JPH1083477A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically obtain data comprising the product names and the selling number of sold products and to manage selling by transferring the products at speed by which the read visual field range of a bar code reader provided in a route for carrying out the products outside a machine can be read and outputting data which is read. SOLUTION: The bar code reader 1 for reading the bar code of the product is provided for the route carrying out the products to a product carry-out port from a product column and a product transfer part 2 for moving the products by which the read visual field range can be read is provided. When a bar code reader control part 11 receives a product carry-out command signal from a product carry-out control part 21, it sets the bar code reader 1 to be a standby state. When the bar code reader 1 senses the shift of the product into the read visual field range, the reading of the bar code is instructed. Bar code data read by the bar code reader 1 is transmitted to a communication control part 31 and it is outputted to a selling management computer 4 at an external part through a line 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine for selling individually bar-coded products such as tobacco and canned juice.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to determine the number of products sold in a vending machine, it is common to count the number of replenished products for each product column and subtract the remaining number of products.

For example, the number of refills is entered in a notebook or memo pad, and the remaining number of commodities is subtracted at the time of the next refill.

[0004] In order to input the sales quantity of each product into a computer system for managing sales, the user inputs the information by using a keyboard while looking at a notebook or a memo pad. At this time, it is necessary to input the product name by inputting on a keyboard, selecting on a display screen using a mouse, or the like.

[0005]

However, it is troublesome to count the number of replenished commodities for each column each time replenishment is performed, and there is a case where the counting is wrong. The replenishment of goods in vending machines is sometimes performed by specialized traders, but is often performed by housewives of ordinary private houses in one hand. When performed by a general housewife or the like, such counting, bookkeeping, keyboard input, and the like are particularly troublesome, and there are many mistakes.

Further, according to the conventional method, it is not possible to obtain detailed information on which merchandise was sold at what time and in what time zone.

According to the present invention, data consisting of a product name, a sales quantity, and a sales date and time of each product sold is automatically collected,
It is intended to provide a vending machine which can directly output to a computer system for managing sales.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine for selling a bar-coded product, the vending machine being provided in the middle of a route for carrying the product out of the vending machine. A bar code reader for reading the bar code, and a product transfer means for transferring the product such that a bar code surface of the product moves within a reading field of view of the bar code reader at a speed at which the bar code can be read. And output means for outputting the barcode data read from the barcode reader to the outside of the vending machine.

According to the above configuration, sales data for each product can be automatically collected.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 shows a vending machine 1 for cigarettes according to this embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the vending machine 0, and FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, in front of the vending machine 10, a plurality of commodity samples 50, a plurality of corresponding commodity selection buttons 22, coin and bill insertion ports 51 and 52, a cash return lever 53, , A product outlet 23 is provided.
The lower inside portion of the product take-out port 23 forms a pocket 23a for receiving a product carried out of the vending machine.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vending machine 10 includes:
A barcode reader 1 that reads a barcode of a product when the product is carried out of the product column to the product take-out port 23, and a barcode surface of the product to be carried moves within the reading field of view of the barcode reader 1 at an appropriate speed. And a line 3 for outputting the read barcode data to an external sales management computer 4. The barcode reader 1 is provided with a barcode reader control unit 11, and a product delivery control unit 21 connected thereto controls the product transfer unit 2 and the money detection and payment unit 5.

The money detecting / dispensing section 5 detects the insertion of a predetermined fee from the coin insertion slot 51 or the bill insertion slot 52, and returns a change or an insertion fee if necessary. The commodity carry-out control section 21 turns on the selection button 22 based on a signal from the money detection / payout section 5, and when the press-down is detected, discharges the commodity from the commodity column 61 and outputs the commodity by the commodity transfer section 2. A command to carry out the product to the product take-out port 23 is issued. Further, a signal notifying the transmission is transmitted to the barcode reader control unit 11 simultaneously with the transmission of the carry-out instruction. The bar code reader control unit 11 receives the signal, and the bar code reader 1
Is set to a standby state, and when the bar code reader 1 senses the movement of the product within the reading visual field range, a reading command is issued.

The bar code data read from the bar code reader 1 is transmitted to the communication control unit 31 via the bar code reader control unit 11 and is output to the external sales management computer 4 via the line 3. . The communication control unit 31 includes a clock 32 and a sales data storage unit 33. When connection by the line 3 is not possible, bar code data and date and time data of the clock 32 are set as sales data. It is stored in the storage unit 33. Then, when the connection is resumed, this sales data is transmitted.

