JP5682329B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine or the like.

There is a vending machine in which a plurality of products are arranged inside and a transparent plate such as glass is installed in front of these. Such a vending machine is generally called a glass front type vending machine.
Glass front vending machines give users a sense of security because they can purchase visible products themselves. Glass front vending machines can sell products of various shapes and sizes. For this reason, the range of products that users can purchase with vending machines is widened, which is convenient for users. In addition, when the product is a beverage, it can be discharged without touching the inside machine, so it is also hygienic, and the user can see the process of discharging the product so that it has amusement characteristics. .

On the other hand, in a glass front type vending machine, the operability at the time of product selection may not be good. For example, in a vending machine that is not a glass front type, the user selects a product by pressing a button that is arranged close to the product sample. The operation at this time is easy, and the user is unlikely to mistake the selected product (hereinafter referred to as the selected product). However, in the glass front type vending machine, the front of the product is a glass plate without a button, and the numeric keypad and the direct key for selecting the product are often arranged in the vicinity of a coin slot or the like. Therefore, the user needs to remember the number assigned to the product and perform an operation of inputting the number with the numeric keypad or press the direct key to which the number is attached. Such a product selection method cannot be said to have good operability, and may cause a user to erroneously select a product.

Therefore, in the invention of Patent Document 1, for example, a sticker of a different color is attached to each stage where a product is arranged, and the correspondence between the product and the direct key is visually determined by substantially matching the color of the direct key with the color of the seal. It will be easy to understand (hereinafter referred to as a first comparative example). Thereby, the operativity at the time of the product selection of a glass front type vending machine is improved, and the possibility that a user erroneously selects a product is reduced.

It is also possible to improve operability using a touch panel. For example, a touch panel that displays product samples in the vicinity of a coin slot or the like may be arranged to improve operability and prevent erroneous selection (hereinafter referred to as a second comparative example). Further, for example, a touch panel having a function of a product selection button may be pasted on the glass surface to improve operability and prevent erroneous selection (hereinafter, a third comparative example).

JP 2008-40967 A

Here, in the first comparative example, the necessary number of colors increases as the number of products increases. However, generally available direct key emission colors are limited. For this reason, when the number of products increases, the possibility of erroneous selection between products classified in the same color cannot be excluded. In addition, when the number of luminescent colors of the direct key is increased, the manufacturing and development cost of the vending machine increases.

In the second comparative example and the third comparative example, a touch panel that matches the size of the vending machine is required, and the manufacturing and development cost of the vending machine increases. In addition, the touch panel surface may be damaged because many people directly touch it. In this case, the function as a vending machine may be impaired. Furthermore, in the third comparative example, the light transmittance may be lowered by the touch panel, and the visibility of the product may be impaired.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems. According to some aspects of the present invention, it is possible to provide a vending machine that is excellent in operability at the time of product selection, can prevent erroneous product selection, and has low manufacturing development costs.

(1) The present invention is a vending machine in which a user can visually recognize a plurality of products inside through a transparent plate provided in a part of the casing, and photographs a predetermined area including the transparent plate. An image processing unit that determines a selected product selected from the plurality of products by the user based on an image from the camera, and a product that specifies one product among the plurality of products A control unit that receives a code signal and outputs a product specified by the product code signal, wherein the image processing unit extracts a position of the user's finger in the image from the camera, and Based on the positional relationship between the finger position and the transparent plate, the selected product is determined, and the product code signal designating the product determined to be the selected product is output to the control unit.

According to the present invention, the image processing unit determines the selected product from the positional relationship between the position of the user's finger and the transparent plate based on the image from the camera, and specifies the product code that is determined as the selected product The signal is output to the control unit. And a control part outputs the goods which a goods code signal specifies. At this time, the user can select a product simply by pointing to the desired product without operating the numeric keypad or direct key. Therefore, the vending machine of the present invention is
Excellent operability when selecting products. Further, for example, it is possible to prevent a wrong product from being selected due to, for example, an incorrect numerical value of the user with the numeric keypad. And there is no need for a touch panel that matches the size of the vending machine. Therefore, the manufacturing and development cost of the vending machine can be reduced.

Here, the positional relationship between the position of the user's finger and the transparent plate is, for example, not only the planar position when the user's finger is in contact with the transparent plate, but also of the transparent plate when not in contact. Includes distance from surface. According to the present invention, for example, an operation similar to that of a touch panel can be performed by a vending machine provided with glass (transparent plate) having no sensor function. That is, when the user touches the glass on the front surface of the product to be selected, the image processing unit can determine that the product arranged at the tip of the user's finger is the selected product. At this time, the user can make a selection simply by touching the glass while looking at the actual product, so the operability is good and there is almost no possibility of erroneous selection. Further, since glass having no sensor function can be used, manufacturing and development costs are low, and it is not necessary to prepare a sample image used for the touch panel.

At this time, unlike the touch panel in the present invention, the user does not necessarily need to touch the glass. According to the present invention, when the user's finger is within a certain distance (for example, 1 cm) from the surface of the transparent plate, it can also be determined that the product is selected by the user. In this case, since the product selection can be executed in a non-contact manner, the glass surface is not damaged. for that reason,
Not only development and manufacturing costs but also maintenance costs can be kept low.

