JP2001109947A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic vending machine whose storage efficiency of commodities can be improved. SOLUTION: The storage directions of commodities 210 are set to be alternately right/left with respect to the rotary shaft 17a of a spiral rack 17. A part of a driving motor 18 is protrusively installed to be lower than a rack top plate position P. Thus, the lateral width of a rack case 17b can be reduced and the number of commodity storage racks 15 that can be stored in a main body case 2 can be increased. A height that a bend mechanism 70 occupies can be formed to be small and the height (the number of the windings of the spiral rack 17 in a column) on the commodity storage rack 15 can be increased by using the height that can be reduced. Thus, the storage efficiency of the commodity can be improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine, and more particularly, to a vending machine in which the loading direction of goods is alternately left and right and a compact bend mech is provided to improve the storage efficiency of goods. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various vending machines for beverages and foods have been provided.
An ice cream vending machine will be described as an example. FIG.
Is a plan view showing a product storage rack of a conventional vending machine, and FIG. 26 is a side sectional view showing a bend mech of a conventional vending machine.

[0003] There are various types of ice cream products, for example, a product with a cylindrical tip with a rod and a product 210 with a conical shape. And vending machines which store such products in spiral racks and sell them are provided. Product storage rack 215 of this vending machine
Has a spiral rack rotation shaft 217a at the center of a rack case 217b, as shown in FIG.
Two conical products 21 on both sides of the rotating shaft 217a.
0 are loaded in the same direction. The tip of the product 210 is held by a rear guide 217d.

In order to arrange the products 210 side by side in the same direction, the width of the rack case 217b is necessarily determined. This is the same in the case of a product with a cylindrical tip drawing shape with a rod (not shown).

In the bend mech 270, as shown in FIG. 26, a drive motor 218 having a reduction gear is disposed above the rack top plate position P, and is directly connected to the rotation shaft 217a of the spiral rack 217. .

[0006]

However, the product 2
10 are arranged in parallel in the same direction, the width of the rack case 217b is increased, the number of product storage racks 215 that can be accommodated in the main body case 202 is reduced, and the bend mech 270 is mounted on the rack top plate. Since the product storage rack 215 is disposed above the position P, the height of the product storage rack 215 (the number of turns of the spiral rack 217 in the column) must be reduced accordingly. Therefore, there is a problem that the storage efficiency of the product is reduced.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine which can improve the storage efficiency of commodities.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a vending machine according to a first aspect of the present invention is arranged such that a rotation axis of a spiral rack is eccentric with respect to a longitudinal center axis of a rack case. And a guide for holding the product after storing the product together with the rotating shaft when storing the product, and providing a guide for holding the product after storing the product. Are alternately arranged left and right with respect to the rotation axis, and a part of a drive motor for controlling the drive of the spiral rack projects below the position of the rack top plate.

Therefore, since the width of the rack case can be reduced, the number of product storage racks that can be stored in the main body case can be increased, and the height occupied by the bend mech can be reduced (the height of the spiral rack in the column can be reduced). Since the number of windings can be increased), the storage efficiency of the product can be greatly increased.

In a vending machine according to a second aspect of the present invention, a speed reduction gear unit is interposed between a drive motor and a rotary shaft of a spiral rack, and an output shaft of the gear unit and the spiral rack are connected to each other. The rotating shaft is connected by a detachable joint. Therefore, maintainability of the spiral rack or the bend mech can be improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine, wherein a cam for detecting a rotation amount of a rotary shaft of a spiral rack is provided at a joint. Therefore, the device related to the rotation control of the spiral rack can be intensively arranged in the bend mech by effectively utilizing the empty space below the gear unit, so that the maintenance and management thereof can be easily performed.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vending machine according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited by the embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a bend mech of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a middle door is locked to an outer door and a filling door is opened, and FIG.
Is a front view showing an outer door, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a middle door is opened, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which a filling door and an inner door are opened.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a front rack, FIG. 7 is a front view showing a spiral rack, and FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a product storage rack. 2A shows a stored state (a) and a state in which a conical product is stored (b). 9 is a plan view showing a bendmec, FIG. 10 is a side view showing a bendmec, and FIG. 11 is a rack 15B after applying four bendmecs.
FIG. 12 is a front view of FIG. 11, and FIG.
It is a side view of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing the inside of the front rack, FIG. 15 is a plan view showing the inside of the rear rack, and FIG.
Is a front view showing a state in which the front rack is arranged in the main body case, FIG. 17 is a front view showing a state in which the rear rack is arranged in the main body case, and FIG. FIG. 19 is a side view showing the rear rack, and FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing a product storage rack provided in the main body case.

