JP7528619B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vending machine that can suppress the decrease in battery capacity even when using a battery such as a dry cell as an emergency power source.

Some vending machines are equipped with an emergency power source such as a secondary battery and can switch to the emergency power source so that they can still perform a minimum number of product dispensing operations in the event of a disaster that causes a commercial power outage.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a device that includes a battery to be used when the commercial power supply is cut off, an inverter to convert the battery output to AC 100V, a power outage detection relay to detect a power outage in the commercial power supply, a disaster determination control device that determines whether the power outage is due to a disaster based on various disaster information received from the outside, and a power supply switching device that switches the input to the sales control unit and vending mechanism from the commercial power supply to the inverter output side in the event of a power outage using the output signal of the device, and normally operates in a normal operation mode using the commercial power supply to sell products, and when a disaster occurs and the commercial power supply is cut off, the device switches from the normal operation mode to the disaster operation mode and sells products using the battery.

JP 2000-132737 A

The emergency power supply is a secondary battery (e.g., a nickel-metal hydride battery) that is charged by a commercial power source. This secondary battery has a life span and needs to be replaced, for example, every three years or so.

One idea to solve this problem is to use a primary dry cell battery as the battery for the emergency power supply. However, dry cells are not rechargeable, and when not in use, a standby current of several tens of mA flows from the dry cell to the power supply board, reducing the battery capacity. In addition, when a secondary battery is placed as an emergency power supply in a non-charged state, a standby current also flows from this secondary battery to the power supply board, reducing the battery capacity.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a vending machine that can suppress the decrease in battery capacity even when using a battery such as a dry cell as an emergency power source.

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the objective, the present invention provides a vending machine that can sell products using a commercial power source and can also perform a product dispensing operation when the power supply from the commercial power source is stopped, and is characterized by comprising: a connector for externally connecting a battery that is used when the power supply from the commercial power source is stopped; a power supply changeover switch for switching to power supply from the battery; a power supply board that is provided in the main body of the vending machine and connects to the battery to output power of the desired voltage; a connection switch that is always in an off state and connects the battery and the power supply board when turned on; and a relay circuit that is connected to the battery when the battery is connected externally and turns on the connection switch when the power supply changeover switch is turned on.

The present invention also provides a vending machine that uses a commercial power source to sell products and can also perform a product delivery operation when the power supply from the commercial power source is stopped, and is characterized by comprising: a battery that is used when the power supply from the commercial power source is stopped; a power supply changeover switch that switches the power supply from the battery; a power supply board that connects to the battery and outputs power of a desired voltage; a connection switch that is always in an off state and connects the battery and the power supply board when turned on; and a relay circuit that is connected to the battery when the power supply changeover switch is turned on and turns on the connection switch when the power supply changeover switch is turned on.

The present invention is also characterized in that, in the above invention, the power supply board includes a voltage conversion unit that converts the voltage of the battery to a voltage used by the vending machine, a remaining charge detection unit that detects the remaining charge of the battery, and a display processing unit that performs processing to display the remaining charge of the battery on a remaining charge display unit provided on the battery side based on the detection result of the remaining charge detection unit.

The present invention is also characterized in that, in the above invention, the display processing unit displays the remaining battery charge in correspondence with the number of products that can be removed based on the current remaining battery charge.

The present invention is also characterized in that, in the above invention, the display processing unit displays the current remaining battery charge in stages in different display modes.

The present invention is also characterized in that, in the above invention, the battery is equipped with a connection switching unit that allows the number of cells connected in series to be variable.

The present invention is also characterized in that in the above invention, the connection switching unit is a dummy battery that is inserted in place of the battery and shorts the connection.

In the above invention, the power supply board is also provided with a notification unit that notifies the main body of the vending machine when the remaining charge of the battery falls below a predetermined value.

In the above invention, the power supply board is provided with a remaining number detection unit that obtains the remaining number of products from the main body of the vending machine, and the display processing unit is characterized in that it performs processing to display the remaining number of products on a remaining number display unit provided on the battery side.

In the above invention, the power supply board includes an automatic switching unit and a connection switching unit that variably connects the number of batteries connected in series in response to an instruction from the automatic switching unit, and the automatic switching unit variably switches the number of batteries connected in series so that the battery capacity is the capacity required for removing the remaining number of products detected by the remaining number detection unit.

