JP4534720B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a product outlet and a door structure in a vending machine such as a can and a plastic bottle.

  Conventionally, there is an automatic opening / closing door at the commodity outlet of such a vending machine that slides in the left-right direction with a cup-type vending machine (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 4 shows a conventional automatic opening / closing type product outlet described in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the front door 1 of the vending machine, the product outlet 2 opened in the front door 1, the peripheral frame 3 provided in the product outlet 2, and the bend provided behind the product outlet 2. It comprises a stage 4, a sliding door type door 5 disposed between the product outlet 2 and the bend stage 4, a door opening / closing drive mechanism 6, a sensor 7 provided on the peripheral frame 3, and a control unit 8. Has been.

  The operation of the door device for the commodity outlet configured as described above will be described below.

  First, the door 5 is closed and the product outlet 2 is closed when waiting for sale. On the other hand, when a series of sales operations are completed at the time of product sales and the beverage cup 9 is carried out to the bend stage 4, when the customer brings his hand close to the product outlet 2 so as to take out the cup 9, the sensor 7 is turned on by hand. The approach is sensed and the signal is given to the control unit 8.

Further, when the control unit 8 receives a signal from the sensor 7, it gives a door opening command to the drive motor 10 of the opening / closing drive mechanism 6, whereby the divided doors 5 a and 5 b automatically slide to the left and right to move the door 5. Open. Accordingly, the customer can take out the beverage containing cup 9 from the bend stage 4 through the product outlet 2 without touching the door 5 at all. When the cup 9 is taken out of the machine, the signal of the sensor 7 is switched. Based on this, the control unit 8 outputs a door closing command after a time limit of, for example, several seconds, and the drive motor rotates in reverse. Close door 5. In the process of closing the door 5 as a safety measure, if the limit switch for closing detection does not operate even after a predetermined time has passed, control is performed so that the door is opened considering that an abnormality has occurred.
JP-A-8-221657

  However, in the above conventional configuration, in particular, an automatic opening / closing door mechanism of a cup type vending machine, and as its operation, a series of operations at the time of product sales, that is, a raw material is supplied to the cup 9, dilution liquid, stirring operation in the cup, etc. After the sales operation was completed, the customer confirmed that the cup 9 was carried to the bend stage 4 located behind the product outlet 2, and when it was carried, it was opened and closed. However, in the case of cans and PET bottle vending machines, there is no series of sales operations as in the cup-type vending machines, and there is no mechanism for transferring the products to the bend stage 4, so that Since the time taken to the product take-out port 2 is short, it is very important to check the product transport operation from the outside and to see if the product is in front of the product take-out port 2 and then bring your hand closer. Is bothersome.

  Further, when the door is automatically slid left and right, the storage space of the door cannot be secured in the structure in the case of a can and a plastic bottle vending machine having a wide product outlet.

  In the case of the prior art, even when the door is closed, the divided doors 5a and 5b are subjected to the torque of the door opening / closing drive mechanism 6, and the opening / closing operation is performed by the driving force. It is not possible to ensure sufficient safety. Moreover, if force is applied to the opening / closing operation forcibly, there is a problem that injury or failure is likely to occur.

  The present invention solves the above problems, and in particular, has an automatic opening / closing type door device that automatically opens the door at the time of product sales in a vending machine such as a can and a plastic bottle, and the door is in operation. If an external operation is removed even if an external force is forcibly applied by touching, the opening / closing operation is performed, and if the external operation is removed even if the flap is forcibly opened, it returns to the open state. In addition, it is the same as a conventional manual door during the closing operation, and it closes with the gravity of the outlet door, so it is safe and equipped with an automatic opening and closing door device that performs the same function as normal manual operation even if it breaks down. The purpose is to provide vending machines.

In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the vending machine according to the present invention includes a product selection switch for selecting a product at the upper part of the front door of the vending machine body, and an outlet door for opening and closing the product outlet at the lower part.
The product outlet is normally closed by closing the outlet door, and when the product is sold, the upper part of the outlet door is automatically opened in the body inner direction in conjunction with the product selection switch, In a vending machine equipped with an automatic opening and closing door device that closes using the dead weight of the outlet door when the door is closed, the automatic opening and closing door device is a door opening and closing provided on the side of the product outlet. A drive mechanism; torque transmitting means that is coaxially linked with a rotation axis of the outlet door; link means; and biasing means that performs an expansion / contraction operation, wherein the door opening / closing drive mechanism is urged by the link means. Is connected to the torque transmission means via the door, and the torque transmission means is rotated by the torque of the door opening / closing drive mechanism. The door opening / closing drive mechanism includes a DC motor and a crank for rotating the DC motor. And the crank part is driven to rotate half a turn to automatically open the outlet door in the direction toward the inside of the main body.When the door is closed, the crank part is further driven to turn half a turn. An automatic opening / closing type door device that is closed using the weight of the outlet door and the impact mitigating function of the biasing means is provided .

