JPH064744A - Automatic vending machine and data loader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To collect/set sales and vending data between the automatic vending machines in the different versions of systems. CONSTITUTION:At automatic vending machines 7 and 9, the write of sales and setting data into automatic vending machine memories 6 for storing sales and setting data is managed for each unit of a block, and data in the memories 6 are transferred to data loaders 8 for each unit of a block. The version of the automatic vending machine 7 is compared with that of the automatic vending machine 9 and when the versions are different, an operator is informed of it. Then, transfer data to be lacked in the case of the different version are prepared based on the input data of the operator. Further, when sales and setting data written in an absolute address managing system are transmitted from an automatic vending machine 11, those data are converted to a block managing system and sent to another automatic vending machine 12.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine and a data loader for collecting and setting data of the vending machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Some vending machines record the results of sales and sales, or the setting contents as data in an internal memory. Conventionally, management of these data is performed by an absolute address management system. FIG. 10 shows a case where the data stored in the conventional vending machine 21 is written to another vending machine 22 via the data loader 23.
In the collection of the data loader 23, each data is transferred from the vending machine 21 together with the absolute address. In the next setting, the data collected from the data loader 23 is transferred together with the absolute address and written in the vending machine 22. The system versions of the vending machines 21 and 22 are both A. In this way, data can be transferred between the vending machines 21 and 22 having the same version.

[0003]

However, when the versions of the vending machines to which data is transferred are different from each other, the compatibility of the data is lost and the data cannot be transferred. FIG. 11 shows a case where the versions are different from each other due to a version upgrade or the like. Even if the data read from the vending machine 24 to the data loader 23 is written to the vending machine 25, the versions are different from each other. The number of data bytes, etc. is different, and writing will result in incorrect data.

Therefore, there is an inconvenience that the data transfer between the vending machines is limited to the case where the versions are the same. The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic vending machine capable of collecting / setting sales data and sales data even between vending machines having different system versions. Machine and data loader.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the first invention is an automatic vending machine which stores sales and setting data in a memory and blocks writing of the sales and setting data to the memory. It is characterized by comprising means for managing in units and means for transferring the data in the memory to the data loader in units of blocks.

A second aspect of the present invention is a data loader for reading sales and setting data from an automatic vending machine and transferring the data to another automatic vending machine. And comparing the versions with each other and notifying the operator of that when the versions are different, and creating a shortage of the transfer data when the versions are different based on the operator's input.

A third aspect of the present invention is a data loader for reading sales and setting data from an automatic vending machine and transferring the data to another automatic vending machine, in which the sales and setting data written by the absolute address management method is automatically sold. When it is transmitted from the vending machine, it is provided with means for converting it to a block management system and transferring it to another vending machine.

[0008]

In the vending machine according to the first aspect of the present invention, sales and writing of setting data to the memory of the vending machine is managed in block units, and the data in the memory is transferred to the data loader in block units. .

In the data loader of the second invention, the version of the vending machine that has transmitted the data is compared with the version of the vending machine of the transfer destination, and if they are different, the operator is informed of that and the transfer is performed. A data shortage is created based on the operator's input data and sent to the transfer destination.

In the data loader of the third invention, when the sales and setting data written by the absolute address management system is transmitted from the vending machine, the data is converted into the block management system and then other automatic data is converted. It is sent to the vending machine and written.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are explanatory views showing a memory management system of an automatic vending machine according to the first invention. In FIG. 1, setting data and sales data in the vending machine are written in the memory 6.

The memory 6 has a table information area 6a.
And a data area 6b. Actual setting data and sales data are written in blocks in the data area 6b. The table information area 6a stores data for managing individual blocks of the data area 6b.

