JP6443459B2 - Product storage device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a product storage device, and more particularly to a product storage device applied to a vending machine that sells products.

  Conventionally, in vending machines that sell products, after the products stored in the product rack of the product storage are delivered to the transport tray, they are transported by the transport tray and delivered to a predetermined product take-out area. There is. The product take-out area is a space communicated to the outside of the product storage through the product take-out port, and the purchased product can be taken out if the user inserts a hand from the product take-out port.

  Usually, in this type of vending machine, the door constituting the front is made of a transparent face plate such as glass, and the product stored in the product rack of the product storage can be selected from the outside. In addition, it is possible to observe a state in which the purchased product delivered from the product rack is transported to the product take-out region by the transport tray. Thus, according to the vending machine in which the inside of the product storage is visible, there is an advantage that the user's willingness to purchase can be enhanced.

  A merchandise rack in such a vending machine has a plurality of merchandise storage devices arranged side by side. Each product storage device constituting the product rack is configured to include a spiral. The spiral is configured in a manner wound spirally along the front-rear direction. The spiral rotates around the central axis when a driving force is transmitted from a motor as a driving source via a transmission mechanism.

  In the product storage device having such a configuration, the product is normally restrained between the pitches of the spiral, and when the spiral rotates, the product restrained between the pitches is gradually carried forward. The most recent product is paid out (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 3978932

  By the way, in the conventional product storage device, a product carry-out detection switch for detecting the rotation of the spiral due to the drive of the drive source and a sold-out detection switch for detecting the presence or absence of the product between the previous pitches are provided. It is common.

  Therefore, wiring for the product carry-out detection switch and wiring for the sold-out detection switch are necessary. In this way, when the product carry-out detection switch wiring and the sold-out detection switch wiring are provided for each product storage device, in the product rack configured by arranging these product storage devices side by side, Since it is necessary to route the wiring twice as many as the number of the product storage devices, there is a possibility that a complicated configuration may be caused.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a product storage device capable of reducing wiring.

  In order to achieve the above object, the product storage device according to the present invention is configured in a mode in which the product storage device is spirally wound in the front-rear direction, and the driving force is transmitted from the driving source via the transmission mechanism When a spiral that rotates around the central axis and a payout command are given, the drive source is driven to rotate the spiral so that the products constrained between the pitches of the spiral are gradually directed forward. A product storage device including a control unit for discharging the most recent product and delivering the most recent product, wherein the rotation of the spiral is detected and a detection signal is sent to the control unit. The sold-out detection means for detecting the presence or absence of goods between the pitches and sending the detection signal to the control means, and before a predetermined switching time elapses after the delivery command is given While to disable the detection by the sold-out detecting means, when the elapsed between the switching time is characterized in that a regulating means for enabling detection by the sold-out detecting means.

  According to the present invention, in the commodity storage device, the control unit assumes that the switching time has elapsed when the detection signal sent from the carry-out detection unit is switched from the first state to the second state. The drive of the drive source is stopped when a predetermined reference time has elapsed, and the restricting means validates the detection by the sold-out detection means at the reference time.

  Further, the present invention provides the above-described commodity storage device, wherein the base extends in the front-rear direction so as to penetrate the inside of the spiral, and the base moves the product to the upper area of the base. In the normal state, the base is swingably disposed, and is normally urged by the urging means to move forward. The sold-out detecting means is turned off when the sold-out actuator moves backward, and is turned on when the sold-out actuator moves forward. It is characterized by becoming.

  Further, the present invention provides the commodity storage device, wherein the restricting means forcibly holds the sold-out actuator in a retreated state until the switching time elapses after the dispensing command is given. While the detection by the sold-out detection means is invalidated, when the switching time has elapsed, the forcibly moving the sold-out actuator is released and the detection by the sold-out detection means is enabled. It is characterized by.

  The product storage device according to the present invention is configured in a spirally wound manner along the front-rear direction, and is a spiral that rotates about a central axis when a driving force is transmitted from a driving source via a transmission mechanism When the payout command is given, the drive source is driven to rotate the spiral so that the product constrained between the pitches of the spiral is gradually carried forward to remove the foremost product. A product storage device comprising a control means for paying out, detecting the rotation of the spiral, sending the detection signal to the control means, and detecting the presence or absence of the product between the frontmost pitches in the spiral, The detection means for sending the detection signal to the control means, and the interval between the most recent pitches by the detection means until a predetermined switching time elapses after the payout command is given. While to disable the detection of the presence or absence of the product, when passed between the switching time is characterized in that a regulating means for enabling the detection of the presence or absence of products in the pitch between the forefront by the detecting means.

  Further, the present invention provides the product storage device, wherein the control unit is configured such that the switching time has elapsed when the spiral detection signal sent from the detection unit is switched from the first state to the second state. The drive of the drive source is stopped when a predetermined reference time elapses from the time, and the restriction means effectively detects the presence or absence of goods between the previous pitches by the detection means at the reference time. It is characterized by making it.

  Further, the present invention provides the commodity storage apparatus, wherein the product storage apparatus is swingably disposed so as to advance and retreat between the foremost pitches of the spiral, and is normally urged by the urging means to advance between the foremost pitches. On the other hand, it is provided with a sell-out lever that moves backward between the frontmost pitches against the urging force of the urging means when pressed by the product between the frontmost pitches, When the cut lever moves backward, it is turned off, while when the sold lever moves forward, it is turned on.

  Further, the present invention provides the product storage device, wherein the restricting means forcibly holds the sold-out lever in a retracted state until the switching time elapses after the dispensing command is given. While the detection of the presence or absence of goods between the previous pitches by the detection means is invalidated, when the switching time has elapsed, the forcible retraction movement of the sold-out lever is canceled and the detection by the detection means The detection of the presence / absence of a product between the pitches is made effective.

  Moreover, the present invention is characterized in that, in the product storage device, the sold-out lever is displaceable along the front-rear direction.

  According to the present invention, the restricting means invalidates the detection of the presence or absence of a product between the frontmost pitches in the spiral by the sold-out detecting means until a predetermined switching time elapses after the payout command is given. Since the detection by the sold-out detecting means is validated when the switching time has elapsed, the carry-out detecting means for detecting the rotation of the spiral and the sold-out detecting means can be connected in parallel to itself. Therefore, there is an effect that the wiring can be reduced.

  Further, according to the present invention, the detection means detects the rotation of the spiral, sends the detection signal to the control means, detects the presence or absence of a product between the frontmost pitches in the spiral, and sends the detection signal to the control means. The control means invalidates the detection of the presence / absence of the product between the previous pitches by the detection means until the predetermined switching time elapses after the dispensing command is given, while the switching time is When it has passed, the detection means enables the detection of the presence or absence of products between the previous pitches, so that only the detection means can detect the rotation of the spiral and the presence or absence of products between the previous pitches, reducing wiring. There is an effect that it can be realized.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing the internal structure of a vending machine to which the product storage device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing one commodity storage device constituting the commodity rack. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the column case shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the drive unit shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the drive unit shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the drive unit shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of the drive unit shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the base unit shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the lower right side. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a base constituting the base unit shown in FIGS. 2 and 8. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing main components of the front end portion of the slider shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the slider and the sold-out actuator shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing main components of the front end portion of the slider shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the operation of the slider and the sold-out actuator. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the operation of the slider and the sold-out actuator. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a support member. FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a support structure of a base constituting the base unit. FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a characteristic control system of the commodity storage apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the product payout control process performed by the product storage control unit of the product storage device. FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the operation of the slider and the sold-out actuator. FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the operation of the slider and the sold-out actuator. FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing the internal structure of a vending machine to which the product storage device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention is applied. FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing one product storage device constituting the product rack. 23 is a perspective view showing the column case shown in FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing the drive unit shown in FIG. FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing the drive unit shown in FIG. FIG. 26 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the drive unit shown in FIGS. FIG. 27 is a perspective view showing the sold-out detection unit shown in FIG. 22 as viewed from the upper right side. FIG. 28 is a perspective view showing the column case shown in FIG. FIG. 29 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the sold-out detection unit shown in FIG. FIG. 30 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the sold-out detection unit shown in FIG. FIG. 31 is a perspective view showing the sold-out transmission lever shown in FIG. 22 and its peripheral structure. FIG. 32 is a front view showing the sold-out transmission lever shown in FIG. 22 and its peripheral structure. FIG. 33 is a rear view of the transmission base. FIG. 34 is a block diagram showing a characteristic control system of the product storage apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 35 is a flowchart showing the processing content of the product payout control process performed by the product storage control unit of the product storage device. FIG. 36 is a rear view of the transmission base. FIG. 37 is a perspective view showing the sold-out transmission lever shown in FIG. 22 and its peripheral structure.

  Exemplary embodiments of a product storage device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing the internal structure of a vending machine to which the product storage device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is applied. The vending machine exemplified here includes a main body cabinet 1.

