CN112530084B - Vending machine and replenishment method - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides an automatic vending machine and a replenishment method, and relates to the technical field of self-service vending. The automatic vending machine that this application embodiment provided push away cargo aircraft structure includes drive assembly and pushes away the cargo subassembly, pushes away the cargo subassembly and includes slider and push pedal, and the slider is connected with the drive assembly transmission, and the push pedal is rotationally connected with the slider, and the push pedal can be followed the goods together and say the removal and can switch between pushing away the goods gesture and replenishing the goods gesture along the slider. When the push plate is in the goods pushing posture, the push plate can push goods towards the front outlet; when the push plate is in the replenishment gesture, can be through the back entry of goods way to the interior replenishment of goods way. The push pedal is in the replenishment gesture during replenishment, and new goods can be placed the goods in proper order in the goods way by the entry behind the goods way, makes the goods of newly filling be located this time replenishment before the goods that has not sold behind. The problem of goods overdue caused by selling goods which are put into the goods channel before time is solved. The replenishment method is realized through the vending machine.

Description

Vending machine and replenishment method

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of self-service vending, in particular to an automatic vending machine and a replenishment method.

Background

Generally, a cabinet body of the vending machine is internally provided with a goods channel for accommodating goods, and a push plate is arranged in the goods channel and used for pushing the goods in the goods channel to an outlet of the goods channel. When the vending machine is used for replenishing goods, the push plate in the goods channel needs to be pushed to the rear end of the goods channel, and then a plurality of goods are placed into the goods channel from the goods channel outlet one by one. However, the original unsold goods in the goods channel are pushed to the rear end of the goods channel by the goods supplemented later, and the goods cannot be sold in time, and for food goods, particularly the goods such as bread, fruits and the like with short fresh-keeping period, the original goods on the goods shelf are overdue due to the goods supplemented after being sold first, and unnecessary loss is generated for merchants.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the application includes providing a vending machine and a replenishment method, which can realize a more reasonable replenishment mode, so that unsold goods are positioned at one end of a goods channel close to an outlet after replenishment, and the goods with shorter quality guarantee (preservation) period can be preferentially sold.

The embodiment of the application can be realized as follows:

in a first aspect, the application provides an automatic vending machine, which comprises a goods shelf and a goods pushing mechanism, wherein the goods shelf comprises a goods channel for accommodating goods, the goods channel extends along the front-back direction, the front end of the goods channel is provided with a front outlet, and the rear end of the goods channel is provided with a rear inlet; push away cargo aircraft structure and set up in goods shelves, it includes drive assembly and pushes away the cargo subassembly to push away cargo aircraft structure, it includes slider and push pedal to push away the cargo subassembly, the slider is connected with the drive assembly transmission, the push pedal is rotationally connected with the slider, the push pedal can be removed along the goods way and can switch between pushing away the goods gesture and the replenishment gesture along with the slider under drive assembly's drive, when the push pedal is in when pushing away the goods gesture, the push pedal can promote the goods and export the removal forward, when the push pedal switches to the replenishment gesture from pushing away the goods gesture, can follow the back entry and supplement the goods to the goods way.

In an optional embodiment, the push plate is rotatably connected with the sliding block through a pivot shaft, the push plate comprises a first blocking surface and a second blocking surface which are arranged at an included angle, and the pivot shaft is positioned between the first blocking surface and the second blocking surface; the goods shelf also comprises a blocking part, the blocking part is arranged close to the rear end of the goods channel, and when the push plate in the goods pushing posture moves to the rear end of the goods channel, the blocking part can be in contact with the first blocking surface and drive the push plate to rotate to the goods supplementing posture along the set direction; when the push plate in the replenishment posture moves forwards from the rear end of the cargo channel, the blocking part is in contact with the second blocking surface and drives the push plate to rotate along the opposite direction of the set direction to the cargo pushing posture.

In an optional implementation mode, the blocking part comprises a mandrel and a roller, the mandrel is arranged on the goods shelf, the roller is sleeved on the mandrel and can freely rotate around the axis of the mandrel, and when the pushing plate is switched between the goods pushing posture and the goods supplementing posture, the roller is in contact with the first blocking surface or the second blocking surface and can roll along the first blocking surface or the second blocking surface.

In an alternative embodiment, the rack further comprises a guide surface connected between the front end and the rear end of the lane, and the pusher further comprises a first guide surface slidably abutting the guide surface when the pusher is moved in the pushing position to prevent the pusher from rotating in the set direction.

In an optional implementation mode, the goods way further comprises a limiting surface connected between the front end and the rear end of the goods way, the limiting surface is perpendicular to the guide surface, the blocking portion is arranged on the limiting surface, the push plate further comprises a second guide surface, and when the push plate moves in a goods pushing posture, the second guide surface is in sliding fit with the limiting surface.

In an optional embodiment, the goods shelf is further provided with an accommodating cavity extending in the front-back direction, the guide surface is provided with a long groove communicated with the accommodating cavity, the transmission assembly is located in the accommodating cavity, the sliding block is at least partially located in the accommodating cavity and rotatably connected with the push plate through the long groove, the transmission assembly comprises a transmission wheel, two belt wheels arranged at intervals in the front-back direction and a transmission belt supported by the two belt wheels, the transmission wheel is coaxially and fixedly connected with one of the two belt wheels, and the sliding block is fixedly connected with the transmission belt.

In an alternative embodiment, the push plate is rotatably connected with the slide block through a pivot shaft, and the push plate comprises an inner tooth part; the goods shelf also comprises a blocking part, the blocking part is arranged adjacent to the rear end of the goods channel and comprises a mandrel and a gear, the mandrel is arranged on the goods shelf, the gear is sleeved on the mandrel and can freely rotate around the mandrel, and when the push plate in the goods pushing posture moves to the rear end of the goods channel, the gear is meshed with the internal tooth part and drives the push plate to rotate to the goods supplementing posture along the set direction; when the push plate in the replenishment posture moves forward from the rear end of the cargo channel, the gear is meshed with the internal tooth part and drives the push plate to rotate along the reverse direction of the set direction to the cargo pushing posture.

