JP7770204B2 - Product unloading device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a product dispensing device that can be installed in a vending machine or the like that can sell multiple products of various shapes and sizes, such as containerized beverages and bagged snacks.

A known vending machine with this type of product discharge device is described in Patent Document 1. The vending machine described in Patent Document 1 has a vending machine main body with a product outlet on the lower front side, multiple product columns arranged at intervals in the width and up and down directions within the vending machine main body, a bucket that can receive products, and a bucket transfer mechanism that can move the bucket in the width and up and down directions within the vending machine main body. A product discharge device is provided for each product column. Multiple products are placed in a line in the front and back directions on this product discharge device, and the product discharge device moves the multiple products placed on the product discharge device forward to discharge the products forward. Products discharged by the product discharge device are received in the bucket, and this bucket is moved by the bucket transfer mechanism to a position opposite the product discharge outlet. The user can then remove the products from the product discharge outlet.

The product dispensing device also includes an endless member (more specifically, a conveyor consisting of multiple conveyor chains rotatably connected to each other) wrapped around a pair of rotating members at the front and rear, and multiple product support members (hereinafter referred to as separators) attached to the endless member at intervals. The product dispensing device rotates the rotating members to cause the endless member to travel in a predetermined direction, thereby dispensing products stored between the separators from the front end of the product column (product dispensing device). The separators of this product dispensing device are connected to the endless member so that they can be raised and lowered relative to the endless member.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-164112

However, with the product dispensing device described in Patent Document 1, each separator on the upper running portion of the endless member must be manually rotated to stand up. This increases the workload of vending machine operators, for example, when replenishing products, and thus requires ingenuity.

The present invention aims to provide a product delivery device that can reduce the workload of operators and others related to separators.

One aspect of the present invention provides a product dispensing device. This product dispensing device includes a conveyor having an endless member wrapped around a front rotating member and a rear rotating member, and a plurality of separators connected to the endless member at intervals so that each separator can rotate between an upright position in which it stands up relative to the endless member and a lying position in which it lies down. The product dispensing device then conveys products placed on the upper running portion forward by causing the upper running portion of the endless member to travel forward. The conveyor of the product dispensing device includes a standing member. The standing member is positioned near the rear rotating member and comes into contact with one of the plurality of separators that is moving near the rear rotating member in the lying position, thereby rotating the separator toward the upright position and causing it to stand up.

The product discharge device includes an erector member that is positioned near the rear rotating member and that abuts against a separator among the plurality of separators that is in the lying-down position and moving near the rear rotating member, thereby rotating the separator toward the standing position and standing it up. Therefore, when the endless member is driven in a direction that causes its upper running section to travel forward, each separator that is in the lying-down position and moving near the rear rotating member is rotated toward the standing position by the erector member, and changes position one after another from the lying-down position to the standing position. As a result, an operator, etc. can replenish products without having to manually rotate each separator toward the standing position when replenishing products, etc.

In this way, according to the above-described aspect of the present invention, a product discharge device can be provided that can reduce the workload of operators and others related to separators.

1 is a front view of a vending machine having a product dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view for explaining the internal structure of the vending machine. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a conveyor unit constituting the product discharge device, as viewed from diagonally above and to the front right. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a conveyor frame of the conveyor unit. 5 shows a cut model of the conveyor frame taken along line AA in FIG. 4. FIG. 2 is a left side view of the conveyor unit. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the conveyor unit. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged top view of the conveyor unit. 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating an endless member of a conveyor of the conveyor unit. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a separator of the conveyor. FIG. 10 is a view showing a state in which the separator is connected to the endless member. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an upright member of the conveyor. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the separator is rotated in an upright direction by the upright member. FIG. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a tilting member of the conveyor. 10 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a state in which the separator is rotated in a tilting direction by the tilting member. FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an example of the initial state of each separator when a product is placed on the conveyor. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a product discharging operation in the conveyor unit (product discharging device). FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a modified example of the product discharge device. FIG. 19 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the operation of the product discharge device shown in FIG. 18. FIG. FIG. 10 is a side view of a partition plate of the product discharge device according to the modified example. 10 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a tip-over prevention unit that prevents products placed on the conveyor from tipping over. FIG. FIG. 22 is a rear view of the separator shown in FIG. 21. FIG. 22 is a side view (right side view) of the separator shown in FIG. 21. 10A and 10B are conceptual diagrams for explaining modified examples of the range in which the slippage suppressing portion is provided. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a modified example of the slippage suppressing portion. FIG. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example in which an auxiliary separator is provided to the separator.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a front view of a vending machine 1 equipped with a product dispensing device 7 according to this embodiment, and Figure 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view illustrating the internal structure of the vending machine 1. For ease of explanation, the front-to-back, left-to-right, and up-to-down directions are indicated appropriately in the drawings. The left-to-right directions are indicated as viewed from the front of the vending machine 1 by a user facing the front of the vending machine 1. With regard to the front-to-back directions, the direction toward the user on the vending machine 1 is considered the front.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vending machine 1 has an operation unit 2 that is operated by a user, etc., and a main unit 3 that stores products.

The operation unit 2 is shaped like a vertically long box and is located adjacent to the side of the main unit 3. The front of the operation unit 2 is provided with a bill insertion slot 2a, a coin insertion slot 2b, a contactless card reader 2c for electronic money payments, a coin return slot 2e, and an amount display and product selection unit 2f. When payment is made with bills, coins, or electronic money, the operation unit 2 is configured to send a sales command for the product selected via the product selection unit 2f to the main unit 3.

The main unit 3 includes a housing 4, a product discharge device 7 having a conveyor 5 and a drive unit 6, a bucket 8, and a bucket transfer device 9.

The housing 4 is box-shaped and has an open front. The front opening of the housing 4 is covered by a main body door 4a, which can be opened and closed freely. Most of the upper part of the front of the main body door 4a is formed by a transparent plate 4b, allowing users and others to see inside the main unit 3. In addition, a product outlet 4c is provided below the transparent plate 4b on the main body door 4a, allowing users to remove products P. The opening of this product outlet 4c is opened and closed by a rectangular product removal door 4d. The product removal door 4d is supported on the upper edge of the product removal opening 4c on the back side of the main body door 4a so that it can rotate in the front-to-rear direction, and is designed to open the product removal opening 4c when pushed rearward from the front side.

The interior of the housing 4 is provided with multiple vertically arranged shelves 4e (six in this example). Each widthwise (left-right) end of the shelves 4e is fixed to a predetermined vertical position on the side wall that constitutes the housing 4. The interior of the housing 4 is divided into an upper area and a lower area by a partition wall 4f, with the main components of the main unit 3 located in the upper area. The partition wall 4f has a lower shelf portion 4f1 located rearward of the front end of the shelf 4e and below the shelf 4e, an overhanging portion 4f2 that overhangs forward of the front end of the shelf 4e and is located below the lower shelf portion 4f1, and a connecting portion 4f3 that connects the front end of the lower shelf portion 4f1 to the rear end of the overhanging portion 4f2. Each shelf 4e is positioned toward the rear of the housing 4, and a bucket movement space S for bucket 8 movement is provided between the front end of each shelf 4e and the main door 4a, and between the connecting portion 4f3 of the partition wall 4f and the main door 4a.

In the housing 4, the area below the partition wall 4f forms a machine room. Within the housing 4, a duct D is provided that circles around the shelf 4e, and cool air is circulated through this duct D appropriately to cool the inside of the housing 4. Although not shown, the machine room and duct D are equipped with a cooling unit for generating cool air.

The product discharge device 7 is arranged above each shelf 4e and discharges (dispenses) the product P placed on it forward. As mentioned above, the product discharge device 7 has a conveyor 5 and a drive unit 6.

In this embodiment, the product discharge device 7 has multiple conveyors 5 (six in the figure). That is, in the product discharge device 7, multiple conveyors 5 are arranged in parallel with each other. In other words, a product discharge device 7 having multiple conveyors 5 is provided for each shelf 4e. Also, in this embodiment, a drive unit 6 is provided for each conveyor 5. That is, in the product discharge device 7 for each shelf 4e, the conveyors 5 and drive unit 6 are provided in a one-to-one relationship. This product discharge device 7 will be described in detail later.

The bucket 8 receives the products P delivered (dispensed) in front of the product discharge device 7, and is configured to be movable within the bucket movement space S by the bucket transfer device 9. When viewed from above in a plan view, the bucket 8 has a generally rectangular shape that is elongated in the left-right direction of the vending machine 1. In this embodiment, when viewed from above in a plan view, the bucket 8 has a width approximately equal to the left-right width of the shelf 4e.

Specifically, the bucket 8 is composed of, for example, a rectangular plate-shaped base 81, left and right side walls 82, a top plate 83, a front lower wall 84, a rear lower wall 85, and a product slide plate 86. The base 81, top plate 83, and product slide plate 86 each have a width approximately the same as the left-right width of the shelf 4e. The base 81, side walls 82, and top plate 83 form a rectangular cylindrical frame that penetrates in the front-to-rear direction. In the bucket 8, the side walls 82, top plate 83, front lower wall 84, and product slide plate 86 form a product receiving chamber that receives the products P delivered from the product delivery device 7.

