JP2006293803A - Vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vending machine inexpensively providing a charging infrastructure for electric vehicles by focusing attention on existing vending machines plurally installed throughout the country, and adding charging functions for electric vehicles to such vending machines. <P>SOLUTION: A charging apparatus 2 is added to a vending machine body 1. In the charging apparatus 2, power supply is received from the vending machine body 1, and a charging cable is connected to a battery of the electric vehicle 3 to carry out a charging process. A lock part 9 and a holding part 10 are provided on a side face part of the charging apparatus 2, the lock part 9 is pressed against a front wheel of the electric vehicle 3 to carry out locking and regulate movement, and the front wheel can be stably held by the holding part 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine that sells various articles and performs a charging service for an electric vehicle.

In recent years, vehicles using electric energy from petroleum energy such as gasoline have been developed along with increasing awareness of environmental problems, and are being widely used in vehicles such as two-wheeled vehicles and four-wheeled vehicles. However, regarding the use of such electric vehicles, the actual situation is that infrastructure development such as charging facilities replacing gas stations is not progressing. For this reason, various proposals relating to charging facilities for electric vehicles have been made. For example, Patent Document 1 describes that a charging device is installed in a parking lot or the like and charging is performed during parking. In addition, by connecting the battery and power supply of the car with a charging cable, the current capacity of the battery is detected, the charging time and charge are displayed, and charging starts when the displayed charging fee is paid ing. Patent Document 2 describes a power supply device for an electric vehicle that sells electric power extracted from a power transmission line carried on a power pole by a prepaid card. Further, in Patent Document 3, a charging stand and a totaling device point are provided as a charging system, and in the charging stand, means for registering user identification information, charging power supply means, charging power usage amount measuring means, Transmission means for transmitting the identification information and the amount of charging power used to the counting device is provided, and the tabulating device describes that a counting means for counting the amount of charging power used for each user is provided.
JP-A-6-318288 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-14014 JP 2004-70682 A

  In the above-mentioned patent document, a charging stand is installed in a parking lot or the like, and the charging fee is settled with a credit card. However, installation of the charging stand requires a great amount of development cost and installation cost, and is put into practical use. In order to reduce costs, technical and economic considerations must be fully conducted, and it is difficult to put it into practical use in response to the widespread use of electric vehicles.

  Therefore, the present invention focuses on existing vending machines that are installed in large numbers throughout the country and adds a charging function for electric vehicles to such vending machines, thereby maintaining a charging infrastructure for electric vehicles at a low cost. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine that can be used.

  The vending machine according to the present invention includes a delivery unit for selling articles, an operation input unit for selecting articles, a settlement unit for settlement of charges necessary for sales, a power supply unit for supplying power to each unit, and each unit In the vending machine including a control unit for controlling the charging unit, the charging unit that receives power from the power source unit and is electrically connected to the electric vehicle for charging, and the charge required processing amount calculated by the settlement unit And a charging control unit for controlling the charging unit based on the charging unit. Furthermore, the charge control unit performs charge control based on charge control information acquired from the electric vehicle via an electrical connection unit of the charging unit. In addition, a transmission / reception unit that transmits / receives information to / from a user's portable terminal via an external communication network is provided, and the control unit is information indicating a progress status of the charging operation with respect to the registered contact information Charging information providing means for transmitting the information via the transmission / reception unit. Furthermore, the charging information providing means registers contact information transmitted from the user's portable terminal via the transmission / reception unit. Furthermore, it has a lock mechanism for restricting the movement of the electric vehicle to be charged.

  By having the configuration as described above, a conventional vending machine is charged with power supplied from the power supply unit and electrically connected to the electric vehicle, and the required processing amount calculated by the settlement unit A charging control unit that controls the charging unit based on the power consumption of the conventional vending machine, so that the electric vehicle can be charged using the power supply function of the vending machine and the charging fee is settled. Can be used to checkout. Therefore, if vending machines installed throughout the country are used as charging devices for electric vehicles, charging devices with similar functions at a very low cost compared to the case where facilities such as charging stands are developed and installed from scratch. It will be possible to install infrastructure, and it will be possible to proceed with infrastructure development in response to the widespread use of electric vehicles.