  As a result, the door can be opened smoothly without causing the customer to wait an extra time, so that the operation of the customer opening the door can be omitted. In addition, when the vending machine is placed outdoors, the door is dirty with dust or the like, or when one hand is closed with luggage or the like, it is very convenient. Even if it is held or forcibly pushed in during the opening operation, if the external operation is removed, the opening operation is performed safely.

  During the closing operation, it is the same as a conventional manual door and closes by the gravity of the outlet door, so it is safe and exhibits the same function as a normal manual operation even if it breaks down.

  Since the vending machine according to the present invention opens the door in conjunction with the product selection switch, the door can be opened smoothly without waiting for the customer. Moreover, since an automatic opening / closing door device is provided at the side of the product outlet, space saving can be achieved.

  Moreover, since the door is opened in the front-rear direction and the door is operated by its own weight closing force during the closing operation, safety can be improved.

The invention according to claim 1 is provided with a product selection switch for selecting a product at the upper part of the front door of the vending machine main body, and an outlet door for opening and closing the product outlet at the lower part. The product outlet is closed to close the product, and when the product is sold, the upper part of the outlet door is automatically opened in the direction of the main body in conjunction with the product selection switch. The automatic opening and closing door device includes a door opening and closing drive mechanism provided on a side of a product outlet, and a door opening and closing mechanism provided on a side of the product outlet. A torque transmitting means coaxially interlocking with the rotating shaft; a link means; and an urging means for performing an expansion / contraction operation, wherein the door opening / closing drive mechanism is connected to the torque transmitting means by the link means via the urging means. Torque of the door opening / closing drive mechanism The door opening / closing drive mechanism is composed of a DC motor and a crank portion that cranks the rotational drive of the DC motor. The exit door is automatically opened inwardly of the main body, and when the door is closed, the crank portion is further driven by a half turn to utilize the weight of the outlet door and the impact mitigating function of the biasing means. It is equipped with an automatic opening and closing door device that closes and generates an opening action force on the door by an electric driving force, and the door closing action closes with the weight closing force of the outlet door, so it waits for the customer without, smooth to be able to take out the goods, because the closing operation is similar to the manual of the door closing operation, even if the pinch your hand on the door, it is possible to ensure the safety because it does not worked outside of torque ,Product It is possible to reduce the impact sound or vibration sound emitted hit the exit door Removing and exit.

The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1 , wherein after the door is automatically opened by driving the DC motor, the DC motor is stopped for a predetermined time to maintain the opened state. The customer only needs to operate the product selection button to select a product and to grab the product that has come out to the product outlet, and does not touch the outlet door directly, so it is easy to take out the product. Moreover, since it is often installed outdoors, it is possible to improve cleanliness because it does not touch the door which is dirty with dust or rainwater.

According to a third aspect of the invention, in the invention of the first or second aspect, when a plurality of illuminating lamps are arranged above the outlet door and the product selection switch is operated during product sales The illuminating lamp is turned on in correspondence with the position of the product to be carried out to the outlet door, and the product selection switch and the illuminating lamp to be lit are electrically separated. It is possible to search without hesitation whether it was carried out from.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vending machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, a vending machine body 20 is a vending machine that mainly sells beverage products in cans, plastic bottles, bottles, etc. A product sample chamber 20b and a product are placed above the front door 20a of the vending machine body 20. A selection switch 20c is provided with a product outlet 21 at the bottom. The product outlet 21 is provided with an outlet door 22 for opening and closing the opening 21a. Moreover, the illumination lamp 23 is provided in the upper part of the goods outlet 21, and it is formed over the substantially same width as the goods outlet 21, and is formed in 3 divisions in the left-right direction. And each chute | shoot (not shown) which guides the goods arrange | positioned at the back of each merchandise selection switch 20c and the merchandise take-out port 21 is structurally preset.

  The lighting position of the illumination lamp 23 with respect to the product selection switch 20c is also electrically connected. Therefore, if the customer operates the product selection switch 20c, the corresponding section of the illuminating lamp 23 is turned on, so that it is possible to find the product without having to search the product outlet 21 by hand, especially at night sales.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part taken along line AA in FIG.

