JP5303223B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vending machine capable of properly monitoring the peripheral situations of its installation location. <P>SOLUTION: The vending machine 100 is provided with a vending function part 10 vending a product, a monitoring function part 20 monitoring the peripheral situations, and a power supply function part 30 supplying electric power to both of the vending function part 10 and the monitoring function part 20. The monitoring function part 20 is provided with an imaging part 21 photographing the peripheral situations to generate imaging data, a storage part 22 used as a storage destination of the imaging data, and a control part 29 storing the imaging data generated by the imaging part 21 in the storage part 22 for a predetermined period around the time when it is determined that a predetermined trigger condition is satisfied. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine.

  In recent years, due to increasing awareness of crime prevention, many surveillance cameras (security cameras) are installed not only in facilities such as buildings and banks, but also outdoors such as downtowns and school roads.

As an example of the prior art related to the present invention, in Patent Document 1, a security camera is attached to a vending machine, and the user of the vending machine is photographed with the security camera. In the security camera device of the vending machine for preventing operation, the detection means for detecting a refund operation of the vending machine, and a control means for controlling the photographing operation of the security camera based on the detection output of the detection means Security camera devices for vending machines have been disclosed and proposed.
JP 2001-126129 A

  Certainly, if a surveillance camera is installed not only in the facility but also outdoors, it is possible to expect a deterrent effect such as crime and mischief occurring on the road.

  However, when installing surveillance cameras independently outdoors, the installation work is complicated, and it is necessary to secure power supply and wiring to the recording device. In companies and local governments where sufficient personnel and budgets cannot be allocated, it has been necessary to reduce the number of surveillance cameras installed from the original schedule or to give up the surveillance cameras themselves.

  Note that the prior art in Patent Document 1 is intended only to efficiently and reliably prevent unauthorized operations on the vending machine itself, and is used as a means for monitoring the surroundings of the vending machine. could not.

  An object of this invention is to provide the vending machine which can monitor the surrounding condition of an installation place appropriately in view of said problem.

  In order to achieve the above object, a vending machine according to the present invention includes a vending function unit that performs automatic vending of products; a monitoring function unit that monitors a surrounding situation; the vending function unit and the monitoring function unit A power supply function unit for supplying power to both of the image processing apparatus, the monitoring function unit: an imaging unit that captures an image of a surrounding situation and generates imaging data; and storage of the imaging data A storage unit used as a destination; a control unit that stores imaging data for a predetermined period generated by the imaging unit before and after the predetermined trigger condition in the storage unit when it is determined that a predetermined trigger condition is satisfied; It is set as the structure (1st structure) which has this.

  In the vending machine having the first configuration, the monitoring function unit includes an emergency button that outputs an emergency signal in response to pressing thereof, and the control unit receives the emergency signal from the emergency button. It is good to make it the structure (2nd structure) which determines that the said trigger condition is satisfy | filled when is input.

  In the vending machine having the first or second configuration, the monitoring function unit includes an impact sensor that detects a magnitude of an impact applied to a casing of the vending machine, and A configuration in which the control unit monitors the output of the impact sensor and determines that the trigger condition is satisfied when the magnitude of the impact applied to the housing exceeds a predetermined threshold (third configuration) It is good to.

  In the vending machine having any one of the first to third configurations, the monitoring function unit includes a microphone that receives an input of a voice, and whether a predetermined keyword is included in the voice input to the microphone. A voice recognition sensor for detecting whether or not, the control unit monitors the output of the voice recognition sensor, and when a predetermined keyword is included in the voice input to the microphone, It may be configured to determine that the trigger condition is satisfied (fourth configuration).

  In the vending machine having any one of the first to fourth configurations, the monitoring function unit includes an alarm output unit including at least one of a speaker, a buzzer, a warning light, and a flash. The control unit may be configured to activate the alarm output unit (fifth configuration) when it is determined that the trigger condition is satisfied.

  In the vending machine having any one of the first to fifth configurations, the monitoring function unit includes a communication unit that connects to a server via a communication line, and the control unit includes: When it is determined that the trigger condition is satisfied, the communication unit is used to connect to the server, and the imaging data stored in the storage unit is transferred to the server via the communication line (sixth) (Configuration).

  Since the vending machine according to the present invention can appropriately monitor the surrounding situation of the installation location, for example, the work burden and cost burden are greatly reduced compared to the case where the surveillance camera is installed alone. It becomes possible to do.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a vending machine according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the appearance of the vending machine according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vending machine 100 according to the present embodiment includes a power function unit 10, a vending function unit 20, and a monitoring function unit 30 as element blocks constituting the vending machine 100.

  The power supply function unit 30 is means for generating desired DC power from commercial AC power and supplying it to both the vending function unit 10 and the monitoring function unit 20.

