JP2003044928A - Method and device for automatic vending of photograph seal and photograph seal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten or eliminate the stop time of a photograph seal automatic vending device in the business hours of at least amusement facilities by switching electronic flashes which emit light and to always provide a photograph seal sheet of normal photography through normal lighting of the electronic flashes. SOLUTION: The photograph seal automatic vending method which prints a photograph seal of a subject by picking up an image of the subject by lighting up the subject by one or more provided lighting means and vends the photograph seal is characterized by that the lighting means is composed of at least a plurality of light emission bodies having the same irradiation direction and the light emission bodies which emit light are switched by a switching means.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an amusement facility such as a game center, in which an object is illuminated, a picture is taken by an image pickup means such as a digital camera, and the picked up image is printed on a sticker paper by a printing means. Automatic photo sticker vending method and apparatus, and photo sticker sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in photograph sticker vending machines, upper body photographing to whole body photographing have become the mainstream.
As a result, since it becomes necessary to take an image with a distance between the image pickup means and the subject, a flash is used as an illumination means for securing a sufficient amount of light and obtaining a bright photograph with contrast. In such a photo sticker vending machine, when the illuminating means is no longer turned on, the clerk at the amusement facility replaces it with a new flash.

[0003]

However, compared with incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps, etc., which were lighting means for photographing the upper body, the flash has a shortcoming in that the lighting life is short, but the lighting life is short. However, it is necessary to change the flash frequently because the flash is short. If the flash does not emit light when the photo sticker vending machine is used, the finish of the photo sticker naturally becomes dark, and the satisfaction of the user cannot be obtained.

A particular problem is that the flash emits light for a moment, so a plurality of flashes are provided.
If there is a problem that one does not emit light, it is highly likely that the user will not notice it during shooting.
For this reason, if the first user has the above-mentioned trouble, the photo sticker vending machine may be convinced by the user that he / she can only take a dark photo, and may not be used again. Even if it is not a first-time user, if such a defect occurs, the evaluation of the photo sticker vending machine will be low, which will cause the user to leave and the profit of the amusement facility will decrease.

Further, when the user notices that the finish of the photo sticker is dark or the flash does not emit light, the flash will be replaced with a new one and the user will be required to use it again. The waiting time required makes the user less uplifted for shooting, and the user's satisfaction is reduced.

For this reason, some users may demand a refund, and there is a case in which the user loses the credibility of the amusement facility and does not reuse the amusement facility. In addition, the operating time of the photo sticker vending machine will be reduced by the flash replacement time, which will also reduce the profit of the amusement facility. further,
There may be a case where another user who is waiting in line next to the user cannot give up the usage because he cannot wait, and the profit is reduced accordingly.

The present invention shortens or eliminates the stop time of the photo sticker vending machine at least during the business hours of the amusement facility by switching the flash to be emitted, and the flash correctly emits light and becomes normal. The purpose is to always provide the photographed seal sheet taken.

[0008]

According to the present invention, a subject is illuminated by one or more illumination means, the illuminated subject is imaged by an imaging means, and a photograph sticker of the imaged subject is printed by a printing means. An automatic photo sticker selling method for selling a photo sticker, wherein the lighting means is composed of a plurality of light emitters having at least the same irradiation direction, and the light emitters to be emitted can be switched by a switching means. Is characterized by.

The luminous body includes a strobe bulb, an incandescent bulb, and a fluorescent tube. The illuminating means includes an illuminating means in which a plurality of the light emitting bodies are configured inside, or an illuminating means in which a plurality of the single light emitting bodies are collected. The switching means may be manual or automatic.

With the above-described structure, for example, when a sufficient amount of light is not emitted due to the life of the light emitter, the light emitter to be emitted is switched by the switching means to quickly bring the photo sticker vending lighting means to a normal state. You can Further, for example, it is possible to switch the light emitters to be emitted before the life of the light emitters to automatically sell the photo sticker in a normal state at all times. It is also possible to replace the body at once and reduce the number of times the light emitter is maintained.

The present invention can be provided as a photo sticker vending apparatus for controlling the above-mentioned photo sticker vending method by a control means. Accordingly, the photo sticker vending machine can be used to actually sell the photo sticker automatically.