  In FIG. 2, an automatic opening / closing door device 24 that automatically opens the outlet door 22 is provided on one side of the product outlet 21. The automatic opening / closing door device 24 includes a DC motor 25 as a door opening / closing drive mechanism at a lower portion, a crank portion 26 that rotates a crank by driving the DC motor 25, and an urging means 27 at an upper portion of the DC motor 25. The torque transmitting means 28 is provided coaxially so as to cover the shaft portion 22a of the outlet door 22 at the upper portion of the urging means 27. The crank portion 26, the biasing means 27, and the torque transmitting means 28 are connected by a link means 29. In the case of the embodiment, the biasing means 27 uses a damping spring, and the link means 29 uses a twisted wire. The outlet door 22 rotates around the shaft portion 22a. The link means 29 for connecting the urging means 27 and the torque transmission means 28 is connected to the torque transmission means 28 from the front side of the product outlet 21.

  The automatic opening / closing operation of the outlet door 22 will be described below.

(1) Opening operation When the product selection switch 20c provided on the front door 20a of the vending machine 20 is selected and operated, the DC motor 25 is driven via a control unit (not shown). The crank portion 26 performs crank rotation driving, and the link means 29 is pulled downward by the rotation driving of the crank portion 26. The biasing means 27 connected to one end of the link means 29 tends to extend toward the DC motor 25 side. The expansion / contraction operation of the urging means 27 gives the torque transmission means 28 connected to the other end of the urging means 27 by the link means 29 in the counterclockwise direction, and at the same time the shaft portion 22a also rotates counterclockwise. The outlet door 22 rotates toward the inside of the commodity outlet 21 to open the opening 21a. During the opening operation, the crank part 26 stops half a clockwise turn. At this stop position, the outlet door 22 is opened and held.

  Even if an external force is applied to the outlet door 22 by an external operation during the opening operation, the forced opening operation does not occur above the torque of the urging means 27. Therefore, the opening operation is performed when the external force is removed. It is safe to touch.

(2) Stop and hold operation When the outlet door 22 is opened to a predetermined position, the control unit (not shown) stops the DC motor 25 for about 20 seconds, and the crank portion 26 also stops rotating and maintains its state. The open state of the outlet door 22 is maintained. And a customer can take out goods smoothly from the goods outlet 21. FIG.

(3) Closing Operation After stopping for a predetermined time as described above, the crank portion 26 is further driven to rotate half a clockwise by driving the DC motor 25. In response to this operation, the torque transmitting means 28 rotates in the clockwise direction while receiving a spring force impact mitigating function by the biasing means 27. The take-out door 22 rotates in the closing operation direction for closing the opening 21 a by its own weight, and rotates while being decelerated by the urging means 27. As a result, it is possible to reduce excessive collision noise and extra vibration that occur when the outlet door 22 and the commodity outlet 21 come into contact with each other.

  Further, during this operation, rotational torque by the DC motor 25 is not applied to the outlet door 22 and is almost the same as the manual door closing operation, so safety can be ensured.

(Embodiment 2)
3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part taken along line AA in FIG. 1 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

  In FIG. 3, an automatic opening / closing door device 30 that automatically opens the outlet door 22 is provided on one side of the product outlet 21. The automatic opening / closing door device 30 is provided with a solenoid 31 as a door opening / closing drive mechanism at the lower part, and is connected to an urging means 34 provided at the upper part of the solenoid 31 via a pulley 33 provided at the lower part of a slide plate 32 interlocked with the solenoid 31. The link means 35 is provided. A torque transmitting means 36 is provided coaxially with the shaft portion 22a of the outlet door 22 above the biasing means 34. In the embodiment, the biasing means 34 uses a damping spring, and the link means 35 uses a twisted wire.

  The outlet door 22 rotates around the shaft portion 22a. The link means 35 for connecting the urging means 34 and the torque transmission means 36 is connected to the torque transmission means 36 from the front side of the product outlet 21.

  Further, stop holding means 37 for temporarily stopping and holding the suction operation of the solenoid 31 is disposed in the vicinity of the solenoid 31. In the case of the embodiment, the stop holding means 37 uses a push-type ratchet.

  The automatic opening / closing operation of the outlet door 22 will be described below.

