EP2012281B1 - Commodity carrying out device - Google Patents
Commodity carrying out device Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP2012281B1 EP2012281B1 EP08156361.1A EP08156361A EP2012281B1 EP 2012281 B1 EP2012281 B1 EP 2012281B1 EP 08156361 A EP08156361 A EP 08156361A EP 2012281 B1 EP2012281 B1 EP 2012281B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- commodity
- bucket
- carrying
- main unit
- out device
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Links
- 230000002265 prevention Effects 0.000 claims description 7
- 230000014759 maintenance of location Effects 0.000 claims description 2
- 230000000717 retained effect Effects 0.000 description 9
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 description 4
- 235000013361 beverage Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 238000005192 partition Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000011810 insulating material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001105 regulatory effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000638 solvent extraction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229920003002 synthetic resin Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000000057 synthetic resin Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010792 warming Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F11/00—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles
- G07F11/02—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines
- G07F11/38—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines in which the magazines are horizontal
- G07F11/42—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines in which the magazines are horizontal the articles being delivered by motor-driven means
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F11/00—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles
- G07F11/02—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines
- G07F11/04—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines in which magazines the articles are stored one vertically above the other
- G07F11/16—Delivery means
- G07F11/163—Delivery means characterised by blocking access to the output bins
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F11/00—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles
- G07F11/02—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines
- G07F11/04—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines in which magazines the articles are stored one vertically above the other
- G07F11/16—Delivery means
- G07F11/165—Delivery means using xyz-picker or multi-dimensional article picking arrangements
- G07F11/1653—Delivery means using xyz-picker or multi-dimensional article picking arrangements the picking arrangements being collecting buckets
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F11/00—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles
- G07F11/02—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines
- G07F11/28—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines in which the magazines are inclined
- G07F11/30—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines in which the magazines are inclined two or more magazines having independent delivery
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a commodity carrying out device that is capable of carrying out a commodity that is stored in a commodity storage column to a predetermined commodity carrying out position.
- a device that includes a plurality of commodity storage columns that are aligned with respect to each other in a vertical direction and a width direction for storing commodities in a condition in which the commodities are arranged in the front-to-rear direction, a bucket for receiving a commodity that is stored in a selected commodity storage column, and a bucket moving mechanism for moving the bucket to the front side of an arbitrary commodity storage column and moving the bucket that receives a commodity to a predetermined commodity carrying out position.
- a commodity stored in a commodity storage column is received in the bucket in a state in which the commodity has the same posture as when the commodity is stored in the commodity storage column and the bucket is then moved to the predetermined commodity carrying out position. Consequently, in a case in which a commodity that has a vertically long shape is received in a bucket in an upright state, when the bucket is moved in the width direction towards the predetermined commodity carrying out position a situation can arise in which the commodity becomes unstable inside the bucket, such as when the commodity topples over to the side that is opposite the predetermined commodity carrying out position. There is thus a risk that a carrying-out failure, such as the commodity dropping down from the bucket, will occur.
- JP2000076535A and US2005/0067426 disclose vending machines that position a commodity from one of plural columns in a bucket for dispensing, wherein the commodity is inclined in the bucket.
- FR2718624A discloses a vending machine that removes a commodity from a display shelf, rotates the commodity through 90° and then places the commodity on a tray or in a warming device.
- An object of the present invention is to provide a commodity carrying out device that can reliably carry even a commodity that has a vertically long shape to a predetermined commodity carrying out position without a carrying-out failure occurring.
- the invention consists in a commodity carrying out device, comprising: a plurality of commodity storage columns aligned in a vertical direction and a width direction with respect to each other for storing commodities arranged in a front-to-rear direction; a bucket for receiving a commodity to be carried out, the bucket including a bucket main unit for supporting a side surface of the commodity with the commodity in an inclined state, and a commodity supporting member for supporting a bottom surface of the commodity with the commodity in the inclined state; a bucket moving mechanism for moving the bucket to a front side of an arbitrary commodity storage column and for moving the bucket to a predetermined commodity carrying out position; and a commodity retention mechanism for retaining the commodity in the inclined state when moving the bucket to a predetermined commodity carrying out position at a side of the commodity carrying out device; characterised by a bucket rotating mechanism for rotating the bucket main unit and the commodity supporting member from facing the front side of the commodity storage column to facing the predetermined commodity carrying out position side of the commodity carrying out device; a support releasing mechanism for releasing a support of the
- the commodity is retained in the bucket in an inclined state, the commodity is retained in a stable state in the bucket that moves towards the predetermined commodity carrying out position.
- FIG. 1 to FIG. 22 illustrate the first embodiment of the present invention.
- An automatic vending machine that includes this commodity carrying out device comprises an automatic vending machine main unit 10 that has an opening at the front, an external door 20 provided in an openable and closable condition at one end side in the width direction of the opening of the automatic vending machine main unit 10, and an operation door 30 provided in an openable and closable condition at the other end side in the width direction of the opening of the automatic vending machine main unit 10.
- the automatic vending machine main unit 10 is provided with a commodity storage chamber 12 for storing commodities A for sale and an equipment storage chamber 13 for storing equipment relating to selling operations. This is achieved by partitioning the inside of the automatic vending machine main unit 10 in the width direction with a heat insulating partition wall 11. The interior surface of the commodity storage chamber 12 is covered with a heat insulating material. At the lower part of the equipment storage chamber 13 is provided a commodity outlet portion 14 to which a commodity A to be sold is carried. An opening 15 that connects the commodity outlet portion 14 and the commodity storage chamber 12 is provided in the partition wall 11.
- the external door 20 is rotatably supported at one end side in the width direction of the automatic vending machine main unit 10 and is arranged to open and close the front of the commodity storage chamber 12.
- the external door 20 comprises a transparent plate 21 comprising glass or a synthetic resin or the like and a frame member 22 provided around the perimeter of the transparent plate 21.
- the interior of the commodity storage chamber 12 can be visually recognized from outside the external door 20.
- the operation door 30 is rotatably supported at the other end side in the width direction of the automatic vending machine main unit 10 and is arranged to open and close the front of the equipment storage chamber 13.
- a coin insertion slot 31 At the front of the operation door 30 are provided a coin insertion slot 31, a coin return lever 32, a money amount indicator 33, a banknote insertion slot 34, a commodity selection portion 35, a coin return port 36, and a commodity outlet port 37.
- the commodity storage chamber 12 In the commodity storage chamber 12 are provided a plurality of commodity storage columns 50 that are disposed in alignment in the width direction with a plurality of vertically spaced shelves 40, respectively, a bucket unit 60 as a commodity carrying out device for carrying a commodity A stored in a commodity storage column 50 to the commodity outlet portion 14, and a unit moving device 70.
- the commodity storage chamber 12 is also configured so as to be cooled or heated by a cooler and an electric heater that are not shown.
- an equipment chamber for housing unshown refrigerating devices such as a compressor and a radiator.
- each of the vertically aligned shelves 40 are slightly greater than the height dimensions of a commodity A to be stored. This prevents erroneous storage of a commodity A that has large height dimensions that are different to the height dimensions of a commodity A that is intended to be stored.
- Each shelf 40 is formed so that the dimensions thereof in the front-to-rear direction are smaller than the dimensions in the front-to-rear direction of the commodity storage column 50. Further, to secure an operating space for receiving a commodity A into the bucket unit 60 from the commodity storage column 50, the front end of each shelf 40 is positioned further to the rear side than the front end of the commodity storage column 50.
- Each commodity storage column 50 is provided with a commodity passage 50a extending in the front-to-rear direction that is formed by a base plate 51 and a side plate 52.
- Vertically long commodities A such as canned beverages, bottled beverages, or PET bottles can be stored in the commodity passage 50a in a condition in which they are aligned in the front-to-rear direction.
- a commodity locking portion 51a that is formed to extend vertically is provided for restricting movement of a commodity A in the frontward direction.
- a notch portion 51b that enables movement of a fork member, described later, of the bucket unit 60 in the vertical direction.
- An ejecting plate 53 which is movable in the front-to-rear direction and which is urged frontward by an unshown urging member such as a power spring is disposed in the commodity passage 50a.
- an unshown urging member such as a power spring
- the ejecting plate 53 is provided with a notch portion 53a to enable movement in the vertical direction of a fork member, described later, of the bucket unit 60 when the ejecting plate 53 is positioned at the front end side of the commodity passage 50a.
- a gate plate 54 that opens and closes the front end side of the commodity passage 50a is connected in a vertically rotatable condition to the front end side of the side plate 52.
