JPH08335290A - Vending controller of automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To efficiently perform continuous vending operation in a short time and easily confirm the throw-in timing of coins by switching the automatic vending machine to a money receivable state wherein thrown-in coins are received as a thrown-in amount of money in synchronism with time when it is judged that the payout balance of change is 0. CONSTITUTION: The control part of the automatic vending machine 1 controls the automatic vending machine so as to perform normal vending operation, and calculates and displays the total amount of received coins at an amount display part 5 when the coins are thrown in and received in the money receivable state. Then an article is discharged on condition that the price of the article selected with a selection push button 2 is less than the amount of money received. The change is calculated and coins begins to be paid out by the balance; and the passage from a coin throw-in opening 3 is switched at the same time to communicate with a change payout opening 4 as it is, and the automatic vending machine is placed in a money reception inhibited state. Then once it is judged that the balance of change to be paid out is 0, the vending machine is switched to the money receivable state although the discharging operation for the article is completed.

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 more particularly, to a time period for accepting an inserted coin as an inserted amount.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional vending machines accept coins inserted as an insertion amount only before selecting a product in order to reliably process change in the process of selling products.
After selecting the product and pressing the push button, the coin is not accepted as the inserted amount until the product payout operation is completely completed. Then, when a coin is inserted during the product payout operation, the coin is paid out to the change payout exit as it is without receiving the coin.

[0003]

With the recent increase in the size of automatic vending machines and the complication of product transportation routes, the number of products that take a relatively long time to pay out products is increasing. In the vending machine, when the products are continuously purchased, it is necessary to wait for the coins to be inserted until the products are paid out and the payout process is completed, so it takes time to sell the products. In addition, the purchaser of the product,
Since it is difficult to determine whether or not the coin has been switched to the deposit ready state, if the coin is inserted too early, the deposit process will not be performed and the coin will be dispensed as it is and the coin will be dispensed. Have to throw it in again,
It may take more time and effort.

The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic vending machine capable of efficiently performing continuous selling operation in a short time and easily confirming the coin insertion timing. is there.

[0005]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a method in which when the balance of change due is determined to be 0, that is, when the change is finished paying, or the amount of change is the same as the purchase amount. When the change does not have to be paid out, the control means is provided in synchronism when this is determined, and is controlled to switch to a depositable state in which the inserted coin is accepted as the inserted amount.

In addition to the above-mentioned structure, the present invention has an amount display unit for displaying the amount of coins inserted and for displaying the remaining amount according to the payout of change.

[0007]

With the above configuration, even if the payout operation of the product is not completed, the inserted coin can be accepted when it is determined that the balance of the change due is 0, so that the continuous sale can be efficiently performed in a short time. It can be carried out.

Further, since it is possible to visually confirm that the change has been paid out by looking at the amount display portion, it is possible to easily confirm the coin insertion timing.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of selection push buttons 2 for selecting a product, a coin insertion slot 3 for inserting coins, and a change payment outlet 4 for discharging change are provided on a customer service surface 1a of the vending machine 1. , An amount display unit 5 that displays the amount of coins that have been inserted and displays the remaining amount according to the payout of change.
And a merchandise outlet 6 for taking out merchandise.
In this vending machine 1, a product take-out port 6 is arranged in the center of the customer service surface 1a, and the products delivered to the lower part in the main body 7 of the vending machine are conveyed to the product take-out port 6 by a transfer device (not shown). Since the products are transported, it takes a relatively long time to pay out the products. Although not shown, a coin storage device for storing the inserted coins at a predetermined location is built in, and the change of the passage from the coin insertion slot 3 is not guided to the coin storage device, and the change coin is directly paid. Passage switching means is provided for paying out to the outlet 4. That is, the coins stored in the coin storage device are accepted as the inserted amount.

The vending machine 1 includes a control unit (not shown). The control unit controls the vending machine to perform a normal selling operation and also performs the control operation shown in FIG. When coins are inserted and accepted in the depositable state (steps S1 and S2), the total amount of accepted coins is calculated (step S3) and displayed on the amount display unit 5. After that, the selection push button 2 is pressed (step S4),
When it is determined that the amount of the selected product is within the deposit amount (step S5), the product is paid out. That is, after passing through step S6 described later, the payout operation of the product is started, the change amount is calculated, and the payout operation of coins corresponding to the change amount is started. At the same time, the passage from the coin insertion slot 3 remains unchanged as is the change payment outlet 4.
It is switched so that the payment is prohibited (step S7).

Thereafter, at the time when it is determined that the balance of the change due to be paid out is 0 (step S8), it is switched to the depositable state regardless of whether or not the payout operation of the merchandise is completed (step S1). . In other words, at the end of the change payment, or when it is not necessary to pay out the change amount when the inserted amount is the same as the purchase amount, it is synchronized with the time when this is determined and the state is changed to the depositable state in which the inserted coin is accepted as the inserted amount. To be Then, only when the payout operation of this product is continued and not finished yet, the payout operation of the next product is temporarily stopped (step S6), and when the payout operation of the previous product is completed, the next product The payout operation is performed. In addition, the deposit amount is reduced according to the change dispensing operation, and the deposit amount is erased when the deposit amount becomes 0 yen and the change dispensing operation is completed.

As described above, even if the product payout operation is not completed, the inserted coins can be accepted at the time when it is determined that the remaining balance of the change is 0, so the product should be continuously purchased. Those who can insert coins in advance to purchase the next product before the payout operation of the product is completed, and perform continuous purchase of the product, that is, continuous sale in the vending machine efficiently in a short time. be able to. Further, since it is possible to visually confirm that the change has been paid out by looking at the amount display portion 5, it is possible to easily confirm the coin insertion timing.

When it is determined that the balance of change due is 0, the deposit amount is displayed as 0 yen, or the 0 yen display is blinked to make it noticeable that the change dispensing operation is completed. Alternatively, when a coin is inserted before the previous product payout operation is completed, the coin may be temporarily held at an appropriate place so that the deposit calculation is not performed.

[0014]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is controlled to switch to the depositable state in which the inserted coin is accepted as the inserted amount, in synchronization with the time when it is determined that the remaining balance of change is 0. With this, a person who purchases products in succession can insert a coin in advance to purchase the next product before the payout operation of the product is completed. Continuous sales can be done efficiently in a short time.

Further, since it is possible to visually confirm that the change has been paid out by looking at the amount display portion, it is possible to easily confirm the coin insertion timing, and the coin insertion timing is quick as in the conventional case. It is possible to prevent troubles such as when the coin has passed and the coin has to be inserted again.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a control operation of a control unit of an automatic vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the same vending machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Vending machine main body 2 Selection push button 3 Coin slot 4 Change payment outlet 5 Amount display

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A vending machine sales control device comprising a control means for controlling to switch to a depositable state in which the inserted coin is accepted as the inserted amount in synchronism when it is determined that the balance of change due to be paid out is 0. . 2. The vending machine sales control device according to claim 1, further comprising an amount display unit that displays the amount of coins that have been inserted and also displays the remaining amount according to the payout of change.