  The vending function unit 10 operates by receiving power supply from the power supply function unit 30 and is a means for automatically selling products in accordance with purchaser operations. The lighting unit illuminates a display case of the product, Operating section (including product selection buttons and coin return levers) that accepts the user's operations, a temperature control section that maintains the temperature of the products stored in the warehouse at a predetermined set temperature, It includes a money identifying unit for identifying falsification and input amount, and a product transporting unit for transporting a product selected by the purchaser from the warehouse to the product outlet. In addition, about the structure of the vending function part 10, since it is sufficient if the structure similar to a general vending machine is employ | adopted, detailed description is omitted here.

  The monitoring function unit 20 operates by receiving power supply from the power supply function unit 30 and monitors the surroundings of the vending machine 100. The imaging unit 21, the storage unit 22, the emergency button 23, and the impact The sensor 24, the microphone 25, the voice recognition sensor 26, the alarm output unit 27, the communication unit 28, and the control unit 29 are provided.

  The imaging unit 21 is a unit that always captures moving images of the surroundings of the vending machine 100 and generates imaging data, and includes a photoelectric conversion element such as a CMOS [Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor] or a CCD [Charge Coupled Devices]. A controller 21a (see FIG. 2) and a controller that performs predetermined image processing (analog / digital conversion processing, noise removal processing, color correction processing, image compression processing, etc.) on the image data obtained by the camera unit 21a. 29, and an image processing unit (not shown) that outputs to 29.

  Note that the camera unit 21a is preferably attached to a position (such as the upper front end of the vending machine 100 or the front end of the ceiling) where the surrounding situation of the vending machine 100 can be appropriately captured. It is desirable to use a wide viewing angle.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the configuration in which the surrounding state of the vending machine 100 is always photographed using the imaging unit 21 is taken as an example. However, the configuration of the present invention is not limited to this, for example, a predetermined number It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which moving image shooting or still image shooting is intermittently performed at intervals. With such a configuration, the capacity of the imaging data can be reduced without degrading the image quality of the imaging data. Therefore, the storage period of the imaging data in the buffer mounted in the control unit 29 or the storage unit 22 can be reduced. It can be extended.

  The storage unit 22 is a means for storing the imaging data buffered by the control unit 29 in a non-volatile manner when a predetermined trigger condition (details will be described later) is satisfied. The storage unit 22 is a flash memory or EEPROM [Electrically Erasable and Programmable]. A semiconductor memory such as “Read Only Memory” or a mass storage device such as a hard disk drive can be suitably used. Thus, if it is the structure which preserve | saves imaging data non-volatilely using the memory | storage part 22, the power supply to the vending machine 100 will be forced by the criminal who noticed that his criminal act was image | photographed. Even if it is blocked, the imaging data is not lost.

  The emergency button 23 is a means for generating an emergency signal in response to pressing of a person who seeks help and outputting it to the control unit 29. It is desirable that the emergency button 23 adopts a shape and color with high visibility so that it can be easily found by a person who seeks help. Further, for example, FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, it is desirable to install the vending machine 100 near the middle stage on the front surface. However, the emergency button 23 should be pressed only in an emergency or emergency, so that a buyer who intends to purchase a product with the vending machine 100 does not press the emergency button 23 by mistake. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the emergency button 23 is installed at a position away from the product selection button or the coin slot, or the emergency button 23 is sealed with a transparent plastic cover. It is desirable to take

  The impact sensor 24 is means for detecting the magnitude of impact given to the casing of the vending machine 100 and outputting the detection result to the control unit 29. As the impact sensor 24, for example, an acceleration sensor that detects accelerations in three axial directions (height direction, width direction, depth direction) orthogonal to each other can be suitably used.

  The microphone 25 is a means for receiving an input of sound, and any type such as a dynamic microphone, a capacitor microphone, a carbon microphone, and a piezoelectric microphone may be used. Like the emergency button 23, the microphone 25 is installed in the vicinity of the front middle of the vending machine 100 so that a short stature child or woman can appropriately pick up a voice for help, as shown in FIG. It is desirable to do. In the above description, an example in which only the imaged data is stored in the buffer of the control unit 29 or the storage unit 22 has been described. However, the configuration of the present invention is not limited to this, and the audio obtained by the microphone 25 is used. You may save the data together.

  The voice recognition sensor 26 detects whether or not a predetermined keyword (such as “Thief!” Or “Help!”) Is included in the voice input to the microphone 25, and outputs the detection result to the control unit 29. It is means to do.