In an optional embodiment, the automatic vending machine further comprises a delivery mechanism, the delivery mechanism comprises a goods bucket and a driving assembly, the goods bucket can move relative to the goods shelf under the driving of the driving assembly, the goods bucket is provided with a goods receiving position, when the goods bucket is located at the goods receiving position, the goods bucket is opposite to the front outlet of the goods channel, a power output part on the goods bucket is in transmission connection with the transmission assembly, and the power output part can drive the transmission assembly to drive the push plate to move along the goods channel and switch between a goods pushing posture and a goods supplementing posture.

In an alternative embodiment, the vending machine further has a detection mechanism for detecting whether the pusher is in the restocking attitude.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a replenishment method applied to the vending machine according to any one of the foregoing embodiments, the replenishment method including:

when a replenishment instruction is received, the push plate is controlled to move backwards to switch to a replenishment posture, and after replenishment is completed, the push plate is controlled to move forwards to switch to a replenishment posture.

The beneficial effects of the embodiment of the application include, for example:

the automatic vending machine that this application embodiment provided includes goods shelves and pushes away goods mechanism, and goods shelves include the goods way that extends along the fore-and-aft direction, and the front end of goods way is equipped with the preceding export, and the rear end of goods way is provided with the back entry. Push away cargo aircraft structure and set up in goods shelves, include drive assembly and push away cargo assembly, push away cargo assembly and include slider and push pedal, the slider is connected with the drive assembly transmission, and the push pedal is rotationally connected with the slider, and the push pedal can be followed the goods and said the removal and can switch between pushing away cargo gesture and replenishment gesture along with the slider together under drive assembly's drive. When the push plate is in the goods pushing posture, the push plate can push goods towards the front outlet; when the push plate is in the replenishment gesture, can be through the back entry of goods way to the interior replenishment of goods way. In this application, the push pedal is in the replenishment gesture when the replenishment, and new goods can be placed the goods in proper order in the goods way by the back entry on goods way, makes the goods of newly filling in be located this time after the goods that has not sold before the replenishment. When selling goods, the push plate is driven to be in a goods pushing posture and to move towards the front outlet, and goods are pushed out from the front outlet in sequence, so that goods which are not sold before the replenishment can be sold preferentially, and the problem that goods are overdue due to the fact that goods are sold after being put into a goods channel first is solved. And moreover, the power for driving the goods pushing assembly to move along the goods channel is utilized to drive the push plate to automatically switch between the goods pushing posture and the goods supplementing posture, and the posture switching of the power driving push plate is not required to be additionally arranged, so that the cost is lower.

The replenishment method provided by the embodiment of the application is realized through the vending machine provided by the embodiment of the application, so that the replenishment method also has the beneficial effects.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings that are required to be used in the embodiments will be briefly described below, it should be understood that the following drawings only illustrate some embodiments of the present application and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope, and for those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained from the drawings without inventive effort.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a vending machine in one embodiment of the present application from a first perspective;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a vending machine in one embodiment of the present application from a second viewing angle;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a shelf and a delivery mechanism in one embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a pusher plate of the pushing assembly in a pushing position according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a pushing plate of the pushing assembly in a restocking posture according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a pushing mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a pusher plate according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the pusher plate in a push position according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the push plate being switched from the push attitude to the replenishment attitude in one embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the pusher plate in a restocking position in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating the push plate being switched from the restocking position to the pushing position in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a delivery mechanism in one embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a bucket according to an embodiment of the present application.

Icon: 010-vending machines; 100-a cabinet; 110-a cabinet body; 112-a top plate; 114-a backplane; 120-front cabinet door; 130-rear cabinet door; 140-a goods taking port; 150-a human-computer interaction device; 200-a shelf; 210-layer plate; 220-a separator; 221-a guide surface; 222-a limiting surface; 223-a receiving cavity; 224-elongated slot; 225-front plug; 226-rear plug; 227-avoidance groove; 230-a barrier; 231-a mandrel; 232-roller; 240-cargo way; 300-a transmission assembly; 310-a pulley; 320-a transmission belt; 330-a transmission wheel; 400-a pushing assembly; 410-a slider; 411 — first plug; 412-a second insert; 420-push plate; 421-pushing the goods surface; 422-pivot shaft; 423-first stop; 424 — first blocking face; 425-a second stop; 426-a second blocking surface; 427-a guide; 428-a first guide surface; 429-a second guide surface; 500-a delivery mechanism; 510-a mounting frame; 520-a support frame; 530-cargo bucket; 531-power take off; 532-cargo inlet; 533-outlet; 540 — a drive assembly.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present application, but not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application, generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, can be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations.

Thus, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application, presented in the accompanying drawings, is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but is merely representative of selected embodiments of the application. All other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present application without making any creative effort belong to the protection scope of the present application.

It should be noted that: like reference numbers and letters refer to like items in the following figures, and thus, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further defined or explained in subsequent figures.

In the description of the present application, it should be noted that if the terms "upper", "lower", "inside", "outside", etc. are used for indicating the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings or the orientation or positional relationship which the present invention product is usually put into use, it is only for convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, but it is not intended to indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed in a specific orientation and be operated, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present application.

