D) Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the vending machine management system of the present invention automatically performs transmission by starting communication of the vending machine itself or transmitting in response to a collection request. Transmission control means that collects various data generated for each vending machine, transmits data on vending machine abnormalities to the center in real time, and transmits vending machine sales data to the center at a specified time. And the transmission control means collects sales data transmitted upon activation of communication for each vending machine, and after transmitting these sales data to the center, next collection time data from the center. Is received, the next collection time data is transmitted to each vending machine, and the processing is terminated.

(E) Function When an abnormality such as a breakdown or a sold out occurs in the vending machine, the transmission control means transmits abnormal data to the center in real time. Further, the transmission control means transmits the sales data of the vending machine to the center at a fixed time.

(F) Embodiment FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a vending machine management system according to this embodiment. A plurality of vending machines ₁₁ to ₁₈ are provided in a certain area such as a building or an amusement facility.
Is installed. Vending machine 1 ₁ to 1 ₈ are respectively provided with a data transmission device, various data generated for each vending machine is a concentrator to set the terminal station 2. Vending machine 1 ₁ -
1 is ₈ and the set terminal station 2 is connected in a variety of forms, the vending machine 1 ₁ to 1 ₃ are connected via a transmission line 18 of the dedicated, vending machine 1 ₄ to 1 ₆ Commercial The power line 6 is connected to the collective terminal station 2 as a transmission line.
In the case of ₁₇ and ₁₈ , communication with the collective terminal station 2 is performed wirelessly.

The data collected by the collective terminal 2 is transmitted to the communication medium 3
Is transmitted to the center station 4 by using the communication media 3. In this case, the communication medium 3 includes a telephone line, an ISDN line, an MCA radio system, a teleterminal system, and the like.

Then, the vending machine 1 ₁ to 1 _8, Handy - data is input by performing optical communication between the data setting unit 5 of the formula. In addition to the optical communication type, such a data setting unit may be a key input type or a card input type using an IC card or a memory card.

FIG. 2 shows an electrical configuration of the vending machine 1 ₁ to 1 ₈ at block has vending apparatus 10, and the money handling apparatus 11 is included therein, these devices 10 and 11 interface Via a 12, it is connected to and controlled by a central processing unit (CPU) 13 which executes a control operation by a program.
Further, the CPU 13 is connected via a bus line 14 to a ROM 15, a RAM 16, a clock circuit 17, and an optical signal input / output device 10 which store an operation program. In addition, this bus line 14, in the case of the automatic vending machine 1 ₁ to 1 ₃ communication interface 7,
Power line communication apparatus in the case of vending machine 1 ₄ to 1 ₆ 8, the vending machine 1 _7, low-power local radio device 9 for executing communication in MCA mode (multi-channel access method) For 1 ₈ connected Have been.

The operation program stored in the ROM 15 includes a failure diagnosis program for the CPU 13 to diagnose a failure of each part of the vending machine including the vending machine 10 and the money handling apparatus 11. When the CPU 13 detects a failure in the processing of the failure diagnosis program, the CPU 13 transmits failure data obtained by coding the details of the failure and the location of the failure to the collective terminal station 2 through the communication interface 17.

The RAM 16 has at least two types of storage units 16 _{1 to} 16 ₂ . Storage unit 16 ₁ is a sales totalization file, CPU 13 is each time sales, aggregate sales in the vending machine storage unit
16 Stored in ₁ . Storage unit 16 ₂ is an area for storing various system data. The system data includes a vending machine code assigned to the vending machine, a center station number, a password for communicating with the center station 4, and a collective terminal station number. The center station number is a precedent number if the communication medium 3 is a telephone line or an ISDN line, and is an ID number if the communication medium 3 is an MCA wireless system or a teleterminal system. These system data are stored in the data setting unit 5.
Is stored is input to the RAM15 to the optical signal input device 10 of the vending machine 1 ₁ to 1 ₈ in.

The collective terminal station 2 includes a CPU 20, a ROM 21, and a RAM 22, and the CPU 20 has a communication interface 23 connected to the transmission line 18,
A communication device for communicating with the collective terminal station 2 via the power line communication device 24, the low power local radio device 25, and the communication medium 3.
26 is connected.

The operation of the vending machine management system having the above configuration will be described.

(Abnormality Notification) FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of processing between the vending machine, the collective terminal station 2, and the center station 4 at the time of an abnormality notification. Here, the abnormal data includes sold-out information indicating sold-out or a sold-out notice, in addition to the fault data detected by the CPU 13 in the processing of the fault diagnosis program.

