JP3680420B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vending machine, and more particularly to a vending machine capable of backing up data such as sales information, failure history information, and price setting based on sales of products.
[0002]
[Prior art]
FIG. 2 shows a conventional vending machine. The vending machine 1 includes a main control unit 2 including a CPU that controls the entire vending machine 1, a ROM that stores programs, and a RAM that stores various data. A communication line of the main control unit 2 2a, a plurality of sub-control units 3a, 3b,... For performing various kinds of control necessary for selling products, and data loader control for transferring data to the data loader 4 as a portable terminal via the optical adapter connector 5. The unit 6 is connected.
[0003]
In the conventional vending machine 1, each time a product is sold, the main control unit 2 stores sales information based on the sale of the product in the RAM in the main control unit 2. The sales information stored and aggregated in the RAM in the main control unit 2 is periodically transferred to the data loader 4 through the optical adapter connector 5 and collected under the control of the data loader control unit 6, and the automatic It is used for management of the vending machine 1.
[0004]
Incidentally, the CPU in the main control unit 2 may fail due to a short circuit or the like. In this case, data such as sales information stored in the RAM in the main control unit 2 accessed from the data loader 4 is transferred to the data loader 4, and the main control unit 2 is replaced with a new one. By returning the data such as the sales information from the loader 4 to the new RAM in the main control unit 2, the main control unit 2 can continuously count the sales information based on the sales information in the RAM.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, according to the conventional vending machine 1, since data such as sales information is only stored in the RAM in the main control unit 2, for example, the data stored in the RAM in the main control unit 2 is noise or the like. If the data disappears or becomes unreadable, there is a problem in that it is not possible to continue counting based on the data that has been collected so far.
[0006]
In addition, when the optical adapter connector 5 fails, since there is no means for detecting the failure, if the data is transferred from the main control unit 2 to the data loader 4 without knowing the failure, the data collected up to now is lost. There was an inconvenience of doing so.
[0007]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine capable of continuously collecting data even if an unexpected situation such as the loss of data accumulated so far occurs.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a vending machine that controls the sale of merchandise by dividing it into a main control unit and a plurality of subordinate control units. The data is stored in the main memory, the plurality of sub control units store the data in their own sub memory for backup, and designate one sub control unit as a transfer source among the plurality of sub control units. The slave control unit specified by the specification unit transfers the data from the slave memory to the main memory of the master control unit based on the transfer instruction. And
[0009]
According to the above configuration, data such as sales information is stored in the main memory of the main control unit, and further stored in the sub memory, so that even if the data stored in the main memory is lost, the subordinate that is backed up is backed up. Aggregation can be continued based on the data in the memory.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main part of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vending machine 10 includes a main control unit 11 that controls the entire vending machine 10, a coin mechanical control unit 13 that controls the coin mechanical unit 12, and a customer service unit 14 on a communication line 11 a of the main control unit 11. The customer service control unit 15 that controls the sales, the sales control unit 17 that controls the sales unit 16, the keyboard interface 19 that accepts key input from the keyboard 18, and the data loader 20 through the optical adapter connector 21. A data loader control unit 22 is connected. In addition, a power supply unit 23 that supplies power to each unit of the vending machine 10 is connected to the main control unit 11.
[0011]
The coin mechanical control unit 13, the customer service control unit 15, the sales control unit 17, and the data loader control unit 22 (hereinafter, these control units 13, 15, 17, and 22 are also referred to as “secondary control units”) sell products. Various types of control necessary for the above are distributed and positioned as a sub control unit for the main control unit 11, each of which includes a CPU, a ROM for storing a program of the CPU, and a RAM as a sub memory for storing various information. It is comprised.
[0012]
The coin mechanical unit 12 includes a change change sensor for detecting change change, receives coins inserted from the coin insertion slot, and returns change from the change return slot when necessary.
[0013]
The coin mechanical control unit 13 controls the coin mechanical unit 12 and performs selection of inserted coins, counting of the number of denominations, storage in a safe, change payout, and the like.
[0014]
The customer service section 14 is provided corresponding to each column, and a plurality of selection switches for selecting a product. A sales enable lamp and a sell-off lamp provided in each selection switch for displaying whether each column can be sold or sold out. And a display for displaying the amount of change, the amount of money to be inserted, and the like.
[0015]
The customer service control unit 15 sends a press signal to the main control unit 11 based on the operation of the selection switch of the service unit 14. The insertion amount obtained by the main control unit 11 and the change-out sensor of the coin mechanical unit 12. Is displayed on the display unit of the customer service unit 14, and display of sales possible / sold out for each column is performed by lighting the sale available lamp and the sold out lamp of the customer service unit 14.
[0016]
The keyboard 18 can designate a transfer source of management data (backup data), which will be backed up in a RAM in the sub-control units 13, 15, 17, 22 and input commands for transfer instructions, by key operation by service personnel. It is like that. That is, when a transfer source is specified among the slave control units 13, 15, 17, and 22 by key operation and a transfer instruction command is input, the slave controllers 13, 15, 17, and 22 designated as the transfer source The backup data stored in the RAM is transferred to a RAM 11d described later in the main control unit 11.
[0017]
The main control unit 11 includes a CPU 11b that controls each unit of the vending machine 10, a ROM 11c that stores a program of the CPU 11b, and various data, for example, setting data such as sales information, failure history information, price, and temperature conditions. And a RAM 11d as a main memory for storing management data including. The CPU 11b stores the management data in the RAM 11d and also stores the management data in the RAM in each of the slave control units 13, 15, 17, and 22 for backup. For example, each time a product is sold, the CPU 11b stores sales information based on the sale of the product in the RAM 11d, and stores the sales information in the RAM in each of the sub-control units 13, 15, 17, and 22 for backup. Remember. Further, every time the setting data is changed, the changed setting data is stored in the RAM 11d, and the changed setting data is stored in the RAM in each of the sub-control units 13, 15, 17, and 22 for backup. The program stored in the ROM 11c of the main control unit 11 may be included in the management data and stored in the RAM in each of the sub control units 13, 15, 17, and 22.
