JP2009211321A - Vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vending machine for improving the visibility of merchandise for sale and for raising the purchase motivation of a user. <P>SOLUTION: The vending machine sells merchandise N in different temperature states through a common merchandise takeout port 70. The machine is provided with an illumination means 80 including light sources 81, 82 different in hue of illumination light and illuminating the inside of the port 70 with illumination light in response to the temperature states of the merchandise N to be taken out to the port 70. The machine is provided with: merchandise selection buttons 60 selecting the merchandises for sale and being operated by the user; a memory 102 preliminarily associating the buttons 60 with drive information to store them; and a sales control unit for reading the drive information corresponding to the buttons 60 from the memory 102 to drive the light sources 81, 82 corresponding to the read drive information when the buttons 60 are operated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine.

  Some vending machines include a plurality of heat insulating containers inside the main body case, and each of the heat insulating containers stores products at different temperatures. This vending machine sells products in different temperature states through a common product outlet.

  Some vending machines include illumination means for illuminating the inside of the product outlet in order to improve the visibility of products to be sold (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-37967

  By the way, in recent years, some illumination means include light sources having different hues of irradiation light. Therefore, in order to stimulate the user's willingness to purchase by differentiating from other vending machines, the inventor diligently considered applying this lighting means to the vending machine.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine capable of improving the visibility of commodities to be sold and encouraging users to purchase.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a vending machine that sells products in different temperature states through a common product outlet, and has a light source with different hues of irradiation light, and the product Illuminating means for illuminating the inside of the product outlet with irradiation light corresponding to the temperature state of the product delivered to the outlet is provided.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the first aspect, the storage means for selecting a product to be sold and storing the operation selection unit operated by the user in association with the operation selection unit and the drive information in advance. And when the operation selection unit is operated, drive information corresponding to the operation selection unit is read from the storage unit, and a light source drive unit that drives a light source corresponding to the read drive information is provided. .

  According to the vending machine according to the present invention, the illumination device includes the light source having different hues of the irradiation light and illuminates the inside of the product outlet with the irradiation light according to the temperature state of the product delivered to the product outlet. Therefore, the visibility of the product can be improved, and the user's willingness to purchase can be stimulated by differentiating from other vending machines.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a vending machine according to the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings as appropriate. 1 and 2 show a vending machine according to the present invention.

  The vending machine exemplified here sells a product N such as a canned beverage, a beverage in a plastic bottle, and a beverage in a paper pack in a cooled or heated state, and includes a main body case 1. The main body case 1 includes a main body cabinet 2 that is a rectangular parallelepiped housing, and a front panel 3 that opens and closes an opening formed on the front surface side of the main body cabinet 2. In the following description, the side with the front panel 3 will be described as the front side (front side) of the vending machine, and the side with the main body cabinet 2 will be described as the back side (back side).

  Inside the main body cabinet 2, the first heat insulating container 21 is provided, for example, on the right half thereof, and the second heat insulating container 22 is provided, for example, on the left half thereof.

  The 1st heat insulation container 21 forms the bottom wall, the top wall, and the side wall with a heat insulating material, and maintains the inside in a predetermined temperature state. Further, although not shown in the drawing, a cooling means for cooling the air inside the first heat insulating storage 21 such as an evaporator of a refrigeration cycle is provided inside the first heat insulating storage 21. is there.

  The 2nd heat insulation container 22 forms the bottom wall, the top wall, and the side wall with the heat insulating material, and maintains the inside in the predetermined | prescribed temperature state. In addition, although not shown in the drawing, heating means for heating the air inside the second heat insulating container 22 is provided inside the second heat insulating container 22.

  A plurality of product racks 40 are juxtaposed in the left-right width direction inside the first heat insulating container 21 and the second heat insulating container 22. Each merchandise rack 40 is configured by arranging a plurality of merchandise columns 41 side by side in the depth width direction, and accommodates a plurality of merchandise N in a vertical direction in a merchandise accommodation passage defined in each merchandise column 41. Is possible.

  The product N in the first heat insulating container 21 is stored in each product column 41 in a cooled state, while the product N in the second heat insulating container 22 is stored in each product column 41 in a heated state. It is. Each product column 41 installed in the heat insulating container has a function as a storage unit that stores the product N in a predetermined temperature state.

  A bend mech 42 for paying out the products N individually is provided at the lower end of each product column 41. The bend mec 42 is connected to the control means 100 shown in the figure, and when a payout command is given from the control means 100, the bend mech 42 is driven to pay out one commodity N. The product N paid out from the bend mech 42 is guided to the shooter 43 and placed in the product take-out unit 71 described later.

