JP2000242846A - Antenna device automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an antenna from being damaged due to a mischief, to finely keep the external design of an automatic vending machine, to simplify the fitting work of an antenna, and to reduce the manufacturing cost of the antenna. SOLUTION: The antenna device to be fitted to an automatic vending machine is provided with an antenna 15 to be used for radio communication between the automatic vending machine and the external. Since an antenna element 22 is formed integrally with a commodity sample 4 displayed on a commodity sample display part 5 in the automatic vending machine, the sample 4 is constituted as an antenna 15.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an antenna device for a vending machine provided with an antenna used for wireless communication between the vending machine and the outside.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-36118 discloses a configuration for performing wireless communication between a vending machine and an external sales management center.
There is a configuration described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H10-26095. In the structure of this publication,
The system is configured to detect stock information of a product stored in a product storage unit of a vending machine, and transmit data of the detected stock information to an external sales management center using wireless communication. In the case of the above publication, the antenna of the wireless communication device incorporated in the vending machine is attached to the upper end of the rear portion on the side surface of the main body (box) of the vending machine so as to protrude upward. I have.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional configuration, since the antenna is exposed outside the vending machine, the antenna may be damaged by mischief, stolen, or damaged by snowfall or freezing. was there.
In addition, there is a problem that the external design of the vending machine is spoiled. Further, in the case where the above-mentioned antenna is retrofitted to an already installed vending machine, it is necessary to make a mounting hole in the main body of the vending machine, and it is complicated to wire a coaxial cable inside the main body. Work is required. Furthermore, since the antenna must be configured to withstand severe use environments such as rainfall, snowfall, and freezing, there is a disadvantage that the manufacturing cost of the antenna increases.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to prevent damage due to mischief, etc., to maintain a good appearance design of a vending machine, to easily attach an antenna, and to reduce the manufacturing cost of the antenna. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine antenna device which can reduce the cost.

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the product sample itself displayed on the vending machine is configured as an antenna, the antenna cannot be recognized from the outside, and may be damaged by mischief or the like. Can be prevented, and the appearance design of the vending machine can be kept good. Then, since the product sample configured as the antenna is simply attached to the product sample display section of the vending machine, the work of attaching the antenna is facilitated. Further, since it is not necessary to make the structure of the antenna endurable in a severe use environment, the manufacturing cost of the antenna is reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the antenna element is integrally formed with the plastic product sample main body constituting the product sample, the configuration in which the product sample is used as the antenna can be simplified. It can be easily realized.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the conductor pattern forming the antenna element is printed on the back surface of the label film made of the insulating film constituting the product sample, the product sample is used as the antenna. Can be easily realized with a simple configuration.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the transparent plastic panel provided on the front of the product sample display section of the vending machine is configured as an antenna, substantially the same operation and effect as the first aspect of the invention are obtained. be able to.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. First,
The overall configuration of the vending machine will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 7, the vending machine 1 includes a product storage 2 for storing products, and a main door 3 that opens and closes a front portion of the product storage 2. Although not shown, the product storage 2 is provided with a plurality of product storage rooms for storing a large number of types of products (canned beverages and the like), a cooling device for cooling the products, and a heating device for heating the products. A heating device is provided.

As shown in FIG. 6, the main door 3 has a product sample display section 5 for displaying a product sample 4, a product outlet 6, a bill and coin insertion slot (not shown), and a change outlet (not shown). (Not shown). Main door 3 above
As shown in FIG. 7, the door body 7 includes a door body 7 and a partition plate 8 provided on the back surface of the door body 7 so as to be openable and closable.

Here, the configuration of the product sample display section 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 8, 9 and 10. FIG.
First, the product sample 4 includes a dummy can, a dummy cup, and the like. In the first embodiment, the product sample 4 is a dummy can 9. This dummy can 9
As shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, a product sample main body, for example, a plastic can main body 10 and a plastic label film 11 are constituted.

