JPH1139553A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To more accurately detect a purchasing customer with a simple structure by providing light sources provided in the display part of respective product selection buttons to be successively lighted and a photodetection sensor for detecting the reflected light. SOLUTION: The light sources 8 and 9 of the display part of selection buttons 6 are provided with directivity and project light forward. When the purchasing customer K is present in front of the selection button 6, the reflected light is detected by the photodetection sensor 11 and in front of which selection button 6 the purchasing customer K is present is discriminated. The light sources 8 and 9 are not simultaneously lighted for plural and are successively lighted for a short time, and by continuously repeating that the display of sales possibility display and sold-out display, etc., is performed. In such a manner, even in the case that products are sold out or no cash is fed, the light source 8 for the sales possibility display or the light source 9 for the sold-out display is thinned by the interval of a set value for detection and instantaneously lighted. Though the light is almost invisible to the purchasing customer K, the purchasing customer K is detected by the photodetection sensor 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine provided with a detecting device for detecting the presence or absence of a customer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional vending machine, a detecting device for detecting the presence or absence of a customer is constituted by a pair of a light source and a light detecting sensor, and one detecting device is provided. When a purchaser is detected, a fluorescent light for display or the like is turned on, and the visitor arrival time of the purchaser is stored as information on consumer trends.

[0003]

By the way, when a bicycle or a car stops or there is an object such as a telephone pole in front of the detecting device, the detecting device detects the object for a long time, for example, for about 5 minutes. As described above, when the detection is performed for a long time, the control device determines that the user is not the purchaser. For this reason, it is impossible to accurately detect a purchaser with this detection device. In order to solve this, a large number of detection devices may be provided, but the installation cost is high. Also, when detecting the number of purchasers in front of the vending machine, it is necessary to provide a large number of detection devices.

[0004] As another detection device, a focus type detection sensor may be adopted. This focus type detection sensor detects a change amount of infrared rays, and is used for a bicycle passing in front of a vending machine. In some cases, a car or a person is detected, and a stationary buyer is not detected. Therefore, it is not suitable for detecting a customer.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine which can detect a purchaser more accurately with a simple configuration.

[0006]

The vending machine of the present invention comprises:
A plurality of product selection buttons (6) having a display unit, light sources (8, 9) provided on the display unit of each product selection button and sequentially turned on, and a light detection sensor for detecting reflected light of the light sources (11).

[0007] In some cases, when the light detection sensor detects reflected light, a control device (12, 21) is provided which stores which product selection button is the product selection button whose light source is turned on.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of a vending machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a front view of one embodiment of a vending machine according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the control device. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the vending machine for explaining the state of detection. FIG.
Is a flowchart.

[0009] Commercial products such as canned beverages are stored inside the main body of the vending machine. The front surface of the main body of the vending machine is openably and closably closed by a front door 1 which is a heat insulating door. The front door 1 is provided with a display unit 3 at an upper part thereof.
Are displayed multiple times. Below the sample 4, a selection button 6 for each product is provided, and a fluorescent lamp 7 is provided as a light source of a display lighting device to illuminate the sample 4. A plurality of selection buttons 6 (for example, a total of five A to E in this embodiment) are provided,
Each select button 6 is formed with a sellable display section and a sold-out display section as display sections. The sellable display section and the sold-out display section are provided with a sellable display light source 8 and a sellout display light source 9. Is illuminated. The light sources 8 and 9 are, for example, LE
D (light emitting diode). Each of the selection buttons 6 is provided with a product selection switch 10. Furthermore, a light detection sensor 11 is provided on the C selection button 6 disposed at the center, and the light detection sensor 1 is provided.
1 and the light sources 8 and 9 constitute a detection device. These fluorescent lamps 7, light sources 8 for sale display, light sources 9 for sale display,
The product selection switch 10 and the light detection sensor 11 are connected to a display slave 12, which is a first sub-microcomputer.

The display slave 12 includes selection button terminals 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e, element terminals 12f, 12g, 12h, and a light detection sensor terminal 1.
2i, 12j and a fluorescent lamp terminal 12k are provided. Each selection button terminal 12a, 12b, 12c, 12
d and 12e are terminals for specifying the selection button 6,
Each of them is connected to all the elements of the selection button 6 (saleable display light source 8, out-of-sale display light source 9, and product selection switch 10). On the other hand, device terminals 12f, 12g, 12h
Is a terminal for specifying the elements 8, 9 and 10, the first element terminal 12f is connected to all the available light sources 8 for display, and
The second element terminals 12g are all product selection switches 10
Further, the third element terminal 12h is connected to all the sold-out display light sources 9.

