JP4779932B2 - Vending machine product unloading device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a merchandise unloading device for a vending machine, and more particularly to an improvement of a merchandise unloading device for a vending machine that receives a merchandise from a merchandise transport device at a receiving position and carries the merchandise to a take-out position.

  A vending machine in which a plurality of product racks are juxtaposed in the height direction and a plurality of product storage columns are mounted in the width direction of these product racks is widely known. Such a vending machine travels the front in the width direction (X direction) and the height direction (Y direction), receives the product paid out from the product storage column, and transports the product to the product outlet The apparatus is mounted (for example, refer patent document 1).

  The applicant of the present application further proposes a merchandise unloading apparatus for a vending machine that receives merchandise from the merchandise transporting apparatus at the receiving position and carries the merchandise forward so as to be delivered to the merchandise outlet. Such a product unloading device of a vending machine has an advantage that the user can easily take out the product and can give the user an image that the product is handled carefully. (Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-077501).

JP 2005-209006 A

  However, the above-described merchandise unloading device of the vending machine has a problem that the merchandise take-out port and the merchandise carrying device communicate with each other, so that the merchandise carrying device is easily mischievous from the outside of the merchandise take-out port. It was.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a product carry-out device for a vending machine capable of suppressing mischief from the outside of a product take-out port to a product transport device.

In order to achieve the above object, a product unloading device for a vending machine according to claim 1 of the present invention receives a product transported from a product transporting device at a receiving position, and is located in front of the receiving position at a product outlet. In a product unloading apparatus of a vending machine having a carry-out bucket for carrying out a product to a take-out position facing the vehicle, the stand rises from an inclined surface on which the received product is slid until the carry-out bucket moves from the receiving position to the take-out position. And a bucket rotating means for rotating the carry-out bucket about a vertical axis from a position where the receiving surface faces the commodity conveying device to a position where the receiving surface faces the commodity outlet.

Further, in the vending machine product carrying-out device according to claim 2 of the present invention, in the above-mentioned claim 1, the bucket rotating means is disposed in the front-rear direction of the main body, the pinion gear fixed to the carrying-out bucket, The rack gear meshes with the pinion gear, and the carry-out bucket is rotated about a vertical axis in accordance with the forward movement of the carry-out bucket.

  The product unloading device of the vending machine according to the present invention has the receiving surface of the unloading bucket facing the product carrying device when the unloading bucket is at the receiving position, and the receiving surface of the unloading bucket when the unloading bucket is at the unloading position. Since it faces the product outlet, access to the product conveyor from the outside of the product outlet can be suppressed, and mischief to the product conveyor can be suppressed.

  Exemplary embodiments of a product carry-out device for a vending machine according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional side view of a vending machine to which a product carry-out apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the vending machine shown in FIG. The vending machine illustrated here sells beverages in containers such as canned beverages and plastic bottle beverages stored in the product storage column 13 of the main body cabinet 1.

  A transparent front panel is fitted in the front door 2 constituting the front of the vending machine, so that the inside of the vending machine can be visually recognized from the outside. Further, the front door 2 is provided with a coin insertion slot, a bill insertion slot, an integrated display, a selection button, a coin return slot, and a commodity outlet 3.

  The coin slot is an opening through which a user inserts coins. The coins inserted through the coin slot are identified in the coin mechanism, and then stored in the coin mechanism. A bill insertion slot is an opening for a user to insert a bill. The bill inserted through the bill insertion slot is identified in the bill validator, and then stored in the bill validator. Moreover, this banknote insertion port functions also as a banknote return port for returning the banknote which could not be identified. The integrated display device is a display device for displaying various information such as the amount of money input, whether or not a product is being sold, and whether or not there is a change, such as a liquid crystal display. It is. The selection button is a selection switch for selecting a product to be purchased by the user, and may be provided in parallel with the product or the product sample as long as it is arranged so as to correspond to the product. A number associated with a product may be input. The coin return port is an opening for returning to the user a coin that could not be identified in the coin mechanism, or a coin paid out from the coin mechanism as change. The product outlet 3 is an opening for the user to receive the delivered product. In the present embodiment, at least the product outlet 3 is laid out at a position that is approximately in the center in the height direction on the front surface of the front door 2.