Furthermore, the appearances of the terms "first," "second," and the like, if any, are used solely to distinguish one from another and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

It should be noted that the features of the embodiments of the present application may be combined with each other without conflict.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a vending machine 010 from a first perspective in one example of the subject application; FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a vending machine 010 from a second perspective in accordance with one example of the subject application; fig. 3 is a schematic view of a shelf 200 and a delivery mechanism 500 in one embodiment of the present application. Referring to fig. 1 to 3, the present embodiment provides an automatic vending machine 010, which includes a cabinet 100, and a shelf 200, a pushing mechanism and a delivering mechanism 500 disposed in the cabinet 100. In this embodiment, the shelf 200 is used to store goods, the pushing mechanism is used to push the goods of the shelf 200 to the delivery mechanism 500, and the delivery mechanism 500 is used to deliver the goods received from the shelf 200 to the user. Of course, in alternative embodiments, the vending machine 010 may not include the delivery mechanism 500, but push the goods directly from the shelves 200 by the pushing mechanism, drop the goods into the storage compartment below the cabinet 100 for the user to take, or push the goods to the front end of the shelves near the user by the pushing mechanism, waiting for the user to take the goods from the shelves 200 by himself.

In the present embodiment, the cabinet 100 is a rectangular parallelepiped having a front side (a side to which an arrow e is directed), a rear side (a side to which an arrow f is directed), a left side (a side to which an arrow a is directed), a right side (a side to which an arrow b is directed), an upper side (a side to which an arrow c is directed), and a lower side (a side to which an arrow d is directed). The cabinet 100 includes a cabinet body 110, a front cabinet door 120 and a rear cabinet door 130, in the embodiment, the front side of the cabinet body 110 has a front opening, and the front cabinet door 120 is rotatably connected to an edge of the front opening of the cabinet body 110 to open or close the front opening of the cabinet body 110. The front side of the cabinet 100 is further provided with a goods access port 140, and after the delivery mechanism 500 in the cabinet 100 is moved to a position corresponding to the goods access port 140, a user can take out goods on the delivery mechanism 500 from the goods access port 140. The access opening 140 may be disposed at the front side of the cabinet 110, or may be disposed on the front cabinet door 120. The rear side of the cabinet 110 has a rear opening, and a rear cabinet door 130 is rotatably connected to an edge of the rear opening of the cabinet 110 for opening or closing the rear opening of the cabinet 110.

In addition, the vending machine 010 may further include a human-machine interaction device 150, and the human-machine interaction device 150 may be disposed at the front side of the cabinet 100, and configured to receive an instruction from a user or send a message to the user. The human-computer interaction device 150 may be at least one of a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, a display screen, a microphone, a speaker, and a code scanning gun.

In this embodiment, the consumer generally performs the purchase operation at the front side of the vending machine 010, and therefore, a transparent area may be provided at the front cabinet door 120 so that the consumer can view the kinds of goods sold in the cabinet 100. The maintenance personnel usually perform replenishment on the rear side of the vending machine 010. When replenishing, the rear cabinet door 130 is opened first, and then a new cargo is replenished into the shelf 200.

In alternative other embodiments, cabinet 100 may not be provided with front cabinet door 120; the connection mode of the front cabinet door 120 and the rear cabinet door 130 with the cabinet body 110 can be sliding connection instead of rotating connection; the arrangement positions of the goods access opening 140 and the man-machine interaction device 150 can be arranged on other sides of the cabinet 100 according to requirements.

In the present embodiment, the pallet 200 includes a plurality of decks 210 and a plurality of partitions 220 disposed on each deck 210. The partitions 220 of each deck 210 are spaced apart in the left-right direction, so that a plurality of cargo channels 240 extending in the front-rear direction are formed with the deck 210, and each cargo channel 240 is used for accommodating cargo. The plurality of deck boards 210 are arranged at intervals in the up-down direction, thereby forming a multi-deck cargo passage 240 arranged in the up-down direction. It will be appreciated that the decks 210 serve to support cargo and mount the partitions 220, with the partitions 220 separating the various lanes 240. In the present embodiment, the extending directions of each layer of the goods passage 240 are all parallel to each other, the front end of the goods passage 240 is provided with a front outlet, the rear end of the goods passage 240 is provided with a rear inlet, the front outlet faces the front side of the vending machine 010, i.e. the side where the front cabinet door 120 is located, and the rear inlet faces the rear side of the vending machine 010, i.e. the side where the rear cabinet door 130 is located; the front outlet of the cargo channel 240 is used for shipment, the rear inlet is used for replenishment of new cargo, and the cargo is sequentially arranged in the cargo channel 240 in the front-rear direction.

In this embodiment, the pushing mechanism is provided on the shelf 200. FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the pusher plate 420 of the pushing assembly 400 in a pushing position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the pusher plate 420 of the pusher assembly 400 in a restocking position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; fig. 6 is an exploded view of a pushing mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to fig. 4 to 6, the cargo pushing mechanism of the embodiment of the present application includes a cargo pushing assembly 400 and a driving assembly 300 for driving the cargo pushing assembly 400 to move along the cargo passage 240. The pushing assembly 400 comprises a sliding block 410 and a pushing plate 420, the sliding block 410 is in transmission connection with the transmission assembly 300, the pushing plate 420 is rotatably connected with the sliding block 410, and the pushing plate 420 can move along the cargo channel 240 together with the sliding block 410 under the driving of the transmission assembly 300 and can be switched between a pushing posture and a replenishing posture. The push plate 420 can move to the front end of the cargo channel 240 in a cargo pushing posture to push the cargo to the front outlet under the driving of the driving assembly 300; alternatively, the push plate 420 can move toward the rear end of the cargo channel 240 under the driving of the transmission assembly 300 and forcibly rotate from the cargo pushing posture to the cargo replenishing posture when moving to the set position. In this embodiment, when the push plate 420 is in the cargo pushing posture, the push plate 420 extends into the moving path of the cargo, so that when the push plate 420 in the cargo pushing posture moves to the front end of the cargo channel 240, the cargo between the push plate 420 and the front outlet can be pushed to move to the front outlet; when the push plate 420 is switched from the cargo pushing posture to the cargo replenishing posture, the push plate 420 rotates out of the moving path of the cargo to avoid the cargo replenished to the cargo channel 240 from the rear entrance, that is, the cargo can be replenished to the cargo channel 240 through the rear entrance. It should be understood that the moving path of the goods refers to a path swept by the goods when the goods move from the rear end to the front end of the goods channel 240, so that when the push plate 420 is in the replenishment posture, no blockage is generated on the goods, and the user can sequentially replenish new goods from the rear entrance of the goods channel 240; when the push plate 420 is in the pushing posture, the push plate 420 extends into the moving path of the goods and abuts against the rear side of the rearmost one of the goods in the goods passage 240, so that when the push plate 420 moves towards the front end of the goods passage 240, all the goods in the goods passage 240 can be pushed towards the front outlet of the goods passage 240, so as to realize the goods delivery from the goods passage 240.