- the gate plate 54 is arranged so as to block off the commodity passage 50a in a posture in which it extends diagonally upward from the side plate 52.
- the gate plate 54 is urged in a direction that blocks off the commodity passage 50a by an urging member such as a coiled spring.
- the gate plate 54 is arranged to open the commodity passage 50a by rotating upward against the urging force of the urging member through contact of a gate release portion, described later, provided on the bucket unit 60 side against the bottom surface of the gate plate 54.
- a guide portion 52a for guiding the gate release portion in the front-to-rear direction is also provided on the commodity passage 50a side of the side plate 52 on which the gate plate 54 is supported.
- the bucket unit 60 comprises a unit base 61 that is connected with a unit moving device 70, a bucket base 62 that is moveable in the front-to-rear direction with respect to the unit base 61, a rotating member 63 that is rotatably supported by the bucket base 62 with the vertical direction as the central axis, a bucket 64 that is supported by the rotating member 63 and is provided to support a side surface of a commodity A that is carried out, a fork member 65 that is rotatably supported in the vertical direction by the lower end of the bucket 64 and which supports the bottom surface of a commodity A that is carried out, a rotation restricting member 66 for restricting rotation of the fork member 65, a commodity detecting plate 67 for detecting the existence or non-existence of a commodity A within the bucket 64, and a restriction releasing member 68 for releasing the rotation restriction of the fork member 65 by the rotation restricting member 66.
- the unit base 61 has an electric motor 61a as a motive power that moves the bucket base 62 in the front-to-rear direction and also rotates the bucket 64, a guide groove 61b for guiding the bucket base 62 in the front-to-rear direction, a protrusion 61c that imparts a force that rotates the rotating member 63 to the commodity outlet portion 14 side upon movement of the bucket base 62 to the front, a pair of width direction rails 61d for regulating movement of the fork member 65 in the width direction to guide the fork member 65 in the front-to-rear direction, and a commodity detecting sensor 61e such as a microswitch that is turned on/off by the commodity detecting plate 67.
- an electric motor 61a as a motive power that moves the bucket base 62 in the front-to-rear direction and also rotates the bucket 64
- a guide groove 61b for guiding the bucket base 62 in the front-to-rear direction
- a protrusion 61c
- the two ends on the left and right of the bottom surface side and the upper and lower sides of one end in the width direction of the bucket base 62 are formed so as to engage with the guide groove 61b that is provided in the unit base 61 so that the bucket base 62 is movable along the guide groove 61b.
- a groove 62a extending in the width direction is also provided on the bottom surface of the bucket base 62, and a link member 69 having one end connected to the electric motor 61a is arranged so that the other end side thereof engages with the groove 62a.
- the bucket base 62 is moved in the front-to-rear direction along the guide groove 61b by the movement of the other end side of the link member 69.
- An abutting portion 62b formed to have a curved surface shape is provided in the bucket base 62.
- the surface of the bucket 64 on the opposite side of the commodity receiving surface contacts against the abutting portion 62b.
- a gate release portion 62c that extends rearward from a position below the abutting portion 62b is also provided in the bucket base 62. By rearward movement of the bucket base 62, the gate release portion 62c presses the gate plate 54 upward to open the front end side of the commodity passage 50a.
- the rotating member 63 is connected to the bucket 64 in a condition in which the bucket 64 is rotatable backwards and forwards. Further, an end in the width direction of the rotating member 63 is rotatably connected to the bucket base 62.
- the rotating member 63 is urged by an unshown urging member so that the commodity receiving surface of the bucket 64 faces rearward (towards the commodity storage column side). More specifically, the rotating member 63 moves in the front-to-rear direction together with the bucket base 62 in a state in which the commodity receiving surface of the bucket 64 faces rearward.
- the rotating member 63 is pushed by the protrusion 61c arranged in the unit base 61 so as to extend rearward. As a result, the orientation of the rotating member 63 changes by 90° to the commodity outlet portion 14 side.
- the bucket 64 is formed in a semi-cylindrical, curved surface shape in which a concave side serves as a commodity receiving surface.
- the lower end side is rotatably connected to the rotating member 63, and a surface on a side opposite the commodity receiving surface is supported by the abutting portion 62b of the bucket base 62 so that the commodity receiving surface faces diagonally upward.
- the angle of inclination of the bucket 64 is arranged so as to be changed in accordance with the shape of the abutting portion 62b of the bucket base 62 and the shape of the bucket 64 against which the abutting portion 62b abuts.
- the angle of inclination of the bucket 64 at the start of rotation is set to be less than when receiving a commodity A. Thereafter, when the bucket 64 faces completely to the commodity outlet portion 14 side, the angle of inclination is set to be larger than when receiving a commodity A.
- An opening for attaching the commodity detecting plate 67 is provided at the center in the width direction of the bucket 64, in a condition in which the opening extends in the vertical direction.
- the base end side of the fork member 65 is connected to the lower end side of the bucket 64 in a condition in which the fork member 65 is rotatable in the vertical direction.
- the fork member 65 is provided with a plurality of commodity supporting portions 65a that are arranged with a space between each commodity supporting portion 65a.
- On the under surface of the fork member 65 are provided a pair of grooves 65b for moving the fork member 65 along the pair of width direction rails 61d provided in the unit base 61 that restrict movement in the width direction of the fork member 65.
- the upper surface of the fork member 65 is inclined in a normal state from the base end side towards the front end side.
- a contact surface 65c that contacts with the top surface of the unit base 61.
- the angle of the top surface of the fork member 65 can be changed depending on the shape of the top surface of the unit base 61. More specifically, the top surface of the unit base 61 against which the contact surface 65c contacts is formed to be low at the rear end side so that when the bucket base 62 is positioned at the rear end side, the angle of inclination of the top surface of the fork member 65 is small, and when the bucket base 62 is disposed at a position other than the rear end side, the angle of inclination of the top surface of the fork member 65 is greater than when the bucket base 62 is positioned at the rear end side.
- the rotation restricting member 66 is arranged to be moveable in the vertical direction at a lower part of the surface on the opposite side to the commodity receiving surface of the bucket 64, and is urged toward the bottom side by an unshown urging member.
- the rotation restricting member 66 contacts against the end on the base end side of the fork member 65 in a state in which the rotation restricting member 66 is positioned on the lower side to thereby restrict downward rotation of the fork member 65.
- the rotation restricting member 66 is arranged so as to release the restriction on downward rotation of the fork member 65 by moving upward.
- the rotation restricting member 66 is arranged so as to be pressed upward by the restriction releasing member 68.
- the commodity detecting plate 67 extends in the vertical direction over the commodity receiving surface side of the bucket 64, and the top end side thereof is rotatably supported by the bucket 64. Similarly to the bucket 64, the commodity detecting plate 67 is formed in a curved surface shape so that a center portion in the width direction of the commodity receiving surface curves inward vertically so that a commodity A that is received in the bucket 64 is moved to the center portion side. The lower end side of the commodity detecting plate 67 is urged in a direction away from the commodity receiving surface of the bucket 64 by an unshown urging member so as to rotate when a commodity A is received.
- a commodity detecting sensor 61e provided in the unit base 61 is arranged so as to be turned on/off by the top end of the commodity detecting plate 67 in a state in which the commodity receiving surface of the bucket 64 is facing the commodity outlet portion 14 side.
- the commodity detecting sensor 61e turns off, and when the bucket 64 does not contain a commodity A, the commodity detecting sensor 61e turns on.
- An abutting portion 67a against which the rotation restricting member 66 that moves upward contacts is provided in a projecting condition on the surface of the side opposite the commodity receiving surface of the commodity detecting plate 67.
- the restriction releasing member 68 is provided in a condition in which it is linearly moveable in a diagonally upward direction on the commodity outlet portion 14 side of the unit base 61.
- the restriction releasing member 68 is arranged so as to push the rotation restricting member 66 upward when the restriction releasing member 68 is operated in a state in which the commodity receiving surface of the bucket 64 is facing the commodity outlet portion 14 side.
- the restriction releasing member 68 is arranged so as to be operated by contact with an operating portion 16 that is provided adjacent to the opening 15 that communicates with the commodity outlet portion 14 upon the operating portion 16 moving horizontally to the commodity outlet portion 14 side of the unit base 61.
- the restriction releasing member 68 has an abutting portion 68a that extends to the bucket base 62 side.
- the restriction releasing member 68 is arranged so as to be lowered downward by contact of the bucket base 62 with the abutting portion 68a when the bucket base 62 moves rearward.
- the unit moving device 70 is provided at the front side of the commodity storage chamber 12.
