WO2023233747A1

WO2023233747A1 - Sanitary product providing dispenser

Info

Publication number: WO2023233747A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/009163
Authority: WO
Inventors: 大一小村
Original assignee: オイテル株式会社
Priority date: 2022-06-03
Filing date: 2023-03-09
Publication date: 2023-12-07
Also published as: JP2023178110A; JP2023178237A; JP7290371B1

Abstract

This sanitary product providing dispenser for providing a sanitary product to a user comprises an accommodating unit for accommodating the sanitary products, a discharging unit for discharging the sanitary products accommodated in the accommodating unit from the accommodating unit, a control unit which, upon receiving a request from the user to provide the sanitary product, causes the discharging unit to operate to discharge the sanitary product if the request is appropriate, and a display for displaying an image, wherein the control unit determines that the request is appropriate in at least either of a case in which at least a second prescribed time has elapsed since the most recent time at which the sanitary product was provided to the user, or a case in which the number of sanitary products provided to the user in a prescribed period has not reached a prescribed number.

Description

Dispenser for providing sanitary products

The present invention relates to a sanitary product dispenser that is suitably installed in a restroom, for example, and is used to dispense sanitary products such as sanitary products and tissue paper.

With the advancement of women into society, women's lifestyles have changed significantly, and there are also problems that arise from this. One such problem is menstruation, which is a physical phenomenon unique to women.

During menstruation, women use sanitary products such as napkins and tampons to prevent menstrual blood from leaking. Therefore, women generally carry these sanitary products with them when their menstrual period approaches.

The amount of menstrual blood varies from day to day, but if you leave sanitary products stained with menstrual blood for a long time, they may cause bacteria to grow, or cause stuffiness or odor. Therefore, during the menstrual period, it is usually necessary to change sanitary products once every 2 to 3 hours.

Therefore, for example, in restaurants and hotels, for female customers whose periods come earlier than expected and who do not have sanitary products on hand, they store them in a basket in the women's restroom (for example, next to the sink). Some places also stock sanitary products. Those who wish can freely take out sanitary products from the basket and use them.

This is ideal, but the good thing about being able to take it out freely is that you can take it home even if you don't need it. In extreme cases, a person who is not menstruating could even take everything away. This is an unfortunate act that ruins the hard-earned goodwill of the person who provided it (for example, a restaurant or hotel), and has the ironic result that even if there are people who actually want to use it, they may not be able to use it. There is a fear.

Also, some people are hesitant to use sanitary products if they are simply kept in a basket because anyone can touch them. Especially in the current situation of the coronavirus pandemic, it is extremely uneasy to touch something that you do not know who touched it.

On the other hand, as a means of dispelling such concerns and providing sanitary products to women who need them, there is a dispenser that stores sanitary products, as in Non-Patent Document 1.

In fact, as part of our welfare program, we have installed dispensers like this in the private rooms of women's restrooms so that female employees who get their period earlier than expected and don't have sanitary products can use them freely. Some companies are doing so.

As a result, sanitary products are normally stored inside the dispenser, and when they are taken out, they are ejected one by one from the inside, so the sanitary products are not touched by an unspecified number of people. . Therefore, the person wishing to use the sanitary product can use the sanitary product with peace of mind without feeling uncomfortable.

Although this type of dispenser discharges sanitary products one by one according to the operation of the person wishing to use it, there is no limit to the number of products. Therefore, by repeating the operation many times, it is possible to take out any number of sanitary products.

Therefore, even with this type of dispenser, as mentioned above, even people who are not menstruating can take out an unlimited number of sanitary products and take them home with them.

On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a providing device that stores absorbent articles corresponding to sanitary products in a controlled state. This providing device is configured to determine whether or not to provide an absorbent article based on user information from a user, and to discharge one absorbent article depending on the determination result.

According to this technology, unlimited removal of sanitary products can be prevented.

JP2021-99636A

However, such conventional technology has the following problems.

That is, the providing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not have a display, and information necessary for operation is provided through the screen of a terminal device such as a mobile terminal such as a smartphone of the user.

However, if you consider that the user operates a mobile terminal, receives sanitary products from the provider, and puts on the sanitary products, all in the toilet, operating the mobile terminal is not hygienic. It is also undesirable and I would like to avoid it as much as possible.

Additionally, operations using mobile terminals are not necessarily preferable from the viewpoint of operability, such as the limited screen size and the influence of responsiveness depending on communication conditions.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides various information in the form of images to users of a sanitary product dispenser that provides sanitary products in a controlled manner. An object of the present invention is to provide a sanitary product dispenser equipped with a display that can improve operability and comfort.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following measures.

That is, the sanitary goods supply dispenser according to the first aspect of the present invention is a sanitary goods supply dispenser for providing sanitary goods to a user, and includes a storage part for storing the sanitary goods, and a storage part for storing the sanitary goods in the storage part. a discharging unit for discharging the sanitary supplies stored in the storage unit from the storage unit; and a discharge unit for discharging the sanitary supplies from the storage unit; and a display that displays an image; or the number of sanitary products provided to the user during a predetermined period has not reached a predetermined number, the request is determined to be appropriate.

The sanitary product dispenser according to the second aspect of the present invention is the sanitary product dispenser according to the first aspect, wherein the display is separable from the sanitary product dispenser body.

The sanitary product dispenser according to the third aspect of the present invention is the sanitary product dispenser according to the second aspect, wherein the display is arranged separately from the sanitary product dispenser main body.

The sanitary product dispenser according to the fourth aspect of the present invention further includes a human sensor, and starts displaying the image from the display in response to detection by the human sensor. This is a dispenser for providing sanitary products.

The sanitary product dispenser according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is the sanitary product dispenser according to the third aspect, wherein the display is disposed in the front direction of the toilet seat in the private room of the toilet.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is the sanitary goods dispenser according to the third aspect, wherein the display is placed inside or outside a toilet cubicle.

A sanitary product dispensing dispenser according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the sanitary product dispensing dispenser according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the image includes an advertisement.

The sanitary goods dispenser according to the eighth aspect of the present invention is the sanitary goods dispenser according to the seventh aspect, wherein the sanitary goods are purchased using proceeds from the advertisement as funds.

A sanitary product dispenser according to a ninth aspect of the present invention, wherein the image includes an explanation of how to use the sanitary product dispenser according to any one of the first to sixth aspects. It is a dispenser for

In the sanitary goods supply dispenser according to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the image includes information regarding the inventory of the sanitary goods stored in the storage section, according to any one of the first to sixth aspects. This is a dispenser for dispensing sanitary products.

The dispenser for providing sanitary goods according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is the description according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the image includes information regarding the sanitary goods product stored in the storage section. This is a dispenser for dispensing sanitary products.

In the twelfth aspect of the sanitary product dispenser of the present invention, there are a plurality of displays, one of the plurality of displays is a built-in display built into the sanitary product dispenser main body, and the plurality of displays include In the sanitary goods dispenser according to the first aspect, the display other than the built-in display is a separate display arranged separately from the sanitary goods dispenser main body.

The sanitary product dispenser according to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention further includes a human sensor, and starts displaying the image from the built-in display in response to detection by the human sensor. This is a dispenser for providing sanitary products as described above.

The sanitary product dispensing dispenser according to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention is the sanitary product dispensing dispenser according to the twelfth aspect, wherein the separation display is disposed in the front direction of the toilet seat in the private room of the toilet.

A 15th aspect of the present invention is the sanitary product dispenser according to the 12th aspect, wherein the separation display is disposed at least on the inside or outside of a toilet cubicle. be.

The sanitary product dispenser according to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention is the sanitary product supply dispenser according to any one of the twelfth to fifteenth aspects, wherein the same image is displayed from the built-in display and the separated display. It is a dispenser for

The sanitary product dispenser according to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention is the sanitary product supply dispenser according to any one of the twelfth to fifteenth aspects, wherein different images are displayed from the built-in display and the separate display. It is a dispenser for

An eighteenth aspect of the sanitary product dispenser of the present invention is any one of the twelfth to fifteenth aspects, wherein the image displayed from the built-in display includes an explanation of how to use the sanitary product dispenser. This is a dispenser for providing sanitary products as described in .

A dispenser for providing sanitary goods according to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention is the dispenser for providing sanitary goods according to any one of the twelfth to fifteenth aspects, wherein the image displayed from the separated display includes an advertisement. .

In the 20th aspect of the sanitary goods supply dispenser of the present invention, the image displayed from the separate display includes information regarding the inventory of the sanitary goods stored in the storage section. A dispenser for providing sanitary products according to any of the embodiments.

In the sanitary goods supply dispenser according to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, the image displayed from the separated display includes information about the sanitary goods product stored in the storage section, A dispenser for providing sanitary products according to any of the embodiments.