FIG. 20 is a side view showing an upper slide mechanism, FIG. 21 is a side view showing a lower slide mechanism, and FIG. 22 is a view showing a state in which the lowermost product is dropped after being supported by the spiral rack. FIG. 23 is a side view showing a state in which the lowermost product is dropped by unsupporting the spiral rack, and FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of detecting a sold-out product. Hereinafter, a vending machine that handles ice cream (a conical product and a product with a cylindrical tapered tip with a rod) will be described as an example.

First, the overall structure of the vending machine 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8 and FIGS. The vending machine 1 includes a main body case 2 that stores and stores commodities and carries out the merchandise as necessary, and an outer door 3 that is provided to be able to open and close with respect to the main body case 2. The main body case 2 is provided with a filling door 4 as a middle door for keeping the inside of the refrigerator airtight, which can be opened and closed by a hinge 4a and a filling door lock 4b. Has become. And on the back of the outer door 3,
The middle door 5 is provided so as to be openable and closable, and is locked to the outer door 3 by the middle door clamp 6.

On the front surface of the outer door 3, as shown in FIG.
And a numeric keypad button 38 for selecting a product, a display 40, a bill insertion slot 42, a coin slot 4
3. Coin return lever 44, coin return port 45, carry-out door 27
A product outlet 46 that communicates with the shooter 21 through the
An outer door lock 47 and the like are provided. On the other hand, on the back of the outer door 3, a bill validator 7 for identifying and storing inserted bills, a coin processing mechanism 8 for identifying and storing coins, a cash box 9 for collecting coins, and the like are provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, a master box 10 for centrally controlling the control of the vending machine 1 and a switch box 11 comprising a fluorescent lamp 57 and a switch for a control system are provided on the back of the inner door 5, as shown in FIG. A ballast box 12 for the fluorescent lamp 57, a mechanical counter 13 for mechanically counting the number of products sold, a keyboard 14 used for maintenance and inspection and inputting necessary data are provided.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the inner door 5 is formed so as to function as a display device for displaying various products on the lighting plate 35. That is, the middle door 5 has a display 55 (having two upper and lower parts) having a product panel 50 on which various products are displayed, and the product panel 50 is illuminated by the product panel 50 to illuminate the product panel 50. And a fluorescent lamp 57 for displaying the product. Some of the fluorescent lamps 57 are provided on the reflection plate 57a of the back plate portion 5a to enhance the illuminance efficiency of the product panel 50. On the back of the bottom product panel 50,
In order to prevent light spots from the fluorescent lamp 57 disposed in the vicinity, a light spot prevention plate 60 on which gradation marking is applied.
Is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the main body case 2 has a plurality of product storage racks 1 for storing products.
5 are provided. The product storage rack 15 is provided with a rack door 16 that can be opened when storing the product, and is formed so that the selected product can be transported to the shooter 21 by rotating the spiral rack 17 with the drive motor 18. The inner door 25 is provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to the main body case 2 and is used at the time of maintenance of the product carrying-out section. The inner door lock 25a is for locking the inner door 25 to the main body case 2. The carry-out door 27 is formed so as to automatically carry out the selected product.

The accessory box 30 is for storing, for example, an instruction manual for the vending machine 1, various tools required for maintenance, and other accessories. By providing the outer door 3 at a position facing the building validator 7 when the outer door 3 is closed, the anti-theft property is improved.

The condenser and other components constituting the refrigeration cycle are applied to well-known and commonly used techniques, and therefore will not be described.

