JP2000348247A - Direct stack type automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a direct stack type automatic vending machine which prevents the lock phenomenon and rotation phenomenon of an article and can surely eject the article being at the bottom. SOLUTION: In this direct stack type automatic vending machine for edjecting the article 2 being at the bottom among a plurality of articles 2 which are directly stacked vertically in an article tacking path 8 from an opening part 10 by being pushed by a pusher 11, a control member 22 for controlling the floating of the front part of the article 2 is provided at the upper part of an inner side of a front partition plate 6 and also above the opening part 10 in a pair of front and rear partition plate 6 and 7 constituting the path 8. The member 22 has a lower end projecting part 24 which is formed at the lower end part and also protruded in the path 8, and a guide plane 25 which is inclined toward this side from the part 24 over the upper end part and guides the article 2 downward.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine of the direct stacking type for dispensing box-shaped products such as cigarettes in a directly stacked state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a direct-stacking type vending machine of this type, for example, there is a vending machine which handles box-shaped products such as tobacco. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, a pair of front and rear partition plates 63 and 64 are provided inside the vending machine, and a product stacking path 6 is provided between the two partition plates 63 and 64.
5 are formed. In the product stacking path 65,
A plurality of box-shaped products 61 are directly stacked in the vertical direction, and a product stacking surface 66 that supports the products 61 in the product stacking path 65 is provided below the partition plates 63 and 64. Further, between the lower end of the front partition plate 63 and the product stacking surface 66, an opening 67 for discharging the product is formed.

Further, inside the vending machine, a pusher 68 which pushes out the lowermost product 61 in the product stacking path 65 from the back side to the front side and pays it out from the opening 67.
And a driving device 69 for driving the pusher 68. The driving device 69 includes a plurality of pulleys 70 and a belt 71 wound between the pulleys 70.
And a motor 7 for rotating one of the pulleys 70
And 2.

According to this, the belt 71 is rotated in one direction A by the driving of the motor 72, and the pusher 68 pushes the lowermost commodity 61 in the commodity stacking path 65 from the back side to the front side, thereby causing the belt 71 to move forward. The product 61 at the lower end is dispensed from the opening 67 and transferred to a product outlet (not shown).

[0005]

In the above-mentioned conventional type,
When the product 61 is replenished or replaced in the product stacking path 65, water droplets may adhere to the film wrapping the case of the product 61 such as tobacco due to rain or the like. In this case, the films of the products 61 stacked in the product stacking path 65 are adhered to each other, so that the lowermost product 61 at the time of dispensing and the product 61 thereabove (that is, the second product 61 from the lowermost position). Slippage sometimes worsened. On the contrary, since the film of the product 61 has good slippage in a state where no water droplets adhere, the product 6
The sliding of the partition plates 63 and 6 is good,
4 also shows very good slippage.

Therefore, as described above, the lowermost product 6
In the case where the film of No. 1 and the film of the product 61 thereon are attached, as shown in FIG. 9, when the pusher 68 pushes the rear surface of the product 61 at the lowermost position forward at the time of dispensing,
The second product 61 from the lowermost end also moves forward together with the lowermost product 61, and the front end of the second product 61 from the lowermost end contacts the lower end of the front partition plate 63. At this time, the front end of the second product 61 from the lowermost end and the front partition plate 63
Since the contact position B with the lower end portion is located higher than the pushing direction by the pusher 68, a diagonally upward force F from the pusher 68 toward the contact position B is generated. As shown in FIG. 10, the front end of the product 61 rises in the direction of arrow C, and the front end of the lowermost product 61 is pressed against the lower end of the front partition plate 63 and locked, and the lowermost product is locked. There is a problem of poor delivery such that 61 is not paid out from the opening 67.

[0007] In addition to the above-described locking phenomenon, as shown in FIG.
In a state where the front end of the lowermost product 61 is pressed against the lower end of the front partition plate 63, the pusher 68 further pushes the lowermost product 61 from the rear to the front, so that the product 61 is stacked on the product stacking path. There is a problem of poor delivery, such that the product 61 at the lowermost end is not paid out from the opening 67 because the product 61 is rotated halfway in the vertical direction at the lower portion in the inside 65.

