JP3408162B2 - Vending machine product unloading device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic vending machine for receiving and carrying out a product delivered at the time of sale from one of a plurality of product passages extending in the front-rear direction and arranged side by side in the vertical and horizontal directions. The present invention relates to a device for discharging goods.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional vending machine of this type, a so-called showcase type, in which a large number of items are lined up in the front-rear direction and stored so that they can be seen from the outside, for use in unmanned convenience stores and the like. Vending machines are known. Since this type of vending machine is required to have a appearance similar to that of a showcase, it is generally configured to be horizontally longer and larger than a normal vending machine.

Further, as an automatic vending machine of this type, a rack frame for storing products is installed in the vending machine body (outer box), and the product unloading device can be moved vertically and horizontally on the rack frame. It is known that the bucket is attached to the, the XY direction drive mechanism that drives the bucket in both directions, and the guide mechanism that guides the movement of the bucket. In this product unloading device, the XY direction drive mechanism and the guide mechanism are arranged outside the rack frame.

[0004]

However, since the vending machine of the type described above is constructed in a large size, when it is assembled at the factory and transported to the site like a normal vending machine, the In addition to the increase in size, various problems such as being unable to get on an elevator or being unable to turn the aisle will occur when installed in a building. Of course, such a problem can be solved by bringing the components of the vending machine to the site in a disassembled state and assembling them on site. However, in that case, if you try to assemble without using a machine locally, first assemble the main body of the vending machine, install the rack frame inside it, and then install the XY drive mechanism and guide mechanism of the product unloading device. ,
There is no choice but to follow the assembly procedure of installing it outside the rack frame. On the other hand, in order to secure the storage space for the product as large as possible, it is preferable to make the gap between the vending machine body and the rack frame as small as possible. As a result, when assembling an automatic vending machine of the type described above on site, the XY direction drive mechanism of the product unloading device and the like must be installed while inserting a hand into the narrow space between the vending machine body and the rack frame. , Assembly work becomes very difficult.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and even if the space between the main body of the vending machine and the rack frame is small, it can be assembled easily and appropriately on site. The purpose is to provide a product discharge device for a vending machine.

[0006]

To achieve this object, the present invention is directed at the time of sale from one of a plurality of product passages extending in the front-rear direction and arranged side by side in the vertical and horizontal directions in a rack frame. A product discharge device of a vending machine for receiving and discharging the products discharged to
A movable body extending in the up-down direction, a bucket movably attached to the movable body in the up-down direction for receiving products at the time of sale, and a Y module arranged in front of the rack frame; It has an X drive source attached to the side from the inside, a side attachment member, and an X drive shaft rotatably supported by the side attachment member, and the X drive shaft moves up and down outside the rack frame. Is attached to the one side portion of the rack frame from the inside via a side attachment member so as to extend in the direction.
An X drive assembly that is rotationally driven by a drive source, an elongated strip-shaped lower mounting plate, and a Y module that is rotatably mounted on one end portion in the length direction of the lower mounting plate about an axis perpendicular to the lower mounting plate. It has a lower drive pulley for driving it in the left-right direction at its lower portion and a lower guide mechanism attached to the lower mounting plate for guiding the movement of the Y module at its lower portion, and from the front to the lower side of the rack frame. With the lower assembly inserted and the lower end of the X drive shaft connected to the lower drive pulley, the lower assembly is fixed to the rack frame, the elongated strip-shaped upper mounting plate, and the upper mounting plate at one end in the longitudinal direction. It is rotatably mounted around an axis line perpendicular to the mounting plate, and is mounted on the upper mounting plate and an upper drive pulley for driving the Y module in the left-right direction at its upper part, It has an upper guide mechanism for guiding the movement of the module at its upper part, is inserted into the upper side of the rack frame from the front, and is fixed to the rack frame with the upper drive pulley connected to the upper end of the X drive shaft. And an upper assembly, which comprises:

According to the commodity discharge device of this vending machine,
When the product is sold, the X drive source operates and the X drive shaft rotates, so that the upper and lower drive pulleys rotate in synchronization with each other, so that the Y module is guided in the left and right directions by the upper and lower guide mechanisms. While being driven, the bucket of the Y module moves in the up-and-down direction with respect to the movable body in parallel with this, so that the bucket stops in front of the product passage in which the selected product is stored. Then, after the bucket receives the product dispensed from the product passage, the bucket is moved again by the operation of the X drive source and the product is unloaded.

