JP4973123B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a vending machine, and more particularly, a product that stores and stores products such as canned beverages, bottled beverages, and plastic bottled beverages in a desired temperature state, that is, cooled or heated. The present invention relates to an improvement of a vending machine provided with a storage room and a product storage room for storing the product at room temperature.

  Conventionally, the following are known as vending machines that sell products such as canned beverages, bottled beverages, and plastic bottled beverages.

  For example, it is a vending machine in which a product storage room and a product storage room are divided into upper and lower parts inside a cabinet that is a main body of the vending machine.

  The product storage chamber is disposed on the upper side inside the cabinet, has a heat insulating structure, and a product storage rack for storing products is provided therein. The product storage chamber is for storing and storing the products in the product storage rack in a desired temperature state (cooled or heated state) by cooling or heating the internal atmosphere of the product storage chamber. In such a product storage room, an input tray that is inclined in such a manner that the height gradually decreases from the front to the rear in the upper region of the product storage rack, and the product is input from the front side of the input tray. As a result, the product is stored in the product storage rack through the input tray.

  The product storage room is disposed on the lower side inside the cabinet, and is used for storing products at room temperature. This product storage room stores products by arranging product storage columns for storing products in a line along the front-rear direction and arranged in upper and lower rows and left and right rows.

  Such a vending machine is provided with a transport mechanism that transports the product stored in the product storage room to the product storage room when a product supply instruction is given. The transport mechanism is provided on the front side inside the cabinet. In response to the product replenishment command, the transport mechanism takes out the product located on the front side of the designated product storage column in the product storage room and transports it to the input port of the specified input tray in the product storage room. . Here, the product conveyed to the input port enters the product storage rack through the input tray, and is stored in the product storage rack. Then, in accordance with the merchandise sales command, the carry-out mechanism at the lower part of the merchandise storage rack that stores the selected merchandise is driven to carry out the merchandise at the lowest level of the merchandise storage rack. The carried-out merchandise is transported and sold to a merchandise outlet formed on a door provided to open and close the front opening of the cabinet (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  By the way, in general, when replenishing products to the product storage room, the product storage column is pulled forward with the door opened, that is, with the front surface of the product storage chamber open, The product will be replenished.

  However, in the vending machine as described above, since the transport mechanism transports the product located on the foremost side of the product storage column specified by the product replenishment command to the product storage chamber, Products that have been stored in the product storage room or products with a near expiration date have been placed in front of the column, and products to be replenished must be placed on the rear side of the product storage column. In order to realize the first-in first-out, the product replenishment work (so-called loading work) has been complicated.

  Therefore, by arranging a number of arc-shaped segments inside the cabinet, a plurality of product storage passages meandering along the vertical direction are arranged side by side along the front-rear direction, and a heat insulating flapper is placed in the middle of each product storage passage. Proposed vending machines have been proposed. In this vending machine, the upper part of the heat insulating flapper is a product storage room for storing products in a room temperature state, and the lower part of the heat insulating flapper is a product storage room for maintaining products in a desired temperature state.

  And, in the upper area of each product storage passage, there is provided an input tray that is inclined in such a manner that the height gradually decreases from the front toward the rear, and when the product is input from the front side of the input tray, The product is stored in the product storage passage through the input tray. On the other hand, a product carry-out mechanism is provided at the lower end of each product storage passage.

  As a result, the product stored in the product storage passage of the product storage chamber through the input tray is guided and stored in the product storage passage of the product storage chamber communicated with the product storage passage by driving the heat insulating flapper. By driving in accordance with the product carry-out command, the lowest product is paid out, thereby realizing first-in first-out of the product (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP-A-5-20536 JP 2002-83357 A

  However, in the vending machine, the product storage passage is partitioned by a heat insulating flapper so that the product storage room and the product storage room are partitioned. It is determined every time and is limited, and it is not possible to freely set a replenishment route for the product according to the sales of the product.

  In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a vending machine that facilitates product replenishment work, realizes first-in first-out of products, and can ensure the flexibility of a product replenishment route. Objective.

In order to achieve the above object, a vending machine according to claim 1 of the present invention has a plurality of product storage columns arranged in one row along the front-rear direction in a standing posture and arranged in a vertical row and a horizontal row. A product storage room for storing the product in a normal temperature state, and a plurality of product storage columns for storing the product in a line along the front-rear direction in a standing posture, and arranging the product at a desired temperature A vending machine main body having a product storage chamber that is maintained and stored, and for opening and closing a front opening formed in the vending machine main body, and is stored in the product storage chamber A vending machine that sells products stored in the product storage chamber, and stores the products in the product storage chamber and the product storage chamber. Column is the product When a product to be stored is allocated according to a product group indicating a collection of similar items, and a product supply command is given, the product storage in the product storage room in which the product according to the product supply command is stored A first transport means for receiving a product on the last side of the column and transporting the received product to a rear end portion of the product storage column of the product storage room to which the same product group as the product is assigned; A mode in which, when a command is given, a product on the front side of a product storage column of the product storage chamber in which the product according to the product sales command is stored is received, and the received product is opened to the front surface of the door body a second conveying means for conveying in until the formed product outlet, when the sales merchandise runs out, the product storage columns of the goods accommodating chamber in which the commercial item was assigned, predetermined priority Accordingly and control means allocates different product group with the goods sold, different product that has been allocated according to a predetermined priority to product storage columns to which the commercial item has run out at the first transport means It is characterized by transporting group products .

  According to the vending machine of the present invention, the product storage columns of the product storage room and the product storage room are pre-allocated with products to be stored according to the type of the product, and the first transport means receives the product replenishment command. Is received, the product at the last side of the product storage column of the product storage room storing the product related to the product replenishment instruction is received, and the received product is stored with the same type of product as the product The product storage column of the product storage chamber in which the product according to the product sales command is stored when the second transport means is supplied with the product sales command when transported to the rear end of the product storage column of the product storage chamber The product on the front side of the door is received, and the received product is transported to the product take-out port formed in such a manner that it opens on the front surface of the door body. As well as There is an effect that it is possible to ensure the freedom of goods replenishment route.

  Exemplary embodiments of a vending machine according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 each schematically show a vending machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view, and FIG. 2 is a sectional side view. The vending machine 100 illustrated here sells products such as canned beverages, bottled beverages, and plastic bottled beverages in a cooled or heated state, and includes a main body cabinet 101 that is a main body of the vending machine. Yes.

  The main body cabinet 101 has a rectangular shape with an open front surface, and its interior is largely divided into three parts, upper, middle, and lower, and a machine room 102, a product storage room 110, and a product storage room 120 are provided. It is provided.

  The machine room 102 is a room partitioned at the bottom, and various machines and the like are arranged. In particular, the compressor 1 and the condenser are provided as those related to the first embodiment, although not shown in the drawing.

  The product storage room 110 is a room partitioned at the top. Inside the product storage room 110, a plurality of product storage columns (product storage columns) 111 are arranged in upper and lower stages and left and right rows. The merchandise storage column 111 extends along the front-rear direction, and is inclined so as to gradually decrease in height from the front toward the rear. The product storage column 111 stores products in a standing position in a line along the front-rear direction. Such a product storage room 110 stores products stored in each product storage column 111 at room temperature.

  In addition, an unloading mechanism 112 for unloading stored products one by one is provided at each rear end of the product storage column 111. Here, the carry-out mechanism 112 does not have a drive unit separated from a power source such as a drive motor or a solenoid, and the receiving unit constituting the first transport unit described later accessed the designated product storage column 111. In this case, the power from the electric drive mechanism constituting the first transport unit is transmitted and driven.

