JPS60169993A - Independent column controller for vendind machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical field to which the invention pertains] The present invention relates to a control device for a vending machine (hereinafter referred to as vending machine) having a mechanism for dispensing products by a drive source such as a motor. Generally, a large number of product dispensing mechanisms (hereinafter also referred to as dispensing mechanisms) are built into one vending machine, and if one of the dispensing mechanisms breaks down, all columns (
A column is a shelf that is combined with a product delivery mechanism and is used to carry and store products. desired.

[Prior art and its problems]

In the following description of each figure, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Fig. 1 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of a conventional vending machine control device, Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the driving principle of the dispensing mechanism, and Fig. 3 explains the operation of Figs. 1 and 2. This is a time chart. In Figures 1 and 2, Ac1 is an AC power supply;
1 is a microprocessor (hereinafter referred to as CPU) not shown in the figure.
2 is a sensor circuit that is included in the control circuit 1 and detects inserted coins, etc. 3 is also used to set constants such as the selling price of the product and the timer hour, and perform test operations. keyboard, 4 is also relay X (
XI, X2...) driver circuit, L/-X(X
i, X2-) is its a contact Xa (Xla.

X2a...), opens and closes the circuit of the motor M (Ml, M2...) built into each of the delivery mechanisms VM, and makes the motor M (Ml, M2...) correspond to the selected product G. and drive them respectively. Reference numeral 5 indicates a display device P (PI,
P2...) are push button switches for the purchaser of the product G to select the desired product. 5 (81, 82,...)
2 is a self-propelled switch that is driven to open and close by a cam CM provided on the shaft V M a of a delivery mechanism VM driven by a motor M, and its a contacts 5a (81a, 82a
), the motor M (Ml,
When the unloading mechanism VM unloads the product G by opening/closing the circuit of the unloading mechanism VM (M2...), the cam CM detects the rotational position of the shaft VMa of the unloading mechanism VM at the time when the unloading of the item G is completed, and the motor M is energized. cut off. In the example shown in Fig. 2, the unloading mechanism V
M also serves as a shelf (column) for loading and storing products.

Returning to FIG. 1, S b (81b, 82b...) is each a contact S a (Sl
A, 82a...) are connected in series, and one end is connected to one line of the AC power source AC8, and the other end is connected to the other side of the AC power source AC8 via the resistor R1 and the photodiode PD of the photocoupler PC. connected to the line.

The current flowing through the phototransistor FT of the photocoupler PC is detected by the control circuit 1. Such a detection method is limited by the number of input/output terminals of the CPU and the software capacity, and is adopted in order to minimize the number of these terminals and the capacity used.

Also, in Figure 3, Figures (i), (2), and (a)
*(4) is the a contact X a of relay X,
Motor M, a contact 8a of self-propelled switch S, photocoupler P
The operation of C is shown.

The operations shown in each of the above figures will be briefly explained below. When a purchaser inserts coins into the vending machine 1 (step 81 in Figure 7, which will be described later), a gold signal is input from the sensor circuit 2 to the CPU in the control circuit 1, and the CPU calculates the amount of money inserted. Perform the calculation (addition
), the total amount of money put in is displayed on the display 5, and
It is determined whether there is a product that can be purchased with the total amount, and a sellable lamp (not shown) indicating the corresponding product is lit. , the sellable lamps are provided corresponding to the pushbutton switches P (PI, P2...), and when the purchaser selects the pushbutton switch P corresponding to one of the lit sellable lamps (
At step 83 in FIG. 7, which will be described later, at time t1 in FIG. 3, the CPU connects the relay X (Xi) corresponding to the switch P via the driver circuit 4.

X2...) is energized, and its a contact Xa (Xl
a.

X2a...) is closed, the motor M in the corresponding unloading mechanism VM is energized, and unloading of the product G is started. During this unloading of product G, time t2 in Figure 3
, the a contact Sa of the self-propelled switch S is opened by the cam CM.
closes, the a contact Xa of relay X is opened, and motor M replaces relay X with self-running switch S
energized from the side. On the other hand, at this time, b of the self-propelled switch S
Since the contact sb is opened, the detection current of the photocoupler PC is cut off as shown in FIG. 3 (4). Next, at the time when the removal of the product G is completed (time t3 in Figure 3), the a contact Sa of the self-propelled switch S is opened by the cam CM, and the power to the motor M is cut off, thereby completing one sales operation. Return to standby state.

