JP2001307204A - Goods discharging device of vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a goods discharging device of a vending machine which can prevent damage to a bucket surely if external force is applied to a bucket door by mischief and realize a damage-proof mechanism by low cost without enlargement of weight and size of the bucket. SOLUTION: A vending machine has a goods discharging device 5 to discharge goods S to a pullout opening 4 during sales. The device 5 is composed of a bucket door 43 to move around between closed position M and opened position N of an outlet 31a of a bucket 24, a coil spring 51 connected to the door 43 other than center of movement, and a first driving mechanism 33 connected to another end of the spring 51 to move around the door 43 between the position M and the position N using the spring 51 during sales.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine for storing goods delivered from a product passage in a bucket at the time of sale and opening the outlet of the bucket to carry out the goods to a product outlet. Related to a product discharge device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The applicant of the present invention has proposed a product unloading device of this kind,
For example, it has already been proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 10-297412. This product carrying device has a bucket movable horizontally between a payout port at a front end of a product passage extending horizontally in the front-rear direction and a product outlet. At the time of sale, this bucket is attached to the bucket body, and a box-shaped bucket body for storing therein a product paid out from a payout opening of a product passage, a bucket door for opening and closing the front surface of the bucket body, and And a drive mechanism for opening and closing the bucket door when the bucket stores the product and moves to the product outlet.

[0003] The bucket door has a rotating shaft inserted through the left and right side walls of the bucket body, and normally closes the front surface of the bucket body in a substantially upright posture (closed state).
When a bucket is delivered to a purchaser at a product outlet at the time of sale, the bucket pivots about a pivot axis and opens the front surface of the bucket body in a posture in which the bucket body is tilted forward to near the horizontal (open state). The drive mechanism has a drive motor and an opening / closing gear connected to the drive motor via a plurality of gears and fixed to a pivot shaft of the bucket door.
The opening / closing gear is driven to rotate by a predetermined angle by a drive motor to open and close the bucket door.

[0004] The bucket configured as described above carries out a product to a product takeout port at the time of sale as follows. That is, when the buyer selects a desired product, the bucket is
It moves to the vicinity of the payout exit of the product passage storing the product, and stores therein the product discharged from the product passage. Thereafter, the bucket moves to the product outlet, and the opening / closing gear is rotationally driven in a predetermined direction by a predetermined angle by a drive motor. Accordingly, the closed bucket door is opened. When the product is taken out of the bucket by the purchaser, the opening / closing gear is rotationally driven in the opposite direction by a predetermined angle, whereby the open bucket door is closed.

[0005]

In the above-mentioned bucket of the commodity discharging apparatus, the bucket door is directly connected to the drive motor via an opening / closing gear fixed to a rotating shaft and a plurality of gears between the gear and the drive motor. Because it is connected, when opening and closing the bucket door, there is an external force that prevents the opening and closing of the bucket door by mischief, and an external force that forces the closed or open state of the bucket door to open or close, When applied to the bucket door, a large load is applied to the drive motor and the opening / closing gear, which may be broken. Of course, by using a drive motor with a large torque or by making the opening / closing gears of a hard material, it is possible to make them hard to break, but the drive motor and the opening / closing The weight and size of the gears are increased, and as a result, the weight and size of the bucket are increased, and the manufacturing cost is increased. Therefore, there is room for improvement in this product carrying-out device in the above points.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and can reliably prevent damage to a bucket even when external force is applied to a bucket door by mischief. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine product unloading device capable of preventing the damage of a bucket at low cost without increasing the weight and size of the vending machine.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a product discharging device for a vending machine according to the present invention, which stores a product discharged from a product passage in a bucket at the time of sale, and opens a discharge port of the bucket. A product discharge device of a vending machine for discharging a product to a product outlet, comprising: a bucket door rotatable between a bucket closed position and a bucket open position for closing and opening a bucket outlet, respectively; An elastic member attached to a position different from the center of rotation of the bucket door, and the other end of the elastic member are attached. At the time of sale, the bucket door is closed via the elastic member at the bucket closing position and the bucket opening position. And a bucket door drive mechanism that rotates between the bucket doors.