Also, in this product unloading apparatus, the X drive shaft and the side mounting members for mounting the X drive shaft on the rack frame serve as the X drive module, the lower mounting plate, the lower drive pulley and the lower guide mechanism serve as the lower assembly, and the upper mounting plate. Since the upper drive pulley and the upper guide mechanism are preassembled as the upper assembly, the assembling at the site can be easily performed. Further, since both of these assemblies and the X drive source can be attached to the rack frame from the front or the inside, even if the space between the rack frame and the vending machine body is relatively small, the product unloading device can be easily assembled. be able to.

In this case, the X drive shaft is supported by the side attachment member so as to be movable upward from a drive position where the X drive source can drive the X drive assembly when the X drive assembly is attached to the rack frame. By fitting the lower end to the lower drive pulley from above, it is connected to the drive pulley in a non-rotating state, and by fitting the upper drive pulley to the upper end from above, the upper drive pulley is connected in a non-rotating state. Is preferably configured as described above.

In this structure, the lower assembly is inserted into the lower side of the rack frame from the front while the X drive shaft is lifted with respect to the side mounting member, and then the lower end of the X drive shaft is moved upward to the lower drive pulley. The X drive shaft can be connected to the lower drive pulley in a non-rotatable state simply by fitting from above, and after the upper assembly is inserted into the upper side of the rack frame from the front, the upper drive pulley is attached to the upper end of the X drive shaft from above. Since the upper drive pulley can be connected to the X drive shaft in a non-rotatable state simply by fitting, the product unloading device can be more easily assembled.

Further, in this case, the X drive shaft has pins protruding laterally at the upper and lower ends thereof, and the upper and lower drive pulleys are respectively socket portions into which the upper and lower ends of the X drive shaft can be fitted,
It is preferable to have a groove formed on the mating end side of the socket portion so that the pin can engage with the groove.

In this product unloading device, the X drive shaft and the drive pulley are prevented from rotating by fitting the X drive shaft into the socket of the drive pulley while engaging the pin of the X drive shaft with the groove of the drive pulley. They can be connected in a state, and the detent connection of both can be realized with a relatively simple structure.

Further, in these cases, it is preferable that the X drive shaft is fitted to the upper and lower drive pulleys with vertical play.

According to this product unloading device, even if the X drive shaft expands or contracts due to a change in temperature or the like, this expansion and contraction can be automatically absorbed, and the Y module 17 can be driven smoothly while eliminating the adverse effect. be able to.

Further, in these cases, it is preferable that the X drive shaft is fitted in the upper and lower drive pulleys with radial play.

In this product unloading device, the inclination of the X drive shaft with respect to the vertical direction can be automatically corrected by the pulley shaft, so that the Y module can be driven more smoothly.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 show an automatic vending machine incorporating a product unloading device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This vending machine 1 is a so-called show in which a plurality of products S of various items are stored side by side in a front and rear direction in a horizontally long box-shaped vending machine main body 2, and the products S can be seen through a transparent sliding door 2a on the front surface. It is a case type. The vending machine 1 includes the vending machine body 2, a product storage device 3 that stores the product S, a product unloading device 4 that carries out the product S at the time of sale, and the like.

The vending machine body 2 is formed by assembling a plurality of outer wall panels 2b in a box shape, and two sliding doors 2a are attached to the open front surface. The sliding door 2a is normally closed and locked, and is opened when the product S is replenished or the like.
Are being replenished from the front. Further, a cooling device 5 for cooling the product S is provided on the upper part of the vending machine body 2, and a product outlet 6, a card insertion port 7a, a product card reader (not shown), and the like on the right side of the front sliding door 2a. A control panel 7 to which a selection button and the like are attached is provided.

