In Japan, the number of installed vendors has reached about 5.24 million, and the annual amount sold by these machines, about 3,750 billion yen at the end of 1987.
Recently developed machines are showing tendency to be more fashionable, large-sized and multifunctional, and the applications of distributed control systems with microprocessors have been increasing I vendor control.
Vendors have also acquired more intelligence, such as card systems, sales information control systems, etc.

Recent market requires serpentine-type can vendors to meet the variety of goods for sale, multiselection system, fashionable design and low energy consumption.
Fuji Electric has developed a new serpentine-type can vendor series of high quality, employing ANQB rack, five-fold sepentine rack, 3-chamber-integrated structure, 3-chamber-1-compressor chiller system and fashionable round design, to suit above requirements.
This paper gives an outline of the features and design of the series.

With the progress of vendors, for example, multiselection, multifunction and large-sized vendors, demands for attractively fashionable design of combination vendors, selling canned, bottled and other vessel-packed drinks, are growing in recent years.
To meet these needs, we have developed new vendor series of round design, in place of old style, multirack for multiselection and new control system for multifunction requirements

Under the necessity of using various packing vessels for hot and cold drinks, Fuji new-type multipurpose combination vendor with fashionable design has been developed, employing the heating system for new-type paper packing vessels in the chamber of the vendor.
This vending machine makes it possible newly to sell canned, bottled, and hot paper-packed drinks besides cold paper-packed drinks besides cold paper-packed ones existing.
The performance of this machine is further enhanced by applying a new-type direct loading system for easy loading, flexibility for various kinds of selling goods, and a high space factor of the vendor housing, and utilizing microcomputer for multifunctional control system.
This paper outlines these specifications, features and design of the machine.

Fuji fresh-brewed coffee vendors have been spoken of favorably as the machines satisfying consumer's refined taste and preference to honest coffee, since the first unit was put on sale in 1977. Recently, a new model has been developed on the basis of market needs; it is equipped with a new coffee brewer capable of fast extracting in high concentration. This paper introduces its features, specification, and construction, mainly of the coffee brewer.

The cup combination vendor gives the operator a high earning rate per machine because average sales are attained in summer and in winter.
This series meets the market needs with many improvements, in functions and control as follows: (1) Increased sanitation (2) Movable vend-stages mounted for mischief prevention, (3) Three-cup-size sale of beverages to meet customer's needs, (4) Up-to-date round design to attract customers, etc. This paper introduces its features and construction.

Fuji ice-cream vendors have been popular in the market since Fuji Electric developed the machine as the first freezing-use vendor in 1981. However, recent market needs, having quite changed, require multiselection, big-capacity vendors.
The vendors newly developed according to the above market needs have the features, such as the higher anti-icing performance in the internal vendracks and internal door construction, the unique design of the outer doors in consideration of young women's mentality, and so on.

Vendors are showing a strong tendency to be equipped with electronic controls containing microcomputers to meet compound and multifunctional applications. This paper introduces a decentralized control system recently developed by Fuji Electric. This decentralized control system, called VTS, is a system developed by modular construction of vendor function. The features are as follows: (1) Easy alteration or addition of functions, (2) Increased design efficiency enabling short-time system development, (3) Low maintenance cost, (4) Efficient assembly due to the decreased wiring number, etc.

The remote control setting of vendors is a control system which adopts wired parallel remote control in operating units for the price setting of articles for sale, etc.
The main features are as follows: (1) The remote controlled operating unit makes it possible in front of vendors to make setting with confirmation by the push button while an actual article is displayed. (2) The operating unit is detachable and one unit can flexibly deal with about thirty vendors as well as one vendor. (3) The sales totalizing function leads to efficient employment of vendors, the fault diagnostic function leads to easy maintenance, etc.

Recent magnetic card applications have spread rapidly as shown by NTT telephone cards and JR orange cards. Considering such a background, Fuji Electric has developed card systems for vendor and restaurant control. This paper introduces, out of these systems, the techniques and equipment which have been developed and put in practical use.
In addition, it gives a brief description of the card application to existing vendors which is a problem in putting in practical use, the payment of the balance on presale-type cards, the payment of the sale accounts on post-settlement-type cards, etc.

NTT telephone cards have been popular since the sale was started, and the sales have increased continuously to exceed one hundred million cards in 1986.
Fuji Electric supplied vendors mainly for food and drink so far; recently, it has developed a vendor for telephone cards, information media in a sense. This machine is equipped with a payment-slip issuing function and a burglar alarm at the detection of an external shock, to cope with high-price article sale. This paper introduces its features, specification, and construction.

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation carried out operation experiments in INS (Information Network System) at Mitaka, Tokyo, between 1984 and 1986. Fuji Electric also participated in these experiments and carried out operation experiments in vendor- and store-group-control systems, for the establishment of application techniques, confirmation of system functions, appraisal of profit and loss, utilization of collected data, and evaluation of the systems, in connection with INS. This paper introduces an outline of the above.

Bill validators have increasingly been mounted in small-sized vendors as well as in medium- and large-sized vendors. To meet this tendency of currency dealing in vendors, small bill validators and coin mechanisms having enough capacity of change for payment in bills have been developed.
In addition, serial transmission system are being used for many coin mechanisms and bill validators at the interface with vendor control units.