According to this structure, one end of the elastic member is attached to the bucket door at a position different from the center of rotation, and the other end is attached to the bucket door drive mechanism. By operating the door drive mechanism, the bucket door can be rotationally driven between the bucket closed position and the bucket open position while extending or compressing the same through the elastic member. For example, when the bucket door drive mechanism operates when the bucket door is located at the bucket closed position, the elastic member is extended (compressed), and the bucket door is pulled (pressed) by the elastic member while the bucket door is pulled (pressed). It pivots toward the open position, thereby opening the carry-out port of the bucket. On the other hand, when the bucket door is located at the bucket open position, the bucket door drive mechanism operates,
When the elastic member is compressed (extended), the bucket door rotates toward the bucket closing position while being pressed (pulled) by the elastic member, thereby closing the bucket outlet. In this case, due to mischief, an external force for preventing the opening / closing (rotation) of the bucket door or an external force for forcibly opening / closing the bucket door located at the bucket closed position or the bucket open position is applied to the bucket door. When the elastic member is added, the external force can be absorbed by expanding or compressing the elastic member. As a result, even if the above-described external force is applied to the bucket door, the external force does not directly act on the bucket driving mechanism, so that the bucket including the bucket door and the bucket door driving mechanism is reliably prevented from being damaged. be able to.
Further, since the bucket door and the bucket door drive mechanism need only be connected to each other by the elastic member, it is possible to prevent the breakage of the bucket at low cost without increasing the weight and size of the bucket.

In this case, the bucket door drive mechanism is provided rotatably concentrically with the drive source and the bucket door, has an arc-shaped groove centered on the center of rotation, and is provided by the drive source at the time of sale. The bucket door is engaged with a groove of the rotating body and has an engaging portion movable along the groove, It is preferable that the member has one end and the other end attached to the engaging portion and the rotating body, respectively, and is arranged in an arc shape about the center of rotation of the rotating body.

According to this configuration, when the rotating body is rotationally driven by the driving source at the time of sale, the engaging portion of the bucket door to which the one end and the other end of the elastic member are respectively attached and the rotating body. The relative angle with the portion changes in the circumferential direction of the arc around the center of rotation of the rotating body. As a result, the elastic member arranged in an arc around the center of rotation of the rotating body is expanded or compressed, whereby the bucket door is pulled or pressed by the elastic member.
It pivots between a bucket closed position and a bucket open position. When the external force is applied to the bucket door, the engaging portion of the bucket door moves along the groove of the rotating body, so that the elastic member absorbs the external force while expanding or compressing, and the external force is applied to the rotating body. It does not act directly. In addition, the bucket door and the rotating body rotate concentrically, and the groove and the elastic member of the rotating body are arranged in an arc shape about the rotation center of the rotating body. Therefore, even if the above-mentioned external force is applied to the bucket door, a bucket that can prevent damage due to the external force can be easily realized with a simple and compact configuration.

In these cases, the carry-out port is provided on the front surface of the bucket, and the bucket door is configured to take an upright posture when the bucket is closed and to fall forward when the bucket is open. An outlet closing position for closing the product outlet, and an outlet door slidable up and down between an outlet opening position for lowering the outlet closing position and opening the product outlet, An outlet door drive mechanism that drives the outlet door vertically between an outlet closed position and an outlet open position, and a bucket with the upper end of the bucket door abutting the outlet door at the time of sale. So that doors and exit doors open and close,
Door opening / closing control means for controlling the bucket door driving mechanism and the outlet door driving mechanism is preferably further provided.

[0012] According to this configuration, the bucket door takes an upright posture at the bucket closed position and a forwardly inclined posture at the bucket open position, thereby closing and opening the carry-out port on the front surface of the bucket. On the other hand, the outlet door is vertically driven by an outlet door drive mechanism between an outlet closed position and an outlet open position to open and close the product outlet. When the bucket door and the outlet door are opened and closed, the bucket door driving means is operated by the door opening and closing control so that the bucket door and the outlet door are opened and closed while the upper end of the bucket door is in contact with the upper end of the outlet door. Controls the mechanism and the outlet drive mechanism. That is, by such control, the bucket door
It opens and closes with its upper end supported by the outlet door.
Therefore, even when an external force that pushes down is applied to the bucket door when the bucket door is opened and closed, damage to the bucket door due to the external force can be suppressed by the strength of the outlet door.

In this case, there is further provided an outlet door position detecting means for detecting a vertical position of the outlet door,
It is preferable that the door opening / closing control means controls the bucket door driving mechanism in accordance with the position of the outlet door detected by the outlet door position detecting means.

According to this structure, the bucket door is opened and closed according to the actual vertical position of the exit door detected by the exit door position detecting means, so that the upper end of the bucket door is connected to the exit door. The bucket door can be properly opened and closed according to the position of the outlet door at the time of opening and closing, for example, the bucket door can be opened and closed in a state where the bucket door is securely contacted.

In these cases, there is further provided an insert detecting means for detecting whether or not an insert has been inserted into the product outlet from the outside, and the door opening / closing control means has a function according to the detection result of the insert detecting means. Thus, it is preferable to control the outlet door drive mechanism.