  The product storage chamber 120 is a chamber partitioned in the middle, that is, a chamber located between the machine room 102 and the product storage chamber 110. In other words, the product storage chamber 110 and the product storage chamber 120 are partitioned in a vertically aligned manner inside the main body cabinet 101. The product storage chamber 120 has a heat insulating structure by disposing a heat insulating plate at a predetermined location. More specifically, the product storage chamber 120 is a chamber formed by disposing an upper heat insulating plate 120a, a lower heat insulating plate 120b, a rear heat insulating plate 120c, and a pair of left and right side heat insulating plates (not shown). It is.

  Under the product storage chamber 120, an evaporator 103 connected to the above-described compressor and condenser through a refrigerant pipe is provided. The evaporator 103 constitutes a cooling unit together with the compressor and the condenser, and cools the product stored in the product storage chamber 120. For convenience of explanation, the example shown in the drawing describes the case of cooling the product, but the product storage chamber 120 is provided with a heater for heating the product, and the product may be heated by the heater.

  In such a product storage chamber 120, a plurality of product storage columns (product storage columns) 121 are arranged in the upper and lower rows and the left and right rows. More specifically, each of the commodity storage columns 121 extends along the front-rear direction and is inclined so as to gradually decrease in height from the rear to the front. The product storage column 121 stores products in a standing position in a line along the front-rear direction.

  An unloading mechanism 122 for unloading stored products one by one is provided at each front end of the product storage column 121. Here, the carry-out mechanism 122 does not have a drive unit separated from a power source such as a drive motor or a solenoid, and a receiving unit constituting a second transport unit described later accessed the designated product storage column 121. In this case, the power from the electric drive mechanism constituting the second transport unit is transmitted and driven.

  On the other hand, the main body cabinet 101 is provided with a door body 104. The door body 104 has an outer door 104a and an inner door 104b. The outer door 104a is for covering the front opening of the main body cabinet 101, and is hinged to the one side edge of the main body cabinet 101 so as to be opened and closed. A display unit 105 and a product outlet 106 are provided on the front side of the outer door 104a. The display unit 105 is a liquid crystal display unit that displays the product sample image 107. The product outlet 106 is provided at the center position on the front side of the outer door 104a, and serves as an opening for the user to take out the product. Although not clearly shown in FIG. 1, a product selection button B (see FIG. 5), a bill insertion slot, a coin insertion slot, and a return lever that are necessary when selling a product are provided on the front surface of the outer door 104 a. A money amount indicator and a coin return port are provided, and a money processing unit K (see FIG. 5) is provided on the rear side.

  The inner door 104b is divided into upper and lower parts, and an upper door (hereinafter also referred to as a first inner door) 104b1 is for covering the front surface of the commodity storage room 110, and a lower door (hereinafter referred to as a first door). 104b2 is for covering the front surface of the product storage chamber 120, and can be opened and closed at one side edge of the main body cabinet 101 at a position inward of the outer door 104a. It is. The second inner door 104b2 is a heat insulating door, and a merchandise outlet is provided at a site corresponding to the merchandise outlet 106. In the present embodiment, the case where the inner door 104b is divided vertically is shown, but the structure in the present invention is not limited to this. That is, when the product storage chamber 110 and the product storage chamber 120 are completely partitioned, at least the first inner door 104b1 is unnecessary.

  The main body cabinet 101 is provided with a first transport unit (first transport means) 130 and a second transport unit (second transport means) 140. The first transport unit 130 is provided on the rear side of the product storage chamber 110 and the product storage chamber 120, that is, on the rear side of each of the product storage chamber 110 and the product storage chamber 120, and is stored in the product storage chamber 110. Is conveyed to the commodity storage chamber 120. As shown in FIG. 3, the first transport unit 130 includes an XY transport mechanism 131 and a receiving unit 132.

  The XY transport mechanism 131 is equipped with a receiving portion 132 and moves the receiving portion 132 in the vertical direction and the left-right direction. The XY transport mechanism 131 is well known and will not be described in detail. However, an X-axis transport section 131a (see FIG. 5) extending in the left-right direction extends in the up-down direction, and a pair of left and right It is configured to be connected to the Y-axis transport unit 131b (see FIG. 5).

  The X-axis transport unit 131a guides and supports the receiving unit 132 to be mounted so as to be movable along the X-axis direction, that is, the left-right direction. A first long heat insulating plate 133 is provided at the bottom of the X-axis transport part 131a so that the left-right direction is the longitudinal direction. The first long heat insulating plate 133 is large enough to close the opening formed by the upper heat insulating plate 120a and the rear heat insulating plate 120c described above.

  The Y-axis transport unit 131b guides and supports the X-axis transport unit 131a so as to be movable along the Y-axis direction, that is, the vertical direction. That is, the Y-axis transport unit 131b guides the movement of the receiving unit 132 mounted on the X-axis transport unit 131a along the vertical direction.

  Further, in such an XY transport mechanism 131, a position detecting means (see FIG. 5) for moving and stopping the receiving portion 132 to the designated product storage column (product storage column 111, product storage column 121). (Not shown), and is transferred to the positions of the designated product storage column 111 and product storage column 121 according to a given product supply command.

  The receiving portion 132 is configured by an endless belt conveyor 132b stretched between a pair of front and rear rollers 132a. A roller driving mechanism 132c such as a motor is connected to one of the pair of rollers 132a. As a result of the roller 132a being rotationally driven, the belt conveyor 132b is displaced in such a manner that the upper surface moves forward. Such a receiving portion 132 is guided and supported by an X-axis transport portion 131a constituting the XY transport mechanism 131 via a guide roller (not shown).

  Further, the first transport unit 130 is provided with an electric drive mechanism 134. As described above, the electric drive mechanism 134 transmits driving force to the carry-out mechanism 112 of the product storage column 111 to drive the carry-out mechanism 112.

  In such a first transport unit 130, in the normal state, the receiving portion 132 is located at the bottom rear position of the product storage chamber 110, that is, the first long heat insulating plate 133 is formed by the upper heat insulating plate 120 a and the rear heat insulating plate 120 c. Waiting at a position to close the opening.

  The second transport unit 140 is provided on the front side of the product storage chamber 120 and is for transporting the product stored in the product storage chamber 120 to a position corresponding to the product outlet 106. As shown in FIG. 4, the second transport unit 140 includes an XY transport mechanism 141 and a receiving unit 142.

  The XY transport mechanism 141 is equipped with a receiving portion 142 and moves the receiving portion 142 in the vertical direction and the left-right direction. This XY transport mechanism 141 is well known and will not be described in detail. However, an X-axis transport unit 141a (see FIG. 5) extending in the left-right direction extends in the up-down direction, and a pair of left and right It is configured to be connected to the Y-axis transport unit 141b (see FIG. 5).

  The X-axis transport unit 141a guides and supports the receiving unit 142 to be mounted so as to be movable along the X-axis direction, that is, the left-right direction. A second long heat insulating plate 143 whose left-right direction is the longitudinal direction is provided at the bottom of the X-axis transport unit 141a. The second long heat insulating plate 143 has a size sufficient to close the opening formed by the upper heat insulating plate 120a and the second inner door 104b2.

  The Y-axis transport unit 141b guides and supports the X-axis transport unit 141a so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction, that is, the vertical direction. That is, the Y-axis transport unit 141b guides the movement of the receiving unit 142 mounted on the X-axis transport unit 141a along the vertical direction.

