EP4086865A1 - Distributeur automatique de produits - Google Patents

Distributeur automatique de produits Download PDF

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Publication number
EP4086865A1
EP4086865A1 EP22020210.5A EP22020210A EP4086865A1 EP 4086865 A1 EP4086865 A1 EP 4086865A1 EP 22020210 A EP22020210 A EP 22020210A EP 4086865 A1 EP4086865 A1 EP 4086865A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
pusher
vending machine
carriage
products
encoder
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.)
Pending
Application number
EP22020210.5A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Lorenzo Balli
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Everex SRL
Original Assignee
Everex SRL
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Everex SRL filed Critical Everex SRL
Publication of EP4086865A1 publication Critical patent/EP4086865A1/fr
Pending legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • G07F9/00—Details other than those peculiar to special kinds or types of apparatus
    • G07F9/02—Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus
    • G07F9/026—Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
    • 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
    • G07F11/46—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from movable storage containers or supports
    • G07F11/60—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from movable storage containers or supports the storage containers or supports being rectilinearly movable

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an automatic vending machine.
  • a vending machine is a machine that dispenses products and/or services at the request of a user, subject to payment.
  • Vending machines can dispense, for example, snacks, drinks, newspapers, cigarettes, tobacco, smoking items, tickets, prepaid cards, coupons, parapharmaceutical products, etc.
  • each compartment is delimited by side walls and is provided with a motorization system that moves the products towards a dispensing outlet; in correspondence with each row of products, moreover, a pusher can be arranged and acting, which exerts a thrust on the last product of the row.
  • the arrangements that the compartments inside the vending machine can take may vary considerably according to the type of product to be dispensed, its conformation and its size.
  • One of the drawbacks of known automatic vending machines relates to the vending machine loading procedure.
  • product loading is not always easy because the vending machine manager is not always aware of the number of missing products to restore the row of a given compartment;
  • another drawback relates to the possibility of unwanted movement of a product due to a stress received which can determine a different arrangement from what is expected for correct operation, for example by overturning or tilting with respect to the configuration conventionally indicated for the compartment in which it is contained.
  • EP3783574A1 aims to improve the accuracy of detecting the quantity of items in a column of items in a vending machine to avoid detection errors.
  • the detection of the quantity of articles in a column is performed by means which include a pressure sensor which detects the pressure exerted on the articles to verify that the articles of the column are in contact with each other.
  • the distributor of EP3783574A1 when new articles have to be loaded into a column, no means are provided for retaining the articles already present while the plate that holds them is moved.
  • the object of the present invention is to provide an automatic vending machine capable of overcoming the aforementioned drawbacks.
  • the vending machine allows the charged operator to restore the products in the automatic vending machine; the products are kept in the correct position even during the reloading operations thanks to the independence between a pusher element and a handling carriage provided in the product containment compartments; that it is possible to know the number of products contained in each compartment, using this information even remotely to check consumption and/or prepare the correct quantities of products to be integrated; that the system can be used for already existing distributors; that its realization is easily implemented by the same operators who realize traditional machines, without requiring special investments.
  • Fig. 1 schematically represents an automatic vending machine (1) comprising a box-like containment body (11) having a parallelepiped conformation.
  • the vending machine (1) is provided with a front door (2) provided with selection and payment means (not described in detail), with a rear access door (3) and with a plurality of drawers (10) to contain the products to be dispensed.
  • the drawers (10) slide in the front-rear direction and that the products are dispensed through the front portion of the compartments to be picked up through a door (4) placed at the front.
  • the inventive principle of the present invention can also be applied to other configurations, such as, for example, to drawers placed orthogonally to those shown in Fig.1 .
  • Each drawer (10) comprises a bottom or rear wall (12) and a plurality of side walls (13), connected to the rear wall (12) and which delimit the compartments (14) intended for the organized containment of the products to be dispensed.
  • the two outermost side walls (13A) are fixed to the rear wall (12) and are provided with rails (15) shaped so as to slide in corresponding lateral guides (16) fixed to the internal face of the side walls (17) of the containment body (11) of the vending machine (1).
  • each compartment (14) there are two wings (18) which in their proximal end are fixed to the side walls (13) which delimit the compartment (14) and in their distal end move away from said side walls, approaching each other, so defining a constraint related to the overall width of the product.
  • the two wings (18) provided for each compartment (14) can be made of elastically yielding material, for example metal sheet, and delimit the same compartment (14) at the front allowing the passage of the product contained when they are temporarily deformed by the thrust of a pusher element described below.
