JP4481459B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vending machine configured to pay out a desired product by inserting coins.
[0002]
[Prior art]
This type of vending machine, which has been generally used in the past, stocks a predetermined product at a predetermined location, and the user presses a desired button on the operation panel, thereby removing the product outlet. It is configured to pay out a desired product. In addition, the coin type or authenticity is determined by determining whether the coin inserted for the purchase of the product is a diameter or mass of the coin, or, in some cases, a magnetic material.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In vending machines, where products are diversifying, it is necessary to prepare a large number of stock sections corresponding to the types of products. The operation of replenishing the determined product to the determined stock section becomes complicated with the diversification of the product, and the product replenishment error is likely to occur. Thus, the current vending machine is inconvenient for the replenisher. Further, it is difficult to allocate the stock part freely according to the sales situation of the product, such as increasing the number of stocks for products with good sales and decreasing the number of stocks for products with poor sales. Thus, the conventional vending machine has extremely low flexibility in terms of merchandise management.
[0004]
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vending machine that enhances the flexibility of merchandise management in the stock section.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The vending machine according to the present invention is a part for displaying a product type in a vending machine that pays out a predetermined product among a plurality of types of products housed in a stock section in a housing as coins are inserted. Fixed to the movable part of the movable stage, the movable part that moves the movable part up and down, left and right, the stock part that stores the product so that the product is exposed to the front, the vertical part between the stock part and the door And an imaging unit that reads the type of product by moving up and down, left and right in front of the stock unit . The imaging unit images the product in the stock unit and images a coin at a coin imaging position in the middle of the coin conveyance path. characterized in that it.
[0006]
This vending machine is an invention based on the premise that the product is accommodated in each stock section in such a usage manner that a portion for displaying the product type (a product identification portion such as a label) is exposed on the front surface. With the product stocked in this way, the movable part of the movable stage is moved vertically and horizontally in the vertical plane in front of the stock part. At this time, the product identification part of each product is imaged by the imaging unit fixed to the movable unit. The results captured in this way are used in various ways for managing the products in the stock section. For example, since the position of each product is specified afterwards based on the imaging result, if a predetermined product is not accommodated in a predetermined stock section, a replenishment error of the product can be found. . Therefore, the use which supplements the replenishment work of goods is attained. In addition, it is possible to effectively use the imaging results of products even in usage modes that frequently change the allocation of the stock section, such as increasing the number of stocks for products with good sales and decreasing the number of stocks for products with poor sales. Become. Thus, in the vending machine of the present invention, the movable stage is arranged between the stock unit and the door, and as a result of mounting the imaging unit on the movable stage, the versatility of the vending machine itself is improved. Become.
[0007]
Further, the imaging unit, you imaging coins the products in the stock unit in the coin imaging position in the middle of the image and the coin conveying path. When such a configuration is adopted, it is possible to image products and images of coins with a single imaging unit that moves up and down and left and right by a movable stage, and to manage the products in the stock unit and the coins that have been thrown in. To achieve.
[0008]
Further, it is preferable that the movable stage drives the movable part each time the opened door is closed, and the product in the stock part is imaged by the imaging unit. When such a configuration is adopted, when the product is replenished, the door is opened. Therefore, whenever the product is imaged by the imaging unit every time the door is closed, the product management is ensured. Further, even when the door is opened for machine inspection or the like, the position of the product in the stock section may be changed carelessly, so this is also an effective technique in this sense.
[0009]
Further, it is preferable that the imaging unit waits at the coin imaging position with the door closed. Since the position of the product does not change carelessly when the door is closed, it can be said that it is an effective method to make the imaging unit stand by at the coin recognition position in order to prepare for the insertion of coins.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a vending machine according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0011]
As shown in FIG. 1, this vending machine 1 is for cigarettes, and has an open / close door 3 with an operation panel 2 arranged on the top. This door 3 is attached to the front surface of the housing 4 in a cantilevered state, and is opened and closed at the time of replenishment of goods, replenishment of change, take-out of accumulated coins, or internal inspection. In the housing 4, a large number of stock parts 5 are arranged in a matrix, and tobacco as a product is stacked in a vertical direction in a horizontally placed state (laid down) on each stock part 5. . Further, a coin sorting unit 6 is arranged on the side of the stock unit 5, and the type of coins inserted from the coin insertion slot 7 can be selected from various methods such as magnetic measurement, mass measurement, or diameter measurement in the coin sorting unit 6. At the same time, inappropriate coins are discharged to the change outlet.
[0012]
Here, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the vending machine 1, a movable stage 8 is arranged in a space between the stock unit 5 and the door 3. The movable stage 8 has a rectangular frame 10 arranged in a vertical plane, and a first ball screw mechanism 12 is attached to a vertical beam 11 of the frame 10, and a screw shaft 13 of the ball screw mechanism 12 is a vertical axis. The screw shaft 13 is rotated in a predetermined direction by a motor 14 fixed to the vertical beam 11. A female screw portion 16 is screwed onto the screw shaft 13, and one end of a guide rail 17 extending horizontally is fixed to the female screw portion 16, and the other end is fixed to a guide bar 18 fixed to the vertical beam 11. Slide against.
