JP4249301B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vending machine having a function capable of effectively monitoring unintentional extraction of a product from a product column using a sold-out detection switch incorporated in the product column.
[0002]
[Related background]
A vending machine that sells packaged products such as cigarettes has a plurality of product columns 2 for stacking and storing a plurality of products in a box-shaped vending machine body 1 as shown in FIG. Then, according to a selective operation of a product selection button (not shown) provided on the front door 3, the corresponding product is selectively paid out from the product column 2, and this product is taken out via the product chute 4 to the product takeout unit 5. Configured to lead to. The product take-out section 5 plays a role of receiving the product delivered from the product column 2 so as to be able to be taken out from the front side of the front door 3, and usually has a lid made of a transparent plastic plate at the opening. It can be opened and closed freely.
[0003]
Accordingly, for example, a product dispensing unit 6 configured as shown in FIG. The product dispensing unit 6 is generally provided with a device main body 7 whose upper surface is a product placement surface, and a circular orbit in the front-rear direction extending from the upper surface of the device main body 7 to the inside thereof. An endless belt (endless flexible body) 8 and a pressing member 9 attached to the outer periphery of the endless belt 8 are provided. Then, the endless belt 8 is driven to drive in accordance with a product selection operation, and the pressing member 9 is circulated from the upper surface rear end portion to the front end portion of the device main body 7 to be placed on the device main body 7. A product (not shown) is pushed out and delivered to the front (the front side of the product column 2). In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a sold-out detection switch (not shown) that receives a load of a product placed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 7 and is buried in the apparatus main body 7 and is incorporated in the apparatus main body 7. This is a sold-out detection lever that energizes
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in this kind of vending machine, various devices for preventing the unintentional dropout of the product from the product column 2 have been applied. It cannot be denied that there is an indecent person who drops the product and tries to steal the product. In order to cope with this, an alarm device that detects an unintentional shaking or impact and issues an alarm is incorporated in the vending machine 1.
[0005]
In addition, there are rare cases in which an arm or a rod-like foreign object is inserted from the product outlet 5 and the product is extracted from the product column 2. In order to cope with this, various improvements and ingenuity have been tried with respect to the shape and structure of the commodity outlet 5 and the like, but the reality is that there is no end.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide a vending machine with a function for easily and effectively detecting an unintentional extraction of a product from a product column and issuing an alarm. Is to provide a machine.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above-described object, the vending machine according to the present invention includes a vending machine body having a plurality of product columns for stacking and storing products, and a front door provided with the front surface of the vending machine body being openable. A product outlet provided on the front door and receiving a product selectively paid out from the product column so as to be removable from the front side of the front door;
After the selective payout operation of the product from each product column, the sold-out detection means for detecting the product column sold out by determining the state of the sold-out detection switch incorporated in each product column,
The state of the sold-out detection switch is determined when the sold-out detecting means is not operated and when the front door is closed except when the product is selectively paid out. And a theft determination means for issuing an alarm when the state changes .
[0007]
In particular, according to a preferred aspect of the present invention, as described in claim 2, the sold-out detection switch is incorporated in a product dispensing unit provided at a lower portion of each product column, and performs a switch operation in response to a load from the product. In this case, the theft determination means detects an instantaneous change in the state of the sold-out detection switch at a time other than the selective payout operation of the product as the removal of the product .
[0008]
In other words, the present invention detects unintentional extraction of a product by using a sold-out detection switch provided for each of a plurality of product columns and used for detecting the sold-out of the product. When paying out, the load due to the product temporarily disappears until the next product drops on the product delivery unit after the lowest product is delivered from the top surface of the product delivery unit. Focusing on the fact that the state of the detection switch changes instantaneously, when the state of the sold-out detection switch changes instantaneously during standby of the vending machine, it is determined that this is abnormal and an alarm is issued. .
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, with respect to a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings, the sold-out detection of a product based on the state determination of a sold-out detection switch incorporated in each product column, which is a characteristic function of the present invention. And the unintentional sampling detection of goods is demonstrated.