In addition, according to the present invention, even when a battery such as a dry cell is used as an emergency power source, it is possible to suppress the decrease in battery capacity.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the overall configuration of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the vending machine shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a battery box and a power supply board according to the first modified example. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of the remaining capacity display section. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another display example of the remaining capacity display section. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example of the remaining number display section. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a specific configuration of the connection switching unit. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another specific configuration of the connection switching unit. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a battery box and a power supply board according to the second modification. FIG. 10 is a front view showing the configuration of a vending machine according to the third modification. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of a vending machine according to the third modification.

Below, the mode for implementing this invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

<Vending machine configuration>
Fig. 1 is a front view showing the overall configuration of a vending machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the vending machine 1 shown in Fig. 1. The vending machine 1 is an example of a device, and is a vending machine that sells products such as canned drinks, bottled drinks, and PET bottled drinks, but may be a vending machine that sells other products.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vending machine 1 sells products such as canned drinks and beverages in plastic bottles in either a cold or warm state, and is equipped with an outer door 1b that closes the front opening of the main body cabinet 1a.

A pop-up handle 111 is provided in the middle of the right front side of the outer door 1b. The pop-up handle 111 is used to lock the outer door 1b in a closed state. A key switch KSW is provided below the pop-up handle 111. The outer door 1b is unlocked by performing the unlocking operation of the main key inserted into the cylinder lock 30 and the unlocking operation of the auxiliary key 101 inserted into the cylinder lock of the key switch KSW. In other words, the outer door 1b has a double locking mechanism. The vending machine 1 is locked by pushing in the pop-up handle 111 with the outer door 1b closed, and the lock is released by performing the double unlocking operation using the main key and the auxiliary key 101, and the pop-up handle 111 pops up (protrudes), allowing the outer door 1b to be opened. The key switch KSW also serves as a switch that opens and closes the relay circuit 4 described later. By performing the unlocking operation of the key switch KSW, the relay circuit 4 can be turned on (closed) without opening the outer door 1b.

An exhibition room 112 is provided in the upper front area of the outer door 1b. The exhibition room 112 is for displaying product samples D of products sold by the vending machine 1. The exhibition room 112 is defined by an inner door that is attached to the rear side of the outer door 1b so that it can be opened and closed, and a transparent illuminated panel 114 that is fitted into the front side of the outer door 1b, and users can view the inside of the exhibition room 112 from the front side of the vending machine 1.

Inside the exhibition room 112, three stages 115 for displaying products are arranged vertically, and product samples D are displayed side by side on each stage 115.

The product selection buttons 12 are used to select products, and multiple product selection buttons 12 are provided to correspond to the product samples D. Each product selection button 12 can be displayed with an LED, and is lit when it corresponds to a product that can be purchased for the amount inserted. In addition, in the case of cashless payment, the product selection button 12 is lit in conjunction with pressing the product selection button 12.

In addition, in the middle of the outer door 1b below the exhibition room 112, there are a coin slot 31, a bill slot 33, a display unit 13, a return lever 32, and an electronic money reader/writer 36.

The coin slot 31 is an opening for receiving coins. Coins inserted through the coin slot 31 are stored in the coin mechanism (coin processing device) 14 mounted on the inside of the outer door 1b. The coin mechanism 14 organizes the number of coins inserted and sends this to the vending machine main control unit 10, which will be described later, and also dispenses various coins according to commands from the vending machine main control unit 10. The coin mechanism 14 also has a money identification function that identifies the authenticity and denomination of coins.

The bill insertion slot 33 is an opening for accepting bills. Bills inserted through the bill insertion slot 33 are stored in a bill validator (bill processing device) 15 mounted on the inside of the outer door 1b. The bill validator 15 counts the number of bills inserted and sends this to the vending machine main control unit 10, while dispensing the bills according to commands from the vending machine main control unit 10. The bill validator 15 has a money identification function that identifies the authenticity and denomination of bills.