As the line 3, a public line or a branch line or a private line connected to the public line is used. In order to minimize the use of the public line to the local sales management center, sales data is transmitted at regular intervals.

FIG. 3 shows a thin box-shaped cigarette 6 inserted into a product column 6.
1 shows a structure of a product carry-out portion 20 leading from a lower end of the product 1 to a product take-out port 23. In the following description, the cigarette 6 is a boxed cigarette having a typical shape, and the surface 6a on which the barcode is printed is a state where the boxed cigarette is lying down (the largest surface and the smallest surface are side surfaces). It is assumed that it is the top surface or the bottom surface in the above.

The bar code reader 1, a transparent discharge chute 27 disposed along the reading surface of the bar code reader 1, and a discharge chute 2
A belt conveyor 24 for sending out the tobacco 6 to 7, and
A hopper 25 for collecting the tobacco 6 discharged from the column 61 on the conveyor surface of the belt conveyor 24 is provided. In the following description, it is assumed that the front, rear, left, and right sides respectively face the vending machine door from the front.

The hopper 25 includes a hopper surface 25a and a discharge tube 25b, and is disposed below the commodity column 61 on the near side. The hopper surface 25a is formed by combining three inverted trapezoidal inclined flat plates on the front and rear and the right and a vertical flat plate on the left, and the discharge cylinder 25b is formed by four vertical walls connected to these four flat plates, respectively. Become. The left flat plate of the hopper surface 25a and the left vertical wall of the discharge tube 25b connected to the flat plate are both substantially in contact with the left end of the door 10a of the vending machine. The connecting portion 25c between the hopper surface 25a and the discharge tube 25b has a slit shape having a long cross section in the left-right direction, and thus the discharge tube 25b is a rectangular tube that is flat in the front-rear direction. Connection part 25
c in the left-right direction (slit length), that is, the discharge cylinder 2
The width in the left-right direction of 5b is the slit length is the door 10 of the vending machine.
The width of the connecting portion 25c in the front-rear direction (slit width), that is, the width in the front-rear direction of the discharge tube 25b is slightly larger than the thickness T of the thin box-shaped cigarette 6.

A discharge port 25d for discharging the tobacco 6 from the discharge tube 25b is disposed on an inclined surface with the right side up. That is, the left vertical wall of the discharge tube 25b extends downward longer than the right vertical wall.

A belt conveyor 24 is disposed in the left and right direction below the discharge tube 25b of the hopper 25, at a place where the products discharged from the hopper 25 are received. Discharge cylinder 2
5b, the lower end of the left vertical wall is almost in contact with the belt conveyor 24, and the lower end of the right vertical wall is connected to the belt conveyor 24.
Is slightly larger than the width B of the thin box-shaped tobacco 6.

The width of the belt conveyor 24 is a discharge cylinder 25b.
It is about the same as or slightly larger than the thickness. The belt conveyor 24 is driven to transfer the cigarette 6 to the right.

Between the right end of the belt conveyor 24 and the product outlet 23, there is provided a cylindrical discharge chute 27 for discharging the product. The product outlet 23 is provided at the lower right end of the vending machine 10. The discharge chute 27 discharges the thin box-shaped cigarette 6 in a state where the cigarette 6 is laid down sideways, that is, with the barcode surface 6a as the upper surface or the bottom surface. The floor surface and ceiling surface of the discharge chute 27
The reading surface 1a of the bar code reader 1 is in contact with each of the transparent plates.

Next, the operation of the product carry-out section 20 will be described with reference to FIGS.

The cigarette 6, which is a thin box-shaped product selected by the selection button 22, is discharged from the lower end of the corresponding product column 61 by a command from the product carrying-out control section 21, and firstly travels along the hopper surface 25 a of the hopper 25. Discharge cylinder 2
5b. Since the discharge tube 25b is a rectangular tube that is flat in the front-rear direction, the thin box-shaped cigarette 6
When the tobacco 6 is guided inside, the thickness direction of the tobacco 6
b are aligned in the thickness direction, that is, in the front-back direction.
The tobacco 6 is guided by the discharge tube 25b until it reaches the upper surface of the belt conveyor 24.

Accordingly, the goods placed on the belt conveyor 24 are in a state of being laid down or standing (a state in which the bottom surface is the smallest surface). If the tobacco 6 dropped on the belt conveyor 24 is in a standing state, when the tobacco 6 is transported to the right, the tobacco 6 is brought into contact with the right end of the discharge tube 25b and falls down sideways. Therefore, when the tobacco 6 is sent from the belt conveyor 24 to the discharge chute 27, the barcode surface 6a of the tobacco 6 is always located on the upper or lower surface.

