JP6873681B2 - Product provision equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a product providing device that provides a product housed in a housing.

Conventionally, crane-type vending machines (see Patent Document 1) and various types of crane game machines are known. The crane-type vending machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 activates a joystick controller when a customer inserts a required coin or medal, and moves the motor housing in response to the operation of the customer with respect to the joystick to move the product. Execute the operation for acquiring and transporting to the chute. In the crane type vending machine, the joystick controller keeps operating if the chute does not detect the passage of the item. Therefore, the customer can repeat the operation of the joystick until the item is acquired.

Special Table No. 10-507552

As described above, in the conventional crane type vending machine, the motor housing can be moved so that the customer can acquire the product by operating the joystick. That is, it was difficult for the customer to enjoy the operation because the customer only performed a simple operation of tilting the joystick in either direction. Further, in some conventional crane game machines, the movement of the crane catcher can be instructed by operating a button, but this is also a simple operation of pressing the button.

In addition, with conventional crane-type vending machines, the products (premiums) to be acquired can only be confirmed by directly looking at the products housed in the housing. For this reason, when a plurality of different types of products (premiums) are included, there is not enough material to consider which product (premium) should be acquired.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a product providing device capable of providing operability and information on a product so that a customer can enjoy the operation.

In order to solve the above problems, the product providing device according to the present embodiment includes a stage provided in the housing and divided into a plurality of stage areas on which the product is placed, and a product mounted on the stage. displaying a product acquisition means having a mechanism for acquiring a first display means for indicating individually the plurality of staging areas, a plurality of buttons corresponding to each of the plurality of staging area, a touch panel and de Isupurei In response to a touch operation on the touch panel , a second display means for clearly indicating a selection target of any of the plurality of buttons in association with a touch screen provided with the above and a stage area specified by the first display means. The first input means for inputting an instruction to select a product, the product information display means for displaying the product information corresponding to the instruction input by the first input means on the display, and the touch operation on the touch panel. Correspondingly, the second input means for inputting the instruction to cause the product acquisition means to acquire the product and the product placed on the stage are acquired according to the instruction input by the second input means. It has a control means for executing the operation for the purpose by the product acquisition means.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide information on operability and products that customers can enjoy the operation.

The perspective view which shows the appearance structure of the product providing apparatus 1 in 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the functional structure of the product providing apparatus 1 in 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of the system in 1st Embodiment. The plan view of the stage 9 in the 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a stage partition plate 50 arranged on the stage 9 of the first embodiment. The perspective view of the stage 9 in which the plurality of stage partition plates 50 of 1st Embodiment are arranged. The figure which shows an example of the control panel 6 of the product providing apparatus 1 in 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the modification of the control panel 6 of 1st Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the whole processing of the product providing apparatus 1 in 1st Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the attract mode processing shown in FIG. The flowchart which shows the stage selection process shown in FIG. The flowchart which shows the crane operation process shown in FIG. The flowchart which shows the grasping process shown in FIG. The figure for demonstrating the attract mode processing in 1st Embodiment. The figure for demonstrating the stage selection process in 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the functional structure of the product providing apparatus 1 in 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the stage selection process shown in FIG. 9 in 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the crane operation process shown in FIG. 9 in 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the stage selection screen in 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the stage selection screen in 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the 1st operation screen in 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the 2nd operation screen in 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(First Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the product providing device 1 according to the first embodiment. The product providing device 1 in the first embodiment inserts the price (coin) of the product placed on the stage 9 provided in the housing, operates the crane catcher 2, and operates the product placed on the stage 9. Can be obtained.

The product providing device 1 is provided with a mechanism (not shown) for operating the crane catcher 2 (product acquisition means) in the upper part of the housing. The product providing device 1 in the first embodiment is provided with, for example, one crane catcher 2, and can be moved in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction by the mechanism unit. The crane catcher 2 has a structure for gripping a product in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction), the vertical direction (Y direction), and further in the product acquisition sequence according to the customer's operation with respect to the 8-direction lever provided on the control panel 6. The arm 2a to be held is moved in the vertical direction (Z direction). The tip of the arm 2a of the crane catcher 2 is formed in a claw shape and is equipped with non-slip rubber or the like so that the product can be gripped and the holding state can be stably maintained. ing. The arm can be operated so that the crane catcher 2 grips the product at the position where it reaches the product mounted on the stage 9 in the product acquisition sequence.

In the product providing device 1 according to the first embodiment, the stage 9 is horizontally provided in the housing. Stage 9 is a plurality of stages (hereinafter, the divided stages are referred to as stage areas). It is assumed that the product providing device 1 of the first embodiment is divided into, for example, three stage areas (stage area 9A, stage area 9B, and stage area 9C). The number of stage areas is not limited to three, and may be two or four or more. Further, the plurality of stage areas do not necessarily have to have the same height, and the height may be adjusted individually. Further, not only the stage area may be provided horizontally, but also the stage area in an inclined state may be included.

The front surface and side surfaces of the upper portion of the housing of the product providing device 1 are covered with the transparent plate 8. Therefore, the customer can confirm the positions of the products placed on the stage 9 and the stacked positional relationships from each direction through the transparent plate 8. In addition, a product drop opening 4 is provided at a position adjacent to the stage 9. The product gripped by the crane catcher 2 is dropped into the product drop port 4 and taken out of the housing from the product outlet 5 provided at the lower part of the housing communicating with the product drop port 4.

A control panel 6 is provided on the upper part of the front surface of the lower part of the housing of the product providing device 1. The control panel 6 has a plurality of buttons input by the customer, an 8-direction lever for controlling the horizontal movement of the crane catcher 2, and a product acquisition sequence for the crane catcher 2 moved by operating the 8-direction lever. A button for executing (moving in the vertical direction) (“grab button” described later), a display for displaying the total amount of inserted coins and play time (for example, “7SEG LED” described later), etc. are provided. Has been done. On the front side of the lower part of the housing, for example, two coin insertion slots 7 for inserting two types of coins, a speaker 10, and the like are provided.