The electronic money reader/writer 16 reads the electronic money loaded onto the electronic money card and writes the electronic money after payment. The electronic money reader/writer 16 also performs a writing process to load the electronic money for change onto the electronic money card. The electronic money reader/writer 16 has an electronic money identification function that detects the electronic money card and identifies whether the electronic money card is valid or invalid and the type of the electronic money card.

The display unit 13 is used to display various information such as on sale, out of change, in preparation, and bill cancellation, as well as the amount inserted and information on various settings.

The return lever 32 is used to instruct the interruption of a transaction. When the return lever 32 is operated, the transaction is interrupted, change etc. is released from the coin mechanism 14 to the coin return port 34, and bills are returned from the bill validator 15 to the bill insertion port 33.

In addition, an outlet 35 is provided below the outer door 1b. The outlet 35 is an opening for removing products that have been removed from the product storage rack.

In addition, a connector 40 is provided in the center of the outer door 1b to externally connect a dry cell battery 43 (described later) that is used when the power supply from the commercial power source is interrupted.

A remote control 18 is also provided inside the outer door 1b. The remote control 18 is used to perform various setting operations and to confirm various sales data, and is equipped with operation keys such as a write key and an end key, as well as an LCD display that displays various setting data and confirmation data. The setting data entered through the remote control 18 is transmitted to the vending machine main control unit 10. The remote control 18 then receives the confirmation data transmitted from the vending machine main control unit 10.

<Vending machine control system>
As shown in FIG. 2, the vending machine 1 has a vending machine main control unit 10, which is connected to a display operation unit 11, a coin mechanism 14, a bill validator 15, an electronic money reader/writer 16, a communication unit 17, a remote control 18, and a main body control unit 20.

The communication unit 17 is a communication interface having a communication function such as LTE (registered trademark) and a short-range wireless communication function such as WiFi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). In particular, the short-range wireless communication function performs Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication from the viewpoint of power consumption, particularly BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication.

The main body control unit 20 is connected to the cooling device 21 and the discharge device 22. The main body control unit 20 controls the cooling device 21 and the discharge device 22 under the control of the vending machine main control unit 10.

The cooling device 21 is used to manage the product storage inside the main cabinet in a set state. The cooling device 21 cools the inside of the product storage that is set to be cooled, and heats the inside of the product storage that is set to be heated.

The discharge device 22 is used to manage the bend motors and sold-out switches provided for each rack. The main body control unit 20 discharges products from the rack in accordance with discharge commands sent from the vending machine main control unit 10. The discharge device 22 also outputs a sold-out signal to the main body control unit 20 when all products stored in the rack have been discharged.

The coin mechanism 14, bill validator 15, electronic money reader/writer 16, remote control 18, product selection buttons 12, and display unit 13 have been described above and will not be described here.

The vending machine main control unit 10 has a sales control unit 10a and a product management unit 10b. The sales control unit 10a performs the dispensing of the product selected by the product selection button 12, settlement processing, etc. In addition, the vending machine main control unit 10 notifies and downloads sales data, setting data, etc., to and from an external management server (not shown) via the communication unit 17.

The product management unit 10b links and manages product management contents such as product columns, product prices, product selection button numbers, remaining product quantities, sales, and other setting items.

Here, the vending machine 1 has an AC/DC converter 2 that converts the AC power supplied from the commercial power source 100 into the desired DC power, and supplies power to each component from the AC/DC converter 2.

On the other hand, in the event of a power outage of the commercial power source 100 due to a disaster or other reason, the power supply board 44 converts the voltage of the battery 43, which serves as an emergency power source, to the desired voltage, for example, 24 VDC and 8 VDC, and supplies power to the vending machine main control unit 10, main body control unit 20, discharge device 22, and display operation unit 11.

Battery 43 is a dry cell directly connected to the battery box 42 and is disposed within the housing of the battery box 42. In this embodiment, a dry cell is used as the battery 43, but various types of batteries can be used. This battery may be a non-rechargeable primary battery or a rechargeable secondary battery. The battery may also be of various structures, such as a manganese battery, an alkaline manganese battery, or a lithium battery. The battery may also be of various types, such as AA type, D type, or coin type.