- the unit moving device 70 comprises a widthwise movement mechanism 71 for moving the bucket unit 60 in the width direction and a vertical movement mechanism 72 for moving the bucket unit 60 in the vertical direction.
- the widthwise movement mechanism 71 and the vertical movement mechanism 72 are respectively constituted by an unshown mechanism that converts rotational motion into linear motion, such as a belt and pulley, a chain and sprocket, or a feed screw mechanism.
- the widthwise movement mechanism 71 and the vertical movement mechanism 72 are respectively arranged to be driven by an electric motor so as to move the bucket unit 60 in the width direction and the vertical direction.
- This automatic vending machine also includes a controller 80 that carries out temperature control of the commodity storage chamber 12 and control relating to a selling operation with respect to the commodity A.
- the controller 80 comprises a microcomputer. As shown in FIG. 12 , the electric motor 61a and the unit moving device 70 are connected to the controller 80, and the controller 80 is configured so as to send output signals to the electric motor 61a and the unit moving device 70.
- the bucket unit 60 that is positioned at a predetermined standby position moves using the unit moving device 70 to the front end side of a commodity storage column 50 in which the selected commodity A is stored.
- the electric motor 61a is driven to lower the commodity supporting portion 65a of the fork member 65 downward while moving the bucket base 62 rearward with respect to the unit base 61 so that, as shown in FIG. 14 , the commodity supporting portion 65a is inserted to an area below the commodity A positioned at the front end side of the commodity storage column 50.
- the gate release portion 62c of the bucket base 62 contacts the bottom surface of the gate plate 54 of the commodity storage column 50, the gate plate 54 is rotated upward by the rearward movement of the bucket base 62, to thereby open the front end side of the commodity passage 50a of the commodity storage column 50. Further, positioning in the width direction of the bucket unit 60 with respect to the commodity storage column 50 is carried out by one end side in the width direction of the gate release portion 62c contacting with the gate plate 54 and the other end side in the width direction of the gate release portion 62c contacting with the guide portion 52a. Next, as shown in FIG.
- the bucket unit 60 is moved upward by the unit moving device 70 so that the commodity A is lifted by the fork member 65 to receive the commodity A inside the bucket 64.
- the top surface of the fork member 65 forms a downward slope from the front edge side to the base end side thereof, as shown in FIG. 17 , the commodity A that is lifted upward tilts forward so that it moves forward and is received inside the bucket 64.
- the bucket unit 60 that receives the commodity A moves the bucket base 62 forward with respect to the unit base 61 and, as shown in FIG. 19 , raises the commodity supporting portion 65a of the fork member 65 upward to incline the commodity A to the bucket 64 side. Thereafter, when the bucket base 62 is moved further forward, as shown in FIG.
- the bucket 64 rotates to the commodity outlet portion 14 side.
- the rotating member 63 contacts against the protrusion 61c of the unit base 61 and changes orientation by 90° to the commodity outlet portion 14 side, and as a result the bucket 64 rotates towards the commodity outlet portion 14.
- the angle of inclination of the bucket 64 is less than the angle of inclination thereof when receiving the commodity A, and when the bucket 64 completely faces the commodity outlet portion 14 side, the angle of inclination thereof is greater than the angle of inclination when receiving the commodity A.
- the bucket unit 60 containing the commodity A is moved in the vertical direction and width direction by the unit moving device 70 to move to the commodity carrying out position.
- the commodity A in the bucket unit 60 is retained in a state in which the commodity A inclines in a width direction that is opposite to the width direction in which the bucket unit 60 moves.
- the restriction releasing member 68 contacts against the operating portion 16 provided adjacent to the opening 15 of the commodity outlet portion 14 and moves diagonally upward to thereby move the rotation restricting member 66 upward.
- FIG. 24 shows a flowchart illustrating operations to be performed when a commodity A in a commodity storage column 50 located adjacent to the wall surface on the opposite side to the commodity outlet portion 14 side of the commodity storage chamber 12 is to be carried out to the commodity outlet portion 14.
- the controller 80 receives the commodity A in the bucket 64 from the commodity storage column 50 (step S1), moves the bucket unit 60 a predetermined distance in the width direction to the commodity outlet portion 14 side (step S2), and rotates the bucket 64 to the commodity outlet portion 14 side (step S3).
- the bucket 64 is rotated so that the commodity receiving surface of the bucket 64 faces the commodity storage column 50 side and the predetermined commodity carrying out position side.
- the commodity A when moving the bucket unit 60 that receives the commodity A in the width direction towards the predetermined commodity carrying out position, the commodity A is retained in a state in which it is inclined the other way in the width direction with respect to the direction in the width direction that the bucket unit 60 moves. Since it is thus possible to hold the commodity A in a stable state in the bucket unit 60 that moves towards the predetermined commodity carrying out position, even when carrying out a commodity A that has a vertically long shape, the commodity A can be reliably carried out to the commodity outlet portion 14 without a carrying-out failure occurring.
- the carrying-out device of the present invention is arranged so as to rotate the bucket 64 that supports the side surface side of the commodity A with the commodity A in an inclined state and the fork member 65 supporting the bottom surface side of the commodity A with the commodity A in an inclined state so that the commodity receiving surface of the bucket 64 faces to the commodity outlet portion 14 side from the commodity storage column 50 side.
- the bucket 64 and the fork member 65 that hold the commodity A are rotated to the commodity outlet portion 14 side.
- the commodity A that is retained by the bucket 64 and the fork member 65 does not contact the wall surface when a commodity A of a commodity storage column 50 adjacent to a wall surface on an opposite side to the commodity outlet portion 14 side of the commodity storage chamber 12 is received in the bucket unit 60 and the bucket 64 and the fork member 65 are rotated, an increase in the width direction dimensions of the automatic vending machine main unit 10 can be prevented.
- the carrying-out device of the present invention also comprises the rotation restricting member 66 for restricting rotation of the fork member 65, the restriction releasing member 68 for releasing the restriction on rotation of the fork member 65 by the rotation restricting member 66, and the operating portion 16 provided adjacent to the opening 15 of the commodity outlet portion 14 for operating the restriction releasing member 68 by movement of the bucket unit 60. It is therefore possible to rotate the fork member 65 by movement of the bucket unit 60 and to carry out the commodity A retained in the bucket 64 and the fork member 65 to the commodity outlet portion 14 without separately requiring a motive power for rotating the fork member 65, and thus production costs can be decreased.
- the commodity detecting plate 67 is also provided as a commodity push-out member that pushes out, in the commodity carrying out direction, the commodity A that is contained in the bucket 64 in response to movement of the rotation restricting member 66.
- the commodity A can be pushed out in the commodity carrying out direction by the commodity detecting plate 67 when the restriction on rotation of the fork member 65 is released and the commodity A is carried out to the commodity outlet portion 14, the commodity A that is received in the bucket 64 can be reliably carried out to the commodity outlet portion 14.
- the surface side of the commodity detecting plate 67 that contacts with a commodity is formed in a curved shape so that the center in the width direction of the commodity detecting plate 67 forms a concave portion.
- the surface side of the bucket 64 that contacts with the commodity A is formed in a curved shape so that the center in the width direction of the bucket 64 forms a concave portion. Since the commodity A that is received in the bucket 64 can therefore be positioned in the center in the width direction of the bucket 64, the commodity A can be reliably retained in the bucket 64.
- the angle of inclination of the bucket 64 after the commodity receiving surface of the bucket 64 is rotated to the commodity outlet portion 14 side is arranged to be greater than the angle of inclination of the bucket 64 when receiving the commodity A in the bucket 64 from the commodity storage column 50.
- the angle of inclination of the bucket 64 after the bucket base 62 is moved forward with respect to the unit base 61 is arranged to be smaller than the angle of inclination of the bucket 64 when the commodity A is received in the bucket 64 from the commodity storage column 50. Since it is therefore possible to prevent the commodity A that is received in the bucket 64 from contacting the external door 20, an increase in the dimensions in the front-to-rear direction of the automatic vending machine main unit 10 can be prevented.
- the restriction releasing member 68 is arranged to be moved downward by moving the bucket base 62 rearward with respect to the unit base 61. Consequently, since it is possible to reliably move the restriction releasing member 68 downward by an operation when receiving the commodity A of the commodity storage column 50 in the bucket 64, the operation to carry out the commodity A can be reliably performed.
- FIG. 26 illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention.
- the same reference symbols are assigned to components that are the same as in the previous embodiment.
- the bucket 64 is composed from a pair of bucket members 64a disposed in the width direction.
- the pair of bucket members 64a are rotatably connected to each other in a condition in which the center in the width direction of the bucket 64 serves as the center of rotation.
