JP2020004236A - Automatic vending machine and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an automatic vending machine capable of supplying a commodity requiring temperature control such as a commodity in a supercooled state without degrading its quality, and securing the degree of freedom of timing for replenishing the article without largely changing the device constitution of an existing automatic vending machine.SOLUTION: A warehouse room 20 of an automatic vending machine 1 has a commodity replenishing port 41, a commodity discharging port 42, and a commodity storage part 40 for storing a plurality of commodities between them, and the temperature is controlled for each warehouse room. Among the plurality of commodities in the commodity storage part 40, the first number of commodities on the commodity discharging port 42 side are permitted to be discharged from the commodity discharging port 42, and the remaining commodities are prohibited from being discharged from the commodity discharging port 42.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine and a control method thereof.

  Currently, a product entitled "Ice Cold Coca-Cola" is sold at some convenience stores. This product is a product in which the cola of a PET bottle is cooled to a supercooled state (for example, minus 4 ° C) by a closed type cooler dedicated to supercooling installed in a convenience store. When the product is opened, the release of the internal pressure in the bottle due to the carbonated beverage stimulates the cola to rapidly change from a liquid to a frozen state. Such colas have resonated as providing consumers with an unprecedented beverage experience.

  Strict temperature control is required to stably provide the supercooled cola in quality. Therefore, for example, in the above-mentioned convenience store, a special operation is performed such that the cola is pre-cooled to 10 ° C. or less and then loaded into a dedicated cooler, and the loading is performed at a fixed time.

Press release on May 12, 2016 (1530251163565_0.pdf)

  It is desirable that such a product can be provided not only to a dedicated cooler but also to an existing vending machine. However, it is practically difficult to perform the above-mentioned special operations on a large number of vending machines. The reason is that replenishing the product at a fixed time imposes a great burden on the operator, and it is difficult to cool and manage the product to a predetermined temperature before replenishment in the first place.

  The present invention can supply a product for which temperature control is required, such as a product in a supercooled state, without deteriorating its quality, and can perform such a process without greatly changing the device configuration of an existing vending machine. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine capable of securing a degree of freedom in the timing of replenishment of commodities and a control method thereof.

  A vending machine according to one embodiment of the present invention is a storage room having a product replenishment port, a product discharge port, and a product storage unit that stores a plurality of products between them, and the temperature is controlled in units of the storage room. Out of the merchandise compartment and the plurality of commodities in the merchandise storage section, the first number of commodities on the merchandise outlet side is allowed to be discharged from the merchandise outlet, while the remaining merchandise is discharged from the merchandise outlet. And a control unit for prohibiting the discharge of water.

  A method for controlling a vending machine according to one aspect of the present invention includes controlling a vending machine having a storage room having a product replenishment port, a product discharge port, and a product storage unit that stores a plurality of products between them. A method for controlling the temperature of the storage room in units of the storage room, and permitting the discharge of the first number of products on the product discharge side from the product discharge outlet among a plurality of products in the product storage unit. On the other hand, prohibiting discharge of the remaining commodities from the commodity discharge port.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the vending machine and its control method of this invention, the goods which require temperature control can be supplied without deteriorating the quality, and, without changing the apparatus configuration of an existing vending machine significantly. Therefore, the degree of freedom in the timing of replenishment of such products can be ensured.

It is a perspective view showing the vending machine concerning an embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the storage room configuration inside the vending machine of FIG. It is a side view which shows typically the internal structure of the storage room of the vending machine of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of the vending machine of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the product management in the control method of the vending machine of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of goods management in the control method of the vending machine of FIG.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. Unless otherwise specified, the positional relationship such as up, down, left, and right is based on the positional relationship shown in the drawings. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are not limited to the illustrated ratios.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vending machine 1 includes a front door 2 and a vending machine main body 3 to which the front door 2 is openably connected. The front door 2 has, for example, a product sample display room 10 on the entire upper half part, a cash slot 11, a cash payout port 12, and a product outlet 13 in the same manner as in a known vending machine. ing. In the product sample display room 10, a plurality of product samples stored in the vending machine main body 3 are shown, and a product selection button 14 is provided below each sample. The product selection button 14 is provided in one-to-one correspondence with the product, and is pressed by the purchaser. Instead of the buttons, a configuration such as a touch panel may be adopted so that a product can be selected. In addition, an electronic reader may be provided in addition to or separately from the cash slot 11 and the cash outlet 12, so that a product can be purchased from electronic money or the like corresponding to money. . The merchandise outlet 13 can keep the merchandise sent from the vending machine main body 3, and the purchaser can access the merchandise outlet 13 to obtain the purchased merchandise.

