JP2000123227A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic vending machine equipped with a disaster countermeasuring function for offering beverage, food and money stored in a commodity housing rack in the machine to victims in a disaster-stricken area free of charge when a large scale disaster occurs, and a life line is stopped, too. SOLUTION: The commodity housing rack 4 equipped with a bend mechanism is loaded in the storage of a cabinet 1 having an outer door 2 on the front face, and at the time of normal selling, the bend mechanism is released by a commercial power source so that merchandise can be conveyed to a merchandise output port 8 in this automatic vending machine for selling food. This device is provided with a manual commodity ejecting means for manually releasing the bend mechanism from the outside part of the device. At the time of such emergency that a large scale disaster occurs at the located place and a life line is stopped, the commodities stored in the device can be manually taken out from the outside part of the device free of charge. This device is provided with a manual operating part 10 equipped with the operation edge of a wire 10a for operating release whose one edge is connected with the bend mechanism on the outer door as the manual commodity ejecting means, and small door 9 with an automatic lock device for releasing lock at the time of the stop of the commercial power source on the front face of the part.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic vending machine for disaster countermeasures which can be used as a beverage and food supply source when a large-scale disaster such as an earthquake disaster causes a stoppage of a local lifeline. About the machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As vending machines, there are vending machines for cans, bottled beverages, and snack foods. In addition, with the spread of vending machines, vending machines for selling beverages are now being spread all over the country, including in urban areas, and are being installed at streets and locations in buildings.

As is well known, this vending machine is equipped with a commercial power supply including a bend mechanism, a money handling mechanism, a sales control unit, a cooling / heating unit in the refrigerator, and a lighting lamp in the refrigerator. Operation and control are performed using electric power from

[0004] Further, in order to enable the vending machine to continue selling operations even when the commercial power supply is interrupted,
A vending machine in which a storage battery is mounted in the machine as an emergency power supply, and the power supply is switched from the commercial power supply to the storage battery in the event of a commercial power failure so that the sales operation can be continued has already been proposed. No., JP-A-10-1
It is known in, for example, US Pat.

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the event of a large-scale disaster such as an earthquake, and the lifelines (electricity, water supply, gas, etc.) of the area are stopped, drinking water, etc. for residents in the disaster area, Immediate provision of food is an important issue.

In this respect, the vending machines deployed in the market store beverages and foods as commodities in a merchandise storage rack in the machine. If the system is installed, the sales function can be maintained even if the lifeline is stopped due to a disaster, so that the vending machine can serve as a beverage and food supply base in the event of a disaster.

However, as described above, a vending machine equipped with a storage battery in the machine as a countermeasure against a power outage so that products can be sold continuously can cause the following problems in a large-scale disaster. Dots remain. In other words, in an emergency situation in which a large-scale disaster such as an earthquake has caused the lifeline to shut down, many victims evacuated without having any money. In many cases, it is not possible to purchase products at vending machines, and emergency distribution of beverages and foods by local governments is not functioning well due to delays.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a method for an emergency where a large-scale disaster has occurred and the lifeline has stopped, and drinks and foods stored in a product storage rack in the aircraft need not be paid for, and the victims in the disaster area are not required. Another object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine having a disaster countermeasure function that can be provided free of charge.

[0009]

According to the present invention, a merchandise storage rack provided with a bend mechanism is mounted in a cabinet of a cabinet with an outside front door, and a bend mechanism based on a sales command is provided. A vending machine for selling beverages and foods, which carries out products one by one to a product outlet by releasing operation of a bend mechanism which releases a bend mechanism by controlling power supply from a commercial power supply during normal sales. In a case where the commercial power supply is stopped, the bend mechanism is manually released from the outside of the machine to release the product by manually releasing the bend mechanism (claim 1). Is configured in the following manner.

(1) As a manual product dispensing means, one end of a wire or link for release operation is connected to a bend mechanism provided for each column of a product storage rack, and the operation end of the wire or link is disconnected. A small door with an automatic locking device is provided at the front of the outer door so as to be drawn out in front of the door and to cover the operation end thereof (claim 2).

(2) In the above item (1), an electromagnetic lock for automatically locking the small door in the closed position by always receiving power from a commercial power supply and locking the small door to the closed position automatically in the event of an emergency. An apparatus (claim 3). (3) In the above item (1), a manually operated locking device for manually opening the door after unlocking the automatic locking device is attached to the small door (claim 4).

According to the vending machine having the above configuration, the small door is locked at the closed position so that the manual product dispensing means cannot be operated from outside the machine at all times, and normal product sales are performed by inserting money. However, if the local lifeline is shut down due to a large-scale disaster and commercial power is also cut off,
The unlocking of the small door is automatically released, and the inventory goods remaining in the vending machine are carried out by manual operation from outside the machine,
It can be provided as emergency release beverages and food to people in disaster areas.

