JP2001188950A - Article carry-out device of automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an article carry-out device of an automatic vending machine which can make the device thin while securing sufficient strength and has a rotation stop structure of pedals with simple constitution. SOLUTION: This device is equipped with an upper pedal 10 and a lower pedal 30 which are rotatably pivotted on an opening part 7 of a substrate 6 to control articles carried out of an article passage 4a, an opening/closing mechanism 50 which opens and closes the pedals 10 and 30, a bearing member 52 which supports pins 11, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 31, projection part 10m and 10n which project on a side end part to restrict the maximum opening extent of the upper pedal 10, and a projection part 30n which projects at the wise end part to restrict the maximum opening extent of the lower pedal 30. When the pedals 10 and 30 reach their maximum opening, the projection parts 10m, 10n, and 30n abut against the bearing member 52 to restrict the maximum opening extents.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for unloading goods from a vending machine, and more particularly, to a device for preventing the rotation of a pedal having a simple structure which can realize a thin device while ensuring sufficient strength. And a merchandise unloading device of a vending machine (hereinafter, appropriately referred to as a merchandise unloading device).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a product carrying-out device of a vending machine having a serpentine-type product passage, for example, devices shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 are known. Here, FIG.
FIG. 12 is a front perspective view showing a conventional product discharging device of a vending machine, FIG. 12 is a rear perspective view showing a conventional product discharging device of a vending machine, and FIG. 13 is a partial side view showing a stopper portion of a lower pedal. .

As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG.
An opening is provided in 01, and an upper pedal 110 and a lower pedal 130 for controlling product carry-out are rotatably provided by pins 111 and 131 in this opening. The pins 131 are pivotally supported by a pin support frame 101P on which a part of the substrate 101 is erected.

[0004] The lower pedal 130 supports the lowermost commodity in the commodity path in the open state. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, a stopper 130b is provided at a side end of the lower pedal 130 to come into contact with the pin support frame 101P when the lower pedal 130 is at the maximum opening. The upper pedal 110 supports a product that will move to the next lowermost position when the lower pedal 130 is closed and the lowermost product is carried out.

The pedals 110 and 130 are opened and closed by the cooperation of a spring 155 and a link member 151 connected to a plunger 160 reciprocating by a solenoid 170. Also, upper pedal 1
A pin 115 is provided at an end of the ten link members 151. A lock portion 130a is provided at an end of the lower pedal 130 on the link member 151 side.

These members 115 and 130a can maintain the open state (locked state) of the lower pedal 130 by abutting on each other when the product is in a sales standby state, that is, when the lower pedal 130 is open toward the product passage. It is formed as follows. The sold out switch 180
Is for detecting a sold-out product.

[0007]

However, the pin support frame 101P and the stopper 130 which comes into contact with the pin support frame 101P are not provided.
b, the lower pedal 130 is prevented from rotating. Therefore, in order to reduce the thickness of the entire device based on the recent demand for a thinner device, the pin support frame 101 is required.
Since P cannot be configured with sufficient strength, there is a problem that the thickness cannot be reduced. In addition, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 12, when an uneven load of the product is applied to the lower pedal 130, the rigidity of the lower pedal 130 cannot be ensured, and it has been difficult to make the device thinner.

On the other hand, if the above-mentioned rotation preventing structure is eliminated with priority given to realization of a thinner structure, the opening of the lower pedal 130 and the upper pedal 110 which follows the lower pedal 130 becomes too large.
There was a problem of causing sales trouble.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above, and is a product of a vending machine provided with a pedal detent structure having a simple structure, which can realize a thin device while ensuring sufficient strength. An object is to provide an unloading device.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a vending machine according to the present invention comprises:
An upper pedal and a lower pedal rotatably supported by the opening of the board for controlling the product unloading from the product passage; and each of the pedals protruding and retracting from the board toward the product passage from the board. An opening / closing mechanism for freely opening and closing, and a bearing member disposed near a central portion of the shaft member supporting the pedals and a central portion of the substrate for supporting an end of the shaft member of the opening / closing mechanism. A projection protruding from a side end to regulate the maximum opening of the upper pedal, and a projection protruding from a side end to regulate the maximum opening of the lower pedal, When each pedal reaches the maximum opening, the protrusion contacts the bearing member to regulate the maximum opening.

