JPS599954B2 - How to handle the situation - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a product discharge detection method for a vending machine.

In conventional vending machines, the process from coin insertion to product ejection is sequentially and continuously controlled, so if the product ejection drive device malfunctions, the product will not be ejected, but the inserted coin will be ejected. In most cases, coins were not returned because they were processed in connection with the incident.

In order to eliminate such problems, the inserted coins are temporarily held and the coins are stored in the safe after confirming that the product has been ejected.If the product is not confirmed to have been ejected, the coins should be made to select the product again, or the coins should be stored in the safe. It needs to be returned to a condition where it can be returned.

Therefore, a product discharge detection device is provided at the sales outlet to detect that the product has been reliably discharged by the product discharge drive device, and after the product discharge detection device detects the product, the inserted coins are stored in the safe. That is desirable.

However, in this case, if some trick is taken to prevent the product from reaching the sales outlet equipped with the product discharge detection device even if the product is discharged by the product discharge drive device, the product discharge detection device This causes a problem in that the product ejected by the product ejection drive device cannot be detected.

After that, by performing a coin return operation, the inserted coin is returned, and after this coin return is performed, the above-mentioned mischief of the product mooring is released, and the coin is moored between the product discharge drive device and the sales outlet. It becomes possible to take the products for free.

To prevent such free-picking, a shutter should be installed at the sales outlet, or a tamper detection device should be installed between the product discharge drive device and the sales outlet to detect whether or not the product has been tampered with. However, these methods have the disadvantage of increasing the cost of vending machines.

FIG. 1 shows a conventional example in which discharge detectors 9 and 9' are provided at the rear of the product discharge drive device 8, that is, at the location of the product sales port 3. The discharged product C1 reaches the sales outlet 3 and the detectors 9, 9' are activated to detect the discharge of the product.

However, according to this method, if the product C1 is moored at an intermediate position between the discharge drive device 8 and the detectors 9, 9', that is, at the position C'1 in FIG. 9l could not detect the discharge of the product,
The inserted coin is in a returnable state and the product is discharged, so it becomes possible to obtain the product after returning the coin to the coin return slot.

The present invention was developed in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, and its purpose is to detect whether or not a customer's desired product has been reliably provided in a vending machine in order to perform payment correctly. The object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks by providing a product discharge detection device at a position in front of the discharge drive device.

Next, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIG. 2.

1 is a group of cylindrical products; 2 is a product storage room for storing the cylindrical product group 1; the product storage room 2 and the sales outlet 3 are connected by a discharge and fall passage 5;

4 is a part of the product storage room 2 and is a product delivery passage.

Reference numeral 6 denotes an actuator that transmits the presence or absence of a product to a sold-out detection switch 7, and the actuator 6 detects products C3 and C4 in a predetermined rank higher than the lowest product C2 in the product storage room 2.
Reference numeral 8 denotes a product discharge drive device for discharging the products one by one according to the customer's product selection operation, and is provided at the end of the delivery passage 4 of the product storage chamber 2.

9, 9/ is a sensor as a product discharge detection device,
One is a light emitter and the other is a photoreceptor such as a phototransistor, and is provided so as to detect the lower part of the product C2 in the delivery passage 4 of the product storage chamber 2.

Further, the product in the sales outlet 3 is designated as C1, and the products in the delivery passageway 4 are designated as C2, C3, and C4 from the front.

With the above configuration, when a customer inserts a predetermined amount of money into the vending machine and provides a product through a product selection operation, the drive device 8 operates and the product C1 reaches the sales outlet 3.

After such a selling operation, the sensors 9 and 9' detect the lower part of the product C2 at the front end in the delivery passage 4 of the product storage chamber 2, but at the time of the next sale, that is, when the product discharge drive device 8 Product C
When the products C2 and C3 are discharged, the sensors 9 and 9l detect the gap between the products C2 and C3 in the delivery passage 4, and then detect the lower part of the product C3.

Therefore, from the state where product C2 is detected, products C2 and C3 are detected.
The movement of the product is determined by the output change when the state changes to the state where the gap is detected, or when the state changes from the state where the gap is detected to the state where the product C3 is detected. To detect.

In addition, if the movement of the product is detected by the output change when switching from the state where the gap is detected to the state where the product C3 is detected, the gap between products C2 and C3 is detected in the standby state. Attach the sensors 9, q to a position where it can be used.

Then, by determining the output change caused by the photoreceptor of the sensor 9 or q using a required electric circuit, it can be established that the product has been delivered.

Therefore, depending on the output signal of the circuit when the delivery of the product is detected by the sensor 9, γ, the input coins that have been temporarily held can be received, and if change is required, the required change can be dispensed, etc. It is possible to instruct the arithmetic circuit to perform the arithmetic operation.

Further, the product discharge detector may be configured by a microswitch instead of being configured by a set of light emitting body and light receiving body as in this example.

In this case, the microswitch can alternately detect the product and the gap between adjacent products by arranging the switch body below the product delivery path 4 and protruding the actuator into the product delivery path 4.

As described above, the present invention provides a product discharge detection device that confirms the discharge of the product discharged by the product discharge drive device, closer to the product storage chamber than the product discharge drive device, and detects the movement of the product caused by the product sales operation. When it is determined that the product sale has been achieved, the arithmetic circuit is instructed to perform necessary arithmetic operations such as receiving the temporarily reserved coins and dispensing the required change if change is required. It is something that can be done.

For this reason, it is possible to prevent the above-mentioned taking-offs that occur when the product discharge detection device is provided closer to the sales outlet than the product discharge drive device as in the past.

In other words, in the present invention, the delivery of the product is not detected unless the product passes through the product ejection drive device. Since the product discharge detection device installed on the room side has already confirmed the discharge of the product by detecting the movement of the product, the command is issued to the arithmetic circuit to receive the temporarily reserved coins and dispense change if necessary. It turns out.

Therefore, you will not be able to pick up the product.

As described above, the present invention allows for accurate payment, so it is possible to reliably determine whether or not the desired product has been correctly provided to the customer, and the device is extremely safe against mischief.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional product discharge detection device, and FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of the product discharge detection device according to the present invention. 2... Product storage room, 6... Actuator, 7... Sold out detection switch, 8...
・Product discharge drive device, 9,9l...Product discharge detector.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Cylindrical products are stored and held in a product storage chamber so that their circumferential sides touch each other, and the lowest rank product is released from the lock by the operation of the product discharge drive device, and the lowest rank product is delivered to the sales outlet. In a vending machine that is transferred due to its own weight and stops selling operation due to the absence of a product in a predetermined rank higher than the lowest, the machine is located closer to the product storage chamber than the product ejection drive device. When the cylindrical products that are in contact with each other at the sides move within the product storage chamber, a product ejection detector is arranged so as to be able to alternately detect the passing product and the gap between adjacent products. The automatic vending machine detects delivery of a product based on a change in output due to switching from a product detection state to a gap detection state, or a change in output caused by switching from a gap detection state to a product detection state. Machine product discharge detection device.