초록 ▼

At least two microcomputers are provided for the controlling operation of an automatic vending machine, which are connected by signal wires of a number selected from one to four with respect to each other. One of the microcomputers is a main microcomputer, while the other thereof is a submicrocomput

At least two microcomputers are provided for the controlling operation of an automatic vending machine, which are connected by signal wires of a number selected from one to four with respect to each other. One of the microcomputers is a main microcomputer, while the other thereof is a submicrocomputer. The submicrocomputer performs the controlling operation on the restricted block functions of the automatic vending machine, while the main microcomputer transmits control codes to the submicrocomputer through the signal wire to control the operation thereof, and controls the automatic vending operation while serially transmitting or receiving the necessary data.

대표청구항 ▼

A control system, of an automatic vending machine for selling articles, including: front panel unit having money amount displays, sold-out displays disposed in accordance with article types to display sellout of said articles, and selection switches provided in accordance with said types of said art

A control system, of an automatic vending machine for selling articles, including: front panel unit having money amount displays, sold-out displays disposed in accordance with article types to display sellout of said articles, and selection switches provided in accordance with said types of said articles, coin mechanism having a coin detector means for selecting an inserted coin to generate an inserted coin signal upon detection of a proper coin, change payment means for paying change for small change use, change detector means for detecting presence of coin needed for change use, vending apparatus having an article delivery apparatus for discharging selected articles and a sold-out switch for detecting whether or not said article is available, customer unit for interfacing with said customer, main microcomputer for transmitting select codes for specifying a part of said vending machine communicated with and instruction code data respectively to the customer unit, the coin mechanism and said vending apparatus, at most four common signal lines for carrying serial transmission of select code and command data respectively between to the front panel unit, the coin mechanism, the vending apparatus and main microcomputer, first sub-microcomputer provided in said customer unit for controlling display operation of said money amount display and said sold-out displays, for detecting the operation of said selection switch by a customer, and is coupled to said main microcomputer through said signal line for communication with said main microcomputer, said first sub-microcomputer including: means for producing selected commodity data respresenting the types of said selected articles through detection of operation of said selection switch by said customer, decoding means for decoding the select code and the command data transmitted from the main microcomputer, transmitting/receiving means for an on-line mode when said select code transmitted from said main microcomputer corresponds to said front panel unit, transmits selected commodity data serially through said signal line in response to command data indicating a transmission request of said selected commodity data to said main microcomputer, and receives data, indicating one of inserted money amount, remaining money amount after sales, and sold out article calculated by said main microcomputer, transmitted serially through said signal line from said main microcomputer in response to input of command data indicating the reception request of data, means for displaying received money amount data onto and money amount display, and means for displaying on said sold-out display the sold-out article to be shown by the received sellout data, a second sub-microcomputer in said coin mechanism for detecting an inserteed coin signal produced in said coin detector through an inserting operation of a proper coin by a customer, for detecting said change detector whether or not paying change is available, for controlling change delivery operation by said change payment unit, and is coupled to said main microcomputer through said signal line for communication with said main microcomputer, said second sub-microcomputer including: inserted coin signal input means for inputting the inserted coin signal produced in said coin detector, detecting means for detecting existence of change by said change detector, select code decoding means for decoding select code and command data transmitted from said main microcomputer, transmitting/receiving means for transmitting data serially to said main microcomputer through said signal line in response to input of command data indicating a transmission request to said main microcomputer with respect to data indicating said inserted coin or existence of said remaining coin and for receiving paying data indicating change-to-be-paid serially transmitted from said main microcomputer in response to input of command data showing reception request of said data in on-line mode when said select code transmitted from the main microcomputer corresponds to said coin mechanism, and means for controlling said change payment unit so that said change may be paid in accordance with payment data received, a third sub-microcomputer provided in said vending apparatus for controlling article delivery operation of said article delivery apparatus for detecting availability of said selected article according to said sellout switch, coupled to said main microcomputer through said signal line for communication with said main microcomputer, said third sub-microcomputer including: detecting means for detecting whether or not sold articles exist according to said sellout switch to produce sold-out data, decoding means for decoding said select code and said command data to be transmitted from said main microcomputer, transmitting/receiving means for transmitting said sold-out data serially to said main microcomputer through said signal line in response to an input of said command data indicating transmission request of said sold-out data to said main microcomputer, and for receiving sale commodity data indicating kinds of selling articles to be transmitted serially from said main microcomputer in response to input of command showing the reception request of data, in an on-line mode when said select code data transmitted from said main microcomputer corresponds to said data from said selling apparatus, and controlling means for controlling said vending apparatus so that an article selected by a customer is delivered through said received sale commodity data, said main microcomputer further including: memory means having a price of each article stored therein in accordance with types of said articles, calculating means for calculating inserted money amount from data indicating said inserted coin, money amount means for calculating remaining money amount after the sale of said article, comparing means for comparing one of said inserted money amount and said remaining money amount and respective article prices and determining said article purchasable by said customer in accordance with data showing existence of change and sold-out data, transmitting means for transmitting sale commodity data showing the sales of said article to said third sub-microcomputer when an article selected by a customer, indicated by said selected commodity data received from said first sub-microcomputer, is purchasable, inserted money amount transmitting means for transmitting one of said inserted money amount calculated and said money amount data showing remaining money amount, and payment data producing means for producing payment data in accordance with said remaining amount money during said change payment operating for transmitting said data to said second sub-microcomputer.