The push plate 420 in this embodiment has a pushing posture and a replenishing posture, and when replenishing, the push plate 420 is driven to be in the replenishing posture, so that the goods can be sequentially placed in the goods passage 240 through the rear entrance, and when selling goods, the push plate 420 is driven to be in the pushing posture and is driven to move towards the front exit, so that the goods are sequentially pushed out from the front exit, and therefore, the goods which are firstly placed in the goods passage 240 can be guaranteed to be sold first, and the problem that the goods are overdue due to the fact that the goods which are firstly placed in the goods passage 240 are sold later is avoided. Moreover, the driving assembly 300 is used for driving the pushing assembly 400 to move along the cargo channel 240, the driving push plate 420 is automatically switched between the cargo pushing posture and the cargo replenishing posture, the posture switching of the power driving push plate 420 is not required to be additionally arranged, and the cost is low.

In the present embodiment, the driving assembly 300 and the pushing assembly 400 are disposed on the partition 220. Optionally, the shelf 200 is provided with a guide surface 221, and the guide surface 221 is connected between the front end and the rear end of the cargo way 240 and extends along the length of the cargo way 240. Specifically, the guide surface 221 is located on the side of the partition 220 facing into the cargo passage 240. Optionally, a containing cavity 223 is further formed in the partition 220 of the shelf 200, the length of the containing cavity 223 extends in the front-back direction, a long groove 224 is formed in the guide surface 221, the transmission assembly 300 is located in the containing cavity 223, the sliding block 410 is at least partially located in the containing cavity 223, and the sliding block 410 passes through the long groove 224 and is rotatably connected with the push plate 420. Through setting up and holding chamber 223, can carry out better protection to transmission assembly 300, avoid the goods to cause the interference to transmission assembly 300. In the present embodiment, the slider 410 is provided with a first insertion block 411 and a second insertion block 412, the first insertion block 411 and the second insertion block 412 are spaced in the thickness direction of the partition 220, the first insertion block 411 is inserted into the accommodation chamber 223, the second insertion block 412 is located outside the accommodation chamber 223 and abuts against the guide surface 221, and the first insertion block 411 and the second insertion block 412 limit the slider 410 to be slidable only in the extending direction of the long groove 224. Further, the shelf 200 further includes a stopper surface 222 connected between the front end and the rear end of the channel 240, and the stopper surface 222 is disposed perpendicular to the guide surface 221. In this embodiment, the limiting surface 222 is disposed on the upper side of the partition 220, and when the pushing plate 420 is in the pushing posture, the limiting surface 222 is in sliding fit with the pushing plate 420, so as to improve the stability of the pushing plate 420 in the pushing process. It should be understood that the sliding fit in the embodiments of the present application means that the two can contact and relatively translate, and the two can be in contact with each other through a relatively slidable surface, or in rolling contact through a mechanism such as a roller to achieve slidable movement.

In an alternative embodiment, the transmission assembly 300 includes a transmission wheel 330, two pulleys 310 spaced apart in the front-rear direction, and a transmission belt 320 supported by the two pulleys 310, wherein the transmission wheel 330 is fixedly connected to one of the two pulleys 310 coaxially, and the slider 410 is fixedly connected to the transmission belt 320. By driving the driving wheel 330 to rotate, the driving belt 320 can be driven to move along the front-back direction of the cargo channel 240, and further the cargo pushing assembly 400 is driven to move along the cargo channel 240. In this embodiment, two pulleys 310 are rotatably connected to the front end and the rear end of the partition 220, respectively, and the transmission wheel 330 is coaxially and fixedly connected with the pulley 310 at the front end of the partition 220. Further, the transmission wheel 330 is a gear, and can be matched with the delivery mechanism 500 located at the front end of the cargo channel 240, and further is in transmission connection with the power output member 531 on the delivery mechanism 500, and under the driving of the power output member 531, the transmission wheel 330 rotates to drive the belt wheel 310 fixedly connected with the transmission wheel to synchronously rotate, so as to drive the transmission belt 320 to move, and drive the slider 410 fixedly connected with the transmission belt 320 to move along the cargo channel 240.

In this embodiment, the front end and the rear end of the partition plate 220 are further provided with a front plug 225 and a rear plug 226, respectively, the front plug 225 and the rear plug 226 can be connected to the front end and the rear end of the partition plate 220 through fasteners such as bolts, and the front plug 225 and the rear plug 226 can block the slider 410, so as to limit the movement of the pushing mechanism between the front outlet and the rear inlet of the cargo channel 240. Wherein the front plug 225 has a passage therethrough in the front-to-rear direction so that the drive wheel 330 can be engaged with the power take-off 531 on the delivery mechanism 500 through the passage.