  In addition, if the charging control unit performs charging control based on the charging control information acquired from the electric vehicle via the electrical connection means of the charging unit, the user can select the type necessary for charging his / her vehicle. Even if the information is not grasped, it is possible to perform accurate charging only by electrically connecting to the charging unit, and it is possible to prevent the vehicle from being damaged due to careless settings.

  In addition, a charging information providing unit that includes a transmission / reception unit that transmits and receives information to and from a user's mobile terminal via an external communication network, and that transmits charging information indicating the progress of charging work to registered contact information. By providing the means, even if the user is away from the electric vehicle for shopping, the progress status of the charging operation of the vehicle is transmitted, so that shopping can be done with peace of mind and troubles occur In addition, information can be quickly transmitted and a quick response can be made. If the contact information is registered from the user's mobile terminal, the contact information can be easily registered.

  If a lock unit for restricting the movement of the electric vehicle to be charged is provided, the electric vehicle is not moved carelessly during charging, and the vehicle is prevented from being stolen during charging. be able to.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are preferable specific examples for carrying out the present invention, and thus various technical limitations are made. However, the present invention is particularly limited in the following description. Unless otherwise specified, the present invention is not limited to these forms.

  FIG. 1 shows an external perspective view of an embodiment according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a front view thereof. The vending machine main body 1 has a charging device 2 attached to a side surface portion. An electric vehicle 3 is set in the charging device 2 for charging. On the front face of the vending machine main body 1, a product display unit 4, a charge input port unit 5, a fee return port unit 6 and a product delivery port unit 7 are arranged. The merchandise display unit 4 displays merchandise samples of articles to be sold, and selection operation switches are arranged corresponding to the merchandise samples. The charge insertion slot 5 is provided with an input slot for inserting coins and banknotes for payment, and the input charge is conveyed into the apparatus for settlement. The fee return port 6 is formed with a coin port that is carried out of the apparatus when the changed change is returned or the input fee is returned. The merchandise delivery port 7 is held so that articles to be sold are sent out from the storage unit in the apparatus and can be easily taken out by the user.

  An operation display panel 16 is provided on the front surface of the vending machine main body 1 adjacent to the charge insertion slot 5. The operation display panel 16 displays an input fee and performs an operation for determining a purchase amount related to charging.

  The charging device 2 includes a charging cable 8 used for charging the electric vehicle 3, a lock portion 9 that holds the front wheel of the electric vehicle 3 and restricts movement, and a holding portion 10 that holds the front wheel of the electric vehicle 3 on the side surface. I have. The charging cable 8 is always wound by an elastic force by a winding mechanism (not shown) in the charging device 2, and is pulled out by holding the connection connector of the charging cable 8 when charging. The holding unit 10 is fixed to a support plate 11 attached to the bottom of the charging device 2, and the lock unit 9 is fixed to the upper end of an attachment arm 12 erected on the front end of the holding unit 10. ing.

  A display panel unit 14 is attached to the front surface of the charging device 2 and information related to charging is displayed. Further, a message part 15 on which an operation method and a fee table are posted is attached to the side surface.

  The lock unit 9 includes a front wheel gripping mechanism configured to surround the front wheel from both sides and a locking mechanism locked by a locking key 13, and is charged through a wiring cable disposed inside the support plate 11 and the mounting arm 12. The drive is controlled by the lock drive unit of the device 2. The holding part 10 is formed with a groove into which a front wheel is inserted at the center part, and a pair of sandwiching bodies protruding into the groove by elastic springs are provided on both sides of the groove part. Then, when the front wheel of the electric vehicle 3 is pushed into the groove portion of the holding portion 10, the holding body is forcibly pushed to both sides by the front wheel until the front wheel is pressed against the front wheel gripping mechanism of the lock portion 9. Perform push-in operation. When the front wheel of the electric vehicle 3 is pressed against the front wheel gripping mechanism, the bottom portion of the front wheel is held by a holding body of the holding unit 10 from both sides by elastic force and held in a stable state. Further, when the lock key 13 is rotated in this state, the front wheel gripping mechanism operates so as to surround the front wheel, and the movement of the front wheel is restricted. The locking key 13 can be pulled out after the front wheel gripping mechanism is normally operated. When the position of the front wheel is deviated, the front wheel gripping mechanism does not operate normally, so that the lock key 13 cannot be pulled out. The position of the electric vehicle 3 is set again and the front wheel gripping mechanism is operated normally. The lock key 13 cannot be pulled out until it is activated. In this way, the electric vehicle 3 is stably held by the holding unit 10, the movement of the electric vehicle 3 is restricted by the lock unit 9, and the electric vehicle 3 can be prevented from being inadvertently moved during charging. Even if the user is away from the vehicle 3, if the locking key 13 is pulled out, the front wheel is gripped by the lock unit 9 and theft can be prevented.