As a preferred embodiment, in the photo sticker vending machine, the luminous body is formed of a strobe light,
A photographic sticker vending machine can be provided in which the lighting means is composed of a lighting unit formed of a plurality of strobe balls. That is, the amount of light can be increased by using a stroboscopic light bulb as the light emitting body, and by integrating the lighting means as a lighting unit formed by a plurality of stroboscopic light bulbs, it is stable even when the strobe light bulb to be emitted by the switching means is switched. The lighting effect can be obtained.

As a preferred embodiment, the photo sticker vending apparatus includes a counting means for counting the usage of the user, and a storage means for storing the usage limit for allowing continued use of the light emitter as a usage limit. A comparison means for comparing the count value of the counting means with the usage limit,
A photo sticker vending machine may be provided in which the control means is set to perform processing for causing the switching means to perform switching based on the comparison result of the comparison means.

The counting of the use of the user includes counting the amount of use or counting the number of uses. With the above-described configuration, for example, the number of times of use that reaches the number of times of light emission of the light emitter is stored in the storage unit as a use limit, and the light emitter that emits light is switched when the count value of the counting unit reaches the use limit. Thus, the illumination means of the photo sticker vending device can be maintained normally at all times.

As a preferred embodiment, the photo sticker vending apparatus includes a counting means for counting the number of times of light emission of the light emitter, and a storage means for storing a light emission limit number of times for permitting continued use of the light emitter. An automatic photo sticker including a comparison means for comparing the count value of the counting means with the light emission limit number of times, and setting a process for causing the control means to execute switching by the switching means based on the comparison result of the comparison means. It can be a vending device.

That is, by counting the actual number of times the light emitter emits light and comparing it with the limit number of times of light emission, it is possible to switch more accurately in the vicinity of the lifetime of the light emitter than when counting the above-mentioned usage. That is, the difference in the number of times of light emission due to the difference in the number of times of photographing within one sale is not affected.

As a preferred embodiment, the photo sticker vending machine stores a detection means for detecting a light emitting state of the light emitting body, and a memory for storing a light emitting state as a light emission determination value for permitting continued use of the light emitting body. Means and a comparison means for comparing the light emission state detected by the detection means with the light emission determination value, and the control means is set to perform processing for causing the switching means to perform switching based on the comparison result of the comparison means. The photo sticker vending machine can be used.
That is, by switching after detecting the light emitting state of the light emitting body, the light emitting body can be used until the light emitting body stops emitting light, and it is possible to cope with a difference in life of each light emitting body.

As a preferred embodiment, the photo sticker vending machine is a photo sticker vending machine provided with a notifying means for urging the user to retake an image when the result of comparison by the comparing means is abnormal. be able to. That is, the user can take a picture again when the light emitting body is not normal, and it is possible to avoid selling the photo sticker in which the lighting means does not normally emit light as it is.

As a preferred embodiment, the photo sticker vending machine includes a switching return means for returning to the original state by the switching by the switching means, and the returning by the returning means is performed based on the number of times of the return. The described photo sticker vending machine can be provided with a return count control means for stopping.

That is, for example, when switching is performed due to the fact that the light emitting body does not emit light accidentally before the end of its life, the light emitting body can be reused by returning by the returning means, for example, 3
By stopping the return once the return is performed, it is possible to avoid using a light emitter that can be judged to have actually expired.
It is possible to reliably use the light emitter for its lifetime.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment, the photo sticker vending apparatus allows the continuous use of the light emitter after switching as a light emission determination value and a detection means for detecting the light emitting state of the light emitter after switching. Storage means for storing the light emission state, comparison means for comparing the light emission state detected by the detection means with the light emission determination value, and confirmation means for confirming the abnormality when the comparison result by the comparison means is abnormal A photo sticker vending machine provided with and can be provided. That is, by confirming the abnormality after switching, it is possible to predict the possibility that, for example, the light emitting body does not emit light other than the light emitting body.

The present invention can be a photo sticker sheet printed or printed by the photo sticker vending method. As a result, the user can obtain the photo sticker sheet imaged by the photo sticker vending method.

[0023]

According to the present invention, it is possible to quickly switch the light-emitting body to emit light, for example, when the light-emitting body does not emit light due to its life. Further, by counting the number of times the user uses or emits light, for example, it is possible to switch the light emitting body to emit light before the light emitting body reaches the end of its life, and the photo sticker in which the light emitting body does not emit enough light is sold as it is. It is possible to avoid a problem and a problem that a waiting time for exchanging the light emitter occurs due to the life.

