JPS6259356B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a condition input device for setting various conditions necessary for a vending machine to perform vending operations.

(B) Prior Art As the control of vending machines has become electronic, the input of information necessary for setting various conditions has become increasingly difficult, as shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 50-38598. It is becoming common to use the keyboard for settings.

(C) Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, input using a keyboard requires operating the function keys and numeric keys in a prescribed order, and this operation requires skill, making it difficult for inexperienced or inexperienced persons to do so. It is quite difficult to do so. Additionally, when vending machines are controlled by microcomputers, new functions can be added to meet market demands by changing the memory unit (ROM) that stores the vending machine's control programs. Keyboards must be changed accordingly, and as the amount of information increases, information input operations become extremely complex, making them increasingly difficult for amateurs to operate.

Therefore, the present invention provides a condition input device for a vending machine in which information on various condition settings is expressed in barcodes and settings can be made by scanning the barcodes with a barcode reader. ,
In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device that facilitates setting operations when setting a vending machine to certain specific operating conditions such as standard operation.

(d) Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the condition input device for a vending machine according to the present invention inputs various conditions for performing vending operations by barcode for each item. The barcode display medium includes a barcode display medium, a reading device for reading the barcode, and a storage device for storing the contents of the read barcode, and the various conditions can be individually set for the barcode display medium. The part where the barcode is displayed for each condition,
In addition to the barcode display area for each condition, there is provided a part where the specific conditions are displayed as a series of barcodes for setting a specific condition that is a combination of some of the conditions.

(e) Effect When a barcode is scanned with a reading device, the storage device stores information indicated by a read signal of the reading device. At this time, when the part of the barcode display medium where the barcode is displayed for each condition is scanned by the reading device, the information of each condition is individually stored in the storage device. Furthermore, when a reading device scans the part of the barcode display medium in which specific conditions are displayed as a series of barcodes, a series of information on the specific conditions, which is a combination of several of each condition, is stored in the storage device. .

(f) Example 1 is a barcode reading device according to the present invention, which is a manual scanning type (hand scanner type) that photoelectrically reads a barcode written on a sheet 2 described later.
The barcode reader 3 includes a barcode reader 3, an amplifier circuit 4 for amplifying information read by the barcode reader 3, and a waveform shaping circuit 5 for shaping the output of the amplifier circuit. 2 is a sheet as a barcode display medium, and is a barcode display section that displays setting information related to vending operations and management information necessary for managing the vending machine using a plurality of black bars and white spaces between the bars. and a direct-readable display section in which the contents of the barcode and explanations necessary for the barcode are appropriately displayed using numbers, letters, codes, etc. The barcode according to the present invention has two character areas, P and Q, as shown in Figure 3A, and various data characters are displayed in the Q area, and a start character is displayed in the P area. When the barcode reader 3 scans the barcode A in a straight line from left to right, the output of the amplifier circuit 4 is generated as shown in FIG. An output is generated as shown in C, and information on this output is stored in a memory device (RAM) included in a microcomputer control device 16 built into the vending machine to control vending operations, Used for management operations.

FIG. 4 shows an example of setting conditions necessary for performing an automatic vending operation. As for this condition setting, there are 1, 2, and 3 setting conditions as number limit item 6 of bulk purchase (multi-bend), and item 7 of whether to exchange currency or not. There are various setting conditions, such as item 8 for whether or not to put the product storage column (room) into the alternate sales mode, and whether or not to sell the No. 1 column and No. 2 column alternately. In addition, there are setting conditions for whether or not to display the sales price on the input amount display every time the product selection button is pressed, and whether or not to display the sales price as item 9. Item 10 of whether or not to display the temperature is the setting condition for whether or not to display the temperature in the direct-readable display section 17 and the barcode display section 1.
8 are written as a pair on the barcode display sheet 2. In this, each item 6, 7, 8,
When the barcode reader 3 is used to rub the barcode corresponding to the conditions to be set for each item in the order of 9 and 10, the condition is stored in the storage section, and a vending operation based on the condition is achieved.

The sheet in FIG. 4 shows another specific condition setting display. In other words, if you want a vending machine to operate in a standard manner, it is cumbersome to set one of the conditions in items 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 each time, so it is convenient to set one of the conditions in items 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. The character display 11 ``Setting'', the bar code display area 11A that satisfies this condition, and the one each of each item 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 to clearly indicate which condition setting of each item this standard setting is. Conditions are specifically displayed (in the figure, they are painted in light ink). This specific display has different reflection characteristics from the black bar on the barcode display section that displays each condition, and when the barcode display section is scanned with the barcode reader 3, the black bar appears as shown in Fig. 3 (b) and (c). It is necessary that the corresponding waveform and the waveform corresponding to the space between the black bars have a color that provides a clearly different amount of reflected light in terms of level, and if the sheet 2 is a white background color, this white color Painted in a color that provides the same level of reflected light.

Therefore, by scanning the standard barcode 11A with the barcode reader 3, it is possible to buy two items in bulk, do not exchange money, and do not sell alternately.
Conditions such as not displaying the set price and displaying the internal temperature will be automatically set.

In the present invention, specific conditions are determined not only by setting these conditions but also by including other conditions or by combining a plurality of conditions completely separately.
These may be displayed as a single series of barcodes. Further, the title is not limited to the display of "standard settings", but may be any display that matches the specific conditions.

(G) Effects of the Invention In the present invention, since each condition setting can be achieved using a barcode and its reading device, it is not necessary to have sufficient experience unlike a conventional keyboard, and the barcode display medium can be easily read at a glance. This makes the setting operation more efficient and accurate. In addition to the barcode display area for setting conditions for each item, the barcode display medium also includes a barcode display area for each condition for setting specific conditions that combine several of the conditions. In addition, since the specific conditions are displayed as a series of barcodes, the predetermined conditions can be set using one barcode without having to scan each barcode for each condition, and the settings are easy.
This also eliminates setting errors.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Each figure shows an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the relationship between a barcode reading device and a barcode display medium, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the tip of the barcode reader.
Figure 3 is a barcode and its reading waveform diagram, Figure 4
The figure is a display configuration diagram of setting conditions of a barcode display medium. 1...Barcode reading device, 2...Barcode display medium, 11A...Specific condition barcode display portion.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Equipped with a barcode display medium in which barcodes are displayed for each item of various conditions for performing a vending operation, a reading device for reading the barcode, and a storage device for storing the contents of the read barcode. , the barcode display medium has a barcode display area for each condition so that the various conditions can be set individually, and a barcode display area for setting a specific condition that is a combination of some of the conditions. A condition input device for a vending machine comprising a barcode display section for each condition and a section in which the specific conditions are displayed as a series of barcodes.