JP2001014540A - Commodity discharging device for automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a commodity discharging device for an automatic vending machine having a function for preventing easily and effectively a commodity from falling off from a commodity column. SOLUTION: A timing belt (endless flexible body) 22 which is driven by a motor 23 and forms an around track in its front-back direction is provided in the main body 21 of this commodity discharging device having its top surface serving as a commodity placing part. A pressing member 24, which is protruding over the top surface of the body 21 from the rear end side of the body 21 in response to the driving of the belt 22 and moves toward the front end side of the body 21 to push out the commodity set at the lowest position in a commodity column, is attached to the belt 22. A stop control means is provided which stops the driving of the belt 22 caused by the motor 23 and then stops the member 24 at the front edge of top surface of the body 21 when pushing the commodity out of the commodity column is over and the member 24 can function as a commodity discharge preventing member.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a product dispensing apparatus for a vending machine having a simple structure capable of effectively and reliably preventing unintentional dropping of a product from a product column.

[0002]

2. Related Background Art A vending machine for selling packaged products such as tobacco includes a plurality of product columns 2 for stacking and storing a plurality of products inside a box-shaped vending machine body 1 as shown in FIG. It has. In accordance with a selective operation of a product selection button (not shown) provided on the front door 3, the corresponding product is paid out from the product column 2 and guided to the product take-out section 5 via the product chute 4. Is done.

[0003] In the lower part of each of the commodity columns 2, for example, a commodity dispensing device 6 configured as shown in FIG. 7 is incorporated. The product dispensing device 6 includes, for example, a device main body 7 having an upper surface thereof as a surface on which products are placed, and an endless belt 8 provided on the upper surface of the device main body 7 so as to extend around the inside thereof and form a trajectory in the front-rear direction. And a pressing member (pusher) 9 attached to the outer periphery of the endless belt 8. Then, the endless belt 8 is driven to run in response to a product selection operation, and the pressing member 9 is protruded from the rear end of the apparatus main body 7 to the upper surface thereof and runs toward the front end, thereby causing the apparatus main body 7 to move. The product (not shown) placed on the upper surface is extruded, and is dispensed to the front (the front side of the product column 2).

After the delivery of the product from the product column is completed, the pressing member (pusher) 9 usually avoids the upper surface of the apparatus main body 7 so as not to hinder the storage of the product in the product column 2. Is positioned, for example, inside the apparatus body 7. Alternatively, the pressing member 7 may be positioned behind the product at the rear end of the upper surface of the apparatus main body 7 in order to deal with the prompt delivery of the next product.

[0005] In the drawing, reference numeral 10 denotes a sold-out detection switch (not shown) which is pressed by a product placed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 7 to be immersed in the apparatus main body 7 and incorporated in the apparatus main body 7. ) Is a product detection member (lever) for urging the user.

[0006]

By the way, there is a possibility that the product may fall off from the product placing surface of the product column 2 formed by the upper surface of the product dispensing device 6 due to the impact, vibration, or the like reluctantly applied to the vending machine. In addition, there are rarely those who try to extract a product from the product column 2 by forcibly inserting a hand or the like from the product extraction unit 5. In order to prevent the product from being stolen from the vending machine, various devices have been devised, for example, incorporating a stopper mechanism for preventing the product from falling off in front of the product column 2. However, there are problems such as a complicated mechanism for preventing theft and a large-scale structure.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine having a function capable of easily and effectively preventing a product from falling off a product column. An object of the present invention is to provide a product dispensing device. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a product dispensing device which itself has a function of preventing a product from falling off.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is directed to a product column which is built in a lower portion of a product column for stacking and storing a plurality of products, and is arranged on a front surface of the product column in order from the lowest product. According to the product dispensing device of a vending machine for dispensing, an endless flexible body that is driven and driven by a motor in an orbit in the front-rear direction is provided on an apparatus body having an upper surface thereof as a mounting portion for products, As the endless flexible body travels, a pressing member that protrudes from the rear end of the device main body to the upper surface of the device main body, moves toward the front end side, and pushes out the lowest product in the product column. Is attached to the endless flexible body, and in particular, the driving of the endless flexible body by the motor is stopped when the product is pushed out from the product column, and the pressing member is moved to the device. Stopped at the front end of the top of the main unit It is characterized in that a stop control unit that.

