JP3391094B2 - Vending machine data collection device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

The present invention is most suitable for relaying various data of a plurality of vending machines installed in a specific range (communicable area) to each vending machine using a specific low power radio. The present invention relates to a system that collects the collected data in a higher-level vending machine, collects the collected data in a handy terminal device of a specified low power radio, and collects the data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Even if a vending machine is systematically installed in a communication area of a specific low-power wireless (output of 10 mW or less in a specific frequency band) that can be used without a license, the installation location or installation location of the automatic vending machine Depending on the environment (existence of noise sources, structure of buildings), etc., there may be points where communication is not possible. For example, 5 vending machines A1, A2, A from the bottom to the top
When 3, A4 and A5 are installed, the data is transmitted through the route of A1 → A2 → A3 → A4 → A5, and the data of the vending machine A5 located at the top is collected by H / T. But,
If communication becomes impossible between A3 and A4, communication is performed through the routes A1 → A2 → A3 A4 → A5, and in this case, the highest level vending machine where data is finally stored. It is necessary to collect each data separately from the two aircraft A3 and A5 by H / T.

[0003]

By the way, in the conventional system, the communication between the H / T and the vending machine can be performed only on a one-to-one basis, and when the data of another vending machine is collected,
It is necessary to clear the previously stored data and newly store the data to be collected this time (data overpainting method). Therefore, when the root man who is in charge of maintenance and the like performs the root work, in such H / T, as described above,
If there are multiple vending machines that should collect data in the same area, it is necessary to print out the data each time one piece of data is collected and manually aggregate the printed out data. There was a problem that the efficiency of route work was not good.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of easily collecting data from a plurality of vending machines and collecting the data. To do.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a memory for storing various data of its own device and data of another device transmitted from a vending machine of a lower level, and receiving data of another device from a lower level, Multiple vending machines equipped with a specified low power radio that sends the data stored in the memory to a higher-ranking vending machine are installed in a specific area, and the data sent to the topmost vending machine is In a data collection device that collects and aggregates data with a handy terminal device (H / T) equipped with a specified low power radio device (2), a specified low power radio device to collect data in the handy terminal device (H / T) Communication control means (4) for designating a vending machine as a communication destination for (2), reception data storage means (6) for storing data repeatedly collected by the communication control means (4), and reception data storage Means (6)
And a data totalizing means (8) for totalizing the data stored in the above , and a data storage area in the received data storage means (6).
Vending machine data that stores the beginning of the free area
It is possible to collect and aggregate data from multiple vending machines by using the address of the data.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a memory for storing various data of the own machine and data of another machine transmitted from a lower vending machine, and a data stored in the memory while receiving another machine data of a lower order. Multiple vending machines equipped with a specified low power radio that sends the data to a higher-level vending machine are installed in a specific area, and the data transmitted to the highest-level vending machine is transferred to the specified low power radio ( In a data collection device that collects and aggregates with a handy terminal machine (H / T) equipped with 2), the vending machine at the communication destination is a vending machine with multiple data (parent vending machine) or own vending machine Parent-child designation input means (10) for inputting data designating whether it is a vending machine having only data (child vending machine) and parent-child designation storage means for storing designated data inputted by the parent-child designation input means (10) (12) and to collect data, Communication control means (4) that specifies the vending machine to communicate with the wireless device (2) and the vending machine that is specified after the communication is the parent vending machine, and the parent vending machine that should collect other data Communication destination display means (14) for outputting a message prompting execution of communication, reception data storage means (6) for storing data repeatedly collected by the communication control means (4), and reception data storage means
Data totaling means for totaling the data stored in (6) (8)
And is capable of collecting and collecting data from a plurality of top-level vending machines.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a memory for storing various data of the own machine and other machine data transmitted from a lower vending machine, and a data stored in the memory for receiving lower machine data of another machine. Multiple vending machines equipped with a specified low power radio that sends the data to a higher-level vending machine are installed in a specific area, and the data transmitted to the highest-level vending machine is transferred to the specified low power radio ( In a data collection device that collects and aggregates with a handy terminal machine (H / T) equipped with 2), the vending machine at the communication destination is a vending machine with multiple data (parent vending machine) or own vending machine Parent-child designation input means (10) for inputting data designating whether it is a vending machine having only data (child vending machine) and parent-child designation storage means for storing designated data inputted by the parent-child designation input means (10) (12) and to collect data, Communication control means (4) that specifies the vending machine to communicate with the wireless device (2) and the vending machine that is specified after the communication is the parent vending machine, and the parent vending machine that should collect other data Communication destination display means (14) for outputting a message prompting execution of communication, reception data storage means (6) for storing data repeatedly collected by the communication control means (4), and reception data storage means
Data totaling means for totaling the data stored in (6) (8)
And the data stored in the reception data storage means (6) is newly collected at the time of collective collection at the time of collective collection, and at the time of data collection of a single vending machine. And a collection data clearing means (16) for clearing the data at the time of performing the data collection.