The base 81 forms the bottom of the bucket 8 and extends horizontally in the left-right direction of the vending machine 1. A bucket placement portion 91 (described later) of the bucket transfer device 9 is fixed to the bottom surface of the base 81. Each side wall 82 (the left side wall 82 is shown in Figure 2) extends upward from the widthwise end of the base 81. The base 81 and each side wall 82 have a front-to-rear length that is slightly shorter than the front-to-rear length of the protruding portion 4f2 of the partition wall 4f (in other words, the distance from the front end of the housing 4 to the front end of the shelf 4e). The top plate portion 83 connects the upper end of the left side wall 82 to the upper end of the right side wall 82 and forms the top plate of the bucket 8. The front-end lower wall 84 is provided across the entire left-to-right direction at the lower end of the front-end opening of the frame body and forms a stopper portion for the product P. The rear lower wall 85 is provided across the entire left-right direction at the lower end of the rear opening of the frame body. The product slide plate 86 has a sliding surface along which products P delivered from the product delivery device 7 slide forward. The product slide plate 86 connects the upper end of the rear lower wall 85 with the other end of the front lower wall 84, and is inclined so that the front approaches the base 81.

The bucket transfer device 9 is a device capable of transferring products P between the product discharge device 7 and the product take-out port 4c, and is configured to move the bucket 8 up and down in the bucket movement space S within the housing 4. The bucket transfer device 9 has a width in the left-right direction approximately equal to the width of the shelf 4e, and includes a bucket mounting section 91 on which the bucket 8 is placed, a support plate 92 that horizontally supports the bucket mounting section 91, and a lifting actuator (not shown) for moving the support plate 92 up and down. The lifting actuator includes, for example, a pair of upper and lower pulleys, a pulley belt wound around the upper and lower pulleys, and a lifting motor that rotates the pulleys. The end of the support plate is fixed at a predetermined position circumferentially of the pulley belt. The bucket transfer device 9 moves (lifts) the bucket 8 up and down in the bucket movement space S by rotating the pulley with the lifting motor of the lifting actuator. In this embodiment, the bucket transfer device 9 corresponds to the "product transfer device" of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the bucket transfer device 9 can move the bucket 8 between a position facing the front end of each shelf 4e and a position facing the product take-out opening 4c. Specifically, the drive of the lifting motor is controlled so that when the bucket 8 is positioned facing the front end of the shelf 4e, the rear end of the product slide plate 86 of the bucket 8 is positioned at a height slightly below the upper surface of the conveyor 5 of the product discharge device 7 arranged on that shelf 4e. Furthermore, the position where the bucket 8 faces the product take-out opening 4c is located below the lowest shelf 4e, and this position is both the standby position of the bucket 8 and the take-out position of the product P. Furthermore, in the standby position and the take-out position, the product take-out opening 4c is located in front of the bucket 8, allowing users to open the product take-out door 4d and reach into the bucket 8. By moving the bucket 8 in this way, the bucket transfer device 9 can transfer products P between the product discharge device 7 and the product take-out opening 4c. Note that the bucket transfer device 9 described here is only one example, and various mechanisms capable of moving the bucket 8 up and down can be used.

Next, we will explain the product discharge device 7 in detail.

In this embodiment, the product discharge device 7 has multiple conveyors 5 arranged at intervals from each other in the width direction (left-right direction) of the shelf 4e (main unit 3), and a drive unit 6 provided for each conveyor 5. In other words, in this embodiment, the conveyors 5 and drive units 6 are provided in a one-to-one relationship, and are assembled together to form a single conveyor unit 7a. Therefore, the product discharge device 7 has multiple sets (six sets in Figure 1) of conveyor units 7a. In other words, multiple (six in the figure) conveyor units 7a are arranged side by side in the left-right direction on each shelf 4e.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the conveyor unit 7a of the product discharge device 7, seen from the upper right front. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the conveyor frame 51 (described below) of the conveyor 5 of the conveyor unit 7a, and Figure 5 is a cutaway model view of the conveyor frame 51 taken along line A-A in Figure 4. Figure 6 is a left side view of the conveyor unit 7a, and Figure 7 is a right side view of the conveyor unit 7a. Figure 8(a) is an enlarged top view of the rear portion of the conveyor unit 7a, and Figure 8(b) is an enlarged top view of the front portion of the conveyor unit 7a. Note that in Figures 6 and 7, the left frame 512, upper intermediate frame 513b, and front cover 514 (described below) of the conveyor frame 51 (see Figures 3 to 5), as well as the gear cover 6a of the drive unit 6 (see Figure 3), have been removed. Also, in Figure 8(a), the gear cover 6a has been removed.

The conveyor unit 7a of the product discharge device 7 has a length approximately equal to the length of the shelf 4e in the front-to-rear direction, and has a generally rectangular shape that is long in the front-to-rear direction when viewed from above. Specifically, as shown in Figure 2, the conveyor unit 7a is positioned on the shelf 4e so that its front end extends slightly forward beyond the front end of the shelf 4e.

[Conveyor]
As shown in Figures 3 to 8, the conveyor 5 of the conveyor unit 7a includes a conveyor frame 51, an endless member 52 on which products P are placed in a row and which carries the placed products P forward, a plurality of separators 53 connected to the endless member 52 at intervals so as to be rotatable between an upright position in which they are upright relative to the endless member 52 and a laid-down position in which they are laid-down, stand-up members 54 for the separators, and lay-down members 55 for the separators (see Figures 7 and 8(b); hidden behind the conveyor frame 51 and not visible in Figure 3).

[Conveyor Frame]
As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the conveyor frame 51 is a structural member of the conveyor 5 and includes, for example, a lower frame 511, a left frame 512 extending along the left edge of the lower frame 511, an intermediate frame 513 positioned above the lower frame 511, and a front cover 514, all of which are assembled together. The lower frame 511 has a generally rectangular bottom wall 511a that is elongated in the front-to-rear direction in a plan view from above, and a right protruding wall 511b that protrudes upward from the right edge of the bottom wall 511a. The left frame 512 extends along the left edge of the bottom wall 511a of the lower frame 511 and has a recess 512a into which the left end of the intermediate frame 513 fits. An annular chain guide groove 512b is formed on the inner surface of the left frame 512, surrounding the recess 512a. A chain protrusion 521h (see FIG. 9 ) of a conveyor chain 521 (described later) of the endless member 52 is inserted into the annular chain guide groove 512b. This allows the endless member 52 to travel stably. The intermediate frame 513 is formed in a generally rectangular cylindrical shape extending in the front-to-rear direction. Its left end in the width direction fits into a recess 512a of the left frame 512, and its right end is located above a right protruding wall 511b of the lower frame 511. The intermediate frame 513 is divided into two vertical sections: a lower intermediate lower frame 513a and an upper intermediate upper frame 513b, which are assembled together. The intermediate upper frame 513b has an upper right side wall 513b1 that protrudes upward from the right end of its upper surface. The front cover portion 514 forms the front end portion of the conveyor frame 51 and is arranged to cover the front end portion of the lower frame 511, the front end portion of the left frame 512, and the right side portion of the front end portion of the middle frame 513 from the front.

The upper intermediate frame 513b and the portion of the left frame 512 above the recess 512a form an upper conveyor guide 515 that extends in the front-to-rear direction and has a generally U-shaped cross section with an upward opening. The upper running portion 52a (described below) of the endless member 52 is guided by the upper conveyor guide 515. The lower frame 511, the portion of the left frame 512 below the recess 512a, and the lower intermediate frame 513a form a lower conveyor guide 516. The lower running portion 52b (described below) of the endless member 52 is guided by the lower conveyor guide 516.

[Endless member]
As shown in Figures 6 to 8, the endless member 52 is made up of multiple conveyor chains 521 rotatably connected to one another. The endless member 52 is wound around a front sprocket 56 rotatably supported at the front end of the conveyor frame 51 and a rear sprocket 57 rotatably supported at the rear end of the conveyor frame 51. That is, the endless member 52 extends in the front-to-rear direction within the conveyor frame 51. In this embodiment, two sprockets (56, 57) are provided, spaced apart in the width direction. The two front sprockets 56 are connected via a front rotating shaft 56a (see Figures 6 and 7), and the two rear sprockets 57 are connected via a rear rotating shaft 57a (see Figures 6 and 7). The rotating shafts (56a, 57a) are rotatably supported by the conveyor frame 51. The number of sprockets (56, 57) is not limited to two each, and one each may be provided on either the left or right side in the width direction, or in the center in the width direction.

In this embodiment, the endless member 52 is configured so that the drive-side rotation shaft 57A, which is the rotation shaft 57a of the rear sprocket 57, is rotated and driven by the drive unit 6 to travel in the direction of arrow B. That is, when driven by the drive unit 6, the endless member 52 is configured so that the upper running portion 52a travels forward along the upper conveyor guide portion 515 (see Figures 4 and 5) and the lower running portion 52b travels rearward along the lower conveyor guide portion 516 (see Figure 5). Furthermore, when the product discharge device 7 is in use, multiple products P are placed in a row in the front-to-rear direction (their own longitudinal direction) on the upper running portion 52a of the endless member 52.

