JP2014115988A - Vending machine routing period determination device and vending machine routing period determination system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vending machine routing period determination technique capable of determining an efficient routing period of a vending machine.SOLUTION: A sale quantity acquisition unit 22 acquires a sale quantity of a vending machine 1. A sale quantity prediction unit 24 calculates a predicted sale quantity on the basis of the sale quantity. A minimum stock quantity setting unit 25 sets a minimum stock quantity of the vending machine 1. A sold-out timing calculation unit 26 calculates a time when the stock quantity falls below the minimum stock quantity, as a sold-out time, on the basis of the predicted sale quantity. A routing period determination unit 28 sets the sold-out time as a routing period of the vending machine 1.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine patrol time determining technique for determining a time when patrols a plurality of vending machines.

  Vending machine replenishment is usually carried out by vending machine operators. In order to increase the efficiency of this patrol, a server is provided in the data center to store sales performance information acquired by each vending machine and collected via the network, and the server sells each vending machine based on the sales performance information. In addition to calculating the forecast, a patrol / replenishment plan based on the sales forecast and the installation location of each vending machine is established and distributed to the vending machine operator via the network. There has been proposed a vending machine patrol / replenishment system configured to carry out patrol / replenishment (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-042217 A

  In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, there is a description that patrol and replenishment are performed based on a patrol and replenishment plan created based on the sales forecast and the installation location of the vending machine. However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose a specific method for creating a tour / replenishment plan. Therefore, even with the system of Patent Document 1, the time for patrol to each vending machine can only be determined by know-how based on the past experience rules of each vending machine operator. The problem of excessive patrol cannot be solved.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine patrol time determining technique capable of determining an efficient vending machine patrol time.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a vending machine patrol time determining device for determining the time to patrol the vending machine according to the present invention includes a sales volume acquisition unit that acquires the sales volume of the vending machine, and the sales volume A sales quantity forecasting unit that calculates a forecasted sales quantity based on the minimum sales quantity setting part that sets a minimum inventory quantity of the vending machine, and a period when the inventory quantity is less than the minimum inventory quantity based on the forecasted sales quantity. A sold-out time calculating unit that calculates the sold-out time, and a traveling time determining unit that determines the sold-out time as a traveling time of the vending machine.

  In this configuration, the sold-out time is calculated based on the minimum stock quantity and the predicted sales quantity, and the sold-out time is determined as the circulation time. For this reason, the traveling time of the vending machine can be set near the time when the product is sold out. As a result, the possibility of the product being sold out can be suppressed, and the circulation interval of the vending machine can be increased. In other words, efficient vending machine patrol can be realized.

  A general vending machine includes a plurality of columns and is configured to sell a plurality of products. In order to adapt to such a vending machine, in one of the preferred embodiments of the vending machine patrol time determining device of the present invention, the vending machine includes a plurality of columns for filling products, and the sales volume acquisition is performed. The unit obtains the sales volume for each column, the sales volume prediction unit calculates the predicted sales volume for each column, the minimum inventory quantity setting unit sets the minimum inventory quantity for each column, The sold-out time calculating unit calculates the sold-out time for each column, and the traveling time determining unit determines the sold-out time of the column with the earliest sold-out time as the traveling time.

  In this configuration, the circulation time is the sold-out time of the column with the earliest sold-out time. This can reduce the possibility of selling out.

  In one preferred embodiment of the vending machine patrol time determining device of the present invention, a necessary replenishment quantity calculation unit for calculating a necessary replenishment quantity of the merchandise at the patrol time, and the merchandise is transported to the vending machine. A loading quantity prediction unit that calculates a predicted loading quantity of the product to be loaded into the transport vehicle, and the loading quantity prediction unit is left in the transport vehicle after the last visit from the necessary supplemental quantity. The quantity obtained by subtracting the quantity of the product is calculated as the predicted loading quantity.

  By taking goods of the predicted loading quantity calculated by this configuration into the transport vehicle, it is possible to reduce take-out inventory. In addition, the loading efficiency on the transport vehicle can be increased.

