Maintenance monitoring apparatus, system, method, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11263859-B2
Application number	US-201716634662-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 2, 2017
Priority date	Aug 2, 2017
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

A maintenance monitoring apparatus includes: a maintenance management part that manages, based on a monitoring result of a current or power of a vending machine that provides a beverage by extracting the beverage from a raw material, whether an operation performed on the vending machine is a predetermined maintenance operation and whether the maintenance has been executed at an appropriate time interval and as many times as necessary; and a notification part that notifies that a maintenance has been executed or not.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A maintenance monitoring apparatus comprising:
a processor; and
a memory storing a program executable by the processor,
wherein the processor, when executing the program stored in the memory is configured to
monitor a current or power of a vending machine that provides a beverage by extracting the beverage from a raw material and performs management as to whether an operation performed on the vending machine is a predetermined maintenance operation, and whether the maintenance operation is executed at an appropriate time interval and as many times as necessary; and
notify that a maintenance has been performed or not performed,
wherein the processor is further configured to compare a measured value of the current or power of the vending machine with a predetermined threshold value,
wherein, when the measured value is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value, the processor acquires a power or current waveform of the vending machine and compares the acquired waveform with a learning model of a power or current waveform of an automated cleaning operation sequence, the learning model learned in advance, and
wherein, when an accuracy of an estimation result is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the processor determines that the operation is an automated cleaning maintenance operation.

2. The maintenance monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to, upon detection of a maintenance operation of the vending machine based on a monitoring result of a current or power of the vending machine, increment a number of times of the maintenance by one, and
wherein the processor is configured to, if the number of times of the maintenance reaches a predetermined prescribed number, output a message that a maintenance within the predetermined time period has been completed.

3. The maintenance monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to, if an operation performed on the vending machine is not the maintenance operation, and if an elapsed time since a last maintenance exceeds a predetermined time, output a message that a maintenance has not been executed.

4. The maintenance monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to compare a measured value of the current or power of the vending machine with a predetermined threshold value and determines, based on a result of the comparison, whether the operation performed on the vending machine is a maintenance operation executed in response to pressing of a self-cleaning button.

5. The maintenance monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to, when the processor, as a result of a comparison of a measured value of the current or power of the vending machine with a first threshold value, determines that the operation is not a maintenance operation executed in response to pressing of a self-cleaning button, determine whether the operation is a manual-cleaning maintenance operation, based on the measurement result of the current or power of the vending machine.

6. The maintenance monitoring apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to, if a time during when the measured value of the current or power of the vending machine is continuously greater than or equal to a second threshold value and less than or equal to a third threshold value, where the second threshold value is greater than the third threshold value, is within a predetermined time range, determine that the operation is the manual-cleaning maintenance operation.

7. The maintenance monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a current or power feature value from a measurement result of the current or power of the vending machine to determine whether the operation is a maintenance operation, based on a similarity degree of the feature value.

8. The maintenance monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, even when an elapsed time since a last maintenance operation has not exceeded a predetermined time, if a number of sales of beverages of the vending machine since a last maintenance time exceeds a predetermined number, the processor outputs, a message that a maintenance has not been executed.

9. A maintenance monitoring system, comprising:
a vending machine that provides a beverage by extracting the beverage from a raw material;
a measurement apparatus that measures a current or power of the vending machine and transmits a measurement result via a communication unit of the measurement apparatus; and
the maintenance monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 .

10. A maintenance monitoring apparatus comprising:
a processor; and
a memory storing a program executable by the processor,
wherein the processor, when executing the program stored in the memory is configured to
monitor a current or power of a vending machine that provides a beverage by extracting the beverage from a raw material and performs management as to whether an operation performed on the vending machine is a predetermined maintenance operation, and whether the maintenance operation is executed at an appropriate time interval and as many times as necessary; and
notify that a maintenance has been performed or not performed,
wherein the processor is further configured to compare a measured value of the current or power of the vending machine with a predetermined fourth threshold value,
in a case where the measured value is greater than or equal to the fourth threshold value, the processor acquires a first waveform of the power or current of the vending machine and stores the first waveform in a storage unit,
in a case where the measured value is less than the fourth threshold value, the processor compares the measured value with a predetermined fifth threshold value, where the fourth threshold value is greater than the fifth threshold value,
in a case where the measured value is greater than or equal to the fifth threshold value, the processor acquires a second waveform of the power or current of the vending machine and stores the second waveform in a storage unit, wherein
in a case where the waveform stored is the first waveform, the processor compares the first waveform with a learning model of a first automated cleaning operation learned in advance;
in a case where the stored waveform is the second waveform the processor compares the second waveform with a learning model of a second automated cleaning operation learned in advance, and
wherein, when an accuracy of an estimation result is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the processor determines that the operation is an automated cleaning maintenance operation.

11. The maintenance monitoring apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the learning model of the first automated cleaning operation corresponds to a maintenance operation learning model obtained when a heater included in the vending machine operates, and
wherein the learning model of the second automated cleaning operation corresponds to a maintenance operation learning model obtained when the heater included in the vending machine does not operate.

12. A maintenance monitoring apparatus comprising:
a processor; and
a memory storing a program executable by the processor,
wherein the processor, when executing the program stored in the memory is configured to
monitor a current or power of a vending machine that provides a beverage by extracting the beverage from a raw material and performs management as to whether an operation performed on the vending machine is a predet

Assignees

• Nec Corp

Inventors

• Ohta Yuko
• Takahashi Shingo
• Saneyoshi Eisuke
• Miyamoto Junichi
• Koumoto Shigeru

Classifications

• G07F9/026 Primary

  for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty · CPC title

• G07F13/00

  Coin-freed apparatus for controlling dispensing or fluids, semiliquids or granular material from reservoirs · CPC title

• G06Q10/20 Primary

  Administration of product repair or maintenance · CPC title