The product storage device 3 includes a rack frame 8 assembled in the vending machine body 2 and the rack frame 8
It has a plurality of product racks 9 attached to the. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the rack frame 8 includes vertical frame members 10, 10 and 10 having a square cross-section, which are arranged at three positions in the left-right direction at equal intervals. The upper and lower horizontal frame members 11 and 11 for connecting the upper portion and the lower portion to each other, and the side wall panel 12 attached to each vertical frame member 10 so as to close the space, each two vertical frames. A product storage chamber 13 is defined between the materials 10 and 10. In addition, each vertical frame material 1
0 is an assembly of metal square members, and the upper and lower horizontal frame members 11 and 11 are angle members and the like, each of which is composed of a pair of front and rear members (only the front member is shown in FIG. 4). .

The product rack 9 is horizontally supported between the side wall panels 12, 12 of the rack frame 8, and 10 and 9 product racks are arranged in the left and right product storage chambers 13, 13 side by side in the vertical direction. ing. Each product rack 9 has
A plurality of partition walls 14 extending in the front-rear direction are attached side by side in the left-right direction, a product passage 15 is defined between the partition walls 14, 14, and a large number of products S of the same item are provided in each product passage 15. Stored side by side in the front-back direction. A pusher 16 is attached to each partition wall 14 and faces the product passage 15. At the time of sale, the pusher 16 is driven forward and the entire product S is pushed and shifted, so that the product S at the foremost position is moved to the product passage. It is paid out forward from 15. As can be seen from FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the partition wall 14 is configured so that it can be moved and attached to the product rack 9 in the left-right direction, and its attachment position is appropriately set according to the width of the product S to be stored. Be changed.

The product unloading device 4 is a Y module 1 provided in front of the rack frame 8 so as to be movable in the left-right direction.
7, an X-direction drive mechanism 18 that drives the Y module 17 in the left-right direction, and upper and lower guide mechanisms 19 and 20 that guide the movement of the Y module 17.

The Y module 17 extends in the vertical direction and
The movable body 2 driven in the left-right direction by the direction drive mechanism 18
1 and a bucket 22 provided so as to project from the right side surface of the movable body 21 and movable in the vertical direction with respect to the movable body 21.
And a Y-direction drive mechanism (not shown) that is built in the movable body 21 and includes a Y drive motor that drives the bucket 22 in the vertical direction. The bucket 22 receives the product S delivered from the product passage 15 at the time of sale and carries it out to the product outlet 6.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the X-direction drive mechanism 18 has an X-drive motor 23 (X-drive source) which constitutes its drive source and an X-drive shaft 24 which is rotationally driven by the X-drive motor 23. Between the upper and lower drive pulleys 25a and 25b connected to the upper and lower portions of the X drive shaft 24, the upper and lower driven pulleys 26a and 26b paired with the upper and lower drive pulleys 25a and 25b, and between the upper and lower drive pulleys and the driven pulleys 25a and 26a, 25b, 26
It is composed of upper and lower timing belts 27a and 27b which are respectively wound between b.

As shown in FIG. 5, the X drive motor 23 is
Motor cover 2 provided on the left side surface of the rack frame 8
8 (side attachment member). The motor cover 28 has an inverted “U” -shaped cross section with an open right side surface, is arranged rearward of the front surface of the rack frame 8, and is attached to the vertical frame member 10 on the left side of the rack frame 8 (not shown). It is screwed from the inside via a plate and projects to the left of the vertical frame member 10.