  The main body cabinet 1 is a rectangular vending machine main body having an open front surface, and a product storage 2 having a heat insulating structure is disposed therein. A plurality of stages of commodity racks 10 are provided in the commodity storage 2 along the vertical direction. Each of these product racks 10 is installed between rack support side plates (not shown) that are erected on both sides of the product storage 2, and stores products.

  In addition, the commodity storage 2 is provided with an evaporator 3 as a cooling means. The evaporator 3 constitutes a refrigeration cycle that circulates the refrigerant with the compressor 5, the condenser 6, and the like disposed in the machine room 4, and the refrigerant that passes through its own refrigerant passage (not shown) Heat is exchanged with the air inside the product container 2 that passes through to cool the air. Here, the machine room 4 is a room defined on the lower side of the commodity storage 2 inside the main body cabinet 1.

  The air cooled around the evaporator 3 is sucked into the ventilation path 9 from the suction port 8a of the rear duct 8 installed on the back surface of the product storage box 2 when the internal blower fan 7 is driven. The product stored in the product rack 10 is cooled by being blown out from the air outlet 8b after passing through the path 9.

  In the front area of the product rack 10, a pair of left and right transport rails 11 are disposed on both sides of the product rack 10, and a transport tray 12 is disposed along the vertical direction between the transport rails 11 by a transport mechanism (not shown). It is arranged to be movable. That is, a conveyance path 13 for passing the conveyance tray 12 is formed between the conveyance rails 11. The transfer passage 13 extends to the front of the machine room 4, and the transfer passage 13 and the machine room 4 are partitioned by a partition heat insulating material 4a.

  The main body cabinet 1 is provided with a door body 14 and a closing member 15. The door body 14 opens and closes an upper portion of the front opening of the main body cabinet 1, more specifically, a front area of the commodity storage 2, and is disposed on one side edge of the main body cabinet 1 for opening and closing movement. The door body 14 has a heat insulating structure, and includes a heat insulating glass plate (not shown) that allows the inside to be visually recognized from the outside.

  The closing member 15 closes the lower part of the front opening of the main body cabinet 1, more specifically, the lower part of the front opening of the main body cabinet 1 that cannot be closed by the door body 14. Therefore, the closing member 15 closes the front of the transfer passage 13 formed in front of the machine room 4.

  The closing member 15 has a rectangular product outlet 15a. The product outlet 15 a is an opening through which a user takes out the product conveyed through the conveyance tray 12, and is opened and closed by the product extraction door 16.

  The merchandise rack 10 is configured by arranging a plurality of merchandise storage devices 20 in a side-by-side manner. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing one product storage device 20 constituting the product rack 10. The product storage device 20 illustrated here includes a column case 30, a drive unit 40, a spiral 50, a base unit 60, and a support member 70 (see FIG. 15).

  The column case 30 is formed of, for example, a resin material and has a long shape whose longitudinal direction is the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the column case 30 is provided with a mounting portion 31 that protrudes downward at the front end portion, and a storage portion 32 that stores the drive unit 40 at the rear end portion. This is to constitute a product storage passage for storing products in the upper region. The column case 30 has a mounting portion 31 attached to a rack bottom plate 10a (see FIG. 1) constituting the product rack 10.

  4 and 5 are perspective views showing the drive unit 40 shown in FIG. 2, respectively. FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views showing the internal structure of the drive unit 40 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively. is there. The drive unit 40 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The drive unit 40 includes a motor 41, an output gear 42, a carry-out detection switch (carry-out detection means) 43, and a transmission member 44. The motor 41 is a drive source that is driven by a drive command given from a product storage controller 80 described later. The motor 41 is housed in a pair of front and rear drive cases 40a and 40b.

  The output gear 42 has a substantially annular shape, and a first output tooth portion 42a is formed at the outer peripheral edge portion and a second output tooth portion 42b is formed at the inner peripheral edge portion. The output gear 42 is housed inside the drive cases 40a and 40b in such a manner that the second output tooth portion 42b is exposed from the inner surface of a through hole 40c formed in the drive cases 40a and 40b. Here, the through-hole 40c extends along the front-rear direction at a substantially central portion of the drive cases 40a, 40b.

  The output gear 42 is linked to the motor 41 via a linkage gear unit 45. The linkage gear unit 45 includes a first linkage gear 45a meshed with the output shaft 41a of the motor 41, and a second linkage gear 45b meshed with the first linkage gear 45a. The output gear 42 is rotatable about its own central axis when the first output tooth portion 42a meshes with the second linkage gear 45b. The output gear 42 is accommodated in the drive cases 40a and 40b so that the center axis thereof coincides with the center axis of the through hole 40c of the drive cases 40a and 40b.

  The carry-out detection switch 43 is housed in the drive cases 40a and 40b so as to be positioned on the right side of the output gear 42. The carry-out detection switch 43 is provided with a carry-out contact (not shown). The carry-out contact is urged by an urging means (not shown) and its standby posture is determined. The carry-out detection switch 43 gives a carry-out low signal to the electrically connected product storage control unit 80 when the carry-out contact is in a standby position without being pressed, and the carry-out contact is sent to the output gear 42. When it is displaced against the urging force of the urging means by being pressed by the formed protrusion 42 c, a carry-out high signal is given to the product storage control unit 80. That is, the carry-out detection switch 43 is disposed at a position where the carry-out contact can come into contact with the protrusion 42 c of the output gear 42.

  The transmission member 44 is configured by integrally forming a transmission base 44a, a first transmission shaft 44b, and a second transmission shaft 44c. The transmission base portion 44a has a bottomed cylindrical shape, and a through-hole portion (not shown) is formed at the center portion of the bottom portion 44a1.

  The first transmission shaft portion 44b is a cylindrical portion that is formed so as to protrude rearward from the rear surface of the bottom portion 44a1 of the transmission base portion 44a. The first transmission shaft portion 44b has an outer diameter that can be inserted into the through holes 40c of the drive cases 40a and 40b, and the inside thereof communicates with the through hole portions. Further, the rear end portion of the first transmission shaft portion 44b is formed with a meshing piece 44b1 at portions facing each other. A meshing protrusion 44b2 is formed at each end of the meshing piece 44b1 and meshes with a part of the second output tooth portion 42b of the output gear 42. As a result, the transmission member 44 can rotate integrally with the output gear 42 around its central axis. Here, the central axis of the transmission member 44 coincides with the central axis of the through hole 40 c of the drive cases 40 a and 40 b and the central axis of the output gear 42.

  The second transmission shaft portion 44c is formed so as to protrude forward from the front surface of the bottom portion 44a1 of the transmission base portion 44a, and the inside thereof communicates with the through hole portion. That is, the inside of the second transmission shaft portion 44c forms a hollow portion 44d together with the through hole portion of the transmission base portion 44a and the inside of the first transmission shaft portion 44b. Note that the central axis of the second transmission shaft portion 44 c coincides with the central axis of the first transmission shaft portion 44 b and coincides with the central axis of the transmission member 44.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, such a front end edge portion of the second transmission shaft portion 44 c is partially cut away (a portion on the lower side), so that the second transmission shaft portion 44 c The front end surface includes a first end surface portion 44c1 positioned at the rearmost position, a second end surface portion 44c2 positioned at the frontmost position, and the first end surface portion 44c1 to the first end surface portion 44c2 between the first end surface portion 44c1 and the second end surface portion 44c2. A third end surface portion 44c3 that is gradually inclined forward toward the second end surface portion 44c2 is formed continuously.

  And as shown in FIGS. 2-7, the transmission member 44 has the 1st end surface part 44c1 in the 2nd transmission shaft part 44c located below in a standby state.

  Here, the positional relationship between the first end surface portion 44c1 of the transmission member 44 and the projection 42c of the output gear 42 will be described. The protrusion 42c of the output gear 42 is disposed at a position slightly rotated in the clockwise direction around the central axis when viewed from the front side of the first end surface portion 44c1 of the transmission member 44.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the spiral 50 is formed, for example, by winding a metal rod-like body spirally along the front-rear direction (the extending direction of the column case 30). Such a spiral 50 is a circle in which the central axis coincides with the central axis of the transmission member 44 (the central axis of the output gear 42), and the rear end portion is engaged with the peripheral edge of the transmission base 44a of the transmission member 44. It is connected to the annular joint member 51 and can rotate integrally with the transmission member 44.

  The spiral 50 is rotated about the central axis, so that the products constrained between the pitches are gradually carried forward and the products constrained between the frontmost pitches are delivered.

  By the way, the carry-out detection switch 43 detects the rotation of the output gear 42 when the carry-out contact is brought into contact with a protrusion 42 c provided on the output gear 42. Since the spiral 50 rotates integrally with the transmission member 44, the carry-out detection switch 43 detects the rotation of the spiral 50 as a result.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the base unit 60 shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the lower right side. As shown in FIG. 8, the base unit 60 includes a base 61, a slider 62, a sold-out actuator 63, and a sold-out detection switch (sold-out detecting means) 64.

  The base 61 is a long member whose longitudinal direction is the longitudinal direction formed by bending a sheet metal or the like, for example. As shown in FIG. 9, the base 61 is configured by integrally forming a base base 61a, a base front end 61b, and a base rear end 61c.