According to this structure, the door opening / closing control means controls the outlet door driving mechanism in accordance with the detection result of the insert detecting means, so that the door can be removed when the insert is inserted into the product outlet from outside. The opening and closing of the exit door can be performed appropriately. That is, for example, when the purchaser mistakenly puts his hand in the product take-out during the closing of the take-out door, when that is detected by the insert detecting means, the take-out door stops, By controlling the opening door drive mechanism so as to open the door, it is possible to reliably prevent the hand from being caught by the opening door, and to secure the safety of the vending machine. Further, when a foreign object such as a stick is inserted into the product outlet by mischief while the outlet door is being closed, the outlet door is controlled by the outlet door driving mechanism as described above. Damage to the exit door and the exit door drive mechanism due to
It can be reliably prevented. Further, in combination with the control of the bucket door driving mechanism by the door opening / closing control means of claim 4, the opening / closing of the bucket door can be performed more appropriately.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a vending machine incorporating a product unloading device according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the vending machine 1 stores a large number of items S in a large box-shaped vending machine main body 2 in a line in the front-rear direction, and passes through a transparent sliding door 3, 3 on the front. This is a so-called showcase type in which the commodity S is made visible. The vending machine 1 includes the vending machine main body 2 and a merchandise unloading device 5 that conveys the merchandise S stored in the vending machine main body 2 to a merchandise outlet 4 at the time of sale.

The vending machine main body 2 is provided with two sliding doors 3 on the left and right sides at the open front thereof. Each sliding door 3 is normally closed and locked. It is opened at times and the like, and the commodities S are replenished from the front. Further, a cooling device 6 for cooling the product S is provided at the upper part of the vending machine main body 2, and a product outlet 4 and a prepaid card when purchasing the product S are provided on the right side of the sliding doors 3, 3 on the front surface. A card insertion slot 7 for insertion and a cash slot (not shown) for inserting money, a selection button for inputting a product number allocated to each product S, an input product number, A control panel 8 having a display unit (neither is shown) for displaying the input amount and a message to the purchaser is provided. Although not shown, a control circuit (having a function as a door opening / closing control unit) having a microcomputer for performing various controls in the vending machine main body 2 including the product unloading device 5 is provided on the back side of the control panel 8. Is provided.

The vending machine main body 2 is provided with two left and right box-shaped product storage rooms 11 and 11. Within each product storage room 11, a plurality of product racks 12 horizontally supported between left and right side walls are provided in a vertical direction,
A plurality of partition walls 13 extending in the front-rear direction are arranged on each product rack 12 in the left-right direction. And the product rack 12
And a partition wall 13, 13 disposed on the partition wall 13, which is opposed to each other in the left-right direction. Therefore, a plurality of merchandise paths 14 extending in the front-rear direction are provided on each merchandise rack 12, and in each merchandise path 14, a large number of commodities S of the same item are stored in a line in the front-rear direction.

The product unloading device 5 is used to store the product
4, a product delivery device (not shown) for sending out the entirety of the product S stored in the front side, and paying out the frontmost product S from a payout port at the front end of the product path 14, and receiving the product S paid out by the delivery device. , A product transport device 20 that transports the product to the product outlet 4, and the product transport device 20
An outlet opening / closing device 21 that opens and closes the product outlet 4 when the product S is transported to the product outlet 4. The product dispensing device is provided for each of the product paths 14, and the product path 1 for storing the selected product S at the time of sale.
In a state in which a bucket 24 described later has moved to the front of the payout port of No. 4, a delivery drive motor 68 provided in the bucket 24 is operated, so that a pusher (FIG. (Not shown). Therefore, this product delivery device, at the time of sale,
When the pusher moves forward, the entirety of the product S stored in the product path 14 is pressed from behind and sent forward, and the foremost product S is paid out.

The product transport device 20 is provided in front of the product storage room 11 with a Y module 2 movably provided in the left-right direction.
2 and an X-direction drive mechanism (not shown) for driving the Y module 22 in the left-right direction. The Y module 22 is formed in a vertically elongated box shape extending in the up-down direction, and is provided with a movable body 23 driven in the left-right direction by the X-direction drive mechanism, and protrudingly provided on a right side surface of the movable body 23. And a Y-direction drive mechanism (not shown) built in the movable body 23 and driving the bucket 24 in the up-down direction.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the bucket 24 receives the goods S paid out from the goods passage 14, stores the goods S therein, and temporarily holds the goods S until they are carried out to the goods outlet 4. 31, a drive gear 32 provided at the rear end of the bucket body 31 so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction, and for driving the above-mentioned unillustrated product dispensing device. A first driving mechanism 33 (bucket door driving mechanism) for rotating and driving the door 43; and a rotatably provided at the rear end of the bucket body 31. Triangular drum 34 for moving S forward
And a second drive mechanism 35 for rotating and driving the triangular drum 34 and the drive gear 32, and a product S provided at the front end of the bucket body 31 when the product S is carried out to the product outlet 4. And two upper and lower product sensors 36, 36 for detecting whether or not the product has been taken out by a person.

