JP2003217009A - Reuse system for automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reuse system for an automatic vending machine for reusing usable parts before reaching its service life instead of wasting the whole automatic vending machine due to a service life or exhaustion of part of component parts of the automatic vending machine. <P>SOLUTION: This system is provided with the automatic vending machine 1 comprising calculating means 11 and 14 to periodically calculate used time and the residual service life of each component part based on its usage conditions, a storage means 12 to store part information including the calculated used time and the residual service life, the name of the part, first date of use, and a logical service life, and a transmitting means 13 to transmit the part information to a control device 30; and the control device 30 including a display means 34 to display the part information received from the automatic vending machine 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention calculates the life of components of a vending machine, notifies the manager of the replacement time,
The present invention relates to a vending machine reuse system that can promote the reuse of vending machines and effectively use resources.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In Japan, vending machines that are easier and faster to purchase products such as soft drinks and cigarettes than face-to-face sales at stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores are useful. Has been done. Therefore, many vending machines are installed in Japan. In fact, there are nearly 120,000 vending machines installed outdoors for soft drinks,
In addition, there are statistics that there are nearly 500,000 cigarette vending machines nationwide. In addition to this, there are vending machines for various products such as cup ramen, ice cream, alcoholic beverages, and magazines.

In most cases, these vending machines are sold to customers such as Botra and shop owners who are trying to do business by placing the vending machines. That is, the ownership of the vending machine was transferred to Botra or the shop owner, and the disposal was left to the discretion of the Botra or the shop owner. Therefore, if the vending machine becomes unusable due to the life or wear of the parts that make up the vending machine, or if it is determined that the vending machine needs to be replaced due to deterioration of the exterior, the vending machine will be replaced. Was often disposed of at the discretion of Botra or the store owner and replaced with a newly purchased vending machine.

[0004]

On the other hand, problems concerning the global environment, such as depletion of global resources and conservation of the global environment, are not only problems of one country, but global efforts are needed, and rapidly. There is a demand for urgent measures to prevent the ongoing destruction of the global environment. Under such circumstances, disposing of the entire vending machine due to the service life or consumption of some of the parts that make up the vending machine as described above also discards parts that are still in a usable state. This is a waste of resources. And
Given the large number of vending machines, it is not permissible to leave this situation alone.

The present invention has been made in view of the above,
Reuse of a vending machine that enables reuse of usable parts that have not reached the end of their life, without disposing of the entire vending machine due to reasons such as the life and wear of some parts that make up the vending machine Aim to get the system.

[0006]

The present invention calculates the service life of components of a vending machine, notifies the manager of the replacement time, prompts reuse of the vending machine, and promotes effective use of resources. The present invention relates to a reusable system for a vending machine, and the object of the present invention is to calculate the usage time and the remaining life of the vending machine at predetermined intervals in consideration of the usage conditions of each component. Means for storing part information including the calculated use time and remaining life, part name, start date of use, and theoretical life, and means for providing the stored part information to an administrator of the vending machine And
It is possible to manage the life of the component (claim 1).

Further, the above object of the present invention is to provide a calculating means for calculating the usage time and the remaining life of each component in a predetermined period in consideration of the usage conditions of each component, the calculated usage time and the remaining life, and the component. A vending machine including storage means for storing parts information including name, start date of use and theoretical life, and transmission means for transmitting the parts information to a management device, and the parts information received from the vending machine And a management device including a display unit for displaying the above, and manages the lifespan of the components of the vending machine (claim 2).

Here, the management device further comprises a transmission means for transmitting the changed part information to the vending machine, and the vending machine is changed by receiving the changed part information. The parts information may be reflected in the vending machine (claim 3). Further, the management device may further include a storage unit capable of cumulatively storing the component information (claim 4).

Further, the above object of the present invention is to provide a calculating means for calculating the usage time and the remaining life of the vending machine in every predetermined period in consideration of the usage conditions of each component, and the calculated usage time and the remaining life. Storage means for storing part information including life, part name, start date of use, and theoretical life,
A vending machine including a transmission unit that transmits the part information to the management server, and a management server including a database that manages the part information received from the vending machine are mutually connected via a network. (Claim 5).

Further, the above-mentioned object of the present invention is to store the component information including the component name of each component, the date of start of use, the usage time, the theoretical life and the remaining life, and the management server for the component information. A vending machine including a communication unit that transmits and receives data to and from the vending machine, a database that manages part information received from the vending machine, and a usage time and a remaining life of the part at the time of receiving the part information from the part information. And a management server that includes a calculating unit that stores the information in the database and a transmitting unit that transmits the component information including the calculated usage time and remaining life to the vending machine, are connected to each other via a network. The parts information transmitted to the vending machine is reflected in the vending machine (claim 6).

