JPS61264494A - Monitor system for vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a vending machine that stores money corresponding to the amount of goods sold and delivers predetermined goods to a goods delivery port.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, this type of vending machine has become extremely popular, and vending machines that sell a variety of products are installed everywhere.

By the way, in principle, such vending machines are not under constant supervision by managers due to their nature, and managers usually inspect each vending machine periodically to check its condition and check the condition of goods. Replenishment etc. are being carried out.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, it takes a tremendous amount of effort to visit each installation location that is scattered over a wide area, and products may remain sold out for long periods of time without being properly replenished. Moreover, this type of vending machine often causes problems such as items not being dispensed, and the above-mentioned regular patrols are powerless against such sudden accidents. In preparation for such troubles, vending machines are sometimes affixed with labels with the phone number of the control center, but finding the phone and reporting it requires a considerable amount of effort on the part of the user. However, many users simply leave it as is, and there are also cases where the administrator is not specified in the first place, which only leaves users dissatisfied.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to solve these problems, the present invention combines a vending machine with a public telephone either integrally or separately, and transmits data for monitoring the vending machine using a telephone line connected to the public telephone. This is designed to automatically notify the management center.

[Effect]

The data sent through the telephone line allows the administrator to know the status of the vending machine, such as the number of items in stock, while the user is able to report any abnormalities without any effort, and the administrator can take appropriate action. Measures can be encouraged.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, A and B are shown.

03 vending machines 1000A, 1000B
, 1000c and a public telephone 2000 are connected by an interface cable using an NCU transmission transmission control unit 3000. Further, 4000 is an in-office device connected via a telephone line, and 5000 is a vending machine management center.

Vending machine 1000A (therefore 1000B,
1000C) includes a coin sorting/detection unit 101 that detects the coin 1 inserted from the coin slot and sorts its formal wear and denomination, a coin storage unit 102 that stores the coin in a predetermined storage orbit, and a coin storage unit 102 that stores the coin in a predetermined storage orbit. A safe 103 for storing only coins, a return slot 104 for returning unnecessary coins, and a predetermined article (product) 2
an article sending section 105 that takes out the article from the storage section, transports it, and sends it out to the article takeout port; a price setting switch 106 that sets the price of the article on the administrator's side; a product selection switch 107 with a built-in lamp that allows the user to select the article; A return switch 108 for instructing the return of coins, a lamp 109 for indicating out of change, an empty lamp 110 for indicating that the item is out of stock, and an abnormality notification switch 111 for the user to notify the management center 5000 when a trouble occurs. ．． A vending machine processing control circuit 112 consisting of a well-known processor unit such as a microprocessor that controls each circuit, and a fixed memory (ROM) that stores programs and other fixed data.
113, variable memory (RAM) that stores variable data
114, vending machine processing control circuit 112 and coin sorting/
A coin sorting/detection/accumulation interface circuit 115 that connects the detection section 101 and the coin storage section 102, a vending machine interface circuit 116 that connects the vending machine processing control circuit 112 and the article delivery section 105, and this vending machine. and NCU transmission transmission control seal section 300
0-coupling vending machine coupling interface circuit 11γ
including.

On the other hand, the telephone 2000 includes a telephone circuit unit 200,
A telephone control circuit 300 consisting of a processor unit such as a microprocessor and a coin processing unit,
The telephone circuit unit 200 includes a filter 201, a communication control circuit 202 including a means for forcibly disconnecting a call in the event of a dial call, a dial short circuit, a call shortage, etc., a billing signal receiving circuit 203, and a telephone call circuit. 204
It also includes a reminder sound oscillation circuit 205. In addition, in FIG. 1, thick line wiring indicates a communication path. The coin processing unit 400 also includes a coin sorting section 401 that sorts coins 3 inserted from a coin slot on the telephone side, and a return slot 402 where unnecessary coins such as spurious coins are discharged.
An overflow mechanism 403 that discharges overflowing coins to the return port 402. Coin insertion detection circuit 404. A coin storage section 405, an accumulation detection circuit 406, and a storage/return section 407 that sorts the accumulated coins into storage and return. Storage detection circuit 408 and safe 409 for storing required coins
The electric circuits of each part of these units 200 and 400 are controlled by a telephone control circuit 300.

