JPH07272087A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate vending inhibiting operation as to the automatic vending machine which inhibits replenished articles from being vended for a specific time after article replenishment. CONSTITUTION:When articles which are inhibited from being vended are set by a remote controller 34 after the articles are replenished to a storage part, the temperature of the storage part right after the vending inhibition is set is detected, and a set frequency Mn is set on the basis of the detected temperature. Then a compressor is brought under ON/OFF control on the basis of the detected temperature of the storage part to control the temperature of the storage part. The ON/OFF frequency N of the compressor is counted and once the OFF frequency N reaches the set frequency Mn, the vending inhibition is reset. In this case, only operation for specifying the articles inhibited from being vended by the remote controller 34 is required as the operation for inhibiting the specific articles from being vended temporarily.

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 such as canned beverages and sells them.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a vending machine that sells canned beverages by cooling or heating them, when the products are replenished, in order to prevent the products that are insufficiently cooled or heated from being sold, they are replenished. We are trying to prohibit the sale of such products for a certain period of time. Specifically, the person who supplies the product (the person in the store, or the root man) operates the remote controller to set the product forbidden to sell and to set the sale prohibited time.

[0003]

However, in the conventional structure, the operation of setting the sale prohibition time by the remote controller is required, and the operation is troublesome. In addition, when setting the sales prohibition time, it is necessary to set the sales prohibition time according to the supply amount and the ambient temperature, but it is difficult to set the time so that the temperature of the product becomes an appropriate temperature, It was something that could not be controlled well.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to prohibit the sale of a replenished product for a predetermined time after replenishing the product. An object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine which can be controlled well and which can supply products at a more suitable temperature.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention detects a temperature inside the storage unit and a cooling unit that cools or heats the product stored in the storage unit of the main body. In the vending machine configured to control the temperature inside the accommodation unit by controlling the cooling unit or the heating unit based on the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit, the sale prohibition is set for each product. The sale prohibition setting means, the counting means for counting the number of times the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means reaches the preset temperature, the set number storage means for storing the set number of times, and the sale prohibition setting means. The sale of the product is prohibited, and the product is sold when the count value by the counting means after the prohibition of sale reaches the set number stored in the set number storage means. It is characterized in that it has a control means for canceling the prohibition (claim 1).

In this case, the set count storage means stores a plurality of set counts according to the temperature, and the control means stores the set counts stored in the set count storage means based on the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means. It is preferable to have a configuration in which the number of times of setting is set by selecting from (Claim 2).

Further, the control means may be configured to execute the sale prohibition based on the door of the accommodating portion being switched from the open state to the closed state (claim 3).

[0008]

According to the means of claim 1, when the sale prohibition setting means sets the sale prohibited commodity, the sale of the commodity set based on this is prohibited. The counting means counts the number of times that the temperature inside the housing reaches the set temperature after the sale prohibition is executed, and the sale prohibition is released when the counted value reaches the preset number of times.
In this case, as an operation for temporarily prohibiting the sale of a specific product, only the operation of setting the sale-prohibited product by the sale-prohibition setting means is necessary, and the operation of setting the sale-prohibition time is unnecessary.

According to the second aspect of the invention, by changing the set number of times according to the temperature of the container after replenishment, it is possible to control as efficiently as possible, and it is possible to supply goods at a more appropriate temperature.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the sale of the set product is prohibited in response to the closing of the door of the accommodation unit after the product is replenished. Therefore,
There is no need for a dedicated means or operation to execute the sale prohibition.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a vending machine for selling products such as canned beverages will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, in FIG. 7, a product storage chamber 2 is formed inside a box-shaped main body 1. The product storage chamber 2
The inside is partitioned by a partition wall 3 into a plurality of accommodating portions 4.
The storage unit 4 is provided with a plurality of columns 6 for storing the products to be sold for each type. An input port 7 for supplying products to each column 6 is provided in the upper front portion of the storage section 4. In addition, at the bottom of each column 6, there is a bend mechanism 8 for discharging the products one by one during the sales operation.
Is provided.

A machine room 9 is formed below the product storage room 2. An inner door 10 that opens and closes the front surface of the product storage chamber 2 is pivotally installed in the main body 1, and a main door 11 is pivotally installed at the front side of the inner door 10.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the overall electrical configuration. A main controller 12 including a microcomputer is provided on the main door 11 side. The main control unit 12 constitutes a control means, and a serial bus line 13 is connected to the main control unit 12. The serial bus line 13 is connected to a coin mechanism 14 and a bill-barrier mechanism 15 having a well-known configuration, and a control power supply unit 16 and a display terminal 17 are connected.

The control power supply unit 16 obtains a constant voltage DC power supply by stepping down and rectifying and smoothing the commercial power supply, and supplies the constant voltage DC power supply to the power supply line of the serial bus line 13.
Therefore, a constant voltage DC power supply is supplied to each circuit.

The display terminal 17 has an amount display 1
8, a sellable lamp 19a provided on the selection button 19, a sold-out lamp 20, a selection switch 21, a change-off lamp 22, an on-sale lamp 23, and the like are connected.