The stop control means detects the moving position of the pressing member accompanying the running of the endless flexible body, and stops the driving of the endless flexible body by the motor at a predetermined timing in accordance with the detection timing. In this case, the apparatus comprises timing control means for stopping the pressing member at the front end position of the upper surface of the apparatus main body. Specifically, the stop control means detects the passage of the pressing member and devises a mounting position (pass detection position) of a stop switch for stopping the motor, or a predetermined position of the pressing member detected by the detection switch. This is realized by devising the time from the passing timing of the position to the stop timing of the motor.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, when the endless flexible body is provided so as to form an orbit in the front-rear direction from the upper surface of the apparatus main body to the inside of the main body as described in claim 2, A pressing member is attached to an outer peripheral portion of the endless flexible body, and the pressing member is stopped at a front end of an upper surface of the apparatus main body to function as a product payout preventing member.

[0011]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. A description will be given of an example of a product payout device used for paying out a product (cigarette) from a company.

In this commodity dispensing apparatus, as shown in FIG. 1, the upper surface of an apparatus main body 21 forming a box-like housing is used as a placement section for commodities (cigarettes). The plurality of loaded products are stacked and stored on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 21. And the product delivery device is Product Column 2
The products are paid out to the front of the product column 2 in order from the lowest product in the order.

As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus main body 21 is placed on the apparatus main body 21 from above.
, An endless timing belt 22 is provided which extends around the orbit in a front-rear direction. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the timing belt 22 is provided between a driving pulley 31 incorporated at the front of the apparatus main body 21 and two guide pulleys 32, 33 incorporated at the rear of the apparatus main body 21. The motor is mounted on the inside of the timing belt 22 and driven by a motor 23 incorporated in the apparatus main body 21 via a power transmission mechanism (not shown).

On the other hand, on the outer periphery of the timing belt 22,
As the timing belt 22 travels, two pressing members (pushers) 24, 24 projecting from the rear end of the apparatus main body 21 to the upper surface thereof and moving toward the front end divide the travel path length into two equal parts. So that they are spaced apart from each other. As the timing belt 22 travels, only one of the pressing members 24 protrudes from the upper surface of the apparatus main body 21,
It moves from the rear end toward the front end. At this time, the other pressing member 24 enters the inside of the apparatus main body 21 from the front end of the apparatus main body 21 and moves to the rear end side.

The pressing member 24 includes a support portion 24a mounted on the outer periphery of the timing belt 22, and
It is formed of a T-shaped member having an eave portion 24b provided to protrude in the lateral direction at the upper end of the support portion 24a. The pressing member 24 moves while pressing the rear end of the product placed on the upper surface of the device main body 21 at the front end of the T-shaped eave portion 24b, thereby moving the product on the device main body 21. From the product column 2.

By the way, the eaves portion 24b of the pressing member 24
Is set wider than the width of the timing belt 22 and can be set lower than the height of the product. Then, by widely abutting the rear end surface of the product, the product is pressed while keeping the payout posture of the product stably, and the lower surface on the front end side of the next product is stably supported.

On the other hand, the apparatus main body 21 is located on the side of the timing belt 22 and protrudes from the upper surface thereof.
In addition, the commodity detecting member 26 is immersed in the apparatus main body 21.
Is provided. As shown in FIG. 1, the product detection member 26 is biased by a spring 27 so as to protrude from the upper surface of the apparatus main body 21. This product detection member 26
Is a sold-out detection switch which is basically immersed in the device main body 21 against the spring 27 under the load of a product placed on the upper surface of the device main body 21 and incorporated in the device main body 21. Plays the role of energizing 28. Based on the operation state of the sold-out detection switch 28 by the product detection member 26, the remaining state (sold-out state) of the product in the product column 2 is detected.

A detection lever 35, which is pressed by the eaves 24b of the pressing member 24 and rotates, is biased by a spring 36 inside the apparatus main body 21. When the pressing member 24 passing through the inside of the apparatus main body 21 reaches a predetermined position on the rear end side, the detection lever 35 is pressed by the eaves 24 b of the pressing member 24 and rotates against the spring 36. The other end plays a role of urging the stop switch 38.

In particular, the detection lever 35 and the stop switch 38 determine that the completion of the delivery of the goods by the movement of the pressing member 24 accompanying the traveling drive of the timing belt 22 is the timing when the other pressing member 24 passes the predetermined detection position. Detects and plays a role as stop control means for stopping the driving of the timing belt 22 by the motor 23 according to the detection result. Such a timing belt 22
By the stop of the travel, the pressing member 24 that has protruded to the upper surface of the apparatus main body 21 and has been engaged in paying out the product, after the completion of the payout of the product, moves the front end position of the upper surface of the device main body 21 to pay out the product as shown in FIG. It will stop as a standby position when not executing.