The product discharge device 7 (each conveyor unit 7a) therefore drives the upper run 52a of the endless member 52 forward to discharge the products P placed on the upper run 52a. In this embodiment, the upper run 52a refers to the portion of the endless member 52 from immediately after disengagement with the rear sprocket 57 to immediately before meshing with the front sprocket 56, and the lower run 52b refers to the portion of the endless member from immediately after disengagement with the front sprocket 56 to immediately before meshing with the rear sprocket 57. In this embodiment, the front sprocket 56 corresponds to the "front rotating member" according to the present invention, and the rear sprocket 57 corresponds to the "rear rotating member" according to the present invention.

Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating the shape of the conveyor chain 521 of the endless member 52. Figures 9(a) and 9(b) each show one conveyor chain 521, with Figure 9(a) being a perspective view and Figure 9(b) being a plan view viewed from the direction of arrow C in Figure 9(a). Figures 9(c) and 9(d) each show three conveyor chains 521 connected together, with Figure 9(c) being a perspective view and Figure 9(d) being a plan view viewed from the direction of arrow D in Figure 9(c). Figure 9 also shows the placement surface 521a of the conveyor chain 521 on which the product P is placed.

The conveyor chain 521 is made of a block-shaped member, such as a resin member, that is elongated in the width direction of the conveyor 5 and is formed into a roughly horizontally elongated rectangle in a plan view. Three protrusions 521b are provided on one long side of the conveyor chain 521, and three connecting recesses 521c are provided on the other long side of the conveyor chain 521 to receive the protrusions 521b of an adjacent conveyor chain 521. Each conveyor chain 521 is rotatably connected to the other conveyor chain 521 by having the chain connecting shafts 521d protruding from both widthwise sides of each protrusion 521b inserted into the shaft fitting grooves 521e formed in the side walls of the connecting recesses 521c of the other conveyor chain 521. Here, the conveyor chain 521 is connected to the other conveyor chain 521 with its one long side facing rearward in the direction of travel. In other words, the other long side of the conveyor chain 521 faces forward in the direction of travel.

Of the three protrusions 521b, two on either side in the width direction have separator connection holes 521f that penetrate the width direction. The separator connection shaft 536 (described below) of the separator 53 fits into the separator connection holes 521f, thereby connecting the separator 53 to the conveyor chain 521 (endless member 52) in a manner that allows it to be raised or lowered. In this embodiment, the length of the conveyor chain 521 in the short side direction (travel direction) is shorter than the height dimension of the separator 53. Furthermore, in the multiple connected conveyor chains 521, the separators 53 are connected at equal intervals in the front-to-rear direction, every other separator 53.

Furthermore, on the long side of the conveyor chain 521 on the convex portion 521b side, an engagement slit 521g for engagement with each sprocket (56, 57) is cut out at each location between two adjacent convex portions 521b. Furthermore, a chain protrusion 521h protrudes from one short side of the conveyor chain 521 (the left end surface in the figure), and is guided by the annular chain guide groove 512b of the left frame 512 (see Figures 4 and 5).

In this embodiment, the endless member 52 (conveyor chain 521) has a separator accommodating recess 522 formed to accommodate a separator 53 in a lying position out of the multiple separators 53. Although not particularly limited, the depth of the separator accommodating recess 522 from the mounting surface 521a is set, for example, to be equal to the thickness of the separator 53. Therefore, in the lying position, the separator 53 forms a flat surface that is approximately horizontal with the mounting surface 521a of the conveyor chain 521 (see Figure 11(b) described below). In this embodiment, the separator accommodating recess 522 corresponds to the "recess" according to the present invention.

In this embodiment, the endless member 52 (conveyor chain 521) has an insertion portion 521i that fits into a through-hole 53a (described later) of one of the multiple separators 53 that is in a laid-down position. The tip surface of the insertion portion 521i forms part of the mounting surface 521a of the conveyor chain 521.

In addition, a relief portion 521j is cut out at one corner in the width direction (here, the right side) of the other long side (front side in the traveling direction) of the conveyor chain 521 to allow the separator 53 to rotate.

[Separator]
Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the separator 53. Fig. 11 is a view showing the separator 53 connected to the endless member 52 (conveyor chain 521). In Fig. 11(a), the separator 53 is in an upright position relative to the endless member 52 (conveyor chain 521), and in Fig. 11(b), the separator 53 is in a laid-down position, rotated forward relative to the endless member 52 (conveyor chain 521).

The separator 53 has a width similar to that of the conveyor chain 521, and as described above, is a member that is connected to the conveyor chain 521 so that it can be raised or lowered freely, and is made of, for example, a resin material. In this embodiment, the separator 53 is connected to the rear side (the one long side) of the conveyor chain 521 in the running direction (the protruding portion 521b).

The separator 53 has a left plate portion 531 and a right plate portion 532, each of which has a generally rectangular shape that is short in the width direction of the conveyor 5 when viewed in a plane, and an intermediate plate 533 that connects the left plate portion 531 and the right plate portion 532.

In this embodiment, the separator 53 has a through-hole 53a formed therethrough in its thickness direction. Specifically, the through-hole 53a is opened in each of the left plate portion 531 and the right plate portion 532, and is formed as a rectangular hole that is long in the front-to-rear direction in plan view. In this embodiment, the through-hole 53a of the separator 53 that has rotated forward and is in a laid-down position is adapted to fit into the fitting portion 521i of the conveyor chain 521 to which the separator 53 is connected, and the left and right protrusions 521b of the conveyor chain 521 in front of the conveyor chain 521 to which the separator 53 is connected.

A left connecting arm 534 protrudes from the right end of the short side of the left plate portion 531 facing the conveyor chain 521, and a right connecting arm 535 protrudes from the left end of the short side of the right plate portion 532 facing the conveyor chain 521. Separator connecting shafts 536 that fit into corresponding separator connecting holes 521f in the conveyor chain 521 protrude from the left side of the left connecting arm 534 and the right side of the right connecting arm 535. For example, the separator 53 is elastically deformed when pressed inward in the width direction by an operator or the like. The two separator connecting shafts 536 are inserted with the gap between them narrower than the gap between the inner surfaces of the two protrusions 521b that have the separator connecting holes 521f. The pressure is then released, allowing each separator connecting shaft 536 to fit into the separator connecting hole 521f. This allows the separator 53 to be connected to the conveyor chain 521 so that it can be raised or lowered.

In this embodiment, the separator 53 has an upper protrusion 537 that is located above the connection point to the conveyor chain 521 (endless member 52) when in the upright position and that protrudes outward from one end face of the conveyor chain 521 in the width direction. Furthermore, the separator 53 has a lower protrusion 538 that is located below the connection point to the conveyor chain 521 when in the upright position and that protrudes outward from one end face of the conveyor chain 521 in the width direction. Although not particularly limited, in this embodiment, the upper protrusion 537 and the lower protrusion 538 are provided on the right end face of the separator 53.

Specifically, a protrusion-forming arm 539, which has a right end surface continuous with the right end surface of the right plate portion 532 and is longer than the right connecting arm 535, protrudes from the right end of the short side of the right plate portion 532 facing the conveyor chain 521. The upper protrusion 537 is provided on the upper end of the right end surface of the right plate portion 532, and the lower protrusion 538 is provided on the lower end of the right end surface of the protrusion-forming arm 539. The separator connecting shaft 536, which is the central axis around which the separator 53 rotates, is located between the upper protrusion 537 and the lower protrusion 538 in a side view of the separator 53. In the upright position, the upper protrusion 537 is located above the separator connecting shaft 536 (i.e., the connecting portion), and the lower protrusion 538 is located below the separator connecting shaft 536 (the connecting portion). Furthermore, when rotating from the lying position to the standing position, the tip of the protrusion forming arm 539 can enter below the bottom surface of the separator storage recess 522 of the conveyor chain 521 via the escape portion 521j of the conveyor chain 521. This allows the separator 53 to rotate to the standing position.

In addition, when the separator 53 is in the fallen position and within the upper conveyor guide section 515, gaps are provided between the tip surfaces of the upper protrusions 537 and lower protrusions 538 and the inner surface of the intermediate upper frame 513b. Furthermore, when the separator 53 is in the fallen position and within the lower conveyor guide section 516, gaps are also provided between the tip surfaces of the upper protrusions 537 and lower protrusions 538 and the right protruding wall 511b of the lower frame 511.

Separator 53 is also provided with an upright locking portion 539a for maintaining the upright position. Upright locking portion 539a elastically deforms in the upright position, and maintains the upright position by utilizing the restoring force generated by this elastic deformation. When an external force in the collapsed direction (i.e., an external force that resists the restoring force of upright locking portion 539a) is applied to separator 53 in the upright position, the upright position is released, and as a result, separator 53 becomes rotatable in the collapsed direction.

Specifically, the upright locking portion 539a protrudes from the base end portion of the left end surface of the protrusion-forming arm 539 toward the convex portion 521b, and the tip of the convex portion 521b at the right end of the conveyor chain 521 is located in the region immediately before the upright position along the movement trajectory of the tip of the upright locking portion 539a from the lying position to the upright position. In the region immediately before the upright position along the movement trajectory, the tip of the upright locking portion 539a elastically deforms while sliding along the surface of the tip of the right-end convex portion 521b. Furthermore, a flat surface parallel to the mounting surface 521a is formed at the tip of the convex portion 521b. Therefore, the upright locking portion 539a undergoes significant elastic deformation in the upright position, and its restoring force in the upright position presses against the flat surface at the tip of the convex portion 521b, thereby maintaining the upright position of the separator 53.