  Further, such an XY transport mechanism 141 is provided with a position detecting means (not shown) for moving and stopping the receiving portion 142 to the position of the designated product storage column (product storage column 121). In accordance with a given product sales command, the product is transferred to a designated product storage column 121 position.

  The receiving unit 142 includes a mounting table 142a, and is guided and supported by an X-axis transport unit 141a constituting the XY transport mechanism 141 via a guide roller (not shown).

  In addition, the second transport unit 140 is provided with an electric drive mechanism 144. As described above, the electric drive mechanism 144 transmits the driving force to the carry-out mechanism 122 of the commodity storage column 121 to drive the carry-out mechanism 122.

  In such a second transport unit 140, in a normal state, the receiving portion 142 corresponds to the product outlet 106, that is, the second long heat insulating plate 143 is formed by the upper heat insulating plate 120a and the second inner door 104b2. Waiting in a position to close the opening. Thereby, when both the 1st conveyance unit 130 and the 2nd conveyance unit 140 are in a standby state, the heat insulation space will be formed in the goods storage chamber 120 by a heat insulation board.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing the control system of the vending machine in the first embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated here, the vending machine includes a remote controller R, a vending machine control memory 150M, a vending machine control unit 150, a product receiving sensor 140S, a product sales control memory 170M, a product sales control unit 170, a product acceptance sensor 130S, a product. A supply control memory 160M and a product supply control unit 160 are provided.

  The remote controller R is an input means for the service provider to input various information, for example. In the embodiment of the present invention, the service provider is used to input the allocation of the product storage column 111 and the product storage column 121. The allocation of the product storage column 111 and the product storage column 121 will be specifically described.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the product storage chamber 110 is provided with six product storage columns 111 in the left-right direction and four stages in the vertical direction, and the product storage column 120 has the product storage column 121 in the left-right direction. It is assumed that there are six rows and three stages in the vertical direction. The product storage column 111 and the product storage column 121 are assigned in advance in the order of the column numbers 01, 02, 03,... Column numbers are assigned from the right side to the left side, and so are the column numbers up to the leftmost column at the bottom. FIG. 6 shows an example, and it goes without saying that the column numbering method, the number of columns, and the like are not limited thereto.

  Then, the service provider assigns and inputs the same product code A to the column numbers 01 and 02 of the product storage column 111 and the column number 01 of the product storage column 121 using the remote controller R, for example. The same product code B is assigned to the column number 03 of the storage column 111 and the column number 02 of the product storage column 121, and the column numbers 07, 08, 09 of the product storage column 111 and the product storage column 121 are input. It is assumed that the same product code C is assigned to the column number 03. Here, the product code is information for specifying a product. For example, the product code A is information for specifying a sugar-free coffee beverage with the product name “Iroha”, and the product code B is The product name “Rohani” is information for specifying the fine sugar coffee beverage, and the product code C is information for specifying the sweetened coffee beverage having the product name “Haniho”. As a result, the product storage column 111 of the product storage chamber 110 and the product storage column 121 of the product storage chamber 120 are assigned products to be stored for each product code, which is information for specifying the product.

  The allocation information allocated to each of the product storage column 111 and the product storage column 121 in this way is stored in the vending machine control memory 150M by the vending machine control unit 150, and from the vending machine control unit 150 to the product sales control unit. 170 and the product replenishment control unit 160 are output and stored in the product sales control memory 170M and the product replenishment control memory 160M, respectively. Thus, the vending machine control unit 150, the product sales control unit 170, and the product supply control unit 160 have common allocation information.

  The vending machine control memory 150M is a storage means that stores programs and data necessary for the processing of the vending machine control unit 150, and stores various information such as the allocation information described above and column determination information described later. is there.

  The vending machine control unit 150 comprehensively controls the operation of the vending machine in accordance with programs and data stored in the vending machine control memory 150M. In particular, in the first embodiment, the vending machine control unit 150 and the basic operation control unit 151 The switching operation control unit 152 is provided.

  The basic operation control unit 151 controls the basic operation of the vending machine. More specifically, when the money is inserted through the bill insertion slot and the coin insertion slot, the basic operation control unit 151 controls the authenticity through the money processing unit K. If it is a genuine coin, the input amount is further recognized. The product selection signal output from the product selection button B is activated when the product selection button B is activated when the amount of money necessary for product sales is inserted, and when the activated product selection button B is pressed. The product sales instruction is output to the product sales control unit 170 by being input, and when the product sales control unit 170 pays out the product, the product supply command is output to the product supply control unit 160. is there.

  The switching operation control unit 152 generally controls the operation of switching the allocation of the product storage column 121 when there is no product stored in the product storage column 121. The input processing unit 153 A determination unit 154, a column determination unit 155, and an output processing unit 156 are included.

  The input processing unit 153 performs various types of information input processing. The sold-out determination unit 154 determines whether or not the product storage column 121 is sold out. The column determination unit 155 determines the allocation of the corresponding product storage column 121 based on column determination information stored in advance in the vending machine control memory 150M. The output processing unit 156 is for outputting a predetermined signal to each unit.

  The product receiving sensor 140S is provided at a predetermined location of the second transport unit 140, and detects whether or not the product is stored in the receiving unit 142, and outputs the detection result to the product sales control unit 170 as a detection signal. To do.

  The merchandise sales control memory 170M is a storage unit that stores programs and data necessary for the processing of the merchandise sales control unit 170 and various information such as the allocation information described above.

  The merchandise sales controller 170 controls each part of the second transport unit according to the program and data stored in the merchandise sales control memory 170M when the merchandise sales instruction is given from the vending machine controller 150, and the vending machine controller Various information is sent to 150.

  The product acceptance sensor 130S is provided at a predetermined position of the first transport unit 130, and detects whether or not the product is contained in the receiving unit 132, and outputs the detection result to the product supply control unit 160 as a detection signal. To do.

  The product replenishment control memory 160M is a storage unit that stores programs and data necessary for the processing of the product replenishment control unit 160 and stores various information such as the allocation information described above.

  The merchandise replenishment control unit 160 controls each part of the first transport unit according to the program and data stored in the merchandise replenishment control memory 160M when a merchandise replenishment instruction is given from the vending machine control unit 150, and the vending machine control unit Various information is sent to 150.

  The merchandise sales operation and merchandise supply operation of the vending machine having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating operations of the vending machine control unit, the product sales control unit, and the product replenishment control unit, and FIGS. 8 to 11 are explanatory diagrams illustrating operations of the first transport unit and the second transport unit, respectively. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the switching operation control unit constituting the vending machine control unit.

  First, replenishment work will be described. When replenishing goods to the vending machine from the outside, the outer door 104a and the first inner door 104b1 are opened. Thereby, the product storage chamber 110 is in a state where the front surface is open. In this state, as a result of charging and replenishing the products in the standing posture from the front side, as shown in FIG. 2, the products are stored in a line along the front-rear direction in each product storage column 111. . Thereafter, the first inner door 104b1 and the outer door 104a are closed, and the product replenishment operation is completed.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the product selection signal is output from the product selection button B, the vending machine control unit 150 (basic operation control unit 151) gives a product sales instruction to the product sales control unit 170 (SQ101). . Here, the following description will be given on the assumption that a sugar-free coffee beverage with the trade name “Iroha” has been selected. Accordingly, the product sales instruction includes the product code A.