The can main body 10 has a substantially cylindrical shape, its upper surface is closed, and a through hole 10 is formed in the lower surface.
a is formed, and an opening 10b is formed in almost half of the peripheral wall.
Are formed. The label film 11 is housed inside the can body 10 so as to close the opening 10b. On the surface of the label film 11, the same design, characters, and the like as the product are printed.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the product sample 4 (dummy can 9) having the above-described configuration is mounted on a table 12 made of, for example, an iron plate. This table 12
Is fixed to the front surface of the partition plate 8. The mounting table 12 has a mounting hole 12a for mounting the product sample 4 (dummy can 9). In this configuration,
By inserting the lower end of the dummy can 9 into the mounting hole 12a and rotating the dummy can 9, the engaging claw 10c formed at the lower end of the dummy can 9 is engaged with the opening edge of the mounting hole 12a. . Thereby, the dummy can 9 is configured to be attached to the placing table 12. The dummy can 9 described above
The mounting structure of (Product sample 4) is the same as a known structure.

A fluorescent lamp 13 is provided below the table 12, and the fluorescent lamp 13 is attached to the partition plate 8. The light emitted from the fluorescent lamp 13 passes through the mounting hole 12a of the placing table 12, enters the dummy can 9, and illuminates the label film 11 and the can main body 10 from the inside. Thereby, the dummy can 9
(Product sample 4) glows brightly.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, an opening is formed in the front part of the door body 7 corresponding to the product sample display section 5, and this opening is made of transparent plastic. It is closed by the panel 14. Note that FIG. 9 described above shows the partition plate 8 without the panel 14,
That is, FIG. 10 is a partial front view showing the partition plate 8 with the door body 7 removed, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view along the line XX in FIG. On the other hand, FIG. 8 is a partial front view showing the partition plate 8 with the panel 14, that is, the partition plate 8 with the door body 7 set.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of the portion shown in FIG. 8, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 4 and 5 show an antenna 15 to be described later.
Is shown (attached) to the product sample display section 5.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG.
A cover 16 is provided in front of the fluorescent lamp 2 and the fluorescent lamp 13. The cover 16 is used for the door body 7 (and the panel 14).
Attached to the side. The cover 16 is, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, a display panel 1 for displaying characters such as price.
7, a switch support plate 19 provided with a selection switch 18 for selecting a product, and a wiring support plate 20 extending diagonally downward. It should be noted that FIG. 4 does not show characters such as the price, the selection switch 18 and the like.

The switch support plate 19 is provided on the panel 14
The switch is provided so as to be exposed on the front side of the camera, and the selection switch 18 can be operated from outside (front). Further, inside the selection switch 18, a sellable lamp and a sold-out lamp (both not shown) are provided.
A bundle of wires (not shown) derived from the selection switch 18, the sellable lamp and the sold-out lamp is covered by a cover 16.
And is disposed on the wiring support plate portion 20, and is fixed by a clamp or the like. The bundle of wires is arranged so as to extend toward the right end of the door body 7 in FIGS. 4 and 8, and is covered by a wire cover 21 provided integrally with the right end of the cover 16. Have been done. Thus, the bundle of wirings is configured to be invisible from the outside (front).

Here, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the product sample 4 (dummy can 9), for example, located at the left end is configured as an antenna 15. The antenna 15 is a transmitting / receiving antenna of a wireless communication device (not shown) incorporated in the vending machine 1. This wireless communication device is a device for performing wireless communication between the vending machine 1 and an external, for example, a sales management center, and is constituted by, for example, a transceiver of a cellular telephone (mobile phone). The operation control device (not shown) of the vending machine 1 includes:
It has a function of detecting inventory information and the like of each product stored in the product storage 2 and a function of transmitting the detected inventory information and the like to an external sales management center using the wireless communication device. I have.