Next, the commodity storage rack 15 which is a main part of the present invention will be described. The product storage rack 15 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 8, 14, and 15, the rotary shaft 17a of the spiral rack 17 is disposed so as to be eccentric with respect to the longitudinal center axis of the rack case 17b. This is because the product 200 having the shape of a cylinder with a rod and a constricted shape or the product 210 having a conical shape can be stored alternately with respect to the rotating shaft 17a.

In the rack case 17b, the direction of storage is regulated together with the rotating shaft 17a when the product is stored.
And a front guide 17 for holding the product after storing the product.
d and a side guide 17f are provided. Backboard part 1
7c includes a rear guide 17 for controlling the attitude of the product.
e is provided.

The protruding length of the front guide 17d is
When the spiral rack 17 is filled with 0,210, it is formed so that the maximum diameter portion of the product is not caught and that these can be properly locked after the product is filled.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the front rack 15F has two spiral racks 17 and is formed as one unit. Front rack 15
The lower end of F is opened so that the product, which has been released from the support of the spiral rack 17, can drop onto the shooter 21.

The front rack 15F thus formed is
As shown in FIGS. 16 and 19, three units are provided in the front row of the main body case 2, and each unit is configured to be slidable left and right by slide mechanisms 79 and 89 provided at the upper and lower parts. I have. In addition, cradle 1
Reference numeral 80 has a function as a so-called pre-cooling shelf, which is capable of fixing the product storage rack 15 and stocking the product, and is formed so that it can be pivoted forward when the front rack 15F slides.

Further, as shown in FIG.
B shows four rack cases 17b shown in FIG. 8 arranged side by side and formed as one unit. These four openings are formed so that they can be opened and closed by two rack doors 16. The lower end of the rear rack 15 </ b> B is opened so that the product released from the support of the spiral rack 17 can drop onto the shooter 21.

After the rack 15B thus formed,
As shown in FIGS. 17 and 19, two are provided in the rear row of the main body case 2. Further, the front rack 15F and the rear rack 15B are arranged as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 6, 14, and 15, a back plate 17c near the lower end of the spiral rack 17 is provided.
Is provided with a sold-out switch 170 for detecting sold-out of a product.

Next, the Bend Mech 7 which is a main part of the present invention is described.
0 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 1 and 9 to 13. As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the bend mech 70 includes a drive motor 18 for controlling the rotation of the spiral rack 17, a gear unit 18a as a reduction mechanism thereof, and a motor mount 18b for fixing these. This drive motor 18
Is not directly connected to the upper part in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 17a, but is disposed at the rear part of the upper surface of the product storage rack 15, and is removably connected by a joint 172 via a gear unit 18a.

A part of the drive motor 18 is provided so as to protrude below the rack top plate position P (FIGS. 1, 10 and 1).
3, see FIG. 18), whereby the height occupied by the bend mech 70 is reduced. That is, the height of the product storage rack 15 (the number of turns of the spiral rack 17 in the column) is increased, and the product storage efficiency is improved.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, a joint 172 has a rotating shaft 17 of a spiral rack 17.
A cam 174 for detecting the rotation amount of a is provided. In the vicinity of the cam 174, as shown in FIG.
A self-propelled switch 176 is provided, and the self-propelled switch 176 is turned ON / OF in accordance with the rotation angle of the cam 174.
The rotation angle of the spiral rack 17 can be controlled.

The wires of the drive motor 18 and the self-propelled switch 176 are connected to the cord clamp 70c and the angle clamp 70d.
Fixed by The upper end and the lower end of the spiral rack 17 are connected to the rotating shaft 17a by connecting rods (not shown) provided in the radial direction from the rotating shaft 17a.

The thus formed bendmec 70
Are arranged above the rear rack 15B as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, but are similarly arranged in the front rack 15F as shown in FIG.

The upper slide mechanism has a structure as shown in FIG. That is, the upper rail 80 is
It is fixed to the main body case 2 by screws 81. The slide plate 82 having the roller 82a and the slide plate 84 having the roller 84a are fixed by screws 83 and are integrated. And the integrated slide plate 8
The reference numerals 2 and 84 are fixed to the upper end of the commodity storage rack 15 (not shown).