  FIG. 3 shows a functional block configuration diagram according to the embodiment of the present invention. The vending machine main body 1 transmits / receives information to / from a user's portable terminal by wireless communication with an external communication network, a control unit 30 that controls the entire apparatus, a settlement unit 31 that settles the input fee. Selection operation of the transmission / reception unit 32, a storage unit 33 for storing programs and data necessary for control, an article delivery unit 34 for storing articles to be sold and conveying the stored articles to the product delivery port unit 7, and a product display unit 4 Data is transmitted / received to / from the operation display unit 35 that performs display operations such as output of operation signals on the switch and the operation display panel 16, lamp display, and monetary display, a power supply unit 36 that supplies power to each unit, and the charging device 2. An input / output unit 37 is provided.

  The charging device 2 includes a charging control unit 40 that controls the charging operation of the electric vehicle 3, a display unit 41 that displays various messages related to the charging operation such as a chargeable amount and a charging state on the display panel unit 14, and a front wheel gripping mechanism of the lock unit 9. The lock drive unit 42 that drives the opening / closing lock operation 90 and detects the state of the locking mechanism 91, the storage unit 43 that stores programs necessary for the charging operation, control data related to charging by battery type, and the like, charging the charging cable 8 The charging unit 44 that charges the electric vehicle 3 through the connector 80 and obtains charging control information such as a battery type necessary for charging from the connection terminal 81, receives power supply from the power source unit 45 of the vending machine main body 1, and receives each unit. A power supply unit 45 that supplies power to the vending machine and an input / output unit 46 that transmits and receives data to and from the vending machine body 1 are provided.

  FIG. 4 is a processing flow in the case where goods are sold in the vending machine main body 1. In the vending machine body 1, when a charge is input from the charge input port 5 (S100), it is checked whether the input charge is equal to or more than a reference amount (S101). The reference price is set to the lowest price of the product being sold. If it is greater than the reference amount, a sales preparation process is performed (S102). As sales preparation, processing such as displaying a lamp attached to a selection operation switch corresponding to a product that can be sold at a charged fee and notifying the user is performed. The amount entered is displayed on the operation display panel 16.

  Next, it is checked whether or not the selection operation switch has been operated (S103). If the selection operation has been performed, the corresponding article is taken out from the storage unit and conveyed to the product delivery port 7 (S104). Then, a settlement process is performed based on the price of the sold product and the input fee, and a change return process is also performed if necessary (S105). The article sales process described above is similar to the process performed by a conventional vending machine.

  5 and 6 are process flows when the charging device 2 performs a charging process. First, it is checked whether or not locking is performed in the lock unit 9 (S200). In the charging device 2, when the locking key 13 is rotated in the locking mechanism 91 of the lock unit 9 and the front wheel gripping mechanism 90 is operated and locked normally, the locking key 13 is pulled out. When the locking key 13 is pulled out, the locking mechanism 91 detects it and a detection signal is transmitted to the charging control unit 40 through the lock driving unit 42. If it is detected that the charging cable 8 is locked, it is checked whether the charging cable 8 is connected (S201). If the charging cable 8 is not normally connected, control is performed so that a message prompting the cable connection is displayed on the display panel unit 14. (S202).

  When the charging cable 8 is normally connected, the charging connector 80 is electrically connected to the battery, the chargeable amount of the battery is detected by the charging unit 44, and is electrically connected to the information terminal of the battery. Charge control information, which is control data necessary for charge control such as a battery type, is acquired from the connection terminal 81 (S203). Then, the detected chargeable amount is transmitted to the vending machine body 1 (S204).