  The alarm output unit 27 is a means for outputting an alarm for the purpose of threatening a criminal when a predetermined trigger condition (details will be described later) is satisfied. The alarm output unit 27 includes at least a speaker, a buzzer, a warning light, and a flash. Comprising one. In FIG. 2, the alarm output unit 27 is exemplified by a configuration in which a speaker 27 a is provided at the upper front end of the vending machine 100 and a warning light 27 b is provided at the front end of the ceiling. In particular, if the warning light 27b is provided as the alarm output unit 27, it can be seen at a glance that the monitoring function unit 20 is mounted on the vending machine 100. Even if a vending machine is installed, it is possible to head to the vending machine 100 equipped with the monitoring function unit 20 without hesitation.

  The communication unit 28 is means for performing wired or wireless mutual communication with the server 300 installed in the police or a security company via a dedicated or public communication line 200. When the vending machine 100 and the communication line 200 are connected by wire, a LAN [Local Area Network] communication port may be used as the communication unit 28. When the vending machine 100 and the communication line 200 are wirelessly connected, a wireless LAN communication port (Wi-Fi communication port) may be used as the communication unit 28.

  The control unit 29 determines whether or not a predetermined trigger condition is satisfied by comprehensively controlling the respective units 21 to 28 constituting the monitoring function unit 20, and the crime countermeasures by the monitoring function unit 20 are determined. (Storage and transfer of imaging data, and alarm output) is a means for determining whether or not to activate. In addition to arithmetic means such as CPU [Central Processing Unit] and DSP [Digital Signal Processor], ROM [Read Only Memory] and It has storage means (all not shown), such as RAM [Random Access Memory]. The ROM is used as a storage area for programs executed by the CPU. In addition to being used as a work area for the CPU, the RAM is also used as a buffer area for temporarily storing imaging data for a predetermined time (several seconds to several minutes). When the imaging data is buffered, the above RAM sequentially stores new imaging data as long as the capacity is available, and sequentially deletes the oldest imaging data when the capacity is insufficient. Accordingly, the latest imaging data is always temporarily stored for a predetermined time. However, the above ROM and RAM may be provided independently without being built in the control unit 29.

  Next, the trigger condition determination operation by the control unit 29 will be described in detail.

  When the emergency button 23 is pressed by a person seeking help and an emergency signal is input from the emergency button 23, the control unit 29 determines that the trigger condition is satisfied, and activates a crime countermeasure described later. With such a configuration, it is possible to activate crime countermeasures by the monitoring function unit 20 only by performing an extremely simple operation of pressing the emergency button 23. In particular, a person who seeks help often feels upset and does not feel at hand, and it is considered difficult to complete complicated operations accurately. Therefore, the emergency button 23 is provided as described above. It is considered effective.

  The control unit 29 monitors the output of the impact sensor 24 and determines that the trigger condition is satisfied when the magnitude of the impact applied to the casing of the vending machine 100 exceeds a predetermined threshold. The crime countermeasures described below are activated. By adopting such a configuration, even when the vending machine 100 is strongly shaken or beaten, the crime countermeasures by the monitoring function unit 20 can be activated. For example, when responding to a request from a person seeking help Not only that, but in the event of any fraudulent work (such as damage to the lock on the front panel or safe) on the vending machine 100, it is possible to activate the crime countermeasures described above as a means of self-defense.

  The control unit 29 monitors the output of the voice recognition sensor 26, determines that the trigger condition is satisfied when the predetermined keyword is included in the voice input to the microphone 25, and the crime described later. Trigger countermeasures. By adopting such a configuration, for example, the limb of a person who seeks help is restrained by a criminal, and the emergency button 23 cannot be pressed or the casing of the vending machine 100 cannot be shaken. However, it is possible to activate the crime countermeasures by the monitoring function unit 20 by shouting “Help!”. Further, with the above-described configuration in which the trigger determination is performed using the voice recognition sensor 26, it is not necessary for a person who seeks help to actively operate the vending machine 100. For example, damage caused by being caught on the road Just by screaming the screaming “Thief!” Or “Patch!” By the person, it is possible to promptly activate the crime countermeasures by the monitoring function unit 20.

  Next, a detailed description will be given of the crime countermeasures that are activated when the above trigger condition is satisfied.

  When it is determined that a predetermined trigger condition is satisfied, the control unit 29 is generated by the imaging unit 21 as one of the crime countermeasures before and after and temporarily stored in a built-in RAM. Image data for a predetermined period is stored in the storage unit 22. As a specific example, the control unit 29 reads out imaging data generated in 30 seconds before and after the predetermined trigger condition as a reference from a built-in RAM, Is transferred to the storage unit 22 and stored. By adopting such a configuration, when a crime or mischief occurs, it is possible to identify the criminal or verify the crime by performing post-analysis of the imaging data stored in the storage unit 22.

