JP3632464B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vending machine used for the automatic sale of cylindrical products such as can containers, bottle containers, or plastic containers containing soft drinks, and more specifically, stored in each product storage section in the machine body. The present invention relates to a vending machine having an improved product delivery mechanism.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in this type of vending machine, as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, a product outlet 3 is provided at a lower portion of a door 2 on the front surface of the machine body 1, while each column of the rack in the machine body 1 (product storage A plurality of cylindrical products (for example, canned products) A1 and A2 are divided into different outer diameters when the sizes (outer diameters) are different from the inlets 5 provided at the upper portions of the respective parts). The product is stored by being thrown in, and the lowermost product A1 or A2 is sequentially dropped onto the shooter 8 one by one from the drop opening 6 provided at the bottom of each column 4 via the product dispensing device 7, and the shooter 8 There is one having a configuration in which the product is thrown out toward the product outlet 3 side.
[0003]
The passage widths W of the drop openings 6 of the respective columns 4 are formed to be equal to each other as shown in FIG. 11, and the outlet regulating plate 9 provided on the passage partition wall surface 6a in the drop opening 6 is provided. , The passage width W of each drop port 6 is adjusted to the passage widths W1 and W2 corresponding to the sizes (outer diameters) of the various products A1 and A2, respectively. It is made to fall on the shooter 8 with a stable posture.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the vending machine having the above-described conventional structure, when the product is refilled into each column 4 of the machine body 1, the size of the products A1, A2 ( Since it is necessary to adjust the passage widths W1 and W2 of the drop port 6 according to the outer diameter), not only the adjustment work is troublesome but also the adjustment according to the product size (outer diameter) of the outlet regulating plate 9 If you forget, abnormalities and product clogging due to continuous drop of products occur during automatic sales.
[0005]
The object of the present invention is to automatically adjust the passage width of the drop opening without manual operation in accordance with the size of the product stored in each product storage unit in the machine body. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine that eliminates the need for adjustment of an exit restriction plate that has been performed manually by a store clerk.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is the invention according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of cylindrical commodities are provided for each outer diameter from an input port provided in an upper part of each product storage section in the machine body. Each of them is put in and stored, and the lowermost product is sequentially dropped one by one through the product dispensing device from the drop opening provided in the lower part of the product storage unit, and is ejected to the product outlet side of the aircraft. In the vending machine, the product dispensing device supports the lowermost product in the closing operation in the standby state and allows the product to drop by the downward opening operation due to the weight of the product in the sales state. Openable and closable support means whose rotation direction is always urged upward, lock means for locking the support means in the closed state, the lowermost product in the closed state of the support means by the lock means and the upper stage Between products A holding means that guides and moves so as to protrude and regulates the passage width of the drop port according to the outer diameter of the product and holds the upper product to prevent the drop, and the holding device is connected to the lower product and the upper product. Drive means for guiding and moving the product in the projecting direction with respect to the product, and the lock means is unlocked when the holding means is moved to a restricting position according to the outer diameter of the stored product. It is characterized by that.
[0007]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the holding means includes a protruding member that moves in conjunction with a lifting operation of the driving means, and a guide groove that guides the protruding member in the protruding direction. And an unlocking member rotatably provided at the tip end portion of the protruding member guided by the guide groove, and the unlocking member follows the protruding movement of the protruding member. The support means is automatically unlocked at a predetermined protruding position corresponding to the outer diameter of the product by abutting on the outer peripheral surface of the product and rotating with the protruding movement of the protruding member. It is characterized by being interlocked.
[0008]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the second aspect, the protruding member of the holding means is directed in a protruding direction between the lowermost product and the upper product in the closed state of the support means. It is characterized in that it is guided and moved with a predetermined protruding angle.
[0009]
The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the protruding angle of the protruding member is a tangent line passing through the lower contact of the upper product of the lowest product supported by the support means. It is characterized by being set corresponding to the direction.