The sanitary product dispenser of the present invention can provide various information to the user in the form of images from the display, so it is possible to improve the user's operability and comfort.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the external shape of a dispenser according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the internal structure of the dispenser. FIG. 3 is a front view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing the internal structure of the dispenser in a state where sanitary products are stored in the storage section. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing the bottom portion of the storage section for explaining the ejection mechanism of the dispenser in this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 illustrating a cylindrical discharge roller. FIG. 6 is a front view showing an example of the adjustment plate. FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing the bottom portion of the storage section when the sanitary napkin is being discharged. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the electronic circuit configuration of the dispenser. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a history information table. FIG. 10 is a side sectional view showing the bottom portion of the storage section (in a case where the stacked sanitary products are shifted to one side) for explaining the ejection mechanism of the dispenser in this embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side sectional view showing the bottom portion of the storage section (when the sanitary product has been completely discharged) for explaining the discharge mechanism of the dispenser in this embodiment. FIG. 12 is a front view corresponding to FIG. 2 illustrating the internal structure of the dispenser in a state where sanitary products are stored in the storage section (when the inventory is reduced). FIG. 13A is a process flow diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the dispenser according to this embodiment. FIG. 13B is a process flow diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the dispenser according to this embodiment. FIG. 14 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the dispenser of Modification 1. FIG. 15 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a case where the display is separated from the casing of the dispenser and installed at an arbitrary location. FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a dispenser of modification 2. FIG. 17 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the display 12b (out) is installed outside the private room 104 of the toilet.

Each embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The drawings are schematic or conceptual, and the relationship between the thickness and width of each part, the size ratio between parts, etc. are not necessarily the same as those in reality. Furthermore, even when the same part is shown, the dimensions and ratios may be shown differently depending on the drawing. In the specification of this application and each figure, the same elements as those described above with respect to the existing figures are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations are omitted as appropriate.

A sanitary product dispenser according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, in this specification, the dispenser for providing sanitary goods will be hereinafter simply referred to as a "dispenser" for the sake of simplicity.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the external shape of the dispenser according to the present embodiment.

The dispenser 10 is a device that stores sanitary products inside a casing 11 and discharges the stored sanitary products from the

discharge ports

13R and 13L in response to a request from a user.

As sanitary products, sanitary products S such as napkins and tampons are suitable. Therefore, in the following description, the sanitary product S will be used as an example of the sanitary product. Therefore, the dispenser 10 is installed in each stall of the women's restroom, as illustrated in FIG.

Note that the sanitary products handled by the dispenser 10 according to the present embodiment are not limited to the sanitary products S, and any thin and soft material such as tissue paper can be handled in the same manner as sanitary products.

The housing 11 of the dispenser 10 is composed of a housing body 11a and a front lid 11b that closes the housing body 11a. A display 12, two

discharge ports

13R and 13L, a user information reading unit 16 such as a card reader, and a human sensor 14 are provided on the outer surface of the front lid 11b. Further, a key 15 is provided on the outer surface of the housing body 11a.

When the dispenser 10 is in operation, the housing body 11a is closed by the front lid 11b, and a key 15 is locked so that the front lid 11b cannot be opened.

In this way, the dispenser 10 has a structure in which the sanitary product S is stored inside, so it can be managed to prevent the sanitary product S from being touched by someone or being taken out without restriction.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the internal structure of the dispenser.

The internal structure of the dispenser 10 is housed in a casing 11 that can be opened and closed. When the key 15 of the dispenser 10 is opened, the housing 11 of the dispenser 10 can be opened as illustrated in FIG. 2 . When replenishing the interior with sanitary products S or solving a malfunction such as repairing a malfunction, this is done by unlocking the key 15 and opening the casing 11.

Two

storage sections

21R and 21L having the same specifications are arranged side by side inside the main body 11a. The

storage parts

21R and 21L are spaces for storing the sanitary products S provided by the dispenser 10.

The storage section 21R is defined between a pair of upright partition plates 20Rl and 20Rr that are provided parallel to each other and facing each other. Similarly, the storage section 21L is also defined between a pair of upright partition plates 20Ll and 20Lr provided parallel to each other and facing each other.

Note that "R" after the number "21" in the symbols of the

storage units

21R and 21L indicates "right" and "L" indicates "left". That is, the storage section 21R indicates the storage section 21 on the right side, and the storage section 21L indicates the storage section 21 on the left side. Hereinafter, when giving a general explanation common to the right side storage section 21R and the left side storage section 21L, the explanation will be given using only numerical symbols such as "storage section 21". Similarly, for parts other than the storage part 21, "R" after the number in the code indicates "right" and "L" indicates "left", and the general explanation is common to the right side part and the left side part. When doing so, the explanation will be given using only numbers.

FIG. 3 is a front view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing the internal structure of the dispenser in a state where sanitary products are stored in the storage section.

As shown in FIG. 3, the sanitary products S are stored in layers inside the

storage sections

21R and 21L. Therefore, both the distance between the partition plate 20Rl and the partition plate 20Rr, that is, the width hr of the storage part 21R, and the distance between the partition plate 20Ll and the partition plate 20Lr, that is, the width hl of the storage part 21L, Adjusted to a size that can be stored.

For example, 20 to 30 sanitary products S can be stored in each of the storage part 21R and the storage part 21L having such a structure. In addition, in order to suppress the upward bulge of the stacked sanitary products S, a weight m of about 100 grams is placed on top of the sanitary products S stacked on top.

In response to a reasonable supply request C from the user, the dispenser 10 places the lowest sanitary product S stored in the

storage units

21R and 21L on the bottom surface of the

storage units

21R and 21L. It is discharged from

discharge ports

13R and 13L provided at approximately the same height.

This ejection is performed by rotating the ejection roller 30 disposed below the storage section 21. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, a hole is formed in a part of the bottom surface of the storage section 21, and the ejection roller 30 is arranged so that a part of the ejection roller 30 is exposed through the hole. FIG. 2 illustrates two ejection rollers 30R exposed from a portion of the bottom surface of the storage portion 21R and two ejection rollers 30L exposed from a portion of the bottom surface of the storage portion 21L.

When the discharge roller 30 rotates in the forward direction, the sanitary product S located at the lowest position moves toward the near side of the dispenser 10 (the near side in FIG. 3). For example, it is preferable to arrange silicone rubber on the surface of the discharge roller 30 by wrapping silicone rubber around the outer periphery of the discharge roller 30. Since silicone rubber has a high coefficient of static friction, when the discharge roller 30 rotates in the forward direction, the sanitary product S located at the lowest position can be moved more reliably and more easily.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing the bottom portion of the storage section for explaining the ejection mechanism of the dispenser in this embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, a part of the lower surface of the lowest sanitary product S1 in the storage section 21 comes into contact with the discharge roller 30.

The discharge roller 30 rotates in response to driving force from the stepping motor 32. Stepping motor 32 is directly connected to discharge roller 30. Accordingly, as shown back in FIG. 3, the stepping motor 32 is also located below the housing 21.

When the stepping motor 32 provides a driving force to the discharge roller 30 to rotate the discharge roller 30 in the forward rotation direction D, the lowest sanitary product S1 moves in the discharge direction E due to the forward rotation of the discharge roller 30. . The discharge direction E corresponds to the near side of the dispenser 10 (the near side in FIG. 3).

On the other hand, when the stepping motor 32 provides the ejection roller 30 with a driving force for rotating the ejection roller 30 in the reverse rotation direction F, the ejection roller 30 rotates in the reverse direction, so that the lowest sanitary napkin S1 is rotated in the ejection direction E. It moves in the opposite direction, the non-discharge direction G. The non-discharge direction G corresponds to the back side of the dispenser 10 (the back side in FIG. 3).

As described above, by arranging both the discharge roller 30 and the stepping motor 32 below the storage section 21, the depth of the casing 11 can be made as thin as possible. A thin design is very preferable from the viewpoint of not narrowing the limited toilet space, especially the distance between the user in the toilet and the dispenser 10 more than necessary. This is because even when the user uses the toilet where the dispenser 10 is placed, the user can use it quite naturally without feeling particularly pressured.

FIG. 5 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 illustrating a cylindrical discharge roller.

The configuration of the discharge roller 30 is not limited as long as it can move the lowest sanitary product S in the discharge direction E or the non-discharge direction G, and may be a three-wheel type discharge roller as shown in FIG. Instead of the roller 30, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, one cylindrical discharge roller 30 may be provided for one storage section 21.

Furthermore, since the operating noise of the stepping motor 32 is very low, even if the stepping motor 32 is operating when the sanitary napkin S is discharged from the dispenser 10, the operating sound is hardly audible, so the dispenser 10 is not used. People in the private room next to you won't notice that you're inside.