  The vending machine is configured to sell not only refrigerated items but also warm items. Some vending machines handle products with a short expiration date. It is not preferable to keep a warm product or a product with a short expiration date in the vending machine for a long time. Therefore, in one of the preferred embodiments of the vending machine patrol time determining device of the present invention, the vending machine patrol time determination device comprises a residence period calculation unit that calculates the residence period of the product in the vending machine based on the sales volume, The traveling time determination unit determines the time when the staying period exceeds a threshold period as the traveling time.

  In this configuration, the circulation time of the vending machine is determined based on the residence period of the product in the vending machine. As a result, it is possible to prevent refrigerated products and products with a short expiration date from staying in the vending machine for a certain period or longer.

  A vending machine patrol time determination system can also be constructed using the vending machine patrol time determination device as described above. Such a vending machine patrol time determination system includes a vending machine, a relay device, and a vending machine patrol time determination device, and the vending machine records sales information of the product. And a communication unit that communicates with the relay device, wherein the relay device communicates with the vending machine and the vending machine patrol time determining device, and the acquired from the vending machine A sales quantity calculation unit that calculates a sales quantity for a predetermined period as a period sales quantity based on sales information, and the vending machine patrol time determination device includes a communication unit that communicates with the relay device, The acquisition unit acquires the period sales volume as the sales volume.

  Even with such a vending machine patrol time determination system, it is possible to achieve the same effects as the vending machine patrol time determination device described above.

1 is a configuration diagram of a vending machine patrol time determination system in Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a vending machine patrol time determination system in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart showing the flow of the vending machine patrol time determination process in Example 1. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a process for predicting a loading quantity in the first embodiment. It is a block diagram of the vending machine patrol time determination system in Example 2. It is a functional block diagram of the vending machine patrol time determination system in Example 2. It is a block diagram of the vending machine patrol time determination system in Example 3. It is a functional block diagram of the vending machine patrol time determination system in Example 3.

  Embodiments of a vending machine patrol time determination device and a vending machine patrol time determination system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vending machine patrol time determination system in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the vending machine patrol time determination system in this embodiment. As shown in the figure, the vending machine patrol time determination system of the present embodiment is composed of a vending machine 1 and a server 2 as a vending machine patrol time determination device. The vending machine 1 and the server 2 are communicably connected via a network N. In the present embodiment, the network N is configured by a mobile phone communication network and the Internet. Specifically, a mobile phone communication network is used between the vending machine 1 and the mobile phone base station, and the Internet is used between the mobile phone base station and the server 2. Although FIG. 1 shows three vending machines 1, the number of vending machines 1 can be changed as appropriate. Since all the vending machines 1 have the same configuration, only one vending machine 1 is shown in FIG.

〔vending machine〕
The vending machine 1 includes a plurality of columns (not shown) inside, and is configured to store products in each column. Moreover, the inside of the vending machine 1 is partitioned into a plurality of rooms, and refrigeration / warming can be switched for each room. Therefore, refrigerated goods and warm goods can be sold with one vending machine 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the vending machine 1 includes a communication unit 11 and a sales recording unit 12. The communication unit 11 is a network interface that transmits information to the server 2 via the network N. In the present embodiment, since the vending machine 1 performs communication via the mobile phone communication network, the communication unit 11 can be configured by a device that can access the mobile phone communication network.

  The sales recording unit 12 records the cumulative sales (an example of sales information of the present invention) for each column. For example, every time a product is sold, the sales recording unit 12 counts up the count for the column of the sold product.

  The sales total for each column recorded in the sales recording unit 12 in this way is transmitted to the server 2 via the communication unit 11 every predetermined period. In this embodiment, the sales total is transmitted at a predetermined time on each day. The accumulated sales are transmitted with the identification information of the vending machine 1 attached. In the present embodiment, the vending machine 1 actively transmits the accumulated sales. However, the vending machine 1 may passively perform transmission based on an instruction from the server 2. In this case, the communication unit 11 is configured to perform bidirectional communication.