  A partition wall 4 is provided in the interior of the main body cabinet 1 of the vending machine and approximately at the center in the height direction, and a product storage room 5 is defined above the partition wall 4, while the partition wall 4 A product storage chamber 6 is defined below the product. A plurality of product racks 10 are arranged in the height direction in the product storage room 5 (in the example shown in FIG. 1, four-stage product racks 10 are arranged). These product racks 10 include a plurality of product storage columns 11 in the width direction. The product storage column 11 has product storage passages that are inclined so as to descend downward, and the same product is stored in these product storage passages in an upright state for each passage. In the product storage chamber 6, a plurality of product racks 12 are arranged in the height direction as in the product storage room 5 (in the example shown in FIG. 1, three-stage product racks 12 are provided). . These product racks 12 are provided with a plurality of product storage columns 13 in the width direction. The product storage column 13 has product storage passages that are inclined so as to be lowered forward, and the same product is stored in these product storage passages in a state where the same product stands up.

  A product replenishing device 20 is arranged in the back of the vending machine. The product replenishing device 20 replenishes the product stored in the product storage column 11 of the product storage chamber 5 to the product storage column 13 of the product storage chamber 6. The product storage chamber 5 and the product storage chamber 6 are arranged in the width direction. A replenishing bucket 21 that can travel in the (X direction) and the height direction (Y direction) is provided. The replenishment bucket 21 receives the product from the product storage column 11 in the product storage chamber 5 in a standing state, and delivers the product to the product storage column 13 in the product storage chamber 6 in the standing state. When a product is paid out from the storage column 13, the same product as the paid-out product is replenished from the product storage column 11 in the product storage chamber 5 to the product storage column 13 in the product storage chamber 6.

  In front of the product storage column 13 in the product storage chamber 6, a product transport device 30 is disposed. The merchandise transporting device 30 transports merchandise stored in the merchandise storage column 13 of the merchandise storage chamber 6 to a receiving position (position facing a carry-out bucket 70 described later). A transport bucket 31 capable of traveling in the width direction (X direction) and the height direction (Y direction) in front of the column 13 is provided. The transfer bucket 31 receives the product from the product storage column 13 in the product storage chamber 6 in a standing state, and delivers the product to the product carrying-out device 40 described later in the standing state, and has an opening at the rear part and the front part. In addition, it has a sliding surface (inclined surface) 31a that is forwardly lowered from the rear toward the front. Therefore, the product paid out from the product storage column 13 in the product storage chamber 6 slides on the sliding surface 31 a in an upright state and is stored in the transport bucket 31. On the other hand, the product stored in the transport bucket 31 is supported by a stopper 32 for preventing the product from dropping from the front opening, and is in the process of transporting from the front of the product storage column 13 in the product storage chamber 6 to the receiving position. In this case, the product will not fall.

  A product carry-out device 40 that is an embodiment of the present invention is disposed behind the product take-out port 3. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the product carry-out device 40 receives the product conveyed to the receiving position by the product carrying device 30 and carries the product to the take-out position where the product can be taken out via the product take-out port 3. When the conveyance bucket 31 releases the stopper 32, the product slides on the sliding surface 31a, and the product is delivered to the product carry-out device 40.

  3 and 4 are exploded perspective views of the product carry-out device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 5 to 7 are perspective views for explaining the operation of the product carry-out device.

  As described above, the merchandise unloading device 40 receives the merchandise conveyed from the merchandise conveying device 30 at the receiving position, and unloads the merchandise to the take-out position positioned in front of the receiving position. A bucket drive unit 60 and a carry-out bucket 70 are provided.

  The carry-out device main body 50 is disposed in the back of the product outlet 3. The carry-out device main body 50 is a part that guides the bucket drive unit 60 and the carry-out bucket 70 in the front-rear direction, and is fixed to a vending machine.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the carry-out device body 50 includes a base plate 51 and a guide plate 52. The base plate 51 is a part that guides the bucket drive unit 60, and a pair of guide rails 511 and a rack gear 512 are attached thereto. The guide rails 511 are formed by bending so that the cross-section is a crank shape, and a pair of guide rails 511 are attached so as to be parallel along the front-rear direction of the vending machine. The rack gear 512 is attached in parallel with the guide rail 511 with the teeth facing upward.