A product locker 7 for storing products to be arranged on the stage 9 is provided on the housing of the product providing device 1. The front surface of the product locker 7 can be opened and closed, making it easy to store or take out products. The product locker 7 can be provided not only on the housing of the product providing device 1 but also on the back surface of the housing.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the product providing device 1 according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 2, a control PCB (Print Circuit Board) 11 on which various units are mounted is provided inside the housing of the product providing device 1. The units mounted on the control PCB 11 include a CPU 20, a RAM 21, a storage device 22, an input / output processing unit 23, an X-axis motor drive unit 24, a Y-axis motor drive unit 25, a Z-axis motor drive unit 26, and an arm drive unit 27. including.

The CPU 20 controls the entire product providing device by executing the control program stored in the RAM 21 or the storage device 22. The CPU 20 calculates the total amount of inserted coins according to the coin insertion detection signal input via the input / output processing unit 23, and records the credit data indicating the total amount in the RAM 21. Further, the CPU 20 detects that the product has been paid out from the product drop port 4 in response to the product detection signal from the product detection sensor 34 through the input / output processing unit 23. Further, the CPU 20 controls the X-axis motor drive unit 24, the Y-axis motor drive unit 25, the Z-axis motor drive unit 26, and the arm drive unit 27 through the input / output processing unit 23 to appropriately operate each part of the mechanism unit 12. Let me. Further, the CPU 20 controls the audio output from the speaker 10, the 7SEG LED46, and the outputs of the LED groups 36 and 47 through the input / output processing unit 23.

The RAM 21 temporarily stores various programs such as a control program, as well as various data for controlling a game associated with processing executed by the CPU 20. The data recorded in the RAM 21 includes, for example, credit data, position data indicating the position (X position, Y position) of the crane catcher 2, and the like.

The storage device 22 stores programs and data in a non-volatile storage medium such as a ROM or a hard disk.
The input / output processing unit 23 is an interface with various input / output devices provided outside the control PCB 11.
The X-axis motor drive unit 24 controls the drive of the X-axis motor 30 provided in the mechanism unit 12. The Y-axis motor drive unit 25 controls the drive of the Y-axis motor 31 provided in the mechanism unit 12. The Z-axis motor drive unit 26 controls the drive of the Z-axis motor 32 provided in the mechanism unit 12. The arm drive unit 27 controls the drive of the arm motor 33 for opening and closing the arm provided on the crane catcher 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the mechanism unit 12 includes an X-axis motor 30, a Y-axis motor 31, a Z-axis motor 32, an arm motor 33, a product detection sensor 34, a crane sensor 35, and an LED group 36.
The X-axis motor 30 is driven by the X-axis motor drive unit 24, and moves the crane catcher 2 in the X-axis direction (lateral direction). The Y-axis motor 31 is driven by the Y-axis motor drive unit 25, and moves the crane catcher 2 in the Y-axis direction (vertical direction). The Z-axis motor 32 is driven by the Z-axis motor drive unit 26, and moves the crane catcher 2 in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction). The arm motor 33 is driven by the arm drive unit 27 and opens and closes the arm of the crane catcher 2.

The product detection sensor 34 is a sensor for detecting that a product dropped in the product drop port 4 has been paid out to the product take-out port 5. The product detection sensor 34 notifies the CPU 20 of a product detection signal indicating that the product has been paid out via the input / output processing unit 23.

The crane sensor 35 is a sensor for detecting in which range (stage areas 9A, 9B, 9C) of the stage 9 the crane catcher 2 is divided into a plurality of stages, and is a boundary of each of the plurality of stage areas. , The crane catcher 2 is provided at a position where it can be detected. The CPU 20 can control the crane catcher 2 to move in the horizontal direction only within a specific stage area based on the position of the crane catcher 2 detected by the crane sensor 35.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the product providing device 1 is provided with a coin insertion sensor 41, a stage area selection button 42, an 8-direction lever 43, a grip button 44, a 7SEG LED46, and an LED group 47. The stage area selection button 42, the 8-direction lever 43, the grip button 44, the 7SEG LED46, and the LED group 47 are provided on the control panel 6 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 to be described later.

The coin insertion sensor 41 detects the coin inserted from the coin insertion slot 7 and outputs a detection signal indicating coin insertion. The coin insertion sensor 41 shall output, for example, a detection signal corresponding to each of two types of coins (100-yen coin and 500-yen coin). The CPU 20 calculates the total amount of inserted coins according to the detection signal input through the input / output processing unit 23, and records credit data indicating the total amount.

The stage area selection button 42 is for inputting a customer's instruction to select one of the plurality of stage areas provided in the stage 9, and is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of stage areas. The stage area selection button 42 detects an operation by the customer and outputs an area selection signal indicating the selected button (stage area).

The 8-direction lever 43 is for inputting an instruction to cause the crane catcher 2 to acquire a product, detects an operation direction in any of the eight directions by the customer, and outputs an operation direction signal indicating the operation direction. Output. The CPU 20 drives the X-axis motor 30 via the X-axis motor drive unit 24 or the Y-axis motor 31 via the Y-axis motor drive unit 25 in response to the operation direction signal output from the 8-direction lever 43. , The crane catcher 2 is moved in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction, Y-axis direction).

