JP2001325653A - Article ejector for automatic wing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an article ejector for automatic vending machine, with which the articles having different forms or outer diameter dimensions can be vended even without controlling an article passage dimension. SOLUTION: This device is provided with a substrate 1, which is located on the lower end of an article passage, forming one inner wall of the relevant article passage, a lower pedal 4, which is formed so as to be freely protruded from an opening part 1a on the substrate 1, for supporting an article located on the lowest end and an upper pedal 2, which is formed so as to be freely protruded from an opening part 1b on the substrate 1, for supporting an article positioned secondly from the bottom and the upper pedal 2 is formed so as to be protruded on the side of the article passage while following the opening operation of the lower pedal 4 and to be protruded at a position, where the article having a minimum diameter can be supported even when the relevant article to be filled into the relevant article passage is located as an article located secondly from the bottom.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a merchandise unloading device for a vending machine, and more particularly, to a serpentine type in which merchandise such as canned beverages and plastic bottled beverages are stacked vertically in a merchandise storage in a vertical position and stored. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine provided with a product rack or the like, and to a vending machine product unloading device capable of selling products having different shapes and outer diameters without adjusting the size of a product passage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various types of vending machine merchandise unloading apparatuses have been provided.
No. 4 is also disclosed. The merchandise unloading device of these vending machines is provided at the lower part of the merchandise passage with a main flap for receiving the lowermost merchandise and a sub-flap positioned above and for receiving the second lowest merchandise at the time of unloading. The discharge of the product is controlled by alternately rotating and projecting these flaps toward the product passage.

[0003] In other words, these product carrying devices regulate the size of the product passage depending on whether or not the flap projects (the amount of protrusion is always constant). Has previously dealt with by separately providing a member for regulating the width of the passage in the product passage, or by providing a dedicated product discharge device adapted to the size of the product.

[0004]

However, as is well known, containers for canned beverages and PET bottled beverages have various shapes and outer diameters in circulation, and therefore have different shapes and the like of product containers. In order to sell the product, it is necessary to adjust the dimensions of the product passage as described above, which is troublesome, and may not be suitable for the mechanism of the product delivery device depending on the shape of the container, and may not be able to be sold. was there.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides a vending machine product delivery device capable of selling products having different shapes and outer diameters without adjusting the size of the product passage. With the goal.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine having a product discharge device disposed at a lower end of a product path. A lower pedal, which is formed so as to be able to protrude from an opening of the substrate and supports a product located at the lowermost end, and is formed so as to be able to protrude from an opening of the substrate, and is located second from the bottom. With an upper pedal that supports the product
The upper pedal protrudes toward the product passage following the opening operation of the lower pedal, and the product having the smallest diameter to be filled in the product passage is also disposed when the product is arranged as the second product from the bottom. Is formed so as to protrude to a position where it can be supported.

When the size of the product passage is set to be large enough to accommodate a large-diameter product, when a product having a smaller diameter than the product is filled in the product passage, a large-diameter product is placed around the small-diameter product. Therefore, the attitude of the second small-diameter product from the bottom is not fixed, and the size of the product passage is not adjusted unless the width of the product is adjusted (the width of the passage is reduced). Stable support could not be achieved with flaps and the like.

However, according to the present invention, the upper pedal protrudes toward the commodity passage following the opening operation of the lower pedal, and the commodity having the smallest diameter to be filled in the commodity passage is the second from the bottom. Even when the product is arranged as a product, it protrudes to a position where the product can be supported, so that a product having a different shape or outer diameter can be sold without adjusting the product passage dimension each time.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a product discharging device for a vending machine, wherein the upper pedal is supported at its upper end by a shaft which is vertically movably inserted into a long hole of the substrate, and wherein the screw pedal has a screw shaft. By being connected via a biasing means to a carrier that moves up and down due to the rotation of the carrier, it is formed to be able to advance and retreat from the opening of the substrate following the operation of the carrier,
The lower pedal is rotatably supported by the board via urging means so as to be freely rotatable and able to return to the closed state, and abuts on a stopper shaft which is vertically movably inserted into a long hole of the board. The stopper shaft is formed so as to be able to maintain the closed state, and the stopper shaft is held by a shaft holding member that is pressed when the carrier descends, and returns to a state before pressing when the pressing force from the carrier is released. It is formed with an urging means for returning.

When the screw shaft is rotated in response to the sales command, the carrier starts to descend, and the upper pedal connected to the carrier by the urging means protrudes from the opening, and the tip of the upper pedal moves downward from the bottom.
When it comes into contact with the second product, it is in a sales start state.

