KR101416018B1 - Apparatus for prevention of stolen product in vending machine and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Theft of the multi-vending machine that allows the manager to respond promptly by sending a warning message to the manager about the stolen goods by sensing the goods when the goods fall on the lift due to an external artificial impact, A preventive device and a method thereof are disclosed.
The commodity detection device of the multi-vending machine disclosed in the above is provided with a product detecting sensor provided on a lift for transporting a product to be discharged to a product outlet while ascending or descending, and detecting whether a product exists in the lift; A control unit for checking the merchandise sales operation status when the merchandise detection sensor detects the merchandise, determining that the merchandise is stolen when the merchandise is not in the normal sales status, and generating a warning control signal for the merchandise stolen; And a stolen-alarm unit for extracting warning data on a product stolen from the memory according to an alarm control signal generated by the control unit, converting the extracted alarm data into voice, and outputting a warning voice.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multi-

The present invention relates to a multi-vending machine for preventing theft of merchandise, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for preventing theft of merchandise from a multi-vendor vending machine, The present invention relates to a device for preventing theft of a merchandise of a multi-vending machine, and a method thereof, in which a manager can promptly respond by sending a warning message about the theft.

In general, a vending machine is an unmanned sales system in which a variety of commodities such as coffee, tobacco, confectionery, and books are stored therein, a user inputs a commodity corresponding to the commodity to be purchased, and then selects a desired commodity And the vending machine in which the selected commodity is discharged to the discharge port.

In such a general automatic vending machine, a multi-automatic vending machine in which a plurality of kinds of goods are sold in a single automatic vending machine by unmanned sales method has recently been proposed.

A technique for a multi-vending machine proposed in the past is disclosed in Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2010-0087846 (published on Aug. 6, 2010) (entitled "Multi-vending machine" ).

The disclosed prior art can detect the protrusion of the shelf so that the vessel is prevented from collapsing with the basket and the shelf due to less entry of the vessel into the showcase and preventing the display product from falling off the shelf due to the flow of the apparatus So that it can be easily carried out without any error of the basket. Further, as the basket moves up and down, it forms an advertisement surface to make the user feel fun and create additional income sources.

1. KIPO Publication No. 10-2010-0087846 (published on Aug. 6, 2010) (title of invention: multi-vending machine)

However, the above-described conventional technique can prevent the shelf item from falling off the shelf due to the flow of the device, but it is impossible to completely prevent the product displayed on the outside due to an artificial impact from falling on the lift (basket) .

In addition, the conventional art has a disadvantage in that it can not prevent an article from being stolen after dropping the article on the lift by artificially impacting the vending machine from the outside.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art,

A problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a multi-vending machine for a multi-vending machine, which can prevent a product from being stolen by detecting an incoming article when the article falls on a lift due to an external artificial impact, It is in providing the method.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for preventing theft of a product in a multi-vending machine in which, when an attempt is made to steal a product, a warning message is transmitted to the manager to warn the manager of the goods.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multi-vending machine comprising:

A product detecting sensor provided on a lift for transporting a sale item to a product discharge port while ascending / descending, and detecting whether a product exists in the lift;

A control unit for checking the merchandise sales operation status when the merchandise detection sensor detects the merchandise, determining that the merchandise is stolen when the merchandise is not in the normal sales status, and generating a warning control signal for the merchandise stolen;

And a stolen alarm unit for extracting warning data on a product stolen from the memory according to an alarm control signal generated by the control unit, converting the extracted alarm data into voice, and outputting a warning voice.

In the above,

A weight sensor for measuring the weight of the lift to detect the presence or absence of a product, an ultrasonic wave transmitter for sensing the presence or absence of a product in the flight time of the ultrasonic wave And an ultrasonic sensor for detecting the ultrasonic wave is used.

Further, in the multi-vending machine according to the present invention,

And a communication module for extracting a telephone number and an alarm message of an administrator previously stored in the memory according to an alarm control signal generated by the controller and transmitting the extracted warning message in the form of a text message to the telephone number of the manager .

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for preventing theft of a multi-

(a) detecting whether a product is present in the lift;

(b) confirming the merchandise sales status when the merchandise is detected in the lift;

(c) if it is determined that the merchandise is not in the merchandise sales state as a result of the checking in step (b), determining that the merchandise is stolen;

(d) sending an alarm sound to the goods theft.

According to another aspect of the present invention,

(e) when the merchandise is in the merchandise sales state as a result of the checking in step (b), controlling the delivery of the merchandise existing in the lift.

According to another aspect of the present invention,

(f) extracting an administrator telephone number and a warning message pre-stored in the memory after sending out a warning sound for the goods theft, converting the extracted warning message into a text message, and transmitting a warning text message in correspondence with the manager telephone number The method comprising the steps of:

According to the present invention, there is an advantage that, when an article is dropped on a lift due to an external artificial impact, the article is detected, and an alarm about the theft is performed to prevent a product from being stolen in advance.