By the way, the thickness of the sanitary napkin S varies depending on the manufacturer and brand. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the opening height Tb of the outlet 13 is determined to be larger than the thickness of the thickest brand of sanitary product S so that any brand of sanitary product S can pass through. There is.

In the example shown in FIG. Not only the sanitary product S1 but also the sanitary product S2 stacked on top of the lowest sanitary product S1 is discharged at the same time, that is, there is a risk that the two sanitary products S1 and S2 will be discharged at the same time.

This not only makes it impossible to realize the function of discharging the sanitary products S one by one, but also causes the two sanitary products S1 and S2 to clog at the discharge port 13 when they try to exit from the discharge port 13 at the same time, causing problems. There is also a risk that it may lead to

In order to avoid this, the adjustment plate 23 is arranged in front of the discharge port 13 (on the discharge direction E side).

FIG. 6 is a front view showing an example of the adjustment plate.

The adjustment plate 23 is realized by a gate-shaped plate and has an opening J with a height I determined according to each brand of sanitary product S. By arranging such an adjustment plate 23 in front of the discharge port 13 (on the discharge direction E side), only one sanitary product S can be reliably discharged regardless of the brand. Therefore, two sanitary products S (for example, sanitary products S1 and S2) do not pass through the opening J at the same time, so that no discharge clogging occurs.

A plurality of types of such adjustment plates 23 are prepared according to each brand of sanitary product S. Further, the adjustment plate 23 is removable in front of the discharge port 13 of the dispenser 10 (on the discharge direction E side).

Therefore, from among the plurality of types of adjustment plates 23, an appropriate adjustment plate 23 is selected according to the brand of the sanitary product S stored in the storage section 21, and the selected adjustment plate 23 is placed in front of the discharge port 13. Place it in

Since the adjustment plate 23 is removable, if the sanitary product S stored in the storage section 21 is changed to a different brand, it can be easily replaced with another appropriate adjustment plate 23 accordingly. be able to.

As a result, even if the brand of the sanitary product S to be stored is changed, the adjustment plate 23 can be simply replaced without changing the height Tb of the discharge port 13, that is, without having to modify the main body of the dispenser 10. Therefore, only one sanitary product S can be reliably discharged at a time.

As shown in FIG. 4 again, an anti-theft lid 24 is arranged in front of the adjustment plate 23 to close the opening J of the adjustment plate 23 from the outside of the dispenser 10. The anti-theft lid 24 does not move even if it is pushed from the right side to the left side in FIG. 4. Further, the configuration is such that it cannot be pulled from the outside of the dispenser 10 to the right side in FIG. Therefore, even if a malicious user attempts to steal the sanitary product S stored in the dispenser 10 by inserting his/her hand or tool into the storage section 21 through the outlet 13, he or she cannot do so.

On the other hand, the anti-theft lid 24 is designed to open freely against pressing force from the inside of the dispenser 10. Therefore, the discharge of the sanitary product S from the storage section 21 is not obstructed. This will be explained using FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing the bottom part of the storage section when sanitary products are being discharged.

That is, when the anti-theft lid 24 is pressed from the inside by the sanitary product S1 moving in the discharge direction E due to the rotation of the discharge roller 30 in the forward rotation direction D, it opens as shown in FIG. S1 is discharged to the outside of the dispenser 10.

Such an anti-theft lid 24 can prevent the sanitary product S from being stolen from outside the dispenser 10 without obstructing the discharge of the sanitary product S from the dispenser 10.

Next, the electronic circuit configuration of the dispenser 10 will be explained.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the electronic circuit configuration of the dispenser.

The dispenser 10 further includes a CPU 42, a recording medium reading section 44, a communication section 45, a memory 50, and a storage device 60, which are connected to each other by a bus 41 as electronic circuits. Further, in addition to the display 12, human sensor 14, and user information reading section 16 described above, an inventory sensor 22 and a discharge sensor 25, which will be described later, are also connected to the bus 41.

The memory 50 stores a control program 51 and also secures a writable data area 52.

The communication unit 45 can communicate with the management server 300, an advertisement server (not shown), etc. via a communication network 200 such as the Internet, for example.

The control program 51 is a program for controlling the entire operation of the dispenser 10, and may be stored in the memory 50 in advance, or may be read from an external recording medium 43 such as a memory card via the recording medium reading unit 44. It may be read into the memory 50 and stored. The control program 51 cannot be rewritten by a user's operation. On the other hand, the writable data area 52 is an area for storing rewritable data.

The CPU 42 is a computer and controls the operation of each part of the circuit according to the control program 51 stored in the memory 50.

The storage device 60 is composed of, for example, an SSD (Solid State Drive) or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and stores an image data storage section 62.

The image data storage unit 62 stores advertisements from sponsors and image data in the form of videos or still images for explaining how to use the dispenser 10.

The image data is displayed from the display 12. The image data is displayed for about 2 minutes each time the user enters the toilet cubicle, and is not displayed for longer than that. This prevents the user from staying too long in the toilet due to being absorbed in the image data displayed on the display 12. For effective display within two minutes, the length of the image data is, for example, about 15 seconds. Further, there are approximately two types of image data, such as an advertisement and an explanation of how to use the dispenser 10, for example. That is, when displaying image data from the display 12, two types of image data each lasting about 15 seconds are repeatedly displayed for two minutes.

Note that when new image data is registered in the image data storage section 62, the external recording medium 43 on which the new image data is recorded is read by the recording medium reading section 44 and written to the image data storage section 62. . Alternatively, the communication unit 45 acquires image data from the management server 300, advertising server (not shown), etc. via the communication network 200 such as the Internet, and stores the acquired image data in the image data storage unit 62. This can also be done by writing in .

The display 12, the human sensor 14, and the user information reading unit 16 are provided on the outer surface of the front lid 11b, as shown in FIG.

The human sensor 14 is realized by, for example, an infrared sensor, detects a user entering a private room of the toilet, and outputs a sensing signal A. The output sensing signal A is sent to the memory 50 via the bus 41.

In response to the sensing signal A being sent to the memory 50, the control program 51 causes the display 12 to start displaying the image data stored in the image data storage section 62. Further, the communication unit 45 may be used to receive advertisement image data distributed from an advertisement server (not shown) via the communication network 200, and to start displaying the received advertisement image data on the display 12. .

In this way, the dispenser 10 can display advertisements from the display 12, so a business that provides sanitary products S by the dispenser 10 can collect advertising sponsors, display advertisements from the display 12, and earn advertising revenue. By repeating the cycle of purchasing sanitary products S with part of the income and replenishing the dispenser 10, it is also possible to implement a business model in which sanitary products S are continuously provided free of charge to users.

Next, an example of a method for requesting the provision of sanitary products S by the user to the dispenser 10 will be described.

The method by which the user requests the dispenser 10 to provide the sanitary products S is not particularly limited in this specification; for example, the user may input user information from the user information reading unit 16, (Reading method) Alternatively, a dedicated application AP can be installed on the user device 151 such as a smartphone, and the reading can be performed via the management server 300 using this dedicated application AP (App method).

First, the method for requesting the provision of sanitary products S using the reading method will be described below.

When requesting the provision of sanitary products S using the reading method, the user can input user information from the user information reading section 16 using either a non-contact method or a contact method.

An example of user information input in a non-contact manner is the application of NFC technology. In this case, the user information reading unit 16 is an NFC-compatible receiver, and the user uses an NFC-compatible card 150 (for example, a transportation card, an ID card such as an employee ID card or a student ID card, an IC card such as a credit card, or a cash card). ) or user device 151 (for example, a smartphone) over the user information reading unit 16. The user information reading unit 16 reads information j (eg, card number, device number, etc.) from the NFC compatible card 150 and the user device 151. The user information reading unit 16 outputs the read information j to the memory 50 via the bus 41 as user information uj. In this way, when applying the NFC technology, it can be used not only in the NFC compatible card 150 but also in the user device 151 such as a smartphone.

Another example of user information input using a non-contact method is the application of wireless technology such as beacons and RFID. When using a beacon, the user information reading unit 16 is used as a beacon receiver, and the user brings the beacon device 152 that transmits the beacon ID close to the user information reading unit 16. The user information reading unit 16 receives the beacon identification information ID and outputs the received beacon identification information ID to the memory 50 via the bus 41 as user information uj.

When using RFID, the user information reading unit 16 is used as an RFID reader, and the user brings the RFID tag 153 close to the user information reading unit 16. The user information reading unit 16 receives the RFID identification information id, and outputs the received RFID identification information id to the memory 50 via the bus 41 as user information uj.

Another example of a non-contact method is the use of a QR code (registered trademark) 154. In this case, the user information reading unit 16 is a QR code reader, and the user causes the user information reading unit 16 to read the QR code 154 in which predetermined information is embedded. Then, the user information reading unit 16 acquires predetermined information q from the QR code 154, and outputs this predetermined information q to the memory 50 via the bus 41 as user information uj.