Here, further comprising a management device including display means for displaying the component information received from the vending machine, and transmitting means for changing the received component information and transmitting it to the vending machine. The vending machine may receive the changed parts information so that the changed parts information is reflected in the vending machine (claim 7). Moreover, you may further provide the information terminal which can browse the said component information from the said database of the said management server (Claim 8).

Further, in each of the above inventions, the parts information may include information on an installation place of the vending machine (claim 9).

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of a reuse system for a vending machine according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment: FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a reuse system for an automatic vending machine according to the present invention. An automatic control device is provided inside the automatic vending machine. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the management apparatus which manages an automatic vending machine. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a component data table stored in the memory of the automatic control device.

In the vending machine 1, the motor 21, the solenoid 22, the switches 23, the fluorescent lamps 24, the plastics 25, and the like that compose the vending machine 1 are managed together with the life of these parts. An automatic control device 10 that controls each component at the time of sale is installed. The automatic control device 10 is a central processing unit (CPU) that controls the entire device.
Processing Unit) 11, a control program for controlling the CPU 11, information on product prices necessary for the sales operation of the vending machine, the sales amount, and the like, and the components that make up the vending machine 1 according to the present invention. Of the part information including the name, part number, theoretical life of the part, usage time or number of times, remaining life, and the like, and transmission / reception of part information between the vending machine 1 and the management device 30. Communication unit 1
3 and a clock 14 for measuring the service life of the parts of the vending machine 1 and for holding the memory not backed up in memory.
And a power supply 15 for the clock 14 that can operate even when a power failure occurs in the area where the vending machine 1 is installed, and an output / input unit 16 that operates the sales mechanism every time sales are made.
And are equipped with. The CPU 11, memory 12, communication unit 13, clock 14 and output / input unit 16 are connected via a bus line 17.

In the above, the calculation means of the vending machine in the claims corresponds to the CPU 11 and the clock 14, the storage means to the memory 12, and the transmission means to the communication unit 13, respectively.

The management device 30 includes a CPU 31 that controls the entire management device 30, a memory 32 that stores a control program that controls the CPU 31 and component data received from the vending machine 1, and an automatic control device 10. Communication unit 1
3 and a display unit 34 for providing information to the holder of the management device 30.
And an input unit 35 for the owner of the management device 30 to execute commands and input data. These CP
The U 31, the memory 32, the communication unit 33, the display unit 34, and the input unit 35 are connected via a bus line 36.
As the management device 30, it is possible to use a remote control having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 or a portable information terminal such as a notebook or portable personal computer.

In the above description, the display unit of the management device in the claims is the display unit 34, and the transmission unit is the communication unit 3.
Equivalent to 3.

Next, the parts data table stored in the memory 12 of the vending machine 1 will be described. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the parts data table includes parts such as “vending machine number”, “installation place”, and “last updated date” for identifying the vending machine 1 provided with the memory. In addition to items common to all data, "Product name", "Product number", "Theoretical life", "Remaining life", "Start date of use",
It consists of items for storing information about individual parts such as "repair year", "temperature" and "usage conditions" such as "usage time".

The "vending machine number" is a number for uniquely defining the vending machine. The “installation place” indicates the environmental conditions under which the vending machine is installed. In the case of FIG. 2, for example, indoor installation is A, outdoor installation is B, coastal or hot spring installation is C, When the installation in the warehouse is classified into four types, D, it indicates that the vending machine 1 is installed outdoors (B). As described above, in FIG. 2, the “installation place” is roughly classified into four types: indoor installation, outdoor installation, coast / hot spring area, and warehouse, but it is also possible to classify by other methods. is there. For example, classification methods based on postal codes, GPS (Global Positioning S
ystem) antenna on the vending machine 1
It is also possible to carry out classification by the place where the vending machine 1 is installed through the S satellite station. "last updated"
Indicates the date when the parts data table was last updated.

The "product name" is the name of the part managed by the automatic control device 10, and the product number is a number conveniently attached to the part. "Theoretical life" is the normally expected life of the part. The criteria for determining the life of each component differs depending on the component. For example, the motor 21 wears the bearing, the solenoid 22 wears the plunger and the body, the switches 23 wear the contacts, the fluorescent lamp 24 deteriorates the illuminance of the light source, and the plastics 2 wears.
In the case of No. 5, the degree of discoloration due to ultraviolet rays is a criterion for determining the life. Therefore, the theoretical life can be obtained by testing each part with reference to the judgment criteria of each part. Also, the theoretical life of the above parts differs depending on the manufacturer who manufactures the parts, and even the same parts differ depending on the environmental conditions (usage conditions) such as the ambient temperature where the parts are used. It is desirable to classify the theoretical life of components and calculate the life in more detail in consideration of these conditions.

