JPH07175964A - Controller for automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automatize a cooling or heating operation and its display after ending the replenishing operation of sales merchandise. CONSTITUTION:Temperature sensors 5 and 6 for detecting a room temperature are installed in a merchandise storage room 1 for storing the sales merchandise. When a temperature difference between the temperature sensors 5 and 6 is generated at the time of replenishing the merchandise, one of 'under cooling' and 'under heating' or 'sold out' is displayed at a display device 10 and a heater 2 or a motor-driven compressor 3 is turned on until the temperature difference between the temperature sensors 5 and 6 is not present any more and the room temperature becomes a set temperature.

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 that cools or heats products for sale such as canned beverages and sells the products. In particular, when the products for sale are replenished, the product storage chamber is cooled by a cooler or a heater. The present invention relates to a control device for a vending machine that heats with a heater.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional vending machine that sells products by cooling or heating them, when replenishing the products for sale, an operator cools the product storage chamber with a cooler after completion of replenishment work. To turn on the cooler or heater for a predetermined time to heat with the heater,
Alternatively, the cooler or heater was forcibly turned on for a time that seemed appropriate.

[0003]

According to the above-mentioned conventional method, when a product to be sold is replenished, the operator cools the product storage chamber with a cooler or heats it with a heater after the replenishment work is completed, and the product to be sold is replenished. The ON operation of the cooler or heater is continued for a time estimated to reach a temperature at which the temperature can be sold, and at that time, for example, "cooling", "warming", in front of the vending machine. I was manually pasting a sticker that displayed "sold out".

An object of the present invention is to provide a control device for a vending machine which solves the above problems.

[0005]

In order to solve the above problems, according to the first aspect of the present invention, an automatic vending machine in which a product storage room in which sold products are stored is cooled by a cooler or heated by a heater, Means for detecting the temperature of each of a plurality of locations in the commodity storage chamber when replenishing a sale commodity, means for storing a set temperature of the sale commodity, and temperatures of a plurality of locations in the commodity storage chamber are equal to the set temperature. Control means is provided for turning on the cooler or heater until reaching, and means for indicating by the control means that the cooler or heater is on.

According to the second aspect of the invention, in the vending machine in which the product storage chamber in which the sold products are stored is cooled by a cooler or heated by a heater, when the sold products are replenished, the replenished sold products are sold. Means for measuring the number, means for detecting the temperature in the product storage chamber, means for storing the set temperature of the sale product, the number of supplemented sale products, the temperature in the product storage chamber, and the set temperature And adjusting means for adjusting the ON time of the cooler or the heater, and means for indicating that the cooler or the heater is ON by the adjusting means.

[0007]

In the first aspect of the present invention, when the sold products are replenished, the temperature of each of the replenished sold products is cooled or heated to the set temperature by detecting the temperature at each of a plurality of locations in the product storage chamber. Can be displayed. In addition, in the second invention, by measuring the number of replenished sales commodities, the ON time of the cooler or the heater can be adjusted according to the measured number to perform the ON operation and display.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an automatic vending machine showing an embodiment of the first invention, in which 1 is a product storage room for storing sold products, 2 is a heater for heating the sold products, and 3 is a motor compressor. , A condenser condensing unit including a condenser and the like, 4 is an evaporator for cooling the sold product,
As shown in the figure, 5 and 6 are temperature sensors A and B for detecting the temperatures of the upper and lower portions of the product storage chamber 1, and 7 are control of the vending machine
A CPU for calculation, 8 is a memory composed of RAM and ROM, 9 is a setting device for inputting a set temperature for cooling or heating, and 10 is a display device for displaying an operating state.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of FIG. When the sold products are replenished, the set temperature set by the setting device 9 is first stored (step S1), and then the temperature of the upper and lower parts of the product storage chamber 1 is detected by the temperature sensors A and B (step S1). S2), if the detected temperatures of the temperature sensors A and B are different from the set temperature (step S3, branch Y), the process proceeds to step S4, and if they are substantially equal (branch N), the process proceeds to step S12.

In step S4, it is judged from the set temperature of the product storage room 1 whether it is cooling sale (COLD) or heating sale (HOT). If it is heating sale (branch N), the heater 2 is turned on (step S5). For example, "warming" or "sold out" is displayed on the display 10 (step S6), and the temperature of the upper and lower parts of the product storage chamber 1 is detected by the temperature sensors A and B in step S9, and these temperatures are detected. Are substantially equal (step S10, branch Y), go to step S11, and if they are different (step S10, branch N),
Returning to step S4, the heater 2 is kept on.

If the cooling is sold at step S4 (branch Y), the motor compressor 3 is turned on (step S4).
7) The display 10 displays, for example, "cooling" or "sold out" (step S8), and the temperature of the upper and lower parts of the product storage chamber 1 is detected by the temperature sensors A and B in step S9. When the temperatures are substantially equal (step S10, branch Y), the process proceeds to step S11, and when they are different (step S10, branch N), the process returns to step S4 and the motor compressor 3 is kept on.