Therefore, while securing the rigidity of the substrate,
The device can be made thinner and each pedal can be prevented from rotating. Further, since the above detent is realized by using the constituent members of the apparatus without using dedicated parts, it is possible to contribute to reduction of the number of parts and cost reduction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a merchandise unloading device for a vending machine, wherein a portion of the bearing member where the projection of each pedal abuts is formed wide. Therefore, the strength of the contact portion with the projection can be increased, and the rotation of each pedal can be reliably restricted.

[0013]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; The present invention is not limited by the embodiment.

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a product unloading device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which two product unloading devices are tied together, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a product storage rack, FIG. 5 is a front perspective view showing an upper pedal, FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view showing an upper pedal, and FIG. 7 is a front perspective view showing a lower pedal. FIG. 8 and FIG. 8 are rear perspective views showing the lower pedal, FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the bearing member, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a main part showing the maximum opening state of the upper pedal and the lower pedal.

First, a schematic configuration of a product storage rack of a vending machine to which the present invention is applied will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the vending machine includes a plurality of product storage racks 4 in a main body 1 and an inner door 2 and an outer door 3 that can be opened and closed with respect to the main body 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, the product storage rack 4 has a plurality (for example, four) of serpentine-type product passages 4a, and rack side plates 4b are provided on both side surfaces. At the lower end of the product passage 4a, two product unloading devices 5 are held together so that an upper pedal 10 and a lower pedal 30, which will be described later, face the product passage 4a.
02 (see FIG. 2), and the unloading of the product can be controlled by controlling the opening and closing of the pedals 10 and 30. Note that the pin 201 is
1 is held. The sold-out switch 80
This is for detecting a sold out product.

Next, the overall configuration of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, an opening 7 is provided in the substrate 6, and an upper pedal 10 for controlling product discharge is provided in the opening 7.
And a lower pedal 30 are rotatably provided by pins 11 and 31. The lower pedal 30 supports a lowermost product (not shown) in the product path 4a in the open state, and is made of glass fiber reinforced plastic (for example, glass fiber) in order to secure predetermined strength and heat resistance. (Reinforced polyacetal).

The upper pedal 10 supports a product that will move to the next lowermost position when the lower pedal 30 is closed and the lowermost product is carried out. , Made of polyacetal.

The pedals 10, 30 are opened and closed by an opening and closing mechanism 50 including a link mechanism, a rotation stopper 53, and the like. The link mechanism of the opening / closing mechanism 50 is connected to a plunger 60 that reciprocates by a solenoid 70. Pins 20 and 2 of opening / closing mechanism 50
One end of each of the first, second, and 23 and substantially the center of each of the pins 11, 31 is supported by a bearing member 52.

The rotation stopper 53 is for restricting the rotation range of the upper pedal 10 and the lower pedal 30 in order to oppose a product load. That is, the rotation stopper 53
When the driving force from the solenoid 70 is transmitted to the link mechanism via the plunger 60, the lock pin 22 slides upward through the sliding hole 52e (see FIG. 9) of the bearing member 52, and the rotation stopper The sliding stopper 53 is configured to slide even in a sliding hole, and the rotation stopper 53 is rotated forward with the pin 20 as a rotation axis, thereby unlocking the lower pedal 30 by the pins 21 and 22. Have been.

Next, the upper pedal 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 5 and 6. FIG. As shown in FIG.
The pin hole 10a is for inserting the pin 11 therethrough. The stopper portions 10b and 10c are for receiving the pins 23 provided on the opening / closing mechanism 50, and
A sliding groove 10d in which the pin 23 slides when 0 operates;
The pin 23 is engaged when the upper pedal 10 is open, and has a stopper surface 10e for maintaining the locked state.

A ridge 10f formed between the stopper 10b and the stopper 10c is provided to reduce the contact area in contact with the bearing member 52 when the upper pedal 10 is closed. It is. This is because the bottled beverage product may be broken at the time of loading or sale, and the beverage may adhere to the contact surface between the upper pedal 10 and the bearing member 52. In such a case, the upper pedal 10 and the bearing member 52 may adhere to each other to hinder the operation and cause a sales trouble. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the contact area between the two members 10 and 52 in order to prevent such a situation. Because.

