JP2006113622A - Cup type automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cup type automatic vending machine capable of selling an article while calling customer's attention when the article is under a salable condition, even when one portion of the machine for selling the article malfunctions, not to miss a sales chance of the article. <P>SOLUTION: This automatic vending machine is provided with a taking-out port 15 for taking out a cup beverage 17, a detecting means 35 for detecting the presence of the cup beverage 17 or the like in the taking-out port 15, a transparent taking-out port door 16 for closing the taking-out port 15, a door locking means 19 for locking the taking-out port door 16, a display means 18 for indicating the presence of the cup beverage 17 or the like in the taking-out port 15, an article selling button 21, and a control means 31 for controlling the selling of the cup beverage 17. The control means 31 detects the presence of the cup beverage 17 or the like in the taking-out port 15 by the detecting means 35, before selling the cup beverage 17, releases the lock of the taking-out port door 16 due to the door locking means 19, when the detecting means 35 detects the presence of the cup beverage 17 or the like, displays the presence by the display means 18, and the cup beverage 17 is supplied thereafter to the taking-out port 15 to be sold. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention is a cup-type vending machine that pours and sells coffee, tea, soft drinks, etc. into a cup, and in particular, detects the remaining of a cup drink or the like at an outlet for a customer to take out the cup drink. The present invention relates to a cup type vending machine provided with a detecting means for the purpose.

  In a conventional cup-type vending machine, when a customer inserts a coin into the coin slot and presses a beverage selection button (product sales button), the cup is sent from the cup supply device to the outlet, and the coffee or other raw material is supplied to the cup. Some have been supplied with a diluting liquid such as hot water and stirred, and the cooked cup beverage is supplied to the outlet. However, in such a cup-type vending machine, a problem occurs while the cup is delivered from the cup supply device to the take-out port, and the cup is not carried out to the take-out port. There was a case where the beverage was not sold to the outlet and was not sold. Also, when purchasing beverages continuously, if you forget to remove the cup containing the beverage from the outlet and press the next beverage selection button, a new cup will be transported after the forgotten cup, and you will forget to remove it. However, there was a problem that both cup drinks and cup drinks that were newly purchased were spilled and wasted.

In order to deal with such problems, for example, as described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-168483, an optical sensor is provided at the outlet of the cup beverage, and the cup in the outlet is detected before the cup beverage is sold. Then, a device is disclosed in which sales are temporarily suspended due to forgetting to remove the previous cup, a lamp for urging the user to take out the cup beverage is turned on, and the sale is stopped when a clogged cup is detected during the sale of the cup beverage.
In addition, the other cup type vending machine includes a transport device that transports the cup supplied from the cup supply device as needed, and a raw material such as coffee and a diluted solution such as hot water are supplied to the cup during the transport and stirring. Some of them are cooked cup beverages and are transported to the outlet. And in such a cup type vending machine, in order to cope with the same problems as described above, as described in JP-A-2001-243539, an outlet sensor is provided at the outlet, In the case where there are cups or foreign matters that have been forgotten to be removed, an apparatus is disclosed in which these cups and foreign matters are removed by dropping them out of the outlet using a transport device.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-168483 JP 2001-243539 A