Then, the first selection button terminal 12a
When the first element terminal 12f is opened, the light source 8 for sale indication of the selection button 6 of A can be turned on,
The first selection button terminal 12a and the second element terminal 1
2g, the open / close (ON, OFF) of the product selection switch 10 of the selection button 6 of A can be detected,
The first selection button terminal 12a and the third element terminal 1
When 2h is opened, the sold-out display light source 9 of the A selection button 6 can be turned on. Also, instead of the first selection button terminal 12a, the second selection button terminal 12a is used.
When b is opened, each element 8, 9, 10 of the B selection button 6 is opened.
Can be operated. Similarly, select each button 6
Can be operated. Also,
The light detection sensor terminals 12 i and 12 j are connected to the light detection sensor 11, and can input to the display slave 12 that the light detection sensor 11 has detected light.
The fluorescent lamp terminal 12k is connected to the fluorescent lamp 7, and the display slave 12 can control turning on or off of the fluorescent lamp 7.

Further, a product outlet 14 is provided below the front door 1 so as to pass through the front door 1. In addition, a vender, that is, a commodity delivery device 15 is provided in the main body of the vending machine. The commodity dispensing device 15 is connected to a vendor slave 16 which is a second sub-microcomputer, and upon receiving a dispensing signal from the vendor slave 16, removes the commodity stored in the main body of the vending machine from the commodity outlet 1.
4 paid out.

The front door 1 has a coin slot 17.
The coin mechanism 18 detects the money inserted into the coin insertion slot 17. The coin mechanism 18 is connected to a coin mechanism slave 19, which is a third sub-microcomputer.
When money is inserted into the coin mechanism slave 19
It is output that money was put into.

The three sub-microcomputers, ie, the display slave 12, the vendor slave 16 and the coin mechanism slave 19 are each connected to a host 21 which is a main microcomputer. The host 21 has a built-in timer 22. These microcomputers 12, 1
6, 19 and 21 constitute a control device.

In FIG. 3, the light sources 8 and 9 on the display section of the selection button 6 have directivity as shown by a two-dot chain line, and emit light forward. Therefore, when the purchaser K is in front of the selection button 6, the reflected light is detected by the light detection sensor 11, and any of the selection buttons 6
It is determined whether there is a customer K in front of. That is, when the light detection sensor 11 detects light, if the purchaser K is in front of the lit selection button 6, the disp slave 12
Have judged. In FIG. 3, the light sources 8 and 9 are shown as a single light source. However, in practice, the light source 8 for sale display and the light source 9 for sale display are separately provided adjacent to each other. Further, only one of the light sources 8 and 9 is turned on, and a plurality of light sources are not turned on at the same time. That is, the light sources 8 and 9 are sequentially turned on for a short time (for example, for a moment), and by repeating this continuously, a display such as a sale available display or a sold-out display is performed.

The main flow for detecting the purchaser K in the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 will be described. In step 1, n is set to 1 by default, and the vendor slave 16 sets the nth, that is, the first A
When detecting that there is no product corresponding to the selection button 6,
This is output to the host 21, and the host 21 transmits it to the display slave 12. And if there is no product,
In step 2, the sold-out display light source 9 of the first A selection button 6 is turned on for a short time (for example, for a moment), and the procedure goes to step 5.

On the other hand, if there is a product corresponding to the first A selection button 6, the process goes to step 3. Meanwhile, when money or the like is inserted into the coin insertion slot 17, the coin mechanism 18 detects the money and outputs the inserted amount to the host 21 via the coin mechanism slave 19. Then, the host 21 transmits to the display slave 12 any of the selection buttons 6 corresponding to the commodities that can be purchased with the input amount. Therefore, in step 3, the display slave 12 determines whether or not the product of the first A selection button 6 can be purchased. If the product cannot be purchased, the process proceeds to step 5.
If the purchase is possible, the sale available display light source 8 of the first A selection button 6 is turned on for a short time (for example, for a moment), and the procedure goes to step 5.

In step 5, the disk slave 1
Step 2 is to determine whether the light detection sensor 11 has detected light (that is, the reflected light from the light source 8 for sale indication or the light source 9 for sale display). go to. On the other hand, when light is detected, the procedure proceeds to step 6, where the fluorescent lamp 7 is turned on for a certain time, and then the procedure proceeds to step 7. In step 7, the display slave 12
The presence / absence of reflected light from the light sources 8 and 9 on the display section of the A selection button 6 is output to the host 21. And the host 21
The presence or absence of the reflected light and the time from the timer 22 of the host 21 are stored in the memory of the host 21. Then go to step 8. In this way, the first A selection button 6
Is determined whether or not there is a customer K in front of.

Then, in step 8, the host 21
Where n is the total number of select buttons 6 (5 in this embodiment)
If n has been reached, n is set to 0 and the procedure goes to step 9. On the other hand, n is the total number of the selection buttons 6 (5 in this embodiment).
If it has not reached, the process goes to step 9 without changing the value of n. In step 9, 1 is added to n,
Return to step 1. Then, as described above, since n is 1 in the initial state, n becomes 2 and the next step 1
In step 7, it is determined whether or not there is a customer K before the second B selection button 6. In this way, it is sequentially determined whether or not there is a customer K in front of each of the selection buttons 6, and when the last selection button 6 is reached, the first A
It returns to the selection button 6.

In this way, when there is a customer K,
The display 2 turns on the fluorescent lamp 7 for the display, and stores the purchase data such as the location and time of the customer K in the host 2.
1 can be stored in the memory. By analyzing this purchase data, it is possible to know the traffic and the presence or absence of a customer K waiting in turn in front of the vending machine.