The "remaining life" is a value calculated by subtracting a later-described use time or number of uses from the theoretical life.
The "use start date" is the date (day) when the use of the part is started, and when the part is newly installed, the installation date (day) indicates when the part is replaced. The exchange date applies. The “repair date” is the date (day) when the part was repaired. The “temperature” of the “use condition” is a temperature condition in the environment in which the part is used, and is considered when calculating the remaining life. The "use time or number of times of use" of the "use condition" is the time or number of times that the part has actually been operated. "Required conversion" is an item checked when "remaining life" becomes a value of 0 or less or a value of a predetermined positive value or less. If this item is checked, it indicates that the part is about to be replaced or is about to be replaced.

The "remaining life" and "theoretical life" stored in this part data table are converted into the "remaining life" and "theoretical life" at the operating temperature indicated by "temperature". And

Next, using the flowchart of FIG.
A method of calculating the remaining life of the intermittently operated component will be described. Here, the intermittently operating parts are, for example, the motor 21 when the vending machine 1 sells a product.
The parts when the rotation starts and the parts when the switches 23 operate.

First, the load of each component of the vending machine 1, that is, the time or the number of times each component operates when selling one product provided by the vending machine 1 to the consumer, It is set in the "load" item of the parts data table in the memory 12 (step S1). at the same time,
Values such as usage conditions (temperature) in which the parts are used are also set. Here, since the load of each component is a value peculiar to the vending machine 1, it is preset when the vending machine 1 is shipped.

Further, the number of operations per day, that is, the number of times of sale of goods is set in the memory 12 from the conditions such as the place where the vending machine 1 is installed (step S2). The number of times this product is sold depends on the installation environment similar to that of the vending machine 1 to be installed (for example, whether it is a place with a large number of people or a small number of people)
The value aggregated as past sales data at the location in is used.

CP of the vending machine 1 installed at a certain place
U11 calculates the usage time or the number of times each component is used, for example, every predetermined period such as daily, weekly or monthly (step S3), and by subtracting the calculated usage time from the theoretical life, The remaining life is calculated (step S4). Then, the calculated use time or number of uses and remaining life are rewritten and stored in the corresponding part of the part data table in the memory 12 (step S5). In this way, the calculation process of the remaining life for each predetermined period is completed. When the remaining life reaches a value of 0 or less or a value of a predetermined positive value or less, it is possible to check the "replacement required" item in FIG. 2 in order to notify the replacement.

Furthermore, regarding the method of calculating the remaining life of the intermittently operating parts, the motor A in the parts data table stored in the memory 12 in the vending machine 1 shown in FIG. The details will be described. Here, the motor A operates for 10 seconds each time one product is sold, the number of sales of the product by the vending machine 1 is 30 times a day, It is premised that the vending machine 1 is installed on the first day of the month (four years before the present) and that the vending machine 1 renews the remaining life at noon every day.

Four years after the vending machine 1 was installed, 2
The usage time and the remaining life of the motor A automatically calculated as follows are stored in the part data table of the memory 12 in the vending machine 1 at noon on February 1, 001.

First, according to the precondition, since the motor A operates 30 times a day and operates for 10 seconds each time, C
With PU11, the usage time per day is 300 seconds /
It is calculated to be 109,500 seconds / year per day. When this is converted into a four-year usage time from February 1, 1997 to February 1, 2001, it is 109,500 seconds / year × 4 years = 438,000 seconds≈12.
It will be 0 hours. Here, since the theoretical life of the motor A is 1,000 hours, the remaining life is 1,000 hours-120 hours = 880 hours after subtracting the usage time from the theoretical life. Therefore, the usage time and the remaining life of the motor A stored in the parts data table of the memory 12 at 60 ° C. as of noon on February 1, 2001 are shown in the parts data table of FIG. So 120 hours and 880 hours respectively.

In the above example, the life is represented by time, but the life is represented by the number of times instead of time, such as the switches 23, can be similarly obtained. it can.

On the other hand, for the parts such as the fluorescent lamp 24 and the plastics 25, whose usage time is continuously counted after the vending machine 1 is installed, the CPU 1
1 continuously calculates their remaining lives using the clock 14. That is, assuming that the theoretical life of the fluorescent lamp 24 is, for example, 2 years, the CPU 11 measures for 2 years from the start of use, and at the time of 2 years, stores a message to the effect that it is a life in the parts data table. . During this time, the remaining life obtained by subtracting the measured operating time from the theoretical life for each predetermined period is overwritten and stored in the parts data table so that the administrator of the vending machine can easily use the remaining life. It becomes possible to confirm the life.

Next, using the flowchart of FIG.
The operation processing procedure of the management device 30 will be described. First,
The manager of the vending machine 1 receives the data in the parts data table of the vending machine 1 into the memory 32 through the communication unit 13 of the automatic control device 10 and the communication unit 33 of the management device 30 (step S11). . At this time, the contents of the parts data table at the time of reception by the management device 30 are taken into the memory 32 of the management device 30 together with the “vending machine number” for identifying the vending machine 1.