However, in such a cup-type vending machine, a sensor that detects a cup beverage or foreign matter in the outlet has failed, and there is no cup beverage or foreign matter in the outlet, but there is no cup beverage. If the detection device malfunctions as if there is a foreign object or the like, and the sensor is an optical sensor, it becomes dirty due to dust or splashing of the beverage, and the cup beverage or If it operates as if there is a cup beverage or foreign matter in spite of the absence of foreign matter etc., the cup beverage to be sold next is in a state where it can be sold, due to its failure or dirt. However, there is a problem that the sales opportunity of the product is missed because the sale is not possible.
In order to solve such a problem, the present invention has a sensor that detects a cup beverage or foreign matter in the outlet, which is broken or dirty, and there is no cup beverage or foreign matter in the outlet. When the detection device malfunctions as if there is a cup beverage or a foreign object, the cup beverage to be sold next is supplied to the outlet while alerting the customer about the situation in the outlet. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a cup-type vending machine that sells and does not miss the opportunity to sell products.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that an outlet for taking out a cup beverage, a detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of an article such as the cup beverage in the outlet, and the outlet can be opened and closed. Transparent outlet door to be closed, door locking means for locking the outlet door, display means for indicating the presence of an article such as the cup beverage in the outlet, and merchandise sales for selling the cup beverage A control means for controlling the sale of the cup beverage, the control means before the supply to the take-out of the cup beverage based on the operation of the commodity sales button, the outlet by the detection means The presence or absence of an article such as a cup beverage is detected, and when the detection means detects the presence of an article such as the cup beverage, the door lock means unlocks the outlet door, and the presence is indicated in the table. Displays by means is followed by the said cup beverage which sells supplied to the outlet. According to this, when the detection means detects the presence of an article such as a cup beverage in the outlet, there is already a cup beverage or other foreign substance in the outlet before the customer purchases the product. The display means can indicate to the customer that there is a possibility of doing so and call attention. Furthermore, the customer can check the situation in the outlet through the transparent outlet door, and if the cup beverage or foreign matter is actually left, open the outlet door. Can be removed.

  As described above, according to the invention according to claim 1, when the detection means detects the presence of an article such as a cup beverage in the outlet, the cup beverage or The display means can indicate to the customer that there is a possibility that other foreign matter may exist, alert the customer, and the customer can check the status of the outlet through the transparent door. When the cup beverage or foreign matter is actually left, the outlet door can be opened to remove it. Therefore, for example, a sensor that detects an article such as a cup beverage or a foreign object in the outlet may malfunction due to a failure or a stain, as if the cup beverage or the foreign object exists even though the cup beverage or the foreign object is not present. Even when activated, the customer can actually check the situation in the outlet, and then the next cup beverage to be sold can be supplied to the outlet and sold without any problems. Therefore, even in such a case, it is possible to provide a cup-type vending machine that does not miss a sales opportunity for goods.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 is a front view showing a cup type vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a product outlet provided in the cup type vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of a control structure of the cup type vending machine of embodiment of this.
The cup-type vending machine 1 has a substantially box-shaped main body (not shown), and includes a main door 2 that can be opened and closed on the front surface of the main body. On the front surface of the main door 2, a plurality of product display boards 3 for displaying products for sale are arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions. Further, at the bottom of each product display board 3, a plurality of product selection buttons (product for selecting and selling the product to be displayed according to taste (for example, if the product is a coffee drink, containing sugar, milk, etc.) Sales button) 21 is provided. In addition, a sales lamp (not shown) is installed in the product selection button 21 to light up and display whether the product is sold or not. Below the product display board 3, a coin insertion slot 4 for inserting coins, a return lever 5 for returning the inserted coins, and an amount indicator 6 for displaying the amount of change, the amount of inserted coins, and the like are arranged in a row. An arranged control unit 10 is provided. Further, from the center on the left side, a plurality of raw material increase buttons 7 and raw material decrease buttons 8 for increasing / decreasing the raw materials (for example, coffee, sugar, milk, etc.) of the cup beverage 17 to be sold according to preference are arranged. Yes. Further, a door lock 11 that locks the main door 2 and a change return port 12 that returns change coins are provided below the control unit 10. Further, a product outlet (outlet) 15 for taking out the sold cup beverage 17 is provided in the central portion of the main door 2, and a cooking state for displaying the cooking state of the cup beverage 17 to be sold is displayed above it. A lamp 18 is provided. Here, the cooking state lamp 18 is composed of a plurality of lamps 18a. The lamps are lit in order from the end according to the cooking state of the cup beverage 17, and all the lamps 18a are lit when cooking of the cup beverage 17 is completed. And flashing to inform the customer of the completion of cooking. Further, a cup presence lamp (display means) 23 indicating the presence of the cup beverage 17 or the like in the outlet 18 is provided on the side of the outlet 18. Although not shown, a control box for setting and controlling various operations is provided in the main body of the cup type vending machine 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the product outlet 15 is formed in a substantially box shape with the front surface opened, and an outlet door 16 made of a transparent member that can be opened and closed is provided on the front surface. . Further, a door lock device (door lock means) 19 that locks the outlet door 16 in a closed state and an outlet door sensor 20 that detects opening and closing of the outlet door 16 are provided on the side of the product outlet 15. It has been. Further, the light emitting portion 35a and the light receiving portion 35b of the optical sensor (detecting means) 35 are arranged opposite to each other on both sides of the product outlet 15 so as to sandwich the cup beverage 17 supplied into the product outlet 15. Has been.
Next, an outline of the control configuration of the cup type vending machine 1 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. The main control unit (control means) 31 controls sales control of the cup type vending machine 1. The ROM 32 stores non-volatile data such as a program in which a procedure for operating various devices is written when, for example, the cup beverage 17 corresponding to the product selection button 21 of the cup type vending machine 1 is sold. The RAM 33 stores volatile data such as sales data of sales products, remaining amount, and device failure history. The optical sensor 35 detects the presence or absence of an article such as a cup beverage 17 or a foreign substance in the product outlet 15 depending on whether or not the light receiving unit 35b receives a signal (light beam) emitted from the light emitting unit 35a. As described above, the door lock device 19 locks the door 16 in the closed state and releases the lock. As described above, the cooking state lamp 18 is lit and blinks according to the cooking state of the cup beverage 17 to be sold. The cup presence lamp 23 displays a message such as “Please take a cup” when the optical sensor 35 detects the forgotten cup beverage 17 in the product outlet 15 before the cup beverage 17 is sold. To alert the customer.