  The merchandise sales control unit 170 to which the merchandise sales instruction is given passes through the XY transport mechanism 141 constituting the second transport unit 140 to the product storage column 121 of the column number 01 in which the selected product is stored. To access. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the receiving portion 142 is moved downward and is positioned on the front side of the uppermost product storage column 121. When the receiving unit 142 accesses the designated product storage column 121 (the product storage column 121 having the column number 01), the product sales control unit 170 drives the electric drive mechanism 144 as shown in FIG. The carry-out mechanism 122 of the product storage column 121 is driven to carry out the product stored in the forefront side, that is, the product stored first in the product storage column 121. The carried-out merchandise is stored in the receiving unit 142 in the standing posture.

  When a product is stored in the receiving unit 142, the product receiving sensor 140S detects that fact and outputs a detection signal to the product sales control unit 170, so that the product sales control unit 170 receives the product in the receiving unit 142. (SQ102). When recognizing that the product is accommodated in the receiving unit 142 in this way, the product sales control unit 170 sends a computable response to the vending machine control unit 150 (basic operation control unit 151) (SQ103).

  The vending machine control unit 150 to which a computable response is given from the product sales control unit 170 has carried out one product from the product storage column 121 of column number 01, that is, one product related to the product code A has been carried out. In response, the product supply control unit 160 is given a product supply command to supply the product with the product code A (SQ104).

  On the other hand, the product sales control unit 170 that has made a computable response to the vending machine control unit 150, that is, the product sales control unit 170 that has recognized that the product has been stored in the receiving unit 142, has the XY transport mechanism 141. The receiving unit 142 is accessed to a position corresponding to the product outlet 106 to pay out the product (SQ105), and the product sales operation is terminated. At this time, the merchandise sales control unit 170 makes an end response to the vending machine control unit 150 (SQ106). Thereby, the vending machine control unit 150 recognizes that the sales operation by the product sales control unit 170 has ended. Thereafter, when the second transport unit 140 enters a standby state, the receiving unit 142 waits at a position corresponding to the product outlet 106 as shown in FIG.

  The product replenishment control unit 160 to which the product replenishment command is given causes the receiving unit 132 to access the designated product storage column 111 through the XY transport mechanism 131 constituting the first transport unit 130. That is, the product storage column 111 of the column number 01 in which the product related to the product code A is stored is accessed. Here, the commodity storage column 111 of column number 02 also stores the commodity related to the commodity code A, but the commodity replenishment control unit 160 performs the commodity storage column 111 of column number 01 and the commodity storage column 111 of column number 02. In the following description, it is assumed that the product is replenished alternately, and this time the product is replenished from the product storage column 111 of column number 01.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 10, after the receiving portion 132 is moved upward, the receiving portion 132 is positioned on the rear side of the commodity storage column 111 in the uppermost stage. When the receiving unit 132 accesses the designated product storage column 111 (column number 01, product storage column 111), the product replenishment control unit 160 drives the electric drive mechanism 134 to carry out the delivery mechanism of the product storage column 111. The merchandise stored at the last side by driving 112, that is, the merchandise that has been input first in the merchandise storage column 111 is carried out. The carried-out merchandise is stored in the receiving portion 132 in a standing posture.

  When the product is received in the receiving unit 132, the product receiving sensor 130S detects that fact and outputs a detection signal to the product supply control unit 160, whereby the product supply control unit 160 receives the product in the receiving unit 132. (SQ107). When recognizing that the product is stored in the receiving unit 132 in this way, the product replenishment control unit 160 makes a computable response to the vending machine control unit 150 (basic operation control unit 151) (SQ108).

  Thereafter, the product replenishment control unit 160 causes the receiving unit 132 to access the designated product storage column 121 through the XY transport mechanism 131. That is, the product storage column 121 of the column number 01 to which the same product code A as the product storage column 111 of the column number 01 is assigned is accessed. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the receiving unit 132 is positioned on the rear side of the uppermost product storage column 121.

  When the receiving unit 132 accesses the designated product storage column 121 (the product storage column 121 having the column number 01), the product replenishment control unit 160 drives the roller driving mechanism 132c to rotationally drive the pair of rollers 132a so as to rotate the belt. The conveyor 132b is displaced. As a result, the product placed in the standing posture on the upper surface of the belt conveyor 132b is stored in the product storage column 121 from the rear side while maintaining the posture, and the product is replenished (SQ109), and the product replenishment operation is completed. To do. At this time, the product supply control unit 160 makes an end response to the vending machine control unit 150 (SQ110). Thereby, the vending machine control unit 150 recognizes that the supply operation by the product supply control unit 160 has ended. Thereafter, when the first transport unit 130 enters a standby state, the receiving unit 132 waits at a position slightly higher than the upper heat insulating plate constituting the product storage chamber 120, as shown in FIG.

  As described above, when the product supply command is given, the first transport unit 130 is stored first in the product on the last side of the specified product storage column 111 in the product storage room 110, that is, the product storage column 111. The product is taken out and transported to the designated product storage column 121 in the product storage chamber 120, and the second transport unit 140 is in front of the specified product storage column 121 in the product storage chamber 120 in accordance with the product sales instruction. Product, that is, the product stored first in the product storage column 121 is taken out and transported to the product take-out port 106. When the product is replenished, it is only necessary to insert the product from the front of the product storage chamber 110. The replenishment work of the product can be facilitated, and the first-in first-out of the product can be realized well. Moreover, the product storage column 111 of the product storage chamber 110 and the product storage column 121 of the product storage chamber 120 are arbitrarily assigned products to be stored for each product code, and supply products between columns having the same product code. Since this is done, it is possible to ensure the degree of freedom of the product replenishment route.

  Next, the switching operation of the product storage column 121 will be described. Before the description of the switching operation, when it is detected that a product is not stored in a general product storage column 121 (for example, the product storage column 121 of column number 01), that is, the product is sold out. It is clear that no product is already stored in the product storage column 111 (the product storage column 111 with column numbers 01 and 02) having the same product code A as the product storage column 121. Therefore, the switching operation control unit 152 constituting the vending machine control unit 150 determines a sold-out state when a product is not stored in the product storage column 111 and performs a switching operation of the product storage column 121. Hereinafter, description will be made using FIG. 12 as appropriate. In the following, a case where the product storage column 121 with the column number 01 is sold out will be described.

  When the switching operation control unit 152 inputs a signal indicating that the product operation cannot be performed for the product storage column 111 having the column numbers 01 and 02 from the product supply control unit 160 through the input processing unit 153 (step S101), the column number 01 The remaining number of products stored in the product storage column 121 is stored in the vending machine control memory 150M (step S102). Here, when the maximum number of products that can be stored in the product storage column 121 is four, the remaining number is “maximum number minus one” and is three.

  Thereafter, the switching operation control unit 152, when the number of product sales command of the product stored in the product storage column 121 of the column number 01 by the basic operation control unit 151, that is, the product of the product code A, reaches the remaining number, The sold-out determining unit 154 determines that it is in a sold-out state (step S103), reads the column determination information from the vending machine control memory 150M through the column determining unit 155, and follows the column determination priority order included in the column determination information. A switching column is determined (step S104, step S105). More detailed description is as follows. Here, it is assumed that the column determination information includes column determination priority, and the priority is to perform column switching in ascending order of the column number of the product storage column 111. The switching operation control unit 152 switches the product storage column 121 with the column number 01 to one that stores the product with the same product code as the product storage column 111 with the column number 03 through the column determination unit 155 according to the read column determination information. . That is, the product storage column 111 with the column number 03 is assigned the same product code B as the product storage column 121 with the column number 02 as described above. By overwriting the data related to the product storage column 121 with the data in the product storage column 121 of the column number 01, the product storage column 111 of the column number 03 and the product storage of the column number 02 are stored in the product storage column 121 of the column number 01. The same product code B as that of the column 121 is assigned and set to perform column switching.