Another example of a non-contact method is the use of biometric information authentication. In this case, the user information reading unit 16 is a biometric authentication device. The biometric authentication device authenticates the biometric information r of the user U and outputs the authenticated biometric information r to the memory 50 as user information uj. Examples of the biometric information r include fingerprints, palm shapes, retinas, irises, faces, vein patterns, etc. For example, when using facial authentication information as the biometric information r, the user information reading unit 16 The user U turns his/her face toward the user information reading section 16 using the authentication device. Then, the user information reading section 16 acquires facial feature information and outputs this facial feature information to the memory 50 via the bus 41 as user information uj.

On the other hand, an example of user information input using a contact method is the use of a magnetic card 155. In this case, the user information reading unit 16 is a magnetic reader, and the user causes the user information reading unit 16 to read the magnetic card 155. Then, the user information reading unit 16 acquires magnetic information p, such as a card number, from the magnetic card 155, and outputs this magnetic information p to the memory 50 via the bus 41 as user information uj.

Another example of the contact method is the use of fingerprint information. In this case, the user information reading unit 16 is used as a fingerprint reader, and the user U places his or her finger on the user information reading unit 16. Then, the user information reading unit 16 reads the fingerprint information v and outputs this fingerprint information v to the memory 50 via the bus 41 as user information uj.

Another example of the contact method is the use of an IC card that does not support NFC. In the case of an NFC-incompatible IC card 156, since information cannot be read without contact, the user information reading unit 16 is used as an IC card reader, and the user reads card information such as a card number stored in the IC card. w is read by the user information reading unit 16. The user information reading unit 16 outputs this card information w to the memory 50 via the bus 41 as user information uj.

When the user information uj is output to the memory 50, the control program 51 recognizes the user information uj as a provision request C.

Next, a method for requesting the provision of sanitary products S using an app will be described below.

When requesting the provision of sanitary products S using an app, the user first needs to install a dedicated app AP on his or her user device 151 such as a smartphone or tablet.

The method of installing the dedicated application AP is not particularly limited, but for example, a business that provides sanitary products S using the dispenser 10 may install information indicating the site (for example, the management server 300) for downloading the dedicated application AP. The user is notified by pasting a sticker on which a QR code (registered trademark) or barcode is printed (for example, a QR code (registered trademark) or barcode) on the housing 11, or by displaying information indicating this site on the display 12. Then, in accordance with this notification, the user uses his/her user device 151 to access the site, download and install the dedicated application AP.

After installing the dedicated application AP, the user can request provision of sanitary products S after performing user registration by inputting user information uj from the user device 151 according to the dedicated application AP. In response to this request, the dedicated application management server 300 generates a provision request C based on the user information uj, and the generated provision request C is transmitted via the communication network 200 and received by the communication unit 45. , are output to the memory 50 via the bus 41.

The control program 51 determines the validity of these provision requests C. For this purpose, the control program 51 first outputs the provision request C together with the dispenser identification number d assigned to the dispenser 10 from the communication unit 45 via the communication network 200 to the management server 300 and stores it.

The provision request C is output from all the dispensers 10 to the management server 300 together with the dispenser identification information d in this way. As described above, the provision request C includes the user information uj. Further, as will be described later, when the dispenser 10 correctly provides the sanitary product S in response to the provision request C, the control program 51 sends OK information indicating that the product has been provided via the communication unit 45 to the management It is sent to the server 300.

On the other hand, if the control program 51 determines that the provision request C is not valid, or if the sanitary product S is not provided due to a malfunction of the dispenser 10, the control program 51 causes the communication unit 45 to NG information indicating non-provision is transmitted to the management server 300 via the management server 300 .

Therefore, the management server 300, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the time t when the provision request C was sent, the user information uj corresponding to the provision request C, the dispenser identification information d of the sending dispenser 10, It is possible to manage a history information table 310 that stores records R consisting of a status sa of provided or not provided.

The control program 51 accesses the management server 300 via the communication unit 45, refers to the history information table 310 managed in the management server 300, and determines the validity of the provision request C.

Criteria for determining this validity include, but are not limited to, a predetermined period of time (for example, 2 hours) or more from the time when the sanitary napkin S was most recently provided to the user who made the provision request C. If the request is reasonable (first criterion), and/or if the number of sanitary products S provided to this user during a predetermined period (for example, the past month) is If the request is not reached, the request is determined to be valid (second criterion).

Regardless of which of these criteria is adopted, the control program 51 refers to the history information table 310 managed in the management server 300 in order to determine the validity of the provision request C. For example, records R related to user information uj related to provision request C are extracted from the history information table 310, and further narrowed down to records R whose status sa is "OK". By referring to this narrowed-down record R, it is possible to know the most recent time when sanitary products S were provided to this user and the number of sanitary products S provided in the past month. It is possible to judge the validity of

A specific example in which the control program 51 determines whether the latest provision request C satisfies the first determination criterion will be described below with reference to FIG. Here, the predetermined time used as the first determination criterion is 2 hours.

In the example of FIG. 9, record R115 is the latest provision request C. Record R115 indicates that the user information uj is "B2346" and the time t at the time of the request is "20191204142341", that is, 14:23:41 on December 4, 2019.

In FIG. 9, the record in which the user information uj is "B2346" and the status is "OK" is record R107. Therefore, the time when the user requesting record R115 most recently received the sanitary product S from the dispenser 10 is time t recorded in record R107.

The time t of record R107 is "20191204093529", that is, 9:35:29 am on December 4, 2019.

The time t indicated by record R115 is 4 hours, 48 seconds, and 12 seconds after the time t indicated by record R107, which is more than the predetermined time of 2 hours. Therefore, the control program 51 determines that the request C for providing record R115 satisfies the first determination criterion.

It should be noted that from the above specific explanation, it is thought that the determination of whether or not the second criterion is satisfied can be understood, so we will provide a concrete example of determining whether or not the second criterion is satisfied. The explanation used will be omitted.

When determining that the provision request C is valid, the control program 51 outputs a drive command to either the stepping motor 32R or the stepping motor 32L.

Normally, the control program 51 controls the stepping motor 32R of the right system and the stepping motor 32R of the left system in order to alternately discharge the sanitary products S from the discharge port 13R of the right system and the discharge port 13 of the left system. Drive commands are alternately output to the stepping motors 32L of the system. That is, when a drive command is output to the stepping motor 32R in response to the previous supply request C and the sanitary napkin S is discharged from the discharge port 13R, the control program 51 controls the discharge port In order to discharge the sanitary product S from 13L, a drive command is output to the stepping motor 32L.

However, as will be described later, if a problem such as a discharge blockage occurs in any system, the control program 51 drives only the stepping motor 32 of the normally operating system until the problem is resolved. Output instructions. Thereby, the dispenser 10 has redundancy in that even if a problem occurs in one system, the sanitary product S can be discharged from the other system where the problem does not occur, and the service can be continued.

FIG. 3 shows a stepping motor 32R that provides driving force to the ejection roller 30R, and a stepping motor 32L that provides driving force to the ejection roller 30L. As a result, when a drive command is output to the stepping motor 32R, the stepping motor 32R is driven, and the discharge roller 30R is rotated accordingly. On the other hand, when a drive command is output to the stepping motor 32L, the stepping motor 32L is driven, and the discharge roller 30L is rotated accordingly.

By the way, if the discharge roller 30 rotates only in the forward rotation direction D, all of the sanitary products S1 to S5 stacked in the storage section 21 will be entirely on the discharge port 13 side, as illustrated in FIG. As a result, there is a risk that the front lower part of the sanitary product S2 that is one level above the sanitary product S2 will cover the upper end of the front side (right side in the figure) of the lowest sanitary product S1. When attempting to discharge the lowest sanitary product S1 in this state, the sanitary product S2 above it also moves in the discharge direction E at the same time, covering the upper end of the front side of the lowest sanitary product S1. When the two sanitary products S1 and S2 try to pass through the gate J of the adjustment plate 23, a discharge blockage may occur.

In order to avoid this, the drive command from the control program 51 is such that when discharging the sanitary napkin S from the storage section 21, the stepping motor 32 is first driven slightly in the reverse direction, and then the stepping motor 32 is driven in the opposite direction. drive in the direction. As a result, the discharge roller 30 once rotates slightly (for example, about 45 degrees) in the reverse rotation direction F, and shakes the sanitary products S stored in the storage section 21 to the rear side (to the left in FIG. 10). move it. This corrects the deviation of the stacked sanitary products S1 to S5 toward the discharge port 13 side.

Thereafter, the drive command drives the stepping motor 32 in the forward direction. As a result, the discharge roller 30 rotates in the forward rotation direction D and sends out the sanitary product S1 in the discharge direction E.