When the select button 6 in which the light source 8 for sale indication is turned on is operated, the vendor slave 16 is controlled via the display slave 12 and the host 21.
Is output, and the product payout device 15 pays out the product to the product outlet 14. Then, the product price is subtracted from the input amount.

Further, if there is a utility pole or a parked car in front of any of the selection buttons 6, the reflected light of the light sources 8, 9 of the selection button 6 will be reflected by the light detection sensor 11 for a long time. Is input to Therefore, when there is a selection button 6 in which reflected light is detected for a long time, for example, about 5 minutes, the detection of reflected light from the light sources 8 and 9 of the selection button 6 is ignored, and Has determined that the customer K is absent. However, since there are light sources 8, 9 from the other selection buttons 6, the purchaser K in front of the vending machine
Is possible.

Since the customer K in front of each selection button 6 is detected, the number and location of the customer K in front of the vending machine can be known. Further, it can be determined whether or not the purchaser K is moving. Further, the control device such as the host 21 calculates the moving speed of the customer K. If the customer K is moving quickly, there is a possibility that the customer K is not a customer K but a passerby or a car. Therefore, it is possible to determine that the customer is not the purchaser K.

By the way, in this embodiment, the light sources 8 and 9 are used when no merchandise is sold out and no money is inserted.
Is not lit, and the customer K cannot be detected. Therefore, as another embodiment, a flow as shown in FIG. 5 can be adopted. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, if there is no money input in step 3, the process goes to step 3a. Then, in step 3a, it is determined whether or not f is fs. If f is not fs, the procedure goes to step 3b, and if f is fs, the procedure goes to step 3c. F is an initial value set to 1, and fs is a set value for detecting an interval between lightings, for example, 5
It is set to 0. Accordingly, since f is 1 at first, the process goes to step 3b, where 1 is added to f, and step 5b is executed.
go to. Subsequent steps are the same as those of the embodiment of FIG.
Come to b. Then, when f is sequentially added and reaches 50, the process proceeds to step 3c, where the light sources 8, 9 of the display unit are turned on, and the process proceeds to step 3d. Then, in Step 3d, f is set to 1 and the process goes to Step 5.

In this way, even when no product is sold out or no money is inserted, the sale available display light source 8 or the sold out display light source 9 is thinned out at intervals of the set value for detection. Lights up momentarily. This light is almost invisible to the customer K, but the light detection sensor 11 can detect the customer K. In addition, when the sale enable display or the sold-out display of the selection button 6 is performed, the light sources 8 and 9 are continuously blinking, and the purchaser K can sufficiently see the display. In this manner, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the interval between the lighting of the light sources 8 and 9 of the display unit of the selection button 6 is short at the time of display, or the interval is not displayed. When only detection is performed, the interval is set to be long.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above.
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment,
Within the gist of the present invention described in the claims,
Various changes can be made. Modification examples of the present invention are exemplified below. (1) In the embodiment, money is inserted in the vending machine, but it is also possible to pay for the vending machine using a prepaid card or the like.

(2) The display fluorescent lamp 7 can be turned on at all times when money is inserted. (3) In the embodiment, the detected data of the purchaser K is used for lighting the fluorescent lamp 7 and for consumer trends, but can be used for other purposes. For example,
It is also possible to operate components (such as a voice display device) other than the fluorescent lamp 7.

(4) The arrangement and quantity of the selection buttons 6 can be changed as appropriate. (5) In the embodiment, the light detection sensor 11 is provided on the selection button 6 disposed substantially at the center, but may be provided on another selection button 6. Further, it can be provided at a place other than the selection button 6. However, the provision of the selection button 6 disposed substantially at the center can improve the detection efficiency and reduce the installation cost. (6) Although the control device is constituted by four microcomputers in this embodiment, the structure of the control device can be changed as appropriate.

[0029]

According to the vending machine of the present invention, the light source of the product selection button is sequentially turned on, and the light detection sensor detects the reflected light of this light source, so that a dedicated light source for detection is unnecessary. And the installation cost can be reduced. In addition, even if there is a telephone pole, a parked car, or the like in front of any of the product selection buttons, and the detection of the customer is disabled, the light source of the other product selection button can detect the customer. .

When the light detection sensor detects reflected light, if there is a control device for storing which product selection button the product selection button for which the light source is turned on is located before the product selection button. It is possible to determine whether there is a customer, and it is possible to grasp the number and location of the customer.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of a vending machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a control device.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the vending machine for explaining a state of detection.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 6 Product selection button 8 Light source for sale display 9 Light source for sale display 11 Light detection sensor 12 Disp slave (control device) 16 Bender slave (control device) 19 Coin mechanism slave (control device) 21 Host (control device)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of product selection buttons having a display unit, provided on the display unit of each product selection button,
A vending machine that includes a light source that is sequentially turned on and a light detection sensor that detects reflected light from the light source. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a control device for storing which product selection button is turned on when the light detection sensor detects the reflected light.