  The switching operation control unit 152 that has performed the column switching in this manner outputs a command for switching the setting of the product selection button B and the display unit 105 through the output processing unit 156, and also includes the column number 01 in the vending machine control memory 150M. The contents of the column switching of the commodity storage column 121 are stored (step S106), and the current process is terminated.

  In this way, when a product stored in a product storage column 121 is sold out, by changing the setting of the product storage column 121 and switching the column, a product having another product code in the product storage column 121 Can be housed and sold.

  As described above, according to the vending machine 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the first transport unit 130 is given a product replenishment command, the designated product storage column 111 of the product storage chamber 110 is provided. The last product of the product, that is, the product stored first in the product storage column 111 is taken out and transported to the designated product storage column 121 in the product storage chamber 120, and the second transport unit 140 makes a product sales command. Accordingly, the product in the foremost side of the designated product storage column 121 in the product storage chamber 120, that is, the product stored first in the product storage column 121 is taken out and transported to the product outlet 106, so that the product is replenished. To do this, it is only necessary to put in the product from the front of the product storage room 110, making it easy to replenish the product and improving the first-in first-out of the product. It is possible to realize in. Moreover, the product storage column 111 of the product storage chamber 110 and the product storage column 121 of the product storage chamber 120 are arbitrarily assigned products to be stored for each product code, and supply products between columns having the same product code. Since this is done, it is possible to ensure the degree of freedom of the product replenishment route.

  Further, when a product stored in a certain product storage column 121 is sold out, by changing the setting of the product storage column 121 and performing column switching, a product having another product code in the product storage column 121 is changed. Since it can be stored and sold, it is possible to prevent generation of the product storage column 121 in which the stored product becomes empty, and to prevent generation of useless space.

  According to the vending machine 100, since the product is conveyed to the product take-out port 106 in a standing posture, the user can easily take out the product, and the convenience can be improved. In particular, since the product is stored in the product storage chamber 120 in the standing posture and the second transport unit 140 transports the selected product while maintaining the standing posture, the product sales time can be minimized.

  In addition, according to the vending machine, the product is stored in the product storage room 110 at room temperature, and the product as much as necessary for sale is stored in the product storage chamber 120 while maintaining the desired temperature state. In addition, energy required for cooling or heating can be reduced, and energy saving can be achieved.

<Embodiment 2>
13 to 18 schematically show the vending machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The vending machine 200 illustrated here sells products such as canned drinks, bottled drinks, and plastic bottled drinks in a cooled or heated state, and includes a main body cabinet 201 that is the main body of the vending machine. Yes.

  The main body cabinet 201 has a rectangular shape with an open front surface. The interior of the main body cabinet 201 is roughly divided into three parts, and a machine room 202, a product storage room 210, and a product storage room 220 are provided.

  The machine room 202 is a room partitioned at the lowermost part, and various machines are disposed therein. In particular, the compressor and the condenser are provided as those related to the present embodiment, although not explicitly shown in the drawing.

  The product storage room 210 is a room defined above the machine room 202 and on the left side. Inside the product storage room 210, a plurality of product storage columns (product storage columns) 211 are arranged in an upper and lower row and a left and right row. Although not explicitly shown in the drawing, the commodity storage columns 211 are provided so as to extend in the front-rear direction and incline in such a manner that the height gradually decreases from the front to the rear. The product storage column 211 stores the products in a line along the front-rear direction in a standing posture. Such a product storage room 210 stores the products stored in each product storage column 211 at room temperature.

  In addition, an unloading mechanism 212 for unloading stored products one by one is provided at each rear end of the product storage column 211. Here, the carry-out mechanism 212 does not have a drive unit separated from a power source such as a drive motor or a solenoid, and the receiving unit 232 constituting the third transport unit 230 described later is provided in the designated product storage column 211. When accessed, the power from the electric drive mechanism 234 constituting the third transport unit 230 is transmitted and driven.

  The product storage room 220 is a room that is partitioned to the right above the machine room 202. That is, the merchandise storage room 210 and the merchandise storage room 220 are partitioned in a manner that they are arranged side by side in the main body cabinet 201. The product storage chamber 220 has a heat insulating structure by disposing a heat insulating plate and a heat insulating door at a predetermined location. More specifically, the product storage chamber 220 is a chamber formed by disposing an upper heat insulating plate 220a, a bottom heat insulating plate 220b, a rear heat insulating plate 220c, and a pair of left and right side heat insulating plates 220d. The heat insulating door 220e is arranged to be slidable in the front-rear direction on the rear side of the left side heat insulating plate 220d. As the heat insulating door 220e slides backward, the product storage chamber 210 and the product storage chamber 220 are closed. In addition, a front heat insulating plate 220f that can be attached and detached is provided on the front side of the product storage room 210, and a heat insulating board 220g having a vertical direction is attached to the front side of the left side plate of the main body cabinet 201. Thus, the product storage chamber 220 has a heat insulating structure communicating with the front side of the product storage chamber 210.

  An evaporator 203 connected to the above-described compressor and condenser through a refrigerant pipe is provided in the lower part of the product storage chamber 220. The evaporator 203 constitutes a cooling unit together with the compressor and the condenser, and cools the product stored in the product storage chamber 220. For convenience of explanation, the example shown in the figure describes the case of cooling a product, but the product storage chamber 220 is provided with a heater for heating the product, and the product may be heated by the heater.

  Inside such a product storage chamber 220, a plurality of product storage columns (product storage columns) 221 are arranged in an upper and lower row and a left and right row. More specifically, each of the commodity storage columns 221 extends along the front-rear direction and is inclined so as to gradually decrease in height from the rear to the front. The product storage column 221 stores products in a line along the front-rear direction in a standing posture.

  An unloading mechanism 222 for unloading stored products one by one is provided at each front end of the product storage column 221. Here, the carry-out mechanism 222 does not have a drive unit separated from a power source such as a drive motor or a solenoid, and the receiving unit 242 constituting the fourth transport unit 240 described later is provided in the designated product storage column 221. When accessed, the power from the electric drive mechanism 244 constituting the fourth transport unit 240 is transmitted and driven.

  On the other hand, the main body cabinet 201 is provided with a door 203. The door body 203 is for covering the front opening of the main body cabinet 201 and is divided into left and right parts. A door on the right side (hereinafter also referred to as a first door body) 203a is a heat insulating glass door, and has a size sufficient to cover a part of the product storage chamber 220 and the machine room 202. is there. The first door body 203a is hinged to the right side edge of the main body cabinet 201 in such a manner that it can be opened and closed. The door on the left side (hereinafter also referred to as a second door body) 203b has a size sufficient to cover a part of the product storage room 210 and the machine room 202. A product outlet 204 is provided on the front side of the second door body 203b. The product outlet 204 is an opening for the user to take out the product. In addition, on the front surface of the second door 203b, there are provided a product selection button 205, a bill insertion slot 206, a coin insertion slot 207, a return lever 208, and a coin return slot 209 that are necessary when selling a product. A money handling section K is provided on the rear side.

  The main body cabinet 201 is provided with a product take-out chamber (not shown), a third transfer unit (first transfer means) 230, and a fourth transfer unit (second transfer means) 240.

  The third transport unit 230 is provided on the rear side of the product storage chamber 210 and the product storage chamber 220, and transports the products stored in the product storage chamber 210 to the product storage chamber 220. The third transport unit 230 includes an XY transport mechanism 231 and a receiving unit 232 as shown in FIG.