[Upright and horizontal members]
Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the standing member 54, and Fig. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the separator 53 is rotated in the standing direction by the standing member 54. Fig. 14(a) is a perspective view of a part including the tilting member 55, Fig. 14(b) is a side view of the part including the tilting member 55, and Fig. 15 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the separator 53 is rotated in the tilting direction by the tilting member 55.

The standing member 54 is positioned near the rear sprocket 57 and abuts against a separator 53 that is in a lying position and moving near the rear sprocket 57, thereby rotating the separator 53 toward the standing position and standing it up.

In this embodiment, the standing member 54 is positioned to the side of the rear sprocket 57 and above the rotation axis 57a of the rear sprocket 57. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the standing member 54 is fixed to the upper right rear portion of the conveyor frame 51, specifically, to a portion of the upper surface of the upper right side wall 513b1 of the intermediate upper frame 513b that corresponds to the rear sprocket 57.

As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the standing member 54 consists of, for example, a standing main body portion 54a that is formed in a generally fan-shaped shape in plan view and has a predetermined thickness in the width direction of the conveyor 5, and a fixed portion 54b that is formed integrally with the standing main body portion 54a and is fixed to the upper right side wall 513b1 of the intermediate upper frame 513b. As shown in Figure 8(a) , in plan view from above, the standing main body portion 54a protrudes inward in the width direction of the conveyor 5 beyond the inner surface of the upper right side wall 513b1, and is located directly above the area between the upper right side wall 513b1 and the right end face of the conveyor chain 521.

In this embodiment, the standing member 54 has a guide groove 54c that receives the upper protrusion 537 of a separator 53 that moves around the rear sprocket 57 among the multiple separators 53 and rotates the separator 53 toward the standing posture. The guide groove 54c is formed in the standing main body 54a and is formed as an arc-shaped groove in a plan view. The guide groove 54c has an entrance-side opening 54c1 and an exit-side opening 54c2 of the upper protrusion 537, with the entrance-side opening 54c1 opening downward and the exit-side opening 54c2 opening forward. The guide groove 54c is formed to connect the entrance-side opening 54c1 to the exit-side opening 54c2 in an arc shape.

The separator 53 travels together with the lower running portion 52b of the endless member 52 (conveyor chain 521) within the lower conveyor guide portion 516. Within this lower conveyor guide portion 516, the separator 53 is guided by the inner surface of the lower conveyor guide portion 516, maintaining its lying position while moving together with the endless member 52. As shown in FIG. 13, the rear end of the lower frame 511 is curved to form a rear lower conveyor guide portion 517 that covers and guides the endless member 52 wrapped around the lower portion of the rear sprocket 57. As the separator 53 travels around the rear sprocket 57, the upper protrusion 537 of the separator 53 faces forward in the traveling direction, and the front portion of the separator 53 moves away from the conveyor chain 521 (endless member 52) in front of it (see FIG. 13). As the separator 53 passes through the rear lower conveyor guide 517 and continues moving, the upper protrusion 537 is received into the guide groove 54c through the entrance opening 54c1 of the guide groove 54c, and then slides along the arc-shaped inner surface of the guide groove 54c at the top of the drawing. In other words, the inner surface of the guide groove 54c of the standing member 54 abuts against the upper protrusion 537. As a result, the separator 53 begins to rotate from the lying position toward the standing position, and assumes the standing position when the upper protrusion 537 reaches the exit opening 54c2. In this state, the separator 53 maintains the standing position via its own standing lock 539a (see Figures 10 and 11(a)).

In this way, the standing member 54 is positioned near the rear sprocket 57 and abuts against a separator 53 that is in a lying position and moving near the rear sprocket 57, thereby rotating the separator 53 in the direction of the standing position and causing it to stand up.

The tilting member 55 is positioned near the front sprocket 56 and is a member that rotates and tilts a separator 53 in the direction of its tilted position by contacting the separator 53 that is moving near the front sprocket 56 in an upright position.

In this embodiment, the tilting member 55 is positioned to the side of the front sprocket 56 and above the rotation axis 56a of the front sprocket 56. Here, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the tilting member 55 is fixed to the right front portion of the conveyor frame 51, specifically, to the inner surface of the front right cover portion 514a of the front cover portion 514, via a support portion 58. As shown in FIG. 8(b), the tilting member 55 and support portion 58 are located in the gap between the front right cover portion 514a and the right end surface of the conveyor chain 521.

As shown in Figures 14 and 15, in this embodiment, the tilting member 55 has a tip end 55a that is positioned on the movement path of the lower protrusion 538, and a base end 55b that is supported via a support part 58 so as to be rotatable in the tilting direction of the separator 53 (in other words, the running direction of the conveyor 5), and is formed, for example, in a generally rectangular column shape.

The support portion 58 is fixed to the inner surface of the front right cover portion 514a. In this embodiment, a biasing member (not shown) is provided within the support portion 58 to bias the tilting member 55 in a rotational direction opposite to the travel direction of the conveyor 5. Therefore, when the endless member 52 is driven and the tip end 55a of the tilting member 55 abuts the lower protrusion 538 of the approaching separator 53, the tilting member 55 is pressed against the lower protrusion 538, allowing the tilting member 55 to rotate up to a predetermined angle in the travel direction against the biasing force of the biasing member. Once the tilting member 55 has rotated to the predetermined angle, further rotation is prevented. When the lower protrusion 538 abuts the tip end 55a of the tilting member 55 and moves further forward in the travel direction, the lower protrusion 538 moves rearward. As a result, the separator 53 begins to rotate from the upright position to the lying position above the front sprocket 56. Then, the upright position maintained by the upright locking portion 539a of the separator 53 (see Figures 10 and 11) is released, and the separator 53 then assumes the lying position when its lower protrusion 538 roughly clears the tip 55a of the lying member 55. At this time, the lying member 55 rotates in the direction opposite to the running direction of the conveyor 5 due to the biasing force of the biasing member, returning to the initial state shown by solid lines in Figures 14 and 15.

As shown in Figure 15, the front end of the lower frame 511 is curved to form a lower front conveyor guide 518 that covers and guides the endless member 52 wrapped around the lower portion of the front sprocket 56. The separator 53, which has assumed a lying-down position above the front sprocket 56, is guided by the lower front conveyor guide 518 to maintain that lying-down position. The separator 53 moves within the lower conveyor guide 516 together with the endless member 52 while maintaining its lying-down position by being guided by the inner surface of the lower conveyor guide 516.

In this embodiment, a separator passage detection sensor that detects the passage of separator 53 is provided within support portion 58. For example, the separator passage detection sensor does not output a signal in its initial state (normally OFF, OFF state), outputs an ON signal when tilting member 55 rotates to the predetermined angle, and then stops outputting the ON signal and returns to the OFF state when tilting member 55 begins to rotate in the direction opposite to the running direction of conveyor 5 due to the biasing force of the biasing member. In other words, the separator passage detection sensor switches its signal output state from OFF to ON to OFF as separator 53 passes through. The signal from the separator passage detection sensor is output to a control unit (not shown). When the signal from the separator passage detection sensor switches from OFF to ON to OFF, the control unit determines that the front separator 53 has passed and the removal of the products P has been completed (product removal completed). The control unit then stops driving the conveyor 5 a predetermined time after the signal from the separator passage detection sensor switches from ON to OFF, and advances the succeeding separator 53 until its lower protrusion 538 is positioned near the rear of the tilting member 55.

[Drive unit]
The driving unit 6 is a driving unit that drives the conveyor 5, and is disposed at the rear end of the conveyor 5 as shown in FIGS.

The drive unit 6 includes a drive unit frame 61 with a gear cover 6a, a conveyor drive mechanism 62 provided within the drive unit frame 61, and a conveyor motor (not shown) that rotates and drives the rotary shaft 57a via the conveyor drive mechanism 62.

The drive unit frame 61 is fixed to the rear end of the conveyor frame 51 of the conveyor 5 and has a width approximately the same as the width of the conveyor 5.

The conveyor drive mechanism 62 has multiple bevel gears and gears and is configured to be housed within a drive unit frame 61 whose width is approximately the same as that of the conveyor 5. For example, the conveyor drive mechanism 62 includes, in order from the conveyor motor's rotation shaft (not shown), a first bevel gear 621 rotatably supported around an axis extending in the running direction of the conveyor 5; a second bevel gear 622 that meshes with the first bevel gear 621 and is rotatably supported around an axis extending in the width direction of the conveyor 5; a first gear 623 attached to the back surface of the second bevel gear 622; and a second gear 624 that meshes with the first gear 623 and with a conveyor gear 57b attached to the right end of the drive-side rotation shaft 57A, which is the rotation shaft 57a of the rear sprocket 57. When the conveyor motor is operated, the rotation shaft 57a (drive-side rotation shaft 57A) of the rear sprocket 57 is driven to rotate via the conveyor drive mechanism 62. This drives the endless member 52 of the conveyor 5.

Next, we will briefly explain an example of the operation of vending machine 1.