[0010]
That is, in the vending machine according to the present invention, the bottom cylindrical product stored in each product storage unit in the machine body is thrown out from the drop port to the product outlet side of the machine body through the product delivery device. The product throwing device always supports the bottom product in the closing operation in the standby state, and the rotation direction is always upward so that the product can be dropped by the downward opening operation due to the weight of the product in the sales state. The support means that can be opened and closed, the lock means that locks the support means in the closed state, and the guide means so as to protrude between the lowermost product and the upper product in the closed state of the support means by the lock means And holding means for restricting the passage width of the drop opening according to the outer diameter of the product and holding the product on the upper stage to prevent the drop, and along with the guide movement of the holding means in the protruding direction Lock Since the step is interlocked so that the unlocking of the support means is automatically performed at a predetermined protruding position according to the outer diameter of the product, the passage width of the drop opening according to the size (outer diameter) of the product The adjustment of the exit restriction plate, which has been performed manually by a serviceman or a store clerk as before, becomes unnecessary.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings shown in FIGS. In the illustrated embodiment according to the present invention, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same parts as those in the vending machine having the conventional structure shown in FIGS.
[0012]
FIG. 1 schematically shows the overall configuration of a product dispensing apparatus in a vending machine according to the present invention. In the two adjacent columns (product storage units) 4 and 4 in the machine body 1, a plurality of cylindrical products A 1 and A 2 are divided for each outer diameter when the sizes (outer diameters) are different. And a pair of product dispensing devices 10 and 10 are disposed in the lower drop openings 6 and 6 thereof. The arrangement form of the product throwing devices 10 and 10 is arranged symmetrically when the sizes of the products A1 and A2 stored in the columns 4 and 4 are the same, and the products A1 and A2 are arranged symmetrically. When the sizes of A2 are different, they are arranged asymmetrically.
[0013]
The product dispensing apparatus 10 includes a support unit 20 that supports the lowermost product A1 or A2 in the dropping port 6, a lock unit 30 that locks the support unit 20, and a lock of the support unit 20 by the lock unit 30. In the state, the holding means 40 for holding the upper product A1 or A2 in the lowermost product in the drop opening 6, and the holding means 40 are guided and moved so as to protrude between the lower product and the upper product. And driving means 50 to be configured.
[0014]
The support means 20 has a flat plate-like support member 21 disposed below the dropping port 6. The support member 21 is pivotally supported by a shaft 22 at one end 21 a side, and the other end 21 b side. The lock pin 23 protruded from the side of this is engaged with an arc-shaped slide groove 24 formed on the side wall of the drop port 6 to be guided and slid, so that the drop port 6 can be opened and closed. It is biased by a biasing force of a spring (not shown) supported by the shaft 22 in the upper direction in which the rotation direction X is always the closing direction, and the state of the downward inclination θ is maintained. The support member 21 supports the lowermost product A1 or A2 in the closing operation in the locked state by the lock means 30 described later, while opening downward by the weight of the product A1 or A2 in the unlocked state. The product A1 or A2 is allowed to drop by the operation.
[0015]
The lock means 30 has a lock lever 32 pivotally supported on the outer wall of the drop port 6 via a shaft 31, and a locking claw 33 is provided on one end 32 a side of the lock lever 32. The support member 21 can be locked by engaging the locking claw 33 so that the lock pin 23 protruded from the side portion of the support member 21 corresponds in the closed state. Further, one end 34 a of a spring 34 is fixed to the lock lever 32, and the other end 34 b of the spring 34 is fixed to the outer wall of the drop port 6, so that the rotation direction Y is always downward of the support member 21. The door is biased in the rotation direction corresponding to the opening operation, thereby preventing the opening operation of the support member 21 downward.
[0016]
The holding means 40 has a protruding member 41 and is formed by connecting a plurality of horizontally long plates 42 in a caterpillar shape via a shaft 43. This protruding member 41 engages each shaft 43 to which each horizontally long plate 42 is linked with a guide groove 44 formed on the outer wall of the drop port 6, and its tip 41 a is formed by the locking means 30. Between the lowermost product and the upper product of the product A1 or A2 in the closed state, it is guided and moved so as to project with a predetermined projecting angle α, and thereby the passage width W of each drop port 6 is increased. The passage width W1 or W2 is regulated according to the size (outer diameter) of the product A1 or A2, and the product on the upper stage is held to prevent the product from falling. In this case, the passage width W of the drop port 6 has, for example, a maximum width of 70 mm so that a product with a minimum diameter of 45 mm can be handled from a product with a maximum diameter of 68 mm, and the regulation width can be adjusted to a minimum of 42 mm. .