  The XY transport mechanism 231 has a receiving portion 232 and moves the receiving portion 232 in the vertical direction and the left-right direction. The XY transport mechanism 231 is well known and will not be described in detail. However, an X-axis transport unit 231a (see FIG. 21) extending in the left-right direction extends in the up-down direction, and a pair of left and right Y It is configured to be connected to the shaft transport unit 231b (see FIG. 21).

  The X-axis transport part 231a guides and supports the receiving part 232 to be mounted so as to be movable along the X-axis direction, that is, the left-right direction. The Y-axis transport unit 231b guides and supports the X-axis transport unit 231a so as to be movable along the Y-axis direction, that is, the vertical direction. That is, the Y-axis transport unit 231b guides the movement of the receiving unit 232 mounted on the X-axis transport unit 231a along the vertical direction.

  Further, in such an XY transport mechanism 231, a position detecting means (not shown) is provided to move the receiving portion 232 to the designated column (product storage column 211, product storage column 221) and stop it. ) And is transferred to the designated product storage column 211 and the product storage column 221 in accordance with a given product supply command.

  The receiving portion 232 is configured by an endless belt conveyor 232b stretched between a pair of front and rear rollers 232a. One of the pair of rollers 232a is connected to a roller driving mechanism 232c such as a motor, and as a result of the rollers 232a being rotationally driven, the belt conveyor 232b is displaced in such a manner that the upper surface moves forward. Such a receiving portion 232 is guided and supported by an X-axis transport portion 231a constituting the XY transport mechanism 231 via a guide roller (not shown).

  In such a third transport unit 230, the receiving unit 232 normally stands by at a position behind the product storage column 211 at the lowest stage of the product storage room 210.

  The fourth transport unit 240 is provided on the front side of the product storage chamber 220, and transports the product stored in the product storage chamber 220 to the product take-out port (product take-out chamber) 204. As shown in FIG. 20, the fourth transport unit 240 includes an XY transport mechanism 241 and a receiving unit 242.

  Although not explicitly shown in the drawing, the XY transport mechanism 241 is provided with a receiving portion 242 to move the receiving portion 242 in the vertical direction and the left-right direction. Although this XY transport mechanism 241 is well known and will not be described in detail, an X-axis transport section 241a (see FIG. 21) extending in the left-right direction extends in the up-down direction and a pair of left and right Y It is configured to be connected to the shaft transport unit 241b (see FIG. 21).

  The X-axis transport unit 241a guides and supports the receiving unit 242 to be mounted so as to be movable along the X-axis direction, that is, the left-right direction. The Y-axis transport unit 241b guides and supports the X-axis transport unit 241a so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction, that is, the vertical direction. That is, the Y-axis transport unit 241b guides the movement of the receiving unit 242 mounted on the X-axis transport unit 241a along the vertical direction.

  Further, in such an XY transport mechanism 241, position detecting means (not shown) is provided for moving and stopping the receiving portion 242 to the position of the designated column (product storage column 221, product take-out chamber). In accordance with a given product sales command, the product is transferred to the designated product storage column 221 and product take-out chamber positions.

  The receiving unit 242 includes a mounting table 242a, and is guided and supported by an X-axis transport unit 241a constituting the XY transport mechanism 241 via a guide roller (not shown).

  The fourth transport unit 240 is provided with an electric drive mechanism 244. As described above, the electric drive mechanism 244 transmits the driving force to the carry-out mechanism 222 of the product storage column 221 to drive the carry-out mechanism 222.

  In such a fourth transport unit 240, the receiving unit 242 normally stands by at a position in front of the lowermost product storage column 221 of the product storage chamber 220.

  FIG. 21 is a block diagram schematically showing the control system of the vending machine in the second embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated here, the vending machine includes a remote controller R, a vending machine control memory 250M, a vending machine control unit 250, a product receiving sensor 240S, a product sales control memory 270M, a product sales control unit 270, a product acceptance sensor 230S, a product. A supply control memory 260M and a product supply control unit 260 are provided.

  The remote controller R is an input means for the service provider to input various information, for example. In the embodiment of the present invention, the service provider inputs the assignment of the product storage column 211 and the product storage column 221. The allocation of the product storage column 211 and the product storage column 221 will be specifically described.

  As shown in FIG. 22, the product storage chamber 210 is provided with two product storage columns 211 in the left-right direction and eight stages in the vertical direction, and the product storage column 220 has the product storage column 221 in the left-right direction. It is assumed that there are 3 rows and 8 columns in the vertical direction. The product storage column 211 and the product storage column 221 are preliminarily assigned column numbers in the order of 01, 02, 03,... From the upper right side to the left side. Column numbers are assigned from the right side to the left side, and so are the column numbers up to the leftmost column at the bottom. FIG. 22 shows an example, and it goes without saying that the column numbering method and the number of columns are not limited to this.

  Then, using the remote controller R, the service provider assigns and inputs the same product group A to, for example, the column numbers 01 and 02 of the product storage column 211 and the column number 01 of the product storage column 221. Assume that the same product group B is assigned and input to the column number 03 of the storage column 211 and the column number 02 of the product storage column 221. Here, the product group is information indicating a collection of similar products. For example, the product group A is information indicating the sugar-free coffee beverage, the fine sugar coffee beverage, and the sweetened coffee beverage collectively as a coffee beverage. The product group B is information indicating green tea drinks, hoji tea drinks, and the like collectively as tea drinks. Thereby, the product storage column 211 of the product storage room 210 and the product storage column 221 of the product storage room 220 are assigned products to be stored for each product group.

  The allocation information allocated to the respective columns of the product storage column 211 and the product storage column 221 is stored in the vending machine control memory 250M by the vending machine control unit 250 and is also sent from the vending machine control unit 250 to the product sales control unit. 270 and the product replenishment control unit 260 and are stored in the product sales control memory 270M and the product replenishment control memory 260M, respectively. As a result, the vending machine control unit 250, the product sales control unit 270, and the product replenishment control unit 260 have common allocation information.

  The vending machine control memory 250M is a storage unit that stores programs and data necessary for the processing of the vending machine control unit 250, and stores various information such as the allocation information described above and column determination information described later. is there.

  The vending machine control unit 250 comprehensively controls the operation of the vending machine in accordance with programs and data stored in the vending machine control memory 250M. In particular, in the second embodiment, the vending machine control unit 250 and the basic operation control unit 251 The switching operation control unit 252 is provided.

  The basic operation control unit 251 controls the basic operation of the vending machine. More specifically, when the money is inserted through the bill insertion slot 206 and the coin insertion slot 207, the basic operation control unit 251 is controlled through the money processing unit K. Whether it is true or false is recognized, and if it is a true coin, the amount of money to be inserted is further recognized. When the amount of money necessary for selling the product is inserted, the product selection button 205 is activated, and when the activated product selection button 205 is pressed, the product selection signal output from the product selection button 205 is displayed. When the product sales instruction is output to the product sales control unit 270 by the input, the product sales control unit 270 outputs the product supply command to the product supply control unit 260 when the product is paid out. is there.

  The switching operation control unit 252 comprehensively controls the operation of switching the allocation of the product storage column 221 when there is no product stored in the product storage column 221, and the input processing unit 253 is sold out. A determination unit 254, a column determination unit 255, and an output processing unit 256 are included.

  The input processing unit 253 performs various information input processing. The sold-out determination unit 254 determines whether or not the product storage column 221 is sold out. The column determination unit 255 determines the allocation of the corresponding product storage column 221 based on the column determination information stored in advance in the vending machine control memory 250M. The output processing unit 256 is for outputting a predetermined signal to each unit.