  As shown in FIG. 2, inside the vending machine main body 3, three storage rooms 20, 21L and 21R are provided. The space between the storage room 20 and the storage room 21L is partitioned by a heat insulating wall 25L, and the space between the storage room 20 and the storage room 21R is partitioned by a heat insulating wall 25R. Each of the storage rooms 20, 21L, and 21R is provided with at least one rack 26 for storing a plurality of products. For example, one rack 26 is provided in the storage room 20, and two racks 26, 26 are provided in the storage room 21L. The rack 26 has a plurality of columns, for example, six columns 28 in FIG. 2 in the vertical direction, and the openings of the six columns 28 face the front door 2 side. When refilling the rack 26 with commodities, the operator opens the front door 2 and uses the opening of the column 28 as a merchandise replenishment port.

  Each of the storage rooms 20, 21L, and 21R is temperature-controlled for each storage room. Here, the storage room 20 and the storage rooms 21L and 21R have different target temperatures of the products. For example, in the storage rooms 21L and 21R, the temperature is controlled so that the product is in a predetermined cold state or hot state, respectively. In the storage room 20, the temperature is controlled so that the product is in a supercooled state. Specifically, in the storage room 20, the target temperature of the product is set in a range of -3 ° C to -6 ° C, and the temperature is controlled so that the product can be cooled down to a temperature below the freezing point. The storage room 20 may be configured to be able to convert between a temperature management mode in a supercooled state and a temperature management mode in a cold state. By doing so, for example, the mode of the storage room 20 can be switched between summer, when the need for a supercooled product is high, and winter, when the need for such a product is not high. Hereinafter, a specific example of the internal structure of the storage room 20 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the vending machine main body 3 has a cabinet structure and has a housing 30 with an open front surface. Inside the housing 30, a storage room 20 having a rack 26 is provided. A shooter 31 is provided below the rack 26 in the storage room 20. The shooter 31 has an inclined surface that is gradually lowered from the rear of the storage room 20 toward the front, and guides the product S discharged from the rack 26 toward the product outlet 13.

  The rack 26 has four columns 28 here. The four columns 28 are arranged so that most of them are arranged in the front-rear direction (the depth direction of the housing 30). Each column 28 has a product storage unit 40, a product replenishment port 41, and a product discharge port 42. The product storage unit 40 stores a plurality of products S between the product refill port 41 and the product discharge port 42. For example, the product storage unit 40 stores the products S in which beverages are packed in a container such as a can or a PET bottle so as to be stacked in a horizontal position.

  The product storage section 40 includes a storage transport path 47 extending vertically and a storage introduction path 48 extending obliquely upward from the upper end of the storage transport path 47 to the front. The product storage section 40 can store products in both the storage transport path 47 and the storage introduction path 48. The four product storage units 40 can store approximately the same number of products. For example, if the container is a product made of a 500 ml PET bottle, 84 bottles can be stored.

  The product replenishment port 41 is located at the front end of the storage introduction path 48 and is used by an operator to insert a product into the storage introduction path 48. The product outlet 42 is located at the lower end of the storage transport path 47. A commodity discharging device (not shown) is provided at the commodity discharging port 42, and the commodity discharging device directs the lowermost products in the storage transport path 47 one by one toward the lower shooter 31 by gravity. Is discharged. One shooter 31 is provided for four columns 28.