When abnormality in the automatic vending machine 1 ₁ to 1 ₈ occurs, CPU 13 performs the connection processing with the set terminal station 2 over the activation of the communication. In this case, if the CPU13 of the vending machine 1 ₁ to 1 ₃ to start the communication interface 7, to start the power line communication apparatus 18 if the CPU13 of the vending machine 1 ₄ to 1 _6, the vending machine 1 _7, If it is ₁₈ , the low power indoor wireless device 7 is started. When the line is involved, the CPU 13 transmits the failure data and the vending machine code of the vending machine to the collective terminal station 2, and then performs a disconnection process on both sides.

When receiving the failure data and the vending machine code, the collective terminal station 2 activates the communication device 26 and performs a connection process with the center station 4. At this time, the collective terminal station 2 connects with the center station number indicated by the vending machine. Then, when the line is involved, the collective terminal station 2 transmits these data to the center station 4, and then performs a disconnection process on both sides.

(Sales Data Transmission) In the case of transmitting sales data, in this example, the vending machines ₁₁ to ₁₈ transmit sales data in response to a periodic request from the center station 4 in a “center station-led system” (No. 4) and
There are two periodically transmits the sales data from the vending machine 1 ₁ to 1 ₈ side "terminal side main system" (Figure 5).

In the “center station initiative method”, the center station 4 performs a connection process with the collective terminal station 2 at the scheduled data collection time, and requests the collection of sales data. The set terminal station 2 in response to the concentrator request, concentrator and sales totalization data and vending machine code over polls each automatic vending machine 1 ₁ to 1 _8, the data to the center station 4 whenever it receives Forward. Then, when the collection of the sales data is completed, the both sides perform the cutting process.

"Terminal side main system" is one in the vending machine 1 ₁ to 1 ₈ is a data transmission time scheduled (Fig. 5 shows the case of a vending machine 1 ₁₎ sales data in the set terminal station 2 And the vending machine code, the collective terminal station 2 performs connection processing with the center station 4 and transfers the data, and polls the remaining vending machines ₁₁ to ₁₈ to obtain sales. The aggregation data and vending machine code are collected and transferred to the center station 4. Then, when the collection of the sales data is completed, the center station 4 transmits data indicating the next collection time to the collective terminal station 2, and then performs the disconnection processing on both sides.

When the collective terminal 2 receives the next collection time data,
Transmitting the time data over polls each automatic vending machine 1 ₁ to 1 _8. Thus when the vending machine 1 ₁ to 1 ₈ from which it concentrators time, but will send the sales data and the vending machine code to a set terminal station 2, watch the vending machine 1 ₁ to 1 ₈ Each of the current times of the circuits 17 has an error. Therefore, when the vending machine which has arrived at the first time transmits the sales data and the vending machine code, the collective terminal station 2 performs the above polling, and the sales data and the vending machine code are transmitted from the remaining vending machines. And gather. By adopting such a concentrating method, the collective terminal station 2 starts communication with the center station 4 every time it receives sales data and vending machine codes from the respective vending machines ₁₁ to _18. Communication efficiency can be improved.

The vending machine management system described in detail above provides the collective terminal station 2 as transmission control means, and the collective terminal station 2 transmits data relating to abnormalities to the center station 4 in real time, and the sales data is transmitted to the center station 4. It is transmitted at a predetermined time designated by the station 4. Further, a configuration in which the sales data is transmitted to the center station 4 at a time set on the vending machine side is also possible.

(G) Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, since the abnormality report of the vending machine is transmitted to the center in real time in distinction from the sales data transmission, the vending machine can be effectively managed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the system of the embodiment, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electric configuration of a vending machine,
FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 are diagrams for explaining the processing of the vending machine, the center station, and the collective terminal station, respectively. FIG. 3 shows the processing at the time of an abnormality report, and FIG. FIG. 5 shows an example of another sales transmission. 1 ₁ to ₁₈ Vending machine 2 Transmission control means (collective terminal station) 3 Communication media 4 Central station

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Toshiyuki Takahashi 2-18-18 Keihanhondori, Moriguchi-shi, Osaka Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-1-113864 (JP, A) JP-A-2-12394 (JP, a) JP Akira 64-78066 (JP, a) JP Akira 63-301377 (JP, a) JP Akira 59-16044 (JP, a) (58 ) investigated the field (Int.Cl. ⁷ G07F 5/00-9/10 H05K 11/00 H04L 11/00

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A vending machine management system for connecting a vending machine side and a center via a communication medium and transmitting various data from the vending machine side to the center. In addition to collecting various data generated for each vending machine by transmission or transmission in response to a collection request, data relating to abnormality of the vending machine is transmitted to the center in real time, and sales data of the vending machine is Transmission control means for transmitting to a center at a predetermined time, wherein the transmission control means collects sales data transmitted upon activation of communication for each vending machine, and transmits these sales data to the center. Receiving the next collection time data from the center, transmitting the next collection time data to each vending machine, and terminating the processing. Aircraft management system of.