  The product receiving sensor 240S is provided at a predetermined location of the fourth transport unit 240, and detects whether or not the product is stored in the receiving unit 242, and outputs the detection result to the product sales control unit 270 as a detection signal. To do.

  The merchandise sales control memory 270M is a storage unit that stores programs and data necessary for the processing of the merchandise sales control unit 270 and various information such as the allocation information described above.

  When a product sales command is given from the vending machine control unit 250, the product sales control unit 270 controls each part of the fourth transport unit 240 according to the program and data stored in the product sales control memory 270M, and controls the vending machine. Various information is sent to the unit 250.

  The product acceptance sensor 230S is provided at a predetermined position of the third transport unit 230, and detects whether or not the product is received in the receiving unit 232, and outputs the detection result to the product supply control unit 260 as a detection signal. To do.

  The product replenishment control memory 260M is a storage unit that stores programs and data necessary for the processing of the product replenishment control unit 260 and various information such as the allocation information described above.

  When a product supply command is given from the vending machine control unit 250, the product supply control unit 260 controls each part of the third transport unit 230 according to the program and data stored in the product supply control memory 260M, and controls the vending machine. Various information is sent to the unit 250.

  The merchandise sales operation and merchandise supply operation of the vending machine having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 23 and 24 as appropriate. FIG. 23 is a sequence diagram showing operations of the vending machine control unit, the merchandise sales control unit, and the product replenishment control unit, and FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing processing contents of the switching operation control unit constituting the vending machine control unit.

  First, replenishment work will be described. In order to replenish the vending machine with goods from the outside, the second door body 203b is opened. Thereby, the product storage room 210 is in a state where the front surface is open. In this state, as a result of loading and replenishing the products in the standing posture from the front side, as shown in FIG. 17, the products are stored in a line along the front-rear direction in each product storage column 211. . Then, the 1st door body 203b is closed and the replenishment operation | work of goods is complete | finished.

  As shown in FIG. 23, when a product selection signal is output from the product selection button 205, the vending machine control unit 250 (basic operation control unit 251) gives a product sales instruction to the product sales control unit 270 (SQ201). .

  The merchandise sales control unit 270 to which the merchandise sales instruction is given passes through the XY transport mechanism 241 constituting the fourth transport unit 240 to the product storage column 221 of the column number 01 in which the selected product is stored, and the receiving unit 242 To access. When the receiving unit 242 accesses the designated product storage column 221, the product sales control unit 270 drives the carry-out mechanism 222 of the product storage column 221 by driving the electric drive mechanism 244 to be stored in the forefront. Product, that is, the product stored first in the product storage column 221 is carried out. The carried-out merchandise is stored in the receiving unit 242 in an upright posture.

  When a product is stored in the receiving unit 242, the product receiving sensor 240 </ b> S detects that fact, and a detection signal is output to the product sales control unit 270, so that the product sales control unit 270 receives the product in the receiving unit 242. (SQ202). When recognizing that the product is stored in the receiving unit 242 as described above, the product sales control unit 270 sends a computable response to the vending machine control unit 250 (basic operation control unit 251) (SQ203).

  The vending machine control unit 250 to which a computable response is given from the product sales control unit 270 has taken out one product from the product storage column 221 of column number 01, that is, one product related to the product group A has been carried out. In response, the product supply control unit 260 is given a product supply command to supply products of the product group A (SQ204).

  On the other hand, the product sales control unit 270 that has made a computable response to the vending machine control unit 250, that is, the product sales control unit 270 that has recognized that the product has been stored in the receiving unit 242, has the XY transport mechanism 241. Then, the receiving unit 242 is accessed to the position corresponding to the product outlet 204 to pay out the product (SQ205), and the product sales operation is terminated. At this time, the merchandise sales control unit 270 sends an end response to the vending machine control unit 250 (SQ206). As a result, the vending machine control unit 250 recognizes that the sales operation by the product sales control unit 270 has ended. Thereafter, the fourth transport unit 240 enters a standby state.

  The product supply control unit 260 to which the product supply command is given causes the receiving unit 232 to access the designated product storage column 211 through the XY transport mechanism 231 constituting the third transport unit 230. That is, the product storage column 211 of the column number 01 in which the products related to the product group A are stored is accessed. Here, although the products related to the product group A are also stored in the product storage column 211 of column number 02, the product supply control unit 260 performs the product storage column 211 of column number 01 and the product storage column 211 of column number 02. It is assumed that the product is replenished alternately, and this time, it is assumed that the product is replenished from the product storage column 211 of the column number 01.

  When the receiving unit 232 accesses the designated product storage column 211 (column number 01, product storage column 211), the product replenishment control unit 260 drives the electric drive mechanism 234 to carry out the carry-out mechanism of the product storage column 211. The product stored in the last side by driving 212, that is, the product put in first in the product storage column 211 is carried out. The unloaded goods are stored in the receiving portion 232 in a standing posture.

  When a product is stored in the receiving unit 232, the product receiving sensor 230S detects that fact and outputs a detection signal to the product supply control unit 260, so that the product supply control unit 260 receives the product in the receiving unit 232. (SQ207). When recognizing that the product is stored in the receiving unit 232 as described above, the product replenishment control unit 260 sends a computable response to the vending machine control unit 250 (basic operation control unit 251) (SQ208).

  Thereafter, the product supply control unit 260 causes the receiving unit 232 to access the designated product storage column 221 through the XY transport mechanism 231. That is, the product storage column 221 of the column number 01 to which the same product group A as the product storage column 211 of the column number 01 is assigned is accessed.

  When the receiving unit 232 accesses the designated product storage column 221 (the product storage column 221 having the column number 01), the product replenishment control unit 260 drives the roller driving mechanism 232c to rotationally drive the pair of rollers 232a to rotate the belt. The conveyor 232b is displaced. As a result, the product placed in the standing posture on the upper surface of the belt conveyor 232b is stored in the product storage column 221 from the rear side while maintaining the posture, and the product is supplied (SQ209), and the product supply operation is completed. To do. At this time, the product supply control unit 260 sends an end response to the vending machine control unit 250 (SQ210). As a result, the vending machine control unit 250 recognizes that the replenishment operation by the product replenishment control unit 260 has ended. Thereafter, the third transport unit 230 enters a standby state.

  In this way, when the product supply command is given, the third transport unit 230 is stored first in the last product in the designated product storage column 211 of the product storage room 210, that is, in the product storage column 211. The product is taken out and transported to the specified product storage column 221 in the product storage chamber 220, and the fourth transport unit 240 is in front of the specified product storage column 221 in the product storage chamber 220 according to the product sales instruction. Product, that is, the product stored first in the product storage column 221 is taken out and transported to the product take-out port 204. Therefore, when the product is replenished, it is only necessary to input the product from the front of the product storage chamber 210. The replenishment work of the product can be facilitated, and the first-in first-out of the product can be satisfactorily realized. In addition, in the product storage column 211 of the product storage room 210 and the product storage column 221 of the product storage room 220, the products stored for each product group are arbitrarily assigned, and the products are replenished between columns having the same product group. Since this is done, it is possible to ensure the degree of freedom of the product replenishment route.

  Next, the switching operation of the product storage column 221 will be described. Before the description of the switching operation, when it is detected that a product is not stored in a general product storage column 221 (for example, the product storage column 221 of column number 01), that is, the product is sold out. It is clear that no product is already stored in the product storage column 211 (the product storage column 211 of column numbers 01 and 02) having the same product group A as the product storage column 221. Therefore, the switching operation control unit 252 constituting the vending machine control unit 250 determines a sold-out state when a product is not stored in the product storage column 211, and performs a switching operation of the product storage column 221. Hereinafter, description will be made using FIG. 24 as appropriate. In the following, a case where the product storage column 221 with the column number 01 is sold out will be described.