In this manner, when discharging the sanitary napkin S1, the discharging roller 30 is rotated slightly in the reverse rotation direction F and then rotated in the forward rotation direction D, thereby achieving reliable discharge without clogging.

A discharge sensor 25 is provided below the discharge port 13, and as shown in FIG. 7, when the sanitary product S1 that moves in the discharge direction E during discharge covers the top, the discharge sensor 25 is turned on and detects the Outputs signal K. The output detection signal K is output to the memory 50 via the bus 41.

In response to such a detection signal K, the control program 51 recognizes that the discharge of the sanitary product S1 has started.

When the rotation of the discharge roller 30 in the forward rotation direction D by the stepping motor 32 continues, the discharge of the sanitary product S1 from the discharge port 13 is completed, as shown in FIG. Thereby, the user can receive the discharged sanitary product S1. Further, since the top of the discharge sensor 25 is no longer covered by the sanitary product S1, the discharge sensor 25 is turned off and the output of the detection signal K is ended.

In response to the termination of the detection signal K from the discharge sensor 25, the control program 51 recognizes that the discharge of the sanitary product S1 has been completed normally, stops the stepping motor 32 that is being driven, and stops the rotation of the discharge roller 30. At the same time, the communication unit 45 transmits the dispenser identification information d and OK information to the management server 300 via the communication network 200.

The management server 300 receives the dispenser identification information d and the OK information, and sets "OK" in the status sa of the latest record R corresponding to the dispenser identification information d in the history information table 310 (i.e., blank). Write.

When the sanitary products S1 are discharged from the storage section 21, the remaining sanitary products S in the storage section 21 are lowered by the action of gravity due to the weight m, as shown in FIG. is the lowest. When each of the remaining sanitary products S descends in this way, the control program 51 drives the stepping motor 32 that discharged the sanitary product S1 in the opposite direction. As a result, the discharge roller 30 rotates in the reverse rotation direction F. The purpose of this reverse rotation is also to correct the deviation of the stacked sanitary products S2 to S6 toward the discharge port 13, similar to the reverse rotation during discharge described above. The amount of reverse rotation at the time of discharge is 2 to 3 times greater, for example, 90 to 120 degrees.

If the sanitary product S1 is correctly discharged, the operation is as described above.

Next, a case will be described in which the sanitary product S1 is not discharged correctly.

Even though the discharge of the sanitary product S1 has started, if the sanitary product S is not discharged from the discharge port 13 due to clogging or the like, the discharge sensor 25 will not turn off even if the stepping motor 32 continues to be driven. Detection signal K continues to be output. If the time during which the detection signal K continues to be output is significantly longer than the time required for the sanitary product S to be normally discharged, the control program 51 determines that a discharge abnormality due to clogging or the like has occurred.

For example, after the output of the detection signal K starts, normally the sanitary product S will be discharged 2 to 3 seconds later and the output of the detection signal K will end, but even after 5 to 6 seconds have passed, If the detection signal K continues to be output, the control program 51 determines that a discharge abnormality has occurred, stops the driving of the stepping motor 32, stops the rotation of the discharge roller 30, and, instead, The sanitary product S is discharged from the other system, and the maintenance worker is notified that the discharge abnormality has occurred. In response to this, the maintenance worker goes to the target dispenser 10 and takes appropriate restoration measures.

The operation when discharging the sanitary product S is as described above, so a duplicate explanation will be avoided. However, when the discharge of the sanitary product S1 from the other system is completed normally, the control program 51 , sends the dispenser identification information d and OK information to the management server 300, and in response, the management server 300 sends the latest record corresponding to the dispenser identification information d in the history information table 310 (that is, the unused record). Write "OK" in the status sa of entry.

If the sanitary product S1 is not discharged normally from the other system, that is, if the sanitary product S1 is not discharged normally from either of the two systems, the control program 51 , transmits the dispenser identification information d and the NG information to the management server 300.

In response to this, the management server 300 writes "NG" in the status sa of the latest record corresponding to this dispenser identification information d in the history information table 310 (that is, the blank status).

Next, inventory management of sanitary products S in the storage section 21 will be explained.

When the sanitary products S are normally discharged from the storage section 21, the inventory of sanitary products S stored in the storage section 21 decreases. Therefore, the dispenser 10 is equipped with an inventory sensor 22 for ascertaining the inventory amount of sanitary products S in the storage section 21.

Specifically, in order to grasp the inventory amount of sanitary products S in the storage section 21R, the dispenser 10 uses a pair of inventory sensors 22Rl arranged at the same height in the stacking direction (height direction) Ta; 22Rr are provided at three locations at different heights along the direction Ta.

That is, the inventory amount of sanitary products S stored in the storage section 21R is grasped by three pairs of inventory sensors. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first pair of inventory sensors 22Rl (#1) and 22Rr (#1) are embedded in the partition plates 20Rl and 20Rr at a height near the bottom surface of the storage section 21R. It is established by The second pair of inventory sensors 22Rl (#2) and 22Rr (#2) have a height higher than that of the first pair of inventory sensors 22Rl (#1) and 22Rr (#1) (for example, the height of the storage section 21R). is 100%, the height is 10% from the bottom surface) by being embedded in the partition plates 20Rl and 20Rr. The third pair of inventory sensors 22Rl (#3) and 22Rr (#3) are located at a higher height than the second pair of inventory sensors 22Rl (#2) and 22Rr (#2) (for example, from the bottom surface of the storage section 21R). 30% height) by being embedded in the partition plates 20Rl and 20Rr.

In addition, the inventory sensors 22Rl and 22Rr forming a pair are arranged to face each other at the same height from the bottom surface of the storage section 21R, and one of the pair (for example, the inventory sensor 22Rl) has a The second one is a light emitting section that emits light, and the other of the pair (for example, the inventory sensor 22Rr) is a light receiving section such as a photodiode that receives the light from the light emitting section.

Therefore, in the case of the first pair of inventory sensors 22Rl (#1) and 22Rr (#1), inventory sensor 22Rl (#1) can be used as a light emitting part, and inventory sensor 22Rr (#1) can be used as a light receiving part. Similarly, in the case of the second pair of inventory sensors 22Rl (#2) and 22Rr (#2), the inventory sensor 22Rl (#2) can be used as the light emitting part, and the inventory sensor 22Rr (#2) can be used as the light receiving part. In the case of the third pair of inventory sensors 22Rl (#3) and 22Rr (#3), the inventory sensor 22Rl (#3) can be used as a light emitting part, and the inventory sensor 22Rr (#3) can be used as a light receiving part.

Note that, conversely, the inventory sensor 22Rr can be used as a light emitting part, and the inventory sensor 22Rl can be used as a light receiving part.

The light emitting section is adjusted so that it can emit light toward the light receiving section, and the light receiving section is adjusted so that it can receive light from the light emitting section. The light receiving section outputs a detection signal M when receiving light from the light emitting section.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, when the inventory of sanitary products S stored in the storage section 21R is sufficient (the inventory is 30% or more), which inventory sensor 22Rl (#1) is the light emitting part , (#2), and (#3) are also blocked by the sanitary product S, so the light is not received by the corresponding light receiving parts of the inventory sensors 22Rr(#1), (#2), and (#3). Not done. Therefore, the detection signal M is not output from any of the inventory sensors 22Rr (#1), (#2), and (#3).

On the other hand, as illustrated in FIG. 12, when the inventory of sanitary products S stored in the storage section 21R decreases to less than 30%, the inventory sensor 22Rl (#3), which is a light emitting part, emits light. The light comes to be received by the inventory sensor 22Rr (#3), which is a light receiving section, and a detection signal M (R#3) is output from the inventory sensor 22Rr (#3).

When the inventory of sanitary products S stored in the storage section 21R further decreases to less than 10%, the light emitted by the inventory sensor 22Rl (#2), which is a light emitting part, also decreases from the amount of light emitted by the inventory sensor, which is a light receiving part. 22Rr (#2), and the inventory sensor 22Rr (#2) also outputs a detection signal M (R#2).

When the inventory of sanitary products S stored in the storage section 21R is completely exhausted, the light emitted by the inventory sensor 22Rl (#1), which is a light emitting section, is also received by the inventory sensor 22Rr (#1), which is a light receiving section. As a result, the inventory sensor 22Rr (#1) also outputs the detection signal M (R#1).

The output detection signal M is output to the memory 50 via the bus 41.

If the detection signal M is not output from any of the inventory sensors 22Rr, which are light receiving units, the control program 51 determines that there is sufficient inventory of sanitary products S stored in the storage unit 21R, and outputs the inventory sensor 22Rr (# When the detection signal M (R#3) starts to be output from 3), it is understood that the inventory has fallen below 30%, and when the detection signal M (R#2) starts to be output from the inventory sensor 22Rr (#2), When the inventory sensor 22Rr (#1) starts outputting the detection signal M (R#1), it is determined that the inventory has run out.