Figure 16 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the initial state of each separator 53 when a product P is placed on the conveyor 5 (when replenishing the product P). Figure 17 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the product P discharge operation in each conveyor unit 7a (product discharge device 7). In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 16(a) to 16(d), separators 53 are connected at equal intervals in the front-to-rear direction on every other one of multiple connected conveyor chains 521.

A plurality of products P are placed on each conveyor unit 7a of the product discharge device 7 on each shelf 4e of the vending machine 1. The operator of the vending machine 1 adjusts the spacing between adjacent separators 53 in an upright position on the upper run 52a of the endless member 52, for example, depending on the size of the products P to be placed on each conveyor unit 7a. For example, the conveyor unit 7a shown in FIG. 16(a) is used for small-sized products, the conveyor unit 7a shown in FIG. 16(b) is used for medium-sized products, and the conveyor unit 7a shown in FIG. 16(c) is used for large-sized products. In this case, in the conveyor unit 7a for small-sized products, all separators 53 connected to the upper run 52a of the endless member 52 remain in an upright position, as shown in FIG. 16(a), and the operator places the products P between the separators 53 in this state. Furthermore, for example, in a medium-sized conveyor unit 7a, the operator rotates every other separator 53 in the downward direction, as shown in FIG. 16(b). This easily widens the gap between adjacent separators 53 in an upright position on the upper run 52a. Then, for example, in a large-sized conveyor unit 7a, the operator continuously rotates the number of separators 53 corresponding to the size of the product P (two in the figure) in the downward direction. This greatly widens the gap between adjacent separators 53 in an upright position on the upper run 52a to a gap appropriate for large-sized products.

16(a) to 16(c), the product P may simply be placed on the placement surface 521a of the conveyor chain 521 between two adjacent separators 53 in an upright position, as shown in FIGS. 16(a) to 16(c). Alternatively, the product P may be placed with its front surface facing diagonally upward, as shown in FIG. 16(d). In the case of FIG. 16(d), the upper end of the back surface of the product P is supported by the upper end of the rear separator 53. Note that, for example, as shown in FIG. 17(a), in the initial state, no product P is placed in front of the front separator 53 ₁ (53) on the upper running portion 52a of the endless member 52 of each conveyor unit 7a, and the front product P ₁ (P) is placed between the front separator 53 ₁ (53) and the second-to-front separator 53 ₂ (53).

The following describes an example in which a user selects a product P placed on the conveyor unit 7a shown in Figure 16(a) via the operation unit 2 and pays for that product P.

Returning to Figures 1 and 2, once payment for the product P has been made, a sales command for this product P is sent from the operation unit 2 to the main unit 3. Then, in the main unit 3, the bucket transfer device 9 raises the bucket 8 waiting behind the product removal opening 4c to a height position corresponding to the shelf 4e on which the selected product P is placed. After that, in the conveyor unit 7a corresponding to the selected product P in the product discharge device 7 on that shelf 4e, the drive unit 6 is driven, and the upper running portion 52a of the endless member 52 of the conveyor 5 begins to move forward (see Figure 17(b)).

17(b), the product P behind the front separator 53 ₁ (53) (i.e., the front product P ₁ ) falls from the front end of the conveyor 5 and is carried out into the bucket 8. At this time, the front separator 53 ₁ (53) is rotated in the direction of the tilted position by the tilting member 55 and maintained in the tilted position by being guided by the front lower conveyor guide portion 518. Meanwhile, the separator 53 (see FIG. 13), which was initially rotating in the upright direction via the upright member 54, rotates to the upright position and moves to a position in front of the upright member 54, and maintains the upright position via the upright lock portion 539a.

Furthermore, when the separator 53 ₁ (53) in the front row rotates in the downward direction and the signal from the separator passage detection sensor in the support portion 58 switches between OFF, ON, and OFF in this order, the control portion determines that product discharge is complete and stops driving the drive portion 6 as described above. That is, in the conveyor unit 7a shown in FIG. 16(a), the control portion controls the upper running portion 52a of the endless member 52 to travel forward a distance equivalent to two conveyor chains 521 for each product P discharged. Then, the separator 53 ₂ (53), which was second from the front in the initial state, is positioned in the front row as shown in FIG. 17(c), and the product P ₂ , which was second from the front in the initial state, is positioned between the second separator 53 ₂ (53) and the third separator 53 ₃ (53).

Note that, as shown in Figures 16(b) and 16(c), if there is a separator 53 lying down on the upper run 52a in the initial state, even if the separator 53 in the lying down position passes the position corresponding to the lying down member 55, the control unit does not receive a signal indicating rotation from the separator rotation detection sensor. In this case, the control unit determines that product delivery is incomplete and, for example, drives the drive unit 6 until a signal indicating rotation is received. That is, in the conveyor unit 7a shown in Figure 16(b), the control unit controls the upper run 52a to travel forward a distance equivalent to four conveyor chains 521 for each product P delivered. In addition, in the conveyor unit 7a shown in Figure 16(c), the control unit controls the upper run 52a to travel forward a distance equivalent to six conveyor chains 521 for each product P delivered.

Then, the bucket 8 (see FIG. 2) that has received the front row of product _P1 is lowered to a height position (i.e., the take-out position) corresponding to the product take-out opening 4c by the bucket transfer device 9. This allows the user to open the product take-out door 4d, reach their hand into the bucket 8, and receive the product _P1 .

According to the vending machine 1 (product dispensing device 7) of this embodiment, the product dispensing device 7 includes a standing member 54 that is positioned near the rear sprocket 57 and that abuts against a separator 53 among the multiple separators 53 that is in a lying position and moving near the rear sprocket 57, thereby rotating the separator 53 toward an upright position and causing it to stand up. Therefore, when the endless member 52 is driven in a direction that causes its upper running portion 52a to travel forward, each separator 53 that is in a lying position and moving near the rear sprocket 57 is rotated toward an upright position by the standing member 54, and its position changes one after another from the lying position to an upright position. As a result, an operator or the like can replenish products P without having to manually rotate each separator 53 toward an upright position when replenishing products P, for example.

In this way, it is possible to provide a vending machine 1 and product delivery device 7 that can reduce the workload of operators and others related to separators.

In this embodiment, the standing member 54 is positioned to the side of the rear sprocket 57 and above the rotation axis 57a of the rear sprocket 57. This ensures that the separator 53 is in an upright position above the rear sprocket 57, and the area separated from the front and rear by the upright separator 53 extends all the way to the very end of the upper running portion 52a of the endless member 52. As a result, the effective area on the upper running portion 52a of the endless member 52 where products P can be placed can be effectively expanded toward the rear.

In this embodiment, the standing member 54 has a guide groove portion 54c that receives the upper protrusion 537 of the separator 53 and rotates the separator 53 toward the upright position. This creates a structure near the rear sprocket 57 that reliably rotates the separator 53 toward the upright position.

In this embodiment, the tilting member 55 is positioned to the side of the front sprocket 56 and above the rotation axis 56a of the front sprocket 56. As a result, the separator 53 begins to rotate in the tilting direction above the front sprocket 56, and the area partitioned by the separator 53 in an upright position extends to the frontmost part of the upper running portion 52a of the endless member 52. As a result, the effective area on the upper running portion 52a of the endless member 52 where products P can be placed can be effectively expanded forward.

In this embodiment, the tilting member 55 has a tip end 55a that is positioned on the movement path of the lower protrusion 538, and a base end 55b that is supported so that it can rotate freely in the direction in which the separator 53 is raised or lowered (in other words, the direction in which the conveyor 5 runs). This creates a structure near the front sprocket 56 that can reliably rotate the separator 53 in the direction of its tilted position.

In this embodiment, the endless member 52 (conveyor chain 521) has a separator accommodating recess 522 formed to accommodate a separator 53 in a lying position among the multiple separators 53. As a result, even if a separator 53 in a lying position is present between adjacent separators 53 in an upright position, as shown in Figures 16(b) and 16(c), for example, the product P can be stably placed on the placement surface 521a of the endless member 52 without being obstructed by the separator 53 in the lying position.

In this embodiment, the endless member 52 (conveyor chain 521) has an insertion portion 521i that fits into the through-hole 53a of one of the multiple separators 53 that is in a laid-down position. This allows the insertion portion 521i to be provided in the portion of the conveyor chain 521 that is recessed by the separator accommodating recess 522. As a result, the effective range of the product P loading surface on the conveyor chain 521 can be expanded, allowing the product P to be loaded more stably on the endless member 52.

In this embodiment, in the product discharge device 7 for each shelf 4e, each conveyor 5 is directly driven by a drive unit 6 located at its rear end, but the drive system structure is not limited to this.

Figures 18 and 19 are conceptual diagrams illustrating modified examples of the drive system of the product discharge device 7. Figure 18 shows the state when the partition plate 11, described below, is attached (second state, described below), and Figure 19 shows the state when the partition plate 11 is removed (first state, described below). Figure 20 is a side view of the partition plate 11, described below. Note that Figures 18 and 19 are partially enlarged conceptual diagrams of the product discharge device 7 viewed from the rear, showing the two conveyor units 7a on the left side. Also, the conveyor frame 51, separator 53, drive unit frame 61 of the drive unit 6, etc. are omitted from Figures 18 and 19.