- each bucket member 64a of the bucket 64 rotates so that the commodity A is pinched from both sides in the width direction by the pair of bucket members 64a.
- the bucket 64 is composed from a pair of bucket members 64a disposed in the width direction in a condition in which they are rotatably connected to each other.
- the pair of bucket members 64a are arranged to pinch a received commodity A from both sides in the width direction. It is thus possible to prevent a received commodity A from dropping out of the bucket 64 and improve the precision with respect to carrying out a commodity A.
- FIG. 27 illustrates a third embodiment of the present invention.
- the same reference symbols are assigned to components that are the same as in the foregoing embodiment.
- This automatic vending machine comprises a pair of drop prevention plates 64b for preventing a received commodity A from dropping.
- the pair of drop prevention plates 64b are arranged so as to respectively extend along the commodity receiving surface side from both sides in the width direction of the bucket 64.
- Each drop prevention plate 64b is rotatably supported by the bucket 64 and is urged by an unshown urging member so as to extend in the horizontal direction to the commodity receiving surface side from both sides in the width direction of the bucket 64.
- the drop prevention plates 64b contact the side plate 52 of the commodity storage column 50 and rotate downward. Further, when the bucket unit 64 that receives the commodity A is to be moved to the predetermined commodity carrying out position, the drop prevention plates 64b prevent the commodity A from dropping from the bucket 64.
- drop prevention plates for preventing a received commodity A from dropping are provided so as to extend to the commodity receiving surface side from both sides in the width direction of the bucket 64. It is therefore possible to prevent a received commodity A from dropping down from the bucket 64 and to improve the accuracy with respect to carrying out a commodity A.
- the commodity detecting sensor 61e that is turned on/off by the commodity detecting plate 67 is provided in the unit base 61.
- the commodity detecting sensor 61e can similarly detect when a commodity A is sold out or when a fault occurs during an operation to carry out a commodity A.
- the commodity A of a predetermined commodity storage column 50 is sold out, the commodity A of a different commodity storage column 50 can be carried out, and in the case of a failure to receive a commodity A in the bucket 64, the carrying out operation is performed again so that the commodity A can be definitely sold.
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Description
- The present invention relates to a commodity carrying out device that is capable of carrying out a commodity that is stored in a commodity storage column to a predetermined commodity carrying out position.
- Conventionally, as a commodity carrying out device of this kind, a device is known that includes a plurality of commodity storage columns that are aligned with respect to each other in a vertical direction and a width direction for storing commodities in a condition in which the commodities are arranged in the front-to-rear direction, a bucket for receiving a commodity that is stored in a selected commodity storage column, and a bucket moving mechanism for moving the bucket to the front side of an arbitrary commodity storage column and moving the bucket that receives a commodity to a predetermined commodity carrying out position.
- In the conventional commodity carrying out device, a commodity stored in a commodity storage column is received in the bucket in a state in which the commodity has the same posture as when the commodity is stored in the commodity storage column and the bucket is then moved to the predetermined commodity carrying out position. Consequently, in a case in which a commodity that has a vertically long shape is received in a bucket in an upright state, when the bucket is moved in the width direction towards the predetermined commodity carrying out position a situation can arise in which the commodity becomes unstable inside the bucket, such as when the commodity topples over to the side that is opposite the predetermined commodity carrying out position. There is thus a risk that a carrying-out failure, such as the commodity dropping down from the bucket, will occur.
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JP2000076535A US2005/0067426 disclose vending machines that position a commodity from one of plural columns in a bucket for dispensing, wherein the commodity is inclined in the bucket.FR2718624A - An object of the present invention is to provide a commodity carrying out device that can reliably carry even a commodity that has a vertically long shape to a predetermined commodity carrying out position without a carrying-out failure occurring.
- The invention consists in a commodity carrying out device, comprising: a plurality of commodity storage columns aligned in a vertical direction and a width direction with respect to each other for storing commodities arranged in a front-to-rear direction; a bucket for receiving a commodity to be carried out, the bucket including a bucket main unit for supporting a side surface of the commodity with the commodity in an inclined state, and a commodity supporting member for supporting a bottom surface of the commodity with the commodity in the inclined state; a bucket moving mechanism for moving the bucket to a front side of an arbitrary commodity storage column and for moving the bucket to a predetermined commodity carrying out position; and a commodity retention mechanism for retaining the commodity in the inclined state when moving the bucket to a predetermined commodity carrying out position at a side of the commodity carrying out device; characterised by a bucket rotating mechanism for rotating the bucket main unit and the commodity supporting member from facing the front side of the commodity storage column to facing the predetermined commodity carrying out position side of the commodity carrying out device; a support releasing mechanism for releasing a support of the commodity provided by the commodity supporting member; a commodity push-out member, provided in the bucket main unit, for pushing out the received commodity in a commodity carrying out direction in response to operation of the support releasing mechanism; and an operating portion that is disposed at the predetermined commodity carrying out position and provided for operating the support releasing mechanism accompanying movement of the bucket main unit and the commodity supporting member, wherein the commodity supporting member is rotatable in the vertical direction, and when the bucket is moved to the predetermined commodity carrying out position, the operating portion is adapted to operate the support releasing mechanism so that the commodity supporting member rotates downwardly.
- Therefore, since the commodity is retained in the bucket in an inclined state, the commodity is retained in a stable state in the bucket that moves towards the predetermined commodity carrying out position.
- Accordingly, since a commodity can be retained in a stable state in a bucket that moves towards a predetermined commodity carrying out position, even when carrying out a commodity with a vertically long shape it is possible to reliably move the commodity to a predetermined commodity carrying out position without a carrying-out failure occurring.
- The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and the appended drawings.
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FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of an automatic vending machine that illustrates a first embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the automatic vending machine that shows a state in which an external door and an operation door are open; -
FIG. 3 is a side surface cross-section of the automatic vending machine; -
FIG. 4 is a plan view of essential parts of a commodity storage column; -
FIG. 5 is a front view of a commodity storage column; -
FIG. 6 is a side surface cross-section of essential parts of a commodity storage column; -
FIG. 7 is an overall perspective view of a bucket unit; -
FIG. 8 is a plan view of the bucket unit; -
FIG. 9 is a front view of the bucket unit; -
FIG. 10 is a rear view of the bucket unit; -
FIG. 11 is a side view of the bucket unit; -
FIG. 12 is a block diagram that illustrates a control system; -
FIG. 13 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity; -
FIG. 14 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity; -
FIG. 15 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity; -
FIG. 16 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity; -
FIG. 17 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity; -
FIG. 18 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity; -
FIG. 19 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity; -
FIG. 20 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity; -
FIG. 21 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity; -
FIG. 22 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity; -
FIG. 23 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity; -
FIG. 24 is a flowchart that illustrates operations of a controller when carrying out a commodity from a commodity storage column that is positioned at a wall surface side of a commodity storage chamber; -
FIG. 25 is a front view of essential parts of an automatic vending machine that illustrates the positional relationship between a commodity that is received by a bucket unit and a wall surface of a commodity storage chamber; -
FIG. 26 is a plan view of a bucket unit that illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention; and -
FIG. 27 is an overall perspective view of a bucket unit that illustrates a third embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 1 to FIG. 22 illustrate the first embodiment of the present invention. - An automatic vending machine that includes this commodity carrying out device comprises an automatic vending machine
main unit 10 that has an opening at the front, anexternal door 20 provided in an openable and closable condition at one end side in the width direction of the opening of the automatic vending machinemain unit 10, and anoperation door 30 provided in an openable and closable condition at the other end side in the width direction of the opening of the automatic vending machinemain unit 10. - The automatic vending machine
main unit 10 is provided with acommodity storage chamber 12 for storing commodities A for sale and anequipment storage chamber 13 for storing equipment relating to selling operations. This is achieved by partitioning the inside of the automatic vending machinemain unit 10 in the width direction with a heat insulatingpartition wall 11. The interior surface of thecommodity storage chamber 12 is covered with a heat insulating material. At the lower part of theequipment storage chamber 13 is provided acommodity outlet portion 14 to which a commodity A to be sold is carried. Anopening 15 that connects thecommodity outlet portion 14 and thecommodity storage chamber 12 is provided in thepartition wall 11. - The