FIG. 2 shows the table information area 6a in more detail, and shows the number of bytes in the entire corresponding block, the block number, the number of data in the block, and the structure (number) of the data in the block. Numerical values are written in order and configured. By managing the memory 6 in the vending machine in this manner, it is possible to easily change the absolute address, add or delete blocks in the vending machine. Further, as a result, even when the vending machine is upgraded, the data compatibility with the vending machine of the old version is improved, and the data collection / setting for the vending machine of the data loader becomes easy.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the data loader of the second invention. The figure shows that the data of the vending machine 7 of the old version is read by the data loader 8 and then written to the vending machine 9 of the new version. Specifically, the vending machine 7 is connected to the data loader 8, and table information and data are read from the memory of the vending machine 7 and stored in the data loader 8. Then
The vending machine 9 is connected to the data loader 8. Here, the data loader 8 compares the versions of the vending machine 7 and the vending machine 9 and checks whether the versions match.

If they match, the read data is written in the memory of the vending machine 9 as it is. If they do not match, the notifying means (not shown) notifies the operator that the versions are different, and the table information of the vending machine 7 already stored in the data loader 8 is compared with the table information of the vending machine 9. , The data to be written is adjusted to the vending machine 9 and then written to the vending machine 9. At this time, when new data is created, it is based on the input contents from the operator.

FIG. 4 is also a data loader 8 of the second invention.
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the vending machine, showing a case where the versions of the vending machine 7 and the vending machine 9 are different and the number of block data is further reduced. That is, the data read from the vending machine 7 to the data loader 8 is composed of four blocks, and the writing destination vending machine 9 is composed of three blocks. Therefore, in the data loader 8, the block 4 is deleted from the read data to newly create data consisting of 3 blocks, and the data is written in the vending machine 9.

FIG. 5 is also a data loader 8 of the second invention.
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the vending machine, showing a case where the versions of the vending machine 7 and the vending machine 9 are different and the number of block data is further increased. That is, the data read from the vending machine 7 to the data loader 8 is composed of three blocks, and the writing destination vending machine 9 is composed of four blocks.

In this case, the data loader 8 informs the operator that the versions of the automatic vending machine 7 and the automatic vending machine 9 do not match by an informing means (not shown) and also indicates that the data is insufficient. To do.
Next, the data loader 8 writes the data of blocks 1 to 3 read from the vending machine 7 to the vending machine 9 and waits for the setting value input from the operator,
The data of the insufficient block 4 is created and then written into the vending machine 9.

FIG. 6 is also a data loader 8 of the second invention.
Is a diagram for explaining the operation of the vending machine 7, and shows a case where the versions of the vending machine 7 and the vending machine 9 are different and the structures of some blocks are also different. That is, block 2,
As for 4, the read block and the written block have different structures. In this case, the data loader 8 informs the operator that the versions of the vending machine 7 and the vending machine 9 do not match by an informing means (not shown) and also displays that the structure of the data block is different.

Next, the data loader 8 is used by the vending machine 7
Since the blocks 1 and 3 read from are the same data structure, the blocks 1 and 3 are written to the vending machine 9 as they are, and the data of blocks 2 and 4 are created by waiting for the input of the set value from the operator. Write to 9.

Thus, the data loader 8 of the second invention
Compares the vending machine 7 that reads data with the vending machine 9 that writes data. If the versions do not match, the notifying means notifies the operator and prompts the operator to input setting data. As a result, the operator can transfer the data without being concerned about the version, only by inputting the requested data only when notified. Even if the versions do not match, by inputting the insufficient setting data, an insufficient block is created and the data can be transferred.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the data loader of the third invention. The vending machine 11 manages the memory by the absolute address method, and the vending machine 12 manages the memory by the block management method. The data loader 13 to which the vending machines 11 and 12 are connected reads the memory and collects data.

The data loader 13 is used in the vending machine 11
The data by the absolute address method read from the data is divided into blocks, and table information for each block is created and stored together. In this way, all the data read from the vending machines 11 and 12 are stored by the block management method. Also,
The stored data can be written in block units to a connected vending machine as needed. As a result, data can be freely transferred between vending machines having different memory management methods.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a communication procedure performed between the vending machine and the data loader configured as described above. As shown in the figure, first, the vending machine issues a data loader standby command to the data loader. When the data loader is connected, the data loader receives the standby command and returns a response to the vending machine. Next, the data loader issues an address data request command to the vending machine.