[0013]
Further, a second ball screw mechanism 18 is attached to the guide rail 17, and a screw shaft 19 of the mechanism 18 extends in the horizontal direction. The screw shaft 19 is fixed to a predetermined position by a motor 20 fixed to the guide rail 17. Rotate in the direction. A female screw portion 21 is screwed onto the screw shaft 19, and a movable portion 22 that moves linearly and horizontally on the guide rail 17 is fixed to the female screw portion 21. In the movable stage 8 described above, by appropriately driving the motors 14 and 20 of the first and second ball screw mechanisms 12 and 18, the movable part 22 can be moved to an arbitrary position in the vertical plane.
[0014]
As shown in FIG. 3, an imaging unit 23 in which a CCD camera, a lens, and the like are incorporated is fixed to the movable unit 22, and the lens of the imaging unit 23 is always directed toward the stock unit 5 side. Yes. Therefore, by the position control of the movable unit 22, the imaging unit 23 can freely move in the vertical plane, and the imaging unit 23 can perform imaging in each stock unit 5.
[0015]
And in each stock part 5, as shown in FIG. 4, the part (product identification part, such as a label) which displays the kind of tobacco is accommodated so that it may be exposed to the front, The products are stored in the stock unit 5 so that the product identification portions are aligned on the same vertical plane. Accordingly, when all the products are individually imaged while moving the imaging unit 23 up and down, left and right, unscheduled products are mixed in the predetermined stock unit 5 among the many stock units 5 by subsequent image processing. Can be recognized. In this case, the operator is prompted with a lamp or the like to open the door 3 and replenish the product again. Thus, the image data processing information for each product can be used so as to complement the replenishment work of the product.
[0016]
In addition, the result of using the imaging results of the product even in a usage mode in which the number of stocks 5 is frequently changed, the number of stocks is increased for the products with good sales, and the number of stocks is decreased for the products with poor sales. , You can easily handle how the goods are stocked. As described above, by mounting the imaging unit 23 on the vending machine 1, the flexibility of product management in the stock unit 5 is enhanced. The product dispensing operation is performed by a product extrusion device provided for each stock unit 5, and this device has a well-known configuration in which the product located at the bottom is pushed out by a piston or the like, and is not shown.
[0017]
Further, the coins inserted from the coin insertion slot 7 are sorted by various methods such as magnetic measurement, mass measurement, or diameter measurement in the well-known coin sorting unit 6. Sorting is also performed by the imaging unit 23. As shown in FIG. 5, the coin transport passage 26 extends through the coin sorting unit 6 to the coin storage unit 27, but the coin transport passage 26 is in the middle of the position where the imaging unit 23 can image a coin. It is pulled out to (coin imaging position S). The coin transport passage 26 passes through the movable stage 8 between the coin insertion slot 7 and the coin storage part 27. Therefore, the coin transport passage 26 is connected from the coin insertion slot 7 to the coin storage portion 27 only when the communication passage 26a is fixed to the upper surface of the image pickup portion 23 and the image pickup portion 23 is kept at the coin image pickup position S (FIG. 3). reference).
[0018]
As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, a dustproof glass 28 is fitted into the front surface of the housing 29 at the coin imaging position S. The dust-proof glass 28 is disposed on an extension of a plane (product-alignment surface) on which the product identification portions are aligned, and the coin transport passage 26 passes through the back side of the dust-proof glass 28. The coin transport passage 26 extends along the back surface of the dust-proof glass 28 so as to roll with the coin standing. Therefore, the front surface or the back surface of the coin flowing along the coin conveyance path 26 can be imaged through the dust-proof glass 28 by the imaging unit 23. As a result of imaging, inappropriate coins determined to be counterfeit are discharged to the change outlet.
[0019]
As described above, the imaging unit 23 that can freely move up and down and right and left by the movable stage 8 enables imaging of products and coins. However, when the door 3 is closed, the position of the product changes carelessly. Therefore, in order to prepare for the insertion of coins, the imaging unit 23 stands by in front of the coin recognition position S, that is, the dust-proof glass 28. In this way, management of commodities in the stock unit 5 and management of inserted coins are made possible by one imaging unit 23.
[0020]
Moreover, as a configuration of the imaging unit 23 that enables imaging of coins and commodities, there is Japanese Patent Application No. 10-247450 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-0756513) filed by the Company. The imaging unit disclosed herein can efficiently separate the target image and the background portion by determining a predetermined threshold value based on the background image and binarizing the target image based on the threshold value. . This technique not only enables accurate reading of coins, but also enables accurate reading of a product identification portion of a product.
[0021]
Next, the operation of the vending machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
[0022]
The operator opens the door 3 to replenish the product, replenishes a predetermined stock part 5 with a predetermined product, and the door 3 is closed after the replenishment of the product. Moreover, the door 3 may be opened for an internal inspection. Therefore, at the same time as the door 3 is closed, the motors 14 and 20 of the movable stage 8 are controlled by the movable stage control unit 30, and the image pickup unit 23 is moved in the vertical direction by one pitch (for the thickness of the cigarette box) from the top. Continue to let. At this time, the product is individually imaged by the imaging unit 23 for each movement of one pitch.