After the upper pedal abuts on the first product from below, the carrier continues to descend while extending the urging means, and presses the shaft holding member. When the carrier further descends to the lower limit position, the stopper shaft is pushed down.

Subsequently, when the stopper shaft is pushed down and the contact with the lower pedal is released, the lower pedal is opened, and the first commodity from the bottom starts falling. When the product falls, the upper pedal protrudes toward the product passage by the tension of the extended urging means, and supports the next product. That is, since the upper pedal projects following the falling operation of the first product from the bottom, even products having a diameter significantly smaller than the size of the product passage can be reliably supported.

Thereafter, the lower pedal returns to the standby position by the urging of the urging means. The carrier is raised by the rotation of the screw shaft, so that the upper pedal is pushed up to retreat into the opening and returns to the standby position. Therefore, products having different shapes and outer diameters can be sold with a simple structure without adjusting the product passage size each time.

[0014]

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 a rear perspective view showing a product unloading device of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front perspective view showing a product unloading device of a vending machine, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a shaft holding member, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the rotation of the lower pedal is restricted by a shaft, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the lower pedal. 7 and 8 are explanatory views showing a process of detecting a sold-out of a product.

FIGS. 9 to 14 are explanatory diagrams showing a process of carrying out small-diameter products, FIGS. 15 to 20 are explanatory diagrams showing a process of carrying out large-diameter products, and FIGS. It is an explanatory view showing a process of carrying out a rectangular product.

The substrate 1 is arranged below a commodity rack (not shown) and forms one surface of a commodity passage. On the other surface of the product passage, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 21, a product outlet adjusting plate 20 is provided so as to face the substrate 1 so that the posture of a rectangular product can be adjusted. I have. The product passage is set to a size that can store a large-diameter product.

The substrate 1 has openings 1a and 1b. On the back surface of the substrate 1, a pair of bearings 1c are provided upright on both side edges of the opening 1a. An elongated hole 1 for slidably holding the shaft 3 of the upper pedal 2 is provided in the bearing portion 1c.
d is provided. A cover member 17 is provided on the rear surface of the substrate 1 along the operation range of the carrier 7 (see FIG. 9).

The upper pedal 2 is formed so as to be able to advance and retreat from the opening 1a toward the product passage, and supports the second product from the bottom among the products stacked in the product passage. The upper pedal 2 is screwed into a napier screw member 6 which is rotated by a motor unit 25 having a gear box, and a carrier 7 and a spring 10 which move up and down along this.
Through the opening 1a by the operation of the carrier 7.

As shown in FIG. 3, the opening 1a is provided with a receiving portion 1g which comes into contact with the back surface of the upper pedal 2.
As shown in FIG. 9, the opening 1a can move forward and backward without being hindered by the product G2 that is in contact with both the bottom product G supported by the lower pedal 4 and the substrate 1. Position. Here, the case where the product G1 is located directly above the product G and the product G2 is located diagonally to the product G is shown.

As shown in FIG. 2, the carrier 7 has a screw hole 7a for screwing with the napier screw member 6, and a pin 7b for connecting the lower end of the spring 10. The micro switch 13 is for detecting the standby position of the carrier 7.

The lower pedal 4 is for supporting the first product from the bottom among the products stacked in the product passage, and is rotated by a shaft 5 provided on a bearing 1e on the back surface of the opening 1b. It is freely supported.

A fan-shaped stopper portion 4a provided on the back surface of the lower pedal 4 abuts a stopper shaft 9 which slides up and down in a long hole 1f of the bearing portion 1e, thereby restricting the rotation range of the lower pedal 4. It is for doing.

That is, when the stopper shaft 9 is located above the elongated hole 1f, the stopper portion 4a and the stopper shaft 9 are pressed against each other so that the lower pedal 4 can be prevented from opening (FIG. 5). , FIG. 6, FIG. 9, etc.). On the other hand, when the stopper shaft 9 is located below the elongated hole 1f, the pressure contact between the stopper portion 4a and the stopper shaft 9 is released, and the lower pedal 4 is formed so as to be opened by a product load (FIGS. 14 and 14). 25, FIG. 20, etc.).

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the product is sold out and the load on the lower pedal 4 is no longer applied, the spring 12 is biased to return to the closed state. I have. The micro switch 15 is a lower pedal 4
Is detected by detecting the change in the posture of the product by contact with or separation from the contact portion 4b, thereby detecting the sold-out state of the product.