In order to carry out similar inventory management for the storage section 21L, the first pair of inventory sensors 22Ll (#1) and 22Lr (#1) are placed at a height near the bottom of the storage section 21L to detect the second pair of inventory sensors. The sensors 22Ll (#2) and 22Lr (#2) are placed at the same height as the second pair of inventory sensors 22Rl (#2) and 22Rr (#1), and the third pair of inventory sensors 22Ll (#3) and 22Lr (#3) is provided by being embedded in the partition plates 20Rl, 20Rr at the same height as the third pair of inventory sensors 22Rl (#3), 22Rr (#3).

The control program 51 can display the grasped inventory information (for example, 30% or more, 10 to 30%, 10% or less) on the display 12. Further, this information can also be notified to the management server 300 via the communication unit 45.

In response to this, for example, if there is a dispenser 10 whose inventory is below 10%, the management server 300 can request an inventory replenishment worker to replenish this dispenser 10 with sanitary products S. The control program 51 can also request the stock replenishment worker to replenish the dispenser 10 with sanitary products S via the communication unit 45.

In response to this, the stock replenishment worker goes to the dispenser 10, unlocks the key 15, opens the front lid 11b, turns off the power, and then inserts the sanitary products S into the storage section 21 of the main body 11a. refill. When the replenishment is completed, the power is turned on again, the front cover 11b is closed, the housing body 11a is closed, and the key 15 is locked. As a result, it is possible to continue to provide the sanitary product S service to users who desire the sanitary product S.

Note that it is preferable that the sanitary products S to be replenished be the same brand for each dispenser 10. This is because, as described above, the height differs depending on the brand of the sanitary product S, which may cause discharge trouble.

Therefore, product information (manufacturer, product name, type, etc.) regarding the brand of sanitary napkin S specified for each dispenser 10 is stored in the writable data area 52, and this product information is stored on the display 12. It can also be displayed from 12 onwards.

Note that, as described above, the sanitary products S to be replenished can be purchased with part of the advertising revenue obtained from the advertising sponsor in accordance with the advertisement displayed on the display 12.

Next, an example of the operation of the dispenser according to the present embodiment configured as above will be described.

FIGS. 13A and 13B are process flow diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of the dispenser according to this embodiment.

The dispenser 10 is installed in a private room of a women's restroom, as illustrated in FIG.

A human sensor 14 is arranged on the front lid 11b of the dispenser 10, and when a user enters a private room of the toilet, the human sensor 14 senses the user, and the human sensor 14 outputs a sensing signal A. (ST1).

The sensing signal A from the human sensor 14 is sent to the memory 50 via the bus 41, and in response, the control program 51 starts displaying image data from the display 12 (ST2).

The image data may be advertising data stored in the image data storage unit 62 or an explanation of how to use the dispenser 10, or may be distributed from an advertising server (not shown) via the communication network 200 using the communication unit 45. It may be something that is done.

The image data from the display 12 is displayed for about 2 minutes each time the user enters the toilet cubicle, and is not displayed for longer than that. This prevents the user from staying too long in the restroom due to being absorbed in the image data displayed on the display 12. For effective display within two minutes, the length of image data is, for example, about 15 seconds. Therefore, when two types of image data are displayed on the display 12, two types of image data each lasting about 15 seconds are repeatedly displayed for two minutes.

In this way, since advertisements can be displayed from the display 12, a business that provides sanitary products S using the dispenser 10 can collect advertising sponsors, display advertisements on the display 12, earn advertising revenue, and share a portion of that revenue. By repeating the cycle of purchasing sanitary products S at the department and replenishing the dispenser 10, it is possible to implement a business model in which sanitary products S are provided free of charge to users.

The user requests the dispenser 10 to provide the sanitary product S according to the explanation of how to use the dispenser 10 displayed on the display 12 (ST3).

The method of requesting the provision of sanitary products S is not particularly limited in this specification, but includes, for example, a "reading method" in which the user inputs user information from the user information reading unit 16, a method using a smartphone, etc. There is an "app method" in which a dedicated application AP is installed on the user device 151 and operations are performed from the user device 151 using this dedicated application AP.

As for the reading method, user information can be input from the user information reading section 16 using either a non-contact method or a contact method.

An example of user information input in a non-contact manner is the application of NFC technology. In this case, the user information reading unit 16 is an NFC-compatible receiver, and the user can use an NFC-compatible card 150 (for example, a transportation card, an ID card such as an employee ID card or a student ID card, an IC card such as a credit card, or a cash card). card) or user device 151 (for example, a smartphone) over the user information reading unit 16. Information (eg, card number, device number, etc.) from these cards 150 and user devices 151 is read by the user information reading section 16 and output to the memory 50 via the bus 41 as user information uj. In this way, when applying the NFC technology, it can be used not only in the NFC compatible card 150 but also in the user device 151 such as a smartphone.

Another example of user information input using a non-contact method is the application of wireless technology such as beacons and RFID. When using a beacon, the user information reading section 16 is a beacon receiver, and when the user brings the beacon device 152 that transmits the beacon identification information ID close to the user information reading section 16, the user information reading section 16 reads the beacon. Identification information ID is received and output to memory 50 via bus 41 as user information uj.

When using RFID, the user information reading unit 16 is an RFID reader, and when the user brings the RFID tag 153 close to the user information reading unit 16, the user information reading unit 16 receives the RFID identification information id and reads the user information. It is output to the memory 50 via the bus 41 as uj.

Another example of a non-contact method is the use of a QR code 154. In this case, the user information reading unit 16 is used as a QR code reader, and the user causes the user information reading unit 16 to read the QR code 154 in which predetermined information q is embedded. Then, the user information reading unit 16 acquires predetermined information q from the QR code 154, and the acquired information q is output to the memory 50 via the bus 41 as user information uj.

Another example of a non-contact method is the use of biometric information authentication. In this case, the user information reading unit 16 is a biometric authentication device, and the biometric information of the user U is authenticated by the biometric authentication device, and the authenticated biometric information r is output to the memory 50 as the user information uj.

On the other hand, an example of user information input using a contact method is the use of a magnetic card 155. In this case, the user information reading unit 16 is a magnetic reader, and magnetic information p such as a card number is read by the magnetic reader and outputted to the memory 50 via the bus 41 as user information uj.

Another example of the contact method is the use of fingerprint information v. In this case, the user information reading unit 16 is a fingerprint reader. When the user places his or her finger on the user information reading section 16, the user information reading section 16 reads the fingerprint information and outputs it to the memory 50 via the bus 41 as user information uj.

Another example of the contact method is the use of an IC card that does not support NFC. In the case of an NFC-incompatible IC card 156, since information cannot be read without contact, the user information reading unit 16 is an IC card reader, and the user can read information such as the card number stored in the IC card 156. The card information w is read by the user information reading section 16. The card information w is read by the user information reading section 16 and outputted to the memory 50 via the bus 41 as user information uj.

When requesting the provision of sanitary products S using an app, the user first installs the dedicated app AP on his or her user device 151 such as a smartphone or tablet.

After installing the dedicated application AP on the user device 151, the user can request the dispenser 10 to provide sanitary products S by performing user registration using the user device 151 according to the dedicated application AP. In response to this request, a server (for example, the management server 300) that operates the dedicated application AP generates a provision request C based on the user information uj, and transmits the generated provision request C via the communication network 200. is received by the communication unit 45 and output to the memory 50 via the bus 41.

When the provision request C is sent by these various methods, the control program 51 sends the provision request C from the communication unit 45 via the communication network 200 together with the dispenser identification information d given to the dispenser 10. , is output to the management server 300 and stored.

In this way, the provision request C is output to the management server 300 from all the dispensers 10 together with the dispenser identification information d. The management server 300 manages a history information table 310 as illustrated in FIG. A new record R is written in (ST4).

Note that at the time when a new record R is written to the history information table 310, the user information uj, the time t, and the dispenser identification information d of the dispenser 10 are written, but the status sa is blank. If the dispenser 10 subsequently sends OK information indicating that the sanitary product S was provided, "OK" is written in the status sa, and "NG" indicating that the sanitary product S was not provided due to a malfunction or the like is written. If the information is transmitted from the dispenser 10, "NG" is written.

The history information table 310 is referred to by the control program 51 to determine the validity of the provision request C (ST5).

The criteria for determining this validity are, but not limited to, if a predetermined period of time (for example, 2 hours) or more has passed since the most recent time when the sanitary product S was provided to the user, it is considered to be appropriate. If the number of sanitary products S provided to the user during a predetermined period (for example, the past month) has not reached the predetermined number, the "first criterion" is used to determine whether the sanitary products S are appropriate. 2 criteria can be adopted.

When determining the validity of the provision request C using such determination criteria, the control program 51 performs the following processing.