[0018]
Further, the CPU 11d of the main control unit 11 obtains the amount of money to be inserted based on the coin type data of the coin type from the coin mechanism control unit 13, and after selling the product, subtracts the sales amount from the amount of money to be charged. The change data is sent to the coin mechanism control unit 13 so that change is paid out. Further, based on the selection switch pressing signal from the customer service control unit 15, the CPU 11 d sends sales information including the column number and temperature condition corresponding to the pressing signal to the sales control unit 17.
[0019]
The sales unit 16 includes a plurality of sales mechanisms (columns) that store the products, a sold-out detection sensor, a cooler that cools the products, a heater that heats the products, and takes out the products from the columns to the product outlet. And a product take-out mechanism for discharging.
[0020]
The sales control unit 17 controls the sales unit 16 based on the sales information from the main control unit 11 to take out the product corresponding to the column number from the column and discharge it to the product take-out port.
[0021]
The data loader control unit 22 transfers the management data transferred from the main control unit 11 to the data loader 20 via the optical adapter connector 21 in response to a management data transfer request from the data loader 20 based on the operation of the service staff. To do.
[0022]
Next, the operation of the vending machine 10 will be described. When the CPU 11b of the main control unit 11 is damaged, or when management data stored in the RAM 11d of the main control unit 11 is lost or cannot be read, the service staff operates the keyboard 18 to perform backup. Designates the transfer source of data (management data) and inputs a command for transfer instruction. The sub-control units 13, 15, 17, and 22 designated as the transfer source transfer the backup data in its own RAM to the RAM 11d of the main control unit 11 via the communication line 11a. The main control unit 11 continuously counts sales information based on the transferred management data. Thereafter, when there is a management data transfer request based on the operation of the service staff from the data loader 20, the data loader control unit 22 sends the management data transferred from the main control unit 11 in response to the request to the optical adapter connector 21. To the data loader 20. The management data collected by the data loader 20 is used for management of the vending machine 10.
[0023]
According to the vending machine 10 configured as described above, the management data is stored in the RAM 11d of the main control unit 11 and backed up to the RAM in the sub control units 13, 15, 17, and 22. Even if an unexpected situation such as the management data stored in the RAM 11d of the control unit 11 disappears, the management data stored in the RAM in the sub-control units 13, 15, 17, 22 is stored in the RAM 11d of the main control unit 11. You can return and continue to collect sales information. Even when the vending machine 10 itself fails and is replaced with a new vending machine 10, any one of the subordinate control units 13, 15, 17, and 22 of the old vending machine 10 is controlled. By removing the units 13, 15, 17, and 22 and incorporating them into the new vending machine 10, the management data is immediately returned from the RAM in the sub-control units 13, 15, 17, and 22 to the RAM 11d of the main control unit 11. Aggregation of sales information etc. can be continued.
[0024]
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, Various embodiment is possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the management data stored in the RAM in the sub-control units 13, 15, 17, and 22 is transferred to the main control unit 11 is described by the operation of the keyboard 19. It may be automatically performed by defining a communication protocol between the data loader control unit 22 and the data loader 20. Thereby, the trouble of key input can be saved.
[0025]
In the above embodiment, the distributed control type vending machine has been described. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to a function-centralized type vending machine in which all the sales control is performed by one control unit. .
[0026]
In the above embodiment, when the management data is transferred to the data loader 20, the management data stored in the RAM 11 d of the main control unit 11 is transferred, but is stored in the RAM in the data loader control unit 22. Management data may be transferred.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the main control unit stores data such as sales information based on the sale of goods in the main memory, and the plurality of sub control units store the data in their own sub memory for backup. Storing and designating one slave control unit as a transfer source among the plurality of slave control units, and having a designation unit that issues a transfer instruction, and the slave control unit designated by the designation unit is configured to Since the data is transferred to the main memory of the main control unit , the data can be continuously counted even if an unexpected situation such as the loss of the data that has been collected until now occurs.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vending machine according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a conventional vending machine.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Vending Machine 11 Main Control Unit 11b CPU
11d RAM
13 Coin Mechanism Control Unit 15 Customer Service Control Unit 17 Sales Control Unit 18 Keyboard 20 Data Loader 21 Optical Adapter Connector 22 Data Loader Control Unit

Claims (3)

In vending machines that distribute and control product sales to the main control unit and multiple sub- control units,
The main control unit stores data such as sales information based on the sale of the product in a main memory,
The plurality of slave control units store the data in its own slave memory for backup ,
Designating one slave control unit as a transfer source among the plurality of slave control units, and specifying means for instructing transfer,
The vending machine specified by the specifying means transfers the data from the sub memory to the main memory of the main control unit based on the transfer instruction . The vending unit according to claim 1, wherein the sub control unit specified by the specifying unit is configured to transfer the data from the sub memory to a main memory of a new main control unit when the main control unit is replaced. Machine. The sub control unit specified by the specifying means is used as a sub control unit of a new vending machine when the vending machine is replaced. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the data is transferred from a sub memory.

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