The X drive shaft 24 extends vertically through the upper and lower walls of the motor cover 28 and is rotatably supported by bearings 29 provided on the lower wall of the motor cover 28.
Further, the X drive shaft 24 is provided with a gear 31 integrally provided by a pin 30 in the motor cover 28.
When 1 is engaged with a gear (not shown) provided in the X drive motor 23, the X drive motor 23 rotates the drive shaft 1 about the vertical axis. Further, pins 32 and 32 for connecting the upper and lower drive pulleys 25a and 25b are provided at the upper and lower ends of the X drive shaft 24.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the components of the X-direction drive mechanism 18 other than the X-drive motor 23 and the X-drive shaft 24 are provided on the upper mounting plate 33. The upper mounting plate 33 is in the form of an elongated strip, and is placed on the upper surfaces of the three vertical frame members 10 of the rack frame 8 while straddling them, extending in the left-right direction, and more than the front surface of the rack frame 8. It is arranged rearward and is fixed to the rack frame 8. The upper drive pulley 25a is rotatably supported by the left end portion of the upper mounting plate 33 protruding from the vertical frame member 10 via a pulley shaft 34 and a bearing 35.

The pulley shaft 34 is formed in a hollow shape from an upper mounting portion 34a having a small diameter and a lower socket portion 34b having a large diameter, and the mounting portion 34a is mounted on the upper mounting plate 33.
The bearing 35 and the shaft hole (not shown) of the upper drive pulley 25a provided on the lower side are integrally connected to the upper drive pulley 25a by a pin (not shown). Further, a U groove 36 (groove) is provided at the lower end of the socket portion 34b.
And the pin 32 of the X drive shaft 24 is U.
With the groove 36 engaged, the socket portion 3 of the pulley shaft 34
It is connected by being inserted into 4b. With the above configuration, the upper drive pulley 25a rotates integrally with the X drive shaft 24 while being prevented from rotating with respect to the X drive shaft 24.

The upper driven pulley 26a is rotatably attached to the right end of the upper mounting plate 33 via a bearing (not shown), and the upper timing belt 27a is provided between the upper driven pulley 26a and the upper drive pulley 25a. It is wrapped around. The upper timing belt 27a is toothed, and the rear end of the rectangular plate-shaped upper arm 37 is fixed. The front end of the upper arm 37 is connected to the movable body 21 of the Y module 17.
It is connected to the Y module 17 via a triangular plate-shaped arm 38 attached to the upper right side surface of the. Further, the upper mounting plate 33 has a rotary plate 39 attached to the upper timing belt 27a.
Tension spring 4 for applying tension via
0 is attached.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the lower drive pulley 25b, the driven pulley 26b and the timing belt 27b are basically vertically symmetrical with the above-mentioned upper pulley. Therefore, the following description will be focused on the parts different from the upper part, the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description will be omitted. Note that, for the sake of illustration, FIG. 7 illustrates the X-direction drive mechanism and the like as a bottom view. Therefore, the left and right are in a relationship opposite to that of FIG. 6 which is a plan view.

The lower drive pulley 25b and the like are attached to the lower mounting plate 41.
Is attached to. The lower mounting plate 41 is in the form of an elongated band, and is inserted between the lower surface of the rack frame 8 and the floor surface of the vending machine body 2 so as to be positioned rearward of the front surface of the rack frame 8 and is arranged in the left-right direction. And is fixed to the rack frame 8. A rear end portion of the L-shaped lower arm 42 is fixed to the lower timing belt 27b, and a portion of the lower arm 42 extending forward is connected to a lower surface of the movable body 21 of the Y module 17. Note that reference numeral 49 in FIG. 8 is an auxiliary roller that also functions as a spacer when connecting the Y module 17 to the upper and lower arms 37, 42.

Next, the upper and lower guide mechanisms 19 and 20 for guiding the movement of the Y module 17 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the upper guide mechanism 19 includes an upper guide rail 43 attached to the upper mounting plate 33 and a pair of left and right upper rollers 4 attached to the lower surface of the upper arm 37.
It is composed of 4, 44. The upper guide rail 43 has a U-shaped cross section with an open upper surface, and extends in the left-right direction. Further, the upper roller 44 engages with the upper guide rail 43 and rolls around the vertical axis along the upper guide rail 43 to guide the movement of the Y module 17 at the upper portion thereof.