external door 20 is rotatably supported at one end side in the width direction of the automatic vending machinemain unit 10 and is arranged to open and close the front of thecommodity storage chamber 12. Theexternal door 20 comprises atransparent plate 21 comprising glass or a synthetic resin or the like and aframe member 22 provided around the perimeter of thetransparent plate 21. The interior of thecommodity storage chamber 12 can be visually recognized from outside theexternal door 20. - The
operation door 30 is rotatably supported at the other end side in the width direction of the automatic vending machinemain unit 10 and is arranged to open and close the front of theequipment storage chamber 13. At the front of theoperation door 30 are provided acoin insertion slot 31, acoin return lever 32, amoney amount indicator 33, abanknote insertion slot 34, acommodity selection portion 35, acoin return port 36, and acommodity outlet port 37. - In the
commodity storage chamber 12 are provided a plurality ofcommodity storage columns 50 that are disposed in alignment in the width direction with a plurality of vertically spacedshelves 40, respectively, abucket unit 60 as a commodity carrying out device for carrying a commodity A stored in acommodity storage column 50 to thecommodity outlet portion 14, and aunit moving device 70. Thecommodity storage chamber 12 is also configured so as to be cooled or heated by a cooler and an electric heater that are not shown. At the lower part of thecommodity storage chamber 12 is provided an equipment chamber for housing unshown refrigerating devices such as a compressor and a radiator. - The space dimensions of each of the vertically aligned
shelves 40 are slightly greater than the height dimensions of a commodity A to be stored. This prevents erroneous storage of a commodity A that has large height dimensions that are different to the height dimensions of a commodity A that is intended to be stored. Eachshelf 40 is formed so that the dimensions thereof in the front-to-rear direction are smaller than the dimensions in the front-to-rear direction of thecommodity storage column 50. Further, to secure an operating space for receiving a commodity A into thebucket unit 60 from thecommodity storage column 50, the front end of eachshelf 40 is positioned further to the rear side than the front end of thecommodity storage column 50. - Each
commodity storage column 50 is provided with acommodity passage 50a extending in the front-to-rear direction that is formed by abase plate 51 and aside plate 52. Vertically long commodities A such as canned beverages, bottled beverages, or PET bottles can be stored in thecommodity passage 50a in a condition in which they are aligned in the front-to-rear direction. At the front end side of thebase plate 51, acommodity locking portion 51a that is formed to extend vertically is provided for restricting movement of a commodity A in the frontward direction. Further, on the front end side of thebase plate 51 is provided anotch portion 51b that enables movement of a fork member, described later, of thebucket unit 60 in the vertical direction. - An ejecting
plate 53 which is movable in the front-to-rear direction and which is urged frontward by an unshown urging member such as a power spring is disposed in thecommodity passage 50a. By storing a commodity A in thecommodity passage 50a at the front side of the ejectingplate 53, the commodity A receives an urging force that urges the commodity A forward. The ejectingplate 53 is provided with anotch portion 53a to enable movement in the vertical direction of a fork member, described later, of thebucket unit 60 when the ejectingplate 53 is positioned at the front end side of thecommodity passage 50a. - In each
commodity storage column 50, agate plate 54 that opens and closes the front end side of thecommodity passage 50a is connected in a vertically rotatable condition to the front end side of theside plate 52. Thegate plate 54 is arranged so as to block off thecommodity passage 50a in a posture in which it extends diagonally upward from theside plate 52. Thegate plate 54 is urged in a direction that blocks off thecommodity passage 50a by an urging member such as a coiled spring. Further, thegate plate 54 is arranged to open thecommodity passage 50a by rotating upward against the urging force of the urging member through contact of a gate release portion, described later, provided on thebucket unit 60 side against the bottom surface of thegate plate 54. Aguide portion 52a for guiding the gate release portion in the front-to-rear direction is also provided on thecommodity passage 50a side of theside plate 52 on which thegate plate 54 is supported. - The
bucket unit 60 comprises aunit base 61 that is connected with aunit moving device 70, abucket base 62 that is moveable in the front-to-rear direction with respect to theunit base 61, a rotatingmember 63 that is rotatably supported by thebucket base 62 with the vertical direction as the central axis, abucket 64 that is supported by the rotatingmember 63 and is provided to support a side surface of a commodity A that is carried out, afork member 65 that is rotatably supported in the vertical direction by the lower end of thebucket 64 and which supports the bottom surface of a commodity A that is carried out, arotation restricting member 66 for restricting rotation of thefork member 65, acommodity detecting plate 67 for detecting the existence or non-existence of a commodity A within thebucket 64, and arestriction releasing member 68 for releasing the rotation restriction of thefork member 65 by therotation restricting member 66. - The
unit base 61 has anelectric motor 61a as a motive power that moves thebucket base 62 in the front-to-rear direction and also rotates thebucket 64, aguide groove 61b for guiding thebucket base 62 in the front-to-rear direction, aprotrusion 61c that imparts a force that rotates the rotatingmember 63 to thecommodity outlet portion 14 side upon movement of thebucket base 62 to the front, a pair of width direction rails 61d for regulating movement of thefork member 65 in the width direction to guide thefork member 65 in the front-to-rear direction, and acommodity detecting sensor 61e such as a microswitch that is turned on/off by thecommodity detecting plate 67. - The two ends on the left and right of the bottom surface side and the upper and lower sides of one end in the width direction of the
bucket base 62 are formed so as to engage with theguide groove 61b that is provided in theunit base 61 so that thebucket base 62 is movable along theguide groove 61b. Agroove 62a extending in the width direction is also provided on the bottom surface of thebucket base 62, and alink member 69 having one end connected to theelectric motor 61a is arranged so that the other end side thereof engages with thegroove 62a. More specifically, when thelink member 69 is rotated by theelectric motor 61a, thebucket base 62 is moved in the front-to-rear direction along theguide groove 61b by the movement of the other end side of thelink member 69. Anabutting portion 62b formed to have a curved surface shape is provided in thebucket base 62. The surface of thebucket 64 on the opposite side of the commodity receiving surface contacts against the abuttingportion 62b. Agate release portion 62c that extends rearward from a position below the abuttingportion 62b is also provided in thebucket base 62. By rearward movement of thebucket base 62, thegate release portion 62c presses thegate plate 54 upward to open the front end side of thecommodity passage 50a. - The rotating
member 63 is connected to thebucket 64 in a condition in which thebucket 64 is rotatable backwards and forwards. Further, an end in the width direction of the rotatingmember 63 is rotatably connected to thebucket base 62. The rotatingmember 63 is urged by an unshown urging member so that the commodity receiving surface of thebucket 64 faces rearward (towards the commodity storage column side). More specifically, the rotatingmember 63 moves in the front-to-rear direction together with thebucket base 62 in a state in which the commodity receiving surface of thebucket 64 faces rearward. Furthermore, when thebucket base 62 moves to the front end side of theunit base 61, the rotatingmember 63 is pushed by theprotrusion 61c arranged in theunit base 61 so as to extend rearward. As a result, the orientation of the rotatingmember 63 changes by 90° to thecommodity outlet portion 14 side. - The
bucket 64 is formed in a semi-cylindrical, curved surface shape in which a concave side serves as a commodity receiving surface. In thebucket 64, the lower end side is rotatably connected to the rotatingmember 63, and a surface on a side opposite the commodity receiving surface is supported by the abuttingportion 62b of thebucket base 62 so that the commodity receiving surface faces diagonally upward. The angle of inclination of thebucket 64 is arranged so as to be changed in accordance with the shape of the abuttingportion 62b of thebucket base 62 and the shape of thebucket 64 against which the abuttingportion 62b abuts. According to the present embodiment, when thebucket 64 rotates to thecommodity outlet portion 14 side, the angle of inclination of thebucket 64 at the start of rotation is set to be less than when receiving a commodity A. Thereafter, when thebucket 64 faces completely to thecommodity outlet portion 14 side, the angle of inclination is set to be larger than when receiving a commodity A. An opening for attaching thecommodity detecting plate 67 is provided at the center in the width direction of thebucket 64, in a condition in which the opening extends in the vertical direction. - The base end side of the
fork member 65 is connected to the lower end side of thebucket 64 in a condition in which thefork member 65 is rotatable in the vertical direction. Thefork member 65 is provided with a plurality ofcommodity supporting portions 65a that are arranged with a space between eachcommodity supporting portion 65a. On the under surface of thefork member 65 are provided a pair ofgrooves 65b for moving thefork member 65 along the pair ofwidth direction rails 61d provided in theunit base 61 that restrict movement in the width direction of thefork member 65. The upper surface of thefork member 65 is inclined in a normal state from the base end side towards the front end side. On the bottom surface on the base end side of thefork member 65 is provided acontact surface 65c that contacts with the top surface of theunit base 61. The angle of the top surface of thefork member 65 can be changed depending on the shape of the top surface of theunit base 61. More specifically, the top surface of theunit base 61 against which thecontact surface 65c contacts is formed to be low at the rear end side so that when thebucket base 62 is positioned at the rear end side, the angle of inclination of the top surface of thefork member 65 is small, and when thebucket base 62 is disposed at a position other than the rear end side, the angle of inclination of the top surface of thefork member 65 is greater than when thebucket base 62 is positioned at the rear end side. - The