[0008]

In the conventional system, if the data of one vending machine is collected by H / T and the data of another vending machine is collected, the collected data of the previous time is cleared and the collected data of this time is newly collected. Although the data is stored, in the first invention, when the data of the vending machine is first collected, the data is stored from the head of the data storage area, and the head of the empty area of the data storage area is stored with the next collected data. When the data of another vending machine is collected next time, the collected data of this time is stored from the data storage area indicated by the pointer address. By this control,
The H / T can collectively collect and aggregate the data of a plurality of vending machines.

According to the second invention, in addition to the data storage method of the first invention, a vending machine having a plurality of vending machine data for each vending machine of the communication destination in the H / T (parent vending machine) Machine)
Parent / Enter the data to determine whether it is a vending machine with one vending machine data (child vending machine)
If the specified vending machine is the parent vending machine and there is another parent-specified vending machine after the communication with the specified vending machine is completed, the vending machine with the child specified data input function A message prompting the execution of communication with is output and the data repeatedly collected according to the message is stored. According to this control, the data can be collected without overlooking the vending machine that should collect the data.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the parent vending machine data batch collecting method of the second aspect, the clear timing of the memory for storing the collected data, and the vending machine which needs to be collected at the time of batch collecting After completing collection for, when performing a new collection operation (parent vending machine collection data clear),
When a single vending machine (child vending machine) is collected, a collection data clear function that is used when a new collection operation is performed (child vending machine data clear) is provided, so that duplicate storage of the same vending data and Mixed storage with unnecessary data can be prevented.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 4 shows a control block diagram of an H / T applied to the present invention. Reference numeral 20 is a CPU that controls the H / T as a whole, 22 is a ROM that stores a control program for the CPU described below, and 24 is the collected data and, as shown in Table 1, each vending machine. It is a RAM that stores an ID for identifying a machine. Reference numeral 26 is a specific low power radio which communicates with a specific low power radio built in the vending machine, and is connected to the bus of the CPU 20 through a communication interface 28. Reference numeral 30 is a keyboard for setting and inputting various data described above, and 32 is a character display for displaying guidance of various operations. Three
An external interface 4 supplies the collected data in the RAM 24 to an external printer or the like.

[0012]

[Table 1]

First, the first invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. It is assumed that the wireless control information (wireless ID, etc.) for the communication vending machine is stored in the RAM 24 manually by the keyboard 30 or downloaded from the computer through the external interface 34. The vending machine for which data is to be collected is as shown in FIG. First, when the data collection mode is set by the keyboard operation (step S1), the RAM
The wireless control information of the communication vending machine stored in 24 is read out, and a menu for selecting the communication vending machine is displayed on the display 32 as shown in Table 2 (step S2).

[0014]

[Table 2] ** Tsuushinsaki Select * 0: End 1: Jihanki A 2: Jihanki B 3: Jihanki C

When the "1" Jihanki (vending machine) A is selected according to this many (step S3), the wireless control information is transmitted from the specific low power radio 2 and is transmitted from the vending machine A. Data collection is started (step S4). When the data collection is completed (step S
5), the data fetched by the CPU 20 is stored in the RAM 24
And the collected data of Jihanki A is stored from the top address [A ₀ ] of the storage area of the RAM 24 (step S6). The head address [A ₁ ] of the empty area of the data storage area after the data storage of Jihanki A is stored in this RAM 24 as an address for storing the data of Jihanki B to be collected next (step S7). This operation is called pointer address shift.

After that, the process returns to step S2, and the above communication destination is again displayed in the menu. If "2" Jihanki B is selected in this first return, then "3" Jihanki C is selected in the second return, all data is collected, and data is stored according to the pointer address shift. The end of "0" is selected at the return of the second time, whereby the above-mentioned data collection loop is exited and the process proceeds to step S8. The data of each vending machine A, B, C is totaled (step S8), and the totalized data is displayed on the display 32, and if necessary, it can be printed out to an externally connected printer (step S8). S9).