  The base base 61a is a flat plate portion extending along the front-rear direction, and both side portions thereof are bent downward. The base base 61a is slightly shorter in the front-rear direction than the spiral 50, and a rectangular long hole 61a1 having a longitudinal direction in the front-rear direction is formed at the front end thereof.

  The base front end portion 61b is a portion that is provided continuously to the front end portion of the base base portion 61a. The base front end portion 61b includes a front end inclined portion 61b1, a front surface constituting portion 61b2, and a front end locking portion 61b3.

  The front end inclined portion 61b1 is gradually inclined downward toward the front from the front end portion of the base base portion 61a. The front surface constituting portion 61b2 extends downward from the extending end portion of the front end inclined portion 61b1, then extends rearward, and further extends upward.

  The front end locking portion 61b3 extends rearward from the extending end portion of the front surface constituting portion 61b2, and a locking protrusion 61d protruding downward in a substantially central region in the left-right direction of the extending end portion. Is formed.

  The base rear end portion 61c is a portion that is provided continuously to the rear end portion of the base base portion 61a. The base rear end portion 61c includes a rear end fastening portion 61c1, an upper support piece 61c2, a right support piece 61c3 (see FIG. 8), and a left support piece 61c4.

  The rear end fastening portion 61c1 is a portion that extends upward from the central portion of the extending end portion of the portion that gradually inclines upward toward the rear from the rear end portion of the base base portion 61a. A fastening hole 61e is formed in the rear end fastening portion 61c1.

  The upper support piece 61c2 is formed so as to protrude rearward from the upper end edge portion of the rear end fastening portion 61c1. The right support piece 61c3 is formed so as to protrude rearward from the right end edge portion of the rear end fastening portion 61c1. The left support piece 61c4 is formed so as to protrude rearward from the left end edge portion of the rear end fastening portion 61c1.

  The base 61 having such a configuration extends along the front-rear direction (the extending direction of the column case 30) in a manner of penetrating the inside of the spiral 50, and the locking protrusion 61d of the base front end portion 61b is the column case. The base front end portion 61 b is locked and supported by the column case 30 by entering a locking hole (see FIG. 3) 33 formed in the front end portion of the base 30. Further, in the base 61, the upper support piece 61c2, the right support piece 61c3, and the left support piece 61c4 at the base rear end portion 61c face the outer peripheral surface of the second transmission shaft portion 44c of the transmission member 44, respectively.

  Thereby, the base 61 can place the product restrained between each pitch of the spiral 50 on the upper surface of the base base 61a.

  The slider 62 is disposed on the lower surface side of the base base 61a so as to be movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the base 61 by a plurality of slider mounting members 65 attached to the base 61. Such a slider 62 is configured by integrally forming a slider base portion 62a, a slider rear end portion 62b, and a slider front end portion 62c.

  The slider base 62a is a long rod-shaped portion whose longitudinal direction is the longitudinal direction. The slider rear end portion 62b is a portion provided continuously to the rear end portion of the slider base portion 62a, and is a portion extending downward from the rear end portion of the slider base portion 62a.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the slider front end portion 62c is a portion provided continuously to the front end portion of the slider base portion 62a, and from the front end of the left extension portion 62d extending leftward from the front end portion of the slider base portion 62a. It extends to project forward. The front end surface 62c1 of the slider front end portion 62c is an inclined surface that gradually inclines upward toward the front.

  The slider 62 having such a configuration is always urged rearward by the slider spring 62e provided between the left extended portion 62d, which is the rear end portion of the slider front end portion 62c, and the foremost slider mounting member 65. ing. As a result, the slider 62 has the slider rear end 62b in contact with the lower part of the front end surface (first end surface portion 44c1, second end surface portion 44c2, third end surface portion 44c3) of the second transmission shaft portion 44c of the transmission member 44. (See FIG. 8).

  As described above, since the first end surface portion 44c1 of the second transmission shaft portion 44c is located below in the standby state, the slider rear end portion 62b of the transmission member 44 is in the first end surface portion 44c1 in the standby state. Is in contact with Here, since the first end surface portion 44c1 is located farthest behind the second end surface portion 44c2 and the third end surface portion 44c3, the slider 62 in which the slider rear end portion 62b is in contact with the first end surface portion 44c1, It is in the state moved to the rearmost side.

  The sold-out actuator 63 is provided in front of the slider base 62a on the lower surface side of the base base 61a. As shown in FIG. 11, the sold-out actuator 63 includes a shaft-shaped portion 63a, a contact portion 63b, an inclined extending portion 63c, and an action portion 63d.

  The shaft-like portion 63a is a portion protruding in the left-right direction, and is pivotally supported by an actuator attachment member 66 attached to the base base portion 61a. As a result, the sold-out actuator 63 can swing around the central axis of the shaft-shaped portion 63a.

  The abutting portion 63b is a portion extending along the radially outward direction of the shaft-shaped portion 63a, and faces the slider front end portion 62c. The inclined extending portion 63c is a long portion formed in such a manner that the inclined extending portion 63c is gradually inclined upward as it goes forward from the contact portion 63b. The inclined extending portion 63c can pass through a long hole 61a1 formed in the base base portion 61a. The action part 63d is a curved part formed in a mode of projecting rightward on the lower side than the shaft-like part 63a.

  Such a sold-out actuator 63 is provided in such a manner that the shaft-like portion 63a is wound, and an inclined extending portion 63c is provided by an actuator spring (biasing means) 63e interposed between itself and the actuator mounting member 66. It is always biased upward.

  The sold-out detection switch 64 is supported by the actuator mounting member 66 so as to be positioned on the right side of the sold-out actuator 63, as shown in FIG. The sold-out detection switch 64 is provided with a sold-out contact 64a. The sold-out contact 64a is urged by an urging means (not shown) and its standby posture is determined. The sold-out detection switch 64 detects “there is a product” when the sold-out contactor 64a is in a standby position without being pressed at all. The sold-out detection switch 64 gives a sold-out low signal to the electrically connected product storage control unit 80. On the other hand, when the sold-out contact switch 64a is displaced against the urging force of the urging means when the sold-out contactor 64a is pressed against the operating portion 63d of the sold-out actuator 63, “no product” is indicated. Detect. Then, the sold-out detection switch 64 gives a sold-out high signal to the product storage control unit 80. That is, the sold-out detection switch 64 is disposed at a position where the sold-out contact 64 a can come into contact with the action portion 63 d of the sold-out actuator 63.

  In such a base unit 60, as shown in FIG. 2, when the product is not restrained between at least the foremost pitch of the spiral 50, the sold-out actuator 63 is actuated by an actuator spring 63e as shown in FIG. The inclined extending portion 63c passes through the long hole 61a1 and moves forward into the upper region of the base 61. When the sold-out actuator 63 is in the advanced position in this way, the sold-out contact 64a is displaced against the urging force of the urging means by the action portion 63d pressing the sold-out contact 64a.

  On the other hand, when the product is constrained between the foremost pitches, the sold-out actuator 63 has the biasing force of the actuator spring 63e as a result of the inclined extending portion 63c being pressed against the product W as shown in FIG. Against this, move backward from the above-mentioned advance posture. Thus, when the sold-out actuator 63 moves backward from the advanced posture, the sold-out contactor 64a is in a free state and is biased only by the biasing means without being pressed at all, and is in a standby posture.

  By the way, in the said product storage apparatus 20, the optimal thing is used for the spiral 50 from the several types from which pitch differs according to the magnitude | size etc. of the goods used as storage object. On the other hand, the sold-out actuator 63 and the sold-out detection switch 64 are common regardless of the type of the spiral 50 to be applied.

  Therefore, the installation position of the sold-out actuator 63 is a place where the applicable spiral 50 can be pressed against the product in the foremost pitch although the length between the pitches is the longest.

  Therefore, when the spiral 50 having a relatively short pitch length is used, the sold-out actuator 63 is not only between the foremost pitch of the spiral 50 but also between the second pitch from the front or 3 from the front. The inclined extending portion 63c may be pressed by the product constrained between the second pitches, and the product may retreat from the advanced posture. That is, the sold-out actuator 63 may move backward from the advanced position even when the product is not restrained between the foremost pitches of the spiral 50 and the product is restrained between the foremost pitches.

  FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a support member 70 constituting the product storage device 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The support member 70 exemplified here is formed by bending a sheet metal or the like, for example, and is configured by integrally forming a support base 71, a support pre-extension portion 72, and a tip fastening portion 73. Yes.

  The support base 71 is a flat plate-like portion formed on the base end side, and is provided with two support leg portions 71a extending downward from the lower end extension portion thereof. The support pre-extension part 72 is a part that extends forward from the center part of the upper end extension part of the support base 71. The extension length in the front-rear direction of the support extension 72 is greater than the front-rear length in the drive unit 40. Further, both side portions 72a of the support extending portion 72 are bent upward. The leading end fastening portion 73 is a portion that extends upward from the extending end portion of the pre-support extending portion 72. A fastening hole 73 a is formed in the tip fastening portion 73.