Incidentally, the locking phenomenon and the rotation phenomenon of the product 61 described above are caused by the fact that the stock of the product 61 in the product stacking path 65 is reduced to several pieces (two or three pieces) and the load applied to the product 61 from above is reduced. More likely to occur when the humidity in the product stacking path 65 becomes high during the rainy season or the like. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a direct-stacking type vending machine which can prevent the lock phenomenon and the rotation phenomenon of a product and can reliably pay out the product at the lowermost end.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a push-pulling apparatus comprising a plurality of box-shaped products stacked vertically in a product stacking path. In the direct stacking type vending machine, which is pushed out from the back side to the front side and is paid out from the opening formed on the front side of the product stacking path, the product is located above the opening in the product stacking path side. A regulating member for regulating the lifting of the portion is provided.

According to this, when the products stick to each other due to the adhesion of water droplets and slippage between the products becomes worse, when the pusher pushes the lowermost product from the back side to the front side, an oblique upward force is applied to the product. Occurs, and even if the front part of the product tries to float, the regulating member restricts the lifting of the front part of the product. For this reason, at the time of dispensing, the lifting of the front part of the commodity at the lowermost end is regulated, and therefore, the locking phenomenon and the rotation phenomenon of the commodity at the lowermost end are prevented, and the dispensing can be performed reliably.

In the second invention, the regulating member is formed at a lower end portion of the regulating member and protrudes into the product stacking path, and is inclined forward from the projecting portion to an upper end portion of the regulating member. And a guide surface for guiding the product downward. According to this, when the front portion of the product in the product stacking path attempts to float, the front portion of the product comes into contact with the protrusion of the regulating member from below,
Further lifting is restricted.

When the lowermost commodity is dispensed from the commodity stacking path, the commodities remaining in the commodity stacking path sequentially fall downward. At this time, the commodities in the commodity stacking path are guided by the guide surface of the regulating member. Is guided downward. Thus, when the product falls in the product stacking path, the product is not caught by the regulating member and clogged. In addition, this third
In the invention, a plurality of regulating members are provided along the vertical direction.

According to this, since the lifting of the front part of the commodity is regulated by any of the regulating members, the lifting of the front part of the commodity at the lowermost end is more reliably regulated at the time of dispensing. Further, in the fourth invention, at least the lower side of the commodity stacking path is formed between a pair of wall surfaces facing each other on the near side and the back side, the opening is formed at a lower part of the wall surface on the near side, and the regulating member is It is formed inside the wall surface on the front side, and the dimension from the inner end of the regulating member to the wall surface on the rear side is formed larger than the diagonal dimension from the front end to the rear end of the product.

According to this, since the dimension from the inner end of the regulating member to the rear wall surface is formed larger than the diagonal dimension from the front end to the rear end of the product, the product is moved between the regulating member and the rear side. Can be prevented from being clogged with the wall surface.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a direct-loading type vending machine which handles a box-shaped product 2 such as a cigarette. The outer surface of the product 2 is covered with a slippery material such as a film. Vending machine 1
In the vending machine main body 4 that rotatably supports the front door 3, a mounting unit 5 is provided in a plurality of upper and lower stages.

As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of front and rear partition plates 6 and 7 (an example of a wall surface) are provided above each mounting unit 5, and a product stacking path 8 is provided between the two partition plates 6 and 7. Are formed. A plurality of products 2 are vertically stacked in a line in the vertical direction in each of the product stacking paths 8. In addition, a product stacking route 8 is provided at the upper end of the placing unit 5 described above.
A product stacking surface 9 for supporting the product 2 in the inside is formed. An opening 10 for paying out products is formed between the lower end of the front (front side) partition plate 6 and the product stacking surface 9.

The placement unit 5 includes a pusher 11 that pushes the lowermost commodity 2 in the commodity stacking path 8 from the rear side (back side) to the front side (front side) and pays it out of the opening 10. The driving device 1 for driving the pusher 11
2 are provided. The driving device 12 includes a plurality of sprockets 13a, 13b, and 13c, and a belt 14 wound between the sprockets 13a, 13b, and 13c.
And a motor 15 for rotating one of the sprockets 13a. Then, the motor 15
When the belt 14 is rotated in one direction A by the rotational driving force, the pusher 11 moves from the rear to the front and pushes out the lowermost commodity 2 on the extrusion path 16.
It circulates over a return path 17 that reverses downward from above the extrusion path 16 and returns from front to back.