It should be understood that in alternative embodiments of the present application, the accommodating cavity 223 and the transmission assembly 300 may also be disposed on the layer 210, the slider 410 is slidably connected to the layer 210 and is drivingly connected to the transmission assembly 300, the pushing plate 420 can slide along the layer 210 together with the slider 410 under the driving of the transmission assembly 300, and when the pushing plate 420 is in the restocking posture, the pushing plate 420 is close to the rear end of the layer 210.

In this embodiment, the pallet 200 further includes a blocking portion 230, and the blocking portion 230 is disposed adjacent to a rear end of the cargo channel 240. The blocking part 230 can abut against the push plate 420 in the goods pushing posture when the push plate 420 moves backwards, so that the push plate 420 is forced to rotate from the goods pushing posture to the goods replenishing posture; the blocking portion 230 can also abut against the push plate 420 when the push plate 420 in the restocking posture moves forward, so that the push plate 420 is forced to rotate from the restocking posture to the pushing posture. Specifically, the stopper 230 is disposed on the stopper surface 222 on the upper side of the partition 220. Further, the blocking portion 230 includes a core shaft 231 and a roller 232, the core shaft 231 is disposed on the shelf 200, the roller 232 is sleeved on the core shaft 231 and can freely rotate around an axis of the core shaft 231, and optionally, the axis of the core shaft 231 extends in an up-down direction. As shown in fig. 4, an avoiding groove 227 is further provided on the upper side of the partition 220, and the avoiding groove 227 is closer to the rear end of the cargo passage 240 than the blocking portion 230. The avoiding groove 227 is used for avoiding partial structure of the push plate 420 when the push plate 420 rotates from the pushing posture to the replenishing posture, so that the push plate 420 can smoothly rotate to the replenishing posture.

The push plate 420 comprises a goods pushing surface 421, when the push plate 420 is in a goods pushing posture, the goods pushing surface 421 extends in the left-right direction to be located in the moving path of the goods, the goods pushing surface 421 faces the front outlet of the goods channel 240, and when the push plate 420 moves forwards, the goods positioned in front of the goods pushing surface 421 can be pushed to move towards the front opening of the goods channel 240; when the push plate 420 is in the replenishment posture, the cargo push surface 421 extends in the front-rear direction so as to be located outside the moving path of the cargo, thereby avoiding the cargo replenished into the cargo passage 240 from the rear entrance.

Specifically, the pushing plate 420 is rotatably connected to the sliding block 410 via a pivot 422, the pushing plate 420 includes a first blocking surface 424 and a second blocking surface 426 disposed at an included angle, and the pivot 422 is located between the first blocking surface 424 and the second blocking surface 426. Figure 7 is a schematic view of a push plate 420 according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to fig. 7 in combination with fig. 4 to 6, in the embodiment of the present application, the push plate 420 includes a first block 423 and a second block 425, the first block 423 and the second block 425 are disposed at an included angle, a first block surface 424 is formed on the first block 423, and a second block surface 426 is formed on the second block 425. When the pushing plate 420 in the goods pushing posture moves backwards, the first blocking surface 424 on the first block 423 can abut against the blocking part 230, and under the blocking action of the blocking part 230, the pushing plate 420 is forced to rotate along the set direction to the goods replenishing posture, so that goods can be replenished; after the replenishment is completed, when the push plate 420 in the replenishment posture moves forward, the second blocking surface 426 on the second block 425 can abut against the blocking portion 230, and under the blocking effect of the blocking portion 230, the push plate 420 is forced to rotate in the opposite direction of the set direction to the cargo pushing posture, so that the cargo in the cargo channel 240 can be pushed when the push plate 420 continues to move forward. When the push plate 420 is switched between the goods pushing posture and the goods replenishing posture, the roller 232 is in contact with the first blocking surface 424 or the second blocking surface 426 and can roll along the first blocking surface 424 or the second blocking surface 426. Through setting up the running roller 232 for when first stop face 424 or second stop face 426 contact running roller 232, running roller 232 rotates around dabber 231, can further reduce the resistance that receives when push pedal 420 moves along goods way 240.

The connecting line between the contact position of the blocking portion 230 and the first blocking surface 424 or the second blocking surface 426 and the pivot shaft 422 is always disposed at an angle with the moving direction (i.e. the front-back direction) of the push plate 420. Optionally, the included angle between the first blocking surface 424 and the second blocking surface 426 is 90 degrees, wherein the first blocking surface 424 optionally faces the opposite direction of the push surface 421. Further optionally, first stop face 424 and second stop face 426 are connected; further, in the case that the blocking portion 230 is cylindrical, an arc transition surface may be disposed between the first blocking surface 424 and the second blocking surface 426, and a radius of the arc transition surface matches a radius of the blocking portion 230, so that the push plate 420 can move smoothly relative to the blocking portion 230 during rotation.

In this embodiment, the first stopper 423 and the second stopper 425 are both disposed at positions close to the upper end of the push plate 420, and the first stopper 423 is located at the upper side of the partition plate 220 when the push plate 420 is in the restocking posture, and the second stopper 425 is located at the upper side of the partition plate 220 when the push plate 420 is in the restocking posture.