The roller 84a rolls on the upper rail 80, and the roller 82a rolls while abutting on the inner surface of the upper rail 80.
Is restricted in the sliding direction. The stopper 8
Reference numeral 0a is for preventing the roller 84a from falling off the upper rail 80.

The lower slide mechanism has a structure as shown in FIG. That is, the lower rail 90
It is fixed to the main body case 2. The support fitting 94 having the roller 94 a is fixed to the lower end of the product storage rack 15 via the support fitting 92. The roller 94a is configured to roll while abutting on a lower panel formed on the main body case 2. The transport fitting 93 is for preventing the commodity storage rack 15 from being accidentally moved in the main body case 2 when transporting the vending machine 1, and is fixed by screws 95, 96 only during transport. ing.

Next, the principle of operation of the spiral rack 17 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
3 (a) shows a standby state. At this time, the self-running switch 176 has been turned off by the cam 174.

Then, when the ten key button 38 is pressed and the purchase procedure of the product is performed, the drive motor 18 is energized to rotate the spiral rack 17 as shown in FIG. Since the cam 174 also rotates with this, the self-propelled switch 176 is turned on. While the spiral rack 17 rotates (eg, rotates 180 degrees), the lowermost product 200 (or the product 210) is released from the support from the spiral rack 17 and falls. FIG. 22 shows this state in a plan view. The dropped product 200 is carried out via the shooter 21 and the carry-out door 27 is opened at the same time, so that the product 200 can be taken out from the product take-out port 46.

Further, the self-running switch 176 is turned off by the rotation of the cam 174, and FIGS.
As shown in Fig. 7, after the spiral rack 17 rotates by a predetermined angle, the standby state is again set and the goods are carried out.

When this operation is repeated and the final product falls, as shown in FIG. 24, the sold-out switch 170 is released from pressing the product 210 (or the product 200).
By detecting this as a change in the magnetic field, the sold-out state can be easily detected. When the sold-out state is detected, the commodity selection lamp 37 is turned on as the sold-out lamp.

When the spiral rack 17 or the bend mech 70 is maintained, the joint 172 is required.
By removing, the two can be easily separated, so that maintenance is good.

As described above, according to the vending machine of this embodiment, the product 200 having the shape of a cylindrical tip with a rod is formed.
Alternatively, since the storage direction of the conical product 210 is alternately left and right with respect to the rotation axis 17a of the spiral rack 17, the width of the rack case 17b can be reduced, and the product storage rack 15 that can be stored in the main body case 2 can be formed. The number can be increased.

Further, by projecting a part of the drive motor 18 below the rack top plate position P, the height occupied by the bend mech 70 can be made small. The height of the product storage rack 15 (the number of turns of the spiral rack 17 in the column) can be increased.

Therefore, by increasing the height of the product storage rack 15 and increasing the number of installations, the storage efficiency of the product can be greatly increased as compared with the conventional case. For example, in order to increase the number of installations, vending machines having the same width can be increased from 14 columns to 14 columns conventionally.

Further, the provision of the guides 17d, 17e, 17f allows the products 200, 2 to be provided with a simple configuration.
10 can be filled quickly and easily and can be securely held.

A gear unit 18 for reduction is provided between the drive motor 18 and the rotating shaft 17a of the spiral rack 17.
a, the output shaft of the gear unit 18a and the rotary shaft 17a are connected to each other by the detachable joint 172, so that the maintainability of the spiral rack 17 or the bend MEC 70 can be improved.

Further, a cam 174 for detecting the amount of rotation of the rotating shaft 17a is provided in the joint 172, and a self-propelled switch 176 is provided in the vicinity thereof. The devices related to the rotation control can be intensively arranged in the bend mech, and can be easily maintained and managed.

In the above embodiment, the vending machine 1 for selling ice cream has been described as an example, but it goes without saying that the type of product to be handled is not limited.

