JPH11154266A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to carry out commodities of various shapes by one carrying mechanism wherein generation of noises and occurrence of a foaming phenomenon is suppressed at the time of vending each commodity in a see-through type automatic vending machine. SOLUTION: Plural columns 22 each of which store commodities arranged in the back-and-forth direction are vertically and horizontally arranged. A commodity carrying means 44 is arranged in the front of these columns 22 so as to be vertically and horizontally moved, and at the time of vending a commodity, the means 44 is moved from a prescribed waiting position W to the front of the optical column 22. Then the means 44 extracts a commodity S1 arranged on the frontmost line of the column, carries the commodity S1 to a commodity take-out port 34 by moving in the vertical and horizontal directions again and then returns to the waiting position W.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, vending machines for selling products such as beverage cans and bottles such as coffee, juice and tea have been provided with a plurality of serpentine columns in a product storage room. Are stacked and stored, and a commodity at the lowermost end is dropped and slid down by its own weight by a bend mechanism, which is a commodity dispensing device provided at the lowermost end of each column, and is discharged to a commodity outlet.

[0003]

However, in such a structure in which the product is dropped from the column and discharged, the impact sound when the product is dropped is large, and the noise becomes a problem. Also,
When the product is a carbonated beverage or the like, there is a problem that a so-called forming phenomenon is caused by the impact or vibration of the above-mentioned dropping and sliding, and the contents are blown out at the time of opening to impair the merchantability.

[0004] In addition, the above-mentioned bend mechanism, which is a serpentine column merchandise dispensing apparatus, can only sell merchandise in a sideways posture, and has merchandise other than a square or other cylindrical shape (for example, a PET bottle or the like). Paper packs, etc.) cannot be discharged well. Further, in the case of a serpentine column, it is necessary to set the size and shape of the column and the bend mechanism depending on the shape of the product, exclusively for the product. Further, since such a bend mechanism uses a solenoid coil, there is a problem in that noise is generated when goods are dispensed.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, it is possible to sell products of various shapes with one transport mechanism, it is possible to prevent noise during the sale of the products and to reduce the merchantability. The purpose is to provide a vending machine.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine, wherein a plurality of columns for storing goods arranged in a front-rear direction are arranged vertically and horizontally within a cabinet of the vending machine. Commodity transport means for transporting the product in each column to a product outlet on the front of the cabinet is arranged movably up and down and left and right in front of the plurality of columns. Is obtained by moving to the front of the column and obtaining a product lined up in the front row of the column, moving from there to the product outlet and transporting the product to the product outlet.

In the vending machine according to the first aspect, the goods transport means moves up, down, left, and right to go to the column where the goods to be sold are stored, and then move up, down, left, and right. Since the product is transported to the product outlet, the product receives less impact and vibration than a product in which the lowermost product is dropped and slid down by its own weight and discharged by a conventional bend mechanism. Therefore, the noise can be reduced and the forming phenomenon can be suppressed. In addition, since the commodity transport means is moved up, down, left, and right to receive and transport the commodity in each column, the commodity can be sold by one commodity transport means. In addition, cans, bottles,
Since beverage containers such as PET bottles and paper packs can be stored in an upright state and sold in that position, even non-circular products such as squares can be carried well.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine, wherein a transparent plate is provided on a front surface of the cabinet, and goods inside the cabinet can be seen from outside through the transparent plate. It is preferably applied to a so-called see-through type vending machine. In the case of the see-through type, since the movement of the goods transport means moving up, down, left, and right can be seen from the outside, the interest of the customer can be attracted, which leads to sales promotion.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the vending machine includes a left-right moving means for moving the goods conveying means in the left-right direction, and a vertical moving means for moving the goods conveying means in the vertical direction. At the time of product sales, by operating these moving means, the product transport means,
It may be configured to move from a predetermined standby position to the front of one column, obtain the product in the front row of the column, move the product to the product outlet, and then return to the standby position.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the first aspect, the commodity transport means includes an arm for grasping the commodity, and grasps the commodity in the front row of the column when the commodity is sold, and takes out the commodity from the column. It is characterized in that the product is conveyed to the product outlet in this gripped state.

If the product is directly grasped and taken out of the column as described above, there is no need to incorporate a motor for each column and send the product to the product conveying means.

In this case, as in claim 5, the commodity conveying means may include a forward / backward moving means for moving the arm in the forward / backward direction.