[Vending machine patrol time determination device]
As shown in FIG. 2, the vending machine patrol time determination device 2 includes a communication unit 21, a sales quantity acquisition unit 22, an inventory quantity calculation unit 23, a sales quantity prediction unit 24, a minimum inventory quantity setting unit 25, and a sold out timing calculation unit. 26, a residence period calculation unit 27, a traveling time determination unit 28, a vending machine information recording unit 29, a necessary supplement quantity calculation unit 210, and a loading quantity prediction unit 211.

  The communication unit 21 is a network interface that communicates with the vending machine 1 via the network N. In this embodiment, since the vending machine patrol time determining device 2 performs communication via the Internet, the communication unit 21 can be configured by a NIC or the like.

  The sales quantity acquisition unit 22 acquires the cumulative sales transmitted from the vending machine 1 via the network N via the communication unit 21. In the present embodiment, the sales quantity acquisition unit 22 calculates the sales quantity per unit period (for example, one day) from the acquired cumulative sales. In this embodiment, since the accumulated sales are transmitted every day, the difference between the accumulated sales on the previous day and the accumulated sales on the current day is the sales volume per day. This sales volume is calculated for each column of each vending machine 1.

  The inventory quantity calculation unit 23 calculates the inventory quantity of each column based on the sales quantity.

  The sales volume prediction unit 24 calculates the predicted sales volume for a predetermined period based on the past sales volume. The period for calculating the predicted sales volume can be changed. For example, it can be a period for formulating a patrol plan. The predicted sales volume can be calculated using, for example, the average of past sales volumes. It can also be calculated using other known methods. Further, the predicted sales volume for each day of the week may be calculated.

  The minimum inventory quantity setting unit 25 sets a necessary minimum inventory quantity for each column. In the present embodiment, the minimum inventory quantity means an inventory quantity sufficient to prevent sold-out. Therefore, the minimum inventory quantity can be calculated based on the past sales quantity or the predicted sales quantity. In this embodiment, the minimum inventory quantity setting unit 25 calculates and sets the minimum inventory quantity based on the past sales quantity. For example, the minimum inventory quantity can be calculated based on statistics such as an average value or a maximum value of past sales quantities. Note that the operator may set the minimum stock quantity.

  The sold-out time calculation unit 26 calculates the time when the products in each column are sold out (sold-out time). Specifically, it is assumed that a product with an estimated sales quantity can be sold each day, and the time (day) when the stock quantity is equal to or less than the minimum stock quantity is determined as the sold-out time.

  The residence period calculation unit 27 calculates a period (a residence period) in which the product stays in the vending machine 1 based on the sales volume.

  The traveling time determination unit 28 determines the traveling time of the vending machine 1 based on the calculation results of the sold-out time calculation unit 26 and the stay period calculation unit 27. In the present embodiment, since the vending machine 1 includes a plurality of columns, the earliest time among the sold-out times for each column is determined as the circulation time. If the vending machine 1 has only one column, the sold-out time becomes the patrol time. The traveling time determination unit 28 also determines the traveling time based on the residence period calculated by the residence period calculation unit 27.

  The vending machine information recording unit 29 records the identification information of each vending machine 1, attributes such as products that are put in each column, and the days that can be visited.

  The necessary replenishment quantity calculation unit 210 calculates a quantity (necessary replenishment quantity) necessary for replenishment of the merchandise of each merchandise type at each traveling time. For example, the necessary replenishment quantity for each product type at the tour time is calculated based on the inventory quantity for each product type and the predicted sales quantity. The necessary replenishment quantity is a quantity necessary to fill the column. Specifically, the necessary replenishment quantity calculation unit 210 calculates a quantity obtained by subtracting the inventory quantity at the circulation time from the column refillable quantity as the necessary replenishment quantity. If a plurality of columns are filled with products of the same product type, they are added together.

  Further, when a plurality of vending machines 1 are targeted as in this embodiment, the required replenishment quantities of all the vending machines 1 are added together.