First, a past record R regarding user information uj related to the provision request C is extracted from the history information table 310. Next, records R whose status sa is "OK" are narrowed down from the extracted records R. From this narrowed-down record R, the time t when the sanitary products S were most recently provided to the user and the number of sanitary products S provided in the past month are determined.

Therefore, whether or not a predetermined period of time or more has passed since the last time the sanitary product S was provided to this user (whether or not the first determination criterion is met), and whether the sanitary product S provided during the predetermined period The control program 51 determines whether the number of S has not reached a predetermined number (whether the second determination criterion is satisfied).

The control program 51 determines the validity of the provision request C, such as determining that the provision request C is valid when both the first determination criterion and the second determination criterion are satisfied.

When it is determined that the provision request C is valid (ST6: Yes), the control program 51 outputs a drive command to either the stepping motor 32R or the stepping motor 32L (ST7).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the provision request C is not valid (ST6: No), no drive command is output from the control program 51, so the sanitary product S is not discharged from the dispenser 10, and the process ends.

When the drive command is output in step ST7, normally, the control program 51 instructs the control program 51 to alternately discharge the sanitary products S from the discharge port 13R of the right system and the discharge port 13 of the left system. , drive commands are alternately output to the stepping motor 32R of the right system and the stepping motor 32L of the left system.

However, if a problem such as a discharge blockage occurs in any system, the control program 51 outputs a drive command only to the stepping motor 32 of the normally operating system until the problem is resolved. . In this way, the dispenser 10 has redundancy in that even if a problem occurs in one system, the service can be continued by discharging the sanitary product S from the other system where the problem does not occur. There is.

By the way, if the discharge roller 30 rotates only in the forward rotation direction D, all of the stacked sanitary products ST1 to ST5 will be biased toward the discharge port 13 as a whole, as illustrated in FIG. There is a possibility that the front lower part of the sanitary product S2 that is one level above the sanitary product S2 may cover the upper end of the front side (right side in the figure) of the sanitary product S1 that is the lower one.

Since this may result in discharge clogging, the drive command output from the control program 51 in step ST8 causes the stepping motor 32 to be driven slightly in the reverse direction and then in the forward direction. As a result, the discharge roller 30 once rotates slightly (for example, about 45 degrees) in the reverse rotation direction F, and moves the sanitary product S stored in the storage section 21 so as to shake it backward. This corrects the deviation of the stacked sanitary products S1 to S5 toward the discharge port 13 (ST8).

Thereafter, the drive command drives the stepping motor 32 in the forward direction. As a result, the discharge roller 30 rotates in the forward rotation direction D (ST9), and the sanitary product S1 is discharged in the discharge direction E (ST10).

In this way, when discharging the sanitary napkin S1, by first rotating the discharging roller 30 slightly in the reverse rotation direction F and then rotating it in the forward rotation direction D, reliable discharge without clogging is possible. .

A discharge sensor 25 is provided below the discharge port 13, and as shown in FIG. 7, when the sanitary product S1 that moves in the discharge direction E during discharge covers the top, the discharge sensor 25 is turned on and the discharge is stopped. A detection signal K is output from the sensor 25 (ST11).

The detection signal K is output to the memory 50 via the bus 41, and in response, the control program 51 recognizes the start of discharging the sanitary product S1.

When the stepping motor 32 starts rotating the discharge roller 30 in the forward rotation direction D, normally, the discharge of the sanitary product S is completed in 2 to 3 seconds (ST13), and the user You can take supplies S. As a result, the top of the discharge sensor 25 is no longer covered by the sanitary product S1, so the discharge sensor 25 is turned off before the discharge of the sanitary product S is completed, and the output of the detection signal K from the discharge sensor 25 ends. (ST12: Yes).

In response to the termination of the detection signal K from the discharge sensor 25 in step ST12, the control program 51 recognizes that the discharge of the sanitary product S1 has been normally completed, the stepping motor 32 is stopped, and the rotation of the discharge roller 30 is terminated. (ST14).

In response to the termination of the detection signal K from the discharge sensor 25 in step ST12, the control program 51 further transmits the dispenser identification information d and OK information to the management server 300, and the dispenser identification information "OK" is written in the (that is, blank) status sa of the latest record R corresponding to d, and the history information table 310 is updated (ST15).

In the storage section 21, as the sanitary product S1 is discharged in step ST13, the remaining sanitary products S are lowered by the gravitational force of the weight m, as shown in FIG. 11, and the sanitary product S2 is now lowered. It becomes the lowest rank (ST16). When each of the remaining sanitary products S descends in this way, the control program 51 instructs the stepping motor 32 that discharged the sanitary product S1 to drive in the opposite direction. As a result, the discharge roller 30 rotates in the reverse rotation direction F (ST17). Similar to the reverse rotation performed in step ST8, the purpose of this reverse rotation is to correct the deviation of the stacked sanitary products S2 to S6 toward the outlet 13, but the amount of rotation is different from that in step ST8. The amount of reverse rotation is 2 to 3 times greater than the amount of reverse rotation, for example, 90 to 120 degrees.

Note that in FIG. 13B, for convenience, steps ST13, ST14, ST15, and ST16 are described as being executed continuously after the discharge sensor 25 is turned off in step ST12, but in reality, Steps ST13, ST14, ST15, and ST16 are performed in parallel. Step ST17 is performed after step ST16.

On the other hand, even though the discharge of the sanitary product S1 has started in step ST10, if the discharge of the sanitary product S1 is not performed correctly, such as not being discharged from the discharge port 13 due to a discharge blockage, etc., the discharge of the sanitary product S1 is not performed correctly. In ST12, even if the stepping motor 32 continues to rotate the discharge roller 30 in the forward rotation direction D, the discharge of the sanitary product S1 from the discharge port 13 is not completed, and the top of the discharge sensor 25 is not completely discharged by the sanitary product S1. Since it continues to be covered, the discharge sensor 25 does not turn off and continues to output the detection signal K (ST12: No).

If the time for which the detection signal K continues to be output in this way is significantly longer than the time required for the sanitary product S to be normally discharged, the control program 51 determines that a discharge abnormality has occurred (ST18 ), the maintenance worker is notified that a discharge abnormality has occurred. In response to this, a maintenance worker goes to the target dispenser 10 and takes appropriate restoration measures.

Further, after step ST18, the control program 51 stops the driving of the stepping motor 32 (for example, stepping motor 32R) in operation (ST19), and instead drives the stepping motor 32 of the other system (for example, stepping motor 32L). ) is started (ST20), and then the process moves to step ST7. As a result, the sanitary product S is discharged from the other system instead of the system where the abnormality has occurred.

In addition, even though the other system was operated in this way, if the sanitary product S1 could not be normally discharged from the other system, that is, the sanitary product S1 was not discharged from either of the two systems. In this case, the control program 51 transmits the dispenser identification information d and the NG information to the management server 300 via the communication unit 45, and the management server 300 selects the information corresponding to the dispenser identification information d from the history information table 310. “NG” is written in the (that is, blank) status sa of the latest record R, and the history information table 310 is updated.

As described above, the dispenser 10 according to the present embodiment can provide various information to the user in the form of images from the display 12, so that it is possible to improve the operability and comfort of the user. Thereby, the user can smoothly use the dispenser 10 to obtain the sanitary product S. Therefore, the dispenser 10 can provide convenience to users who have unscheduled periods and do not have sanitary products S with them.

Furthermore, the provided sanitary products S are stored in the housing 11 before being provided and are not touched by an unspecified number of people, so the user can use the provided sanitary products S with peace of mind. can be used.

Note that even when a user requests the provision of sanitary products S, the dispenser 10 according to the present embodiment does not provide unlimited sanitary products S in response to the provision request, but checks the validity of the request. Provided only if confirmed. Therefore, a large amount of sanitary products S will not be taken away at once, and the inventory will always be maintained in sufficient quantity, making it possible to reliably provide sanitary products S to users who really need them. It becomes possible.

Furthermore, the dispenser 10 according to the present embodiment has been devised in various ways from the viewpoint of hardware design, as described below.

For example, the dispenser 10 achieves quiet operation by introducing the stepping motor 32 as a power source for discharging the sanitary product S, so that the user does not notice anyone outside the toilet cubicle. The dispenser 10 can be used without being damaged.

Furthermore, the dispenser 10 achieves a thinner profile by arranging the stepping motor 32 and the ejection roller 30 below the storage section 21, so that the user can easily place the dispenser 10 in the private room of the toilet where the dispenser 10 is installed. Even after entering, the user can use the toilet and dispenser 10 without feeling pressured.

Furthermore, since the dispenser 10 corrects misalignment by reverse rotation of the discharge roller 30 and adopts a redundant configuration with two discharge systems, the probability that the user can receive the sanitary product S is extremely high. Sanitary products S can be provided with reliability.