[0013] By this front-rear direction moving means, when the goods transport means moves to the front of one column at the time of selling goods,
The arm is moved backward to retrieve the product in the front row of the column, and after the arm grasps the product, the arm is moved forward. Thereby, the product in the front row is taken out of the column.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the arms of the article conveying means are paired on the left and right to hold the article in a pair, and the arms are biased to a closed state so as to attract each other. Biasing means, a cam for opening and closing the holding body by rotating about a vertical axis, and a motor for rotating the cam.
The cam may be configured to open the holding body against the urging force of the urging means by rotating, and to return the holding body to the closed state by further rotating １ ／.

[0015] In this case, the holding plate is kept closed in the sales standby state. And at the time of product sale, 1 /
The product is held in the front row of the column by rotating the holding plate four times, and the product is held in the closed state by rotating the holding plate one fourth more. In this state, the product is moved to the product outlet, the cam is rotated by 1/4 at the product outlet to open the holding plate, the product is released, and then further rotated by 1/4, the closing plate is closed and sold. Return to the standby state. In this way, since only one rotation of the cam is required to perform one product selling operation, the selling time is shortened. In addition, since only one rotation driving direction of the motor is required, the life of the motor can be extended.

[0016] In the above-mentioned claim 4, further,
As described in claim 7, the arm portion of the product transport means includes a plurality of upper and lower pairs of a pair of left and right holding members for holding the product, and each pair of holding members independently holds the product. May be.

In this way, the arm for grasping the product is divided into a plurality of pairs up and down, and each pair independently sandwiches the product. It is possible to follow the shape of the product even if the product is enclosed. Therefore, various and various commodities can be held in a stable state, and the commodities can be reliably sold. In addition, since the product is supported at a plurality of points, the force for pinching the product can be reduced as compared with the case where the holding body includes only one pair of left and right, and the product can be prevented from being damaged.

In this case, an urging means for urging the holding members in a closed state so as to attract each other is provided for each pair of holding members. A cam that is opened at a time may be provided.

In this case, the cam opens the plural pairs of holding members at one time against the biasing force of the biasing means provided on each of the pair of clamping members. Then, when holding the product, the plurality of pairs of holding bodies independently hold the product by the urging forces of the respective urging means.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine according to the first aspect, wherein each of the columns is provided with a commodity sending means for sequentially sending the commodity forward, and the receiving section for receiving the sent commodity in the commodity carrying means. Is provided, and at the time of sale of the product, the product transport means receives the product sent by the product feed means and transports the product to the product outlet.

[0021] In this case, as described in claim 10, the column accommodates a product such as a beverage container in an upright state, and the receiving portion of the product transporting means is open at a front surface and a rear surface thereof. Is also good.

With this arrangement, the product sent from the column is received and placed in the receiving portion in an upright state from the back, and is conveyed to the product outlet in the loaded state, and is taken out of the receiving portion as it is from the front surface of the receiving portion. be able to.
As described above, the product can be discharged in an upright state without falling down, so that the forming phenomenon can be more reliably prevented, and the lowering of the product quality can be prevented.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the column stores a product such as a beverage container in an upright state, and a front surface of a receiving portion of the product conveying means is closed by an openable and closable front plate. The front plate of the receiving portion may be configured to be opened when the product conveying means is located at a product outlet.

The front plate prevents the product from coming into contact with the front surface of the cabinet or dropping when the product is sent out from the column or when the product is transported. Therefore, by configuring such a front plate as detachable and detachable at the product outlet, the product can be discharged in an upright state at the product outlet while preventing contact with the cabinet and falling.

In the case where the front plate is detachably detached and removed at the commodity outlet, the commodity transport means may enter the commodity outlet from above and reach the commodity outlet. When the product transport means has moved to the product outlet, the front plate of the receiving portion,
With the lowering of the product conveying means, the product may be pushed up by a pusher provided above the product outlet, and the front plate may be opened.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the article transporting means includes a front plate opening / closing means for moving the front plate of the receiving portion up and down. The front plate of the receiving portion may be opened by moving the receiving portion downward.

[0027] The vending machine according to the fourteenth aspect is the ninth aspect.
In the above, the receiving portion of the product transport means includes a bottom plate, left and right side plates, and a front plate, and the bottom plate is moved at the product outlet, whereby the product placed on the bottom plate is discharged to the product outlet. It is characterized by being performed.

By providing the front plate in the receiving portion as described above, it is possible to prevent the product from coming into contact with the front of the cabinet or to drop, and to discharge the product by moving the bottom plate at the product outlet. Is also possible.