  In selling the product N, the coin insertion slot 51 for inserting coins, the banknote insertion slot 52 for inserting banknotes, the deposit amount of money inserted by the user, the amount of change, etc. A display 53 for displaying various necessary information to the outside, a return lever 54 for returning inserted coins and inserted bills, a coin return port 55 for returning coins, and a product sample N ′ to be described later The structure required when selling the goods N, such as the transparent plate 58 for visually recognizing, is provided.

  The front panel 3 is provided with a product selection button 60 corresponding to the product column 41 on a one-to-one basis. The product selection button 60 is used to select a product N to be sold and has a function as an operation selection unit operated by the user. When the product selection button 60 is operated by a user, the product selection button 60 transmits a signal indicating that the product has been operated to the control means 100.

  Further, a coin processing device 61 and a banknote processing device 62 are provided on the back side of the front panel 3. The coin processing device 61 performs the money processing of the coin received from the coin insertion slot 51 and transmits the result of the money processing to the control means 100. The banknote processing device 62 performs a monetary process on the banknote received from the banknote insertion slot 52 and transmits the result of the monetary process to the control means 100.

  Further, a product sample N ′ corresponding to the product selection button 60 on a one-to-one basis is provided on the front panel 3. This product sample N ′ is a sample of the product N to be sold.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to 5, the front panel 3 has a product outlet 70 formed on the front surface, and a product outlet 71 that faces the product outlet 70. The product take-out portion 71 is a space defined inside the main body case 1 by the take-out side wall 71a, the take-out top wall 71b, and the take-out bottom wall 71c, and is discharged from the product column 41 by driving the bend mech 42. This is a space in which the product N is guided and delivered by the shooter 43. The product outlet 70 is an opening formed in the front panel 3 for taking out the product (sales product) N delivered to the product take-out unit 71. Then, the user can take out the sold product paid out to the product take-out unit 71 through the product take-out port 70 to the outside of the main body case 1. Further, the product N accommodated in the first heat insulating container 21 is sold through the commodity outlet 70, and the commodity N stored in the second heat insulating container 22 is transmitted through the commodity outlet 70. Sold. That is, this vending machine sells products N in different temperature states through a common product outlet 70. Further, the front panel 3 is provided with a door body 72 for opening and closing the product outlet 70.

  A partition wall 74 that bisects the product take-out portion 71 in the vertical direction is provided at the bottom of the product take-out portion 71. The partition wall 74 is formed with two illumination openings 73 arranged in the left-right width direction. In addition, the product take-out portion 71 is provided with an illumination opening closing plate 75 that closes each illumination opening 73 and is formed of a resin material having optical transparency.

  In addition, in the product take-out portion 71 divided by the partition wall 74, an illumination unit 80 that illuminates the inside of the product take-out port 70 is provided in a lower space. The illumination unit 80 includes a first light source 81 and a second light source 82. The first light source 81 is a fluorescent lamp whose irradiation light has a blue hue. The second light source 82 is a fluorescent lamp whose irradiation light has a red hue. The first light source 81 emits blue light by being driven when a drive command is given from the control means 100, and the second light source 82 is given when a drive command is given from the control means 100 By driving to, red light is emitted.

  The vending machine having such a configuration includes the control means 100 shown in FIG. The control means 100 controls the vending machine in an integrated manner, and includes a coin processing device 61, a banknote processing device 62, a bend mech 42 of each product column 41, each product selection button 60, a first light source 81, and A second light source 82 is connected.

  The control unit 100 includes a sales process control unit 101 and a memory 102. The memory 102 stores programs and data for operating the vending machine. Further, in this memory 102, the product selection button 60 and the product column 41 are stored in association with each other in a one-to-one correspondence, and the product selection button 60 and the driving information are in a one-to-one correspondence. They are stored in association with each other.

  Specifically, the first product selection buttons 60 are associated with the first product column 41 installed in the first heat insulating container 21 on a one-to-one basis. Similarly, the second product selection button 60 is associated with the second product column 41 installed in the first heat insulating container 21 on a one-to-one basis, and the third product selection button 60 is associated with the third product column 41. 60 are associated one to one. Hereinafter, although omitted, each product selection button 60 is associated with each product column 41 installed in the first heat insulating container 21 on a one-to-one basis. The eleventh product selection buttons 60 are associated with the eleventh product column 41 installed in the second heat insulating container 22 on a one-to-one basis. Similarly, the twelfth product selection button 60 is associated with the twelfth product column 41 installed in the second heat insulating container 22 on a one-to-one basis, and the thirteenth product selection button 60 is associated with the thirteenth product column 41. 60 are associated one to one. Hereinafter, although omitted, each product selection button 60 is associated with each product column 41 installed in the second heat insulating container 22 on a one-to-one basis.