The product discharge device 7 according to this modified example further includes a clutch 10 and a partition plate 11. The clutch 10 is provided between the drive-side rotating shaft 57A of one of two adjacent conveyors 5 (i.e., the rotating shaft 57a of the rear sprocket 57) and the drive-side rotating shaft 57A of the other of the two adjacent conveyors 5 (i.e., the rotating shaft 57a of the rear sprocket 57), and intermittently connects the one drive-side rotating shaft 57A and the other drive-side rotating shaft 57A.

Since the product discharge device 7 has six conveyor units 7a arranged in parallel with one another, the product discharge device 7 has five clutches 10 and five partition plates 11. The clutch 10 has a first clutch portion 10a, a second clutch portion 10b arranged opposite the first clutch portion 10a and capable of meshing with the first clutch portion 10a, a first clutch biasing portion 10c that biases the first clutch portion 10a toward the second clutch portion 10b, and a second clutch biasing portion 10d that biases the second clutch portion 10b toward the first clutch portion 10a.

For example, in Figures 18 and 19, the first clutch portion 10a is attached to the right end of the drive-side rotating shaft 57A of the left conveyor 5, and the second clutch portion 10b is attached to the left end of the drive-side rotating shaft 57A of the right conveyor 5, and each clutch biasing portion (10c, 10d) consists of a coil spring.

The partition plate 11 is a plate that separates two adjacent conveyors 5. The partition plate 11 is detachably attached to a support base 12 that is provided between the two adjacent conveyors 5. The support base 12 has, for example, a U-shaped cross section that opens downward and extends over the entire front-to-rear direction of the conveyors 5 between the two adjacent conveyors 5, and is provided so as to cover the clutch 10. In this embodiment, the support base 12 corresponds to the "support member" according to the present invention.

When the partition plate 11 is removed from the support base 12, the clutch 10 enters a first state (see Figure 19) in which rotational power is transmitted between the one drive-side rotating shaft 57A and the other drive-side rotating shaft 57A. When the partition plate 11 is attached to the support base 12, the clutch 10 switches from the first state to a second state (see Figure 18) in which the transmission of rotational power is interrupted.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 20 , the partition plate 11 is formed as a generally rectangular plate elongated in the front-to-rear direction. Multiple mounting claws 11a protrude from the lower end of the partition plate 11. These mounting claws 11a engage with openings (not shown) in the upper end surface of the support base 12, thereby attaching the partition plate 11 to the support base 12. Furthermore, a clutch release claw 11b protrudes from the lower end of the partition plate 11 in a position corresponding to the clutch 10, for releasing the clutch 10. As shown in FIG. 18 , when the partition plate 11 is attached to the support base 12, the clutch release claw 11b passes through the opening 12a in the support base 12 and is inserted between the first clutch portion 10a and the second clutch portion 10b against the biasing forces of the clutch biasing portions (10c, 10d). This switches the clutch 10 from the first state (see FIG. 19 ) to the second state (see FIG. 18 ). Furthermore, as shown in Figure 19, when the partition plate 11 is removed from the support base 12, the first clutch portion 10a and the second clutch portion 10b move toward each other due to the biasing forces of the respective clutch biasing portions (10c, 10d), resulting in them engaging with each other. This switches the clutch 10 from the second state (see Figure 18) to the first state (see Figure 19).

In this modified example, although not shown, a partition plate detection sensor that detects the presence or absence of a partition plate 11 is provided, for example, near the opening 12a on the inner surface of each support base 12. When, for example, a signal indicating the absence of a partition plate (clutch release claw) is input from the partition plate detection sensor, the control unit treats two adjacent conveyors 5 separated by the partition plate 11 as a single conveyor and drives only the conveyor motor (not shown) of the drive unit 6 at the rear of one of the conveyors 5. This drives one conveyor 5, and the rotational power is transmitted to the other conveyor 5 via the clutch 10. As a result, the two adjacent conveyors 5 are driven by the conveyor motor of one drive unit 6. Furthermore, for example, when all partition plates 11 are removed and each clutch 10 is in the first state, the control unit may control the product discharge device 7 to drive only the conveyor motor of one drive unit 6. In this case, rotational power is transmitted sequentially through each clutch 10, and all conveyors 5 in the product discharge device 7 are driven by the conveyor motor of a single drive unit 6.

In the product discharge device 7 according to this modified example, when wide products P that cannot be placed on a single line of conveyors 5, such as boxed lunches, are placed on multiple conveyors 5, the products P can be discharged forward by the multiple conveyors 5. For example, if only a pair of adjacent conveyors 5 of the multiple conveyors 5 in the product discharge device 7 are used as a pair of wide product conveyors, only the partition plate 11 between the pair of wide product conveyors is removed, and the control unit drives the pair of wide product conveyors using the conveyor motor of one of the drive units 6, and individually drives the conveyors 5 other than the pair of wide product conveyors using the conveyor motors of the respective rear drive units 6.

In addition, while in this embodiment and the above-described modified example, the rear sprocket 57 of the conveyor 5 is driven by the drive unit 6, this is not limiting; the front sprocket 56 may also be driven by the drive unit 6. That is, the rotation shaft 56a of the front sprocket 56 may serve as the drive-side rotation shaft, and the conveyor 5 may be front-driven. In this case, although not shown, the drive unit 6 is provided at the front end of the conveyor 5. Specifically, the drive unit 6 includes, for example, a sprocket-side gear connected to the drive-side rotation shaft, which is the rotation shaft 56a of the front sprocket 56, a bucket-side gear provided in the bucket transfer device 9 and meshable with the sprocket-side gear, and a conveyor motor that drives the bucket-side gear meshed with the sprocket-side gear to rotate the rotation shaft 56a (drive-side rotation shaft). In other words, only one bucket-side gear and one conveyor motor are provided in the vending machine 1, and a sprocket-side gear is provided for each conveyor 5.

In the case of front drive, the power transmission mechanism is not limited to the gear meshing mechanism between the sprocket gear and the bucket gear as described above, but a push-type power transmission mechanism may also be employed. In this case, for example, although not shown, the drive unit 6 may include a drive source provided in the bucket transfer device 9 and a push unit driven to move in the front-to-rear direction by the drive source; an operating unit attached to the front end of the conveyor 5 opposite the push unit so as to be slidable in the front-to-rear direction relative to the conveyor frame 51 of the conveyor 5 and pressed by the push unit; a conversion unit (e.g., a rack-and-pinion structure) connected to the rotation shaft 56a of the front sprocket 56 and converting the front-to-rear displacement of the operating unit into displacement in the rotational direction of the rotation shaft 56a (drive-side rotation shaft); and a one-way clutch provided within the conversion unit capable of transmitting only the rotational power in the running direction of the upper running portion 52a to the rotation shaft 56a. In this way, by adopting a push-type power transmission structure, it is possible to drive the conveyor 5 without increasing the positioning precision of the power transmission components, compared to the gear meshing type power transmission structure described above.

Furthermore, in this embodiment and the above-described modified example, the conveyors 5 and the drive units 6 are provided in a one-to-one relationship, but this is not limited thereto, and a drive unit 6 does not have to be provided for each conveyor 5. For example, each product discharge device 7 may be provided with a single drive unit 6 that drives all conveyors 5 via the clutch 10, or may be provided with multiple drive units 6 that drive multiple conveyors 5 via the clutches 10.

Furthermore, in the product discharge device 7, multiple conveyors 5 are arranged in parallel with each other, but this is not limited to this, and the conveyors 5 may also be arranged in a single line.

As shown in Figure 16(d) above, there are cases where product P is placed on the endless member 52 (conveyor chain 521) of the conveyor 5 in a tilted position so that the front of the product P faces diagonally upward and forward. Furthermore, when placed, there may be a relatively wide gap between the product P and the separator 53. Even if the product P is initially placed on the conveyor chain 521 in an upright position as shown in Figure 16(a), the product P may tip backward due to vibrations during transport, resulting in the product P tilting as shown in Figure 16(d). In these cases, if the center of gravity of the product P in the tilted or upright position is below the top of the separator 53 (such as in the case of product P shown in Figure 16(d)), the product P can be transported stably in an upright position.

However, in some cases, the center of gravity of a tilted or upright product P may be located near or above the top edge of the separator 53. In this case, due to vibrations during transport, the lower front portion of the product P (i.e., the lower front corner) may slide against the rear surface B of the upright separator 53, which is located in front of the product P in the direction of travel. The product P may then rotate backward around the top edge of the separator 53, potentially resulting in a tipping over. If this unexpected rotation of the product P occurs, the product P may not be delivered (dispensed) from the product delivery device 7, or may get caught on surrounding elements (e.g., the left and right dividers 11) and be prevented from being transported forward, potentially resulting in problems such as improper delivery or transport of the product P. Furthermore, any products P following the overturned product P may tip over again, causing similar problems for the following products P. When such tipping is a possibility, the following structure is recommended.

Figures 21 to 23 are diagrams illustrating an example of a structure (fall prevention unit) for preventing products P placed on the conveyor 5 (conveyor chain 521) from falling over. Figure 21 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a fall prevention unit, Figure 22 is a rear view of the separator 53 shown in Figure 21, and Figure 23 is a side view (right side view) of the separator 53 shown in Figure 21.