In addition, according to the present invention, when an attempt is made to steal a product, a warning message is sent to the manager about a goods theft, so that the manager can respond quickly.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams of a multi-vending machine to which the present invention is applied,
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a product robbery prevention apparatus for a multi-vending machine according to the present invention,
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for preventing theft of a product in a multi-automata according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.

≪ Example 1 >

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a multi-vending machine 100 to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a multi-vending machine according to the present invention. The main body 101, A controller 150, a stolen alarm unit 140, a memory 150, and a communication module 160. The communication unit 160 includes a communication unit 160, a speaker 170, a speaker 141, a product sensing sensor 120,

The keypad unit 110 means an input means for selecting a product to be purchased by the user of the multi-vending machine 100. It is also possible to store the telephone number of the manager using the keypad unit 110. [

The lift 170 serves to lift and lower the shelves on which the goods are displayed and to deliver the goods to the goods outlet. The goods detecting sensor 120 senses whether the goods are present in the lift 170, And transmits the detection result to the control unit 130.

Here, the product detecting sensor 120 may include an optical sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a product by projecting light and receiving the projected light, a weight detecting sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a product by measuring the weight of the lift 170, And an ultrasonic sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a product in the flight time of the ultrasonic wave. In addition to the optical sensor, the weight detection sensor and the ultrasonic sensor, other sensors capable of detecting the product may be used.

The control unit 130 checks the merchandise sales operation state when the merchandise is detected by the merchandise detection sensor 120, determines that the merchandise is stolen if it is not a normal sales state, and generates a warning control signal for the merchandise stolen do. The control unit 130 may be implemented as a control unit such as a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a controller, and a central processing unit.

The theft warning unit 140 extracts warning data on theft of goods from the memory 150 according to an alarm control signal generated by the controller 130 and converts the extracted warning data into voice and outputs a warning voice .

The speaker 141 transmits the theft alarm sound output from the theft alarm unit 140 to the outside.

The memory 150 has a control program for controlling theft of goods, and stores the theft alarm data, the telephone number of the manager, and warning message data for informing the manager of the theft.

The communication module 160 extracts a telephone number and a warning message of the administrator stored in the memory 150 according to an alarm control signal generated by the controller 130, And sends it to the manager's telephone number. The communication module 160 includes a function for switching the warning data into character data and a dialing function for dialing the manager telephone number.

When the purchase amount is inputted and the desired product is selected through the keypad unit 110, the lift prevention unit of the multi-vending machine according to the present invention having the above- The merchandise is moved to the position of the shelf on which the merchandise is displayed. When the movement of the lift 170 is completed, the selected product falls to the lift 170, and the product falling on the lift 170 is sensed by the product sensing sensor 120 and transmitted to the control unit 130.

The control unit 130 checks whether the sales product exists in the lift 170 based on the product detection result of the product detection sensor 120. If the product exists in the lift 170, And moves the lift 170 to the goods discharge port in a normal sales operation state.

Thereafter, when the lift 170 moves to a predetermined position of the goods dispensing port, the merchandise of the lift 170 is delivered to the goods dispensing port to control the buyer to take the purchased goods.

If the user does not select another item with the remaining amount, the user will discharge the change money through the amount outlet after a certain period of time so that the buyer can take the change.

Such a product sales operation is a process of normally selling a product in a normal multi-vending machine. In the present invention, if the product is not in a normal sales operation state and abnormally exists in the lift 170, it is determined that the product is stolen, This is to prevent theft.

More specifically, the product detecting sensor 120 is provided at a predetermined position of the lift 170 to detect whether a product exists in the lift 170. [ For example, when a multi-vending machine is artificially impacted to steal a product displayed on a multi-vending machine, a product displayed on the display panel may be detached from the display panel and dropped to the lift 170. [ Therefore, the product detecting sensor 120 detects whether a product exists in the lift 170 in real time regardless of whether the multi-vending machine is operating or not, and when the product is detected, the product detecting signal is transmitted to the controller 130.

When the goods detection signal is received from the goods detection sensor 120, the control unit 130 checks the operation state of the current automatic vending machine and confirms whether it is a normal sales operation state or an abnormal state. The operation status can be checked by checking whether or not the amount of money is inputted and whether or not the keypad is operated.

If the merchandise purchase amount is not input as a result of the check and the merchandise is not selected through the keypad, it is determined that the merchandise is in an abnormal sales operation state. If a product is detected in the lift 170 in an abnormal sales operation state, it is determined that the product is stolen, and a warning control signal for the theft is transmitted to the theft warning unit 140. At this time, the warning data is transmitted from the memory 150 to the theft warning unit 140 together.

The theft alarm unit 140 converts the input alarm data into an acoustic signal and transmits the alarm data to the connected speaker 141 so that a warning sound for theft is transmitted to the outside. Here, the warning sound for the theft can be variously set by the administrator.

Meanwhile, the present invention is another feature of theft prevention, which can notify a manager of a theft situation through a text message.