A bend terminal 24 and a cycle terminal 25 are provided on the main body 1 side, and these are also connected to the serial bus line 13. The bend solenoid 26 and the sold-out switch 27 of the bend mechanism 8 are connected to the bend terminal 24. In addition, the cycle terminal 25
Is an inner door switch 2 for detecting the opening / closing of the inner door 10.
8. A cold / heat switch 29 for switching between cooling and heating of the housing 4 and a cold / hot sensor 30 as a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the housing 4 are connected, and a cooler 31 as a cooling means as a temperature adjusting device. A heater 32, which is a heating unit, and a fan 33 that circulates the air inside the housing portion 4 are connected. Cooler 31, heater 32 and fan 3
3 is provided in the machine room 9.

On the other hand, the remote controller 34 constituting the sale prohibition setting means can set the sale prohibition for each product type by key operation. When the key operation is performed, the signal is sent to the main controller. It will be sent to 12. Counter 3 that constitutes counting means
Reference numeral 5 counts the number of times the temperature detected by the cold temperature sensor 30 reaches a preset temperature, and outputs the signal to the main controller 12 via the serial bus line 13.

ROM 36 constituting the set number storage means
Is a plurality of set times Mn according to the temperature of the accommodating portion (when cooling) and a plurality of set times Mn according to the temperature of the accommodating portion (when heating) as shown in FIG. Is stored and is connected to the serial bus line 13.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. Now, consider the case where the product is cooled and then sold. In this case, in the normal salable state, the main control unit 12 compares the temperature detected by the cold temperature sensor 30 with the preset temperature set in the main control unit 12, and the compressor (connected to the cooler 31 ( By turning on / off (not shown),
The temperature inside the container 4 (the temperature of the product) is controlled to be an appropriate temperature (see the normal salable state portion in FIG. 3).

When replenishing merchandise, first, the main door 11 is opened, the inner door 10 is opened, and the merchandise is loaded from the loading slot 7 in this state. At this time, if the supplied products are sold immediately, cooling may be insufficient,
In such a case, it may be desired to temporarily prohibit the sale of a specific product.

In such a case, the remote controller 34 is set to prohibit the sale of a specific product. The main control unit 12 shifts to the sale prohibition routine shown in FIG. 1 on the basis of receiving the signal from the remote controller 34. Hereinafter, description will be given based on the flowchart of FIG.

When the replenishment of the products is completed, the person who replenishes (the person in the store or the route man) closes the inner door 10 and the main door 11. At this time, the main controller 12
Detects that the inner door 10 has changed from the open state to the closed state based on the signal from the inner door switch 28 (step S
1), selection button 1 corresponding to the set product
The sold-out lamp 20 of 9 is turned on (step S2). As a result, the sale prohibition of the set product is executed.

Then, the temperature (T) of the housing portion 4 at this time is detected by the cold temperature sensor 30 (step S3), and the set number Mn corresponding to the detected temperature T is read from the ROM 36 and stored (step S4). At this time, the set number M
The relationship between n and the detected temperature T is that when the detected temperature T is T0 to T1, the set number Mn is M0 and the detected temperature T is T1 to T2.
In the case of, the set number Mn is M1, the detected temperature T is T2 to T
3, the set number of times Mn is M2, and the detected temperature T is T3 to
At T4, the set number Mn is set to M3. That is, the set number of times Mn is set so that the higher the detected temperature T is, the smaller the detected number T is.

Next, the temperature detected by the cold temperature sensor 30 is compared with the preset ON temperature of the compressor (step S5). If the detected temperature is higher than the ON temperature of the compressor, the compressor is turned on to cool the machine 31.
Thus, the housing portion 4 is cooled (step S6).

Thereafter, the temperature detected by the cold temperature sensor 30 is compared with the preset compressor off temperature (step S7), and when the detected temperature reaches the compressor off temperature, the compressor is turned off (step S7). S8). Then, the counter 35 counts and stores the number N of times the compressor is turned off (step S9),
The number N of times of turning off and the number of times Mn of setting are compared (step S10). Here, when N is smaller than Mn,
Return to step S5.

By repeating such an operation (on / off operation of the compressor), as shown in FIG. 3, the temperature of the product replenished in the container 4 gradually becomes an appropriate temperature. At this time, the temperature detected by the cold temperature sensor 30 and the temperature of the product have a relationship as shown in FIG. That is, during the initial period of replenishing the product, even if the temperature detected by the cold temperature sensor 30 becomes the off temperature of the compressor, the product generally does not reach the proper temperature immediately and the on / off operation of the compressor is repeated several times. This will bring the product to the proper temperature.

In step S10, when the number N of times the compressor is turned off reaches the set number Mn, "YE
According to "S", the process proceeds to step S11, the sold-out lamp 20 corresponding to the product for which sale is prohibited is turned off, and then the normal routine is returned to. By turning off the sold-out lamp 20, the sale prohibition of the product for which the sale prohibition is set is released.

