KR102137357B1 - Smart pannel and a automatic vending machine having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a smart panel. The smart panel includes: a front housing arranged on the front of the door that opens and closes an enclosure, wherein an LCD screen and a card reader are placed in the front housing; a side housing arranged on both sides of a door and fastened to a door frame; and an expansion unit disposed on the front housing or the side housing to extend or reduce the length of the front housing or the side housing.

Description

Smart panel and vending machine including the same {SMART PANNEL AND A AUTOMATIC VENDING MACHINE HAVING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to a smart panel and a vending machine including the same, and specifically, to a smart panel that enables information, inventory information, payment, and/or retrieval of goods accommodated in the vending machine and a vending machine including the same.

A vending machine, that is, a vending machine, means a machine that accepts items and, at the same time, a machine that allows buyers to acquire goods inside the box after payment by cash or credit card without the help of the seller.

For example, in recent convenience stores, marts, PC rooms, resting places, etc., food vending machines that sell foods that have been primarily cooked and processed for easy consumption by people are being deployed. Recently, labor, time, and space restrictions, or Food vending machines are being developed to allow these foods to be operated unattended without additional staff due to business strategies.

As an example of such a vending machine, the Republic of Korea Utility Model No. 20-2012-0008233 (invention name: multi-functional composite vending machine) publishes an unmanned vending machine 1 in which a reader 50, a display 60, and the like are disposed. .

However, since such a conventional vending machine is manufactured separately rather than using an existing vending machine, the vending machine installation cost is inevitable.

In addition, the conventional vending machine has a lot of maintenance and repair costs because the entire vending machine is put into the A/S center when a reader or display device is broken, or a repairer has to visit the area. , There is a problem that the repair is difficult.

The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a smart panel that can be easily installed and used as a vending machine in an existing vending machine and a vending machine including the same.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is disposed on the front surface of the door that opens and closes the housing, and a front housing in which a liquid crystal screen and a card reader are disposed; A side housing disposed on both sides of the door and fastened to the door frame; And an expansion/contraction unit disposed on the front housing or the side housing to extend or reduce the length of the front housing or the side housing.

In addition, the front housing or the side housing, the fixed case; And a movable case which is movably disposed in the fixed case and moved as the expansion/contraction unit.

In addition, the expansion unit, the pinion gear is rotatably disposed in the fixed case; And a rack gear fixed to the moving case and meshing with the pinion gear.

In addition, the pinion gear has a first key groove formed at a center of rotation, a second key groove is formed at a position corresponding to the first key groove in the fixing case, and the expansion/contraction unit is inserted into the first key groove and the second key groove. It may further include a key for rotating the pinion gear.

Further, the fixing case may further include a guide bar disposed adjacent to the rack gear to guide the movement of the rack gear.

In addition, the expansion and contraction unit, a cap that accommodates the rack gear and the pinion gear and is formed on the inner surface between the teeth of the pinion gear, the engaging projection is formed; And at least one or more providing a return force to move the cap in the direction of the fixed case such that one side is fixed to the fixing case and the other side is fixed to the inner surface of the cap so that the engaging projection is engaged with the teeth of the pinion gear. Spring; includes, the end of the key may be formed in a length that can be pushed through the first key groove and the second key groove in a direction away from the cap.

In addition, the front housing and the side housing may further include an elastic bar disposed in a bent portion formed.

On the other hand, the present invention can provide a vending machine including a smart panel having at least one or more of the above-described features.

In addition, the vending machine may be a refrigerator, a freezer or a warm cabinet.

In addition, it is disposed on the door frame further includes a locking device that opens the door when operating the liquid crystal screen or payment through the card reader, and a sensor disposed on the door frame or enclosure to detect whether the door is opened or closed. Can.

The present invention can provide a smart panel in which the front housing and/or the side housing can be easily and flexibly fastened regardless of the size of a door of an existing enclosure, including a fixed case, a moving case, and a stretching unit.

In addition, the present invention can be used as a vending machine using an existing refrigerator, freezer, or warm cabinet, including a fastener and a sensor unit interlocked with the smart panel, so that the installation cost is economical and easy to maintain and repair. .