[0029] In this case, the product transport means is configured to enter the product outlet from above and to reach the product outlet, and the product transport means is configured to have the product outlet. The bottom plate of the receiving part is pushed up by the pusher provided at the upper part of the product outlet with the lowering of the product conveying means, and the product is discharged to the product outlet. May be performed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the article transporting means includes a bottom plate tilting means for tilting the bottom plate of the receiving portion, and at the product outlet, the tilting means tilts the bottom plate to transfer the product. You may make it discharge to an outlet.

[0031]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a vending machine 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the vending machine 10, and FIG. FIG.

The vending machine 10 is a vending machine that sells beverage containers (hereinafter, referred to as commodities) such as cans, PET bottles, and paper packs, and is the so-called see-through vending machine described above.

The vending machine 10 has a main body 1 opening forward.
6 and a front door 12 for opening and closing the front surface thereof. A transparent glass 18 is incorporated in the front door 12 so that the product S inside the cabinet can be seen from the outside via the glass 18. That is, the main body 16 is provided with an exhibition storage room 14 in which products to be sold are displayed and stored. The transparent area 19 of the front door 12 in which the glass 18 is incorporated is provided at the front of the display storage room 14. It is formed in a region that covers almost the entire area.

In the display storage room 14, storage shelves 20 for storing products are arranged in multiple stages in the vertical direction. In each of the storage shelves 20, a plurality of columns 22 for storing the products S arranged in the front-rear direction (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as z-axis direction) are arranged in the left-right direction (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as x-axis direction). ing.
Thus, in the display storage room 14, the columns 22 are arranged in a plurality of rows in the left-right direction and in a plurality of stages in the up-down direction (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the y-axis direction).

As shown in FIG. 2, each column 22 is provided with a pusher 23 for pushing the product S forward. The pusher 23 is configured to bias the products S arranged front and rear by a biasing means (not shown) such as a spring forward.

As shown in FIG. 1, a non-transparent area 24 is provided on the front door 12 beside the transparent area 19. In front of the non-transparent area 24, a product selection button 26 for selecting a product and a price display unit 28 for displaying the price of the product.
A coin insertion slot 30 for inserting coins, a change payout outlet 32 for paying change, and a product outlet 34 for taking out goods.
Is provided. The non-transparent region 24 is a portion that cannot be made transparent because there are a money processing unit such as the coin insertion slot 30, an operation unit such as the product selection button 26, and a product outlet 34.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the main body 16 located behind the non-transparent area 24, a spare storage room 3 in which a spare product for replenishing the product S in the exhibition storage room 14 is stored.
6 are provided. The spare storage room 36 is separated from the exhibition storage room 14 so as to be set at substantially the same temperature as the display storage room 14. As in the case of the exhibition storage room 14, storage shelves 38 are arranged vertically in multiple stages, and a plurality of columns 40 are arranged on the left and right to store products arranged side by side in the front-rear direction. The storage shelf 38 may be provided integrally with the storage shelf 20 of the exhibition storage room 14 or may be provided separately. The columns 22 and 40 are detachable from the storage shelves 20 and 38. When the columns 22 in the display storage room 14 become empty, the columns 22 and 40 are immediately replaced by the columns 40 in the spare storage room 36. It is possible to increase sales efficiency by enabling sales.

The front door 1 in the non-transparent area 24
2 is coated with a heat insulating material in order to prevent heat leakage, dew condensation, and trouble in electronic equipment due to cooling (or heating) in the refrigerator.

On the front surface of the glass 18 of the front door 12, a transparent film switch 42 for selecting a product is provided at a position facing each column 22 of the exhibition storage room 14. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the transparent film switch 42 includes a strip-shaped transparent film 42a attached to the surface of the glass 18 and a transparent film attached to the surface of the film 42a at a position facing each column 22. Piece 42
b on the opposing surfaces of the film 42a and the film piece 42b in a predetermined pattern by a printing technique or the like.
3a and 43b are formed, and by pressing the surface of the film piece 42b, the two conductive layers 43a and 43b are brought into contact with each other and energized, whereby a product is selected.

The vending machine 10 includes a manipulator 4 as a product transporting means for transporting the product S to the product outlet 34.
4 is provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the manipulator 44 is arranged so as to be able to move vertically and horizontally in a space between the plurality of columns 22 and the front door 12.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, a pair of y-axis rails 46,
An x-axis rail 48 extending in the x-axis direction extends between the pair of y-axis rails 46, 46.
The manipulator 44 is arranged on the shaft rail 48 so as to run.