[0017]
In this case, the protrusion angle α of the guide groove 44 that guides and moves the distal end portion 41a of the protrusion member 41 in the protrusion direction Z is, for example, as shown in FIG. When the product A2 with the maximum diameter is supported on the support member 21 in the closed state so as to be stored in the normal position in the drop opening 6, between the lower contacts P1 and P2 of the upper product of the lowermost product. Is set corresponding to the direction of the tangent line Q connecting the two. Thereby, the front end portion 41a of the protruding member 41 can be protruded so as to slide in a tangential direction passing through the lower contact P1 or P2 of the upper product A1 or A2 of the lowermost product. 41 can be smoothly moved.
[0018]
The drive means 50 includes a drive motor 51, a feed screw 54 connected to a rotation shaft 52 of the drive motor 51 via a gear box 53, and a worm gear 55 that meshes with the feed screw 54 and moves up and down. The worm gear 55 protrudes and the rear end portion 41 b of the member 41 is connected via a shaft 56. The drive motor 51 lowers the worm gear 55 by the rotation of the feed screw 54 by the forward rotation, and protrudes by the lowering operation of the worm gear 55 so that the tip 41a of the member 41 protrudes along the direction Z. It is possible to move to the upper product. On the other hand, the worm gear 55 is raised by the rotation of the feed screw 54 by the reverse rotation of the drive motor 51, and the drive control is performed so that the protruding member 41 is pulled in by the raising operation of the worm gear 55.
[0019]
Further, an unlocking member 45 connected in a flap shape via a shaft 43 is rotatably provided on the tip end portion 41 a side of the protruding member 41. This unlocking member 45 normally has a suspended state, and as described later, follows the protruding direction Z of the protruding member 41 and comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the lowermost product A1 or A2. ing. As a result, the lock release member 45 protrudes with the shaft 43 as a fulcrum and rotates as the member 41 protrudes, and the lock lever 32 is brought into contact with the operating portion 46 provided at the tip 45a thereof. Are interlocked so as to rotate in a direction against the urging force of the spring 34, and the locking claw 33 and the supporting member of the lock lever 32 are supported at a predetermined protruding position corresponding to the size (outer diameter) of the product A1 or A2. The locking state of the lock pin 23 with the lock pin 23 is released so that the support member 21 is automatically unlocked.
[0020]
Next, the operation control of the vending machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings shown in FIGS. In this case, the drop outlets 6 and 6 of the two columns 4 and 4 adjacent to each other in the machine body 1 and the product dispensing devices 10 and 10 arranged symmetrically in the respective drop openings 6 and 6 are: Since they have the same form, for example, a product throw placed in the drop opening 6 of a column (a left column in the illustrated embodiment) 4 on one side in which a product A1 having a relatively small size (outer diameter) is stored. Only the operation of the dispensing device 10 will be described.
[0021]
FIG. 3 shows a sales standby state of the product dispensing apparatus 10. First, the door 2 of the machine body 1 is opened, the product A1 is stored in each column 4, and then the door switch (not shown) when the door 2 is closed or the initial switch (not shown) operated manually. The initial reset operation is started when ON. At this time, the tip end portion 41 a of the protruding member 41 of the holding means 40 maintains the protruding state up to the foremost position of the guide groove 44, and holds the lowermost product A <b> 1 stored in each column 4. In this state, when the door switch or the initial switch is turned on, the drive motor 51 of the drive means 50 rotates backward in the clockwise direction, and the protruding member 41 is retracted in conjunction with the raising operation of the worm gear 55 by the feed screw 54. When the tip 41a of the protruding member 41 is pulled to a position where it can drop according to the outer diameter of the lowermost product A1, all the products A1 in the column 4 held by the holding means 40 fall downward, It is supported on the support member 21 of the support means 20 in an incompletely locked state. At this time, the support member 21 is slightly rotated downward (counterclockwise) and stopped at a position where the lock pin 23 is completely engaged with the engagement claw 33 provided on the lock lever 32 of the lock means 30. Thus, the locked state is maintained while maintaining the state of the downward inclination θ. This state is detected by a sold-out switch (not shown), and the sold-out switch is turned ON to display “product present” lit, and at the same time, the rotation of the drive motor 51 is stopped, and as shown in FIG. It becomes a sales standby state. At the same time as the drive motor 51 stops, the protruding member 41 stops, and the passage width W of the drop port 6 is restricted to the passage width W1 corresponding to the size (outer diameter) of the product A1 at the retracted position of the tip 41a. It has come to be.