NCU transmission transmission control seal section 3000NCU 501
, MODEM502, various switches and indicators 503
, a timer 504, and a transmission control circuit 50 consisting of a processor unit such as a microprocessor that controls these.
5. Fixed memory 506. Variable memory 507, MODEM
502 and the transmission control circuit 505 -
MODEM interface circuit 508, this NCU transmission transmission control seal part 3000 vending machine 1000As
, 1000B, 1000C and a transmission fu for selectively coupling the telephone 2000.
Control-telephone interface circuit 510 is included.

In this way, a group of vending machines is connected to a public telephone, and a management center is connected to the telephone via a telephone line connected to the telephone.
The pipe ring center 50 was configured to be connected to the pipe ring center 50.
In 00, various data regarding the above-mentioned vending machine group can be grasped from the comfort of your home by using a telephone line. Of course, the same applies to groups of vending machines installed elsewhere, and the more vending machines the center manages, the more the p management system will be streamlined by adopting this monitoring method.

Next, this monitoring method will be explained using FIG. Third
The figure is a flowchart showing an example of a processing program in the transmission control circuit 505.

First, on the vending machine group side (terminal side) and the management center side,
Set the monitoring data transmission time in advance, for example, every day and night.
Let's set it to 2 o'clock. Normally, it takes less than 30 seconds to send and collect such data, so at that time, the NCU 301 is connected to the telephone 20 by the vending machine group.
Switch to 00 side or MODEM502 side, center 50
A system is in place to accept calls from the 00 side. That is, the transmission control circuit 505 learns from the output from the timer 504 that the predetermined transmission time has arrived (step 1001).

The connection of the NCU 501 is switched to the MODEM 502 side (step 1002). When a call is received from the center side in this state (step 1003), the transmission control circuit 505
closes the loose line to the telephone line, step 1004.
), MODEM502, Intern Ace Circuit 508.
After checking the transmission procedure to see if the call is definitely from a predetermined center based on the data received through the transmission control circuit 505 (step 1005),
Various data of each connected vending machine is taken into the internal register from a predetermined area of the town change memory 507 (step 1006). Specifically, this data includes the sales status of each product, the number of items remaining for each item, whether there are any related items that are empty, whether the change has run out, and whether there are any other problems. These data are sequentially transmitted to each vending machine 1000A by the transmission control circuit 505 via the interface circuit 509.
1000 B.

Accesses the vending machine processing control circuit 112 of 1000C, reads it from the town change memory 114, and reads it from the town change memory 501.
Store it in .

Next, data is transmitted (step 1007).
An example of the data format in that case is shown in FIG.

In the figure, STX, ETX, and BCC are well-known transmission control characters, SP is a space code, DI is number data that identifies a group of vending machines, D2 is data that indicates the date and time, and D3 is the change status ( The data indicating the number of low denomination coins, D4, specifies the vending machine.In this example, it is 1000A or 1000B.
This is number data indicating whether it is 1000C or 1000C.

D5 is data indicating the remaining number of each item in the vending machine, and includes code data indicating items classified by slash codes and code data indicating the remaining number.

After the transmission is completed, if the ACK returned from the center confirms that the transmission was successful (step 1008).
), the transmission control circuit 505 opens the loop to the telephone line as a recovery process and switches the connection of the NCU 301 to the telephone 200G side (step 1009). Therefore, from now on, the telephone 2000 will be in a state where it can be used for telephone calls.

If there is a problem such as an incorrect call from a predetermined center (step 1005), the process immediately moves to recovery processing (step 1009). Further, if the data transmission is not performed correctly (step 1008), 3
Data transmission is repeated up to times (step 1010).

Note that the vending machine group does not have a timer and automatically responds to incoming calls from the center.1 For example, it uses a specific frequency signal sent from the center to detect that the call is for monitoring from the center. Please check before setting the NUC to M.
Alternatively, the data may be transmitted after switching to the ODEM side and checking the transmission procedure.

On the other hand, if a trouble occurs in the vending machine 1000A, 1000B, or 1000C, the user presses the abnormality notification switch 111. As a result, the control circuit 112 of the vending machine operates, and the interface circuit 1
17 and 509 to activate the transmission control circuit 505. As a result, the transmission control circuit 505 automatically dials the center 5000 via the NCU 501.
When the center responds, change NGU501 to MODEM50
The device switches to the second side and sends predetermined data reporting an abnormality.