The CPU 31 of the management device 30 asks the administrator whether or not to set the vending machine 1 (step S12). When the administrator's purpose is to set the vending machine 1 (Yes in step S12), the administrator inputs the necessary items for the target parts of the vending machine 1 using the input unit. The procedure is performed from step 35 (step S13). For example, in the case of a newly installed vending machine 1, the use conditions such as the start date of use, temperature, and installation location are input from the input unit 35. In addition, if the administrator aims to repair the vending machine 1, the repair date is input for the repaired part, and if the part is replaced, the usage start date and usage The time rewriting is performed by the input unit 35.
Start from.

After inputting the necessary items for the target parts in the management device 30, the memory 3 of the management device 30 is completed.
The data input in 2 is transmitted to the automatic control device 10 via the communication unit 33 and the communication unit 13 of the automatic control device 10 (step S14). The transmitted data is written and set in the memory 12 of the automatic control device 10, and the process ends.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S12 that the purpose of the administrator is not to set the vending machine 1 (No in step S12), the CPU 31 asks the administrator whether to confirm the state of the parts. Ask (step S15). When the administrator selects to check the status of parts (step S
If Yes in 15), the display unit 34 of the management device 30
The contents of the received parts data table stored in the memory 12 of the vending machine 1 are displayed on the screen, and the administrator can browse the status of the parts (step S1).
6).

Here, if there is a part that has reached the end of its life and / or if there is a part that will soon reach the end of its life, a message to that effect is automatically displayed on the display unit 34. It is very convenient for management. For example, immediately after the data is fetched from the memory 12 of the automatic control device 10 in step S11, or in step S12.
It is possible to display the product name or the like that needs to be replaced on the display unit 3 after the selection of the state confirmation of the component has been performed with. The product name that needs to be replaced is obtained by extracting the product name for which the “replacement required” item in the parts data table of FIG. 2 is checked.

In this way, when the existence of a part that has reached the end of its life can be confirmed, the administrator can arrange the part and can quickly replace the part. In addition, even when it is possible to confirm the existence of a part that will reach the end of its life soon, the administrator can arrange replacement parts, and when the part reaches the end of life, the part can be promptly replaced. It will be possible. In this case, it is also possible to predict how long the part will reach the end of its life, so that the part can be replaced at a time substantially close to the life of the part.

When the administrator finishes checking the state of the parts,
The processing by the management device 30 ends. On the other hand, step S
If the administrator does not select the confirmation of the state of the component in 15 (No in step S15), it is determined that there is no corresponding process, and the process ends.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a remote controller used as a management device. The remote controller 30A as the management device 30 has a display unit 34 for displaying information to the manager of the vending machine 1.
And an input unit 35 for inputting information.

The input unit 35 mainly includes a character input button 61, a content switching button 62, and a data transmission / reception button 63. In the figure, a button 61 for entering characters
Is a character input switching button 61k for switching the character input between Hiragana, English letters and numbers, and a conversion button 61l.
They are arranged as number buttons 61a to 61j. In addition, a write button 61n for executing selection and confirming character input, a clear button 61m for deleting an input character, and the like are also provided. By pressing the character input switching button 61k, the current character input mode is displayed on the character switching display portion 51 near the upper left portion of the display portion 34.

The contents switching button 62 includes sales information,
A mode switching button 62a for switching and displaying the parts list or the failure on the display unit 34, and display switching buttons 62b, 62c for switching the screen for each screen when all the data is not displayed on the display unit 34, An item selection button 62d for placing the cursor on an item displayed on the display unit 34 is included. The current mode by the mode switching button 62a is displayed near the upper center 52 of the display unit 34.

The data transmission / reception button 63 has a send button 63a for transmitting data input to the memory of the management device 30 to the memory of the vending machine 1A and the like, and conversely to the memory of the vending machine 1A and the like. A reception button 63b for receiving the stored data in the memory of the management device 30 is included.

Next, a case of inputting hiragana characters from the input section 60 of the remote controller 30A will be described. First,
The type of character input mode to be input is selected with the character input switching button 61k. Each time the character input switching button 61k is pressed, the character switching display section 51 at the upper left of the display section 34 is pressed.
Since the current character input mode is displayed, the character input switching button 61k is pressed until this display becomes "Hiragana". Then, it becomes possible to input the hiragana while the character switching display portion 51 displays "hiragana".

Hiragana is input as follows. The number buttons 61a to 61j are buttons "1" to
The order of the button "0" corresponds to the hiragana row and the row. That is, the button "1" 61a corresponds to "A line", the button "2" 61b corresponds to "ka line", ... And the button "0" 61j corresponds to "Wa line". Also, each time the same number button is pressed, the character in the next row in each line appears. That is,
Each time the "1" button 61a is pressed, the characters on the display unit 34 change such as "A → I → U → E → O → A → ...". When the desired character appears, press the button corresponding to the line to which the next character belongs. For example, if you want to enter "Keikoto", press the button "2" 61b.
4 times, button "1" 61a twice, button "2" 61
b 5 times, button "1" 61a 3 times, button "4" 6
Press 1d five times and button "1" 61a three times. The same can be done when inputting English characters.