On the other hand, the lower guide mechanism 20, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, is a first guide mounted on the lower mounting plate 41.
And the second lower guide rails 45, 46 and the lower arm 4
It is composed of a pair of left and right first lower rollers 47 attached to the rear portion of the upper surface of 2, and a pair of left and right second lower rollers 48 attached to the rear surface of the lower arm 42. The first lower guide rail 45 is vertically symmetrical with the upper guide rail 43, has an inverted U-shaped cross section with an open lower surface, and extends left and right. Further, the second lower guide rail 46 is disposed below and behind the first lower guide rail 45, has a “U” -shaped cross section with an open front surface, and extends in the left-right direction. The first lower roller 47 engages with the first lower guide rail 45 and rolls along the vertical axis along the first lower guide rail 45, while the second lower roller 48 engages with the second lower guide rail 46. Rolling around the horizontal axis in the front-back direction along
Thereby, the movement of the Y module 17 is guided in the lower part thereof.

Next, the operation of the product unloading device 4 having the above configuration will be described. In the sales standby state of the vending machine 1, the product unloading device 4 is located at the home position shown in FIG. 1, that is, the Y module 17 is located near the product outlet 6, and the bucket 22 is the product. It is located behind the outlet 6. From this stand-by state, a card is inserted into the card slot of the control panel 7,
In response to the selection of the product S by the product selection button,
The sales operation is started.

First, the X drive motor 23 of the X direction drive mechanism 18 is operated, the X drive shaft 24 is rotationally driven through the gear 31, and the upper and lower pulley shafts 34, 34 are further rotated to drive the vertical drive. The pulleys 25a and 25b rotate in synchronization with each other. As the drive pulleys 25a and 25b rotate, the upper and lower timing belts 27a and 27b rotate in synchronization with each other, and the Y module 17 connected to them via the upper arms 39 and 40 and the lower arm 42.
Moves to the left while being guided by the upper and lower guide mechanisms 19 and 20. In parallel with this, Y module 1
The Y-direction drive mechanism 7 operates to move the bucket 22 in the vertical direction with respect to the movable body 21. X-direction drive mechanism 18
The Y-direction drive mechanism is stopped when the bucket 22 moves to the front of the product passage 15 that stores the selected product S.

Next, the pusher 16 of the product passage 15
Is operated, the product S is dispensed from the product passage 15 and delivered to the bucket 22. Thereafter, the X-direction drive mechanism 18 and the Y-direction drive mechanism are actuated again, whereby the bucket 22 moves to the home position and stops, and the product S is delivered to the product outlet 6. Then, by opening the door of the product outlet 6, the purchaser can take out the product S.

As described above, according to the product unloading device 4, the X-direction drive mechanism 18 for driving the Y module 17,
And upper and lower guide mechanism 1 for guiding the Y module 17
By arranging both 9 and 20 behind the front surface of the rack frame 8 for storing the products S, the space on the front side of the rack frame 8 is completely opened, so that the movement of the Y module 17 is X. Directional drive mechanism 18 and guide mechanism 1
Unobstructed at 9, 20 and therefore bucket 2
It is possible to widen the movable range of 2 in the left-right direction and the vertical direction. For the same reason, even if it becomes necessary to sell a large-sized product later, it is possible to easily cope with the increase in the size of the bucket 22.

Further, since the X-direction drive mechanism 18 and the guide mechanisms 19 and 20 do not exist on the front side of the rack frame 8, a clean and good appearance can be obtained, and
There is no possibility that the lower guide mechanism 20 is deformed or damaged due to being inadvertently stepped on when the product S is replenished, and the stable operation can be obtained while preventing a failure resulting therefrom.

Further, in the product unloading device 4, the upper and lower portions of the Y module 17 are driven by the upper and lower timing belts 27a and 27b which are rotationally driven in synchronization with each other by the upper and lower drive pulleys 25a and 25b.
The upper and lower parts of the module 17 are connected to the upper and lower guide mechanisms 19, 20
Since the Y module 17 is guided by, the Y module 17 can always be maintained in the posture that extends in the vertical direction.
The accuracy of the stop position can be improved.