  The vending machine body 1 calculates a chargeable charge based on the received chargeable amount and displays it on the operation display panel 16 (S205). The chargeable charge is calculated in the charge control unit 30 based on a charge table stored in the storage unit 33 in advance. The user sees the displayed chargeable charge and inserts the charge from the charge input unit 5. Then, it is checked whether or not a fee has been charged (S206). If a fee has been charged, a check is made to see if it is equal to or greater than the reference amount (S207). The reference amount is preset as the minimum amount necessary for charging and stored in the storage unit 33. When the input fee is equal to or more than the reference amount, purchase amount determination / registration processing is performed (S208). The purchase amount is determined by checking the chargeable charge displayed on the operation display panel 16 and the charged charge, and the user operating the operation button on the operation display panel 16 to pay the full chargeable charge, Decide whether you want to pay only for a certain amount or purchase for a certain amount. Based on the determined purchase price, the charge processing amount is calculated by calculating backward from the charge table and transmitted to the charging device 2 (S209). Then, a settlement process is performed based on the determined purchase amount (S210).

  In the charging device 2, the charging time is calculated based on the received required processing amount (S211), and the charging unit starts the charging process (S212). Then, the processing time required for charging in the future is calculated according to the progress of the charging process and displayed on the display panel unit 14 (S213). Further, the calculated required processing time is sequentially transmitted to the vending machine body 1 to perform a charging status communication process described later (S214). Then, it is checked whether the charging time has elapsed (S215). If the charging time has elapsed, the charging process is stopped (S216), and a charging end message is displayed on the display panel unit 14 (S217).

  Next, it is checked whether or not the locking mechanism 91 of the lock unit 9 has been unlocked (S218). If the locking mechanism 91 has been unlocked, a cable disconnection message is displayed (S219). In step S215, if the charging time has not elapsed, it is checked whether the locking mechanism 91 of the lock unit 9 has been unlocked (S220). If not, the process returns to step S213. If unlocked, the charging process is stopped (S221), the process proceeds to step S219, and a cable removal message is displayed.

  Then, the charge processing amount actually performed is calculated and transmitted to the vending machine body 1 (S222). The vending machine body 1 calculates a charge processing fee based on the received charge processing amount (S223), reads the purchase amount registered in step S208 (S224), and performs a settlement process based on the actual charge processing amount. (S225).

  By the above charging process, the charge-related process can be performed using the conventional settlement process of the vending machine body 1. In addition, the charging process can be performed in fine response to the user's request.

  FIG. 7 shows a processing flow for registering a contact for notifying the charging status during the charging process. First, the control unit 30 of the vending machine main body 1 checks whether the charging device 2 is in a charging process (S300), and if it is in the charging process, checks whether there is an incoming call in the transmission / reception unit (S301). ). If there is an incoming call, the identification code transmitted from the caller is checked (S302), and it is checked whether the identification code is valid (S303). The user may connect to the vending machine body 1 from a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone and input the identification code described in the message unit 15 while referring to the registration method posted in the message unit 15.

  If the identification code is correct, the contact number of the caller is registered in the storage unit 33 as contact information (S304). Then, the transmission flag is set to 1 (S305). If it is determined in step S303 that the identification code is not correct, error processing is performed (S306), and the process ends.

  FIG. 8 shows a processing flow for communicating the charging status. First, when the control unit 30 of the vending machine body 1 receives data on the required processing time from the charging device 2 (S400), it checks whether the contact information is registered in the storage unit 33 (S401). If not, return as is. If the contact information is registered, it is checked whether the transmission flag is 1 (S402). If the transmission flag is 1, the timer is reset and counting is started (S403). Then, after setting the transmission flag to 0 (S404), it is checked whether the timer has counted for a predetermined time (S405). If the transmission flag is not 1 in step S402, the process proceeds to step S405.

  When the timer counts the predetermined time, the processing time transmitted from the charging device 2 is transmitted based on the registered contact information (S406), and the user's mobile phone is transmitted via the transmission / reception unit 32. After contacting the terminal, the transmission flag is set to 1 (S407). If the timer has not counted the predetermined time in step S405, the process returns as it is.

  The required processing time calculated in step S213 can be transmitted to the contact whenever the predetermined time elapses by the above processing, and the charging status is regularly checked even if the user leaves the electric vehicle being charged and goes out for shopping. Since contact is made, it becomes possible to quickly know the end of charging. Further, in the example shown in FIG. 8, contact is made every time a predetermined time elapses. However, contact can be made every predetermined time, or the user can specify the contact time. is there.