Incidentally, the traveling control of the timing belt 22 by the energization control of the motor 23 and, consequently, the movement control of the pressing member 24, as shown in FIG. At the timing, it is determined whether or not the sold-out detection switch 28 is activated, in other words, whether or not a product is stored in the corresponding product column 2. When the sold-out detection switch 28 is energized at the switch operation timing, the motor 23 is energized to start the traveling of the timing belt 22. Then, as the timing belt 22 runs, the apparatus main body 21
When the completion of dispensing of the product is detected by the pressing member 24 passing through the inside of the motor, the energization of the motor 23 is stopped in consideration of a predetermined response delay or the like, and the driving of the timing belt 22 is stopped. This is performed by positioning 24, 24 at a predetermined standby position.

According to the commodity dispensing apparatus thus constructed, the pressing member 24 protruding from the upper surface of the apparatus main body 21 and pushing the commodity at the lowest position toward the front of the commodity column 2 is provided.
At the end of the dispensing of the product, it is positioned at the front end of the upper surface of the apparatus main body 21 and stops at that position as the standby position. As a result, the pressing member 24 stops so as to close the commodity payout opening having the opening height set in view of the maximum height of the commodity at the front end of the commodity column 2, and the commodity passing through the commodity payout exit Will function as a payout blocking member that blocks the passage of air. That is, the pressing member 24 functions as a payout prevention member that prevents the product from unintentionally falling out of the product column 2.

Therefore, according to the commodity dispensing apparatus provided with the pressing member 24 which is positioned at the front end of the upper surface of the apparatus main body 21 at the time of standby after dispensing the commodity and which is controlled to the stop position so as to close the commodity dispensing opening of the commodity column 2, Even if undesired shocks or vibrations are applied to the vending machine, there is no danger that the product will fall out of the product column 2 due to this. Further, even if a hand or the like is inserted from the product outlet 5, the pulling out of the product from the product column 2 is prevented by the pressing member 24, so that theft can be effectively prevented. In addition, the product can be easily and effectively prevented from being unintentionally removed from the product column 2 simply by slightly devising the pressing member 24 to stop at the front end of the upper surface of the apparatus main body 21. Can produce a great effect in practical use.

In the commodity dispensing apparatus according to the above-described embodiment, pressing members 24, 24 are attached to two positions of the timing belt 22, and the commodity is dispensed by one of the pressing members 24 protruding from the upper surface of the apparatus main body 21. The other pressing member 2 that has entered the inside of the apparatus main body 21 while performing
4 to detect the stop timing and execute the stop control.

However, even when only one pressing member 24 is provided on the timing belt 22, as shown in FIG.
To stop at the front end position of the upper surface of the apparatus main body 21,
The stop control means may be configured. The second embodiment shown in FIG. 3 will be described. In this case, the sold-out detection switch 28 by the product detection member 26 is used.
The power of the motor 23 may be controlled using the output of the timing belt 22 to control the running of the timing belt 22.

That is, in this embodiment, since one pressing member 24 is attached to the timing belt 22, basically, the timing belt 22 is caused to travel around the circuit once to pay out the goods. Done. At this time, the pressing member 2 protruding from the rear end side of the upper surface of the apparatus main body 21
In step 4, when the lowermost product A in the product column 2 is pushed forward, the next product B placed on the product A and prevented from moving by the front panel 11 of the product column 2 Loses the support of the commodity A at the lowermost position and leans backward, and further rides on the upper surface of the pressing member 24 and leans backward as shown in FIG. Then, the product detection member 26, which has been pressed by the product A at the lowermost position, moves the biasing force of the spring 27 into a gap (space) formed between the rearwardly inclined next product B and the upper surface of the apparatus main body 21. In response to the request, the sold-out detection switch 28 is released. When the pressing member 24 comes out of the lower surface of the next product B, the next product B, which has lost support from the pressing member 24, falls on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 21. , And the sold-out detection switch 28 is energized.