In step S11, it is determined whether or not the temperatures detected in step S9 are substantially equal to the set temperatures, respectively, and if they are substantially equal (branch Y), the process proceeds to step S12, and the display on the display 10 is "sale" or the like. Is displayed and the control flow shifts to the normal operation. If the branch is N in step S9, the process returns to step S4. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an automatic vending machine showing an embodiment of the second invention, in which 1 is a product storage room for storing the sold products, 2 is a heater for heating the sold products, 3 is a motor compressor, a condenser and the like. Condensing unit of a refrigerator, 4 is an evaporator that cools sold products, 11 is a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the product storage chamber 1, 12 is a measurement sensor that measures the number of refilled sold products, and 7 is a vending machine. C for controlling and computing
PU, 8 is a memory composed of RAM and ROM, 9 is a setting device for inputting a set temperature for cooling or heating, 10 is a display device for displaying the operating state, 13 is a counter for counting the number of measurements of the measurement sensor 12, Reference numeral 14 is a timer for measuring the ON time of the motor compressor 3 or the heater 2.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of FIG. When you replenish the products for sale, first counter 1
The number of supplements of the sold product is stored from the count value of 3 (step S21), the set temperature of the product room 1 set by the setting device 9 is stored (step S22), and then the temperature of the product storage room 1 is measured by the temperature sensor. 11 (step S23), and in step S24, the set temperature of the product room 1 is heated and sold (HO).
T) or cooling sale (COLD), and if it is heating sale (branch Y), the on-time t of the heater 2 shown in Formula (1) is calculated from the number of replenishments, the set temperature of the product storage chamber, and the detected temperature. (Step S25).

[0014]

[Number 1] _{t = a1 (T 1 -T 2} ) + b1 · X (1) where, a1: temperature coefficient, b1: number coefficients, T _1: the set temperature, T _2: detected temperature, X: supplemented Number is there. Step S
26, the ON time t of the heater 2 is set in the timer 14,
The heater 2 is turned on, and in step S27, the display 10 displays, for example, "warming" or "sold out".
In step S28, the timer 14 waits until the time is up (branch N), and when the time is up (branch Y), the heater 2 is turned off, and in step S29, the display of the display unit 10 is displayed as "on sale", The control flow shifts to normal operation.

If it is cooling sale in step S24 (branch N), the on-time t of the motor compressor 3 shown in equation (2) is calculated from the number of replenishments, the set temperature of the product storage chamber, and the detected temperature (step S30).

[0016]

[Number 2] _{t = a2 (T 2 -T 1} ) + b2 · X (2) wherein, a2: temperature coefficient, b2: number coefficients, T _1: the set temperature, T _2: detected temperature, X: supplemented Number is there. Step S
The ON time t of the motor compressor 3 is set at 31 by the timer 14
, The motor compressor 3 is turned on, the display 10 displays, for example, "cooling" or "sold out" in step S32, and the timer 14 in step S33.
Waits until the time is up (branch N), and when the time is up (branch Y), the motor compressor 3 is turned off, and the display on the display 10 is displayed as "on sale" in step S29 to control the normal operation. Flow shifts.

In the flowcharts of FIGS. 2 and 4, in order to increase the number of sales opportunities, the display on the display 10 is distinguished from "cooling" or "warming" and "sold out" by the number of replenishment of sold products. For example, when the number of replenishments is small, "Sold out" is not displayed.

[0018]

According to the present invention, in the conventional automatic vending machine, the display is switched to the sellable state after the replenishment of the products for sale by the operator's manual operation. In addition, it is possible to provide customers with products for sale at the optimum temperature.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vending machine showing an embodiment of the first invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a vending machine showing an embodiment of the second invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Product Storage Room 2 Heater 3 Motor Compressor 4 Evaporator 5 Temperature Sensor A 6 Temperature Sensor B 7 CPU 8 Memory 9 Setting Device 10 Display 11 Temperature Sensor 12 Counting Sensor 13 Counter 14 Timer

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An automatic vending machine in which a product storage chamber in which the products to be sold are stored is cooled by a cooler or heated by a heater. Means for detecting, means for storing the set temperature of the sold product, control means for turning on the cooler or heater until temperatures at a plurality of locations in the product storage chamber reach the set temperature, and the control means A controller for an automatic vending machine, comprising: means for displaying that the cooler or the heater is turned on. 2. An automatic vending machine which cools a product storage chamber in which sold products are stored with a cooler or heats it with a heater, and means for measuring the number of the supplied sold products when the sold products are replenished. A means for detecting the temperature in the commodity storage chamber, a means for storing the set temperature of the sale commodity, the cooler or heater depending on the number of supplemented sale commodity, the temperature in the commodity storage chamber and the set temperature 2. A control device for a vending machine, comprising: an adjusting means for adjusting the on-time of the vending machine; and a means for indicating that the cooler or the heater is on by the adjusting means.