Note that the transparent plate provided in a part of the housing may be glass or transparent resin, for example. The transparent plate is preferably colorless and transparent so that the product inside can be seen as it is, but may be colored and transparent for the purpose of maintaining quality.

The camera of the present invention may be one or plural. The camera captures a predetermined area including the transparent plate, but it is sufficient that the captured image includes almost the entire transparent plate, and the entire vending machine does not necessarily have to be captured. The predetermined area is preferably a fixed area, but may be switched or zoomed. Substantially the entire transparent plate means that an image other than the front of the portion where the product is arranged (for example, the outer frame portion of the transparent plate) may not be included in the image. The image is a moving image or a still image taken by the camera, and particularly refers to a one-frame image cut out from the moving image. An image from a camera refers to an image configured based on output data from the camera.

The image processing unit of the present invention extracts the position of the user's finger based on the image from the camera. For example, even if the user stores an initial image acquired before using the vending machine, detects the finger by comparing the image from the camera with the initial image, and specifies the position thereof Good. In detection of a finger, determination by color, determination by shape, determination by a combination thereof, or the like may be performed. In addition, the initial image may be periodically updated to cope with environmental changes (for example, daytime and nighttime). Further, the initial image may be updated when the vending machine includes, for example, a human sensor and the state where there is no user continues for a certain period of time.

The product code signal may be a signal representing a numerical value that is an ID of a product, for example. When there are P products in the vending machine, the product code signal may be a signal representing any numerical value of 1 to P (P is an integer of 2 or more). At this time, the control unit may cause the product outlet to output the product whose ID represented by the product code signal is ID. Further, the product code signal may be a signal (location code signal) indicating the position of the product. At this time, the control unit
The product at the position represented by the product code signal may be output to the product outlet. When the product code signal is a location code signal, it is not necessary to change the setting even if there is a product change or a product position movement.

(2) In this vending machine, the image processing unit sets a product specifying area that is an area for specifying each of the plurality of products in the image from the camera, and the user's finger is placed on the transparent plate. If the product is within a predetermined distance from the surface and is included in one of the product specific areas, the product specified by the product specific area may be determined as the selected product.

The image processing unit of the present invention sets a product specifying area which is an area on an image where each of a plurality of products can be specified. And, for example, when shooting an area where the camera is fixed,
The image processing unit can instantaneously determine in which product specific region the pixel is included based on the position of the pixel in the image (coordinates on the image).

When the position of the user's finger is extracted, the image processing unit of the present invention includes a pixel that constitutes a finger (particularly limited to the fingertip) along with the distance from the surface of the transparent plate in which product specific region Can be judged. When the user's finger is within a predetermined distance from the surface of the transparent plate and is included in one product specifying area, the product specified by the product specifying area is determined as the selected product.

Here, the product specifying area can be made large enough to avoid confusion with adjacent products, and can also be a polygonal shape. Therefore, it is possible to make an efficient determination.

(3) In this vending machine, the image processing unit selects the product specified by the product specifying area when the user's finger is included in one product specifying area longer than a predetermined time. It may be judged as a product.

(4) The present invention is a vending machine in which a user can visually recognize a plurality of products inside through a transparent plate provided in a part of the housing, and images a predetermined area including the transparent plate. An image processing unit that determines a selected product selected from the plurality of products by the user based on an image from the camera, and a product that specifies one product among the plurality of products A control unit that receives a code signal and outputs a product specified by the product code signal, wherein the image processing unit is an area for specifying each of the plurality of products in an image from the camera. And extracting the position of the user's finger in the image from the camera,
When the user's finger is included in one product specifying area longer than a predetermined time, the product specified by the product specifying area is determined as the selected product, and the product determined as the selected product is specified. The product code signal is output to the control unit.

According to these inventions, when the position of the user's finger is extracted, the image processing unit determines which product specific region includes the pixel constituting the finger (in particular, the fingertip may be limited). Do. And when a user's finger | toe is contained in one goods specific area longer than predetermined time, the goods which the said goods specific area pinpoints are judged as selection goods.

Since the selected product is determined after confirming that the user points to one product for a predetermined time or more, erroneous detection of the image processing unit can be prevented. The predetermined time is, for example, 1-1.
It may be 0 seconds or longer.

In addition, when the position of a user's finger | toe is extracted, the effect from the misdetection prevention of an image processing part may be heightened by detecting also the distance from the surface of a transparent plate, and using it for determination.

(5) The vending machine includes a plurality of the cameras, and the image processing unit is configured such that the position of the user's finger in the images from the plurality of cameras is included in one same product specifying area The product specified by the product specifying area may be determined as the selected product.

(6) In this vending machine, two cameras may be provided and images from the two cameras may be installed at a position where a predetermined parallax occurs.

According to these inventions, by using a plurality of cameras, it becomes possible to make a determination using parallax, and a product specific area is determined based on a plurality of images, so that the selected product is correctly detected in the image processing unit. It becomes possible to do.

All of the plurality of cameras may be used at the same time, or some of the cameras that can detect the user's finger may be used by selection. Then, in order to reduce manufacturing and development costs, the plurality of cameras may be two.

(7) This vending machine may include an infrared ray generation source, and the camera may be an infrared camera.

According to the present invention, for example, by providing an infrared generation source such as an infrared LED and an infrared camera, it is possible to accurately extract the position of a user's finger from a camera image even in a dark night. Therefore, for example, it is possible to provide a vending machine capable of correctly detecting the selected product in the image processing unit even at night.