rotation restricting member 66 is arranged to be moveable in the vertical direction at a lower part of the surface on the opposite side to the commodity receiving surface of thebucket 64, and is urged toward the bottom side by an unshown urging member. Therotation restricting member 66 contacts against the end on the base end side of thefork member 65 in a state in which therotation restricting member 66 is positioned on the lower side to thereby restrict downward rotation of thefork member 65. Therotation restricting member 66 is arranged so as to release the restriction on downward rotation of thefork member 65 by moving upward. Therotation restricting member 66 is arranged so as to be pressed upward by therestriction releasing member 68. - The
commodity detecting plate 67 extends in the vertical direction over the commodity receiving surface side of thebucket 64, and the top end side thereof is rotatably supported by thebucket 64. Similarly to thebucket 64, thecommodity detecting plate 67 is formed in a curved surface shape so that a center portion in the width direction of the commodity receiving surface curves inward vertically so that a commodity A that is received in thebucket 64 is moved to the center portion side. The lower end side of thecommodity detecting plate 67 is urged in a direction away from the commodity receiving surface of thebucket 64 by an unshown urging member so as to rotate when a commodity A is received. Acommodity detecting sensor 61e provided in theunit base 61 is arranged so as to be turned on/off by the top end of thecommodity detecting plate 67 in a state in which the commodity receiving surface of thebucket 64 is facing thecommodity outlet portion 14 side. According to the present embodiment, in a state in which the commodity receiving surface of thebucket 64 is facing thecommodity outlet portion 14 side, when thebucket 64 contains a commodity A, thecommodity detecting sensor 61e turns off, and when thebucket 64 does not contain a commodity A, thecommodity detecting sensor 61e turns on. Anabutting portion 67a against which therotation restricting member 66 that moves upward contacts is provided in a projecting condition on the surface of the side opposite the commodity receiving surface of thecommodity detecting plate 67. When therotation restricting member 66 contacts against the abuttingportion 67a in a state in which a commodity A is in thebucket 64, the lower end side of thecommodity detecting plate 67 moves towards the commodity A to push out the commodity A from thebucket 64. - The
restriction releasing member 68 is provided in a condition in which it is linearly moveable in a diagonally upward direction on thecommodity outlet portion 14 side of theunit base 61. Therestriction releasing member 68 is arranged so as to push therotation restricting member 66 upward when therestriction releasing member 68 is operated in a state in which the commodity receiving surface of thebucket 64 is facing thecommodity outlet portion 14 side. Therestriction releasing member 68 is arranged so as to be operated by contact with an operatingportion 16 that is provided adjacent to theopening 15 that communicates with thecommodity outlet portion 14 upon the operatingportion 16 moving horizontally to thecommodity outlet portion 14 side of theunit base 61. Further, therestriction releasing member 68 has anabutting portion 68a that extends to thebucket base 62 side. Therestriction releasing member 68 is arranged so as to be lowered downward by contact of thebucket base 62 with the abuttingportion 68a when thebucket base 62 moves rearward. - The
unit moving device 70 is provided at the front side of thecommodity storage chamber 12. Theunit moving device 70 comprises awidthwise movement mechanism 71 for moving thebucket unit 60 in the width direction and avertical movement mechanism 72 for moving thebucket unit 60 in the vertical direction. Thewidthwise movement mechanism 71 and thevertical movement mechanism 72 are respectively constituted by an unshown mechanism that converts rotational motion into linear motion, such as a belt and pulley, a chain and sprocket, or a feed screw mechanism. Thewidthwise movement mechanism 71 and thevertical movement mechanism 72 are respectively arranged to be driven by an electric motor so as to move thebucket unit 60 in the width direction and the vertical direction. - This automatic vending machine also includes a
controller 80 that carries out temperature control of thecommodity storage chamber 12 and control relating to a selling operation with respect to the commodity A. Thecontroller 80 comprises a microcomputer. As shown inFIG. 12 , theelectric motor 61a and theunit moving device 70 are connected to thecontroller 80, and thecontroller 80 is configured so as to send output signals to theelectric motor 61a and theunit moving device 70. - In the automatic vending machine configured as described above, when a user inserted a predetermined amount of money into the
coin insertion slot 31 or thebanknote insertion slot 34 and selects a predetermined commodity A at thecommodity selection portion 35, first, thebucket unit 60 that is positioned at a predetermined standby position moves using theunit moving device 70 to the front end side of acommodity storage column 50 in which the selected commodity A is stored. Next, as shown inFIG. 13 , theelectric motor 61a is driven to lower thecommodity supporting portion 65a of thefork member 65 downward while moving thebucket base 62 rearward with respect to theunit base 61 so that, as shown inFIG. 14 , thecommodity supporting portion 65a is inserted to an area below the commodity A positioned at the front end side of thecommodity storage column 50. At this time, as shown inFIG. 15 , thegate release portion 62c of thebucket base 62 contacts the bottom surface of thegate plate 54 of thecommodity storage column 50, thegate plate 54 is rotated upward by the rearward movement of thebucket base 62, to thereby open the front end side of thecommodity passage 50a of thecommodity storage column 50. Further, positioning in the width direction of thebucket unit 60 with respect to thecommodity storage column 50 is carried out by one end side in the width direction of thegate release portion 62c contacting with thegate plate 54 and the other end side in the width direction of thegate release portion 62c contacting with theguide portion 52a. Next, as shown inFIG. 16 , thebucket unit 60 is moved upward by theunit moving device 70 so that the commodity A is lifted by thefork member 65 to receive the commodity A inside thebucket 64. At this time, since the top surface of thefork member 65 forms a downward slope from the front edge side to the base end side thereof, as shown inFIG. 17 , the commodity A that is lifted upward tilts forward so that it moves forward and is received inside thebucket 64. As shown inFIG. 18 , thebucket unit 60 that receives the commodity A moves thebucket base 62 forward with respect to theunit base 61 and, as shown inFIG. 19 , raises thecommodity supporting portion 65a of thefork member 65 upward to incline the commodity A to thebucket 64 side. Thereafter, when thebucket base 62 is moved further forward, as shown inFIG. 20 , thebucket 64 rotates to thecommodity outlet portion 14 side. At this time, when thebucket base 62 moves forward with respect to theunit base 61, the rotatingmember 63 contacts against theprotrusion 61c of theunit base 61 and changes orientation by 90° to thecommodity outlet portion 14 side, and as a result thebucket 64 rotates towards thecommodity outlet portion 14. Further, since thebucket 64 rotates while the upper side thereof contacts against the abuttingportion 62b, at the start of rotation the angle of inclination of thebucket 64 is less than the angle of inclination thereof when receiving the commodity A, and when thebucket 64 completely faces thecommodity outlet portion 14 side, the angle of inclination thereof is greater than the angle of inclination when receiving the commodity A. Next, in a state in which thebucket 64 faces thecommodity outlet portion 14 side, as shown inFIG. 21 , thebucket unit 60 containing the commodity A is moved in the vertical direction and width direction by theunit moving device 70 to move to the commodity carrying out position. At this time, the commodity A in thebucket unit 60 is retained in a state in which the commodity A inclines in a width direction that is opposite to the width direction in which thebucket unit 60 moves. Subsequently, by movement in the width direction of theunit moving device 70, as shown inFIG. 22 , therestriction releasing member 68 contacts against the operatingportion 16 provided adjacent to theopening 15 of thecommodity outlet portion 14 and moves diagonally upward to thereby move therotation restricting member 66 upward. This movement releases the restriction on rotation of thefork member 65 so that thefork member 65 rotates downward and the received commodity A is carried out in a diagonally downward direction. Further, when therotation restricting member 66 moves upward, as shown inFIG. 23 , therotation restricting member 66 contacts against the abuttingportion 67a of thecommodity detecting plate 67 to cause thecommodity detecting plate 67 to rotate. As a result, the commodity A in thebucket 64 is pushed out in a diagonally upward direction so that the commodity A is reliably carried out to thecommodity outlet portion 14. Thebucket unit 60 from which the commodity A has been carried out is then moved to the predetermined standby position by theunit moving device 70 to complete the operation. -
FIG. 24 shows a flowchart illustrating operations to be performed when a commodity A in acommodity storage column 50 located adjacent to the wall surface on the opposite side to thecommodity outlet portion 14 side of thecommodity storage chamber 12 is to be carried out to thecommodity outlet portion 14. In this case, thecontroller 80 receives the commodity A in thebucket 64 from the commodity storage column 50 (step S1), moves the bucket unit 60 a predetermined distance in the width direction to thecommodity outlet portion 14 side (step S2), and rotates thebucket 64 to thecommodity outlet portion 14 side (step S3). - Therefore, even when the height dimensions of a commodity A stored in a
commodity storage column 50 located adjacent to the wall surface on the opposite side to thecommodity outlet portion 14 side of thecommodity storage chamber 12 are large, as shown inFIG. 25 , the commodity A that is received in thebucket 64 is carried out to thecommodity outlet portion 14 without the top of the commodity A contacting against the wall surface of thecommodity storage chamber 12. - Thus, according to the commodity carrying out device of the present embodiment, the