The stopper shaft 9 is held by a shaft holding member 8 and connected to a bearing 1e by a spring 11. As shown in FIG. 4, the shaft holding member 8 has a long hole 8a.
The bearing portion 1 is provided by a stepped screw or the like (not shown)
e is vertically movable.

The shaft holding member 8 is pressed by the bottom surface of the carrier 7 when the carrier 7 descends,
And the stopper shaft 9 is moved downward by the tension of the spring 11 when the carrier 7 rises.

The product discharging device of the vending machine having the above-described structure is configured such that the two product discharging devices are held together between adjacent product passages so as to reduce the depth dimension when the product discharging device is installed in a product rack. The dimensions and arrangement positions of each component are set so that they can be installed.

Next, the operation will be described. First, the operation of unloading a small-diameter product will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 shows a sales standby state. Since the size of the product passage is set large enough to store a large-diameter product (see FIG. 15 and the like), the second product from the bottom may be filled and stored at the position indicated by the product G2. is there. However, since the opening 1a is provided below the contact position between the product G2 and the substrate 1, the upper pedal 2 can easily project below the product G2. Therefore,
It is not necessary to control the attitude of the product (for example, the product G2) in order to secure the projecting space of the upper pedal 2.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the napier screw member 6 is rotated in response to a sales instruction, so that the carrier 7 is rotated.
Starts to descend, and the upper pedal 2 connected to this by the spring 10
Protrudes from the opening 1a, and the leading end thereof comes into contact with the first product from the bottom.

Then, as shown in FIG.
The carrier 7 continues to descend while the spring 10 is extended, and presses the shaft holding member 8 even after contacting the first product from the bottom. Then, as shown in FIG. 12, when the carrier 7 descends to the lower limit position, the stopper shaft 9 is pushed down.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG.
Is pressed down and the contact of the lower pedal 4 with the stopper portion 4a is released, the lower pedal 4 opens, and the first product from the bottom starts falling.

As shown in FIG. 14, when the product falls, the upper pedal 2 projects to the maximum extent toward the product path by the tension of the extended spring 10, and supports the next product. That is, since the upper pedal 2 projects following the falling operation of the first product from the bottom, even products having a diameter significantly smaller than the size of the product passage can be reliably supported. In addition, the protrusion amount of the upper pedal 2 may not be the above-described maximum as long as the product can be supported.

Thereafter, the lower pedal 4 returns to the standby position shown in FIG. Since the carrier 7 is raised by the rotation of the napier screw member 6, the upper pedal 2 is pushed up to retreat into the opening 1a and returns to the standby position. The sold-out of the product is detected by the microswitch 15 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

Next, the operation of unloading a large-diameter product will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 15 shows a sales standby state. Then, as shown in FIG. 16, when the napier screw member 6 rotates in response to the sales command, the carrier 7 starts to descend, and the upper pedal 2 connected to this by the spring 10 protrudes from the opening 1a, and its distal end. Is brought into contact with the first product from the bottom, the sales start state is established.

Next, as shown in FIG. 17, even after the upper pedal 2 comes into contact with the first product from the bottom, the carrier 7 remains in the spring 1 position.
The descent is continued while extending 0, and the shaft holding member 8 is pressed. Then, as shown in FIG. 18, when the carrier 7 descends to the lower limit position, the stopper shaft 9 is pushed down.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG.
Is pressed down and the contact of the lower pedal 4 with the stopper portion 4a is released, the lower pedal 4 opens, and the first product from the bottom starts falling.

As shown in FIG. 20, when the product falls, the upper pedal 2 protrudes to the maximum extent on the product passage side by the tension of the extended spring 10 and supports the next product.

Thereafter, the lower pedal 4 returns to the standby position shown in FIG. Since the carrier 7 is raised by the rotation of the napier screw member 6, the upper pedal 2
To return to the opening 1a and return to the standby position.

The operation of unloading the rectangular product shown in FIGS. 21 to 26 is substantially the same as the above-described operation, and a duplicate description is omitted. Is slightly inclined to secure a projecting space for the upper pedal 2 and make the contact with the lower pedal 4 smooth.

As described above, according to the merchandise carry-out device of the vending machine according to the present embodiment, it is possible to sell merchandise having different shapes and outer diameters without adjusting the merchandise passage dimension each time. Further, by adopting the napier screw mechanism, the pedals 2 and 4 can be quickly and reliably operated with a simple configuration. Further, even when products having different shapes and outer diameters are mixed and stored in the same product passage, the products can be reliably sold without causing product clogging or the like.