Now, while the product G is being delivered to the delivery mechanism VM shown in FIG. 2, a blockage occurs due to deformation of the product, etc.
The rotation of the axis V M a of M, and thus the rotation of the motor M, may become locked. In this case, from time t1 to 12 in Figure 3
The CPU detects the time T1 until the photocoupler PC changes from the ON state to the OFF state.
) l, if not, it is determined to be locked.

In this method, if a product jam occurs before the a contact 8a of the self-propelled switch S becomes 0N (the b contact 8b becomes 0FF), the motor M leg of the failed delivery mechanism VM is turned off using the a contact Xa of the IJ-X. After this, the b contact sb corresponding to the disconnected motor M remains ON, so lock detection of the remaining unloading mechanism VM can be continued, but the self-propelled switch If a product jam etc. occurs after the a contact Sa of S turns on, there is no way to cut off the power to the motor M that drives the failed delivery mechanism VM other than by cutting off the AC power supply AC8, and all column functions have to be stopped. There are some drawbacks.

Generally, in the case of such a failure, it is desirable to control the disconnection of only the circuit of the locked motor M so as not to stop sales of other products.

[Purpose of the invention]

This invention eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks and is independent, independent of the ON/OFF state of the self-propelled switch that detects the position of the motor, and allows the column to be completely disconnected even if a failure occurs in any state. The purpose is to provide a column control device.

[Key points of the invention]

The gist of this invention is to include a plurality of product carrying out means (carrying out mechanisms) each using a motor as a drive source to carry out a product, and to select one of the product carrying out means by operating a product selection means such as a push button switch for selecting a product. In a vending machine that selectively drives and sells products, a position is provided corresponding to each of the product delivery means, and the product delivery means completes delivery of the previous product based on the operation of the product selection means. means such as a free-running switch, a rising detection circuit, and a one-shot circuit that detects the position pulse and outputs a position device pulse, and logic such as a NOR gate that outputs a logic signal corresponding to all the OR conditions of the above-mentioned position pulses. a signal output means, and a CP that opens the circuit of the motor related to carrying out the product based on the logic signal.
When carrying out and selling products using means such as a single U or IJ sill, time measurement is started corresponding to the start of the motor as described above, and a predetermined time has elapsed that exceeds the time when the products should be normally carried out. means such as a timer that outputs a clock signal later, and means such as a CPU or an IJ sill that opens the circuit of the motor related to the delivery of the product based on the clock signal when the logic signal is not output; and a RAM that stores data (push button numbers, column numbers, etc.) for identifying failures and product carrying means for carrying out the product when the time measurement signal is output. storage means such as, a means such as a CPU that disconnects the circuit of the motor corresponding to the malfunction/product transport means in the next product transport sale based on the data, and a means such as a CPU to repair the failure/product transport means. After that,
means such as a fault release switch for resetting the data stored in the storage means, and when the clock signal is output, the product carrying out means (faulty In order to carry out and sell products corresponding to normal product carrying out means other than the product carrying out means (product carrying out means), a means such as a CPU is provided to temporarily enable the selection operation of the product selection means corresponding to the product.

[Embodiments of the invention]

The present invention will be explained below based on FIGS. 4 to 7. Fourth
The figure is a circuit diagram showing an example of the configuration of this invention.
, M2...) is a of relay X (XI, X2-)
It is opened and closed only by contact Xa (Xla, X2a...),
A contact S a (81a, S2a
, =-) are connected to the input terminal of the control circuit 1 via the conversion circuit 6. Further, 7 is a fault release switch which will be described later.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing details of the configuration of the conversion circuit 6, and shows the a contact 5a (Sla) of the free-running switch.