The product 2 extruded by the pusher 11 and discharged from the opening 10 is, as shown in FIG.
It falls through a payout passage 19 formed in front of each mounting unit 5 and is transferred to a product outlet 20 provided in the front door 3. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a restricting member 22 for restricting the lifting of the front part (front side) of the product 2 is provided above the opening 10 and below the inside of the front partition plate 6. I have. The restricting member 22 is formed by making a cut 23 in the front partition plate 6 and bending the cut 23 obliquely inward. The lower end protrusion 24 protrudes into the product stacking path 8, and the lower end thereof. It has a guide surface 25 that inclines forward (toward the front side) from the protrusion 24 to the upper end and guides the product 2 downward, and is formed in a wedge shape in side view.

The dimension W1 from the front end (inner end) of the lower end projection 24 to the rear (rear side) partition plate 7 is measured from the front end (front end) to the rear end (rear end) of the product 2. Diagonal dimension W
It is formed larger than 2. In addition, the notch 2
3 is formed in a concave shape in a front view by a pair of left and right vertical cuts 23a and 23b and a horizontal cut 23c formed between lower ends of the vertical cuts 23a and 23b. The height from the inner surface of the front partition plate 6 to the tip of the lower end projection 24 is set to about 2 mm.

The operation of the above configuration will be described below.
By driving the motor 15, the belt 14 rotates in one direction A, and the pusher 11 pushes the lowermost commodity 2 in the commodity stacking path 8 from the rear side to the front as shown by the phantom line in FIG. The commodity 2 at the lowermost end is dispensed from the opening 10, falls in the dispensing passage 19, and falls out of the commodity outlet 20.
Transferred to

When the product 2 is replenished or replaced in the product stacking path 8, water drops adhere to the film wrapping the case of the product 2 due to rain or the like, and the products stacked in the product stacking path 8. In some cases, the two cases are stuck together and slippage between the products 2 becomes worse. In this case, when the pusher 11 pushes the lowermost commodity 2 forward from the rear side at the time of dispensing, an obliquely upward force is generated in the commodity 2 so that the front part of the commodity 2 tends to float. As indicated by the solid line 1, since the front part of the second product 2 from the bottom comes into contact with the lower end protrusion 24 of the regulating member 22 from below, further lifting is restricted. Therefore, the lifting of the front part of the commodity 2 at the lowermost end is restricted. Therefore, the locking phenomenon and the rotation phenomenon of the lowermost product 2 are prevented, the lowermost product 2 is separated from the product 2 on the lowermost product 2, and the payout can be reliably performed.

Further, the commodity 2 at the lowermost end is transferred to the commodity stacking path 8.
Product 2 remaining in product stacking route 8 when paid out from inside
The products 2 in the product stacking path 8 are guided downward by the guide surface 25 of the regulating member 22 at this time. Thus, when the product 2 falls in the product stacking path 8, the product 2 is not caught by the regulating member 22 and clogged.

Further, as shown in FIG.
> W2 dimension, the lowermost product 2 is discharged from the opening 10 and the product 2 in the product stacking path 8
When the product 2 descends in the inclined posture, the product 2 can be prevented from being clogged between the regulating member 22 and the rear partition plate 7. In the above embodiment, the sprockets 13a, 13b, 13c and the belt 14 are used for the drive device 12, but a pulley may be used instead of the sprockets 13a, 13b, 13c. Alternatively, a chain may be used.

Next, as a second embodiment of the present invention,
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, two regulating members 22 are provided in the vertical direction. The left and right width W of the upper regulating member 22 is shown.
3 is formed to be narrower than the left-right width W4 of the lower regulating member 22. This is because the upper vertical notches 23a and 23b
Is shifted in the left-right direction with respect to the lower vertical cut portions 23a and 23b, and the front partition plate 6 formed by forming the cuts 23 is formed.
This is to reduce the decrease in strength of the steel.