The ribs 10g, 10h and 10k are provided to increase the strength of the upper pedal 10. In addition, the protrusions 10m and 10n, which are main parts of the present invention,
When the upper pedal 10 is in the maximum opening state, the bearing member 5
2 to regulate the rotation range (upper limit) by contacting a part of the rotation range.

Next, the lower pedal 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 7 and 8. FIG. As shown in FIG.
The pin hole 30a is for inserting the pin 31. The pair of stopper pieces 30b are for receiving the pins 21 provided on the rotation stopper 53, and the sliding surface 30 on which the pins 21 slide when the rotation stopper 53 rotates.
c, and a stopper portion 30d for engaging the pin 21 when the lower pedal 30 is open and for maintaining the locked state.

A pair of pin removal preventing protrusions 30e provided on the outside of the stopper piece 30b are for preventing the pins 21 located on the stopper piece 30b from falling off in the left-right direction. When the plunger 60 is pulled by the solenoid 70 and the lower pedal 30 is closed, the projection 30f
This is provided to prevent 1 from coming off.

The deformation preventing rib 30g is provided with a stopper portion 30h formed by cutting off a tip portion thereof at a predetermined inclination angle, and engages the stopper portion 30h with the lock pin 22 when the lower pedal 30 is open. In addition, by supporting the eccentric load of the product, twisting of the lower pedal 30 is prevented, and the locked state is stably maintained.

The protruding position of the deformation preventing rib 30g effectively prevents the end (the right end in FIG. 1) of the lower pedal 30 from being deformed by the eccentric load of the product.
In order not to prevent the slide 2 from sliding in the sliding hole 52e (see FIG. 9), a maximum size is set at the center of the It is set to be as close as possible. The inclination angle of the stopper 30h is set so that the lock pin 22 can be smoothly released when the locked state is released.

Pin removal prevention protrusion 30e and deformation prevention rib 3
0g, the projection 30k formed between the lower pedal 30
Are protruded in order to reduce the contact area in contact with the bearing member 52 in the closed state. This is because the bottled beverage product may be broken at the time of loading or sale, and the beverage may adhere to the contact surface between the lower pedal 30 and the bearing member 52, and the beverage component may become sticky candy under predetermined conditions. In such a state, the lower pedal 30 and the bearing member 52 may adhere to each other to hinder the operation and cause a sales trouble. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the contact area between the two members 30, 52 in order to prevent such a situation. Because.

The ribs 30m formed in a lattice shape are
This is provided to increase the strength of the lower pedal 30. In addition, the protrusion 30n, which is a main part of the present invention, is for contacting a part of the bearing member 52 when the lower pedal 30 reaches the maximum opening state to regulate the rotation range (upper limit). .

Next, the bearing member 52 will be described with reference to FIGS. The substrate 6 includes locking pieces 6m and 6h for fixing the bearing member 52, and includes locking grooves into which protrusions 52g and 52h described below can be pressed. The bearing member 52 is formed in a vertically asymmetrical crank shape as a whole, and at a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction, when it is tied with another product unloading device 5, the bearing member 52 abuts against each other to prevent a positional shift between the substrates 6. Positioning unit 52
a. Note that the positioning portion 6n of the substrate 6 is also provided for the same purpose.

The portion of the bearing member 52 where the positioning portion 52a is formed has the maximum width of the bearing member 52,
Further, they are formed at positions substantially equidistant from pin holes 52d, 52c to be described later, and as shown in FIG.
m, 10n, and 30n. That is, the strength is ensured by setting the above-described portion of the bearing member 52 to the maximum width.

The reason why the bearing member 52 is formed in a crank shape is as follows.
When the lower pedal 30 holds a product (not shown) (standby state), the lower stopper 3 is turned by the rotation stopper 53.
The end of the lower pedal 30 (the end on the right side in FIG. 1) due to the unbalanced load from the product, ensuring the maximum range that can support 0
This is to prevent the deformation of the.

A stopper 1 provided on the upper pedal 10 for receiving the end of the pin 23 on the side opposite to the opening / closing mechanism 50.
The maximum width of 0b is ensured under the dimensional constraint at the time of tying, so that the upper pedal 1
This is for preventing the end of the zero (the right end in FIG. 1) from being deformed.

The pin hole 52b is formed to rotatably support the pin 20. The pin hole 52c is formed to rotatably support the pin 31. The pin hole 52d is formed to rotatably support the pin 11.