A connector 41 is connected to the output side of the battery 43, and when this connector 41 is connected to the connector 40, power can be supplied to the power supply board 44. However, a connection switch SW is provided between the power supply board 44 and the connector 40, and when the key switch KSW is turned on via the relay circuit 4, the connection switch SW is turned on and the battery 43 is connected to the power supply board 44. In other words, the key switch KSW functions as a power supply changeover switch that switches the power supply from the battery 43.

Power is supplied to the relay circuit 4 with the battery 43 connected via the connectors 41 and 40. When the key switch KSW is unlocked and turned on in this power supply state, the relay circuit 4 energizes the electromagnetic coil and turns on the connection switch SW. Therefore, even if the connector 41 is connected to the connector 40, the battery 43 is not connected to the power supply board 44 unless the key switch KSW is turned on. As a result, the standby current of the battery 43 is eliminated, and the decrease in the battery capacity of the battery 43 can be suppressed. Here, the relay circuit 4 has a relay coil, and the connection switch SW is turned on when a current flows through the relay coil. And since no current flows through the relay coil of the relay circuit 4 until the key switch KSW is turned on, if the key switch KSW is off, the battery capacity of the battery 43 does not decrease even if the battery 43 is connected to the relay circuit 4.

The reason why the connection switch SW is turned on by turning on the key switch KSW and connecting the battery 43 to the power supply board 44 is to allow a service person with the auxiliary key 101 to supply power from the battery 43 with the outer door 1b closed, and also to prevent a third party from maliciously removing products or stealing products from inside. Therefore, in this embodiment, the power supply is not immediately switched to the emergency power supply from the battery 43 when the commercial power is interrupted, and power is supplied from the battery 43 only when a service person with the auxiliary key 101 performs an unlocking operation on the key switch KSW, enabling the product transport operation.

As described above, the key switch KSW is an example of a power supply changeover switch, and the power supply changeover switch may be, for example, a push button switch or a switch using another key, instead of using the key switch KSW.

In this embodiment, the battery 43 is connected externally, so there is no need to provide a battery 43 inside each of the multiple vending machines 1, simplifying the configuration of the vending machine 1. In addition, the battery 43 can be used as an emergency power source for multiple vending machines 1, allowing the battery 43 to be reused and reducing costs.

<Modification 1>
Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the battery box 42 and the power supply board 44 according to the present modified example 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the battery box 42 has a remaining charge display unit 45 that displays the remaining charge of the battery 43, and a remaining number display unit 46 that displays the number of products remaining in the vending machine 1. The battery 43 also has a connection switch unit 43a that manually changes the number of dry batteries connected in series.

The power supply board 44 has a voltage conversion unit 51, a remaining amount detection unit 52, a remaining quantity detection unit 53, a display processing unit 54, and a notification unit 55. The voltage conversion unit 51 converts the voltage of the battery 43 into the desired voltage used by the vending machine 1. The remaining amount detection unit 52 detects the remaining amount of the battery 43. Here, the remaining amount detection unit 52 detects the remaining amount of the battery 43 by the voltage. The remaining quantity detection unit 53 obtains the remaining quantity of products from the main body side of the vending machine 1, i.e., from the product management unit 10b.

The display processing unit 54 performs a process of displaying the remaining amount of the battery 43 on the remaining amount display unit 45 provided on the battery 43 side based on the detection result of the remaining amount detection unit 52. The display processing unit 54 also performs a process of displaying the remaining number of products acquired by the remaining number detection unit 53 on the remaining number display unit 46 provided on the battery 43 side.