Further, the pair of left and right upper rollers 44 and the first lower roller 47 engaging with the upper guide rail 43 and the first lower guide rail 45, respectively, keep the Y module 17 in a posture extending in the vertical direction, and In this state, the weight of the Y module 17 is supported by the pair of left and right second lower rollers 48, so that the Y module 17 arranged on the front side of the rack frame 8 is supported by these rollers 44, 4.
It is possible to smoothly guide the vehicle in the left-right direction by means of 7, 48.

The vending machine 1 having the above structure can be assembled on site, and the procedure is as follows, for example. First, the product unloading device 4 includes the X drive assembly 50 and the upper assembly 5 at the shipping stage from the factory.
1, the lower assembly 52, and the Y module assembly 53 are preassembled. These components and assembling method are as follows. A. The X drive assembly 50 includes an X drive shaft 24, a motor cover 28, a bearing 29, a gear 31, and the like. First, the motor cover 28
After the bearing 29 is attached to the hole in the lower wall of the motor cover 28, the gear 31 is fitted to the X drive shaft 24 with the X drive shaft 24 passed through only one hole of the upper and lower walls of the motor cover 28.
4 is passed through the other hole of the upper and lower walls, and the gear 31 is integrally connected to a predetermined position at the center of the X drive shaft 24 by the pin 30. Then, the pins 32 are attached to the upper and lower ends of the X drive shaft 24, and the assembly of the X drive assembly 50 is completed. In this state, since the gear 31 is housed in the motor cover 28, the X drive shaft 24 is prevented from coming off and the X drive shaft 24 is movable in the axial direction within a predetermined range. B. Upper assembly 51 Upper drive pulley 25a, upper driven pulley 26a, upper timing belt 27a, bearing 2 of the X-direction drive mechanism 17
9, a pulley shaft 34 and a tension spring 40, an upper guide mechanism 19, that is, an upper guide rail 43 and an upper roller 44, an upper arm 37, an upper mounting plate 33, and the like. It is assembled by attaching other components to the above as described above. C. Lower assembly 52 Lower drive pulley 25b of X-direction drive mechanism 17, lower driven pulley 26b, lower timing belt 27b, bearing 2
9, the pulley shaft 34 and the tension spring 40, and the lower guide mechanism 20, that is, the first and second lower guide rails 4.
5, 46 and eleventh and second lower rollers 47, 48,
It is composed of the lower arm 42, the lower mounting plate 41 and the like, and is assembled by using the lower mounting plate 41 as a base and mounting other constituent elements thereto as described above. D. Y module assembly 53 Y module 17, that is, movable body 21, bucket 22
And an upper arm 38 in addition to the Y-direction drive mechanism.

The product unloading device 4 is assembled as described above and then shipped from the factory to the site. In addition, the outer wall panel 2a and the sliding door 2 of the vending machine body 2
b, the square bar of the vertical frame member 10 of the rack frame 8 and the like are shipped in a disassembled state.

Next, a procedure for assembling the vending machine 1 in the field will be described. First, after assembling the vending machine body 2 by connecting the outer wall panels 2a, the horizontal frame members 11 and 11 are installed on the floor surface of the vending machine body 2 in the front-rear direction. Then
The three vertical frame members 10 assembled in parallel with this are placed and fixed on the horizontal frame member 11, and further the horizontal frame members 11 and 11 are placed and fixed on the horizontal frame member 11, and the rack frame 8
Assemble. Next, an attachment plate (not shown) is attached to the left vertical frame member 10, and the motor cover 28 of the X drive assembly 50 is screwed to the attachment plate from the inside to fix the X drive assembly 50. In this state, the X drive shaft 24 stands vertically outside the vertical frame member 10, and the gear 31 is in contact with the lower wall of the motor cover 28 so that it can move upward.

Next, with the X drive shaft 24 being lifted, the lower assembly 52 is inserted from the front into the gap between the lower surface of the vertical frame member 10 of the rack frame 8 and the floor surface of the vending machine body 2, The pulley shaft 34 to the X drive shaft 24
After aligning the pin 32 of the X drive shaft 24 with the U groove 36 of the pulley shaft 34, and engaging the pin 32 with the U groove 36 of the pulley shaft 34, the lower end portion of the X drive shaft 24 is aligned with the socket portion 34b of the pulley shaft 34. Insert from above. Then, the lower assembly 52 is fixed to the rack frame 8 by screwing from the front.