  The temperature of the storage room 20 is controlled by a cooling mechanism 32. The cooling mechanism 32 is an example of a temperature control system that manages the temperature of the storage room 20 in units of the storage room, and may be configured using, for example, a heat pump technology. For example, the cooling mechanism 32 may include an evaporator 50, a compressor 52, a condenser 54, and an expander 56. For example, the evaporator 50 is provided in the storage room 20 below the shooter 31, and the compressor 52, the condenser 54, and the expander 56 are provided in a machine room 58 below the storage room 20. The cooling mechanism 32 cools all the commodities in the storage room 20 so as to be in a supercooled state (the target temperature of the commodities is set in a range of -3C to -6C). The cooling mechanism 32 is also configured to be able to cool all the products in the storage room 20 so as to be in a cold state (the target temperature of the products is not set below the freezing point). In addition, with respect to the storage rooms 21L and 21R, a temperature management different from that of the storage room 20 is performed for each storage room by one of the cooling mechanism and the heating mechanism.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the vending machine 1 includes a control unit 60, internal temperature sensors 62 and 64, and a timer 66. The control unit 60 is an electronic control unit including a CPU 71, a memory 72, and an input / output interface 73, and is configured as, for example, a microcomputer. The CPU 71 executes a desired operation according to a control program, and performs various processes and controls. The memory 72 has, for example, a ROM and a RAM. The ROM stores control programs and control data to be processed by the CPU 71, and the RAM is mainly used as various work areas for control processing. The input / output interface 73 includes devices constituting each part of the vending machine 1, such as a cooling mechanism 32 (compressor 52), a heating mechanism, and a commodity dispensing device (not shown). The timer 66 is connected. With such a configuration, the control unit 60 receives input signals from the internal temperature sensors 62 and 64, the timer 66, and sends an instruction signal to various devices, and includes a vending machine 1 including merchandise management and temperature management. Take control of the whole.

  The in-compartment temperature sensors 62 and 64 are provided for each compartment. For example, the in-compartment temperature sensors 62 and 64 detect the in-compartment temperature at the upper position and the lower position of the rack 26 in the in-compartment room 20, respectively (see FIG. 3). The internal temperature sensors 62 and 64 may be provided for each of the plurality of columns 28 in the rack 26. For example, four sets of in-compartment temperature sensors 62 and 64 are provided corresponding to the four columns 28, and the in-compartment temperature sensors 62 and 64 of each set are used for the product replenishment port 41 side and the product discharge port 42 side of the column 28. The inside temperature may be detected.

  The timer 66 measures the time from completion of replenishment of one or more products into the product storage unit 40. When a purchaser purchases a product and discharges the product from the product storage unit 40, the number of products stored in the product storage unit 40 decreases. The operator refills the merchandise into the merchandise storage unit 40 through the merchandise replenishment port 41. At this time, the normal temperature merchandise is replenished in the same manner as a known vending machine replenishment operation. This replenishment is completed when the replenishment is performed until the total number of products in the product storage unit 40 reaches a predetermined number (for example, full). With the completion of the replenishment as a start time, the elapsed time from the start is measured by the timer 66. Each time one replenishment is completed, the timer 66 measures the elapsed time therefrom. The timer 66 measures the time from the completion of replenishment for each of the plurality of product storage units 40 in the rack 26.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 5, a flow of product management in one product storage unit 40 regarding the control method of the vending machine 1 will be described. This product management employs two principles. The first is to permit the release of only one third of the merchandise for sale (hereinafter, this is referred to as "first principle"). That is, of the products in the product storage section 40, one-third of the products on the side of the product outlet 42 are allowed to be discharged from the product outlet 42, while the remaining products are allowed to be discharged from the product outlet 42. Prohibition of emissions from the environment. The second is to provide an interval of 24 hours or more between each replenishment operation (hereinafter, this is referred to as a "second principle"). That is, the permission for the next replenishment is made 24 hours or more after the completion of the previous replenishment. In the following, for the sake of simple explanation, in FIG. 5, the maximum number (total number) of products in one product storage unit 40 is set to 9, and an example of product management for three days will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 5, at 10:00 on the first day, three normal-temperature products S1 are replenished. Then, the number of commodities in the commodities storage unit 40 becomes the maximum number of 9, and only the three commodities S3 on the merchandise outlet 42 side are permitted to be released (first principle). The product S3 has been cooled to a supercooled state. The three commodities S2 on the upper side of the commodities S3 are warmed by heat transfer from the commodities S1 at a normal temperature, though in a cooled state. For convenience of explanation, such a product S2 is referred to as a product in a “preliminary cooling state”. Thereafter, when all three products S3 are released for sale, sales of the products thereafter are prohibited (first principle). Therefore, until 20:00 on the second day when the next three normal-temperature products S1 are replenished, sale of six products in the product storage unit 40 is prohibited.