The bucket main body 31 is formed in a box shape by left and right side walls (left side wall 41, right side wall 42) and a bucket door 43 for opening and closing the front carry-out port 31a. It has a structure that is open all over. The commodities S paid out from the commodity passage 14 are accommodated in the accommodating portion 45 in the bucket main body 31 through the commodity accommodating opening 44 in the opened portion. It should be noted that, due to mischief,
When the bucket door 43 is pushed rearward, a stopper 41a is provided that prevents the bucket door 43 from being pushed further backward by contacting the upper end thereof.

The bucket door 43 is formed in a “J” side cross section from the front to the bottom of the bucket body 31, and fan-shaped side plates 46, 46 are provided at substantially lower halves at both right and left ends. Have been. These side plates 46, 46 are provided at the apex portions, respectively, and are provided with rotating shafts 47 on the same axis extending horizontally in the left-right direction with respect to each other.
47, the left side wall 41 and the right side wall 4 respectively.
2 rotatably supported. Further, on the left side surface of the left side plate 46, there is provided a protrusion 46a (engaging portion) which is slightly separated from the left rotation shaft 47 and protrudes leftward in parallel with the rotation shaft 47. The left rotating shaft 47 is connected to the left side wall 4.
1 protrudes leftward from the left side surface,
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an opening / closing gear 48 (rotating body) for opening and closing the bucket door 43 is loosely inserted at its center (hereinafter referred to as “gear rotation center”). That is, the bucket door 43 and the opening / closing gear 48 rotate concentrically, and the opening / closing gear 48 is rotatable with respect to the rotation shaft 47.

As shown in FIG. 4, the opening / closing gear 48 has a large number of teeth on its peripheral surface, and has an annular portion 49 slightly protruding leftward from the center of the gear rotation center. Have. An annular portion 49 is provided on the left side surface.
A substantially quarter-circular arc-shaped groove 50 (groove) is formed around the center of rotation of the gear, and the arc-shaped groove 50 is provided with the protrusion 46 a of the left side plate 46.
Is inserted. The projection 46a is always in contact with the lower end of the arc groove 50 as shown in FIG.
Or it is located near the lower end. Further, a coil spring 51 (elastic member) is arranged in an arc shape on the left side surface of the opening / closing gear 48 along the outer peripheral surface of the annular portion 49, and one end of the coil spring 51 projects from the side plate 46. The other end is attached to the opening / closing gear 48.
Is attached to an attachment portion 48a provided on the left side surface of the camera. Note that the coil spring 51 is attached with a slight tensile load applied.

The thus constructed bucket door 43
Is always in a bucket closed position M (see FIGS. 2A, 3 and 4) that closes the front surface of the bucket body 31 in an upright posture. When the product S is delivered to the purchaser at the product exit 4, the opening / closing gear 48 is rotated counterclockwise by a predetermined angle in FIG.
The third protrusion 46a is pulled via the coil spring 51 so as to rotate in the counterclockwise direction. This allows
The bucket door 43 pivots to a bucket open position N (see FIGS. 2B and 6) in a posture in which the bucket door 43 is tilted forward to near the horizontal, and opens the front surface of the bucket body 31. After the purchaser takes out the product S from the bucket 24, the opening / closing gear 48 is rotated in the opposite direction, that is, clockwise by a predetermined angle, so that the projecting portion 46a of the bucket door 43 is opened / closed. The gear 48 is pressed clockwise by the end of the arc groove 50. As a result, the bucket door 43 moves from the bucket open position N to the bucket closed position M
To close the front surface of the bucket body 31.

Further, in the bucket body 31, it is located above the bottom of the bucket door 43, forms the bottom of the housing part 45, and is supported rotatably by the rotating shafts 47, 47. A plate-shaped chute tray 52 is provided. The shoot tray 52 is used for a cam disk 6 described later.
It rotates with the rotation of 2. Specifically, when receiving the product S paid out from the product passage 14, the shoot tray 52 assumes a gentle forward-lowering position (see FIG. 3) and remains in the position in which the product S is paid out. After receiving the product S, the product S assumes a steeply downwardly inclined posture (see FIG. 4), and sandwiches the product S from the front and back with the back surface of the bucket door 43. Thus, the product S is in the product path 1
4 while keeping the position paid out from 4
Transported to

The first drive mechanism 33 is attached to the outside of the left side wall 41 of the bucket body 31 via a case 60. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. , Two cam grooves 6 of a predetermined shape on the right side surface
A cam disc 62 on which the gears 1 and 61 are formed;
, A cam motor 64 that rotationally drives the cam disk 62
The teeth are formed so that the side surface shape is formed in a sector shape and has a large number of teeth on an arc-shaped peripheral surface. Link 65,
The opening / closing gear 48 meshing with the toothed link 65;
It has. One cam groove 61 of the cam disk 62 is connected to a link (not shown) of a predetermined shape which engages with the cam groove 61.
The other cam groove 61 drives the opening / closing gear 48 to rotate via the toothed link 65 engaged with the driving gear 32, thereby rotating the bucket door 43. It is for opening and closing. A plurality of projections 62a protruding toward the peripheral edge are provided at predetermined positions on the left side surface of the cam disk 62. Cam disk 62
With the rotation of, these projections 62a switch ON / OFF an angle detection switch 66 adjacent to the cam disk 62, whereby the rotation angle of the cam disk 62 is detected.