In the present embodiment, the push plate 420 further includes a first guide surface 428, and when the push plate 420 moves in the push position, the first guide surface 428 slidably abuts against the guide surface 221 to prevent the push plate 420 from rotating in the set direction. In this embodiment, a guide portion 427 is downwardly protruded at a lower side of the second stopper 425, and a first guide surface 428 is formed at the guide portion 427. Optionally, first guide surface 428 is coplanar with second stop surface 426; further, the first guide surface 428 may be disposed perpendicular to the push surface 421. In other embodiments, the push plate 420 may further include a first roller (not shown) that is rotatable, and when the push plate 420 moves in the pushing posture, the first roller engages with and rolls along the guide surface 221, and prevents the push plate 420 from rotating in the set direction; the first roller rolls along the guide surface 221, and frictional resistance of the push plate 420 when pushing goods can be reduced. In this embodiment, the guide portion 427 can always abut against the guide surface 221 of the partition plate 220 when the pushing plate 420 is in the pushing posture for pushing the goods, so as to prevent the pushing plate 420 from rotating to the replenishing posture in the set direction when pushing the goods; however, when the push plate 420 moves backward to abut against the stopper 230 and rotates in the set direction by the stopper 230, the guide portion 427 can just pass through the escape groove 227, so that the guide surface 221 of the partition plate 220 loses the abutting effect on the guide portion 427, and the push plate 420 can smoothly rotate in the set direction to the replenishment attitude.

Optionally, the pushing plate 420 further comprises a second guide surface 429, the second guide surface 429 is disposed at the lower side of the first stopper 423, and when the pushing plate 420 moves in the pushing posture, the second guide surface 429 is slidably engaged with the limiting surface 222. Optionally, the second guide surface 429 is perpendicular to the first blocking surface 424; further, the second guide surface 429 is perpendicular to the first guide surface 428 and the cargo pushing surface 421. In other embodiments, the pushing plate 420 further comprises a second roller (not shown) capable of rotating, and when the pushing plate 420 moves in the pushing posture, the second roller rolls along the limiting surface 222 to further reduce the friction resistance when the pushing plate 420 pushes the goods.

In an alternative embodiment, the pushing assembly 400 may further include a resilient member (not shown) coupled between the slider 410 and the pusher plate 420, the resilient member being configured to impart a tendency of the pusher plate 420 to rotate toward the pushing position. Preferably, the elastic member includes a torsion spring, the torsion spring is sleeved on the pivot shaft 422, a first torsion arm of the torsion spring is connected with the slider 410, and a second torsion arm of the torsion spring is connected with the push plate 420.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the pusher plate 420 in a push position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the push plate 420 being switched from the push position to the replenishment position in one embodiment of the present application; FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the pusher plate 420 in a restocking position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; fig. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating the push plate 420 being switched from the restocking posture to the pushing posture according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 8 to 11, when the push plate 420 in the push position moves to the rear end of the cargo channel 240, the blocking portion 230 can contact the first blocking surface 424 and drive the push plate 420 to rotate in the set direction (W1 direction in the figure) to the restocking position; when the push plate 420 in the restocking posture moves forward from the rear end of the cargo channel 240, the blocking portion 230 contacts the second blocking surface 426 and drives the push plate 420 to rotate in the opposite direction of the set direction (direction of W2 in the drawing) to the restocking posture. The present embodiment has a simple and reliable structure by providing the blocking portion 230 on the shelf 200 and driving the push plate 420 to switch between the pushing posture and the replenishing posture by the movement of the push plate 420 itself along the cargo channel 240.

Besides the above-mentioned embodiments of the push plate 420, the stop part 230 and the push plate 420 may adopt the above-mentioned structures to switch the posture of the push plate 420, and in other alternative embodiments, the push plate 420 may further include an internal tooth part; the blocking part 230 comprises a mandrel 231 and a gear, the mandrel 231 is arranged on the shelf 200, the gear is sleeved on the mandrel 231 and can freely rotate around the mandrel 231, when the push plate 420 in the goods pushing posture moves to the rear end of the goods channel 240, the gear is meshed with the internal tooth part and drives the push plate 420 to rotate to the goods supplementing posture along the set direction; when the push plate 420 in the restocking posture moves forward from the rear end of the cargo channel 240, the gear is engaged with the internal gear and drives the push plate 420 to rotate in the opposite direction of the set direction to the restocking posture. The push plate 420 is driven to rotate by means of gear engagement, and the push plate 420 can be switched between the goods pushing posture and the goods replenishing posture.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a delivery mechanism 500 in one embodiment of the present application; fig. 13 is a schematic view of a bucket 530 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to fig. 12 and 13 in combination with fig. 3, in the present embodiment, the delivery mechanism 500 includes a bucket 530 and a driving assembly 540, the bucket 530 is driven by the driving assembly 540 to move relative to the shelf 200 and has a receiving position, and when the bucket 530 is located at the receiving position, the bucket 530 is opposite to the front exit of the cargo way 240 to receive the cargo sent out from the front exit of the cargo way 240. In this embodiment, the delivery mechanism 500 further includes two mounting frames 510 and two support frames 520, and the two mounting frames 510 are respectively disposed on the top plate 112 and the bottom plate 114 of the cabinet 110; the supporting frame 520 extends in an up-and-down direction, two ends of the supporting frame 520 are slidably disposed on the two mounting frames 510, and the supporting frame 520 can move in a horizontal direction under the driving of the driving assembly 540. The bucket 530 is disposed on the support frame 520 and is movable in a vertical direction along the support frame 520 by the driving assembly 540, so that the bucket 530 can be moved to a front outlet of any one of the lanes 240. The cargo bucket 530 is further provided with a power output member 531, and the power output member 531 is used for being in transmission connection with the transmission assembly 300, and can drive the transmission assembly 300 to drive the push plate 420 to move along the cargo channel 240 and switch between the cargo pushing posture and the cargo replenishing posture. The power take-off 531 may be a gear driven by a motor for engaging with the driving wheel 330 when the bucket 530 is in the receiving position, the push plate 420 can be driven to move forward by the gear and the driving wheel 330 connected by the engagement when the motor is rotated forward, and the push plate 420 can be driven to move backward when the motor is rotated backward. Further, bucket 530 also has a shipping position, where bucket 530 is opposite access opening 140 when bucket 530 is in the shipping position. Further, bucket 530 has an inlet 532 and an outlet 533 in communication with the interior cavity thereof, where when bucket 530 is in the receiving position, inlet 532 is opposite to the front outlet of trunk 240, and the cargo delivered from the front outlet of trunk 240 can enter the interior cavity of bucket 530 through inlet 532; when bucket 530 is in the shipping position, outlet 533 of bucket 530 is opposite to access opening 140 of cabinet 100, and a user can access the goods in bucket 530 through access openings 140 and 533. In this embodiment, inlet 532 and outlet 533 are located on opposite sides of bucket 530.