  The support member 70 is supported by the column case 30 by the support leg 71a being housed in the housing portion 32 of the column case 30 together with the drive unit 40 on the rear side of the drive unit 40.

  Further, in the support member 70, the support extending portion 72 penetrates the through hole 40c of the drive cases 40a and 40b from the rear side and penetrates the hollow portion 44d of the transmission member 44. As shown in FIG. 16, the support member 70 is a fastening member that passes through the fastening holes 61 e and 73 a in a state where the front surface of the front end fastening portion 73 is in contact with the rear surface of the rear end fastening portion 61 c 1 of the base 61. The screw N is fastened to the base 61 by screwing with a nut (not shown).

  Further, although not shown in the drawing, the support extension part 72 of the support member 70 guides the wiring so that the wiring connected to the sold-out detection switch 64 is placed on the upper surface.

  FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a characteristic control system of the product storage device 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 17, the product storage device 20 includes a payout detection sensor S <b> 1 and a product storage control unit 80.

  The payout detection sensor S1 is an optical sensor, for example, and detects a product paid out from the product storage device 20. The payout detection sensor S <b> 1 sends a payout signal to the product storage control unit 80 when a product paid out from the product storage device 20 is detected. In the first embodiment, the payout detection sensor S1 is provided in the vicinity of the commodity outlet 15a (see FIG. 1).

  The product storage control unit 80 is a control unit that comprehensively controls the operation of the product storage device 20 in accordance with programs and data stored in the memory 81. The product storage control unit 80 includes an input processing unit 80a, an output processing unit 80b, a time measurement unit 80c, and a motor drive processing unit 80d.

  The input processing unit 80a detects a carry-out low signal or a carry-out high signal given from the carry-out detection switch 43, a sell-out low signal (with a product) or a sell-out high signal (no product) given from the sell-out detection switch 64, and a payout detection The payout signal sent from the sensor S1 is input.

  By the way, the product storage control unit 80, the carry-out detection switch 43, and the sold-out detection switch 64 branch the wiring connected to the product storage control unit 80 in the middle, and one is used as the carry-out detection switch 43 and the other is sold out. The detection switch 64 is connected. That is, the carry-out detection switch 43 and the sold-out detection switch 64 are connected in parallel to the product storage control unit 80.

  Further, the input processing unit 80 a performs input processing of a command given from the vending machine control unit 90 that is a higher-level device of the product storage control unit 80. Here, the vending machine control unit 90 comprehensively controls the sales operation and product management operation of the vending machine to which the product storage device 20 is applied. Specifically, when the product selection means (product selection button or the like) provided on the door body 14 is operated by the user, the vending machine control unit 90 stores the product storage device 20 associated with the product selection means. A payout command is given after subtracting electronic money or the like.

  The output processing unit 80b sends various signals to the vending machine control unit 90. The time measurement unit 80c performs time measurement processing. The motor drive processing unit 80d gives a drive command or a drive stop command to the motor 41 to drive or stop the motor 41.

  The product storage control unit 80 of the product storage device 20 having the above configuration allows the sold-out detection switch to be switched through the input processing unit 80a when the sold-out actuator 63 is in the advanced position as shown in FIG. When a sell-out high signal is input from 64, it is assumed that the product constrained by the spiral 50 of the product storage device 20 is sold out, and a sold-out state signal is sent to the vending machine control unit 90 through the output processing unit 80b.

  As a result, the vending machine control unit 90 invalidates the operation of the product selection means associated with the product storage device 20 and stores the product in the product storage device 20 assuming that the product in the product storage device 20 is sold out. A sold-out lamp (not shown) is turned on to notify that the product has been sold out. According to this, it can avoid that a user selects the goods of the said goods storage apparatus 20. FIG.

  On the other hand, when the sold-out actuator 63 retreats from the advanced position as shown in FIG. 14 in the standby state, the product storage control unit 80 that has input the sold-out low signal from the sold-out detection switch 64 through the input processing unit 80a Since the merchandise is restrained between the pitches of at least the foremost region of the spiral 50, the following merchandise payout control processing is performed.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the processing content of the product payout control process performed by the product storage control unit 80 of the product storage device 20.

  Below, operation | movement of the goods storage apparatus 20 is demonstrated, demonstrating the processing content of this goods delivery control process.

  In this product payout control process, the product storage control unit 80 waits for an input of a payout command from the vending machine control unit 90 through the input processing unit 80a (step S101).

  Then, the user selects a product in the product storage device 20 through the product selection means, and a subtraction process is performed by placing an electronic money recording medium in a predetermined communication area. Thus, when a payout command is input through the input processing unit 80a (step S101: Yes), the commodity storage control unit 80 transmits a drive command to the motor 41 through the motor drive processing unit 80d (step S102). As a result, the motor 41 is driven, and the output gear 42 and the transmission member 44 rotate in the clockwise direction around the central axis when viewed from the front. That is, the spiral 50 also rotates around its own central axis.

  Thus, when the transmission member 44 rotates together with the output gear 42 in the clockwise direction when viewed from the front, the slider rear end portion 62b that is in contact with the first end surface portion 44c1 of the second transmission shaft portion 44c in the standby state is After contacting the third end surface portion 44c3 of the second transmission shaft portion 44c, the second transmission shaft portion 44c contacts the second end surface portion 44c2. As a result, the slider 62 moves forward against the urging force of the slider spring 62e.

  When the slider 62 moves forward, the slider front end 62c is positioned above the contact portion 63b of the sold-out actuator 63 as shown in FIG. 19, and the sold-out actuator 63 is forcibly moved backward. Hold.

  Then, the spiral 50 is rotated by the rotation of the output gear 42 and the transmission member 44 driven by the motor 41, whereby the product restrained between the pitches of the spiral 50 is carried forward and restrained between the foremost pitches. The sold product is paid out toward the front.

  By the way, as described above, the protrusion 42c of the output gear 42 is disposed at a position slightly rotated in the clockwise direction around the central axis when viewed from the front side of the first end surface portion 44c1 of the transmission member 44. Therefore, when the output gear 42 is rotating, the carry-out detection switch 43 is as follows. That is, the carry-out detection switch 43 sends out a carry-out high signal when the carry-out contact is in contact with and pressed against the protrusion 42c, and when the carry-out contact is separated from the protrusion 42c by the rotation of the output gear 42, It sends out a carry-out low signal.

  Accordingly, when the product storage control unit 80 inputs the carry-out low signal after inputting the carry-out high signal from the carry-out detection switch 43 through the input processing unit 80a (step S103: Yes, step S104: Yes), that is, the input processing unit 80a. The reference that is preset through the time measuring unit 80c is assumed that the preset switching time has elapsed from the input of the payout command in step S101 when the signal input from the carry-out detection switch 43 is switched from high to low. Time measurement is started (step S105).

  Here, the reference time is a time until a drive stop command is sent to the motor 41. At the time when the measurement of the reference time is started, the output gear 42 and the transmission member 44 are rotated substantially once. The slider rear end portion 62b that is in sliding contact with the second end surface portion 44c2 of the second transmission shaft portion 44c is in contact with the third end surface portion 44c3. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 20, the slider 62 is biased by the slider spring 62 e and moves rearward, and the slider front end 62 c is detached from the sold-out actuator 63.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 14, the sold-out actuator 63 assumes a posture in which it moves backward from the advanced posture when the inclined extending portion 63c is pressed against the product W constrained between the pitches in the foremost region. As shown in the figure, when the inclined extending portion 63c is not pressed against the product constrained between the pitches in the foremost region, the advancing posture is assumed.

  Accordingly, the product storage control unit 80 that has started the measurement of the reference time through the time measurement unit 80c in step S105 waits for the input of the sellout high signal from the sellout detection switch 64 through the input processing unit 80a until the reference time elapses. (Step S106, Step S107).

  As a result, when the sold-out high signal is input through the input processing unit 80a before the reference time elapses (step S106: No, step S107: Yes), the product storage control unit 80 uses the output processing unit 80b to determine the vending machine control unit. A sold-out state signal is sent to 90 (step S108), and then a drive stop command is sent to the motor 41 through the motor drive processing unit 80d when the reference time has passed (step S106: Yes, step S109). 41 is stopped.

  Thus, in the vending machine control unit 90 to which the sold-out state signal is sent from the product storage control unit 80, the product selection unit associated with the product storage device 20 is operated as the product in the product storage device 20 is sold out. Is invalidated, and a sold-out lamp (not shown) is turned on to notify that the product stored in the product storage device 20 has been sold out.

  Further, by stopping the driving of the motor 41 after the elapse of the reference time, the transmission member 44 makes one rotation around the central axis, and the first end surface portion 44c1 of the second transmission shaft portion 44c is downward as in the standby state. To position.

  On the other hand, when the reference time has elapsed without inputting the sellout high signal (step S106: Yes, step S107: No), the product storage control unit 80 sends a drive stop command to the motor 41 through the motor drive processing unit 80d. Then, the drive of the motor 41 is stopped (step S109).