When the remaining charge of the battery 43 falls below a predetermined value, the notification unit 55 notifies the main body of the vending machine 1 of this fact. The vending machine main control unit 10 of the vending machine 1 performs notification processing such as displaying an alarm or issuing an alarm alert based on the notified content.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the display of the remaining battery level display unit 45. As shown in Figure 4, the remaining battery level display unit 45 displays the remaining battery level in stages in accordance with the number of products that can be discharged (remaining number of products) based on the current remaining battery level. LED 45a lights up when the remaining level is at level "3", which means that up to 500 products can be discharged. LED 45b lights up when the remaining level is at level "2", which means that up to 250 products can be discharged. LED 45c lights up when the remaining level is at level "1", which means that up to 100 products can be discharged. This allows the serviceman to determine whether the product discharge operation can be completed, and when it is possible to increase or decrease the number of series connections of the batteries 43, the number of series connections of the batteries can be changed to an appropriate number via the connection switching unit 43a.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing another display example of the remaining amount display unit 45. As shown in Figure 5, the remaining amount display unit 45 has one LED 45d, and for example, when the remaining amount is divided into three stages, the remaining amount is divided into "high", "medium", and "low", and when it is "high", the LED 45d is turned on, when it is "medium", the LED 45d blinks slowly, and when it is "low", the LED 45d blinks quickly. Note that "high" is a remaining amount that allows up to 500 products to be removed, "medium" is a remaining amount that allows up to 250 products to be removed, and "low" is a remaining amount that allows up to 100 products to be removed.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the display of the remaining number display unit 46. As shown in Figure 6, the remaining number display unit 46 displays the remaining number of products in units of units. By comparing the remaining number of products displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 46a of the remaining number display unit 46 with the remaining charge of the batteries 43 on the remaining charge display unit 45, the service person can specifically determine whether or not the product removal operation can be completed, and if it is possible to increase or decrease the number of series connections of the batteries 43, the number of series connections of the batteries can be changed to an appropriate number via the connection switching unit 43a.

Figure 7 shows the specific configuration of the connection switching unit 43a. The battery 43 is connected directly to six small battery boxes 71-76, each of which has five 1.5V dry batteries 50 (7.5V) directly connected. There are 30 dry batteries 50 in total, and the output voltage is 45V. If the output voltage is set to 30V and the capacity of the battery 43 is reduced, the connector 67 of the jumper wire 69 is connected to the connector 61, and the connector 68 is connected to the connector 66. This prevents the voltage of the small battery boxes 75, 76 from being output, and outputs the voltage (30V) directly connected within the small battery boxes 71-74. The connectors 61, 62 between the small battery boxes 74, 75, the connectors 63, 64 between the small battery boxes 75, 76, the connectors 65, 66 on the positive side of the small battery box 76, and the jumper wire 69 correspond to the connection switching unit 43a.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing another specific configuration of the connection switching unit 43a. As shown in Figure 8, a dummy battery 70 that shorts the connection is inserted at any location in place of each dry cell 50 in each small battery box 71 to 76. The dummy battery 70 functions as the connection switching unit 43a, and each time a dummy battery 70 is inserted, the output voltage drops by 1.5V. In Figure 8, all dry cells 50 in small battery boxes 75 and 76 are replaced with dummy batteries 70, and the output voltage is reduced from 45V to 30V.

<Modification 2>
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the battery box 42 and the power supply board 44 according to the present modified example 2. The connection switching unit 43a in the modified example 1 was a manual switching unit, but in the modified example 2, as shown in FIG. 9, the connection switching unit 43a is a connection switching unit 43b that performs automatic connection switching. Accordingly, the power supply board 44 has an automatic switching unit 56. The automatic switching unit 56 outputs an instruction to the connection switching unit 43b to variably switch the number of series connections of the dry batteries 50 so that the capacity of the battery 43 is required for the discharge of the remaining number of products detected by the remaining number detection unit 53. The connection switching unit 43b switches the connection of the dry batteries 50 in response to the instruction. This connection switching unit 43b is realized, for example, by switch switching control.

<Modification 3>
Fig. 10 is a front view showing the configuration of the vending machine 1 according to Modification 3. Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the vending machine 1 according to Modification 3. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in Modification 3, the connector 40 is eliminated, and a battery box 42 having a battery 43 is connected to a connection switch SW and built into the main body of the vending machine 1.

In this modification 3 as well, when the key switch KSW is turned on in response to an unlocking operation of the key switch KSW, the relay circuit 4 is activated, turning on the connection switch SW and connecting the battery 43 to the power supply board 44. As a result, in this modification 3 as well, when the battery 43 is not being used as an emergency power source, there is no standby current to the power supply board 44, and the capacity reduction of the battery 43 can be suppressed.

In the above modified example, the control lines from the power supply board 44 to the remaining charge display unit 45, remaining number display unit 46, connection switching units 43a, 43b, etc. are connected by wire, but this is not limited thereto. The connection source and connection destination may be provided with a low-power short-range wireless communication function such as BLE, and wireless connections may be made as appropriate.