In an alternative embodiment of the present application, the vending machine 010 further includes a detection mechanism (not shown in the drawings, hereinafter referred to as a first detection mechanism) for detecting whether the pushing plate 420 is in the restocking posture. Optionally, the first detection mechanism includes a photoelectric sensor or a mechanical sensor, the position of the partition 220 adjacent to the rear end of the cargo channel 240 is provided with a sensor, when the push plate 420 is in the replenishment posture, the push plate 420 is matched with the sensor, the sensor outputs a first detection signal, when the push plate 420 is in the cargo pushing posture, the push plate 420 is separated from the sensor, and the sensor outputs a second detection signal. Further optionally, the vending machine 010 further comprises a second detection mechanism, and the second detection mechanism is configured to detect whether there is a cargo in the cargo channel 240. Optionally, the second detection mechanism may be a camera, the camera shoots the image of the cargo channel 240, according to the image information, the controller of the vending machine 010 determines whether there is cargo in the cargo channel 240, when there is no cargo in the cargo channel 240, the controller controls the cargo hopper 530 to move to the cargo receiving position, the power output part 531 on the cargo hopper is in transmission connection with the transmission assembly 300, the push plate 420 is driven by the transmission assembly 300 to move towards the rear entrance, and the push plate 420 is switched to the cargo supplementing posture, so that the rear entrance is opened, at this time, the first detection mechanism outputs a first detection signal, and accordingly, the judgment can be made that the cargo is supplemented into the cargo channel 240 through the rear entrance. In other embodiments, the second detection mechanism may be a laser distance measuring sensor, the push plate 420 is provided with a detection portion, the laser distance measuring sensor is disposed on the bucket 530, when the bucket 530 is at the receiving position, the laser distance measuring sensor is opposite to the detection portion, the controller receives a detection signal output by the laser distance measuring sensor, and when a distance value converted from the detection signal is smaller than a set value, the controller determines that no goods are in the cargo channel 240.

In the embodiment of the present application, the human-computer interaction device 150, the driving assembly 540, the power output member 531, the first detection mechanism, and the second detection mechanism are all electrically connected to the controller of the vending machine 010.

The embodiment of the present application further provides a replenishment method, which can be applied to the vending machine 010 provided in the embodiment of the present application, and the replenishment method includes: when a replenishment instruction is received, the control push plate 420 moves backwards to switch to a replenishment posture; after completion of replenishment, the push plate 420 is controlled to move forward to switch to the pushing posture. Specifically, the controller may receive a replenishment instruction from the user through the human-computer interaction device 150, and control the driving assembly 540 to move the bucket 530 to the receiving position corresponding to the target cargo way 240 according to the replenishment instruction, where the target cargo way 240 is the cargo way 240 requiring replenishment. The controller then controls the power output member 531 to drive the transmission assembly 300, so as to drive the cargo pushing assembly 400 to move towards the rear end of the cargo channel 240. As shown in fig. 8 and 9, when the first blocking surface 424 of the push plate 420 abuts against the blocking portion 230, the push plate 420 starts to rotate from the cargo pushing posture to the cargo replenishing posture, and when the push plate 420 rotates to the cargo replenishing posture shown in fig. 10, the user can replenish the cargo and sequentially put new cargo into the cargo channel 240 from the rear entrance of the cargo channel 240. After the replenishment is completed, the control device drives the pushing plate 420 to move towards the front outlet of the cargo channel 240 through the power output member 531 and the transmission assembly 300, and the second blocking surface 426 on the pushing plate 420 is switched from the replenishment posture to the cargo pushing posture under the blocking of the blocking portion 230, as shown in fig. 11. The push plate 420 switched to the push posture moves further toward the front exit of the cargo passage 240 to push the cargo to be output from the front exit.

To sum up, the automatic vending machine 010 that this application embodiment provided includes goods shelves 200 and pushes away the goods mechanism, and goods shelves 200 include along the goods way 240 of fore-and-aft direction extension, and the front end of goods way 240 is equipped with the front exit, and the rear end of goods way 240 is provided with the back entry. The goods pushing mechanism is arranged on the shelf 200 and comprises a transmission assembly 300 and a goods pushing assembly 400, the goods pushing assembly 400 comprises a sliding block 410 and a pushing plate 420, the sliding block 410 is in transmission connection with the transmission assembly 300, the pushing plate 420 is rotatably connected with the sliding block 410, and the pushing plate 420 can move along the goods channel 240 together with the sliding block 410 and can be switched between a goods pushing posture and a goods supplementing posture under the driving of the transmission assembly 300. When the push plate 420 is in the cargo pushing posture, the push plate 420 can push the cargo towards the front outlet; when the pusher 420 is in the restocking posture, the pusher 420 is moved out of the conveying path of the goods, so that the goods can be restocked into the goods passage 240 through the rear entrance of the goods passage 240. In this application, push pedal 420 is in the replenishment gesture when the replenishment, can place new goods in goods way 240 in proper order by the back entry of goods way 240, makes the goods of newly filling in be located this time after the goods that has not sold before the replenishment. When selling goods, the push plate 420 is driven to be in a goods pushing posture, and the push plate 420 is driven to move towards the front outlet to push the goods out of the front outlet in sequence, so that the goods which are not sold before the replenishment can be sold preferentially, and the problem that the goods are overdue due to the fact that the goods are sold after being put into the goods channel 240 first is solved. Moreover, the driving assembly 300 is used for driving the pushing assembly 400 to move along the cargo channel 240, the driving push plate 420 is automatically switched between the cargo pushing posture and the cargo replenishing posture, and the posture switching of the driving push plate 420 is not required to be additionally provided, so that the cost is lower.