The data read from the automatic control device 10 using the remote controller 30A shown in FIG. 5 is set as follows. The administrator executes step S12 in FIG.
When you select the setting for vending machine 1A, etc. with, remote control 3
The display section 34 of 0A is in the parts list mode, and the product name is 5
They are displayed on the display unit 34 in the order of 0 sound. At this time, the cursor is placed on the item name displayed at the top. The administrator can press the item selection button 62d once to move the cursor to the product name displayed one below, and by repeating this operation, the desired product name can be selected. . As a method for selecting an item, the character switching button 61k is used to switch to the hiragana mode, and the number buttons 61a to 61j are used to input the initial letters of an arbitrary product name and the write button 61.
When n is pressed, the cursor is moved to the first product name having the initial letter, and then the item selection button 62d can be pressed to move the cursor to the desired product name.

After the cursor is moved to the desired product name and the write button 61n is pressed, the information of the part corresponding to the product name is displayed in the display section 34. This component information is data in the component data table, that is, items such as product name, product number, theoretical life, and remaining life. An item to be set among these items is brought into a state where the item can be set by aligning the cursor and selecting the write button 61n by the same method as in the case where the cursor is aligned with the product name described above. For example, when installing a new vending machine 1A or the like and setting the use start date, first use the above-mentioned method, "use start date".
Select an item. Then, since the year and month at the time of setting is displayed on the display unit 34, if the write button 61n is further pressed in this state, the year and month at the time of setting can be set as the "use starting year and month". In addition, new vending machine 1
In A and the like, data such as a product name, a product number, and a theoretical life are not input because they are input in advance at the time of manufacturing the vending machine.

The confirmation of the parts using the remote controller 30A can also be performed by performing the same operation as the above-mentioned setting of the parts and displaying the detailed information of the parts on the display unit 34.

The management device 30 such as the remote controller 30A
In addition, a storage device for storing the data received from the vending machine 1 may be provided. With this configuration, it is possible to cumulatively store the component information of all the vending machines 1 that the administrator has patrolled and inspected. As a result, it becomes possible to collectively process and manage the parts of the vending machine 1 that have been inspected at the end of the inspection. The storage device here corresponds to the storage means of the management device in the claims.

According to the first embodiment, the automatic control device 10 for calculating the usage time of the components of the vending machine 1 and calculating the remaining life from the usage time and the theoretical life is provided. Since it is configured, it is possible to manage the usage status of each component that constitutes the vending machine 1. As a result, it is possible to know the replacement time of those parts. Therefore, when a part of the parts constituting the vending machine 1 has reached the end of its life, the parts can be replaced without discarding the whole vending machine 1. By exchanging, it is possible to improve the utilization efficiency of the vending machine 1 as a whole. Further, even when the vending machine 1 is removed and disposed of, the remaining life of the component parts is managed, so that it is possible to provide a more accurate judgment material as to whether the parts are reused or discarded.

Second Embodiment: FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the reuse system of the vending machine according to the present invention. In FIG. 6, 1A, 1
B, 1C, 1D, ... are vending machines,
Reference numeral 70 is a network, 71 is a management server that centrally manages the vending machines 1A and the like connected to the network 70, and 30 is a management device that an administrator has.

The network 70 may be wired or wireless as long as it can communicate information between the vending machine 1A and the like and the management server 71. Further, the management server 71 includes a database for collectively storing component information of each vending machine 1A and the like connected to the network 70, and a control device for managing the information. FIG. 7 shows an example of a database stored in the management server 71. FIG. 7A shows a parts database, and FIG. 7B shows correction coefficients for more accurately calculating the usage time of each part. It is a correction coefficient database for temperature coefficients etc.

Also in the second embodiment, the configurations of the vending machine 1A and the like and the management device 30 are the same as the structures of the vending machine 1 and the management device 30 described in the first embodiment. Therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

In the above, the calculation means of the vending machine in the claims corresponds to the CPU 11 and the clock 14, the storage means to the memory 12, and the transmission means and the communication means to the communication unit 13, respectively. Further, the calculation means and the transmission means of the management server in the claims correspond to the control device. Further, the display unit of the management device in the claims corresponds to the display unit 34, and the transmission unit corresponds to the communication unit 33.

First, the parts database illustrated in FIG. 7A will be described. The items stored in the parts database are "Product name", "Product number", "Vending machine number", "Usage conditions", "Usage time", "Theoretical life",
It includes "remaining life", "use start date", "repair date" and "update date".

The "product name" is the name of a part used in each vending machine 1A, etc., and the "product number" is a number representing the product name. The “vending machine number” represents the name of the vending machine to which the part is attached.
A vending machine number or the like that uniquely represents A or the like is applicable.
The “installation location” is further classified into “outdoor” and “indoor”, and the number of years installed in each is stored. The “installation place” may be classified into four types such as the coast or the hot spring area and the warehouse as in the first embodiment, or may be classified into other types.