  In calculating the necessary replenishment quantity, an appropriate replenishment quantity for the column as described in the third embodiment may be used instead of the refillable quantity for the column.

  The necessary replenishment quantity calculation unit 210 converts the calculated necessary replenishment quantity into a replenishment quantity for each case and sends it to the loading quantity prediction unit 211.

  The loading quantity prediction unit 211 predicts the quantity of products to be loaded on the transport vehicle. Specifically, the estimated loading quantity is obtained by subtracting the quantity (take-out inventory quantity) loaded in the transport vehicle after traveling around the vending machine 1 the previous day from the necessary replenishment quantity.

[Course time determination process]
The processing flow of the server 2 in this embodiment will be described below using the flowchart of FIG. In addition, since the process of the vending machine 1 is as above-mentioned, description is abbreviate | omitted. In the following, only the processing for one vending machine 1 will be described, but the following processing is performed for each vending machine 1.

  The following processing is executed by designating a period (travel schedule formulation period) in which the operator or the like formulates the tour schedule.

  First, the sales total for each column transmitted from the vending machine 1 via the network N is acquired by the sales quantity acquisition unit 22 via the communication unit 21 (# 01). The sales volume acquisition unit 22 that has acquired the cumulative sales calculates the sales volume of each column for each day based on the cumulative sales (# 02). The calculated sales quantity is recorded in a recording device (not shown). The recording device records and manages the sales volume for a predetermined period in a FIFO format.

  The sales quantity acquisition unit 22 notifies the inventory quantity calculation unit 23 that the sales quantity has been calculated. Upon receipt of this notification, the inventory quantity calculation unit 23 calculates the inventory quantity of each column from the accumulated sales since the previous replenishment (# 03). The calculated inventory quantity is recorded in a recording device.

  The sales volume prediction unit 24 reads the sales volume from the recording device at a predetermined timing, and calculates the predicted sales volume for each column in a predetermined prediction period (# 04). This prediction period may be at least a traveling schedule formulation period. Further, the predetermined timing can be set when the sales quantity acquisition unit 22 records the sales quantity or when the operator instructs to determine the tour time. In the former case, the sales quantity acquisition unit 22 notifies the sales quantity prediction unit 24 that the recording of the sales quantity has been completed. The calculated predicted sales quantity is recorded in the recording device (# 05).

  The minimum inventory quantity setting unit 25 reads the sales quantity from the recording device at a predetermined timing, and sets the minimum inventory quantity required for each column (# 06). In this embodiment, the average value of past sales quantities is set as the minimum inventory quantity. The predetermined timing may be the same as or different from the sales quantity prediction unit 24. When the operator sets the minimum stock quantity, the process of the minimum stock quantity setting unit 25 is a process flow different from this flowchart.

  The sold-out time calculation unit 26 reads the predicted sales quantity and inventory quantity from the recording device, and calculates the sold-out time of each column based on these and the minimum inventory quantity (# 07). Specifically, it is assumed that a product with a predicted sales quantity has been sold in a state where there is a product with the read inventory quantity, and the time (day) when the inventory quantity is equal to or less than the minimum inventory quantity is calculated as the sold-out time. For example, if the inventory quantity is 18, the predicted sales quantity (average sales quantity) is 1.5, and the minimum inventory quantity is 6, the maximum value of x satisfying 18− (1.5 × x) ≦ 6 is obtained. Good. In this case, x = 8, and eight days later is sold out. Similarly, when the inventory quantity is 30, the predicted sales quantity is 3, and the minimum inventory quantity is 9, the sold-out time is 7 days later. The calculated sold-out time is sent to the tour time determination unit 28.

  Apart from the processing of the sold-out time calculation unit 26, the residence period calculation unit 27 calculates the residence period of each product in the vending machine 1 (# 08). Specifically, the residence period calculation unit 27 records the replenishment quantity of the product of each column in the recording device, and based on the replenishment quantity, the sales quantity, and the predicted sales quantity, the individual product in the future for a predetermined period. Calculates the period during which is staying in the vending machine. The calculated residence period is sent to the tour timing determination unit 28.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 3, the calculation of the stay period is in series with the calculation of the sold-out time, but since there is no dependency between these processes, the order may be changed, and the calculation is performed in parallel. Also good.