Further, by detecting the light emitting state of the light emitting body, it is possible to switch the light emitting body when the light emitting body does not emit light, and it is possible to cope with variations in the life of each light emitting body. In addition, since it is possible to take a picture again when the light emitter does not emit light due to the notification, it is possible to avoid selling an abnormal dark photo sticker to the user as it is, which leads to an improvement in user satisfaction.

Further, if a plurality of light emitters are sequentially switched at each life, it is possible to replace a plurality of light emitters that have reached the end of their life at a time, and the maintenance intervals for light emitter replacement become longer, resulting in higher work efficiency. improves.

Further, by performing the process of returning the switched light emitting body by the returning means a predetermined number of times and then stopping the returning,
Even when the luminous body does not emit light accidentally, the original luminous body can be continuously used by recovering. Further, it is possible to continue to use the light-emitting body that has been switched after it has been determined that the light-emitting body has actually reached the end of its life when the light-emitting body has returned a predetermined number of times, and the light-emitting body can be used up to the end of its life to effectively use resources.

[0027]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration of the photo sticker vending machine 1 will be described together with a perspective view showing the appearance of the photo sticker vending machine 1 shown in FIG.

The photo sticker vending machine 1 has an imaging space surrounded by a box-shaped frame, and a housing 2 is installed on one side surface thereof. The upper half of the housing 2 forms a box-shaped hollow illumination box 3, which is formed by opening the front surface with a reflection plate 32 having an inner surface coated with white.

On the front surface of the illumination box 3, a diffusing plate 31 is provided on the upper side and the left and right sides with a gap from the center downward. The left and right diffuser plates are tilted slightly inward from the front, and the upper ones are tilted slightly downward from the front so that the upper and left and right plate surfaces of the diffuser plate 31 are It is formed so as to face the subject in the center of the imaging space.

Inside the illuminating box 3, three illuminating devices 16a, 16b, 16c for stroboscopic light emission are provided with their backs facing the diffusing plate 31, and the illuminating device 16a is provided with its illuminating direction slightly upward and below it. The illuminating devices 16b and 16c are arranged side by side so that the illuminating directions are outwardly opened.

A digital camera 17 is provided in the center of the front surface of the illumination box 3, and the front surface of the housing 2 is provided so that the image pickup direction is slightly downward from the horizontal and the image pickup direction can be changed up and down. In the center, a display 1 for displaying images
8 and the display 18 has a touch panel 14b
And an input device for touch-inputting graffiti and the like with the touch pen 14a. A lower portion of the front of the housing 2 is provided with an input port 15a for inserting coins (for example, coins), and a photo sticker discharge port 19a for printing and discharging the photo sticker 5 on the right side surface thereof and a strobe lighting body 26 described later are manually operated. A changeover switch 21 for changing over is provided in parallel. The changeover switch 21 is provided with a cover with a key so that only a store clerk can operate it. Inside the lower part of the housing 2, a ceiling illumination box 4 having a quadrangular shape in a plan view and a trapezoid in a side view and a front view is provided in a ceiling portion of a frame portion of a photo sticker vending machine 1 including a PC (personal computer) 11. The ceiling lighting box 4 has a diffusing plate 41 for diffusing light on the bottom surface and a reflecting plate 42 having an inner surface painted white on the other surface so as to be hollow, and the housing 2 side is slightly below horizontal. Prepare to tilt.

Inside the ceiling lighting box 4, a lighting device 16d for emitting a strobe light is provided so that the lighting direction is upward from the horizontal direction toward the housing 2, and the light is reflected by the reflecting plate 42. The light is diffused by the diffusion plate 41 and the subject is illuminated from above.

Due to the above-mentioned configuration of the illumination means, the light from the illumination devices 16a, 16b, 16c and 16d is reflected inside the illumination box 3 and the ceiling illumination box 4 by the reflector plate 3.
The reflected light is reflected in various directions by 2, 42, and the reflected light is diffused by the diffuser plates 31, 41 to illuminate the subject substantially uniformly.

Next, with reference to the perspective view shown in FIG. 2, the external appearance of the illumination device 16 (general term for the illumination devices 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d) will be described. The illuminating device 16 is formed in a vertically long box shape with an open front surface, and hoods 16k are formed on both sides of the open surface so as to be widened toward the end. Inside the illuminating device 16, three stroboscopic lighting bodies 26 having stroboscopic bulbs are evenly arranged in the vertical direction, and strobe lighting bodies 26x, 26y, and 26z are arranged in order from the top.