  The guide plate 52 covers the upper surface of the base plate 51. The guide plate 52 is formed with a substantially semicircular hole 52a, and notches 52a1 and 52a2 are provided at the front edge and the rear edge. Further, a pair of guides 521 that facilitate the movement of the carry-out bucket 70 are disposed on the upper surface of the guide plate 52 along both side edges. Further, a rack gear 522 is attached to the lower surface of the guide plate 52. The rack gear 522 is attached along the front-rear direction with the teeth facing the right side.

  The bucket drive unit 60 has a drive unit main body 61. The drive unit main body 61 has a box shape with an opening at the bottom, and two guide rollers 62 are rotatably attached to both side surfaces thereof. The guide roller 62 rotates while being guided by the pair of guide rails 511 described above, and the bucket drive unit 60 is movable in the front-rear direction of the vending machine.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a motor 63, a speed reducer 64, and a pinion gear 65 are disposed inside the drive unit main body 61, and the driving force input from the rotation shaft of the motor 63 is decelerated by the speed reducer 64. Is transmitted to the pinion gear 65. The pinion gear 65 meshes with the rack gear 512 described above and rotates the motor 63 to move the bucket drive unit 60 forward or backward. A joint 66 is attached to the upper surface of the drive unit main body 61. The joint 66 is a shaft member having a cylindrical shape and can be connected to the carry-out bucket 70.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the carry-out bucket 70 is a member having a U-shape in plan view with an open front surface, and the bottom of the carry-out bucket 70 has a sliding surface 70 a (inclined surface) that is rearwardly lowered. And the product conveyed from the product conveyance device 30 is accommodated in the carry-out bucket 70 by sliding on the sliding surface 70a of the carry-out bucket 70. Further, the back surface of the carry-out bucket 70 stands at a right angle from the sliding surface 70a of the carry-out bucket 70, and constitutes a receiving surface 70b for the accommodated goods.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a pinion gear 71 and a guide bush 72 are disposed on the lower surface of the carry-out bucket 70. A shaft hole is formed in the shaft center of the pinion gear 71, and the pinion gear 71 is connected to the bucket drive unit 60 by inserting a joint 66. Further, the pinion gear 71 can mesh with the rack gear 522 described above, and from the position where the receiving surface 70b of the carry-out bucket 70 faces the product conveying device 30 while the carry-out bucket 70 moves from the receiving position to the take-out position. The receiving surface 70 b of the carry-out bucket 70 is rotated to a position facing the product outlet 3. The guide bush 72 is rotatably attached and slides along the periphery of the hole 52a formed in the guide plate 52. The guide bush 72 is accommodated in a notch 52a2 provided at the rear edge of the hole 52a when the carry-out bucket 70 moves to the receiving position, and at the front edge of the hole 52a when the carry-out bucket 70 moves to the take-out position. It is accommodated in the provided cutout 52a1.

  In the normal state, the product carry-out device 40 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above has the receiving surface 70b of the carry-out bucket 70 facing the back of the vending machine, that is, the product transport device 30, as shown in FIG. . Then, when a product to be sold is fixed by inserting a coin that is the same as or exceeding the price of the product from the coin insertion slot or the bill insertion slot of the vending machine and depressing the selection button, the product transport apparatus 30 However, the conveyance bucket 31 is made to travel ahead of the product storage column 13 in the product storage chamber 6 in which the product is stored. Then, the product is delivered from the product storage column 13 to the transport bucket 31 in a standing state, and the product transport device 30 moves the transport bucket 31 to a receiving position, that is, a position facing the unloading bucket 70.

  When the transport bucket 31 moves to a position facing the carry-out bucket 70, the stopper 32 is released. Then, the product slides on the sliding surface 31 a of the transport bucket 31 and the sliding surface 70 a of the carry-out bucket 70 until it is supported by the receiving surface 70 b of the carry-out bucket 70, and the product is delivered from the transport bucket 31 to the carry-out bucket 70.