In this configuration, for example, when a call is made from the sales management center to the vending machine 1, a call is made from the sales management center to a telephone cable (general subscriber telephone), a telephone exchange, and a cellular telephone base station. It passes through to the vending machine 1. When the wireless communication device of the vending machine 1 responds to the call, the line between the vending machine 1 and the sales management center is connected, and data such as inventory information is sent from the vending machine 1 to the sales management center. It is configured as follows. Further, the vending machine 1 may be configured to periodically and automatically make a call to the sales management center to periodically and automatically transmit data such as inventory information. Incidentally, as a specific configuration for realizing such wireless communication, for example, the configuration described in JP-A-6-36118 may be used, or another configuration may be used.

In this embodiment, the wireless communication device of the vending machine 1 is constituted by, for example, an 800 MHz band mobile phone. Therefore, the antenna 15 has a frequency of 800 MHz.
An antenna having a function of transmitting and receiving radio waves in a band.
Note that the wireless communication device of the vending machine 1 may be configured by a mobile phone in another frequency band (1.5 GHz band), or may be configured by a phone (PHS or the like) other than the mobile phone. A wireless communication device other than a telephone may be used. The antenna 15 may be any antenna having a function of transmitting and receiving radio waves in the frequency band used by each wireless communication device.

Here, a specific configuration of the antenna 15 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the antenna 15 is configured by, for example, integrally forming the antenna element 22 with the plastic can main body 10 of the sample product 4. In FIG. 1, illustration of characters, designs, and the like printed on the label film 11 is omitted. The product sample 4 shown in FIG. 3 is a product sample in a state in which a label film 11 on which characters, patterns, and the like are printed is attached to a plastic can body 10 integrally formed with the antenna element 22. It is the same as a normal product sample. In FIG. 3, illustration of the coaxial cable 23 is omitted.

The antenna element 22 is composed of, for example, a monopole antenna, and as shown in FIG. 2, a vertical portion 22a formed of a linear member.
And two horizontal portions 22b formed of arc-shaped linear members,
22b. The vertical portion 22a is an antenna element portion of the monopole antenna, and the horizontal portions 22b and 22b are ground wires, and they are connected in an insulated state. Then, the antenna element 22
Are configured to have a function of favorably transmitting and receiving the 800 MHz band radio wave.

Further, the feeding point 2 of the antenna element 22
One end of the coaxial cable 23 is connected to 2c by, for example, soldering. In this case, specifically, the center conductor of the coaxial cable 23 is connected to the base end of the vertical portion 22a of the antenna element 22, and the coaxial cable 23 is connected to the base end of the horizontal portions 22b, 22b of the antenna element 22. External conductors are connected. The coaxial cable 23 is led downward (outside) from the through hole 10 a in the lower part of the can body 10. The coaxial connector 24 is connected to the other end of the coaxial cable 23. The coaxial connector 24 is configured so that the coaxial cable 23 and the antenna 15 are connected to the transmission / reception unit of the wireless communication device in the vending machine 1.

In this embodiment, the antenna element 2
Although the monopole antenna having the above-described shape is used as 2, the shape and the material of the antenna element 22 may be appropriately changed, for example. Also,
It may be configured to use a dipole antenna or another type of antenna.

When the antenna 15 having the above-described configuration (the product sample 4 constituting the antenna 15) is attached to the product sample display section 5, as shown in FIGS. , The lower end of which is attached to the mounting hole 1 of the stand 12.
What is necessary is just to insert in 2a, and to make it engage, rotating.

The antenna 15 (ie, the product sample 4)
4 and 5, the coaxial cable 23 is disposed so as to extend obliquely backward and obliquely downward so as to avoid the fluorescent light 13 and the like, and then the partition plate 8
Is arranged so as to extend to the left on the front surface of.
The coaxial cable 23 is fixed to the front surface of the partition plate 8 by a clamp or the like. In this configuration, as shown in FIG. 4, the coaxial cable 23 is arranged on the back side of the wiring cover portion 21 of the cover 16 and is configured to be invisible from the outside (front). I have.

