EP0524289A1

EP0524289A1 - Automatic distributor for packaged articles

Info

Publication number: EP0524289A1
Application number: EP92904265A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jean-Louis Saussier
Original assignee: Planex SA
Current assignee: Planex SA
Priority date: 1991-02-13
Filing date: 1992-02-10
Publication date: 1993-01-27
Also published as: FR2672714A1; JPH05508501A; WO1992015076A1; US5277330A

Abstract

L'invention concerne un appareil distributeur à magasin rotatif (16) contenant plusieurs couloirs verticaux (20) contenant des piles de différents articles (6) respectifs. L'appareil est agencé pour distribuer automatiquement des articles sélectionnés par un acheteur et pouvant avoir différents prix. Le magasin rotatif (16) est pourvu d'un entraînement motorisé (24). Un mécanisme motorisé de distribution (30) occupe un emplacement stationnaire en-dessous du magasin et comporte un doigt d'éjection (34) destiné à pousser horizontalement l'article inférieur de la pile. Un boîtier latéral (10) contient une unité électronique qui commande toutes les fonctions de distribution sur la base d'informations reçues d'un monnayeur électronique, d'un clavier de sélection (15) et de détecteurs stationnaires (43) indiquant la position du magasin, l'identité des couloirs (20) et la présence d'articles (6) dans les couloirs.The invention relates to a rotary magazine dispenser apparatus (16) containing a plurality of vertical lanes (20) containing stacks of respective different articles (6). The apparatus is arranged to automatically dispense articles selected by a buyer and which may have different prices. The rotary magazine (16) is provided with a motorized drive (24). A motorized dispensing mechanism (30) occupies a stationary location below the magazine and has an eject finger (34) for horizontally pushing the lower article of the stack. A side box (10) contains an electronic unit which controls all dispensing functions on the basis of information received from an electronic coin mechanism, a selection keypad (15) and stationary detectors (43) indicating the position of the dispenser. store, the identity of the corridors (20) and the presence of articles (6) in the corridors.

Description

AUTOMATIC DISPENSER OF PACKAGED ARTICLES

The present invention relates to an automatic distributor of articles packaged in substantially parallelepipedic packaging, comprising:

a rotary magazine with a vertical axis, supported by a frame and comprising on its periphery several substantially vertical corridors, these corridors being arranged to each contain a stack of articles and to occupy in turn a distribution position,

- locating means for detecting positions of the magazine,

a distribution mechanism mounted on the frame and arranged to extract the lower article from the stack of the corridor occupying the distribution position and bring this article to a distribution opening,

- And control means comprising a motorized drive for rotating the magazine, a motorized drive of the dispensing mechanism, a cashing unit and a manual selector.

The invention relates in particular to a distributor intended for the sale of different articles, stored in respective stacks.

Publication WO 89/12873 describes a prepaid dispenser in which the bottom of each aisle of the store is formed by a support movable vertically and normally occupying its high position. Once the desired corridor has been brought into the distribution position, by manual rotation of the magazine, a coin is inserted into the device to release the dispensing mechanism, which is operated manually from so as to lower the support and eject the article resting thereon. The necessary mechanisms

"_ With this system of mobile supports are relatively complicated, require a fair amount of maintenance and are not very suitable for motorized control. In addition, this dispenser is designed for single price items and cannot be easily adapted to the sale of items with different prices. A distributor of the type indicated in the preamble, capable of automatically delivering an article that the buyer has chosen by indicating the corresponding corridor by means of a manual selector, is described in publication FR-A-1 539 507. The article to dispensing is ejected laterally from the stack by a rotary lever passing through a slot in the bottom of each lane. The control system is electromechanical and comprises, to identify the position of the corridors, a rotary finger secured to the magazine, successively actuating electrical contacts distributed around the axis of rotation. One drawback of this system is that the dispenser operates even if the selected corridor is empty. In addition, all items must have the same price, because the collection unit operates independently of the selector. Finally, the electrical contact device can easily give rise to breakdowns.

The object of the present invention is to provide an automatic distributor arranged so as to avoid the abovementioned drawbacks and suitable for the sale of different articles at different prices, while having a relatively simple structure and trouble-free operation for the buyer. .