  When the switching operation control unit 252 inputs a signal indicating that the product storage is not possible for the product storage column 211 of the column numbers 01 and 02 from the product supply control unit 260 through the input processing unit 253 (step S201), the column number 01 The remaining number of products stored in the product storage column 221 is stored in the vending machine control memory 250M (step S202). Here, when the maximum number of products that can be stored in the product storage column 221 is four, the remaining number is “maximum number minus one” and is three.

  Thereafter, when the switching operation control unit 252 reaches the remaining number of product sales command for the products stored in the product storage column 221 of the column number 01 by the basic operation control unit 251, that is, the products in the product group A, The sold-out determining unit 254 determines that it is in a sold-out state (step S203), reads the column determination information from the vending machine control memory 250M through the column determination unit 255, and follows the column determination priority order included in the column determination information. A switching column is determined (step S204, step S205). More detailed description is as follows. Here, it is assumed that the column determination information includes column determination priority, and the priority is to perform column switching in ascending order of the column number of the product storage column 211. The switching operation control unit 252 switches the product storage column 221 with the column number 01 to one that stores products of the same product group as the product storage column 211 with the column number 03 through the column determination unit 255 according to the read column determination information. . In other words, the product storage column 211 of the column number 03 is assigned the same product group B as the product storage column 221 of the column number 02 as described above, whereby the switching operation control unit 252 By overwriting the data related to the product storage column 221 with the data in the product storage column 221 of the column number 01, the product storage column 211 of the column number 03 and the product storage of the column number 02 are stored in the product storage column 221 of the column number 01. The same product group B as the column 221 is assigned and set, and the column is switched.

  The switching operation control unit 252 that has performed the column switching in this way outputs a command for switching the setting of the product selection button 205 through the output processing unit 256, and the product storage column of column number 01 in the vending machine control memory 250M. The contents of the column switching at 221 are stored (step S206), and the current process is terminated.

  When a product stored in a product storage column 221 is sold out in this way, by changing the setting of the product storage column 221 and performing column switching, the product having another product group in the product storage column 221 Can be housed and sold.

  As described above, according to the vending machine in the second embodiment of the present invention, when the third transport unit 230 is given a product replenishment command, the designated product storage column 211 in the product storage room 210 is provided. The last product, that is, the product stored first in the product storage column 211 is taken out and transported to the designated product storage column 221 in the product storage chamber 220, and the fourth transport unit 240 responds to the product sales instruction. The product in the foremost side of the designated product storage column 221 in the product storage chamber 220, that is, the product stored first in the product storage column 221 is taken out and transported to the product take-out port 204, so that the product is replenished. In this case, it is only necessary to put in the product from the front of the product storage room 210. This makes it easy to replenish the product and achieves first-in first-out of the product. It can be. In addition, in the product storage column 211 of the product storage room 210 and the product storage column 221 of the product storage room 220, the products stored for each product group are arbitrarily assigned, and the products are replenished between columns having the same product group. Since this is done, it is possible to ensure the degree of freedom of the product replenishment route.

  In addition, when a product stored in a certain product storage column 221 is sold out, by changing the setting of the product storage column 221 and performing column switching, a product having another product group in the product storage column 221 can be obtained. Since it can be stored and sold, it is possible to prevent the product storage column 221 in which the stored product is empty and prevent the display effect from being lowered.

  According to the vending machine, since the product is conveyed to the product take-out port 204 in a standing posture, the user can easily take out the product, and the convenience can be improved. In particular, since the product is stored in the product storage chamber 220 in a standing posture and the fourth transport unit 240 transports the selected product while maintaining the standing posture, the product sales time can be minimized.

  Also, according to the vending machine, the products are stored in the product storage room 210 at room temperature, and only the quantity necessary for sale is stored in the product storage room 220 while maintaining the desired temperature state. In addition, energy required for cooling or heating can be reduced, and energy saving can be achieved.

  As described above, the vending machine according to the present invention is useful for selling products such as canned beverages, bottled beverages, and plastic bottled beverages.

It is a front view which shows simply the vending machine in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a cross-sectional side view which shows simply the vending machine in Embodiment 1 of this invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view schematically showing a first transport unit shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view schematically showing a second transport unit shown in FIG. 2. It is a block diagram which shows simply the control system of the vending machine in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram explaining allocation of a column number. It is a sequence diagram which shows each operation | movement of a vending machine control part, a goods sales control part, and a goods supply control part. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of a 1st conveyance unit and a 2nd conveyance unit. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of a 1st conveyance unit and a 2nd conveyance unit. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of a 1st conveyance unit and a 2nd conveyance unit. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of a 1st conveyance unit and a 2nd conveyance unit. It is a flowchart which shows the processing content of the switching operation control part which comprises a vending machine control part. It is a perspective view which shows simply the vending machine in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a cross-sectional view which shows simply the vending machine in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a cross-sectional view which shows simply the vending machine in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is sectional drawing at the time of seeing the vending machine in Embodiment 2 of this invention from the front side. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows simply the vending machine in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows simply the vending machine in Embodiment 2 of this invention. FIG. 18 is an enlarged view schematically showing the third transport unit shown in FIG. 17. It is an enlarged view which shows typically the 4th conveyance unit shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows simply the control system of the vending machine in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram explaining allocation of a column number. It is a sequence diagram which shows each operation | movement of a vending machine control part, a goods sales control part, and a goods supply control part. It is a flowchart which shows the processing content of the switching operation control part which comprises a vending machine control part.

Explanation of symbols

101, 201 Main body cabinet 106, 204 Product outlet 110, 210 Product storage room 111, 211 Product storage column 120, 220 Product storage room 121, 221 Product storage column 130 First transport unit 140 Second transport unit 150, 250 Vending machine control 151,251 Basic operation control unit 152,252 Switching operation control unit 160,260 Product supply control unit 170,270 Product sales control unit

Claims (1)

A plurality of product storage columns that store products in a single row along the front-rear direction in a standing posture, and a product storage room that stores the products in a normal temperature state, and a product storage room that stores the products in a normal temperature state. A vending machine main body comprising a plurality of product storage columns arranged in a line along the upper and lower rows and left and right rows, and a product storage chamber for storing the products while maintaining the desired temperature state; A door body for opening and closing a front opening formed in the vending machine main body and having a glass door for visually recognizing the product stored in the product storage chamber, In a vending machine that sells products stored in a product storage room, each product storage column of the product storage room and the product storage room stores according to a product group in which the product contents indicate a collection of similar items. Product When a product replenishment command is given and a product replenishment command is given, the product on the last side of the product storage column of the product storage room storing the product according to the product replenishment command is received, and the received product is The first transport means for transporting to the rear end portion of the product storage column of the product storage room to which the same product group as the product is assigned, and when the product sales command is given, the product related to the product sales command is stored a second conveying means for receiving products, conveyed receive the products to the commodity takeout port which is formed in a manner open to the front surface of the door body has been in the forefront side of the commodity storage column of the product storage chamber, sales If the product is exhausted, the product storage columns of the goods accommodating chamber in which the commercial item had been allocated, and the control means allocates different product group with the goods sold in accordance with a predetermined priority order, the For example, a vending machine, characterized in that for conveying the products different product groups that are allocated according to a predetermined priority to product storage columns to which the commercial item has run out at the first conveying means.

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