The triangular drum 34 has a triangular side cross section, extends horizontally in the left-right direction, and is disposed at the rear end of the bucket main body 31 so as to face the commodity storage opening 44 from below.
Gears 34 are provided on both left and right ends of the rotation shaft of the triangular drum 34.
a, 34a are fixed respectively, and the left gear 34
a meshes with the intermediate gear 67 meshing with the drive gear 32. Therefore, the right gear 34 of the triangular drum 34
When a is rotated by the second drive mechanism 35, the triangular drum 34 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 4, and the drive gear 32 rotates in a predetermined direction via the intermediate gear 67.
Thereby, the product S is paid out from the product passage 14 and is smoothly stored in the storage portion 45 of the bucket 24.

The second drive mechanism 35 is disposed between the inner wall 42a and the outer wall 42b of the right side wall 42 of the bucket body 31, and includes the triangular drum 34 and the drive gear 32.
And a reduction gear train 69 for transmitting the rotation of the payout drive motor 68 to the triangular drum 34. Therefore,
When the dispensing drive motor 68 is operated at the time of sale, the triangular drum 34 and the drive gear 3 are driven as described above.
2 rotates.

Each of the commodity sensors 36, 36 includes a light-emitting element 71 and a light-receiving element 72 which face each other.
It has a set of optical sensors. When the product S is stored in the storage portion 45 of the bucket 24 at the time of sale, each light emitting element 71
Is temporarily blocked by the product S. Thereafter, when the product S is taken out by the purchaser, each light receiving element 72 receives the light that has been blocked from the light emitting element, so that the taking out of the product S from the bucket 24 is detected.

Next, a description will be given of the outlet opening / closing device 21 for opening and closing the product outlet 4 when delivering the product S to the purchaser at the product outlet 4. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the outlet opening / closing device 21 includes a sliding outlet door 81 that opens and closes the product outlet 4 and an outlet door drive mechanism 82 that drives the outlet door 81. Have. Exit door 8
Reference numeral 1 denotes a rectangular plate slightly larger and thicker than the product outlet 4, and is arranged on the back side of the product outlet 4. The left and right edges of the outlet door 81 are slidably engaged with a pair of left and right guides 83, 83 attached to the left and right edges on the back of the product outlet 4 and extending in the vertical direction. Thereby, the take-out door 81 moves vertically along the guides 83 between the take-out closing position P for closing the take-out opening 4 and the take-out opening position Q for opening the take-out opening 4. It is possible to slide. The exit door 81
A heat insulating material 81a made of heat insulating rubber or the like is attached to the upper end of the product. When the outlet door 81 is located at the closed position P during standby for sales, the heat insulating material 81a is attached to the upper edge of the product outlet 4. This makes it possible to keep the temperature inside the vending machine main body 2 by preventing the cool air from leaking inside the vending machine main body 2 by contact.

The outlet door drive mechanism 82 is connected to the outlet door 8.
1, a door drive motor 84, a crank link 85 that is rotationally driven by the door drive motor 84, a crank link 85 and an outlet door 81.
And three position detection switches 87 for detecting the vertical position of the outlet door 81 based on the rotational position of the crank link 85.

Crank link 85 and connecting link 86
Are each formed of a rectangular metal plate. The crank link 85 is configured to rotate around a base end on the side of the door drive motor 84, and each position is closer to the base end than the center in the long side direction. A pressing switch 85a having a predetermined shape is provided for pressing the switch lever 88 of the detection switch 87 to turn on / off the position detection switch 87. The pressing switching portion 85a extends so as to be orthogonal to the long side direction of the crank link 85, and is formed such that both ends thereof are slightly bent toward the base end. On the other hand, connecting link 86
Has one end rotatably connected to the distal end of the crank link 85 and the other end rotatably connected to the lower end of the outlet door 81.

As shown in FIG. 5, the position detection switches 87 are equidistant from the center of rotation of the crank link 85, and are respectively disposed at three positions above, below, and to the left of the center of rotation. The position detection switch 87 is also turned on / off by the switch lever 88 being pressed by the pressing switch 85a of the crank link 85. The position detection switch 87 (hereinafter, referred to as an “upper limit switch 87a”) disposed above is positioned at a position where the crank link 85 is erected.
N / OFF is switched, whereby the outlet door 81
Is detected at the upper limit position, that is, the outlet closing position P. Further, a position detection switch 87 (hereinafter, referred to as a “lower limit switch 87b”) disposed below is
By positioning the crank link 85 in the hanging position,
ON / OFF is switched, whereby the outlet door 8
It is detected that 1 is located at the lower limit position, that is, the outlet opening position Q. Further, a position detection switch 87 (hereinafter, referred to as an “intermediate switch 87c”) disposed on the left side.
Is turned ON / OFF by the crank link 85 falling leftward within the range of the predetermined angle, whereby
It is detected that the outlet door 81 is located at the intermediate position R where the upper half of the product outlet 4 is opened and the lower half is closed.