On the other hand, when the product is heated for sale,
Instead of the compressor, the heater 32 as heating means is on / off controlled to control the temperature of the accommodating portion 4, and the method of controlling the temperature is opposite to the case of the above cooling. Basically, it can be controlled in the same way as when cooling and selling.

FIG. 6 shows a sale prohibition routine when a product is heated for sale. In FIG. 6, the heater 32 is the control target for temperature control, and since it is basically the same as the case of FIG. 1, detailed description thereof is omitted. At the time of heating, the data of FIG. 5 is used for the relationship between the set number of times Mn and the detected temperature T. At this time, the set number of times Mn
Is set so that the lower the detected temperature T is, the larger the value is, and conversely, the higher the detected temperature T is, the smaller the value is set.

As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, if the remote controller 34 sets a product to be forbidden after the product is replenished, the sale of the product set based on this is prohibited, and the sale is prohibited. The counter 35 counts the number of times that the temperature in the housing portion 4 has reached the set temperature after the operation, and the sale prohibition is released when the count value N reaches the preset number of times Mn. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sale of products that are insufficiently cooled or heated.

In this case, as the operation for temporarily prohibiting the sale of a specific product, only the operation for setting the sale-prohibited product by the remote controller 34 is required, and the operation for setting the sale-prohibition time which has been conventionally required. Since it is unnecessary, the sale prohibition operation can be easily performed. In addition, the above-mentioned set number of times Mn is determined by the accommodating portion 4 after replenishment.
Since the sales prohibition time and the temperature of the product can be made more appropriate because the temperature is changed according to the temperature, the product can be supplied at a more appropriate temperature while performing efficient control.

Further, according to the above-mentioned embodiment, after the product is replenished, the sale prohibition of the set product is executed in response to the closing of the inner door 10 of the accommodation section 4. There is an advantage that a dedicated means or operation for executing the sale prohibition is unnecessary.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be modified or expanded as follows. Even if both the cooler 31 and the heater 32 are not provided, it is sufficient if the configuration is provided with only one of them. As a means for starting the sale prohibition, a switch of the remote controller 34 may be operated, or a dedicated switch may be provided and operated.

[0034]

According to the automatic vending machine according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the sale prohibition setting means sets the sale prohibited commodity after supplying the commodity, the sale of the commodity set based on this is prohibited, The counting means counts the number of times the temperature of the container reaches the set temperature after the sale prohibition is executed,
Since the prohibition on sale is configured to be released when the count value reaches a preset number of times, it is possible to prevent the sale of products that are insufficiently cooled or heated. In this case, the operation of temporarily prohibiting the sale of a specific product is only the operation of setting the sale prohibited product by the sale prohibition setting means, and the operation of setting the sale prohibition time, which is conventionally required, is unnecessary. Therefore, the sale prohibition operation can be easily performed.

According to the vending machine of the second aspect, the reference number of times of setting is changed according to the temperature of the containing portion after replenishment, so that efficient control can be performed. At the same time, it becomes possible to supply products with a more appropriate temperature.

According to the automatic vending machine of the third aspect, in response to the door of the accommodating section being closed after the goods are replenished,
Since the sale prohibition of the set product is executed, there is an advantage that a dedicated means or operation for executing the sale prohibition is unnecessary.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, and is a flowchart of a sales prohibition routine during cooling.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration.

[Fig. 3] Temperature characteristic diagram during cooling

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a relationship between a set number of times and a detected temperature during cooling.

FIG. 5 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 during heating.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a sales prohibition routine during heating.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the main body with the main door and the inner door opened.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 is a main body, 4 is a housing portion, 10 is an inner door (door of the housing portion), 1
1 is a main door, 12 is a main control unit (control means), 20 is a sold-out lamp, 28 is an inner door switch, 30 is a cold temperature sensor (temperature detection means), 31 is a cooler (cooling means), and 32 is a heater ( Heating means), 34 is a remote controller (sales prohibition setting means), 35 is a counter (counting means), 36
Is a ROM (set number storage means).

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A cooling means or a heating means for cooling a product housed in a housing portion of a main body, and a temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature in the housing portion, and based on a temperature detected by the temperature detecting means. In a vending machine configured to control the temperature in the storage unit by controlling the cooling unit or the heating unit, a sale prohibition setting unit that sets a sale prohibition for each product, and a temperature detected by the temperature detection unit is preset. The counting means for counting the number of times the set temperature is reached, the set number storage means for storing the set number, and the sale prohibition of the product set by the sale prohibition setting means are executed, and after the sale prohibition is executed. Control means for canceling the sale prohibition when the count value of the counting means reaches the set number stored in the set number storage means. Vending machine. 2. The set count storage means stores a plurality of set counts according to temperature, and the control means selects from among the plurality of set counts stored in the set count storage means based on the temperature detected by the temperature detection means. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the number of times of setting is selected and set. 3. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the control means executes the sale prohibition on the basis of the door of the accommodating portion being switched from the open state to the closed state.