Next, examples of providing various images by the dispenser 10 will be described in

Modifications

1 and 2 below. Note that in the following

Modifications

1 and 2, different points will be explained without repeating the explanations that have already been given.
(Modification 1)
FIG. 14 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the dispenser 10A of Modification 1.

The dispenser 10A differs from the dispenser 10 in that the display 12 is separable from the casing 11 (front lid 11b) of the dispenser main body. Therefore, the display 12 can be used while being built into the housing 11, or it can be separated from the housing 11 and installed at an arbitrary location, as shown in FIG.

The display 12 can be realized by, for example, a tablet terminal.

The configuration, operation, and effects when the display 12 is used while being built into the housing 11 are as described in the above-described embodiment.

On the other hand, when the display 12 is separated from the housing 11 and installed at an arbitrary location, the display 12 communicates with the corresponding dispenser 10A wirelessly or by wire. As a result, even if the display 12 is separated from the main body of the dispenser 10A, the display 12 can display advertisements, instructions on how to use the dispenser 10A, inventory information on the sanitary products S, and information on the sanitary products Image data such as product information can be displayed.

FIG. 15 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a case where the display 12 is separated from the casing 11 of the dispenser 10A and installed at an arbitrary location.

FIG. 15 shows an example in which the display 12 is placed in front of the toilet seat 100 in a private room of a toilet. In FIG. 15, the door 102 of the private room is located in front of the toilet seat 100, but the door 102 is not limited to the door, and may be a wall surface.

Since the display 12 is placed in front of the toilet seat 100, the user can view the images displayed on the display 12 more comfortably while using the toilet stall, since the display 12 is in front of the user's line of sight. It can be seen in

In this way, the dispenser 10A can provide the user with various information in the form of images from the display 12, making it possible to improve the user's operability and comfort.

(Modification 2)
FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a dispenser 10B of modification 2.

The concept of the dispenser 10B of the second modification is a combination of the dispenser 10 of the embodiment and the dispenser 10A of the first modification.

That is, the dispenser 10B includes a plurality of displays 12, one of which is the same display 12a as the display 12 built into the housing 11 (front door 11b) as described in FIG. The display 12 is the display 12b that can be separated from the housing 11, as described in FIG. The display 12b can be realized by, for example, a tablet terminal.

FIG. 17 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the display 12b (out) is installed outside the private room 104 of the toilet.

The display 12b is not limited to the display 12b (in) installed inside the toilet cubicle 104 as illustrated in FIG. 16, but also the display installed outside the toilet cubicle 104 as illustrated in FIG. 17. 12b (out).

Furthermore, the number of displays 12b is not limited to one, and there may be a plurality of displays. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, both the display 12b (in) and the display 12b (out) can be installed.

In this way, even when one or more displays 12b separated from the housing 11 are installed, each display 12b communicates with the corresponding dispenser 10B wirelessly or by wire. As a result, even if the display 12b is separated from the dispenser body, the display 12b, like the display 12a built into the housing 11, can display advertisements, explanations of how to use the dispenser 10B, inventory information of the sanitary products S, and display information about the sanitary products S. Image data such as product information can be displayed.

Therefore, it is possible to display the same image data from all

displays

12a and 12b.

Furthermore, the image data to be displayed from each of the

displays

12a and 12b can be shared as follows.

For example, the display 12b displays advertisements, product information on the sanitary products S stored in the storage section 21, and inventory information thereof, at all times or as needed, while the display 12a displays information on the human sensor 14. In response to the detection by the dispenser 10B, the display of an image explaining how to use the dispenser 10B is started.

Furthermore, for example, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, when both the display 12b outside the private room 104 (out) and the display 12b inside the private room 104 (in) are installed as the display 12b, , the display 12b (out) constantly displays product information and stock information of the sanitary products S stored in the storage section 21, while the display 12b (in) displays, in response to the detection by the human sensor 14, It can also display advertisements.

Therefore, according to this example, when the user enters the toilet, he or she first looks at the display 12b (out) and checks the product information and inventory information of the sanitary product S, and when the user enters the private room 104, the human sensor 1 When you see an image explaining how to use the dispenser 10B that starts to be displayed on the display 12a in response to the detection by can be seen.

By properly using the plurality of

displays

12a and 12b, the dispenser 10B of Modified Example 2 can display various information useful to the user from an appropriate place at an appropriate timing, thereby improving user operability. It becomes possible to improve comfort.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be variously modified at the implementation stage without departing from the gist thereof. Moreover, each embodiment may be implemented by appropriately combining them as much as possible, and in that case, the combined effects can be obtained. Further, the embodiments described above include inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriately combining the plurality of disclosed constituent elements.

10, 10A, 10B Dispenser 11 Housing

11a Housing body

11b Front lid

12, 12a, 12b Display 13 Outlet 14 Human sensor 15 Key 16 User information reading section 20 Partition plate 21 Storage section 22 Inventory sensor 23 Adjustment plate 24 Theft Prevention lid 25 Ejection sensor 30 Ejection roller 32 Stepping motor 41 Bus 42 CPU
43 External recording medium 44 Recording medium reading section 45 Communication section 50 Memory 51 Control program 52 Writable data area 60 Storage device 62 Image data storage section 100 Toilet seat 102 Door 104 Private room 150 NFC compatible card 151 User device 152 Beacon device 153 RFID Tag 154 QR code 155 Magnetic card 156 Non-NFC compatible IC card 200 Communication network 300 Management server 310 History information table A Sensing signal AP Dedicated application B Card etc. C Provision request d Dispenser identification number D Forward rotation direction E Discharge direction F Reverse rotation Direction G Non-discharge direction h Width I Height ID Beacon identification information id RFID identification information J Opening K Detection signal M Detection signal m Weight p Magnetic information q Information from QR code r Biological information R Record sa Status S Sanitary product t Time Ta Direction Tb Opening height U User uj User information v Fingerprint information w Card information

Claims

A sanitary goods supply dispenser for providing sanitary goods to a user, the dispenser comprising:
a storage section that stores the sanitary products;
a discharge section for discharging the sanitary products stored in the storage section from the storage section;
a control unit that operates the ejection unit to eject the sanitary product if the request is valid when there is a request from the user to provide the sanitary product;
Equipped with a display that displays images,
The control unit determines whether a second predetermined period of time or more has elapsed since the most recent time when the sanitary products were provided to the user, and the number of sanitary products provided to the user during a predetermined period. A dispenser for providing sanitary products, characterized in that the request is determined to be appropriate if at least one of the following cases occurs: the predetermined number has not been reached.
The dispenser for providing sanitary products according to claim 1, wherein the display is separable from the main body of the dispenser for providing sanitary products.
The sanitary product dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the display is arranged separately from the sanitary product dispenser body.
Equipped with a human sensor,
The sanitary product dispenser according to claim 3, wherein the display starts displaying the image in response to detection by the human sensor.
4. The sanitary product dispenser according to claim 3, wherein the display is arranged in a direction in front of a toilet seat in a private room of a toilet.
4. The sanitary product dispenser according to claim 3, wherein the display is placed inside or outside a toilet cubicle.
The sanitary product dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the image includes an advertisement.
The dispenser for providing sanitary goods according to claim 7, wherein the sanitary goods are purchased using proceeds from the advertisement as funds.
The sanitary product dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the image includes an explanation of how to use the sanitary product dispenser.
The dispenser for providing sanitary products according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the image includes information regarding the inventory of the sanitary products stored in the storage section.
The dispenser for providing sanitary products according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the image includes information regarding the sanitary products stored in the storage section.
There are a plurality of displays, one of the plurality of displays is a built-in display built into the main body of the dispenser for providing sanitary products, and among the plurality of displays, the displays other than the built-in display are the displays for providing the sanitary products. The dispenser for providing sanitary products according to claim 1, characterized in that it is a separate display arranged separately from the dispenser body.
Equipped with a human sensor,
13. The sanitary product dispenser according to claim 12, wherein the built-in display starts displaying the image in response to detection by the human sensor.
13. The dispenser for providing sanitary products according to claim 12, wherein the separate display is arranged in a direction in front of a toilet seat in a private room of a toilet.
13. The sanitary product dispenser according to claim 12, wherein the separate display is disposed at least either inside or outside a toilet cubicle.
The sanitary product dispenser according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the same image is displayed on the built-in display and the separate display.
The dispenser for providing sanitary products according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein different images are displayed on the built-in display and the separate display.
The sanitary product dispenser according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the image displayed from the built-in display includes an explanation of how to use the sanitary product dispenser.
The sanitary product dispenser according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the image displayed from the separate display includes an advertisement.
The sanitary product provision according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the image displayed from the separate display includes information regarding the inventory of the sanitary products stored in the storage section. dispenser for.
The sanitary product provision according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the image displayed from the separate display includes information regarding the product of the sanitary product stored in the storage section. dispenser for.