  The traveling time determination unit 28 that has acquired the sold-out time and the staying period determines the traveling time of the vending machine based on these. First, the traveling time determination unit 28 determines the earliest time from the sold-out time of each column of one vending machine as the reference traveling time (# 09). Then, the tour time determination unit 28 determines whether or not there is a product that exceeds the threshold residence period set for each column (or each product type) by the reference tour time (# 10). If there is a product that exceeds the threshold residence period by the reference tour time (Yes branch of # 10), the time exceeding the threshold residence period is determined as the tour time (# 11). On the other hand, when there is no product exceeding the threshold residence period (No branch of # 10), the reference tour time is determined as the tour time (# 12).

  By performing this process on each vending machine 1, the traveling time of each vending machine 1 is determined. The service staff patrols each vending machine 1 according to the determined patrol time. Thereby, the frequency | count of circulation can be reduced, suppressing the possibility that goods will be sold out. Moreover, the residence period in the vending machine 1 of warm storage goods or goods with a short expiration date can also be managed appropriately.

  Here, the processing necessary for determining the tour time has been described as a series of flows, but the processing of the tour time determination unit 28 and other processing may be executed at different timings. For example, the processes from # 01 to # 08 may be performed at the timing when the accumulated sales are acquired from the vending machine 1, and the processes after # 09 may be performed when a patrol time determination instruction is received from the operator. .

[Load quantity forecast]
In the present embodiment, the goods are loaded into the transport vehicle on the night before the patrol of the vending machine 1. Therefore, the process for predicting the loading quantity is executed in the morning of the loading date. Further, it is assumed that the take-out inventory quantity (the quantity brought back after the transport vehicle circulates the vending machine 1) for each product type of each day is input to the server 2 by an operator or the like. Furthermore, in the following, the description will be made on the assumption that the transport vehicle patrols one of the vending machines 1 every day. To read as

  At the timing when the patrol time is determined, first, the required replenishment number calculation unit 210 identifies the vending machine 1 whose next day is the patrol date (# 21). In the following description, the identified vending machine 1 is referred to as a traveling target vending machine.

  Next, the required replenishment quantity calculation unit 210 is a quantity obtained by subtracting the inventory quantity on the circulation date (the day after the day when this processing is performed) from the column refillable quantity (or appropriate replenishment quantity) for each column. Is calculated as a necessary replenishment quantity (# 22). At this time, if a plurality of columns are filled with products of the same product type, they are added together. That is, the necessary supplement quantity calculation unit 210 calculates the necessary supplement quantity for each product type, not for each column. The column filling capacity is recorded in the vending machine information recording unit 29.

  Furthermore, the required replenishment quantity calculation unit 210 adds up the required replenishment quantities of all the circulation target vending machines for each product type (# 23). Then, the required replenishment quantity calculation unit 210 converts the calculated necessary replenishment quantity into a required replenishment quantity in units of cases. The necessary replenishment quantity calculated in this way is sent to the loading quantity prediction unit 211.

  The loading quantity prediction unit 211 that has acquired the necessary replenishment quantity calculates, as the predicted loading quantity, a quantity obtained by subtracting the take-out inventory quantity on the day before this processing from the necessary replenishment quantity for each product type. (# 24). For example, if the take-out inventory quantity of the previous day is 23 cases and the required replenishment quantity is 163 cases, 163-23 = 140 cases is the predicted loading quantity.

  This predicted loading quantity is presented to an operator or the like, and an instruction to load the predicted loading quantity is issued from the operator or the like. Note that when this loading is performed, the transport vehicle is loaded with the sum of the take-out stock on the day when this processing is performed and the predicted loading quantity.