In the above embodiment, the operation mechanism of the upper pedal 2 and the lower pedal 4 has been described as being constituted by the motor unit 25, the napier screw member 6, the carrier 7, the shaft holding member 8, and the like. It is not limited, and may be configured by another mechanism.

[0043]

As described above, according to the commodity discharging device for a vending machine according to the present invention (claim 1), it is disposed at the lower end of the commodity passage and forms one inner wall of the commodity passage. A substrate, formed so as to freely protrude from an opening of the substrate,
A lower pedal that supports a product located at the lowermost end; and an upper pedal that is formed to protrude from an opening of the substrate and that supports a product located second from the bottom, wherein the upper pedal is provided with the lower pedal. In accordance with the opening operation of the product, projecting to the product passage side, and projecting to a position where the product with the smallest diameter to be filled in the product passage can be supported even when the product is arranged as the second product from the bottom. Therefore, products having different shapes and outer diameters can be sold without having to adjust the product passage dimensions each time.

Further, according to the commodity discharging device for a vending machine according to the present invention (claim 2), the upper pedal is supported at the upper end by a shaft that is vertically movably inserted into a long hole of the board, and By being connected to a carrier that moves up and down by the rotation of the screw shaft via an urging means, the lower pedal is rotatable so as to advance and retreat from the opening of the substrate following the operation of the carrier. And a closed state can be maintained by contacting a stopper shaft which is supported by the substrate via urging means so as to be freely returned to the closed state and which is vertically movably inserted into a long hole of the substrate. Formed in
The stopper shaft is formed by a biasing unit that is held by a shaft holding member that is pressed when the carrier is lowered, and that returns to a state before the pressing when the pressing force from the carrier is released. Therefore, products having different shapes and outer diameters can be sold with a simple structure without having to adjust the product passage dimensions each time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view showing a product unloading device of the vending machine.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a receiving portion of a substrate opening.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a shaft holding member.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the rotation of the lower pedal is regulated by a shaft.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state in which the rotation of the lower pedal is regulated by a shaft.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of detecting a sold-out product.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of detecting a sold-out of a product.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a process of carrying out a small-diameter product.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing a process of carrying out a small-diameter product.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing a process of carrying out a small-diameter product.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing a process of carrying out a small-diameter product.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing a process of carrying out a small-diameter product.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of carrying out a small-diameter product.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of carrying out a large-diameter product.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory view showing a process of carrying out a large-diameter product.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory view showing a process of carrying out a large-diameter product.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory view showing a process of carrying out a large-diameter product.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory view showing a process of carrying out a large-diameter product.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory view showing a process of carrying out a large-diameter product.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of unloading a rectangular product.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of unloading a rectangular product.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a process of unloading a rectangular product.

FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of unloading a rectangular product.

FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of unloading a rectangular product.

FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of unloading a rectangular product.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate 1a, 1b Opening 1d, 1f, 8a Long hole 2 Upper pedal 3, 5 shaft 4 Lower pedal 4a Stopper part 4b Contact part 6 Napier screw member 7 Carrier 7a Screw hole 7b Pin 8 Shaft holding member 9 Stopper shaft G, G1, G2 Commodity 10, 11 Spring 20 Commodity outlet adjustment plate 25 Motor unit

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A substrate disposed at a lower end of a product passage and forming one inner wall of the product passage; and a lower pedal formed to protrude from an opening of the substrate and supporting a product located at a lowermost end. And an upper pedal formed so as to be able to protrude from an opening of the substrate and supporting a product located second from the bottom, wherein the upper pedal follows the opening operation of the lower pedal and the product passage. Automatic selling characterized in that it is formed so as to protrude to the side and to protrude to a position where it can support the product even when the product of the minimum diameter to be filled in the product passage is arranged as the second product from the bottom. Equipment for unloading goods. 2. An upper pedal is supported at its upper end by a shaft vertically inserted into a long hole of a substrate, and is connected to a carrier which moves up and down by rotation of a screw shaft via a biasing means. Thereby, the lower pedal is formed so as to be able to advance and retreat from the opening of the substrate following the operation of the carrier, and the lower pedal is pivotally connected to the substrate via an urging means so that the lower pedal can freely rotate and return to the closed state. The stopper is formed so as to be able to maintain a closed state by contacting with a stopper shaft which is supported and vertically inserted into a long hole of the substrate, and the stopper shaft is pressed when the carrier is lowered. And a biasing means for returning to a state before the pressing when the pressing force from the carrier is released.
A product unloading device for a vending machine according to item 1.