82 a-...) are the falling detection circuits 61 (611,
), one-shot circuit 62 (621,6
22...) to the NOR gate 63.

FIG. 6 is a time chart for explaining the operations of FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 6(2) shows the time of normal sales, and FIG. 6(C) shows the time of failure (also called abnormal sales). Also, Figure 6 (5), @
Figures (1) to (3) correspond to Figures 3 (1) to (3), and Figures (4) and (5) respectively correspond to the NOR gate 6.
3 shows the operation of the output signal 63a of No. 3 and the timer TM, which will be described later.

@Figure 7 is a flowchart explaining the operations in Figures 4 and 5.

Next, the present invention will be explained in detail based on FIGS. 6 and 7 while referring to FIGS. 4 and 5.

In FIG. 7, if a coin is inserted into the vending machine in step 81, the illustration of the inside of the control circuit 1 is omitted in FIG. 4, but as in the case of FIG.
In step 82 of FIG. 7, U performs a comparison calculation between the total amount of money put in and the set price of the product, and when it is determined that the product can be sold in step 101 of FIG. 7, it presses the push button switch P.
In step 83 of FIG. 7, the push button switch P is pressed.
The ON operation is determined.

When the ON operation is determined, the process moves from step 83 in FIG. 7 to the branch of terminal Y to step 102 in FIG.
The failure flag (this flag is stored in a RAM (not shown) in the control circuit 1) of the unloading mechanism VM corresponding to the pushbutton switch P on which the N operation was performed indicates a failure, that is, logic "'1".
If it is not a failure, the seventh
Moving on to step 84 in FIG. 6, the relay X for driving the product delivery is energized at time t1 in FIG. At the same time, at step 85 in FIG. 7, the timer TM (software) in the CPU is activated.
Starts the integration operation.

Next, at time t2 in FIG. 6, the a contact 8a of the self-propelled switch S is turned on as in the case of FIG. 3, but the motor M is turned on.
Since the ON state of the a-contact 8a results in a rising signal, the falling detection circuit 61 in FIG. 5 also does not output a detection signal.

Next, in the case of FIG. 6 (5) in which a normal sales operation is performed, the A contact of the self-propelled switch 8 at time t3 when the product delivery is completed within the time-up time T12, which will be described later, of the timer TM.
A is turned OFF and a falling signal is output. This falling signal is immediately detected by the one-shot circuit 62, and the output signal 62a of the one-shot circuit 62 becomes a logic "High".
(hereinafter abbreviated as "H"), and the output signal 63a of the NOR gate 63 becomes logic "Low" (hereinafter abbreviated as @L) (step 86 in FIG. 7. Branch of terminal Y).As a result, the control circuit 1 The CPU in FIG. 7 deenergizes relay The set price of the product is subtracted, and if change is required, the change is paid out using a change device not shown, and the sales operation (sales cycle) is completed.

After this, the one-shot circuit 62 waits for a predetermined time T.
11 (FIG. 6 (5)), the output signal 62a
Since the output signal 63a of the NOR gate 63 is set to L', the output signal 63a of the NOR gate 63 also returns to "H".

Next, in the case of FIG. 6 (c), which is an abnormal sale when a product jam occurs, the trigger operation of the one-shot circuit 62 is not performed because the a contact Sa of the self-propelled switch is not turned off (the seventh In step 86 (branch of terminal N), its output signal 62a remains 'L', and accordingly, the output signal 63a of NOR gate 63 also remains 'H'. Therefore, the timer T
M continues the timing operation, and at time t31 when a predetermined timer time T12 has elapsed at which it is determined that a failure has occurred, the time has expired and step 89. (branch of terminal Y), deenergized relay Leave it as is. In this case, a warning can be displayed if necessary.

Also, if the product is jammed, the self-propelled switch A contact Sa in Figure 6 (B)
If this occurs before the ON time t2, the a contact Sa remains OFF' and does not output a falling signal, so the operation is exactly the same as the above-mentioned failure.