Although it is difficult to immediately install vending machines having such a disaster countermeasure function in all areas in the area, they are installed at least in public facilities that are evacuation sites in the event of a large-scale disaster. It is very useful if applied to vending machines. In addition, if data such as the number of products sold before a power failure due to a disaster is stored in a non-volatile memory provided in the in-flight control unit, the number of products provided free of charge in an emergency can be confirmed later.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on illustrated embodiments. First, for a vending machine for selling beverages equipped with a serpentine-type product storage rack in the warehouse, the external appearance of a disaster countermeasure vending machine equipped with the manual type product unloading means described above is shown in FIG. 1 (a). and (b). In the figure, 1 is a vending machine cabinet, 2 is an outer door arranged on the front of the cabinet 1, 3 is an insulated inner door, and 4 is a serpentine type product storage rack mounted in the cabinet of the cabinet, as is well known. The front outside door 2 has a display room 5 for displaying product samples, a product selection button 6, an operation panel 7 equipped with a coin mech, etc., and a product outlet 8,
A small door 9 provided with an automatic lock device described later is provided at one corner of the door surface, and inside the inside, a bend mechanism of the product storage rack 4 is released by manual operation from the outside of the machine to discharge the product to the product outlet 8. An operation unit 10 of a manual product payout mechanism is provided. 9a is a handle of the small door 9.

Next, FIGS. 2A and 2B show the structure of the bend mechanism mounted on the serpentine type product storage rack 4 and the product unloading operation during normal sales. That is,
The bend mechanism 11 comprises an assembly of an upper flapper 11a and a lower flapper 11b linked together, an electromagnetic solenoid 11c for driving, and a return spring 11d.
In the sales standby state (solenoid OFF), the lower flapper 11b projects into the product passage by the spring force of the return spring 11d as shown in FIG.
Is held in the sales standby position. Reference numeral 13 denotes a product passage width regulating plate. Here, when the solenoid 11c is turned on (excited) based on the sales command, the upper flapper 11a protrudes into the passage as shown in FIG.
While holding the third product, the lower flapper 11b retreats laterally from the product path. As a result, the products lined up at the bottom are discharged, fall down, and are conveyed to the product outlet 8 (see FIG. 1) via a product discharge chute (not shown). Incidentally, such a flap type bend mechanism is disclosed in
It is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-168879.

In the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, the flapper 11a,
One end of a release wire (flexible tow wire) 10a of the manual product dispensing mechanism is connected to a link portion connecting the drive solenoid 11b and the drive solenoid 11b via a mounting metal 11e. The wire 10a is routed inside the machine, and its operating end (operating handle) 10b is provided on the front outer door 2 to operate the operating section 10 (see FIG.
(see (b)).

In the above configuration, the wire 10a is in a relaxed state in a state of normal sale, and the bend mechanism 11 is
Solenoid 11a based on sales order without interference from a
The product 12 is dispensed by the release operation by the drive of. On the other hand, FIG.
When the wire 10a is pulled upward by a manual operation from the standby state shown in FIG. 3B, the upper flapper 11a protrudes into the product passage following the pulling of the wire 10a as shown in FIG. The products 12 arranged at the bottom are dropped and carried down. When the wire 10a is loosened, the operation returns to the standby state shown in FIG. That is, by manually pulling the wire 10a of the manual product payout mechanism without using the solenoid 11c of the bend mechanism 11, the bend mechanism 1
1 is released, and the goods 12 can be carried out one by one to the goods outlet 8 (see FIG. 1).

The release operation wires 10a are connected one by one to the bend mechanism 11 corresponding to each column of the product storage rack 4, and the operation ends are collectively pulled out to the front outer door. ing.

Next, FIGS. 4A to 4C and FIGS. 5A to 5D show the structure of the operation unit 10 of the manual product dispensing mechanism in which the operation end of the release wire 10 a is centrally arranged. Will be described.
That is, the operation unit 10 is provided at one corner of the outer door 2 and penetrates the back wall of the concave box 10c to release the release wire 1
The operating end of the wire 0a is pulled out, and an operating handle 10d is attached to the tip of each wire. Note that the arrangement of the wire operation ends is set in accordance with, for example, the arrangement of the product samples arranged in the display room 5 shown in FIG.

A single-opening small door 9 described with reference to FIG. 1 is provided so as to cover the front surface of the operation unit 10, and the small door 9 is normally brought to a closed position by an automatic locking device 14 described below. Locked. That is, the automatic locking device 14 is
A hook-shaped latch 14a attached to the back of the
a lock pin 14b engaged with the lock pin 14a
And a solenoid 1 for driving the lock pin 14b to the lock position by attracting the slider 14c upward by energizing the slider 14c using a commercial power supply 15 as a power supply.
4d. Reference numeral 14e denotes a stepped screw that fits into the guide groove 14c-1 of the slider 14d and restricts the movement of the slider.

With this configuration, during normal operation of the vending machine, the solenoid 14d is energized (ON) by the commercial power supply 15, and as shown in FIG. Locked in closed position. Therefore, in this state, the small door 9 cannot be opened from the outside to operate the wire 10a of the manual product payout mechanism.