[0052]

As described above, according to the vending machine of the present invention (claim 1), the rotation axis of the spiral rack is disposed so as to be eccentric with respect to the longitudinal center axis of the rack case. A guide for holding the product after storing the product together with the rotary shaft when storing the product, and providing a guide for holding the product after storing the product, the storing direction of the conical product or the product with the cylindrical tapered end with a rod is set to the rotary shaft. The left and right sides are alternated, and a part of the drive motor that drives and controls the spiral rack is provided so as to project below the rack top plate position. The number of product storage racks that can be stored can be increased, and the height occupied by the bend mech can be reduced. Therefore, the storage efficiency of the product can be greatly increased.

Further, according to the vending machine of the present invention (claim 2), a reduction gear unit is interposed between the drive motor and the rotary shaft of the spiral rack, and the output shaft of the gear unit is connected to the output shaft of the gear unit. Since the rotating shaft of the spiral rack is connected to the rotating shaft by a detachable joint, maintenance of the spiral rack or the bend mech can be improved.

According to the vending machine of the present invention (claim 3), the cam for detecting the rotation amount of the rotating shaft of the spiral rack is provided at the joint, so that the empty space below the gear unit can be effectively used. Thus, devices related to the rotation control of the spiral rack can be centrally arranged in the bend mech, and these can be easily maintained and managed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a bend mech of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where a middle door is locked to an outer door and a filling door is opened.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing an outer door.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where a middle door is opened.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state where a filling door and an inner door are opened.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a front rack.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a spiral rack.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a product storage rack.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a bend mech.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing a bend mech.

FIG. 11 shows a rack 15 after four bend mecs are applied.
It is a top view which shows B.

FIG. 12 is a front view of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a side view of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing the inside of a front rack.

FIG. 15 is a plan view showing the inside of a rear rack.

FIG. 16 is a front view showing a state where the front rack is provided in the main body case.

FIG. 17 is a front view showing a state where the rear rack is provided in the main body case.

FIG. 18 is a side view showing a front rack and a rear rack provided in a main body case.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing a product storage rack provided in a main body case.

FIG. 20 is a side view showing the upper slide mechanism.

FIG. 21 is a side view showing the lower slide mechanism.

FIG. 22 is a plan view showing a state in which the commodity at the lowermost stage is unsupported by the spiral rack and falls.

FIG. 23 is a side view showing a state in which the commodity at the bottom is dropped by unsupporting the spiral rack.

FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of detecting a sold-out of a product.

FIG. 25 is a plan view showing a product storage rack of a conventional vending machine.

FIG. 26 is a side sectional view showing a bend mech of a conventional vending machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Body case P Rack top plate position 15 Commodity storage rack 15F Front rack 15B Rear rack 17 Spiral rack 17a Rotating shaft 17b Rack case 17c Back plate 17d Front guide 17e Rear guide 17f Side guide 18 Drive motor 18a Gear unit 18b Motor Mount 70 Bend Mech 172 Joint 174 Cam 200, 210 Product

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3E044 AA01 BA01 BA02 CA01 CA02 CA03 CB01 CC03 DA08 EA08 EA12 EB03 FB01 FB03 FB05 FB07 FB08 FB15 3E046 AA04 BA01 BB01 CB04 CC01 CC08 CD06 DA02 EA13 EB01 FA03 GA01 GA01

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A rotating shaft of a spiral rack is disposed so as to be eccentric with respect to a center axis in a longitudinal direction of a rack case. A guide for holding the product is provided, and the storage direction of the product of the conical shape or the product of the cylindrical constriction with the rod is alternately left and right with respect to the rotation axis, and a part of the drive motor for driving and controlling the spiral rack is provided. A vending machine characterized by protruding below the position of a rack top plate. 2. A gear unit for reduction is interposed between a drive motor and a rotation shaft of a spiral rack, and an output shaft of the gear unit and a rotation shaft of the spiral rack are connected by a detachable joint. The vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: 3. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein a cam for detecting a rotation amount of a rotating shaft of the spiral rack is provided at the joint.