With the above configuration, the lighting device 16 uses, for example, only the strobe lighting body 26x at first to emit light, and causes the strobe lighting body 26y to emit light if the strobe lighting body 26x does not emit light due to a life or the like. Switch to and use.

Next, together with the circuit block diagram shown in FIG.
The structure of the photo sticker vending machine 1 will be described. The control device 12 that executes the control process is provided inside the PC 11 and executes the control process of each device and the execution of the program.
The input device 14 includes a touch panel 14b and a touch pen 14a that are provided on the display 18 as described above.
And the control device 12 using a signal corresponding to the contents operated by the user with the touch pen 14a as an input signal.
Send to. The money handling device 15 has the above-mentioned input port 15a.
It is provided in the inside of the, and determines the authenticity and the denomination of the inserted coins (for example, coins) and transmits the inserted amount as a processing signal to the control device 12. It should be noted that this processing signal also serves as a start signal for starting the play of the photo sticker vending machine 1.

The change-over switch 21 is one of the three strobe lighting bodies 26 (FIG. 2) provided in the lighting device 16 in accordance with a changeover by a store clerk manually or a switching control signal (virtual line in the figure) from the control device 12. Strobe lighting body 2 that emits light
Switch 6 The lighting device 16 is the lighting box 3 described above.
And the ceiling lighting box 4 are housed in the interior of the ceiling lighting box 4, and the strobe lighting body 26 executes strobe light emission in accordance with a lighting control signal from the control device 12 to reflect the light.
The light is reflected by 42 and further diffused by the diffusion plates 31, 41,
Illuminates the subject almost uniformly.

The digital camera 17 receives a shutter signal from the control device 12, executes image pickup, and transmits image data such as moving image data and still image data to the control device 12. The display 18 receives the RGB signal from the control device 12, and displays an image according to the signal. Printer 1
9 receives print image data from the control device 12,
The print image is printed on the photo sticker 5 (FIG. 1) and discharged.

When the storage device 13 shown by a virtual line in the figure is provided, the storage device 13 is provided inside the PC 11 described above,
The stored data is read by the control device 12, and the data is written as necessary. When the sensor 20 shown by the phantom line in the figure is provided, the sensor 20 receives a sensor control signal from the control device 12, detects the light emission state (for example, the light amount) of the lighting device 16, and sends the detection signal to the control device 12. Send.

Next, a switching circuit for switching the strobe illumination body 26 will be described with reference to the circuit block diagram shown in FIG. The switching circuit includes a strobe charging circuit shown on the left side of the drawing and a strobe light emitting circuit shown on the right side of the drawing.

At the time of strobe charging, the charging switch 7 is turned off.
N, the illumination control switch 8 is turned off, and the capacitor 9 is charged with the electric charge from the power source. At the time of stroboscopic light emission, the lighting control switch 8 is also turned on by a lighting control signal which will be described later, and a current is passed from the capacitor 9 to the lighting device 16 at a stroke, and the changeover switch 21 is turned on.
Light up.

The change-over switch 21 changes the current path to the lighting device 16 and switches the strobe lighting body 26 to emit light. With the above configuration, by switching the changeover switch 21, it is possible to switch the strobe illumination body 26 that emits light.

Next, the operation of the photo sticker vending machine 1 having the above-described configuration and structure will be described with reference to the process flow charts shown in FIGS. First, manual switching will be described. In this case, when a clerk checks the activation of the photo sticker vending machine 1 or when the user notifies the lighting device 16 that the lighting device 16 does not emit light or the photo sticker 5 has a dark finish, the side surface of the housing 2 is displayed. A clerk manually switches the provided changeover switch 21 (FIG. 1) to change the light emitting body 26 to emit light.

According to this method, the illumination of the photo sticker vending machine 1 can be returned to the normal state only by physically switching the changeover switch 21, so that the waiting time for the user can be reduced. Further, since the changeover switch 21 is provided on the side surface of the housing 2, the store clerk does not have to interrupt the imaging space where the user takes a photographing pose, so that the user does not feel uncomfortable.

Next, a case where the changeover switch 21 is automatically changed over by predicting the life of the strobe illumination body 26 by accumulating the amount of money to be charged will be described with reference to the process flow charts of FIGS. The photo sticker vending machine 1 in this case is the storage device 1
3 (FIG. 3), but not the sensor 20.

FIG. 5 shows a processing flow chart of the maintenance processing for setting how much the input money should be accumulated before switching. First, the maintenance mode of the photo sticker vending machine 1 is activated (step m1). Control device 1
2 reads the setting information from the storage device 13 (step m
3) The screen for setting the game fee is displayed on the display 18.