(8) In this vending machine, the camera may be a visible camera.

The camera of the vending machine of the present invention may be a visible camera that captures an image using ordinary visible light. At this time, since it is not necessary to use a special camera, manufacturing and development costs can be reduced.

(9) In this vending machine, the camera may be installed in the upper part of the vending machine.

According to the present invention, when the camera is installed on the upper part, the lens unit faces downward in order to photograph the transparent plate. Therefore, the lens portion is not contaminated with dust and the like, and it is possible to keep not only development and manufacturing costs but also maintenance costs low.

(10) In this vending machine, including lighting that individually illuminates the plurality of products, and when the control unit receives the product code signal, the product specified by the product code signal is:
You may control the said illumination so that it may be distinguished and distinguished from other goods.

(11) The vending machine includes a user interface unit that receives an instruction from the user and outputs the instruction signal as an instruction signal to the control unit. The control unit is configured such that the product specified by the product code signal is different from other products. The product specified by the product code signal when the user receives the instruction signal indicating that the product specified by the product code signal is the selected product after being distinguished and illuminated. May be output.

According to these inventions, since the control unit prompts the user to confirm before outputting the product specified by the product code signal, it is possible to prevent an erroneous product from being output. For example, the product specified by the product code signal by operating the illumination may be shown to the user separately from other products. For example, the control unit may increase the illuminance of the product specified by the product code signal, blink the product, or change the color to be illuminated. Conversely, the illumination may be made darker for products other than the product specified by the product code signal.

In addition, the user confirms whether or not the product specified by the product code signal is the selected product, and O
The answer may be made using the K button or the cancel button. These buttons may be transmitted to the control unit as instruction signals via the user interface unit.

(12) The present invention is a vending machine that displays a sample of a plurality of products on a product display that is a part of a housing, and a camera that captures a predetermined area including the product display; An image processing unit that determines a selected product selected from the plurality of products based on an image, and a product code signal that specifies one product among the plurality of products, and receives the product code includes a control unit for outputting a product signal designates, wherein the image processing unit extracts the position of the finger of a Subscriber that put the images from the camera, the the position of the finger of the user items Based on the positional relationship with the display, the selected product is determined, and the product code signal designating the product determined to be the selected product is output to the control unit.

According to the present invention, the image processing unit determines the selected product from the positional relationship between the position of the user's finger and the product display based on the image from the camera, and specifies the product determined as the selected product The code signal is output to the control unit. And a control part outputs the goods which a goods code signal specifies. The vending machine according to the present invention does not require a button corresponding to each product or a touch panel that matches the size of the vending machine. Therefore, the manufacturing and development cost of the vending machine can be reduced. At this time, the user does not need to press a button, and can select a product simply by pointing to a sample of the desired product. Therefore, the vending machine of the present invention is excellent in operability when selecting a product.

The product display is a part of the housing that displays a sample of a plurality of products. For example, the product display may be a part that stores a product model so that the user can visually recognize the product model. Further, for example, the product sample may be an image of the appearance of the product, and the product display may be a display device such as an LCD that displays the image.

(13) The present invention is a vending machine that displays a sample of a plurality of products on a product display that is a part of a housing, and a camera that captures a predetermined area including the product display; An image processing unit that determines a selected product selected from the plurality of products based on an image, and a product code signal that specifies one product among the plurality of products, and receives the product code A control unit that outputs a product specified by the signal, and the image processing unit sets a product specifying area that is an area for specifying each of the plurality of products in the image from the camera, and extracting a position of a Subscriber's finger that put the image, when the finger of the user is included in one of the items specific area longer than a predetermined time, before items of the commodity specifying area to specify Determines that the selected item, and outputs the commodity code signal designating the product it is determined that the selected item to the control unit.

According to the present invention, when the position of the user's finger is extracted, the image processing unit determines whether the finger is included in any of the product specifying areas provided corresponding to the position of the sample. And when a user's finger | toe is contained in one goods specific area longer than predetermined time, the goods which the said goods specific area pinpoints are judged as selection goods. Since the selected product is determined after confirming that the user points to one product for a predetermined time or more, erroneous detection of the image processing unit can be prevented.

The block diagram of the vending machine of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 2A is a front view of the appearance of the vending machine according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2B is a side view. FIG. 3A is a flowchart of the image processing unit. FIG. 3B is a flowchart of the control unit. FIG. 4A to FIG. 4B are diagrams for explaining a product specifying area. FIGS. 5A to 5B are views for explaining a difference in how a finger looks due to parallax. The figure explaining the illumination control and user interface of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 7A to FIG. 7B are diagrams illustrating a first modification.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1. First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

1.1. Configuration of Vending Machine FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vending machine 10 according to this embodiment. The vending machine 10 includes N cameras 20-1 to 20 -N, an image processing unit 30, and a control unit 40. Furthermore, the user interface unit 50, illumination outside the figure, and an infrared ray generation source may be included. The vending machine 10 is a type of vending machine generally called a glass front type vending machine, and a user visually recognizes a plurality of products inside through a transparent plate provided in a part of the casing. Can do.