  • the wings (18) define a front stop for the products, a stop which is temporarily overcome, during the product dispensing, when the thrust exerted exceeds a predetermined value.
  • the area of the compartments (14) intended for the outlet of the dispensed products is defined as the front part; the wall of the drawer opposite to said front part is defined as the rear wall.
  • each compartment (14) there is a guide (19) along which a carriage (20) slides engaged by a corresponding threaded rod (22) rotated by a gearmotor (23).
  • the carriage (20) is provided with a threaded seat (20A) complementary to the threaded rod (22) so as to move along the guide (19) when the threaded rod (22) rotates.
  • the gearmotor (23) has an output shaft (230) which engages a corresponding seat (not visible in the drawings) of the threaded rod (22) to make the latter rotate when activated.
  • the output shaft (230) is integral with the threaded rod (22) and drives it into rotation; the carriage (20) consequently moves along the guide (19) because the seat (20A) of the carriage (20) is engaged by the thread of the rod (22) driven in rotation.
  • the guide (19) has a box-like shape, open at the bottom and provided with a longitudinal groove (25) placed on its upper face (19A).
  • the upper face (19A) of the guide (19) means the one that in use is closest to the products arranged in the compartment (14).
  • two linear encoders (26) are provided inside the guide (19), located on the inner face of the longitudinal side walls of the guide (19).
  • the encoders (26) are provided with corresponding connection elements (260) to be connected to an electronic board (29).
  • the pusher (21) On the threaded rod (22) there is a pusher element (21) which can slide freely along the groove (25) of the guide (19) and along the same threaded rod (22).
  • the pusher (21) has the function of pushing the products placed in the compartment (14) forwards or, at least, of holding them against the wings (18) that delimit the front part (5) of the compartment (14).
  • the pusher (21) is subjected to the force of a spring (31) which pushes it forward in the longitudinal direction (D).
  • the spring (31) is a band spring, with a front end (31B) fixed to the front or head portion (19B) of the guide (19) and with the body that rolls up inside the pusher body. (21).
  • the constraint determined by the pusher (21) on the products placed in the compartment (14) can also be achieved by determining a friction between the pusher itself (21) and the guide (25) along which it slides. For example, clips or a particular conformation of the portion of the pusher itself (21) intended for contact with the guide (19) can be used. Also in this case the pusher (21) will maintain the position reached without allowing the remaining products to move even when the operator opens or closes the drawer (10) to visually check its contents.
  • a plate (27) made of a material capable of interacting with a linear encoder is fixed to the pusher (21).
  • Another plate (28) is fixed to the carriage (20), also this plate being made of a material capable of interacting with a linear encoder.
  • the plates (27, 28) can be made of metal in order to generate a signal for the electronic board (29).
  • the detection system comprises a main sensor board and a printed circuit board or PCB (printed circuit board) mobile target.
  • the main sensor board (29) contains two oscillator coils and two sense coils; an integrated circuit excites the two coils of the oscillator.
  • the position of the target varies the reception of the two sense coils relative to each other, while the integrated circuit demodulates the two received signals and generates an output signal representative of the relative difference between the signals of the sense coils.
  • the metal target alters the magnetic field
  • the transmission coil generates the magnetic field that induces currents in the metal target, which in turn alters the magnetic field to allow the position to be calculated.
  • the electronic card (29) can be provided with a key (30) to supply a signal for assigning an address to the corresponding motor (23).
  • a key (30) to supply a signal for assigning an address to the corresponding motor (23).
  • the same compartment can be equipped with a light and/or sound indicator which is activated to signal the need to reset the number of products in the compartment (14).
  • the detected values can be used to send alerts regarding the need for recovery even remotely, for example using a data network.
  • the electronic board (29) can advantageously have an arched portion (29A), concave in the example, shaped in such a way as to copy a corresponding arched portion (23A), convex in the example, presented by the gearmotor (23); in this way the overall dimensions inside the drawer (10) are further optimized.
  • the products to be dispensed are placed in the compartments (14) of the drawer (10), arranged to form a row.
  • the first product i.e. the one that is dispensed first in the row
  • the last product i.e. the one that ends the row
  • the pusher (21) which remains attached to it thanks to the thrust determined by the action of the spring (31) or the friction acting on the guide (25).
  • the central (processing) unit of the vending machine (not shown in the drawings), which receives the signals from all linear encoders (26) via the relative electronic boards (29) is able to provide a value corresponding to the number of products required and their type, thanks to the combination of each compartment with the corresponding product to be contained for dispensing.
  • the pusher (21) and the carriage (20) are separable and therefore when the carriage (20) is moved to load new products in the compartment (14), the products already present in the same compartment (14) are kept in position by the pusher (21) which is provided with positioning means (for example the spring 31) distinct from the means for moving the carriage (20) (the gearmotor 23).