Therefore, in the commodity dispensing device having such a structure, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the turning-on (ON operation) of a commodity selection switch is detected, and the sold-out detection switch 28 is activated at the switch operation timing. The motor 23 is energized according to whether or not the driving of the timing belt 22 is started. Then timing belt 2
With the travel of 2, the delivery of the commodity A at the lowermost position by the pressing member 24 protruding from the upper surface of the apparatus main body 21 is executed. Accordingly, the timing at which the urging of the sold-out detection switch 28 by the product detection member 26 is released with the delivery operation of the product A is detected, and based on this detection timing, the delivery of the product A by the pressing member 24 is completed. The energization of the motor 23 may be controlled to stop in anticipation of the required time.

As a result, when the pressing member 24 reaches the front end of the upper surface of the apparatus main body 21 shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3, its traveling is stopped, and the front end of the upper surface is positioned as the standby position. As a result, the same effects as those of the previous embodiment can be obtained. In this case, by stopping the energization of the motor 23 based on the timing at which the sold-out detection switch 28 is released, the last product left in the product column 2 is paid out. Even so, the running of the timing belt 22 can be reliably stopped.

If the timing belt 22 has a large moving inertia force and it is difficult to always accurately control the stop timing, the auxiliary member 25 is connected to the pressing member 24 as shown in FIG. Timing belt 22
It is also possible to devise such that either the pressing member 24 or the auxiliary member 25 stops at the front end of the upper surface of the apparatus main body 21. In this case, the auxiliary member 25 may have the same shape as the pressing member 24, that is, another pressing member 24 prepared as the same component may be used as the auxiliary member 25. The number of the auxiliary members 25 to be mounted is sufficient to be set in consideration of the inertia characteristic of the motor 23, the switch response of the sold-out detection switch 28, and the like, and the configuration is not complicated.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the pressing member 24 may be stopped in a state where the lower surface of the front end of the product rides thereon. In this case, a further effect of preventing the product from falling off can be expected. Further, in the embodiment, the example in which the pressing member 24 is attached to the timing belt 22 has been described, but the pressing member 24 is formed by using an endless flexible body such as a chain.
May be configured to drive the vehicle. Further, instead of the pulleys 32 and 33, a guide body that defines the traveling path of the timing belt 22 may be formed integrally with the apparatus main body. Furthermore, the detection of the traveling position of the pressing member 24, that is, the detection of the stop timing, may be configured to detect the non-contact with the pressing member 24 by using a photoelectric sensor or the like. It is also possible to incorporate a brake mechanism so as to accurately define the stop position of the pressing member.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, the pressing member for pushing out the commodity at the lowermost position from the upper surface of the apparatus main body is positioned at the front end of the upper surface of the apparatus main body when the dispensing of the goods is completed, and the pressing member is moved from the commodity column. Since it functions as a product payout prevention member, it is possible to simply and effectively prevent undesired product payout. Moreover, only by controlling the stop position (standby position) of the pressing member as described above,
Practically significant effects can be obtained, such as unintentional dropout of the product can be surely prevented without complicating the device configuration.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic internal configuration of a product payout device of a vending machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the operation timing of the commodity delivery device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic internal configuration of a product payout device of a vending machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing operation timings of the commodity delivery device shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic internal configuration of a commodity dispensing device of a vending machine according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vending machine.

FIG. 7 is an external perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a product dispensing device incorporated in a product column of a vending machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 21 Device Main Body 22 Timing Belt (Endless Flexible Body) 23 Motor 24 Pressing Member (Pusher) 26 Product Detecting Member 28 Sold Out Detection Switch 35 Detection Lever 36 Stop Switch

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A commodity dispensing device for a vending machine which is incorporated in a lower part of a commodity column for storing a plurality of commodities in a stacked manner and pays out the commodity from the lowest position to the front of the commodity column in order. An endless flexible body which is provided in a circular orbit in the front-rear direction of the apparatus main body and which is driven to run by a motor, and which is attached to the endless flexible body; A pressing member that projects from the rear end of the device main body to the upper surface of the device main body along with the movement of the endless flexible body, moves toward the front end side, and pushes out the lowest product in the product column; And stopping control means for stopping the driving of the endless flexible body by the motor upon completion of the extrusion of the product from the product column and stopping the pressing member at the front end of the upper surface of the apparatus main body. Vending machine characterized by Article dispensing device. 2. The endless flexible body is provided so as to form an orbit in the front-rear direction from the upper surface of the apparatus main body to the inside of the main body, and is provided on an outer peripheral portion of the endless flexible body. The product dispensing device of a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the mounted pressing member functions as a product dispensing prevention member when stopped at a front end of an upper surface of the device main body.