Next, the upper assembly 51 is inserted from the front into the gap between the upper surface of the vertical frame member 10 of the rack frame 8 and the ceiling surface of the vending machine body 2, and the upper assembly 5 is inserted.
1 is slightly lifted, the pulley shaft 34 is aligned with the X drive shaft 24, the pin 32 of the X drive shaft 24 is angularly aligned with the U groove 36 of the pulley shaft 34, and then the U groove 36 is attached to the pin 32. While engaging, the socket portion 3 of the pulley shaft 34
4b is inserted into the upper end of the X drive shaft 24 from above. After that, the upper assembly 51 is fixed to the rack frame 8 by screwing from the front.

Next, the X drive motor 23 is inserted into the motor cover 28 from the inside, and the gear thereof is engaged with the gear 31 of the X drive shaft 24 so that the X drive motor 23 is attached to the motor cover 23. In this way, the X drive motor 23 is mounted after the upper and lower parts assemblies 51, 52 are assembled by attaching the pin 32 of the X drive shaft 24 and the U of the pulley shaft 34 to each other.
This is to prevent the torque resistance of the X drive motor 23 from being applied when the X drive shaft 24 is rotated to adjust the angle with the groove 36. Then, the upper and lower assembly 51,
The Y module assembly 53 is attached to the upper and lower arms 37 and 42 connected to the timing belts 27a and 27b.
Is fixed to the upper part via the upper arm 38 and directly to the lower part by screwing or the like, thereby completing the assembly of the product discharge device 4.

Next, the remaining parts of the vending machine 1, that is, the side wall panel 12, the product rack 9, the sliding door 2a, and the like are sequentially attached to complete the assembly of the vending machine 1.

As described above, the product unloading device 4 of this embodiment has four assemblies, that is, the X drive assembly 5
0, upper assembly 51, lower assembly 52 and Y
Since the module assembly 53 is preassembled, it is possible to easily perform on-site assembly. Also, these assemblies 50-53 and X
Each of the drive motors 23 can be attached to the rack frame 8 from the front or the inside, and the X drive shaft 24 and the drive pulleys 25a and 25b of the upper and lower parts assemblies 51 and 52 can be mounted.
Since the rotation stop connection can be performed only by vertically fitting (inserting) the X drive shaft 24 and the pulley shaft 34, even if the space between the rack frame 8 and the vending machine body 1 is relatively narrow, The carry-out device 4 can be easily assembled.

The X drive shaft 24 is attached to the rack frame 8
Pulley shaft 3 of upper and lower assembly 51, 52 fixed to
The X drive shaft 24 is not disengaged from the pulley shaft 34 because the X drive shaft 24 is connected to the pulleys 34 and 34 while being sandwiched from above and below. Further, since the X drive shaft 24 is simply fitted to the pulley shaft 34 in the vertical direction, it is possible to connect the X drive shaft 24 with a play in the vertical direction. Even when the Y module 17 is expanded or contracted due to a change in, the expansion and contraction can be automatically absorbed, and the Y module 17 can be smoothly driven while eliminating the adverse effect. Similarly, it is possible to provide radial play between the X drive shaft 24 and the hole of the pulley shaft 34, and by doing so, the pulley shaft 34 can be tilted with respect to the vertical direction of the X drive shaft 24. It can be automatically corrected, and thus the Y module 17 can be driven more smoothly.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and can be implemented in various modes.
For example, in the embodiment, the detent connection between the X drive shaft and the upper and lower drive pulleys is realized by the engagement of the pin provided on the X drive shaft and the U groove formed on the pulley shaft. A spline groove may be formed on one of the shaft and the pulley shaft. Further, the embodiment is an example in which the product unloading device of the present invention is applied to a large-scale showcase type vending machine, but the present invention is not limited to a see-through type of a normal size and other suitable types of automatic machines. The same applies to vending machines. In addition, the detailed configuration can be appropriately changed within the scope of the present invention.