  In particular, with the above configuration that records not only the subsequent crime situation but also the previous crime situation on the basis of the timing when the trigger condition is satisfied, the criminal was chased, for example. Even after the victim presses the emergency button 23 of the vending machine 100, even if the criminal does not do any harm to the victim, the situation that the victim is chased by the criminal is taken as imaging data. Since it is preserved reliably, it becomes possible to prove the crime.

  Further, when it is determined that a predetermined trigger condition is satisfied, the control unit 29 operates the alarm output unit 27 as one of crime countermeasures. Specifically, the control unit 29 outputs a loud alarm sound and a threatening message (such as a message that the crime was recorded and reported to the police) from the speaker 27a, and a warning light. 27b blinks. Of course, when a buzzer or flash is used as the alarm output unit 27, a buzzer sound may be output or the flash may be emitted. By adopting such a configuration, the criminal can be discouraged or abandoned from continuing the crime, or the occurrence of the crime can be notified to police officers and security guards who circulate around the vending machine 100. Can help victims.

  In addition, when it is determined that a predetermined trigger condition is satisfied, the control unit 29 uses the communication unit 28 to connect to the server 300 as one of crime countermeasures, and the imaging stored in the storage unit 22 Data is transferred to the server 300 via the communication line 200. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to notify the police and the security company of the occurrence of the crime and to request the police officers and guards to be dispatched. Further, if the imaging data in which the crime situation is recorded is transferred from the vending machine 100 to the external server 300, the vending machine 100 is destroyed by a criminal and the imaging data stored in the storage unit 22 is read. Even if the data cannot be output, the image data transferred to the server 300 is not lost. Therefore, it is possible to identify the criminal and verify the offense by performing a subsequent analysis.

  As described above, with the vending machine 100 according to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately monitor the surrounding situation of the installation place in place of the monitoring camera that has been installed independently.

  In particular, if the vending machine 100 according to the present invention is installed instead of a large number of conventional vending machines installed outdoors, an outdoor monitoring system is constructed without installing surveillance cameras independently outdoors. Therefore, it is not necessary to consider the work of securing the power source and wiring to the recording device, and the work burden and cost burden associated with the installation work of the surveillance camera can be eliminated.

  As described above, if the vending machine 100 according to the present invention is used, an outdoor monitoring system or an indoor monitoring system can be constructed with a very low budget. It is possible to expect.

  By utilizing the present invention, for example, an outdoor monitoring system or an indoor monitoring system using a vending machine can be constructed.

These are block diagrams which show one Embodiment of the vending machine based on this invention. These are the perspective views which show typically the external appearance of the vending machine which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Vending machine 200 Communication line 300 Server 10 Vending function part 20 Monitoring function part 21 Imaging part 21a Camera part 22 Storage part 23 Emergency button 24 Shock sensor 25 Microphone 26 Voice recognition sensor 27 Alarm output part 28 Communication part 29 Control part ( CPU)
30 Power supply function section

Claims (5)

A vending function section for vending products;
A monitoring function unit for monitoring the surrounding situation;
A power supply function unit that supplies power to both the vending function unit and the monitoring function unit;
Vending machine comprising
The monitoring function unit
An imaging unit that captures the surrounding situation and generates imaging data;
A storage unit used as a storage destination of the imaging data;
A control unit that saves, in the storage unit, imaging data for a predetermined period generated by the imaging unit before and after when it is determined that a predetermined trigger condition is satisfied;
Ri formed have,
The monitoring function unit includes a microphone that receives voice input, and a voice recognition sensor that detects whether or not a predetermined keyword is included in the voice input to the microphone.
Automatic wherein the control unit monitors the output of the voice recognition sensor, when contains a predetermined keyword in the voice input to the microphone, characterized that you determines that the trigger condition is satisfied Vending machine. The monitoring function unit includes an emergency button that outputs an emergency signal in response to the pressing,
The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines that the trigger condition is satisfied when the emergency signal is input from the emergency button. The monitoring function unit includes an impact sensor that detects the magnitude of impact applied to the casing of the vending machine,
The control unit monitors the output of the impact sensor, and determines that the trigger condition is satisfied when the magnitude of the impact applied to the housing exceeds a predetermined threshold. The vending machine according to claim 1 or 2. The monitoring function unit includes an alarm output unit including at least one of a speaker, a buzzer, a warning light, and a flash,
The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the control unit activates the alarm output unit when it is determined that the trigger condition is satisfied. The monitoring function unit includes a communication unit that connects to a server via a communication line,
When the control unit determines that the trigger condition is satisfied, the control unit connects to the server using the communication unit, and transfers imaging data stored in the storage unit to the server via the communication line. The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein:

Images