  Further, driving information is associated with each product selection button 60 in a one-to-one correspondence. Specifically, driving information for lighting the first light source 81 is associated with the first product selection button 60, and driving for lighting the first light source 81 with the second product selection button 60. The information is associated, and the third product selection button 60 is associated with drive information for turning on the first light source 81. Further, driving information for lighting the second light source 82 is associated with the eleventh product selection button 60, and driving information for lighting the second light source 82 is associated with the twelfth product selection button 60. The drive information for lighting the second light source 82 is associated with the thirteenth product selection button 60.

  The sales processing control unit 101 has a function of controlling sales of the product N. In addition, when the product selection button 60 is operated, the sales processing control unit 101 reads drive information corresponding to the product selection button 60 from the memory 102 and drives a light source based on the read drive information. It also has a function as Further, the sales processing control unit 101 has a function of transmitting a payout command to the bend mech 42 of the product column 41 corresponding to the product selection button 60 when the product selection button 60 is operated.

  Next, the operation of the sales processing control unit 101 of this vending machine will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. The sales processing control unit 101 of this vending machine waits for a predetermined amount of money to be inserted (step S001: No).

  The sales process control part 101 transfers to step S002, when the money of predetermined amount is thrown into the coin processing apparatus 61 or the banknote processing apparatus 62 (step S001: Yes).

  In step S002, the sales process control unit 101 waits for the product selection button 60 to be operated (step S002: No), and when the product selection button 60 is operated (step S002: Yes), the product The product column 41 corresponding to the selection button 60 is read from the memory 102, and the drive information corresponding to the product selection button 60 is read from the memory 102 (step S003), and the process proceeds to step S004.

  In step S004, the sales process control unit 101 transmits a payout command to the bend mech 42 of the read product column 41 and transmits a drive command to the light sources 81 and 82 corresponding to the read drive information, and then performs the sales process. finish.

  When the bend mec 42 receives a payout command from the sales processing control unit 101, the bend mech 42 is driven to pay out one product N from the product column 41. The product N delivered from the product column 41 is guided by the shooter 43 and delivered to the product take-out unit 71.

  Further, when the first light source 81 receives a drive command from the sales processing control unit 101, the first light source 81 is driven to emit blue light. As a result, the inside of the product outlet 70 is illuminated with the blue irradiation light corresponding to the cooled product N delivered to the product outlet 70.

  On the other hand, when the second light source 82 receives a drive command from the sales processing control unit 101, the second light source 82 is driven to emit red light. As a result, the interior of the product outlet 70 is illuminated with red irradiation light corresponding to the heated product N to be delivered to the product outlet 70.

  According to this vending machine, when selling the cooled product N, the inside of the product outlet 70 can be illuminated with blue irradiation light, while when selling the heated product N, the product N The inside of the outlet 70 can be illuminated with red illumination light. Thereby, the visibility of the sold product N can be improved, and the user can know whether the sold product N is cooled or heated. Moreover, since such a function is not possessed by other vending machines, the user's willingness to purchase can be stimulated by differentiating from other vending machines.

  In the above-described embodiment, the vending machine that sells the product N such as a canned beverage, a beverage in a plastic bottle, and a beverage in a paper pack has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to, for example, a vending machine that sells cupped beverages.

It is a front view which shows the vending machine concerning this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part of the vending machine shown in FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the goods extraction part with which the vending machine shown in FIG. 1 is provided from the back side of the front panel. It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the goods extraction part shown in FIG. It is a flowchart of the sales process part with which the vending machine shown in FIG. 1 is provided.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body case 2 Main body cabinet 3 Front panel 21 1st heat insulation container 22 2nd heat insulation container 40 Commodity rack 41 Commodity column 42 Bendmec 43 Shuta 51 Coin slot 52 Bill insertion slot 53 Indicator 54 Return lever 55 Coin return slot 58 Transparent plate 60 Product selection button (operation selection section)
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 61 coin processing device 62 banknote processing device 70 commodity outlet 71 commodity outlet 71a outlet side wall 71b outlet ceiling wall 71c outlet bottom wall 73 illumination opening 80 illuminating means 81 first light source 82 second light source 100 control means 101 sales processing control section ( Light source driving means)
102 memory (storage means)
N product N 'product sample N product sold

Claims (2)

In vending machines that sell products at different temperatures through a common product outlet,
A vending machine comprising light sources having different light hues of illumination light, and illuminating means for illuminating the interior of the product outlet with irradiation light according to a temperature state of the product delivered to the product outlet. Select the product to sell, the operation selection part that the user operates,
Storage means for storing the operation selection unit and drive information in association with each other;
And a light source driving unit configured to read drive information corresponding to the operation selection unit from the storage unit and drive a light source corresponding to the read drive information when the operation selection unit is operated. The vending machine according to 1.

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