When the clerk is touched with the touch pen 14a and the game fee is set to, for example, 500 yen (step m
3), the control device 12 displays on the display 18 a screen for setting the number of lifespan of the strobe lighting body 26. When the salesclerk is touched with the touch pen 14a and the number of lifespan is set to, for example, 10,000 times (step m4), the control device 12 causes the display 18 to display one of the elements (devices) that constitute the photo sticker vending machine 1. Display the screen for setting the component to check the operation.

When the salesclerk is touched with the touch pen 14a,
The components to be checked for operation are, for example, lighting devices 16a
b, 16c, 16d (step m5),
The control device 12 ends the maintenance mode (step m6), and overwrites each setting information in the storage device 13 (step m7). In addition, the above-mentioned operation check is performed at the time of starting when the power of the photo sticker vending machine 1 is turned on, and
Check whether 6 is normal or not.

FIG. 6 shows the automatic sale processing of the photograph sticker vending machine 1. When the user inserts coins (for example, 500-yen coins), the control device 12 adds the inserted amount to the storage device 13 and accumulates the accumulated amount of money (for example, 9,999 is currently used, and this time the number of times is 10,000. Since it has become 5,00
(¥ 10,000) is stored (step n1), and a screen for determining the shooting frame is displayed on the display 18. For the photographing frame, it is possible to select, for example, even four divisions in which four stickers of the same size are evenly arranged on the photo sticker 5 for printing, mixed six divisions in which two large sizes and four small sizes are arranged. .

When the user is touched with the touch pen 14a and the photographing frame is set to, for example, four equal divisions (step n2), the control device 12 displays the image photographed by the digital camera 17 on the display 18 as a moving image. Then, the photographing process is started, and the user counts down and photographs the user (step n3).

When the photographing is completed, the control device 12 controls the above-mentioned lifetime (10,000) to the above-mentioned game fee (500).
It is compared whether the lifetime amount (5,000,000) multiplied by is smaller than the cumulative input amount (5,000,000) (step n4).

In this case, since the life money is not less than the total money invested, the lighting devices 16a, 16b for emitting light,
In order to switch the strobe illumination bodies 26 of 16c and 16d, the control device 12 sends a changeover control signal to the changeover switch 2
1 (step n5).

The change-over switch 21 which has received the change-over control signal is, for example, the strobe illumination body 26x which is emitting light.
To switch the strobe illumination body 26y to emit light (step n6).

When the switching is completed, the control device 12 displays the photographed image on the display 18 and executes the scribble process for making the user scribble with the touch pen 14a (step n7). When the scribble process is completed, the scribble process is completed. The image is printed on the photograph sticker 5 by the printer 19 and discharged from the photograph sticker discharge port 19a (step n8).

If the amount of life is less than the accumulated amount of money in step n4, it is not necessary to switch the strobe illumination body 26, so the process proceeds to the graffiti processing in step n7. By this method, the strobe lighting body 26 that automatically emits light when the life of the strobe lighting body 26 approaches
Therefore, the dissatisfaction of the user due to the fact that the strobe illumination body 26 does not emit light can be reduced.

Next, a case will be described in which the changeover switch 21 is automatically changed over by predicting the life of the strobe lighting body 26 by accumulating the number of times the strobe lighting body 26 emits light. In this case, since the processing is almost the same as the case of automatically switching by accumulating the amount of money to be charged, only different parts will be described.
The maintenance process described in FIG. 5 is the same as the above-described operation. In the automatic vending processing described with reference to FIG. 6, the photographing processing in step n3, the comparison processing in step n4, and the switching processing in step n6 are slightly different.

In the photographing process of step n3, the control device 1
Reference numeral 2 indicates a moving image of the image taken by the digital camera 17 on the display 18 and enters a photographing process to count down and photograph the user. At the same time, the stroboscopic illumination body 26 is updated by incrementing the number of times of light emission by 1 ( Step n
3). In the comparison processing in step n4, the control device 12
A comparison is made whether the number of times of light emission is less than the number of times of life.

In the switching process of step n6, the changeover switch 21 which has received the switching control signal switches the strobe illumination body 26x that has been emitting light to cause the strobe illumination body 26y to emit light, and at the same time sets the number of times of light emission. Clear and update to 0. According to this method, the number of times the strobe lighting body 26 emits light can be reliably counted, so that there is no shortage of counting such as service play that occurs when the life is predicted by accumulating the amount of money to be charged, and more accurate prediction can be made.
In this case, since it is not necessary to store the total amount of money paid in step n1, it may be omitted.