Since the bar code reader 1 is arranged on both the floor surface and the ceiling surface of the discharge chute 27, even if the bar code surface 6a is either the bottom surface or the top surface of the cigarette 6,
The bar code is read. The moving speed of the tobacco 6 in the discharge chute 27 is the same as the moving speed of the belt conveyor 24, but this speed is set to a speed suitable for reading by the barcode reader 1.

The tobacco 6 which has been discharged and passed through the chute 27 is carried out to the take-out port 23, and has its pocket 23a.
To fall.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the vending machine 10 of the embodiment.

In step a1, after the money detection / dispensing section 5 detects that a predetermined charge has been inserted, the tobacco 6 is discharged from the selected column 61 in accordance with the depression of the selection button 22. At this time, the belt conveyor 24 is driven, and the barcode reader 1 is in a standby state.

In step a2, the selected cigarette 6
Are arranged in a predetermined direction when they pass through the hopper 25 and are transferred on the belt conveyor 24,
Sent to

In step a3, the bar code is read when the tobacco 6 moves through the discharge chute 27 to the product outlet 23.

At step a4, the communication control unit 3 determines whether connection to the external sales management computer 4 is possible. Step a if it is determined that connection is possible
Proceed to step a5, and if it is determined that connection is not possible, proceed to step a6.

In step a5, the barcode data is transmitted to the sales management computer 4 by the communication control unit 3. After the transmission, when the predetermined fee is input again, the steps from a1 are repeated.

At step a6, which branches off from step a1, data of the current date and time by the clock 32 is added to the bar code data to obtain sales data.

At step a7, the sales data is stored. After this, it is the same as after the end of step a5.
However, if you can connect while waiting, immediately
The stored sales data is called and output to the sales management computer 4.

According to the above embodiment, the bar code of the product can be automatically read when the product is carried out and can be automatically transmitted to the sales management computer. Therefore, it is possible to automatically collect data on when and how many items were sold by which vending machine. Moreover, such data collection can be performed using the existing barcode reader 1 and the barcode input type POS (point of sale information) system as it is.

[0038] For this reason, sales data of vending machines can be collected extremely easily and reliably.

Further, since sales data can be collected in real time, arrangements for replenishment of goods and arrangements for production and distribution can be made quickly. If the barcode can include data of the production date and the production factory, more detailed sales data can be collected.

Furthermore, accurate sales data can be obtained even if the manager of the vending machine changes the product in the column and does not input or notify the change to the POS system.

In the above embodiment, an output interface may be provided in place of the line 3 and output to a portable personal computer at the time of product replenishment. In addition, wireless communication may be used instead of wired communication.

In the above embodiment, a roller conveyor composed of rubber rollers may be used instead of the belt conveyor. Further, in order to prevent lateral displacement during transfer on the belt conveyor, a guide roller for guiding the product during the transfer may be provided. Further, a roller for facilitating the transfer and discharge of the product may be provided in addition to the discharge chute.

In the above embodiment, when the height (length in the vertical direction) of the hopper 25 is shortened, a vibration mechanism for appropriately vibrating the hopper can be provided in order to easily discharge the product.

[0044]

According to the present invention, it is possible to automatically collect sales data including a product name, a sales quantity, and a sales date and time of each product sold. In particular, an existing barcode reader is used, and it can be directly connected to an existing barcode input type POS system. When connected by a communication line, sales data can be collected in real time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of a vending machine according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the vending machine according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view for explaining a structure of a product carry-out portion according to the vending machine of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a vending machine for further explaining the carry-out of a product.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vending machine of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Barcode Reader 2 Commodity Transfer Unit 3 Line 4 Sales Management Computer 5 Money Detecting and Dispensing Unit 10 Vending Machine 11 Barcode Reader Control Unit 21 Commodity Delivery Control Unit 32 Clock 33 Sales Data Storage Unit

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A vending machine that sells a bar code-added product, a bar code reader that reads the bar code and is provided in the middle of a path for carrying the product out of the vending machine. Product transfer means for transferring the product so that the barcode surface of the product moves within the read field of view of the barcode reader at the speed at which the barcode can be read, and the barcode read from the barcode reader. Output means for outputting data to the outside of the vending machine.