At both ends of the x-axis rail 48, a pair of left and right sprockets 50, 50 are arranged.
0, a forward / reverse drive motor 52 is connected, and a running belt 54 is stretched between the two sprockets 50, 50.
Further, a manipulator 44 is connected to the traveling belt 54 so that the manipulator 44 is guided by the x-axis rail 48 and travels left and right.

A pair of upper and lower sprockets 56, 56 are disposed at both ends of the y-axis rail 46. The sprockets 56 are mounted on horizontal shafts 58, 58 so as to interlock between the pair of y-axis rails 46, 46. Are linked. A forward / reverse rotation motor 60 is connected to the lower shaft 58, and a traveling belt 62 is stretched between a pair of upper and lower sprockets 56, 56.
2 are connected to both ends of an x-axis rail 48 so that the x-axis rail 48 is guided by the y-axis rails 46 and runs vertically.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the manipulator 44 has an arm portion 64 for gripping the product S by a pair of left and right holding plates 63, 63. The arm 64 grasps the product S by the action of a spring 65 for urging the holding plate 63 to a closed state and an opening / closing cam 67 connected to a motor 66, and the product S
Are configured to be separated from each other.

Specifically, the pair of holding plates 63, 63
Each of the front ends is rotatably attached to a vertical shaft 63a, and the rear part is configured to open and close. The pair of holding plates 63, 63 are provided with springs 65 disposed therebetween.
Are biased to attract each other. An opening / closing cam 67 for opening and closing the pair of holding plates 63, 63 is provided. The opening / closing cam 67 has a flat, substantially plate-like shape, and is mounted upright on a vertical rotating shaft 67 a connected to the motor 66. The opening / closing cam 67 is rotated by 90 ° by the motor 66.
An engagement protrusion 67b projecting in the shape of a cross is provided at the lower end of the cover, and an angle detection switch 70 for detecting the rotation angle of the opening / closing cam 67 by engaging with the engagement protrusion 67b is provided. The opening / closing cam 67 is opened by pushing the holding plate 63 against the urging force of the spring 65 when the opening / closing cam 67 is driven by the motor 66 to be in a posture parallel to the front surface of the column 22 as shown in FIG. 8B, and then, as shown in FIG. 8B, the holding plates 63 are pulled toward each other by a spring 65 to be in a closed state by being in a vertical posture with respect to the front surface of the column 22. I have.

The arm 64 is arranged movably in the z-axis direction with respect to the base 45 of the manipulator 44 running on the x-axis rail 48. That is, the arm 64 is guided by the z-axis rail 68 provided on the base 45 and is moved back and forth by the motor 69. Reference numeral 71 denotes the arm 6
4 illustrates a front / rear position detection switch for detecting the front / rear position.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the non-transparent region 24 of the front door 12, a transport means operation button 72 for selecting a product by operating the manipulator 44 and moving it to the front of an arbitrary column 22 is provided. Is provided. By using the transport means operation button 72, the manipulator 44 can be moved in front of the desired column 22 while moving the manipulator 44 up, down, left and right, and an operation of taking out the product S in the column 22 can be performed.

Next, a description will be given of a product unloading operation in the vending machine 10.

In the sales standby state, the manipulator 4
4 stands by at a predetermined standby position W as shown in FIG. In this state, the arm 6 of the manipulator 44
4 holds the holding plate 63 in a closed state by setting the opening / closing cam 67 in a vertical position with respect to the front surface of the column 22, whereby the tension of the spring 65 is reduced.

At the time of product sale, the non-transparent area 2 of the front door 12
When a product is selected by the product selection button 26 of No. 4 or the transparent film switch 42 on the front of the glass 18, the x-axis rail 48
Then, the manipulator 44 is moved from the standby position W to the front of the column 22 in which the product is stored by appropriately operating the motors 52 and 60 disposed at the terminals of the y-axis rail 46.