Next, the case of detecting the light emission of the strobe illumination body 26 and automatically switching the changeover switch 21 will be described with reference to the process flow chart of FIG. In this case, the storage device 13 (FIG. 3) and the sensor 20 are provided. In addition, in order to switch when the strobe illumination body 26 does not emit light,
It also informs the user that re-imaging is required.

When the user inserts coins (for example, 500-yen coins) (step p1), the display 18 displays a screen for determining the photographing frame. The photographing frame includes, for example, a photo sticker 5 with four seals of the same size evenly arranged and printing, or a large size 2
It is possible to select a sheet, a mixed 6-division in which 4 small sheets are arranged.

When the user is touched with the touch pen 14a and the photographing frame is set to, for example, four equal divisions (step p2), the control device 12 displays a moving image of the image photographed by the digital camera 17 on the display 18. Then, the photographing process is started, and the user counts down and photographs the user (step p3).

Simultaneously with the photographing, the control device 12 receives the light quantity of the strobe lighting body 26 detected by the sensor 20, compares the light quantity with a threshold value stored in the storage device 13, and the strobe lighting body 26 is determined to be sufficient. It is determined whether or not the light is emitted with the amount of light (step p4).

When it is determined that the light is not emitted with a sufficient amount of light, the control device 12 displays on the display 18 that the image was not taken normally, so please take another image and inform the user that the image will be taken again (step p5), a switching control signal is transmitted to the selector switch 21 (step p6).

The change-over switch 21 which has received the change-over control signal is, for example, the strobe lighting body 26x which is emitting light.
And the strobe illumination body 26y are caused to emit light, and the process returns to step p3 (step p7).

When it is determined in step p4 that the light is emitted with a sufficient amount of light, the control device 12 displays the photographed image on the display 18 and executes the scribble process for making the user scribble with the touch pen 14a (step p8). When the graffiti processing is completed, the graffiti image is printed on the photograph sticker 5 by the printer 19 and discharged from the photograph sticker discharge port 19a (step p9).

By this method, the strobe illumination body 26 can be switched when it does not emit light, and can be appropriately switched regardless of the variation in the life of the strobe illumination body 26. Further, by re-photographing, the user can be provided with the photo sticker 5 with the normal illumination, and the user does not have to wait for the switching. The threshold may be set in the maintenance process.

Next, together with the process flow diagram of FIG. 8, the flash switch 26 is automatically switched by detecting the light emission of the strobe lighting body 26, and the strobe lighting body 26 is made to emit light by returning until a limited number of times. The case of returning will be described. In this case, the storage device 13 (FIG. 3) and the sensor 20
Equipped with. Further, since switching is performed when the strobe illumination body 26 does not emit light, the user is notified that re-imaging is necessary.

When the user inserts coins (for example, 500-yen coins) (step r1), a screen for determining the photographing frame is displayed on the display 18. The photographing frame includes, for example, a photo sticker 5 with four seals of the same size evenly arranged and printing, or a large size 2
It is possible to select a sheet, a mixed 6-division in which 4 small sheets are arranged.

When the user is touched with the touch pen 14a and the photographing frame is set to, for example, four equal divisions (step r2), the control device 12 causes the control device 12 to store the number of non-emissions (for example, the stroboscopic illumination body). The number of times that 26x did not emit light is read (step r3).

The control device 12 displays a moving image of the image photographed by the digital camera 17 on the display 18, enters the photographing process, counts down, and photographs the user (step r4).

Simultaneously with the photographing, the control device 12 receives the light quantity of the strobe lighting body 26 detected by the sensor 20, compares the light quantity with a threshold value stored in the storage device 13, and the strobe lighting body 26 is determined to be sufficient. It is determined whether or not light is emitted with the light amount (step r5).

When it is determined that the light is not emitted, the control device 12 displays on the display 18 that the image was not taken normally, and the user should take another image, and informs the user that the image will be taken again (step r6). A switching control signal is transmitted to the switch 21 (step r7).

The change-over switch 21 which has received the change-over control signal is, for example, the strobe lighting body 26x which is emitting light.
Is temporarily switched to light the strobe illumination body 26y (step r8), 1 is added to the number of times of non-light emission, and the process returns to step r4 (step r9).