  At 10:00 on the second day, the pre-cooled product S2 is changed to a supercooled product S3. Here, 24 hours is set as a time sufficient for the product to reliably change from the normal temperature or the pre-cooled state to the super-cooled state. The commodity S1 at room temperature changes to a commodity S2 in a pre-cooled state. Replenishment of the goods in the goods storage section 40 is permitted if it is after 10:00 on the second day (second principle). Here, at 20:00 on the second day, the following three normal-temperature products S1 are replenished. As a result of this replenishment, the number of commodities in the merchandise storage unit 40 becomes the maximum number of 9, and release is permitted again only for the next three new commodities S3 on the merchandise outlet 42 side (first principle). Similarly to the above, the three products S2 on the upper side of the product S3 are in a preliminary cooling state by the normal temperature product S1. Thereafter, when all three products S3 are released for sale on the third day, the sale of the remaining products is prohibited until after 20:00 when the next replenishment is permitted (second principle) ( First principle).

  Such merchandise management has various merits. For example, if release of all products in the product storage unit 40 is permitted, the product S2 in the pre-cooled state or the product S1 at room temperature can be provided to the purchaser. In this case, a product of another quality is provided to a purchaser who expects the product S3 in a supercooled state. On the other hand, according to the above-described product management, only the three products S3 on the side of the product outlet 42 among the products in the product storage unit 40 are allowed to be released. Can be provided to the buyer.

  In addition, according to the quality control described above, it is assumed that 24 hours is a time sufficient for the product to reliably change from the normal temperature or the pre-cooled state to the supercooled state, and based on the premise, the time interval for replenishment of the product is determined. 24 hours or more. As a result, at the time when the next replenishment is performed, the three products on the side of the product discharge port 42 in the product storage unit 40 always become the product S3. Then, since the next release of the three products S3 is permitted, it is possible to always provide the purchaser with the supercooled product S3.

  Further, according to the above-described quality control, the vending machine 1 itself can stably put a product provided by the vending machine 1 into a supercooled state. As a result, it is not necessary to cool the product in a place other than the vending machine 1 before refilling the product. In addition, according to the quality control described above, as long as the product replenishment interval is at least 24 hours, it is not necessary to replenish the product at a fixed time. As a result, it is possible to ensure the degree of freedom in the timing of replenishment of commodities without greatly changing the device configuration of the existing vending machine.

  Next, FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of product management performed in the vending machine 1. This product management also employs the same two principles as described above. However, the number of products that are permitted to be released for sale is “first number”, and the interval between replenishment operations is “first period”. Hereinafter, a specific example of product management of the storage room 20 will be described.

  First, the temperature of the storage room 20 is controlled for each storage room (step S10). This is performed, for example, by the control unit 60 receiving an input signal from the internal temperature sensors 62 and 64 and sending an instruction signal to the cooling mechanism 32. Next, one or more products are replenished to the product storage unit 40 (step S11). This is done by the operator. Here, it is assumed that replenishment is performed until the number of products in the product storage unit 40 reaches the maximum storage number.

  Then, the time from the completion of replenishment is measured by the timer 66 (step S12). Information on the time measured by the timer 66 is sent to the control unit 60. The control unit 60 determines whether the time measured by the timer 66 has passed the first period (step S13). If not, the next replenishment is prohibited (step S14). On the other hand, if it has elapsed, the next replenishment is permitted (step S15).