Time-up time T12 of timer TM (Fig. 6 (to))
In advance, the sales cycle time is slightly longer than the normal sales cycle time (1~
2 seconds) Leave it set for a long time. When it is determined that the number ζ is malfunctioning, the product setting amount is not subtracted from the total amount of money inserted, it is assumed that the sale has not been made, and the state is returned to the state immediately after the coins were inserted.Steps 91→83 in Figure 7 ), it waits for the push button switch P of another column to be pressed or for a command to return the inserted coin to be issued. When a return switch (not shown) is pressed for this return operation, the amount invested is returned via step 92 in FIG. 7 and step 93.

In the circuit shown in Fig. 5, which one of the a contacts Sa (Sla, 82a...) of the free-running switch corresponding to the failed column is OFF?
Even if it remains N or OFF, the output signal 62a of the corresponding one-shot circuit 62 (621a, 622a, .
) remains at ``L'' and does not affect failure detection in other columns.

After repairing the fault, press fault release stitch 7 and press the RA
Clear the data in the failure column in M. Note that this clearing may be performed by turning the alternating current power supply AC8 from OFF to ON. Also, the keyboard 3 similar to that shown in FIG. 1 may be used for the fault release stitch 7 (not shown in FIG. 4).

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to this invention, in addition to the normal control circuit, a one-shot detection circuit of the free-running switch that detects the motor stop position and a NOR gate that inputs the output of this detection circuit under OR conditions are provided, so that the CPU input Complete independent column control can be performed with a simple configuration without increasing the number of output terminals, memory capacity, etc. Further, there is an advantage that it is possible to easily modify vending machines shipped with conventional circuits.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of a conventional vending machine control device, Figure 2 is a diagram of the driving principle of the product delivery mechanism, Figure 3 is a time chart explaining the operations of Figures 1 and 2, and Figure 4. is a circuit diagram showing a configuration example of a control device of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a conversion circuit of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 5 is a time chart for explaining the operation during normal sales, FIG. 6 (b) is a time chart for abnormal sales, and FIG. 7 is a flow chart. Code explanation G...product, 7M...unloading mechanism, ■Ma...shaft,
CM,...Cam, M(Ml, M2...)...Motor, 5(81,82...),...Self-propelled switch, 8a(
81a, 82a...)...A contact, 1...Control device, X (Xi, X2...)...Relay, Xa (Xl
a, X2a...)...a contact, 6...conversion circuit,
61 (611, 612...)...Fall detection circuit,
62 (621°622...)...One-shot circuit, 63...NOR gate, TM...Timer, T12
...Time up time. ,? Figure 2 Figure 1 Figure 2t-3 (4); 'r-Door 1y' Uρoko QN OFF OA
/o6 figure

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) A plurality of product carrying out means each using a motor as a drive source for carrying out a product are provided, and one of the product carrying out means is selectively driven by operating a product selection means for selecting a product to select and drive the product. In a vending machine for discharging and selling products, the product discharging means is provided corresponding to each of the product discharging means and outputs a voltage detecting device pulse based on the operation of the product selection means to determine the position at which the product discharging means completes discharging the product. logical signal output means for outputting a logical signal corresponding to all zero conditions of each position pulse, and means for opening the circuit of the motor related to carrying out the product based on the logical signal. and means for starting time measurement in response to the start of energization of the motor when carrying out and selling the product, and outputting a timing signal after a predetermined time period that exceeds the time when the product should be normally carried out; An independent column control device for a vending machine, comprising means for opening a circuit of the motor related to carrying out the product based on the clock signal when the logic signal is not output. 2. In the device according to claim 1, when the time measurement signal is output, data for specifying a failure of the product carrying out means and the product carrying out means related to carrying out the product is stored. storage means, means for disconnecting the circuit of the motor corresponding to the failure/product transport means in the next product transport sales based on the data; An independent column control device for a vending machine, comprising means for resetting the data stored in the storage means. 3) In the device according to claim 1 or 2, when the time measurement signal is output, the product is carried out corresponding to the product carrying out means other than the product carrying out means related to carrying out the product. 1. An independent column control device for a special-speed vending machine, characterized in that means is provided for once enabling selection operation of the product selection means corresponding to the product for sale.