(1) Opening operation When the product selection switch 20c provided on the front door 20a of the vending machine 20 is selected and operated, the solenoid 31 is driven via a control unit (not shown). Due to the suction operation of the solenoid 31, the slide plate 32 rises, the biasing means 34 is expanded and contracted by the link means 35 via the pulley 33, and the torque transmission means 36 connected to the other end of the biasing means 34 by the link means 35. At the same time, the shaft 22a is also rotated counterclockwise, and the outlet door 22 is rotated into the product outlet 21 to open the opening 21a. During the opening operation, the slide plate 32 rises, comes into contact with the claw portion 37a of the stop holding means 37, and when the claw portion 37a is held at a predetermined position by the stopper, an optical sensor 38 (above the solenoid 31) ( For example, a photo sensor) works and stops driving. At this stop position, the outlet door 22 is held at the most open position.

(2) Stop holding operation When the door 22 is opened to a predetermined position, the control unit (not shown) holds the open state by the stop holding means 37 until the solenoid 31 is sucked by the next pulse signal ( About 20 seconds). And a customer can take out goods smoothly from the goods outlet 21. FIG.

(3) Closing operation After stopping for a predetermined time as described above, the solenoid 31 is driven, and the stopper of the stop holding means 37 is released by a suction operation, whereby the slide plate 32 moves downward and the outlet door 22 has its own weight. Is rotated in the closing operation direction to close the product outlet 21. Further, the impact mitigating function of the urging means 34 can reduce excessive collision noise and extra vibration that occur when the closing operation of the outlet door 22 is decelerated and comes into contact with the commodity outlet 21.

  In the case of the above embodiment, the automatic opening / closing door device 24 is arranged on one side of the product outlet 21, but may be arranged on both sides. If it is arranged on both sides, the load on the drive unit can be further reduced, so that the responsiveness of the opening / closing operation can be further improved.

  Further, the opening door opening operation may be performed by inserting the product sales amount or more into the coin insertion slot or the bill insertion slot 20d and interlocking the outlet door 22 after detection. Recently, a communication medium such as a mobile phone is used as the window 20e. If it is determined that the product can be purchased close to the vending machine, it is possible to provide a vending machine that allows the customer to smoothly take out the product even if the opening door 22 is interlocked and opened.

  As described above, the vending machine according to the present invention can automatically open the outlet door, and even if touched by an external operation in the middle of opening, the torque applied to the biasing means is not forcibly opened or closed. Even if a mischief or an abnormal door operation is performed, durability and reliability can be secured, so that it can be applied to automatic door opening and closing of a storage room in a refrigerator.

The perspective view of the vending machine in Embodiment 1 of this invention FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the main part taken along line AA in FIG. Sectional drawing of the principal part of the AA line of FIG. 1 in Embodiment 2 of this invention. Plan view showing the configuration of a conventional vending machine

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Vending machine main body 21 Goods taking-out opening 21a Opening part 22 Taking-out door 23 Illumination lamp 24 Automatic opening-and-closing type door apparatus 25 DC motor 27 Energizing means 28,36 Torque transmission means 29,35 Link means 31 Solenoid 34 Energizing means

Claims (3)

A product selection switch for selecting products at the upper part of the front door of the vending machine body and an outlet door for opening and closing the product outlet at the lower part. Normally, the product outlet is closed by closing the outlet door. When the product is sold, the upper part of the outlet door is automatically opened in the direction of the inside of the main body with the upper part of the outlet door as a support shaft in conjunction with the product selection switch, and the door is closed using the dead weight of the outlet door when the door is closed. In the vending machine provided with the automatic opening / closing door device, the automatic opening / closing door device includes a door opening / closing drive mechanism provided at a side portion of the product outlet and a torque transmission that is coaxially linked with a rotation shaft of the outlet door. Means, a link means, and an urging means for performing an expansion / contraction operation, wherein the door opening / closing drive mechanism is connected to the torque transmitting means by the link means via the urging means, and the torque of the door opening / closing drive mechanism By means of the torque transmission means The door opening / closing drive mechanism is composed of a DC motor and a crank portion that cranks the rotational drive of the DC motor, and the crank portion is driven half-turned to automatically open the door. An automatic opening and closing type that opens to the inside of the main body and closes using the dead weight of the outlet door and the impact mitigating function of the urging means by further driving the crank part half turn during the door closing operation. A vending machine with a door device. After opening operation of the door automatically by driving the DC motor, an automatic vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said DC motor was maintained open is stopped a predetermined time. An illuminating lamp divided into a plurality of sections is arranged on the upper part of the outlet door, and the illuminating lamp corresponds to the position of the product carried out to the outlet door when the product selection switch is operated at the time of product sales. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the vending machine is lit.

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