In the cup type vending machine 1 of the present invention configured as above, the operation of the main part when selling the cup beverage 17 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, when a customer inserts a predetermined amount of coins into the coin slot 4, the amount displayed is displayed on the amount display 6. In step 1 (S1), it is detected by the optical sensor 35 whether or not there is an article such as a cup beverage 17 or a foreign object that has been left behind in the product outlet 15. Here, when it is detected that these articles are present in the product outlet 15, the door lock device 19 unlocks the outlet door 16 in step 2 (S2), and the cup exists in step 3 (S3). The lamp 23 is turned on and “Please take a cup” is displayed. Then, as shown in step 4 (S4), the display state of the cup presence lamp 23 is continued for a predetermined time T to alert the customer. Then, during this time, the customer checks the inside of the product outlet 15 from the outside of the transparent outlet door 16, and if there is a cup beverage 17 or foreign matter left to be removed, the outlet door 16 is opened and removed. In the meantime, if the return lever 5 shown in step 5 (S5) is operated due to reasons such as foreign matters cannot be removed, the inserted coins are fully returned to the change return port 12 in step 6 (S6). The sales operation is terminated. If there is no abnormality in the state of the product outlet 15, the cup presence lamp 23 is turned off in step 7 (S <b> 7) after the predetermined time T has elapsed, and the message “Please take a cup” disappears. . When the product selection button 21 is pressed (operated) in step 9 (S9), a cup beverage sales operation is started in step 10 (S10). In addition, when it is recognized that the state in the product outlet 15 is not particularly abnormal, there is a high possibility that the optical sensor 35 is malfunctioning due to failure or dirt.