[0010]
The function of detecting unintentional extraction of products from a plurality of product columns 2 in the vending machine is, for example, a sold-out detection switch provided in a product dispensing unit 6 as shown in FIG. This is achieved by monitoring the state of the (sold-out detection lever 10) and detecting the instantaneous change in state of the sold-out detection switch after the sold-out detection process after the delivery of the product from the product column 2, that is, when waiting for the sales operation. It is done. Such a function for monitoring the state of the sold-out detection switch is realized as one processing function in a control device composed of, for example, a microprocessor, which controls sales processing of the vending machine.
[0011]
FIG. 1 shows a flow of a processing procedure in the control device that realizes the above processing function, and is executed by being incorporated in a part of a series of sales processing control (not shown) including money processing, merchandise payout processing, and the like. The That is, this process first determines whether or not the front door 2 is open [step S1], and if the front door 2 is open. It is determined that maintenance of the vending machine is being performed. In this case, the state of the sold-out detection switch provided in each product column 2 is checked, and it is determined whether or not there is a product column 2 in which the sold-out detection switch is ON (sold out state). [Step S2]. When a product column 2 in which the sold-out detection switch is ON (sold out state) is detected, a sold-out indicator (lamp) provided in association with the product column 2 is driven to turn on the product. Are sold out [Step S3].
[0012]
On the other hand, if the front door 2 is closed, it is determined that the vending machine is in operation (step S1). In this case, first, it is determined whether or not a product to be sold is designated by inputting money and operating a product selection switch [step S4], and a specific product (stores the product) under a predetermined input amount. If the selected product column 2) is selected and designated, the product delivery unit 6 of the corresponding product column 2 is selectively energized. Then, one of the selected and designated products is paid out from the product column 2 [Step S5].
[0013]
Thus, after the product has been paid out as described above [Step S5], or when the product has not been assigned [Step S4], the product sold-out detection process after the product has been paid out is performed. It is determined whether it has already been executed [step S6]. If the sold-out detection process has not been executed, it is determined whether or not the product column 2 has been sold out in accordance with the above-described delivery of the product [step S7]. This determination is made by examining whether or not the sold-out detection switch in the product column 2 has changed to ON (sold out state). When the product column 2 in which the product has been sold out is detected, the sold-out indicator (lamp) provided in association with the corresponding product column 2 is driven to turn on and identify the product sold out [ Step S8] If the occurrence of a sold-out is not detected, the next process proceeds.
[0014]
A series of merchandise sales processing is completed by the above processing. Then, the vending machine is in a standby state until the next product sales process is started, for example, by detecting the insertion of a coin, etc., so that the theft determination process is started using this standby state [Step S9]. This theft determination process is executed after the front door 2 is closed as described above [Step S1] and after the commodity sold-out detection process [Step S8] associated with the commodity sales process [Step S5] is performed. .
[0015]
Specifically, the theft determination process is performed to determine whether or not the sold-out detection switch of the product incorporated in each product column 2 instantaneously changes, that is, normally maintains the OFF state constantly. This is done by monitoring whether the sold-out detection switch that should indicate the presence of the product in the product column 2 temporarily changes to the ON state. That is, in the standby state, the product remaining in the product column 2 constantly presses the sold-out detection lever 10 by the load, and the sold-out detection switch is kept in the OFF state via the sold-out detection lever 10. However, if a product is extracted from the product payout portion of the product column 2 in the standby state by any means, the sold-out detection switch changes temporarily in the process of extraction.