Then, the arm S 64 of the manipulator 44 takes out the commodity S 1 in the front row of the column 22. More specifically, first, the opening / closing cam 67 is rotated by 90 ° by the motor 66 so as to be in a parallel posture with respect to the front surface of the column, so that the arm portion 64 is opened, that is, the product receiving state. Then, as shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 8 (a), the arm 69 is moved backward by driving the motor 69 with the arm 64 open,
The movement is stopped by the detection of the front / rear position detection switch 71. Here, the opening / closing cam 67 is further rotated by 90 ° so as to be in a vertical position with respect to the front surface of the column, so that the holding plate 63 is in the closed state and the frontmost product S1 is gripped. After that, as shown in FIGS. 7B and 8B, the arm 64 is moved forward by the driving of the motor 69 until the front / rear position detecting switch 71 detects the arm. As shown in FIG. 7, a flange 22a for locking the product pushed out by the pusher 23 is provided upright at the front end of each column 22, so that the arm portion 64 moves slightly upward. Is moved forward.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG.
With the gripper, the manipulator 44 is moved to the rear surface of the product outlet 34 by appropriately operating the motors 52 and 60 again. And manipulator 4
The product S1 is released from the arm 64 of the product 4 and the product exit 3
Discharge to 4. Specifically, at the product outlet 34,
After the arm portion 64 is moved backward, the opening and closing cam 67 is further rotated by 90 ° to open the arm portion 64 to place the product S1 in the product outlet. The operation of placing the product S1 at the product outlet 34 in this manner is effective in preventing the product S1 from being damaged and from forming.

Thereafter, the opening / closing cam 67 is further rotated by 90 ° so that the arm portion 64 is closed so that the tension of the spring 65 is small, and the manipulator 44 is moved to the standby position W.

In the vending machine 10 of this embodiment, the manipulator 44 is moved up, down, left and right to
The product S is picked up and transported to the product outlet 34, so that the impact and vibration received by the product S are small.
The noise can be reduced and the forming phenomenon can be suppressed. In addition, this one manipulator 44 can satisfactorily carry out products other than cylindrical products such as a square product.

In addition, the transport operation of the manipulator 44 up, down, left, and right can attract customers' interest, which leads to sales promotion.

Further, the product S is controlled by the manipulator 44.
Is directly grasped and taken out from the column 22, so that each column 22 only needs to be provided with a pusher 23 for urging the product S forward, and as in the embodiment described later, There is no need to incorporate a motor and send out products from the column 22.

Further, in the arm portion 64 of the manipulator 44, the opening / closing cam 67 is rotated by 1/4 turn at a time, thereby switching the opening and closing of the holding plate 63. It can be opened and closed twice. Therefore, only one rotation of the opening / closing cam 67 is required to perform the merchandise selling operation once, thereby shortening the selling time. In addition, since the rotation of the motor 66 only needs to be performed in one direction, the life of the motor can be extended.

In the above embodiment, the xy rail is formed by extending the x-axis rail 48 between the pair of left and right y-axis rails 46, 46. However, the y-axis rail is formed between the pair of upper and lower x-axis rails. To form an xy rail so that the manipulator 44 can be moved up, down, left and right.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show modifications of the arm 64 of the manipulator 44 of the above embodiment.

In this example, as shown in FIG.
Is provided with a plurality of upper and lower pairs of left and right sandwiching plates 63, 63 for sandwiching the product S. Each pair of holding plates 63, 63 is provided with a spring 65 for urging the left and right holding plates 63, 63 so as to attract each other so that the product S can be held independently of each other. I have.

In this case, when the manipulator 44 moves to the front of one column 22 and the opening / closing cam 67 rotates 90 ° at the time of selling the product, a plurality of pairs of holding plates 63, 63 are provided.
Are opened at a time by this one opening / closing cam 67, and have a uniform opening width so that there is no resistance to receiving the product S1 as shown in FIG. And goods S1
, The opening / closing cam 67 is further rotated by 90 °. At this time, the left and right sides of the plural pairs of holding plates 63, 63... Perform pulling operation (FIG. 10)
(B)). Therefore, even if it is a PET bottle product whose central part is constricted as shown in FIG. 9, it is possible to hold a good product following the product shape. In addition, since the holding force can be dispersed by holding with the plurality of pairs of holding plates 63, 63... As compared with the case of holding by the pair of left and right holding plates as described above, the holding force can be reduced. Can be reduced, so that the product can be prevented from being damaged.

When the manipulator 44 is used as described above, the holding plate 63 of the arm 64 is not limited to the rotating type as described above. For example, a structure in which the holding plate 63 is opened in parallel to the left and right may be adopted, so that it is possible to cope with a structure in which the gap between the columns 22 is narrow. Further, the manipulator 44 can be used not only for selling products but also as an automatic supply device for products.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that an elevator 74 for placing and transporting a product is used instead of the manipulator 44 for gripping and transporting the product as the product transporting means.

As shown in FIG. 11, each column 22 has
A conveyor 78 for sequentially sending out the products S forward is provided. The elevator 74, which is a product transport means,
It is arranged so as to run on the x-axis rail 48, and has a receiving portion 76 for receiving the sent-out product S1 and transporting the product S1 in a mounted state.