The grip button 44 is for inputting an instruction for executing the product acquisition sequence to the crane catcher 2 moved by the operation of the 8-direction lever 43, detects the operation by the customer, and signals the sequence execution signal. Is output. In response to the sequence execution signal output from the grip button 44, the CPU 20 lowers the tip of the crane catcher 2 to a set position where the tip of the crane catcher 2 reaches the product via the Z-axis motor drive unit 26 as a product acquisition sequence, and drives the arm. After the arm 2a is made to grip the product through the portion 27, the crane catcher 2 is raised.

The 7SEG LED46 can display, for example, a two-digit number, and the total amount of inserted coins and the play time (remaining time) are displayed under the control of the CPU 20.

The LED group 47 is an LED provided corresponding to each of the stage area selection button 42, the 8-direction lever 43, and the grasp button 44 corresponding to each of the plurality of stage areas, and lighting or blinking is controlled by the control of the CPU 20. Will be done. Further, the display color of the LED included in the LED group 47 can be changed individually.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a system configuration according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, in the system of the first embodiment, a plurality of management servers 100 exist nationwide via a network 110 including a public line network (wired, wireless), a LAN (Local Area Network), the Internet, and the like. It is connected to the store systems 120-1, ..., 12-N installed in the store.

For example, in the store system 120-1, a plurality of product providing devices 1 (1-1, 1-2, ..., 1-M) are connected to the store server 130 via a network 131 such as a LAN (Local Area Network). Has been done. Further, the plurality of product providing devices 1 are connected to the network 110 via the store server 130. Therefore, the product providing device 1 can communicate with the management server 100 and can transmit and receive various data. The product providing device 1 may be configured to be able to directly communicate with the management server 100 through the network 110.

The store server 130 controls a plurality of product providing devices 1 (1-1, 1-2, ..., 1-M) included in the store system 120-1. Further, the store server 130 is connected to the management server 100 via the network 110, and can transmit and receive data and the like related to the products sold in the product providing device 1. The data related to the product includes, for example, image data and price data of the product, explanatory data about the product (text data, audio data, moving image data, etc.) and the like. The store systems 120-2, ..., 120-N have the same configuration as the store system 120-1 (including one or more product providing devices 1).

Next, the stage 9 of the product providing device 1 in the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the stage 9 in the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a stage partition plate 50 arranged to divide each of the plurality of stages of the stage 9. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the stage 9 in which a plurality of stage partition plates 50 (50A, 50B, 50C, 50D, 50E, 50F, 50G) are arranged.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the stage 9 is provided with three rectangular stage areas 9A, 9B, and 9C, and the stage partition plates 50A to 50G are arranged at positions for dividing each of the three rectangular stage areas 9A, 9B, and 9C. .. LEDs 36-1 to 36-10 included in the LED group 36 are mounted on the stage partition plates 50A to 50G. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, LEDs 36-1 to 36-4 are in the area frame surrounding the stage area 9A, LEDs 36-4 to 36-7 are in the area frame surrounding the stage area 9B, and LED 36 is in the area frame surrounding the stage area 9C. -7 to 36-10 are attached respectively.

The stage partition plate 50 is formed of, for example, a transparent (or translucent) member. Therefore, by driving the LED group 36 (LEDs 36-1 to 36-10), at least the upper end portion 36A (the entire circumference or a plurality of specific surfaces) of the stage partition plate 50 is an LED, as shown in FIG. Illuminated by group 36 (LEDs 36-1 to 36-10). Therefore, the stage area to be acquired by the product can be individually specified by the lighting (blinking) or the lighting color of the LED group 36 (LEDs 36-1 to 36-10).

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the control panel 6 of the product providing device 1 according to the first embodiment.
The control panel 6 is provided outside the housing of the product providing device 1 so that the operation surface is substantially horizontal so that the customer can easily operate the control panel 6, for example. On the control panel 6, an 8-direction lever 43 and a 7SEG LED 46 are arranged substantially in the center in the left-right direction. The LED 47D included in the LED group 47 is mounted around the 8-direction lever 43.

Further, three stage area selection buttons 42A, 42B, and 42C are arranged on the left side of the 8-direction lever 43. The stage area selection buttons 42A, 42B, and 42C correspond to the stage areas 9A, 9B, and 9C, respectively, and are arranged so as to have the same positional relationship as the stage areas 9A, 9B, and 9C. As a result, when the customer wants to select any of the stage areas 9A, 9B, and 9C, it is possible to intuitively grasp which of the stage area selection buttons 42A, 42B, and 42C should be operated.

Further, LEDs 47A, 47B, 47C included in the LED group 47 are mounted around the stage area selection buttons 42A, 42B, 42C. For the LEDs 47A, 47B, 47C, for example, the customer can set any of the stage areas 9A, 9B, 9C by lighting (blinking) the LED group 36 corresponding to each of the stage areas 9A, 9B, 9C, or by associating the lighting colors. When trying to select, it is possible to clearly indicate which of the stage area selection buttons 42A, 42B, and 42C should be operated.

Further, in the control panel 6, a button 44 to be gripped is arranged on the right side of the 8-direction lever 43. LEDs 47E included in the LED group 47 are arranged around the grip button 44. The LED 47E can prompt the customer to operate the LED 47E by lighting (blinking) or changing the lighting color, for example, when the grip button 44 is in an operable state.

In the control panel 6, the stage area selection button 42, the 8-direction lever 43, and the grip button 44 are arranged in this order from the left. That is, the order in which the customer operates, that is, the selection of the stage area where the desired product is placed, the operation of moving the crane catcher 2 to the selected stage area, and the movement of the crane catcher 2 above the desired product. , The crane catcher 2 is arranged in the order of operations for executing the product acquisition sequence. This makes it easier for the customer to understand the operation order of the stage area selection button 42, the 8-direction lever 43, and the grip button 44.

FIG. 8 shows a modified example of the control panel 6. In FIG. 8, 7SEG LEDs 46A, 46B, 46C are arranged in the vicinity of the stage area selection buttons 42A, 42B, 42C, respectively. The 7SEG LEDs 46A, 46B, 46C are used to display the prices of the products placed in the stage areas 9A, 9B, 9C that can be selected by the corresponding stage area selection buttons 42A, 42B, 42C. The 7SEG LEDs 46A and 46B can display, for example, a three-digit number, and the 7SEG LED46C can display a four-digit number. The 7SEG LEDs 46A, 46B, 46C switch the display under the control of the CPU 20 according to the price data of the newly placed products, for example, when the products placed in the stage areas 9A, 9B, 9C are replaced. be able to.

Next, the operation of the product providing device 1 in the first embodiment will be described.
9 is a flowchart showing the entire process of the product providing device 1 according to the first embodiment, FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the attract mode process shown in FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the stage selection process shown in FIG. , FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the crane operation process shown in FIG. 9, and FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the grasping process shown in FIG.

First, when the power is turned on, the CPU 20 of the product providing device 1 starts the attract mode process based on the control program (step A1). In the attract mode processing, the CPU 20 outputs BGM (back ground music) for attract mode processing from the speaker 10, and is provided on the plurality of stage areas 9A, 9B, 9C provided on the stage 9 and the control panel 6. Display control for the LED group 36 and the LED group 47 is performed to clearly indicate the correspondence between the plurality of stage area selection buttons 42A, 42B, and 42C (FIGS. 10, steps B1 to B3).

For example, as shown in FIG. 14A, the CPU 20 simultaneously lights the LEDs 36-1 to 36-4 mounted on the area frame of the stage area 9A and the LEDs 47A mounted on the stage area selection button 42A for 1 second. (Step B1). After that, as shown in FIG. 14B, the CPU 20 simultaneously lights the LEDs 36-4 to 36-7 mounted on the area frame of the stage area 9B and the LEDs 47B mounted on the stage area selection button 42B for 1 second. (Step B2). After that, as shown in FIG. 14C, the CPU 20 simultaneously lights the LEDs 36-7 to 36-10 mounted on the area frame of the stage area 9C and the LEDs 47C mounted on the stage area selection button 42C for 1 second. (Step B3).

That is, the area frames of the stage areas 9A, 9B, 9C and the LEDs 47A, 47B, 47C mounted on the stage area selection buttons 42A, 42B, 42C for selecting the respective stage areas 9A, 9B, 9C are synchronized. By turning on the lights, the customer can easily grasp the correspondence between the stage areas 9A, 9B, 9C and the stage area selection buttons 42A, 42B, 42C.

While the coin insertion sensor 41 has not detected that the coin has been inserted by the customer (steps A2, No), the CPU 20 displays the LED group 36 and the LED group 47 shown in FIGS. 14A, B, and 47. The control is repeatedly executed (steps B1 to B3).

When it is detected by the coin insertion sensor 41 that a coin has been inserted during the execution of the attract mode process (steps A2, Yes), the CPU 20 executes the stage selection process (step A3). In the stage selection process, the CPU 20 outputs the BGM for the stage selection process from the speaker 10 instead of the BGM for the attract mode process, and stops (turns off) the display of all the area frames by the LED group 36 (FIG. FIG. 11. Step C1).

The CPU 20 calculates the total amount of inserted coins in response to the detection signal notified from the coin insertion sensor 41 and records the credit data in the RAM 21, and the 7SEG LED 46 indicates the total amount (total number of credits). Is displayed (step C2). The CPU 20 determines whether the total amount indicated by the credit data has reached a preset value for the stage areas 9A, 9B, and 9C.

For example, products having different prices are placed in the stage areas 9A, 9B, and 9C, and the price of the product is set as a set value for the stage areas 9A, 9B, and 9C, and is stored in the RAM 21 or stored in advance when the product is replaced. Recorded on device 22. When the control panel 6 has the configuration shown in FIG. 8, a number indicating a set value (price) set for each stage area 9A, 9B, 9C is displayed for the 7SEG LEDs 46A, 46B, 46C. To.

When the credit data for the set value corresponding to any stage area is recorded (step C3, Yes), the CPU 20 sets the area frame of the stage area that can be selected by the number of credits inserted and the stage corresponding to the credit data. The area selection button is blinked and displayed in synchronization with each other, for example, every 0.5 seconds (step C4). For example, when the total amount indicated by the credit data due to the insertion of coins exceeds the set value set for the stage area 9A (steps C3, Yes), the CPU 20 is as shown in FIG. 15 (A). The area frame (LEDs 36-1 to 36-4) of the stage area 9A and the LED 47A of the stage area selection button 42A are synchronized and displayed in blinking every 0.5 seconds (step C4).

Here, when credit data for a set value corresponding to a plurality of stage areas is recorded, the CPU 20 synchronizes while switching between the area frame of the selectable stage area and the stage area selection button corresponding to each. Let it light up and display. For example, when the total amount indicated by the credit data due to the insertion of coins exceeds the set value set for the stage areas 9A and 9B (steps C3 and Yes), the CPU 20 is shown in FIG. 15 (A). As shown, FIG. 15B shows 0.5 seconds after the area frame (LEDs 36-1 to 36-4) of the stage area 9A and the LED 47A of the stage area selection button 42A are blinked in synchronization with each other. As shown in the above, the area frame (LEDs 36-4 to 36-7) of the stage area 9B and the LED 47B of the stage area selection button 42B are synchronized and blinked (step C4).

Further, when the total amount of input exceeding the set value set for the three stage areas 9A, 9B, and 9C is input (steps C3, Yes), the stage area 9C is further described in the same manner as described above. A blinking display in which the area frame (LEDs 36-7 to 36-10) and the LED47C of the stage area selection button 42C are synchronized is added (step C4).

In the above description, when a plurality of stage areas can be selected, the selectable stage area area frame and the corresponding stage area selection button are switched and displayed in synchronization with each other. However, the area frames of the plurality of selectable stage areas and the plurality of stage area selection buttons corresponding to each may be blinked or lit at the same time. Further, the selectable stage area area frame and the corresponding stage area selection button may be displayed in the same display color.

As a result, the correspondence between the stage areas 9A, 9B, 9C that can be selected by the amount of money invested so far for the customer and the stage area selection buttons 42A, 42B, 42C that need to be operated to select each of them. Can be easily grasped.

When the CPU 20 detects that the selectable stage area selection button (the button that is blinking) is pressed by the area selection signal from the stage area selection button 42 (steps C5, Yes), the selected stage area is selected. Is recorded in the RAM 21, and the set value selected in the selected stage area is subtracted from the current credit data and stored (step C6). That is, the CPU 20 completes the payment of the price for the product. Further, the CPU 20 switches to the display of a number indicating the remaining credits on the 7SEG LED 46.

When the stage selection process is completed, the CPU 20 then executes the crane operation process (step A4). In the crane operation process, the CPU 20 outputs the BGM for the crane operation process from the speaker 10 instead of the BGM for the stage selection process, and stops (turns off) the display of all the area frames by the LED group 36 (FIG. FIG. 12, step D1).

After that, the CPU 20 lights the area frame (LED group 36) of the stage area selected by the operation of the customer's stage area selection button 42, and displays the preset value of the game time on the 7SEG LED 46 (step). D2). By lighting only the area frame of the selected stage area, it is possible to clearly indicate to the customer the stage area in which the crane catcher 2 should be operated. The set value of the game time indicates the remaining time that enables the customer to operate the 8-direction lever 43.

The CPU 20 repeatedly blinks the LED 47D mounted on the 8-direction lever 43 (for example, every 0.5 seconds), and updates the display of the game time (remaining time) on the 7SEG LED 46 by 1 every second. (Step D2).

When the CPU 20 detects the customer's operation on the 8-direction lever 43 by the operation direction signal from the 8-direction lever 43 (steps D4, Yes), the X-axis motor drive unit 24 or the Y-axis motor drive unit 25 depends on the operation direction. To move the crane catcher 2 in the horizontal direction (step D5).

Even after the operation on the 8-direction lever 43 is started, the CPU 20 continuously updates the display of the game time (remaining time) on the 7SEG LED 46 so as to decrease by 1 every second. Further, the CPU 20 outputs a sound effect from the speaker 10 and turns on the LED 47D of the 8-direction lever 43 only while the lever operation indicating which direction is being performed with respect to the 8-direction lever 43. Further, while the lever is not operated with respect to the 8-direction lever 43, the CPU 20 blinks the LED 47D of the 8-direction lever 43 (for example, every 0.5 seconds). The CPU 20 repeatedly blinks (for example, every 0.5 seconds) with respect to the LED 47E of the grip button 44 in order to clearly indicate to the customer that the operation is possible (step D6).

The CPU 20 limits the horizontal movement of the crane catcher 2 according to the stage area selected by the operation of the stage area selection button 42.

For example, the CPU 20 has a first restriction pattern that allows the crane catcher 2 to move only in the selected stage area, a selected stage area, and a stage area in which a set value lower than the selected stage area is set. The moving range of the crane catcher 2 can be limited by any of the second limiting pattern that makes the crane catcher 2 movable and the third limiting pattern that mixes the first limiting pattern and the second limiting pattern.

Which of the first to third restriction patterns is used may be collectively set for a plurality of product providing devices 1 in, for example, the management server 100 or the store server 130, or the manager or the like may individually set the products. It may be set for the providing device 1.

For example, among the stage areas 9A, 9B, and 9C, the cheapest product is placed in the stage area 9A, the highest product is placed in the stage area 9C, and the set value (price) corresponding to each product is set. It is assumed that the stage areas 9A, 9B, and 9C are set.

In this case, when the second limiting pattern is set, when the stage area 9C is selected, the crane catcher 2 responds to the operation of the 8-direction lever 43 in any of the range of the stage areas 9A, 9B, and 9C. Move horizontally. Further, when the third restriction pattern is set, for example, when any of the stage areas 9A and 9B is selected, the crane catcher 2 is limited to the range of either the stage area 9A or the stage area 9B corresponding to each. When the stage area 9C is selected, the crane catcher 2 can be moved in the entire range of the stage areas 9A, 9B, and 9C.

When limiting the moving range of the crane catcher 2, the CPU 20 moves the crane catcher 2 out of the movable range depending on the position of the crane catcher 2 detected by the crane sensor 35, even if the crane catcher 2 is operated by the 8-direction lever 43. The X-axis motor drive unit 24 and the Y-axis motor drive unit 25 are controlled so as not to be moved.

In this way, by limiting the moving range of the crane catcher 2 according to the stage area selected by operating the stage area selection button 42, even if a plurality of stage areas 9A, 9B, 9C are provided, the customer mistakenly makes a mistake. The crane catcher 2 is not moved by the operation, and the play time does not elapse due to the unnecessary operation.

In this way, after the crane catcher 2 is moved by the operation of the 8-direction lever 43 by the customer, when the operation for the grip button 44 is detected by the sequence execution signal (step D7, Yes), the CPU 20 executes the gripping process (step A5). ). In the grabbing process, the CPU 20 outputs the BGM for the grabbing process from the speaker 10 and lights the area frame of the selected stage area. Further, the CPU 20 lights the area frame (LED group 36) of the stage area selected by the operation of the customer's stage area selection button 42, displays the game time (remaining time) on the 7SEG LED 46, and displays the game time (remaining time) on the 8-direction lever 43. LED47D is turned off (step E1).

In the product acquisition sequence by the crane catcher 2, the tip of the crane catcher 2 is not lowered to the set position to reach the product, but is stopped at an arbitrary height by the operation of the grip button 44 again to stop the crane catcher. When the arm (claw) of 2 is controlled so that the gripping operation can be performed, the LED 47E of the gripping button 44 is blinked to indicate that the gripping button 44 can be operated.

The CPU 20 operates the Z-axis motor drive unit 26 to lower the crane catcher 2 to a set position, and operates the arm drive unit 27 to close the arm 2a (claw) (grab the product) (step E2). ..

After that, the CPU 20 raises the crane catcher 2 by the Z-axis motor drive unit 26, and when it rises to the highest point, the CPU 20 raises the crane catcher 2 to above the product drop port 4 by the X-axis motor drive unit 24 and the Y-axis motor drive unit 25. After the horizontal movement, the arm driving unit 27 opens the arm 2a (releases the product) (step E3).

Here, when the product detection signal is not input, that is, when the product cannot be acquired by the crane catcher 2 (steps A6, No), the CPU 20 again performs the crane operation process if the remaining game time is not 0. Return and accept the operation of the 8-direction lever 43 by the customer. That is, while there is remaining game time, the customer operates the 8-direction lever 43 to operate the crane catcher 2 and acquires the product placed on the stage 9 until the product can be acquired. It can be executed repeatedly. Since the operation of the crane catcher 2 by the 8-direction lever 43 is the same as that of a general crane game machine, the operation for acquiring a product can be enjoyed in the same way as when playing a game. Further, since the tip of the arm 2a of the crane catcher 2 is formed in a claw shape and is equipped with non-slip rubber or the like, it is easier to obtain the product more stably than the crane game machine. It is possible to give the customer a feeling of satisfaction by acquiring the product.

When the product detection signal is input and it is detected that the product has been acquired (step S6, Yes), the CPU 20 accepts the input operation if there is no remaining credit (step A10, "not"). Stop (game over) and shift to attract mode processing (step A11). If there are remaining credits (step A10, "yes"), the CPU 20 shifts to the stage selection process and executes the same process as described above.

If the product is not acquired by the customer's operation even if the remaining game time becomes 0 (step A7, Yes), the CPU 20 has the error output setting in advance (step A8, Yes). , Execute error processing for notifying that the product has not been acquired (step A9). For example, the error number is displayed on the 7SEG LED 46, the effect LED, the display device, the lighting, etc. provided in the product providing device 1 are displayed in a state indicating the occurrence of an error, or a message or error for notifying the occurrence of an error. The voice, BGM, etc. are output from the speaker 10, and the store server 130 is notified via the network 131. As a result, it is possible to reliably notify the manager or the like that the customer has not acquired the product, and provide the product corresponding to the price paid by the customer by the work of the manager or the like.

The error output settings may be collectively set for a plurality of product providing devices 1 in, for example, the management server 100 or the store server 130, or may be individually set for the product providing device 1 by an administrator or the like. You may try to do it. If the error output is not set (steps A8, No), the CPU 20 does not execute the error processing.

In this way, in the product providing device 1 according to the first embodiment, the customer selects one of the stage areas by operating the stage area selection button 42, so that the product providing device 1 is placed in the plurality of stage areas A, B, and C. It is possible to arbitrarily specify a desired product from a plurality of products having different prices. Further, since the customer can acquire the product placed in the selected stage area by operating the 8-direction lever 43 and the grip button 44, the operation of acquiring the product can be enjoyed.

The product providing device 1 of the first embodiment can be implemented in combination with the configuration of the second embodiment described later. Further, in the above description, when the stage area selection buttons 42A, 42B, 42C and the stage areas 9A, 9B, 9C are clearly associated with each other, an example of synchronizing the blinking or lighting of the LED groups 36, 47 is shown. However, it is also possible to use other display forms such as making the display colors the same.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the product providing device 1 according to the second embodiment. The same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The product providing device 1 in the second embodiment mounts a touch screen 60 in place of the plurality of buttons 42, 43, 44 and 7SEG LEDs 46 and the display device of the LED group 47 provided on the control panel 6 in the first embodiment. It is a configuration that has been made. The touch screen 60 is a device including a touch panel 61 and a display 62, and can select buttons and menus by touching (touching) the screen with a finger.

Further, the product providing device 1 of the second embodiment may be configured such that the camera 55 is mounted on the upper part of the housing at a position where the entire range of the stage 9 on which the product is placed can be photographed. ..

In the product providing device 1 of the second embodiment, by providing the touch screen 60, the operation of the crane catcher 2 and the like can be controlled by the touch operation on the touch screen 60, and the details of the product mounted on the stage 9 are provided. Information can be provided to customers.

Next, the operation of the product providing device 1 in the second embodiment will be described. The product providing device 1 in the second embodiment is basically executed in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and the description of substantially the same processing will be omitted. Hereinafter, the stage selection process and the crane operation process, which are characteristic of the second embodiment, will be described. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the stage selection process shown in FIG. 9, and FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the crane operation process shown in FIG.

In the stage selection process, the CPU 20 outputs the BGM for the stage selection process from the speaker 10 instead of the BGM for the attract mode process, displays the stage selection screen on the touch screen 60 (step C10), and displays the LED group. The display of all area frames by 36 is stopped (turned off) (step C11).

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a stage selection screen. The stage selection screen is provided with a stage area selection button 70 (70A, 70B, 70C), a decision button 71, a credit display area 72, an operation guide message area 73, and a product information area 75.

The stage area selection buttons 70 (70A, 70B, 70C) are for inputting a customer's instruction to select one of a plurality of stage areas provided on the stage 9, and correspond to each of the plurality of stage areas. Is provided. The stage area selection buttons 70A, 70B, and 70C correspond to the stage areas 9A, 9B, and 9C, respectively, and are arranged so as to have the same positional relationship as the stage areas 9A, 9B, and 9C. When the stage area selection buttons 70A, 70B, and 70C are touched by the customer, the display form is changed so as to indicate the selected state.

The decision button 71 is a button for inputting a selection confirmation (decision) instruction when any of the stage area selection buttons 70A, 70B, and 70C is in the selected state.

In the credit display area 72, the total amount (credit data) of the inserted coins is displayed.

In the operation guide message area 73, an operation guide message for explaining the input operation method on the stage selection screen to the customer is displayed. For example, an operation guide message for guiding the operation contents that can be operated next, such as a selection operation for the stage area selection button 70 and a selection operation for the enter button 71, is displayed according to the operation by the customer.

The product information area 75 is an area for displaying information about the product placed on the stage area corresponding to the button selected by the stage area selection button 70. In the initial state, nothing is displayed. For example, as shown in FIG. 19, when the stage area selection button 70C is in the selected state, the product placed on the stage area 9A corresponding to the stage area selection button 70C. Information is displayed.

The product information area 75 includes, for example, a product name display area 76, a price display area 77, a product image display area 78, and a product description area 79. The product name is displayed in the product name display area 76. In the price display area 77, the price of the product (indicating the set value for the stage area) is displayed. An image of the product is displayed in the product image display area 78. In the product description area 79, description data (for example, text data) about the product is displayed.

In the product information area 75, each information is displayed in each area based on, for example, data related to the product provided from the management server 100 (image data and price data of the product, explanatory data about the product, etc.). Further, each data may be displayed in the product information area 75 based on not only the data provided by the management server 100 but also the data individually input to the store server 130 or the product providing device 1. good. Further, for the product, not only the data displayed in the product information area 75 but also the explanation about the product and the like may be output by voice from the speaker 10.

The CPU 20 calculates the total amount of inserted coins in response to the detection signal notified from the coin insertion sensor 41, records the credit data in the RAM 21, and records the total amount (total number of credits) in the credit display area 72. The indicated number is displayed (step C12). The CPU 20 determines whether the total amount indicated by the credit data has reached a preset value for the stage areas 9A, 9B, and 9C.

When the credit data for the set value corresponding to any stage area is recorded (step C13, Yes), the CPU 20 associates the stage area that can be selected by the number of credits inserted with the stage area selection button. Is displayed (step C14). For example, similarly to the first embodiment, the selectable stage area and the stage area selection button can be synchronized and displayed in a blinking manner. Further, when there are a plurality of selectable stage areas, the CPU 20 can clearly indicate the correspondence by displaying the selectable stage areas and the stage area selection buttons in different display colors for each combination. ..

When the stage area selection button 70 is selected by the customer touching the touch screen 60 (steps C15, Yes), the CPU 20 changes the display form of the selected stage area selection button 70 so as to represent the selected state. At the same time, the information of the product placed in the stage area corresponding to the selected button is displayed in the product information area 75 (step C16). FIG. 19 shows an example of a state in which information about a product placed on the stage area 9C is displayed when the stage area selection button 70C is in the selected state.

Here, when another stage area selection button 70 is selected (step C15, Yes), similarly, the product placed in the stage area corresponding to the newly selected stage area selection button 70 is related. The information is displayed in the product information area 75. FIG. 20 shows an example of a state in which information about a product placed on the stage area 9B is displayed when the stage area selection button 70B is in the selected state.

In this way, by selecting the stage area selection button 70 displayed on the touch screen 60, the customer can easily know the details of the products placed in the stage areas 9A, 9B, 9C through the product information area 75. You can consider the product you are trying to acquire.

When the CPU 20 detects that the enter button 71 is selected when any of the stage area selection buttons 70 is in the selected state (steps C17, Yes), the selected stage area is recorded in the RAM 21 and the selected stage is recorded. The set value selected for the area is subtracted from the current credit data and stored (step C18). That is, the CPU 20 completes the payment of the price for the product. The CPU 20 switches to displaying a number representing the remaining credits in the credit display area 72.
Then, the CPU 20 switches the display of the touch screen 60 to the operation screen for the next crane operation process (step C19).

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of the first operation screen in the second embodiment. On the first operation screen shown in FIG. 21, for example, instead of displaying the product information area 75, as an image for inputting an instruction to operate the crane catcher 2, for example, an operation of moving the crane catcher 2 in the horizontal direction is performed. The cross button 80 (corresponding to the 8-direction lever 43 of the first embodiment) and the grasping button 81 (corresponding to the grasping button 44 of the first embodiment) are displayed. Further, the operation guide message area 82 for displaying the operation guide message for explaining the input operation method on the first operation screen to the customer is displayed.

In the crane operation process, the CPU 20 detects a touch operation on the cross button 80 and the gripping button 81, and acquires the product mounted on the stage 9 from the crane catcher 2 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. To perform the action for. In the operation guide message area 82, a message for prompting an input operation for each of the cross button 80 and the gripping button 81 is displayed in response to the input operation by the customer.

In the example of the first operation screen shown in FIG. 21, the cross button 80 is provided, but a button capable of instructing eight directions may be provided in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Further, since the direction can be instructed in all directions of 360 ° by the touch operation on the touch screen 60, the crane can be instructed in any direction by the touch operation (flick operation, slide operation, swipe operation, etc.). The catcher 2 may be moved. In addition to instructing the execution of the product acquisition sequence by the grip button 81, the height of the crane catcher 2 is adjusted by, for example, a slide operation, and the arm 2a grips the product when the finger is released from the touch screen 60. May be executed. That is, the operation of the crane catcher 2 can be controlled by receiving various instructions different from the mechanical button operation by the customer touching the touch screen 60 or the like.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of a second operation screen according to the second embodiment. The second operation screen shown in FIG. 22 displays, for example, a stage image display area 85 for displaying an image of the stage 9 taken by the camera 55 and an operation guide message area 86 instead of displaying the product information area 75. .. In the stage image display area 85, for example, an enlarged image of the stage area selected by the stage area selection button 70 is displayed. In the stage image display area 85, the destination of the crane catcher 2 can be instructed by a touch operation. For example, by touching the product placed on the stage area displayed in the stage image display area 85, the position of this product can be instructed as the moving destination of the crane catcher 2. In the operation guide message area 86, an operation guide message for explaining the operation for the stage image display area 85 is displayed.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a crane operation process when the second operation screen is used.
The description of steps D11 and D12 will be omitted assuming that they are executed in the same manner as steps D1 and D2 of the flowchart shown in FIG.

The CPU 20 generates a stage image obtained by enlarging the selected stage area from the images of the stage 9 taken by the camera 55 according to the stage area selected by the stage area selection button 70, and generates the stage image display area 85. Is displayed (step D13).

Here, when a customer touch operation on the stage image displayed in the stage image display area 85 is detected (step D14, Yes), the CPU 20 moves the crane catcher 2 to the touch-operated position in the stage image. The X-axis motor drive unit 24 and the Y-axis motor drive unit 25 are operated in this manner (step D15).

In this way, in the crane operation process using the second operation screen, the product to be acquired is selected by touching the product in the stage image displayed in the stage image display area 85, and the crane catcher 2 is used. It can be specified as a move destination. As a result, it is possible to control the operation of the crane catcher 2 by a simple operation and acquire the product.

The operation of the crane catcher 2 using the first operation screen or the second operation screen in the second embodiment can be applied not only to the product providing device 1 but also to the crane game machine. That is, instead of the buttons and the like generally provided on the crane game machine, the above-mentioned touch screen 60 is mounted to display the first operation screen or the second operation screen, and the customer's touch operation or the like can be performed in the same manner as described above. Accordingly, the movement of the crane catcher and the like can be controlled.

In the description of each of the above-described embodiments, the price of the product is input from the coin slot 7 by coins, but for example, electronic money may be used for payment. For example, when a card-type electronic money card can be used, the product providing device 1 is provided with a reader / writer for accepting payment by electronic money.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, a configuration in which the product is acquired by using the crane catcher 2, that is, a configuration in which the product is gripped and transported to the product drop port 4 is described, but a plurality of configurations provided in the housing are described. As long as the product placed on the stage can be provided outside the housing, it is possible to provide a mechanism for acquiring the product other than the crane catcher 2.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and at the implementation stage, the components can be modified and embodied within a range that does not deviate from the gist thereof. In addition, various inventions can be formed by an appropriate combination of the plurality of components disclosed in the above-described embodiment. For example, some components may be removed from all the components shown in the embodiments. In addition, components across different embodiments may be combined as appropriate.

Further, the method described in the embodiment includes, for example, a magnetic disk (flexible disk, hard disk, etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, MO, Blu-ray (CD-ROM, DVD, MO, Blu-ray)) as a program (software means) that can be executed by a computer. It can also be stored in a recording medium such as a registered trademark), a semiconductor memory (ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc.), or transmitted and distributed by a communication medium. The program stored on the medium side also includes a setting program for configuring the software means (including not only the execution program but also the table and the data structure) to be executed by the computer in the computer. A computer that realizes this device reads a program recorded on a recording medium, constructs software means by a setting program in some cases, and executes the above-described processing by controlling the operation by the software means. The recording medium referred to in the present specification is not limited to distribution, and includes storage media such as magnetic disks and semiconductor memories provided in devices connected inside a computer or via a network.

1 ... Product provision device, 2 ... Crane catcher, 4 ... Product drop port, 5 ... Product take-out port, 6 ... Control panel, 7 ... Coin slot, 8 ... Transparent plate, 9 ... Stage, 10 ... Speaker, 11 ... Control PCB, 20 ... CPU, 24 ... X-axis motor drive unit, 25 ... Y-axis motor drive unit, 26 ... Z-axis motor drive unit, 30 ... X-axis motor, 31 ... Y-axis motor, 32 ... Z-axis motor, 34 ... Product detection sensor.

Claims (3)

A stage provided in the housing, which is divided into multiple stage areas on which products are placed, and
A product acquisition means having a mechanism for acquiring a product placed on the stage, and
A first display means for individually specifying the plurality of stage areas, and
Displaying a plurality of buttons corresponding to each of the plurality of staging area, a touch screen with a touch panel and de Isupurei,
A second display means that clearly indicates the selection target of any of the plurality of buttons in association with the stage area specified by the first display means.
A first input means for inputting an instruction to select a product in response to a touch operation on the touch panel.
A product information display means for displaying product information according to an instruction input by the first input means on the display, and a product information display means.
A second input means for inputting an instruction to cause the product acquisition means to acquire a product in response to a touch operation on the touch panel.
A product providing device having a control means for causing the product acquisition means to execute an operation for acquiring a product placed on the stage in response to an instruction input by the second input means. The product providing device according to claim 1, wherein the second input means displays an image for inputting an instruction for operating the product acquisition means on the display, and inputs the instruction in response to a touch operation on the image. Further having a camera provided at a position where the stage can be photographed,
The second input means causes the display to display an image taken by the camera, and inputs a position in the image by operating the touch panel.
The product providing device according to claim 1, wherein the control means moves the product acquisition means according to a position input by an operation on the touch panel.

Images