The cameras 20-1 to 20-N photograph a predetermined area including the transparent plate. The area to be photographed is different for each of the cameras 20-1 to 20-N, and depends on the installation position of the cameras 20-1 to 20-N. The cameras 20-1 to 20-N output the captured images as image data 102-1 to 102-N to the image processing unit 30, respectively. Here, the number N of cameras is 1.
These are natural numbers. When N = 1, the camera 20-1 and the camera 20-N are the same single camera.

In the present embodiment, N = 2, that is, the vending machine 10 is configured by two cameras.
At this time, determination using parallax, which will be described later, can be performed, and manufacturing and development costs can be reduced by limiting the number of cameras to two. In the following description of the present embodiment, the camera 20-
N is represented as a camera 20-2, and image data 102-N is represented as image data 102-2.

A state in which the camera 20-1 and the camera 20-2, for example, the user operates the vending machine with a finger is sent to the image processing unit 30 in real time. Image data 102-1 and 102-2 based on images taken by the respective cameras are transmitted at a rate of 10 frames per second, for example. The image data 102-1 and 102-2 may be sent to the image processing unit 30 via a buffer, for example.

The image processing unit 30 determines a selected product selected by the user from a plurality of products in the vending machine based on the images from the cameras 20-1 and 20-2. Here, the image processing unit 30 obtains images taken by the camera 20-1 and the camera 20-2 from the image data 102-1 and 102-2, and extracts the position of the user's finger. Then, the selected product is determined based on the positional relationship between the extracted finger position of the user and the transparent plate. The image processing unit 30 according to the present embodiment is a method in which the user points at a predetermined time or longer when the user's finger is within a predetermined distance from the surface of the transparent plate.
One product is determined to be a selected product. For example, the predetermined distance may be 1 cm,
It may be zero (a state where the finger is touching the transparent plate). Details of the processing of the image processing unit 30 will be described later.

The image processing unit 30 outputs a product code signal 103 that designates the product determined to be the selected product to the control unit 40. The product code signal 103 is a signal for designating one product among a plurality of products of the vending machine 10. In the present embodiment, for example, it is assumed that a unique number is assigned as an ID to P products, and the product code signal is a signal representing any numerical value of 1 to P. The product code signal may be a signal (location code signal) indicating the position of the product. For example, a signal indicating that the product code signal is confirmed and valid may be output from the image processing unit 30 to the control unit 40 together with the product code signal.

Note that the image processing unit 30 may be able to select input image data. For example,
As another example of the present embodiment, the vending machine 10 includes four cameras 20-1, 20-2, 20-.
3 and 20-4 (N = 4 in this case), and the camera 20-1 and 20-2 installed in the upper part of the vending machine are usually used in pairs to limit the viewing angle The cameras 20-3 and 20-4 installed at the bottom are used in pairs. At this time, the image processing unit 30 may switch and receive the pair of image data 102-1 and 102-2 and the pair of image data 102-3 and 102-4.

Such switching of the image data is performed by, for example, the low power consumption cameras 20-1 and 20-2 in the daytime.
The present invention can also be applied to the case where 0-2 is used as a pair and high sensitivity cameras 20-3 and 20-4 are used as a pair at night.

The control unit 40 causes the control signal 104 to perform various functions provided in the vending machine.
For example, the control unit 40 receives the product code signal 103 and causes the control signal 104 to output the product specified by the product code signal 103.

Further, for example, the vending machine 10 may include illuminations (not shown) that individually illuminate the products, and the control unit 40 may control the illumination by the control signal 104 and blink the illumination of the product specified by the product code signal 103. . In addition, the control unit 40 also performs calculation of deposit amount, change, etc., temperature / power control, display control to the user, etc. by the control signal 104, but the description is omitted here.

In addition, the control unit 40 receives a user instruction 100 as an instruction from the user as an instruction signal 105 via the user interface 50, and controls the control signal 1 based on the instruction signal 105.
04 may be output. For example, the user may be prompted to confirm the product, and OK (instruction for product output from the user) or cancellation (instruction for redo request from the user) may be received via the user interface 50. At this time, it is possible to prevent an erroneous product from being output by outputting the control signal 104 for outputting the product after waiting for OK from the user.

In addition, the control part 40 may be comprised by CPU and a memory | storage part, for example. For example, the storage unit may include a ROM that stores a CPU program and a RAM that stores data and the like. At this time, the CPU may also function as the image processing unit 30.

1.2. Appearance of vending machine The vending machine 10 is a type of vending machine called a glass front type vending machine.
A description will be given with reference to FIGS. Note that the same elements as those in FIG.

FIG. 2A is a front view of the appearance of the vending machine 10 of the first embodiment. The user can visually recognize the product 60 through the transparent plate 56. The vending machine 10 includes a bill insertion slot 52, a coin insertion slot 53, and a merchandise outlet 54, similar to a vending machine that is not a glass front type. However, there is no numeric keypad or direct key provided in a conventional glass front type vending machine, and for example, an OK button 51A and a cancel button 51B are provided. For example, the return lever, the money display unit, etc. are not shown.

The vending machine 10 is provided with a gutter 58 on the top thereof, and a camera 20-1 and a camera 20-2 are installed on the gutter 58. The camera is not limited to the upper part of the vending machine 10, but when the camera is installed at the upper part, the lens unit faces downward to capture the transparent plate 56. At this time, since the lens portion of the camera is not contaminated with dust or the like, for example, maintenance costs can be kept low.