[0022]
When a sales signal is input in such a sales standby state, as shown in FIG. 4, the drive motor 51 rotates in the counterclockwise direction and protrudes in conjunction with the lowering operation of the worm gear 55 by the feed screw 54. 41 projects along the guide groove 44 in the projecting direction Z, and the tip 41a is guided and moved so as to be slid between the lowermost product A1 and the upper product A1. When the projecting member 41 projects, the unlocking member 45 provided on the tip end 41a side also follows the projecting direction Z. When the unlocking member 45 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the lowermost product A1, The release member 45 rotates counterclockwise with the abutment point O of the lowermost product A1 as a fulcrum along with the protrusion movement of the protrusion member 41, and the lock lever 32 is biased by the operating portion 46 of the tip end portion 45a. The locking claw 33 of the lock lever 32 and the lock pin 23 of the support member 21 are released at a predetermined protruding position corresponding to the size (outer diameter) of the product A1. Is done. Thereby, the unlocking of the support member 21 is automatically performed, and at the same time, the upper end side product A1 of the lowermost product A1 is held at the tip end portion 41a of the protruding member 41, and its fall is prevented. Only sales drop of the product A1 is allowed.
[0023]
When the support member 21 is unlocked, as shown in FIG. 5, the support member 21 rotates downward (counterclockwise) by the weight of the lowest product A1 against the urging force of a spring (not shown). The door is opened and the lowermost product A1 is dropped. Simultaneously with the fall of the lowermost product A1, as shown in FIG. 6, the lock release member 45 is opened, and the lock lever 32 is rotated counterclockwise by the biasing force of the spring 34 as the lock release member 45 is opened. To return to the original position.
[0024]
When the support member 21 is released due to the drop of the lowermost product A1, as shown in FIG. 7, the support member 21 is also rotated upward (clockwise) by the biasing force of a spring (not shown) to the original closing position. At the same time, the return position of the support member 21 is detected by a detection switch (not shown), and at the same time, the lock pin 23 of the support member 21 is engaged with the engagement claw 33 of the lock lever 32, thereby the support member 21. Is locked in an incomplete state. When the return state of the support member 21 is detected by the detection switch, the drive motor 51 starts reverse rotation, and the protrusion member 41 is retracted by the raising operation of the worm gear 55 due to the rotation of the feed screw 54. When the leading end 41a of the protruding member 41 is sufficiently retracted to a position where it can drop according to the outer diameter of the product A1, all the inside of the column 4 held by the leading end 41a of the protruding member 41 as shown in FIG. The product A1 falls downward and is supported on the support member 21 in an incompletely locked state. At this time, the support member 21 is slightly rotated downward (counterclockwise), and stops at a position where the lock pin 23 is completely engaged with the engagement claw 33 provided on the lock lever 32, and the downward inclination θ The full lock state is maintained, and the reverse rotation of the drive motor 51 is stopped to enter the next sales standby state.
[0025]
In this case, since the start timing of the reverse rotation of the drive motor 51 may be performed after confirming the sales drop of the product A1, the position where the support member 21 is sufficiently rotated downward (counterclockwise) or the lock You may make it operate | move by detecting the position which the lever 32 returned, and also any one of the goods A1 sold and dropped. Further, after the reverse rotation of the drive motor 51 is stopped, the drive motor 51 is rotated forward again to cause the protruding member 41 to protrude and move in the protruding direction Z, and its tip 41a corresponds to the size (outer diameter) of the product A1. Adjustment control is performed so that it stops when it reaches the regulation position of the passage width W1 of the dropping port 6.