According to the present embodiment having such a configuration, the product sample 4 (dummy can 9) displayed on the vending machine 1
Is configured as the antenna 15 of the wireless communication device,
It is completely unknown from the outside that the antenna 15 is provided. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the antenna 15 from being damaged due to mischief, etc., and it is possible to make the appearance design of the vending machine 1 exactly the same as the conventional configuration, and to keep the design in good condition.

Then, since the product sample 4 constituting the antenna 15 is merely attached to the product sample display section 5, the mounting work when the antenna 15 is mounted on the vending machine 1 becomes easy. In particular, in the case where the antenna 15 is retrofitted to the vending machine 1 already installed, the work of opening a mounting hole in the main body of the vending machine 1 becomes unnecessary, and the coaxial cable is routed inside the main body. This eliminates the need for complicated work, thereby greatly simplifying the work of attaching the antenna 15.

Further, in the case of the above embodiment, it is not necessary to make the structure of the antenna 15 a structure that can withstand a severe use environment. Specifically, the antenna element 22 is integrally formed of plastic to form the can body 10. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the antenna 15 is considerably reduced as compared with the conventional configuration.

In the above embodiment, the product sample 4
(Ie, the dummy can 9) itself was used as the antenna 15, so that light from the fluorescent lamp 13 for illumination provided below was sufficiently introduced into the product sample 4 through the through hole 10a of the can body 10 of the product sample 4. Irradiated, the product sample 4 glows brightly. On the other hand, a configuration in which the separate antenna 15 is disposed inside the product sample 4 can be considered, but with such a configuration, the brightness of the product sample 4 may be reduced. According to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent such a situation that the brightness of the product sample 4 becomes dark.

Further, in the above embodiment, in the product sample display unit 5 for displaying the product sample 4, the wiring cover unit 21 for hiding various wirings derived from the selection switch 18 and the like.
Is provided on the cover 16, and the coaxial cable 23 led out from the antenna 15 (that is, the product sample 4) is arranged on the back side of the wiring cover 21 so as not to be seen from the outside. According to this configuration, the coaxial cable 23 of the antenna 15 is also invisible from the outside, so that the external appearance design of the vending machine 1 can be kept even better.

FIGS. 11 to 13 show a second embodiment of the present invention, and the differences from the first embodiment will be described. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the second embodiment, a conductor pattern constituting an antenna element is printed on the back surface of the label film 11, and the label film 11 is a so-called flexible printed board.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, the antenna element 25 of the second embodiment
1 is formed of a substantially reverse T-shaped conductor pattern 26 printed on the back surface. In this case, label film 1
1 is made of an insulating film. The above antenna element 2
5 is composed of, for example, a monopole antenna,
A vertical portion 26a formed of a linear elongated conductor pattern;
And two horizontal portions 26b, 26b formed of a linear elongated conductor pattern. The vertical portion 26a is an antenna element portion of the monopole antenna, the horizontal portions 26b, 26b are ground wires, and both are insulated.

The antenna element 25 has a function of favorably transmitting and receiving the 800 MHz band radio wave. Further, the antenna element 25
One end of the coaxial cable 23 is connected to the feeding point 26c by, for example, soldering (see FIG. 11). Specifically, the center conductor of the coaxial cable 23 is connected to the base end of the vertical portion 26a of the antenna element 25, and the horizontal portions 26b, 26
The outer conductor of the coaxial cable 23 is connected to the base end of the cable b.

In this embodiment, the monopole antenna having the above-mentioned shape is used as the antenna element 25 printed on the back surface of the label film 11, but the present invention is not limited to this. Further, the overall shape and the like of the antenna element 25 may be appropriately changed. In addition, a conductor pattern constituting a dipole antenna or another type of antenna is attached to a label film 1.
1 may be configured to print on the back surface.