  In the above description, an electric two-wheeled vehicle has been described as an example, but the present invention can be easily applied to an electric four-wheeled vehicle. For example, the front wheel on one side of the electric four-wheel vehicle may be locked by the lock portion. It is also possible to attach the locking key of the locking mechanism that locks and unlocks the lock part to the connector of the charging cable, improving the operability when setting by the user, and also when operating the locking key In addition, since the charging cable connector is gripped, forgetting to remove the charging cable can be prevented.

It is a schematic perspective view regarding embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic front view regarding the embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a functional block block diagram regarding embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a processing flow in the case of selling goods in the vending machine main body. It is a processing flow in the case of performing a charging process in a charging device. It is a processing flow in the case of performing a charging process in a charging device. It is a processing flow for registering a contact for contacting the charging status during the charging process. It is a processing flow for reporting a charge condition.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vending machine main body 2 Charging apparatus 3 Electric vehicle 4 Product display part 5 Charge input part 6 Charge return part 7 Product delivery part 8 Charging cable 9 Lock part
10 Holding part

A vending machine according to the present invention includes a sending unit that sends out articles to be sold, an operation input unit that selects articles, a settlement unit that settles a fee required for sales, and a power supply unit that supplies power to each unit. In the vending machine comprising a control unit for controlling each unit, the power supply unit is supplied with power and electrically connected to the electric vehicle for charging, and a connection terminal is connected to the information terminal provided in the electric vehicle. A charging unit that is connected to acquire charging control information , and a charging control unit that controls the charging unit based on the required processing amount calculated by the settlement unit and the charging control information. . In addition, a transmission / reception unit that transmits / receives information to / from a user's portable terminal via an external communication network is provided, and the control unit is information indicating a progress status of the charging operation with respect to the registered contact information Charging information providing means for transmitting the information via the transmission / reception unit. Furthermore, the charging information providing means registers contact information transmitted from the user's portable terminal via the transmission / reception unit. Furthermore, it is provided with a lock unit that restricts movement of the electric vehicle that performs charging.

A vending machine according to the present invention includes a sending unit that sends out articles to be sold, an operation input unit that selects articles, a settlement unit that settles a fee required for sales, and a power supply unit that supplies power to each unit. In the vending machine comprising a control unit for controlling each unit, the power supply unit receives power and electrically connects a charging connector to the electric vehicle to perform charging and to an information terminal provided on the electric vehicle. A charging unit that obtains charging control information by connecting a connection terminal different from the charging connector, and a charging control unit that controls the charging unit based on the required processing amount calculated by the settlement unit and the charging control information It is characterized by having. In addition, a transmission / reception unit that transmits / receives information to / from a user's mobile terminal via an external communication network is provided, and the control unit is information indicating a progress status of the charging operation with respect to the registered contact information Charging information providing means for transmitting the information via the transmission / reception unit. Furthermore, the charging information providing means registers contact information transmitted from the user's portable terminal via the transmission / reception unit. Furthermore, it is provided with a lock unit that restricts movement of the electric vehicle that performs charging.

Claims (5)

  It has a delivery unit for selling articles to be sold, an operation input unit for selecting articles, a settlement unit for settlement of charges necessary for sales, a power supply unit for supplying power to each unit, and a control unit for controlling each unit In the vending machine, a charging unit that is supplied with power from the power source unit and is electrically connected to the electric vehicle for charging, and a charging control that controls the charging unit based on the required processing amount calculated by the settlement unit And a vending machine.   The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the charging control unit performs charging control based on charging control information acquired from an electric vehicle through an electrical connection unit of the charging unit.   A transmission / reception unit that transmits / receives information to / from a mobile terminal of a user via an external communication network, and the control unit includes information indicating a progress status of a charging operation with respect to registered contact information; The vending machine according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising charging information providing means for transmitting via a transmission / reception unit.   The vending machine according to claim 3, wherein the charging information providing unit registers contact information transmitted from a portable terminal of a user via the transmission / reception unit.   The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a lock unit that restricts movement of the electric vehicle that performs charging.

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