Referring to Figures 21 to 23, a slippage suppression portion 53b that suppresses the edge of the product P from sliding relative to the back surface B is provided in a predetermined area on the back surface B of each of the multiple separators 53. The back surface B of the separator 53 is the rear surface in the running direction of the separator 53 that is in an upright position relative to the conveyor chain 521; in other words, it is the upper surface of the separator 53 that has rotated forward relative to the conveyor chain 521 and is in a lying-down position.

In this way, because the slippage suppression portion 53b is provided on the back surface B of the separator 53, even if the center of gravity of the product P is higher than the top end of the separator 53, as shown in FIG. 21, the end of the product P (in the figure, the lower front corner) is effectively prevented from sliding relative to the back surface B, preventing the product P from tipping backward with the top end of the separator 53 as a fulcrum. As a result, problems with the product P being removed or transported are prevented. Furthermore, equipment malfunctions and damage caused by the product P tipping over are also prevented.

In the example shown in Figures 21 to 23 (hereinafter referred to as this modified example), the slippage suppression portion 53b is a plurality of protrusions 53b1 arranged at a distance from one another (see the enlarged view of the circled area in Figure 23). This allows the end of the tilted product P to be caught and locked onto the plurality of protrusions 53b1, preventing further rotation of the product P. As a result, the product P is reliably prevented from tipping backward with the upper end of the separator 53 as a fulcrum.

Specifically, in this modified example, the multiple protrusions 53b1 are spaced apart from one another in the vertical direction, and each of the multiple protrusions 53b1 is a ridge extending in the separator width direction on the back surface B. In other words, the multiple protrusions 53b1 are spaced apart from one another in the vertical direction on the back surface B of the separator 53 in an upright position, and each protrusion 53b1 is a ridge extending in the separator width direction (left and right direction) and protruding rearward. This more reliably prevents the end of the product P from sliding up and down relative to the back surface B of the separator 53, and also more reliably prevents the end of the product P from tipping backward because the end of the product P is locked at a predetermined locking width in the separator width direction.

In this modified example, the predetermined area on the back surface B where the slippage suppression portion 53b is provided is set in a portion of the back surface B. Specifically, although not particularly limited, the predetermined area is a portion along at least one edge of the back surface B in the separator width direction (in the figure, a portion along both edges), and is set in two separate locations, left and right. In other words, in this modified example, the slippage suppression portion 53b is provided in a portion having a predetermined width along one edge of the back surface B of the separator 53 in the separator width direction, and in a portion having a predetermined width along the other edge of the back surface B of the separator 53 in the separator width direction. In other words, the predetermined area is set in two regions separated left and right (widthwise) on the back surface B of the separator 53, and the slippage suppression portion 53b is provided on both sides of the separator 53, avoiding the center portion in the width direction. In this way, by providing the slip suppression portion 53b on only part of the back surface B rather than the entire surface, the cost of forming the slip suppression portion 53b is reduced. Furthermore, by providing the slip suppression portion 53b on both sides of the width of the back surface B of the separator 53, slippage is prevented at both ends of the separator width at the lower front corners of the product P, and tipping of the product P in the left-right direction is more reliably prevented.

Specifically, in this modified example, although not particularly limited, in the portion along the right edge of the separator width direction on the back surface B, the slip suppression portion 53b is formed in the area above the protrusion forming arm 539, and in the portion along the left edge of the separator width direction on the back surface B, the slip suppression portion 53b is formed over the entire upper and lower range. Note that the predetermined area on the back surface B where the slip suppression portion 53b is provided is not limited to two areas on the left and right, and can be set as appropriate. Modifications to the predetermined area will be described later.

In this modified example, each protrusion 53b1 consisting of a ridge is arranged at equal intervals in the vertical direction. Although not shown, each protrusion 53b1 may be arranged at unequal intervals, i.e., at an irregular pitch, or the pitch may change midway in the vertical direction.

In this modification, when viewed in vertical cross section of the separator 53 in an upright position, each protrusion 53b1, consisting of a ridge, extends in the width direction and has a triangular cross-section with its lower portion extending substantially horizontally (in other words, as shown in the enlarged view in FIG. 23, a substantially right-angled triangle with its hypotenuse pointing upward). This allows the end of the product P to be more securely locked onto the protrusion 53b1. Although not shown, the cross-sectional shape of each protrusion 53b1 is not limited to this, and it may also be a triangular cross-section with its lower portion inclined toward the placement surface 521a as it extends rearward, which further improves locking. The cross-sectional shape of each protrusion 53b1 may be any suitable triangle (mountain shape) including a substantially right-angled triangle with its hypotenuse pointing downward, an isosceles triangle, or an equilateral triangle, or a rectangle, or any combination thereof. The tip of the protrusion 53b1 is preferably rounded because it is the main point of contact with the product P.

In this modified example, the protrusion length of each protrusion 53b1 in the separator thickness direction is set to a predetermined length. In other words, the multiple protrusions 53b1 protrude uniformly with the same protrusion length. Note that, although not shown, the multiple protrusions 53b1 do not have to protrude uniformly (with a constant protrusion length); protrusions 53b1 with long protrusion lengths and protrusions 53b1 with short protrusion lengths may be mixed.

In this modified example, the slip suppression portion 53b is formed integrally with the separator 53. Specifically, because the separator 53 is made of a resin material as described above, the slip suppression portion 53b is molded integrally with the separator 53 by injection molding or the like, and an integrally molded product of the separator 53 and the slip suppression portion 53b is used. Alternatively, a separator molded product having an increased thickness corresponding to the protruding length of the slip suppression portion 53b may be produced, and then grooves may be machined into this separator molded product to form the slip suppression portion 53b on the back surface B of the separator 53. In other words, a separator molded product having a processing allowance for forming the slip suppression portion may be machined into a groove (recess) to form an integral product of the separator 53 and the slip suppression portion 53b.

In this modified example, the separators 53 and the slippage suppressing portions 53b of each separator 53 are made of a transparent material. Specifically, the integrally molded product or the integrated product of the separators 53 and the slippage suppressing portions 53b is made of a transparent resin material. This allows the front-row product P (see the front-row product _P1 (P) shown in FIG. 17 for details) that is placed behind the front-row separator 53 and is the next product to be dispensed to be visible from the front side of the vending machine 1 through the front-row separator 53 and the slippage suppressing portions 53b. In particular, by providing the slippage suppressing portions 53b only in the regions of both edges of the separators 53 as in this modified example, tipping is prevented without impairing the appearance of the product as much as possible.

Figure 24 is a conceptual diagram illustrating variations in the range in which the slip suppression portion 53b is provided. In Figures 21 to 23, the slip suppression portion 53b is provided in two regions, left and right, on the back surface B of the separator 53, but this is not limited to this. For example, the slip suppression portion 53b may be provided in at least one region (two regions in the figure) between the two left and right regions on the back surface B of the separator 53, as shown in Figure 24(a), or may be provided in multiple regions (two regions in the figure) separated vertically from the two left and right regions, as shown in Figure 24(b).

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 24(c), the slippage suppression portion 53b may be provided over the entire back surface B. In other words, the predetermined area may be set over the entire back surface B of the separator 53. This effectively prevents tipping not only for standard box-shaped products, but also for irregularly shaped products placed in thin bags. While the separator 53 has a through hole 53a, as shown in FIG. 24(d), the through hole 53a may not be formed. Furthermore, the intermediate plate 533 may extend to the lower ends of the left and right plate portions (531, 532). In this case (as in FIG. 24(d)), the overall area of the back surface B of the separator 53 is increased, and the slippage suppression portion 53b is provided over the entire wide back surface B, thereby more effectively preventing tipping. If no through holes 53a are formed in the separators 53, the conveyor chains 521 can be divided into two types: one with a separator 53 connected, and one without a separator 53 connected, as shown in Figure 26 (described later). In the case of the separator 53 shown in Figure 24(d), although not shown, the slippage suppression portions 53b may be provided in multiple regions separated vertically. In the above example (see Figures 22 to 24), the protrusions 53b1 (an example of the protrusions) extend continuously and uninterruptedly in the separator width direction (left-right direction) within the range of the set predetermined region. However, this is not limited thereto, and the protrusions may be provided intermittently in the separator width direction (in other words, scattered) within the set predetermined region (each range in Figures 22 to 24).

Figure 25 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a modified example of the slip suppression portion 53b. While the aforementioned slip suppression portion 53b is a plurality of protrusions 53b1 formed integrally with the separator 53, the present invention is not limited to this. The slip suppression portion 53b may also be a sheet-like member 53b2 attached to the predetermined area. The sheet-like member 53b2 serving as the slip suppression portion 53b has a higher coefficient of friction than the coefficient of friction of the back surface B of the separator 53, at least on the surface opposite the surface attached to the predetermined area. The sheet-like member 53b2 is a sheet-like member made of an adhesive material, such as a gel-like silicone material, and the coefficient of friction of at least the surface opposite the attached surface (i.e., the surface facing the product P when attached to the separator 53 in an upright position) of the sheet-like member 53b2 is higher than the coefficient of friction of the back surface B of the separator 53. The surface of sheet-like member 53b2 opposite the attached surface is, for example, a flat surface as shown in FIG. 25. This prevents product P from tipping over, similar to the multiple protrusions 53b1. Note that fine irregularities may be formed on the surface opposite the attached surface. In other words, sheet-like member 53b2 as slip-suppressing member 53b may be an anti-slip sheet with fine irregularities on the surface opposite the attached surface (for example, a sandpaper sheet or a sheet with a fine shark skin-like surface).