  • compartments (14) are provided with guides with a single encoder (26) instead of the two provided in the previous example.
  • the vending machine is advantageously provided with a system for excluding the reading of one of the two components by the encoder (26), as will be described below.
  • the carriage (20) is associated with an element (28) detectable by the encoder (26), such as, for example, a metal plate (28) for a magnetic type encoder.
  • the pusher (21) is provided with another plate (27) which can be moved away from the encoder (26) in order not to be detected.
  • the plate (27) is connected to the pusher by means of an appendix (27A), which is in turn fixed to an angled lever (24) by means of a pin (24D).
  • the angled lever (24) is formed of two straight portions connected by an angled portion to form an obtuse angle.
  • the lever (24) is hinged to the pusher (21) by means of a pin (24A) passing through the angled portion of the lever (24) and its straight portions (24B, 24C) interact with the carriage (20) and with the appendix (27A) of the plate (27).
  • the carriage (20) When the vending machine is in the operating configuration, the carriage (20) is in contact with the pusher (21) and the same carriage (20) pushes the portion (24B) causing a rotation of the angled lever (24), with a rotation that in the view of Fig. 9 is clockwise.
  • the rotation of the lever (24) causes the plate (27) to move away from the encoder (26) since the appendix (27A) which is fixed to the lever (24) is dragged in the direction indicated by the arrow (V) in Fig. 9 .
  • the same carriage (20) can have a suitably shaped portion (20B) to push the corresponding straight portion (24B) of the lever (24).
  • a spring (32) can be provided which acts between the distal end of the appendix (27A) and a slider element (32A) placed on the opposite side with respect to the encoder (26).
  • the vending machine is equipped with a digital position transducer consisting of a laser encoder.
  • the electronic board (29) supports a laser distance sensor (33) capable of detecting the distance between the pusher (21) and/or the carriage (20).
  • the measuring system also includes a sensor (34) for the carriage (20) zero point.
  • the vending machine (1) can advantageously be connected to a remote central unit with which to exchange data. In this way it will also be possible to report any anomalies and failures of the vending machine for carrying out assistance interventions.
  • an automatic dispenser (1) made in accordance with the invention is of the type comprising means for selecting one or more products to be dispensed and a plurality of compartments (14) intended for containment of the products, in which the products are arranged in a row along a main direction, means being provided for moving the products along said main direction (F) towards an outlet section (5) which is crossed by the product for dispensing .
  • the vending machine (1) comprises:
  • Said digital transducer can be a linear encoder device chosen from the group comprising: magnetic encoder, optical encoder, laser encoder, capacitive encoder, inductive encoder.
  • the compartments (14) are provided with a guide (19) whose longitudinal development corresponds to said main direction (F) and said digital transducer comprises at least one magnetic linear encoder (26) arranged parallel to said guide (19); furthermore, at least one element (28, 27) detectable magnetically by the encoder (26), fixed to said carriage (20) and/or to said pusher (21), is provided, which can be used to supply a signal relating to at least one linear measurement.
  • the vending machine can comprise: a first and a second encoder (26) arranged on opposite sides of said guide (19), a first magnetically detectable element (28) integral with said carriage (20) and placed in an interfering position with the first encoder (26), a second magnetically detectable element (27) integral with said pusher (21) and placed in an interfering position with the second encoder (26).
  • the vending machine can comprise a single encoder (26), a first magnetically detectable element (28) fixed to said carriage (20), a second magnetically detectable element (27) fixed to said pusher (21), and a device for excluding the reading of the second element (27) provided with means for removing the second element (27) from the encoder (26) in correspondence with an operating configuration corresponding to the contact between the carriage (20) and the pusher (21).
  • Said device for excluding the reading of the second element (27) can comprise an angled lever (24) hinged to the pusher (21) and connected to an appendage of the second element (27); one end (24B) of said lever (24) is turned towards said carriage (20) so as to be hit by the latter when the same carriage (20) is in contact with the pusher (21) so as to cause a rotation of the lever (24) adapted to move the second element (27) away from the encoder (26).
  • the digital transducer can comprise at least one laser encoder (30) facing the longitudinal extension of said guide (19) to detect the position of said carriage (20) and/or said pusher (21).
  • a spring can be provided acting between a portion (19B) of said guide (19) and said pusher (21) shaped and arranged so as to push the pusher (21) towards said outlet section (5).
  • the spring (31) can be a band spring , or a greater friction can be determined between the pusher (21) and the guide (25) increasing the friction effect.
  • each compartment (14) is equipped with an electronic card (29) acting on the means for detecting the position of the carriage and/or the pusher, all the electronic cards (29) of the vending machine (1) can be connected to a resident and/or remote central unit.
  • the pusher element (21) is provided with positioning means (31) in the compartment (14) which are distinct from the motor means (23) which move the carriage (20) inside the same compartment (14).
EP22020210.5A 2021-05-07 2022-05-06 Distributeur automatique de produits Pending EP4086865A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT102021000011759A IT202100011759A1 (it) 2021-05-07 2021-05-07 Distributore automatico