The "use time or number of times of use" indicates how long or how many times the part has been used in the use environment (use temperature) in which the part is placed. In addition, this FIG.
In the case of, the "use time or the number of uses" at each use temperature is converted and displayed based on the operating state at 5 ° C.

The "theoretical life" is the theoretical life of the component, and this theoretical life is also displayed by converting it to a value when the operating temperature is 5 ° C. The “remaining life” is further classified into items of “hour or number of times”, “5 ° C.”, “15 ° C.”, and “60 ° C.”. "Time or number of times" is a value obtained by subtracting the usage time or the number of times of use from the theoretical life, and this value is also 5
It is displayed by converting to the value at ℃. The values of "5 ° C", "15 ° C", and "60 ° C" in the remaining life indicate the remaining life when the parts are used at the respective temperatures in the future, such as the currently installed vending machine 1A. However, these values are not converted to the values at 5 ° C.
Therefore, the displayed value represents the actual remaining life when the part is used at that temperature.

The "use start date" is the date (day) when the use of the part is started. When the part is newly installed, the install date (day) replaces the part. If so, the exchange date applies. The “repair date” is the date (day) when the part was repaired. The "update date" indicates the date when the information on the component data was updated. Note that the above-mentioned remaining life is items of “5 ° C.”, “15 ° C.”, and “60 ° C.”, but it is not intended to be limited to these, and an arbitrary number of arbitrary temperatures may be set. It is possible.

Next, the correction coefficient database shown in FIG. 7B will be described. The correction coefficient database is a collection of correction coefficients used to calculate the usage time and theoretical life of each component. The items are "product name", "load", "intermittent coefficient", and Includes "temperature coefficient". The "product name" is the name of a part attached to the vending machine 1A or the like. The "load" is the operation time or the number of operations when the component attached to the vending machine 1A or the like sells one product. The "intermittent coefficient" is the case of a part that is operated intermittently, and in the case of correcting the operation time or the number of operations that should be further considered in calculating the life before and after the operation when the part sells one product. Is a coefficient value of. "Temperature coefficient" is a coefficient value for correcting a difference in life of parts due to a difference in use environment, particularly in use temperature. The temperature coefficient in FIG. 7B is also "5".
The items are "° C", "15 ° C", and "60 ° C".
The present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to set an arbitrary number of arbitrary temperatures.

The operation processing procedure of the life calculation method between the management server 71 and each vending machine 1A etc. will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, the vending machine 1A or the like transmits the data of the component information stored in the memory to the management server 71 (step S21). Here, in the case where the vending machine 1A or the like transmits data to the management server 71, when the management server 71 requests the vending machine 1A or the like at predetermined time intervals, the vending machine 1A or the like respectively sets the predetermined time. When sending voluntarily for each period of
It may be sent when inspection or repair is performed, or automatically when the power of the vending machine 1A or the like is turned on, but any of these may be used.
It may also be other cases. The component information transmitted to the management server 71 at this time is data of the component information stored in the component data table shown in FIG. That is, in addition to the vending machine number for identifying the sender and the installation location, the product name, product number, theoretical life, remaining life,
Parts information such as the date of start of use, the date of repair, and the conditions of use are transmitted to the management server 71.

The management server 71 receives the component information (step S22) and stores it in the component database (step S23). The parts database is shown in FIG.
It has the format shown in (a), and the received component information is stored in the corresponding item therein. The update date (reception date) is also stored when storing.

When the received parts information is stored in the parts database, the management server 71 calculates the remaining life (step S24). The remaining life can be calculated by the same method as the method described in the first embodiment. However, in the second embodiment, a calculation method using the correction coefficient will be described in order to further improve the accuracy of the usage time.

Here, the motor A in the correction coefficient database shown in FIG. 7B will be described as an example. Figure 7
As shown in (b), the load of the motor A is 10 seconds, the interruption coefficient is 2, and the temperature coefficient at the use temperature of 60 ° C. is “7”. In addition, the vending machine to which the motor A is attached sells products three times a day, and the vending machine was installed on February 1, 1997 (four years ago from the present). It is assumed that the component information is transmitted to the management server 71 at noon on February 1, 2001.

First, from the prerequisites, the operating time of the motor A per day is 30 seconds / day, and the operating time per year is 10,95.
Calculated as 0 seconds / year. Further, since the intermittent coefficient is 2, the usage time per year is 10,950 seconds / year × 2 = 21,900 seconds / year≈6.1.
Time / year. However, this is the actual usage time without considering the usage temperature, and it is necessary to convert it to the usage time at 5 ° C. in order to store it in the parts database. for that reason,
It is necessary to multiply the above value by the temperature coefficient "7" at the operating temperature of 60 ° C. That is, the operating time of the motor A when converted to the operating temperature of 5 ° C. is 21,900 seconds / year × 7 = 153,300 seconds / year≈4.
It will be 2.6 hours / year. This is from February 1, 1997 to February 1, 2001.
If it is used for four years up to the day, 153,300 seconds / year x 4 years = 613,200 seconds ≈ 17
It will be 0 hours.