  By the way, when a product is paid out from the spiral 50, the paid-out product is received by the transport tray 12, and is transported by the transport tray 12 to the vicinity of the product outlet 15a. Thereafter, the product can be taken out through the product outlet 15a.

  The product storage control unit 80 that has sent a drive stop command to the motor 41 in step S109 starts measuring the set time through the time measuring unit 80c (step S110), and from the payout detection sensor S1 until the set time elapses. Waiting for input of a payout signal (step S111, step S112).

  If the payout signal is input through the input processing unit 80a before the set time elapses (step S111: Yes, step S112: No), the product storage control unit 80 pays out to the vending machine control unit 90 through the output processing unit 80b. A completion signal is transmitted (step S113), and then the procedure is returned to end the current process. According to this, it can be notified to the vending machine control unit 90 that the payout of the product is completed as a response to the payout command.

  According to this, it is possible to notify the vending machine control unit 90 that has sent out the payout instruction that the product has been paid out, and the vending machine control unit 90 can perform a subtraction process for the number of products.

  On the other hand, when the set time has elapsed without inputting the payout signal (step S111: No, step S112: Yes), the commodity storage control unit 80 sends a drive command to the motor 41 through the motor drive processing unit 80d. A retry process for performing the process of step S110 is performed.

  According to this, it is possible to rotate the spiral 50 until the motor 41 is driven again and a product is detected by the dispensing detection sensor S1.

  As described above, in the product storage device 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the support extending part 72 is supported in such a manner as to penetrate the through holes 40c of the drive cases 40a and 40b and the hollow part 44d of the transmission member 44. The supporting leg 70a of the base 71 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 32 of the column case 30 so that the supporting member 70 supported by the column case 30 is replaced by the rear end of the base 61 whose tip fastening portion 73 constitutes the base unit 60. Fastened to the fastening portion 61c1 with a screw N or the like. As a result, the base 61 has a base front end 61 b supported by the column case 30 and a base rear end 61 c supported by the support member 70. Therefore, according to the product storage device 20, the base 61 is not likely to be affected by the rotation of the spiral 50, and can be prevented from being deformed by the spiral 50.

  Further, according to the product storage device 20, the support extending portion 72 of the support member 70 guides the wiring so that the wiring connected to the sold-out detection switch 64 is placed on the upper surface. The wiring connected to the switch 64 can be routed rearward without being routed in the front area of the product storage device 20. Therefore, it is possible to improve the aesthetics without showing the wiring to a vending machine user or the like. In addition, since the wiring is arranged on the upper surface of the support extension 72, there is no possibility that the wiring contacts the rotating transmission member 44, and the wiring can be prevented from being damaged.

  Further, according to the product storage device 20, the upper support piece 61 c 2, the right support piece 61 c 3, and the left support piece 61 c 4 at the base rear end portion 61 c of the base 61 are each the outer periphery of the second transmission shaft portion 44 c in the transmission member 44. Since the product is restrained between the pitches of the spiral 50, the upper support piece 61c2, the right support piece 61c3, and the left support piece 61c4 are at least one of the upper support piece 61c2, the right support piece 61c4, and the left support piece 61c4. By contacting the outer peripheral surface of the second transmission shaft portion 44c, the base 61 can be prevented from being deformed.

  Further, in the product storage device 20, the slider rear end 62b of the slider 62 is the front end surface of the second transmission shaft portion 44c of the transmission member 44 (first end surface portion 44c1, second end surface portion 44c2, and third end surface portion 44c3). When the slider 62 moves forward by sliding contact, the sold-out actuator 63 is forcibly held in the retreated movement state. On the other hand, when the slider 62 moves backward, forcibly moving the sold-out actuator 63 backward is released.

  That is, the second transmission shaft portion 44c and the slider 62 of the transmission member 44 are forced to hold the sold-out actuator 63 in the retreated movement until the switching time elapses after the payout command is given. While the detection by the detection switch 64 is invalidated, when the switching time has elapsed, a restricting means for canceling the forced movement of the sold-out actuator 63 and enabling the detection by the sold-out detection switch 64 is enabled. It is composed.

  According to the product storage device 20, the detection by the sold-out detection switch 64 is invalidated until the switching time elapses after the payout command is given, and when the switching time elapses, the sold-out detection switch 64 is disabled. By enabling the detection by, a signal from the carry-out detection switch 43 is input until the switching time elapses after the payout command is given, and a signal from the sold-out detection switch 64 is input after the switching time elapses. You can As a result, the carry-out detection switch 43 and the sold-out detection switch 64 can be connected in parallel to the product storage control unit 80 as described above. Therefore, the wiring can be reduced. Thereby, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  As the slider 62 moves forward as described above, the sold-out actuator 63 is forcibly held in a retreated state. Therefore, according to the product storage device 20, the inclined extending portion 63c of the sold-out actuator 63 is It can be retracted from the upper surface of the base 61, and it can be avoided that the attitude of the product carried forward by the rotating spiral 50 is disturbed by the sold-out actuator 63.

  In the product storage device 20, the product storage control unit 80 drives the motor 41 when a delivery command is given in a state where the sold-out detection switch 64 detects that there is a product in the product delivery control process. When the product is not detected by the payout detection sensor S1 as a result of rotating the spiral 50, the motor 41 is driven again and the spiral 50 is rotated until the product is detected by the payout detection sensor S1, and therefore, the retry process is performed. There are the following effects. That is, in the case where the product is stored in a so-called “missing” state in which the product is not restrained between the frontmost pitches of the spiral 50 and the product is restrained between the second and third pitches from the front. If the payout command is given, the spiral 50 can be rotated until the product is paid out. Thus, if the payout command is given in a state where the sold-out detection switch 64 detects that there is a product, the product is paid out. It is possible to prevent the user from suffering unexpected disadvantages. This is particularly useful when a subtraction process has already been performed when a payout command is given to the product storage device 20 as in electronic money settlement.

<Embodiment 2>
FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing the internal structure of a vending machine to which the product storage device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention is applied. The vending machine exemplified here includes a main body cabinet 101.

  The main body cabinet 101 is a rectangular vending machine main body having an open front surface, and a product container 102 having a heat insulating structure is disposed therein. The product storage box 102 is provided with a plurality of product racks 110 along the vertical direction. Each of these product racks 110 is installed between rack support side plates (not shown) standing on both sides of the product storage case 102, and stores products.

  Further, the merchandise container 102 is provided with an evaporator 103 as a cooling means. The evaporator 103 constitutes a refrigeration cycle that circulates refrigerant with the compressor 105, the condenser 106, and the like disposed in the machine room 104, and the refrigerant that passes through the refrigerant passage (not shown) Heat is exchanged with the air inside the product storage box 102 that passes through the air to cool the air. Here, the machine room 104 is a room defined on the lower side of the commodity storage box 102 inside the main body cabinet 101.

  The air cooled around the evaporator 103 is sucked into the ventilation path 109 from the suction port 108a of the back duct 108 installed on the back surface of the product storage box 102 when the internal blower fan 107 is driven. The product stored in the product rack 110 is cooled by being blown out from the air outlet 108b after passing through the path 109.

  In the front region of the product rack 110, a pair of left and right transport rails 111 are disposed on both sides thereof, and a transport tray 112 is disposed between the transport rails 111 along a vertical direction by a transport mechanism (not shown). It is arranged to be movable. In other words, a conveyance path 113 for passing the conveyance tray 112 is formed between the conveyance rails 111. The transfer passage 113 extends to the front of the machine room 104, and the transfer passage 113 and the machine room 104 are partitioned by a partition heat insulating material 104a.

  The main body cabinet 101 is provided with a door body 114 and a closing member 115. The door body 114 opens and closes an upper portion of the front opening of the main body cabinet 101, more specifically, a front area of the product storage case 102, and is disposed on one side edge of the main body cabinet 101 for opening and closing movement. The door body 114 has a heat insulating structure, and includes a heat insulating glass plate (not shown) that allows the inside to be visually recognized from the outside.

  The closing member 115 closes the lower part of the front opening of the main body cabinet 101, more specifically, the lower part of the front opening of the main body cabinet 101 that cannot be closed by the door body 114. Therefore, the closing member 115 closes the front of the transfer passage 113 formed in front of the machine chamber 104.

  The closing member 115 is formed with a rectangular product outlet 115a. The product take-out port 115 a is an opening for a user to take out the product transported through the transport tray 112, and is opened and closed by the product take-out door 116.

  The merchandise rack 110 is configured by arranging a plurality of merchandise storage devices 120 in a side-by-side manner. FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing one product storage device 120 constituting the product rack 110. The product storage device 120 illustrated here includes a column case 130, a drive unit 140, a spiral 150, a sold-out detection unit 160, and a sold-out transmission lever 170.

  The column case 130 is formed of, for example, a resin material and has a long shape whose longitudinal direction is the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 23, the column case 130 is provided with a mounting portion 131 that protrudes downward at the front end portion, and with a storage portion 132 that stores the drive unit 140 at the rear end portion. The product storage passage for storing the product in the upper area is configured. The column case 130 has a mounting portion 131 attached to a rack bottom plate 110a (see FIG. 21) constituting the product rack 110.