When it is determined that the light is emitted in step r5, the control device 12 displays the photographed image on the display 18 and executes the scribble process for making the user scribble with the touch pen 14a (step r10). When the process ends, the graffiti image is printed on the photo sticker 5 by the printer 19 and discharged from the photo sticker discharge port 19a (step r11).

The number of times of non-light emission is compared with the number of times of switching limitation (step r12). When the number of times of non-light emission is smaller than the number of times of switching limitation, the stroboscopic illuminator 2 that emits light is used.
6 is returned to the original strobe illuminator 26 (for example, the strobe illuminator 26y is returned to the strobe illuminator 26x) (step r13), and in other cases, the non-light emission count is reset (step r14). The control device 12 saves and stores the final number of times of non-emission in the storage device 13 (step r1).
5).

According to this method, even if the stroboscopic illumination body 26 does not emit light by accident, the switching can be returned to the original state and can be used until the stroboscopic illumination body 26 actually has reached the end of its life. Effective use of resources can be promoted.

In step r13, the strobe illumination body that emits light is used except when the strobe illumination body 26 to emit light is temporarily switched in step r8 (for example, when the strobe illumination body 26x is used all the time). Body 2
Since 6 corresponds to the original stroboscopic illumination body 26, nothing is operated (that is, the stroboscopic illumination body 26x is left as it is and the restoration is not performed).

When the number of times of non-light emission is reset in step r14, the strobe lighting body 26 (eg, strobe lighting body 26y) which is temporarily switched and used is recognized as the strobe lighting body 26 before switching ( That is, the strobe illumination body 26y serves as a reference, and thereafter, for example, the strobe illumination body 26y is switched to the strobe illumination body 26z, and when returning, the setting is changed to return to the strobe illumination body 26y).

Next, with reference to the process flow chart of FIG. 9, a case will be described in which a failure is notified if light emission does not occur immediately after switching in the embodiment described with reference to FIG. In this case, the storage device 13 (FIG. 3) and the sensor 20 are provided. Further, the same operations as those in the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 8 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

If it is determined in step r5 that the strobe illumination body 26 has not sufficiently emitted light, it is confirmed whether or not it did not emit light immediately after the switching by the changeover switch 21 (step r5.5). If so, a message is displayed on the display 18 telling the store clerk to call because a failure has occurred, and the process ends (step r9.5).

If it is confirmed that the light emission was not sufficient immediately after the switching, the process directly proceeds to step r6. By this method, it is possible to find a defect that the light does not emit immediately after the switching, and it is possible to make the clerk predict that there may be a reason that the light does not emit except the strobe illumination body 26.

In each of the above embodiments, when the changeover is automatically performed, the changeover switch 21 may be formed by an electric switch, and a manual switch may not be provided on the side surface of the housing 2.

The position of the manual selector switch 21 is not limited to the side surface of the housing 2 and may be provided anywhere.

Further, the sensor 20 includes the illumination device 16a,
Four may be provided corresponding to b, c, and d, and a total of 12 may be provided corresponding to each stroboscopic illumination body 26x, y, z.

The lighting device 16 is not limited to strobe lighting, and may be formed of a fluorescent lamp or an incandescent lamp. For example, the lighting devices 16a, 16b, 16c may be combined with stroboscopic lighting and the lighting device 16d may be combined with a fluorescent lamp. good.

Further, for example, one illuminating device 16 may be provided with six strobe illuminating bodies 26, and two strobe illuminating bodies 26 may be used in pairs, and switching may be performed in three stages.

Also, for example, the strobe illumination bodies 26x, y, z of the illumination device 16a and the strobe illumination bodies 26x, y, z of the illumination device 16b may be managed separately and switched.
The strobe illumination bodies 26 of the illumination devices 16a and 16b may be simultaneously switched from 26x to 26y in synchronization.

Further, the strobe illumination bodies 26x, y, z are
The illumination device 16 may not be integrated into one in a box-shaped case or the like, and the strobe illumination bodies 26x, y, z may be simply arranged, for example. In this case, the strobe illumination body 26x, y,
The three zs may be combined and handled as the lighting device 16.