1 is a perspective view of a smart panel according to an embodiment of the present invention and a vending machine including the same.
FIG. 2 is a view of FIG. 1 viewed from another side;
3 is a view showing a state in which the door of the vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention is opened.
4 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a smart panel and a vending machine including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a perspective view of a smart panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a partially exploded perspective view of a smart panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 6.
8 is an exploded view of the RFID reader according to an embodiment of the present invention in FIG.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Unless otherwise specified, all terms in this specification are the same as the general meaning of terms understood by those skilled in the art, and if the terms used in this specification conflict with the general meanings of the terms, the definitions used in the present specification are used.

However, the invention to be described below is only for describing the embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and the same reference numerals are used throughout the specification.

1 is a perspective view of a smart panel and a vending machine including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view of FIG. 1 viewed from another side, and FIG. 3 is a state in which the door of the vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention is opened One drawing, FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a smart panel according to an embodiment of the present invention and a vending machine including the same, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a smart panel according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a view of the present invention Some exploded perspective views of a smart panel according to an embodiment, FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the RFID reader according to an embodiment of the present invention in FIG.

1 to 8, the vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention may largely include a housing 100, an RFID reader 200, a smart panel 300, a fastening device 400 and a sensor 500. In addition, the controller 600 may further include.

The enclosure 100 is formed with an opening surface 110 in the front so that objects can be accommodated therein, and the opening surface 110 of the enclosure 100 can be opened and closed by the door 120.

The door 120 may include a door frame and a window disposed in the center of the door frame.

In addition, the housing 100 is not limited to the illustrated shape, and may be formed in a showcase shape in which the upper side is slidingly opened and closed.

In addition, one side of the housing 100 may be formed with a bar-shaped incision 130 in a horizontal or vertical direction, and an RFID reader 200 to be described later may be detachably disposed on the incision 130. Can.

For example, as illustrated, a bar-shaped incision surface 130 may be formed in a vertical direction on the rear surface of the enclosure 100, that is, on the opposite surface of the opening surface 110.

The cutting surface 130 may be cut from the upper surface of the housing 100 to a position corresponding to the lowermost surface on which the article is disposed.

In addition, the housing 100 may further include a plurality of shelves 140 that can effectively divide the interior space to place the articles.

In addition, the enclosure 100 may further include a battlefield chamber 150 in which a driving unit for controlling the temperature of the interior space is disposed, such a battlefield chamber 150, for example, a lower space of the enclosure 100 Can be arranged on.

That is, the housing 100 may be implemented as a refrigerator, a freezer, or a warm cabinet, and a driving unit disposed in the cabinet 150 may include a compressor, a condenser, a cooler, and a heat exchanger for heat exchange.

In addition, a control unit 600 capable of wirelessly or wiredly communicating with the smart panel 300, the RFID reader 200, etc., which will be described later, or controlling the driving unit, may be further disposed in the battlefield 150, such a control unit 600 ) May be formed to communicate wirelessly with external devices.

Here, the wireless communication is 5G (5th generation), Bluetooth, long term evolution-advanced (LTE-A), long term evolution (LTE), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), NFC, Zigbee, Z-wave, IrDA, etc. It can be implemented using a communication method.

In addition, the external device may include a server, a personal computer (PC), a cellular phone, a PCS phone (personal communication service phone), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a swap phone ( WAP phone (Wireless Application Protocao phone), may be a smart phone (Smart phone) or tablet (tablet), but is not limited thereto.

The RFID reader 200 (Radio Frequency Identification Reader unit) is movably disposed on at least one side of the inside of the enclosure 100 to grasp the information and quantity of the product.

Of course, each of the articles inside the enclosure 100 is equipped with an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag, and the RFID reader 200 can grasp the information and quantity of the article while being moved inside the enclosure 100.

Here, the information of the article may include the type of the article, the expiration date, the price, etc., and the information of the article identified by the RFID reader 200 will be displayed on the LCD screen 340 of the smart panel 300 to be described later. Can.