The sliding hole 52e is provided with a rotation stopper 53.
The pin 22 is formed to slidably support the pin 22. The sliding hole 52f is formed for slidably supporting the pin 23.

The protruding portion 52g is provided so as to protrude near the tip of the bearing member 52, and is formed so that it can be pressed into the locking groove of the locking piece 6m. In addition, the protrusion 52h is provided with the bearing member 52.
And is formed so as to be able to be pressed into the locking groove of the locking piece 6h. These projections 52g, 5
In 2h, the former is formed larger than the latter.

As described above, according to the commodity discharging device 5 of the vending machine according to this embodiment, the pedals 10, 30
Are provided with projections 10m, 10n, and 30n on the rear surface of the bearing member 52.
While keeping the rigidity of the pedals, the thickness of the device and the pedals 10 and 3
A rotation stop of 0 can be realized.

Further, since the above detent is realized by using the constituent members 10, 30, and 52 of the apparatus without using dedicated parts, it is possible to contribute to reduction of the number of parts and cost reduction. be able to.

Each pedal 1 in the bearing member 52
Since the portions where the 0, 30 projections 10m, 10n, 30n abut are formed wide, the strength of the abutting portions can be increased, and the rotation of the pedals 10, 30 can be reliably controlled.

[0040]

As described above, according to the commodity discharging device of the vending machine according to the present invention (claim 1), it is rotatable to the opening of the substrate in order to control the discharging of the commodity from the commodity passage. An upper pedal and a lower pedal that are pivotally supported on the substrate, an opening / closing mechanism that is disposed on the substrate and that opens and closes each of the pedals from the substrate toward the product passage, and a center of a shaft member that pivotally supports the pedals. A bearing member disposed in the vicinity of the center portion of the substrate for supporting the end portion of the shaft member of the opening and closing mechanism, and protruding from a side end portion for regulating the maximum opening of the upper pedal. And a projection protruding from a side end to regulate the maximum opening of the lower pedal, and the projection is attached to the bearing member when each pedal reaches the maximum opening. Contact and regulate the maximum opening. While ensuring sex, it can realize a reduction in thickness of apparatus and detent of the pedals.

Further, since the above detent is realized by using constituent members of the apparatus without using dedicated parts, it is possible to contribute to reduction of the number of parts and cost reduction.

Further, according to the commodity discharging device for a vending machine according to the present invention (claim 2), the portion of the bearing member where the projection of each pedal abuts is formed wide, so that the strength of the abutting portion is reduced. Therefore, the rotation of each pedal can be reliably controlled.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a configuration of a product unloading device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which two product carrying devices are tied together.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a vending machine.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a product storage rack.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view showing a configuration of an upper pedal.

FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view showing a configuration of an upper pedal.

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view showing a configuration of a lower pedal.

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view showing the configuration of the lower pedal.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a bearing member.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a maximum opening state of an upper pedal and a lower pedal.

FIG. 11 is a front perspective view showing a configuration of a conventional product discharging device of a vending machine.

FIG. 12 is a rear perspective view showing a configuration of a conventional product discharging device of a vending machine.

FIG. 13 is a partial side view showing a configuration of a stopper portion of the lower pedal.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4a Commodity passage 5 Commodity unloading device 6 Substrate 7 Opening 10 Upper pedal 10m, 10n, 30n Projection 11, 20, 21, 22, 23, 31 Pin 30 Lower pedal 50 Opening / closing mechanism 52 Bearing member 53 Rotation stopper

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An upper pedal and a lower pedal rotatably supported by an opening of a substrate for controlling the carry-out of a product from a product passage, and disposed on the substrate to the product passage side from the substrate. An opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the pedals so that the pedals can be freely moved in and out; and an opening / closing mechanism disposed near the center of the shaft member that supports the pedals and in the vicinity of the center of the substrate to support an end of the shaft member of the opening / closing mechanism. Bearing member, a projection protruding from a side end to regulate the maximum opening of the upper pedal, and a projection protruding from a side end to regulate the maximum opening of the lower pedal. And wherein when each of the pedals reaches the maximum opening, the protrusion comes into contact with the bearing member to regulate the maximum opening. . 2. The bearing member according to claim 1, wherein a portion where the projection of each pedal abuts is formed wide.
A product unloading device for a vending machine according to item 1.