From the parts database shown in FIG. 7A, the theoretical life of the motor A when used at 5 ° C. is 500.
Since it is time, the remaining life is 500 hours-170 hours = 330 hours. Therefore, the motor A of "time or number" of the remaining life of the parts database of FIG.
In the column of, 330 hours are stored.

As described above, the operating time per year at 5 ° C. is 6.1 hours, and the operating time per year at 15 ° C. is 5 ° C. when 15 ° C. The value obtained by multiplying the temperature coefficient of "1.3" by 7.9 hours, 60
The usage time per year at ℃ is 4 as described above.
Since it is 2.6 hours, the remaining life when used at each temperature is 54 years when expressed in years.
Years, 42 years and 7.7 years.

As described above, the remaining life, the operating time converted to a certain reference temperature, and the remaining life are obtained. Similarly, the management server 71 calculates the remaining life of the vending machine having the other motor A or the motor B.

The use time and the remaining life calculated in this way are stored in the parts database (step S2).
5). The management server 71 also transmits the stored usage time and remaining life to the vending machine 1A and the like via the network (step S26). The vending machine 1A or the like receives the usage time and the remaining life from the management server 71 (step S27), stores it in the component data table in the memory of the vending machine 1A, etc. (step S28), and the process ends.

In the above description, the communication of the part information between the management server 71 and the vending machine 1A or the like via the network of FIG. 6 has been described. Next, the manager patrols each vending machine 1A or the like. The relationship between the management server 71, the vending machine 1A, etc., and the management device 30 in this case will be described.

First, it is assumed that the administrator visits the inspection of the vending machine 1C, for example. Using the management device 30, the administrator can check the status of each part of the vending machine 1C, mainly the life,
The inspection is performed according to the method described in the first embodiment. That is, the process of reading the component data table stored in the memory of the vending machine 1C into the memory of the management device 30 is performed. Then, based on the read parts data table, the parts of the vending machine 1C are set, or the status of the parts data is confirmed (browsing).
And so on. In the case of setting, in order to reflect the setting contents in the memory of the vending machine 1C, the contents of the parts data table of the management device 30 that has made the setting are transmitted to the memory of the vending machine 1C and set.

After the inspection is completed, the administrator sets the management device 30.
When selecting an item related to “sending the part data table of the vending machine 1C to the management server”, the data about the parts stored in the memory of the vending machine 1C is transferred to the management server 71 via the network 70. Sent to. At this time, identification information for determining which vending machine transmitted the data is also transmitted. As the identification information, for example, a number uniquely attached to a vending machine such as a vending machine number or a GPS
When using, information indicating the position of the vending machine can be used.

In the case where the administrator transmits data about parts information to be carried out during patrol of the vending machine 1A or the like to the management server 71, the administrator repairs the failed parts,
There are also cases where parts that reach the end of their life are replaced. In such a case, the power of the vending machine 1A or the like is normally turned off to perform these operations, information about repaired parts or replaced parts is set in the vending machine 1A, etc., and then the vending machine is again sold. Power on machine 1A etc. This vending machine 1A
It is also possible to set to automatically transmit the component information in the memory stored in the vending machine 1A or the like to the management server 71 via the network 70 when the power is turned on again. . By doing so, even if the administrator forgets to send the component information set in the vending machine 1A or the like after repairing or replacing the component to the management server 71, the data regarding the component information is automatically generated. It is transmitted to the management server 71. Further, when the administrator replaces the parts such as the vending machine 1A, the product number, the remaining life, the usage year, and the usage conditions are acquired from the parts database of the management server 71 via the network 70, It is also possible to set the information in the memory of the vending machine 1A or the like as the component information of the exchanged component.

In FIG. 6 of the second embodiment of the present invention described above, an information terminal 72 such as a personal computer of a vending machine maker can be connected to the network 70. As a result, it becomes possible to access the management server 71 from the information terminal 72 of the vending machine maker. The reliability and life data of the collected parts of the vending machine 1A and the like can be analyzed in a concentrated manner, and the results can be fed back to the design department or the development department of the vending machine maker to further It is possible to provide highly reliable vending machine parts with few failures.

Further, in FIG. 6, an information terminal 73 such as a personal computer can be connected to the network 70 at a location serving as a base in each area of an administrator who manages the vending machine 1A or the like, for example, a sales office. . As a result, the information terminal 73 at a location such as a sales office serving as a base
Can access the management server 71.
At this time, since the data of the individual vending machines 1A and the like is managed as a database, it is possible to collect the data for each region to which the manager belongs (to be in charge of) and grasp the usage status of the parts. As a result, it is possible to promptly replace the parts.