The outlet opening / closing device 2 configured as described above
At 1, the crank link 85 rotates approximately 180 degrees between a vertically upright position and a hanging position. That is, the crank link 85 and the connecting link 86
When the outlet doors 8 are substantially aligned with each other,
1 is located at the outlet closing position P, while both links 85,
The outlet door 81 is located at the outlet open position Q when the 86s are substantially aligned with each other in an overlapping state, and the outlet door 81 slides vertically between these positions P and Q. Thus, the product outlet 4 is opened and closed.

As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of optical sensors 90 (insert detecting means) each comprising a light emitting element and a light receiving element facing each other are provided on the left and right edges of the product outlet 4 in the vertical direction. Four sets are arranged at intervals. In these optical sensors 90, light is emitted from the light-emitting element toward the light-receiving element at the time of sale, and when the product is taken out, the hand of the purchaser or the like is inserted into the product outlet 4 from outside. Then, the light from the light emitting elements of at least one set of the optical sensors 90 is blocked, so that the insertion is detected.

Next, the operation of the merchandise unloading device 5 at the time of sale will be described focusing on the operation when the bucket 24 conveys the merchandise S and then unloads it to the merchandise outlet 4. First, when a purchaser inserts money or inserts a prepaid card or the like into the vending machine 1 in a standby state for sale and selects a desired product S, the bucket 24 moves the product path 14 in which the product S is stored. Move ahead of the payout. When the first drive mechanism 33 and the second drive mechanism 35 operate, the product S at the forefront position is paid out from the product path 14 and stored in the storage section 45 of the bucket 24.
Thereafter, the bucket 24 moves toward the product outlet 4 and stops behind it (see FIG. 4).

The outlet door drive mechanism 82
The outlet door 81 located at the outlet closed position P is driven downward toward the outlet open position Q, whereby the product outlet 4 is opened. More specifically, as the door drive motor 84 of the outlet door drive mechanism 82 rotates in a predetermined direction, the crank link 85
Starts rotating counterclockwise from the upright position indicated by the solid line, whereby the outlet door 81 slides downward. When the lower limit switch 87b detects that the crank link 85 has reached the hanging position indicated by the two-dot chain line, the door drive motor 84 stops.
Thus, the product outlet 4 is opened, and the outlet door 8
1 is kept at the outlet opening position Q.

The outlet door 81 is located at the outlet closed position P.
At the intermediate position R, the bucket door 43 of the bucket 24 starts to open. More specifically, the crank link 8
When the intermediate switch 87c detects that the 5 has rotated a predetermined angle, the cam motor 64 of the bucket 24 starts operating, and the cam disk 62 rotates a predetermined angle in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. Then, the toothed link 65 rotates clockwise by a predetermined angle, and accordingly, the opening / closing gear 48 rotates counterclockwise by a predetermined angle. As a result, the projecting portion 46a of the side plate 46 of the bucket door 43 is pulled counterclockwise by the coil spring 51, whereby the bucket door 43 at the bucket closed position M starts to open.

The opening speed of the bucket door 43 in this case is set to be faster than the speed at which the outlet door 81 slides downward. Thereby, the bucket door 43 is
As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6, the upper end portion once contacts the back surface of the outlet door 81 in the middle of opening, and when the outlet door 81 becomes lower than the contact position, the upper end portion of the bucket door 43. Is in contact with the upper end of the outlet door 81 from above. Then, while maintaining this state, the bucket door 43 and the outlet door 81 are opened (see FIG. 6). In this case, even before the opening / closing gear 48 has been rotated by a predetermined angle before the outlet door 81 reaches the outlet opening position Q, even if the rotation has been completed, the coil spring 51 is simply extended, There is no adverse effect on the first drive mechanism 33 or the bucket door 43.

After the bucket door 43 and the outlet door 81 are opened as described above, the goods S in the bucket 24 are
Retrieved by buyer. When the removal of the product S is detected by the product sensors 36, 36 of the bucket 24, the bucket door 43 and the outlet door 81 are closed as follows.