Figure 26 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example in which an auxiliary separator 53c is provided on a separator 53. Separator 53 may be provided with an auxiliary separator 53c to more reliably prevent product P with a high center of gravity, as shown in Figure 26, from tipping over. The auxiliary separator 53c is supported at its end by separator 53 so as to be rotatable around a shaft 53c1 extending in the width direction and provided at the top of separator 53. In this case, separator 53 does not have a through hole 53a. Instead, a recess 53d capable of accommodating auxiliary separator 53c is provided on the surface of separator 53 opposite back surface B. Furthermore, auxiliary separator 53c is biased in the rotational direction to be accommodated in recess 53d of separator 53 by a biasing member, such as a coil spring (not shown). Therefore, unless an external force is applied to the auxiliary separator 53c, the biasing force of the biasing member keeps the auxiliary separator 53c housed in the recess 53d of the separator 53, as shown in the auxiliary separator 53c on the far right in Figure 26. When placing a tall product, the auxiliary separator 53c can be manually rotated upright by an operator or other person as needed, and in this state, the product P can be propped up against the upper end of the auxiliary separator 53c (see the auxiliary separators 53c on the far left and in the center in Figure 26). The upright auxiliary separator 53c is biased in a direction that rotates it forward (toward the recess 53d). Therefore, the biasing force of the biasing member acts on the product P as an auxiliary force to push the product P from the rear as it falls naturally (under its own weight) when it is being transported.

In the example shown in Figure 26, the conveyor chain 521 does not have the insertion portion 521i or the separator accommodating recess 522, and the upper surface of the conveyor chain 521 is formed as a flat surface. The conveyor chains 521 are divided into two types: those to which a separator 53 is connected, and those to which a separator 53 is not connected. The convex portion 521b of the conveyor chain 521 to which a separator 53 is connected protrudes above the upper surface of the conveyor chain 521, and the convex portion 521b of the conveyor chain 521 to which a separator 53 is not connected does not protrude above the upper surface of the conveyor chain 521.

The above describes embodiments and variations of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and variations, and further modifications and variations are possible based on the technical concept of the present invention.

Furthermore, when focusing on measures to suppress slippage, the product discharge device 7 does not need to have the upright member 54, but only needs to include at least the slippage suppression unit 53b. In other words, the product discharge device 7 includes a conveyor 5 having an endless member 52 wound around a front sprocket (front rotating member) 56 and a rear sprocket (rear rotating member) 57, and multiple separators 53 connected to the endless member 52 at intervals so that each separator 53 can rotate between an upright position relative to the endless member 52 and a reclined position relative to the endless member 52. The product discharge device 7 discharges products P placed on the upper running portion 52a forward by causing the upper running portion 52a of the endless member 52 to travel forward. The product discharge device 7 has a slippage suppression unit 53b in a predetermined area on the back surface B of each of the multiple separators 53 to suppress the end of the product P from sliding relative to the back surface B. This effectively suppresses slippage of the product P.

1...vending machine, 4c...product outlet, 5...conveyor, 52...endless member, 52a...upper running portion, 521i...insertion portion, 522...separator storage recess (recess), 53...separator, 53a...through hole, 53b...slip prevention portion, 53b1...protrusion, 53b2...sheet-like member, 537...upper protrusion, 538...lower protrusion, 54...standing member, 54c...guide groove portion, 55...falling member, 55a...tip portion, 55b...base portion, 56...front sprocket (front rotating member), 56a...rotating shaft, 57...rear sprocket (rear rotating member), 57a...rotating shaft, 57A...drive-side rotating shaft, 7...product discharge device, 9...bucket transfer device (product transfer device), 10...clutch, 11...partition plate, B...back surface, P...product

Claims (13)

A product discharging device includes a conveyor having an endless member wound around a front rotating member and a rear rotating member, and a plurality of separators connected to the endless member at intervals from each other so as to be rotatable between an upright position in which the endless member is upright and a laid-down position in which the separators are laid-down relative to the endless member, and the device carries products placed on the upper running portion forward by causing the upper running portion of the endless member to travel forward,
The conveyor is
an upright member that is disposed near the rear rotating member and that comes into contact with a separator among the plurality of separators that is in the laid-down position and moves near the rear rotating member, thereby rotating the separator toward the upright position and uprighting the separator;
a tilting member that is disposed near the front rotating member and that comes into contact with a separator among the plurality of separators that is in the upright position and moves near the front rotating member, thereby rotating the separator in the direction of the tilted position and tilting the separator;
Including,
the tilting member is disposed to the side of the front rotation member and above a rotation axis of the front rotation member,
each of the plurality of separators has a lower protrusion that is located below a connection portion of the separator to the endless member in the upright position and that protrudes outward from one end surface of the endless member in the width direction;
The product discharge device, wherein the tilting member has a tip end provided to be positioned on the movement trajectory of the lower protrusion and a base end supported so as to be rotatable in the tilting direction of the separator. A product discharging device includes a conveyor having an endless member wound around a front rotating member and a rear rotating member, and a plurality of separators connected to the endless member at intervals from each other so as to be rotatable between an upright position in which the endless member is upright and a laid-down position in which the separators are laid-down relative to the endless member, and the device carries products placed on the upper running portion forward by causing the upper running portion of the endless member to travel forward,
the conveyor includes an upright member that is disposed near the rear rotating member and that comes into contact with a separator among the plurality of separators that is in the laid-down position and moves near the rear rotating member, thereby rotating the separator toward the upright position and uprighting the separator;
the upright member is disposed to the side of the rear rotation member and above a rotation axis of the rear rotation member,
each of the plurality of separators has an upper protrusion that is located above a connection portion of the separator to the endless member in the upright position and that protrudes outward from one end surface of the endless member in the width direction;
The standing member has a guide groove portion that receives the upper protrusion of a separator that moves around the rear rotating member among the plurality of separators and rotates the separator in the direction of the standing posture , in a product discharging device. A product discharging device includes a conveyor having an endless member wound around a front rotating member and a rear rotating member, and a plurality of separators connected to the endless member at intervals from each other so as to be rotatable between an upright position in which the endless member is upright and a laid-down position in which the separators are laid-down relative to the endless member, and the device carries products placed on the upper running portion forward by causing the upper running portion of the endless member to travel forward,
the conveyor includes an upright member that is disposed near the rear rotating member and that comes into contact with a separator among the plurality of separators that is in the laid-down position and moves near the rear rotating member, thereby rotating the separator toward the upright position and uprighting the separator;
The endless member has a recess formed so as to be able to accommodate one of the plurality of separators in the laid-down position. Each of the plurality of separators has a through hole formed therethrough in a thickness direction thereof,
4. The product discharge device according to claim 1 , wherein the endless member has a fitting portion that fits into the through-hole of one of the plurality of separators that is in the laid-down position. The product dispensing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein a sliding suppression portion is provided in a predetermined area on the back surface of each of the plurality of separators to suppress sliding of the end portion of the product relative to the back surface. The product discharge device according to claim 5 , wherein the predetermined area is set in a portion along at least one edge of the rear surface in the separator width direction. The product dispensing device according to claim 5 or 6 , wherein the slippage suppressing portion is a plurality of protrusions arranged spaced apart from each other. The product discharge device according to claim 7 , wherein the plurality of protrusions are spaced apart from one another in the vertical direction, and each of the plurality of protrusions is a ridge extending in the separator width direction on the rear surface. the slippage suppression portion is a sheet-like member attached to the predetermined area,
The product dispensing device according to any one of claims 5 to 8 , wherein the sheet-like member has a higher coefficient of friction than the back surface at least on the surface opposite to the surface attached to the predetermined area. The product dispensing device according to any one of claims 5 to 9 , wherein the plurality of separators and the slippage suppressing portion are made of a transparent material. A plurality of the conveyors are arranged in parallel with each other,
The product discharging device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 , wherein a drive-side rotation shaft, which is a rotation shaft of either the front-side rotation member or the rear-side rotation member, is rotationally driven. a clutch provided between the drive-side rotating shaft of one of the two adjacent conveyors and the drive-side rotating shaft of the other of the two adjacent conveyors, for intermittently connecting the one drive-side rotating shaft and the other drive-side rotating shaft;
a partition plate that separates the two adjacent conveyors and is detachably attached to a support member provided between the two adjacent conveyors;
Including,
The clutch is configured to be in a first state in which rotational power is transmitted between the one drive-side rotating shaft and the other drive-side rotating shaft when the partition plate is detached from the support member, and to be switched from the first state to a second state in which transmission of the rotational power is interrupted when the partition plate is attached to the support member.
The product dispensing device according to claim 11 . The product discharging device according to any one of claims 1 to 12 ;
a product take-out port through which a user can take out the product;
a product transfer device capable of transferring the product between the product discharge device and the product take-out port;
Including,
Vending machine.