In the correspondence between the structure of the present invention and the above-described embodiment, the photo sticker vending machine of the present invention corresponds to the photo sticker vending machine 1 of the embodiment. Corresponding to the seal 5, the photo sticker sheet corresponds to the photo sticker 5, the control means corresponds to the control device 12, the counting means corresponds to the control device 12,
The comparison means corresponds to the control device 12, the switching return means corresponds to the control device 12, the return number control means corresponds to the control device 12, the storage means corresponds to the storage device 13, and the lighting means The lighting unit corresponds to the lighting device 16, the lighting unit corresponds to the lighting device 16, the imaging unit corresponds to the digital camera 17, the notification unit corresponds to the display 18, the confirmation unit corresponds to the display 18, The printing means corresponds to the printer 19, the detection means corresponds to the sensor 20, the switching means corresponds to the changeover switch 21,
The light-emitting body corresponds to the stroboscopic illumination body 26, and the strobe bulb corresponds to the stroboscopic illumination body 26. However, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and many embodiments are possible. Obtainable.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a photo sticker vending machine.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a lighting device.

FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of a photo sticker vending machine.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of a lighting device and a changeover switch.

FIG. 5 is a processing flowchart of maintenance processing.

FIG. 6 is a process flow chart of an automatic vending process that is switched depending on the input amount of money or the number of times of light emission.

FIG. 7 is a process flow chart of an automatic vending process of detecting and switching light emission.

FIG. 8 is a process flow chart of an automatic vending process in which light is emitted after returning up to a limited number of times.

FIG. 9 is a process flow diagram of an automatic vending process for reporting a failure.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Photo sticker vending machine 5 ... Photo sticker 12 ... Control device 13 ... Storage device 16 ... Lighting device 17 ... Digital camera 18 ... Display 19 ... Printer 20 ... Sensor 21 ... Changeover switch 26 ... Strobe lighting body

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G03B 17/53 G03B 17/53 H05B 37/03 H05B 37/03 E 37/04 37/04 F term (reference) ) 2H053 AA06 AB04 AC13 BA34 CA21 2H102 AB13 BB01 2H104 BC48 3K073 AA86 AA87 AB07 CA01 CF16 CG06 CH21 CJ00 CJ13 CJ14 CJ16

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A subject is illuminated with one or more illumination means,
A method for automatically selling a photograph sticker in which an image of the illuminated subject is picked up by an image pickup means, and a photograph sticker of the picked-up subject is printed and printed by a printing means. And a method for automatically selling a photo sticker, wherein the luminous body which is made to emit light can be switched by a switching means. 2. A photo sticker vending machine for controlling the photo sticker vending method according to claim 1 by a control means. 3. The photo sticker vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the light emitter is formed of a strobe light, and the illuminating means is constituted by an illumination unit formed of a plurality of the strobe light. 4. A counting means for counting the usage of a user, a storage means for storing a usage limit for allowing continued use of the light emitting body as a usage limit, a count value in the counting means and the usage limit. 4. The photo sticker vending machine according to claim 2, further comprising a comparison means for comparing the control means and the control means, and a process for causing the switching means to perform switching based on a comparison result of the comparison means. 5. A counting means for counting the number of times of light emission of the light emitting body, a storage means for storing a light emission limit number of times for permitting continued use of the light emitting body, a count value of the counting means and the light emission limit number of times. 4. A photograph sticker vending machine according to claim 2, further comprising a comparing means for comparing the control means and the control means with a process for causing the switching means to perform switching based on a comparison result of the comparing means. 6. A detection means for detecting a light emission state of the light emitting body, a storage means for storing a light emission state as a light emission determination value for permitting continued use of the light emission body, and a light emission state detected by the detection means. The automatic photo sticker vending machine according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising: a comparison unit that compares the light emission determination values, and a process that causes the control unit to perform switching based on a comparison result of the comparison unit. apparatus. 7. The photo sticker vending machine according to claim 6, further comprising: a notification unit for prompting the user to retake an image when the result of comparison by the comparison unit is abnormal. 8. A switching recovery means for returning the switching by the switching means to the original state and recovering, and a recovery frequency control means for stopping the recovery by the recovery means based on the frequency of the recovery. The automatic photo sticker vending machine according to 5, 6, or 7. 9. A detecting means for detecting a light emitting state of the light emitting body after the switching, a storage means for storing a light emitting state for allowing continued use of the light emitting body after the switching as a light emission determination value, and the detecting means. 9. A comparison means for comparing the light emission state detected in 1. with the light emission determination value, and a confirmation means for confirming the abnormality when the result of comparison by the comparison means is abnormal is provided. The photo sticker vending machine described in one. 10. A photo sticker sheet printed or printed by the photo sticker vending method according to claim 1.