The receiving portion 76 comprises a bottom plate on which the product S1 is placed, and left and right side walls for preventing the product S1 to be conveyed, which is erected from both ends of the bottom plate, in the left-right direction. Is open to the public.

As shown in FIG. 12, an outlet door 35 urged to be closed by a spring 80 is provided at a product outlet 34 provided below the front door 12. A claw 81 is provided at the lower end of the outlet door 35. A cam 83 attached to the motor 82 is disposed below the cam 83.
By the operation of the motor 82, the cam 83 presses the claw 81, whereby the outlet door 35 is opened.

At the time of product sale, the elevator 74
It moves up, down, left, and right by the operation of motors 52, 60 disposed at the ends of the x-axis rail 48 and the y-axis rail 46, and moves from a predetermined standby position W to the front of the selected column 22. Then, the conveyor 78 is operated and the column 22 is moved.
When the product S1 in the front row is sent forward, as shown in FIG.
From the rear surface, and is placed on the receiving portion 76.

Then, in this state, the elevator 74 is moved up and down and left and right again by the operation of the motors 52 and 60, and is moved to the rear surface of the commodity outlet 34. When the elevator 74 reaches the product outlet 34, the position detection switch 84 operates to operate the motor 82, thereby opening the outlet door 35. The presence or absence of the product S1 on the elevator 74 is detected by an infrared sensor (not shown), and if the product S1 is taken out by the customer, the motor 82 is operated to close the take-out door 35, and then the elevator 74 is moved to the standby position. Move to W. Thus, the exit door 35 is
The elevator 74 is opened only when the elevator 74 is located at the product outlet 34, and the elevator 74 cannot move up, down, left and right during that time.

As described above, the receiving portion 76 of the elevator 74
Is open at its front and rear,
The product S1 sent from the column 22 can be placed in an upright state from the rear surface, and can be taken out from the front surface at the product outlet 34 as it is. That is, the product can be carried out in an upright state without falling.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

This embodiment is different from the above-described second embodiment in the configuration of an elevator 74 which is a product conveying means. That is, in this embodiment, the receiving portion 76 of the elevator 74
Is closed by a detachable front plate 86.

When the elevator 74 moves to the product outlet 34 from above, the front plate 86 moves the product outlet 3
4 is configured to be pushed up by a pusher 87 provided at an upper portion of the receiver 4 and to be detached from the front surface of the receiving portion 76.

Specifically, engaging projections 86 a are provided on both side surfaces of the front plate 86, and engaging grooves 88 provided on the left and right side walls of the receiving portion 76 and extending vertically.
The front plate 86 is attached to the front surface of the receiving portion 76 by being disposed so as to be able to advance and retreat from above. At the top of the product outlet 34, a pair of pushers 87 are provided on the left and right,
The pusher 87 has an engagement groove 89 which engages with the engagement protrusion 86 a to lock the front plate 86 above the product outlet 34.
Is provided.

At the time of selling the product, when the elevator 74 that transports the product S1 moves to the product outlet 34, the front plate 86
Is pushed up by the pusher 87 as the elevator 74 descends, whereby the front surface of the receiving portion 76 is opened, and the product S1 can be taken out from the product outlet 34. When the elevator 74 returns to the standby position W after the product S1 is taken out, the receiving portion 76 receives the front plate 86 from the pusher 87 as the elevator 74 moves up.

As described above, the receiving portion 76 of the elevator 74
By detaching the front plate 86 so that it can be detached and removed at the commodity outlet 34, the commodity S1 can be carried out in an upright state while preventing contact between the commodity S1 and the front glass 18.

Note that, as shown in FIG.
4, a rear plate 90 is provided, which closes the rear surface of the receiving portion 76 when the elevator 74 is located at the product outlet 34, whereby when the customer takes out the product S1, the product S1 is mistakenly removed. It does not fall backward.

FIG. 15 shows a modification of the front plate 86 of the elevator 74 according to the third embodiment. In this example, the elevator 74 is provided with a front plate opening / closing means for moving the front plate 86 up and down.

Specifically, racks 92 extending in the vertical direction are attached to the engaging projections 86a on both side surfaces of the front plate 86. On the other hand, a power section 94 in which a motor 95 is incorporated is provided below the receiving section 76, and the power of the motor 95 is
6, and transmitted to the rack 92.