FIG. 2B is a side view of the appearance of the vending machine 10 according to the first embodiment. The camera 20-1 is attached so that at least a portion of the transparent plate 56 that allows the product 60 to be visually recognized, that is, a portion excluding the outer frame is photographed. Then, the user's finger 70 being operated is attached so that the positional relationship between the position of the user's finger 70 and the transparent plate 56 can be understood based on the photographed image. The same applies to the camera 20-2.

Here, the positional relationship between the position of the user's finger 70 and the transparent plate 56 is planar (on the surface of the transparent plate 56 for distinguishing which product 60 the user's finger 70 is pointing to ( A (two-dimensional) finger position is included. In addition, if the user's finger 70 is away much from the surface of the transparent plate 56, i.e. also include the distance d _f between the user's finger 70 and the transparent plate 56 surface.

1.3. Flowchart in the present embodiment utilizes a parallax based on two images captured by the two cameras 20-1 and 20-2, the distance d _f and calculate the position of the finger 70 of the user, including selected items Make a decision. In this case, the processing flow of the image processing unit 30 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3A, and the processing flow of the control unit 40 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 3A, the cameras 20-1 and 20-2 are represented as a camera 1 and a camera 2, respectively.

1.3.1. Flowchart of Processing by Image Processing Unit FIG. 3A is a flowchart of the image processing unit. The image processing unit acquires an initial image using the camera 1 (S2). The initial image is an image before the user uses the vending machine. The initial image does not show the user and the user's finger. The acquired initial image is stored in an image processing unit or a storage unit prepared separately. The initial image may be updated automatically when an environmental change that affects the image occurs, or may be updated periodically.

Thereafter, for example, when the user selects a product, the image processing unit acquires the first image with the camera 1 (S4). Then, the image processing unit extracts a difference between the first image and the initial image (
S6). The camera 1 captures a fixed predetermined area. Therefore, if the user is pointing and selecting a product, the finger is detected as a difference (S8Y). In detection of a finger, determination by color, determination by shape, determination by a combination thereof, or the like may be performed.

When the user's finger is detected, the camera 2 acquires a second image (S10). By using the second image not only the first image, by using parallax, to accurately grasp the distance between the user's fingers and the surface of the transparent plate (see d _f in FIG. 2 (B)) It becomes possible. Moreover, since it judges based on two images, the goods which a user's finger points can be grasped | ascertained correctly.

The image processing unit of the present embodiment sets a product specifying area that is an area for specifying each of a plurality of products in these images. Then, it is confirmed that the user's finger is in the same position in the first image and the second image, that is, included in one same product specifying area (S
12Y). The details of the product specific area and the method of using the parallax will be described later.

Then, it is confirmed that the user's finger is stationary for a certain period of time, that is, it is included in one same commodity identification area for a certain period of time (S14Y), and a commodity code signal is output to the control unit (S16). The product code signal here represents the product specified by the product specifying area including the user's finger.

If the user's finger is not detected by the difference from the initial image (S8N), the user's finger is not in the same position in the first image and the second image (S12N), and the user's finger Are not stationary for a certain period of time (S14N), all return to the step (S4) of acquiring the first image.

1.3.2. Flowchart of Control Unit Processing FIG. 3B is a flowchart of the control unit. When receiving the product code signal from the image processing unit (S22Y), the control unit controls the illumination (S24). Here, the illumination control is control that distinguishes the illumination of a product (hereinafter, designated product) designated by the product code signal from other products.

For example, it can be distinguished from other products by blinking, illuminating, or changing the color of the illumination that illuminates the specified product. This lighting control indicates the designated product to the user and prompts the user to confirm whether the designated product matches the selected product (the product selected by the user). The control unit is in an input waiting state until a product code signal is input (S22N).

For example, the user can use an OK button and a cancel button (see 51A and 51B in FIG. 2A).
Use to confirm. If there is an OK from the user (S26Y), the control unit causes the designated product to be output to the product outlet by the control signal (S30).

When the user presses the cancel button (S26N), the user can select the product again. Specifically, the illumination for illuminating the designated product is returned to the normal state (S28), and the control unit waits for the input of the product code signal (S22).

1.4. Details of Determination by Image Processing Unit The image processing unit of the present embodiment determines the position of the user's finger using parallax using two cameras. At this time, a product specifying area, which is an area for specifying each of a plurality of products, in the images from the two cameras is set to improve processing efficiency. Here, FIG. 4 (A)
With reference to FIG. 5 (B), the relationship between the product specific area and the position of the user's finger and the obtained image will be described. In addition, the same number is attached | subjected about the same element as FIGS. 1-3 (B), and description is abbreviate | omitted.

FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are diagrams for explaining the product specifying area. 4A and 4B show the positional relationship between the position of the product (corresponding to the product 60 in FIG. 2A) and the product specifying areas M11 to M34 in the image from the camera.

The product specifying area is an area for specifying each of a plurality of products in the image from the camera. Therefore, the image processing unit sets the same number of product specifying areas as the product so as to correspond to the position of the product. When there are images from a plurality of cameras, the image processing unit sets a product specifying area for each of the images. In the present embodiment, a product specifying area is set for each of the images from the two cameras.