The vending machine that has received the address data request command transmits address information to the data loader if the internal memory management system of the vending machine is the absolute address system. If the block management method is used, password information is transmitted. The data loader has address information,
The memory management system in the vending machine of the other party is discriminated depending on which of the password information is received, and the A / B vending machine determination flag of FIG. By providing this flag, it is possible to store the data of a plurality of vending machines having different memory management methods in a mixed manner in one data loader.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a memory management system in the data loader. This data loader
As in the case of the vending machine shown in FIG. 1, the memory is divided into blocks and a vending machine data management area for storing management information for each block is provided.

In the figure, the vending machine data management area stores the management information for each vending machine. In the case of absolute address management, the management information includes an A / B vending machine determination flag, a model code, a vending machine side address information size, a vending machine side address information pointer, a vending machine data size, and a vending machine data pointer. In the case of block management, it is an A / B vending machine determination flag, a model code, a vending machine data size, and a vending machine data pointer.

The vending machine data storage area is constituted by the designated contents of the vending machine data management area, and concrete sales and setting contents data are written in block units. As described above, conventionally, sales / sales data cannot be collected / set unless the versions are the same between vending machines. However, by using the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to freely set regardless of the model or the version. Data can be transferred. This facilitates the handling of data in the vending machine and improves workability.

[0029]

As described above, according to the vending machine of the first invention, the sales of the vending machine and the writing of the setting data to the memory of the vending machine are managed in units of blocks, and the data in the memory is managed in units of blocks. By transferring the data to the data loader with, it becomes possible to collect / set sales and setting data even between vending machines having different system versions.

According to the data loader of the second invention, the version of the vending machine that has transmitted the data and the version of the vending machine of the transfer destination are compared, and if they are different, the operator is notified of that fact, and the version is notified. Insufficient data is created based on the data input by the operator and sent to the transfer destination.
This allows the operator to collect / set sales and setting data without having to worry about the version of the vending machine from the beginning, which improves usability.

According to the data loader of the third invention, when the sales and setting data written by the absolute address management system is transmitted from the vending machine, the data is converted into the block management system and then the other automatic data is converted. Can be sent to the vending machine for writing. As a result, even for vending machines of the absolute address management system, which was previously impossible to transfer data only between vending machines of the same version,
It becomes possible to collect / set sales and setting data with other arbitrary vending machines.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a memory management system in a vending machine of a first invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing in detail a main part of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of the data loader according to the second invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of another operation of the data loader according to the second invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of another operation of the data loader according to the second invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of another operation of the data loader according to the second invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of the data loader according to the third invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a communication procedure performed between an automatic vending machine and a data loader.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a memory management system in the data loader.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing data transfer in a conventional vending machine.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing data transfer in a conventional vending machine.

[Explanation of symbols] 6 memory 6a table information area 6b data area 7 vending machine 8 data loader 9 vending machine 11 vending machine 12 vending machine 13 data loader

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Futoshi Yanagiya 1-10-4 Tamadaira, Hino-shi, Tokyo Fuji Electric Microcomputer Engineering Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A vending machine for storing sales and setting data in a memory, means for managing writing of sales and setting data to the memory in block units, and data in the memory to the data loader in block units. A vending machine, which is provided with a means for transferring. 2. A data loader that reads sales and setting data from a vending machine and transfers the data to another vending machine, compares the versions of the vending machine from which the data is read and the vending machine of the transfer destination. However, the data loader is provided with means for notifying the operator of that when the versions are different and means for creating the shortage of transfer data based on the operator's input when the versions are different. 3. A data loader for reading sales and setting data from a vending machine and transferring the data to another vending machine, the sales and setting data written by an absolute address management method is transmitted from the vending machine. The data loader is provided with means for converting it to a block management system and transferring it to another vending machine when it comes.