  When the unloading bucket 70 receives the product, the motor 63 is driven to move the unloading bucket 70 from the receiving position to the unloading position together with the bucket drive unit 60 as shown in FIG. Is rotated from a position facing the commodity transporting device 30, that is, a position facing the transport bucket 31 to a position facing the commodity outlet 3. As a result, the product stored in the product storage column 13 of the product storage chamber 6 is transported to the position facing the product outlet 3 via the product transport device 30 and the product carry-out device 40, and the product is in the user's hand. I will pass.

  Then, when the user takes out the product from the carry-out bucket 70, the motor 63 is driven (reversed) to move the carry-out bucket 70 from the take-out position to the receiving position together with the bucket drive unit 60, and the receiving surface of the carry-out bucket 70 70b rotates from the position facing the product take-out port 3 to the position facing the product transporting device 30.

  The above-described merchandise unloading device 40 of the vending machine has the receiving surface 70b of the unloading bucket 70 facing the commodity conveying device 30 when the unloading bucket 70 is at the receiving position, and unloading when the unloading bucket 70 is at the unloading position. Since the receiving surface 70 b of the bucket 70 faces the product take-out port 3, access to the product transport device 30 from the outside of the product take-out port 3 can be suppressed, and mischief to the product transport device 30 can be suppressed.

  Further, the pinion gear 71 fixed to the carry-out bucket 70 and the rack gear 522 disposed in the front-rear direction of the carry-out device main body 50 (the lower surface of the cover plate 52) and meshing with the pinion gear 71 are arranged in the front-rear direction of the carry-out bucket 70. Since the carry-out bucket 70 rotates with the movement, it is not necessary to provide a drive source such as a motor just for rotating the carry-out bucket 70, which can contribute to low cost.

  Further, the product unloading device 40 of the above-described vending machine is configured so that the unloading bucket 70 moves from the position where the receiving surface 70b of the unloading bucket 70 faces the product conveying device 30 until the unloading bucket 70 moves from the receiving position to the unloading position. Since the carry-out bucket 70 rotates to the position facing 3, the effect of the vending machine is enhanced and the effect of attracting customers can be achieved.

  In addition, in the vending machine mentioned above, although it does not mention about the taking-out door which obstruct | occludes the goods taking-out port 3, you may provide the taking-out door which can be opened and closed when it becomes possible to take out goods from the carrying-out bucket 70. In addition, a take-out door that automatically opens when the product can be taken out from the carry-out bucket 70 may be provided.

It is a schematic sectional side view of the vending machine to which the goods carrying-out apparatus which is embodiment of this invention is applied. It is the elements on larger scale of the vending machine shown in FIG. It is the disassembled perspective view seen from the upper part of the goods carrying-out apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is the disassembled perspective view seen from the downward direction of the goods carrying-out apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the effect | action of a goods carry-out apparatus, Comprising: The state which the receiving surface of the bucket faced the goods conveyance apparatus is shown. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the effect | action of a goods carry-out apparatus, Comprising: The rotation middle of a bucket is shown. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the effect | action of a goods carry-out apparatus, Comprising: The state which the receiving surface of the bucket faced the goods taking-out port is shown.

Explanation of symbols

3 Product outlet 13 Product storage column 30 Product transport device 31 Transport bucket 31a Sliding surface 32 Stopper 40 Product transport device 50 Transport device main body 51 Base plate 511 Guide rail 512 Rack gear 52 Guide plate 52a Hole 521 Guide 522 Rack gear 60 Bucket drive unit 61 Drive Main body 62 Guide roller 63 Motor 64 Reducer 65 Pinion gear 66 Joint 70 Unloading bucket 70a Sliding surface 70b Receiving surface 71 Pinion gear 72 Guide bush

Claims (2)

In the product unloading device of the vending machine provided with an unloading bucket for receiving the product transported from the product transporting device at the receiving position and unloading the product in front of the receiving position and facing the product outlet,
Until the carry-out bucket moves from the receiving position to the take-out position, the carry-out bucket from the position where the receiving surface rising from the inclined surface that slides the received product faces the product carrying device to the position that faces the product take-out port A vending machine product carrying device comprising: bucket rotating means for rotating a slab around a vertical axis . The bucket rotating means includes a pinion gear fixed to the carry-out bucket, and a rack gear that is disposed in the front-rear direction of the main body and meshes with the pinion gear,
2. The product unloading device for a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the unloading bucket is rotated about a vertical axis as the unloading bucket moves forward.

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