In this example, when the elevator 74 is located at the product outlet 34, the front plate 86 is pushed upward by the motor 95, whereby the front face of the receiving portion 76 is opened and the product S1 from the product outlet 34 is opened. Can be taken out. After the product S1 is taken out, the front plate 86 is lowered by the motor 95 and the front surface of the receiving portion 76 is closed.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

This embodiment is different from the above-described second embodiment in the configuration of an elevator 74 as a product transport means. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the receiving portion 76 of the elevator 74 has its bottom surface, left and right side surfaces and front surface surrounded by a bottom plate, left and right side plates and a front plate, respectively. The bottom plate 100 of 76 is configured to tilt.

At the front end of the bottom plate 100 of the receiving portion 76, there is provided a projection 102 projecting left and right.
A groove 104 in which the second member 2 travels is formed on the left and right side walls of the receiving portion 76 so as to extend in the vertical direction. A rod 106 hangs down from the projection 102, and lower ends of the right and left rods 106 are connected by a horizontal shaft 108. In addition, bottom plate 1
00 is provided with a protrusion 110 projecting left and right, and a groove 112 in which the protrusion 110 runs is formed in the receiving portion 7.
6 are formed so as to extend substantially horizontally on both left and right side walls.

As shown in FIG. 18, a pusher 111 for pushing up the rod 106 is disposed above the product outlet 34.

In this embodiment, when goods are transported,
As shown in FIG. 17, the projection 102 is located at the lower end of the groove 104, the rod 106 hangs down therefrom, and the projection 110 is located at the rear end of the groove 112, whereby the bottom plate 100 is in a horizontal position. Is kept.

Then, as shown in FIG. 18, when the elevator 74 moves to the product outlet 34, the pusher 111 moves the rod 1 with the lowering of the elevator 74.
06 is pushed up. As a result, the protrusion 102 is
04 while traveling upward, the protrusion 110
2, the bottom plate 100 is inclined, and the bottom plate 10
The product S1 placed on the product 0 is discharged to the product receiver 113 provided behind the product outlet 34.

In this embodiment, the receiving portion 76 of the elevator 74 has a front plate to prevent contact between the product S1 and the front glass 18, and the receiving portion 76 is inclined by tilting the bottom plate 100 at the product outlet 34. The product S1 placed on the section 76 can be discharged.

FIG. 19 shows a modification of the elevator 74 in the fourth embodiment.

In this example, the receiving portion 76 of the elevator 74
A power unit 114 for tilting the bottom plate 100 is provided on the side of the power unit. The power section 114 includes a fan-shaped gear 118 attached to the center of the side surface of the bottom plate 100, and a motor 12
2 and a transmission gear 120 for transmitting the power of the motor 122 to the gear 118. And elevator 7
When the motor 4 is positioned at the product outlet 34, the gear 118 rotates and the bottom plate 100
Are inclined, so that the commodity on the bottom plate 100 is discharged.

[0091]

According to the vending machine of the present invention, the goods conveying means is moved up, down, left and right to receive and convey the goods in each column. Therefore, goods of various shapes are carried out by one conveying mechanism. The noise can be reduced at the time of selling the product, and the forming phenomenon can be suppressed to prevent the product from being deteriorated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a vending machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the vending machine.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing the inside of the vending machine.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an xy rail in the vending machine.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged front view of the vending machine.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a transparent film switch in the vending machine.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the manipulator in the vending machine, where (a) is a state in which a product is being grabbed, and (b).
Indicates a state in which the product is grasped.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a manipulator in the vending machine, wherein FIG.
Indicates a state in which the product is grasped.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are side views showing modified examples of the manipulator, wherein FIG. 9A shows a state in which a product is grasped, and FIG. 9B shows a state in which the product is grasped.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are plan views of the manipulator according to the modified example, in which FIG. 10A illustrates a state in which a product is being grasped, and FIG.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an elevator according to a second embodiment of the present invention when receiving goods.

FIG. 12 is a rear perspective view of a product outlet of an elevator according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a rear perspective view of a product outlet of an elevator according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a side view of a product outlet of an elevator according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a side view showing a modification of the elevator according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a rear perspective view of the elevator according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a side view of the elevator according to the fourth embodiment when receiving goods.