[0026]
【The invention's effect】
As is apparent from the above description, the present invention allows the lowest cylindrical product stored in each product storage section in the machine body to be ejected from the drop opening to the product outlet side of the machine body via the product dispensing device. In order for the product dispensing device to support the lowest product in the closing operation in the standby state and to allow the product to fall by the downward opening operation due to the weight of the product in the sales state, the rotation direction is always upward The support means that can be opened and closed biased by the door, the lock means that locks the support means in the closed state, and the support means by the lock means can project between the lowermost product and the upper product in the closed state. And holding means for restricting the passage width of the drop opening according to the outer diameter of the product and holding the product in the upper stage to prevent the drop, and guiding the holding means in the protruding direction With movement Since the lock means is interlocked so that the unlocking of the support means is automatically performed at a predetermined protruding position corresponding to the outer diameter of the product, the passage of the drop opening corresponding to the size (outer diameter) of the product The width can be adjusted, which eliminates the need for the adjustment of the outlet restricting plate, which has been performed manually by a serviceman or a store clerk.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of a product dispensing apparatus showing an embodiment of a vending machine according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory view for setting a protruding angle in the protruding direction of the holding means.
FIG. 3 is also an explanatory diagram of a sales standby state.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the movement operation of the holding means immediately after the sales signal is input.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing the unlocking operation of the supporting means by the locking means.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a product dropping operation by unlocking the support means.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing the locking operation of the supporting means by the locking means.
FIG. 8 is also an explanatory diagram of the next sales standby state.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional vending machine.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal configuration of a conventional vending machine.
FIG. 11 is a schematic enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part, showing a state in which the position of a drop opening is adjusted in a conventional product storage unit.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Aircraft,
3 Product outlet 4 Product storage (column)
5 Inlet 6 Outlet 10 Commodity dispensing device 20 Support means 21 Support member 23 Lock pin 30 Lock means 32 Lock lever 33 Locking claw 40 Holding means 41 Projecting member 44 Guide groove 45 Unlocking member 50 Driving means A1 Product (small diameter) )
A2 product (large diameter)
X Projection direction

Claims (4)

A plurality of cylindrical products are introduced into each product storage section in the machine body from the input port provided at the top for each same outer diameter, and stored at the bottom from the drop port provided at the bottom of the product storage unit. In a vending machine in which products are dropped sequentially one by one through a product dispensing device and are thrown out to the product outlet side of the aircraft,
The product dispensing device supports the lowermost product in the door closing operation in the standby state, and the rotation direction is always upward so as to allow the product to drop by the downward door opening operation due to the weight of the product in the sales state. The support means that can be opened and closed biased by, the lock means that enables the support means to be locked in the closed state, and the bottom product and the upper product in the closed state of the support means by the lock means. Holding means for restricting the passage width of the drop port in accordance with the outer diameter of the product and holding the upper product to prevent dropping, and the holding device as the lowest product Drive means for guiding and moving in the protruding direction to the upper product,
The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the lock unit is unlocked when the holding unit is moved to a restriction position corresponding to an outer diameter of a product in which the holding unit is stored. The holding means pivots to a protruding member that moves in conjunction with the raising and lowering operation of the driving means, a guide groove that guides the protruding member in the protruding direction, and a tip end portion of the protruding member that is guided by the guide groove. A lock release member provided freely,
The unlocking member follows the protruding movement of the protruding member and comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the lowermost product, and the locking means is rotated according to the protruding movement of the protruding member according to the outer diameter of the product. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the vending machine is interlocked so that unlocking of the support means is automatically performed at a predetermined protruding position. The protruding member of the holding means is guided and moved with a predetermined protruding angle in a protruding direction between the lowermost product and the upper product in the closed state of the support means. Item 3. The vending machine according to item 2. 4. The protruding angle of the protruding member is set in correspondence with a tangential direction passing through a lower contact of the upper product of the lowermost product supported by the support means. The vending machine described.

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