To this end, the invention relates to a dispenser of the type indicated above, characterized in that the control means comprise an electronic control unit which is electrically connected to the selector, to the collection unit, to the means of tracking and motorized drives to control said drives, in that the tracking means comprise at least one corridor detector, connected to the electronic control unit and indicating whether or not a corridor contains at least one item, and in that said corridor detector comprises movable feelers, respectively disposed at the bottom of each corridor and having two different positions depending on the presence or absence of an article in said corridor, and at least one position sensor installed on the frame and arranged to deliver to the electronic unit a signal indicating the presence of one of said sensors in front of it and the position of this sensor. Thus, the electronic control unit can check that an item of the selected type is present in the corridor (s) concerned, that an amount corresponding to the price of this item has been cashed, then that the store is or has been set in the appropriate position, before ordering an operating cycle of the dispensing mechanism.

In a particularly advantageous form, each probe has a coded end which identifies the corridor corresponding to the pal¬ fear and the position sensor comprises a group of optical sensors cooperating with said coded form to deliver a signal with digital code representing the identity of the corridor corresponding to the probe. Preferably, the dispenser comprises as many position sensors as there are feelers, said sensors and said feelers being distributed with equal angular intervals around said vertical axis, each feeler being opposite a position sensor when any of the corridors occupies the distribution position.

In an advantageous embodiment, each lane has a bottom supporting the weight of the stack of articles, this bottom forming part of the rotary magazine, and a horizontal slot for the passage of an ejection finger belonging to the dispensing mechanism. The dispensing mechanism can comprise a carriage carrying the ejection finger and driven back and forth by rotation of a screw, and said carriage can be arranged to tilt laterally around the screw according to the direction of rotation of this screw, so as to be tilted differently on the outward and return path.

Preferably, the rotary magazine is mounted on a central pivot in a lower part of the frame and is entirely surrounded by elements of the frame forming an envelope that is at least partially transparent. The lower part of the frame may comprise, between the ejection mechanism and the dispensing opening, a chamber forming a baffle on the path of the ejected article. The dispenser can advantageously include an autonomous electrical supply by accumulators housed in the frame.

Preferably, the collection unit, the manual selector and the electronic control unit are housed in an annex box mounted laterally on the frame.

The present invention and its advantages will appear more clearly in the following description of a preferred embodiment, presented by way of example and with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is a partially cut elevation view of an automatic distributor according to the invention along line I-I of FIG. 3,

fig. 2 is a partial view in vertical section along the line II-II of FIG. 3,

fig. 3 is a view in horizontal section of the dispenser, and

fig. is a vertical section view of an annex box containing a coin mechanism and an electronic control unit.

The dispensing device shown in the figures comprises a frame 1 composed of an opaque lower part 2, of a transparent cylindrical intermediate part 3 and of a cover 4 which can be opened using a key 5 to load the items to be dispensed into the appliance. The lower part 2 of the frame is provided with feet 6 and fixing means such as a central suction cup 7 to be fixed on a horizontal surface 8, for example in a sales room or in a bar. An annex box 10 is mounted laterally on the frame 1 by means of a pair of hinges 11 and 12 and a lock 13 actuated by a key 14. The box 10 essentially contains control elements of the dispenser, in particular a keyboard selection 15 to four keys. In the region of its transparent intermediate part 3, the frame contains a magazine 16 rotatable around a vertical axis 17 on a bearing 18 mounted on a central base 19 secured to the lower part 2 of the frame. The magazine 16 contains four vertica corridors 20 of rectangular cross section, each intended to contain a stack of articles 6 presented for sale in the dispenser. The articles 6 preferably have an approximately parallel pedic shape. However, it suffices that their upper and lower faces are such that the articles can slide horizontally one over the other. In the present example, the four lanes 20 are identical and have equal angular offsets between them, but this is not necessarily the case. Articles 6 can be different from one corridor 20 to another. If their dimensions in pl are different, although the corridors are identical, we can apply appropriate complementary guides to the walls of corridors 20. In the drawings, articles 6 are food products packaged in trays that buyers can easily examine. before purchase, through the transparent wall of the part of the frame. The same device may, however, dispense articles of any kind, provided that their shape or that of their packaging is appropriate.