According to this, as shown in FIG.
The third product from the bottom, even if the front of
Or the front part of the second commodity 2 from below contacts the lower projection 24 of the lower regulation member 22 from below. The lifting of the front part of the commodity 2 at the lowermost end is regulated. As described above, the lifting of the front part of the commodity 2 at the lowermost end can be regulated by at least one of the upper and lower two regulating members 22, so that the regulation of the lifting can be performed more reliably. .

In the second embodiment, the regulating member 22
Are provided in the vertical direction, but three or more may be provided. In the first and second embodiments, the restricting member 22 is formed by obliquely bending the notch 23 of the front partition plate 6 inward, but as a third embodiment, FIG. As shown in FIG. 7A, a regulating member 22 formed in a right triangle shape in side view may be attached to the inner surface of the front partition plate 6. The bottom side of the regulating member 22 is formed as a lower end projection 24, and the oblique side of the regulating member 22 is formed as a guide surface 25.

The regulating member 22 may have another shape. For example, as a fourth embodiment, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, a regulating member 2 formed in a trapezoidal shape in a side view.
2, a vertical surface 29 is formed from the inner end of the guide surface 25 to the lower end protrusion 24. Further, as a fifth embodiment, as shown in FIG.
2 may have a shape in which the bottom is inclined downward toward the inside.

In each of the above embodiments, tobacco is given as an example of the product 2. However, the present invention is not limited to tobacco. I just need.

[0029]

As described above, since the regulating member regulates the lifting of the front part of the product, the lifting of the front part of the lowermost commodity at the time of dispensing is restricted.
Preventing the lock phenomenon and the rotation phenomenon of the commodity at the lowermost end, a reliable payout can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged side view around a regulating member of a vending machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the lifting of a front portion of a product is regulated by the regulating member.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the vicinity of a regulating member of the vending machine, showing a dimensional relationship.

FIG. 3 is a view of the regulating member of the vending machine as viewed from the direction of arrow X in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the entire inside of the vending machine.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of the vicinity of a regulating member of a vending machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which lifting of a front portion of a product is regulated by the regulating member.

FIG. 6 is a view of the regulating member of the vending machine as viewed from the direction of arrow X in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a shape of a regulating member of a vending machine according to the third to fifth embodiments of the present invention, wherein (a) is a regulating member according to the third embodiment, and (b) is a side view. The regulating member according to the fourth embodiment, (c) is the regulating member according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged side view of a lower part of a product stacking path of a conventional vending machine.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a force generated when the products stuck to each other due to the attachment of water droplets are dispensed from the lower part of the product stacking path.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing a lock phenomenon that occurs when goods stuck to each other due to the attachment of water droplets are dispensed from the lower part of the goods stacking path.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing a rotation phenomenon that occurs when goods stuck to each other due to the attachment of water droplets are discharged from the lower part of the goods stacking path.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vending machine 2 Product 6, 7 Partition plate (wall surface) 8 Product stacking path 10 Opening 11 Pusher 22 Restriction member 24 Lower projection 25 Guide surface W1, W2 Dimensions

Claims (4)

[Claims] [Claim 1] The lowermost product among a plurality of box-shaped products directly stacked in the product stacking path in the vertical direction is pushed out from the back side to the front side by a pusher, and is pushed to the front side of the product stacking path. In the direct-stacking type vending machine that pays out from the formed opening, a regulating member that regulates the floating of the front portion of the product is provided above the product stacking path side of the opening. Direct loading vending machine. The regulating member is formed at a lower end portion of the regulating member and protrudes into the product stacking path. The regulating member is inclined forward to extend from the projecting portion to an upper end portion of the regulating member to move the commodity downward. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a guide surface for guiding. 3. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of regulating members are provided along a vertical direction. At least the lower side of the product stacking path is formed between a pair of wall surfaces facing each other on the near side and the back side, the opening is formed at a lower portion of the wall surface on the near side, and the regulating member is located on the near side. 3. The product according to claim 2, wherein a dimension from an inner end of the regulating member to a rear wall is larger than a diagonal dimension from a front end to a rear end of the product. The direct-loading type vending machine according to claim 3.