  Here, the prohibition or permission of the next replenishment can be performed, for example, by the control unit 60 displaying it on the display device (not shown) of the vending machine 1 to indicate to the operator. Alternatively, a shutter is provided in the product replenishment port 41, and the control unit 60 closes the shutter while prohibiting the next replenishment, and opens the shutter when permitting the next replenishment. It may be controlled.

  Here, the “first period” is a minimum of 24 hours as described with reference to FIG. 5, for example, but is not limited to this. This first period can be appropriately set based on factors such as the target temperature (target temperature) of the product whose temperature is to be controlled and the properties of the product. For example, when the product is a carbonated beverage such as cola and the target temperature is −3 ° C. to −6 ° C., it has been confirmed by the present inventors that 24 hours is sufficient to cause a stable crystallization phenomenon. Therefore, it is preferable to set this as the first period. As another example, when the target temperature is 5 ° C., it may be several hours.

  After the replenishment of the commodities (step S11), among the commodities in the merchandise storage unit 40, the first number of commodities on the merchandise outlet 42 side is permitted to be discharged from the merchandise outlet 42, while the remaining number is allowed. The discharge of the product from the product discharge port 42 is prohibited (step S16). Such discharge permission and discharge prohibition of the product can be performed, for example, by the control unit 60 controlling a product delivery device provided in the product discharge port 42. More specifically, after discharging the first number of products, the control unit 60 locks the product delivery device so that the products are not discharged any more.

  Here, the “first number” is, for example, about ３ of the total number of products that can be stored in the product storage unit 40 as described with reference to FIG. For example, in the case of a product consisting of a 500 ml PET bottle, the total number that can be stored is 84, so the first number is 28. The first number can be appropriately set based on factors such as the target temperature of the product whose temperature is to be controlled and the demand tendency of the product. For example, when the target temperature is −3 ° C. to −6 ° C., it may be set to about １ ／ of the total number of products that can be stored in the product storage unit 40. In this case, the layers of the supercooled product, the precooled product, and the normal-temperature product are each reduced by one-third in the order from the product discharge port 42 side to the product in the product storage unit 40 after replenishment. It will be configured equally. By providing the pre-cooled product layer as the intermediate layer in the same manner as the other two layers, it is possible to stably secure the super-cooled product layer.

  In another embodiment, the first number may be about １ ／ of the total number of items that can be stored in the item storage unit 40. In this case, with respect to the products in the product storage unit 40 after replenishment, the layer of the supercooled product is about ４, the layer of the product in the pre-cooled state is about ２, and The product layer at room temperature will constitute about 1/4. According to this, since the intermediate layer becomes large, a higher interference effect can be expected with respect to the temperature transmission from a product at room temperature, but there is a trade-off that the number of supercooled products that can be released is reduced. From the viewpoint of the balance between the interference effect and the number that can be released, the above value of about 約 is preferable.

  To explain from another point of view, the total number of products that can be stored in the product storage unit 40 may be larger than twice the first number. This makes it possible to reliably provide an intermediate layer (a layer of a pre-cooled product) for the product in the product storage unit 40 after replenishment.

  Thereafter, when the first number of products is discharged from the product storage unit 40 (Step S17: Yes), the sale of the products is stopped (Step S18). The control unit 60 may display, for example, “out of stock” or “cooling” for the product on the product selection button 14 of the vending machine 1 so that the purchaser can know the suspension of the sale. After the suspension of sales, if the time measured by the timer 66 has not passed the first period, the next replenishment is prohibited (step S13: No, step S14), and during this period, the suspension of the sale of the product is continued. On the other hand, if it has elapsed, the next replenishment is permitted (step S13: Yes, step S15), and when the next replenishment is performed (step S11), the sale of the product is resumed. That is, in the same manner as described above, only the next new first number of commodities on the merchandise outlet 42 side among the plurality of commodities after the replenishment in the merchandise storage unit 40 can be identified by the replenishment. Emissions from are permitted. Until the first number of products is discharged from the product storage unit 40 (Step S17: No), the sale of the products is continued.