An example has been described above in which the periodic transmission of monitoring data is activated by the center side, but the activation may also be activated from the vending machine side. An example is shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows the NCU transmission transmission control seal section 300 similarly to FIG. 3.
7 showing an example of the processing program of the 0-feed control circuit 505
0-chart, but in this embodiment, the timer 504
The transmission control circuit 505, having learned from the output that the transmission time has come (step 2001), confirms that the loop to the telephone line is open (step 20).
02).

Close the loop (step 2003) and perform automatic dialing! h (step 2004). When the center responds (step 2005), a check on the transmission procedure is performed in the same way as described above (step 2006), and N
The connection of the CU 501 is switched to the t-MODEM 502 side (step 2007). Next, if the call is not from an abnormality notification switch (step 2008), normal monitoring data regarding each vending machine as described above is set (step 2009), and transmission is performed (step 201Q). From then on, the process is exactly the same as when starting the center, and if it is confirmed that the data has been successfully transmitted (step 2011), recovery processing is performed (step 2012).
. If the transmission is not successful, the transmission is repeated up to three times (step 2013).

Also when the abnormality notification switch is pressed (step 201
4) Call the management center in the same way as above, and
After switching the connection of the U 501 to the t-MODEM 502 side (step 200γ), abnormal data is set (steps 2008, 2015) and transmitted (step 2010).

If you dial the center and there is no response (step 2005), once the loop is released (step 2016), dial again (steps 2002 to 2).
004). Further, when attempting to automatically dial the center, if the loop for the telephone line is not open (step 2002), a predetermined timer (this may be a so-called 7-timer) is started (step 2002).
17), after a predetermined time has passed (step 2018)
, the loop status is checked again (step 2002), and if it is open, dialing is performed. This is to accommodate, for example, the case where the telephone is in use at exactly the time of the transmission.

Furthermore, we have explained an example in which an abnormality report is made unilaterally in the form of data transmission, but an operator at the center responds to an automatic dialing call, and a user who flashes this message over a speaker in a vending machine, etc. It may be possible to make a call by picking up the handset. Alternatively, by lifting the handset and pressing the abnormality notification switch, the center is automatically dialed, and the call can be made immediately after the call is answered.

The above describes an example in which a plurality of vending machines and one telephone are configured separately and connected via the N'UC transmission control section 3000.1 For example, as shown in FIG. may be one, or they may be integrated into a telephone-integrated vending machine 6000 as shown in FIG.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, such a telephone-integrated vending machine may be further connected to one or more separately configured vending machines to form a vending machine group. .

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, a vending machine and a telephone are connected together or separately, and data for monitoring the vending machine is automatically reported to a management center using a telephone line. By doing so, it is possible to grasp the status of the vending machine, such as inventory of goods and change, and it is possible to streamline routine management tasks, such as dispatching personnel only to necessary locations. On the other hand, if a user encounters a problem, they can immediately report it using a telephone set that is either integrated or installed in parallel. Furthermore, by combining the two in this way, it is also possible to improve the service to phone users by returning change from the vending machine when a call is made using high-value coins on the phone side. be. In addition, even if it is a separate type, a public electric packing machine can always be installed in a place where a vending machine can be installed, so there are no particular restrictions on the installation place etc. It also has the advantage that the commercial power source can also be used as a power source for the telephone.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and N2 are block diagrams showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing program in a transmission control circuit, and FIG. 4 is a data format diagram showing an example of the structure of transmission data. FIG. 5 is a chart from 70 to 70 showing other examples of processing programs in the transmission control circuit, and FIGS. 6 to 8 are block diagrams showing other embodiments of the present invention. 111...Abnormality notification switch, 112...Vending machine processing control circuit, 117, 509...Vending machine coupling interface circuit, 200...Telephone circuit unit, 300...Telephone control circuit, 51
0...Transmission control-telephone interface 7x-base circuit,
1000, 100OA, 1000B, 10
00 C...Vending machine, 2000...Telephone, 3000...NCU transmission transmission control seal section 00
0... Internal device, 5000... Management center. 6000...Vending machine with integrated telephone.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A vending machine is connected to a public telephone either integrally or separately, and the monitoring data of the vending machine is automatically reported to a designated control center using the telephone line connected to the public telephone. A vending machine monitor method featuring: