JPH0554255A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the automatic vending machine which can automatically and properly determine the heating time of an article. CONSTITUTION:The automatic vending machine which sells articles frozen and stored in itself reads the bar code of an article by a reader while the article is sent from its storage shelf to a heating device when coins are thrown in and a push button is pressed to decide the kind of the article, sets the heating time according to data, and heats the article for the time, so its quality of taste can be held in its initial state. The labor and time for setting and inputting the heating time can be omitted and the operation efficiency at the time of replacement of articles is improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic vending machine which has a refrigerating device in the machine, stores frozen products such as frozen foods, and heats the products based on a sales signal to send them to a product outlet for sale. ..

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional vending machine with a built-in heating device such as a microwave oven, the heating time of the product is a constant value for all the products stored frozen, and the heating time is changed depending on each product. Therefore, it is known that a customer sets and inputs a heating time corresponding to the product for each product by using a keyboard or the like.

[0003]

However, when the heating time of all products is constant, it is not necessary to set the heating time, but the optimum heating time peculiar to each product cannot be obtained. There was a problem that it could not be ensured and it was significantly reduced. Further, when the customer sets the heating time for each product, it is troublesome because the setting is troublesome, and there is a problem that a manual or the like describing the heating time is required.

In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic vending machine capable of automatically and appropriately determining the heating time of products.

[0005]

In order to solve the above problems, an automatic vending machine according to the present invention is a vending machine for selling products that are frozen and stored in the machine, and a reading means for reading a bar code of a product package, A heating means for heating the product, a carry-out means for carrying out the heated product, a data storage means for storing the correspondence data between the bar code of the product and the heating time, and the type of the product is determined by the bar code at the time of selling the product. However, it is provided with a discriminating means for reading and setting the optimum heating time from the storage means, and a control means for controlling the heating time of the heating means based on the signal from the discriminating means. Further, in this vending machine, the heating means shall be a microwave oven. Also, the barcode can be easily read by attaching it to the product package.

[0006]

According to the present invention, when money is inserted and the push button is pressed, the type of the product is discriminated by the reading device that reads the bar code while the product is being sent from the storage shelf to the heating device, and the heating time is based on the data. Set and heat for that time.

[0007]

2 is a block diagram showing the construction of an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, 1 is a product storage shelf for storing products, 2 is a reading device for reading a barcode attached to the products, 3 is a product detection switch, 4 is a heating device such as a microwave oven, 5 is a product outlet, 6 is a control unit,
Reference numeral 7 is a product selection push button, 8 is a coin mech, and 9 is a storage unit for storing data.

The operation of the apparatus having the above configuration will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, when money is inserted into the coin mech 8 and a product is selected, a product sale command is output from the control unit 6 and the product is unloaded from the product storage shelf 1 (step S1). Next, it is detected whether or not the product comes to the bar code reading device position (step S2), and when the product comes to the bar code reading device position, the bar code is read (step S4). Then, the corresponding data table of the bar code and the heating time stored in advance is searched (step S6), and then the heating time is set (step S6).
7) and proceeds to step S8. It should be noted that when the product has not arrived in step S2, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has passed (step S3), and when the predetermined time has passed, a failure is displayed (step S5).

Next, it is detected whether or not the product is in the heating device (step S8), and if it is in the heating device, the product is heated (step S9). Then, it is determined whether or not the heating time has ended (step S12), and when the heating time has ended, the product is carried out to the exit 5 (step S13), and a standby state is entered (step S14). When it cannot be detected in step S8, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed (step S9), and when it has elapsed, a failure display is displayed (step S11).

[0010]

According to the present invention, the bar code read on the product package can be discriminated to determine the type of the product and the optimum heating time can be set, so that the taste quality can be maintained as desired. In addition, it is possible to omit the labor of setting and inputting the heating time, and thus the work efficiency at the time of exchanging products is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a complaint vending machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control operation according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 product storage rack 2 reader 3 product detection switch 4 heating device 5 product outlet 6 control unit 7 product selection push button 8 coin mech 9 storage unit

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An automatic vending machine for selling products stored frozen in the machine, a reading unit for reading a bar code of a product package, a heating unit for heating the product, and a carrying-out unit for carrying out the heated product. A data storage means for storing correspondence data between a bar code of a product and a heating time; a determination means for determining the kind of the product by the bar code at the time of selling the product and reading and setting an optimum heating time from the storage means; A vending machine comprising: a control unit that controls a heating time of the heating unit based on a signal from the determination unit. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the heating means comprises a microwave oven. 3. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a bar code is attached to the product package.