In the above description, the management server 71 calculates the remaining life of each vending machine 1A or the like by using the usage time or the number of times of use transmitted from each vending machine 1A or the like. The vending machine 1A or the like may calculate the remaining life, and the management server 71 may be configured to manage the parts information of the vending machine 1A or the like.

It is also possible to provide an antenna for detecting the installation position in the vending machine 1A or the like. This makes G
Check the location where the vending machine 1A is installed through the PS satellite station, and replace the parts with the vending machine 1A.
It is possible to specify the positions such as.

In the second embodiment, the vending machines 1A and the like are connected to the management server 71 through a network so that the parts information of the vending machines 1A and the like is managed by communication through the network 70. Since it is configured as described above, it is possible to check the vending machine 1A or the like having a part that needs to be repaired or replaced without going to the installation place of the vending machine.
In addition, since the installation location can be easily grasped, it becomes possible to quickly repair or replace the part.

[0079]

As described above, according to the present invention, the usage time and the remaining life of each component of the vending machine are calculated, and the calculated remaining life is provided to the manager. Since the life of each component of the vending machine is managed, and even if the vending machine is removed and disposed of, each component of the vending machine is still in its lifetime. This has the effect of reusing unused parts for another vending machine. Then, all the parts are managed until they reach the end of their lives, and there is an effect that waste of global resources can be suppressed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of a reuse system for an automatic vending machine according to the present invention, and is a block diagram showing a configuration of an automatic vending machine and a management device.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a parts data table.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a method of calculating the remaining life of the vending machine.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation processing procedure of the management device.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example when the management device is a remote controller.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the reuse system of the vending machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing contents of a database stored in a management server, in which (a) shows a parts database and (b) shows a correction coefficient database.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of parts information between the management server and the vending machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 vending machine 10 Automatic control device 11 CPU 12 memories 13 Communications department 14 clock 15 power supply 16 Output / input section 21 motor 22 solenoid 23 Switches 24 fluorescent light 25 plastics 30 management device 31 CPU 32 memory 33 Communication unit 34 Display 35 Input section 71 Management server 72, 73 Information terminal

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Yukio Kimura             1-1 Tanabe Nitta, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa             Within Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hajime Fukao             1-1 Tanabe Nitta, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa             Within Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 3E044 AA01 CB01 CB06 CB10 DA10                       DC06 DC10 DE01 EA20 EB01                       FB20

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. The usage time and remaining life of the vending machine are calculated for each predetermined period in consideration of the usage conditions of each component, and the calculated usage time and remaining life, part name, and start date of usage. And means for storing the component information including the theoretical life, and means for providing the stored component information to the administrator of the vending machine. Reuse system for vending machines. 2. A calculating means for calculating a usage time and a remaining life of each component in every predetermined period in consideration of a usage condition of each component, the calculated usage time and a remaining life, a part name, a start date of use, and A vending machine including storage means for storing part information including the theoretical life, transmission means for transmitting the part information to a management device, and display means for displaying the part information received from the vending machine A reuse system for a vending machine, comprising: a management device, and managing the life of the components of the vending machine. 3. The management device further comprises a transmission unit for transmitting the changed part information to the vending machine, and the changed part by the vending machine receiving the changed part information. The reuse system for a vending machine according to claim 2, wherein information is reflected in the vending machine. 4. The reuse system for a vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the management device further includes a storage unit capable of cumulatively storing the component information. 5. A calculating means for calculating a usage time and a remaining life of the vending machine in every predetermined period in consideration of usage conditions of each component, and the calculated usage time and the remaining life.
A vending machine including storage means for storing part information including a part name, start date of use, and theoretical life, and a transmitting means for transmitting the part information to a management server, and part information received from the vending machine A reuse system for a vending machine, characterized in that a management server including a database for managing a vending machine and a management server are connected to each other via a network. 6. A storage means for holding part information including a part name of each constituent part, a start date of use, a usage time, a theoretical life and a remaining life, and a communication means for transmitting and receiving the part information to and from a management server. A vending machine including a vending machine, a database that manages part information received from the vending machine, and a calculation that stores the usage time and remaining life of a part at the time of receiving the part information from the part information and stores it in the database. Means and a management server including a transmitting means for transmitting part information including the calculated usage time and remaining life to the vending machine, are connected to each other via a network, and are transmitted to the vending machine. A reuse system for a vending machine, characterized in that the information on the produced parts is reflected in the vending machine. 7. A management device further comprising: display means for displaying the parts information received from the vending machine; and transmission means for changing the received parts information and transmitting the parts information to the vending machine. 6. The vending machine receives the changed part information so that the changed part information is reflected in the vending machine.
Or the reuse system of the vending machine according to item 6. 8. The reuse system for a vending machine according to claim 5, further comprising an information terminal capable of browsing the component information from the database of the management server. 9. The part information includes information on an installation place of the vending machine.
~ The reuse system for a vending machine according to any one of 8 to 8.