The replenishment method provided by the embodiment of the application is realized by the vending machine 010 provided by the embodiment of the application, so that the replenishment method also has the beneficial effects.

The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope of the present application should be covered within the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (10)

1. The vending machine comprises a goods shelf and a goods pushing mechanism, wherein the goods shelf comprises a goods channel for accommodating goods, the goods channel extends along the front-back direction, the front end of the goods channel is provided with a front outlet, and the rear end of the goods channel is provided with a rear inlet; the goods pushing mechanism is arranged on the goods shelf and comprises a transmission assembly and a goods pushing assembly, the goods pushing assembly comprises a sliding block and a pushing plate, the sliding block is in transmission connection with the transmission assembly, the pushing plate is rotatably connected with the sliding block, the pushing plate can move along the goods channel along with the sliding block under the driving of the transmission assembly and can be switched between a goods pushing posture and a goods supplementing posture, when the pushing plate is in the goods pushing posture, the pushing plate can push goods to move towards the front outlet, and when the pushing plate is switched from the goods pushing posture to the goods supplementing posture, the goods can be supplemented to the goods channel from the rear inlet;

the shelf further comprises a blocking portion disposed adjacent to a rear end of the lane; the stop part can be in the butt is in when the push pedal backward movement push away the goods gesture the push pedal forces the push pedal by push away the goods gesture rotate extremely the replenishment gesture, the stop part can also be in the replenishment gesture the push pedal butt when moving forward the push pedal forces the push pedal by the replenishment gesture rotates extremely push away the goods gesture.

2. The vending machine of claim 1, wherein the pusher is rotatably coupled to the slider via a pivot axis, the pusher includes a first blocking surface and a second blocking surface disposed at an included angle, and the pivot axis is located between the first blocking surface and the second blocking surface; when the push plate in the goods pushing posture moves towards the rear end of the goods channel, the blocking part can be in contact with the first blocking surface and drive the push plate to rotate to the goods supplementing posture along a set direction; when the push plate in the replenishment posture moves forwards from the rear end of the cargo channel, the blocking part is in contact with the second blocking surface and drives the push plate to rotate to the cargo pushing posture along the direction opposite to the set direction.

3. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the blocking portion includes a core shaft and a roller, the core shaft is disposed on the shelf, the roller is sleeved on the core shaft and can freely rotate around an axis of the core shaft, and when the push plate is switched between the pushing posture and the replenishing posture, the roller contacts with the first blocking surface or the second blocking surface and can roll along the first blocking surface or the second blocking surface.

4. The vending machine of claim 2, wherein the shelf further comprises a guide surface connected between a front end and a rear end of the channel, the pusher further comprising a first guide surface slidably abutting the guide surface to prevent the pusher from rotating in the set direction when the pusher is moved in the pushing position.

5. The vending machine of claim 4, wherein the channel further comprises a stop surface coupled between the front end and the rear end of the channel, the stop surface being disposed perpendicular to the guide surface, the stop portion being disposed on the stop surface, the pusher plate further comprising a second guide surface, the second guide surface being in sliding engagement with the stop surface when the pusher plate is moved in the pushing position.

6. The vending machine according to claim 4, wherein the shelf further has an accommodating cavity extending in the front-rear direction, the guide surface has an elongated slot communicating with the accommodating cavity, the transmission assembly is located in the accommodating cavity, the slider is at least partially located in the accommodating cavity, the slider passes through the elongated slot and is rotatably connected to the push plate, the transmission assembly includes a transmission wheel, two belt wheels spaced apart in the front-rear direction, and a transmission belt supported by the two belt wheels, the transmission wheel is coaxially and fixedly connected to one of the two belt wheels, and the slider is fixedly connected to the transmission belt.

7. The vending machine of claim 1, wherein the pusher is rotatably coupled to the slider by a pivot shaft, the pusher including an internal tooth portion; the blocking part comprises a mandrel and a gear, the mandrel is arranged on the goods shelf, the gear is sleeved on the mandrel and can freely rotate around the mandrel, and when the push plate in the goods pushing posture moves to the rear end of the goods channel, the gear is meshed with the internal tooth part and drives the push plate to rotate to the goods supplementing posture along a set direction; when the push plate in the replenishment posture moves forwards from the rear end of the cargo channel, the gear is meshed with the internal tooth part and drives the push plate to rotate to the cargo pushing posture along the direction opposite to the set direction.

8. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a delivery mechanism, wherein the delivery mechanism includes a bucket and a driving assembly, the bucket is driven by the driving assembly to move relative to the shelf, the bucket has a receiving position, when the bucket is located at the receiving position, the bucket is opposite to a front outlet of the goods channel, a power output member on the bucket is in transmission connection with the transmission assembly, and the power output member can drive the transmission assembly to drive the push plate to move along the goods channel and switch between the pushing posture and the replenishment posture.

9. The vending machine of claim 1, further comprising a detection mechanism for detecting whether the pusher is in the restocking attitude.

10. A replenishment method applied to the vending machine according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that the replenishment method comprises:

when a replenishment instruction is received, the push plate is controlled to move backwards to be switched to the replenishment posture, and after replenishment is completed, the push plate is controlled to move forwards to be switched to the goods pushing posture.

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