Next, the control of the second invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Here, as shown in Table 3,
For each vending machine at the communication destination, data that specifies a vending machine with multiple data (parent vending machine) or a vending machine with one data (child vending machine) is the keyboard beforehand. Manual input by 30 or external interface 34
Download from computer through ram
24, and other conditions are the same as in the previous example.

[0018]

[Table 3]

First, when the data collection mode is set by the keyboard operation (step S11), the wireless control information of the communication destination vending machine stored in the RAM 24 is read out, and the display 32 displays the automatic communication destination communication as shown in Table 4. A menu for selecting a vending machine is displayed (step S12).

[0020]

[Table 4] ** Tsushin Saki Select * 1: Jihanki A 2: Jihanki B 3: Jihanki C

The vending machines A, B, C are all parent vending machines. When Jihanki A of "1" is selected according to this many, the process proceeds from step S13 to step S14, and the wireless control information is transmitted from the specific low power radio device 2 to collect the data transmitted from the vending machine A. Is started (step S14). When that data collection ends
(Step S15), Jihanki A imported into CPU20
Is transferred to the RAM 24, and the data is stored in the RAM 24 according to the pointer address shift (steps S16 and S17).

Next, the presence or absence of a parent vending machine for collecting data is searched (step S18). If yes, the remaining parent vending machines are displayed on the display as a menu as shown in Table 5 (step S19).

[0023]

[Table 5] ** Tsuji no Jihanki Tono Tsunoshin Oku Natte Takudashi ** 1: Jihanki B 2: Jihanki C

When "1" is selected according to this display menu (step S20), collection of data transmitted from the vending machine B is started (step S21).
When the data collection is completed (step S22), the CPU
The data of Jihanki B taken in 20 is transferred to the RAM 24 and stored in the RAM 24 according to the pointer address shift (steps S23 and S24). After this, the process returns to step S18, and when the last remaining Jihanki C is selected and the data collection for it is completed, there is no other parent vending machine that collects the data, so steps S18 to S2.
8, the data of each vending machine A, B, C is totaled, and the totalized data is displayed on the display 32. If necessary, the data can be printed out to an externally connected printer. .

On the other hand, if the child vending machine is selected in step S13, the process proceeds from step S13 to steps S25 to S27, the data of the child vending machine is collected, and the data is displayed in step S28.

Finally, the control of the third invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 7, the same step number is assigned to the same processing step as in FIG. Also in this case, as shown in Table 3, it is assumed that the ID code and parent / child are designated for each vending machine at the communication destination.

First, when the data collection mode is set by the keyboard operation (step S11), the wireless control information of the communication vending machine stored in the RAM 24 is read out, and the display 32 displays the automatic communication destination as shown in Table 4. A menu for selecting a vending machine is displayed (step S12).

When the communication vending machine selected according to the display is activated (steps S14 and S2)
5) In steps S14 'and S25', the data in the collected data storage area of the RAM 24 is cleared, and the pointer address (the start address of the empty area of the collected storage area) is returned to the head of the collected data storage area.

After this, similarly to the embodiment of FIG. 6, a data request is made to the vending machine selected from the specific low-power radio device via the communication interface 28, and the data is sent from the selected vending machine. If the vending machine that receives and takes in the received data through the communication interface 28 and the designated vending machine is a child vending machine, it shifts to the mode of displaying or printing out the collected data (step S28) and the designated vending machine. Is a parent vending machine, and if there is a vending machine designated as a parent vending machine other than the collected vending machines, the processes of steps S18 to S24 are repeated to eliminate the parent vending machines to collect. At that time, the mode shifts to a mode for displaying or printing out the data collected so far (step S28).

As described above, by clearing the stored data at the start of the first data collection communication, it is possible to prevent duplicate storage of the same vending machine data and mixed storage with unnecessary data.