The magazine 16 can advantageously be formed by a molded piece of rigid synthetic material. In its lower part, it comprises a central support 22 secured to the bottom 23 of each corridor 20. C support 22 is also secured to a toothed wheel 24- driven by an endless screw 25 actuated by an electric motor 26 in. Driving in rotation the magazine 16 and to keep it stopped In the present case, the magazine has four positions of offset offset by 90 °, so that in each of them one of the lanes 20 is in a position called distribution, opposite an outlet chamber 27 which each article 6 delivered passes through to reach a distribution opening 28 where the buyer can enter. The chamber 27 forms a baffle between the bottom of the store 1 and the opening 28, to prevent unauthorized access to the items in the store. Below the distribution position of the corridors 20, the lower part 2 of the frame contains a distribution mechanism 30 com¬ carrying an electric motor 31 which rotates a horizontal screw 32 linearly driving a carriage 33 carrying a folding ejection finger 34 . In addition, the carriage 33 is provided with a lateral arm 35 carrying a rotary roller 36 arranged to roll against guide rails 37 and 38. The finger 34 is intended to push the article 6 resting on the chamber 27 the bottom 23 of the corridor 20, as shown in FIG. 2, passing through a longitudinal slot 39 in the bottom 23 when the screw 32 rotates clockwise according to FIG. 1. The friction exerted by the screw 32 tends to apply the roller 36 against the guide ramp 37. When the screw 32 rotates in the opposite direction, it causes the carriage 33 to tilt laterally so that the finger 34 emerges laterally from the magazine 16 during the carriage return. The roller 36 is then guided by the other ramp 38.

Furthermore, the lower part 2 of the frame contains a compartment 40 intended to receive accumulators 41 ensuring an autonomous electrical supply to the device. Depending on the case, one can also preview a power supply by connection to the mains.

To signal if one of the corridors 20 is empty, each corridor is equipped with a tilting probe 42 (fig. 1) cooperating, when the magazine is stopped, with any one of four stationary detectors 43 angularly offset 90 ° on the frame. The probe 42 includes a blade 44 which tends to rise under the effect of a spring 45 "so as to be applied against the article 6 resting on the bottom 23 of the corridor or to be lifted if the corridor is empty. In the latter case, the probe 42 switches on its axis 46 and its end 47 moves in the detector 43 which then emits a corresponding signal. Preferably, the end 47 of each probe has a coded shape identifying the corridor concerned. For example, as shown in fig. 3, each detector 43 may include three optical sensors such as light barriers 48 or reflection sensors, while that the ends 47 of the different feelers have different shapes recognizable according to the barriers 48 that they cut. These different shapes can be produced by lips which are arranged differently on the four probes and which are arranged to obscure some of the three light barriers, in order to carry out a three-bit coding. This coding also makes it possible to identify the position of the rotary magazine 16, at least one of the detectors 43 being equipped with light barriers making it possible to identify a feeler 42 by its shape even if the corresponding corridor is not empty. Such a contactless device has the advantage of being practically free from breakdowns.

Fig. 4 schematically shows the main organs contained in the annex housing 10, which is seen from the side of the axis of the device. The upper part of the housing 10 contains on the one hand an electronic coin mechanism 50, provided with an entry slot 51 (FIG. 1) for coins 52, and on the other hand an electronic control unit 53 ensuring a automatic operation of the device as a function of the indications of the coin mechanism 50, of the selection keyboard 15 and of the detectors 43. Preferably, the coin mechanism 50 is arranged to receive different coins successively and to total their respective values in the unit 53. That -this can be programmed to compare the amount paid with the unit price of the item selected on the keyboard 15. In this example, it has four keys 54 corresponding to the four lanes 20, but a simpler arrangement is possible if the distributor is intended for only one type of article. The coin mechanism 50 is provided with a buffer tank for the coins, having a movable bottom controlled by the unit 53 for dropping the coins either in a coin compartment 55, if an article can be distributed, or in a reimbursement conduit. 56 if the selected item is no longer available. At the base of the coin compartment 55, there is provided a drain hatch 57 which is accessible only when the housing 10 is open. The compartment 55 contains a feeler gauge 58 intended to indicate to the unit 53 that the compartment is full. The vending machine operating cycle described above is as follows. The customer selects the desired article 6 by pressing one of the keys 54 on the keyboard 15, then introduces into the coin mechanism 50 coins covering the price of the selected article. The electronic unit 53 then performs a series of tests which determine the continuation of the operation. If the documents introduced are not of an accepted type, eEes are rejected. If the electrical voltage is insufficient, if the corridor 20 containing the desired article is empty, or if the gauge 58 indicates that the coin compartment 55 is full, the coins are reimbursed through the conduit 56. Otherwise, if the price of the item is covered, the coins are collected in the compartment 55 • The unit 53 then controls the rotation motor 26 to bring the desired corridor into the distribution position, controlled by at least one of the detectors 43. It then starts a cycle of the dispensing mechanism 30 to eject the article 6 as shown in fig. 2. The buyer can then enter the article in opening 28 and the device is ready for a new cycle.