  The vending machine patrol time determination system according to the second embodiment will be described below. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same function part as Example 1, and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the vending machine patrol time determination system in the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the vending machine patrol time determination system in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the vending machine patrol time determination system of the present embodiment includes a vending machine 1, a server 2 as a vending machine patrol time determination device, and a relay server 3 (an example of the relay device of the present invention). ) And. In the first embodiment, the vending machine 1 and the server 2 directly communicate with each other. However, in this embodiment, the vending machine 1 and the server 2 communicate with each other via the relay server 3.

[Relay server]
The relay server 3 includes a first communication unit 31, a second communication unit 32, a sales quantity calculation unit 33, and a vending machine information recording unit 34.

  The first communication unit 31 is a network interface for communicating with the vending machine 1 via the network N. As described above, in the present embodiment, the vending machine 1 performs communication using the mobile phone communication network. Therefore, the first communication unit 31 can be configured by a device that can access the mobile phone communication network.

  The second communication unit 32 is a network interface for communicating with the server 2 via the network N. In this embodiment, the server 2 and the relay server 3 communicate with each other by EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) using the Internet. Therefore, the 2nd communication part 32 can be comprised by NIC etc.

  The cumulative sales are transmitted from the vending machine 1 to the relay server 3. The sales volume calculation unit 33 calculates the sales volume (period sales volume) for each day based on the cumulative sales. The calculated sales volume is sent to the server 2 via the second communication unit 32.

  The vending machine information recording unit 34 records the attributes of each vending machine sent from the server 2.

  In the present embodiment, since the relay server 3 calculates the sales volume, the sales volume acquisition unit 22 of the server 2 does not need to have the sales volume calculation function as in the first embodiment, and is simply transmitted from the relay server 3. All you need to do is get the quantity sold.

  The patrol time determination process in the present embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment except that the function unit for calculating the sales quantity is different, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  The vending machine patrol time determination system according to the third embodiment will be described below. The same functional parts as those in the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of the vending machine patrol time determination system in the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of the vending machine patrol time determination system in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the vending machine patrol time determination system of the present embodiment includes a vending machine 1, a server 2 as a vending machine patrol time determination device, and a relay server 3 (an example of the relay device of the present invention). ) And the mobile terminal 4. The portable terminal 4 is carried by a service person who travels around the vending machine 1 and is used for acquiring information from the vending machine 1 and inputting information related to the vending machine 1. For this reason, only one portable terminal 4 is shown in the figure, but there are actually as many as the number of service personnel.

  In the second embodiment, the vending machine 1 and the relay server 3 communicate with each other via the relay server 3. In this embodiment, in addition, the vending machine 1 and the server 2 are connected via the portable terminal 4. It is configured to communicate.

〔vending machine〕
In this embodiment, the vending machine 1 communicates with the mobile terminal 4 by infrared rays. Therefore, the vending machine 1 includes an infrared communication unit 13 that transmits information by infrared rays in addition to the above-described functional units (see FIG. 8). The vending machine 1 transmits the accumulated sales to the mobile terminal 4 via the infrared communication unit 13.

[Mobile terminal]
The portable terminal 4 can be configured as a portable computer or PDA having a CPU as a core or a dedicated device. In addition, the mobile terminal 4 includes a keyboard and a touch panel for the service staff to input information, a display for the service staff to browse the information, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the mobile terminal 4 includes a first communication unit 41, a second communication unit 42, a supplement quantity recording unit 43, an inventory quantity recording unit 44, and a supplement quantity calculating unit 45.

  The 1st communication part 41 is a network interface for communicating with the vending machine 1, and is comprised as an infrared receiver in a present Example.

  The second communication unit 42 is a network interface for communicating with the server 2. In this embodiment, the mobile terminal 4 communicates with the server 2 via the LAN. Therefore, the second communication unit 42 can be configured by a LAN adapter or the like.

  The replenishment quantity recording unit 43 records the quantity of products replenished in each column. When the service person replenishes the product, the service person inputs the replenishment quantity for each column via the keyboard or touch panel. The replenishment quantity recording unit 43 records and holds the input replenishment quantity for each column.