In addition, the configurations illustrated in the above embodiments and variations are merely functional schematics, and do not necessarily have to be physically configured as illustrated. In other words, the form of distribution and integration of each device and component is not limited to that illustrated, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various usage conditions, etc.

LIST OF SYMBOLS 1 Vending machine 1a Main cabinet 1b Outer door 2 AC/DC converter 4 Relay circuit 10 Vending machine main control unit 10a Sales control unit 10b Product management unit 11 Display operation unit 12 Product selection button 13 Display unit 14 Coin mechanism 15 Bill validator 16 Electronic money reader/writer 17 Communication unit 18 Remote control 20 Main control unit 21 Refrigeration device 22 Discharge device 30 Cylinder lock 31 Coin insertion slot 33 Banknote insertion slot 34 Coin return slot 35 Discharge port 36 Electronic money reader/writer 40, 41, 61-68 Connector 42 Battery box 43 Battery 43a, 43b Connection switching unit 44 Power supply board 45 Remaining amount display unit 46 Remaining number display unit 46a Liquid crystal display unit 50 Dry cell 51 Voltage conversion unit 52 Remaining charge detection unit 53 Remaining number detection unit 54 Display processing unit 55 Notification unit 56 Automatic switching unit 69 Jumper wire 70 Dummy dry cell 71-76 Small battery box 100 Commercial power supply 101 Auxiliary key 111 Pop-up handle 112 Exhibition room 114 Illuminated panel 115 Stage D Product sample KSW Key switch SW Connection switch

Claims (10)

A vending machine that uses a commercial power source to perform a product vending operation and can perform a product dispensing operation when the power supply from the commercial power source is stopped,
a connector for externally connecting a battery to be used when the power supply from the commercial power source is stopped;
a power supply changeover switch for changing over the power supply from the battery;
A power supply board provided in the main body of the vending machine and connected to the battery to output a power supply of a desired voltage;
a connection switch that is always in an off state and that connects the battery and the power supply board when turned on;
a relay circuit connected to the battery in a state where the battery is externally connected, and turning on the connection switch when the power supply changeover switch is turned on;
A vending machine comprising: A vending machine that uses a commercial power source to perform a product vending operation and can perform a product dispensing operation when the power supply from the commercial power source is stopped,
a battery that is used when the power supply from the commercial power source is interrupted;
a power supply changeover switch for changing over the power supply from the battery;
a power supply board that is connected to the battery and outputs a power supply of a desired voltage;
a connection switch that is always in an off state and that connects the battery and the power supply board when turned on;
a relay circuit connected to the battery and turning on the connection switch when the power supply changeover switch is turned on;
A vending machine comprising: The power supply board includes:
a voltage conversion unit that converts the voltage of the battery into a voltage used by the vending machine;
a remaining charge detection unit that detects a remaining charge of the battery;
a display processing unit that performs processing to display a remaining amount of the battery on a remaining amount display unit provided on the battery side based on a detection result of the remaining amount detection unit;
3. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising: The vending machine according to claim 3, characterized in that the display processing unit displays the remaining battery charge in accordance with the number of products that can be dispensed based on the current remaining battery charge. The vending machine according to claim 3, characterized in that the display processing unit displays the current remaining battery charge in stages in different display modes. The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the battery is provided with a connection switching unit that allows the number of batteries connected in series to be changed. The vending machine according to claim 6, characterized in that the connection switching unit is a dummy battery that is inserted in place of the battery and shorts the connection. The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the power supply board is provided with a notification unit that notifies the main body of the vending machine when the remaining charge of the battery falls below a predetermined value. The power supply board includes a remaining quantity detection unit that acquires the remaining quantity of products from the main body of the vending machine,
4. The vending machine according to claim 3 , wherein the display processing unit performs processing for displaying the remaining number of products on a remaining number display unit provided on the battery side. The power supply board includes:
An automatic switching unit;
a connection switching unit that variably connects the number of batteries that are connected in series in response to a command from the automatic switching unit;
Equipped with
10. The vending machine according to claim 9, wherein the automatic switching unit variably switches the number of the batteries connected in series so that the battery has a capacity necessary for delivering the number of remaining products detected by the remaining number detection unit.

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