FIG. 18 is a side view of a product outlet of an elevator according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a partially perspective rear view showing a modification of the elevator according to the fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Vending machine 12 Front door 14 Exhibition storage room 18 Glass 22 Column 34 Product exit 44 Manipulator 46 Y-axis rail 48 X-axis rail 63 Clamping plate 64 Arm 65 Spring 67 Opening / closing cam 69 Motor 68 Z-axis rail 74 Elevator 76 Receiver 78 Conveyor 86 Front plate 87 Pusher 95 … Motor 100… Bottom plate 106… Rod 111… Pusher 122… Motor S… Product S1… Product in the front row of the column

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. A vending machine has a plurality of columns arranged vertically and horizontally inside a cabinet of a vending machine, and a plurality of columns for storing the products in a column in a front-rear direction. The transporting means is arranged movably up and down and left and right in front of the plurality of columns, and at the time of selling the product, the product transporting means moves to the front of one column and is arranged in the front row of the column. Get the goods,
A vending machine characterized by moving from there to a product outlet and transporting the product to the product outlet. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a transparent plate is provided on a front surface of said cabinet, and goods inside said cabinet can be seen from outside through said transparent plate. 3. A product comprising: a left-right moving means for moving the goods conveying means in the left-right direction; and a vertical moving means for moving the goods conveying means in the vertical direction. These moving means are operated when selling the goods. By moving the commodity conveying means from the predetermined standby position to the front of one column, obtaining the commodity in the front row of the column, moving the commodity conveying means to the commodity outlet, and then returning to the standby position. The vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: 4. The commodity conveying means includes an arm for grasping the commodity, and grasps the commodity in the front row of the column at the time of selling the commodity, takes out the commodity from the column, and conveys the commodity to the commodity take-out port in the grasped state. The vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: 5. The vending machine according to claim 4, wherein said commodity conveying means includes a front-rear direction moving means for moving said arm portion in a front-rear direction. 6. A vertical holding means, wherein said arm portion of said product conveying means sandwiches the product in a pair on the left and right, and a biasing means for biasing said holding body to a closed state so as to attract each other. A cam that opens and closes the holding body by rotating about a shaft;
A motor for rotating the cam, wherein the cam makes a 1/4 turn from the closed state of the holding body to cause the cam to open the holding body against the urging force of the urging means; 5. The vending machine according to claim 4, wherein the holding body is returned to the closed state by performing a quarter turn. 7. The arm portion of the commodity conveying means comprises a plurality of upper and lower pairs of left and right holding bodies for holding the commodity, and each pair of the clamping bodies independently clamps the commodity. The vending machine according to claim 4. 8. A biasing means for biasing the holding bodies to a closed state so as to attract each other is provided for each pair of holding bodies, and a cam is provided for opening the plurality of pairs of holding bodies at once. The vending machine according to claim 7, wherein the vending machine is provided. 9. Each of the columns is provided with a product sending means for sequentially sending the product forward, and the product carrying means is provided with a receiving portion for receiving the sent product. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the merchandise sent by the merchandise feeding means is received and conveyed to a merchandise outlet. 10. The product according to claim 9, wherein the column stores a product such as a beverage container in an upright state, and the receiving portion of the product transporting means is opened at a front surface and a rear surface thereof. Vending machine. 11. The column is for storing a product such as a beverage container in an upright state, a front surface of a receiving portion of the product conveying means is closed by a front plate which can be freely opened and closed, and the product conveying means is The vending machine according to claim 9, wherein the front plate of the receiving portion is opened when the vending machine is located at the product outlet. 12. The commodity transport means is configured to enter the commodity outlet from above and reach the commodity outlet, and when the commodity transport means moves to the commodity outlet,
The front plate of the receiving part, with the descent of the goods transport means,
The vending machine according to claim 11, wherein the front plate is opened by being pushed up by a pusher provided at an upper portion of the commodity outlet. 13. The product conveying means includes a front plate opening / closing means for moving a front plate of the receiving portion up and down, and the opening / closing means moves the front plate upward or downward at a product take-out port. The vending machine according to claim 11, wherein a front plate of the receiving portion is opened. 14. The product transfer means, wherein the receiving portion includes a bottom plate, left and right side plates, and a front plate. By moving the bottom plate at a product outlet, the product placed on the bottom plate can be collected. The vending machine according to claim 9, wherein the vending machine is discharged to an exit. 15. The product transport means is configured to enter the product outlet from above by entering the product outlet, and when the product transport means moves to the product outlet,
With the bottom plate of the receiving portion, with the descent of the product transport means,
15. The vending machine according to claim 14, wherein a pusher provided at an upper portion of the product outlet pushes up and tilts, whereby the product is discharged to the product outlet. 16. The product conveying means includes a bottom plate tilting means for tilting a bottom plate of the receiving portion, and at a product outlet, the tilting means tilts the bottom plate to discharge the product to the product outlet. The vending machine according to claim 14, wherein