[0023]
Information for each shooting by the image pickup unit 23 is temporarily stored in the image memory 31, and this shooting information is compared with the information for each product type stored in advance in the product data storage memory 32 in the product matching processing unit 33. The When a matching product type is detected, the information is input into the product storage memory 34. If the product type cannot be specified, it is input as unconfirmed information. At this time, the position information of the photographing unit 23 is also input into the product storage memory 34 by the output from the encoder provided on the movable stage 8. In this way, the product types are continuously specified for all the stock units 5 while imaging the products in order from the top, and the imaging results of all the products are stored in the product storage memory 34.
[0024]
At this time, the data in the product storage memory 34 is stored for each stock unit 5. Therefore, based on this data, whether or not different product type data exists in one stock unit 5 is determined for each stock unit 5 by the different product search processing unit 35. When it is determined that an unscheduled product is mixed in one stock unit 5, an alert generating means 36 such as a lamp or a warning sound alerts the operator. At this time, which stock unit 5 has a product replenishment error is displayed on the liquid crystal by the number assigned to the stock unit 5. The series of operations described above is continued each time the door 3 is closed until the goods are replenished in each stock section 5 without error.
[0025]
After completion of the replenishment operation described above, the imaging unit 23 is put on standby at the coin confirmation position S. Thereafter, when the user inserts coins from the coin insertion slot 7, the coins that have passed through the coin sorting unit 6 are imaged by the imaging unit 23, and imaging information for each coin is temporarily stored in the image memory 31. This imaging information is compared with the information for each denomination stored in advance in the coin data storage memory 37 by the coin verification processing unit 38. When the coin denomination identified by the coin verification processing unit 38 matches the denomination information from the coin sorting unit 6, the coin is recognized as genuine and processed by the coin counting counter. . Moreover, when it does not correspond with the information from the coin sorting part 6, the coin is recognized as a fake and discharged to the change outlet.
[0026]
In this way, when the input amount reaches more than desired while discriminating the authenticity of the coins, preparation for paying out the product is completed. Thereafter, when the user presses a desired operation button on the operation panel 2 and selects a desired product, information in the product storage memory 34 is input into the product take-out control unit 39, and the product desired by the user is entered. Is identified by the product take-out control unit 39. And since the product extrusion apparatus 40 is provided for every stock part 5, based on the signal from the control part 39, the piston of arbitrary product extrusion apparatuses 40 is driven and the goods located in the lowest are paid out. Thereafter, the change is paid out and a series of sales operations is completed.
[0027]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the control shown in FIG. 6 is merely an example. For example, even when a product replenishment error occurs, a warning is not issued to the worker, and the product storage memory As information in 34, it is stored which position of which stock section 5 has the product with the replenishment error. As a result, the sales stop lamp may be lit when the replenishment missed product comes to the lowest position of the stock unit 5 during product sales. In addition, the products handled by the vending machine 1 are not limited to cigarettes, and may be paper packs, canned soft drinks, and the like. The product identification part for displaying the product type may be a preprinted product name or an identification code such as a barcode.
[0028]
【The invention's effect】
Since the vending machine according to the present invention is configured as described above, the following effects are obtained. That is, in a vending machine that dispenses predetermined products out of a plurality of types of products housed in the stock section in the housing as coins are inserted, the part displaying the product type is exposed on the front surface. A stock unit that accommodates products, a movable stage that is arranged in a vertical plane between the stock unit and the door, moves the movable unit up and down, left and right, and is fixed to the movable unit of the movable stage, and in front of the stock unit The image pickup unit moves up and down, left and right to read the type of the product, and the image pickup unit picks up the product in the stock unit and images the coin at the coin image pickup position in the middle of the coin conveyance path . The flexibility of product management can be increased.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a vending machine according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view showing a movable stage applied to the vending machine of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where an imaging unit is put on standby at a coin imaging position.
FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state in which products are stored in a stock unit.
FIG. 5 is a front view showing a coin conveyance path.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a control configuration of the vending machine according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vending machine, 3 ... Door, 4 ... Housing, 5 ... Stock part, 8 ... Movable stage, 22 ... Movable part, 23 ... Imaging part, 26 ... Coin conveyance path, S ... Coin conveyance position.

Claims (3)

In a vending machine that pays out a predetermined product among a plurality of types of products stored in a stock part in a housing as coins are inserted,
The stock part for accommodating the product so as to expose a part for displaying the type of the product on the front surface;
A movable stage arranged in a vertical plane between the stock part and the door, and moving the movable part up and down, left and right;
An image pickup unit that is fixed to the movable part of the movable stage and moves up and down and left and right in front of the stock part to read the type of the product ,
The vending machine , wherein the imaging unit images the commodity in the stock unit and images the coin at a coin imaging position in the middle of a coin transport passage . The movable stage, the each closing of the open the door to drive the movable part, by the imaging unit, an automatic vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the imaging the products in the stock portion. 3. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the image pickup unit waits at the coin image pickup position in a closed state of the door.

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