bucket 64 is rotated so that the commodity receiving surface of thebucket 64 faces thecommodity storage column 50 side and the predetermined commodity carrying out position side. As a result, because there is a restriction on movement to the rear side and to both sides in the width direction of the commodity A that moves towards the predetermined commodity carrying out position side, it is possible to retain the commodity A in a stable state in thebucket 64 that moves towards the predetermined commodity carrying out position side. Therefore, even when carrying out a commodity A that has a vertically long shape, the commodity A can be reliably carried out to thecommodity outlet portion 14 without a carrying-out failure occurring. - Further, when moving the
bucket unit 60 that receives the commodity A in the width direction towards the predetermined commodity carrying out position, the commodity A is retained in a state in which it is inclined the other way in the width direction with respect to the direction in the width direction that thebucket unit 60 moves. Since it is thus possible to hold the commodity A in a stable state in thebucket unit 60 that moves towards the predetermined commodity carrying out position, even when carrying out a commodity A that has a vertically long shape, the commodity A can be reliably carried out to thecommodity outlet portion 14 without a carrying-out failure occurring. - Further, the carrying-out device of the present invention is arranged so as to rotate the
bucket 64 that supports the side surface side of the commodity A with the commodity A in an inclined state and thefork member 65 supporting the bottom surface side of the commodity A with the commodity A in an inclined state so that the commodity receiving surface of thebucket 64 faces to thecommodity outlet portion 14 side from thecommodity storage column 50 side. As a result, it is possible to hold the commodity A that is stored at the front end side of thecommodity storage column 50 using thebucket 64 and thefork member 65 in a state in which the commodity A inclines forward, and by the rotating thebucket 64 and thefork member 65, to move thebucket unit 60 in a state in which the commodity A is inclined in the other direction in the width direction with respect to the direction in the width direction in which thebucket unit 60 moves. Thus, carrying out of the commodity A from the front end side of thecommodity storage column 50 to thecommodity outlet portion 14 can be reliably performed. - Further, after the commodity A that was stored in the
commodity storage column 50 is retained by thebucket 64 and thefork member 65 and thebucket unit 60 is moved a predetermined distance to thecommodity outlet portion 14 side by theunit moving device 70, thebucket 64 and thefork member 65 that hold the commodity A are rotated to thecommodity outlet portion 14 side. As a result, since the commodity A that is retained by thebucket 64 and thefork member 65 does not contact the wall surface when a commodity A of acommodity storage column 50 adjacent to a wall surface on an opposite side to thecommodity outlet portion 14 side of thecommodity storage chamber 12 is received in thebucket unit 60 and thebucket 64 and thefork member 65 are rotated, an increase in the width direction dimensions of the automatic vending machinemain unit 10 can be prevented. - The carrying-out device of the present invention also comprises the
rotation restricting member 66 for restricting rotation of thefork member 65, therestriction releasing member 68 for releasing the restriction on rotation of thefork member 65 by therotation restricting member 66, and the operatingportion 16 provided adjacent to theopening 15 of thecommodity outlet portion 14 for operating therestriction releasing member 68 by movement of thebucket unit 60. It is therefore possible to rotate thefork member 65 by movement of thebucket unit 60 and to carry out the commodity A retained in thebucket 64 and thefork member 65 to thecommodity outlet portion 14 without separately requiring a motive power for rotating thefork member 65, and thus production costs can be decreased. - Further, the
commodity detecting plate 67 is also provided as a commodity push-out member that pushes out, in the commodity carrying out direction, the commodity A that is contained in thebucket 64 in response to movement of therotation restricting member 66. As a result, since the commodity A can be pushed out in the commodity carrying out direction by thecommodity detecting plate 67 when the restriction on rotation of thefork member 65 is released and the commodity A is carried out to thecommodity outlet portion 14, the commodity A that is received in thebucket 64 can be reliably carried out to thecommodity outlet portion 14. - The surface side of the
commodity detecting plate 67 that contacts with a commodity is formed in a curved shape so that the center in the width direction of thecommodity detecting plate 67 forms a concave portion. As a result, when carrying out the commodity A to thecommodity outlet portion 14, the commodity A can be positioned in the center in the width direction of thecommodity detecting plate 67 and pushed out by thecommodity detecting plate 67. Therefore, the commodity A can be carried out more reliably to thecommodity outlet portion 14. - The surface side of the
bucket 64 that contacts with the commodity A is formed in a curved shape so that the center in the width direction of thebucket 64 forms a concave portion. Since the commodity A that is received in thebucket 64 can therefore be positioned in the center in the width direction of thebucket 64, the commodity A can be reliably retained in thebucket 64. - The angle of inclination of the
bucket 64 after the commodity receiving surface of thebucket 64 is rotated to thecommodity outlet portion 14 side is arranged to be greater than the angle of inclination of thebucket 64 when receiving the commodity A in thebucket 64 from thecommodity storage column 50. Thus, when moving thebucket unit 60 from the front end side of thecommodity storage column 50 to the predetermined commodity carrying out position, the received commodity A can be moved in a more stable posture and thus dropping of the commodity A that is received in thebucket 64 can be prevented. - Further, the angle of inclination of the
bucket 64 after thebucket base 62 is moved forward with respect to theunit base 61 is arranged to be smaller than the angle of inclination of thebucket 64 when the commodity A is received in thebucket 64 from thecommodity storage column 50. Since it is therefore possible to prevent the commodity A that is received in thebucket 64 from contacting theexternal door 20, an increase in the dimensions in the front-to-rear direction of the automatic vending machinemain unit 10 can be prevented. - The
restriction releasing member 68 is arranged to be moved downward by moving thebucket base 62 rearward with respect to theunit base 61. Consequently, since it is possible to reliably move therestriction releasing member 68 downward by an operation when receiving the commodity A of thecommodity storage column 50 in thebucket 64, the operation to carry out the commodity A can be reliably performed. -
FIG. 26 illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention. In this case, the same reference symbols are assigned to components that are the same as in the previous embodiment. - In this automatic vending machine, the
bucket 64 is composed from a pair ofbucket members 64a disposed in the width direction. The pair ofbucket members 64a are rotatably connected to each other in a condition in which the center in the width direction of thebucket 64 serves as the center of rotation. - In the automatic vending machine constituted as described above, when the commodity A is received in the
bucket 64, eachbucket member 64a of thebucket 64 rotates so that the commodity A is pinched from both sides in the width direction by the pair ofbucket members 64a. - Thus, according to the commodity carrying out device of the present embodiment, the
bucket 64 is composed from a pair ofbucket members 64a disposed in the width direction in a condition in which they are rotatably connected to each other. The pair ofbucket members 64a are arranged to pinch a received commodity A from both sides in the width direction. It is thus possible to prevent a received commodity A from dropping out of thebucket 64 and improve the precision with respect to carrying out a commodity A. -
FIG. 27 illustrates a third embodiment of the present invention. For the third embodiment, the same reference symbols are assigned to components that are the same as in the foregoing embodiment. - This automatic vending machine comprises a pair of
drop prevention plates 64b for preventing a received commodity A from dropping. The pair ofdrop prevention plates 64b are arranged so as to respectively extend along the commodity receiving surface side from both sides in the width direction of thebucket 64. Eachdrop prevention plate 64b is rotatably supported by thebucket 64 and is urged by an unshown urging member so as to extend in the horizontal direction to the commodity receiving surface side from both sides in the width direction of thebucket 64. - In the automatic vending machine constituted as described above, when a commodity A disposed at the front end side of a
commodity storage column 50 is to be received in thebucket 64, thedrop prevention plates 64b contact theside plate 52 of thecommodity storage column 50 and rotate downward. Further, when thebucket unit 64 that receives the commodity A is to be moved to the predetermined commodity carrying out position, thedrop prevention plates 64b prevent the commodity A from dropping from thebucket 64. - Thus, according to the commodity carrying out device of the present embodiment, drop prevention plates for preventing a received commodity A from dropping are provided so as to extend to the commodity receiving surface side from both sides in the width direction of the
bucket 64. It is therefore possible to prevent a received commodity A from dropping down from thebucket 64 and to improve the accuracy with respect to carrying out a commodity A. - According to the above described embodiment, a configuration was illustrated in which the
commodity detecting sensor 61e that is turned on/off by thecommodity detecting plate 67 is provided in theunit base 61. However, even when thecommodity detecting sensor 61e is provided in thebucket 64, thecommodity detecting sensor 61e can similarly detect when a commodity A is sold out or when a fault occurs during an operation to carry out a commodity A. When the commodity A of a predeterminedcommodity storage column 50 is sold out, the commodity A of a differentcommodity storage column 50 can be carried out, and in the case of a failure to receive a commodity A in thebucket 64, the carrying out operation is performed again so that the commodity A can be definitely sold. - The embodiments described in the present specification are exemplary embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. It should be understood that the scope of this invention is defined by the attached claims, and all modifications within the meaning of those claims are included in the present invention.