On the other hand, the label film 11 having the above structure
As shown in FIG. 13, the same design, characters, and the like as the product are printed on the surface of the. Then, when the label film 11 having such a configuration is inserted into the inside of the plastic can main body 10 and mounted, as shown in FIG. 11, the product sample 4 constituting the antenna 27 is completed. I have. The product sample 4 constituting the antenna 27 is the same in appearance as a normal product sample. The coaxial cable 23 connected to the antenna element 25 is led out (outward) from the through hole 10a at the lower part of the can body 10. When the antenna 27 having the above configuration (the product sample 4 constituting the antenna 27) is attached to the product sample display section 5, it may be performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

The configuration of the second embodiment other than the above is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment. Therefore, in the second embodiment, substantially the same operation and effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

Further, in the second embodiment, the conductor pattern forming the antenna element 25 is printed on the back surface of the label film 11, but instead, for example, a transparent conductor pattern (that is, a transparent electrode) may be used. ), The transparent conductor pattern can be printed on the surface of the label film 11.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the dummy can 9 as the product sample 4 is configured as an antenna. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a dummy cup as a product sample may be configured as an antenna. . In this case, it is preferable to integrally mold the antenna element with the plastic cup body of the dummy cup. This integral molding may be substantially the same as that of the first embodiment. It is also preferable that the conductor pattern forming the antenna element is printed on a label film to be attached to the cup body of the dummy cup. This configuration may be substantially the same as that of the second embodiment.

In each of the above embodiments and modifications, the product sample is configured as an antenna. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is a preferable configuration that the transparent plastic panel 14 provided on the front surface of the product sample display section 5 of the vending machine 1 is configured as an antenna. Specifically, a transparent conductor pattern (transparent electrode) constituting the antenna element is connected to the panel 14.
By printing on the back surface of the panel, the panel 14 can be configured as an antenna. Also in this configuration, a coaxial cable may be connected to the feeding point of the antenna element formed of the transparent conductor pattern by soldering. According to this configuration, it is possible to obtain substantially the same operation and effect as those of the above embodiments.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1, showing a first embodiment of the present invention, is a perspective view of a product sample (dummy can) constituting an antenna.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an antenna element.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a product sample constituting the antenna.

FIG. 4 is a front view around a product sample of a vending machine.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line VV in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a vending machine.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state where a main door and a partition plate of the vending machine are opened.

FIG. 8 is a partial front view of a product display section of the vending machine.

FIG. 9 is a partial front view showing the partition plate with the door body removed.

10 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1, showing a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a rear view of the label film.

FIG. 13 is a front view of a label film.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 is a vending machine, 3 is a main door, 4 is a product sample, 5 is a product sample display section, 7 is a door body, 8 is a partition plate, 9 is a dummy can, 10 is a can body (product sample body), and 12 is a can. Stand, 1
4 is a panel, 15 is an antenna, 16 is a cover, 22 is an antenna element, 23 is a coaxial cable, 25 is an antenna element, 26 is a conductor pattern, and 27 is an antenna.

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor, Shinro Torii 1-1-1, Showa-cho, Kariya-shi, Aichi, Japan Inside DENSO Corporation (72) Inventor, Koji Chiba 2-1-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 3T04 AA01 DD01 DE01 EA12 FB03 FB20 3E046 HA04 HA10

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An antenna device for a vending machine, comprising an antenna attached to a vending machine and used for performing wireless communication between the vending machine and the outside, wherein the vending machine is provided. An antenna device for a vending machine, characterized in that an antenna element is provided integrally with a product sample displayed in the above-mentioned article, whereby the product sample is configured as the antenna. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the product sample comprises a plastic product sample main body and a label film, and the antenna element is integrally formed with the product sample main body. Antenna device. 3. The product sample comprises a plastic product sample body and a label film made of an insulating film, and a conductor pattern forming the antenna element is printed on a back surface of the label film. The vending machine antenna device according to claim 1, wherein 4. An antenna device for a vending machine, comprising an antenna attached to the vending machine and used for performing wireless communication between the vending machine and the outside, wherein the vending machine is provided. By printing a transparent conductor pattern constituting the antenna element on a transparent plastic panel provided on the front of the product sample display section,
An antenna device for a vending machine, wherein the panel is configured as the antenna.