  24 and 25 are perspective views showing the drive unit 140 shown in FIG. 22, respectively. FIG. 26 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the drive unit 140 shown in FIGS. The drive unit 140 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The drive unit 140 includes a motor 141, an output gear 142, a carry-out detection switch (detection means) 143, and a transmission member 144.

  The motor 141 is a drive source that is driven by a drive command given from a product storage controller 180 described later. The motor 141 is housed inside a pair of front and rear drive cases 140a and 140b.

  The output gear 142 has a substantially annular shape, and a first output tooth portion 142a is formed at the outer peripheral edge portion and a second output tooth portion 142b is formed at the inner peripheral edge portion. The output gear 142 is housed inside the drive cases 140a and 140b in such a manner that the second output tooth portion 142b is exposed from the inner surface of the through hole 140c formed in the drive cases 140a and 140b. Here, the through-hole 140c extends along the front-rear direction at a substantially central portion of the drive cases 140a and 140b.

  The output gear 142 is linked to the motor 141 via a linkage gear unit 145. The linkage gear unit 145 includes a first linkage gear 145a meshed with the output shaft 141a of the motor 141, and a second linkage gear 145b meshed with the first linkage gear 145a.

  The output gear 142 is rotatable about its own central axis when the first output tooth portion 142a meshes with the second linkage gear 145b. The output gear 142 is housed in the drive cases 140a and 140b so that the center axis thereof coincides with the center axis of the through hole 140c of the drive cases 140a and 140b.

  The carry-out detection switch 143 is housed in the drive cases 140a and 140b so as to be located on the right side of the output gear 142. The carry-out detection switch 143 is provided with a carry-out contact 143a (see FIG. 31). The carry-out contact 143a is urged by an urging means (not shown) and its standby posture is determined. The carry-out detection switch 143 gives a carry-out low signal to the electrically connected product storage control unit 180 when the carry-out contact 143a is in a standby position without being pressed at all, while the carry-out contact 143a is an output gear. When it is displaced against the urging force of the urging means by being pressed by the protrusion 142 c formed on 142, a carry-out high signal is given to the product storage control unit 180. That is, the carry-out detection switch 143 is disposed at a position where the carry-out contact 143a can abut on the protrusion 142c of the output gear 142.

  The transmission member 144 is configured by integrally forming a transmission base portion 144a and a transmission shaft portion 144b. The transmission base portion 144a has a substantially disk shape, and a through-hole portion 144c is formed at the center portion thereof.

  The transmission shaft portion 144b is a cylindrical portion formed so as to protrude rearward from the rear surface of the transmission base portion 144a. The transmission shaft portion 144b has an outer diameter that can be inserted into the through holes 140c of the drive cases 140a and 140b, and the inside thereof communicates with the through hole portion 144c. Further, the rear end portion of the transmission shaft portion 144b is formed with a meshing piece 144b1 at portions facing each other. A meshing protrusion 144b2 is formed at each end of the meshing piece 144b1 and meshes with a part of the second output tooth 142b of the output gear 142. As a result, the transmission member 144 can rotate around its central axis integrally with the output gear 142. Here, the central axis of the transmission member 144 coincides with the central axis of the through hole 140c of the drive cases 140a and 140b and the central axis of the output gear 142.

  As shown in FIGS. 22 and 24, the spiral 150 is formed by, for example, a metal rod-like body being spirally wound along the front-rear direction (the extending direction of the column case 130). is there. Such a spiral 150 has a shape in which the central axis coincides with the central axis of the transmission member 144 (the central axis of the output gear 142), and the rear end portion is a circle that is locked to the peripheral edge of the transmission base portion 144a of the transmission member 144. It is connected to an annular joint member 151 and can rotate integrally with the transmission member 144.

  The spiral 150 rotates around the central axis to gradually carry out the product W (see FIG. 22) restrained between the pitches toward the front, and to pay the product W restrained between the foremost pitches. It is something to be issued.

  By the way, the carry-out detection switch 143 detects the rotation of the output gear 142 when the carry-out contact 143a comes into contact with the protrusion 142c provided on the output gear 142. 144 is one that rotates integrally, and the spiral 150 is one that rotates together with the transmission member 144. As a result, the carry-out detection switch 143 detects the rotation of the spiral 150.

  FIG. 27 is a perspective view showing the sold-out detection unit 160 shown in FIG. 22 as viewed from the upper right side. As shown in FIG. 27, the sold-out detection unit 160 includes a sold-out rod 161, a sold-out lever 162, and a sold-out gear 163.

  The sold-out rod 161 is a long member having a cross-shaped cross section. The sold-out rod 161 extends along the front-rear direction on the left side of the column case 130 in a state of passing through the rod through hole 133 of the column case 130.

  The sold-out lever 162 includes a sold-out lever base portion 162a and a sold-out lever action portion 162b. The sold-out lever base 162a is a substantially cylindrical portion, and a hollow portion having a cross section that matches the cross section of the sold-out rod 161 is formed. The sold-out lever action portion 162b is a plate-like portion that extends while being appropriately bent toward the radially outward direction of the sold-out lever base portion 162a.

  Such a sold-out lever 162 has a sold-out rod 161 around the axis centered on the central axis of the sold-out rod 161 when the hollow portion of the sold-out lever base 162a is penetrated by the sold-out rod 161. It can swing with it.

  In the vicinity of the sold-out lever 162, a lever guide 164 penetrating the sold-out rod 161 is provided in such a manner that the sold-out lever base 162a is sandwiched forward and backward. The lever guide 164 presses the left end portion of the column case 130 by a locking piece 164a that can enter a long hole 134 provided in a pair of left and right forms in the upper part of the front end portion of the column case 130 and its own elastic restoring force. And a pressing piece 164b.

  The sold-out lever 162 is displaced in the front-rear direction in a state where the lever guide 164 is penetrated by the sold-out rod 161, so that the hollow portion of the sold-out lever base 162a is penetrated by the sold-out rod 161 together with the lever guide 164. It can be displaced along the front-rear direction. Then, the locking piece 164a of the lever guide 164 enters the elongated hole 134, and the pressing piece 164b presses the left end portion of the column case 130, whereby the protruding end portion 164b1 is provided in the concave portion 136 (see FIG. 28), the sold-out lever 162 is positioned so as to be disposed below the foremost pitch of the spiral 150.

  The sold-out gear 163 is provided in a state of being inserted into the sold-out rod 161 at the rear end portion of the sold-out rod 161. The sold-out gear 163 extends in the radially outward direction of the sold-out rod 161, and a sold-out output tooth portion 163a is formed at the extended end portion.

  The sold-out gear 163 is swingable together with the sold-out rod 161 about the central axis of the sold-out rod 161 as an axis, similarly to the sold-out lever 162.

  In the sold-out detection unit 160 having such a configuration, a spring locking portion 165 is provided in a manner of being inserted into the sold-out rod 161 at an intermediate portion in the front-rear direction of the sold-out rod 161. One end of a lever spring (biasing means) 166 is locked to the spring locking portion 165. As shown in FIG. 28, the other end of the lever spring 166 is locked to a spring locking protrusion 135 provided on the left side of the column case 130. The lever spring 166 urges the sold-out rod 161 in the clockwise direction around the central axis when the sold-out rod 161 is viewed from the front.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 29, when the product W is restrained between the foremost pitches of the spiral 150, the sold-out lever 162 is pressed against the product W to exert the biasing force of the lever spring 166. On the other hand, it is regressing from the foremost pitch.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 30, when the product W is not restrained between the foremost pitches of the spiral 150, the sold-out lever 162 is operated only by the urging force of the lever springs 166. Have moved into.

  That is, in other words, the sold-out lever 162 is swingably disposed in such a manner as to move forward and backward between the foremost pitch of the spiral 150, and is normally urged by the lever spring 166 to advance between the foremost pitch. On the other hand, when the product W is pressed between the foremost pitches, the product moves backward from the foremost pitch against the biasing force of the lever spring 166.

  Since the sold-out gear 163 is swingable together with the sold-out rod 161 as described above, as shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, the sold-out rod is moved with the swing of the sold-out lever 162. 161 swings around the central axis of 161.

  As shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, the sold-out transmission lever 170 has a transmission lever base 171 and a transmission lever gear 172.

  The transmission lever base 171 is a long flat plate-like portion whose vertical direction is the longitudinal direction, and is formed with a support hole 171a, a pressing protrusion 171b, and a restriction protrusion 171c.

  The support hole 171 a is formed at the upper end of the transmission lever base 171. A support protrusion 140a1 formed in the drive case 140a on the front side is inserted into the support hole 171a, so that the sold-out transmission lever 170 has an axis centered on the central axis of the support protrusion 140a1. It is supported so that it can swing around.

  The pressing protrusion 171b is a part protruding rearward from the substantially central portion of the left end of the transmission lever base 171. The pressing protrusion 171b is located on the left side of the unloading contact 143a of the unloading detection switch 143, and presses the unloading contact 143a when the sold-out transmission lever 170 swings to the right. Is.