[0031]

As described above, in the first invention, the data of the vending machine is stored, and at the same time, the head of the empty area of the data storage area is stored as the pointer address for storing the collected data next time, and then the different data is stored. When collecting the data of vending machine, the data is stored from the data storage area indicated by the pointer address. Therefore, one H / T can collect and aggregate the data of multiple vending machines at once. You can According to the second invention, in addition to the data storage method of the first invention, the H / T has a function of designating a master unit or a slave unit for each vending machine of a communication destination, and the designated automatic selling After the communication with the vending machine is completed, if the specified vending machine is the parent vending machine and there is another vending machine with the parent specified, a message prompting execution of communication with the vending machine is output. Therefore, data can be collected without overlooking the vending machine for which data is to be collected. According to the third invention, the second
In addition to the parent vending machine data batch collection method of the invention, the clear timing of the memory that stores the collected data
For collective collection, after completing collection for the vending machine that needs to be collected, when performing a new collection operation (parent vending machine collection data clear), or when collecting a single vending machine (child vending machine) By providing a collection data clear function for a new collection operation (child vending machine data clear), it is possible to prevent duplicate storage of the same vending data and mixed storage with unnecessary data.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a claim of the device according to the first invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the device of the second invention corresponding to claims.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a claim according to the device of the third invention.

FIG. 4 is a control block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control operation in the device of the first invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control operation in the device of the second invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control operation in the device of the third invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

H / T handy terminal machine 20 CPU 22 ROM 24 RAM 26 Specified low power radio 28 Communication interface 30 keyboard 32 character display 34 External Interface

Front page continuation (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G07F 9/00 G06F 17/60 G07F 5/22 H04B 7/24 H04Q 9/00 311

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A memory for storing various data of its own machine and data of another machine transmitted from a vending machine of a lower level, and data of another machine from a lower level, and the data stored in the memory is automatically stored in a higher level. Multiple vending machines equipped with specific low power radios that are sent to vending machines are installed in a specific area, and the data sent to the top vending machines are equipped with specific low power radios (2). Handy terminal machine (H / T)
In the data collection device that collects and aggregates at, in order to collect data to the handy terminal machine (H / T), communication control means that specifies the vending machine of the communication destination for the specific low power radio (2) ( 4), a reception data storage means (6) for storing data repeatedly collected by the communication control means (4), and a data totalization means (8) for totaling the data stored in the reception data storage means (6). Of the data storage area in the received data storage means (6)
The beginning of the free space is stored in the next
A data collection device for a vending machine, which can collect and aggregate data from a plurality of vending machines by using an address . 2. A memory for storing various data of the own machine and data of another machine transmitted from a vending machine of a lower order, and a data of another machine from a lower order and receiving the data stored in the memory to a higher order. Multiple vending machines equipped with specific low power radios that are sent to vending machines are installed in a specific area, and the data sent to the top vending machines are equipped with specific low power radios (2). Handy terminal machine (H / T)
In the data collection device that collects and aggregates in the vending machine, the vending machine with which the communication is
(Parent vending machine) or vending machine that has only its own data
Parent-child designation input means (10) for inputting data to specify (child vending machine), parent-child designation storage means (12) for storing designated data input by the parent-child designation input means (10), and data In order to collect, the communication control means (4) for designating the vending machine of the communication destination for the specific low power radio (2), and the vending machine designated after the communication is the parent vending machine, and If you have a parent vending machine that should collect data,
Communication destination display means (1
4), a reception data storage means (6) for storing the data repeatedly collected by the communication control means (4), and a data totalization means (8) for totaling the data stored in the reception data storage means (6), And a data collection device for a vending machine, which is capable of collecting and collecting data from a plurality of top-level vending machines. 3. A memory for storing various data of the own machine and data of another machine transmitted from a vending machine of a lower level, and data of another machine from a lower level, and the data stored in the memory is automatically transferred to a higher level. Multiple vending machines equipped with specific low power radios that are sent to vending machines are installed in a specific area, and the data sent to the top vending machines are equipped with specific low power radios (2). Handy terminal machine (H / T)
In the data collection device that collects and aggregates in the vending machine, the vending machine with which the communication is
(Parent vending machine) or vending machine that has only its own data
Parent-child designation input means (10) for inputting data to specify (child vending machine), parent-child designation storage means (12) for storing designated data input by the parent-child designation input means (10), and data In order to collect, the communication control means (4) for designating the vending machine of the communication destination for the specific low power radio (2), and the vending machine designated after the communication is the parent vending machine, and If you have a parent vending machine that should collect data,
Communication destination display means (1
4), a reception data storage means (6) for storing the data repeatedly collected by the communication control means (4), and a data totalization means (8) for totaling the data stored in the reception data storage means (6), When collecting the data stored in the reception data storage means (6) at the time of collective collection, when performing new collective collection after the completion of collective collection, or when collecting data of a single vending machine. Collected data clear means to clear
(16), and a data collection device for a vending machine, which is capable of collecting and aggregating data from a plurality of top-level vending machines.