  The inventory quantity recording unit 44 records the inventory quantity of each column. Note that the stock quantity of each column may be acquired from the vending machine 1 when the replenishment of the product is completed, or may be calculated from the sales quantity or the like. The inventory quantity is transmitted to the server 2 via the second communication unit 42. Therefore, in this embodiment, the inventory quantity calculation unit 23 of the server 2 functions to acquire the inventory quantity from the mobile terminal 4 instead of calculating the inventory quantity.

  The replenishment quantity calculation unit 45 calculates an appropriate replenishment quantity for each column. In the present embodiment, the mobile terminal 4 records, for each product, a replenishment quantity matrix defined by the sales quantity and the inventory quantity, and the replenishment quantity calculation unit 45 calculates the replenishment quantity based on this replenishment quantity matrix. To do. That is, the replenishment quantity is calculated as a function of the sales quantity and the inventory quantity. The sales quantity is acquired from the vending machine 1, and the inventory quantity is acquired from the server 2 or the vending machine 1.

  Further, the replenishment quantity may be calculated based on the staying period. In this case, the stock quantity, that is, the replenishment quantity is adjusted according to the sales quantity so that the residence period of the product does not exceed the predetermined period.

  The calculated replenishment quantity is presented to the service staff via the display of the mobile terminal 4, and the service staff replenishes the product based on the presented replenishment quantity. The server 2 may have the function of the replenishment quantity calculation unit 45, and the mobile terminal 4 may acquire the replenishment quantity from the server 2 and present it to the service staff.

  When traveling around the vending machine 1, the service person carries such a portable terminal 4 and replenishes the product of the quantity calculated by the supplement quantity calculation unit 45. In addition, the quantity of the product actually replenished is input to the mobile terminal 4 and recorded in the replenishment quantity recording unit 43. Further, the inventory quantity recording unit 44 records the inventory quantity of the product in the vending machine 1.

[Another Embodiment of Replenishment Quantity Calculation]
The replenishment quantity calculation unit 45 described above determines the replenishment quantity using the replenishment quantity matrix. However, the replenishment quantity can be determined based on the following equation.
Replenishment quantity (per product) = {(weekday average number of sales x weekdays) +
(Average number of items sold on holiday x number of days off)} x days in stock / days

This calculation formula is based on the number of sales in a predetermined period in the past, the number of days is the number of days in the predetermined period, and the number of weekdays and the number of holidays are the number of weekdays and holidays in the predetermined period. Usually, the predetermined period is one week without holidays, so the above formula is
Replenishment quantity = {(average number of weekday sales x 5) +
(Average number of items sold on holiday x 2)} x Days in stock / 7
It becomes. Note that the number of days, the number of weekdays, and the number of holidays in the predetermined period can be arbitrarily set.

  When the replenishment quantity calculated by the above formula exceeds the replenishable quantity of the column, the replenishable quantity of the column is set as the replenishment quantity. The number of days in stock is set to an arbitrary value for each region, product, and hot / cold category.

  Thus, by including the number of inventory days (threshold retention period) in the replenishment quantity calculation formula, it is possible to reduce the number of circulations while reducing the risk of expiration of the best before date.

  Thus, by using the vending machine patrol time determining device and the vending machine patrol time determining system according to the present invention, each vending machine 1 can be patroled at an appropriate time. Also, an appropriate quantity of products can be loaded on the transport vehicle, and each vending machine 1 can be supplemented with an appropriate quantity of products.

  The following is a comparison between a case where the vending machine patrol time is determined by the conventional method (before introduction) and a case where the vending machine patrol time is determined by the present invention (after the introduction). The comparison is made with respect to the average value of the number of inputs per column (the number of celebrities) in one round and the average value of the time when the product is sold out (sold-out time).

  First, looking at the number of celebrities, it can be seen that after introduction, the number of inputs in one round is increasing. Also, looking at the sold-out time, it can be seen that the sold-out time is shorter after the introduction. That is, by using the present invention, it is possible to shorten the sold-out time while reducing the number of times of patrol.