  The restricting protrusion 171c is a portion that protrudes forward from the substantially central portion of the left end of the transmission lever base 171. The restricting protrusion 171c enters a transmission cam portion 144d (see FIG. 33) formed on the rear surface of the transmission base portion 144a. The transmission cam portion 144d has an arc-shaped restriction edge portion 144d1 and an open edge portion 144d2 continuous with the restriction edge portion 144d1. The restricting edge portion 144d1 restricts the sold-out transmission lever 170 from swinging to the right by slidingly contacting the restricting protrusion 171c when the transmitting member 144 rotates. The open edge 144d2 allows the sold-out transmission lever 170 to swing to the right when the restricting protrusion 171c relatively enters due to the rotation of the transmission member 144.

  Although not shown in the drawing, the positional relationship between the projecting portion 142c of the output gear 142 and the open edge portion 144d2 of the transmission cam portion 144d is shown, but when viewed from the front, the projecting portion 142c is more than the open edge portion 144d2. Is also arranged at a position slightly rotated in the clockwise direction around the central axis.

  The transmission lever gear portion 172 is a fan-shaped portion connected to the lower right side lower end portion of the transmission lever base portion 171, and a sold-out transmission tooth portion 172a is formed at the lower end edge portion thereof. A part of the sold-out transmission tooth portion 172a meshes with a part of the sold-out output tooth portion 163a of the sold-out gear 163.

  Here, the distance r1 from the swing center of the sold-out transmission lever 170 to the meshing portion with the sold-out output tooth portion 163a, and the distance r1 from the swing center of the sold-out gear 163 to the meshed portion with the sold-out transmission tooth portion 172a. With the distance r2, the distance r1 is set larger than the distance r2.

  FIG. 34 is a block diagram showing a characteristic control system of the product storage device 120 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 34, the product storage device 120 includes a payout detection sensor S2 and a product storage control unit 180.

  The payout detection sensor S2 is, for example, an optical sensor or the like, and detects the product W paid out from the product storage device 120. The payout detection sensor S <b> 2 sends a payout signal to the product storage control unit 180 when the product W paid out from the product storage device 120 is detected. In the second embodiment, the payout detection sensor S2 is provided in the vicinity of the commodity outlet 115a (see FIG. 21).

  The product storage control unit 180 is a control unit that comprehensively controls the operation of the product storage device 120 in accordance with programs and data stored in the memory 181. The product storage control unit 180 includes an input processing unit 180a, an output processing unit 180b, a time measuring unit 180c, and a motor drive processing unit 180d.

  The input processing unit 180a performs input processing on the carry-out low signal and the carry-out high signal given from the carry-out detection switch 143 and the payout signal sent from the payout detection sensor S2.

  The input processing unit 180 a performs input processing of a command given from the vending machine control unit 190 that is a higher-level device of the product storage control unit 180. Here, the vending machine control unit 190 controls the sales operation and the product management operation of the vending machine to which the product storage device 120 is applied. Specifically, when the product selection means (product selection button or the like) provided on the door 114 is operated by the user, the vending machine control unit 190 has a product storage device 120 associated with the product selection means. A payout command is given after subtracting electronic money or the like.

  The output processing unit 180b sends various signals to the vending machine control unit 190. The time measurement unit 180c performs time measurement processing. The motor drive processing unit 180d gives a drive command or a drive stop command to the motor 141 to drive or stop the motor 141.

  The product storage control unit 180 of the product storage device 120 having the above-described configuration performs the following product delivery control process when the product W is restrained between at least the frontmost pitches of the spiral 150 in the standby state. .

  FIG. 35 is a flowchart showing the processing content of the product payout control process performed by the product storage control unit 180 of the product storage device 120. Below, operation | movement of the goods storage apparatus 120 is demonstrated, demonstrating the processing content of this goods delivery control process. As a premise, in the standby state, it is assumed that the restricting projection 171c of the sold-out transmission lever 170 is located close to the open edge 144d2 of the transmission cam portion 144d as shown in FIG.

  In this product payout control process, the product storage control unit 180 waits for an input of a payout command from the vending machine control unit 190 through the input processing unit 180a (step S201).

  Then, the user selects a product in the product storage device 120 through the product selection means, and a subtraction process is performed by placing an electronic money recording medium in a predetermined communication area, so that a dispensing command is issued from the vending machine control unit 190. When a payout command is input through the input processing unit 180a (step S201: Yes), the product storage control unit 180 transmits a drive command to the motor 141 through the motor drive processing unit 180d (step S202). As a result, the motor 141 is driven, and the output gear 142 and the transmission member 144 rotate in the clockwise direction around the central axis when viewed from the front (in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 36). . That is, the spiral 150 also rotates around its own central axis.

  The spiral 150 is rotated by the rotation of the output gear 142 and the transmission member 144 driven by the motor 141, whereby the product W restrained between the pitches of the spiral 150 is carried forward and restrained between the frontmost pitches. The delivered product W is paid out forward.

  By the way, during rotation of the spiral 150, the transmission member 144 also rotates integrally with the spiral 150, so that the restriction projection 171c of the sold-out transmission lever 170 is in sliding contact with the restriction edge 144d1 of the transmission cam portion 144d (FIG. 33). Therefore, the sold-out transmission lever 170 is restricted from swinging to the right.

  The protrusion 142c of the output gear 142 is disposed at a position slightly rotated in the clockwise direction around the central axis when viewed from the front side relative to the open edge 144d2 of the transmission cam portion 144d. When the output gear 142 is rotating, the carry-out detection switch 143 is as follows.

  The carry-out detection switch 143 sends out a carry-out high signal when the carry-out contact 143a comes into contact with and presses the protrusion 142c. When the carry-out contact 143a is detached from the protrusion 142c due to the rotation of the output gear 142, It sends out a carry-out low signal.

  Accordingly, the product storage control unit 180 inputs a carry-out low signal after inputting a carry-out high signal from the carry-out detection switch 143 through the input processing unit 180a (step S203: Yes, step S204: Yes), that is, the input processing unit 180a. Preset when the signal input from the carry-out detection switch 143 is switched from high to low and the preset switching time has elapsed since the input of the payout command in step S201. Time measurement is started (step S205).

  Here, the reference time is the time until a drive stop command is sent to the motor 141, and at the time when measurement of the reference time is started, the output gear 142 and the transmission member 144 are rotated substantially once. The restricting projection 171c of the sold-out transmission lever 170 is disposed at a position close to the open edge 144d2 of the transmission cam portion 144d.

  When the product W is restrained between the foremost pitches as shown in FIGS. 22 and 29 during the elapse of the reference time, the sold-out lever 162 is pressed against the product W, so that the lever spring The posture is retreated from the pitch against the urging force of 166, so that the sold-out transmission lever 170 maintains its posture.

  On the other hand, when the product W is not restrained between the foremost pitches during the elapse of the reference time, the sold-out lever 162 is acted only by the urging force of the lever spring 166 as shown in FIG. Move forward between the foremost pitches. Therefore, in the sold-out detection unit 160, the sold-out gear 163 swings around the central axis of the sold-out rod 161 as the sold-out lever 162 moves forward. As a result, as shown in FIG. 37, the sold-out transmission lever 170 meshing with the sold-out gear 163 also swings to the right, and the pressing protrusion 171b presses the carry-out contact 143a. As a result, the carry-out detection switch 143 sends a carry-out high signal.

  That is, when the product W is restrained between the foremost pitches of the spiral 150 during the reference time, the carry-out detection switch 143 outputs a carry-out low signal because the carry-out contact 143a is not pressed. When the product W is not restrained between the frontmost pitches of the spiral 150, the carry-out detection switch 143 presses the carry-out contact 143a and outputs a carry-out high signal.

  Accordingly, the product storage control unit 180 that has started measuring the reference time through the time measurement unit 180c in step S205 waits for an input of a carry-out high signal from the carry-out detection switch 143 through the input processing unit 180a before the reference time elapses. (Step S206, Step S207).

  As a result, when the carry-out high signal is input through the input processing unit 180a before the reference time elapses (step S206: No, step S207: Yes), the product storage control unit 180 passes the output processing unit 180b to the vending machine control unit 190. Is sent out to the motor 141 (step S208), and when the reference time has elapsed thereafter, a drive stop command is sent to the motor 141 through the motor drive processing unit 180d (step S206: Yes, step S209). Stop driving.

  Thus, in the vending machine control unit 190 sent out from the product storage control unit 180, the product selection means associated with the product storage device 120 assumes that the product W of the product storage device 120 is sold out. While invalidating the operation, the fact that a product stored in the product storage device 120 has been sold out is turned on to notify that a sold-out lamp or the like (not shown) is lit.

  On the other hand, when the reference time has elapsed without inputting the carry-out high signal (step S206: Yes, step S207: No), the product storage control unit 180 sends a drive stop command to the motor 141 through the motor drive processing unit 180d. (Step S209), the drive of the motor 141 is stopped.

  By the way, when the product W is paid out from the spiral 150, the paid-out product W is received by the transport tray 112 and is transported by the transport tray 112 to the vicinity of the product outlet 115a. Thereafter, the product W can be taken out through the product outlet 115a.