That is, after the removal of the product S is detected, the door drive motor 84 starts operating to rotate in the opposite direction. Thereby, the outlet door 81 is
The crank link 85 rotates clockwise in FIG. 5 and is driven upward via the connecting link 86. In this case, in the bucket 24, the cam motor 64 of the first drive mechanism 33 has not yet operated, and the bucket door 43 is pressed from below by the outlet door 81, so that the bucket door 43 is opposed to the coil spring 51, While being extended, the spring 51 is driven to rotate clockwise in FIG. And the intermediate switch 87
When c is turned on / off, the cam motor 64 of the first drive mechanism 33 starts operating, and the opening / closing gear 48 is rotated clockwise through the cam disc 62 by a predetermined angle. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 4, the front surface of the bucket body 31 is closed by the bucket door 43. When it is detected by the upper limit switch 87a that the crank link 85 has reached the standing position, the door drive motor 84 is stopped, whereby the product outlet 4 is closed by the outlet door 81. .

If the buyer accidentally puts his hand (insert) into the product outlet 4 while closing the outlet door 81 and the bucket door 43, the left and right sides of the product outlet 4 are The light from the light-emitting element is blocked by the purchaser's hand by the optical sensor 90 provided at the edge of, so that it is detected that the purchaser's hand has entered the product outlet 4. Then, at the time of this detection, the door drive motor 84 temporarily stops. In this case, when the cam motor 64 of the first drive mechanism 33 is already operating, the cam motor 64 is rotated in the reverse direction to rotate the opening / closing gear 48 counterclockwise by a predetermined angle. It is driven to rotate toward the bucket opening position N. When the opening / closing gear 48 rotates a predetermined angle in the counterclockwise direction, the door drive motor 84 is operated again so as to slide the outlet door 81 downward. As a result, the outlet door 81 opens the commodity outlet 4 again with the upper end of the bucket door 43 in contact with the upper end.

As described above, when the purchaser puts his hand in the product outlet 4 while the outlet door 81 is being closed, the sliding of the outlet door 81 is temporarily stopped. By controlling the outlet door drive mechanism 82 so as to slide down and open the product outlet 4, it is possible to reliably prevent a hand from being caught by the outlet door 81, and Safety can be ensured.

Next, when the bucket door 43 and the outlet door 81 are opened and closed, the bucket door 43
The operation of the bucket door 43 and the take-out door 81 when an external force is applied to the product or a foreign object (insert) such as a stick is externally inserted into the product take-out port 4 will be described.

First, when the outlet door 81 located at the outlet closed position P starts to slide downward, the gap between the upper end of the outlet door 81 and the upper edge of the product outlet 4 is manually moved by hand or the like. When an external force is applied to the bucket door 43 so as to push the bucket door 43 backward so as not to open the bucket door 43, the coil spring 51 extends even if the opening / closing gear 48 rotates to open the bucket door 43. Thus, the external force can be absorbed. Thus, the external force does not directly act on the opening / closing gear 48, the cam disk 62, the cam motor 64, or the like. When the bucket door 43 located at the bucket closed position M is pushed backward from the bucket closed position M before the bucket door 43 starts to open, the opening / closing gear 48 does not rotate and the coil spring 51 extends. By contacting the upper end of the bucket door 43 with the stopper 41a, the bucket door 43 can be prevented from being pushed further.

Similarly, when the bucket door 43 and the outlet door 81 are both open, the bucket door 4
When an external force that closes 3 is applied to the bucket door 43, the opening / closing gear 48 does not rotate,
Only the coil spring 51 expands. Therefore, even if such an external force is applied to the bucket door 43, the expansion of the coil spring 51 can absorb the external force and does not directly act on the opening / closing gear 48 or the like.

Further, during or after opening and closing of the bucket door 43 and the outlet door 81, the bucket door 43 is opened.
When an external force is applied to the bucket door 43 so as to push down the bucket door 43, the upper end of the bucket door 43
The bucket door 43 opens and closes or is kept open in a state where the bucket door 43 is in contact with the door 1, that is, in a state where the bucket door 43 is supported by the outlet door 81. 43 can be suppressed.

Further, when a foreign object is inserted into the product outlet 4 from the outside while the bucket door 43 and the outlet door 81 are being closed, there is a case where the purchaser accidentally puts his hand in the product outlet 4. Similarly, the bucket door 43 and the outlet door 81 open. As a result, the bucket door 43 and the take-out door 81 are not closed with the foreign matter inserted into the product take-out port 4, so that damage caused by the bucket door 43 and the take-out door 81 hitting the foreign matter is prevented. It can be reliably prevented.