  According to the vending machine 1 of the present embodiment described above, for example, it is possible to supply a supercooled product requiring strict temperature management without deteriorating its quality, and Even if the apparatus configuration is not largely changed, it is possible to secure the degree of freedom in the timing of replenishment of such products.

  The embodiments described above are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit and interpret the present invention. The components included in the embodiment and the arrangement, material, condition, shape, size, number, and the like of the components are not limited to those illustrated, and can be appropriately changed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vending machine, 2 ... Front door, 3 ... Vending machine main body, 10 ... Product sample display room, 11 ... Cash inlet, 12 ... Cash outlet, 13 ... Product outlet, 14 ... Product selection button, 20 ... Storage Room, 21L, 21R ... storage room (second storage room), 25L, 25R ... heat insulating wall, 26 ... rack, 28 ... column, 30 ... housing, 31 ... shooter, 32 ... cooling mechanism, 40 ... product storage section 41, a product replenishment port, 42, a product discharge port, 47, a storage conveyance path, 48, a storage introduction path, 50, an evaporator, 52, a compressor, 54, a condenser, 56, an expander, 60, a control unit, 62, 64: Internal temperature sensor, 64, 66: Timer, 71: CPU, 72: Memory, 73: Input / output interface, S1: Product at normal temperature, S2: Product in pre-cooled state, S3: Product in supercooled state

Claims (15)

A replenishment port, a product discharge port, and a storage room having a product storage unit that stores a plurality of products between them, and a storage room whose temperature is controlled in units of the storage room,
Of the plurality of products in the product storage unit, for the first number of products on the product outlet side, discharge from the product outlet is permitted, while for the remaining products, the product outlet A control unit for prohibiting the emission of
Vending machine with. A timer for measuring a time from completion of replenishment of one or more products to the product storage unit through the product replenishment port,
2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the control unit permits replenishment of one or more next products into the product storage unit after a time measured by the timer has passed a first period. 3.   The control unit may determine that the next new first number of commodities on the merchandise outlet side among the plurality of commodities after replenishment in the merchandise storage unit, when the next one or more commodities have been replenished. 3. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein discharge from the commodity discharge port is permitted.   The vending machine according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the first period is at least 24 hours.   The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the total number of products that can be stored in the product storage unit is larger than twice the first number.   The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first number is about 1/3 of the total number of products that can be stored in the product storage unit.   The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a temperature control system that controls the temperature of the storage room in units of the storage room so that the product is in a supercooled state.   The vending machine according to claim 7, further comprising one or more second storage rooms that perform temperature management different from that of the storage room. A method for controlling a vending machine having a storage room having a product replenishment port, a product discharge port, and a product storage unit for storing a plurality of products between the vending machine and
Managing the temperature of the storage room in storage room units;
Of the plurality of products in the product storage unit, for the first number of products on the product outlet side, discharge from the product outlet is permitted, while for the remaining products, the product outlet Prohibiting the emission of
, Including a vending machine control method. Measuring the time from the completion of the replenishment of one or more products to the product storage unit through the product replenishment port with a timer,
Permitting replenishment of the next one or more products into the product storage unit after the time measured by the timer has passed a first period;
The method for controlling a vending machine according to claim 9, further comprising: With the replenishment of the next one or more commodities, the product outlet of the next new first number of commodities on the merchandise outlet side among the plurality of commodities after replenishment in the merchandise storage unit is provided. Allow emissions from
The method for controlling a vending machine according to claim 10, further comprising:   The vending machine control method according to claim 10, wherein the first period is at least 24 hours.   The vending machine control method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the total number of products that can be stored in the product storage unit is larger than twice the first number.   The vending machine control method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the first number is about 1/3 of a total number of products that can be stored in the product storage unit. Temperature control of the storage room in units of the storage room so that the product is in a supercooled state,
The control method for a vending machine according to any one of claims 9 to 14, further comprising:

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