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP4086865A1 true EP4086865A1 (fr) 2022-11-09

Family

ID=77022050

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP22020210.5A Pending EP4086865A1 (fr) 2021-05-07 2022-05-06 Distributeur automatique de produits

Country Status (2)

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EP (1) EP4086865A1 (fr)
IT (1) IT202100011759A1 (fr)

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20130144433A1 (en) * 2003-10-17 2013-06-06 Rock-Tenn Shared Services, Llc Dispensing and display system
EP3251560A1 (fr) * 2010-08-06 2017-12-06 RTC Industries, Inc. Système de gestion d'inventaire
EP3783574A1 (fr) 2018-04-19 2021-02-24 Shandong New Beiyang Information Technology Co., Ltd. Procédé de détection de quantité d'articles, et distributeur automatique

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20130144433A1 (en) * 2003-10-17 2013-06-06 Rock-Tenn Shared Services, Llc Dispensing and display system
EP3251560A1 (fr) * 2010-08-06 2017-12-06 RTC Industries, Inc. Système de gestion d'inventaire
EP3783574A1 (fr) 2018-04-19 2021-02-24 Shandong New Beiyang Information Technology Co., Ltd. Procédé de détection de quantité d'articles, et distributeur automatique

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
IT202100011759A1 (it) 2022-11-07

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