FIG. 4A is an example of the product specifying areas M11 to M34. The rectangular product specific areas M11 to M34 including the center of the product are shown. For example, when the user's finger is included in the product specifying area M11, the image processing unit determines that the product located on the left in the uppermost stage has been selected. In the present embodiment, by providing the product specifying areas M11 to M34 apart from each other, it is possible to prevent the adjacent product from being erroneously determined to be selected. However, the product specific areas M11 to M34
May be provided in contact with each other.

FIG. 4B is a partially enlarged view of FIG. FIG. 4B shows the product specific areas M11 to M3.
4 and a pixel represented by a grid. In FIG. 4B, the product identification area M1
3 to M34 are not shown. Each product specific area is defined by a pixel in the image. For example, the product identification area M11 can be defined as an area composed of pixels (x, y) that satisfy 10 <x <20 and 30 <y <40. Note that “x” represents a horizontal pixel position, and “y” represents a vertical pixel position.

In this way, an efficient determination can be made by providing the product specifying area and determining whether the user's finger is included in the product specifying area. That is, it is possible to shorten the time required for determination compared to storing the contours of products having various shapes and comparing the positional relationship between the user's finger and the contour.

In addition, the shape of the product specific area is not limited to a polygon, and may be a shape matched to the shape of the product, for example. The position and size may be set not only to include the center of the product but also to cover the whole. The position, size, etc. of the product specific area may be variable according to environmental changes and processing. At this time, the product specific area setting unit different from the control unit or the control unit may rewrite the setting information of the product specific area stored in the image processing unit, for example, and change the position and size.

In addition, each of the product specifying areas M11 to M34 includes a sub area, and it is determined that the product specified by the product specifying area is selected only when the user's finger is included in the predetermined sub area. May be. For example, even when the product specifying areas M11 to M34 are not the same size, there are cases where it is desired to make the sizes of the areas used for determining whether or not a product has been selected. In such a case, each of the product specifying areas M11 to M34 is made up of a plurality of sub areas. At this time, it is preferable to align the sizes of the sub-regions. And product specific area M11
In each of -M34, for example, when the user's finger is included in one sub-region, it may be determined that the product specified by the product-specific region has been selected. Note that the position (for example, the center), the range, or the number (for example, one) of the sub-regions used for the determination may be variable according to environmental changes, processing, and the like.

FIG. 5A to FIG. 5B show examples of images obtained from the two cameras of this embodiment. The difference in how a user's finger looks due to parallax will be described with reference to these drawings.

When the image reflects almost the front of the vending machine 10, the user's finger moves the product identification area M
It is relatively easy to determine whether or not any of 11 to M34 (see FIG. 4A) is included. However, it is difficult to measure the distance between the user's fingers and the transparent plate 56 surface (see d _f in FIG. 2 (B)).

In the present embodiment, an image 110A from the first camera is acquired (corresponding to S4 in FIG. 3A), and an image 110B from the second camera is acquired (S10 in FIG. 3A). 3), it is determined whether or not the user's finger points to one same product specifying area in both images (FIG. 3A
Corresponding to S12)). When pointing to one same product specific area, it can be determined that the user's finger is within a predetermined distance from the surface of the transparent plate 56 as follows.

FIG. 5A shows an image 110 </ b> A from the left front camera and an image 110 </ b> B from the right front camera when the user's finger is away from the surface of the transparent plate 56. Although the user's finger is in front of one product specific area M12, due to the parallax, it appears that the user's finger 70A is on the right side in the image 110A and the user's finger 70B is on the left side in the image 110B. At this time, since the fingers of the two images are not at the same position (corresponding to S12N in FIG. 3A), the image processing unit returns to the process of acquiring a new image without outputting the product code signal.

FIG. 5B shows images 110 </ b> A and 110 </ b> B when the user's finger approaches within a predetermined distance from the surface of the transparent plate 56. In this case, in both the images 110A and 110B, the user's fingers 70A and 70B are both included in the product specifying area M12.
The product code signal of the product specified by 12 is output.

In this embodiment, by using two cameras, the position of the user's finger can be grasped in the depth direction using parallax. Specifically, it can be determined whether or not the user's finger is within a predetermined distance from the surface of the transparent plate 56. Here, the predetermined distance from the surface of the transparent plate 56 is
It is possible to adjust according to the size (in this example, the width) of the product specific area. For example, by reducing the width of the product specific area, it is possible to output a product code signal when the user's finger touches the transparent plate 56.

At this time, instead of changing the width of the product specific area, the size or range of the sub-area used for the determination may be adjusted. For example, even if the size of the product specific area differs for each product,
By aligning the sizes of the sub-regions used for determination with all products, the predetermined distance can be aligned with all products.

In this embodiment, the image processing unit is configured such that the user's finger is stationary for a certain time, that is, 1
The product code signal is output after waiting for a certain period of time to be included in one product specific region (or a predetermined sub-region) (corresponding to S14Y in FIG. 3A). Thereby, it is possible to prevent a product code from being output for an incorrect product. As another example of the present embodiment, the product code may be output without waiting for the elapse of a predetermined time, or only when the user's finger is included in one product specifying area and the predetermined time elapses. The product code signal may be output on the condition.

In this example, it has been described that an image from almost the front of the vending machine 10 can be obtained. However, depending on the installation position of the camera, the transparent plate 56 may be distorted in a trapezoidal shape (FIG. 7B).
reference). In that case, it is possible to perform the same processing as described above by taking measures such as setting a trapezoidal product identification area.