If it is determined in step 1 (S1) that there is no article in the product outlet 15, it is detected in step 8 (S8) whether or not the outlet door 16 is closed by the outlet door sensor 20. The Here, when it is detected that the outlet door 16 is not closed, the operation following Step 2 (S2) is performed, and the state in the commodity outlet 15 is confirmed by the customer as described above. If it is detected that the outlet door 16 is closed, the operation following step 9 (S9) is executed.
When the sales lamp provided on the product selection button 21 is turned on in step 9 (S9) and the product selection button 21 is pressed by the customer, the cup beverage sales operation is started in step 10 (S10). A cup beverage 17 corresponding to is supplied to the product outlet 15. In addition, as a method of supplying the cup beverage 17 to the product outlet 15, for example, a method of transporting a cup containing beverage prepared in the main body to the product outlet 15 by a transport means (not shown), a cup There is a type of supplying a beverage cooked in the main body or the like to a cup delivered from the supply device (not shown) to the product outlet 15.

Further, when the cup beverage 17 is supplied to the product outlet 15, the cooking state lamp 18 is turned on according to the cooking state of the cup beverage 17, and when cooking is completed, all of the plurality of lamps constituting the cooking state lamp 18 are turned on. Flashes and displays the completion of the cooking to the customer. At the same time, the door lock 16 is unlocked by the door lock device 19. When the customer takes out the cup beverage 17 from the product outlet 15, the cooking state lamp 18 is turned off, the outlet door 16 is locked again by the door lock device 19, and the selling operation is completed. In this way, the cup beverage 17 is sold to the customer.
As described above, in the present embodiment, when the optical sensor 35 detects the presence of the cup beverage 17 or the like in the outlet 15, the cup beverage is already in the product outlet 15 before the customer purchases the product. The cup presence lamp 23 can indicate to the customer that there is a possibility that 17 or other foreign matters may be present, and urge attention. Further, the customer can check the condition in the product outlet 15 through the transparent outlet door 16, and if the cup beverage 17 or foreign matter is actually left, the outlet door 16 is opened. It can be removed. Therefore, for example, the optical sensor 35 disposed in the product outlet 15 may be mistaken as if there is a cup beverage 17 or foreign matter, even though there is no cup beverage 17 or foreign matter due to failure or dirt. Even in the case of operation, the customer can actually confirm the inside of the product outlet 15 and then supply the cup beverage 17 to be sold next to the product outlet 15 and sell it without any trouble. Therefore, even in such a case, it is possible to avoid missing a sales opportunity for the product.

  Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to only the apparatus shown in the present embodiment. For example, the display means for displaying the presence / absence of an article in the product outlet 15 is not limited to the cup presence lamp 23, for example, a cooking state. A lamp 18 can be substituted. Further, the cup beverage is supplied to the outlet even when the optical sensor 35 detects the presence or absence of an article in the product outlet 15 before the product is sold, even after the product is selected by the product selection button 21. Of course it is good if it is before. That is, application changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

It is a front view which shows the cup type vending machine of embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the goods taking-out port provided in the cup type vending machine of embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of the control structure of the cup type vending machine of embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the principal part of the cup type vending machine of embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

2 Main door 15 Product outlet (outlet)
16 Takeout door 17 Cup beverage 18 Cooking status lamp 19 Door lock device (door lock means)
20 Exit door sensor 21 Product selection button (product sales button)
23 Cup presence lamp (display means)
31 Main control unit (control means)
35 Optical sensor (detection means)

Claims (1)

An outlet for taking out the cup beverage, a detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of an article such as the cup beverage in the outlet, a transparent outlet door for closing the outlet so as to be opened and closed, and locking the outlet door Door locking means, display means for indicating the presence of an article such as the cup beverage in the outlet, a product sale button for selling the cup beverage, and a control means for controlling the sale of the cup beverage. Prepared,
The control means detects the presence or absence of an article such as a cup beverage in the outlet before the supply of the cup beverage to the outlet based on the operation of the product sales button, and the detection means When detecting the presence of an article such as the cup beverage, unlocking the outlet door by the door lock means, displaying the presence by the display means, and then supplying the cup beverage to the outlet A cup-type vending machine characterized by selling

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