[0016]
Specifically, when the product moves to the front end side of the product delivery unit 6, only the rear end of the product stacked on the product drops on the upper surface of the product delivery unit 6, and the product being extracted It is in a state of being bridged with the end side. Then, a triangular space is formed between the next product and the upper surface of the product delivery unit 6, and the load of the product is received thereby, so that the pressing bias of the sold-out detection lever 10 is released, and the sold-out detection switch Is turned on. This ON state is released by pressing the sold-out detection lever 10 again when the next product drops onto the upper surface of the product dispensing unit 6 when the product has been extracted. In this manner, the sold-out detection switch is temporarily displaced to the ON state as the product is extracted, and then returns to the OFF state again. If the last product to be extracted is the last one, the sold-out detection switch is not biased again by the next product, and the sold-out detection switch remains displaced in the ON state.
[0017]
In any case, the state of the sold-out detection switch does not change in the standby state. Therefore, in the theft determination process, whether the state of the sold-out detection switch has changed in the standby state. By monitoring this, unintentional extraction of the product from the product column 2 is detected. If the state change of the sold-out detection switch is not detected, the process returns to the above-described processing procedure from step S1 until the front door 2 is opened or the product sales process is started. Repeated every cycle. If a change in the state of the sold-out detection switch is detected in the theft determination process, it is determined that the theft has occurred and a warning is output [step S10]. This alarm output is performed, for example, by sounding a buzzer or the like, and is continuously performed until the administrator of the vending machine rushes and the reset switch provided in the vending machine is operated [step S11]. Of course, it is possible to notify the predetermined management department or the like via the communication means that the theft has occurred when the alarm is output.
[0018]
Thus, according to the vending machine having the function of detecting an unintentional removal of the product from the state change in the standby state of the product sold out detection switch incorporated in the product column 2 as described above and issuing an alarm. For example, it is possible to easily and effectively detect the theft of the product by effectively utilizing the sold-out detection switch. Also, if the vending machine is shaken and a few products left in the product column lose their posture, or if the product jumps inside the vending machine, the state of the sold-out detection switch will change, so an alarm is given in the same way. Can be issued. In particular, since the theft determination process described above is driven only when the front door 2 is closed and the vending machine is in a standby state, the function of the sold-out detection switch at the time of normal merchandise delivery is not obstructed. The effect of.
[0019]
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. Here, the structure of operating the sold-out detection switch via the sold-out detection lever 10 has been described, but the same applies to the case where a sold-out detection switch for optically detecting the sold-out of the product is used in the lower part of the product column 2. Can be applied to. The number of product columns is not particularly limited, and can be applied to various forms of vending machines. Further, the execution function of the theft determination process can be realized as a dedicated circuit function and incorporated in the vending machine. In addition, the present invention can be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof.
[0020]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the function of the product sold-out detection switch incorporated in the product column 2 can be effectively used to unintentionally remove the product from the product column when the vending machine is on standby. Can be detected and an alarm can be issued, so that it is possible to effectively intimidate the thief by attracting the surrounding attention to the theft site.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a processing procedure for realizing a function of selling out a product based on a state determination of a sold-out detection switch and an unintentional sampling detection in a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; .
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vending machine.
FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of a product dispensing unit incorporated in each product column of the vending machine.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Vending Machine Body 2 Product Column 3 Front Door 6 Product Dispensing Unit 10 Sold Out Detection Lever (Sold Out Detection Switch)

Claims (2)

A vending machine body having a plurality of product columns for stacking and storing products, a front door provided with the front of the vending machine body being openable, and a payment provided selectively on the front door from the product column. A vending machine comprising a product take-out port for receiving the taken out product from the front side of the front door so as to be removable;
A sold-out detection means for detecting a product column in which the product is sold out by determining the state of a sold-out detection switch incorporated in each product column after the selective payout operation of the product from each product column,
The state of the sold-out detection switch is determined when the sold-out detecting means is not operated and when the front door is closed except when the product is selectively paid out. A vending machine comprising a theft determination means for issuing an alarm when the state changes . The sold-out detection switch is incorporated in a product dispensing unit provided at the bottom of each product column, and receives a load from the product to operate the switch.
2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the theft determination means detects an instantaneous change in the state of the sold-out detection switch other than during the selective payout operation of the product as a product removal .

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