1.5. About confirmation by the control unit The control unit of the present embodiment prompts the user to confirm whether the designated product (the product specified by the product code signal) is the selected product (the product selected by the user), so that the product is Preventing erroneous output. The illumination control and user interface of the control unit in this confirmation operation will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 6 shows the appearance of the vending machine 10 when the control unit prompts the user for confirmation. Note that the same elements as those in FIG. 2A are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

The vending machine 10 includes lights that individually illuminate a plurality of products, and the control unit can control these lights. When receiving the product code, the control unit of the present embodiment brightens the illumination of the designated product and darkens the product of the other product (see S24 in FIG. 3B). This
Indicate to the user which product is designated.

Then, the OK button 51A and the cancel button 51B are blinked to prompt the user to press the OK button 51A when the designated product matches the selected product. At this time, instead of blinking or together with blinking, explanation by voice guidance may be performed. The control unit is OK
When an instruction signal indicating that the button 51A has been pressed is received, the designated product is output to the product outlet by the control signal.

At this time, the user can easily grasp which is the selected product by the lighting control. In addition, since the confirmation work also requires only pressing one of the OK button 51A or the cancel button 51B, the operability at the time of product selection for the user is not impaired. By these processes of the control unit of the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the product from being erroneously output without impairing the operability.

In the vending machine of the present embodiment, the image processing unit determines a selected product from the positional relationship between the position of the user's finger and the transparent plate based on the image from the camera, and a product code signal that designates the product Is output to the control unit. And a control part outputs the goods which a goods code signal specifies. At this time, the user can select a product simply by pointing to the desired product without operating the numeric keypad or direct key. Therefore, the vending machine of the present invention is excellent in operability when selecting a product. Further, for example, it is possible to prevent a wrong product from being selected due to, for example, an incorrect numerical value of the user with the numeric keypad. For example, a touch panel that matches the size of the vending machine is not required. Therefore, the manufacturing and development cost of the vending machine can be reduced. Furthermore, the camera can be attached to vending machines of various sizes. Therefore, particularly when the size of the vending machine is large, the manufacturing and development costs can be greatly reduced as compared with the touch panel type vending machine.

2. First Modification A first modification of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 (A) to 7 (B). 7A to 7B, the same elements as those in FIGS. 1 to 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 7A is an external view of the vending machine 10 of the first modification. As shown in FIG.
In the vending machine 10 of the modified example, the image processing unit extracts the position of the user's finger based only on the image of one camera 20-1. The block diagram of the first modification corresponds to the case where N = 1 in FIG. The camera 20-1 is installed on the left side of the ridge 58, for example.

FIG. 7B is an example of an image 110 taken by the camera 20-1. The camera 20-1 captures an area including the transparent plate 56 obliquely from above, so that the image processing unit can detect a three-dimensional positional relationship between the transparent plate 56 and the user's finger 70. At this time, the transparent plate 56 is distorted into a trapezoidal shape, for example, but the image processing unit has a trapezoidal product identification area (for example, M22 and M32 in FIG. 7B).
) Can be used to make judgments.

Here, in this modified example, only images from one camera 20-1 can be used. for that reason,
As shown in FIG. 7B, when the user's finger 70 is located in front of the product specifying area M22 and away from the surface of the transparent plate 56, the user's finger 70 is included in the product specifying area M32. May be mistaken. Therefore, the image processing unit, for example, the shadow 72 of the user's finger 70 or the reflector 56
The user's finger (not shown) or the like shown in FIG.

In this modification, since only one camera 20-1 is used, the manufacturing and development costs can be further reduced.

3. Second Modification A second modification of the first embodiment will be described. Cameras 20-1 to 20- of the first embodiment
2 is a visible camera, for example. At this time, since it is not necessary to use a special camera, manufacturing and development costs can be reduced. However, vending machines are installed outdoors and operate at night. Therefore, it may be required to accurately extract the position of the user's finger from the camera image even at night. Even in daytime use, if the ambient light is too bright, for example, the user's finger position may not be extracted successfully due to the influence of the automatic exposure function of the camera.

In this modification, by using the cameras 20-1 to 20-2 of the first embodiment as infrared cameras, the position of the user's finger is accurately extracted from the camera image even at night or when the ambient light is too bright. Make it possible.

At this time, the vending machine of the second modified example may include an infrared generation source such as an infrared LED. The user's finger reflects the infrared light from the infrared light source, and the state of the user's finger can be grasped at night or the like by photographing the state with the infrared camera.

The present invention is not limited to these exemplifications, and the present invention is substantially the same as the configuration described in the embodiment (
For example, a configuration having the same function, method and result, or a configuration having the same purpose and effect).

Further, although the glass front type vending machine has been described as an example, the configuration described in the embodiment is applicable to vending machines other than the glass front type. For example, when the present invention is applied to a vending machine that uses a touch panel to select a product, a product display showing a sample of the product can be used instead of the touch panel. For example, the sample of the product may be a model, a picture, a video, or the like showing the appearance of the product. For example, the product display may be a resin plate on which a sample of the product is drawn.