[0050]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the product unloading device for an automatic vending machine according to the present invention can be easily and properly assembled on-site even if the space between the vending machine body and the rack frame is small. Have the effect of.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a vending machine incorporating a product unloading device according to an embodiment of the present invention in a state in which products are stored.

2 is a side view of the vending machine of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the vending machine of FIG. 1 in a state in which the front portion is removed and no products are stored.

FIG. 4 is a side view corresponding to FIG.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged front view of the X-direction drive mechanism of the product unloading device and its periphery.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an X-direction drive mechanism, an upper guide mechanism, and the like of the product unloading device.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view showing an X-direction drive mechanism, a lower guide mechanism, and the like of the product discharge device.

FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged side view of the upper and lower parts of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 vending machine 4 Product unloading device 8 rack frames 15 product passage 17 Y module 19 Upper guide mechanism 20 Lower guide mechanism 21 Movable body 22 buckets 23 X drive motor (X drive source) 24 X drive axis 25a upper drive pulley 25b Lower drive pulley 28 Motor cover (side mounting member) 32 pins 33 Upper mounting plate 34 pulley shaft 34b socket part 36 U groove (groove) 41 Lower mounting plate 50 X drive assembly 51 Upper Assembly 52 Lower assembly

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Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A vending machine for receiving and carrying out a product paid out forward at the time of sale from one of a plurality of product passages formed in a rack frame extending in the front-rear direction and arranged side by side in the vertical and horizontal directions. A device for carrying out goods of a machine, which has a movable body extending in the vertical direction, and a bucket movably attached to the movable body in the vertical direction for receiving products at the time of sale, and is arranged in front of the rack frame. The Y module, an X drive source mounted from one side of the rack frame from the inside, a side mounting member, and an X drive shaft rotatably supported by the side mounting member. , The X drive shaft is attached to the one side portion of the rack frame from the inside through the side attachment member so as to extend in the vertical direction outside the rack frame, and An X drive assembly in which the X drive shaft is rotationally driven by the X drive source, an elongated strip-shaped lower mounting plate, and one end of the lower mounting plate in the length direction is rotated about an axis perpendicular to the lower mounting plate. A lower drive pulley that is freely attached to drive the Y module in the left and right direction in the lower portion thereof, and a lower guide mechanism that is attached to the lower attachment plate and that guides the movement of the Y module in the lower portion. A lower assembly fixed to the rack frame, with the lower drive pulley inserted into the lower side of the rack frame from the front, and the lower end portion of the X drive shaft being connected to the lower drive pulley; And the Y module is rotatably attached to one end in the length direction of the upper mounting plate about an axis perpendicular to the upper mounting plate, and the Y module is mounted on the left and right sides of the upper module. An upper drive pulley for driving to, and an upper guide mechanism attached to the upper mounting plate for guiding the movement of the Y module at its upper portion, and inserted from the front side to the upper side of the rack frame, An upper assembly fixed to the rack frame in a state where the upper drive pulley is connected to an upper end portion of the X drive shaft; 2. The X drive shaft is supported by the side mounting member in a state in which the X drive assembly is mounted on the rack frame and is movable upward from a drive position where the X drive source can drive the X drive shaft. The lower end of the upper drive pulley is fitted to the lower drive pulley from above to be connected to the drive pulley in a non-rotatable state, and the upper drive pulley is fitted to the upper end from above. The product discharge device of the vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the drive pulleys are configured to be coupled in a non-rotating state. 3. The X drive shaft has pins protruding laterally at upper and lower end portions, and the upper and lower drive pulleys respectively have socket portions into which upper and lower end portions of the X drive shaft can be fitted. The product unloading device for a vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the socket has a groove formed on the fitting end side of the socket portion and engageable with the pin. 4. The product discharge device for a vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the X drive shaft is fitted in the upper and lower drive pulleys with vertical play. 5. The product discharge of the vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the X drive shaft is fitted in the upper and lower drive pulleys with radial play. apparatus.