The RFID reader 200 according to the present invention may be disposed in a low or high temperature environment, and may also include the following structural features because it is disposed inside the enclosure 100.

First, the RFID reader 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention is detachably disposed on the incision surface 130 to enable easier maintenance and repair.

Specifically, the RFID reader 200 may include a transport rail 210, a transport motor 220, a transport block 230, an antenna 240, a sealed housing 250 and a sealing member 260.

The transfer rail 210 may be disposed inside the cut surface 130 in a shape corresponding to the cut surface 130, and may be formed in an elongated bar shape as illustrated.

The transfer motor 220 may be disposed at one end of the transfer rail 210 so as to be disposed outside the enclosure 100, and may move the transfer block 230 to be described later by forward and reverse rotation.

The transfer block 230 is moved on the transfer rail 210 as the transfer motor 220 and is disposed inside the enclosure 100, and the antenna 240 is fastened to the transfer block 230 and the enclosure (100) It is possible to grasp the information and quantity of the goods disposed therein.

In addition, the antenna 240 is disposed on both sides of the transfer block 230 based on the transfer rail 210, it is possible to more effectively collect the information of the article contained in the housing 100.

That is, the RFID reader 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention has a structure in which only the transport block 230 and the antenna 240 are disposed inside the enclosure 100, thereby disposing the items in the space inside the enclosure 100 Since the structure is minimally invaded, more efficient utilization of the space inside the enclosure 100 can be achieved.

The sealed housing 250 can be detachably fastened to the incision surface 130 on which the transport rail 210 is disposed to form the exterior of the enclosure 100, thereby maintaining the RFID reader 200 , It can easily implement maintenance.

Here, the sealed housing 250 and the transfer rail 210 have the same length as the longitudinal direction of the cut surface 130, the sum of the widths of the sealed housing 250 and the transfer rail 210 is the cut surface It may have a width equal to or greater than the width of 130.

In addition, in order to effectively maintain the temperature inside the housing 100, the sealed housing 250 is formed in a shape corresponding to the incision surface 130, and an inner case 251 in which an insulating material receiving groove 251a is formed. And, it may include an insulating material 252 accommodated in the insulating material receiving groove (251a), and the outer case 253 coupled to the inner case 251 to close the insulating material receiving groove (251a).

In addition, the inner case 251 is a rectangular parallelepiped body 251c in which the insulating material receiving groove 251a is formed so that the insulating material 252 is accommodated therein, and extends outwardly from each side of the body body 251c. It may include a bracket 251b that is bolted to the housing 100.

Here, the bracket 251b may not be formed on a surface adjacent to the transfer motor 220.

In addition, the heat insulating material 252 may be formed of, for example, Styrofoam or a coolant, and only the outer case 253 may be separated to easily replace or supplement the heat insulating material.

In addition, in order to effectively maintain the temperature inside the housing 100, the RFID reader 200 is between the sealed housing 250 and the cutting surface 130 or between the transport motor 220 and the cutting surface 130 A sealing member 260 to be disposed may be further included.

The sealing member 260 may be formed of an elastic material such as rubber.

In addition, the sealing member 260 is formed integrally or, as shown, the U-shaped rubber packing disposed between the bracket and the housing 100 of the inner case 251, and the transfer motor 220 and It may be disposed between the housing 100, but may include a plate-shaped rubber packing in which a hole corresponding to the transport rail 210 is formed.

The smart panel 300 may be fastened to the door 120 of the housing 100, and the general housing 100 may be implemented as a vending machine by the smart panel 300.

In addition, considering that the size may be different for each enclosure 100, the smart panel 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a front housing 310, a side housing 320, an expansion unit 330, and a liquid crystal. It may include a screen 340, a card reader 350 and/or an elastic bar 360, and may include the following structural features.

Specifically, the front housing 310 is disposed on the front surface of the door 120 that opens and closes the enclosure 100, and the liquid crystal screen 340 and the card reader 350 may be disposed.

The liquid crystal display 340 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, an organic LED (OLED) display, and micro electromechanical systems (MEMS). ) It may be implemented as a display and an electronic paper display, and may be implemented as a touch screen.