On the other hand, when the lifeline (electricity, water, gas) in the area is stopped due to the occurrence of a large-scale disaster and the commercial power supply is also cut off, the solenoid 14d is turned off and the slider 14c is turned off as shown in FIG. Is lowered by its own weight, the lock pin 14b and the latch 14a are disengaged, and the lock of the small door 9 is released. In this state, the user puts his hand on the handle 9a of the small door 9 to open the door, and the wire grip 10 of the manual product dispensing mechanism arranged inside the door.
By grasping d and pulling the release wire 10a forward, the bend mechanism 11 of the product storage rack corresponding to the wire can be released and the product can be freely taken out as described in FIG.

It is assumed that the small door 9 indicates that the vending machine is a "disaster vending machine" and that "operation procedure for taking out goods" is displayed when a disaster occurs. Further, it is also possible to provide a mechanical counting device which counts and integrates the number of products carried out each time the product is taken out by pulling the wire 10a.

In the illustrated embodiment, apart from the above-mentioned automatic lock device 14, a magnet type catch 15 is provided as a manual lock device for restraining and holding the small door 8 in a closed position so that the small door 8 is manually opened after the automatic lock device 14 is released. In this case, the small door 9 is prevented from being opened without permission in the event of a power failure (momentary interruption) for an extremely short time, and the small door 9 is locked again after the power is restored.

In the illustrated embodiment, the bend mechanism 11 is manually released using the wire 10a. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Attach the operation lever of
Alternatively, it is also possible to release the bend mechanism 11 by operating a handle from outside the machine using a link mechanism instead of the wire 10a. Further, the product storage rack and the bend mechanism of the vending machine to which the present invention is applied are not limited to the flapper type bend mechanism of the serpentine type product storage rack shown in the illustrated example, and other pusher type and direct stack type product storage racks. Needless to say, the present invention can also be applied to practice.

[0026]

As described above, according to the vending machine of the present invention, the small door is locked in the closed position so that the manual product dispensing means cannot be operated from outside the machine at all times, and the normal operation is performed by inserting money. In the case of an emergency where the product was sold and the lifeline was stopped due to the occurrence of a large-scale disaster, the lock on the small door was automatically released and the inventory items remaining in the vending machine were removed from the machine. Can be taken out by manual operation and provided free of charge to emergency victims in the disaster area as beverages and food for emergency release, which enables the vending machine to serve as a base for providing beverages and food in the event of a large-scale disaster it can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an appearance of an entire vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) is a front view, and (b) is an internal structure diagram with a door opened.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating the structure and operation of a bend mechanism of a serpentine-type product storage rack mounted on the vending machine of FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 2A illustrates a sales standby state, and FIG.

3A and 3B are explanatory views of the configuration and operation of a manual product payout mechanism according to the present invention applied to the bend mechanism of FIG. 2, wherein FIG. 3A is a rear view of the bend mechanism, and FIGS. Diagram showing stand-by state and release state of bend mechanism explaining product dispensing operation by operation

FIG. 4 is an operation section of a manual product payout mechanism in FIG. 1;
And (a) is a front view, (b) is a right side view of (a), and (c) is a view of (a) of FIG. AA cross-sectional view

5A and 5B are explanatory views of the unlocking operation of the small door automatic lock device of FIG. 4 and the operation of the manual product dispensing mechanism when the commercial power supply is stopped due to a disaster, and FIG.
(b) is a right side view of FIG. (a), (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of (a), and (d) is a state diagram in which the wire of the manual product dispensing mechanism is being pulled out.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vending machine cabinet 2 Outer door 4 Merchandise storage rack 8 Merchandise exit 9 Small door 10 Operating part of manual merchandise dispensing mechanism 10a Wire for release operation 10b Operating end of wire 10d Handle for operation 11 Bend mechanism 12 Merchandise 14 Automatic Lock device 15 Magnet type catch (manual lock device)

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Naoyuki Tsuzaki 1-1-1, Tanabe-shinda, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa F-term in Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (Reference) 3E044 AA01 BA01 CA02 CA10 CB05 DA08 DB05 DD06 EA01 EA12 EB02 FB04 FB05 FB07 FB15 FB20

Claims (4)

[Claims] Claims: 1. A beverage or food product having a product storage rack equipped with a bend mechanism in a cabinet of a cabinet with an outer door on the front side, and carrying out products one by one to a product outlet by releasing the bend mechanism based on a sales order. A vending machine for sale that releases the bend mechanism by controlling the power supply from the commercial power supply during normal sales.In an emergency when the commercial power supply is stopped, the bend mechanism is manually operated from outside the machine. A vending machine equipped with a manual product dispensing means for taking out a product by releasing operation. 2. A vending machine according to claim 1, wherein one of a wire for release operation or one end of a link is connected to a bend mechanism provided for each column of the product storage rack as manual product dispensing means. A vending machine characterized in that an operation end of a wire or a link is drawn out in front of an outer door, and a small door with an automatic locking device is provided in front of the outer door so as to cover the operation end. 3. An automatic vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the automatic door lock device locks the small door to the closed position by receiving power from a commercial power supply, and automatically releases the lock in an emergency. A vending machine characterized by being an electromagnetic locking device. 4. A vending machine according to claim 2, further comprising a manual lock device for manually opening the door after unlocking the automatic lock device on the small door.