At this time, the product in the above-described embodiment or modification is simply replaced with a sample of the product,
Other configurations and processing contents are the same. Therefore, as in the above-described embodiment, the manufacturing and development cost of the vending machine can be greatly reduced. And since it is possible to select a product simply by pointing to a sample of the desired product, the operability is good even when compared with a conventional vending machine that is not a glass front type.

The present invention includes a configuration in which non-essential portions of the configuration described in the embodiment are replaced. In addition, the present invention includes a configuration that exhibits the same operational effects as the configuration described in the embodiment or a configuration that can achieve the same object. Further, the invention includes a configuration in which a known technique is added to the configuration described in the embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vending machine, 20-1-20-N ... Camera, 30 ... Image processing part, 40 ... Control part, 5
0 ... User interface part, 51A ... OK button, 51B ... Cancel button, 5
2 ... bill input port, 53 ... coin input port, 54 ... commodity outlet, 56 ... transparent plate, 58 ... bag, 60
... Product, 70 ... User's finger, 72 ... Shadow, 100 ... User instruction, 102-1 to 102-N ...
Image data 103 ... Product code signal 104 ... Control signal 105 ... Instruction signal 110 ...
Image, 110A ... Image, 110B ... Image, M11-M34 ... Product specific area

Claims (13)

A vending machine in which a plurality of products inside can be visually recognized by a user through a transparent plate provided in a part of the housing,
A camera for photographing a predetermined area including the transparent plate;
An image processing unit that determines a selected product selected from the plurality of products by the user based on an image from the camera;
A control unit that receives a product code signal designating one product of the plurality of products and outputs the product designated by the product code signal,
The image processing unit
Extracting the position of the user's finger in the image from the camera;
Based on the positional relationship between the position of the user's finger and the transparent plate, determine the selected product,
A vending machine that outputs the product code signal designating the product determined to be the selected product to the control unit. In the vending machine according to claim 1,
The image processing unit
Set a product specifying area that is an area for specifying each of the plurality of products in the image from the camera,
Automatic determination that the product specified by the product specific area is the selected product when the user's finger is within a predetermined distance from the surface of the transparent plate and is included in one of the product specific areas Vending machine. In the vending machine according to claim 2,
The image processing unit
A vending machine that determines that a product specified by the product specifying area is the selected product when the user's finger is included in one of the product specifying areas longer than a predetermined time. A vending machine in which a plurality of products inside can be visually recognized by a user through a transparent plate provided in a part of the housing,
A camera for photographing a predetermined area including the transparent plate;
An image processing unit that determines a selected product selected from the plurality of products by the user based on an image from the camera;
A control unit that receives a product code signal designating one product of the plurality of products and outputs the product designated by the product code signal,
The image processing unit
Set a product specifying area that is an area for specifying each of the plurality of products in the image from the camera,
Extracting the position of the user's finger in the image from the camera;
When the user's finger is included in one of the product specific areas longer than a predetermined time, the product specified by the product specific area is determined as the selected product,
A vending machine that outputs the product code signal designating the product determined to be the selected product to the control unit. In the vending machine according to claim 2 or 4,
Including a plurality of the cameras,
The image processing unit
A vending machine that determines, when the position of the user's finger in images from a plurality of the cameras is included in one same product specifying area, the product specified by the product specifying area is the selected product. In the vending machine according to claim 5,
A vending machine provided with two of the cameras and installed at a position where images from the two cameras generate a predetermined parallax. The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Including an infrared source,
The vending machine, wherein the camera is an infrared camera. The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The vending machine, wherein the camera is a visible camera. The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The camera is a vending machine installed at the top of the vending machine. The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
Including lighting for individually illuminating the plurality of items;
The controller is
A vending machine that controls the lighting so that the product specified by the product code signal is illuminated separately from other products when the product code signal is received. The vending machine according to claim 10,
A user interface unit that receives an instruction from the user and outputs the instruction signal as an instruction signal to the control unit;
The controller is
The instruction signal indicating that the user has confirmed that the product specified by the product code signal is the selected product after the product specified by the product code signal is distinguished from other products and illuminated. A vending machine that, when received, outputs the product specified by the product code signal. A vending machine that displays a sample of a plurality of products on a product display that is a part of a housing,
A camera for photographing a predetermined area including the commodity display;
Based on the image from the camera, an image processing unit for determining a selection item selected by the user from among the plurality of items,
Receiving a product code signal designating one product among the plurality of products,
A control unit that outputs the product specified by the product code signal,
The image processing unit
Extracting the position of the user 's finger in the image from the camera;
Based on the positional relationship between the position of the user's finger and the product display, determine the selected product,
A vending machine that outputs the product code signal designating the product determined to be the selected product to the control unit. A vending machine that displays a sample of a plurality of products on a product display that is a part of a housing,
A camera for photographing a predetermined area including the commodity display;
Based on the image from the camera, an image processing unit for determining a selection item selected by the user from among the plurality of items,
A control unit that receives a product code signal designating one product of the plurality of products and outputs the product designated by the product code signal,
The image processing unit
Set a product specifying area that is an area for specifying each of the plurality of products in the image from the camera,
Extracting the position of the user 's finger in the image from the camera;
When the user's finger is included in one of the product specific areas longer than a predetermined time, the product specified by the product specific area is determined as the selected product,
A vending machine that outputs the product code signal designating the product determined to be the selected product to the control unit.

Images