Claims (9)
- A commodity carrying out device, comprising:a plurality of commodity storage columns (50) aligned in a vertical direction and a width direction with respect to each other for storing commodities (A) arranged in a front-to-rear direction;a bucket (60) for receiving a commodity (A) to be carried out, the bucket (60) including a bucket main unit (64) for supporting a side surface of the commodity (A) with the commodity (A) in an inclined state, and a commodity supporting member (65) for supporting a bottom surface of the commodity (A) with the commodity (A) in the inclined state;a bucket moving mechanism (70) for moving the bucket (60) to a front side of an arbitrary commodity storage column (50) and for moving the bucket (60) to a predetermined commodity carrying out position (15); anda commodity retention mechanism (66) for retaining the commodity (A) in the inclined state when moving the bucket (60) to a predetermined commodity carrying out position (15) at a side of the commodity carrying out device;characterised by a bucket rotating mechanism (61, 61a, 62) for rotating the bucket main unit (64) and the commodity supporting member (65) from facing the front side of the commodity storage column (50) to facing the predetermined commodity carrying out position (15) side of the commodity carrying out device;a support releasing mechanism (68) for releasing a support of the commodity (A) provided by the commodity supporting member (65);a commodity push-out member (67), provided in the bucket main unit (64), for pushing out the received commodity (A) in a commodity carrying out direction in response to operation of the support releasing mechanism (68); andan operating portion (16) that is disposed at the predetermined commodity carrying out position (15) and provided for operating the support releasing mechanism (68) accompanying movement of the bucket main unit (64) and the commodity supporting member (65),wherein the commodity supporting member (65) is rotatable in the vertical direction, and when the bucket (60) is moved to the predetermined commodity carrying out position (15), the operating portion (16) is adapted to operate the support releasing mechanism (68) so that the commodity supporting member (65) rotates downwardly.
- The commodity carrying out device according to claim 1, further comprising:a controller (80) for rotating the bucket main unit (64) and the commodity supporting member (65) that retain the commodity (A) towards the commodity carrying out position (15) side of the commodity carrying out device using the bucket rotating mechanism (61, 61a, 62) after having moved the bucket main unit (64) and the commodity supporting member (65) a predetermined distance towards the predetermined commodity carrying out position (15) side using the bucket moving mechanism (70).
- The commodity carrying out device according to claim 2, wherein:a surface of the commodity push-out member (67) that contacts with the commodity (A) is formed in a curved surface shape so that a center portion in a width direction of the commodity push-out member (67) is a concave portion.
- The commodity carrying out device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:a surface of the bucket main unit (64) that contacts with the commodity (A) is formed in a curved surface so that a center portion in a width direction of the bucket main unit (64) is a concave portion.
- The commodity carrying out device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:the angle of inclination of the bucket main unit (64) after the bucket main unit (64) is rotated towards the predetermined commodity carrying out position by the bucket rotating mechanism (61, 61a, 62) is greater than the angle of inclination of the bucket main unit (64) when receiving the commodity (A) of the commodity storage column (50).
- The commodity carrying out device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:the angle of inclination of the bucket main unit (64) after the bucket (60) is moved forward by the bucket moving mechanism (70) is less than the angle of inclination of the bucket main unit (64) when receiving the commodity (A) of the commodity storage column (50).
- The commodity carrying out device according to claim 1, further comprising:a mechanism (62, 68a) for returning the support releasing mechanism (68) to a standby state accompanying forward movement of the bucket (60).
- The commodity carrying out device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:the bucket main unit (64) pinches the received commodity (A) from both sides in the width direction.
- The commodity carrying out device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:drop prevention portions (64b) that prevent dropping of the commodity (A) that is received in the bucket (60) are provided on both sides in the width direction of the bucket main unit (64).
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2007134536 | 2007-05-21 |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP2012281A2 EP2012281A2 (en) | 2009-01-07 |
EP2012281A3 EP2012281A3 (en) | 2009-11-25 |
EP2012281B1 true EP2012281B1 (en) | 2014-11-19 |
Family
ID=39590744
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP08156361.1A Active EP2012281B1 (en) | 2007-05-21 | 2008-05-16 | Commodity carrying out device |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20080290108A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2012281B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP5308713B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN101311975B (en) |
Families Citing this family (19)
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WO2014030790A1 (en) * | 2012-08-24 | 2014-02-27 | 수퍼쿨러 주식회사 | Beverage vending machine and method for controlling temperature of vending machine |
KR101620251B1 (en) * | 2013-08-09 | 2016-05-12 | 후지 덴키 가부시키가이샤 | Product housing device |
CN110246265B (en) * | 2015-02-27 | 2021-04-27 | 富士电机株式会社 | Commodity discharging device |
CN105719394B (en) * | 2016-01-26 | 2019-02-26 | 橙果信息技术有限公司 | Automatic vending machine picking manipulator |
CN106157447A (en) * | 2016-08-02 | 2016-11-23 | 徐海慧 | A kind of automatic water vendor |
CN106485834B (en) * | 2016-09-29 | 2019-07-19 | 江苏蓝天空港设备有限公司 | Automatic vending machine |
US10490014B2 (en) | 2016-12-16 | 2019-11-26 | Pepsico, Inc. | Lean vending machine |
CN106781002B (en) * | 2017-01-03 | 2022-06-28 | 上海机商实业有限公司 | Device for continuously heating food |
EP3568841B1 (en) * | 2017-01-12 | 2024-10-09 | Crane Payment Innovations, Inc. | Enhanced vending machine product delivery system |
CN106743034B (en) * | 2017-01-18 | 2019-07-02 | 上海机商实业有限公司 | A kind of Commodity Transportation device |
FR3065864B1 (en) * | 2017-05-05 | 2019-06-28 | Cksquare | AUTOMATIC DISPENSER OF ARTICLES OR PRODUCTS IN RIGID OR FLEXIBLE PACKAGES |
CN109993915B (en) * | 2017-12-29 | 2024-07-12 | 山东新北洋信息技术股份有限公司 | Goods bucket and vending machine |
JP2019135571A (en) * | 2018-02-05 | 2019-08-15 | 富士電機株式会社 | Automatic vending machine |
USD931101S1 (en) | 2018-03-02 | 2021-09-21 | Berlin Packaging, Llc | Closure |
USD900606S1 (en) | 2018-03-02 | 2020-11-03 | Berlin Packaging, Llc | Closure |
USD878466S1 (en) * | 2018-06-07 | 2020-03-17 | Vendors Exchange International | Vending machine door |
CN110766860A (en) * | 2018-07-27 | 2020-02-07 | 威海新北洋数码科技有限公司 | Automatic vending machine |
CN110796790B (en) * | 2018-08-03 | 2021-05-28 | 威海新北洋数码科技有限公司 | Goods fill and automatic vending machine |
US10867463B2 (en) * | 2018-09-18 | 2020-12-15 | Pepsico, Inc. | Vending machine |
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- 2008-05-19 JP JP2008130961A patent/JP5308713B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2008-05-21 US US12/124,811 patent/US20080290108A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2008-05-21 CN CN2008101079640A patent/CN101311975B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JP5308713B2 (en) | 2013-10-09 |
EP2012281A3 (en) | 2009-11-25 |
CN101311975B (en) | 2013-01-02 |
JP2009003924A (en) | 2009-01-08 |
CN101311975A (en) | 2008-11-26 |
US20080290108A1 (en) | 2008-11-27 |
EP2012281A2 (en) | 2009-01-07 |
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