The card reader 350 may communicate with an external device by itself, or by being communicatively connected to the controller 600 by wire or wirelessly, thereby communicating with the external device through the controller 600.

The side housing 320 may be disposed on both sides of the door 120 and fastened to the door frame.

The side housing 320 may be bent to be disposed between the door frame of the door 120 and the enclosure 100, and a bent portion 323 that is bolted to the door frame may be formed.

The expansion/contraction unit 330 may be disposed on the front housing 310 or the side housing 320 to extend (333) or reduce the length of the front housing 310 or the side housing 320.

That is, the front housing 310 or the side housing 320 is movably disposed in the fixed cases 311 and 321 and the fixed cases 311 and 321, respectively, so as to be expanded and contracted by the expansion and contraction unit 330. The expansion and contraction unit 330 may include moving cases 312 and 322.

The moving cases 312 and 322 are arranged to be stretchable on one side of the fixing case 311 and 321, for example, in the side housing 320 shown, or in the front housing 310. As described above, each of the fixing cases 311 and 321 may be arranged to be stretchable.

Under the structure in which the front housing 310 or the side housing 320 includes the fixed cases 311 and 321 and the moving cases 312 and 322, the expansion and contraction unit 330 is connected to the fixed cases 311 and 321. It may include a pinion gear 331 that is rotatably disposed, and a rack gear 332 fixed to the moving cases 312 and 322 to mesh with the pinion gear 331.

In addition, the pinion gear 331 has a first key groove (331a) is formed in the rotation center, the fixing case (311, 321), the second key groove (311a, 321a) in a position corresponding to the first key groove (331a) ) Is formed, the expansion and contraction unit 330 is inserted into the first key groove 331a and the second key groove 311a and 321a to rotate the key 333 of the pinion gear 331 (333). It can include.

The key 333 may have an approximately T-shape, and are formed to have ends corresponding to shapes of the first key grooves 331a and the second key grooves 311a and 321a (eg, a cuboid shape). Can be.

That is, when the user rotates the pinion gear 331 forward and backward with the key 333, the rack gear 332 meshed with the pinion gear 331 is moved, and the rack gear 332 is fixed. The moved cases 312 and 322 may be moved by the moving distance of the rack gear 332.

In addition, in order to guide the movement of the rack gear 332, the fixing cases 311 and 321 are arranged to be adjacent to the rack gear 332, a guide bar 311b for guiding the movement of the rack gear 332 , 321b) may be further included.

In addition, the expansion and contraction unit 330 of the present invention further includes a cap 334 and a spring 335 to fix (333) the moving cases 312 and 322 moved from the fixing cases 311 and 321 as they are. can do.

Specifically, the cap 334 accommodates the rack gear 332 and the pinion gear 331 and may be formed with a mating protrusion 334a that can be disposed between the teeth of the pinion gear 331 on the inner surface. have.

The spring 335 has one side fixed to the fixing cases 311 and 321 and the other side fixed to the inner surface of the cap 334 so that the engaging projection 334a is engaged with the teeth of the pinion gear 331. Moving the cap 334 in the direction of the fixing cases 311 and 321 (333) may provide a return force, and at least one or more may be disposed.

Under this structure, the end of the key 333 penetrates the first key groove 331a and the second key groove 311a, 321a to separate the cap 334 from the fixed cases 311, 321 (333) ) May be formed in a length that can be pushed in the direction.

That is, in the absence of the key 333, the engaging projection 334a of the cap 334 is fitted into the teeth of the rack gear 332, so that the moving cases 312, 322 are not moved, and the key ( When the 333) pushes the cap 334 through the first key groove 331a and the second key grooves 311a and 321a, the engaging projection 334a is disengaged from the teeth of the rack gear 332 and the rack The movement of the gear 332 becomes possible.

In addition, the smart panel 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include an elastic bar 360 disposed in the bent portion 323 formed by the front housing 310 and the side housing 320, The elastic bar 360 may be, for example, formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and one side thereof may be fixed to the front housing 310 as an adhesive material.

Therefore, the elastic bar 360 is elastically disposed between the front housing 310 and the door frame so that the smart panel 300 can be firmly and stably mounted on the door 120.