The foregoing description shows that an automatic dispenser according to the invention can be produced using simple and safe mechanical means, all of whose functions are controlled automatically by a central electronic unit and can be provided using an autonomous power supply.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described here, but it extends to any modification or variant obvious to a person skilled in the art. The applications of such a distributor extend to the sale of food or other articles, packaged in packages capable of sliding one over the other in at least one direction.

Claims

1. Vending machine for articles packaged in substantially parallelepiped packaging, comprising:

- a rotary magazine (16) with a vertical axis, supported by a frame and comprising around its periphery several substantially vertical corridors (20), these corridors being arranged to each contain a stack of articles (6) and to occupy in turn a distribution position,

- locating means for detecting positions of the magazine,

- And control means comprising a motorized drive (24-26) for rotating the magazine, a motorized drive (31-33) of the dispensing mechanism (30), a collection unit (50) and a manual selector (15 ), characterized in that the control means comprise an electronic control unit (53) which is connected to the selector uement electri ^q, Single encashment, the locating means and for controlling said motor drives drives in that the locating means comprise at least one corridor detector (42, 43), connected to the electronic control unit (53) and indicating whether or not a corridor (20) contains at least one article, and in that said color detector comprises movable feelers (42), respectively disposed at the bottom of each corridor and having two different positions depending on the presence or absence of an article in said corridor, and at least one position sensor (43) installed lle on the frame and arranged to deliver to the electronic unit a signal indicating the presence of one of said probes (42) in front of it and the position of this probe.

2. Distributor according to claim 1, characterized in that each probe (42) has an end (47) of coded shape which identifies the passage (20) corresponding to the probe and in that the sensor position (43) comprises a group of optical sensors (48) cooperating with said coded form to deliver a digital code signal representing the identity of the corridor corresponding to the probe.

3. Dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises as many position sensors (43) as sensors (42), said sensors and said sensors being distributed with equal angular intervals around said vertical axis, each sensor is located opposite a position sensor when any one of the lanes (20) occupies the dispensing position.

4. Dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that each passage (20) has a bottom (23) supporting the weight of the stack of articles, this bottom forming part of the rotary magazine (16), and a horizontal slot (39 ) for the passage of an ejection finger (34) belonging to the dispensing mechanism.

5. Distributor according to claim 4, characterized in that the distribution mechanism comprises a carriage (33) carrying the ejection finger (34) and driven back and forth by rotation of a screw (32).

6. Dispenser according to claim 5, characterized in that said carriage (33) is arranged to tilt laterally around the screw as a function of the direction of rotation of this screw, so as to be inclined differently on the outward and return path.

7. Distributor according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotary magazine (16) is mounted on a central pivot (18) in a lower part (2) of the frame and is entirely surrounded by elements (2, 3, 4) of the frame forming an at least partially transparent envelope.

8. Dispenser according to claim 7, characterized in that the lower part (2) of the frame comprises, between the ejection mechanism and the dispensing opening (28), a chamber (27) forming a baffle on the path of the ejected item.

9. Distributor according to claim 1, characterized in that it com¬ carries an autonomous electrical supply by accumulators (41) housed in the frame (1).

10. Distributor according to claim 1, characterized in that the cashing unit (50), the manual selector (15) and the electronic control unit (53) are housed in an annex box (10) mounted laterally on the frame (1).