For example, the control unit 130 transmits a warning sound for the theft in a known operation, and at the same time extracts the administrator phone number and the stolen message data registered in advance from the memory 150 and transmits it to the communication module 160.

The communication module 160 converts the transmitted theft message data into a text message format, and transmits the manager telephone number and the stolen text message to the communication network. A stolen warning character is received by a manager terminal (a mobile terminal such as a smart phone) through a communication network, whereby the manager can easily check whether a product is stolen even from a remote place. If it is recognized that a product is stolen through a text message, the manager promptly takes follow-up action (communication with the government office, direct visit) to prevent the product from being stolen.

≪ Example 2 >

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for preventing theft of a multi-vending machine according to the present invention, wherein S represents a step, and FIG. 2 illustrates a process of preventing product theft by software in the control unit 130. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the anti-theft method of a vending machine according to the present invention includes: (a) detecting whether a product exists in a lift (S101); (b) confirming the merchandise sales status when the merchandise is detected on the lift (S102); (c) if it is determined that the merchandise is not in the merchandise sales state as a result of the checking in step (b), it is determined that the merchandise is stolen; (d) sending an alarm sound to the goods theft (S106); (e) controlling (S104) the release of a product present in the lift if the product is in a sales state as a result of the checking in the step (b); (f) extracting an administrator telephone number and a warning message pre-stored in the memory after sending out a warning sound for the goods theft, converting the extracted warning message into a text message, and transmitting a warning text message in correspondence with the manager telephone number (S107 to S108).

The multi-vending machine according to the present invention can prevent the product from being stolen by using the product detection sensor 120 mounted at a predetermined position of the lift 170 in step S101 to check whether the product exists in the lift 170 do.

If the product is not detected in the lift 170, that is, if the product is not detected by the product detection sensor 120, the current state is maintained. Otherwise, if the product is detected, the process moves from step S102 to step S103, And confirms the operation state of the battery.

If it is determined that the automatic vending machine is operating in the normal sales state, the process proceeds to step S104, where the product existing in the lift 170 is moved to the goods discharge port and the product is discharged.

However, if it is determined that the operation state of the vending machine is not the sales state, it is determined that the product is stolen and the operation proceeds to step S105 to operate in the sales stop mode. Here, the suspend mode means that the operation other than the operation for warning is not performed.

In a state where the operation mode of the vending machine is switched to the sales suspension mode, the process proceeds to step S106 where the alarm data stored in the memory is converted into a voice and a warning voice is transmitted through the speaker.

Another feature of the present invention is that, when a goods theft is detected, this fact can be notified to a remotely located manager via a text message.

For example, in step S107, the telephone number of the administrator stored in the memory and the warning message data are extracted. In step S108, the extracted warning message data is converted into a text message. send. Thereafter, a text message about the goods theft is received in the terminal (smart phone, mobile phone, personal digital assistant, etc.) of the manager through the communication network, and the manager located at the remote place notifies the merchandise theft state of the vending machine through the received text message .

If it is recognized that a product is stolen through a text message, the manager promptly takes follow-up action (communication with the government office, direct visit) to prevent the product from being stolen.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims and their equivalents. Of course, such modifications are within the scope of the claims.

110 ... The keypad section
120 ... Product detection sensor
130 ... The control unit
140 ... Theft Warning Department
141 ... speaker
150 ... Memory
160 ... Communication module

Claims (6)

A goods detecting sensor, provided on a lift for transporting a sale item to a goods discharge port while ascending or descending, for detecting whether a product exists in the lift;
A control unit for checking the merchandise sales operation status when the merchandise detection sensor detects the merchandise, determining that the merchandise is stolen when the merchandise is not in the normal sales status, and generating a warning control signal for the merchandise stolen;
A theft warning unit for extracting warning data on product theft from a memory according to an alarm control signal generated by the control unit, converting the extracted warning data into voice, and outputting a warning voice;
And a communication module for extracting a telephone number and an alarm message of an administrator previously stored in the memory according to an alarm control signal generated by the controller and transmitting the extracted warning message in the form of a text message to the telephone number of the manager And a plurality of automatic vending machines.
The system of claim 1,
A weight sensor for measuring the weight of the lift to detect the presence or absence of a product, an ultrasonic wave transmitter for sensing the presence or absence of a product in the flight time of the ultrasonic wave Wherein the ultrasonic sensor comprises at least one of an ultrasonic sensor and an ultrasonic sensor.
delete (a) detecting whether a product is present in the lift;
(b) confirming the merchandise sales status when the merchandise is detected in the lift;
(c) if it is determined that the merchandise is not in the merchandise sales state as a result of the checking in step (b), determining that the merchandise is stolen;
(d) sending out an alarm sound for theft of the goods;
(e) controlling, when it is determined in the step (b) that the merchandise is in the merchandise sales state, the delivery of the merchandise existing in the lift;
(f) extracting an administrator telephone number and a warning message pre-stored in the memory after sending out a warning sound for the goods theft, converting the extracted warning message into a text message, and transmitting a warning text message in correspondence with the manager telephone number The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,


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