  The product storage control unit 180 that has sent a drive stop command to the motor 141 in step S209 starts measurement of the set time through the time measurement unit 180c (step S210), and from the payout detection sensor S2 until this set time elapses. Waiting for input of a payout signal (step S211, step S212).

  If the payout signal is input through the input processing unit 180a before the set time elapses (step S211: Yes, step S212: No), the product storage control unit 180 pays out to the vending machine control unit 190 through the output processing unit 180b. A completion signal is transmitted (step S213), and then the procedure is returned to end the current process. According to this, it can be notified to the vending machine control unit 190 that the payout of the product W has been completed as a response to the payout command.

  According to this, it is possible to notify the vending machine control unit 190 that has sent out the payout command that the payout of the product W has been completed, and the vending machine control unit 190 can perform subtraction processing for the number of products.

  On the other hand, when the set time has elapsed without inputting the payout signal (step S211: No, step S212: Yes), the commodity storage control unit 180 sends a drive command to the motor 141 through the motor drive processing unit 180d. A retry process for performing the process of step S210 is performed.

  Accordingly, the spiral 150 can be rotated until the motor 141 is driven again and the product W is detected by the payout detection sensor S2.

  As described above, in the product storage device 120 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the transmission cam portion 144d of the transmission member 144 in which the restricting projection 171c of the sold-out transmission lever 170 rotates as the switching time elapses. The sliding-out transmission lever 170 is restricted from swinging to the right when it is in sliding contact with the regulating edge portion 144d1. In the sold-out detection unit 160 that meshes with the selling-out transmission lever 170, a spiral is detected. Regardless of the presence or absence of the product W between the 150 frontmost pitches, the sale lever 162 is restricted from moving forward between the pitches. In other words, until the switching time elapses, the sold-out lever 162 is forcibly held in a state of retreating from between the previous pitches. On the other hand, when the restricting protrusion 171c is disposed at a position close to the open edge 144d2 after the switching time has elapsed (during the reference time has elapsed), the sold-out transmission lever 170 is swung toward the right. The sold-out detection unit 160 allows the sold-out lever 162 to advance between the frontmost pitches according to the presence or absence of the product W between the pitches. That is, after the switching time has elapsed, the forcible holding of the sold-out lever 162 in a state of retreating from the foremost pitch is released.

  That is, the transmission cam portion 144d of the transmission member 144 and the sold-out transmission lever 170 are forcibly held in the state in which the sold-out lever 162 is moved backward until the switching time elapses after the dispensing command is given. While the detection of the presence / absence of the product W between the previous pitches by the detection switch 143 is invalidated, when the switching time has elapsed, the sale lever 162 is released from being forced to move backward and the carry-out detection switch 143 is released. The control means which validates the detection of the presence or absence of the goods W between the foremost pitches by is comprised.

  Then, according to the product storage device 120, until the switching time elapses after the payout command is given, the detection of the presence or absence of the product W between the previous pitches by the carry-out detection switch 143 is invalidated while the switching time elapses. In such a case, by enabling the detection of the presence or absence of the product W between the foremost pitch by the carry-out detection switch 143, the rotation of the spiral 150 and the presence or absence of the product W between the foremost pitch are detected only by the carry-out detection switch 143. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the wiring by reducing the number of parts.

  According to the product storage device 120, the sold-out lever 162 can be displaced along the front-rear direction, so that the position can be freely changed according to the pitch of the spiral 150, and in the lower area between the frontmost pitches. Can be placed.

  According to the product storage device 120, the distance r1 from the swing center of the sold-out transmission lever 170 to the meshing portion with the sold-out output tooth portion 163a is set as the distance r1 from the swing center of the sold-out gear 163 to the sold-out transmission tooth portion 172a. Since the biasing force of the lever spring 166 can be reduced, the product W restrained between the pitches of the spirals 150 can be reduced even if the product W is lightweight. It is possible to satisfactorily detect the presence or absence of the product W.

  The preferred embodiment 1 and embodiment 2 of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made.

  In the first embodiment described above, the slider 62 is moved forward until the switching time elapses after the payout command is given to invalidate the detection by the sold-out detection switch 64, and the slider 62 is moved backward after the switching time elapses. However, in the present invention, a relay is provided between the carry-out detection means, the sold-out detection means, and the control means without using the slider 62 described above. The detection by the sold-out detection means may be invalidated until the switching time elapses after the payout command is given using the (relay), and the detection by the sold-out detection means may be validated after the switching time elapses. This structure can also reduce wiring.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the sold-out actuator 63 or the sold-out lever 162 detects the presence / absence of a product by moving forward or retreating from the advanced posture. The presence or absence of this may be detected using, for example, an optical sensor.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body cabinet 2 Product storage 10 Product rack 10a Rack base 20 Product storage apparatus 30 Column case 40 Drive unit 41 Motor (drive source)
42 Output gear 43 Unloading detection switch (unloading detection means)
44 transmission member 44a transmission base 44b first transmission shaft 44c second transmission shaft 44d hollow 50 spiral 60 base unit 61 base 62 slider 63 sold out actuator 64 sold out detection switch (sold out detecting means)
Reference Signs List 70 support member 71 support base 72 support pre-extension part 73 tip fastening part 80 commodity storage control part (control means)
81 memory 80a input processing unit 80b output processing unit 80c time measurement unit 80d motor drive processing unit S1 payout detection sensor (payout detection means)

Claims (7)

A spiral that is configured in a spirally wound manner along the front-rear direction, and that rotates around a central axis when a driving force is transmitted from a driving source via a transmission mechanism;
When a payout command is given, by driving the drive source and rotating the spiral, the product constrained between the pitches of the spiral is gradually transported forward and the foremost product is paid out. A product storage device comprising a control means,
Carrying-out detection means for detecting rotation of the spiral and sending the detection signal to the control means;
A sold-out detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a product between the frontmost pitches in the spiral, and sending the detection signal to the control means,
The detection by the sold-out detection means is invalidated until a predetermined switching time elapses after the dispensing command is given, while the detection by the sold-out detection means is valid when the switching time has elapsed. and regulation means for reduction,
A base that extends along the front-rear direction in a manner that penetrates the inside of the spiral, and that places a product on the upper surface;
When the base is swingably disposed on the base so as to move forward and backward, and in the normal state, the base moves forward by being biased by the biasing means, while being pressed by the product between the foremost pitches. A sold-out actuator that moves backward against the biasing force of the biasing means;
With
The sold-out detection unit is turned off when the sold-out actuator moves backward, and turned on when the sold-out actuator moves forward . The control means assumes that the switching time has elapsed when the detection signal sent from the carry-out detection means has switched from the first state to the second state, and when a predetermined reference time has elapsed from that point. The driving of the driving source is stopped,
The commodity storage device according to claim 1, wherein the restricting unit enables detection by the sold-out detection unit at the reference time. The restricting means forcibly holds the sold-out actuator in a retracted state until the switching time elapses after the dispensing command is given, while invalidating the detection by the sold-out detecting means. , when said switching time has elapsed, claim 1 or claim, characterized in that to enable the detection by the sold-out detecting means by releasing the forcibly regression move the sold-out actuator 2 Item storage device. A spiral that is configured in a spirally wound manner along the front-rear direction, and that rotates around a central axis when a driving force is transmitted from a driving source via a transmission mechanism;
When a payout command is given, by driving the drive source and rotating the spiral, the product constrained between the pitches of the spiral is gradually transported forward and the foremost product is paid out. A product storage device comprising a control means,
Detecting means for detecting the rotation of the spiral and sending the detection signal to the control means; detecting the presence or absence of a product between the frontmost pitches in the spiral; and sending the detection signal to the control means;
Until the predetermined switching time elapses after the dispensing command is given, the detection means invalidates the detection of the presence or absence of goods between the previous pitches, and when the switching time elapses, the detection A regulation means for enabling detection of the presence or absence of a product between the previous pitches by means ,
It is arranged so as to be able to swing in a manner of moving back and forth between the frontmost pitches of the spiral, and in a normal state, it is urged by the urging means to advance and move between the frontmost pitches. A sold-out lever that retreats from between the previous pitches against the biasing force of the biasing means when pressed;
With
The product storage device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is turned off when the sold-out lever moves backward, and turned on when the sold-out lever moves forward . The control means determines that the switching time has elapsed when the spiral detection signal sent from the detection means is switched from the first state to the second state, and a predetermined reference time has elapsed from that point. Stop driving the drive source at a time point,
5. The product storage device according to claim 4 , wherein the restricting unit enables detection of the presence or absence of a product between the previous pitches by the detecting unit at the reference time. The restricting means forcibly holds the sold-out lever in a retracted state until the switching time elapses after the payout command is given, and whether or not there is a commodity between the most recent pitches by the detecting means When the switching time has passed, the forced release of the sold-out lever is canceled and the detection means detects whether there is a product between the previous pitches. The product storage device according to claim 4 or 5 , wherein The product storage device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the sold-out lever is displaceable along a front-rear direction.

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