In addition, the smart panel 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention is disposed on the front housing 310 or the side housing 320, a speaker 370 capable of guiding the user to various information or a removable SD card It may further include (380).

The fastening device 400 is disposed on the door frame to open the door 120 when the liquid crystal screen 340 is operated or when payment is made through the card reader 350, together with the smart panel 300. The general housing 100 may be implemented to be a vending machine.

Specifically, the fastening device 400 has a structure in which the fastening pin is moved up and down by the control of the card reader 350 or the control unit 600, and is fastened to the inner surface of the door frame to fasten the enclosure 100 ) May be configured to insert the fastener pin.

In addition, the fastening device 400 may be disposed on the lower portion or the upper portion of the housing 100, or may be disposed on the upper portion and the lower portion, respectively.

The sensor 500 is disposed on the door frame or the enclosure 100 to detect whether the door 120 is opened or closed, and information on whether the door 120 is opened or closed is received by the control unit 600. Can be.

In addition, the sensor 500 may be disposed on the RFID reader 200 to detect whether the transport block 230 is moved, and when the RFID reader 200 malfunctions or malfunctions, the control unit 600 By doing so, the information can be transmitted to an external device.

As described above, those skilled in the art from the above description will be able to see that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the contents described in the examples, but claims It should be determined by the scope and its equivalent.

100: enclosure 110: opening surface
120: door 130: cut surface
140: shelf 150: battlefield
200: FID reader (Radio Frequency Identification Reader unit)
210: transfer rail 220: transfer motor
230: transfer block 240: antenna
250: sealed housing 251: inner case
252: insulating material 253: outer case
260: sealing member 300: smart panel
310: front housing 320: side housing
311, 321: fixed case 312, 322: moving case
323: bending part 330: expansion and contraction unit
331: pinion gear 332: rack gear
333: key 334: cap
335: Spring 340: LCD screen
350: card reader 360: elastic bar
370: speaker 380: SD card
400: fastener 500: sensor
600: control unit

Claims (10)

A front housing disposed on a front surface of a door that opens and closes the housing and on which a liquid crystal screen and a card reader are disposed;
A side housing disposed on both sides of the door and fastened to the door frame; And
A smart panel comprising; a telescopic unit disposed on the front housing or the side housing to extend or reduce the length of the front housing or the side housing.
According to claim 1,
The front housing or side housing,
Fixed case; And
A smart panel including; a movable case that is movably disposed in the fixed case and moved as the expansion/contraction unit.
According to claim 2,
The expansion unit,
A pinion gear rotatably disposed in the fixed case; And
A smart panel comprising a; rack gear fixed to the moving case and meshing with the pinion gear.
According to claim 3,
The pinion gear has a first key groove formed at a rotation center,
In the fixing case, a second key groove is formed at a position corresponding to the first key groove,
The expansion/contraction unit further includes a key inserted into the first key groove and the second key groove to rotate the pinion gear.
According to claim 4,
The fixed case is arranged adjacent to the rack gear Smart panel further comprising a guide bar for guiding the movement of the rack gear.
According to claim 4,
The expansion unit,
A cap which accommodates the rack gear and the pinion gear and is formed with an engaging protrusion which can be disposed between the teeth of the pinion gear on the inner surface; And
At least one spring that provides a return force to move the cap in the direction of the fixed case so that one side is fixed to the fixing case and the other side is fixed to the inner surface of the cap so that the engaging projection is engaged with the teeth of the pinion gear. ;
The end of the key is a smart panel formed through a length that can penetrate the first key groove and the second key groove and push the cap away from the fixed case.
According to claim 1,
A smart panel further comprising an elastic bar disposed in a bent portion formed by the front housing and the side housing.
A vending machine including the smart panel according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
The method of claim 8,
The vending machine is a refrigerator, a freezer or a vending machine.
The method of claim 8,
A vending machine disposed on the door frame, further comprising a locking device that opens the door when the liquid crystal screen is operated or when payment is made through the card reader, and a sensor disposed on the door frame or enclosure to detect whether the door is opened or closed.

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