As described in detail above, according to the commodity discharging device 5 of the present embodiment, the bucket door 43 of the bucket 24
Is connected to the first drive mechanism 33 (opening / closing gear 48) via the coil spring 51,
An external force is applied to the bucket door 43 to prevent the bucket door 43 from being opened or closed, or an external force or the like forcing the bucket door 43 located at the bucket closed position M or the bucket open position N to be opened or closed is applied. Even when the coil spring 51 expands, the external force can be absorbed. As a result, even if the above-described external force is applied to the bucket door 43, the external force does not directly act on the first driving mechanism 33, so that the breakage of the bucket 24 can be reliably prevented. Further, since it is only necessary to connect the bucket door 43 and the first drive mechanism 33 with the coil spring 51, it is possible to prevent the bucket 24 from being damaged at a low cost without increasing the weight and size of the bucket 24. it can. Further, since the bucket door 43 is opened and closed according to the actual position of the outlet door 81 in the vertical direction, the upper end of the bucket door 43 is connected to the outlet door 81.
The bucket door 43 can be opened and closed properly according to the position of the outlet door 81 at the time of opening and closing, for example, the bucket door 43 can be opened and closed in a state where the bucket door 43 is securely contacted.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be implemented in various modes. For example, in the embodiment, at the time of sale, the bucket 24 moves up, down, left, and right to transport the product S to the product outlet 4, but the bucket is fixed to the back side of the product outlet 4,
The paid-out product may be guided through a forward-lowering chute or the like and delivered to the bucket. Further, although the bucket door 43 and the first drive mechanism 33 are connected via the coil spring 51, a suitable elastic member such as rubber may be used instead of the coil spring 51. Further, the extension of the coil spring 51 absorbs the external force applied to the bucket door 43. However, the compression position of the coil spring 51 can be reduced by reversing the arrangement position of the coil spring 51 in FIG. Thereby, the external force may be absorbed. Furthermore, in the embodiment, the product carrying-out device having the carry-out port 31a on the front surface of the bucket body 31 has been described. The present invention can also be applied to a product carrying device configured as described above.

The configuration of the details of the product carrying-out device 5 shown in the embodiment is merely an example, and can be appropriately changed within the scope of the present invention.

[0054]

As described above in detail, the product discharging device of the vending machine of the present invention can reliably prevent the breakage of the bucket even when an external force is applied to the bucket door by mischief. This has the effect of preventing damage to the bucket at low cost without increasing the weight and size of the bucket.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vending machine incorporating a product unloading device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a bucket of the product carrying device;
(A) shows a state where the bucket door is located at the bucket closed position, and (b) shows a state where the bucket door is located at the bucket open position.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a bucket.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a state where a bucket is located on the back side of a product outlet;

FIG. 5 is a rear view showing the outlet opening / closing device.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining opening and closing of a bucket door and an outlet door.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vending machine 2 Vending machine main body 4 Merchandise outlet 5 Merchandise discharge device 14 Merchandise passage 24 Bucket 31 Bucket main body 33 1st drive mechanism (bucket door drive mechanism) 43 Bucket door 48 Opening / closing gear (rotating body) 51 Coil spring ( Elastic member) 81 Outlet door 82 Outlet door drive mechanism 87 Position detection switch (outlet door position detecting means) 90 Optical sensor (insertion detecting means) M Bucket closed position N Bucket open position P Outlet closed position Q Outlet Open position S Product

Claims (5)

[Claims] Claims: 1. A vending machine product delivery device for storing a product delivered from a product aisle in a bucket at the time of sale, and opening the outlet of the bucket to carry out the product to a product outlet. A bucket door rotatable between a bucket closed position and a bucket open position for closing and opening the carry-out port of the bucket, respectively, and one end attached to the bucket door at a position different from the rotation center thereof A bucket door drive that has the other end of the elastic member attached thereto and, at the time of sale, pivotally drives the bucket door between the bucket closed position and the bucket open position via the elastic member. A merchandise unloading device for a vending machine, comprising: a mechanism; 2. The bucket door drive mechanism is provided with a drive source and an arc-shaped groove that is rotatably provided concentrically with the bucket door. A rotating body that is rotated by a predetermined angle by a source, and the bucket door engages with the groove of the rotating body and has an engaging portion that is movable along the groove. The elastic member has the one end and the other end attached to the engaging portion and the rotating body, respectively, and is arranged in an arc around the center of rotation of the rotating body. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is a vending machine. 3. The bucket exit is provided on a front surface of the bucket, and the bucket door takes an upright posture in the bucket closed position and a forwardly inclined posture in the bucket open position. An outlet closing position for closing the product outlet, and a lower position than the outlet closing position, which is vertically slidable between an outlet opening position for opening the product outlet. An outlet door, an outlet door driving mechanism for vertically driving the outlet door between the outlet closed position and the outlet open position, and an upper end portion of the bucket door, at the time of sale, being connected to the outlet. Door opening / closing control for controlling the bucket door drive mechanism and the outlet door drive mechanism such that the bucket door and the outlet door open and close in a state of contact with the door. Article conveying device for the automatic vending machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it further comprises a stage, a. 4. An exit door position detecting means for detecting a vertical position of the exit door, wherein the door opening / closing control means detects the position of the exit door detected by the exit door position detecting means. 4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the bucket door driving mechanism is controlled according to a position of the exit door. 5. 5. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an insert detecting unit configured to detect whether an insert is inserted into the product outlet from the outside. The apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the outlet door drive mechanism is controlled accordingly.