[Another embodiment]
(1) In the above-described embodiment, various calculations are performed for each column. However, when the same product is accumulated in a plurality of columns, various calculations may be performed for each product. In this case, even if the same product, the refrigerated product and the warmed product are treated as different products.

(2) A configuration without the residence period calculation unit 27 may be employed. In this case, the tour time determination unit 28 determines the tour time based on the calculation result of the sold-out time calculation unit 26.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the traveling time determination unit 28 determines the earliest time among the sold-out times for each column as the traveling time, but allows the products stored in the column to be sold out. In this case, it is possible to exclude the column sold out time and determine the tour time. Note that a product that can be sold out is, for example, a seasonal product or a product for which a sales date is set, and the predicted sold-out date and the sales date (that is, the replacement time of the product) are far apart. There is no such product.

(4) The necessary replenishment amount calculation unit 210 may be configured to have season information and location characteristics (event information, etc.) of the vending machine 1 and correct the necessary replenishment fee based on them. For example, the amount of increase is corrected at the end of the rainy season or during an excursion season (colored leaves time, etc.), and the amount of decrease is corrected at the time of snowfall.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a vending machine patrol time determination device or a vending machine patrol time determination system that determines a patrol time of a vending machine that needs replenishment of goods.

1: vending machine 11: communication unit 12: sales recording unit 2: server 2: vending machine patrol time determination device 21: communication unit 22: sales quantity acquisition unit 24: sales quantity prediction unit 25: minimum inventory quantity setting unit 26 : Sold-out time calculating unit 27: residence period calculating unit 28: traveling time determining unit 211: loading quantity predicting unit 3: relay server (relay device)
31: 1st communication part (communication part)
32: Second communication unit (communication unit)
33: Sales volume calculation part

Claims (5)

A vending machine patrol time determining device that determines when to go around a vending machine,
A sales volume acquisition unit for acquiring the sales volume of the vending machine;
A sales volume prediction unit for calculating a predicted sales volume based on the sales volume;
A minimum inventory quantity setting unit for setting a minimum inventory quantity of the vending machine;
A sold-out time calculating unit that calculates a time when the inventory quantity falls below the minimum inventory quantity as the sold-out time based on the predicted sales quantity;
A vending machine patrol time determination device comprising: a patrol time determination unit that determines the sold-out time as a patrol time of the vending machine. The vending machine includes a plurality of columns for filling products,
The sales volume acquisition unit acquires the sales volume for each column,
The sales volume prediction unit calculates the predicted sales volume for each column,
The minimum inventory quantity setting unit sets the minimum inventory quantity for each column,
The sold-out time calculating unit calculates the sold-out time for each column,
The vending machine patrol time determining device according to claim 1, wherein the patrol time determining unit determines the sold-out time of the column with the earliest sold-out time as the patrol time. A required replenishment quantity calculating unit for calculating a required replenishment quantity of the product at the tour time;
A loading quantity prediction unit that calculates a predicted loading quantity of the product to be loaded on a transport vehicle that transports the product to the vending machine, and
The said loading quantity prediction part calculates the quantity which reduced the quantity of the said goods remaining in the said transport vehicle after the last visit from the said required replenishment quantity as the said predicted loading quantity. Vending machine patrol time determination device. A residence period calculation unit that calculates a residence period of the product in the vending machine based on the sales volume,
The vending machine patrol time determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the patrol time determination unit determines a time when the staying period exceeds a threshold period as the patrol time. A vending machine patrol time determination system comprising a vending machine, a relay device, and the vending machine patrol time determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The vending machine is
A sales recording unit for recording sales information of the product;
A communication unit that communicates with the relay device,
The relay device is
A communication unit that communicates with the vending machine and the vending machine patrol time determining device;
Based on the sales information acquired from the vending machine, a sales volume calculation unit that calculates a sales volume for a predetermined period as a period sales volume,
The vending machine patrol time determining device includes a communication unit that communicates with the relay device,
The sales volume acquisition unit is a vending machine patrol time determination system that acquires the sales volume during the period as the sales volume.

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